Professional Documents
Culture Documents
10
SING IT LIKE
04
SINATRA
Jamie Foxx to play WINDOW-SHOPPER
Frank Sinatra Brass Tacks in Alwarpet
FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 92
Amit Varma
UNCUT
Here is another blogger who has
turned novelist. Amit Varma of ’India
Uncut’ blog is the latest to cross over
from the blogosphere to book shelves.
He was in the city to launch his
debut novel ’My Friend Sancho’.
» PAGE 03
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Wednesday, May 20, 2009
int dosas on
M int Street
For the last five decades the Shahs have made a mark in
Mint Street with their homemade delicacies
It was a V. HARIPRIYA &
MONISHA MOHANDAS
M
int Street buzzes with
life. It is said to be one of
F or the second year in succession, UST
Global hosted Bailemos 2009 – a
dance extravaganza that united
the longest streets in the
city. A trip through its
narrow lanes during the hot sum-
company mer is tiring. We walked past the
teams from across its centres in rickshawallas, vendors and criss-
Trivandrum, Kochi and Chennai. crossing vehicles in search of a
Bailemos’ is a unique event as associates hotel to refresh. That’s when we
display their dancing skills in a highly spotted Novelty Tea House,
charged and competitive environment which is close to Ekambareswarar
that is filled with fun. In an evening Temple. The hotel looks pretty
marked by intense competition, the first old from outside, but what
prize went to team ‘Zealers’ from caught our attention was the fad-
Chennai and the runners up to ‘Dazzling ed banner reading about its
Divas’ from Trivandrum. ‘Golden Jubilee Celebrations’
What I liked and enjoyed about the held last year. Since 1958: Novelty Tea House in Mint Street; (below) pav
event is that it strengthens team spirit The inside is air-conditioned bhaji and mango shell and orange shell ice-cream.
across departments and locations. Every with miniature ceiling fans, each PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
individual has innate talents. However, for a table, which
that gets buried among the busy came as a welcome lunch. Later on the shop was in- from 4.30 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. – in
working schedule. Bailemos brings out relief. The bulky me- herited by his son Jitendra Shah. contrast to its name.
the real you. The other highlight of the nu card,which had The specialties of the place are By the way, the kulfis and or-
evening was to see UST global managers items from medu va- its pav bhaji, pudina (mint) onion ange shell ice-cream were really
dance to the music of Jai Ho. da to pav bhaji to dosa and grilled sandwich, says good. ■
(Contributed by Remadevi, UST Global) pizza, came in as a Shah. “We started selling pav (Too Good for Critics is a
real surprise. We or- bhajis in 1978 at Rs. 2 per plate. weekly column to celebrate
dered two kulfis be- Now, it is sold at Rs. 40. Similarly, Namma Chennai’s ‘Kaiyendi
fore starting our pizzas were available since the Bhavans’ and small eateries. If
conversation with 1980s.” you can think of a similar place,
Raju Shah, caretaker “We prepare the masalas at mail us at feedback@goergo.in)
of the hotel. home. We never compromise on
Novelty Tea House was started the quality of the food,” he adds. How to get there: Take
in 1958 by Chandrakanth Shah, a Shah says that they add only the buses going to Mint.
native of Kutch, Gujarat, as a butter and ghee to make the del- The hotel is very close
small shop selling tea, coffee and icacies and for items which need to Ekambareswarar
biscuits. He then expanded it into frying they use oil. Interestingly, Temple.
a small hotel selling snacks and the hotel only sells tea or coffee Address: No. 175, Mint
Street, Chennai -3
Phone Nos: 25341103,
25356355
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
03
“Y
ou are welcome to throw a shoe at me,” he
winked, adding “I’ll become an instant celeb-
rity then”.
Mumbai blogger Amit Varma’s wit is not
very different from the protagonist of his first novel ‘My
friend Sancho,’ which he launched in the city on Mon-
day at Landmark, where he was in conversation with
blogger and poet Sharanya Manivannan.
Best known for his blog, www.indiauncut.com - ac-
claimed as one of the best blogs in the country, Amit
Varma’s column in The Mint won him the Bastiat Prize
for Journalism and he has also written for The Guardian
and The New York Times. But Amit maintains that his
first love remains fiction.
