Song of the Day: B-O-R-E! But this song is anything but ...

I totally loved this movie, and this song was the highlight for me. Sadhna was actually my mom's schoolfriend from her days in Mumbai, which is pretty cool considering she made "Jhumka Gira Re" so famous and they had that "Sadhna Haircut" with the bangs and all that was so popular in the 60s.

Love in Simla is one of those movies that grabs you because its about rooting for the underdog ... Sadhna with her glasses and her jaded view is just so cute and anti-heroine, you HAVE to love her. It was a total Cinderella story, with Sadhna living with her aunt & uncle and spoiled cousin. But vindication comes in her stealing away her cousin's rich boyfriend, HUZZAH! She couldn't have done it without her fairy grandmother, who takes away her glasses and ponytail (sorry, that's a line from Not Another Teen Movie) and gives her the famous Sadhna Cut (essentially, it's just bangs).

I remember really wanting Sadhna's character to dump the boyfriend and go out there in the world and take over ... but whatevs.

Here's the AWESOME Love Ka Matlab Hai Pyar from Love in Simla (1960):

Dennis Hopper Dies From Prostate Cancer

Hollywood lost a legend today. Dennis Hopper, 74, has died after a long battle with prostate cancer.

Hopper is best known for his roles in "Easy Rider", "Rebel Without A Cause", and "Blue Velvet". While most knew him from these classic movies, he was also known for less rebellious roles in "Hoosiers", "Apocalypse Now", and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2."

During the course of his career he won two Academy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

Hopper had been married five times and was currently in a legal battle with his current wife, Victoria, who insisted that Hopper was trying to cut her out of the will and her inheritance. The feud was still in full swing up until his death.

His second marriage, to singer-actress Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, lasted only eight days.
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Heidi Montag Splits With Husband Spencer Pratt

Oh, how sweet it is when certain cookies crumble, and this crumbling took less then two years!

News is out that fake celebrity Heidi Montag has split with her doubly fake, and irritating husband Spencer Pratt.

One of Heidi's minions told TMZ,

"Heidi is looking to move out due to all the fake bad press that Spencer controls. She's tired of it and is looking for a place and wants to focus on her acting career and is looking for her own home in Malibu".

Just last month the two celebufakes called the police on Heidi's mother when she apparently showed up at their house uninvited, and who can forgot Spencer's baby antics on the MTV series "I'm a celebrity get me out of here". Police actually got involved when the reality shows producer's feared Pratt's "threats of terror" toward the production staff had gone too far.

Now that this celebrity emergency is over we can get back to work on the economy, oil spill, European collapse, and a host of other more pressing issues.
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Song of the Day: Speaking of Hiccups ...

Completely unrelated to yesterday's post, this number started randomly playing in my head today ... maybe I heard it on my mom's fabulous ATN radio station (XM Radio) and it sat subconsciously in my head. Babita seems like a pretty good time in this! And her overacting is verrrrry familiar! Man, I see where Karishma Kapoor gets her acting chops. Asha's voice is incredible in this though, as always.

Aao Huzur Tumko from Kismat (1968)

Demystification

A moment on the edge of time

A sigh on parched lips

A bubble balanced on the tip of a sword

A shrieking echo in vacuumed space

A promise of permanence in changing times

A curse of hollow years from empty palms

A sinking ship in the beautiful ocean

A dream on partially open lids

A drop of dew in the morning sun

A green leaf just before the onset of fall

And so, my life lies in the crevices

Of the worlds that have not fallen

There must have been a reason

Or then maybe none at all

I will not ask the question again

I know there is no answer

It was never meant to be

Anything but a coincidence

This talk of a mission and goal

The pilgrimage to resurrection

When waiting for the final annihilation

Actor Gary Coleman Has Died

UPDATE: Friday 5/28/2010

Gary Coleman has died. His wife Shanon made the decision to end life support and Gary died at 12:05 pm.

A representative issued the following statement:

"Thanks to everyone for their well wishing and support during this tragic time. Now that Gary has passed, we know he will be missed because of all the love and support shown in the past couple of days. Gary is now at peace and his memory will be kept in the hearts of those who were entertained by him throughout the years."

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Actor Gary Coleman, who starred on the hit series "Different Strokes", has been hospitalized in Provo Utah.

News reports indicate that Coleman, 42, was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery after suffering a fall.

Little more is known about the circumstances or his prognosis.

Coleman was admitted to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center and his brother-in-law told reporters the actor was in critical condition.

UPDATE: Friday 5/28/2010 - The family reports that Coleman is unconscious and on life support after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage.
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Song of the Day: Hiccups and Jodis

This song was in my head when I woke up this morning ... gorgeous song, but I wish they had thought up better lyrics than "hi-hi-hi-hi-hitchiki lagi" for such a pretty melody ... but this song "Aaj Subah Jab Mein Jagah" from Aag aur Shola (1985) is gorgeous and I was at the height of my Sridevi worship when it released.



