The Miss World crown for 2011 has finally rested on the ]]> Vighnesh Nagathan

The Miss World crown for 2011 has finally rested on the proud head of gorgeous Venezuelan beauty Ivian Sarcos. With around billion people on either side of the globe watching, Miss Venezuela shimmered wearing the invaluable tiara. A 21-year old HR graduate from Venezuela gasped at first and shed tears of joy when the judges named her winner of Miss World 2011 at Earls Court in London. Though beauty remains the main criteria – brains, skills and good causes also plays a chief role in determining the winner. And, Sarcos was worthy enough to be the winner.

Miss World 2011 Ivian Lunasol Sarcos Colmenares, in spite of having a troubled childhood, was able to make herself and her country proud for bringing home the Miss World honor. This is Venezuela’s sixth win. Home favorite Miss England, Alize Lily Mounter, won the complimentary title of beach beauty.
Ivian Sarcos was brought up in a nunnery after she was orphaned at the age of eight. She dropped plans of becoming a nun, after realizing the potential of her sensual appearance. She was working with a broadcasting company with a human resources degree when destiny walked up to her and presented her with the title of the 60th Miss World.
Sarcos was selected from the 122 contestants, and impressed judges with her wit, personality, and beauty. She stated that she wanted to work with non-governmental organizations for the good of under privileged children.
She was struggling with emotions when Miss World 2010, Alexandria Mills of the United States, crowned her and made her sit in the glistening silver throne.
London city was glinted for the gala event which returned to its home city where the first Miss World was staged in 1951. The first runner-up was Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Ruais. Another stunning beauty Amanda Vilanova, from Puerto Rico was declared the 2nd runner-up. The three top beauties will now travel around the planet promoting the motto ‘Beauty with a Purpose’.

Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos in good spirits before she was crowned winner at Earls Court in London.

Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos when she was announced the winner.

Ms Ivian Sarcos is all tears after being adjudges Miss World 2011

Miss World 2011 poses with fellow contestants after being crowned

Ms World 2011 is congratulated by other contestants after being crowned.

Miss World 2011 Ivian Sarcos along with the first runner up Miss Philippines Gwendoline Ruais, left, and Second runner up Miss Puerto Rico Amanda Perez.

Miss World 2011 Ivian Sarcos beautifully attired in a diamond-studded light pink dress that had a giant cascade of pink frills slashed below the waist, cut to reveal her front below the knees.

Ms Ivian Sarcos being titled Miss World 2011 by Alexandria Mills

Ms Ivian Sarcos in excitement after she was adjudged winner.

The moment of pride celebration.

Miss World 2011 Ivian Sarcos waving to the crowd, after winning the title

Miss World 2011 gestures to the crowds after being crowned.

Sequels appear to be the rage of Hollywood this season. The ]]> Vignesh Nagathan

Sequels appear to be the rage of Hollywood this season. The starting of another decade witnessed many high-profile sequels, many of them powered by A-list stars and Studio Giants, swinging their way for sure shots in revenue. Now that the trend has hit the target, more and more immortal characters and movies are waiting to hit the silver screen soon.

So far, Hollywood has witnessed many runaway sequels, and some of them, though they have made revenue, disappointed the fans of their predecessors. Let us look at the Hollywood’s affair with sequels (or prequels) so far in 2011.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.

Johnny Depp reprises his role as uber-cool weirdo pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, while we missed Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley very badly. The silver-tongued Depp excels as Jack Sparrow and works out a great chemistry with Penelope Cruz, latest addition to the franchisee. Not to mention Geoffrey rush with his Oscar glow. However, the film lacks the former charm as it has settled just to the one- man show of Jack Sparrow, which is not the case with previous films.

The Hangover Part II

The wolf pack returns! – Everyone was chanting this prior to Hangover’s 2nd edition release. Hilarious gang who upturned the streets of Las Vegas and make us ROFL retuned with their Bangkok Bachelor party. However, the cast seems tired of the routine comedy track and storyline as much as the audience, except the Zach Galifianakis, who repeats the hilarious Alan with so much brilliance.

