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The Hindu : Let the music play onRoot for your favourite at the Grammy AwardsIt’s Grammy time again when the biggest stars in the music industry gather to celebrate music’s biggest night. The 50th Annual Grammy Awards will be telecasted live on Star World on February 11, 6.30 a.m. from the Staples Centre in Los Angeles.Grammys’ 2008 nominations include hip-hop whiz kid Kanye West as he tops the list with eight nominations while British soul sensation Amy Winehouse scored six. Star World also presents My Night at the Grammys’ – an episode that relives the best moments from the past at 8 p.m. Grammy winners Melissa Etheridge, Faith Hill and Alicia Keys will count down the Top 25 favourite Grammy moments, as voted on by viewers with the stories behind the moments as told by the artists themselves. The telecast will also include a montage of acceptance speeches over the years….More

The Hindu : Screams and riffsThe denim and leather gangis still a name to reckon withTaking its name from the medieval torture device, Iron Maiden was part of England’s late-70s crop of heavy-metal bands that boasted simple guitar riffs, bone-crunching chording and shrieking vocals.Formed in 1976 by Steve Harris and Dave Murray, the first incarnation of Iron Maiden was inspired by the do-it –yourself punk ethos, and the group released an EP, The Soundhouse Tapes, on its own label, Rock Hard Records.Iron Maiden, the band’s 1980 Capitol debut album, was pure, unadulterated screaming heavy metal.It went to Top 5 in Britain, the following year’s Killers made # 12. America, however, was slower to embrace the denim-and leather-clad group, which distinguished itself from its peers with unusually literate songs (written by Harris) full of hellish imagery (Children of the Dammed) their themes borrowed from films (The Number of the Beast) inspired by “The Omen-II” and ancient mythology (Flight of Icarus). Maiden was certainly one of the few bands of any genre to employ a mascot, a 10- foot rotting corpse named Eddie.The Number of the Beast, featuring new vocalist Bruce “Air Raid Siren” Dickinson, topped the LP chart in Britain and initiated a streak of seven consecutive platinum or gold albums in the U.S., despite virtually no radio or TV exposure.The follow-up, 1983’s Piece of Mind, went to #14, Somewhere in Time made # 11. Beginning with Seventh son of a seventh Son, sales began to slip, In 1990 Adrian Smith, who came aboard in 1980, left to form A.S.A.P. with drummer Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr. Janick Gers took his place in time to record No prayer for the Dying, Maiden’s last album to go gold in the U.S.. It contained Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter, a song originally recorded by Dickinson alone for the Nightmare on Elm Street, part 5 soundtrack.Iron Maiden has weathered its…More

The Hindu : There will be no Sania Mania at the Bangalore Open starting on March 3. In what could be a major setback for the mega show of women’s tennis in the country, Sania’s decision not to play at home as it leads to “problems” has been met with various reactions.Explaining her decision at a media meet in Hyderabad she saidthat the difficult decision was being taken on the advice of her managers at Globosport., which incidentally is run by Mahesh Bhupathi, a-ten time Grand Slam doubles champion.Bhupathi, according to media reports, maintained that the Sania’s stand was not a permanent one, but felt “it was better for her not to play at home for some time.”Dogged by controversyNo one doubts that Sania had been under immense mental pressure and under the scanner for all wrong reasons. From her on court outfits to her alleged comments on pre-marital sex, from the location of an ad shoot to showing disrespect to the Indian flag during the Hopman Cup at Perth, the 21-year-old has had controversies flying at her faster than Venus Williams thundering aces.Sania, who was seriously contemplating quitting tennis while she was in the thick of action at the Australian Open, must have felt enough was enough.Wiser counsel did prevail then and Sania gave a good account of herself at the Australian Open, reaching the third round in singles and entered the final of the mixed doubles with Mahesh Bhupathi.Nobody had really doubted her intentions of playing at the Bangalore Open. It was almost taken for granted that she would play at Bangalore, where she enjoyed a huge following and support whether she won or not.Last year for instance, there were more people watching her practise on the outside court, than there were for matches on the main courts inside! Over 100 children turned up for a clinic organised by the KSLTA and most children came to…More

