Ergo August 20

A BYTE OF LIFE

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

GRRR… Find out why Ms. Sivaji is upset

11

12 Mr.Radio himself Catch up with Niladri Bose

Vol. 2

No. 162

PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN

FREE CIRCULATION

DJs Ver 2.0 Two city DJs and an avid clubber launch a networking site exclusively for DJs specialsing in electronic club music

» PAGE 03

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Madras Day Alert A live demo of the food, clothes, lifestyle, dance and music of old Madras will be showcased at Asan Memorial School, Anderson Road, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Patient at Stanley Hospital duped

In the bazaars of

A female out-patient at Stanley Hospital was duped of her jewellery by an impersonator on the hospital premises on Tuesday. Police said Pushpa (42) of Vyasarpadi had come to the hospital for consultation for a health complication. Following the doctor’s instruction, Pushpa headed to the scan department inside the hospital, only to come across a woman who was posing as a hospital compounder. The impersonator told Pushpa to remove her ornaments and hand them over to her as she had to undergo an MRS scan sans the ornaments. Pushpa abided and went in for the scan. Upon return she realised that she had been duped of her jewellery worth 5.5 sovereigns. Pushpa lodged a complaint with the police, who are investigating the matter.

PONDY What if you are hungry after shopping all day long?

A 40-year-old milk dealer from MKB Nagar was stabbed and robbed of Rs. 1 lakh on Tuesday morning. According to police, the victim was one Jayendran, a wholesale milk supplier in the area. On Tuesday, while he was returning from work, three men on a motorcycle intercepted him at East Avenue near the Muli Nagar burial ground and attempted to snatch away the bag containing Rs. 1 lakh in cash. In the tussle, the trio stabbed Jayendran and fled the scene with the money. MKB Nagar police are investigating the incident.

Photo: R. Ravindran.

Man stabbed and robbed

WHEN WE STARTED OUT, THERE WEREN’T MANY SHOPS IN PONDY BAZAAR BUT NOW THE SCENARIO IS VERY DIFFERENT NANDHINI RAMKUMAR AND VIPASHA SINHA

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ired after a hectic day of shopping in Pondy Bazaar, with little money left in your pocket? Hot and Cold, Chips and Chats, hidden amongst the endless row of shops, is one place you must drop in for a quick grub. This open-air restaurant is a refreshing halt for shoppers looking for refreshments. The place is owned by N. Bhava, who has been serving chat and Indian Chinese food for the last 15 years. Their pav bhaji and dahi chats are a musttry, as you have the kitchen staff from Mumbai cooking the authentic way! “When we started out, there weren’t many shops

in Pondy Bazaar but now the scenario is very different,” says Bhava, who gets a steady flow of customers. The place serves a variety of fruit juices, including favourites like lime mint cooler, watermelon and pineapple juices. The pav bhaji and bhel puri are the hot selling items in the menu. Fried Rice, priced at Rs.40, is also worth a try. Bhava’s restaurant is worth a stop, at least for the spacious and airy ambience it boasts of after shopping all-day long. ■ (Too Good for Critics is a weekly column to celebrate Namma Chennai’s ‘Kaiyendi Bhavans’ and small eateries. If you can think of a similar place, mail us at [email protected])

How to get there: The joint is located in the Big Bazaar compound, Pondy Bazaar Must-have items: Pav bhaji (Rs. 25), bhel puri (Rs. 25) and fried rice (Rs. 40) Ideal time to drop in: 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

03

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Vijay Chawla, Dominic Rozario and Shreyansh Jain, directors of the electronic dance music (EDM) website dancive.com.

PHOTO R. RAVINDRAN.

Join the club

At Dancive.com, you can sample DJ’s works and also book one for a private party. tertain visiting deejays, and especially continue networking through the day with artistes across the world. Already 119 artistes have signed up since the website’s launch on July 27.

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or those who frequent the club Speed at Grand Orient every Thursday, resident deejays Dominic Rozario and Vijay Chawla are idols. The final authority on electronic music in Chennai, they are all set to take their expertise to the next level. They have teamed up with fellow conspirator Shreyansh Jain to create dancive.com, a network platform for the electronic dance music (EDM) community. The three, who work from a swanky office on Hunters Road, Choolai, are all ready to welcome and en-

Dancive.com The site features EDM deejays across all subgenres such as dub step, progressive and funky trance. It allows artistes to upload information about themselves and unlimited mixes. Since any artiste can register, a quality check will be maintained. Dominic says, “When deejays first sign up, their profiles can be viewed in the Artists section.” Then, experienced deejays will scrutinize the artists who have registered. After examining a deejay’s profile for experience and exposure to the scene, he or she

will be upgraded to the Featured Artist section which will showcase 20 deejays at a time. “The idea is to promote the artiste, but that is a later plan,” says Dominic, adding that deejays can be booked online for an event. How is this site different from Nikhil Chinapa’s submerge.in, the first home grown EDM community for Indians? Vijay says,

The difference between Submerge and Dancive is that the former is more of a forum for premier artistes to interact, who are already established

“The difference between Submerge and Dancive is that the former is more of a forum for premier artistes to interact, who are already established.”

Quality check Dancive promises to feature not only lesser known musicians but also showcase promo mixes, which users can not only listen to but also download, which Dominic is most excited about. “When they sign up with Dancive, artistes will anyway get to upload their tracks, but after filtering the good from the bad we will feature the best in Monthly Mixes.” And this essentially leads to the big plan – of making Chennai one of the hubs of EDM. Following a give and take policy, Dominic says, “Those who make it to the

Featured Artist section will also be invited by the trio to play at clubbing venues around the country.” But that’s part of the artiste and event management that will follow the official launch of the company in September.

