A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, February 27, 2009

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 38

HOME, BUT
NOT ALONE
A.R. Rahman returns to
Chennai, two shiny Oscars in
tow. Ergo follows him around,
right from the moment his
plane touched ground to the
never-ending line of meetings
held through the day.
PHOTO: S. S. KUMAR

» Pages 4 & 5
PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN

SHOOT AT SIGHT
Ergo takes you to the first
paintball arena in Chennai
» PAGE 03
02 ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009

Read On

Namma Chennai The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark
Haddon will be read at The Madras Terrace House on February
28 at 6 p.m. The book is a murder mystery. The reading will be
followed by a discussion on autism, its awareness, etc.

Food makes the world go round

This is for all the Rajasthani food

Kerala foodies. is here to
Southern Spice at delight you.
Taj Coromandel is Deccan Plaza is
hosting the Moplah having a
Food Festival. Fried Rajasthani food
fish finger, Calicut promotion. The
moplah briyani, fest is open for
Malabar avail and lunch and dinner
desserts like pal ada on weekends,
and pal pradaman, open till March
to name a few, will 8.
feature on the For reservation
menu. The fest is on call 6677 3333.
till March 8. For Taste Bengali cuisine like never before.
reservations call Daram Tala (Kolkata) Street Food Festival
6600 2827. promises to give you a real feast with its
exotic mix. The fest is open only for dinner,
till March 8. To reserve a table call 2834 3030
(Extn:1827/18230)

All the world’s a stage

Stagefright Productions presents A Night
at the Musical on February 27, 28 and
March 1 at Chinmaya Heritage Center.
Directed by Freddy Koikaran, the show
features the best of Broadway. Tickets are
priced at Rs. 100, Rs. 200 and Rs. 350. For
passes call 98409 07755.

Koothu-p-Pattarai presents Arjunan Thapasu in

Tamil. The play is scripted by N. Muthuswamy
and is inspired by the Mahabharata. The play
ASAP Productions is presenting The will be staged on February 27, 28, March 1, 6,
Village, a comic fable, on February 27 and 7, 9, 13, 14 and 15 at 7 p.m.
28. The play is directed by Amit Singh and Donor passes are priced at Rs. 50 and are
will be staged at the Museum Theatre at available at the venue. For details call
7.30 p.m. For details call 98411 17773. 65373633/ 9941446543.

Shop till you drop

Patiala salwars, There is a
Rajasthani suits, women’s
Hyderabadi tops shopping
... there is lot to festival
choose from at opening today
the LePakshi at
Craft Bazaar. A Valuvarkottam.
must-visit for all So drop in with
you shopaholics. your wallets
The sale is on full. The sale is The Crafts Council of India welcomes you to
till March 1 at on till March 1. ‘Vishwakarma’, an exhibition-cum-sale of crafts
YMCA Grounds, from all over India. Most of the participants are
Royapettah. award-winning artistes.
The sale is on till March 3 at Apparao Galleries,
No 7, Wallace Gardens, Nungambakkam.
 Friday, February 27, 2009
03
DVD Of the week
Rocknrolla
Wham! You just got hit in the face by
a Guy Ritchie film. You realise this as
soon as you walk out the theatre
doors and you find that your mouth
Shoot at sight
is still open. Was it the plot? Was it
the characters? Was it the slickness of Make paint pellets your bullets at the Paintball
the movie? You may never know.
Rocknrolla is yet another example of Gaming Destination on Kotivakkam beach
Ritchie’s brilliance with a great cast and a fantastically
complicated plot. The narrative is handled with ease and ERGO CORRESPONDENT
the actors seem to slip effortlessly into their exaggerated feedback@goergo.in
characters. It’s yet another tale in London about an