Kung Fu Panda 2

This sequel garnered more praises than its first part. Kung Fu Panda who returned in the 3D avatar did wonders at the box-office even competing the X-Men First Class. The film was made for an audience of all classes, but particularly became a runaway success among the younger audience. With the hilarious script dominating the animation (which was pretty good as well), Kung Fu Panda 2 made you laugh so much so that you will beg for air. Jack Black continued to dub for the fat panda along with characters voiced by Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, and Seth Rogen .

X-Men: First Class

We were very sad when the last X-Men films stumbled at the box office and the franchisee continues to appear in half boiled character based films (Wolverine Origin was cool, but…). But X Men: First Class did wash away all of the regrets, with a prequel, which shows the backdrop of X-men. More dark and realistic tone of the film worked well with the audience. Film showed us the 1960s, before Charlies Xavier and Eric Lensherr were the Professor X and the Magneto (and how beautiful Raven was before she became the Mystique) ` This comic saga was able to re-establish its former glory with a fresh cast.’

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Effects were fine; story, we don’t care; but Omission of Megan Fox was unpardonable. Though Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the replacement for Megan Fox, was gorgeous, she doesn’t give the vibe Fox produced. Michael Bay wielded epic was packed with CGI for the target viewers and blasted off well in the 3D. We were relieved to see Optimus Prime fighting against inhuman forces for the humans, in this otherwise stupid script. Doubtlessly, this Steven Spielberg production did well at the box office, which possibly has fuelled plans for a 4th installation as well.

Nothing is a barrier when love blossoms. This could sound like ]]> Vignesh Nagathan

Nothing is a barrier when love blossoms. This could sound like just another cheesy line you heard while watching your favorite rom-com. But when it comes to a few celebrity couples, it is not just a line – it is life or them. Hollywood is infamous for the surprise marriages and even more spontaneous divorces. But we feel, it is less said and talked about the couples who have preferred to forget ‘the ruffled expression of age difference’ when it comes to love.
They have made society frown. But with their married life lasting much, compared to the bubble life marriage of many other couples, they have proved that marriage doesn’t care about age, but only love.

Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green
For one thing, nobody will guess Megan Fox is married. But this hot chic from transformer went for it when she was just 24. In 2010, she married Brian Green who was 42 then. Megan Fox started dating her current hubby in 2004, but split in February 2009 after a two year engagement. However, they reconciled within months to take an oath at last.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher
Though there are rumors about sparkles flying in their relation ship they still are one of the most celebrated couples. Demi Moore was 47 when she married Ashton Kutcher in 2005, who was 27 at the time. Yeah, that is a difference of 15 years. They have now completed 8 years of togetherness, including 2 years of dating. They are also raising Demi’s ex-hubby Bruce Willis’ three daughters together.

Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas
Yes, this is something unique; super sexy actress Catherine Zeta Jones married Hollywood biggie Michael Douglas in 2000. Even after 11 years of marriage they still make an ideal family with their children Dylan and Carys. They were both born on 25th of September, though their birthdays are 25 years apart. Zeta-Jones was 30 and Douglas 55 when they got married.

Hugh Hefner and Crtystal Harris
We are not sure about Hugh Hefner. We mean we cannot say what he does is purely love or purely lust. What we know is the Master Playboy was roaming with his fiancee Crystal Harris who is 60 years younger than him. Though his 6th partner ditched him just 5 days before wedding on June 14 2011, they had an age difference of 60 years at time of engagement. Harris started dating in 2009, when she was 23 and Hefner was 83 before they got engaged in December 2010.

Harrison Ford and Calisa Flockhart
They had 22 years between them when they started dating in 2002. They eventually married in 2010 and is also raising Calisa’s adopted son Liam together. Harrison divorced his ex-wife Melissa Mathison giving away $85 million in their divorce. Indiana Jones has proved that even money cant come between love.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
It’s always nice to see the handsomest hero and cutest heroine together. In real life, the delight gets doubled. Though we will not read age difference on Tom Cruise’s face, the fact is that he is 16 years older than his wife. Tom was 42 and Katie was 26 at the time of engagement. Tom Cruise married Holmes in November 18, 2006 at the Odescalchi Castle in Lake Bracciano, Italy. They have a child named Suri, born in April 2006.

In India, Cricket and Cinema are blended into the lives of ]]> Vighnesh Nagathan

In India, Cricket and Cinema are blended into the lives of its citizens. And in very recent times they have made encroachments into each other’s territory in a major way. With film stars more interested in IPL franchises, they are more seen in stadiums than on the silver screen. As if that wasn’t enough, vivacious regional film industries are now vying each other forming their own cricket teams.