Also I was thinking today that some jodis just capture you and it FEELS right when you see them together, they just have that natural chemistry ... the following come to mind:

- Amitabh & Rekha

- Sridevi & Jeetendra

- Dharmendra & Hema Malini

- SRK & Kajol

- Rishi Kapoor & Tina Munim (I KNOW, Neetu, I love her too, but I loved this pair)

- Anil Kapoor & Madhuri Dixit

- Aamir Khan & Juhi Chawla

- Dilip Kumar & Vyjanthimala (Yes, I know, Madhubala, but I found this more fun, and I liked Madhubala with Kishore Kumar, like in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi)

- Raj Kapoor & Nargis

- Rajesh Khanna & Mumtaz (I know, Sharmila Tagore, but I really love him w/ Mumtaz)

And then of course there's the lesser known jodis, like:

- Alok Nath & Reema Lagoo - who wouldn't want them as parents?
- Akshay Kumar & Saif Ali Khan
- Salman Khan & Govinda
- Abhishek Bachchan & John Abraham
- Amitabh Bachchan & Shashi Kapoor

Good times ...Would love to hear other's favorites!

Satyabhama aur Rukmini Rani (dono Krishna ki thi deewani)

So obviously since I'm a dancer and come from a family of dancers, most of my movie song memories from the early days were songs that we performed on stage. Today's song of the day was one that I've actually never seen the original before today! Since I was six we've been doing the Satyabhama Aur Rukmini Rani mini-dance drama from Raja Aur Runk (1968). I had NO idea that Sanjeev Kumar was in it, much less that he played Krishna!!! I don't know what this all had to do with the movie but it appears to be a dream sequence while someone is relating the tale of how Krishna got stuck in a massive ego-battle between two of his wives. That's why polygamy = bad Krishna. Get with the program. Oh ok, I guess it's ok if you're GOD and all. Anyway Satyabhama is known to have a lot of pride, and she gets all pissed when Krishna goes to hang out with Rukmini for a while (who incidentally I thought he married first?!). Narada, our favorite troublemaker/sage tells her that if she can provide Krishna's weight in gold she'll get him back. She tries, and no matter how much wealth she heaps on the scales she can't lift Krishna at all. Insert Nelson's "Ha Ha" from The Simpsons.

So Narada takes Krishna off and tries to sell him in the bazaar (???) and Bhama is forced to go make nice with Ruks to pray and sing bhajans till they get Krishna back and learn to share like Kindergarten 101. Except it's your husband.

When I was little I got to be little sidey roles in this drama, but I was all excited when I got the big starring role of sociopath Satyabhama in 1999. Gotta find that tape. If I do I'll edit this post and add it.

So here's today's bollystalgic song of the day, "Oh Kanhaiya" or the Story of Satyabhama and Rukmini, from Raja Aur Runk.

Brittany Murphy's Husband Simon Monjack Found Dead

Sad news in Hollywood today as we learn that Brittany Murphy's husband Simon Monjack was found dead in the same house Brittany died in five months ago.

Monjack was pronounced dead after 911 was called Sunday evening around nine-thirty p.m.

Firefighters responding to a call from a woman found the 39-year-old Monjack dead at his Hollywood Hills home. Monjack and Murphy had shared their home with Murphy's mother, Sharon.

While a cause of death has not been given, officials say it appears to be from natural causes.

An investigation has been started.

Six months ago Monjack's wife, Brittany Murphy, died of pneumonia complicated by an iron deficiency, anemia and multiple drug intoxication.

The couple had been married since 2007.
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Wish ‘Kites’ soared higher!

Yes, that was precisely my emotion after watching the much-awaited Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori starrer.

So, what is Kites all about? A romantic, action-packed, adventurous thriller with the mandatory song and dance sequences, a love quadrangle of sorts, connections with a dangerous family that turn bloody, a senseless lustful villain, the lead pair with a teary childhood, circumstantially forced into illegal acts, hopelessly in love – long story cut short - a clichéd bollywood melodrama with the only saving grace being Hrithik Roshan, and the fact that there is no happily after (remember the whole logic of kites soaring high only to fall back to the ground?).

Hrithik is incredibly good looking (you didn’t need me to tell you that) and he carries the movie in his arms (I just realized, 'on his shoulders' sounds so bland :p). He is this drop dead gorgeous smooth talker you would go out of your way to bump into Vegas, or any other city in the world for that matter.

Barbara Mori is, well, okay – nothing much to write home about (sorry guys!) – but the on-screen chemistry between J. and Linda is convincing and cute, so I hold nothing against her really.

Kabir Bedi is wasted, wonder what made him agree to the role!

Music’s nothing great either, though I kind of like ‘zindagi do pal ki…’

I loved Hrithik (oh, did I already talk about that before? ;))!!! His international looks really blow one away – girls, you need to watch the movie, if only for the Greek god himself (I know this sounds highly exaggerated, but c'mon indulge me for a change!)

I am trying to think what more I liked about the movie….

…. Okay, yes to be fair, some of the scenes were beautifully shot – exquisite locales – the cliff scene in the end was breathtaking – Locales from Nevada and Mexico are mesmerizing.

The tragic unfolding of the tale, in parts, did tug my heart - but then I am a certified non-cognitive nitwit :(

And sadly, nothing else justifies the time the movie took in the making and the hype it created. I hear that the English version is shorter (90 minutes as compared to the 130 minute long hindi version) and releases 28th May. My recommendation – go watch that one!

And, by the way, I didn’t forget to mention how handsome Hrithik Roshan looked, did I ? :D

I heart Disco - Bolly-ishstyle!

