Sure, the plot borrows heavily from "The Muppet Movie" (this time, Kermit has to reunite everyone rather than get the band together) and the TV movie, "It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie," wherein an evil financier wants to steal the Muppets' theater. This time Chris Cooper's oil billionaire steps in for Joan Cusack's banker.
But "The Muppets" has the same brilliant absurdity, anarchic humor, subtle uplift and ensemble comedy that fans have come to expect over the years.
Jim Henson may be gone, but a new generation of writers and performers are doing right by his creations.
The aforementioned Walter has grown up loving the Muppets, as has his brother and best friend Gary (Jason Segel, who also co-wrote the film). Gary takes his longtime girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) to L.A. to celebrate their tenth anniversary, and Walter tags along to see the sights -- not that there are many of those to behold at the decrepit Muppet Studios, a moth-eaten shadow of its former self.
Walter sneaks into Kermit's old office and hears the ruthless Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) detail his plans to buy the studio and the theater under the guise of building a Muppet museum, even though his real agenda is to tear it all down and dig for oil underneath.
Horrified, the small-town trio track down Kermit (voiced by Steve Whitmire), who's puttering around a moldering Bel-Air mansion, nostalgic for the past. Walter inspires Kermit to reassemble the Muppets to hold a benefit telethon to save the theater, sending them off to collect Fozzie Bear (voiced by Eric Jacobson), who's performing with a tribute act called "The Moopets" in Reno; Gonzo (voiced by Dave Goelz), now a successful plumbing-fixtures magnate, and all the rest.
In true Muppet fashion, there's a montage of tracking down beloved characters -- and people in the movie mention the fact that they're in a montage.
But there are challenges, of course: can Kermit convince his estranged girlfriend Miss Piggy (Jacobson) to leave her gig as plus-size editor at French Vogue to return to the fold? Will the Muppets find a celebrity in Kermit's 1970s Rolodex to host the telethon? And will Walter figure out what talents he might have in time for the show?
The plot, as you may well imagine, is secondary to the barrage of jokes, songs, fourth-wall violations and occasional celebrity cameos that are part and parcel of the big-screen Muppet experience. And "The Muppets" gets all of this just right. Several of the new tunes are from "Flight of the Conchords" songwriter Bret McKenzie. "Conchords" vet James Bobin directs the new movie.
While Segel -- who memorably worked singing puppets into "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" -- and Adams are perfectly charming, and totally get into the spirit of things, can we take a moment to acknowledge what a great performer Kermit the Frog is? He's got one of the most expressive skulls in show business (albeit also one of the softest ones), and he can convey a panoply of emotions just by indenting his temples or folding in his top lip. All of the Muppets, of course, have that gift of smiling by opening their mouths as widely as possible.
There are one or two draggy moments in "The Muppets," but nothing that will render young audiences any more fidgety than, say, the "Never Before and Never Again" number in the original "The Muppet Movie." And for Muppet fans who, like "Star Wars" nerds, speak breathlessly of "the original trilogy" -- namely, "The Muppet Movie," "The Great Muppet Caper," and "The Muppets Take Manhattan" -- this reboot stands proudly, wackily, and adorably with its storied predecessors.
An official source said gas pressure was assessed at 1000 pound square inch (psi) which indicates a big reservoir. However, he shared no information on the size of the reservoir, its quality and potential daily gas supplies, and said “the technical team is the process of evaluating all of these things”.
National flag carrier, OGDCL started exploratory drilling in the block located in Dera Bugti district and first well X-1 was spud in May this year. The company had obtained exploration license for Zin block in 1996. But due to law and order issues, it could not be drilled for last 14 years.
In industry circles, Zin block is considered a very prospective block as it is surrounded by major natural gas producing fields of Pirkoh, Loti, Sui and Uch. Work on the site was started in 2010, when government provided required security to the company. If drilling proves successful the gas from the field will start flowing within next one year, the source said.
A major discovery in the block will make government enhance security for companies interested in oil and gas exploration in the hydrocarbon rich province to overcome severe energy crisis due to estimated 2 bcfd shortfall in gas supply.
The country’s first major discovery of Sui gas field located in Dera Bugti was made in 1952. Its neighbouring district of Kohlu is attributed by experts as the most prospective area for finding major conventional hydrocarbon reserves. OGDCL has applied for security clearance for four licenses in the district including Kohlu, Jandran, Jandran West and Kalchas.
OGDCL is the largest upstream company in the country having a portfolio of 77 fields, out of which 45 fields are 100 per cent owned and operated, and 32 are non-operated fields. As of December 2010, it holds 48 per cent of the country’s recoverable oil reserves, and 37 per cent of the country’s recoverable gas reserves. In terms of production, currently OGDCL delivers 56 per cent of Pakistan’s oil output, and 22 per cent of its gas production.
