Archive for March 2009
- In: Airtel Super Singer | Music | Reality Show | Television
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The Airtel super singer classical round begins today for us in the US. The problem is that in the US Vijay TV is delayed by couple of weeks, so we get to see it late. So coming back to the classical round it will be an interesting one. This round will be bread and butter for someone like Ravi who we know relishes singing classical based songs but what about the others?
We are down to top 7 now so the singers should be able to handle any challenge thrown towards them. I think that the two singers who might have some issues would be Prasanna and Vijay Narayanan. I say Prasanna because he has just started learning music and probably would have some issues pulling off a complete classical song. I would expect him to choose a Semi-Classical song which might suit his voice. He is a fantastic singer and an entertainer and I would like to see him progress to top 6.
Vijay Narayanan though is lucky to be in this round as he was the weak singer in the B & W round and got through as Rohit pulled out. But I think that he will be one of the strong performers this week. He is classically trained and should be able to give a better performance than the last round. I expect Vijay to go through this time. But this depends on how the rest of the group performs.
Raghini is another singer who has been relatively inconsistent in the previous rounds. She again should not have any problems in the classical round as we have seen here giving some good performances in the past. I remember she was in the safe zone with Ravi singing a classical based song in the “Duet Round”.
Ranjani again should be finding this round to her liking and so will Renu. Both these singers are classically trained and should be able to pull of a classical based song quite well. Renu has to work on her breathing issue this round as it might work against her as the rest of the singers are pretty strong.
Ajeesh I guess will be one of the stronger singers in this round along with Ravi. I tip him to get spot selected along with Ravi as he is a very good singer. I saw the rushes of the program last week and saw him singing “Aadal Kalaiye” from the movie Raghavendra and was sounding very good.
All in all this is going to be yet another riveting 3 days. This is the Top 7 of 2008 and we should expect a very close competition. I am sure that the judges will have a tough time eliminating any of the contestants. I think that Sudha Ragunathan is the chief guest of the show which will give some jitters to the contestants. Let’s hope that the best six contestants make it to the next round.
The Airtel super singer classical round begins today for us in the US. The problem is that in the US Vijay TV is delayed by couple of weeks, so we get to see it late. So coming back to the classical round it will be an interesting one. This round will be bread and butter for someone like Ravi who we know relishes singing classical based round but what about the others?
We are down to top 7 now so the singers should be able to handle any challenge thrown towards them. I think that the two singers who might have some issues would be Prasanna and Vijay Narayanan. I say Prasanna because he has just started learning music and probably would have some issues pulling off a complete classical song. I would expect him to choose a Semi-Classical song which might suit his voice. He is a fantastic singer and an entertainer and I would like to see him progress to top 6.
Vijay Narayanan though is lucky to be in this round as he was the weak singer in the B & W round and got through as Rohit pulled out. But I think that he will be one of the strong performers this week. He is classically trained and should be able to give a better performance than the last round. I expect Vijay to go through this time. But this depends on how the rest of the group performs.
Raghini is another singer who has been relatively inconsistent in the previous rounds. She again should not have any problems in the classical round as we have seen here giving some good performances in the past. I remember she was in the safe zone with Ravi singing a classical based song in the “Duet Round”.
Ranjani again should be finding this round to her liking and so will Renu. Both these singers are classically trained and should be able to pull of a classical based song quite well. Reni has to work on her breathing issue this round as it might work against her as the rest of the singers are pretty strong.
Ajeesh I guess will be one of the stronger singers in this round along with Ravi. I tip him to get spot selected along with Ravi as he is a very good singer. I saw the rushes of the program last week and saw him singing “Aadal Kalaiye” from the movie Raghavendra and was sounding very good.
All in all this is going to be yet another riveting 3 days. This is the Top 7 of 2008 and we should expect a very close competition. I am sure that the judges will have a tough time eliminating any of the contestants. I think that Sudha Ragunathan is the chief guest of the show which will give some jitters to the contestants. Let’s hope that the best six contestants make it to the next round.
Dead rubber blues
Posted on: March 16, 2009
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India lost yet another dead rubber and this time it was against the Black Caps. The Indian batting continued in the same merry way as the other games where the pitches were more suited to the batters. The pitch at Auckland had something for the seam bowlers and the Indian batsmen kept swinging and lost wickets at regular intervals to get bowled out for 149. The game was shortened by rain and India decided to bat first which actually surprised Daniel Vettori as he claimed that he would have bowled first if he had won the toss.