The Hindu : The retail boom in India is a reality — the escalating number of malls and the rise in the number of Indian and foreign brands opening shops are definite pointers. But has that meant more profit, has this increased the customer base, or is there a case of mismatch of supply and demand? At the just-concluded two-day India Fashion Forum in Mumbai, the captains of the retail industry discussed these issues and the challenges the sector is facing, in the presence of a corporate audience that was as eager to learn as to ask questions.The largely untapped Indian consumer base has become the latest target of foreign retailers. “We believe in the country and the potential it has to grow,” said Troels Holch Povlsen, Chairman, Best Seller. The group’s men’s apparel brand Jack & Jones will hit the Indian market this year.However, B. Nagesh, Managing Director, Shopper’s Stop, commented at the CEO’s Conclave if people’s spending power has increased, and the market too is growing, why are many retail organisations not registering profits?Plenty of reasons were offered. For a country that is as diverse as India, it is difficult for a marketer to have one common strategy. And concepts that click with people abroad are not necessarily applicable to Indians as well. Said Aaron Boey, Managing Director, Levi’s (Asia Pacific), “Indians don’t like fashion to be thrust upon them.”Kishore Biyani, CEO, Future Group, seconded this thought. “Designers look westwards for inspiration but the need is to look inwards. We have to take into account the aspiration of the small town.” Numbers only substantiated the contention. Ireena Vittal, Head, Retail Practice, Mc Kinsey & Co, pointed out how when itcame to women’s wear,60 per cent of the market share was stillwith the sari, 38 per cent women still bought churidar or salwar-kameez, while western clothesheld only two per cent of the share.This pointed to the issue…More

The Hindu : Innocent shootout?Everyone and everything seems to perpetrate violence – you only have to look around to see it. War movies, violent propaganda, cartoons, video games, street rage, domestic violence and so on.The American Academy of child and adolescent psychiatry reported that when children watch violent-related media, they may become numb or immune to the horror of violence, gradually accept violence as a way to solve problems, imitate the violence they observe on television; and identify with certain characters, victims and/or victimisers.Keeping this in mind, we all thought the horror of Columbine and other campus-related violence will never affect our children because of the control of gun-licenses. But children still can find access to guns like we have seen, or use air-guns, bats, knives or other easily available devices.What is the solution to curb growing aggressiveness in our young minds? We as parents should pay attention to the programs children watch, remove TV sets from the child’s bedroom, tell them that the character who has been perpetrated with violence, would, in real life be seriously injured or can die, that violent behaviour is not the way to resolve a problem and discuss these problems with other parents.There should be more communication and openness between parents, children and teachers. Parents should particularly have a larger role in teaching their children and being involved with their problems. The school is also responsible.AtulSoftware engineerMovies are so full of violence these days and are very easily accessible. Children are greatly influenced by movies. And most of the film stars practise violence in their real life – which children also get to know – so there is a double impact on them.ArunSoftware engineerThe only way to control the use of violence in children is by censorship of movies. Also, if children are afraid to tell their parents and peers about ragging or bullying, necessary steps have to be taken like having…More

The Hindu : T.G.I. Friday’s is all set to entice your taste buds with the authentic flavours of the “Wild Wild West”. Friday’s is featuring “Western Flavours and Cowboy Spirit” with the introduction of T.G.I. Friday’s Cowboy Grill. There will be delicious cowboy inspired items for a pure gastronomic experience. The new Cowboy Grill menu is meant for those who want to live out their fantasies of the Wild West by enjoying a meal that explores mouth-watering steaks, roasted chicken and campfire treats. Dig into the Ranch Style BBQ Tenderloin Sandwich, a tasty combination of BBQ sliced tenderloin, Colby cheese and frizzled onions over toasted ciabatta bread served alongside Friday’s signature fries and a crisp pickle spear, priced at Rs. 330. The Country Chicken Fried Chicken is the real thing. Authentic chicken fried chicken is served with hearty country gravy; cheddar cheese mashed potatoes and grilled corn on the cob is priced at Rs. 350.Even the best chuck wagon cook can’t beat the taste of Friday’s Roasted BBQ Chicken – roasted half chicken served with cheddar cheese mashed potatoes and aside of BBQ sauce, for Rs. 375. The Cowboy Grill menu is topped off with a sweet treat. What better way to curb a sweet tooth after a hearty meal than with the legendary Cowboy dessert, the Campfire S’More Cake, priced at Rs. 250. Applicable taxes are extra.To experience Western flavours and the Cowboy Spirit visit T.G.I. Friday’s at No.1, Airport Road. Call 25210570/71….More