Be the DJ And in case you were wondering what you, the user can do by way of interactivity, you can play DJ too. Dancive’s generosity extends both ways through Dominic’s statement, “There will be no need to hire a deejay for a party – the 28 promo sets will approximately run for 28 hours. And all one has to have is a laptop.”■ Follow the white rabbit: www.dancive.com The subscription is free for artistes and fans alike.

04 KALEIDOSCOPE

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

‘‘

A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.

global SNAPSHOT

Terry Pratchett, writer

The new swayamvara No time to browse through proposals? Try the new Chai meeting

An ABC TV frame shows a lost baby humpback whale trying to suckle from an Australian yacht in the belief it was its mother at Pittwater near Sydney on August 19, 2008. Wildlife experts used the yacht to lure the calf out into the open sea hoping it would link up with other whales passing by on their annual breeding migration. AFP

Spanish matador Miguel Angel Perera fights a Jandilla fighting bull during the second corrida of the Aste Nagusia festivities, on August 18, 2008, at the Vista Alegre bullring in Bilbao, northern Spain. AFP

STOCKTRACK 14543.73

4368.25

101.93

24.80

R.RAVINDRAN

RINI MUKKATH [email protected]

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lot can happen over a cup of coffee they say. At Shaadi.com, they organise Chai meetings where they bring together men and women from a certain background and from complementing age groups. This increases the chances of getting a perfect match in comparison to just making people sift through many profiles. “We conduct a Chai meeting every three months and so far we have had over 500 matches” says Om Prakash Hassananadani, Business Head of Shaadi.com

Procedure This is how it works, first you sign up with the Shaadi.com, and then you enter the marriage portal where others can view your online profile. Once you make a request to be part of the Chai

We conduct a Chai meeting every three months and so far we have had over 500 matches

Google finds malicious code One in 10 web pages scrutinised by search giant Google contained malicious code that could infect a user’s PC. Researchers from the firm surveyed billions of sites, subjecting 4.5 million pages to ‘in-depth analysis’. About 450,000 were capable of launching so-called ‘drive-by downloads’, sites that install malicious code, such as spyware, without a user’s knowledge. A further 700,000 pages were thought to contain code that could compromise a user’s computer, the team report. Researchers say the company has “started an effort to identify all web pages on the internet that could be malicious.” WENN

SENSEX

NIFTY

meetings, the Shaadi.com’s online team compares profiles and draws a list of compatible men and women. They will send you an invite and even arrange the venue. With no parents around, the prospective bride and grooms will have an opportunity to get to know each other and are also allowed to fix up meetings with partners of their choice. The traditional swayamvara is converted into a specialised meeting platform that just makes life easy for those of you who have no time to spouse hunt. ■

Clipboard hijack Computer security firms are warning about an attack that hijacks the clipboard where copied text is stored. The attack puts a hard-to-delete weblink into the clipboard that, if followed, leads people to a website selling fake security software. The attack on the clipboard has hit both Windows and Mac users of the Firefox web browser. WENN

Location problems? Privacy advocates are warning of the dangers of rushing headlong into using location-based services. The Centre for Digital Democracy says that “while these services will be a powerful force in our lives they are a potential privacy nightmare.” The Centre’s comments follow Yahoo’s launch of Fire Eagle which lets users manage information on where they are. WENN

05

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

‘External’ affairs For barbecue equipment or good-looking poolsides and gardens, Gatsby Outdoors is the place to head to

Outdoors claims to provide you the most inexpensive hookahs in the city. Prices start at Rs. 1200. Are there any takers, you wonder. “You won’t believe this, but most of the hookah customers are people in their 30s and 40s, people too shy to hang out at coffee shops that are completely taken over by college kids,” says Omar.

Chair fare Outdoor furniture needn’t be the bland PVC chairs that most of us know of. At Gatsby Outdoors, all-weather chairs in all shapes, for all purposes, are available. Foldable garden chairs and recliners with powder-coated frames are priced at Rs. 1,500 each. The recliner also transforms into a flat bed. Poolside lounge chairs come at Rs. 2,300. Besides, there are garden recliners (available with or without cushions), adjustable garden chairs and anywhere sets. Among all the things available at the store, the chairs are the bestsellers.

Table stable

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

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rawing rooms, dinning rooms and bedrooms are always taken care of. You know where to get those sofas, exquisite Burma teak tables, designer cushion covers… everything. But where do you go hunting for good patio furniture – that poolside lounge chair on which you can sun-bake for hours, or a nice garden umbrella that would shade you from the elements and stay out of the way at the same time. Want a garden recliner that you can also carry with yourself when camping? Outdoor barbecue sounds exciting, but where do you cook the meat? For those with a taste for outdoor luxury, Gatsby Outdoors, located at the El Dorado building on Nungambakkam High Road, is the perfect place. Says Omar Said of Gatsby Outdoors: “We get our goods from China, but those targeted at the North American markets. All our products are handpicked and there is no middleman.” Omar’s favourite is the side-stand umbrella. Priced at Rs. 5,500, it comes with a powdercoated frame and has a stone-support base to prevent it from flying off.

Puff stuff Pretty hookahs, too, are USP here. Gatsby

For stylish garden parties, check out the white set, comprising a round glass table and four chairs. The chairs are foldable and the tempered tuff glass ensures that good looks and practicality go hand in hand. Space-saving is one objective that most articles here accomplish. There’s the 4-ft moulded table that can be folded to resemble a briefcase (price Rs. 4,000).

