Oprah, Ash and AB's baby!!

I just watched the Oprah episode where Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were invited on a show about International celebrities. Aishwarya was her usual giggly self - mercifully a lot more toned down version of what we saw on 60 minutes a couple of years ago. Abhishek was poise personified.

Watching them together made me realize that he is not afraid to call BS on Ms. Rai's affected mannerisms which is what probably makes them tick. For instance while she giggled about his proposal being very "real" - he asked audibly "Real?". I respected the dude a little more in those couple of seconds. A guy who could easily be overshadowed by his dad's meteoric fame and his wife's global popularity (she is definitely much much more famous than he is) appeared to hold his own and then some on the Oprah show. Now for Ash, Ash fans brace yourselves. While she appears to have improved a lot with respect to her interview skills, she still has a long way to go. A simple question from the other International star showcased on the show, the Oprah of China, regarding when they would come visit China met with a long convoluted response which had little to do with the question itself. I wonder if Abhishek cringes internally every time his beautiful wife speaks. She appears to be very fake and very calculative with her responses - it's almost as if she does not answer the question straight from the heart - it's more like what does my audience want/expect to hear and how can I exceed those expectations... I think I like her a lot more when she keeps her mouth shut.

Overall though I thought the interview went well and they were able to represent India adequately - at least I, as an Indian, did not want to crawl into a hole as I've been want to do whenever I've watched Aishwarya on international TV (60 minutes, The David Letterman show anyone?) and for that I have to give kudos to Abhishek Bachchan. On behalf of avid celebrity watchers everywhere, I demand that the lady never be interviewed by herself anymore - gimme more of AB's baby on all her appearances.

Ode to Twilight

One of my co-workers is reading the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer and conversations with her remind me of my introduction to them. I have to credit my very good friend at work with first introducing me to Twilight - she was so insistent that I read it and, since I was #107 in the queue for it at the library, managed to get a copy for me from her sister.

First off, I was not too sure if I would like it as much as my friend did, but I decided to give it a read anyway - to make a long story short, I got it on a Friday, finished reading it that Saturday, got on Amazon and ordered the next 3 books in the series immediately - New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn (in my hurry I ended up ordering the Spanish version of the third book Eclipse and was so disappointed that I had to wait some more to get a version I could actually read and comprehend).

Twilight and the related books are all about the intense love story between human Bella Swan and vampire Edward Cullen. There are other pivotal characters in the book like the werewolf Jacob who pines for Bella, Edward's vampire family with Carlisle and Esme Cullen at the helm and his 'siblings' and her father, Police Chief, Charlie Swan. The story draws you in with a first person narrative and progresses rapidly and the intensity is breath-taking - you cannot put down the book and want the next one and the next - you get my drift. I am glad that I was introduced to it this late in 2008 because I cannot imagine waiting for a few months to read the next sequel. Now I do want to point out that her writing style is not great - on any given page, the staple words you will find are 'grin', 'chuckle', and 'sigh' but as you move from book to book, you do get, dare I say it, a little bit obsessed with it (I admit it - for a few weeks I only had Twilight on my mind and youtubed every interview with Robert Pattinson and gang).

The movie version catapulted its stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson to overnight global fame and beat out James Bond in the opening weekend. The sequel to it is eagerly awaited this November. This book has spawned many obsessions (Twilight moms anyone?, warring teams of 'Team Edward' and 'Team Jacob' and stampedes everywhere the cast for the movie visited).

Every now and then, I will re-read a book in the series and am amazed at how it will still draw me in into this world of true but forbidden love and vampires. It doesn't matter what your age, but if you are a woman/girl and even if you don't really love to read, I highly recommend this book series. For the guys, not so much unless you are man enough to admit to liking "chick lit" - that you will go watch the movie when it releases for your wife is good enough :)

My big fat Greek tv marathon

It took me the better part of 3 weekends but am finally caught up with Season 3 of the ABC Family tv show Greek. Never having been a part of undergrad college life in the US, I was not exposed to the 'Greek' way of fraternities and sororities etc. So one weekend when I was sleeping at all odd hours due to jetlag, out of sheer curiosity, I decided to start watching Greek on Hulu.

I didn't think that I would be too engrossed in this show since, well, let's face it, I'm not exactly the demographic for this series (ABC family - teens and their hapless parents maybe?) but I was pleasantly surprised. The show follows the lives of the 4 main protagonists - college students Casey Cartwright (played by Spencer Grammer and yes if you recognize her last name, she is the daughter of Frasier's Kelsey Grammer and looks a lot like him too), her geeky brother Rusty Cartwright, Evan Chambers (played by the handsome Jake McDorman) and "Cappie" (played by the adorable Scott Michael Foster; Cappie also has the best lines on the show) - as they balance student life and academics with their respective sororities and fraternities. The show is thoroughly entertaining, the dynamics between the characters are believable (what with Casey being so embarrassed about him, that she has never mentioned her younger brother Rusty, or the relationship between BFFs Casey and Ashleigh - they're always there for each other - minor tiffs notwithstanding), the chemistry between the leads (the triangle between Casey, Cappie and Evan) is palpable and all in all enjoyable fare. The supporting characters also do a fabulous job - my current favourites are Dale - who can help loving him and Ashleigh. As we follow the characters through the various rituals such as hazing, friendly competitions between fellow Greek houses, first loves and heartbreaks, one can't help but get a little involved.