A
organised criminal who dreams of becoming a crime lord, re you one of those thrill-
but there are things that stand in the way. seekers who are awestruck
Replete with many storylines such as that of our friend, in inspiration by Holly-
One-two, who is a small-time hoodlum in big-time trouble, wood flicks like Comman-
a strangely seductive accountant, and a confused Russian do, Navy Seals or Rambo? Well,
billionaire, the movie does not really stop for even a here is your little chance to expe-
minute. Then there is the infamous Johnny Quid, a rience the heat of combat that
seemingly deranged rock star who never seems to die. His you were dying for.
frightening and excessive approach to life accentuates his Paintball, the world-famous
rock star status. Do not miss performances by Tom combat game of eliminating your
Wilkinson, Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton, Mark Strong opponent with paint-filled pellets
and the inspired Toby Kebbel. There will be a sequel and to capture a flag, is now here for
there is even talk of a trilogy in the making! Ace! Chennaiites. Planet Adventure, in
association with The Paintball
Co, New Delhi, has brought the
battle game named Paintball
Music of the week Gaming Destination to the Ko-
tivkkam beach. Spread over an
8,500 sq ft area, the play area
Dido beams colourful inflated bunkers
Safe Trip Home to provide cover to the player.
It’s one thing to be talented and it’s A team sport, Paintball features
another thing to make the best of it. three or more fighters in a team
Now Dido may not seem to be the who are all armed with a Paintball
kind of singer that appeals to gun (also called the ‘Marker’) and
everyone, but her talent is guarded by protective gear in-
undeniable. She is on top of her cluding a jumpsuit, chest-guard,
game right now with this album. face mask, gloves and shoes while
Themes of urban pathos seem to fit coming in the line of fire from
perfectly well with her velvety albeit paint-filled pellets.
slightly soft voice. This album is far Craig Dominic, Business De-
more personal and mature with references to her past veloper of Paintball Gaming Des-
creeping through. All through she is happy in her comfort tination, says the game that came
zone; she is still extremely good at the music she makes, so to India in 2006 is gradually gain-
there are no complaints here. ing popularity, especially among
The queen of chill out has her basic beats down in a well- youngsters in Delhi, Mumbai and
produced venture, which includes great songs like Don’t Bangalore. “We introduced the
Believe in Love, Grafton Street, It Comes and It Goes and game in Chennai at IIT Saarang
the smashing Let’s Do the Things We Normally Do. as a promotional event and later
However, one song to really look out for is Northern Skies, started it fulltime on January 26,
which encapsulates everything that is truly Dido: it’s 2009, at our facility in Kotivak-
vulnerable, expressive, powerful and introspective. kam,” Craig adds.
Sound advice: Here is something that slows down the pace The Paintball arena is open
of life and gives you a breather. Truly relaxing and seven days a week, with wee-
extremely thought provoking at the same time, Dido has kends witnessing the maximum
really gotten it right here. turnout. Games like ‘Capture the
Flag’, ‘Centre Flag’ and ‘Zombie’
can be played, out of which the
first is advised for beginners. Two
officials called Marshalls, for each A player tries his aim. PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Game of the week of the two teams competing, will

officiate in the game.
“The response for the game has
been good so far and we are plan-
Football Manager 2009 ning to start the Paintball league
PC, MAC, PSP and tournaments in the near fu-
www.footballmanager.com ture,” informs Craig, who also
With every player having had a full 3D makeover, this is the plans to introduce night paintball
best-looking Football Manager yet. Don’t get too excited,
though – the crowds have
under lights from mid-March.
So all those combat-spirited
abandoned the stadiums
and players of the ball look
souls, run to Kotivakkam, grab
your gun and hit bull’s eye.
drunk, even if training and
transfer systems have both
improved.
What is Paintball?
LOVE: The usual FM things,
plus 3D graphics
Paintball is a combat game
usually played outdoors, where
HATE: The usual FM things two teams comprising up to five
players each involve in a paintball
gun battle against the opponent
team. Players take cover behind
inflatables called bunkers. The
team that captures the flag plant-
ed on the opposite side and
brings it to their respective post
first wins the game.
When and where to
play?
Paintball Gaming Destination
is at No. 8, Sri Krishna Enclave,
Water Land drive, Kotivakkam
beach (near Bella Ciao restau-
rant). Open on weekdays (3 p. m.
to 6. 30 p. m.) and weekends (10
a. m. to 6. 30 p. m.), paintball en-
thusiasts should preferably make
a booking in advance to avoid
last-minute disappointments.
Playing fee
Anyone above the age of 12
years can play. Players can opt for
packages of Rs. 250 for 25 paint-
balls, Rs. 375 for 50 paintballs and
Rs. 500 for 75 paintballs. The
amount is for a single player.
For details and
bookings
Contact Craig Dominic at
96 000 16350 or write to
paintballchennai@gmail.com
 04
Big Story
PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN
“Jai Ho was like a release
of tremendous energy”
Triumphant music wizard sheds his shy image and takes on even tough
questions at a press conference in Namma Chennai on life post Oscars
V. Haripriya
haripriya@goergo.in
A
long with two Oscars and a
few Hollywood offers, the
Mozart of Chennai A. R.
Rahman is back home.
Though busy for the past two
weeks, the calm and composed
Rahman did not show any weari-
ness at all, instead replied to the
queries of journalists with a smile
at a press meet held at Hotel
Green Park on Thursday evening.
Crediting Danny Boyle for the
success of the movie, Rahman
said he was drawn to Slumdog
Millionaire because it was a mo-
vie about an underdog who
found success in his life amid
struggles. “I don’t think the mo-
vie degraded India by showing
the slums. In fact, the movie has
brought the attention of whole
world on Dharavi and I heard that
it has already become a tourist
spot. I liked the subject and ac-
cepted the offer. Though the bud-
get allocated for the music was
meagre, I wanted to be associated
with a legend like Danny Boyle.
To tell the truth, there was even
no one to buy the movie in the
beginning. Now you all know the
status of the movie”.
On a question about naming
the movie Slumdog, Rahman said
that though the word dog is of-
ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009
‘‘
The movie for which I expected an
Oscar was Aamir Khan-starrer Lagaan.
fensive for us, for Americans dog was greater and it created an im- Indian films but the scripts had to
is a pet which they adore a lot. pact. But whenever I work for a be good. At present Rahman is
“So they didn’t do any wrong in song, I want it to be my master- working on Thirukkural and Kun-
naming like that as the movie is piece. But regarding the Oscars I nankudi Masthan Sahib’s poems.
about an underdog.” just had five percent expectation, Expressing happiness for the
Admitting that Jai Ho is not a even on the eve of the award cer- kids from the slum who acted in
masterpiece, Rahman said that emony,” Rahman said. the movie, Rahman said that the
the song appealed to the Amer- Rahman, who has got a few movie has given a new lease of
icans as “it was a release of ex- Hollywood offers, said that he life for them.
traordinary energy. So the appeal will continue scoring music for Rahman also chose not to skip
the volatile question on the Sri
Lankan Tamil situation. When a
“I don’t think the movie degraded India by vernacular journalist urged him
showing the slums. In fact, the movie has to express his views on the ongo-
brought the attention of whole world on ing strife in the island nation,
Rahman said: “I am not here to
Dharavi and I heard that it has already become politicise the issue. But I want
a tourist spot.” peace in Sri Lanka and I will pray
for that.” ■
Friday, February 27, 2009
05

