SI Goes Gaga Over Lady Gaga’s Born This Way

May 312011

Even by the bizarre theatrical standards of entertainers these days, American pop queen Lady Gaga is sui generis for her outrageous attire and antics (she came to the Grammys function in a huge egg carried by four men).

Upon seeing Lady Gaga in her de rigueur skimpy attire, the late night TV host David Letterman rightly asked her the other day, What are you not wearing ?

Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, the 25-year-old New Yorker is today a household ~~name~~ sensation in America.

Is Lady Gaga a path-breaking pop-star or just the hit of the season?

Oh, what a silly, lowbrow, middle-class question.

Who knows? And does it even matter any more given the worshipful throngs flocking and genuflecting at Lady Gaga’s altar.

Her latest album Born This Way debuted May 23.

And Billboard is projecting it’ll sell 1.15 million albums in the first week.

In a bow to popular taste, SI purchased Lady Gaga’s Born This Way from Amazon.com the other day.

(By the way, if you have iTunes installed on your PC, the Amazon MP3 tracks download directly into your iTunes software. Cool.)

Having listened to all the tracks in Born This Way, we confess that SI has joined the unwashed masses, the screaming hordes, the ecstatic devotees in paying homage to this savvy entertainer.

If you quidnuncs insist on knowing our favorites from the album, they are Government Hooker, Americano and Judas.

Americano is a clever fusion of English and Spanish lyrics designed to appeal to both the English-speaking and the growing Hispanic population in America.

With pleasing beats and frequent shouts of ‘America’ and ‘Americano’ in a come-here-my-man-let-me-deep-throat-you vocals, the track not surprisingly endeared itself to us, particularly in our inebriated state.

Our soused mind also read a not-so-veiled reference to immigration authorities with its taunt of Don’t you try to catch me.

Our second favorite track turned out to be Judas. With its refrain on a figure, whose recognition to the Western mind is second only to Jesus Christ, the track with lyrics such as the following is bound to easily strike a chord with the babe’s fans and previously non-fans like us:

I’m just a Holy fool, oh baby it’s so cruel
But I’m still in love with Judas, baby

Other interesting tracks include the funky Government Hooker with its outlandish references to John F.Kennedy, who died 23-years before this smartalec Lady Gaga was born.

Hoo-ooker
(Yeah, You’re my hooker)
Hoo-ooker
(Government Hooker)
Hoo-ooker
(Yeah, You’re my hooker)
Hoo-ooker
(Government Hooker)

Bloody Mary is a quieter, softer, sombre number that harks back to a slower era.

At the end of the ~~album~~ day, music is something that strikes at your heart and makes it skip a beat or two or three.

With Born This Way, Lada Gaga made our heart skip, skip, skip many, many, many beats.

By the way, the word Chola appears twice in the title track Born This Way. Whatever the hell Chola means to Lady Gaga!

Now, if you’ll excuse us, Scheiße scheiße be mine, bullshit be mine. (a line from the Scheiße track) is playing in the background.

Once Upon a Time, Kamal Haasan Attracted Crowds

Tamil Movies 38 Responses »

May 312011

(For SI Blog Reader and ardent Kamal Haasan fan prasath.j)

There was a time, really, when Ulaga Nayagan Kamal Haasan attracted crowds for his movies.

Even in America, Tamil movie fans lined up to watch Kamal’s movies.

We still remember going to Clearview Cinemas (now Anil Ambani’s Movie City) on Oak Tree Road, Edison (NJ) to watch Vettaiyaadu Villaiyaadu in August 2006.

Those days, Ulaga Nayagan’s stock was high and much to our dismay we couldn’t get tickets for the Friday show (Aug 25, 2006). So we returned on August 26, Saturday. We came early and found ourselves a slot at the head of the queue.

But in a few minutes, the crowds started to gather and soon the line extended almost as far back as Mughal Indian restaurant at the other end (see photo below).

That must have been the pinnacle of Kamal Haasan’s popularity.

