Net gain
Social networking sites have proved to be the fertile ground for smaller brands to grow
Hypothetically speaking, there is no one who can challenge the power of digital media. Practically speaking, there is nothing more powerful than Internet. Well, both spell out the same thing. You’ve got the idea, Internet is the means, it’s the platform for the young and the innovative. Small is big online. One scroll through the social networking sites will introduce you to a new world of branding. Brands that might not be visible in the material world but are making their presence felt in the virtual world. The new market rule says—new on shelves, get net smart.

Return ticket
Festivals bring kids back home to fill in the empty nests with much gaiety
Higher studies, coveted internships or career growth — children are no longer home with parents. But then, this is time when these birds, who have long flown away from the nest, return home to celebrate the festivals. Diwali is one grand occasion, when children, wherever they are, try to come home. And that makes this festival of lights only bigger and better for parents. We talk to city mums on what keeps them on their toes before apple of their eye makes that precious visit home.

PAAwerful entry
Popular Bollywood movies Paa, 3 Idiots and Tere Bin Laden are among 26 feature films selected for the Indian Panorama section at this year's International Film Festival of India starting next month in Goa.

Drunk call
Hollywood actor Jessica Biel hides her mobile phone when she drinks alcohol because she regularly annoys her friends by calling them up after she is drunk.

Bollywood actor Mallika Sherawat at a promotional event of her film Hissss in Hyderabad recently. PTI photo

Nightmare on Wall Street
Hollywood veteran Michael Douglas, who is currently recovering from throat cancer, was petrified of reprising his iconic character Gordon Gecko in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.The actor won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Gekko in the 1987 original Wall Street and at the age of 66, Douglas said enacting the character, without the trademark characteristics, was quiet a task.

This is it!
Queen of Pop' Madonna has been spotted getting close to a younger man, and it's not her toy-boy lover Jesus Luz.

Pleasure before business?
Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were recently spotted making out on the set of The Salt star's directorial debut in Hungary. The two were pictured sharing several smooches on a bench. And Pitt, 46, was seen taking photographs of a cheerful Jolie, 35.

Love hurts
Four ‘disturbing’ photos of a bruised and battered Rihanna, taken after the popstar was assaulted by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown last year, are being shopped around by an unidentified person. The photos were taken in a Los Angeles emergency room where the 22-year-old was treated after being attacked the night of the Grammy awards in February 2009.

Bridal bonanza
The Wedding Show 2010 is on at Hotel Shivalikview-17 with apparel, jewellery and electronics on display. The best grab here is Diwali stuff like diyas, candles and readymade rangoli patterns. Must check-out are vibrant electronic lamps from Bangkok starting from Rs 900 and some of the eclectic jewellery pieces from Thailand.

Peeping through jharokhas
Festivity is in the air and Gurjari has brought an amazing collection of little knick-knacks for your home and you. On at Panchayat Bhavan-18, this exhibition has lots to offer-brass idols, beautiful jharokhas with brass and minakari work that one can use for decoration or put a mirror or photograph in and vandanvars. Must check are suit sets in tie-and-dye, bandhani, kutch and aari work.

Body wise
Get it right
Here are a few common questions that people generally ask fitness experts.
What determines the weight?
Weight is determined by a combination of many different factors, including genetics, food intake, and energy output. Genes determine how easy it is to gain or lose weight as per the diet. Since you're born with your genes and cannot change them, there isn't much you can do about that. What you can control is how much you eat and exercise.