THE HOMECOMING
The day’s daily grind began quite early
4 a.m
for most Chennaiites. A sea of humanity
gathered both at the airport and his
home from the wee hours of Thursday to
greet the Oscar winner. Here’s a sequence
of images our lensmen captured:

2 a.m The battery of lensmen and journalists accompanied him home to

get that "one byte" from him. In true Rahman style, he called
them in batches of 10 each and pleased them to their content.
PHOTO: S. S. KUMAR

4.45a.m

A.R. Rahman arrives at the Chennai airport on Thursday to be

received by fans and well-wishers. PHOTO: R. RAGU
How could the music fraternity not be part of the homecoming.
Here you see Srinivas, Benny Dayal, Sujatha Mohan, Swetha
Mohan, Dr. Mohan gleeful after the photo session. Others from
3 a.m the film industry including Simbu and Parthiban were also
spotted. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR

5.30 a.m

Okay, Rahman did please the journalists, photographers and his

If the airpot was crowded then the scene at his home in friends from the industry. However, half his street was waiting
Kodambakkam was no different. Good friend Sivamani not just for a glimpse of him. He did not disappoint them. "Carry on with
played the ’guard of honour’ (if we can say that) at the airport your work. I am here in Chennai and we will meet," he promised
with his drums but also accompanied him home. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR the waiting crowd. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR
06
Williams suffers sponsorship blow
Sport
Williams Formula One team suffered a huge financial blow when one of its major backers pulled the plug
on a deal believed to be worth around 10 million pounds (11.2m euros) a year. The ailing Royal Bank of
Scotland (RBS), which is expected to report today a staggering loss of around 28 billion pounds, said the
decision was sparked by the global economic downturn. Team principal Sir Frank Williams, whose group has
been a permanent fixture on the grid for 30 years, said they would battle on.
Leading from the front
Newly appointed Pakistani skipper Younis Khan not
only helped himself to a rare triple hundred on a
placid track in Karachi but also went home one
million Pakistani rupees richer. But more than the
money or the sheer number of runs Younis’
Herculean effort put Pakistan cricket back on the
world cricket radar and this time for good reasons.
With international teams refusing to tour the
trouble torn country, Pakistan playing their first
Test match in 14 months did well to claw back into
the game after the Sri Lankans had posted a
mammoth first innings total and the skipper’s 313 is
the third highest score by a Pakistani after Hanif
Muhammad’s (337 against West Indies at Barbados
in 1958), and Inzamam-ul-Haq’s (329 against New
Zealand at Lahore in 2002).
After reaching the feat, on the fourth day of the
match, Younis said that he wanted to break Brian
Lara’s record of 400 not out, but missed out on the
opportunity. For the time being he wants to build a
strong team in the mould of the one put in place
by former skipper Imran Khan.
(Each week we feature a player who has defied odds and
come out as a winner during the past week. If you have a
choice for next week send it to us at feedback@goergo.in)
ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009
Anand falters again
World champion Viswanathan Anand suffered a shocked defeat against
Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen in the sixth round to slump to joint
fourth of Magistral Ciudad de Linares chess tournament in Spain. With
his second loss in the first six rounds, Anand has now three points out of
a possible six and will have to do a lot of catching up in the remaining
eight rounds of the Super Grandmasters tournament.Anand now shares
joint fourth spot with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine while Alexander
Grischuk of Russia shot into sole lead on 4.5 points after shocking Levon
Aronian of Armenia in another sensational result.Aronian and Carlsen
share the second spot on 3.5 points each while Lenier Dominguez of
Cuba stands sole sixth on 2.5 points, a half point clear of Wang Yue of
China and Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan.Carlsen has been tipped by many experts as the
future world champion not without reasons. The Norwegian showed immaculate technique
to beat Anand for the first time ever in a Classical game.Anand, who rallied from a hopeless
position to score a victory against Ivanchuk in the previous round, had also lost to Aronian
in the second round.Clearly the world champion was not at his best form and Carlsen took
full advantage of that in the game which lasted 77 moves.
PTI
Tendulkar to bat for Kiwis
Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik will play in
Friday’s International Masters Game, the curtain-raiser to the Twenty20 International
between India and New Zealand at Westpac Stadium in Wellington. The duo, who are not
in India’s Twenty20 squad, were drafted into the New Zealand and
Australian Masters’ teams respectively after discussions with the New
Zealand Cricket Players Association (NZCPA). Tendulkar will turn out
for NZCPA Masters while Karthik will wear opposition team
Australian Cricketers’ Association Masters’ colours in the Twenty20
game which will see retired players of New Zealand and Australia,
including Stephen Fleming, Dion Nash, Darren Lehmann and Ian Healy,
in action.
“This is a great opportunity for Tendulkar and Karthik to have a
few hits in the middle. We are happy to work with the Players
Association to bring them into the masters teams,” said India
coach Gary Kirsten. There was also a proposal of Rahul Dravid,