The tryst of Bollywood with cricket had, in fact, started many years ago. Many films depicting aspiring cricketers and their fate and luck have made the cash registers tingle. Bollywood frequently pulls out stories related to the passionate game, thereby offering cocktail movies that have become runaway hits. Here we have a list of the most popular cricketing movies.

Lagaan

Lagaan has added the element of Indian national spirit to the game and filmdom. This inspiring tale is set in a rustic village during the British Rule in India. Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan plays the main protagonist, who urges his fellow men fight against spiteful tax rules through a game of cricket. He convinces them to learn and play the game of cricket for a bet against the British, at the stake of reducing their huge Lagaan (tax).The film has been crafted by the talented Ashutosh Gowariker, who continued to make national integrity based films. One high point of the flick is music composed by the inimitable AR Rahman. The film was a huge hit and was also nominated for the Academy Awards. It imparted significance of resilience, spirit, inspiration and team work to its viewers.

Iqbal

Iqbal is one of the major films which opened a commercial entry to the eminent director Nagesh Kukunoor. The average Indian teenager’s love and passion for cricket is depicted in the flick. However the story is given a different platform – with a deaf and dumb boy (Shreyas Talpade) from a secluded Indian village, surpassing all hurdles to achieve his desire, to play for the Indian National Cricket Team. The story has a convincing narration and is handled sensitively to strike a chord with the Indian audience. Iqbal did succeed at the theatres mainly with its mouth to mouth publicity. Nagesh Kukunoor’s Iqbal depicts the sports along with the politics that come with it.

Patiala House

Patiala house is a very recent example of the film of this genre. The film has Akshay Kumar in the lead role opposite Anushka Sharma. It is said to have inspired from the life of English Spinner Montey Panesar. The film deals with the issues of racism and double identity. Cricket is used a medium to show the conflict of the dichotomies that makes a family migrate to foreign land. Akshay Kumar enacts the character of a bowler who is passionate about cricket and aspires to play for England, thereby conflicting his father’s traditional values, family ties and ethics. The film did moderately well at the box office.

Awwal Number

Aamir Khan had started his rendezvous with cricket-based stories very early on in his career, in this film directed by Dev Anand. Awwal Number was more concerned with sports based jealousy, passion, love and the spirit of the game. Awwal Number gave preference to the dirty side of cricket – like, jealousy and revenge – than the game. The story revolves around a new star Sunny (Aamir Khan) included in the cricket team in place of another famous star Ronny (Aditya Pancholi). Ronny’s hatred against Sunny forms the crest of the story. However, Awwal Number was also ridiculed for the unlikely ‘masala’ content the director had stuffed into the film.

Dil Bole Hadippa

This cricket movie is thoroughly intended to entertain the audience with all the formulas like vivid Punjabi spirit, national pride, NRIs who find their love for India, Bhangra, and a spunky female lead character who plays a male. This Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee starrer revolves around a game played to strengthen peace between two neighboring states. The USP is that, the heroine of film, Veera (Rani ) a die hard cricket fan who aspires to play for her nation, dresses up as a guy to make it to the team. It succeeded in capturing the spirit of the game and sportsmanship (or sportsladyship?). It has romance, songs, and situation comedies (created by the male disguise of Rani.) A wholesome entertainer movie spiced with cricket and romance.

Hattrick

This multi-starrer by Milan Luthria is a sweet film which you can enjoy with your family and friends. It deals with three different lives, which is intertwined with cricket. Though the film pays no direct tribute to the game, cricket itself forms the main character of film.

Some 25 years back, a recurring topic for essay-writing in ]]> OPINION/ Sreekumar Bhattathiri

Some 25 years back, a recurring topic for essay-writing in schools and colleges was: “A day without newspapers’’. In those days one couldn’t imagine a day without having the pleasure of going through one’s daily newspapers. It was then. What about now?

Haven’t you noticed nowadays that a day without newspapers is far better, qualitatively, than other days in which we willy-nilly, egged on by the force of habit, read the papers?

Why this difference? Have today’s news items become so cheap and mean? Has news presentation become so insipid? Or, is it that today’s life has become so uninteresting and abominable for men who think, and those who value morals and nobility?

