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The Hindu : y>AXN honours best Indian action films

Playing Host Neha Dhupia

AXN’s Action Awards return to honour the best in the Indian action film industry.

The glamorous actor Neha Dhupia will be the host once again.

AXN Action Awards 2009 claim to prescribe a strong dose of adrenaline. Get an exclusive look into this year’s awards with the curtain raiser show on May 17, 8 p.m.

Neha will reveal the nominations and list the biggest contenders as they slug it out to win in their category.

Nomination categories include Best Action Actor, Best Actor in a Negative Role, Best Director, Best Action Film and Best Action Sequence.

You can also find out how you can be a part of this year’s awards voting process to ensure your favourite action hit takes home the big prize.

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The Hindu : y>

Eka is presenting “Poetry in Wood”, carvings on wood with a 3D illusory effect in frames and wall art, with motifs inspired by nature, divinity and Indian art by Charuhas Pandit and Bhagyashree.

Date: Till May 24, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Venue: No. 19 Gangadhar Chetty Road, opposite RBANMs Grounds, near Ulsoor Lake

Contact: 25544371/ 25540876

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The Hindu :

Taiwanese Jessica Lin makes some smart observations

PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.GETTING A HANG OF LIFE Jessica Lin

Jessica Lin came to Bangalore from Kaoshiung, the second largest port city in Taiwan in September last year as part of AIESEC, the international students’ organisation.

She chose Bangalore as she realised that language would not be a problem. She said that now in Taiwan, unlike in her schooling days, English is taught right from elementary school. As part of AIESEC, she has met many young Indians. “They told me that I will find beauty in the chaos of life.” And yes, she has heard of India being about yoga, spirituality and finding one’s true self. “My first impression was marked by the airport and the shuttle bus ride to the Leela Palace from where we were picked up.”

As Jessica has also been to Egypt, the traffic, honking, foreigners being stared at and bargaining are situations that she has encountered earlier. Jessica works for a real estate team, ASIPAC Projects, in Malleswaram.

She has managed to travel quite a bit too in her months in India — Goa, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Coorg, Kerala, Chennai, Hampi, Mysore.

Jessica finds that Taiwanese are used to make-up and a level of fitness as there is more pressure on looks and body size. “Indians are definitely more comfortable and less conscious of their appearance.” In Indiathere is pressure to marry early. In Taiwan, many women get married only towards their late 20s or early 30s, she observes.

She misses the efficient round-the-clock public transport and visiting bookstores open 24/7 back home. She finds the Indian-Chinese food to be quite different from authentic Chinese food. “I have ingredients and make food with my flatmates.” She also notices that Indians being quite religious find it very surprising when one tells them that you don’t follow any religion.

She hopes that Indians would value…More

The Hindu : y>

http://rockinthestove.com/

What do you think rockers live on? A steady diet of caviar, champagne and bad behaviour? Not this “Punk Rock Martha Stewart”.

She eats, and will teach you how to eat everything from soy cutlets to homemade ravioli stuffed with a sweet and savoury Sweet Potato con Queso Fresco (a Mexican cheese).

A former rocker, she lived in several cities and playes in different bands. “In Boston, it was subways with Mary Lou Lord, in Baltimore, the riot girl band Womyn of Destruction, then finally landing in Durham, NC, with band mate / husband, David, to form Gerty! and Ex-Members.”

As for those mysterious soy cutlets? “I am going to start this off by saying that I have been seduced by this dish… The zest of the vinegar, the sweetness of those browned onions, the fragrant allspice. It’s all there. In one tantalizing bite after tantalizing bite.”

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

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The Hindu : y>

Nallasivan V. wins a meal voucher from Darbar

Readers are encouraged to send in their sightings: bloopers, UFOs or anything out of the ordinary they have snapped. Send your photographs tocaughtsnappingblr@gmail.com titled CaughtSnapping along with a caption, your address and contact number. The best photograph featured in this column wins a meal voucher for a couple from The Nawab, Hotel Solitaire every week.