VVS Laxman, Murali Vijay, Laxmipathy Balaji, Amit Mishra and
new fast bowling find Dhawal Kulkarni turning out for
provincial teams in New Zealand domestic championship to
gain match-practice before the three-match Test series starting
on March 18. The move had got support from New Zealand
Cricket Chief Executive Justin Vaughan but the NZCPA had
refused changing the rule of inclusion of overseas players in
provincial teams halfway in the domestic season.
PTI
Boxing event falls
prey to CWG
construction delay
Construction delays for the 2010
Commonwealth Games in New Delhi
have caused the Commonwealth
boxing championships to be put back
until early next year, the Indian Boxing
Federation (IABF) said on Thursday.
The event was originally scheduled to
be held in December this year, but the
IABF requested a postponement as the
venue might not be ready in time. “The Commonwealth boxing federation has agreed to
our request to postpone the Commonwealth boxing championships,” IABF secretary
general P.K. Muralidharan Raja said in a statement. “The IABF has now requested the
International Boxing Association to allot a suitable date in February-March 2010.”
Commonwealth Games organisers are under pressure because of delays in several projects
for the games, which are scheduled to take place from October 3-14 next year.
Construction delays also forced this year’s world badminton championships to be moved
to the southern city of Hyderabad.
Reuters
 Friday, February 27, 2009
‘‘
We feel very confident, and the team wants to emerge the winner. That is
our goal. We have been working very hard for it, and we want to give
our best in the biggest tournament.
India skipper Jhulan Goswami on their chances of winning the World Cup in Australia
Winning ways
Victorious Liverpool and Chelsea keep English Champions League hopes on course
L
iverpool clinched a 1-0 win at Real
Madrid on Wednesday while Chel-
sea ruined former coach Claudio Ra-
nieri’s return to keep alive English
hopes of seeing four clubs in the Cham-
pions League last eight.
Liverpool, five-time winners, stunned
a packed Bernabeu and claimed a valua-
ble away goal to take into the second leg
of their last 16 tie when Yossi Benayoun
headed home in the 81st minute.
At Stamford Bridge, Didier Drogba was
on target as Chelsea, runners-up to Man-
chester United last season, edged Juven-
tus 1-0. Elsewhere on Wednesday,
Bayern Munich crushed Sporting
Lisbon 5-0 in Portugal while Pa-
nathinaikos drew 1-1 at
Villearreal.
Matadors humbled
Liverpool striker Fernando Torres,
who was signed from Real’s bitter rivals
Atletico, was close to stunning the Ma-
drid crowd with a long-range, dipping
drive which was acrobatically saved by
Iker Casillas. Xabi Alonso then came
close with a cheeky lob from halfway
which almost embarrassed Casillas.
Torres, who missed six weeks of the sea-
son with a hamstring injury, then picked
up another knock and was replaced on
the hour mark by Ryan Babel although
the Spanish striker was far from happy as
he trudged off to the bench. Real pressed
and Arjen Robben unleashed a fierce
drive after 70 minutes which Pepe Reina
saved. But Liverpool grabbed the goal
they deserved in the 81st minute. Gabriel
Heinze gave away a free-kick on the edge
of the box. Fabio Aurelio sent over an
in-swinger and Benayoun headed past
Casillas.
“We worked very hard and we scored
a very good goal,” said Liverpool
coach Rafael Benitez
who added that
he took off
Torres as a precaution. “He hurt his an-
kle in the first minute so he wasn’t fully
fit. I took him off because he could be at
risk for the next few games.”
Real coach Juande Ramos said his
team were still optimistic for the return
leg at Anfield on March 10. “We were un-
lucky to concede and now we need to
win at Anfield. We are behind in the tie
but it is far from over,” said Ramos.
Blues hit back
At Stamford Bridge, Drogba, back in
the starting line-up under new coach Gu-
us Hiddick, after his stormy relationship
with Luiz Felipe Scolari, scored the only
goal in the 12th minute. Salomon Kalou’s
pass found Drogba who took one touch
and scored in the corner past Gianluigi
Buffon in the Juventus goal. Pavel
Nedved came close for the Italians in the
dying moments with a long-range drive
which was deflected past Petr
Cech’s post.
07
Liverpool and Chelsea made it two
good evenings for English sides after Ar-
senal had defeated Roma 1-0 on Tuesday
while Manchester United drew 0-0 at In-
ter Milan. “We created enough chances
to score more but it’s very important we
keep a clean sheet at home,” said Chel-
sea midfielder Frank Lampard.
French international Franck Ribery
scored twice as Bayern Munich beat
Sporting Lisbon 5-0 to virtually guaran-
tee a quarter-final place. Ribery opened
the scoring in the 42nd minute and add-
ed a second from the penalty spot in the
63rd minute after Philipp Lahm was
chopped down by Fabio Rochemback.
In between, Miroslav Klose scored
from a Luca Toni flick to register his sixth
goal in this season’s tournament. Toni
added two late strikes for Jurgen Klins-
mann’s men. “Everything just slotted to-
gether for us tonight,” said Bayern team
manager Uli Hoeness.
Villarreal, semi-finalists in 2006, fell
behind at home to Panathinaikos when
Giorgios Karagounis found the target af-
ter 59 minutes, but the Spaniards were
level eight minutes later when Giuseppe
Rossi converted a penalty awarded for a
foul on Robert Pires by Jakub Wawrzy-
niak. ■
AFP
Liverpool’s Israeli
midfielder Yossi
Benayoun (left)
celebrates after
scoring against
Real Madrid during
their Champions
League match at
Santiago Bernabeu
stadium in Madrid
on Wednesday.
PHOTO: AFP
08 ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009