The Indian batting started aiming for 300 or something with Sehwag and Ghambir both trying to hit out, but were still able to provide a decent start. Once Ghambir departed Sehwag was joined by Raina who again continued the approach. After Raina departed playing an ugly swing across the line, Sehwag joined him pretty soon with another rash shot.
India was three down and the team needed a partnership which never happened. Jesse Ryder was brought into the attack and he took the wickets of Dhoni and Yuvraj which put the Indians completely out of the game. Rohit Sharma tried to get some respectability to the total but did not get too much help from the others in the top order.
It was a really bad performance by the Indians after dominating the series. The New Zealanders would have been happy to get the win as it would give them the much needed confidence ahead of the test series. This is the third time in last one year that India has lost the dead rubber after dominating the series till then.
The test series gets underway in Hamilton on the 18th and it will be interesting to see how the Indian batters go about their business. It will be a different team with Dravid and Laxman coming in for Raina and Rohit. I am sure that the approach will be much measured and calculated than the mindless swinging of the bat we saw in the last game. The test wickets for sure are going to have something in it for the bowlers and the Indians should respect the same. Hopefully it will be an Indian win which will make this series more memorable.
Dead rubber blues
Posted on: March 16, 2009
India lost yet another dead rubber and this time it was against the Black Caps. The Indian batting continued in the same merry way as the other games where the pitches were more suited to the batters. The pitch at Auckland had something for the seam bowlers and the Indian batsmen kept swinging and lost wickets at regular intervals to get bowled out for 149. The game was shortened by rain and India decided to bat first which actually surprised Daniel Vettori as he claimed that he would have bowled first if he had won the toss.
The Indian batting started aiming for 300 or something with Sehwag and Ghambir both trying to hit out, but were still able to provide a decent start. Once Ghambir departed Sehwag was joined by Raina who again continued the approach. After Raina departed playing an ugly swing across the line, Sehwag joined him pretty soon with another rash shot.
India was three down and the team needed a partnership which never happened. Jesse Ryder was brought into the attack and he took the wickets of Dhoni and Yuvraj which put the Indians completely out of the game. Rohit Sharma tried to get some respectability to the total but did not get too much help from the others in the top order.
It was a really bad performance by the Indians after dominating the series. The New Zealanders would have been happy to get the win as it would give them the much needed confidence ahead of the test series. This is the third time in last one year that India has lost the dead rubber after dominating the series till then.
The test series gets underway in Hamilton on the 18th and it will be interesting to see how the Indian batters go about their business. It will be a different team with Dravid and Laxman coming in for Raina and Rohit. I am sure that the approach will be much measured and calculated than the mindless swinging of the bat we saw in the last game. The test wickets for sure are going to have something in it for the bowlers and the Indians should respect the same. Hopefully it will be an Indian win which will make this series more memorable.
India look to make it 4-0
Posted on: March 13, 2009
The Indian team who has already won the series 3-0 would want to keep the momentum going by winning the final ODI at Auckland. The Indians probably will rest few of their key players but still would want to retain the core. Dhoni would probably want to rest Zaheer and give Munaf or Balaji or Kulkarni (If available for ODI’s) a chance as it will help him to decide on the third seamer for the first test.
I guess Ishant will still play as he looked very rusty in the 4th game. The batting though will be interesting but I would assume that Dhoni and Kirsten would not want to make too many changes in the squad. The Kiwis confidence has been dented in the ODI’s and India would want to leave it that way. Any let up in pressure would give the hosts enormous confidence for the upcoming test series. The Indians though would want to guard against complacency which could creep into their games.
In the past year or so they have not been that good in the dead rubbers. In Srilanka last year the Indians were leading 3-1 going into the final game and lost badly chasing a modest target. Earlier this year they repeated the same mistake as after leading 4-0 they let up the pressure in the final game. This series though is not just about the ODI’s but since the test series is just around the corner the Indians would want the New Zealanders to be under constant pressure to win.
This has been yet another great series for the Indians but there have been some flaws which were eclipsed by the batters. The fielding has been very poor, catches have gone down at crucial times, bowling has lacked discipline but in spite of that they have won which should give the team confidence. But to be at the top Gary Kirsten needs to work on ironing out the flaws. The Indian one day team is made of youngsters and should not be having any issues with fielding.
