Have waited, will watch. When the prized summer vacations come, you shouldn’t expect kids to sit back, wait for mommies to get busy in the kitchen while they sneak in to take control of the remote for a few minutes…before the obvious commandment comes, “Hand over the remote control.”

Encouraging the little ones to revolt and vie for a control of the remote this summer are the TV channelwallahs, who’ll, of course, gain from this role reversal. They’re going all out to lure the kids: dishing out the best cartoon series, introducing new animation characters, game shows, even ensuring tangibility to the cartoon characters through the concept of merchandising.

This holiday season, various cartoon channels promise to deliver better than ever before. “Our programme list is similar to a la carte menu that offers almost everything. To assure the same, we have categorised programmes into planets, each promising a different form of entertainment,” informs Rajiv Sangari, MD and CEO, Spacetoon India.

Giving us more information about the content of the planets, he adds, “The action planet will comprise various action series, Zomorroda planet will feature cartoon series only of girls’ interest. There will be other planets as sports, adventure, comedy, alphabets…something to cater to kids of every age group.”

The cartoon series to be launched in the month of June are: Sonic the Hedgehog, a superhero series, The Action Man, Bump in the Night, Inspector Fabre, The Wish Kid and Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century. Already reaching 20 million homes in India; Spacetoon plans to increase the viewership by introducing the concept of edutainment and encouraging merchandising of products, “We will have fillers based on social values and public etiquette. Also, stationary products advertising Fafa and Juno, the new animation characters, and popular cartoons like Hello Kitty, Spiderman, Dragonball will be available at 35000 retail touch points across India.

Nick’s strategy to woo kids is: introducing various contests that would induce children to watch cartoons. Nina E Jaipuria, Nick channel, GM and vice-president, gives us an insight about their summer schedule, “New episodes of the popular superheroes, Ninja Turtles and the contest Big Ninja Fan will be aired in the month of June, the winner of which will get tickets to watch the Twenty-20 World Cup in London.”

Also, Little Krishna, a new series, and Spellz: A magic show that will teach kids how to demystify magic tricks will be aired soon. “The idea behind the contents of various shows is to get parents involved in the process, wherein they suggest to kids as to which channel to watch.”

Nick’s merchandising section comprises plush toys, stationery and soft furnishing. “A character would become dearer to the child if he has it in his room. Cartoon merchandising helps in getting the child emotionally involved with the character.”

As for Pogo and Cartoon Network, they prefer to come up with movie line up-for the season. “A research conducted by us proved that kids enjoy movies more than series, hence, this time we will be showing more of movies,” says Monica Tata, vice-president and DGM, South Asia, Turner International India Private Limited.

Thus, the long movie list for the holidays includes Jab We Met, Bhoothnath from Bollywood and Stuart Little, Shrek II, Madagascar and Garfield.

Cartoon Network is all set to launch its range of merchandising products as well. Themed around kids’ favourite toon stars— Bakugan, Ben 10, the Powerpuff Girls and Bob the Builder, the channel’s ‘back to school’ concept will include school bags, lunch boxes, sippers and pencil boxes.

The next time you hear a student say, the mess is in a mess, tell him to eat his own words.” This seems to be the mutual sentiment among the mess contractors of campus hostels. Now, the reason for such a strong statement— the news that the campus authorities are planning training programme for the cooks at the Panjab University hostels to hone their culinary skills from Dr BR Ambedkar Hotel Management Institute. Well, the better-late-than-never sense has prevailed and the mess food is getting a makeover. And the decision comes as a welcome change for students’ appetite that lived under the apathy of poor quality food.

Bland, boring, monotonous and sometimes the only option were a few adjectives that defined mess food for hostellers. Their rescue came with the night street dhabewallahs and smuggled fast food. But things might change for good after the decision gets a go. “With a defined budget and available help in the kitchen, we are at times not able to provide a vast menu. Proper training and cooking knowledge will work in our favour as we can add variety to our otherwise regular menu,” feels Surjit Singh, the mess contractor at Kasturba hostel, PU. He feels that training is necessary, as that will help cooks to work efficiently. “It will take care of some usual mistakes of adding less or more salt orother ingredients,” he adds. Sure, since usually the mess food reviews are, namak bahut zyada tha or bilkul pheeka tha. “Even the students would like the novelty in menu, though that doesn’t mean a shahi dawat everyday, but a little more chatpata khana in the mess will be tempting” says Amar Singh, the contractor at the Meher Chand Mahajan Hostel.

