Most Popular
- I-300 is out to put the brakes on illegal immigration
- Clemency for these six prisoners could save millions and serve justice -- so why won't Governor Ritter try it?
- The writing's on the wall for KOZE, a graffiti vandal who thought he'd never be caught
- In Idaho Springs, bathing suits are no longer optional
- The charges are building against disgraced developer Erik Osborn
Recent Blog Posts
Dan Tang pleads guilty in exchange for reduced sentence
Fri Nov 20, 5:02 PM
The Balloon Boy meme: deconstructed
Fri Nov 20, 3:57 PM
The Weekend Showdown: Polytoxic's The Last Waltz Revisited leads our top picks for this weekend
Fri Nov 20, 2:56 PM
Hearsay bits: Sean Foreman and Nat Motte put the 'OH!' in 3OH!3 at mtvU's Woodie Awards and more
Fri Nov 20, 1:14 PM
Cafe Society: Week in review
Fri Nov 20, 5:59 PM
A week's worth of Weege
Fri Nov 20, 4:59 PM
Ski boots: Turns out they shouldn't make you want to cut your feet off
Fri Nov 20, 1:29 PM
Three to Ski: Eldora, Vail and Lincoln Avenue
Fri Nov 20, 1:23 PM
National Features >
City Pages
Michele Bachmann, Unmuzzled
You don't need to read Sarah Palin's book to hear the ravings of a mad woman.
By Matt Snyders
Miami New Times
Pimp Daddy
The rise and fall of a chubby sex-cult leader.
By Natalie O'Neill
Riverfront Times
Babe 'n' Arms
Tom was a hot-tempered cross-dresser with a garage full of guns--and then he became Rachel.
By Nicholas Phillips
Dallas Observer
The Fight for Texas
Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison are locked in a battle over the soul of the GOP. They're also running for governor.
By Sam Merten
Star Power
Learn about Afghanistan’s version of American Idol in a documentary.
Share
By Mark Dragotta
Published on August 05, 2009 at 1:00am
Of all the things that can get a person killed, singing and dancing are generally not on the list. Unless, of course, you lived in Afghanistan while the Taliban was in power.
When that regime fell, bans on TV, dancing and singing were lifted, opening the door for Tolo TV to start an American Idol-type reality show called Afghan Star. Like our version, contestants are chosen from all genders, geographic areas and ethnic groups, and viewers vote for their favorite contestants using their cell phones.
However, unlike its American cousin, Afghan Star represents more than a pop-culture phenomenon. In a documentary of the same name, filmmaker Havana Marking follows the stories of four young finalists as they compete to become the nation's favorite performer. But the contestants — two men and two women — also come face to face with a culture that's willing to bend only so much toward modernity.
Afghan Star opens today. Tickets are $7.25 Monday through Friday before 6 p.m., $9.75 all other times. For more information, call 303-352-1992 or go to www.landmarktheatres.com.
Aug. 7-13, 2009
Now Click This
