Ergo April 17

Friday, April 17, 2009

Vol. 3

FREE CIRCULATION

08 SPACE AGE FASHION Style goes futuristic

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NO MORE NUDITY Nandana Sen post Rang Rasiya

Climate change was a major debating point during the American elections. What do the manifestos of the political parties here have to say on the topic? A comparison.

No. 72

How Green is your party?

A BYTE OF LIFE

» Page 04

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

Namma Chennai Food

Dinner special

Fashion

Summer Collection Amethyst presents Alecca Carrano’s Summer Collection 2009. The collections are inspired by Art Nouveau and Jugendstil. The colours are earth-inspired and toned down jewel tones. The prints and embroideries have been influenced by motifs of the Vienna Secession artists. They have mainly used cottons, linens and silks for the collection, which is overall feminine. Where: Amethyst, 14 /30, Padmavathi Road, Jeypore Colony, Gopalapuram

Workshop

The name Hyderabad reminds mouthwatering, aromatic biryanis and every thing else in food. Small wonder that the foodies world over rate Hyderabad among the top destinations in food. Rainbow, the multicuisine restaurant at The Raintree will host a Hyderabadi Food Festival. Buffet charges would be Rs. 700 plus taxes for adults and Rs. 500 plus taxes for kids below 12 years. When: April 17 to 26, between 7.30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Where: Rainbow restaurant at The Raintree For reservations call 4225 2525

Cinema

French is child’s play The Alliance Francaise of Madras is providing a rare chance to learn French, especially for children. A crash course and special class on French for children is conducted from April 13 at the Nungambakkam centre and from April 20 at the Adyar centre. For details call 28279803 or 9940162773

Theatre

Dev Anand retrospective In association with Navketan International Films, Mumbai, Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation (ICAF) is organising a Dev Anand retrospective from April 22 to 26 at the South Indian Film Chamber Theatre. The movies to be screened are Guide, Kaala Pani, Jewel Thief, Hum Dono and Hare Rama Hare Krishna. When: April 22- 26 Where: South Indian Film Chamber, 606 Anna Salai For details call 98401 51956

Fund raiser

The Pregnant King Theatre Nisha presents The Pregnant King, an English play directed by V.Balakrishnan. Interestingly, The Pregnant King is adapted from Devdutt Pattanaik first work of fiction of the same name, which retells the Yuvanashva tale to examine gender roles, the blurring of lines between parental duties and the malleability of Dharma to fit a given situation. According to Mahabharata, Yuvanashva was the King of Vallabhi who lived generations before the Kurukshetra war. Where: Top Storey, Alliance Francaise of Madras When: April 23 -26 (Daily show 7 p.m; Weekends 3 p.m.) For booking call 9840098396

Music of the Matinee Idols The Rotary Club of Madras is organising a fund raiser, in the name and style of “Music of the Matinee Idols” on April 18 at the Taj Coromandel. The proceeds will be used for the various medical camps being organised by the Rotary Club of Madras for the economically weaker sections of society. Melodious songs from the 60s and 70s will be performed by Satrangi Group. Donor passes are priced at Rs.1, 750 per person and Rs. 3,000 per couple (includes dinner). Where: Taj Coromandel When: April 18 For details contact 2452 7941 or Ravi Katari at 98410 17173.

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Tollywood stars make a beeline to polling booths Junior NTR comes on stretcher to vote

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“All the bravado is gone. All claims of martyrhood is gone. This is nothing but abject surrender for parole”

opular actors and other Telugu film personalities made a beeline to polling booths here to cast their votes for the first phase of Parliamentary and Assembly elections on Thursday. Leading the list was superstar Chiranjeevi, who is making his debut in state politics. Accompanied by wife Surekha, son and actor Ram Charan Teja and daughter Sushmita, the founder and president of Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) cast his vote. “People want a change and I am sure they will support Praja Rajyam,” Chiranjeevi told reporters outside the polling booth. His children were excited to participate in the poll process. “This is a special feeling as we are casting our votes for a party founded by our father,” said Teja. Young actor Allu Arjun, the son of PRP general secretary and Chiranjeevi’s brother-inlaw Allu Aravind, also cast his vote. “Vote, vote, vote” was the

slogan written on his T-shirt. N. Balakrishna, a popular actor and leading campaigner for the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), also exercised his franchise in a polling booth in upmarket Jubilee Hills. Balakrishna, son of TDP founder N.T. Rama Rao, campaigned for the party across the State. NTR’s grandson and TDP’s star campaigner Junior NTR came to the polling centre on a stretcher as he is yet to recover from the injuries he sustained in a road accident during campaigning last month. Another popular actor Nagarjuna and his wife Amla stood in queue at a polling booth in Jubilee Hills to cast their votes. Another popular face was actor Venkatesh. Well-known producer, actor and Congress leader Dasari Narayan Rao and famous filmmaker D. Rama Naidu were among other prominent personalities who came out to vote. ■ IANS

Congress on Varun’s release

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PHOTO: SATISH.H

VOX POP send your views to [email protected]

So what good will an IIM graduate bring if elected to Lok Sabha? Shoot your queries to Sarath Babu, Independent candidate, South Chennai and Ergo will reach them to him and get them answered too.