All ye outdoor cooks If you plan to host a garden barbecue, Gatsby Outdoors has options for every pocket. There’s a fire pit at Rs. 1,500, little charcoal grill at Rs. 1,600, mini grill at Rs. 1,800 or an outdoor LPG grill that comes at Rs. 20,500. The outdoor LPG and little charcoal grills come with wheels for portability. Besides, there are other interesting goods that could catch your eye and serve a purpose, like the pretty wine rack or even an inflatable raft! Yes, Gatsby Outdoor, through its upcoming store on ECR, plans to cater more to the adventure-seeking types. We’ll keep you posted. Meanwhile, you can contact the store at 044- 30281681 or email [email protected] ■

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Sunbeam A sunbeam, setting out through space at the rate of 186,000 miles a second, would describe a gigantic circle and return to its origins after about 200 billion years.

Now, a condom with ringtone A cellphone ringtone that chants “condom, condom!” has been launched in India to promote safe sex and tackle the growing HIV/ AIDS epidemic. The “condom a cappella” has been designed to break down Indians’ reluctance to discuss condom use and to make wearing a condom more acceptable. Organisers of the campaign, funded by the foundation set up by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates and his wife Melinda, hope the ringtone will become a craze among young Indians. It can be downloaded at condomcondom.org. “Ringtones have become such personal statements that a specially created condom ring tone seemed just the right way of combining a practical message with a fun approach,” said Radharani Mitra, creative director of the BBC World Service Trust. AFP

Terror cell plot to kill British Queen An Islamist terror cell, busted with details of bomb-making and suicide vests, is said to have been plotting to kill the British Queen and some high-profile members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles. This suspicion has been drawn from a list, containing information about the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York and Princess Royal, which police have recovered from the possession of the arrested members of the terror cell, ‘The Daily Telegraph’ reported. Also on the list were the names of Princess Michael of Kent, The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and The Duke and Duchess of Kent. In fact, the arrested members had in their possession pictures, maps and details of the opening hours of official residences of the Royal Family, and prominent landmarks like the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, apart from a home-made video of the Washington Memorial and World Bank in the US.

Jade Goody quits India TV show; diagnosed with cancer Controversial British reality television personality Jade Goody has pulled out of the Big Boss show in India after being diagnosed with cancer, reports said on Tuesday. Indian news channels said Goody had told contestants on the show – the Indian version of “Celebrity Big Brother” – that she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer. NDTV said Goody, 27, abruptly flew out of India to return home for treatment, just days after arriving in the country’s entertainment capital Mumbai. AFP

US to slip into recession! The United States is likely to slip into recession in the coming months as the cushioning impact of sharp interest rate cuts and tax rebates wears out, UBS bank economists said on Tuesday. “Sharp cuts in interest rates and tax rebates have prevented the US economy from sliding into recession until now,” said UBS in a statement. Real economic growth in the United States is expected to reach 1.3 per cent this year, but just 1.0 percent next year. In the Euro zone, a sustained period of weakness is forecast, but the region is unlikely to sink into a severe recession, the bankers said.

PTI

AFP

Sexy on the stadium! Does it sell? Nude photos, bikini-clad girls, blowing kisses... Olympics is high on glamour

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he Olympics are sexy. Pole vault world record holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia has taken the art of flirting with the crowd to new heights. Others like American swimmer Amanda Beard have simply taken their clothes off. Germany’s Playboy Magazine has four Olympic athletes revealing all in its current edition – canoeist Nicole Reinhardt, hockey player Katharina Scholz, sailor Petra Niemann and judoka Romy Tarangul. Beijing fencing gold medallist Britta Heidemann posed for the same magazine four years ago.

Glamour-stuck “Hockey is sexy,” says Scholz. The vast majority of the 10,500 young athletes in Beijing are very body-conscious. Sexy pho-

tos can promote their sport – witness the bikini-clad beach volleyball girls. There is even a rule in indoor volleyball on what women have to wear on court to look sexy. However, is taking off your clothes really beneficial? “The question is: Does sex sell?” American professor Mary Jo Kane, who does research on girls and women in sport, observed recently. “It sells magazines and products.

Not in sports Does it translate into greater interest and respect in women’s sports? And the answer is, unequivocally, it does not. “The assumption is that sex sells. The assumption is, for women’s sports to survive, you have to attract the real fans, which are male fans. And you have to attract them with

how pretty they are and how sexy they are.” Some sports are better off because they are popular, although swimmers have a disadvantage because they compete in water. Athletics, for instance, is cool and erotic per se, with athletes showing off their bodies and skills on the Beijing track and field to rock music from Pearl Jam or Green Day blaring over the sound system. But it is Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva, who has taken the art of flirting, and the sport of pole vaulting, to unsurpassable heights. The 26year-old Russian loves to flirt with the crowd. She blows kisses, smiles, summersaults after world records and just loves all the attention without being arrogant. But she has not appeared naked on the cover of Playboy. Instead, it was Cosmopolitan. ■ DPA

Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva. AFP PHOTO

07

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Solar eclipse

This day, that year

Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

It was in August 20, 1953 that the Soviet Union announced that it had detonated a hydrogen bomb.

The Ex-factor

N96 is here

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Nokia’s latest to take on iPhones, which is likely to be priced at Rs. 31,000

ex with your Ex! You might not find it to be the wisest choice, but a new survey has revealed that people in Britain reckon cheating on one’s partner with an old flame is “ok”. According to the poll, one in five Britons believe that sharing the bed with an ex while dating a new girlfriend “doesn’t really count.” In fact, in the ‘Why Men and Women Cheat’ survey, more than 50 per cent of all men have claimed that they prefer two-timing, even if they were in a happy marriage or relationship. “Many men who love their partners and have great sex at home never turn down an opportunity for a bit on the side if they think they can get away with it,” the Daily Star quoted pollsters in the survey as saying. In the survey, only a third of female love cheats said they were happy at home, blaming boredom as the main reason they slept around. And they claimed that having an affair was a muchneeded ego boost. Most women admitted that they had enjoyed a secret fling because it “was a reward for being an unappreciated wife and mum”, or for “putting up with a partner who wasn’t affectionate, didn’t listen or ignored” them. ■