However, not only did counsel Babar Awan fail to ‘make a case,’ he failed to reach the venue. The Advocate on Record, Mehmood A Sheikh, told the court that Awan could not attend the proceedings because of some “family commitments,” requesting that the hearing be adjourned.
Annoyed by Awan’s absence, the chief justice said “all judges have families, but the 17-member full court is sitting for five days to hear the federation’s plea.”
The bench, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, directed the government to implement the verdict in letter and spirit without any further delay.
The court asked Law Secretary Masood Chishti to read out the documents which Babar Awan had created a hue and cry about in Thursday’s hearing. But Chishti requested that the hearing be adjourned so that Awan could read out the documents himself.
“It was your petition, you drafted it and your counsel is absent today. You insisted on presenting these documents, despite the court’s rejection, and you are refusing to read them,” the CJP remarked.
When the court demanded that the secretary read out the documents, he read out one page and refused to read further.
Justice Jawad S Khawaja said: “You may not argue the case, but read the documents. You wanted the court to see them.” However, Chishti kept requesting for an adjournment.
Defying the court’s orders means to go behind bars, the chief justice reminded Chisti, to which he said: “I have gone to jail and the post of federal secretary is not important to me. I am happy being a lawyer.”
Later, the court directed Attorney General of Pakistan (AJP) Maulvi Anwarul Haq to read out all the documents, but they pertained to cases against President Asif Ali Zardari and Benazir Bhutto pending before Swiss courts. The document contained letters of Ehtesab Bureau (the NAB’s forerunner) chief Saifur Rehman and ex-AGP Chaudhry Farooq to the Swiss authorities.
The documents, made public for the first time, had the names of PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, his wife Begum Nusrat Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari.
As the AGP read out the letters, Chishti interrupted and requested the bench to allow him to read the documents, but this time the chief justice snubbed him and asked him to sit down.
“First, you refused to read the documents and now you are saying you want to read them. What is your problem?” said Justice Asif Saeed Khosa, adding, “We did not want the documents to be read out here, but yesterday Mr Babar created a scene.”
He said the court was reluctant to accept the documents only to avoid publicising the names of ‘honorable personalities’, but now they have been made public.
Justice Khwaja asked the AGP how the documents were relevant to the case, while Justice Saqib Nisar said the documents pertained to investigations held between 1997 and 1999, adding that the NRO was issued 10 years after. Justice Nasirul Mulk remarked that the court was not closing the doors of justice but avoiding insult of honorable personalities.
Aitzaz says verdict will not hurt president
Aitzaz Ahsan, former SCBA president and Pakistan Peoples Party member, said President Asif Ali Zardari is exempt from any lawsuit under article 248 of the constitution and ruled out any chances of a rift between the federation and the judiciary over the verdict.
He said the court’s decisions should be accepted and implemented, adding that although implementation of the NRO verdict has been delayed, it is unfair to say that the court’s decision has not been obeyed at all.
Aitzaz added that he was unable to understand why Babar Awan wanted to present the documents in court.
Speaking to journalists outside the court, newly-elected President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Yasin Azad said the bar association will support the judiciary in case the orders of the apex court are violated.
Import payments and negative regional sentiment on currencies drove the rupee to close near its record low on Friday, dealers said.The rupee ended at 87.75/80 to the dollar, weaker than Thursday's close of 87.64/67, but still shy of its record low of 87.92 in September.However in the TOM (one-day forward) market, it traded at 87.95 according to dealers."Next week there are fewer payments so the pressure may ease, however there is generally a weak sentiment about the economy," said a dealer at a foreign bank.Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves fell to $16.96 billion in the week ending Nov. 18, after hitting a record $18.31 billion in the week ending July 30.There was also some concern following the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) assessment that the outlook for Pakistan's economy for the current fiscal year ending June 2012 was "challenging", dealers said.In a statement on Tuesday, the IMF said that ongoing security concerns were likely to limit capital inflows.
Dealers said the rupee was under pressure despite rising remittances from overseas Pakistanis, which rose to $1.02 billion in October, compared with $855.11 million in October 2010.
The local currency could also experience downward pressure in the days ahead due to a widening current account deficit, which stood at a provisional $1.5 billion in the July-Oct period, compared with $541 million in the same period last year.
In the money market, overnight rate ended at its top level of 11.90 percent, amid tight liquidity in the interbank market.
The victory capped a remarkable performance by Pakistan who won the preceding three-Test series 1-0 and the five-match one-day series 4-1.
