American Idol Season 9

Let's talk about the American Idol. I have been watching the show since it started airing in the country for the past few years now. I wasn't so much into it the last few years but this year has been different. I have followed the journey of each of the contestants since the audition round and so I feel in a way connected to them. I instantly liked Lee DeWyze a lot since the time he first auditioned and when I heard Crystal Bowersox sing I knew the judges had no choice but to select her. And the two of them made it to the finale. I had a feeling it would turn out this way, but was in a little bit of doubt till the time Big Mike was around. Once he was voted out, I knew it would be a battle between these two.

I am thrilled to bits to know that Lee won. I still have to see the episode since it will be telecast tonight on this part of the globe. But I can't wait to see how it all turned out and how the show unfolded. I loved the fact that the two finalists were also two of the most genuine and good person we had this season. I have to admit I was inclined towards Lee as he kind of reminded me of myself (strictly in a non-musical sense since my musical skills go way beyond minus!) because of his shy and reserved personality. Crystal on the other hand is a fighter, humble and strong.

However, if there's one thing I have learned about American Idol is the fact that winning and losing truly doesn't matter, especially for those who made it to the Top 10 or Top 5. History is testimony to the fact that even the contestants who failed to win have also made it pretty big in the music industry. At times even turned out to be much more successful than their winning counterparts. E.g. Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Daughtry, Adam Lambert. So, if you ask me about Crystal or other contestants like Big Mike or Casey or Siobhan I know they will make something of themselves in this field.

So, in the end, I just want to say that they each have their own story to tell and whether as the winner or the runners up, they are gonna tell it. And we will all listen.

Addicted To The Idiot Box

Image courtesy: cartoonstock

It's easy to get hooked on to daily soaps and serials or let's say the idiot box. It's easier too to get rid of the habit. I have had almost an addiction for my favourite series while growing up, to the extend that I would keep a tab of when and at what time they were repeated so that I don't end up missing any single episode. For the past few years, the addiction had subsided completely what with the erratic work timings. Now that I find myself with some free time, I am getting caught up with the idiot box again. The initial flirtations has now become a serious habit and there's a clear sign of addiction which I realised sometime before I started typing this post. I am now finding myself remembering all the repeat timings of the shows I have to, HAVE TO watch. The fact that some of my favourite series are back with a brand new season only aided my attachment to the little squarish box, I don't tire of looking at these days.

So, which are the series I am getting addicted to? Well, first let me tell you about my all time favourites starting from the ones I saw since I was a teenager. I never missed 'Wonder Years' or 'Doogie Howser', then there were 'Ally McBeal', 'ER', 'Roswell', and still running 'Brothers and Sisters', 'Lost', 'Heroes'... and of course never get bored of 'Friends'. Also 'Small Wonder', 'Blossom', 'Who's the boss?', 'Different Strokes' and then 'Numbers', 'Now and Then' (never got to see how it ended, AXN has not shown another season of the series). were religiously watched Various entertaining programs including reality shows like 'Amazing Race' (I am waiting for the latest Amazing Race Asia season), 'Survivors', 'Fear Factor', 'Top Chef' and many others I am failing to recollect at this moment including several docu programs on Natgeo ('Chasing Che', 'Lonely Planet' etc...).

I had and I guess still do have a fascination for Medical dramas, (can't say exactly why, it's what I figured after I started naming the series I liked) whether it's 'ER', 'Grey's Anatomy' 'Chicago Hope', '3 Lbs' and very recently 'All Saints' on Australia TV.

Among the Hindi series, I loved 'Dhund' based on Wuthering Heights starring Pooja Bhatt and directed by Vikram Bhatt. My family found it to be too slow but I would still see it no matter what. And others I watched since everyone in the family did and I too ended up getting hooked on to them, such as 'Kora Kagaz' 'Kshitij Yeh Nahin', 'Hum Log', 'Circus', 'Reporter', 'Byoomkesh Bakshi' (one of the most intelligent Hindi crime thriller which would put CID to shame!!), 'Tehkiqaat', 'Shayad', 'Star Bestseller' and even other entertaining programs like 'Surabhi', 'Superhit Muqabla', 'Boogie Woogie.'

Now, back to my present addiction. "Grey's Anatomy" is back and I am hooked on to it. I have missed several episodes of the previous season but have been watching all of the new episodes. You know what I missed one yesterday and had just begun watching the repeat today when the lights went out! I was so mad but now I am okay. I have one last shot at it during the weekends when two episodes would be shown back to back. I am just hoping I don't miss it. Another medical drama I don't miss is 'All Saints' on Australian TV. 'Scrubs' is back as well. The only light-hearted medical drama among the ones I love and its hilarious!