It is the cumulative effect of all these factors that makes our present-day newspapers so dull and negative. Father raping his own daughter, competition in liquor gulping, hurling of explosive expletives between political parties, or different factions of the same party, antisocial activities in different garbs — these fill the lion’s share of newspapers’ space.

Nobody is giving any convincing answer to any of these questions: How does the quarrel between Achuthanandan and Pinarayi factions affect the common man? Who is bothered about which town takes the cake for drinking the maximum liquor, Karunagappally, or Chalakkudy? A father who has raped one daughter won’t be having any qualms in raping his second daughter. So will it make any news?

News and newspapers should be edifying, ennobling, strengthening, purifying. They have a great social responsibility. Playing to the gallery or playing up stories for sensationalism should not be their aim. If this negative trend goes on, the subscribers have only one option: stop subscribing to such newspapers.

Due to force of habit, this is no easy thing. But, through constant trials, this is possible. Now that we have mobile phones and Internet, knowing what is happening around us is no problem. Do it and dispense with newspapers. Newspapers and news establishments may not improve with your boycotting them. But you will. Definitely.

Think.

(The writer is a senior journalist based in Kerala)

Protests at the Wall Street are creating ripples across the ]]> OPINION/ Aditya Divakaran

Protests at the Wall Street are creating ripples across the globe. Occupy Wall Street (OWS), a non leadership, demand-less protest against the monopoly of financial system by corporate and other lobbyist has had repercussions around the globe just in a mater of a month of its starting.

This movement has gathered support unofficially by Adbusters a Canadian-based not-for-profit, anti-consumerist, pro-environment organization. However, many other activist groups have joined later on.

OWS is an outright people-powered movement that began on September 17, 2011, in Liberty Square in Manhattan’s Financial District.
It has currently inspired similar protests in over 100 more cities in the United States including NYC. OWS protesters claim that this is the fight back of majority of the US populace, against major banks and multinational corporations, degrading the democratic system. Wall Street corporate and investment bankers are accused of playing major role in the recent recession. This is due to their role in directing the impact of recession solely on the US population and keeping their pockets safe.

The activists make it clear that they have been inspired by recent popular uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia. They are enraged by how the wealthiest one percent of the population is bending rules in their favor, thereby harming the global economy and future of the citizens. The protest till date has been peaceful and legal.

With the world economy predicted to witness yet another recession, the protest aims at sweeping away the corporate greed and lobbying climbing up the ladder. Social and economical inequality have created a vast void between rich and poor in the world, it is felt.

The movement has opened doors in many countries in Europe and Asia as well. Though the movement represents the sentiments of “we are the 99%”, it shamelessly lacks an alternate ideology or solutions for the change. It can be more described as a united sulk than a productive initiative.
Inspired by the Egyptian revolution of 2011 for democracy, this one wants to cut rising unemployment, anemic economic growth and inadvertent impacts of wars fought by the US. With high hopes about guaranteed economic growth by the freshly elected president turned out disappointing, citizens feel that their rulers are numb to their troubles.

However, this is a new type of movement, which the protesters have tactfully targeted on the private park grounds near the influential Wall Street.
European countries are right away inspired by this stride against greed and corruption. The streets of Madrid were packed with thousands Indignados (indignant) activists to protest against cutbacks to health and education spending, unemployment and corporate greed as part of a global day of protest.
This also motivated alike movements in Greece, Rome and Frankfurt. China also witnesses its people disparaging centralized wealth in Hong Kong.
However, India is most unlikely to witness such a mass movement as the country has already seen a definite movement against corruption under the leadership of Anna Hazare.
More than 1500 cities in 82 countries around the globe are currently witnessing protests. On October 15 around one month after the start of protest, remonstrations were held from North and South America to Asia, Africa and Europe as part of a global day of action.
Many famous personalities who has come forward supporting the movement includes Naomi Klein, Julian Assange, Michael Moore, Glen Beck and many more.

Though the reasons for the protest are wide and clear, the aim of the protest still seems vague. Another main back-puller is lack of a bolstering leadership and an endpoint to protest. Likelihood for this movement for being another one of the urge to-part-of-making-history movement cannot be neglected as well.
Even though the movement has garnered attention and support from American citizens, confusions regarding the ado are still lingering in their psyche, which can be counter-productive.