Misbah, who hit three boundaries and a six off 38 balls, added 46 for the fourth wicket with Asad Shafiq (33) after Pakistan lost their way in persuit of the target.
They lost Mohammad Hafeez (13), Imran Farhat (13) and Umar Akmal for a first ball duck.
Shafiq hit three boundaries during his run-a-ball knock before he was bowled by Lasith Malinga.
Misbah hit Dilruwan Perera for a huge six and when 43 needed off the last four overs, the Pakistani captain hit three boundaries in Dilhara Fernando's 17th over of the innings.
When Pakistan needed 23 off the last two overs Afridi hit Fernando for two sixes over deep mid-wicket before the paceman had him caught behind.
Pakistan needed nine off the last over bowled by Malinga whose first ball saw two taken by Misbah but the ensuing throw went for four before Shoaib Malik knocked off the winning runs.
Earlier Cheema took 4-30 in a superb display of swing bowling to derail Sri Lanka who had looked set to put up a big total on the back of maiden Twenty20 half-century by Dinesh Chandimal.
Chandimal had looked threatening during his 44-ball 56, hitting six boundaries and added a firey 31 for the second wicket with skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan (28) before Cheema came into his own.
Sri Lanka were off to a flying start of 30 by the third over before losing opener Upul Tharanga, bowled by Cheema for 12.
Dilshan miscued a drive off spinner Saeed Ajmal in the sixth over but Sri Lanka still had a ten run avergae by the sixth over.
Pakistani bowlers led by Cheema, playing only his second Tewnty20 match, checked Sri Lankan innings as they lost their last seven wickets for 54 runs.
Chandimal brought up his maiden half-century in the shortest form of the game off 40 balls before Cheema had him in the 19th over of the innings, trapped leg-before.
Cheema also had Thissara Perera (nought) and Malinga (one) to finish his four-over spell.
Sri Lanka's poor batting was not helped by two run outs of Angelo Mathews (14) and Chamara Silva (four). Umar Gul polished off the tail with 2-16.
Pakistan fly off to Dhaka on Saturday to play a Twenty20, three one-day internationals and two Tests. The Twenty20 will be played in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The egg-pelting incident took place on The Mall in front of the Punjab Assembly, which is sitting on the bill meant for revision of pay for the protesters for years, while The Mall and Hall Road traders took the law in their hands to implement the Lahore High Court decision imposing a ban on holding protest rallies on the road of bustling business centres.
The LHC decision was in fact passed after the Punjab government, in violation of its own decision, held a protest rally against the federal government of the Pakistan People’s Party about a month ago from Nasir Bagh, the starting point of The Mall.
It was the same road from where the traders bodies of The Mall, Hall Road and adjacent roads brought out rallies to join the main rally at Nasir Bagh and no one including the commuters on these roads protested against them since they were already off the roads leading to Nasir Bagh knowing well that they would find no way to go if they got stuck in the procession.
According to some sources in The Mall and Hall Road Traders’ Association, the decision to pelt the protesting nurses with rotten eggs had in fact been taken after the leadership disapproved various other suggestions including beating the protesters with batons and throwing water with the help of fire brigade tankers.
Ironically, no action has so far been taken against the traders association and their activists who in their quest to implement the LHC order of a ban on protest rallies on The Mall, violated the law for the sake of their business against the hapless nurses who chose to come on streets as a last resort to secure a respectable living for them and their families.
If the nurses have pelted stones on the traders and their shops, the law would have swiftly come into action, sending many of the protesters behind the bars.
There is a complete silence over the incident as nothing has happened since the victims in the case are hapless nurses. The custodian of ‘Takht-e-Lahore’ (Rulers of Punjab) has yet to issue a condemnation statement while the superior judiciary, famous for taking suo motu notice on as small a case as of Attiqa Odho’s alleged possession of bottles of liquor, has yet to take note of the matter which finds a space in headlines of all news channels and newspapers.
The hapless nurses of the province seek a revision in the pay structure for a long time and have failed to find their demands registered with the custodian of Takht-e-Lahore, Khadam-e-Aala Shahbaz Sharif, as he likes to be called instead of the chief minister.
Soon after becoming the custodian of Takht-e-Lahore for the second time, he showered the police force of the province with his blessings like a king and almost doubled their salaries seeing them as the real defenders of his rule. The aim was also to change the ‘Thana Culture’ but it remained a lip service as men in uniform despite being respected at the highest failed to change their habits and the people of the province have yet to see them coming up to their motto of serving the masses by shunning the century-old habit of acting on the behest of the powerful, rich and influential.