Dressed in a smart navy blue shirt and blue jeans, he
looked a tad nervous at the beginning; hunching for-
ward in his chair and constantly wiping his face. But as
the evening progressed, he had his audience engaged in
light chatter, entertaining them with funny answers and
expressive reading.
“Many people term me as a blogger-turned-novelist
but I don’t think my blog made me write a novel. I’ve
always wanted to write one. Journalism and blogging
just came along. But I have to admit, they improved my
writing to a great extent,” he exclaimed.
‘My friend Sancho’ is a contemporary love story set in “Many people term
Mumbai. It centers on Abhir Ganguly, a 23-year-old me as a blogger-
crime reporter who is sarcastic, cynical and ignorant. turned-novelist but I
His editor asks him to profile a man who is murdered
and for that purpose he meets his daughter Muneeza don’t think my blog
and falls in love with her. The change that she brings made me write a
about in him and how he writes the article forms the
crux of the story. novel. I’ve always
“Though Abhir being a journalist from Mumbai wanted to write
seems autobiographical, it isn’t. I just felt it was an in- one. Journalism and
teresting setting. A writer must always write about what
they know best. I did just that,” he said. blogging just came
The book launch was attended mostly by followers of along.”
his four-year-old blog and there was even a small be-
spectacled boy who hung on to Amit’s every word. But
most of them seemed alarmed by the fact that he wrote
t0he book entirely at night.
“Don’t take too much coffee. Tea has antioxidants
and something else that I don’t remember. Please drink
tea,” advised one sprightly man and while another look-
ing overtly concerned asked Amit “Sir, how is it possible
to live such a lifestyle.” To this Amit calmly said; “I’m
just living American time in India,” with a grin. ■
‘My friend Sancho,’ Hachette India’s first local title, is
available at major bookstores at Rs. 195.
L
ife was normal in Chennai parked inside the Arumbakkam police. The culprits were let off said that the men with their faces including Spencer Plaza.
even after media reports on and Velappanchavadi depot, da- after a warning, police sources covered shouted slogans as they A Special Action Group (SAG)
the death of LTTE supremo maging windshields and hea- added. went on rampage. has been deployed for additional
Vellupillai Prabhakaran dlights. Earlier on Sunday, over 10 men However, police said the attack security at key locations in the
started coming in from Sunday In another incident the same armed with clubs and iron rods was a repercussion of a quarrel city and also at the Sri Lankan
afternoon. However, minor inci- night, a group of college students damaged glass display windows between the Inox management High Commission on T.T.K. Road
dents of stone-pelting were re- pelted stones at the Tamil Nadu of showrooms in Chennai Citi and a group of men over the sell- and Bank of Ceylon on Poona-
ported in some parts till Tuesday Electricity Board Office on Anna Centre on R.K. Salai. ing of cinema tickets in black out- mallee High Road. ■
evening. Salai. Some members of the pub- The group even damaged the side the mall.
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Wednesday, May 20, 2009
TRACKING
Tacks
Brass
sy Monday afternoon, when our corner of the country – West Ben- Clothes come with surprises –
queries are occasionally punc- gal, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and ikkat kurta with knotted necks Brass Tacks
tuated by Anaka asking happy Orissa, to name a few. (Kolam Kurta), trenchcoat-style Address: 77/13,
customers to drop in their email Though the fabrics are indige- shirt inspired by Moroccan tile- Corporation Shopping
IDs or phone numbers so they nous, the silhouette is more west- work (Marrakesh trench shirt) or Complex,
could get updates on the store’s ern, more contemporary. “I cater bias dress with ruches and raw C.P. Ramaswamy Road,
future collections. to a different crowd. edges (Anahata). Alwarpet,
“I
don’t do super fancy. Anaka’s clothes are a new twist Not the crowd that is more in- Also, Anaka has been invited to Chennai – 600 018
There is no embellish- on the definition of Indo-Western clined towards wearing salwars sell her label from Hyderabad- Ph: 044 - 4208 1767
ment, no embroidery. fashion, a term that more often and kurtis, but people who are based Daram, a store run by Email:
Just good fabric, good fit than not reads ‘kurtis’. Here, more comfortable in jeans and t- Dastkar, a society for crafts and shop@brasstacksmadras.com
and good tailoring. And I want to there are tops, day dresses (even shirts.” She adds with emphasis, craftspeople. Website:
show that even with that one can classic LBDs for the evenings), “And I don’t do kurtis.” The young designer’s passion, www.brasstacksmadras.com
get a lot of really good clothes,” skirts, trousers, capris, tunics and Clothes at Brass Tacks are in her own words, is Store timings: 11 a.m.
