Nicole Kidman "Strange And Afraid Of The Sun"

I don't know what I expected in an autobiography from a nine year old girl, but Rubina Ali's book is about as good as one could expect I think from someone who hasn't even hit double digits in the age department. Sure, it was written by someone else, but the words and stories appear to be her own.

In her book she describes what life was like prior to Slumdog and how it has changed her and what she expects from life now as opposed to what she expected before. That is the most remarkable thing about the book. Someone who has grown up in the middle of huge poverty and only knows that poverty and how because of a movie sees the world with entirely different eyes.

In the book she talks about her salary from the movie and how she doesn't know if she has any of it left or exactly how much she got paid or where it all went. She does speculate that the salary went to medical bills for her father's broken ankle. That must have been one hell of a broken ankle to spend that much money.

Rubina still has not received her promised apartment from Slumdog's producers and so she and her entire family live together with her uncle's family in a tiny apartment because her shanty was torn down back in May.

In a few brief paragraphs she describes working with Nicole Kidman on a commercial and how they shared a trailer. "I really liked her, but she was very quiet and didn't speak much. I think she was a bit shy. She was very strange and never wanted to come out of the trailer for the entire shoot. I think she was afraid of the sun."

Well, sure, because sunlight would kill her. One of the most interesting passages from the book shows how different life becomes when you are exposed to a new world. In the past, when Rubina had to go to the bathroom she would just go anywhere. Now though she will walk and walk just to find a pay toilet.

The commercial she shot with Nicole lasted just three days but paid her more than she was paid for the entire Slumdog shoot. No one mentions anything about where this money went. I wonder if she even knows how much she got paid or if she did get paid.

Rubina Ali Writes Her Memoir

When Miley Cyrus gets a five book deal to write about her life I always wonder why. I know such a book will appeal to her die-hard fans but there is not really much other point in a series of books that document her life. We see her life every day. The last thing I want to do is go home and read about it, especially when I know it was written by someone who probably just watched her for a few days and asked a couple of questions. I also ask myself, what a 16 year old has to share that is worth reading.

So, with that in mind you would think that I wouldn't care at all about what a 9 year old has to say about her life, but you would be wrong. Rubina Ali has lived more of a life in her 9 years than most people live in a lifetime. I want to hear about her life growing up in the slums of India. I want to read about what life is like for her on a daily basis. I want to feel good when she talks about going to Hollywood and seeing something she had only seen about on television or heard about from people who had seen television.

On July 16, Slumdog Dreaming will be released and in it, Rubina will "tell her story of playing marbles with her friends beside the sewers of Garib Nagar in Mumbai, to dancing along to the Bollywood films she and her family watch on their old television set."

To me that is much more interesting than why Miley chose a certain color of nail polish or the funny story about how she had to ride to a concert in a two year old limo instead of the new ones she prefers. My only complaint about the Rubina book is that I really think there should be a children's book with it. I think children should realize the whole world is not Nickelodeon and Disney and that everything is not a fairytale. It is one thing for a parent to tell a child there are less fortunate people in the world, and quite another if they are seeing pictures and reading the words of a nine year old who is one of those less fortunate.

More Words From Danny Boyle

I cannot believe I am about to type these words but I agree with Rafiq Quereshi. That is the man who tried to sell his daughter Rubina Ali to reporters posing as parents. Anyway, Danny Boyle gave some kind of news conference yesterday where he blathered on and on about all of the wonderful things the trust is doing for the kids and that $100,000 will be spent on housing the kids and that Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail who lost his house also was about to move into a house that had been secured for him. I just don't understand. Danny Boyle didn't have any obligation to these kids. He didn't. BUT, as soon as he opened his mouth about what they were going to do for the kids and their futures and their housing he then did become responsible and he is going to be called to task for screwing around. Azharuddin has been homeless since his shanty was torn down several weeks ago. His family was living beneath pieces of plastic. For two weeks? Why the f**k didn't Danny Boyle put the family in a hotel until he secured a house for them? Why? Because he doesn't care and probably wishes he had never made these promises in the first place. Right now they are empty promises.

