With all the other sports action, I completely disregarded the Australian Open, until a couple of my colleagues started talking about the number of Russian women in the main draw, as also the fact that they went quite deep into the tournament.
My hotel does not have ESPN2, so we were not able to watch the games, even if they were tape delayed. Speaking of which, what the hell is wrong with the American TV networks? Why can’t they show the initial rounds live? I know they showed some of the matches live, but most of it seemed to be tape delay. Of course, if I don’t know enough, ignore this rant.
So last night we went to a local sports bar and watched Sharapova/Williams. More on that in another post.
Of course, of all the Russian women, and the talk of possibly 3 out of 4 semifinalists or maybe 7 out of 8 quarter finalists, only one made it to the semis. So I have something to rub it into my colleagues. :-)
Hmm. Where do I start with my review on this film?
Let’s start with the summary, or the rating. On my scale it scored a good rating because I did not sleep! There were parts in fact in the first half where, because of a heavy lunch, I almost dozed off. But overall, it was quite entertaining. Of course, if you ask me from what I know now, if I would go to the movies and spend $10/person on that movie, I would say ‘no’.
So first thing - Subhash Ghai. That is what pulled me to this movie. I did not know the storyline, nor the starcast. I went for it because it was his first directed film after a long time. But for some reason I was quite disappointed. First of all, there were not too many long scenes, so that scenes kept fading out and fading in a lot. It could be that they were edited for the US audience, but whatever. My takeaway was that there were too many short scenes.
Secondly, there were no good effects. The horses for example, sounded way too electronic. Also, some of the fight scenes and riot scenes looked too ‘studio-like’. And that’s a pity, coming from Ghai and coming in this day and age.
On to the movie and the first positive thing in the movie is the various shots of the valley. The mountains, with the greenery, with snow-capped peaks in the background, and fog sometimes and sun others, was simply beautiful. There are a lot of such shots in the movie and I loved those. In fact there was also one quick scene in London and I liked that too, with the fall-like colors. I think it was in one of the songs.
The next positive in the movie is the presence of, and acting of Antonia Bernath. She is so beautiful and she shows that she was not in it just for face value. She has acted very very well. As I read somewhere, the movie should not have been called Kisna, but Katherine. I sorta agree. The movie is not about him, it is about her. She has done quite well for herself, and looks well throughout the movie.
The soundtrack is not-so-bad, but I don’t think I remember any particular song or theme now, a few hours after the movie. Plus, repeating some of the tunes/songs makes it difficult to associate a song/tune with a scene.
Negatives - the other girl has been wasted. She can consider herself ‘launched by Ghai’ but there was nothing for her to do in the move except dance. More on that later. She can’t act much and thankfully she is not made to act much. But in general, she could have been used more, not only in the existing script, but also, with a slightly different script. She looks pretty and has great moves, but then again, so do many of Shiamak Davar’s students :-)
Another major major negative is the overuse of the ghagra in the dances pictured on Luxmi. Why does he have to fan out the ghagra so much? Did not understand that.
And what is it about her and the rope?? She is unbelievably flexible, but I did not go to see Cirque du Soleil! I was quite turned off after a few seconds of the rope thing.
Subhash Ghai should focus on producing movies and directing masala films rather than coming out with such serious movies. But I would not say that the movie was a waste of money either. Go watch it. Antonia will not disappoint you.
“I think the Steelers will beat the Pats and Atlanta will cause an upset in Philly.”
Well, the Pats pounded the Steelers and the Eagles won more than comfortably. I had taped the games and I did not watch either of them. Not that I am disappointed with the Falcons losing. I am more disappointed at the Steelers. Of course, I am now rooting for the Eagles.
But hats off to this New England Patriots team. So much confidence. So much talent. And so much modesty. Unreal.
I am seeing an increasing number of those yellow ribbon bumper stickers with ‘Support Our Troops’ on them. I did not care much about the stickers till I had a discussion/argument with one of my coworkers.
And he brought a good point. He said that all this ra-ra-ra is useless because no one is really talking about bringing them home or why they are there in the first place.
My point is that innocently speaking, we should be supporting the troops who are fighting for the country. No matter what the situation is, now matter how moral (or immoral) the war is, the fact is that they are putting their lives at stake and fighting to (at least supposedly) protect the country.
