Farah’s next with Salman?
Have Salman Khan and Farah Khan joined hands for a project? Is Farah directing Salman in a film that will be jointly produced by Farah and Salman’s production companies? That’s the latest gupshup in tinsel town. The news gains credence because Salman and Farah have been bonding like never before. Of course, they have always been thick friends, but their friendship has only cemented since the past few months.
“Yes, I’ve heard this one, but the truth is, I am still undecided about my next project. I want to go on a vacation once TEES MAAR KHAN releases. The script I am working on is partly ready, but the question of casting anyone doesn’t arise till the writing is complete,” Farah clarifies. It would be interesting to see the Queen of Masses directing the King of Masses, wot say?
From finance to fiction in India and Pakistan
December 18, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under Entertainment
NEW DELHI: Finance and fiction seem like an unlikely mix, but a number of Indian and Pakistani novelists are finding their stints as finance professionals may have helped ward off writer”s block.
While there is no direct link between mastering the markets and writing novels, a career in finance does seem to have had its merits for former Wall Street banker Anish Trivedi.
“I think once you”ve had to convince people to part with their money by giving them a cogent, compelling argument in as few words as possible, you learn to get your point across pretty rapidly on a page,” says Trivedi.
Trivedi, who lives in Mumbai, gave up a seven-figure salary to pursue his writing dream. In “Call me Dan” he took a light-hearted look at arranged marriages and one-night stands in 21st-century India.
Some novelists who move from other careers to writing success mine their experiences for fiction. John Grisham has done this with law and Robin Cook, an ex-doctor, with medicine.
Yet the financiers-turned-novelists from the Indian subcontinent chose to set their characters in worlds far removed from dollar wars and hedge funds.
Private equity professional Sarita Mandanna wrote about star-crossed lovers in the period novel “Tiger Hills” while Pakistan”s H.M. Naqvi, a former World Bank employee, explored a post-9/11 New York in “Home Boy.”
Amish Tripathi, who works in the Indian insurance industry, found his calling with “The Immortals of Meluha,” historical fiction set in 1900 BC.
Financial journalist Maha Khan Phillips made her debut with “Beautiful from This Angle,” a satire set against the backdrop of honor killings in Pakistan, and thinks many novelist wannabes may be lurking in media offices.
“Financial journalism is cluttered with frustrated fiction writers,” says Phillips.
“In fact, every boss I have ever had, every editor I have ever worked with, has had a novel tucked away.”
Publishers aren”t wary of novelists with a finance background. And there may be some positives for writers with a financial bent.
“I enjoy having conversations with them (publishers) about the workings of the business – the operating mechanics, the numbers and the accounting,” says Mandanna.
But even after getting published, it”s often too soon for writers to trade in finance for literary aspirations. Not everyone can be Chetan Bhagat.
Bhagat, arguably India”s most read novelist, quit his investment banking career in 2009 to devote his entire time to writing. His first three bestsellers were written juggling his day job and the novelist”s urge.
For Tripathi, the corporate life still “pays the bills” and he is happy to continue with both vocations.
But Naqvi, who lives in Karachi, has left finance behind.
“It doesn”t matter if one has worked on an oil rig, as a dentist, a hairdresser or a banker,” says Naqvi. “Writing fiction, a novel in particular, is difficult business.”
remove google background
June 10, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Impressed by the background image on Google.com today?
Thanks to a new feature from Google, you can choose your own!
Last week, Google debuted a tool that enables you to put a background image of your choice on Google.com in place of Google’s bland white background.
Here’s how to add your own image:
Click “Add a background image and make Google your own” (under the search box).
Check out the absolute disaster of a background image in the above screenshot, not only is it just weird but it actually makes using Google.com really difficult, what on earth is that supposed to be anyway? …Moving along, here are some solutions to get around this Google background pic fiasco.
Use Google SSL instead of regular Google
Google SSL is the same as your regular Google.com except that all data sent between your browser and Google is encrypted through an SSL connection (note the https in the URL). As of this writing, Google SSL does NOT have the custom background images.
slipknot bassist dead
May 24, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
New York, NY – For reasons not known as of this writing, Paul Gray, the bassist for Slipknot, was found dead in an Iowa hotel room. Paul Grey was 38 years old. There’s no evidence of foul play, leaving open the possibility that he killed himself. The Des Moines Register reports:
Gray was a founding member of Slipknot and one of only two members not born in Iowa. The band broke into the mainstream with a platinum-selling self-titled debut in 1999. Two follow-ups, 2002’s “Iowa” and 2005’s “Vol. 3 (The Subliminal Verses)” also went platinum. The band has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning in 2006 for best metal performance.
“It’s just a devastating loss for the Des Moines music scene and the world’s music scene,” said Matt Nyberg, who was dubbed “First Maggot” by Slipknot’s Shawn Crahan. Nyberg’s band Facecage is on Slipknot lead singer Corey Taylor’s Great Big Mouth Records. “He was always one of the nicest guys. You never heard anything negative from him
Bhandarkar signs Ajay, Emraan, Omi for Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji
Trust Madhur Bhandarkar to throw a surprise when one could least see it coming. With a run of critically acclaimed films that also saw commercial success coming their way, Bhandarkar was all set to jump into another hard hitting drama Heroine where Kareena Kapoor would be the leading lady. However, he recently announced the making of another film in the interim – Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji. Nothing wrong with that because it was meant to utilise the empty space he had between now and November when Heroine will go on floors.