says Anaka Narayanan pointing kurtas. And the clothes don’t available in sizes ranging from 0 textiles. “It kills to 8 p.m. (Open all days)
at the shelves. That sums up what come in knits, viscose or geor- to 14 or even 16. Alterations are me when peo-
one might expect at Brass Tacks. gette but are tailored out of fab- also done if you fail to fit into a ple think ikat
We visit Anaka’s store on a bu- rics sourced from every nook and ready size. is a print!” ■
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
b r i c s c o me in
nf a
a n d h a nd-wove
s
R o a d , i ndigenou ciated with them
y not asso
C . P . R a maswam e n e r a l l y
Tacks on and silhouettes g
At Brass styles
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
05
Prabhakaran
HIS LIFE, TIMES AND DEATH
F
rom Nov 26, 1954 to May 18, 2009 1992 (August): Sri Lanka’s northern
- the following is a chronological army command wiped out.
account of the life and times of 1992 (November): LTTE suicide
Velupillai Prabhakaran, the Ta- bomber riding motorcycle kills Sri
mil Tigers chief who was killed Mon- Lanka Navy chief Clancey Fernando.
day in the north of Sri Lanka: 1993: Sri Lankan President Prema-
1954 (Nov 26): Born in Jaffna in a dasa killed at May Day rally.
Hindu middle class family, the youn- 1993 (August): Arrests LTTE number
gest of two sons and two daughters. two Mahattaya on charges of being In-
1960-70s: Takes to militancy, in- dian spy, executes him in December
dulges in minor acts of violence. 1994.
1972: Forms Tamil New Tigers 1994: Agrees to talk to President
(TNT), flees home for good. Chandria Kumaratunga. Fighting
1975: Assassinates Jaffna Mayor halts.
Alfred Duriappah at Hindu temple. 1995: Sri Lankan presidential candi-
1976: TNT becomes Liberation Ti- date Gamini Dissanayake assassinat-
gers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). ed. Resumes war against for Tamil
1978: LTTE issues first press state- Eelam.
ment. 1995 (December): Loses Jaffna to Sri
1982: Arrested in Madras (now Lankan troops.
Chennai) after a shootout with a rival 1996 (July): LTTE slaughters 1,200
Tamil militant. Jailed, bailed, escapes soldiers and policemen in military
to Sri Lanka. complex in just 72 hours.
1983: Ambushes army patrol in Jaff- 1997-99: Takes control of large parts
na, killing 13 soldiers. Anti-Tamil riots of north and east in Sri Lanka.
sweep Colombo, leaving hundreds 1999 (December): President Kuma-
dead and igniting Tamil insurgency. ratunga escapes assassination at-
1983 (September): Moves to Tamil tempt, is blinded in one eye.
Nadu, sets up home in Chennai. LTTE 2000-01: Sri Lanka approaches Nor-
training camps come up in Tamil Na- way to facilitate peace talks with LTTE.
du. 2001 (July): LTTE suicide cadres This undated photograph released by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence reportedly
1984: Meets Tamil Nadu Chief Min- overrun Sri Lanka’s only international taken from a recovered family photo album of Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai
ister M.G. Ramachandran and seeks airport, destroys 13 aircraft. Prabhakaran (C) and his immediate family, including his son Charles Anthony (3rd R)
support. Marries Jaffna university stu- 2002 (February): Signs Norway-bro- at an undisclosed location. AFP PHOTO/GETTY
dent, fathers two sons and daughter. kered ceasefire agreement with Sri
1985 (May): Orders massacre of Lanka.
Buddhists in the holy town of Anurad- 2002 (April): Addresses Sri Lankan,
hapura, Sri Lanka. international media in Kilinochchi,
1986 (April-May): Orders slaughter says he will never give up Tamil Eelam
of Tamil militants from rival group TE- cause.