Feast or no feast, it is sure to add a little taste in the life of hostellers. “Hostellers had to survive on Maggis and street food. With this training, even the regular cooking will improve and the cooks will also learn new technology and hygiene sense,” says Swati Acharya, an inmate of Kasturba. Though she feels its not a big deal and a 360-degree change should not be expected. “When you have to cook for 100 odd people in a limited time then rule book is not followed, instead a short-cut method of cooking is adopted. However, a trained cook is always a better option,” she adds. Hygiene seems to be a rather important issue than tasty food. “The biggest problem with hostel food is hygiene. Sub standard food laden with sub standard cooking as well. Once trained, atleast one can expect a clean kitchen and hygienic food. As for the tasty menu, good food is always welcome,” says Sukrant Bhatia, another hosteller.

Well, whether the flavour of hostel food gets makeover or not is yet to be seen but the move is sure to find fans as long as it clears the mess!

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The eve-teasing menace took centrestage again in a recent incident, wherein a woman being troubled in a park was rescued by a guy and a police case was registered. With girls being subjected to the crime almost every passing hour, the bigger question is: Should girls wait for guys to come to their rescue. We ask the city youth…

The Summer Programme 2009 of the British Library holds promise for children of all age group.

Ace Teen
It is meant for the age group 12 to 15 years and has four groups of five days each. Skills of Success emphasises on skill development, such as time management, anger management and workplace etiquettes, Learn English is all about speaking, writing and reading English, Theatre which include body movements, diction, speech and grooming and Career Planning that will help the participants evaluate their personality, values, interest and skill.

One can enrol for a fee of Rs 1000 for all workshops or pay Rs 300 per workshop. The duration for each workshop is five days.

Besides, one can learn how to play guitar or keyboards every alternate day from June 1-25 or learn how to play chess every alternate day from June 2 to 26. At the end of the course, chess tournament will be held.

Shining stars
Similarly, participants between the age 7 and 11 can learn the Japanese art of paper folding under Get Creative: Crafting fun stuff, or strengthen their emotional control and use that control to make and achieve goals in Foundation for the Future category. The other two categories are Learn English and Theatre.

Whizz kids
This programme is meant for children between 3 and 6 years and consists of fun-filled activities like Animal Adventure which is the art of story telling with animal characters, Learn English through Story Telling and Creativity Through Craft and Shake Baby Shake wherein the kids will be taught about rhythm and music.

The enrolment fee is Rs 1,000 for all workshops or Rs 300 per workshop. The duration for each workshop is five days except for the Whizz Kids category which is of three days.

Does your mood dictate the colour of your clothes? If yes, then you are one of those who wear emotions on their sleeves and are better known as 'Mood Dressers'.

Prachi Gupta, 21, admits that the colour she wears reflects her mood.

"Unconsciously the colour of the clothes I wear every day depends on my mood that day. If I am furious, I wear dull colours like beige and brown and often I don't even dress up well if I am not in a good mood," said Gupta, a media professional.

"But if I feel bright and happy on a certain day, I wear bright colours -- I deck up with a neck piece or earrings."

According to leading psychiatrist Sanjay Chugh, people who tend to dress according to their moods are known as 'Mood Dressers'.

"Colours do indeed affect our mood. Conversely, our mood affects our reaction to or preference for colours. Colour is just another form of light or electromagnetic energy. Different colours are associated with different types of energies," Chugh said.

"A certain energy inside one's system will automatically make a person gravitate towards a certain colour. There is also the psychological aspect to it. For ages, different colours have been associated with different moods and that might affect the way a person feels.

"With the help of colours one can understand not only one's mood states but also the imbalances that might be present."

Shikha Bamzai, a software professional, said on a bad day when her energy levels are low, she dresses to perfection to look good and feel better.

"I don't know why it happens but suddenly on one day when you get up, you just don't feel like doing anything. That is the day when I spend more time in front of the mirror and take hours to dress up," Bamzai explained.

Tracking the psychology of Bamzai's mindset, Samir Parikh, consultant psychiatrist at Max Healthcare in New Delhi, said to fetch compliments people deck up on bad days because it makes them feel good.

"Colours don't decide your mood, it is the mood that decides which colour one opts for. If you are feeling low and want to look happy, then you will put in efforts to deck up to fetch compliments, which will indirectly make you happy. Hence you feel better," Parikh said.