I never saw 'Monk' before but started watching its latest season and I am finding it quite interesting. Also new on my list are '90210', (I have seen few episodes of the older version 'Beverly Hills, 90210' which is currently being shown on Zee Cafe) the crime thriller 'Castle', witty and humorous 'Three and a half men' and the hilariously geeky 'Big bang theory'.

Even 'Lost' is back with its final season but having missed a lot of it, I am trying not to watch it since I would prefer watching the ones I have missed before I see how it ends. So, maybe I will have to wait a while before I get to see it. Then again, I might just be too tempted to watch it.

As I enjoy my latest addictions, I am waiting for the next installments of my other ecstasies, 'Brothers and sisters', 'Heroes' etc. to come by. Why such addictions? I guess we all need some 'feel good' factor in our lives. Even if it may seem really 'idiotic' inside the 'box', living out of it can be too taxing sometimes.

Calvin and Hobbes, May 5, 1992, by Bill Watterson

Rendezvous With Chinese Cinema

A Chinese film festival was being held at the Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi last week. I had at first decided to catch all the movies but missed out on few of them (my afternoon nap extended into the night) including the opening film, Confucius (I tend to miss the inaugural film since the first day is always so crowded what with the stars, if any and the media). However the ones I saw more than made up for all the ones I could not watch. Most of the times when a Chinese film is mentioned one inevitably thinks of a martial arts movie. I haven't had any such fascination for them, except for Jackie Chan movies for the sheer fun and humour and also few which stood out not just for the fight choreography but excelled in other departments as well, like say Hero. Mostly, I have seen films with simple stories conveyed so simply it leaves you feeling awed.

The first film I saw was 'You and Me' (directed by Ma Liwen) a story about an old traditional lady (Jin Yaqin) who rents out a room to a young modern girl (Gong Zhe) and the unlikely relationship they share, at first of conflict and slowly progressing into a deep friendship. Then one day, the young girl moves out to live with her boyfriend and how it affects the old woman forms the climax of the movie. The film does not hurry. It's slow and it works really well, revealing different aspects of the characters as they at first try to outdo each other and then later get to an understanding. The leniency of the older generation and the acceptance of the younger generation is conveyed beautifully through several incidents such as the phone line connection or the use of the refrigerator. I kinda missed my granny when I watched this movie. She passed away few years back. The character resembled her in so many ways. She was one tough cookie and at the same time a real sweetheart. God bless her soul.

The second movie I saw was 'Huayao Bride in Shangri La' (directed by Zhang Jiarui). The movie is about Hua Yao Yi minority culture (in China's Yunnan province) whereby a husband and a wife must live separately for three years before the traditional custom of "Returning Home" is observed for their family. I felt the film could have been so much better off if shot in a docu-style. The story was good but the execution seemed lacking to me, also the performances were a little too unconvincing. It was like watching one of the digital films Manipur is churning out for the past few years, only better than most of them. The era of really good cinema in Manipur is almost over! Thankfully a few good men and a bunch of young blood are keeping the hopes alive, even if through documentaries.

The third movie 'The Road Home' (directed by Zhang Yimeng) was emotionally rich and epic in its story-telling. The film looked beautiful, background score was great, story fable-like and performances superlative, especially of Zhang Ziyi. I remembered mid-way through the movie that I had seen it before, not the complete movie but some portions of it somewhere, exactly when and where I still cannot recall. What struck me at first was the decision of shooting the film in black and white in the present time and in colour during flashback. Almost like the way we often tend to remember our past. The colourful memories in stark contrast to the sad reality of today. The film opens up with the return of a son for his father's funeral. His mother wants to bring back her dead husband's body from the city hospital on foot, in keeping with an age-old tradition so that his soul can find its way home. The significance of this decision is reflected through the son's narrative of his parents' love story. How this decision impacts his life, his mother's and of the village itself forms the climax of the movie.

'One Hundred Yuan' (directed by Wang Ping) was the fourth movie I watched. Sometimes comic, sometimes stark and sometimes touching, the story is about a middle-aged man who is rendered jobless due to the change in the mode of production of the factory where he worked. Being unemployed is not the least of his problem. His biggest problem is that he is a very 'nice' man and this lands him into trouble with his wife, his neighbours and everyone else around, especially when a fake hundred yuan note finds its way into his possession. The mis-adventures he goes through owing to this and how it turns his life upside down forms the crux of the movie. Witty, engaging and entertaining!

