A beach birthday

Looks like Paradise right? I'm hoping its going to be exactly that.
Over the last 10 years, I've spent my birthday at an exotic vacation location. Invariably it ends up being a beach since I'm such a self confessed beach bum. These have ranged from the beaches of Goa and Kerala to the the exotic islands of southern Italy, the privately owned exclusive luxury islands of Australia and the diving hot-spots of Malaysia and Thailand. This time, I didn't have to look far.

Don't let the photographs fool you. This is not some exotic European Island or some atoll in the Indian ocean. This is a man made island in the UAE, in the emirate of Ras Al Khaima. Yes for my beach vacation this birthday are headed to this heavenly looking resort, and I don't even have to catch any flights for it. :)

I'm spending my birthday weekend at the newly opened Marjan Island resort and Spa in RAK. I will give a post stay review so that you can know how it was. A 1 hour drive away from Dubai, this is located in Ras Al Khaimah's first man made archipelago of 4 picturesque coral shaped islands and boasts breath-taking scenic marine views of the shimmering waters of the Arabian Gulf.

Would you like to visit it sometime? Should I run a contest and give away a complimentary stay?

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Somebody Gonna get Hurt Real bad!

Date of Concert : 27th February 2007
Duration : 90 mins
Location : Chowdiah Memorial Hall , Bangalore
Show times : 5pm, 8pm . (And special show on 28th)
Tickets at : Rs. 1500, 1000 & 500

“Though it make the unskillful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve” -- William Shakespeare

The weeks been tagging on fine to a quiet closing and the city’s midweek “susegad” came in the form of a “An evening of Stand up comedy with The world Funniest Man”
Not a term we’ve heard in Bangalore very often and for being called the “funniest man in the world” every Bangalorean is hoping he better be worth the ticket money!

Welcome Mr. Russell Peters. After countless praises about this “Desi” standup comedian, from elite websites, blogs , and what have you out there, I couldn’t stop myself from buying tickets for his show. After been hearing that his shows were sold out 45 mins into it being announced and stories like that, I was not surprised to see HUGE crowds outside waiting for a long time to get in, the atmosphere with an electric feeling and a certain young vibrant BUZZ.
Everyone outside and in the foyer were cracking famous Russell-ers (Russell one liners), and the hype built around him definitely manifested through young Bangaloreans who yield the comic a fair amount of Googling – and quote his catchphrases back to him. (These include such ubiquities as "Somebody's gonna get hurt real bad.")

So now with this much expectation and high anticipation, I was only hoping he doesn’t crack the same jokes he did on his DVD’s. (And Btw 80% of the people I know who came to the concert had already downloaded truckloads of his videos)

The show opened with an extremely talented opening act. In fact this man should have gigs of his own!!!

Enter Rusty Dooley the Movie Maniac. His innovative movie imitations with musical interludes and puppets were a crowd stealer. His Mike Myers, Al Pacino and Tom Cruise Impersonations were what won him maximum applause. His set included Action Movie spoofs and parodies of Films like Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Dracula, Terminator, Scarface and Top Gun.
The build up a fine tempo and energy for the evening had prolonged audience applause upon Russel’s entrance.

Enter the main act for the day Russell Peters. The man had everyone in stitches in no time. We’re talking gasping for air, laughing so hard your side’s ache, and then easing up just long enough for you to catch his next punch line, and du-uh, there you are again, rolling around, laughing.
Most of his Sets were, FUN-NY. His true talent definitely lies in impersonations and accents- Chinese, Indian, African, Jamaican, you name it.

This appeal is easy to understand in light of his material, much of which centers on being raised by conservative Indian parents in Toronto while his white friends got off easy.

For those who don’t know, Canada has turned out some of Hollywood’s best comedic actors. In fact, many of you will probably be surprised to read that greats such as; Mike Myers, Jim Carrey and Dan Akroyd are all Canadians.
Russell Peters is an Indian Canadian – not "native Canadian", but of Indian immigrant parents. Much of his hour onstage is spent dealing with ethnicity of various kinds, both of Indian characteristics and those of the folk he's encountered in his life.

