For Charlton Heston (1923-2008)

The Baptist and Moses was he,
Michaelangelo and El Cid too, see,
But for sure, down the ages,
In film history's pages,
As Ben Hur, remembered he'll be!


The New York Times 06/04/08: Charlton Heston, Epic Film Star and Voice of N.R.A., Dies at 84. Read about it here

RIP Sir Arthur C. Clarke

RIP dear Sir Arthur C. Clarke.
Writing sci-fi you had made your mark.
May you now find your place
In that great outer space,
As on new odyssey you embark.


AFP 19/03/08: Sci-fi guru Arthur C. Clarke dies in Sri Lanka aged 90. Read about him here

For Sir Edmund Hillary

As explorer, he was the best;
With Tenzing he climbed the world's crest.
The world at his feet,
Resplendent, replete,
As he stepped on that mountain - Everest.


Guardian 11/01/08: Sir Edmund Hillary, first man to the top of the world, dies at 88.

An item girl, a reality show and personal sacrifice

"The outcome was a gross fabrication."
Miss Sawant complained in frustration.
"The rigging was a blow;
And to think, for this show,
I gave up my breast implantation!"



HT 25/12/07: Bollywood Item girl Rakhi Sawant today filed a criminal complaint against Star Plus channel alleging them of cheating after she lost in the finals of reality show Nach Baliye 3. Get the story here. Also, read about her sacrifice here. Surely, you can feel her pain now?

The fundamentals of Bengali liberalism

We Bongs are a true class apart;
Told Nasrin, "You needn't depart";
But then we got cracking
And sent her a-packing.
The reason? A quick change of heart!

The Left Front Government bowed to minority pressure and asked Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin to move out of West Bengal. Get the story here

An update: Now it seems that Nasrin has been moved out of Rajasthan too. This gets interesting...we extend her visa (we are liberal) then don't know where to keep her (we don't want to stir up the fundamentalist hornet's nest)!.

To the sexiest Asian woman

In 'Jism', she pouted her lips,
With 'beedi' she jiggled her hips
This hot, dusky gal,
Is a bombshell from Cal -
Well can you guess who? Of course, Bips!

:D

TOI 15/11/07: Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu has been named the Sexiest Asian Woman in the World 2007 by a leading London-based Asian newspaper. get the story here

By the color of your skin

A frustrated fan blew his fuse
And smacked Chappell, made headline news.
An impulsive blow?
Well, Greg reveals, "No,
It sure shot was racial abuse!"


Rediff News 14/11/07: Chappell alleges racial abuse in India. Get the story here

What do you feel about this allegation?

Taking a leaf out of Arnie's book

California's gov'ner and chief,
Said the ganja ain't drug, just a leaf.
He may have been joking,
But those who love smoking,
Roll their joints now with heightened relief!

:D

CBS news 30/10/07: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says marijuana is not a drug, a British magazine reported Monday. But his spokesman said the governor was joking. Get the story here

Off with his hair!

(Photo: PTI)

A young Dhoni fan winced in pain.
No, he hadn't been hit by a train.
But indeed was shook,
By his hero's new look,
"My goodness, he's shorn off his mane!"

The Hindu: 'New look' Dhoni arrives home. Get the story here

Star-track

Munnabhai is now in doubt,
What will it be? In or out?
It seems that the star's
Going back behind bars,
While once more, his lawyers' for bail scout!


Reuters 22/10/07: Actor Sanjay Dutt returns to jail in bombings case. get the story here

Let the celebrations begin!

Once more it's that time of the year
When the Goddess comes home - she is here
All work now shall stop
We'll have fun till we drop,
Said Inkspot while slugging on beer!

This blog shall be on holiday as Inkspot heads out to enjoy the Durga Puja days. We will be back next week. Till then, enjoy the Pujas, Navratri and Dussehra dear readers. Also, Eid Mubarak!

The Salman saga

Cried Sallu Bhai sitting in jail,
"I'm sick of the law, get me bail!
Once out, with some luck,
I will pass on the buck,
And quickly to Mumbai turn tail!"



TOI 27/08/07: The hearing on bail application of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, charged in the chinkara poaching case will be heard on Wednesday. Get the story here

Punished

In your youth, you may feel, you can flaunt
All your powers, and that life is a jaunt,
But remember that fate,
May for years lie in wait,
And that past always comes back to haunt!

Reuters 31/07/07: Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was jailed for six years on Tuesday for obtaining firearms from gangsters involved in India's worst bombings, ending an epic trial that transfixed the country with tales of terror and revenge. Get the story here

Goodbye, Mr. Ingmar Bergman

Oh, what can I tell you about
Ernst Bergman? I'm truly devout
An admirer of his;
A director, who is
The greatest - of that I've no doubt!



Reuters 30/07/07: Swedish film icon Ingmar Bergman dies at 89. Read about it here

The aura of Shivaji The Boss

The manager was sounding quite cross:
"Since the coming of Shivaji, The Boss,
My workers are queuing
At the halls for a viewing,
And my business is suffering a loss!"

Read more about the Rajnikanth mania here

Have you watched the film yet? What is your feedback? Tell me about it!

The Big B:no gentleman farmer?

The court questioned, "pray tell us how
A man like you claimed he could plough?
You may be a charmer
But for sure are no farmer
So, our ruling is, 'leave the land now'!"

"As a coolie, the station you manned,
But in no film have you tilled the land.
In Veer Zaara, true,
A few crops you grew,
But that's not called farming, understand?"

The Hindu 02/06/07: A Faizabad court on Saturday dismissed a review petition filed by actor Amitabh Bachchan in the agricultural land allotment case in Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. It ruled that Mr. Bachchan was not a farmer. Get the story here

Fallen

That this Bengali director has flair
Was noticed at the Cannes film affair
As his film was being viewed,
The poor chap came unglued
Then he tumbled and fell off his chair!


Read all about Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh's Cannes embarrassment, here

Celebrity quiz

Like brave Inkspot, he too had fame,
His sleuthing skills met wide acclaim.
Now he and his pet
Snowy dog are all set
To be Hollywood stars - guess his name?


For the correct answer, check here.

Knight in the shining armour

Young Bachchan comes riding his horse
And carries off - Aishwariya of course!
And who is that hunk
All dressed like a monk?
It's Sallu Bhai, whispers our source!


DNA 19/04/07: MF’s horse rides into Abhi-Ash party. Read on

{pic courtesy DNA}

By invitation only!

"Hey lady, you can't go inside"
The burly guard at the gate cried.
"My orders, alas,
Say, 'only let pass
Those folks on the guest list of pride'!"

"Please, re-check the list," she replied,
The beautiful damsel, doe-eyed,
Then burst into tears
For you see, my dears
She happened to be - yes-the bride!

With such a lot of song and dance in the media about the 'real guest list', the secrecy and the craze for details from the Abi-Ash wedding that is underway, one can't but help imagine...what if...?

:-P