LO. 2003 (April): Walks out of Norway-
1987 (January): Quits India for good, backed peace process.
saying there is an attempt to kill him. 2004 (March): Faces revolt by LTTE
1987 (July): Meets Indian Prime eastern regional commander Karuna
Minister Rajiv Gandhi in New Delhi and hundreds of cadres in eastern
and says he accepts India-Sri Lanka province.
accord meant to end Tamil separat- 2005 (August): Sri Lankan Foreign
ism. Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar shot
1987 (August): Gives speech in Jaff- dead by LTTE sniper.
na, saying "We love India", but tells 2006 (April): Army General Sarath
aides he will teach India a lesson for Fonseka badly hurt in attack by wom-
betraying Tamil Eelam cause. an suicide bomber.
1987 (October): Launches war 2006 (December): Defence Secretary
against Indian troops deployed in Sri Gothabaya Rajapaksa, brother of Pres-
Lanka’s northeast. ident Mahinda Rajapaksa, survives as-
1989 (April-June): Goes into peace sassination attempt
talks with Sri Lankan President Ranas- 2007: Launches air strike near Col-
inghe Premadasa, who asks Indian ombo. LTTE loses eastern province to
troops to go home. Sri Lanka. Prabhakaran vows to fight
1989 (July): LTTE kills well known back.
Tamil politicians A. Amirthalingam 2008 (January): Sri Lanka spikes cea-
and V. Yogeswaran in Colombo. sefire agreement. LTTE begins to lose
1990 (April): Takes control of Jaffna, territory in north.
addresses the media. 2008 (November): Mocks President
1990 (June): Resumes war against Sri Rajapaksa, says LTTE territory can
Lanka for Tamil Eelam, orders 100,000 never be seized.
Muslims living in Jaffna to quit. Rival 2009 (January): Loses Kilinochchi,
militant K. Pathmanabha and aides hub of de facto Tamil Eelam state; re-
killed in Chennai, India. treats into Mullaitivu district.
1991 (March): Sri Lankan Defence 2009 (May 17): Decides to "silence"
Minister Ranjan Wijeratne killed by guns and end armed struggle.
car bomb. 2009 (May 18): Prabhakaran killed
1991 (May): LTTE woman suicide while trying to escape from war zone
bomber assassinates former Indian in Mullaitivu district. Heir apparent
prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at elec- son and all key aides also killed. ■
tion rally near Chennai. IANS
06 VILLAGE ERGO Wednesday, May 20, 2009
iPhones go spreadsheet-friendly
U
S software developer MeLLmo released a terprise usage.”
free application that turns iPhones into Becerra said he and other MeLLmo founders
powerful tools for analysing spread- were “mesmerized” by iPhone graphics capa-
sheets and reports, enhancing the ap- bilities and its potential as a revolutionary tech-
peal of Apple mobile devices to businesses. nology platform.
The application, named RoamBi, intuitively RoamBi mimics the way readers’ eyes navi-
imitates the way business reports are read and gate spread sheets or data laden business re-
then presents results in graphics adapted to ports and then summarises information in
iPhones touch-screen size and capabilities, interactive pie or bar charts or graphs.
said MeLLmo chief executive Santiago Becerra. A RoamBi Publisher that converts spread-
“We are leading the way in more interactive sheet data and sends it to iPhones is hosted
visual reports that will power people to be more online as a service. RoamBi is also part of an
productive and make the iPhone more attrac- AppExchange offered by software-as-a-service
tive to business,” Becerra said. star Salesforce.com.
“I can’t talk to a vendor today without the Basic RoamBi service is free. The year-old
iPhone coming up,” said Sean Ryan, a software company plans to soon offer a premium Roam-
analyst at the market research and analysis firm Bi version on a subscription basis and sell a
International Data Corporation (IDC). version of the software that can be installed in
“It is ever present in people’s minds and ap- company servers. ■
plications like RoamBi could drive more en- AFP
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
07
Burger legends
The world’s first pilgrimage to trace the origins of the burger is to
be launched, spanning eight countries, 16 cities and three
continents by fast food giant Burger King.
