Brand it!
City Beautiful has a heritage that fascinates, but do we showcase it the way it should be? 
Every city has its own character, its own stories and its own heritage. While the former two get the benefit of being self-sufficient, heritage needs endorsement to survive. And the most effective brand ambassadors are the citizens. Flaunting 'I love New York' tee is the yankee way of life, a trend made popular, whether in Manhattan or Malerkotla! Souvenirs of Eiffel tower and Big Ben not only remind you of your perfect holiday, but also the street cafés, artists' arcades and colonial elegance. Small things with big cultural imprint!

Big on luck
A city-based family had a chance to play Big Money with actor Madhavan 
Television has equal number of followers as well as detesters, who follow their route irrespective of each other…for or against the agenda. Luckily, the followers this time had a reason to smile. Rajni Dhir, a homemaker from Chandigarh, along with her three kids had a chance to play Big Money with actor Madhavan on Imagine TV.

The Dhir family with Madhavan

Search for meaning
Real life, real characters and everything subjective, with an objective point of view. Love on the Brink is the story of three people, living in their own defined categories, yet not happy with life
What happens when existentialism meets materialism while idealism is trying to figure its way out? What happens when three people who get what they want in life are still not satisfied with it? What happens when a suicidal attempt becomes a chance encounter with your past and then turns into an absurd love triangle? Cut to the point, nothing happens, that's just the real world. And that's what Love on the Brink, the latest production by Lillete Dubey, is all about.

L-R: Kumud Mishra, Shivani Tanksale and Joy Sengupta

Best foot forward
Chavvi Mittal and Roshni Parekh, in the city to promote their latest TV serial, talk their heart out
This is the most sought after word of the times. A corporate honcho, an honest civil servant, a daily-wage earner, a salaried class teacher, a hotshot actor or celebrity…the word drives the world and cannot be ignored at any cost. Luckily and strangely, the word inspires many to give in their best, work overtime, for they don't want this word to drive them bonkers. 'Insecurity', the heavy-duty word has seeped down and percolated into the television industry. It is hard to find a single person with a bleak association in the industry and is not dealing with it.

Chavvi Mittal & Roshni Parekh 

Flying high
Bollywood beauty Katrina Kaif has been named the brand ambassador of Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, an official said. The announcement will be made in Mumbai Tuesday in the presence of Etihad Airways' vice-president (Marketing) Andrew Ward, country manager (India) Neerja Bhatia said, as Katrina looked on. According to the official, positioning itself as a frontrunner in the increasingly competitive luxury airline segment, Etihad Airways is constantly developing and communicating its unmatched and uncompromised service to patrons.

Katrina Kaif

Item decode
Bollywood actor Eesha Narang, better known as the Khallas girl does not take kindly to the 'item' tag attached to her following a series of special appearances in movie songs. "Even people today refer to me as Khallas girl...I take it as a complement… But I believe they must not be called 'item' (whether songs or girls)... it sounds negative, derogatory and disrespectful," Eesha said. In 2002, the actor appeared in RGV's Company for the popular item number Khallas, which earned her the nickname and the most exciting new face trophy at the Stardust awards.

Eesha Narang

Third time lucky!
He's crooned countless songs, it's just as easy to lose count of the albums he's cut, it's the similar sounding story with music shows; for those attuned to Indian music industry, tag Sonu Nigam needs no introductions. Three weeks into television reality show, Chhote Ustaad and the singer is in a congratulatory mode, over a couple of quick bites and quotes on the phone. "The show's been telecast for three weeks now and the response has been pretty good. Frankly, we didn't expect such a good response. 

Role calling 
No matter how much we talk about the dearth of fresh ideas in Punjabi cinema, certain issues just cannot be ignored. Drug abuse or female foeticide are some issues that are still a prerogative of Punjabi cinema. Jonita Doda, the lead actor opposite Gurdas Maan in the upcoming Punjabi movie Chak Jawaaana, releasing August 27, has no qualms in admitting that Punjabi cinema cannot afford to experiment with newer topics when there is so much from the state that needs to be highlighted. 