Kamal Haasan - A Spent Force in Tamil Cinema? Kamal Haasan – The Crowds, Before Ulaga Nayagan Became Ulaga Madayan
(Movie City, Oak Tree Road, Edison, NJ, August 26, 2006)

Well, all that was before Ulaga Nayagan turned into Ulaga Madayan Continue reading »

If They Can’t Afford Roti, Let Them Eat Garlic Naan

Food, Pictures 6 Responses »

May 292011

Indian food - Garlic Naan Bread Garlic Naan Bread

Indian Food - Pakoras, Biryani, Mango Chicken Onion Pakora, Spinach Pakora, Batata Vada,
Veg. Biryani and Mango Chicken

Indian Food - Samosa Chaat & Fruits Samosa Chaat, Grapes, Water Melon

Indian Food - Jeera Rice, Chicken Makhani, Lamb Kofta Tandoori Chicken Jeera Rice, Chicken Makhani, Sprouts Salad
Lamb Kofta, Tandoori Chicken

Indian Food - Jeera Rice, Mushroom-Peas Curry, Mixed Vegetable Curry, Spinach Pakora Jeera Rice, Mushroom-Peas Curry,
Mixed Vegetable Curry, Spinach Pakora

Rice Kheer, Fruit Custard, Gulab Jamun

Quote of the Day – Indian Crook Mahaveer Kankariya

Quotes 5 Responses »

May 292011

Is there any way I can bribe the judge?…because in my country [India], you know, we normally do that.

- Mahaveer Kankariya, a New York City diamond trader, speaking to a bail bondsman during his trial.

When he was out on bail, Kankariya also asked about removing his electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.

Kankariya along with his buddy Atul Shah, were recently convicted and sentenced to prison for staging a fake diamond heist at their NYC store in 2008 to fraudulently claim insurance money.

As the wise SI often says, you can take the Indian out of India but you cannot take the India out of the Indian.

Read the full story of the Indian crooks Mahaveer Kankariya and Atul Shah in the Wall Street Journal.

Incendies – A Heartrending Masterpiece

Foreign Movies 7 Responses »

May 262011

Death is never the end of the story. It always leaves traces.
- the French/Arabic film Incendies

So much praise has been heaped on Incendies in so many quarters that any more from our side would be superfluous.

Directed by French-Canadian film-maker Denis Villeneuve based on the play Scorched by Wajdi Mouawad, Incendies is a non-linear war film that tells a multi-decade story, keeping you hooked to the screen from the quiet first moments right up to the scorching revelations of the last few minutes.

When Nawal Marwan (Lubna Azabal), secretary to a notary in Canada, dies, she leaves all her assets to her twin children but also bequeaths some extraordinary surprises in her will.

Nawal leaves behind two letters that the twins are supposed to hand over to their father and brother. Only then, the dead woman stipulates, can a gravestone be erected for her.

In honor of their late mother’s requests, the twins, first Jeanne and with Simon joining her later, set off on a journey to a Middle Eastern country (Lebanon??) in pursuit of a father and a brother they never knew existed until recently.

But the letters and the twins’ journey are only director Villeneuve’s clever ruse to unravel the story of Nawal Marwan in a novel way that alternates Jeanne’s journey with her mother’s difficult path decades earlier when the sound of guns reverberated everywhere and relentless killings were commonplace. Continue reading »

I am Sam Review – Will Vikram Pee All Over Himself?

Hollywood, Tamil Movies 23 Responses »

May 252011

Michelle Pfeiffer’s character Rita Harrison: Can you grasp the concept of manipulating the truth. Not lying, just a little tweak here and there.

Sean Penn’s character Sam: No

Source: I am Sam

Deiva Thirumagal Review – Rotten Stolen Trash

Since the Internut is rife with rumors that Tamil star Vikram’s upcoming movie Deiva Thirumagan aka Deiva Thirumagal is based on I am Sam (2001), we watched the decade-old Hollywood film last night.

Well, after seeing Sean Penn deliver a jaw-dropping performance of an autistic, handicapped man with the intellectual capacity of a seven-year-old who struggles to regain custody of his seven-year-old daughter all we can say is that in the acting department Vikram has so far proved himself unworthy of licking the bottom of Penn’s boots.