Flight of liberation
Woman has twins
from 2 men 쑸
A commercial
A
n American mother was left
dumbstruck after she jet passes
found out that she had in- behind the
credibly conceived her twin Statue of
sons from two different fathers. Liberty in
Mia of Dallas, Texas, gave birth New York City.
to babies Justin and Jordan, now JOHN MOORE/GETTY
11-months-old, just seven min- IMAGES/AFP
utes apart and undertook a pa-
ternity test after finding the two
looking very unalike. “When they opened the enve-
The 20-year-old faced a jaw lope and told me my jaw just
dropping moment after tests dropped open,” the Sun quoted
showed that there was a 99.999 Mia as saying.
per cent chance that the boys did “It was the weirdest thing to
not have the same father. think two little babies could have
Mia confessed to having cheat- grown in my stomach together
ed on partner James Harrison and been born seven minutes
with another lover at the time she apart but yet have different
conceived. fathers.”
Stunned medics told the young “I would have thought it was
mother different eggs were fertil- impossible,” she added.
ised by each man within a very Mia further revealed that her
short time of each other - a mil- partner James had decided to
lion-to-one condition, which raise both the kids as his own de-
made the twins, in reality, spite her affair. ■
half-brothers. ANI
08 SPORT ERGO Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Kolkata Knigh Riders bench celebrate a rare victory at the IPL. PHOTO: AFP
Phelps to recoup in mountains
Michael Phelps is heading to the mountains. Eat. AYON SENGUPTA have only one leader,” says for- look for replacements,” an official
Sleep. Swim. That’s about all the successful ayon@goergo.in mer national selector Sambaran said.
Olympian will be doing during his time at the U.S. Banerjee. “As a movie star, no Talks are on to rope in former
A
training centre in Colorado Springs. He can’t wait. much-awaited but unan- matter what he says he has little national coach Anshuman Gaek-
“The next three weeks are going to be real ticipated win for Kolkata knowledge of the game. Unfortu- wad to replace Aussie John Bu-
important when we go to altitude,” Phelps said. Knight Riders against title nately, he trusted the wrong peo- chanan, who is all set to get the
“That’s going to be a big part of the summer.” He contenders Chennai Super ple and had to learn it the wrong boot with the rest of his support
already crossed the first major threshold of his Kings in the 13th round of DLF way.” stuff.
post-Beijing career this past weekend, competing IPL. A one-off-win, though, is According to KKR sources, “I feel most of the players were
in five events at the Charlotte Ultra Swim. Phelps surely not going to impress celeb- Shah Rukh and other Red Chillies under a lot of pressure. When you
won two and was runner-up in two others, losing rity owner Shah Rukh Khan, and officials are to sit down with Gan- take that away they play freely, as
to a couple of world-record holders. He swam only the talked-about shift of guard guly a week after the team’s re- (Brandon) McCullum did on
the preliminaries of his fifth event (50-meter will go on according to plan. turn from South Africa and Monday. He had fallen prey to
freestyle), using it as training run for his new Even if SRK’s IPL script engage the former captain’s ex- the dirty politics and that affected
straight-arm stroke. bombed in South Africa like his pertise to build a strong team for his performance. It’s important
Considering Phelps had not raced since the recent movies at the box office, the next season. A few of the “re- to gel well with your players to get
Olympics the nine-month layoff was by far the SRK is going all out to change the bel” ICL cricketers believed to be the best out of them and I think
longest of his career and he was coming off a luck next time around. Given the Ganguly loyalists may also find the KKR management failed
wave of bad publicity over fact that IPL III is expected to be favour in the team. The likes of there,” Banerjee said. “But even
that infamous photo of held in India, SRK and Co. have Rohan Gavaskar and Abhisekh Sourav is going through a bad
him using a marijuana wisely decided to re-anoint Sou- Jhunjhunwala have already ex- phase. We can see his hunger but
pipe, this was certainly an rav Ganguly at KKR’s helm. With pressed their intent to ditch the the implementation is missing.