The downside was that his improvised comedy relied on the standard "Anybody here from...?" ploy to introduce his ethnic and regional material. But he did manage some overt mockery of all ethnicities - none are spared! Including audience members (Korean, Chinese, Arab and even American)

His jokes on the “Aunties and uncles” and the Sexual overtones and Sexual Innuendos had the audience in splits. Makes one wonder if adult contemporary comedy goes with conservative Indian humor, and then came on Russell Peter’s Punjabi / Gujarati Jokes dispelled any doubt.

The show was definitely “Paisa Vasool” for his uncanny impersonations and outsider perspective, but being a performer who has become famous because of a phenomenon called U Tube, and is accessible to all those who want on limewire, Russell’s thought-provoking style of comedy makes him an entertainer worth watching!

But it’s a pity, as he has a relaxed and winning style, but comes with standard – “used before” comedy routines. He can work an audience well, deriving much of his worth in the first fifteen minutes' but he lacks continuity and consistency to lace his patter together, and in comedic terms this chameleon stays largely au naturel.

And maybe like he pointed out us Indians are really cheap and just like to comment!!!!
And after reading this… Somebody might get hurt a really bad!!!!

PS - For those who wanna read this review on print, pick up a copy of Midday Bangalore dated 28th february! :)

"The Guardian" - A Film Review

Film : The Guardian
Date of Release (India) : 9th December 2006
Cast : Kevin Costner, Ashton Kutcher
Director : Andrew Davis (Fugitive, Collateral Damage)

“There is a legend of a man who lives beneath the sea … he is a fisher of men … a last hope of people who have been left behind.”

The Film starts with Kevin Costner’s voice in the background , (now we know where Bollywood gets ideas from!) and moves to quick snapshots of a helicopter whirring over some Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers. This tense emotional action drama is the highlight of this flick.
A noticeably trimmer Kevin-“Coast”-ner plays a veteran U.S Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Ben Randall. He holds all the records that can be held. But after a rescue mission goes tragically haywire, and suffering from the psychological scars of that mishap as well as the breakup of his marriage, Ben is sent to teach new recruits at an Coast Guard academy. He is advised to “download his resume where it matters”!
Enter high school swim champ Jake Fischer (Ashton Kutcher) – aka Goldfish – who wants to beat every record that Ben has created.

The film is well casted and Costner steals the show as the conflicted trainer. For a change he plays his age with the crow’s feet near his eyes, and the wrinkled salt and pepper look. There’s also an appealing ensemble cast of secondary characters of both officers and recruits. The story is quite enjoyable, filled with scenes of watery challenges and student bonding, with a good dose of humor sprinkled in. The trainer and trainee relationship goes through the checklist items of a typical training camp film. The candidates are subjected to backbreaking drills like oxygen deprivation, hypothermia, and how to save a drowning victim in the high seas. There are also the respective lady-loves of Ben and Jake, & they provide some emotional color to the entire sketch.

Yes, of course, Ben sees something of himself in the young hotshot Jake. But he also senses a hesitation on Jake's part to save someone if they were in true peril. So the question that both mentor and student must answer is whether Jake has the courage to sacrifice himself should that moment ever happen. The film goes into a lifesaver’s mind and dives into questions like “When you cannot save them all. How do you decide which one to?” And it gives you answers in the end.
This film will prove to be a film trivia buff's delight. The typical Newbie and Commander, Rookie and Officer, Trainee and Mentor relationship will remind you of many of the Basic training camp films it replicates. It is easy to brush this film off as a predictable, watery remould of "An Officer and a Gentleman", or a “Top Gun in the ocean”. Yet I found myself absorbed in the tense rescue scenes that dot the film from beginning to end. The film has interesting camera work & splendid underwater shots which add to the emotional drama. But I’ll give the film this… If you thought coast guards were “Baywatch” & Pam Anderson and Hasselhoff in their red trunks, well think again, Here’s a flick that’ll make you feel like hitting the pool and learning how to swim better.

Warning : The film runs over two hours.. so take your sweater along, it could get cold in the theatres when u watch those chilly alaskan rescue sequences.
Anjaan’s Verdict : Worth a Dekko, but Pick up the DVD!