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The Hunting Party

PIX, Sunday, 8 p.m.

On the fifth anniversary of the end of the civil war in Bosnia, former hot-shot reporter Simon Hunt (Richard Gere) mysteriously shows up, five years after imploding on live television and disappearing into a self-imposed exile. Reunited with his cameraman, Duck (Terrence Howard), who has been promoted to a cushy studio gig working with anchorman Franklin Harris (James Brolin), Simon convinces Duck to go on a dangerous journey to get an interview with the wanted war criminal known as The Fox (Ljubomir Kerekes).A Walk To Remember

WB, Saturday, 8 p.m.

Directed by Adam Shankman, this film stars Shane West and Mandy Moore. Landon Carter recalls his senior year in high school and a girl, Jamie Sullivan, — serious, self-confident and strong in faith — who does not concern herself with peer pressure. When circumstances force these two opposites together, Landon and Jamie discover that the power of love can transform an ordinary life into one worth living.No Reservations

HBO, Saturday, 9 p.m.

Starring Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart, this romantic drama is a remake of the German film “Mostly Martha”. Kate is the fiery culinary star of a chic Manhattan eatery when tragedy intervenes and she is left to care for her nine-year-old niece. Meanwhile, her boss has gone behind her back and hired a handsome sous chef. Can these two new “ingredients” form the confection that sweetens her food-obsessed life?

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This upcoming LG phone will sport a revolutionary cube-like interface. Searching through contacts and multimedia will not be boring anymore; LG has come up with an intuitive and life-like touch-based 3D menu to take the fuss out. With multiple faces,the cube allows for four times more shortcuts than a single screen, making menus easier to access. Reel Scrolling lays out menus as if they were on a film reel. In fact, dragging a finger across the cube interface might be a lot of fun. In order to make fast and smooth transitions possible between menus, LG is packing a powerful AMD processor too.

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Deepika Padukone has a lot in her kitty

photo: Sandeep SaxenaPretty and poised Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone combines the zest of a school girl with the elegance of a film star.Stunning in a black halter top and a pair of jeans, a couple of inches of heels accentuating her 5’9” height, she effuses an easy charm.

Talking about her impressive stint as a model and the dream break in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer “Om Shanti Om”, she says it was not a journey without hassles.

“It is unfair to say I had it easy…that I got into films after just two years of modelling. I have worked really hard. Different people have to undergo different kinds of struggle,” adds Deepika.

The daughter of badminton ace Prakash Padukone, Deepika was always given the freedom to choose what is right for her.

“I played badminton till I was in Class X; then took a break for my boards. Later, I realised I didn’t want to play badminton as a profession,” says Deepika.

Now on her own — flitting through cities, signing movies, doing commercials, walking the ramp — Deepika remembers her childhood in Bangalore. “Even though my parents were working, they dropped me to school, picked me up for badminton classes…in fact, they took me to all the different classes I was attending,” she recalls.

Though, it now takes the “effort of taking a flight” to go home, Deepika loves that effort. “It is important for me to be in touch with people with whom I began and be with family. They keep me grounded,” she says.Realistic aspirations

Modelling may have snowballed into movies, that too to a resounding blockbuster, but Deepika keeps her aspirations realistic.

“I am just a little more than a year old in the industry. I am still learning. It is important to set realistic targets.”

However, she adds with a chuckle, “‘Om Shanti Om’ is…More

The Hindu : y>Vijay Abhimanyu has to be credited for giving south Indian cuisine a new posh and spicy look, writes NIKHIL VARMA

Photos: Murali kumar k.SOUTH OF THE VINDHYAS Vijay Abhimanyu’s restaurants try to take south Indian food beyond the idly-dosa routine

Vijay Abhimanyu, the 21-year-old owner of the Billon Smiles Hospitality Group that manages the South Indies and Bon South restaurants in the city looks like a man in a hurry. He is eager to talk about his ventures and says, “I come from a family of entrepreneurs, who are running small eateries across Tamil Nadu.”

“I always felt a need for the concept of South Indian food to move beyond the regular eateries and Darshinis. There is a massive gulf in the genre of south Indian restaurants, with nothing of repute above the regular Shanti Sagar and other such small eateries. These places serve good food, but do not provide an ambience that will make patrons enjoy the experience of dining.”

He adds, “We felt that the concept of fine dining should also be introduced in south Indian food. Most of the eateries are run in an old-world style, where the customer is ignored, the waiting staff is treated shabbily and paid poorly. We decided to create a new model, where the ambience is very contemporary, the waiting staffers are courteous and great food is served. The response has been tremendous and we plan to start more restaurants across the country soon.”The need for south with style

“My father used to face many problems, since he could not take his clients out for a nice south Indian meal, since most fine dining restaurants dished out only Mediterranean and European fare. ”

Vijay says that his father, a technology consultant by profession, but an entrepreneur at heart, helped set up the business. “I came up with the business proposition when I was 18, and my dad liked…More

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Frenchman Frederic Brun is overwhelmed by the traffic and the terror strikes

Photo: Murali Kumar k.GREEN PREEN Frederic Brun

Fredric Brun came to Bangalore in February 2008, after taking up an assignment as Chief Operation Officer of JC Decaux Advertising. He was initially apprehensive, but feels that his ‘India experience’ has been complicated, but fun.

With a board smile, Frederic, a French citizen says, “Life in India is very different from France. The streets are full of people and bustling with activity. There is a vibrant mix of religion. Ethnic groups live together peacefully and participate in each other’s festivals and rituals. You can see completely different social groups interacting with each other every day.”Daily jostle

He explains, “I have seen small cycles managing to wrestle for space with huge BMW’s on the roads. Bangalore also offers numerous options for hanging out with friends, ranging from exclusive areas like the mall in UB city to the numerous malls and market places that serve the youngsters better.”