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The Hindu : y>The Leela Palace offers a dim sum and sushi brunch

Dumplings and rice rolls At Zen

The Leela Palace will offer dim sum and sushi cocktail brunch every Sunday from May 3 at Zen.

You can choose from a variety of soups and salads and awide selection of desserts and wine, spirits and cocktails.

It is priced at Rs. 1,350 plus taxes.

It is served between 11.30 a.m. and 3.30 p. m.

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The Hindu : y>

Fox History and Entertainment, Saturday, 8 p.m.

Was Spartacus the dimple-chinned freedom fighter of Kubrick’s famous movie? This movie reveals Spartacus as he really was – a brilliant leader of a guerrilla band, but a flawed and indecisive human being. Anthony Flanagan stars as the slave who took on the Roman EmpireAmerican Idol Marathon

Star World, Saturday. 8 a.m.

The channel will air back-to-back episodes retracing the journey of one of Idol’s most popular contestants, Anoop Desai. Fans will be given a chance to revisit some of the 22-year-old’s most memorable Idol moments. Watch the final performance show on May 21 at 9 p.m. where the two remaining finalists battle it. The American Idol’s Season Eight Finale will be telecast on May 22.In the Womb – Dogs

National Geographic, Wednesday, 9 p.m.

From fertilization to birth, this episode follows three domesticated dogs and their single ancestor, the gray wolf. By following their foetal development the channel explores how closely related they are, as well as what it is that makes them so distinct.

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The Hindu : y>

Akuri is spicy scrambled eggs made in the Parsi style.

It consists of eggs, chopped chillies, onions, garlic, ginger and tomatoes cooked together on a frying pan until lightly set, but not dry.

Akuri is a traditional breakfast dish of the Parsis, and is usually eaten with pav or bread.

The great advantage of Akuri is that it is so simple to make, yet tastes delicious and makes for a filling meal. Great if you have to feed friends in a hurry.

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The Hindu : y>

Smriti Nandan Cultural Centre is presenting a talk on “A New Perspective on Consciousness” by Arun Madhavan, a theologian.

Date: May 16, 6 p.m.

Venue: Smriti Nandan Cultural Centre, Nanda-Deep, No. 15/3, Palace Road

Contact: 22258091 / 65979732

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The Hindu : MUKUND PADMANABHAN

Last week, a dozen of us, all friends, attended a two-day foundation course of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust based in London and conducted here by the Mumbai-based KBR School of Wine. It turned out to be, as instructor Matthew Castle promised, “outrageously easy”. (Having said this, we still need to pass an examination that will be held next week to earn that certificate.) Easy it may have been, but the wonderful thing about the course was the clarity with which it was structured, the presence of a range of wines for tasting, practical tests for food pairings, and the total absence of mystification. “In philosophical terms, conceived by an English empiricist rather than a French post-modernist,” one student remarked. I suspect he was right.

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When Sanjay Menon, one of the country’s most successful importers of fine wine (as possibly the most knowledgeable) extended a casual invitation for dinner, I hadn’t bargained for what was in store. He had planned every small detail of the meal that evening at Park Sheraton’s chic new grill On The Rocks. The starter was washed down with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (which I have had before) and the dessert was accompanied by a Hungarian Tokaji (the sweet wine which, at its best, can rival Sauternes).

But it was the two bold reds with the main course that demanded the most attention. The cult Super Tuscan Tignanello from the Antinori estate, a fabulous Bordeaux, full throttle in its flavour but infused with a great sobriety and restraint. The Cos d’Estournel we consumed was a 2 cru classe, but I discovered later that the Chateau is a “super second”, which means it produces wines which are nearly or every bit as good as those identified as premier crus (or first growths) under Bordeaux’s ancient and arguably outdated classification. And yes, I have saved the…More