We arrived at that dreary conclusion after sitting through a bunch of Vikram movies including Gemini, Anniyan, Raavanan, Bheema and Kanthasamy (all made after I am Sam released).

Will Vikram’s performance in Deiva Thirumagal match Sean Penn’s remarkable work in I am Sam?

For the definitive answer to the above question, we’ll have to wait for the Tamil film Deiva Thirumagal’s release. But given Vikram’s past lackluster record it’s gonna be a daunting if not impossible task.

Simply put it, Vikram is a podiyan (a kid) compared to Sean Penn. Like what y’all are to Einstein.

You folks get the point, right?

I am Sam – Good Moments, Bad Moments

We wouldn’t call I am Sam a gem of a movie. By God, certainly not.

It has its good moments and it has its awkward moments. Continue reading »

LTTE Begs India’s Forgiveness for Rajiv’s Killing; No, Crush the Inhuman Pigs

General, Politics 16 Responses »

May 242011

VK Shashikumar: Can you tell us once and for all, did Prabhakaran plan Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination?

Kumaran Patmanathan (LTTE leader): It was well planned and done by Prabhakaran. It is the truth and everybody knows it. At this point I what to say to the Indian people and specially to the Gandhi family, I want to apologise for Prabhakaran mistake. I say please forgive us, we beg you, our people are struggling here, please help us to live as humans. Sorry for all this. We know the feeling of the son of Rajiv Gandhi and that his daughter.

It’s a human nature. It is bonding with father and daughter attachment. Even sometime I left my daughter I feel very sad they know. You know the family sentiment.

Source: CNN-IBN

Not Our Tamils

If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times.

The Sri Lankan Tamils are NOT our Tamils.

They deserve no support, no sympathy, no compassion and certainly no aid.

Let the Sri Lankan Tamils rot in hell.

For their support of the LTTE monster Prabhakaran and his thugs, the Sri Lankan Tamils are paying a heavy price now. But they have no one to blame but themselves.

LTTE Animals

The LTTE animals made a bad world worse. Continue reading »

Have You Schmucks Heard of Nollywood?

General 1 Response »

May 232011

No, the N in Nollywood has nothing to do with nudity or nude films. Get that dirty thought out of your minds, all ye concupiscent rats.

After we twice came across references to the Nigerian film industry aka Nollywood in the last week or so, we felt compelled to bring it to your attention considering y’all have an insane attachment to this movie thing.

Nollywood is a reference to the Nigerian movie industry. A word play on Hollywood, not unlike Bollywood (Hindi films), Kollywood (Tamil films) or Tollywood (Telugu ‘movies’).

A few days back, we saw our first reference to Nollywood in one of the unlikeliest places. In a work on politics by Francis Fukuyama (of End of History fame)

Francis Fukuyama in chapter one of his recent magnum opus The Origins of Political Order describes the Nigerian movie business thus:

(A) film industry that produces as many titles as India’s famed Bollywood, but films have to earn a quick return because the government is incapable of guaranteeing intellectual property rights and preventing products from being copied illegally. (p.13)

Wow, that sure sounds like Bollywood, doesn’t it?

After all, Bollywood too is characterized by the production of huge numbers of films every year in the Hindi language. And if you add up movies made in India’s regional languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Oriya) as well, the number of films made in India swells significantly.

All of them at the mercy of the ruthless pirates. Three days after a Bollywood film is released, it is available for rent and sale across grocery stores in America, 10,000-miles away from Bombay/Mumbai, the hub of the Indian movie industry.

Of course, Indian movie producers seldom take on pirates because most are themselves thieving swines of the first order, often shamelessly filching successful (Ghajini from Memento) and the not-so-successful Hollywood plots (Tees Maar Khan from After the Fox).

Nollywood Boom

Nollywood like the Indian movie business is a glorious triumph of quantity over quality.

Some reports suggest that locals in Nigeria believe more films are made in their country than there are stars in the sky!

Sarah Lacy, our second introduction to the Nigerian film business, writes in the digital media publication TechCrunch, that Nollywood churns out hundreds of films a month with ‘most shot on a shoe-string budget of about $15,000 per picture.’