The New Zealand captain though would be looking for a win to end the series. They have been battered to submission by the Indian batting but would want to end the series on a high. The test series is just around the corner and a win here would give the team a lot of confidence. Vettori would know that and would want to reverse the trend a little bit. The key for the home team to win is to bowl with more discipline and get rid of the Indian openers fast which they haven’t been able to do since the Twenty20 games.
Once they do that the Indian middle order will be under pressure and would have to consolidate. Lets hope that this game is also as exciting as the previous ones and I am predicting an Indian win again.
India look to make it 4-0
Posted on: March 13, 2009
The Indian team who has already won the series 3-0 would want to keep the momentum going by winning the final ODI at Auckland. The Indians probably will rest few of their key players but still would want to retain the core. Dhoni would probably want to rest Zaheer and give Munaf or Balaji or Kulkarni (If available for ODI’s) a chance as it will help him to decide on the third seamer for the first test.
I guess Ishant will still play as he looked very rusty in the 4th game. The batting though will be interesting but I would assume that Dhoni and Kirsten would not want to make too many changes in the squad. The Kiwis confidence has been dented in the ODI’s and India would want to leave it that way. Any let up in pressure would give the hosts enormous confidence for the upcoming test series. The Indians though would want to guard against complacency which could creep into their games.
In the past year or so they have not been that good in the dead rubbers. In Srilanka last year the Indians were leading 3-1 going into the final game and lost badly chasing a modest target. Earlier this year they repeated the same mistake as after leading 4-0 they let up the pressure in the final game. This series though is not just about the ODI’s but since the test series is just around the corner the Indians would want the New Zealanders to be under constant pressure to win.
This has been yet another great series for the Indians but there have been some flaws which were eclipsed by the batters. The fielding has been very poor, catches have gone down at crucial times, bowling has lacked discipline but in spite of that they have won which should give the team confidence. But to be at the top Gary Kirsten needs to work on ironing out the flaws. The Indian one day team is made of youngsters and should not be having any issues with fielding.
The New Zealand captain though would be looking for a win to end the series. They have been battered to submission by the Indian batting but would want to end the series on a high. The test series is just around the corner and a win here would give the team a lot of confidence. Vettori would know that and would want to reverse the trend a little bit. The key for the home team to win is to bowl with more discipline and get rid of the Indian openers fast which they haven’t been able to do since the Twenty20 games.
Once they do that the Indian middle order will be under pressure and would have to consolidate. Lets hope that this game is also as exciting as the previous ones and I am predicting an Indian win again.
Why Red Carpet??
Posted on: March 13, 2009
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Recently I was looking at winners of the 54th Film Fare awards and was startled to that Bollywood called pre-show interviews as Red carpet interviews. I don’t know why they have to do that. It seems like the Hollywood bug has bitten the Film Fare awards too. Film Fare awards are the finest in Indian cinema and its unfortunate that it’s lost its originality. I am not sure who the organizers are trying to impress here. They are not increasing their viewership in America as they are not interested in knowing which Bollywood movie is the best of 2008.
Yeah there are few Americans who watch Bollywood movies but that’s about it. They are not going to be interested in the awards in India. Are we trying to impress the Indian Audience? I am not sure because how many Indians in India do actually watch the Oscars to know what Red carpet means. The actors and actresses behave as if they are in Hollywood with their dressing and interviews. I hardly saw anyone wearing Indian costume in an Indian award. None of the actors give interviews in Hindi which seems to be out of fashion.
So by talking in English they are already cutting out more than 50% of our own people watching the show as they don’t understand what’s going on most of the times. Unfortunately the quest to gain International attention seems to be affecting Bollywood big time. They have to realize that the NRI’s are not Americans but they are Indians who have settled in America. We don’t care about the Red carpets and the fashionable dresses which the actresses wear. We see it already in the Golden Globe and the Oscars and I don’t think we need to see the same in Film Fare in India.
An Indian award needs to be Indian that’s what everyone wants. The shows on Television and awards need to first cater to the Indian audience and then to the International community if they actually watch the show. By aping Oscars in Film Fare awards Indian movies don’t become world standard. To get International recognition India need to make movies which are world standard rather than doing such ridiculous things which aren’t going to impress anyone but the Bollywood themselves.