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

How green is your party?

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Congress Though nothing much is mentioned explicitly about their plans for sustainable development, the Congress manifesto does make references about the Ganga River Basin Authority and that it will accord the highest priority towards water security. “India has an enormously rich biodiversity that is under threat on account of various reasons. The Indian National Congress commits itself to strengthening people’s movements whose objective will be to protect and preserve our bio-resources and ensure their sustainable use,” the manifesto states. On the topic of climate change, the manifesto points to the National Action Plan for Climate Change, which has already been launched by the Congressled UPA government.

BJP In its manifesto, the BJP has said it would pursue national growth objectives through an ecologically sustainable pathway that lead to mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. “We recognise that containing global warming is essential to protecting life and security of people and environment. Mitigating the threat by building a low carbon economy is the biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century,” the manifesto states. It addresses the environment issues in more detail than other parties’ manifestos. It has said that it would actively pursue the transfer of critical technologies that can have a significant impact on reducing carbon emissions. One interesting point that it has made is about the introduction of a decentralised public distribution system that would mop up excess production of local food and distribute it among those households that are food deficit locally. “A decentralised PDS will be more climate smart since it will eliminate excessive costs of transportation and storage,” it has noted. It has promised to plant a billion trees every year, by launching a national programme for citizens’ participation in reforestation, agro-forestry and social forestry.

CPI(M) The CPI (M), in its manifesto, has said it would strive to make the Environment Impact Assessments (EIA) processing transparent. It has also said it would review the EIA Notification, 2009.

Among other promises made are undertaking steps to control emission of greenhouse gases through energy-efficient technologies and effective regulation; and promoting solar and other non-conventional energy sources. The manifesto also calls for the implementation of the Coastal Zone Regulation Act and the Wetlands Regulatory Authority in ways as to promote long-term interests of the people and of the environment Water Resources. It calls for the formulation of a National Water Policy to enhance water availability for domestic use, irrigation and industry. It also calls out for a curb on privatisation and commercialisation of water resources.

DMK The DMK manifesto says it would take pioneering steps to produce solar energy in the state. “National Planning Commission’s Eleventh Plan document insists that we should develop non-conventional energy sources in order to protect environment. Tamil Nadu is the first among the states in India in the production of non-conventional wind energy. The solar insulation is found high in Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan in India. Hence the DMK will insist that a 250 MW solar energy scheme should be implemented in Tamil Nadu as a pioneering scheme,” the manifesto reads. DMK also calls for a greater coordination between the Centre and state when it comes to enacting environment laws. “Since ‘environment and forest’ is kept in the concurrent list, the state governments could not enact appropriate laws for environmental protection. The right to enter into international agreements is vested with the Union government as per Article 253 of Indian Constitution. Hence, to avoid constraints faced by the states, the Union government should consult the states before implementing such schemes of international importance. The DMK has said it would insist on the Union government to take cognizance of these facts and introduce remedial measures in this regard.” On the issue of tannery pollution, the DMK manifesto admits that the dying and bleaching units in Tirupur, Erode, Vellore and Karur discharge lots of polluted water. “A proper treatment of effluents has to be done and later let into the sea. The DMK will demand that a new scheme should be implemented with the financial help of the Union government for this purpose,” it has added.

Big Story Left goes the right way Ergo Correspondent Ayon Sengupta, who is vacationing at his home town Kolkata, is pleasantly surprised at the campaigning reds having added some spunk to their road show

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ollowing the footsteps of other national parties like the Congress and BJP, the Left parties in Bengal have also adopted a “unique” campaign policy of organising mammoth road-shows. Shifting from their age-old tradition of evening rallies and fiery speeches the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday held two massive road shows at different corners of Kolkata. The one headed by CPI(M)’s pro-investment poster-boy and West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya had all the fanfares enough to even dwarf the resounding reception received by the T20 World Cup winning side in 2007. School bands smartly dressed in their whites playing an assortment of instruments from drums to flutes led the charge, followed by an over-enthusiastic crew of dhakis (drummers). They were more than happy to find another time to ply their art other then the five days during the Durga Puja. Men and women dressed in their New Year’s best thronged the roadsides and the Chief Minister looked to have a whale of a time as he freely floated around on an improvised SUV. Waving at the crowds, throwing a quick word of greeting, Buddhadeb surely worked his charm, breathing fresh life to party candidate Sujan Chakrabarty’s chance of holding on to his Jadavpur seat.