Portfolio Cut, join

Colour-blocking, most famously used by YSL in 196

I
t’s fashion’s an- first made its
swer to the Rubik recognised ex
cube. Or, perhaps, Recent runw
the geometric frequent basi
stained glass paintings that adorn show at Lond
cathedral windows. to colour-blo
Colour-blocking is Prada’s line p
the technique of adding a new colour to a fabric by edition of Cib
cutting it where the new colour is required and sewing the clothes,
the other fabric to it to create a uniform flow between were colour-
them, giving an appearance of different hues on a col- At the Hau
our palette – something akin to a collage of fabrics. Baptista used
One of Yves Saint-Laurent’s most memorable items of blocking. Dep
clothing is the Mondrian-inspired shift dress, which usually the ca
drew inspiration from the Dutch artist’s grid-based tertag colour
paintings in blue, red and yellow on a white tle illusion.
background. The YSL Mondrian dress, Narciso Ro
with black seams separating the colours, saw white an
has been declared iconic enough to win a colour-blocki
place in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Isaac Miz
in New York. Diane von Furstenberg had Not leaving
her own version of the Mondrian dress, at menswear
with black, white and beige replac- on the penul
ing blue, red and yellow. Also, colour-blocki
the Mondrian dress, which the latter wa

Christopher
Shannon

YSL’s iconic
Mondrian dress

Narciso Rodriguez
 Friday, February 27, 2009
09
Marcel Ostertag

PRICETAG
n, sew
65 in the Mondrian dress, has many fans

s appearance in 1965, is probably the most

xample of colour-blocking.
way shows have used colour-blocking on a
is. House of Holland’s Autumn/Winter 2009
don Fashion Week almost entirely resorted
ocking. So did designer Agatha Ruiz de la
presented at the Autumn/Winter 2009-2010 Nirvana Temptations
beles Madrid Fashion Week in Spain. Forget Nirvana’s Temptations line of
even accessories like boots and clutches diamond jewellery is an interplay
blocked. of black stones and diamonds.
ute Couture Week in Paris, Felipe Oliveira Contemporary and chic,
d a clever mix of digital prints and colour- Temptations features a range of
parting from primary and neon shades, as is diamond earrings, pendants and
ase in colour-blocked garments, Marcel Os- rings set in white gold. Available
r-blocked jewel tones to create a more sub- at all leading outlets.
Price: Rs. 8,000 onwards.
driguez’s line at New York Fashion Week
nd black colour-blocked. Other labels to use
ng in recent days are Chado Ralph Rucci
zrahi.
g the men out, Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy,
r week in Paris, and Christopher Shannon
ltimate day of London Fashion week used
ng, too. Only, while the former was subtle,
as anything but that. ■

House of
Holland
Givenchy

Agatha Ruiz de la
Prada

Red Door Shimmer

from Elizabeth
Arden
Red Door Shimmer from Elizabeth
Arden is a modern floriental
fragrance that celebrates the
spirit of the season with sparkling
fruits, shimmering florals and
warming woods. Infused with
notes of Japanese pear, Yuzu leaf,
blackberry, pink pepper, gardenia,
Casablanca lily, peony Tonka
bean, red amber, musk,
sandalwood and vetiver roots,
Red Door Shimmer has been
created by master perfumer
Clement Gavarry. Available at
leading departmental stores.
Price: Eau de toilette spray (100
ml) – Rs. 3,200
Eau de toilette spray (50 ml) – Rs.
Isaac Mizrahi 2,600
10 ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009

Flick
Spider-Man’s Broadway debut in 2010
Bono and The Edge’s musical based on the Marvel comic book hero Spider-Man will open on
Broadway in 2010, according to reports. Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark will include the story of the
superhero’s origins and will feature music and lyrics by U2 members, reports Contactmusic. The show
is reportedly the most expensive Broadway production ever, costing $40 million.