encouraging start to the a visibly shaken Kolkata gunning ICL setup and return to the main- He has to work hard to regain his
final chapter in his master for everybody’s heads, the move stream. The inclusion of the two touch and be as effective as other
plan. He hopes to conquer indeed would be a welcome will definitely strengthen Knight old horses like (Matthew) Hayden
some new events and add change from the mismatched ef- Riders’ local talent pool that has and (Adam) Gilchrist. I would
even more gold to an forts by the team management in failed to flatter in South Africa. have kept McCullum as skipper
already unprecedented this year’s disaster. “Good sense “Unexpected results obviously and let Ganguly concentrate on
collection before he hangs has prevailed over Shah Rukh. lead to expected head rolls. Our his batting. We can only hope a
up the cap and goggles And I think he at last has realised foreign contingent didn’t give us new outlook will produce better
after the 2012 London that just like his movies can only the results to justify their pres- results next time round. IPL II is
Games. have one hero a cricket team can ence. So it’s only logical for us to long over for KKR.” ■
PTI
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
09
‘‘
Clearly we (Force India) have some work to do in qualifying, but I would beg to
differ about the lack of improvement in the race. Giancarlo set the eighth
quickest time during the race in Spain, and was competitively racing with BMW, Renault
and Williams. We might not yet be in a points scoring position but I am happy with the
rate of progress we are making.
Vijay Mallya
Giggling A
s a seven-times champion, Brought in Hawkeye technology the distracted couple lost the match
Steffi Graf thought she knew to aid line calls and got rid of the old 7-6. “We enjoyed it so much. I don’t
every nook and cranny of and tired player and media amen- know if I’ve ever smiled this much
Wimbledon and considered it ities in favour of the Millennium on a tennis court,” said a beaming
to be her personal backyard. Look- Building which houses modern facil- Agassi.
ing forward to a trip down memory ities.
lovers
lane, she jumped at the chance of Familiar feelings
teaming up with husband Andre Very much in love While the surroundings were nov-
Agassi to play in an exhibition event “I’ve never been in here (in the el to Graf, some things were the
to mark the unveiling of the new new press conference room) before. same. “It’s been 10 years for me and
retractable roof over Centre Court. I walked into the (new) locker rooms felt like a long time ago,” said the
When she walked through the All today for the first time. We have a 22-times grand slam champion, who
England Club gates for the first time much nice locker room than the turns 40 next month. “You take your
in 10 years as a competitor on Sun- guys,” Graf observed with a grin. At first steps in Centre Court and, with
day, however, she got a shock – her which point her disgruntled hus- the roof and extra seating, it visual-
backyard had been landscaped be- band intervened to say: “I got to see ly looks very different. But the feel-
yond recognition. “Wimbledon has the women’s locker room today. ing was so familiar and very special.
Wimbledon changed a lot in 10 years,” a wide-
eyed Graf, who had been a regular
You’re talking about equal prize
money, how about equal locker
I haven’t missed it much but when
you’re out there you really enjoy it,”
recreates old visitor to the tournament until
Agassi retired in 2006, said. “I live 10
rooms?”
Once they had finished comparing
she said “It brought back a ton of
memories. Like my first match on
years back. I’ve come to watch notes on the interior design of their Centre Court, (against) Jo Durie (in
memories for Andre over the years but as a spec-
tator you feel very different. You
respective locker rooms, Graf and
Agassi had the task of living up to
1984). Mum made me wear a skirt
for the first time. I forgot to curtsey,
Graf and Agassi take your place and watch the game
and see some familiar faces but you
their reputation as tennis’s most fa-
mous power couple – who between
I was so upset when I lost I just
wanted to run off and hide.”
don’t really (see anything else).” them own 30 major titles. When Recalling her epic battles with
Since the German waved goodbye they faced the pairing of Kim Clij- Martina Navratilova, Graf said:
to her fans in London after losing sters and Tim Henman, being mar- “Coming from that moment to play-
the 1999 final to Lindsay Davenport, ried turned out to be the problem ing so many memorable matches
the traditional grasscourt tourna- for Mr and Mrs Agassi. Instead of against Martina (Navratilova), that
ment has undergone many facelifts. trying to beat the hell out of their always stood out. She was the one I
Andre Agassi (right) and Steffi Apart from the new multi-million- opponents, they acted like a pair of was looking up to and never
Graf (left) enjoying each others dollar roof over the world’s most fa- giggling teenaged lovers who strug- thought I would be able to win
company during their mixed mous tennis arena, Wimbledon has gled to keep their eyes off each oth- against her on this surface. It took
doubles match on the Centre scrapped the old graveyard of the er. me a little while to convince myself
Court, during the launch of the champions and built a new number After spending a lot of time em- that this was going to be a surface I
new retractable roof on centre two court. Introduced equal prize bracing and kissing between points, was going to be comfortable on.”