THE HINDU

Climate change was a key debating point in the American elections. So how does the subject figure in the manifestos of our political parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls? We looked at the party manifestos of various parties and saw what they had to say about environmental issues.

Trinamool Congress candidate, folk singer Kabir Suman, one of the key figures in the revival of Bengali music in the early 90s is indeed a formidable opponent. It took the motorcade over two hours to complete the seven km long journey and as traffic stood to a standstill not even a handful was seen complaining. The ardent hero-worship and the mass participation of every generation still showed the Left Front’s hold on this key constituency and also the popularity of its leader who has already faced a few brickbats from the opposition led by the fiery Mamata Banerjee. If it was a show of strength, the Left surely scored an early goal. At the worker’s meeting in Nandibagan at the end of the rally, Buddhadeb kept true to the “Nababarsha” spirit and exchanged his speech with a recital of one of his own composition “Rupkatha” (Fairytale) – a story of a girl who moved to the city with dreams in her eyes only to get lost in its murky surroundings. But ever a politician Buddhadeb was quick to make a point – the influx of villagers to the city has gone down drastically during the Left tenure. The government after all is taking industrial jobs to the villages. But is anybody listening? Well the people can also hear the other side of the story as Ms. Banerjee flags off her own road show late Thursday evening. ■

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

Venus downs Sania

Sport

Sania Mirza put up a spirited challenge against multiple Grand Slam winner and second-seed Venus Williams before going down in a tough three-setter in the second-round of the USD one million WTA Family Circle Cup in Charleston. The Indian ace, fresh after her doubles title win at a Florida WTA event last week, fought valiantly against Venus but ran out of steam as the world number five American used her experience to pocket the encounter 1-6 6-3 2-6.

Button aims for Chinese GP Jenson Button will be favourite to clinch a third win in three races at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix after the row over the legality of his Brawn GP car’s diffuser was settled in the team’s favour. In the first two races of the season, the Briton and his new team have left the rest of Formula One trailing in the air smoothly channelled through the controversial diffusers at the back of their car. Button, who won only half points for his victory in the washout in Malaysia two weeks ago and leads the standings with 15 points to team mate Rubens Barrichello’s 10, is now in the unfamiliar position of having to warn against complacency. “I am understandably delighted with how our season has begun. However, we are only two races in and everyone at the team is aware that our competitors will not stand still,” said Button. “We fully expect a tough fight from here if we want to continue our early successes.” Reuters

Paes-Dlouhy advance Leander Paes and his partner Lukas Dlouhy entered the quarterfinals of the euro 2,750,000 Monte Carlo Rolex Masters in Monaco, defeating unseeded Spaniard duo of Albert Montanes and Tommy Robredo in a match tie-breaker. The third-seed Indo-Czech pair had to stretch themselves to the limit to beat Montanes and Robredo 2-6 7-6(5) 10-8 in the third-round. Paes and Dlouhy will next face seventh seeds Julian Knowle of Austria and Andy Ram of Israel. Knowle-Ram combination defeated Simon Aspelin of Sweden and South African Wesley Moodie 7-6(3) 6-2 in another thirdround encounter.

United sets up Arsenal showdown Ronaldo fires ManU past Porto; Gunners rout Villarreal

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anchester United rekindled glorious European nights from their past as a stunning goal by Cristiano Ronaldo fired them to victory over Porto in their Champions League quarterfinal on Wednesday. No English team had ever beaten the Portuguese champions on their own soil, but the winger’s first-half wonder strike gave his team a 1-0 win on the night, 3-2 on aggregate, to set up an all-English semi-final tie with Arsenal. One flash of genius from the Portuguese maestro coupled with gritty defensive play earned United glory and keeps the red half of Manchester dreaming of the quintuple. The United handler was like a

PTI

Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo shoots to score against FC Porto during their UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match at Dragao Stadium. AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL RIOPA

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Friday, April 17, 2009

‘‘

I wouldn’t like to speculate about any weakness of Man United. We expect them to be strong when they play us and that should encourage us to be at our best. It is difficult to play an English team in Europe because they will have quality, but I believe if you want to go far in the Champions League you have to play an English team at some stage.

little schoolboy at the end jumping up and down in delight. “It doesn’t matter who you play when it is your 150th game!” beamed Ferguson. “150 games is a long time! I thought we defended very well and we had restored stability at the back with (Nemanja) Vidic and (Rio) Ferdinand reunited, which is a solid partnership and they understand each other so well. “I couldn’t see too much danger from Porto really, save some half chances but nothing more than that.” The Dragons from Porto were intent on making the same type of start, which rocked United last week, but after a promising opening they were stunned by a sixth minute rocket from Ronaldo. There seemed no danger when the winger drove into the Porto half, but the World Player of the Year took a swing of his right foot and unleashed an unstoppable shot from 35-yards into the top left-hand corner of Helton’s goal. “That was maybe one of my best strikes,” conceded Ronaldo. “Anderson gave me the ball and when I turned I knew I was going to go for a shot. It was intentional,” added Ronaldo, who admitted that being played up front was not his favourite spot. Ferguson was in awe of the goal. “It was unbelievable. It was a magnificent hit,” purred Ferguson. The home team’s attacks were disjointed, and it was through set-plays where they were looking most dangerous with defender Bruno Alves firing a 30-yard free-kick narrowly wide of the post. United had been undone by the Portuguese team’s slick positional interchange at Old Trafford, and again it was when Cristian Rodriguez drifted in from the left-wing that they looked dangerous.