"No specific colour is directly related to any emotion. It is just a mindset and it is the mood swing that dictates what you are wearing."

To deal with the blues, people also opt for alternative healing practices like chromotherapy which uses colour and light to balance physical, emotional, spiritual, or mental energy.

"Emotions play a pivotal role in dictating your mood. There are seven chakras or energy centres in our body and there should be a balance between them; otherwise less access of colours create imbalance in the body that leads to stress and depression," colour therapist and tarot expert Seema Midha explained.

In case you are having bad days, Midha suggests you wear pink and if you are angry then avoid wearing red because it might lead to confrontations.

So next time you are heading to choose your outfit, make sure it's you and not your mood that is dictating the colour. — IANS

The current make-up trends continue to move towards the natural look. The dewy look is in for the younger lot. Light tinted moisturisers are finding favour, rather than foundations, both for the day and night. The aim is to project a sheer skin texture. Go for translucent foundations and a matte finish. Leave out the shine. Just a hint of blusher, like a natural flush, is in vogue. Choose neutral tones of powder blusher. Eye make-up trends favour less mascara. The lined look for the eye is predicted for this year. Frosted sheen, or shimmer stay popular for the lips. Lip liners match the lipstick - there is no obvious line around lips. Pinks are in, especially very light pinks. Red and shades of red have made a comeback and will stay in vogue in lipsticks. Shades of red, like cherry, rose, and red, itself, are predicted for the night.

Actually, make-up poses a real problem during summer. It never seems to last and should be kept to a bare minimum, especially during the day. The golden rule for summer make-up is "soft, delicate and very sparing". This is where daily skin care pays rich dividends. If the skin is clear, without any blemishes, one does not need foundation. Heavy foundations become "caked" and streaky with perspiration, showing up natural creases, lines and wrinkles.

If you must use foundation for the day or night, choose a water-based one and blend well. You can even add a drop or two of water, before applying it. This provides a lighter coverage. You can go for pansticks, to which you add water and use. They are also called cake foundations and can be more suitable during the summer, specially for oily skin. If you can get hold of powder foundation, nothing like it. If you have an oily skin, before applying powder or foundation, wipe the face with an astringent lotion or skin tonic. Wrap an ice cube in a clean cloth and wipe the face with it, just for a few seconds. This helps to close the pores.

If you leave out foundation, go for a colourless baby powder, which has a light texture and a transparent sheen. Or, you can also use compact powder, instead of foundation. Then use a powder blusher and carry your powder compact for "touching up." In fact, compact powder helps reducing the oily look and provides a smooth texture. Carry wet tissues, or "wet wipes," to refresh the skin during summer. Wipe with the tissue and then touch up with compact powder.

After using lipstick, add a touch of lip gloss, which actually gives a "cool" look. Or, you can use frosty lipsticks, i.e. lipsticks with shimmer. You can even add a touch of lip gloss on the centre of the upper eyelids. These are some of the tricks to look cool. For colours in lipstick, choose from light pink and mauve, which are "icy" colours and look cool. It may be a good idea to stick to lipgloss during the day. For the night, you should use brighter colours, as artificial light tends to drain colour. You can go for plum, wine, burgundy, coral, bronze or shades of red. A touch of platinum can be added to the colour.

Eye make-up during the day should also be light. Just go for eye pencil and mascara to brighten the eyes. Or, you can line your eyes with brown eye shadow or brown eyeliner or brown eye pencil. Gray liner or pencil also looks appropriate for day make-up during summer. Then apply mascara. This helps to darken the eyes, without the heavily made-up look. For the night, eye make-up can be heavier, lining the lids with eyeliner or pencil. If you use eye liner, smudge the line with a sponge applicator. This gives a smoky effect and is better than a harsh black line. You can try the felt-tipped eye liners which are available nowadays. They ensure smooth application and are easier to use than liquid eyeliner. At night, use a frosted highlight (white or very light colour) on the brow bone and shine on the eyelids.

Young boys are forming closer ties with TV characters such as Bob the Builder than with their own parents, an expert has warned. According to leading child expert Sue Palmer, marketers are exploiting children’s trait of becoming attached to a favourite toy or story character by creating a whole industry around it of DVDs, books and toys.