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head of the launch of Apple’s inconic brand iPhone in New Delhi, mobile phone maker Nokia on Tuesday unveiled its new converged device N96 under its ‘N Series’ stable. Apple and Nokia have not yet announced the prices of their models, but according to industry sources, both phones having 3G enabled features, which allow high quality net surfing, video and music download and would be priced in the same range. The price of iPhones would also have an Indian component as it would be offered by the service providers Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar. While iPhone is likely to cost about Rs. 31,000 for the 8 GB version, N96, which is expected to hit the Indian market by September, is likely to be priced above Rs. 30,000. With a large 2.8-inch screen display, the phone packs 16 GB of internal memory, expandable up to 24 GB. The memory of N96 can store up to 18,000 songs,

PTI

Rebirth of a different kind

Devinder Kishore, Director Marketing, Nokia India, at the unveiling of N96. PHOTO: KAMAL NARANG

20,000 images and 60 hours of video or 20 full length movies. Consumers can pre-book the phone from across 2,000 Nokia outlets across the country from tomorrow. ■ PTI

The 1000-word people

Baby girl returns to life five hours after being pronounced dead

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baby girl born prematurely on Monday as a result of induced labour at a northern Israeli hospital “came back to life” after being pronounced dead by doctors. The baby spent five hours in the cooler at the hospital’s cryogenic laboratory. “In medicine, when we see something like this, we call it a ‘medical miracle’, but at this point we do not have an explanation,” Dr Moshe Daniel, the hospital’s deputy administrator, told Channel 2 News. Dr. Rami Moshonov, a senior gynaecologist at a Tel Aviv hospital, told the television station that it was possible that the cold from the cooler had slowed the baby’s metabolism sufficiently for it to come back to life. The baby’s mother, in her fifth month of pregnancy, had checked into the hospital in Na-

hariya, near the Israel-Lebanon border, five days ago for a series of prenatal tests. The tests indicated that her foetus had no pulse, and doctors scheduled a trimester termination procedure. Once the procedure was completed, doctors verified the baby, which weighed only 610 grams and pronounced her dead. They transferred the body to the cryogenic laboratory, pending post mortem tests to discover the exact cause of death. But when five hours later the baby’s father asked to see the body and doctors opened the cooler, the baby began showing signs of spontaneous breathing. She was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit and placed in an incubator and put on a respirator. DPA

쒀 Nepalese photo journalists and photographers wear camera-shaped masks during a rally marking the169th World Photography Day in Kathmandu on August 19. The rally was organised by the National Forum of Photojournalists, AFP PHOTO/ PRAKASH MATHEMA

08 SPORT

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Anju fails India’s Anju Bobby George fails to qualify for the finals of long jump event of the Beijing Olympics after three consecutive foul jumps on Tuesday.

LET’S GET THE FOOTBALL ROLLING Sehwag leaves for home Indian opener Virender Sehwag today left for New Delhi after an ankle injury forced him to withdraw from the ongoing one-day series against Sri Lanka. Sehwag had twisted his ankle during the practice session on Sunday, ahead of the first one-dayer at Dambulla in Sri lanka. The Indian team sans Sehwag, who was in good form in the Test series, lost the first ODI by eight wickets on Monday. PTI

Rusty Sharath labours into second round The rust showed but Achanta Sharath Kamal eventually dusted away the cobwebs and prevailed 4-2 over Alfredo Carneros of Spain to labour into the second round of men’s singles table tennis event of the Beijing Olympics on Tuesday. The lanky Indian toiled hard against Carneros, his partner at the San Sebastian Club in Spain, but held his nerve to win the tactical battle 6-11 12-10 11-8 9-11 11-6 and 11-7 in 45 minutes. Sharath faces a bigger challenge in the next round with Chinese-born Austrian Chen Weixing, who beat the Indian in their previous meeting in the 2006 Austrian Open. With two opponents, well aware of each other’s strength and weaknesses, fighting it out, Sharath did not find going easy against Carneros, especially with the Indian spraying his forehands. Almost invariably, Sharath would race to an early lead but the nagging Spaniard always found a way to crawl into the match and make life difficult for the Indian. After Carneros came from behind to win the first game, Sharath took 8-5 lead in the second but the Spaniard caught up with him at 10-10. Sharath finally wrapped up the game with two stinging forehands to draw parity and stay afloat. PTI

PHIL COLE/GETTY IMAGES

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he new season of the EPL kicked off last Saturday and finally it was all soccer once again. No more news of ‘will he or won’t he leave the club’ on the games’ key men like Ronaldo, Lampard or Barry. While the transfer deadline stands another two weeks away, the action has started on the pitch. It’s just two days into the season and the action has been overwhelming. Chelsea kicked off their new season in style, something that their owner Roman Abramovich really wanted his men in blue to do after those expensive transfers. Meanwhile, ArseOlympics might be nal looked shaky in in now, but for die- the defence in their 1-0 victory over hard football fans newly promoted West Brom, an indithe English Premier cator that le professor needs more League (EPL) never substance in the loses its fire. back of the pitch. The big story, Koushik Srinivasan, though, of the weekend was defending an ERGO reader, champions Manchester United salwraps up the first vaging a 1-1 draw weekend play-offs against Sir Alex’s old nemesis King Keegan or the “messiah” of Newcastle United. Two things stood out this weekend, and that could possibly be a hint of things to come in the long season ahead. Firstly, the equalizer from Darren Fletcher for the Red Devils minutes after giving away a goal indicates the never-say-die mentality of the champions and makes it difficult to write off their chances in spite of their opening fixture draw. But it was the scrappy 83rdminute goal from Fernando Torres for Liverpool that has far wider impact. Liverpool, in the last few seasons, has always

threatened to disappoint in the end. They have drawn more games in the last season that any other club in the top flight. Now this one goal promises better things. For one, its two more points that they may been satisfied with after 80 minutes of hard fought battle where Sunderland managed to hold them off. A win is what counts at the end and nobody will remember the match itself in a few days. If Liverpool can scrape away these three pointers till Robbie & Torres find form, then the Reds will have a decent shot at their much awaited EPL title. With 37 rounds to go, the bout for the title has just begun, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal have started off brightly. Let’s see who can sustain this for longer. Don’t count out the Red Devils yet; Sir Alex is not going to be overly worried about one draw. ■ You can ping the author at [email protected]

