Woo!! Slumdog Millionaire CLEANED up at the Oscars!!! Just as in the movie, in real life the underdog came out on the top. Not only was the movie almost relegated to direct-to-video, the cast is almost entirely unknown (except for Anil Kapoor and only amongst Desis), and most of Danny Boyle’s movies have been commercial flops. This is definitely one time when Oscar got it right.
In other Slumdog news, Nicole from the Pussycat Dolls has announced that she is recording her own mix of the song “Jai Ho.”. Apparently she found the movie “spiritually uplifting.” Wow, I can’t wait to hear that piece of crap!!!
And finally it what is a surprise to no one, bitterella Salman Rushdie proves again that he is an imbecile. In critiquing Slumdog Millionaire, Rushdie says that the movie is “full of impossibilities.” No shit Sherlock!!!! It’s a movie!!! Besides the idea of a 60 something, chubby, balding, short writer marrying a gorgeous model seems next to impossible but it happened. Thanks Einstein for the rousing critique.
OK, I’m no fan of the circus that is the Oscars. It’s contrived, pretensions and boring at best. But if you’re any kind of desi at all you will be glued to your TV this Oscar season to watch and see what becomes of Slumdog Millionaire’s TEN nominations.
The list includes
·Best Director
·Best Adapted Screenplay
·Best Cinematography
·Best Picture
·Best Score
·Best Song
Alright outside of Slumdog’s nominations, most of the ceremony may still put you to sleep. One can only hope that Sean Penn punches a cameraman and hurls obscenities. Either way, you had better tune in!
The 81st Annual Academy Awards airs February 22 at 8pm EST. For more info check out www.oscar.com.
Has Amithabh Bachan’s outsized ego finally exploded out of his head? On his blog the “King” of Bollywood says:
“SM [Slumdog Millionaire] projects India as [a] third-world, dirty, underbelly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky underbelly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations……..It's just that the SM idea, authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a westerner, gets creative globe recognition. The other would perhaps not."
I’m confused Amitabh, are you pissed because you didn’t get nominated for your song and dance number in Kajre Re??
The idea that the film is only getting press because there’s a Western director is absurd. What about Mira Nair? Were you asleep when she was nominated for an Oscar? The reality is that there haven’t been many Indian directors that are capable of not only making a non-masala film, but bringing it to a large audience.
The reality as we all know is that India does have a dark side founded on corruption and baksheesh. There is a huge percentage of the population that lives beneath the poverty level and yet many people (some in my own family) want to pretend it doesn’t exist. The fact that Bachan loves playing the hero in Bollywood films is probably the same reason he hates Slumdog. Why portray anything real, when you can gloss it over with songs, dancing and predictable story lines? We’ve all seen the beggars with limbs missing, the child servants, the animals on the street, and the filth, and you’re lying if you haven’t.
What's even more silly is the expectation that one film is supposed to represent all of India? Is Revolutionary Road supposed to represent every marriage? Is Amelie supposed to represent France? Is ABCD supposed to represent every American-born Indian? The implication that any form of art is supposed to represent an entire group of people is a completely ignorant and absurd assertion.
What’s amazing about this film, is how Danny Boyle takes these seemingly negative elements and weaves a visually stunning rags-to-riches fairy tale where love triumphs all. If that isn’t Bollywood I don’t know what is. So do us all a favor Amitabh and suck it.
Padma Lakshmi is the latest spokesperson for Pantene Pro-V. As an avid watcher of “Top Chef”, I can attest to the fact that I am extremely envious of Padma’s luscious locks. If Pantene can do that for me, I’m in.
M.I.A. is so fucking bad-ass she is actually performing onstage at the Grammy Awards on her due date!!! WHAT??? Wouldn’t it be cool if she went into labor onstage?
Miss Maya is nominated for “Record of the Year” for “Paper Planes”. According to reports, she has been asked to perform with Jay-Z, jailbird TI, and Lil Wayne on“Swagga Like Us”.
I don’t know about you, but I think this might be the most interesting thing to happen at the Grammys since Eminem performed with Elton John.
Oftentimes fusion food can be soooooo contrived and predictable. So I was presently surprised by Elettaria, where I finally dined on Sunday after much anticipation. Chefs Akhtar Newab and Noel Cruz seem to be more influenced by their Asian-American (India and Philippines, respectively) upbringings more than by a specific desire to cook “fusion” food. The first generation boys use the spices of their respective homelands, while still acknowledging their American upbringings.
I had the triggerfish with sunchoke fondue, ravoli and papadum. When’s the last time you had that at a fusion restaurant? I’m guessing never, which is exactly what I loved about Elettaria. The combination of European, American, and Indian elements was well-executed and blended in such a way I hardly thought of it as fusion. I finished off with the milk doughnuts served with ginger custard and chai gelato. I was licking the plate clean it was so good.
Tres delicious.
Elettaria, 33 West 8th Street, New York, NY. Tel: 212-677-3833www.elettarianyc.com