However, what has really surprised is the fact that it is no ‘stop-gap’ arrangement where a small film with smaller stars is being made. Instead, it is a star studded affair where none other than – hold your breath – Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Omi Vaidya (Chatur of 3 Idiots fame) have been signed.
While many filmmakers worth their salt would have had to wait for Ajay and Emraan for at least a year before they could have consented to the project (considering their own alternative industry and resultantly a super packed schedule), Bhandarkar has managed to rope them in at such a quick notice.
A romantic comedy, Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji [the title being based on the popular Gulzar written song from this year's release Ishqiya] would be a joint production of Bhandarkar Entertainment and Kumar Mangat. Incidentally, Kumar Mangat and Ajay Devgn share a great business and personal rapport for decades and have made number of films together, most recently Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge.
Bhandarkar, known for his intense dramas, is letting his hair down for Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji and would be working with an unusual cast of Ajay, Emraan and Omi for the first time in his more-than-a-decade long career.
“That’s right. It doesn’t get more unique than having actors as diverse as Ajay, Emraan and Omi together for a romcom”, smiles Bhandarkar for whom it would be a challenge of a different kind to helm a film of this nature, “In any case, I always cast for a film as per who suits the character best. Regarding making a romom then well, I always wanted to make a subject of this kind. I am glad that before delving into Heroine, I would be completing Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji.”
Looking at the fact that Ajay and Emraan would be seen in a hard hitting action drama set in 70s – Once Upon A Time In Mumbai – soon, it would be quite a contrast to see them doing something entirely different for Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji. Known for his knack of getting good performances by relative newcomers like Neil Nitin Mukesh (Jail) and Kunal Khemu (Traffic Signal) in the past, it won’t be a surprise of Ajay, Emraan and Omi do end up coming up with something that would be entirely new for the fan base of them as well as Bhandarkar.
While the men in the film have been finalised, the leading ladies are yet to be zeroed in.
“We should be able to make an announcement around the girls in next few days. The shooting of Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji begins in July and wraps up by September. It is a film that would be completed in 55-60 days schedule. After that, I move into Heroine for which the writing process is on”, concludes Bhandarkar.
sushi ko
May 15, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Members of the Hatae family have celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay to thank for the artwork now hanging over the fireplace and above the staircase of their two-story home in Thousand Oaks.
But the task of saving Sushi Ko, the eatery they moved from Bel Air to The Lakes shopping center in Thousand Oaks in 2005 and closed last summer, probably was too big even for the famous chef and his restaurant-makeover TV show, “Kitchen Nightmares,” to tackle, said Lisa Hatae.
“At that point we had nothing to lose; we already were going to the landlord and asking for relief,” Hatae said of opening the restaurant’s doors to Ramsay and a TV crew near the end of May 2009.
“We just thought of it a little too late,” she added with a laugh.
The results — some of them, anyway — will be seen when the Sushi Ko episode of “Kitchen Nightmares” makes its rescheduled, American-TV debut at 9 p.m. today on FOX.
Thanks to a social media acquaintance who lives in England, Hatae said that she, husband Akira Hatae and their children — Samson, 23, Hana, 21 and Summer, 12 — already have seen snippets of the episode as it appeared in the United Kingdom, where both Ramsay and the “Kitchen Nightmares” concept were born.
“I’m sure it’s going to be different when it airs here, but at least we’re prepared,” Hatae said, laughing again. “It shows all the negative things we assumed it was going to show.”
At least one person has seen an officially sanctioned version of the program, which was bumped from its original April 23 airdate by a Friday-night episode of “Glee.” Writing in the current issue of Us magazine, TV critic John Griffiths called the outcome of the Sushi Ko show “jubilant.”
erica blasberg pictures
May 11, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Erica Paige Blasberg (July 14, 1984 – May 9, 2010) was an American golfer who played on the LPGA Tour.
Blasberg was born in Orange, California and raised in Corona, California. She attended Corona High School where she played on the boys’ golf team.
Blasberg’s body was found at her Henderson, Nevada home on the afternoon of May 9, 2010, according to local police. The six-year tour player was 25 years old. No cause of death was disclosed and an investigation is ongoing. In an interview reported in the Riverside County Press Enterprise on May 10, Blasberg’s father, Mel Blasberg, was quoted saying, ““At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it. We’re waiting for the police to make an investigation.
25-year-old LPGA golfer Erica Blasberg was found dead in her home in Henderson, Nevada Monday. The cause of death was unknown as of this writing. TMZ.com reports that law enforcement is conducting a “death investigation” of the Orange County born.