This show took me back to my college days when events that seem so silly/trivial 10 years later took precedence over our lives back then - at the same time, college was also where we experienced the first taste of relative independence after 12 years of school and got to meet and interact with people from vastly different backgrounds. It's a story about growing up, making mistakes and finding your own way through this big, crazy maze called life. So, my recommendation - if you have some time to spare and want to watch a show that has dollops of good humour and the potential to take you down memory lane, do watch it!!

Another teen movie...Not

Back from a great vacation/work trip, no longer fighting jet lag and with nothing interesting to watch on TV, I sat cross-legged on my couch to browse through my list of Instant Netflix movies to select one worth the next 2 hours of my time. I stopped at 10 Things I Hate About You - I had watched this flick a long long time ago and now with the introduction of a new series on TV based on this movie, I decided to give it a second watch. And I'm glad I did :)

The movie essentially starts with the entrance of new student Cameron (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I've loved since his '3rd Rock from the Sun' days) to the same school attended by sisters Kat and Bianca Stratford (played by Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik). As he is being given the tour of the school by AV nerd Michael (the curly-haired guy from Numbers) he notices Bianca Stratford. Cameron is smitten - it's love at first sight. However he soon finds out from Michael that Bianca is not allowed to date. Kat is shown to be sort of a hard-ass, no-nonsense girl who is not interested in boys or the prom or other trivial things. When Bianca protests to being the only girl in school that doesn't date, her dad stipulates that she can date only when her sister does. At this point, Shakespeare readers realize that this movie is a modern-day take on 'The Taming of the Shrew'. Cameron is now faced with the task of finding a guy who can take on the older Ms. Stratford. Enter Heath Ledger, playing Patrick Verona who takes on the Herculean task of asking Kat out on a date. He is persuaded to do so by way of a bet with the quintessential baddie (every romantic movie worth its salt has to have a villain in the mix), which also sets it up for a giant misunderstanding in the end before all things end well.

The dialogues are witty. The roles are essayed pretty well. Julia Stiles is perfect for the part - it's her eyes and mouth that give her the naturally snooty look. For instance, I could never imagine her in a soft, lovey-dovey romance movie, 'The Prince & Me' notwithstanding. Refreshing to see Heath Ledger in a sunny happy-go-lucky role. This movie reminded me a lot about 'Clueless' - another classic redone for modern times, but then that is another review :)

Some of the highlights of this movie:

# Alison Janey in a crazy cameo as the guidance counselor who also doubles up as a porn writer.

# Heath Ledger singing "Can't Take my Eyes off you"

# Michael to Cameron, while talking about Bianca (sarcastically): She's deep for sure.
Bianca overheard in conversation with friend (who, incidentally, is played by Gabrielle Union): Yeah but there is a difference between like and love - because I like my Sketchers but I love my Prada backpack
Her friend: But I love my Sketchers
Bianca: That's because you don't have a Prada backpack.
Friend: Oh...

# Ms. Perky to Bianca: People perceive you as somewhat...
Kat: Tempestuous?
Ms. Perky: "Heinous Bitch" is the term used most often.

#Patrick: Was that a yes?
Kat: No
Patrick: Well then, was that a No?
Kat: No

#Kat to Bianca: Bianca, wait!
Bianca: Please do not address me in public!

#Patrick to Cameron: Secondly, don't let anyone make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.

Blast from the Past

Tonight's So You Think You Can Dance featured a few dances from the past few seasons. But first, there was a group number with mirrors choreographed by Ms. Michaels - the woman is a genius. I wish she was more likable but eh! life goes on. It was awesome to see Hawk and Jamie do the Wade Robson hummingbird and flower routine - they were great. A few minutes before that, the bottom 2 girls were revealed which was quite a shock - it was Jeanette and Kayla... either way, SYTYCD loses a really good dancer. The bottom 2 guys were also quite a shock to me - can't believe that Evan was not among them. Brandon and Jason were revealed to be in the bottom 2. Evan looked shocked too.

Heidi and Travis came on next with the bench routine by Mia again - they were just fabulous. Travis has a few mean tattoos on his arms now... the kid has grown up. I get wanting a tattoo or 2 but to do a Megan or a Travis and have them down over your entire arm - No! The bottom 4 folks danced their individual solos although since America had actually already voted, it wouldn't have made a difference. Brandon's solo was mind-blowing. The next group dance was Wade Robson's Emmy winning routine and to add a twist to it, he joined his dancers - he is GOOOOOOOOODDDDDD!! I can see what Michael Jackson saw in him all those years ago and brought him to LA.

We then saw the present Mrs. Cruise have a little tete-a-tete with Cat Deeley - she looks incredibly toned and fit. I don't like men or women to have very bulky arms - she had just the right amount of muscles. It was fun to see her dance with some of the guys from previous seasons. Didn't see Mr. Cruise in the audience. She was decent - didn't blow me away though. Judy Garland's son watched Katie's routine originally performed by his mum.