The nurses did saw the wastage of billions of rupees in the name of cheap bread (Sasti Roti Scheme) for masses and the Takht-e-Lahore securing political mileage aimed at nullifying the federal government’s decision enhancing the support prices for wheat.
The nurses watched quietly when their doctor colleagues snatched a pay raise by launching a successful movement across the province and by bringing the Takht-e-Lahore to its knees with the help of their aggressive struggle.
Needless to mention here that the Takht-e-Lahore’s tireless campaign against dengue fever, which is yet to die down, was completely fought by nurses by sacrificing their lives.
The protesting nurses are justified to question who will nurse them and fight for them when they need support and favour not only for a raise in their salaries but also to exercise their right to protest.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has struck down the appointment of Tauqir Sadiq as Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman and declared his appointment as illegal and void ab initio. The court has ordered him to return all the salary and privileges drawn from the public exchequer in the course of his service as the chairman of the powerful oil and gas sector regulator. The judgement also noted a number of serious corruption allegations levelled against Sadiq and observed that the allegations were worthy of a serious investigation; therefore, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was directed to submit a report to the court within 45 days in this regard. The court directed NAB to probe the conduct of the state functionaries who were engaged in the process of selection of Sadiq as the OGRA chairman and submit a report in the court. The court also held that the fundamental rights of the people of Pakistan were in danger if improper appointments went on being made to key positions in autonomous regulatory bodies. The importance of these institutions for the economic life of the nation and its citizens is ever increasing.
He said that the US knew that Pakistan could be helpful in maintaining peace in Afghanistan. The US supported trilateral talks and meetings like in Istanbul, he said, adding that Pakistan’s cooperation in the war on terror was vital for the security of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Earlier delivering a speech, the ambassador said that the US wanted a strong Pakistan and Pakistan’s success was America’s success. “We are very much in support of the democratic process here, we support your constitution, we support the rule of law, we support the will of the Pakistani people,” he said.
She further added, “What’s important is to live with honour and dignity so that the memories we leave behind are worth remembering.”
According to reports, the accident occurred when one of the tyres on Khalid’s car burst, fatally overturning his car. Khalid – also a painter, lyricist, speaker and educationist – has left behind a wife, two sons and a daughter.
Khalid, the President and Chancellor of the National Institute of Cultural Studies, Lok Virsa Islamabad, was best known for his television screenplays which include “Guest House”, “Angar Wadi” as well as Lollywood film =Laaj. The film won 12 Bolan Awards, 14 Graduate Awards, four National Film Awards and a Lux Style Award, reported dawn.com.
Apart from the above mentioned awards, he had also received the prestigious Pride of Performance award.
Each of them is hoping that the longtime PPP stalwart becomes a part of it “ for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) it would give them an opportunity to bolster its presence in south Punjab, for the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) there is no harm in having an `old` face with a reliable vote bank with the `new` faces that mark the party right now.
Qureshi left the PPP after 18 years to protest against the party`s coalition with the PML-Quaid, and then he also claims for the government`s failure to address the problems of the common man.
Throughout his long association, Qureshi was a force to reckon with within the rank and file of the PPP: he was the frontrunner to become prime minister, but lost to Yousuf Raza Gilani, and had headed the Punjab chapter of the party for many years.
This stemmed from his good relations with the late Benazir Bhutto, and because he has considerable influence in the southern belt of the province with his position as `makhdoom` for his followers who are in good numbers even in some parts of Sindh. Hence, unlike other PPP turncoats, Qureshi is in great demand.
None other than PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, with whom he once served as finance minister in the provincial cabinet, is trying to woo him to join his party. In fact, on Tuesday, at the invitation of the PML-N chief, Qureshi travelled to Raiwind for a meeting.
The red-carpet welcome that was accorded to Qureshi in Raiwind – the entire PML-N leadership stood with their hands folded in his honour – showed the main opposition party was desperately looking for an affirmative nod.
However, much to the chagrin of news hungry TV channels, Qureshi at the end of the meeting remained tight-lipped about whether he would join the PML-N.
He deferred all decisions relating to his future political course till November 27, when he intends to address a political rally in Ghotki, Sindh.
Reliable sources in the PML-N told Dawn that the party was more than willing to take Qureshi on board at his terms and conditions, but he has sought more time to make up his mind.
According to them, Qureshi was confused whether he should join the PML-N or head a separate group comprising dissidents from within the PPP and then form an alliance.
The main reason why the PML-N is willing to go the extra mile to have Qureshi on board is because the PPP owes its strong vote base to him in the southern districts of Punjab. And with him parting ways with Zardari, the Sharif brothers are looking for a good show in the south where their party has struggled in the past.