Frederic feels very much at home in Bangalore. “I have enjoyed my stay here. The people are nice and very helpful. I love the weather, as it reminds me of the climate in southern France. The cultural scene is diverse and very interesting. I also like the green cover of the city, which makes it more beautiful than concrete jungles like Hyderabad and Mumbai.”

Like most Bangalore residents, he has issues with the traffic and the bad condition of roads. “Commuting is a major hassle in the city. You are forced to reschedule meetings occasionally, to ensure that traffic does not play spoilsport. An efficient public transport system is needed in Bangalore.”

He feels the city has undergone many changes over the past few years, with a sudden population influx. “The infrastructure has not been able to keep pace, resulting in these issues. I feel in due course, Bangalore will…More

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I am a wife, a home-schooling mom trying to keep up with three kids (ages three, 12, 15), raw milk drinker and local produce eater, wanna-be hippy earth mother, thinker and dreamer…” Not surprisingly, ‘Another Piece Of The Pie’ throws up some fascinating old-fashioned, astonishingly healthy, sometimes even disconcerting recipes.

Like her daughter’s favourite smoothie. It has oatmeal, spinach, banana, blueberries, kefir, cinnamon and — hold your breath — fish oil.

“I know, here’s where you go, eeew! But it’s just a teaspoonful and you can’t even tell it’s in there. Don’t go overboard though or it will taste peculiarly fishy. It’s a sneaky way of getting in your essential fatty acids. Google it if you want more info… I could do an entire post on fish oil. Maybe I will. Later.” Apparently the blueberries and spinach give the smoothie a “nice greenish, purply colour.”

She adds that “It does taste better than the colour looks. But my almost four-year-old thinks the green colour is cool.

It’s like magic when it starts blending and the colour emerges…. The beauty of smoothies is that you can customise it and add, or not add, whatever you choose.

But I think that this particular smoothie shows that you can add a few odd things, like oatmeal, spinach and fish oil, get some great health benefits, and it still tastes good.

So go ahead, sneak some healthy stuff in your next smoothie.”

Sample some of the best blogs on food from around the world here

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Google has worked up a new interface for the next Android phone – the HTC Magic. Learning from the iPhone, Google has managed to sort a few issues with the second interface – it will come with video recording capabilities and Bluetooth connectivity which was not formerly available on G1. The updated version of the Android OS might also be available on the G1 soon.

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Ingredients

Paneer (mashed): 300 gm

Boiled potato (mashed): 200gm

Soft cheese: 100 gm

Chopped green chilly (chopped): 5 gm

Onions (chopped) :20 gm

Green coriander (chopped) : 5 gm

Ginger (chopped): 5 gm

Chef Rajneesh Gandhi, the Executive Sous Chef of The Leela Palace Kempinski, Bangalore, began his career in the kitchen at the age of 21. Since then Chef Gandhi has worked in some of the finest establishments in the Middle East and India.Chef Gandhi has 20 years of experience with expertise in Indian, Pan Asian, Western and Lebanese cuisines, including bakery and pastry. “Our Mission is to create the finest dining experiences and memories for our guests” says Chef Gandhi.

Cornstarch: 75gm

Oil: 150 ml

Salt: to tasteMethod

In a bowl mix the mashed paneer and potato, adding salt to it.

Add the corn starch to it and keep it aside

In another bowl mix the soft cheese, onion, chilly, ginger and green coriander together and keep it aside

Take the paneer mix and make ball of 75 gm each

Stuff the soft cheese mixture in the balls and flatten in a patty shape

In a pan heat oil and shallow fry the patty and serve hot with mint chutney

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Its official – the second generation Touch Diamond and Touch Pro will be the next to get the new Windows Mobile interface. This time around, Microsoft has worked on a more touch-friendly rendition. Microsoft has finally done away with its traditional grid-like interface and come up with much finger friendly applications. With the redesigned menu, navigating through a WinMo handset might be fun, for a change! Microsoft also promises a richer browsing experience. The new WinMo home screen keep you up-to-date with its unique dashboard-like experience to items such as new e-mails, texts, missed calls and calendar appointments, making it easy to take action with a finger.

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There’s a huge variety at the Olive Beach buffet. By the time you get to the last dish, you are ready to hibernate

Luxurious From starters to dessert every morsel is a feast for the senses

If you plan to brunch at Olive Beach, skip dinner the previous night.Switch off your mobile and pamper yourself. Olive Beach plays some great Mexican music and with a classy ambience, it is the perfect place for that lazy Sunday noon.

Eating at Olive Beach means an absolutely no to a hurried meal. You can tuck into the maximum, from noon till 3.30 p.m. As the food is served in a buffet you begin by just going around admiring the lovely colours that nature literally offers you on a platter.

Before helping ourselves from the buffet or the live counter we treat ourselves to a white Jamaican martini (a coconut-based one) and green apple martini. This we have with a corn salad (combination of fresh corn kernels, with diced coloured peppers, zucchini lemon, olive oil and fresh herbs) and hot pizzas that are served at your table.

The starters itself offer such a wide range that discovering the varied flavours take almost an hour. Something worth mentioning is the wild rice. This long-grained black coloured rice grows wild in the United States and is highly nutritious. High in protein and dietary fibre, and fairly hard to come by, makes it expensive, explains chef Manu. “It needs to be boiled for a long time to cook it through. Wild rice is often combined with expensive Basmati in the west to make pilaffs,” he explains. The dish is bland and it takes a while to get used to its subtle flavour. The name and the colour is what draw you to it.

If you want to have the soup, you have to work out the combination that you like the best from…More