He said they secured housing for Azharuddin but he hasn't moved in and is still homeless. As for Rubina's plight? They are still looking for suitable housing. Excuse me? You made many many millions upon millions of dollars and I find it very hard to believe you can't find a house. Are you being cheap about this? At this point I would think Danny would want all of this to go away and just pay whatever it takes. Instead it is just talk. Rubina's dad said, "It has been five to six months," he said. "Everything is available in Mumbai if you have the money. If you really want to get us a house, you can get us a house in two days." Like I said, I can't believe it, but I am agreeing with a man who tried to sell his daughter.

Oh, and you want the kicker? Danny wants to shoot two more movies in Mumbai. Hopefully he won't exploit more kids.

Do They Have Homes Or Not?

I am very, very confused. I keep hearing from all the producers and big shots who helmed Slumdog Millionaire that the children are taken care of and they have a place to live and their school is paid for and blah, blah, blah. But, then I read the story last week about one of the kids having his shanty torn down and then yesterday Rubina Ali had her home torn down. Rubina was my favorite in the movie, so this really ticks me off. In addition, her father is in the hospital because he was beaten so badly by the police when he tried to stop them from tearing down his home.

I think it is time for answers. There needs to be a press conference or an interview given to a member of the media who can ask the right questions and not just ask what kind of shampoo the producers use. Someone needs to sit down with graphs or charts and tell us exactly what they have done for these kids and when, and how come the kids are now homeless and are still wearing the clothes they wore three months ago.

The producers need one voice explaining what they have done. Right now I hear this and I hear that, but the kids keep living crappy lives. There are millions of kids like the Slumdog kids, and if rich Hollywood producers and executives aren't willing to help these few children, how on earth are any of the other similar millions going to get help?

I am actually disgusted now at the Slumdog producers and executives. They think it will all just go away, but it won't. One of them needs to take responsibility and stop passing the buck. One of them needs to go to India. Rent a house or a bunch of hotel rooms and put the kids there. They need to make sure the kids go to school. How difficult is it for one of these guys to go there and do that? The thing is they don't want to anymore because there is nothing in it for them except goodwill. They don't want goodwill, they want money, awards and fame which is why they said all they said before.

Rubina Ali's Dad Cleared By Police

Police in Mumbai said that Rafiq Qureshi did nothing wrong and didn't try and sell his daughter Rubina Ali. The actual statement by the police was, "So far there is no evidence of any offense, hence there is no registration of complaint and no arrest." In other words, nothing is going to happen to him. The good news out of all of this is that the producers of Slumdog finally did some walking instead of just the talking they have been doing and hired a social worker to watch out for Rubina's welfare.

I mean that is nice of them but I don't know what the private social worker checking in once a month or something is going to do for her. I keep hearing about all of these wonderful things the Slumdog producers have supposedly done for the children, but the only tangible thing I have noticed is they pay for the children to go to school. As far as I know they haven't delivered on anything else they promised.

The world is watching these kids and what happens to them, at least until something else comes along for the world to look at. In the meantime, if I had made $200M off these kids, I think I would spend a few bucks to make sure they were ok and not just talk about it or propose ideas.

Lets Talk About Rubina Ali And Madonna

So, as many of you know by now, The News Of The World caught Rubina Ali's father and uncle trying to sell her for $300,000 to reporters disguised as an Arab couple who wanted to adopt Rubina. I know all of you were shocked by the dad and the uncle doing this and I was as well, but I also think there is another side that needs to be considered.

According to the NOTW article, about 11 million kids are abandoned in India every year. Think about that. Year in and year out, 11 million kids are abandoned. When is the last time you heard about reporters going undercover to save one of those 11 million kids?

How is this any different from what Madonna is doing in Malawi? She is basically buying a child. Mercy has a father. David has a father. David's father gets paid or has received money. Do you think the price went up because it was Madonna adopting his child instead of a middle class couple from nowhere?

I want to make myself clear. I think that what her dad and uncle did is completely wrong. I hate it. She has a dad and step-mom and apparently a new apartment in which to live but which her dad says is too far from his home. His home by the way, which he complains about being too small and which is why he needs the money.

I guess what I am trying to get a handle on here is why this situation is any different from Madonna's adoption. We talk smack about her here, but if she does adopt Mercy, People or OK or US will put her photo on the cover and talk about the new addition to her family. They won't vilify the family in Malawi for taking the money or talk trash about them selling their daughter or grand daughter. Someone explain to me how we can put on one the cover of a magazine saying how good she is for taking Mercy or David out of poverty, and how Rubina's dad is awful for doing the same thing.