Moments of the Weekend: Chelsea’s attractive play (4-0 is a fabulous beginning) Gabriel Agbonlahor’s hattrick Darren Fletcher’s equalizer for ManU (Giggsy still has a killer pass) Torres’ 83rd-minute goal for the Reds Hull City beating Fulham Next week’s mustwatch : Rovers Vs Hull , new Manager versus newly promoted side with wins under their belt in their first game .

Want to write for Ergo? Shoot us an email to [email protected] with your areas of interest in the subject line, ex: sub: EPL Fan. We would love to give you your 15 seconds of fame, or maybe even more. Looking forward to enroling you guys!

09

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Liu vows to rise again Chinese athletics hero Liu Xiang has apologised to his fans for pulling out of the Olympics with an "unbearable" foot injury, while vowing to rise again.

Chinese players celebrate at the end of the women’s quarter-final basketball match against Belarus at the Olympic basketball gymnasium. China won 77 to 62. AFP PHOTO / ANTONIO SCORZA

Brazil players celebrate winning against Japan after their women’s quarterfinal volleyball match of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Brazil won the match 3-0. AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE

A young boy plays underfountain water ouside the National Stadium during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. AFP

Germany’s Jan Frodeno celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the men’s triathlon competition at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE HUGUEN

PHOTO / CHRISTOPHE SIMON

China’s Zhang Xi dives to return the ball to Tian Jia and Wang Jie in their women’s semifinal beach volleyball match at Beijing’s Chaoyang Park Beach Volleyball Ground. Tian Jia and Wang Jie won 2-1. AFP PHOTO / THOMAS COEX

10 FLICK

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Madge’s adoption plan in jeopardy Queen of pop Madonna’s plans to adopt a Malawian baby girl have received a setback after the little girl’s uncle raised objections. Madge and hubby Guy Ritchie had been planning to adopt three-year-old Mercy James, but her uncle John Ngalande, who been visited by adoption officials twice, has refused to give away the child.

Shanker Mahadevan on his projects and how he made director turned actor Farhan Akhtar sing

That was quite a surprise seeing Farhan Akhtar sing… Indeed a surprise. We wanted to give everyone a surprise and Farhan gave his best. In Rock On! Farhan rocks…. (Ha…ha…ha). But wasn’t that a big risk at the same time? No, it wasn’t because we were confident about his voice though Farhan initially was hesitant. But I had heard him earlier and I knew not only does he have a great sense of music but has a strong command over singing too. I must say his voice goes apt with the music and lyrics. And that’s how Rock On! took shape… (Laughs) Farhan knows his job well. So do we! Once we convinced him he was ready to sing. I gave him some initial tips to hone his skills and that was it. He even plays the guitar in the soundtrack and that is the surprise. It’s not easy to sing six songs but he did it. He too is excited with the outcome. And you don’t sing this time in your film? Oh! (chuckles). It is not about singing. It’s not necessary to sing every time. I didn’t feel the need to sing this time. But singing is something I can’t do without. Tell me something…from Dil Chahta Hai to Rock On, Shankar Ehsaan Loy has given so many hits…Where do you place yourself as musicians today? See, it has been a wonderful journey so far. We have grown over the years but one thing that I feel has not made us complacent is our urge to make better music…new music and fresh music. The only thing that drives us is our urge to create new things…new sounds. So, what do you think? Is Rock On! going to be a

trend setter like Dil Chahta Hai? (Ha…ha..). That verdict should come from you. However, I feel Rock On’s soundtrack has the first true rock flavour in Bollywood and one should listen to the music. Okay…Okay…so you three are a satisfied lot… At least we are very happy these days. We don’t work much because we believe in doing quality work. Why will someone listen to our music if it doesn’t attract his ears? Is that why you are selective? I have to. I have so many other commitments. I do live shows and then there are bands where I sing so I have to adjust everything. We already feel overburdened but we genuinely love our work. We also do a lot of background score and that is one of the most difficult areas. It is time taking too because we play with the emotions of the audience…make them laugh…cry and do all the things. And we don’t take this area lightly. Since we three come from advertisement backgrounds we are more focused. What we used to do in 30 seconds, now we do for 2 hours. Well…and that also gives you the best projects from all the big banners… I feel we are lucky that the directors have faith in us. We have some of the best films in hand. We are working on Farhan’s sister, Zoya Akhtar’s next film. Then there is Nikhil Advani’s Chandni Chowk To China. That again has come out great and we also have the big Karan Johar film My Name Is Khan. We are completely focused. Wow! Wow! So a lot’s happening… But what about the private album that

Shankar Ehsaan Loy was supposed to come up with… See …I was just about to say that…and you asked me. To be very honest it will be out but we are not getting the time to go for recording. We might be choosy about our work but Bollyood is a big pressure. But I promise it will be out sometime next year. But there’s good news that we have recorded a few songs for Silk and the band’s album will finally release… That means we get to hear some good stuff from Louis Banks, Karl Peters, Shivamani and you soon? Of course yaar… it was long over due but finally we managed to… We all are so busy with our individual commitments that we hardly get time to meet and record but this time we did (laughs). ■ Trans World Features

“We were confident about his voice though Farhan initially was hesitant. But I had heard him earlier and I knew not only does he have a great sense of music but has a strong command over singing too.”

