If Music Could Talk - Feb 22 2009 - groovy beats and vibes from outa space

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Slumdog Millionaire sweeps Oscars

Slumdog Millionaire wins 8 Oscar awards (!!!!)
1) Best Picture
2) Best Director
3) Best Song
4) Best Score
5) Film Editing
6) Sound Mixing
7) Cinematography
8) Best Adapted Screenplay



here's an interesting article that follows up on the child stars and their attendance of Oscar night

(photos from Oscar.com and AP)

A cool desi blog with a great sense of humor and a cheeky attitude- check it out - Sepia Mutiny

SEPIA MUTINY

i have a feeling this blogger is local (DC) due to the mention of this cool desi arts collective in DC

Khaike Pan Bana Raswala - from Don (two versions)

original verison (abitabh) - Khaike Pan Bana Raswala

new version (sharukh)


Paan Leaf - "The usage of betel leaf is cited as far back as two thousand years. ... Betel morsel (betel nut and other ingredients folded in betel leaf) or pan supari is extensively taken in south Asia. Offering betel morsel to guests and visitors is a common courtesy in Indian sub-continent."

more about paan/betel leaf here" and here and of course, here

Controversy over salaries of young stars of Slumdog Millionaire

the young stars' parents say that the children, Azharuddin Ismail and Rubina Ali, and their families havent benefited from the success of the movie... ABC reported recently that the kids themselves still live in the same slums that the movie portrays.... Ismail "sleeps under a plastic sheet" and his father is in very poor health- being treated for tuberculosis... Director Danny Boyle claims that they decided not to "remove them from the slum" for moral reasons.. but states that a large sum was placed in a trust fund for each of them.. which they will have access to when they reach 18 so as to give them motivation to stay in school - he also says that he refuses to publicly state the actual amount the young actors have been paid (via the trust fund) because it would make them vulnerable

part of what made this film so powerful was it's portayal of the horrible reality that so many kids live with every day in the slums... but many people claim that the film is voyeuristic and exploits the poverty that is a reality to so many in india... others claim that it is a misrepresentation of india altogether...

wikipedia's entry summarizes all of this pretty well.. including the whole controversy about amitabh's blog entry about the film...

read the abc news article here (download the interview with Danny Boyle there too)


I loved this movie so much... but its hard to ignore the fact that the veil between the story on the screen and the reality of slum-life and the tragedy of child explotation in this world is very thin.... hopefully, these young actors will have a bright future no matter what anyone says.. they were the real stars of the movie in my opinion...

If Music Could Talk - Feb 15th 2009

"If Music Could Talk" - Feb 15th 2009

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Bollywood Night - February 14th 2009... Valentine's Day

it's always a romantic occasion when the bollywood dance tunes are rockin'.. but this next month's event falls on valentine's day, so we're celebrating LOVE bollywood style. Remembering how much fun it was last month, my heart beats a little faster just thinking about it... :) hope to see you there!

another AMAZING Indian music/culture blog - lots of vinyl and eye candy!

EASTERN EYE

If Music Could Talk - PODCAST LINK - Feb 8, 2009 - LOVE (and Bob Marley's birthday)

lots of songs about L-O-V-E

plus a few Bob Marley tracks just to remember the greatness of this legendary singer/freedom fighter, three days after his birthday...

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Lee Perry in Baltimore on Feb 17th at Sonar

SONAR INFO

SONAR TICKETS

If Music Could Talk - Podcast : Feb 1, 2009

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first hour - some righteous old school reggae, rock steady, and ska
second hour - music 2 shake your arse 2