Cannes honours
Eastwood

C
lint Eastwood accept- with a glowing tribute to East- est movie Gran Torino, which he States. “When I first directed a
ed a special award for his wood’s career, the Dirty directs and also stars in the lead- film in 1970, 39 years ago, critics
storied career from Harry star said: “Though ing role. encouraged me to go on, where
the Cannes film fest you did diminish the size In his first return to acting in my own country people were
Wednesday, saying he of the Magnum I used since the Oscar-winning Million much more reticent.... Everybody
was “flattered” while be- from a .44 down to a Dollar Baby, Eastwood plays a was saying we’re not sure we
ing sure to correct the .38, it seems like eve- prejudiced Korean War veteran even like this guy as an actor,
presenter on the kind of rything else was pretty who befriends a troubled Hmong much less as a director.”
gun Dirty Harry used. accurate.” youth who tried to steal his car, a His directorial debut was the
“I’m very, very flat- Eastwood had never Ford Gran Torino. thriller Play Misty For Me. He
tered,” the 78-year- won the prestigious Eastwood reminisced Wednes- went on to receive widespread
old actor and film- Palme d’Or for best day about his first time in Paris in acclaim, particularly with Unfor-
maker said during a film during the an- the 1960s for his film A Fistful of given in 1992.
brief ceremony in nual festival, but Dollars, which he called “a very In the coming days, Eastwood
Paris where he re- last year’s jury led small film with an unknown di- will begin filming his next project
ceived the special by actor Sean Penn rector and an unknown actor.... in South Africa, a movie based on
Palme d’Or from also presented him Fortunately, it went over.” Nelson Mandela and his appear-
festival organis- with a lifetime With his wife and two of his ance at the 1995 Rugby World
ers. achievement children nearby, he thanked the Cup final, seen as a turning point
After Cannes award. French film community for sup- in the country’s post-apartheid
fest president The California na- porting him early on, saying the history. Matt Damon and Morgan
Gilles Jacob pre- tive was in Paris for same appreciation was not al- Freeman will star in the film.
sented the award Wednesday’s release of his lat- ways apparent in the United AFP

Slumdog child Final Harry Potter film

actors to get new
homes
The two main child actors
from Slumdog Millionaire are
to receive new homes from the
Indian authorities after the
small-budget movie swept the
Oscars, winning eight Academy
Awards. The Mumbai homes
will go to Rubina Ali and
Azharuddin Ismail, who played
the young roles of the movie’s
central characters, Latika and
Salim, in the rags-to-riches
romance about a poor Indian
boy competing for love and
money on a TV game show.
Reuters
slated for release in 2011
The magic had to come to an end
sometime. The eighth and final movie in the
Harry Potter series is to be released July 15,
2011, the Hollywood Reporter trade
newspaper reported Wednesday, citing
Warner Bros studio. The studio is splitting
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the
seventh and final book in the series about
the boy wizard, into two movies because of
its length. Part I is to debut Nov 19, 2010,
while the final movie comes out eight
months later. If the final film keeps to its
release date, it would have to compete with
The Avengers, a superhero action movie
starring Robert Downey Jr that is also to
debut that weekend.
DPA
 Friday, February 27, 2009
Samuel L. Jackson to be part of Iron Man 2
Samuel L. Jackson is set to reprise the role of Nick Fury in as many as nine films for Marvel Studios, including
Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers and The Shield as well as potential sequels. Jackson made a
brief appearance at the end of the first film when Fury asked Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) to join his
espionage unit the Shield.
Life imitates Art
D
ev Patel, the Slumdog Mil-
lionaire star, will appear
on the quiz show “Who
Wants to be a Millionaire”
to raise money for street kids.
Thesun.co.uk reports that the
18-year-old Dev will appear on
the show along with director
Danny Boyle. They will raise
money for Britain’s children
charity - Railway Children.
A spokesperson for the show
said: “We were approached by
Railway Children about doing
the special and we think it would
be fantastic. Danny and Dev
would play together, as with all
Cine City
our celebrity specials, but filming
depends on their availability.”
A source added: “Danny and
Dev are keen to keep on giving
back to the street kids and have
been talking to Railway Children
about appearing on ‘Who Wants
to be a Millionaire?’ Filming of
the special depends on when
both are available, as they are in
huge demand following their
Oscar success. But we hope it will
happen later this year. To have
Dev back in the Millionaire hot-
seat would be brilliant, and
would do a lot for the charity.” ■
IANS
11
Simbu as Slumdog
Naanum Kodeeshwaran, the Tamil version of multiple-Oscar-winner movie
Slumdog Millionaire, is scheduled to hit the screens Friday.
The film will open in the state with 100 prints, said its distributors
Falcon Films in a press statement Thursday.
The Tamil version of the movie will be screened for the benefit of
prisoners before Saturday, according to Director General of Police
(Prisons) R. Natraj.
“We also expect Rahman to pay the high security Puzhal Prison a visit to
inspire the underprivileged section of society,” Natraj told IANS.
Actors Silambarasan, Radha Ravi and singer-actor S.P. Balasubramanian
have lent their voices to the characters played by Dev Patel, Irrfan Khan and
Anil Kapoor respectively, the press statement added. ■
IANS
Slumdog
Millionaire’s
Dev Patel to
appear on
‘Who Wants
to be a
Millionaire’
for a cause
Myskkin’s next, a horror flick?
Grapevine is abuzz with rumours that director
Myskkin, who is slated to do a film with Suriya,
might pull off a quickie with his staple Narain. Said
to be a low-budget horror flick, the movie is
expected to roll and finish before he starts filming
his big budget Suriya-starrer Mugamoodi. The
director’s Nandhalaala, which features maestro
Illayaraja’s music, meanwhile is ready for release
and if all goes well could well hit the theatres next
month.
12 ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009