Watching the Disco Dancer songs on YouTube inspired me to make this list of my favorite Bollywood Disco numbers ... because India held on to the popularity of Disco well into the late 80s and early 90s when it was considered totally lame here in the U.S., and I love them for it. Obviously everything you come up with when searching for Bollywood Disco is gold, but I'll just post my favorites - the ones I have the most Bollystalgia about:

1. EVERYTHING from Disco Dancer, the title song, Jimmy Jimmy Aaja Aaja, Koi Yahan A-ha Nache Nache, and one of my personal faves, Ae Oh Aa Zara Mudke:



There was this guy named Dimple who used to dance to Disco Dancer at the Festival of India at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit when I was little. It was scandalous watching him, from the moves to the super-tight cat suits he used to wear. It's clear who his hero was.

Who put the electrical tape around Mithun's waist? His outfit also sort of reminds of something Mork from Mork and Mindy would wear. Kim's gold boots look like leftovers from her Wonder Woman halloween costume. God, the early 80s were SO awesome.

2. Boom Boom from STAR (1982)
Ok, this was tough because Ooie Ooie is also awesome, but I had to go with Nazia Hassan's inimitable style and Rati Agnihotri rocking it out.


Incidentally you should also watch the title song STAR for Kumar Gaurav's full gold spangly outfit.

3. Ramba Ho from Armaan (1981)
Usha Uthup is awesome. So is this song.



4. Hari Om Hari from Pyara Dushman (1980)
This party is crazy. Kalpana Iyer is fearless in her fringe-y, Tahitian-ey outfit. I can't believe she's an Iyer - we're such a conservative culture!



5. Gore Nahin Hum Kale Sahi from Desh Premi (1982)
Utterly horrifying on so many levels ... the blackface, the dancing, Hema Malini dressed up to look like Michael Jackson??? Let's focus on the positive - the rotating stage that looks like a record! Yay!



6. Disco Deewane by Nazia Hassan from Sangdil (1982)
Ok, so this shouldn't technically count as its a Urdu movie and was for all practical purposes a pop song ... but who doesn't love it????



7. Disco '82 from Khuddaar (1982)
I find Lata Mangeshkar even saying the word Disco sooo odd.



8. Disco Station from Haathkadi
OMG Reena Roy!!! WHAT is going on with that outfit? It's part Marathi-Laavani, part-80s Disco! The light-up floor is amazing too.



9. Jaan-e-jaan ... Nisha from Sanam Teri Kasam
More Reena Roy awesomeness ... with the added bonus of Kamal Hassan (oh, just wait till I get into Tamil disco videos!). Her jumpsuit would be "in" nowadays.



10. Udi Baba from Vidhaata (1982)
Man, 1982 was the YEAR. Padmini Kohlapuri in a teddy and sparkly hat. Not sure I love the curly short hair underneath, but hey, she owns it in this. I'm not sure what's up with the fake superman character, but love the lights, disco balls, giant gun motifs, and revolving stage!



11. Aap Jaisa Koi from Qurbaani
Best disco song in a hindi movie EVER? In my opinion yes. It's got gorgeous, glam-doll Zeenat resplendent in gold, a light-up floor, Nazia Hassan's voice, a brooding Vinod Khanna for good measure ... and its STILL the song that gets all the ladies on the dance floor at a party:



Credit to Laila Mein Laila too, Because I love Amjad Khan in it.

12. Bachna Ae Haseeno or The Medley from Hum Kisise Kum Nahin
Couldn't decide, both are so awesome!


13. Aaya Sanam Aaya Deewana Tera from Bade Dil Wala
Because I'm a shameless Rishi Kapoor fangirl.



14. Disco '84 - Inquilaab - song starts at about 1:45
Oh Amitabh ... Oh Shakti Kapoor! The whole set looks very Austin Powers-esque, doesn't it? Shakti looks strangely like Howard Stern in his get-up, and for some reason Amitabh reminds me of those three flying villains from Superman 2. And with that white hair and beard, doesn't it seem like this video could be from today?



15. Jawani Jawani - Jaani Dost
Couldn't resist throwing in some Silk Smitha. Jeetu, are you wearing a headband? You know, doing the moves in this dance would be a pretty good aerobic workout.



16. Jawani Jaaneman - Namak Halal
Speaking of Jawani ... this is CLASSIC. Right from the phone call - "I want to kill you. I WILL Kill you." - Raat Baaki from this movie is also amazingly disco-fare. I think I had a Barbie-version of that gold outfit.



17. Om Shanti Om - Karz
Chintu is my unequivocal favorite - he's just so cute! That smile! That energy on the (light-up or revolving) dance floor! That charm! I have to admit, I WANT to love Ranbir Kapoor so much more than I actually do because of how much I love his parents.



18. Disco Bhangra - Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswati
This song is a total travesty, but it also manages to get stuck in my head. I never saw this movie, the song was on one of those Hits VHS tapes, and it has remained in my head all these years. The black leather outfit & Michael Jackson glove are TOO MUCH. He had to be at least 50 when this came out!



19. Yaar Bina Chain - Saheb
The rhinestone studded suit is awesome. Anil Kapoor, dude, you are like Richard from Lost ... you just don't age!!!



20. Saara Zamana - Yaarana
Love this Coliseum that they're dancing in.



21. Pyar Karnewale - Shaan
I love, love, love this song! So fabulous!



22. Jeena Bhi Hai Kya - Kasam Paida Karnewale Ki
Mithun does Thriller - to the tune of "Billie Jean"? I'm confused? Then again, the very existence of Salma Agha on-screen confuses me.



23. Pucho Na Yaar Kya Hua - Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai
One of my favorite songs and movies. I still can't sit at a table with cutlery and not pick up the spoons and start singing "Haiyya Haiyya". And this probably is the source of my obsession with light-up dance floors.