Arsene Wenger, Arsenal Manager

The Uruguay winger found space on the edge of the area and floated a ball to Lucho Gonzalez but the midfielder’s acrobatic volley was easily saved by Edwin van der Sar. Things got worse for Porto when midfield general Lucho was forced of with an injury to be replaced by last week’s hero Mariano. Ryan Giggs whipped in a corner, which found Vidic after Dimitar Berbatov’s flick. Virtually on the goalline and with the goalkeeper nowhere, the Serb somehow sliced the ball over the crossbar. With their defence looking much more solid than the first leg, the visitors were restricting Porto to long-range shots, midfielder Raul Meireles coming closest with a 25-yard curler over the crossbar. Again set-plays threatened United and centre-back Rolando should have equalised from Meireles’s corner, but put his header wide of the goal with van der Sar floundering. There was time for one last scare for the visitors but Lisandro Lopez hit his six-yard shot straight at van der Sar with the goal gaping.

Arsenal thrash Villarreal

Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor heads the ball against Villarreal during the UEFA Champions League quarterfinal match at the Emirates Stadium in London. AFP PHOTO / CARL DE SOUZA

Arsenal scored a convincing 3-0 win over Villarreal. The Gunners, who drew 1-1 in Spain in the first leg of this quarterfinal, were ahead after just 10 minutes at the Emirates thanks to a fine chip from England international Theo Walcott. Emmanuel Adebayor added a second on the hour before Robin van Persie converted a 69th-minute penalty to make the aggregate score 4-1. Villarreal finished the match with 10 men after Sebastien Eguren was red-carded for a foul on Walcott, which led to the penalty. ■ AFP

Bell sounds Ashes warning Ian Bell hammered home his Ashes credentials on the first day of the English county championship with an unbeaten 84 for Warwickshire against Somerset at Taunton. Bell is battling former England skipper Michael Vaughan for the number three spot in the Test team and his innings was perfectly timed coming on the day that Andy Flower was named as new national team director. The Warwickshire player, who saw Owais Shah take his England place in the West Indies, struck 13 fours as he linked with Jim Troughton to steer his team from 66-3 to 189-3 at the close. “I just want to get out and score as many runs as I can for Warwickshire and leave all the thinking and decisions up to the England selectors,” said Bell. “That’s the way I feel I must go about it - just enjoy my cricket as much as I can. “It hurts not to be in the England team and especially when you are on tour and have to watch the other guys. To be left out of a team you have been involved with for four years hurts like hell.” AFP

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

Portfolio Reese Witherspoon in Rodarte at the Monsters Vs Aliens premiere

Give me so Space age-inspired, futuristic clothing is the way to go Balmain

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Gwyneth Paltrow in Valentino

Roland Mouret

nly the antennas are missing. Everything’s going futuristic, fast-forward to 2050. Fashion, too. By futuristic fashion we mean more structured clothes (clothes that look more moulded and sculpted than sewn), strict tailoring, drama shoulders, light-reflecting and metallic fabrics, gravity-defying shapes, unconventional silhouettes and few embellishments. More robot chic than pretty woman. And we’re not talking silver cat-suits. Not helmets, either. Reese Witherspoon created quite a buzz when she turned up at the California premiere of Monsters Vs. Aliens in a space ageinspired dress from Rodarte’s Spring 2009 collection, departing from her more conventional red carpet style. Cate Blanchett, too, wore a similar Rodarte creation during the premiere of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Pierre Cardin’s Fall/ Winter 2009 ready-towear collection show in Beijing recently witnessed cutting-edge experimentation with silhouette, giving drainpipe cuts a new interpretation. Gwyneth Paltrow’s grey Valentino dress at the premiere of Valentino: The Last Emperor was futuristic in terms of cut and sleeves. Other labels that are focussing on space-age chic are RM by Roland Mouret, an unlikely Elie Saab and Balmain, Chapurin, Giorgio Armani Prive, John Richmond, Versace, Bruno Pieters, Nina Ricci, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Karl Lagerfeld, Akris, Hussein Chalayan, Christian Lacroix, Guy Laroche, Viktor Rolf and YSL. In most cases, steel grey dominated (except in Giorgio Armani Prive, where blinding purple and red ruled) and cuts stayed mostly out-of-the-box. Some labels though, like Calvin Klein, have remained distinctly futuristic since a very long time and can boast of being a few cuts above the rest here. ■