In an interview reported in the Riverside County Press Enterprise on May 10, Blasberg’s father, Mel Blasberg, was quoted saying, ““At first glance it looks like she might have taken her own life, but at second glance, something is very, very strange about it. We’re waiting for the police to make an investigation.
fabrice tourre
April 16, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
The 31-year-old Goldman Sachs vice president charged with securities fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission today is Fabrice Tourre, a French graduate of Stanford who has worked at the Wall Street firm since July 2001.
In an email to a friend on January 23, 2007, the London-based trader called himself “The Fabulous Fab” and warned about the coming collapse in the subprime mortgage securities market, according to the SEC complaint. In the message, he also dramatically expresses his own lack of foresight about the consequences of his risky trading activity:
“More and more leverage in the system. The whole building is about to collapse anytime now… Only potential survivor, the fabulous Fab[rice Tourre]… standing in the middle of all these complex, highly leveraged exotic trades he created without necessarily understanding all of the implications of those monstrosities!!!”
Last December, the New York Times reported on Fourre’s role in helping create Abacus deals, which allowed investors to bet for or against mortgage securities through credit default swaps:
Mr. Egol and Fabrice Tourre, a French trader at Goldman, were aggressive from the start in trying to make the assets in Abacus deals look better than they were, according to notes taken by a Wall Street investor during a phone call with Mr. Tourre and another Goldman employee in May 2005.
On the call, the two traders noted that they were trying to persuade analysts at Moody’s Investors Service, a credit rating agency, to assign a higher rating to one part of an Abacus C.D.O. but were having trouble, according to the investor’s notes, which were provided by a colleague who asked for anonymity because he was not authorized to release them. Goldman declined to discuss the selection of the assets in the C.D.O.’s, but a spokesman said investors could have rejected the C.D.O. if they did not like the assets…
“Egol and Fabrice were way ahead of their time,” said one of the former Goldman workers. “They saw the writing on the wall in this market as early as 2005.” By creating the Abacus C.D.O.’s, they helped protect Goldman against losses that others would suffer.
euro
April 11, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Euro zone finance ministers agreed unanimously at a Eurogroup teleconference on Sunday on how to help Greece if needed, Cyprus’ finance minister told reporters.
“We agreed on the specific way by which member states, with the IMF, will offer economic assistance to Greece if it asks,” Charilaos Stavrakis said.
Euro zone finance ministers met to detail how a safety net for debt-stricken Greece would work if it asks to trigger it.
“We have concluded both on the details, and the precise manner by which the aid would be activated,” Stavrakis said. “It was unanimous.”
Stavrakis declined to spell out the details of the deal.
“Certainly it is something positive for Greece, but the issue which remains is if Greece requests it,” he said.
(Reporting by Michele Kambas; Writing by Ingrid Melander; editing by Mike Nesbit)
Tony Blair”s memoir to be published in September
April 6, 2010 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
LONDON: The memoirs of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be published in September, it was announced today by Gail Rebuck, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Random House Group. Tony Blair: The Journey will be published in the UK by Hutchinson and simultaneously in the United States by Knopf and Canada by Knopf Canada.
In 1997, Tony Blair won the biggest Labour victory in history to sweep the party to power and end 18 years of Conservative government. He has been one of the most dynamic leaders of modern times; few British prime ministers have shaped the nation”s course as profoundly as Tony Blair did, during his ten years in power. His achievements and his legacy will be debated for years to come. His memoirs reveal in intimate detail this unique political and personal journey and provide an insight into the man, the politician and the statesman, charting successes, controversies and disappointments with an extraordinary candour. They will prove essential and compulsive reading for anyone who wants to understand the complexities of our global world.
“Tony Blair”s The Journey will break new ground in prime ministerial memoirs just as Blair himself broke the mould of British politics,” said Rebuck. “His book is frank, open, revealing and written in an intimate and accessible style. As an account of the nature and uses of power, it will have a readership that extends well beyond politics, to all those who want to understand the challenge of leadership in today’s world.”
Tony Blair says: “I have really enjoyed the writing of the book. I have tried to write a book which describes the human as much as the political dimensions of life as Prime Minister. Though necessarily retrospective, it is an attempt to inform and shape current and future thinking as much as an historical account of the past. Most of all I want readers to have as much pleasure reading it as I had writing it.”
“Tony Blair is an extremely popular figure in North America,” said Sonny Mehta, his US publisher. “His memoir is refreshing, both for its candour and vivid portrayal of political life. We all knew Blair was an extraordinary statesman and gifted thinker. We can now add exceptional writer to that list.”
Hutchinson will publish Tony Blair: The Journey in hardback, priced £25.00 with a simultaneous edition available as an eBook and in audio, read by Mr Blair. Knopf and Knopf Canada will publish their hardcover editions of Tony Blair: The Journey simultaneously with Hutchinson. Knopf will also publish an eBook and audio read by the author. Translation rights have been sold in twelve territories worldwide and Mr Blair will embark on a national and international author tour immediately upon release of the book.
Hutchinson is an imprint of The Random House Group in the UK; Alfred A. Knopf is one of the flagship imprints of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. in the US.; Knopf Canada is an imprint of Random House of Canada. Random House is owned by Bertelsmann AG, the international media company.
