Qandeel Baloch’s Parents Shocking Statement On Her Murder
In a shocking turn of events, social media sensation Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother in Multan Saturday morning in the name of honour killing, according to local police.
The famed celebrity was known for uploading provocative content on her social media accounts. Reports state she had been receiving threats from her brother owing to her pictures and videos on Facebook.
Qandeel Baloch had earned herself quite a reputation in Pakistan and abroad. Though many find her acts objectionable, her death is a blow that has reverberated throughout the country.
Stranger Things - The First 8 Minutes - Series Opener - Netflix [HD]
From its opening sequence in the corridors under Hawkins National Laboratory, Stranger Things is dark, and not just visually. The most obvious influence on the Duffer brothers 80s-inspired series is E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, but under that layer of comfortable fun lurk more ominous allusions, from Tolkien to King to Carpenter. The institutes elevator, marked with that single up indicator, is eloquent: This dim, dangerous basement is as low as it goes. And the something wicked coming this way is no cuddly extraterrestrial wholl be satisfied with Reeses pieces.
Ten hours into their Dungeons & Dragons campaign, Dungeon Master Mike (Finn Wolfhard) warns Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), It is almost here. What is it? asks Will. Stranger Things knows the question is more potent than the answer. Like Jaws, Chapter One: The Vanishing Of Will Byers withholds the big reveal, giving only hints of its creatures appearance, origin, and effect. Instead, it relies on atmosphere, pacing, and dire details to create tension. When the Department Of Energys Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine) leads an investigative team into the labs deadly lower levels, hazmat suits arent enough; they silently duct-tape shut every point of entry to their protective gear. Inside the containment area, they find not the monster, but where it came from, a pulsing mass as reminiscent of the tentacled beast of Possession as it is of anything Cronenberg ever dreamed up.
When Will leaves his friends and rides into the night, we dont quite see the slithering horror he encounters. Instead, we hear its grotesque liquid chittering, we watch its shadow darken the door after he reaches the supposed safety of home, and we see his hands shake as he loads a neglected shotgun. The camera doesnt show what becomes of him, just the single light bulb that witnesses his disappearance.
(Noah Schnapp) (Photo: Netflix)
Ninety-nine out of a hundred times, a kid goes missing, the kid is with a parent or relative, Chief Hopper (David Harbour) tries to reassure Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder), Wills mother. This is Hawkins, he reminds her. Bad things dont happen hereor they didntand it shows in his approach to the case. The police chief is savvy enough to realize Will must have been badly scared to leave his bike behind and to figure out the boy reached home before he vanished. But hes not punctilious about preserving the roadside site or investigating the suspicious scene in the Byers shed.
Joyce Byers doesnt appreciate empty reassurances. What about the other time? she asks, and shes righter than she knows. This isnt one case in a hundred, or even one in a million. Ryder does her best with this underwritten character, eking as much tension out of a crackling telephone line as the pilot of Twin Peaks does, and playing her single scene with Will with affection that almost overcomes the obviousness of its ploy. Her visit to Wills forest fort (password Radagast) is a flashback designed to make Castle Byers emptiness a gut-punch. The scene is corny, and so is the shot of Joyce and her older son Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) crying out Wills name to the empty forest but its also effective.
Stranger Things reliance on familiar images and story beats could get tiresome. As Joshua Alston points out, The line between lively homage and limp imitation is razor-thin, and Chapter One has its limp moments and pedestrian passages. When volunteers search the woods for Will, its an opportunity for exposition and not much more. A secret flirtation between straitlaced Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and a popular boy is no doubt laying groundwork for future plot developments, but here it feels like filler. Even the sequences introducing the mysterious lab escapee known only as Eleven (Intruders outstanding Millie Bobby Brown) drag a little.
But the first episode has a knack for making even foregone conclusions suspenseful. The diner owners a goner from the moment he calls Social Services about Eleven. Between his confusion at the social workers early arrival and a scene of agents monitoring the area (a hat-tip to E.T.s eavesdropping van), its easy to guess shes actually an operative informed of his call, sent to recover the test subject. But that anticipation didnt stop me from getting goosebumps at the chilly violence of the scene or the carefully elided moment of Elevens escape.