The Hindu : When Arun Khopkar, well known documentary filmmaker and winner of some 15 National Awards, breaks into ‘birah’ songs of Rabindra Sangeet, or imitates veteran painters and actors to perfection, his shift from mathematics to arts seems truly justified. If one moment he can be spotted reading a book on profound thoughts the next moment, his jokesreveal the child in him.Khopkar was spotted at the Second National Film Festival on Art and Artists conducted by JDCA at Bhubaneswar. He showed his documentary, “Colours of Absence” at the fest.Khopkar is known for his perfection and persistence in the films he makes. Though he rues that funds are hard to come by for making documentaries, he does manage to get some corporate funding for his films, on his own conditions. “Corporate houses have no idea of filmmaking and no sense of public cause. When some enlightened administrators like Lalit Mansingh and Pavan Verma sponsored my documentary films, I felt free to work.”That also has a lot to do with what Khopkar makes a film on and how. “I never work on a bound script. Sometimes, I don’t even have a script. I do proper research. For instance, when I made a film on Leela Samson, my notes on 16 beats ran into 200 pages. And the plotting of the dance took me three months. To highlight ‘Varnam’ I used two kinds of lights; for compact spaces of abhinaya and scenes.”A documentary for Khopkar is a work of art. So it shouldn’t be made from the point of view of serving a purpose. “If you create a work of art for a purpose, it won’t last. If you create it out of love, it will last till eternity. It’s like planting a tree or bearing a child out of love. See, the images of Buddha were not created for any purposes, they were created out of love and so…More

The Hindu : Come sun or rain, everyone’s game for some coffee. But whatever happened to our good old tea? Have the newer forms and contemporary avatars of coffee posed a threat to the age old chai? Or do you still prefer your black tea over the frothy cappuccino?“Coffee drinking has doubtlessly become the latest fad, especially for youngsters,” says hotelier Rupesh Chopra. What surprises him is the fact that although “instant” coffee can be made at home, people do not even consider this an alternative to stopping by at a crowded café a whole kilometer away!Jharna Jethani, a business management student says when it comes to her preference, “Coffee wins hands down!” Elsa Fernandes, another student also votes for mocha for the taste factor. Athletes like 19-year-old Elizabeth Mathew feel that comparatively coffee is the perfect energiser. Ashutosh Bannerjee, a call centre employee, says: “Coffee is a must have since we are expected to stay awake all night and attend to our clients.” For many students, mugs of coffee are a ‘necessity,’ especially the night before an exam. Although most of these people do not mind drinking tea, coffee has become the popular choice as several believe coffee to be the more upmarket drink when compared to tea. Nevertheless, tea does have its loyalists. Pramod Giri, an anaesthetist, says: “I personally favour a cup of tea, mostly because it does not cause acidity like coffee does.”“Too much caffeine can result in dehydration, irritability and ugly stained teeth,” informs nutritionist Tanuja Rao. “A cup of green tea does me a world of good everyday,” she adds.Just because a teeming majority of teenagers consider coffee to be the “in-drink,” does it imply that they reckon tea is meant only for older people? The jury is still out on this one. “It would be incorrect to say that the tea drinking population consists of only oldies,” says tea stall owner…More

The Hindu : When a Bangalore-based businessman tried to rent an apartment in Chennai, he hit a wall. “Bizzie?” said the landlords. “Will he pay the (mercurial-by-the-month) rent regularly?” The BBB hit back. He dangled a borrowed ID fromneck, hid the plastic in pocket and knocked at doors. “You are in IT?” smiled property owners before handing over the keys. The Bizzie’s friend heard it, used the same modus operandi to enter an exclusive, by-invitation-only exhibition for techies. Ribbon around neck, he walked through. No one stopped him.A small card wrapped in plastic, clipped to a length of ribbon. Banded ID is the new passport, permit, door-opener. It’s worn with pride, with disgust, with habit, and ha, with not-so-pure intent. It’s a cell-phone on silent mode.Look what this piece of hanging paper does. Gives an identity to the wearer, signals viewers he’s employed, responsible, has a home and address. It sends a strong message: “I work for a company, trust me.” But KG children need it? “Yes,” saidVelumani, Vice-Principal, Sai Vivekananda Vidyalaya. “The phone number and address on it reach the child home if he strays, the blood group helps if he has to be hospitalised. Security staff and drivers recognise them.” Why do teachers wear it? “Because the children do,” replied a KG teacher.Why do drivers sport it? “Helps at police check points after late night shifts,” said Mani from G.K. Call Drivers. Volunteers at NGOs? “A sense of belonging however temporary it may be.” So there. It’s a universal stamp of belonging and approval. For men from man-power agencies. For fly-by-the-stairs couriers. Annual maintenance guys. Salesgirls. Journos. Genuine workers. Non-genuine posers. The unionised and the unemployed. Who doesn’t? A shadowing private detective?The ID moon has its dark side. The homemaker opens the door, spots the hanging plastic and assumes the guy is genuine. Earlier, you asked for proof of a stranger’s claim. “EB? Telephones? You have…More