11

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Jackman happy to take role in ‘Australia’ Hugh Jackman has revealed that he was second choice for the role in epic movie Australia - after Russell Crowe turned down the part. Jackman claims the producers were keen to land Crowe for the part of Nicole Kidman’s lover, but the actor snubbed the film over pay.

‘Tropic Thunder’ ends Batman’s box-office reign

Cine City Tabu returns Actress Tabu who was earlier seen in Tamil hits including Kadhir’s Kadhal Desam and Rajiv Menon’s Kandukondaen Kandukondaen is all set to return in veteran film maker Balu Mahendra’s ‘Anal Kaatru’. Most of the scenes involving lead characters have been already shot and other portions with Tabu would soon be cranked by Balu Mahendra.

‘Tropic Thunder’ scooped 25.8 million dollars in the opening weekend

B

en Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder dethroned Batman sequel The Dark Knight from the top spot at North American box offices this weekend, final figures showed on Monday. Stiller’s movie-within-a-movie about a group of actors shooting a war film in the middle of a real-life conflict zone scooped 25.8 million dollars on its opening weekend, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. That gave Tropic Thunder – which also stars Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black – five-day earnings of 36.8 million dollars. It came after the film’s premiere saw protests from disability activists who lambasted Stiller for repeated use of the word ‘retard’ in the script. Stiller has defended the movie, insisting that it is a satire on Hollywood. Tropic Thunder’s success knocked The Dark Knight off of top spot after four weeks of dominance for director Christopher Nolan’s superhero blockbuster. But The Dark Knight, which features Christian Bale as the caped crusader and Heath Ledger as his arch-villain Joker, earned another 16.4 million dollars, enough to take the film past Star Wars as the second highest-grossing movie of all time after 1997’s Titanic. ■

BLOOMBERG NEWS

Shriya frustrated

AFP

Vijay’s next Illaya Thalapathi Vijay seems to have taken a leaf out of Ultimate Star Ajith’s book to offer chances to debutant directors. Despite the debacle of Azhagiya Tamizh Magan, that was directed by debutant Bharathan, Vijay is now preparing to launch the career of another new director Babu Siva for a film to be produced by AVM. Babu Siva had earlier penned the dialogues for ’Kuruvi’. He will star in the movie after completing Villu that is being directed by Prabhu Deva. Once Vijay is done with these projects, he will join hands with his father S.A.Chandrashekar for his 50th film.

Actress Shriya, who took long time to complete her magnum opus Sivaji with the Superstar Rajnikanth, is now complaining that the Vikram-starrer Kandasamy is taking much longer to complete. It has been nearly a year now since the movie was launched in a grand function. While she is now gearing up for projects in Hollywood and Bollywood, Shriya says she finds the delay quite frustrating. The entire Kandasamy team has been globe-trotting over the past year. At the moment though, shooting is happening at Hyderabad. Sources have revealed that Producer Kalaipuli S Dhanu plans to release the film for Deepavali. Snippets from cinesnacks.com

12 SCAN

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Fighting Styles According to IMDb, in the movie Kung fu panda, the individual fighting styles of the Furious Five members (Crane, Mantis, Tiger, Monkey and Viper) are actual martial art styles modelled after the particular animals.

PICK OF THE DAY

Zee Cinema

Star World

HBO

Discovery

Vaah Life Ho To Aisi – 8-30

Jimmy Kimmel – 11 pm

Stuart Little 2 – 9 pm

Kumbha Mela – 8 pm

pm God Yama is asked to bring in the lifeless body of Aditya. Yama does so on the way, Aditya soul pleads with him to set him free and back to life again, as he has a lot of unfinished business to attend to.

The show features a diverse line up of guests, including celebrities, athletes, and comedians. With a recognizable cast of characters, a hip house band and comedy bits in Kimmel’s style.

More charming episodes in the life of dapper mouse Stuart Little in this delightful sequel. There’s a new baby in the house, and Stuart is feeling a little left out. So he’s pleased when he gets a new friend in the form of injured bird Margalo.

Every 12 years the holy men and women of India known as Sadhus, come out of their remote retreats to set forth on a long journey to the great spiritual gathering of the Kumbha Mela.

PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

Moving with the flow RJ Niladri Bose is busy training young radio enthusiasts these days VIPASHA SINHA

hired out of AIR.

“A

Inspiring RJ’s

fine RJ is one who is aware of current affairs and the world around him, good voice is just a bonus. He is a friend to the audience and should not consider himself a celebrity,” says Niladri Bose, one of the first RJs of the country. A radio student from Melbourne, Niladri had started his career in RJing way back in 1995 with Times FM, a manual station

Niladri is right now not associated with any of the Radio stations but he manages his studio on Sterling road where he also conducts workshop for aspiring RJs. When asked why we hear less of him on the radio nowadays, he explains, He conducts three to five days workshop for aspiring RJs. After a detailed screening of the applicants, the bests are chosen by Ni-

ladri himself on grounds of their knowledge of current affairs, presence of mind and sensibility. “It is three days of strenuous training where the students are given hands-on experience on various aspects of RJing like working for live-shows. He has trained RJs from Aaha Fm, Radio City and all the 8 city specific stations of Hello Fm.