In a show conspicuously structured on archetypes and tropes, its not surprising for central characters to be blandly distinct types. But where the men and boys expand from types to characters in Chapter One, the women and girls dont. Gruff Chief Hopper, who drinks himself to sleep and washes down his morning meds with flat beer, also gets to be insightful and coolly competent. Mike Wheeler fleshes out the broad outline of a DMing dork, divining Wills real-life choices (and his own duty to his friend) from his D&D character. Dustin mixes courage with comical common sense when he hesitates before wandering into the woods. (Did you ever think Will went missing because he ran into something bad? And were going to the exact same spot where he was last seen? he asks his friends, earning my nomination for shrewdest character in the whole episode.) By the end of the first episode, of the female characters, Joyce Byers has the closest thing to an established character, and even that is simple escalation from frazzled single mother to frantic single mother. The good girl, the nagging mom, and even the waif with strange powers are still just the types they began as, nothing more.
The wooded areas around Hawkins are central to Stranger Things, both as the stomping ground where Will and his friends are free from adult supervision and as an eerily empty landscape. Even indoors, the forest is still a presence. In their different ways, both the Byers and the Wheelers homes feel crowded and dim, their busy patterns of wallpaper and lampshades and wood tones creating a period-accurate clutter thats both reminiscent of the woods and as oppressive as an overstuffed Victorian parlor.
(Winona Ryder, Charlie Heaton) (Photo: Netflix)
Hoppers house is even more hectic. Center-frame in the interior establishing shot is a childs drawing of a now conspicuously absent family. The camera plays over a litter of beer cans, half-eaten food, books, and a prescription bottle. And keys. There are keys everywhere in Chapter One: a key-shaped key rack in that establishing shot, Hoppers keyring set off from the confused mess on the table, a plaque of police-station keys squarely in the background between Hopper and Joyce Byers as they talk about her missing son. Joyce, too, is introduced searching for her keys, and the show carefully delineates the moment Hoppers indolence drops away and he becomes a real cop again: when he asks her, He had a key to the house, right?
Keys are the key to Chapter One, and maybe to all of Stranger Things nostalgia-laden mixture of freedom and danger. Willwho needs a key because he often comes home to an empty houseand his friends are unfettered in a way few children like them are today. They play in forested wastes, they ride their bikes into the night down lonely roads, they have walkie-talkies instead of cell phones. But keys dont just promise freedom for fun. They mean safety, or they mean danger. Like the labs series of supposedly secure entrancesnow exits for something too horrible to show just yeta locked door can be breached. (Keys is also the only name given to the Peter Coyote character in E.T., of whom Modines Dr. Brenner is a menacing reflection.) Keys can open the door to darkness. And at least in its first episode, Stranger Things is embracing the darkness.
Stray observations
The full season of Stranger Things is available on Netflix, but (as I did with Lady Dynamite) Ill be doling them out to myself an episode at a time. Look for reviews every other day!
If your comment on a given review includes plot developments for future episodes, please do your fellow readersand me!the courtesy of adding a spoiler warning.
Chapter One: The Vanishing Of Will Byers has single-handedly vindicated my youthful horror of being waylaid by a slithering beast on my way home from playing D&D. (Did you know we review Dungeons & Dragons handbooks? I didnt.)
Karen Wheeler is played by Cara Buono, who immerses herself so thoroughly in character and costume that it always takes me a beat to recognize her despite her distinctive voice and features.
From its Stephen King font to Mikes The Thing poster, Stranger Things is larded through with loving nods to horror and sci-fi stories, shows, and movies, many impossible to narrow down. For example, the name of Hawkins National Laboratory could allude to anything from Dracula to Predator to Cloverfield. Ill point out the most significant examples, but there promise to be too many to catalog in any one review, so have at it in the comments.