“If parents aren’t careful, and especially if they aren’t around, their son’s relationship with Elmo, Bob the Builder or Fireman Sam could rival his relationship with them,” The Telegraph quoted her, as saying. “The danger is that the child will be more fascinated by the things they see on screen, and not learn and be fascinated by real-life human beings and real-life play,” she added. While Palmer admits that children of both sexes are increasingly in thrall to technology, boys are more susceptible to the need for “toy consumption”.

According to her, Bob the Builder is particularly appealing to boys because of the “boy-friendly ingredients of tool use, basic mechanics and male status”, and they will come to associate their favourite character with “safety and happiness”, as s a apart of the toxic childhood that seeks children damaged by a combination of “junk food, junk play and junk culture”. — ANI

Anupam Kher, who celebrated 25 years in films with a premiere of his film Saaransh, couldn't have received a better silver-jubilee gift than a role in Hollywood's ace filmmaker Woody Allen's project. The veteran actor says it's like a dream come true.

"First, the amazing response to the screening of Saaransh in the afternoon, then this piece of news. To be in a Woody Allen film is a dream come true for me," Anupam said.

On Sunday morning, Anupam's international agent sent him the news that he's part of the new Woody Allen film, to be shot in London later this year.

"Last year, I worked with another international filmmaking legend Ang Lee. Now, Woody Allen. What more could any actor ask for in his 25th year in the business?"

When asked about the ambit of his part in the film, he said: "You think I care? All I know is that I play Freida Pinto's father in the Woody Allen film. Even if it is just one shot, I'd be delirious. I've grown up and grown older watching Woody Allen's cinema. And look at my kismet (destiny).

"Do you know the film's cast? The Woody Allen film features the mighty Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts and Antonio Banderas. To be part of this vast cast is enough for me," said Anupam.

Anupam decided to relive his debut performance by holding a premiere of Saaransh on Sunday, 25 years after the film was released. He held the belated premiere at the Metro theatre, where the critically acclaimed film was first released.

"Mahesh Bhatt saab, who was present at the screening of Saaransh on Sunday afternoon, got on stage at the end of the screening and announced that I had received a Woody Allen film as gift for 25 years in films," he said.

To share this glorious moment with Anupam at the screening of Saaransh was his brother Raju, wife Kirron and close friends from the industry, including Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Dibakar Bannerjee, Neeraj Pandey and David Dhawan who had edited Saaransh.

"It was very moving experience," said Anupam. — IANS

Bollywood icon Rekha makes no compromise on her image of an evergreen actor and the Maharashtra Government, which honoured her with an award, learned it the hard way.

A few days back, the state cultural department had announced the ‘Raj Kapoor Jeevan Gaurav award’ (Lifetime Achievement) to Rekha for her contribution to Hindi cinema.

The state government officials, however, were in for a surprise when Rekha told them that she was not inclined to accept the award as it went against her own concept of work and self-image.

The Maharashtra cultural affairs minister Harshwardhan Patil who spoke to media persons here on Monday night, said Rekha felt that she could not accept a Lifetime award because she was still pursuing an active film career, which has not ended.

To honour her sentiments, the government has now amended the title of the award to ‘Raj Kapoor Pratiba Gaurav’, putting an accent on the creative aspect of the artiste.

Now, the renamed award will be presented to the actor on the occasion of 46th Maharashtra state film award distribution ceremony slated for May 30 in Pune.

The other awardees include Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who too will be present at the felicitation. — PTI

Actor Shahid Kapur, who had taken a fancy to bikes and splurged Rs.1.5 million on one, has now found a new interest. He has been attracted to photography.

Shahid has purchased a new expensive camera, the D50 from Cannon.

"Cameras are not allowed on the sets usually. But, lately Ken Ghosh and Ahmad Khan get blinded by flashes on the sets of one of Shahid's ventures, only to realise that it was none other than the actor taking candid shots without their knowledge, much to the unit's amusement," said a source.

Apart from Ghosh's untitled film, the actor is also busy shooting for Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminay with Priyanka Chopra.

Bollywood actor Sonali Bendre, married to producer Goldie Behl who is a very close friend of Abhishek Bachchan, says Aishwarya Rai will always be family to her.

"Aishwarya is family. She is Abhishek's wife and will always be extremely special. Like, I keep telling her that she is extremely sweet but for us she will always be Abhishek's wife who is so dear and I think she is very happy to accept that," said Sonali.

The actor, who was last seen in Karan Johar's 2003 hit Kal Ho Naa Ho, will soon be seen as a judge on a new reality show India's Got Talent.