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Friday, April 17, 2009

ome space!

o Versace

Cate Blanchett in Rodarte

Giorgio Armani Prive. PHOTOS: AFP

PRICETAG Nivea for Men Silver Protect Deodorant Nivea for Men has launched the Silver Protect Deodorant, featuring sophisticated scientific technology for effective protection against body odour. Silver Protect exploits the antibacterial power of silver molecules. These highly active molecules eliminate odour-forming microorganisms. This stops body odour from being produced in the first place. It also comes with a long-lasting effect with a dry, woody aromatic scent (with citrus top notes).

Oriflame Swedish Spa Sea Algae range Oriflame has launched the Swedish Spa Sea Algae 3-step home facial range, a weekly treatment for healthier looking skin. The Swedish Spa Sea Algae 3-step home facial range is a set of Swedish Spa Sea Algae Invigorating Face Scrub that gently exfoliates and cleanses, Swedish Spa Sea Algae Purifying Mask that leaves skin nourished and moisturised by removing excess oil and impurities and Swedish Spa Sea Algae Beauty Treatment Serum, a light and intensively hydrating serum that leaves skin soft and supple. Suitable for all skin types and ages, the Swedish Spa Sea Algae Invigorating Face Scrub and Swedish Spa Sea Algae Purifying Mask are priced at Rs. 398 each and Swedish Spa Sea Algae Beauty Treatment Serum (13664) is priced at Rs. 649. Contact your nearest Oriflame consultant or log on to www.oriflame.co.in or SMS Oriflame to 59994.

Pierre Cardin

Viktor Rolf

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

Flick No more nude scenes for NANDANA SEN A

fter the controversial nude scenes in Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya, Nandana Sen got an offer from Italian filmmaker Italo Spinelli to play a tribal woman who’s surreptitiously shot nude by a photographer. She has however turned down the offer. The film is based on Bengali litterateur Mahasweta Devi’s provocative and controversial story ‘Choli Ke Peeche’. Nandana was tempted, but she felt doing a full-on topless scene which is a crucial part of the narrative so soon after Rang Rasiya was just not wise. “It’s a good project directed by Italo Spinelli, produced by RAI, shot by Blasco Giurardo, the cinematographer of Cinema Paradiso. It’s a powerful story and although I support it fully I feel the subject matter is such that the tribal girl’s nudity cannot avoid becoming unintentionally voyeuristic even though that is definitely not the objective,” Nandana told IANS. “If you remember, previously too

I passed on various other international projects because of a similar concern,” she added. The project was to be started later this year, but her refusal has thrown it into back gear. Rang Rasiya is a tribute to 19th century painter Raja Ravi Varma and Nandana plays the sensuous muse of the painter. Randeep Hooda plays Ravi Varma. Talking about Rang Rasiya, she said: “The film focuses on the increasing critical topic of censorship of art. Remember what happened in the Jehangir art gallery last month? Ketan’s film deals entirely with the freedom to paint the human figure in its natural beauty. “The emotional drama as well as the political message of the film revolves around one critical and excessively talked-about scene of Sugandha, the muse, having the courage to break the rules of the time to pose for Ravi Varma (Randeep Hooda) and create a masterpiece of art together.” IANS

Siddharth Anand’s next to star Ranbir, Priyanka? After teaming up with Ranbir Kapoor in the hit film Bachna Ae Haseeno, director Siddharth Anand has signed his childhood buddy for his next film too. The surprising thing is the casting of Priyanka Chopra opposite the young actor for the first time. “It is a romantic comedy, which I’ve specialised in over the years. But this is a twisted one with a twang and all that jazz,” Anand told IANS. Though neither producer Sajid Nadiadwala nor Anand are willing to confirm, but according to dependable sources, Priyanka who is currently shooting with Uday Chopra for Yash Raj Films’ Pyar Impossible, will be cast opposite Ranbir. The actress has lately been window-shopping for the hottest male actors in Bollywood and has so far managed films superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. She also has several projects with Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan. And Priyanka has just completed Kaminay with Shahid Kapur. She is now on to the new generation of stars with Ranbir leading the bright pack. The pairing spree certainly gives Priyanka an edge over her rivals. It seems the never-say-die friendship between director Anand and actor Saif Ali Khan is over for all practical purposes. After their two films together Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum, the two had sworn to work together again. But Ta Ra Rum Pum didn’t do well and Anand quickly gravitated towards his childhood buddy Ranbir for his next film Bachna Ae Haseeno, which was a hit. After Bachna Ae Haseeno, it was widely believed that Saif would be back in Anand’s next for Nadiadwala. ■ IANS

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Alien notes The tune the President initially plays on the keyboard in front of the alien robot in Monsters Vs Aliens is the five-note sequence used to communicate to the spaceships in Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), according to imdb.com.