The fifth and the last movie I managed to watch was 'Together'. I had a feeling it would be a good movie but it was way beyond my expectations. A masterpiece in so many ways. A poor father's dreams of making his son famous and well-known brings the two to the city. The thirteen year old son plays the violin (the only thing left of his mother) exceptionally well and has won every competition back home. His father brings him to the city with all the saving from the restaurant he runs in order to give him proper training from a renowned teacher. How the city and the people they meet influences their lives and their relationship forms the basic plot of the movie. The music pieces in the movie leave you spell-bound. Some of the pieces moved me to tears. The film is directed by Chen Kaige, who made the famous film 'Farewell, My Concubine' (I still have to catch this classic!). The performances in the movie, the father (Liu Peiqi), the son (Tang Yun), the teacher (Wang Zhiwen), the young woman (Chen Hong) the son has a crush on were all excellent. It was a befitting end to my Chinese adventure! This one's surely going in my 'must watch' list, along with 'The Road Home'.

I kept wondering why the festival organisers did not make this the closing film of the festival. Then again, the last show being timed at 8pm might have gone against the movie since most people tend to come for the 6-6:30pm show.

And another film festival 'The Indian Paronama 2009' starts from today till June 6, showcasing films from across India at the Siri Fort Auditorium II. Entry free but need to collect passes available at the counter one hour before the show timing. So, let another cinematic journey begin!!

My Indian Idol 5 Top 12 Predictions

The rest of the Top 16 contestants performed on Tuesday night and it was as great, if not better than the first night. Hats off to the judges for their impeccable selection and kudos to the contestants to have lived up to their expectations!

Like any other year, the Idol is a mix-match of singers from different backgrounds but one thing that clearly stands out this year is the level of talent. It has never happened before that all the contestants have performed so well in the 'piano round' (refers to the first performance on Idol stage on national television, the start of the viewers voting system). The viewers have voted and now it is left to seen who makes it to the Top 12. I have been scratching my head trying to figure out who will make it, going by own calculation of who I thought performed better, since no single performance could be termed bad. So, here's my verdict, my own Top 12:

(in random order)

Manisha: Her 'Solemiya..' performance was flawless. She has amazing stage presence, confidence and a great vocal chord to match.





Vishwas: His rendition of 'Jalwa..' could even be termed at par with the original singer. There is a lot of confidence and voice quality which is very expressive. One could feel the words as he sang them. And he added his own touch to the song, which bowled over the judges as well!



Arpita: From the first note she hit to the last, her 'Khalbali..' was a power-packed performance. Definitely someone to watch out for.





Shashi: He jazzed up the atmosphere with his own take of A R Rahman's composed and sung title track from 'Jaane Tu Ya, Jaane Na..'. It was playful, fun and very jazzy!! Having a more classical inclination, this performance showed his versatility.



Naushad: It was an easy performance by Naushad. He sung Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'More Piya To Hai Pardes.." with such ease, so effortlessly. Deserving of the Top 12, no doubt!




Swaroop: The most 'stand-out' performance in the Top 16 was Swaroop's. His obvious physical appearance notwithstanding, the change of track from a complete folk background didn't show as he sung the filmy number 'Jaoon Kaha..' from Billoo Barber. Now it is left to see if he can do an item song, and as he said he is ready for the challenge!


Sreeram: A known singer in the south, expectations were high from him and he delivered. He sung the hugely popular yet difficult song to sing 'Guzarish...' as Salim pointed out there is very little scope for taking breaths in the song. A breathless performance!



Rakesh: He breezed through his performance with a smile, hitting the right notes of Rabbi Shergill's 'Tere Bin.." and striking the right chords with the judges and audience like.




Bhoomi: When she performed the song 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna..' from the same film, it reminded me of Nihira Joshi, a contestant in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa some years back. She had sung it impeccably, hitting the high and the low notes with equal ease. Bhoomi performed well, but couldn't match up to Nihira. But it was good enough for her to be in my Top 12.


Lakshay: Although he sang 'Aye Khuda..' quite well, he brought more power to it and less emotion. Salim, who had sung it for 'Paathshaala' rightly stated that the song is like a request and so needed that soft touch. However, he was good. Period.



Shivam: He matched up his idol, Sonu Nigaam, in the song 'Halka-halka sa ye nasha..' and that is enough for him to sail through to the next round.





Yashraj: His 'Tum mile..' was the first performance of the second Top 16 night and he did not disappoint.






...................





