Un-popular Choice Awards

Best Performance in a Disappearing Role: Atal Behari Vajpayee

Best Performance in an Unsupporting Role: Uma Bharti

Best Remake: US Presidential Elections 2004 (of the 2000 polls)

Best Pair: Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupati (are they finally on or off?)

Best Performance in a Comedy Role: George W Bush

Best Comeback: Tehelka

Best Performance in a Fuming Role: Kareena Kapoor (thanks to Mid-day)

Best Non-performance: Indian cricket team

It's Back!

Mediaah is back. Finally an Indian media watchdog-cum-reporter with some credibility.

Time to Disco?

I just can't believe that a truly bad song like Disco 82 is popular and has apparently made it to the top of the charts (at least some, if not all of them). Where are all the talented musicians gone?

Good music doesn't necessarily mean the music we had in the past, but something which will live in public memory for a long, long time. So we all remember I want to break free, but how many even remember that there was once a song called Hit me baby one more time? When Britney's second album came out, the song was forgotten.

On the one hand, we're giving Americans and Brits a run for their money in several sectors. Why can't we at least have some good entertainment?

Where is Yash Chopra?

Shwaas is India's entry to the Oscars this year. But can it win?

The answer lies not in whether the movie is good or bad (several bad movies have won Oscars), but whether it can raise enough money to get noticed. Initially, the major hindrance was getting money to include sub-titles. The next hurdle is getting people to watch the movie, which is done through FYC (For Your Consideration) ads in American newspapers and magazines. And for that they need money. Lots of it.

So while Bal Thackeray, Amitabh Bachchan and Sunil Dutt, among others have donated money for the campaign, where are those film industry wallahs who make money by the truckloads? Yash Chopra, Karan Johar, Bharat Shah, and the other bigshot producers?

Just because it's not "their kinda" film, perhaps they've decided to ignore it.
I tell them- get a grip, Messrs. Producers. Because movies like DDLJ (much as I loved it) and Aitraaz (even though it's a surprise hit) will never make it to the Oscars.

No wonder IFFI was flooded with bad movies like Alexander and Vanity Fair.

Is that good or bad?

It's that time of the year again. When people begin to decide what they liked the most- with respect to movies, music, books, parties etc. The Guardian has put up a poll on the Best Films of 2004. No surprises on the shortlist. And then I clicked on a link which took me to a poll of the Worst Films of 2004.

Believe it or not, there are a couple of films present on both lists. Those films are: Fahrenheit 9/11 and Lost in Translation.

I thought the Americans were a confused lot. Perhaps the Britons are confused as well.