But his point was that all this is just propoganda. He said that this is typical brainwashing being done to effectively let the average Joe understand that the war is something to be proud of and that the decision itself to go to war is immaterial.
Which made me think, and increasingly, I am realizing that no one is really asking why we are there, what is our role there, how long are we going to be there, and how are we going to pull out. Nothing. How come there are no stickers with ‘Bring our troops back home’, or ‘Who will pay for the war’?
Stop this brainwashing - accept the blame, fix the problem and bring the troops back home with their families. Protect the country at home, not thousands of miles away.
It has been a very very long day. Woke up early to set up a new printer. Did not work too well because I was not completely awake when I tried and I left the plastic wrapping on and it caused some error and it does not go away now. Will have to check with tech support tomorrow morning.
But more importantly, it was time to put tiles in the basement - the ENTIRE basement. Well, it is not as big as you would think, but to put 1 ft x 1 ft tiles in a 220-230 sq ft area takes a lot of time. Also, we had to plug the cracks before we put the tiles. It was quite a good experience and it took literally the whole day to get it done and the wife and I both broke our backs and a few other parts of the body in trying to complete the task.
But I feel glad to say that and to realize that it is done! Now we will be able to sleep well, knowing that the only thing that remains now is to clean the room once and then start moving stuff downstairs. Let’s see what happens and when.
Jets should have won the game against Pittsburgh and it would have satisfied my ‘hopeful’ pick.
The Colts disappointed and I had to lose that pick.
But Atlanta blew the Rams apart and I saw most of that game. Vick is unbelievable. If nothing else, I would watch the game to see his moves. He is unbelievable.
And Eagles at home are just too difficult to beat - TO or no TO. This time the defense stepped up big time and though I believe the Vikings caused their own downfall by trying too hard, I think the Eagles are legit.
I think the Steelers will beat the Pats and Atlanta will cause an upset in Philly.
Of course, Leinart coming back means USC will definitely start at #1 next season. But on the other hand, if Norm Chow leaves, the new QB will not have the coaching experience that Chow brings.
Of course, as a USC fan, I could not care either way. If he had left for the NFL, USC would have been able to raise another great QB. And now that he is staying back, there is and even better chance of USC going the distance.
So since last week we have moved to a hotel slightly farther away, but much cheaper than the one we normally stay at.
The hotel is nice, in terms of the room and stuff. Plus, they have free wireless internet in the rooms. Instead of 1.5 miles commute, it is now about 5-6 miles. Not a big deal because we leave at about 7am and come back at about 8pm.
The only thing is that even though the TV has 2 or 3 HBO channels, they don’t have ESPN at all! No ESPN?? Are you kidding me?
Well but my co-worker who loves football (the real kind, where only the foot is allowed!) likes it because they have Fox Sports World!!! Can you imagine - no Fox Sports, no ESPN, but only Fox Sports World! :-)
Anyway, I am liking the place so far. Not as bad the earlier change where we moved to a cheaper as well as shittier place. This one is cheap but quite alright.
I am sure I won’t enjoy a dinner with him. First of all, like I had said before, he is an out-and-out Yankees fan and being a caller/commentator he cannot make his bias felt, and he does.
And now, I realize he is a big Green Bay Packers fan. His comments about Moss probably were more out of the frustration of the night with Favre having a disappointing night and the Packers getting whooped.
I can definitely not stand someone who is a Yankees fan AND a Packers fan. Not unless Favre retires and people give up the hype. Then if can probably tolerate someone who is a Yankees fan and a Packers fan.
Yay!! Minnesota beat Green Bay, knocking them out and making Favre truly consder retirement after a pathetic performance (1 TD, 4 INT and 1 fumble). Hope he does.
Anyway, the Wild Card weekend was actually not so bad.
St Louis beat Seattle and I can live with it. What with the Erickson firing, and Holmgren issues in Seattle, there is a chance that he may end up here in SF. He is a good coach and he can probably do something here.
And Minnesota beat Green Bay. It was my ‘hopeful’ pick and it did work out my way. Good!
Indy killed Denver and that I knew, but I hoped for a miracle. Not gonna happen :-) Manning is on a roll and if they play as well as they did, they can probably beat the Pats who are struggling with some key injuries.