Apparently, there are few theatrical releases in Nigeria. Most Nollywood films are released not in theaters unlike the Indian movie business but straight to DVD and on TV. Not surprising when you consider that even Lagos, Nigeria’s capital and a city of 15-million has less than five theaters.

The DVDs sell for a dollar or two and are eagerly snapped up not merely by locals but all across Africa and the Nigerian diaspora. Again, we see a similarity in the inroads Bollywood has made in neighboring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, as well as with the large diaspora in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, Canada and USA.

Heart of a Fighter (A Nollywood film)

If you believe those anonymous scribblers on Wiki, Nollywood is the second largest film industry in the world (in quantity not earnings or quality) yielding only to the top-ranker India.

Poor USA is third in this mad quantity game.

And for those like yours truly who bitch and moan at the theft by Indian movie-makers, the Nigerians are ahead in the scam game. According to Lacy, the Nigerians sometimes release the same movie as many as four times with different titles. Lo, here we were under the delusion that our desis were the ne plus ultra of crooked behavior.

Piracy too is rampant in Nigeria and the window of opportunity for Nollywood filmmakers to make money off their films is a fortnight or less.

If you think Bollywood directors Ram Gopal Varma or Priyadarsan are film factories churning out film after film in quick succession, consider the Nigerian director Chico Ejiro, who is said to have directed over 80 films in an eight-year period. Ejiro, it seems, can complete production on a movie in as little as three days.

As in India, Hollywood films play second fiddle in Nigeria too. The local industry is entrenched and the “family-oriented” Nigerian movies are said to be more popular over American films, which, as we should know after years here, is all over the place in respect of themes.

Just as we were concluding this post, we came across references to Nollywood’s competitors, Ghallywood and Lolliwood (the Ghanian and Liberian film industries respectively).

So, if it’s any consolation to y’all, Indians are not the only ones making crappy films in large numbers. It warms the cockles to know there are other humans making movies so much worse than our junk!

India Masala Las Vegas – Sexy Li’l Hooker on the Strip

Food, Reviews 5 Responses »

May 232011

(By SI Blog Reader Naveen)

After a week of exploring the eerily desolate canyons of Utah, when we reached Sin City aka Las Vegas the first thing on my mind was not slot machines or blackjack or roulette or even the various easy avenues to sin but food, spicy tasty Indian food.

You can take the Indian away from India but you separate the Indian from his favorite cuisine only at the risk of getting punched on the nose!

A quick Google search threw up 3-4 choices and we picked India Masala at the Riviera Casino. It was the closest to our hotel and had decent ratings on some of the review sites.

As we walked towards the Riviera Casino, we were greeted by the strange sight of a Tempo (a cheap Indian automobile with three-wheels and known for its structural instability and a tendency to topple in sharp turns) bearing the name India Masala. It was the most profound symbol of the Indian invasion of Vegas.

India Masala Las Vegas Review

Ambiance & Etiquette

India Masala was easy to locate in Riviera’s food court. Typical of any food court eatery, the place is self-serve.

For a small eatery, India Masala has a large menu comprising of North-Indian, South-Indian and Indian-Chinese Vegetarian and Non-Vegetarian items. Nice pictures of the food on the menu made for an inviting turn-on, particularly for those unlucky souls not familiar with Indian cuisine.

But there was one glaring error on the menu that caught our eye immediately – the wrong placement of the popular Indian-Chinese fixture Gobi Manchurian under the South Indian category. Uh-oh.

But that was a minor hiccup.

The hosts were polite, patient and helpful to newbies. Standing ahead of us were two Americans who were not well acquainted with Indian cuisine. The person who took their order patiently explained the options, quantity, spice level and offered good recommendations, which is unusual by the normally insolent standards of most Indian restaurants.

Another impressive factor was the promptness with which our order was delivered. Everything good so far.

Delicious South Indian Fare

I didn’t have high expectations when I ordered Idly in the middle of an American desert but much to my delightful surprise it turned out to be one of the best Idlies I’ve had in the US!