CLICKING together!
If an image of the oldest surviving photo, 1,400-pound Mammoth, built in Chicago, which took 15 people to click a picture, or the beautiful moments of our city interest you, Joint Photo Artist Group has put up an exhibition of as many as 56 photographs at Rock Garden. The love for clicking got this diverse group - two employees from PGI, a banker, one from AG office, another from Town Planning and two businessman - together, three years back. 

Causetoons
Global Warming - the word seems to have lost its impact now, blame it on overuse or 'we-care-a-damn-attitude'! So, we have something better and entertaining, with a bigger impact. Cartoons - simple and effective. The cartoons for climate change, exhibition-cum-workshop organised by the British Council at the Government Arts College-10, is a fine example of visuals with a message.

Grove-y kind of song
Every genre, club, progressive or house has its own audience. We cannot force people to sway to electronic.
What's with the names of the deejays? Why does an Avtar Singh becomes DJ Prince Groove, and a Deepit becomes DJ Methaknight? Innovation with a difference is the answer to it. The two Delhi-based deejays jamming in with Chakra:Vu band at Hotel Zinc on a Friday night wonder, 'what's in a name'! Nevertheless they elaborate. 

DJ Prince Groove

Beer goggles
Beauty lies in the eyes of beer drinkers
Scientists have finally solved the mystery of 'beer goggles' — a phenomenon where less attractive people suddenly become more appealing when the onlooker has tipped back a pint or two. According to researchers who tested the idea on both sober and inebriated college students in England, alcohol dulls people's ability to recognise cockeyed, asymmetrical faces.

So sweet!
Sugar really does make us sweeter, by helping us digest bad news, says a new study. It is believed that the sugar rush provides the brain with the fuel it needs to push away thoughts of blame and revenge, making it easier for us to forgive and forget.

Hic hic hurrah!
A new study has suggested that youths whose parents allowed them to have alcohol with meals while they were growing up are less likely to develop harmful drinking patterns in the future. The new study, led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) examined, in detail the drinking patterns and histories of 160 Italian adolescents and young adults who identified themselves as regular or heavy drinkers.

Beyond labels
Finally organic food has become popular but only for a particular segment. Besides, it is facing a stiff competition from the mega brands in the food sector, which have the power to attract people by their aggressive marketing strategies. But one should be aware of what's happening on this front and go beyond the labels as labels can be misleading and sometimes they omit a fact by highlighting another.

From the royal kitchen
Mirchi ka halwa, Khaas Rampouri kichri, Kishmashi parantha may sound a little unfamiliar to the ear, but the Rampuri Royal Food Festival shows what royal food is all about
Different flavours seem to be enticing the city palate like never before. So after a number of Avadhi, Hyderabadi, Lucknawi, Moroccan and Chinese food festivals, it's lesser-explored Rampuri cuisine being offered by Hometel, a Sarovar Hotel at Industrial Area. A small royal estate Rampur in the western Uttar Pradesh, better known for its knives, also takes pride only in its rich Rampuri royal cuisine that has influences of Kashmiri, Hyderabadi and Avadhi traditions.

Robert on the top
Hollywood's latest heartthrob Robert Pattinson has been named the world's sexiest man for the second year in a row, despite facing stiff competition from his Twilight co-stars. The 24-year-old British actor has yet again topped Glamour online's 50 Sexiest Men. The top five was dominated by Twilight actors, with 18-year-old Taylor Lautner - who plays werewolf Jacob Black in the hit film franchise - in second place, and Xavier Samuel and Kellan Lutz placed fourth and fifth respectively.

Robert Pattinson

Kissing the swan
Hollywood star Natalie Portman will be seen kissing actor Mila Kunis on-screen in Darren Aronofsky's much anticipated new film Black Swan. The 29-year-old actor, who was recently seen in films like 'Brothers' and 'The Other Boleyn Girl', plays the role of a New York ballerina in the psychological thriller set for release on December 1.

Baby shower for Travoltas
Kelly Preston, wife of John Travolta, celebrated her pregnancy by gathering with loved ones for a girly bash in Los Angeles. The Hollywood stars confirmed they were expecting their third child in May (10), and Preston, 47, prepared for the impending birth by hosting an all-female baby shower for friends and family at the Beverly Hills Peninsula hotel. Thirty guests were treated to high tea and were served finger sandwiches, scones and cakes as they mingled, costing the Travoltas 50 pounds per person.