And the J-E-T-S beat the Chargers. Nothing wrong with the Chargers, but I wanted the Jets to win. Something about that team that made me favor them over San Diego. I was at a party where except for one kid and me, everyone was rooting for San Diego, because it was the only team remaining out of California. HAHA!
So on to the next round. My picks (hopeful as well as real):
Jets at Steelers - Steelers (real pick) and Jets (hopeful pick)
Colts at Patriots - Colts (real as well as hopeful)
Rams at Falcons - Falcons (real as well as hopeful)
Vikings at Eagles - Eagles (real as well as hopeful)
A note for those Auburn fans who say they deserve a National Championship just because they went unbeaten. This includes the so-called pundits on ESPN/ABC Sports.
Of course most of the thoughts written in this article are the same as mine, but I post the article here just to give it some legitimacy.
Poll domination gives Trojans undisputed title GREG COTE, gcote@herald.com
Did you ever notice that people attempting to support a flimsy case tend to complicate what is simple in order to obfuscate logic?
But enough about LeBatard, who, based on his argument, apparently had dinner last night with Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who I presume was kind enough to pick up the check.
Let’s keep this simple.
A legitimate split-national championship in college football occurs when the BCS and The Associated Press have different No. 1-ranked teams and both win their bowls.
Bulletin for Dan: That was not the case this season.
LOOK TO THE POLLS
Unbeaten Southern Cal was top-ranked in both deciding polls (along with the coaches' poll). Further, the Trojans were No. 1 ahead of Auburn by a considerable margin. There wasn’t much debate . . . outside of Auburn.
Auburn was as unbeaten as USC and did all it could, yes. You can feel badly for the Tigers if you like. You can feel badly for unbeaten Utah, too. But not losing does not bestow upon you an inalienable right to claim a national title. Sorry.
If Auburn has such a legitimate claim to that, why did Southern Cal lead in final AP first-place votes, 62-3? (Who even knew there were three voters from central-Eastern Alabama?)
Hey, wasn’t 62-3 also the Orange Bowl Classic final score? No, wait. That’s right. USC only swamped Oklahoma by 55-19.
SUGAR TOO CLOSE
That was one day after Auburn, hell-bent to run up the score and make its big case, managed to edge Virginia Tech, 16-13, in the Sugar. (By the way: USC had beaten Tech by 11 points this season, if memory serves).
As for Auburn supposedly having played a tougher schedule than Southern Cal, I say we make a new rule: When you open your season against Louisiana-Monroe, you shut up about your tough schedule.
Hey, don’t get me wrong here. Auburn had a terrific season, second-best in the whole country. Be proud, Tigers. But enough with the whining.
Southern Cal – No. 1 wire-to-wire, and punctuated with an overwhelmingly impressive title-game performance – stands alone, and should. Rarely has college football crowned a champion so clear-cut, and so deserving of bipartisan praise.
Oklahoma defensive end Larry Birdine, who called USC’s offense ‘average’ and questioned Leinart’s ability:
“Besides Reggie Bush – he’s a great athlete, he’s a fast back, he makes plays or whatever – but nobody else stands out to me. Matt Leinart, he’s the Heisman Trophy winner, but he hasn’t been driving them – or he hasn’t been winning games. Up ‘til the last four or five games, Reggie Bush has been their difference-maker.
We feel like if we take Reggie out of the game, we’re gonna win.”
So, Larry, here are some news:
Leinart, the Heisman Trophy winner, passed for 332 yards and an Orange Bowl-record five touchdowns…and no interceptions. What was the final score again? Let me remind you - USC 55, OU 19.
So what if Auburn finshed unbeaten? Utah did too. And whatever the conference, it is not child’s play to go unbeaten through the season and to trounce your bowl opponent.
So USC did what was unthinkable before the game. They routed the Oklahoma Sooners. Much to my delight, of course. So all you non-believers who kept pushing USC down below Oklahoma and Auburn (and many others, if you count the last year’s snub), bow down and accept the fact.
USC is #1. Again.
USC is the National Champion. Again.
USC has a BCS Championship. Finally. Rightfully.
They deserved to be in the BCS Championship game last year, but they announced that they had truly arrived by thumping Michigan. This year, starting pre-season at #1, they did not let the advantage (if any) slip. They kept winning systematically, even with the tremendous pressure of having the target on their backs. Even with a relatively young team. Even with the bad taste of last year in their mouths.