Picture passion Another expertise to Niladri’s list is wild-life photography. He

has worked with India’s renowned wild life cinematographer Alphonse Roy. Niladri considers Roy the Guru of wildlife cinematography. “I miss my behind the camera days. Being associated with wildlife photography exposes you to situations that no common man ever faces. Chasing elephants and vice-versa, leech-bites, setting up tents are all experiences in it self. I am contemplating on getting back to it,” says Niladri. Apart from running his own

studio, he is also a popular voiceover artist and is the voice behind ads for Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi and many more. He was also heard in the trailers of Run, Dhool, Boys, Sivakasi and recently Kuruvi to name a few. Impulsive in nature, Niladri believes in moving with the flow and aims of owning his own radio station where he can involve the greats of radio like Ameet Sayani and Nikhil Chinnapa. He would also love to get all yesteryear veterans work with me.

13

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Billionaire offers dog reward A mystery Scandinavian billionaire has offered a reward of almost US $16,000 for the return of a stolen dog.

Greetings Dear Dinesh, On your birthday I wish you much pleasure and joy; I hope all of your wishes come true! May each hour and minute be filled with delight. Wishes, Kamila, iNautix Technologies.

Hi Da Essaki, We Wish You Many More Happy Returns of The Day. May all your dreams comes true on This Day. With Lots Of Love,Aishu,Yoga,Kanag, Vidya,Rekha,Renga and Raco & CMS Team .NAOTCTU,CGSL Chennai.

"Dear Anitha, Wishing you a wonderful year of happiness. Hope all your birthday dreams and marriage dreams come true in this year With Luv Raj Bhino, Wipro Technologies

Dear Vasumathi K (MRO), Many more happy returns of the day. Have a great day and wonderful year ahead. Wishes -Shan, HCL Technologies Ltd

Dear Jeena, After all, there can’t be anything more important than celebrating your Birthday today. Wish you a Happy and Wonderful fun filled day.

Crossword sale The crossword sale is back. Get up to 50% off on books and enjoy exciting offers on movies, music and more. The sale has lots of collections like 1001 Foods, The Essential Manager’s Manual, India-A Sense of Place, Lonely Planet Titles etc. Where: Crossword Bookstores Venkatnarayana Road, Near Panagal Park, T.Nagar When: Till September 7

Quiche, Flan & Pie Food Festival The Accord Metropolitan is organizing the "Quiche, Flan & Pie" festival at Pergola, the open to sky roof top restaurant. The festival will present a wide variety of quiche, flan & pie. The menu includes sumptuous starters like Cajun lamb tarts and sesame chicken rolls that will pep your taste buds for a lavish meal. Flavourful Soups like Chicken Coconut Curry Soup and Indian Lentil and Tomato Soup will be a fun for food enthusiasts. Where: Pergola The Accord Metropolitan, G.N Chetty Road, T Nagar When: Till August 31 For Reservations Call: 2816 1000

Regards, ISAP ABN Amro Payments team. EDS.

Dear Judy, Your birthday makes this day all the more special and beautiful Happy Birthday!!!Wish you all success in life dear. With Luv, Winyfred and Baby Alfred Perotsystems

Dear Mani, We wish you many more Happy returns of the day. Have a great years ahead !!!! Best Regards, Batch 5-2007, iNautix Technologies.

Vituttal

The Kattaikkuttu Young Professionals Company will play ’Vituttal’ (in Tamil, with English titles) by Rabindranath Tagore on the 23rd of August at the AFM Auditorium. The play is adapted for the Tamil stage by P. Rajagopal and Hanne M. de Bruin . Where: AFM Auditorium, College Road, Nungambakkam When: August 23, 6:30 pm

TOP 5 WAKE UP ALARMS 1. The licking machine If you have a dog at home, there’s no alarm like it! Trust me on that one. Train it to lick your face at a particular time every morning. And not only will you be awake soon, you will also take a bath immediately, thereby saving you from post sleep laziness. 2. Geek alert If there is one thing geeks do well, it is the art of waking up at the crack of dawn to tend to their daily chores with divine sincerity. They will also wake you up five minutes before the given alarm time. The only problem is, they don’t come with a ‘snooze’ button. 3. “Is it just me or is it getting really hot in here?” Wouldn’t you wake up if you heard a sexy voice saying

exactly this line early in the morning? I knew it! Get a friend who’s got a hot voice to record this on your phone or make him/her call you every morning. But the former is best to avoid them from cursing you instead 4. The cold splash This is the Indian way of waking up kids when they have to go to school. Parents pouring a bucket of water on their unsuspecting sleepy heads, giving them an unpleasant return trip into reality. Try it, it’s a shocker! 5. Mommy dearest Last but not the least, no alarm clock can be better than your mom. Imagine yourself dreaming about your dream guy/girl only to wake up to your mom saying “You useless, worthless, lazy oaf!” A nice way to begin the day eh?

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Thieves steal Olympic bikes Thieves stole eight bicycles belonging to the New Zealand Olympic team from the athletes village but returned them anonymously after an appeal from officials.

sudoku

Padmaadevi Krishnamoorthy from Wipro Technologies shot this picture during her trip to Al Ain hill in UAE. She used a Canon Digi Cam.

KAKURO So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit. E-mail: [email protected]

TEAM Editor: Karthik Subramanian [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan Illustrator: R. Venugopal Technical Support: V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar Head of Advertising: Sriya Narayanan [email protected]

Head of Circulation: RA. Babu Vijay [email protected]

SNAIL MAIL 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002 mail your feedback to [email protected]

FAX 2857 6691 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Call our Advertisement Manager at 2857 6695. email: [email protected] Website: www.goergo.in

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7, CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar, Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin: 603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik (Editor responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

15

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Bigfoot discovery?

Word’s worth

Three American men claim to have found a body of the famed Bigfoot and have released a photograph to ’prove’ it.