The Talk - Hosts Discuss Matt Lauer & Natalie Morales Affair Rumors; Osbourne Reacts
Saturday night July 9, REELZ presents Princess Diana: Behind Closed Doors at 9 p.m. ET/6 PT, hosted by The TODAY shows Natalie Morales. The program will replay immediately following the debut presentation. The REELZs special program will recount what occurred in the life of Princess Di that translated into all the bombshell revelations and headlines wesaw in our tabloid newspapers.
The life of Diana, Princess of Wales was a complicated one at best, and tragic at worst. While she captivated the world as a shy twenty year-old she became much more than that young girl, after she was thrust into the spotlight as a member of the British royal family.
Diana had many titles, some bestowed on her by the monarchy and others given to her throughout her years in public life. She was known as Shy Di and Lady Di. Once she became a woman of the world she was known as a humanitarian, a style icon and a mother. Unfortunately she became a single mom when her marriage to Prince Charles ended.
In Princess Diana: Behind Closed Doors, Natalie Morales will take us through what we dont know about Diana. Yes, believe it or not, there are some things that are still known to only a few. What went on behind the gates of Kensington Palace was kept quiet for a long time, but ultimately there were information leaks that gave us an idea of how that seemingly idyllic life had turned to sadness, loneliness and even betrayal.
When Diana got tired of keeping up a brave face or having sensational headlines tell her story in a way that didnt match her real experience, the princess decided to open up and speak about her husband, their marriage and the difficulty she had fulfilling the expectations placed upon her by her husbands family.
Much has been made of the fact that there was a disdain at the palace for what the public came to love about Princess Di. She didnt fit in to the mold established by custom and history. She had her own public face, and she encouraged it, perhaps to feel the love that she hoped would offset what never came from those closest to her.
Princess Diana: Behind Closed Doors will feature interviews with Dianas personal friends as well as historians, biographers and contemporaries who cover the royal family. Itis produced by Peacock Productions, a division of NBC News. Additional chance to watch at 11pm ET/ 8pm PT on REELZ.
Rogue One Celebration Reel In Depth Analysis & Speculation - Star Wars Explained
A "Star Wars" world with a host of new characters and a new feisty female lead was unveiled at a special fan event on Friday, as the cast of the upcoming film "Rogue One" discussed the latest chapter of the much-loved franchise.
British actress Felicity Jones, who follows in the heels of newcomer Daisy Ridley leading last year"s "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," said her character Jyn Erso is "incredibly independent" in "Rogue One," out in theaters December 16.
"She can be tough when she needs to be but she has, I hope, great humanity as well at the same time, and someone who throughout the film finds a cause and finds those leadership qualities inside of her," the actress told Reuters.
Jones joined "Rogue One" cast members to kick off this year"s "Star Wars Celebration" in London, which features three days of panels and events for fans.
Mexican actor Diego Luna, who plays Captain Cassian Andor, said "Rogue One" was the "most grounded film" in the franchise and centered on a group of rebels fighting for freedom and to "change their reality."
Forest Whitaker, who plays Saw Gerrera, said "Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards shot a "very gritty" film with handheld camera work that made it more "personal and intimate." The characters, Whitaker said, struggled with "light and darkness."
Disney released a three-minute reel online on Friday of behind-the-scene "Rogue One" footage that featured action, explosions, green screen sets, new creatures and Stormtroopers wading through calm blue waters on a tropical beach.
Attendees at the event were given an exclusive look at a new trailer for "Rogue One," not yet released to the public, that featured a glimpse of franchise villain Darth Vader, seen in a fan video from the event uploaded by The Daily Beast.
"Star Wars" producer Kathleen Kennedy had previously said that Darth Vader would return in "Rogue One" and veteran actor James Earl Jones will reprise voicing the character.
"Rogue One" is the first of three new standalone "Star Wars" films that will explore new realms and stories outside of the trilogies first set up in George Lucas" 1977 "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope."
Walt Disney Co resurrected "Star Wars" with a new generation of characters in December"s box office hit "The Force Awakens." The saga will be continued in "Episode VIII," which wrapped filming this week and will be out in theaters December 2017.