Systematically is the right word, and that’s why I am going to repeat it. USC never ever said that they were looking forward to being in the Orange Bowl. They always maintained that they wanted to win the conference and go to the Rose Bowl. Anything above and beyond that, is destiny. They took care of the easy games and managed to win the tough games. They kept their focus even after losing some stars to the NFL or ineligibility. Coach Carroll and the rest of the coaching staff ensured that no one was really missed. It was a job truly well done.
But again, I don’t want to make too much of it. Simply because for great teams, such things should be typical. The standards should be set so high that if the team settles for anything less than a top-5 finish, it would be considered a bad year. It is no mean feat to be considered the top (or top-5) recruiting class for two or three years in a row. This should be continued so that there is enough depth year-to-year. The young guys on the team should not let it go to their heads that they have won the National Championship. It is just the beginning. Get USC back the glory days. Be the undisputed kings of the Pac-10 and let the nonsense SEC be put back in its place.
The only reason I am shouting so much about this win is for those LSU fans of last year and Auburn fans of this year. USC won the National Championship last year (ok, split it) and won it completely this year. Face it. Move on. Stop whining.
Come on, Auburn. You are saying that you want a piece of the National Championship when you hardly won the game against VA Tech? If the Hokies had some sort of a drive at any point in the game, Auburn would have lost the game. Lost!
And you want the someone to run a poll that determines that you are the winner? Try local newspapers because nationally, everyone saw how ok you were.
True, you went unbeaten. But stop the damn whining! USC was in the same position last year and they went to a BCS Bowl (their favorite - the Rose Bowl), won it handily and let the world take care of who is #1 and such.
Frankly, like I have said before, USC last year had more reason to whine (and they did NOT!) than you have this year. Last year, USC was #1 in BOTH polls … NUMBER ONE! And they still did not play for the BCS Championship. You were #3 in BOTH polls … NUMBER THREE! So cut it out, take a good break, go take your exams and start preparing for the next year.
Like USC has proved, there is always a next year! :-)
How pathetic is the state of the NFC if the most pathetic division sends two teams to the playoffs?? Of course, the good thing is that they play each other so we won’t have the irony of BOTH of them making it to the second round! :-)
Auburn keeps saying it is the ‘other’ National Championship. Laughable.
USC had a right to say that last year about their Rose Bowl game, because they were ranked #1 in both the AP and the ESPN Coaches poll. Also, a point to be noted is that USC never said that they were playing in a National Championship. The coaches as well as the players kept saying that they were there to win ‘their Bowl’ and let destiny take care of the rest.
Of course, after they won and after they got the #1 ranking by AP, they pronounced themselves National Champions, and rightly so.
Another point to note - last year, even experts were saying that there are practically two National Championships. One in the Sugar Bowl and one in the Rose Bowl. And that was based on the fact that USC being AP #1, had very little chance of dropping to #2 or #3 if they won their game against Michigan, which was ranked #5 (or was it #4?).
But this year, only Auburn coach and the players are talking about there being two National Championships. First of all they are ranked #3 in both polls. So it would need an absolutely stellar performance by them PLUS an absolutely pathetic performance by BOTH OU and USC in the Orange Bowl to even make some of the pollsters think about moving them to #1. Even if some of the guys change their votes, it would be too much to ask a whole bunch to change so that Auburn becomes #1.
Dream on, Auburn. Concentrate on winning. VA Tech is not going to be easy. In looking too far ahead you may miss the freight train coming in the form of a pumped up, underdog, nothing-to-lose Hokies team. At least win the game.
In protest of Texas being there where Cal should have been. Even though it turned out to be an exciting game, I was not going to watch it. Texas did not deserve to be there and not only that, they were there because of some stupid coaches poll and so I decided to skip it totally.
Of course, it is a good thing I did not watch because Texas ended up winning it! In the dying moments too! :-)
Say what you want - about Cal getting whipped and Texas winning the Rose Bowl. Cal should have been there, even if they had to get whipped by Michigan. Texas did not have to be there even if it meant Mack Brown does not get millions.
Hope to see more improvements in the system next year. Wonder what they’ll do next.