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onsters Vs Aliens pits against each other two groups that are classified ‘Standard Enemy’ in animation film lingo. So, there’s big (and small), ugly monsters on one side and hi-tech, big-headed, power-hungry aliens on another. Add to this some 3D and it’s one close fight. Human Susan (Reese Witherspoon) is all ready for her wedding with weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd). Just before stepping at the altar, Susan gets hit by a meteorite and is plutonium-affected. When Derek sees the pretty petite girl in front of him turning into a giant, green-glowed Gulliver in the land of Lilliputs, no one obviously says ‘I do’. Susan is abducted by the government’s secret monster-control wing and sent to a secret destination, where she comes across B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), a mass of indestructible and brainless blue jelly; Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), a former mad scientist who became a victim

of his own experiment; The Missing Link (Will Arnett), a Johnny-Bravomeets-fish-ape-hybrid; and Insectosaurus, a 350-ft expressionless, lightloving silk-spewing bug. The detention centre is run by a military general, cleverly named W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland). When alien Gallaxhar sends his machines to recover his lost plutonium (now in Susan), General Monger decides to unleash the monsters on them. While Monsters Vs Aliens might not have the brilliant analogy of Monsters Inc. or the memorable characterisation of a Madagascar, it certainly makes for very good viewing, largely due to the 3D effects, especially in the opening galactic scenes. There are some really funny touches, too. There’s this one scene where you’re almost introduced to an Obama look-alike as the President of The United States in the film, almost. Also, the missiles with the ‘E.T., Go Home’. Watch it. ■

Monsters, aliens

and some 3D help

Film: Monsters Vs Aliens Director(s): Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman Cast (voices): Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Kiefer Sutherland

Cine City

Back to home ground After a round trip down south to Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh, the crew of Vijay’s Vettaikkaran, produced by AVM and directed by Babu Sivan, is back in Chennai to finish the remaining part of the movie. But if what we hear is true, the shoot is on a standstill. The wait is for the beautiful leading lady, Anushka of Arundhathee fame, who is very busy completing some important Telugu movie assignments, including Varudhu with Mahesh Babu.

Lucky charm His association with Ajith and Saran seems to be lucky for music director Bharadwaj. Incidentally, his first movie, Kadhal Mannan, and his 25th movie, Amarkalam, were with Ajith and directed by Saran. This time, his half century movie, Asal, will also be with the same combo — Ajith and Saran. Let’s hope for the best for the trio.

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

Thursday’s query: Suppose if you were forced to move to another country, where would you prefer to go? And why?

Pradipa Thennarsau of HCL Technologies has nominated her friends as Partners in Crime. The pic was taken at Queensland.

■To an uninhabited island, because nobody can disturb me there Soumya, HCL

■Switzerland. Peaceful and beautiful place

Sridhar.R STG, Sunil TCS, Kavitha, Uday Cognizant, DK.Rajesh Infosys Venkat Verizon

■South Africa to watch IPL

Don, Arti Allsec, Aravind, Vallirajan ,Wipro, PrabaharRaj, Perot Systems

■Maldives. Because in a few years time I’ll be asked to migrate to another country as it is losing land due to global warming

Raghu, Mindtree

■Antarctica to live a cold life along with the local residents penguins

Jai IBM, Mani Ford, Ilakkiya, TCS-eserve

■New Zealand, girls are very beautiful there

Lexsminarayanan, TCS-eserve

■New York since many Tamil movies are shot there, I can say I went to this place while watching the movie

Sonia Bheeman, Accenture

■France because the country has got the most beautiful landscape, the Pyrenees, the language they speak and beautiful ladies

George Isac of TCS has nominated his teammates as Partners in Crime. The pic was taken at Kottivakkam.

Senthil Arjunan, Calsoft ltd, Mohan Sridharan, TCS

■Egypt so that I can see real Pyramids & mummies without graphics

Saranya.M, Cognizant

■Greece. Because my girlfriend loves to see ■Congo to do smuggling business

Ramesh, Wipro Krishnan, Wipro

■Australia. Because it is number one in each and every category like sports, education, research and especially natural scenery

Vijay Madhavan ,Wipro

■Great Britain. That is the country which proudly proclaimed ’V’ for victory (Winston Churchill). That is the country which is proudly revered with the saying ’The sun never sets in the British empire’

Deepak, Verizon

■Italy bcoz nothing as good as the Italian architecture and design and Italian women are know to be the most beautiful ones in the whole of Europe

Rahul, TCS

■Brazil. Just love the babes, beaches and overall the pleasant environment there

Rajagopal.K,Cognizant

■Texas. There I can see San Antonio river it has a world of fun and exciting things to do and see

Balaji.CH EDS

Today’s query: Which film you would like to see on 3D? And why?