Asit, Meghna, Kanika and Tia did not make it to my list. However, there is a good enough chance that Tia may come through. Her 'Shut up and bounce..' performance was something remarkable and the singing was a bit shaky in parts but really good otherwise. Meghna also stands a chance, since she held the emotion in the song 'Maeri Main Kaase Kahoon...' throughout her performance. Asit may make it only if the audience go by the popularity of the song ('Tu jaane na..') sung. His version of the song needed a lot of effort to listen to for me. Kanika however goes to my 'surely certain of not making it' list. Her performance, though good, could not come up to the level that the rest had set.


(Images courtesy: setindia)

Indian Idol Top 16 Performs On Stage

Image courtesy: setindia

The first eight contestants of the Top 16 performed on Monday night, 10th May on the Indian Idol Season 5 stage. And perhaps for the first time in its history, all the participants who performed on Idol's stage sung outstandingly. An indication of the judges' ears for talent? Maybe. Even then can it be attributed to all three of them, since Annu Malek (hope I got the spell right, too many people influenced by numerology these days, changing the spelling of their names like anything!) has been a part of all the seasons? Maybe, having Sunidhi Chauhan and Salim Merchant helped a great deal in making stringent and careful selection of the participants.

The first performance by Naushad was the harbinger of how musically sound the evening was going to be. His near-perfect rendition of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'More Piya To Hai Pardes.. ' from Bandit Queen was succeeded by Tia's version of Sunidhi's 'Shut up and bounce.. ' from Dostana. Tia's singing lacked a little but she made up for it by her performance with a little ziggy-wiggy! Next up was 17-year old Meghna with Madan Mohan composed song 'Maeri Main Kaase Kahoon...' from 1970's Dastak sung by Lata Mangeshkar. She captured the essence of the song with her emotive singing, though like she herself admitted there were slight problems. It was up to Noida's Lakshay to get contemporary with Salim Merchant's recent hit 'Aye Khuda.. ' from Paathshaala. His upbeat performance was carried forward and taken to the hilt by Manisha, by far the best so far, with 'Solemiya.. ' from Popcorn Khao Mast Ho Jaawo, a forgettable film with some good music. Rakesh kept the audience smiling and cheering with his joyful rendition of 'Tere Bin.. ' from Rabbi Shergill's debut album. His performance was followed by a 'breathless' singing by Sreeram with 'Guzarish.. ' from Ghajini. The last to sing was Shivam, who pepped up the atmosphere with his performance of 'Halka-halka sa yeh nasha.. ' from Chocolate.

The audience had a gala time, so did the participants. And the judges, well, they went with the flow of the show. If at one point, they went teary-eyed because of an emotional confession of a participant*, they were up on their feet giving a standing ovation to another contestant's overwhelming performance^. But one thing remained the same throughout. They were amazed and happy with the quality of singing and performance. And two of them even performed with the contestants as well. Sunidhi fulfilled Tia dreams by singing 'Shut up.. ' along with her, while Salim teamed up with Lakshay for 'Aye Khuda..'. I say, take a bow judges and contestants alike. Now, it's the remaining eight contestants' responsibility to keep the flag flying high!


[* Sunidhi Chauhan was moved to tears when Tia, who idolises her shared her disbelieve on finally performing on the Indian Idol stage, a dream she had been harbouring for the past three years.

^ Salim Merchant's comments for Manisha's performance was a standing ovation. She was moved by the comments of the judges]

Pious Brothers Win The Amazing Race Season 16

It was a close call between the cowboy brothers and the Pious siblings. Finally, Daniel and Jordan Pious gets to the finishing line of the race first, cheered on by the rest of the contestants, taking home the $1 million grand prize.

Daniel and Jordan
Image courtesy: tv.yahoo.com
The cowboys Jet and Cord McCoy, surely gave them a run for their money finishing their task early and catching up with them. Coming in first in the eighth leg of the race despite being the last to arrive in the previous leg, the cowboys couldn't manage a similar feat in the finale. For a while it seemed they would take over when Dan and Jordan, after finishing their last task, were unable to find a taxi for a long time. I was rooting for Dan and Jordan, and it was exhilarating to watch them win it.

Brent Horne and Caite Upton were pissed at each other and the cab driver throughout the finale (not a lucky day for them!) and ended the race as the second runners up. While everybody cheered them on, Brandy and Carol could not get over the fact that they had been u-turned by them, heating up the finale. Fact is it's a race and like Caite puts it, she is the only female contestant to finish the race.

All in all, it was another entertaining season of the Amazing Race and sure fires up hope for an exciting Season 17. Can't wait to watch. But with the Amazing Race Asia Season 4 soon to be aired in a few months time, the wait should be much easier and entertaining. Well, Allan Wu it's time for you to say 'You are the first team to arrive' while Phil Keoghan goes out saying 'I am sorry to say you've been eliminated'.