8 Random Things, huh?

Thanks to Filmi, I had one more reason to procrastinate at work today...

The rules are as follows:

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged, write a blog post about their own 8 random things, and post these rules.
3. At the end of your post you need to tag 8 people and include their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
4. If you fail to do this within eight hours, you will not reach Third Series or attain your most precious goals for at least two more lifetimes.

Right-o! on #4. I don't even know what that means...
Here goes:

1. When I was in high school, I used the word "random" so much--as in, "That's so random!"--that became my nickname for a while.
2. I once had a man ask me, why--as if he didn't believe me--hadn't I gone to a better college if I had spent two summers boarding at Choate on academic scholarship. How frickin' random!
   
3. Since age 11, I've always had really close friends who are Asian. (Korean, Taiwanese, Lao, Filipino) I didn't get get good with chopsticks until college though!
4. Whenever I speak Mandarin to Chinese people they make this face. I'm not sure if they're surprised or if my pronunciation is just that bad.
5. I've had a passport since 2000 but never used it.
6. Of the few places I have been, Montreal holds a special place in my heart. It was there I had my first (and last) taste of malt liquor. Boomerang anyone? I have since deduced that my bladder is about the size of a small tangerine and therefore, overly responsive to diuretic side effects...
   
7. When I would hang out in the projects with my cousins as a kid, the other girls wouldn't let me play double-dutch because they said I couldn't twirl right and, being coordination-impaired, couldn't jump in either.
8. That's ok. Those girls probably still live in the projects and I'm absolutely positive I can take any of them on a snowboard!

Fortunately, Filmiholic didn't tag any of the other bloggers I know. That would have been bad since I can only think of 6. Guess I'm stuck at Second Series and stuff. *Dang it!*

• Beth
  
• Daddy's Girl
  
• Babasko
  
• Totally Basmatic
  
• Maja
  
• Susan
  

Knock 'em dead ladies!

Chori Chori (2003)

Successful liar
meets her match: a man who needs
lies to find true love

First of all, let me just say, Ajay Devgan doesn't walk y'all. He struts. Furthermore, as irreplaceable as Hrithik is in my hierarchy of actors, there's nothing like some brown skin! (Ok, ok. Tan would probably be more accurate. Let's not nitpick.) On to the film...

As I have been informed, Chori Chori was Rani's first comedy attempt and it works. Truthfully, her character in Bunty aur Babli is similar in many ways--fun, squeaky-voiced (!) and mischievious. Ajay, on the otherhand, moped around the film looking appropriately depressed and being a bit (too) mean at times. While a scowl is the most necessary accessory to a proper strut, I don't believe I've ever seen Mr. Devgan with any other expression on his face. It's bothersome. It really is.

Anyhoo, the first few moments of the film really had me wondering whether or not I was gonna make it. Grown women who call their stuffed animal "my best friend" when not calling them by their given name (Jonathan!), are a little unsettling to me. But maybe it's just me...

I liked the storyline though. It was different. In some ways, it's the reworking of an arranged marriage: two people who had no more than passing interest in on another, suddenly find themselves thrown together with a wedding planned out and--because this is Bollywood--they do indeed fall passionately in love. Rani's character is a hustla baby! I love how she turns everything around on the ex and gets a free lunch out of it. And for some ridiculous reason I found her homeless, wino surrogate parents rather amusing.

For a film of 2 hours and 15 minutes, 8 songs is a sure clue that the writers ran out of material. That's ok. File it under cotton candy. It was a nice return from my viewing hiatus.

Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage (2002)

[I just looked through my blog drafts and found this thing lying around and figured it was worth a post...]

Love brings out baba's hate.
Not able to cope, daughter
hyperventilates.

A bad haiku for a bad film.

If I had to watch Amisha hyperventilate one more time, I was going to smother the director. Was her character supposed to have asthma or did she just cry that hard all the time? It was so distressing I couldn't even be happy when she and Hrithik got together at the end. Because I'm such a firm believer in therapy, I wanted to force her fictional character to sit down and talk through the trauma before trying to start a new life with the man of her dreams.

Aap Mujhe Achache Lagne Lage had the potential to be good. It had an unusual turn on the genre, the stakes were remarkably high--life and death--for both characters. If the writers (somebody!) had taken more time to give the characters some emotional depth maybe Where is her inhaler?!? wouldn't have come to mind so often.

Additionally, I love a good action sequence as much as the next romantic film viewer but a man can only take so many beatdowns before the movie turns into an action film. Hello! We girls did not watch this movie to see Hrithik get beatdown and random unknowns get shot, nor did the fellas sit through this to see Amisha looking crazy for half the film! Boo. Boo. And boo!!!

Remember these...

...films I borrowed from friend Susan? Just finished Chori Chori (2003) last week. It was a nice 'Welcome Back.'

I've also started Hameshaa (1997) and I don't know if I'm gonna make it y'all! Between Kajol's unibrow extraordinaire and Saif's Fabio hair--complete with perpetually billowing scarf--I may pass out in exhaustion from fugliness if I don't hyperventilate in response to the continual puffs of directionless air onscreen.
Reviews en route...

[Kajol is making the exact face I make when watching Hamesha!]

Quote of the week

To me it’s unconscionable that you can’t give an aspirin to a child in school without parental consent, but they can have major surgery without parental notification.

--State Senator Robert J. Letourneau of New Hampshire in response to the legislature's decision to repeal a law requiring teenage girls to notify their parents before having an abortion. [link]

Word?
I said the exact same thing to the school nurse--in far less articulate terms--when she refused to give me ibuprofen for cramps back in 1994 because I didn't have a permission slip...

Marigold Teaser

I believe I've said enough about this film before. t this point, I'm just wondering when the heck it's going to come out.

Presenting: Marigold. [via]

Truly, I would have preferred my hero, Hrithik Roshan, be the lead in this one--the guy is supposed to be a choreographer after all!--but we'll save him for the film about the super hott Bombayite who comes to New York and discovers hip-hop through a profoundly beautiful spoken word artist and choreographer who--you already know--is black. (Hmm. I need to get to work on that...)

Dancing in the Street

Exhibit A: The citizens of Yorkshire, UK, enjoying Bollywood week with free dance lessons in the park. Everybody say, "shava shava!"

The International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) were held over the weekend where many of Mumbai's glitterati, including the ever-glamorous Abhiwarya, graced an audience of 12,000 with their presence. However glamorous they may be, let it be known, the award for most glamorous male star went to none other than Bollywood Boyfriend #1! ;)

[New York needs to step it up y'all!]

Scathing yet saliently amusing

The title is my description of the Esquire article describing the Bollywood Movie Awards. The article, "Booray for Bollywood" is terribly funny even if it is a bit unkind.

I'm pretty sure the pop artist described is Raghav but I'm awfully curious to know which actor did the fugly striptease. Beth and I vote for Salman. If you know the answer, please let us in on the secret...

I need to ask Danny who his tailor is. I want the hook up! [Seriously, anybody know where I can get a Babli-esque kurta? Holla!]

"Did you know...

...that June is National Celibacy Awareness Month?"

Who did?

I wonder what we're supposed to be aware of? That celibacy exists? Of who is a practicing celibate? Is involuntary celibacy covered or only free-will abstinence?

I'm not hatin. I'm just sayin. I only brought it up 'cause it made me giggle. :)

[Never fear, I'll do some proper posts once my wireless gets hooked up at my new place!]