24. Mamma Mia Pom Pom - Justice Chowdhary
I am a crazy Sridevi fan and I completely wanted to BE her in this ... even if it meant I'd have to have a beau that danced like a fool - seriously it is SO funny watching him try to do these steps. His outfits are pretty rocking too. This is another great Sridevi-Jeetendra workout video dance.



25. Naam Mera Premkali - Chaalbaaz
The picturization of this TOTALLY doesn't match the song at all, but the whole LOOK, from Sri's jheri curl to the lights and all, are very disco!



26. Tamma Tamma Loge - Thanedaar
OMG this was the SONG when I was 14. I remember my dad being horrified by how she walks in the beginning (way too sexy for a 14-yr-old to be watching, I wonder what he would have thought of those kids dancing to Single Ladies if he were still alive?). I am more horrified by her hair and outfit. Someone in India was kinda obsessed with Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation video! Also, I read somewhere that Javed Jaffery was Sanjay Dutt's body double in this because Sanju Dada couldn't get the dance moves down. HAHAHAHA! Warning: This video is a Mullet-fest.



27. Saat Samundar - Vishwatma
CLASSIC.



28. Disco Dandia - Love Love Love
Aamir + Juhi = cutest pair ever. And when this song came out everyone was obsessed with it!



29. It's My Challenge scene from Pyar Karke Dekho
There is so much awesomeness going on here I can't even begin to describe it. This was the first Govinda movie we ever saw and we were obsessed with it. We made SO MUCH FUN of this scene in particular - there's just so many cheesy things happening here. The mullets, the headbands, the sparkly outfits ...



30. Muqabla - Humse Hai Muqabla/Kaadhalan
The fabulous Prabhu Deva aka Benny Lava doing his thang.



There's obviously SO MUCH MORE than this list, I know, and I'd love to hear others' favorites. But I also wanted to just throw out there a few songs from contemporary Bollywood that evoke this Disco-era awesomeness.

a) It's the Time To Disco - Kal Ho Na Ho
b) Dard-E-Disco - Om Shanti Om
c) Discowale Kisko - Dil Bole Hadippa
d) Where's the Party Tonight - Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna
e) Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe - Dil Ka Rishta
f) Dan Te Nan (Aaja Aaja) - Kaminey

3 weeks later!

Naah, this is not the latest Danny Boyle zombie movie – 3 weeks is the time I have been away from the blogging world, dormant on FB, totally inactive on Orkut, completely out of circulation on Twitter, and silent on my phone!

So, even if you didn’t really miss me on any of the channels above and couldn’t care less about what kept me away, in the true spirit of being me, I shall go ahead and burden you with the bloody details :D!

It has been work, work, and helluva work – almost the entire 3 weeks were spent writing documents, conducting reviews, “following up”, sitting late nights burning the midnight oil, less of food intake, more of calorie burning (still no reduction in the uneasy number people refer to as weight), reworks, last minute troubleshooting, near cardiac arrests, not-so-easy recoveries, dull weekends, and everything else that symbolizes a product release in the big bad IT world! The good news is I am done duna done done! (however silly and irritating it sounds)

The missed “blog” moments…

I really wanted to blog about the Kasab drama (a well deserved death sentenced), the Nirupama tragedy (a giant leap back to the stone age), the Burqa: to be or not to be (I think I can still write on this one – will make a note) and finally my tryst with Laila (for the ignorant, laila is the name of the cyclone that recently hit Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and created some havoc in my life too – I was stranded in the middle of the flyover and etc etc - none of which was remotely humorous :().

What else has been happening?

Apart from work, some other news too!

# My darling brother has finished his 4-yr degree program and is back in Delhi – this directly translates into me being all by myself on the weekends – he has been a wonderful companion for all my shopping sprees and gastronomic indulgences! Will miss u Priyank, enjoy and take care :).

# I finally managed to plan my long due vacation – It’s going to be a wonderful Californian summer – remember to check out this blog for the updates on that!

# My school years’ crush on Hrithik Roshan has kind of re-inflamed – it takes a lot to get me star struck and oh I am so in love! I go for Kites today and am hoping there’s lots to write when I am back!

# And finally, some songs refuse to leave my lips – and have been instrumental in retaining my cheer in the dark ages (3 weeks). Posting them here for your consumption too…

>> Uff teri adaaa – An instant mood lifter

>> Zombies…in your head!

>> Ranjha Ranjha – from Mani Ratnam’s Raavan

>> Blackbird – singing in the dead of night…

>> Pal pal har pal – from the second Munnabhai movie

>> There are a few more all time favorites, which gave me company - but I stop here at Wake me up when September comes…

BP Oil Spill Live Video Feed

Here is the BP oil spill Live feed video.

Update Friday: This feed is now coming directly from the BP website. It seems to be much more reliable. The white stuff coming from the well is natural gas.



Estimates are now 1,000,000 (1 million) gallons a day being spewed into the gulf. Oil has entered the Loop Current and now threatens southwest Florida and Key West.

Why has the British government been so quite? Shouldn't they be assuring us that they will make sure things are made right?
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Bret Michaels Back In Hospital With Hole In His Heart

Poison front man and "Celebrity Apprentice" finalist Bret Michaels is back in the hospital.

Michaels suffered what doctors are calling a warning stroke after the singer complained of numbness in his face and arms. After a series of tests, doctors discovered Bret has a hole in his heart that needs to be addressed.