It was perfect from the flavor to the appearance to the temperature to the taste. The dough was just perfect for the slightly sour flavor that is associated with a good Idly. The generous portion of the warm and slightly tangy Sambar, the fresh tasting coconut chutney and spicy tomato chutney were unforgettable.

A week of pastas and pizzas were forgotten within a couple of bites of the heavenly idly.

India Masala Riviera Las Vegas Idly with Sambar and Chutneys

Yummy Masala Dosai

My expectations rose for the next item, the venerable South Indian favorite Masala Dosai.

And unlike hyped up Tamil movies, this Masala Dosai lived up to my high expectations. The Dosai was big, Masala was warm, even and delicious and together with Sambar and chutneys.

I could have been eating anywhere in Chennai and wouldn’t have known the difference.

India Masala Riviera Las Vegas Dosa Masala Dosai – Delicious

Fine Indian-Chinese

After the delightful South Indian fare, the next item on this Bakasura’s plate was Gobi Manchurian.

Oh boy, it was another hit! It certainly looked like we hit the jackpot even before we hit the Vegas casinos!

The Manchurian was spiced to my requirements i.e. very spicy.

The sauce was evenly spread and the Cauliflower fried to perfection. The quantity was again generous. It was served with steamed white rice, which I put to good use along with the extra left-over Sambar from Idly and Dosai and made it into Sambar Rice and that tasted heavenly as well.

India Masala Riviera Las Vegas Gobi Manchurian with White Rice

Ho-Hum North Indian

With sky-rocketing expectations and my gargantuan appetite in tow, I moved along to the regular North Indian Thali – 1 big Naan, steamed white rice, Dal Makhani, Channa Masala, Palak Paneer, Raita, Onion slices and Pickles. Continue reading »

Sweet, Sweet Words – Bail Denied; Today Kanimozhi, Tomorrow Azhagiri?

People, Politics 17 Responses »

May 202011

DMK leader M.Karunanidhi suffered another defeat with his daughter Kanimozhi’s request for bail being denied and an order for her arrest issued.

Kanimozhi, also a DMK Member of Parliament, will be transported to Tihar jail where her buddy former Telecom Minister A.Raja has been cooling his heels for several weeks.

Kanimozhi has been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In what are the sweetest words we’ve heard in a long time, CBI Special Judge O.P.Saini ruled today:

The bail applications are dismissed. Both the accused be taken into custody forthwith.

Kanimozhi has been caught up in the massive 2G scandal swirling around DMK politicians.

The DMK-owned Kaliagnar TV, in which Kanimozhi owns 20% of the equity, received Rs 200 crore from Dynamix Realty after telecom spectrum allotment by A.Raja. India’s investigating agency CBI has alleged the money was a bribe for the spectrum allotment, which by the way caused tremendous loss to the nation.

Kalaignar TV MD Sharad Kumar is the second person whose bail application was rejected today.

Judge Saini also said:

Considering the magnitude of the crime, nature and enormity of the allegations, character of evidence on record and the apprehension that the witnesses may be influenced in case the accused are released on bail, I have no hesitation in holding that both applicants/accused have failed to make out a prima facie case for bail. Bail applications are without merit and the same are dismissed

Azhagiri Tomorrow?

Unfortunately, Karunanidhi’s son M.K.Azhagiri still remains free.

Azhagiri’s thugs attacked the offices of Dinakaran newspaper in Madurai (on May 9, 2007) causing the death of a bunch of innocent workers after an unflattering opinion poll on Azhagiri was published.

Azhagiri deserves to rot in jail.

Here’s what a report in Indian newspaper DNA said regarding the violent attack on Dinakaran’s office:

The Sun Network, which runs the Dinakaran daily, on Wednesday accused M K Azhagiri, elder son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, as being the main culprit behind the attack on the offices of its paper here.

The Chief Operating Officer of the network R M Ramesh told reporters here that ‘Azhagiri has been named the main accused in the complaint given by the company to police.’

Public revulsion over the scandals involving DMK leaders was the main reason the party lost badly in the recent elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly.

Page 1 of 512 3 4 5 »

SearchIndia.com Blog