(Reporting by Reuters TV in London; Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Dale Earnhardt Jr. To Miss Races, Jeff Gordon To Replace
Dale Earnhardt Jr. will not compete in Sunday"s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway after experiencing concussion-like symptoms, his Hendrick Motorsports team announced Thursday.
In the release, the team said Earnhardt was evaluated this week in Charlotte and on Thursday was not cleared by physicians to race. Alex Bowman will be the teams substitute driver this weekend at New Hampshire (1:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN).
I wasnt feeling great the week going into Kentucky (Speedway) and thought it was possibly severe allergies, Earnhardt said. I saw a family doctor and was given medication for allergies and a sinus infection. When that didnt help, I decided to dig a little deeper. Because of my symptoms and my history with concussions, and after my recent wrecks at Michigan and Daytona, I reached out and met with a neurological specialist. After further evaluation, they felt it was best for me to sit out.
Im disappointed about missing New Hampshire this weekend. Im looking forward to treatment with the goal of getting back in the race car when the doctors say Im ready.
A timetable for Earnhardts return is still unknown.
Bowman raced fulltime in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2014 and 2015, with a best finish of 13th at Daytona in July of 2014. He has competed in four NASCAR XFINITY Series races this season, all with Earnhardt"s JR Motorsports race team.
This is the second time Earnhardt has pulled himself from competition for concussion-related issues. In 2012, he missed two races during the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup after a wreck at Talladega Superspeedway.
Im proud of Dale for standing up, said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. The number-one priority is his health, so were going to give him all the time he needs. We completely support the decision by the doctors and will be ready to go win races when hes 100 percent. In the meantime, we have full confidence in (crew chief) Greg (Ives) and the team, and we know theyll do a great job.
Pokemon GO ★ SERVERS ARE TERRIBLE!!! ★ NEW Pokemon GO Server Status Checker LIVE!
As Pokmon GO arrives in another 26 countries, the augmented reality app has been inaccessible worldwide for the past few hours.
That is thanks in part to hacking group Poodle Corp, who appear to have claimed responsibility for taking the apps servers down.
In the past month, the group has targeted League of Legends and Battle.net with DDOS attacks.
Those trying to log in to Niantics next take on real world gaming are met with errors that say that the app is unable to authenticate their details, or that their player data cannot be retrieved from the server.
Niantic has said that they are aware of the server issues and are working to restore everything back to normal, but it remains unclear as to when Pokmon GO will be back online.
Star Trek Beyond Official Trailer #2 (2016) - Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto Movie HD
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, has achieved every Trekkers fantasy, by playing an alien in the new Star Trek film.
Related: Star Trek Beyond review a watchable adventure still heavy on the bromance
Bezos is listed, as Starfleet Official, in the credits for Star Trek Beyond, the third instalment of the rebooted sci-fi franchise. In interviews on Friday, producer JJ Abrams and director Justin Lin confirmed his appearance.
Lin said the billionaire arrived with plentiful security for a day of filming and waited patiently for crews to shoot the single tracking shot that includes his character.
He was awesome, Lin said. It was like a president was visiting, you know? He had a big entourage. But it didnt matter because he was so into it. He had to wait around all day because it was one day we were shooting like three different scenes and, it was also credit to Jeff because he just nailed it every time.
Bezos has spoken in interviews of his passion for Star Trek and said his childhood dreams of space led him to found his private space travel company, named Blue Origin.
Several musicians and actors made un-billed appearances in Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens, including the James Bond star Daniel Craigs widely discussed appearance as a stormtrooper.
Listen, you cant keep people away, Abrams said, laughing. I saw it. I thought it was funny.
Even for Hollywood actors accustomed to the red-carpet glitz, Bezos caused a stir with his appearance on set.
I was there for the bit with his, like, nine bodyguards and three limos. It was really intense, said Chris Pine, who stars in the film as Captain James T Kirk. I had no idea who he was. Not a clue. But he was obviously very important.
