Butt, again…
Puffing away at an IPL match has put Bollywood superstar and owner of Kolkata Knight Riders Shahrukh Khan in a spot with the anti-smoking lobby. We check out what city folks think about a role icon's repeated public display of this habit….
Puffing a cigarette at an IPL match has once again cost King Khan a controversy. This time he's in a tight spot with the anti-smoking lobby, which is trying to ensure that television footage of the actor is not broadcast. And the reason- an icon's smoking increases the chances of children and other non-smokers picking up the habit as they try to emulate their heroes.

Up in smoke Shahrukh was caught in a 'smoking controversy' in 2008 while shooting for the flick Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in Amritsar. While reports did the rounds that he was seen smoking in the college premises, the Punjab Government denied any such reports.

He puffed away one cancer stick after another in No Smoking. Now, actor John Abraham has joined an anti-smoking campaign

Safar to remember…

In the right light 
IPL breaks Bollywood’s obsession with fair skin
Just as the Indian Premier League (IPL) was getting South Africans worried about Bollywood’s obsession with the fair-skinned actresses, two dusky beauties were chosen at Cape Town and Durban games over the past few days to participate in the Miss Bollywood contest. Neresha Chetty of Durban was selected to represent the Chennai Super Kings in the search for Miss Bollywood SA from the crowd attending the IPL match between the Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils, at Sahara Kingsmead on Thursday.

Back to roots
Sanjay Dutt visits birthplace of his mother 
For actor-politician Sanjay Dutt, it was a journey down memory lane today when he visited the birthplace of his mother Nargis, famous Bollywood actress of yesteryears. “I am infused with fond memories of my mother while visiting her birthplace in Kolkata. It also thrilled me with a nostalgic feeling. It’s a very emotional moment for me. I thank the people of Kolkata,” he said.

Barely there 
Bollywood experiments with ‘full monty’
Call it simple commerce or a love for realism, Bollywood has embraced male nudity and with a number of actors shedding the proverbial fig leaf, going full monty is no longer a taboo. Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh grabbed headlines when he went nude for a scene in Madhur Bhandarkar’s upcoming film Jail. Bhandarkar, who is known for his hard hitting films, has already experimented with male sexuality in Page-3 and Fashion and with Jail he has gone a step further. The three-times national award winning director believes that the Indian audiences are mature enough to accept male nudity if shown in an aesthetic manner.

Raaz—the mystery continues...
She has been linked with three actors - Hurman S. Baweja, Shahid Kapur and Hollywood star Gerard Butler of 300 fame - all within a span of one year, but the mystery behind Bollywood’s svelte actress Priyanka Chopra’s actual love interest continues. The rumour mills started working overtime after Butler, whom she met at the launch of the Atlantis hotel in Dubai last year, was quoted as saying in a leading daily: “I don’t mind getting married to an Indian girl. Too bad Priyanka already has a boyfriend”. Now, who that boyfriend is, remains to be known. Though rumours of a romantic liaison between Shahid and Priyanka have been in the grapevine lately after their joint appearance at filmmaker Tarun Mansukhani’s birthday party in Mumbai last week, neither has confirmed the development.

Talepiece
Recession’s inside story
The ongoing recession has certainly changed Brit men’s underwear choices, for the sales of Y-fronts have increased by 35 per cent. According to retailer Debenhams, sales of Y-fronts are outperforming than that of trendy boxers and trunks.

Art cause
Renowned painter Savi Savarkar was in city for a discussion on photography
Time to shake off a few perceptions, rejig popular notions or plain rethink over stereotypes. Stereotypes; of artists speaking of their frivolous latest muse, elite bunch focusing over drawing room collections, sophisticated curators swearing by originals or stiff Sotheby’s and Christie’s London. Art is what art does! As in the artist Savi Savarkar’s works.

Cotton chic
If there’s one time when the wardrobe needs an update, it’s now. When the fashion world has taken a leap and understated elegance has come to take a whole new meaning. With the trend-o-meter pointing at asymmetrical designs and pleating, Madame, the leading brand of women western wear, not only understands the change but also bring to the best in its Spring/Summer 2009 collection. Bringing the cool fabrics like cotton, viscose and elastane, among others, there are tees, shirts, tunics, tops and doll tops to choose from. Another entrant is party hip-hops. Playing with a color palette of wine, purple, peacock and other greens, at Madame the silhouettes are bordered on innovative patters. 

Prescribed power

Going places.....
One for all 

Spice up
Glare guide
Sunglasses make a fashion statement, so they are very much a part of style and glamour. Sunglasses never lose their popularity and with such a wide variety of styles available, selecting the right one can be a problem. Designer glasses have flooded the Indian market, so if you go for one of the big names, you have to spare a thought for your pocket too. Buying the right sunglasses means you have to choose a frame that complements your face and the colour of your skin. They also have to conform to the shape of your eyebrows, otherwise you may end up looking like you have two sets of eyebrows. 

Whodunit!!!
Creating a blog is simple, and so is detecting the brain behind it. But the question that looms is: where in blogging should we draw the line
An unidentified blogger has created disharmony on the IPL pitch by revealing team strategies of Kolkatta Knight Riders along with a good dope on sumptuous and salacious gossip. This certainly isn't the first incident of people faking it on blogs or sending mails through fake identities. It's just that everything that happens at the IPL would makes for news. Nevertheless, no matter how we choose to look at it, publicity gimmick or a conscious damaging strategy, blogging crime is the issue of concern for many. We toss up a debate amongst regular bloggers on whether we need strict cyber laws?

Theftproof now

Geek SPEAK
Machine hang-ups
You may have experienced having your computer occasionally hangs-up, or may re boot itself for no apparent reason. This can be annoying, and can mean you have lost valuable work that you were in the process of creating. If this has happened once, then your chances of explaining the cause are remote in the extreme. If you find it happening regularly, then it is clearly in your interest to find and fix the problem. There are a few things you have to check for yourself that may save you a trip to the repair shop.

Tech Take
Nitty-gritty for netizens
The "micro-blogging" site Twitter (twitter.com), which lets you share no-more-than-140-characters-long updates with designated friends or the Web at large, has been in the news a lot lately - such as when Oprah Winfrey began using it on Friday. Why the fuss? This free service has turned out to be a handy little communications tool, combining the simplicity of e-mail with the instant publicity of blogging at an easy-to-navigate site that happens to work pretty well on a phone, too (m.twitter.com).

Robo walk

Haute pick
Welton Argo viewer
This is a ultra compact private viewer which has high resolution and provide you a 48 inch virtual flat screen experience it can be attached and used with DVD, TV, PC, game station, media player, 3G phone, USB port and SD memory card. It also has surround-sound system and incredible 3D capabilities. Weighing only 90g, it uses a 3 hours rechargeable battery capability, the light-shades and surround-sound ear buds are removable. Its like you can carry your home theatre system in your pocket.