This disorder is referred to as patent forum ovale. The condition is corrected with surgery and drug treatment using blood thinners. The hole was discovered after an ultrasound of his heart.

Michaels is still determined to return to his band Poison later this year for a reunion concert, and is in the running in Donald Trumps "Celebrity Apprentice". The finale airs this Sunday.

Bret suffered a massive stoke last month and doctors have said his recovery to date has been remarkable.
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Video - Lee Dewyze Scores On Idol With Hallelujah

Last night on American Idol the three remaining contestants threw down in their dash for the finish. Well, Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze did. Casey James appears to have given up, making the final two all but a lock.

Lee's first song, and the one he selected, was "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Okay, it was good but did not set the room on fire.

But the song selected for Dewyze by Simon Cowell himself was "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. Lee hit the ball out of the park.

But it also seems the American Idol producers threw everything at the performance to help sway the vote. Epic lighting, epic orchestra, fast camera shots, excellent backup singers, and more help Lee look like a rock star.

Poor Casey could only stand on the stage with his guitar and bleat out another song. Seems a bit unfair?

Watch Lee Dewyze Sing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah on American Idol



The studio broke into applause giving the former paint salesmen a standing ovation.
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Charlie Sheen Back For More "Two And A Half Men"

Hollywood negotiations can get ugly. But yesterday CBS announced they had reached an agreement with Charlie Sheen to bring his hit sitcom back for two more seasons.

Insiders say negotiations have been going on for weeks, with Sheen wanting two million dollars per episode of "Two and a half men," and CBS wanting, well, much less.

It appears the two parties have come to an agreement, though nobody seems to know for sure what the final amount was. Speculation was a deal would be reached at the last minute because Wednesday starts the networks "Up-fronts" and CBS had to have some kind of deal in place for its affiliates and big advertisers.

But some say Sheen told friends that he wanted out after seven years because he had grown tired of the daily work demands and production schedules, and said he wanted to focus on movies. Charlie is starring in the upcoming sequel "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps".

Now Uncle Charley can put these pesky television contracts behind him and focus on his felony wife beating case out of Colorado scheduled to start in June.
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William Shatner To Star In CBS Sitcom

Captain Kirk has come full circle, and CBS has just tapped William Shatner for his first sitcom.

Little is known about the new show, but we hear it will be called "Shit My Dad Says" and will be directed by James Burrows.

The show will also star Nicole Sullivan, Ryan Devlin, Will Sasso, Stephanie Lemelin, and Zibby Allen.

The plot will revolve loosely around Shatner's twenty-nine year old son, Justin, who is an avid Twitter user. He amasses millions of followers just by tweeting the stupid things his father (Shatner) says.

Look for the show next season.
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Doston Se Pyar Kiya ... Shaan se!!!!

The early 80s was a smorgasbord of awesomesauce, as evidenced by movies like Shaan (1980). I admit I haven't seen the Bond movies w/ evil Blofeld who is supposed to be the inspiration for Shaan's villain Shaakaal, so for me, Kulbhushan Karbhand's Shaakaal was the ultimate Dr. Evil (so much that when I named my friend's pet turtles Shaakaal, Mogambo and Gabbar Singh, Shaakaal was my favorite). But this movie has all the coolest elements from the Bond movies, the villain's lair, complete with a board room table that revolves and at the push of a button drops the selected henchman into shark-infested waters. The back-projection of sharks swimming behind Shaakaal was particularly effective.

 Thanks FilmiGirl for the pic!

Shaan has some of my favorite opening credits of all-time, sung by house favorite Usha Uthup. Oh my god, this song is awesome. The crazy gyrating chick in spandex is an interesting choice, but never stopped me from loving the opening. Our video had a musical sequence where they show all the actors and freeze frame on each of them - it's not on here so I'm not sure what happened to it ... but I remember it sooo clearly because my sister and I used to act it out. But this opening is still amazing.




So the characters in this movie, even besides Shaakaal, are awesome. There's Ravi and Vijay, played by the great duo of Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan. There's con artist uncle and niece team played by Johnny Walker and Bindiya Goswami, Sunita, played by the fabulous Parveen Babi, and of course Rakhee and Shatrughan Sinha thrown in there for good measure, and Sunil Dutt in a cameo as Rakhee's husband. There's the rockin' Mazhar Khan in there too, playing disabled & homeless dude/informant Abdul who gets a song that is super memorable because of the subtitles we had on our tape: "My Name is Abdul. What? Oh, My Name is Abdul, I keep eyes on everything!"



 Now I haven't re-watched Shaan recently, so I'm going to just recap some of the most memorable scenes for me ... I have over my lifetime watched this movie MANY times so I'd say I remember most of it, but rather than re-hash the plot, I'll just do a highlights reel.

We started the movie meeting Sunil Dutt, good, nice cop. He's married to Rakhee, and they have a spoiled rotten little girl with the most annoying voice ever. Sunil Dutt generally fights crime and is awesome. His brothers are small-time crooks Ravi and Vijay. The guys meet up with con-artist duo Johnny Walker and his niece Bindiya Goswami, and fall prey to one of their scams. They track them down through Abdul  (in a fabulous scene where Amitabh wears a jumpsuit of some kind with "69" embroidered on the chest pocket) and eventually fall into a partnership. On one of their planned scams, they come across Parveen Babi who is also a con-artist, and kuch kuch happens between her and Vijay (Amitabh).