Santhosh Melekalathil of TCS has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. The pic was shot at Thiruvanmiyur beach. In the Picture (from left to right) : Rajesh, Merly, Rajani, Thushara, and Vishnu.

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Preetha Rajendran on behalf of Team Phoenix from RR Donnelley has nominated Mani as Office Angel. He is ‘the’ person who can always create a fun atmosphere in any critical situation! He is fun loving, humorous, good team player and an all-rounder. We wish him a very happy birthday! Mani you rock as usual. Have a great life ahead. Cheers!

APRIL 17 ■Dear Gee, Good people are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget… But you are not among the Good. Coz You are BETTER than them all!! May God’s grace enrich your life with joy, peace, happiness, health and wealth on this day and all days following it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Gee(treat-)tha Thangavelu With lots of love and loads of wishes, Subbu, Umamahes, Umarani, Sharmi, Tamil, Nidhin, Pras, Jai, Karthi,Saran, Banu, TCS

■Dear Swathi, Many more happy returns of the day. May you acquire all that you desire and each passing years be filled with joy. Happy birthday to you. Art featured in this column will receive gift coupons from Fruit Shop on Greams Road. Send in your addresses so that we can post the coupons.

Elavanchi.C from Zanec Technologies has doodled her husband’s portrait.

Wishing U all success, Naresh, CTS

■Dear Guruprasad, Guru pappakku iniya pirandha naal nalvaazthukkal !!! Indru pol endrendrum mahilchi ponga engaludaya pirandha naal nalvaazthukkal.

Endrum iniya natpudan, Karthikeyan, SanthoshKumar, Ramachandran, Gopinathan and SivaSubramanian, Wipro Technologies

■Dear Radhika, Wish you a very Happy birthday. Let this 24th birthday add Twenty four candles in your life and add double beauty to your soft nature. Wishing you joy, happiness, health wealth and more of everything that makes you happy.

Ever loving friends Baththidevi (CTS), Ramya ( Virtusa), Renuka, Neelima, Priya Sudha [Dastur&Co]

■Gangu : All over my body, where ever I press with my finger, I have pain. Doctor : its better you take full body scan. Result of the scan found …………….. Finger fracture ■Gangu: Dei yethuku adikadi kitchkenku poitu vara... Ramesh: Doctor than adikkadi ‘sugar’ irukannu checkup panna sonnaru... Lakshmi Kanth, Infosys Technologies

■Dear Gopi Chellam, Wish you Many more happy returns of the Day. May all your wishes come true. Wish you all success in your life. You are my world and I really don’t want to miss you for anything. I wish u a happy life ahead. Love you so much kanna.

With Lots of Love Your Dhanya

■Dear Dominic Rajkumar, May brooks and trees and singing hills, join in the chorus too, And every gentle wind that blows

Send happiness to you. May this year you start be well, Filled with happiness, Joy and Wedding bells. This is a special birthday wish that comes with love to you. It brings warm and heartfelt thanks. For all the thoughtful things you do. It also comes to let you know you mean more to us each day. And to everyone your lives have touched in such a loving way. Wish you a Blessed and Happy Birthday Dominic. From – Kavitha, Sathish, Jean, Hari, Abi, Meena, Vani, Kanchana, Sudha, Lucky, Suganya, Latha, Sarita and Dolly, Allsec

■Hi Ramya., I know that u ’re getting old when the only thing i want for your birthday is not to be reminded of it. Just kiddin.. My hearty b’day wishes for my lovely friend. Have fun.. Wishin u a gr8 day and a fabulous year ahead rams… From loving flowers,

Logan, Hewlett-Packard

■Hi Kogila, You are very special and you deserve the best. We wish you a wonderful life filled with love and happiness. We hope others bring you joy, just as you’ve brought joy to us, then you can weather any storm and be all you want to be.

Regards Cbeyond Team, CTS,

Belated wishes ■Hi Jose, I hear you’re celebrating a belated birthday ....... bet all the other fools sent them on time! You may think this is too late But you’ll have to change your tune It’s not ( 4 ) days too late But (361 ) days too soon Happy B’day!!! Cheers, Wishes from Wipro:-)

APRIL 15 ■Dear Chammeee, Many many many more Happpy returns of d day kutty!!! :-) I wish all ur dreams come true from this year!!! :-) May God gives u tons & tons of happiness & also gives u many reasons to

smile 4ever:-) Have a Rockin year tto:-) With everlasting love from SPARKS of Allsec Technologies:-)

Belated Birthday Wishes to my dear Chitra! Yours, SSK - CSS Corp.

■My Friend, To me, a seeker-friend is a rich supply of spiritual energy. When I help my friends, I am happy. When I serve my friends, I am fulfilled.