Thursday’s Question:
Your biggest goof up on stage at a cultural
event.
■ At the end of the dance show myself and my friend were about to lift
a girl but unfortunately she fell down from our hands. Then she lost her
conscious

Sunil, TCS-eServe

■ Forgot the actual dialogue when I was acting in a drama and just
managed it with different dialogue and it has become a big laughter at
the end
Arunkumar, TCS

■ Fell inside the stage in my college as one of the wooden blocks came
off
Raj, CSS
Karthik from Caliber Point Business Solution has nominated VVS
■ Performed in MITaFEST’03 in my first year. Sung a duet song leaving team & friends as Partners in Crime.
my co-singer in the centre stage and taking a corner place in band
event. Listening my goofed up offbeat cracky singing, the listeners
formed a train and came near the stage requesting to stop. I continued
still. After I performed the event team displayed a slide "Why blood?
Same blood!
Mukund, SCB Scope International

■ It was my school annual day and me giving a welcome speech where

in between I made a mistake and said ‘chi chi’
Senthil, Wipro

■ When I sang a mixture of 4 hit songs in my previous company cultural

event where people never stopped from whistling and the claps sound
hit the sky
Lavanya, Wipro

■ For the first time I participated in dance competition and danced with
more mistakes but that is a memorable moment in my college life
Sindu, Ford

■ I was playing a saint in a school annual function and my wig dropped

off midway. I played the balance as a saint with a nice haircut
Sridhar.R, STG Santhosh from TEMENOS has nominated his friends as Partners
in Crime..They clicked this pic at Kodaikanal.
■ During our group dance at college culturals our friend Goki threw a
dandiya stick (by mistake) at the judges who were sitting in front of us.
But she managed well even after that
Nivi, Sumi Wipro

■ I danced like a devil in my college and jumped from the stage were I
fell on my lady professor
Dinesh Rajan, Wipro

■ My friend read Tamil news in assembly, instead of reading ’nooru per

bali (hundred people killed)’ he read it as ’hundred per bali’
Ram, HCL

■ It was on the freshers day party when I was asked to perform a group
dance.I had completely forgotten the steps the minute stepped on
stage.I
had to cut a sorry figure.