When we were little, every movie with two heroines was game for me & my sister to act out the scenes taking one of each of the roles. My sister (who consistently got to be Parveen Babi in movies like this, Jaani Dost, Burning Train, Mahaan, etc.) got to be Sunita, which means she got the limelight for one of the best songs ever (Pyar Karnewale)

And I was Bindiya Goswami in this one. Which actually turned out to be ok, because I got one of the most fabulous movie names of all time: "Pushpa Bhargav" (Naam to bada pyaara hai). I still use Pushpa Bhargav as my "club name" (name I give to random guys at clubs that dare to try and speak to me).

Anyway so the Pyar Karnewale scene is particularly awesome because at the end of the song, Bindu (who plays some rich heiress) gets her necklace stolen and all our con-artist heroes stand in a line and say "Kya Tumne?" "Nahin to" ("Did you?" "No!") to each other while trying to figure out who took it, ending with Johnny Walker who turns to a stranger and says it. My sisters and I used to do this all the time.

 There's an homage to this scene in Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993) where Bindu AGAIN gets her necklace stolen at the end of the "Mein Hoon Roop Ki Rani" number, but the original takes the cake. "Mera Haar! Aaaaah!"

In another fabulous scam, the team dress up Ravi and Vijay as swamis to do a great fun poolside dance number.

So eventually Shaakaal, admist sending henchmen to their shark-infested death in his revolving boardroom of death (one of whom was Som from Satte Pe Satta! And the bearded dude who tried to kill Seema by giant boulder was also in this boardroom! Trump, you've got to get one of these!), tries to coerce Sunil Dutt to be on his side. Good, kind, wonderful Sunil refuses, and is chased down by instruments of evil and eventually shot to death from a helicopter on the beach. A sad demise indeed. Vijay and Ravi are pissed, and naturally decide to about-face and become good to destroy Shaakaal and avenge their brother. But not before being late for their date and pissing off the ladies, which requires a song sequence of awesomeness. Enter "Jaanu Meri Jaan" - come on, you couldn't stay mad at these guys either.

Shatrughan Sinha shows up in between as a marksman who is blackmailed by Shaakaal to kill Sunil Dutt. Rakhee is all "He's the one!" but then he tells his sad story and we're all "awwww". Plus he's super sweet to annoying-voiced Guddi. So he joins forces with Ravi and Vijay to save the day.

The big plan to go in and get Shaakaal is to dress up as a dance troupe and perform the amazing "Yamma Yamma" (incidentally, my sister does a killer R.D. Burman voice for this song, Pyar Hume Kis Mod Pe from Satte Pe Satta and Mehbooba from Sholay).



Afterwards there's lots of running, shooting, chasing and explosions, very Austin Powers-esque. Of course Shaakaal loses, and our bad-guys-turned-good save the day and avenge Rakhee and stupid Guddi.

The songs in this movie are incredible, and the early scenes with the cons are truly hilarious. The duo of Amitabh and Shashi Kapoor is always great (Namak Halal, Do Aur Do Paanch), and this movie started my love for these two as a team.

I happened to find this movie (subtitles and all) in its entirety on youtube, but I doubt it will be up for long, so watch it while you can!!! Enjoy and jiyo shaan se!

Song of the Day: Shameless self-promotion

So when I was a teenager my sisters and I had this band called Ishara, we used to perform Hindi songs at birthdays, graduations, weddings, etc. and we were quite popular back in the day, not necessarily because we were really good musicians or anything, but because we were fun to watch. My eldest sister was our main singer and she was uber-talented, but I was not really much of a keyboardist ... I took one week of piano lessons at age 6 and then quit. All the playing I did for our band was by ear, and I used to mess up all the time. The funny thing is our audiences didn't seem to care much. For one, I think my sister's talent carried us all ... and two, we were having so much fun up there together, goofing around, laughing, dancing, being sisters, that I think our audiences just had fun watching us.

So when I had Tarif Karoon Kya Uski from Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) stuck in my head today, I thought rather than post a link to the original video or song, I'd post a video of us performing it. The singer is our extremely close family friend Gopal, the guitarist is our adopted brother, and the three marching sillies are my sisters and me. For some reason, it seemed like a good song to march to.

Greyson Chance Does Lady Gaga Paparazzi On Ellen - Video

This made us smile.

Sixth grader and twelve year old Lady Gaga fan Greyson Michael Chance wowed his schools assembly and talent show with his piano and vocal version of "Paparazzi".

The original video went viral overnight.

Greyson just appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres show and took a live phone call from Miss Gaga herself and gave another performance.

Watch Greyson Chance Sing and Play Lady Gaga "Paparazzi" on Ellen

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On repeat in my head - poetry and all ...

Today's song of the day is a repeat offender ... possibly one of the most romantic songs of all time? Mmm, Amitabh's deep voice reading gorgeous poetry, what's not to love? Stupid sexy Amitabh (Simpsons reference, for those of you not inclined to the most brilliant tv show ever).

Sachin rocks as Krishna

The very first Bollywood movie (then known as simply "hindi fillum") I remember seeing was the 1979 Rajshri film GOPAL KRISHNA starring the adorable Sachin Pilgaonkar as Krishna and Zarina Wahab as Radha. Considering we went on to re-watch this movie 2-3x every year since then, I'd say it goes down as one of my favorites of all time.

As a kid I watched a lot of mythological films, including Hara Hara Mahadev (old black & white), Hara Hara Gange, Sampoorna Ramayana, Kumara Sambhavam etc. Somehow this one captured us more than others ... which probably had something to do with the fabulous songs by Ravindra Jain, the flute music by Hariprasad Chaurasia (woot!) and the boyish charm of Sachin as Krishna.