"Weddinger" (wed-ing-er) a wedding guest; also, the entire wedding party, including the bride and groom.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 You may be possessive about your area of work and also about your belongings so you may not be able to share resources with anyone else. It is favourable day for scheduling of projects. In short, the day requires careful handling.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 You may be quite reactive today, which is good if it’s in limits but while dealing with superiors, you need to remain low profile. Ensure that hard work doesn’t go in vain. You may require lot of flexibility, else you may have differences with dear ones.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 It is day to collect data for your projects. Try to gain as much as possible out of the professional contacts. This is a perfect day to work on digits. You may display moodiness so it will be difficult for the partner to judge, what exactly you are upto.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 This day is favourable for all important activities. You may be insightful and your instincts may help you take right decisions. On personal front, you may display warmth so love life may go smooth, without any hassle, by the Grace of Ganesha.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 It is most favourable day for beginning any projects which are important. Anything initiated today may have stable and step-by-step progress. You may need to avoid reluctance on the personal front. If you are careful, there may not be any issue.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

You have the scope of developing ‘higher skills’. There may be lot of enthusiasm in you to adapt new techniques. On relationship front, smoother sailing is envisaged but you avoid being ‘practical’ when your partner approaches you ‘emotionally’.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 It is a favourable day for internal meetings at office. Ganesha suggests you to postpone meetings outside the office. On the personal front, your focus will be on your beloved. There will be good moments with partner. A day to get closer with your beloved.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Today, you may have desire to get the work done by someone else. Ganesha suggests you to avoid such escapism. On the relationship front, you may value your partner or beloved one’s emotions and try to do the necessary to please him or her.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 You may take initiative at workplace. This will increase your credit at workplace. In personal life, you may love your beloved and the response may also be equal. In short, the day indicates balance between personal and professional life.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Today, you are advised not to carry out important endeavours, instead find out your own mistakes and rectify them. If you start new activities, they may take time to finish. At home, you may not wish to go out, instead desire to spend time with partner.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 Today you may remain busy with meetings. Important email and telephone communications may also happen today. Ganesha finds your personal life relatively hassle free but you may need to avoid aggressive statements which may hurt your beloved.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 If you want to initiate dialogue with someone important, it is perfect day. Display due respect to the person you are communicating with. In love relationships you may feel stressed, specifically if your beloved is ‘over demanding’. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Lotto jackpot A man forgot his glasses when he went to play the lottery. He accidentally entered a number he had no intention of using - and won a US$ 3 million lottery jackpot.

There are three

Turtle on wheels Arava the turtle may never walk again, but a makeshift wheelchair has given the 10-yearold reptile wings by helping her to find a mate at an Israeli zoo, her keepers said on Tuesday. "Arava came to us a few months ago," Shmulik Yedvad, a spokesman for the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, told reporters. "She was paralysed in her hind legs, and we had to equip her with a metallic cart with two wheels in order for her to be able to move." He said the 25-kilo (55 pound) African spurred tortoise has, since arriving at the zoo, rolled into the heart of a male who was apparently shell-shocked by her new wheels.

sides to every shot 3D goes digital; Sathyam Cinemas becomes first in India

AFP

No sandcastles in Italy

ERGO CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

I When in Capri, don’t wander off the beach in a bikini. If you go to the sea in Eraclea, near Venice, remember that building sandcastles is forbidden. And don’t even think about mowing your lawn at the weekend in Forte dei Marmi. Emboldened by a nationwide crackdown on crime and a government decree giving them extra law-and-order powers, Italian mayors have issued a string of often bizarre by-laws to enhance ‘public decorum.’ Public displays of affection in a car can earn you a fine of up to 500 euros ($745) in Eboli, feeding pigeons is off-limits in the centre of Lucca while in Novara groups of more than two people are forbidden from lounging around in parks at night. Italian newspapers have dubbed this year’s holiday season ‘the summer of bans.’ But this week one town hall was forced to acknowledge things may have gone too far. Rodrigo Piccoli, 33, called national radio to protest after he was fined 50 euros for lying down in a park in the northern city of Vicenza to read a book. The mayor has since promised to drop the ban. REUTERS

magine sitting in a theatre and constantly trying to duck from everything that’s being flung on screen, straight onto your face! Sathyam Cinemas on Tuesday became the first cinema house in the country to play a 3D film on RDX – a far cry from the days when the best that 3D viewing could get was Chhota Chetan. Korean Master Image’s Display Technology brings to the viewer shockingly real images. The Qube XP-D Digital Cinema Servers at Sathyam Cinemas are the only 3D-capable systems in India which comply with international DCI specifications. Costs are prohibitive and, as of now, there are 5,000 3D-capable screens worldwide. The Brendan Fraser-starrer, Journey to the Center of the Earth, in 3D format demonstrated how digital 3D could alleviate a film from ordinariness. Be it when you’re watch-

Tan Ngaronga, COO of Sathyam Cinemas, Jayendran, Director of Real Image and Nag Ravi, CEO of Insight Media at the launch of the 3D movies in RDX at Sathyam Cinemas in Chennai on Tuesday. PHOTO: S.S.KUMAR ing prehistoric dinosaurs pounding your ears, carnivorous plants showing you their wares or even Brendan Fraser rinsing his mouth – it’s almost as if you’re there. The film released in Malaysia and the US last month. Not just this, in the coming years, several films in 3D format are likely to hit theatres, notable among them being Toy Story, Shrek, Alice in Wonderland, How to Train Your Drag-

on and several other Dreamworks’ animation projects. For those wondering if ticket costs would be hiked keeping in mind the raised viewing experience level, the answer is a no. While booking you ticket you just pay Rs. 20 extra to borrow those glasses that determine your 3D experience. Journey to the Center of the Earth releases at Sathyam Cinemas on August 29. ■