Priya Soundar, Tata Consultancy Services

Today’s Query:
Your favourite childhood fairytale and why? Maria from Infosys has nominated her freinds as Partners in Crime.
They clicked this pic at Kodaikanal.
 Friday, February 27, 2009
Sethupiran from Wipro
Technologies has been
nominated as Office Angel
by his team mates.
He is a much talented and
a helpful person. He is the
energy icon of our team. His
commitment to work is
unmatchable and asset to our
concern. Despite of his work
load, he will share others
burden too. We always have
good time with him.
Art featured in this
column will re-
ceive gift coupons
from Fruit Shop
on Greams Road.
Send in your ad-
dresses so that we
can post the cou-
pons.
Sangeetha.C from Thinksoft
Global Services has doodled this.
Type Writing institute ponaa type writing varum…
Aanaa, Cancer institute ponaa cancer varuma?
Mohamed Yusufdeen, HCL
Bus driverku license iruku,
Car driverku license iruku,
Aanal Screw driverku license irukkaa??
Deepan.N, TCS.
13
■Hi Balaji (Swaminathan)...
On this special day, I just want to say ’Happy Birthday Thambi’... Wishing you good
health and happiness in life.
With love, Urs Akka : )
■ Dear Sundari,
From the beginning,
Of our childhood years.
You stood by my side,
Like a shorelines high tide.
You loved me ever so much,
That I always knew.
And I couldn’t have asked for a better older sister,
Than you.
Happy Birthday My dear Sister.
With loads of love,
Srimathy.
■ Hey Bismi,
I’m so blessed 2 have a friend like u this comes with many loving thoughts & warm
wishes i send 2o may ur day be filled with laughter on this ur special day & may
the finest things in life always come ur way happy birthday!
Wishes From Prem
■ Dear Eshwari,
How thankful I am to have you in my life.
Every year is another year
filled with the special joys you bring
just by being yourself.
Happy Birthday To You My Sweeeeeeet heart
With Luv,
Shakthee :-)(-:
■ Dear Chaithanya,
May God shower his blessings on you, today and for evermore!!! Wishing you a
beautiful married life ahead!!! Have a fun-filled wedded life!!!
Friends,
New Age Software and Solutions
■ Dear Dadhu,
Wish you many more Happy returns of the day….!!!
May your Birthday be filled with lots of Love,joy and Happiness
Best Wishes,
JM
■ Dear Manju (Karakattakari)
To love is nothing.
To be loved is something.
To love, and be loved, is everything
Happy birthday to lovable Kovai sarala
Regards,
Fun committe
WIPRO
■ Dear Nishchala,
Wish you all the very Best! Hope you have a rocking time and a memorable stay!
Cheers! From All We Friends!
Regards,
Shaheena
■ Hi Divi,
Wishing U Advance Happy Birthday . Have A Successful Year Ahead!!! We cherish
every moment spent with you....Have A Blast...Keep Rocking!!!! :)
With Luv,
Sow,Sugan,Mano
14 ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009

Traffic Jam
Worm causes PC crash
A British man was stunned when his
computer crashed after a real worm
crawled into the machine

sudoku

Senthil of
Hewlett Packard
clicked this
flower at the
small rose
garden in
Munnar with his
Cannon SD1000.
Hobbies:
Reading,
travelling and
music.

KAKURO
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platform? Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit.
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 Friday, February 27, 2009
Unusual sighting
A “flying saucer” spotted in Romania
on a Google Earth map turned out to
be an abandoned water facility.
15
Word’s worth
“Ravigote” (rah-vee-gawt) the herbs tarragon, chervil, chives, and
burnet, which, when used together, were supposed to have the
power of resuscitation. From a French word meaning ‘to inviograte.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You might have high expectations from your
superiors and colleagues. Don’t let these
expectations lead to disappointment. Finish off
pending work rather than dealing with other
important projects. Beware of emotional distress.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Today Ganesha finds you relying heavily on luck
factor. You seem to be ready for compromises to
achieve desired results in matters related to work.
On the love front as well, you will have a soft and
sacrificing attitude.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You might encounter confusions at work today.
BORN LOSER Even if you expect perfection at work, it might seem
difficult to achieve. Personal life is pleasantly perfect
and you might spend a wonderful evening with your
beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Your mind will be active and full of ideas; hence
you will excel in creative tasks. You may take life as
it comes and this will help you to maintain good
relations with close ones. You will be able to
maintain good relations with everyone around you.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You may spend your time in good company, but
more or less you will feel like keep a low profile at
work today. The day does not seem very good for
developing good relations with the opposite sex. For
married couples though, the day will be pleasant.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
In spite of domestic affairs bothering you, you may
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT not let your work suffer due to this. Your office
work will keep you busy throughout the day. In
official meetings, you might have to agree to the
view points of other people.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
For those handling technical and developmental
work, the day is favourable for growth. However,
for people in the administrative sector might find
the day to be average. You may remain active and
full of life at work today.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
A lucky day for new things. New ventures may
achieve success and new projects will rapidly
progress towards completion. On the romantic front,
Ganesha feels you will be more intense and may
express possessiveness.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
You are usually a go-getter at work who is full of
energy, but today something might spoil your mood.
Ganesha advises you to balance your emotions and
focus on work. You will experience a strong current
of emotions with your beloved one.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Ganesha finds your thoughts wagging rapidly and
hence creating an ‘intellectual conflict’ in your mind.
You may start thinking about contradictory things.
Do not worry as this won’t last till evening. You
may spend a wonderful evening with your friends.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS The day may begin with routine activities but later
in the day you might have to take up more
ISSUE’S important tasks. Ganesha feels you will be able to
carry out all the tasks perfectly. Your life partner’s
SOLUTIONS moral support will keep your spirits high.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha encourages you to revitalize yourself. You
may think of doing something new but the way
ahead might become very confusing and difficult.
You might try to balance you personal and
professional life to please your beloved.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Friday, February 27, 2009

Oscar celebrations have just begun back home.

Some snapshots from the Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport in Mumbai, where the ONE LOOK IS ALL TAKES
award-winning team landed on Wednesday night.

My Daddy Cradle Song Enough of this,

Strongest!
Resul Pookutty’s son looks surprised
seeing the reception his father gets.
Actor Irrfan Khan is on his right. PHOTO: PTI
Child actor Rubina Ali is carried by her
father into a waiting car. PHOTO: AFP I am tired!
Mohammed Azharuddin is lifted by
relatives and well-wishers. PHOTO: AFP