The PML-N feels that since the PPP is in an alliance with the PML-Q, they have the potential to wipe out whatever electoral presence the party carries in the so-called Saraiki belt of the province.
In fact, PPP and PML-Q`s representatives outnumber the PML-N in the region: they have 36 seats compared to PML-N`s 12 in the current National Assembly. And of the 12 districts in southern Punjab, PML-N has a presence in only six.
Talking to Dawn , a sitting PML-Q MNA from the southern belt agreed that in the absence of Qureshi it would not be an easy run for the PPP in the Saraiki belt. Moreover, he said, if Qureshi joined hands with the PML-N, then PPP candidates would have to a challenge canvassing support in the run-up to the next general elections.
This has created some uneasiness, which was witnessed during the meeting of PML-Q parliamentarians this week.
On the eve, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain categorically warned party lawmakers hailing from the south that after Qureshi quitting the PPP, they will be facing tough competition ahead, hence, they needed to close their ranks.
Therefore, he said, it had become imperative for the party to have an election alliance with the PPP.
On other hand, in the hope of roping in some elect-able faces to his PTI, Imran Khan is also keeping his fingers crossed over the future move of Qureshi. Though Qureshi is yet to announce his next political move, spokespersons for both the PML-N and PTI have predicted Qureshi was poised to join their ranks.
Mr Qureshi is a seasoned and shrewd politician who will be game-changer in the next elections – no doubt he`ll play his cards wisely this time around as well.
While addressing the rally, senior member of JuD Ameer Hamza said “When Pakistan announced that it might award the MFN status to India, Hafiz Saeed reassured , Ali Geelani that we will not leave him alone.”
“India can never be a most favorite nation for Pakistanis,” he added.
Syed Ali Shah Geelani is the founder of the Tehreek-e-Hurriyat of Indian administered Kashmir.
Referring to Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, Maulana Abdur Rehman Makki said:
“How can this 33 year old girl know anything about the 63 year old Pakistan?”
He also added: “If this decision (to award MFN status to India) is not reversed then those who are responsible for this decision will have to get reversed.”
Secretary General Punjab of Ahl-e-Sunnat-Wal-Jamat, the political wing of banned militant outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba, showed solidarity with the JuD.
“I want to announce from Sipah-e-Sahaba that we are with Hafiz Abdur-Rehman Makki and Hafiz Saeed.”
The JuD Lahore Ameer, Ameer-ul-Azeem was present at the rally also.
Media efforts to promote harmony with India during the speeches were also condemned.
At the rally when the participants were asked why they were attending, one tractor driver said he was given Rs2,000 to attend. Others gave figure between Rs2,000-5000.
A few others said they are attending because of their personal association with JuD members in their neighbourhood. However, a few farmers said they were protesting because “India does not release enough water for their fields.”
Rally participants also included a number young boys from the JuD Markaz Tayyaba in Muridkey.
The group announced that on November 27 students from different seminaries will stage a protest against granting the MFN status to India outside the Lahore Press Club. On December 18, 40 religious parties will gather for a convention at Iqbal Park in Lahore.
Teachers and administrators of Shujabad have complained that the educational system has been disturbed due to processions taking place in the school grounds of government educational institutions, which, in their opinion, is an unethical practice. Teachers said that students were being distracted from their studies due to the PTI’s activities and rallies.
The situation came to a head after the PTI announced the organisation of one of a large procession inside the Government High School Shujabad.
Senior headmaster Raza Gulzar Muhayiuddin of Government High School Shujabad had initially refused to give permission to the district administration to carry out a PTI procession in their school, which was serving as the examination centre for intermediate supplementary exams at the time.
Senior officials of the school, who chose to remain anonymous, told The Express Tribune that the district administration later pressurised the school authorities into granting permission for the procession.
DCO Zahid Akhtar visited the school after which Commissionaire Multan Khurram Ali Aagha granted the permission, officials said.
Four soldiers were also killed in the firefight, which lasted several hours. Militant sources confirmed the clashes and casualties but disputed the government’s death toll.
There was no independent confirmation of the battle.
In a separate incident, security forces killed six militants and destroyed two hideouts in Orakzai Agency.
A search operation was also carried out in the village of Paskalay where 15 suspected militants were arrested.
Security forces claim to have killed over 120 militants and injuring 40 in Orakzai Agency during the past one week. They also claim to have regained control of Akhund Kot, Chapar and Dapar Killay areas.
An operation was launched in Orakzai Agency in March last year, while the Kurram operation was launched this summer. However, this past week, security forces have increased their advance in both agencies.