What a charmer Sachin-Krishna is! So rommy, ya.

I have to say I simply don't understand why Sachin wasn't a huge superstar in the 80s. He seriously had it all, looks, charisma, acting chops, dance skills ... I mean what more could anyone want? Between this movie and his character of "Sunny" in Satte Pe Satta (my ALL-TIME favorite movie), he totally had my heart.

Notably, Yashoda was played by Rajshri Pictures favorite Reeta Bhaduri! I remember thinking she was just ultimately gorgeous in this movie - even more so than Zarina Wahab's Radha. She gets two great songs in this movie, "Koi Math Jariyo" with Baby Krishna and "Tu Man Ki Athi" with the adorable Master Sandeep as Child Krishna.





The story, narrated through song, starts right from Kamsa terrorizing the countryside, capturing his father and usurping his throne, and generally looking wicked on his throne while random chicks in scanty costumes feed him grapes and fan him. He imprisons his sister Devaki and her husband Vasudeva after hearing a prophecy that their 8th child would be his downfall.

The scenes of Kamsa killing each of Devaki's babies by dashing them on the ground was very haunting for me as a kid, though they made it as pleasant as possible by showing it in shadow and then having the "spirit" go up into the sky and become a star.

Finally Vishnu decides to step in and take the form of Devaki's 8th child to do in the evil uncle:


So Krishna grows up as the child of Mother Yashoda in Gokul, and we get to enjoy all his childhood antics like disappearing and scaring Kamsa's dumb minions, Attacking the demon Trinavrata with his super-strength, and stealing butter from the cowherd maidens of Gokul.

One of my favorite sequences to this date is when 5-yr-old Krishna is playing his flute for Radha in a grove and they morph into adult (teenage?) Krishna and Radha, and Zarina Wahab does one of the most awkward, ungainly, ridiculously choreographed dances ever.



Once Krishna grows up, we get to see him fight possessed bulls, wrestle and dance atop a giant 5-headed snake, and so much more until he eventually ponies up and goes to defeat his evil uncle Kamsa. But all of that was just filler for the main attraction of this movie - the dance songs!

Now I grew up in a house of dancers (my mom is a Bharata Natyam teacher) and so we were obviously the most jazzed about the songs we could choreograph for stage performances ... I think I was 3 yrs old the first time we did a dance to "Oh Gopala":



And my mom taught the Holi song to a bunch of older ladies in Canada somewhere around 1983, and me and my best friend Ami learned it and danced it so much that she finally let us perform it with the older girls in 1984:


Super heart. Such great memories. My eldest sister even danced to Neer Bharan Ka on stage with her best friend. We were seriously obsessed with this movie. In fact, I need to go ransack my mom's house now to see if I can find the DVD I picked up a couple years ago!

Tony Braganza was such a stud.

This morning the song in my head was this gem from Baaton Baaton Mein (1979). My sister and I were obsessed with this movie - and I don't think there's ever been a hero quite like Tony Braganza ... played with such conviction by Amol Palekar, who may or may not have shoulders. Tina Munim's "Nancy Pereira" also seems to be dancing very awkwardly here, and Ranjit Chowdhary has a Jughead-from-Archie-comics appeal as Nancy's brother Sabi. The only person who seems to be having a great time here is Shobhini Singh as "Hazel Pinto". Maybe she's not uncomfortable with the fact that they turned "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" into a Bollywood song?

Stuck in my head all day!

I wake up every single day with a random song in my head ... this was the one for today and I have not been able to shake it, it's from Shagird (1967), "Woh Hai Zara":

Tom Cruise Burned By Scientology - Videotaped In Secret By The Church

It looks like L. Ron Hubbard and his expensive Church Of Scientology may have just bitten off more than they can chew.

It has become clear that current cult leader David Miscavige is everything people outside the Church believe him to be, and nothing like how the people inside perceive him.

Mark Rathbun, who runs an anti-scientology blog, is reporting that ten years ago he audited Tom Cruise on multiple occasions where the sessions were both audio taped and video taped at the Celebrity Center International without the actor's knowledge.

Rathbun then provided the video directly to cult leader David Miscavige saying:

I have recently learned from a very reliable witness that Miscavige regularly held court with others in his personal lounge in the roadside Villas at the Int base, and while sipping scotch whiskey at the end of the night, Miscavige would read Tom's overts and withholds from my reports to others, joking and laughing about the content of Tom's confessions.

Considering Tom Cruise is only one many celebrities involved with Scientology, it doesn't take much to assume that others were recorded also.

Related Story: Top 10 Celebrity Scientologists

While details of Tom's audit session are not made public in the article, it is a huge blow to the hated Miscavige and his beloved moneymaker.

What we found fascinating were the thousands of comments left by readers who both confirm and expand on the misguided actions of the church.

It is some of the most fascinating reading we have ever seen.

The more you listen to people who have left the church, or who have been thrown out, you begin to see the sheer size of the con job and control placed on cult members.

You can read Rathbun's full article here.

We suggest after you read it, you stick around and read some of the other articles. You will be fascinated and proud that there is somebody out there taking on this huge crime and exposing it for what it really is.

TMZ is also running with the story so we suspect next week things will explode.