Then the bottom two had to go home :( The show bid adieu to Jeanette (shows that American does not always get it right!! It was a shocker for the judges too) and Jason - sad but I never saw Jason winning it all (then again, based on my prediction from yesterday what do I know?). I do hope their careers go places after this because they truly are excellent.

Blog's going to be on a mini-hiatus for a while with my vacation etc. etc. I do hope to blog off and on so we'll see.

So you think you can Ellen?

Surprise Surprise - 2 blogs in one day (like it or not :P) - I clearly have too much time on my hands and watch too much tv!!

Tonight saw Ellen as the celebrity guest judge on So you think you can dance so naturally I had to blog since I love both shows - so it was a nice treat to see Ellen on my favourite reality tv show after American Idol. But before I forget, tomorrow's show sees the return of past contestants and dance numbers that took us by storm. It will be awesome to see what past contenders have been up to.

The show opened with a number by past contestant Travis - it was a back to the future kind of a number with all dancers - am not sure what to make of it - I'm still deciding if I liked it or not.

So, without much ado, let's look at the partnerships of the night:
Evan & Jeanette - Sonia strikes again - this choreographer is just brilliant. She gave them an awesome jazz number. For the second number, they had the rumba (I think - my DVR was acting up this evening - probably the overload - poor thing!!) - super hot. Jeanette was not my favourite contestant when the show began but I must say that she can do anything she is asked to - she's growing on me. Evan is good but he doesn't have the 'It' factor.
Brandon picked Jeanine - They had a waltz by Hunter Johnson. Not the smoothest lift I've seen on the show - its like his hand got stuck at her butt among the ten thousand folds of her dress - but all in all, as waltzes go, it was a dreamy, magical dance though the judges didn't quite like it. They redeemed themselves with their second routine - pop jazz. They were goooooood.
Melissa and Ade - Can they recreate the magic of past episodes? Suffice it to say, they did!! The cha-cha was a little slow but super sexy. Mia was not too complimentary to Ade. Actually, I think the judges are a little more harsh on the contestants since it is the top 8 now. Their second number was emotional - the judges were visibly moved. Tyce is good - can't believe he is the same choreographer that thought up the first Broadway routine that Jason and Kayla did.
Jason and Kayla - Broadway - liked the theme - I liked this pair - couldn't take my eyes off them - Fabulous!! Their second routine was a Shane Sparks hip-hop routine. I personally think that the night belonged to this couple.

Solos: Liked Jason, Kayla is getting repetitive (though the judges love love love her), Ade was repetitive too, Jeanette is still awesome, Melissa's solo was not fiery for me, Evan - cute and goofy but was it enough to keep him in, not sure, Jeanine's solo will keep her in and Brandon - superb technically but he is the guy I keep forgetting - not sure if that is the general reaction to him.

Loved Ellen on the panel - she kept the entertainment quotient up :) Host Cat Deeley looked great in gold. Mary Murphy, when she is not screeching, actually makes sense - how I wish she did not yell all the time! Mia was her bitchy self most of the time, Nigel was um.. same old same old.

My picks to leave tomorrow - sadly, I think its Evan and among the gals I think it might be Melissa and not because they don't dance well but because someone just has to go.

Thank you for the music...

If you love the music of ABBA you will enjoy Mamma Mia! I grew up listening to ABBA and remember the times when my uncle in Mangalore would pull out his old gramophone records (these was the early 80s people!) and put on some English music for us. It was a big event - he would pull out the gramophone player from under his bed (us kids were not allowed to touch it) and browse through his collection of gramophone records and the anticipation would build while we decided what music to play - the staples were ABBA, Boney M and other awesome 70s music. Now and then I will hear a song which I recognize from my summers in Managalore all those years ago :)

So coming back to the movie - its about a young girl, played by Amanda Seyfried, about to be married, who doesn't know who her father is - there are 3 suspects (Pierce Brosnan - still as hot as ever, Colin Firth - who may be losing his hotness a little bit and Stellan Skarsgard - for me, he's one of those guys you've seen in movies and know his face but not his name - now, thanks to this blog I researched it) and since she doesn't know who it is, she invites all 3 to her wedding. Meryl Streep plays her free-spirited mom - and I must admit, it was kind of strange to see Meryl Streep frolicking on the beach and uncharacteristically (for her at least) singing ABBA songs. Ditto for Pierce Brosnan (I mean, imagine James Bond singing the song SOS - not exactly a perfect fit but that's why it's called acting I suppose - though he did do a decent job with it).

The movie is an out and out musical - which is the whole point of having ABBA peppered throughout the movie (I'm not sure that I have the patience to sit through a musical these days though - so I was glad to have my packing to do while the movie played in the background). The film has a very theatrical feel to it probably since it was conceived as a Broadway play. The locales are gorgeous. Amanda Seyfried has a lovely voice. It's a decent watch if you're a fan of ABBA - if not, consider this fair warning - you will not like this movie.

With that, I am off to put on some ABBA on my ipod and hum along to "There was something in the air that night".