I am really happy that the south awards are still maintaining the traditional approach and yes we don’t call it Red carpet yet. I hope that it remains this way. Indian film industry needs to be Indian first which I guess is a message lost on most of the actors and organizers. India has the talent to make an impact on the world stage but that can only be achieved by quality in cinema.
It’s unfortunate and saddening to see that we copy everything that happens in Oscars and none of the legends in cinema seems to talk about it. Recently Amitabh said that he thought calling Hindi cinema Bollywood is a derogatory as its copied from Hollywood but its seems like copying the Oscars doesn’t seem to affect anybody. Red carpet is just one of them. I guess in few years time the Hindi audience will turn their back on their own awards as it would seem alien to them. I hope that the organizers realize the same and maintain some Indianness in these functions.
Why Red Carpet??
Posted on: March 13, 2009
54th Annual Filmfare awards 2009
Recently I was looking at winners of the 54th Film Fare awards and was startled to that Bollywood called pre-show interviews as Red carpet interviews. I don’t know why they have to do that. It seems like the Hollywood bug has bitten the Film Fare awards too. Film Fare awards are the finest in Indian cinema and its unfortunate that it’s lost its originality. I am not sure who the organizers are trying to impress here. They are not increasing their viewership in America as they are not interested in knowing which Bollywood movie is the best of 2008.
Yeah there are few Americans who watch Bollywood movies but that’s about it. They are not going to be interested in the awards in India. Are we trying to impress the Indian Audience? I am not sure because how many Indians in India do actually watch the Oscars to know what Red carpet means. The actors and actresses behave as if they are in Hollywood with their dressing and interviews. I hardly saw anyone wearing Indian costume in an Indian award. None of the actors give interviews in Hindi which seems to be out of fashion.
So by talking in English they are already cutting out more than 50% of our own people watching the show as they don’t understand what’s going on most of the times. Unfortunately the quest to gain International attention seems to be affecting Bollywood big time. They have to realize that the NRI’s are not Americans but they are Indians who have settled in America. We don’t care about the Red carpets and the fashionable dresses which the actresses wear. We see it already in the Golden Globe and the Oscars and I don’t think we need to see the same in Film Fare in India.
An Indian award needs to be Indian that’s what everyone wants. The shows on Television and awards need to first cater to the Indian audience and then to the International community if they actually watch the show. By aping Oscars in Film Fare awards Indian movies don’t become world standard. To get International recognition India need to make movies which are world standard rather than doing such ridiculous things which aren’t going to impress anyone but the Bollywood themselves.
I am really happy that the south awards are still maintaining the traditional approach and yes we don’t call it Red carpet yet. I hope that it remains this way. Indian film industry needs to be Indian first which I guess is a message lost on most of the actors and organizers. India has the talent to make an impact on the world stage but that can only be achieved by quality in cinema.
It’s unfortunate and saddening to see that we copy everything that happens in Oscars and none of the legends in cinema seems to talk about it. Recently Amitabh said that he thought calling Hindi cinema Bollywood is a derogatory as its copied from Hollywood but its seems like copying the Oscars doesn’t seem to affect anybody. Red carpet is just one of them. I guess in few years time the Hindi audience will turn their back on their own awards as it would seem alien to them. I hope that the organizers realize the same and maintain some Indianness in these functions.
Anoop gets through
Posted on: March 12, 2009
- In: Entertainment | General | Music | Reality Show | Television
- 2 Comments
Anoop made it through to the next round yesterday but chose another wrong song on Tuesday. The judges were clearly not that happy and he recieved very bad comments from all the judges even from Paula. Anoop has to really pull up his socks if he has to remain in this competition.
I am afraid till now he seems to be going the Sanjaya way. I hope that he stays in this competition through his ability rather than his popularity. He should choose the right songs to suit his voice and should perform better if he has to avoid elimination. Lets hope that he does that in the next round.
Anoop gets through
Posted on: March 12, 2009
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Anoop made it through to the next round yesterday but chose another wrong song on Tuesday. The judges were clearly not that happy and he recieved very bad comments from all the judges even from Paula. Anoop has to really pull up his socks if he has to remain in this competition.
I am afraid till now he seems to be going the Sanjaya way. I hope that he stays in this competition through his ability rather than his popularity. He should choose the right songs to suit his voice and should perform better if he has to avoid elimination. Lets hope that he does that in the next round.
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