Wake up, Tom Cruise. It is not too late.
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My Favorite Khan Songs - 90s Heartthrob Salman Khan

Yes, I admit in the early 90s I had my room plastered w/ posters of Salman Khan (and Joe Dumars and Michael Jordan). In my defense he was super cute then, and I think remains today one of the most conventionally good-looking Hindi actors out there. Granted, age has not been super kind to him, and there's all sorts of shady stories about him, but every so often I see glimpses of the charisma he had in the early days.


1. Dil Deewana - Maine Pyar Kiya (his killer dance move w/ the kabootar is too much for Bhagyashree, she just faints away)


(this one is tough because I also super adore Mere Rang Mein Rangnewali)

2. Maang Teri Saja Doon - Baaghi (from the movie where Sallu falls for a ho)


3. Chandni Raat Hai - Baaghi - (oh Sallu, your red tank top is too hawt! And I love how he's so turned on by her two braids.)


4. Deewana Dil or Dhin Dhinak Dhin - Patthar Ke Phool (song starts at 3:13)


5. Yeh Dharti Chand Sitare - Kurbaan (I CRAZY LOVE THIS SONG! Even if Ayesha Jhulka is retarded.)


6. Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya - Love (Totes love Revathi's big 90s hair. Let's not talk about Sallu's hair)


7. Dekha Hai Pehli Baar - Saajan (never mind that I thought Madhuri-Salman was a horrible pair, she looks like his aunty. And dearest Salls, you look like an idiot trying to dance next to her).


8. Jogi Tere Pyar Mein - Suryavanshi (this movie was way creepy. Well, at least Sheeba was.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SpLzm0Y7tI

9. Kitna Pyar Tumhe Karte Hai - Ek Ladka Ek Ladki (such a sweet song. love Neelam too)


Ok I don't even love this song but I have to put it on here so you can all see how ridiculous looking Karishma was:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLgf1uZ61vI(Hawa Mein Kya Hai - Jaagruti)

And this one too:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-MUU7fYwP0 (Sun Mere Sajna - Nischaiy)

10. Teri Hi Aarzoo Hai - Chandramukhi (I can't believe anyone thought a Sridevi/Salman pairing looked good, though I love each of them separately. Sri, I love your biker shorts. Did you borrow that outfit from Stacey from the Baby Sitters Club? Just asking.)


11. Dil Tera Aashiq - title song (this song and movie were both hilarious. But um, Salman, can your orange pants get any higher? I think he borrowed these from Claudia Kishi from the BSC)


12. Yeh Raat Aur Yeh Doori - Andaz Apna Apna - hilariousness. Be careful of Karishma's fugness though. My eyes are still burning.


This one is tough because I love so many songs in this movie, but I settled on two:

13. Pehla Pehla Pyar - Hum Aapke Hai Koun (love intense Salman. Madhuri however is wearing what I can only refer to as a "party frock")


14. Jhoote Dedo Paise Lelo - Hum Aapke Hai Koun (I love it too much to make any remarks)(ok I lied, Salls, WHAT is that VEST And who dressed all the little girls like mini-hijras?)


15. Bhangra Paale - Karan Arjun (ok, my real fave song from this movie is Jai Maa Kaali, but I used that in the SRK list, so I put this one in. We did this once in Ishara w/ Chandra, Gopal and Vidya and I can't remember why but it was one of the most confusing songs we ever did. Maybe cuz no one could figure out when they were supposed to sing)
(Mamta is pretty rockin in this)
(those crazy gyrating village chicks kind of freak me out)


16. Jaana Suno - Khamoshi: The Musical (I wish he would stalk me like that)


17. I Love You - Auzaar (this song is totally hilarious)


18. Tum Par Hum Hai Atke - Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya (LOVE this song. I know he's being a goofball in this but I actually find him HOT in this, especially in the second verse when he beckons to her and does the "Ohhhhh, Tumhe Paana Hai, Maine Soch Liya" part)


19. Saajan Ji Ghar Aaye - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (who didnt love him in this movie? And I love movies that leave him available at the end, for me of course)(I wanted her outfit in this. And her wig).


20. Chunari Chunari - Biwi No 1


21. Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyan - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - one of my favorite videos ever!! Gorgeous picturization, gorgeous Salman, gorgeous Ash.


22. Teri Chunariya - Hello Brother (Wow, Rani looked YOUNG. Salman, not so much. Crazy receding hairline).


23. Mhare Hiwada Mein Nache Mor - Hum Saath Saath Hai (LOVE. Ignore crazy Karishma and Saif. Sonali & Salman's part is the 2nd verse I think)(Prem. Eh-hey ...).


24. Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega - title song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3p9utp90UI

25. Teri Ankhiyan Kamal/Saawariya - Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8Gj4irJ1Gk

26. No. 1 Punjabi - Chori Chori Chupke Chupke


27. Mehndi Hai Lagi - Tumko Bhool Na Paayenge


28. Odhni Od Ke Naachoon - Tere Naam


29. Mujhse Shaadi Karogi - title song


30. Bindiya Chamakne Lagi - Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahan (I haven't seen this movie, but I like this song and based on the video I am dying to know what is going on!!!)


31. Chori Chori Chupke Se - Lucky: No Time For Love (this movie sucked royally, the wannabe Aishwariya is the worst actress ever.)


33. Laga Prem Rog - Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya


34. Salaam-E-Ishq - title song


35. Soni De Nakhre - Partner


Ok, I haven't really seen or heard any songs past this point, so these are IMO his best songs of the movies that I know of.

:-)