court at The All England Lawn money and done away with curtsey- Once Graf found her comfort
Tennis Club. PHOTO: AFP ing to members of Britain’s royal zone, she proved to be almost un-
family. stoppable and contested nine finals
between 1987 and 1999. ■
Reuters
10 FLICK ERGO Wednesday, May 20, 2009
No sequel to E.T.
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has ruled out any plans to make a sequel to the hit flick
E.T. It was speculated that Drew Barrymore, who featured in E.T. when she was just 5,
would again act in a sequel, which would be based on a tale about E.T. 27 years later.
However, Spielberg said, “I’m never going to make E.T. II – E.T. is a closed story,”
Contactmusic quoted him as saying.
O
scar-winning actor Jamie Foxx has been chosen to
play the role of Frank Sinatra in a biopic being made
on the late singing legend who died 11 years ago.
Earlier George Clooney, Leonardo DiCaprio, Harry Stiller’s Slapsgate
Connick Jr. and Justin Timberlake were in contention for
the role. But the African-American actor was finalised to
play Sinatra, reported femalefirst.co.uk.
F unnyman Ben Stiller had
the time of his life when
he was beaten up by two
The biopic is to be directed by Martin Scorsese. monkeys recently on the set
“Jamie would seem to be born to the role. Magnificent of his new movie Night at
voice, convincing acting ability – like Frank himself – born the Musuem: Battle of the
the wrong side of the tracks, makes it big against the odds, Smithsonian.
has his brushes with authority. The guy’s a gift,” an industry The incident took place
insider was quoted as saying. when the actor was filming a
Sinatra had won 11 Grammy Awards in his career. ■ fight scene with the
IANS mischievous animals and they
gave him several slaps on his
face and body, reported
contactmusic.com.
Though Stiller wanted to
punch them back, he
dropped the idea for the
sake of animal rights laws
and took out his frustration
on a dummy monkey instead.
“We have two (monkeys)
this time. I had to do a slap
fight with them. I basically
get slapped by both of them,
but I am not allowed to slap
them back because of animal
rights, so I have to slap a
dummy or a tennis ball when
they’re off-screen. It’s a
weird experience,” Stiller
said. ■
IANS
In papa’s footsteps
Actor-director Sreenivasan’s son Vineeth
Sreenivasan will soon be wearing the director’s
hat. Apparently, Vineeth will debut in a movie
produced by actor Dileep’s banner, Grand
Productions. Whether as a playback singer or as an
actor, Vineeth has started making waves in
Malayalam films. After Cycle, he was cast along
Sreenivasan and Suhasini in Makante Achchan. The
light-hearted comedy also ran in theatres in
Chennai.
12 ERGO Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Send in your short stories and poems to wc@goergo.in to figure in Ergo Writer’s Club. Because of Vijay Sarathy S. from Technosoft Global Services has
space constraints, we urge you to keep your entries as brief as possible. It would be ideal to keep nominated his team as Partners in Crime. This pic was
the length of short stories around the 400-word-mark. Poems can also be brief. clicked during their trip to Yercaud.
- Editor
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
13
Banana stick-up
A U.S. teenager tried to rob an internet
cafe with a banana - then ate the
’weapon’ before he was arrested
sudoku
C.Praveen from
Heartland
Information
Services has
shot this picture
at Besant Nagar
Beach using his
Fuji FinePix
S1000fd camera
TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in
Technical Support:
V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy
N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar
ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:
Contact: 2857 5757
E-mail: ads@goergo.in
Website: www.goergo.in
Head of Circulation:
M.G.M. Sharief
copies@goergo.in
SNAIL MAIL
859/860, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 002
mail your feedback to
feedback@goergo.in
FAX 2857 6691
B.C
A photographer
takes pictures
of micro
seaweeds in
a basin at
the Seche
environmental
plant in Le
Vigeant,
southern
France.
AFP PHOTO/ALAIN
JOCARD