Yours, Mukul, Sify Technology

April 16 ■Hi Sujit, Wishing u a day soft as silk..... white as milk..... sweet as honey & full of money. May all ur dreams come true.... HAPPY BIRTH DAY With Love, KBC – Visteon – Olympia Tech Park

■Dear Lux, A prayer: 2 bless ur way. A wish: 2 lighten ur moments. A cheer: 2 perfect ur day. “In our past life, god said a gem is going to be born on Apr 16th … Couldn’t ask for anything more, but thank the god for giving us a friend like u... Happy birthday and don’t forget that someone somewhere is wishing for ur happiness on every falling star." HAPPY BIRTH DAY GURU – II !!!

Best Regards, Route No. 4 Friends, Scope International.

■Dear Bharath, Wish you many many more happy returns of the day!!! Let all Ur dreams come true.

Greetings & Wishes from Sella Synergy@ElnetCity

■Dear Swami (Testing Guru), Wish you many more happy returns of the day. On your birthday We wish you much pleasure and joy; We hope all of your wishes come true. May each hour and minute be filled with delight, And your birthday be perfect for you! You are rocking Swami......

Greetings and Wishes, With Love, CDC - 2 and CDC- 5 Friends, Wipro Technologies

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ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

Traffic Jam

Tall man adds inches A contender for world’s tallest man underwent foot surgery at a Chinese hospital where doctors confirmed he is 10 centimetres (four inches) taller than the current titleholder.

sudoku

L. Padmanabhan from Sify Technologies clicked this picture at Kumbakonam with his Sony Ericsson W302 mobile phone.

Entries to the column will get gift vouchers from Bubbles Spa worth Rs.1,000. Winners can come to Ergo office on weekends between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to collect the vouchers. Call 2857 6688.

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KAKURO

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Friday, April 17, 2009

Big brother

Word’s worth

A Florida woman who set up a webcam in her home turned on from work to see her house being burgled.

Agalaxy (ag-uh-lack-see) lack of milk after childbirth. This is same galaxy as the starry one; both come from a Greek word meaning ‘milk.’ Lack of milk for a child and lack of stars seem, in a mother’s mind, to be equal catastrophes.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 What happens when luck supplements hard work? It is a win-win situation. That is how your day is going to be, smiles Ganesha. On the relationship front, things are more or less comfortable and smooth. To sum it up, the day is pretty good.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 You will be in a very esoteric mood today. Your mood may trigger off things which are not timely. Since you are so touchy today, be very careful with words, especially with colleagues and family members.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 Kindness flows in your heart like never before. It surely is a good day to do some good to the world. Ganesha feels you should grab every opportunity to help colleagues or even strangers if you get a chance.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 All your cells are charged today. Ganesha foresees you working hard and perhaps for longer hours today. Surprisingly, work will not wear you out today and you may go for a family dinner or an outing with your friends.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 Truth and dare is not the game for you today. In fact, before taking any decisions, please consult someone. Rest all is fine, and you will be in a very cheerful mood throughout the day. If you get free time, try to do some extra reading, it may help.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

The real test in life comes when your patience is tested when you are actually in a hurry. Maintain your cool. Most of the times, your time will run out today and you may reach late at various places. In issues related to love, try to be practical.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 People who may pin point your mistakes are not necessarily your enemies. Just relax if there are such incidents, they may be people who genuinely want to help you. Office hours will be routine, says Ganesha.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 You are likely to make hasty decisions today. Don’t rush things and try to understand them before you actually go ahead with them. The worst thing about these decisions will be that you won’t be able to rectify them, so please be cautious. T

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 After a few mishaps in the morning, you will regain your confidence after lunch hours. Ganesha suggests not stopping trying if you want to be confident. Try to take up challenges and difficult tasks at work today.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Although philosophy appeals to you, Ganesha finds you to be very materialistic today. Not that it is bad, but try not to get too carried away with it. Your philosophical and spiritual side may impress members of the opposite sex today.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 There may be a lot of gains on the PR aspect today. However, you need to take special time out if you want to develop good relations outside your organization. Your partner will be in a cheerful mood, so there is a lot of fun to look forward to.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 The day will be very long and dull today. Ganesha suggests you break your routine and take time out for something different. Maybe lunch with friends or a movie can be a good idea. If it is possible take a half day off and go shopping with your beloved. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

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!

ERGO Friday, April 17, 2009

YOUTUBE MUSIC: Images from videos of musicians are projected onto the ceiling and walls of Carnegie Hall during intermission of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra performance Wednesday in New York. It is the first orchestra to be selected entirely through auditions on-line. AFP PHOTO/STAN HONDA

MARS MAN: An original ‘Martian in a Space Suit’ stopmotion animation puppet from the movie Mars Attacks is on display before being sold at the Profiles in History auction in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The puppet is valued at between 8,000-10,000 USD and will be sold at the auction along with other Hollywood memorabilia that will take place on April 30 and May 1. AFP PHOTO/ MARK RALSTON