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Gear up for a cocktail
party!
The rules of RSVP
Never ever ignore. Even if you're not making it, acknowledge the invitation. But let your host know within reasonable time whether you'd be able to grace the occasion. Don't be more than 30 minutes late for a cocktail party. Always thank your host before you leave. Also, within a few days after the party call or message a thank you. Food & drink
Remember the rhyme - getting sloshed is a sin and spilling a stupidity. Just because the drinks are free flowing, doesn't mean you get drunk on them. The trick is to move about the entire evening with ideally one drink. "One thumb rule is drink only if you are used to alcohol otherwise stick to mocktails. Ideally, you should be holding something in your hand," shares Chanda Malhotra, grooming expert, Flying Cats. Hold your glass in the left hand, leaving the right one free to socialise. (Also you don't want to be handing out a cold palm while you shake hands with someone significant.) What to talk
Converse, smile, mingle and then alternate between conversing, smiling and mingling…greet your hosts soon after you arrive, only then begin to mingle with others. Mingling is a difficult art, and takes some getting used to. Cocktail parties are often places to meet people and make new connections. Don't get sidetracked. Speak to all of the people that you would like to meet and allow them to introduce you to others. Do not dominate all conversations, be a good listener. Parties are not meant for intense conversations. (Read off-colour jokes, gossip or religion). Opines Chanda, "A lot depends on whether it's a business cocktail party or casual cocktail party. Business conversations at an informal party are a strict no-no because the event is meant to be a break from work." Dress code
A cocktail party is not your regular night at the club. Keep the club wear at bay. It is neither a formal business meeting nor is it a place to wear jeans. Then what does one do? Women have options galore. Dress the look up or down, depending on the type of accessories you wear. When in doubt, pull out the little black dress. Shares Shubhangi Pandey, faculty, fashion design, INIFD, "For cocktail do’s, it's always a one-piece garment and ideally in dark colours. Team up high heels with bold accessories because for a cocktail party you can't wear some sleek chain. Since it's a Western concept, anything traditional is a big no." The rules for men are not far behind. She adds, "For men, of course it's trousers coupled with waist coats and some contrasting shirts. These days, the sleek ties in so many colours, worn casually, are a hit as well."
manpriya@tribunemail.com |
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Pakistani band, World Cup tune
With just a day to go for the opening match of the World Cup, it's beyond making a statement that cricket fever is at its peak. For a game that involves a nation and its craziness, what better way to kickstart the first match than with a live band performance. And when the artistes are from the band Jal (who have given hits like Aadat se ho gayi, Woh Lamhe and Sajani), you bet the start would be rocking! For the love of cricket
"Music and cricket are two things that rock both the nations (read India and Pakistan). And for this World Cup we have come up with a new song Humara Junoon. This is not a song for a country (read Pakistan) but for all the participating nations. It's a universal song, an anthem for all cricket buffs," says Farhan Saeed, band member. And that's not all; the band would also perform at the match between Pakistan and Australia in Sri Lanka. Live wire
The opening song at the show would be Humara Junoon, since they are performing on the day when the World Cup starts. Says Goher Mumtaz, another member, "We will also play other hits like Aadat, Sajani, Bikhra Hoon Main, Woh lamhe, Har Jaga Hai Jal and more," Music beyond boundaries
Ask him about their acceptance in India and the craze of Indian artistes in Pakistan and Goher says, "Music knows no boundaries. People love us here and singers like Sukhbir, Daler Mehndi and Rabbi are much in demand in Pakistan. The same goes for Bollywood stars." He adds, "It was for the first time that an Indian artiste Rabbi performed at the Coke Studio and we had a chance to sing with him. It was great fun and maybe for our third album we include that song." Politics and music
"Though politics has nothing to do with music, the tension between the two countries does trouble us and it's the same for Indian artistes too," says Farhan. Cricket & Jal
"Cricket runs in our blood. We are equally passionate about playing as well as watching," says Goher. Ask him what are they expecting in this World Cup and he says, "We want to see India and Pakistan in semi-finals, but the match should happen in Bangladesh." Well, the reasons are more than obvious! Net gain
Internet is definitely a boon for countries like India and Pakistan where piracy is a major issue. You load a song on the Internet and you are audible to the whole world. In the pipeline
"We are almost ready with our third untitled album and would be releasing it around July or August," says Farhan. jigyasachimra@tribunemail.com |
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I am still an aspiring
actor: Hrithik
Bollywood heartthrob Hrithik Roshan, who is making his television debut as a dance reality show judge, is looking forward to a successful inning on the small screen after his two previous films bombed at the box office.
"Only after biggest failure comes biggest success," Hrithik said, after his biggies, Kites and Guzaarish, failed to create magic at the box office. "It has been ten years in the industry and I still believe I am an aspiring actor. I still have to see and learn things," said Hrithik, who made his debut in 2000 with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. The 37-year-old actor, who will be seen as a judge on Star Plus' dance reality show Just Dance ,alongside ace choreographers Farah Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant, said, "TV is a bigger medium...the size, it fools you. I was never inclined towards television but the concept and the spirit of the show drove me to be a part of it." "I never thought I would do Guzaarish or Dhoom or Kites but I liked the concept...and so I did it," he added. About reports that he is being paid approximately Rs 2 crore per episode, Hrithik said, "I think I am paid well." The auditions for the show will begin from February 27 while the show is expected to be aired in summer. On dancing skills, the actor said, "I don't think there is any God of Dance. I don't think I am one. Dance is beyond doing those steps… it's an expression.. an emotion." Hrithik considers veteran actor Shammi Kapoor as the ultimate dancer. "He was someone who danced beyond steps and had his own expressions and movements." The actor revealed that he considers King of Pop, Michael Jackson his mentor.
— PTI |
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Halle Berry to rejoin New Year’s Eve
Hollywood actor Halle Berry is all set to rejoin the cast and crew of the romantic comedy New Year's Eve after a court granted her permission to take daughter to New York for the shooting. The 44-year-old actor is locked in a bitter custody battle over two-year-old Nahla with her ex-beau Gabriel Aubrey. The actor had left the movie to focus on the legal proceedings but after getting the court's permission, she is all set to rejoin the shooting of the movie The Big Apple. Berry's original role was taken over by Katherine Heigl and the Oscar-winner has been given a different part. "We are pleased the judge took the time to deal with this very imminent and important issue. The judge read a great deal of paperwork and gave us time to argue. Halle is very pleased with the judge's order," said the star's lawyers. The news follows the big fall out between Berry and Gabriel. But both have started speaking and considering the welfare of their baby Nahla as the foremost priority."I think both sides realised how our of hand things had gotten recently. They both love their daughter and want to make sure her welfare comes first." Gabriel and Halle have spoken to each other and have committed to try and make things work, without the courts — Gabe's decision to drop his case is his way of showing Halle he's prepared to take a leap of faith and trust her once again," said a source. Aubry has reportedly entered a motion in court to end his custody case and dismiss his request for child support from Halle. — PTI
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Koffee break
7 Khoon Maaf, based on Ruskin Bond's story Susanna's Seven Husbands, is ready for release. How do you feel? I am overwhelmed. I hear that there are a lot of high expectations from the movie. The promos, too, have evoked tremendous reactions. Now, we just have to sit back and see how it fares at the screening. Why did you choose the number 7 for the film? As we all know, there are seven seas, seven surs and seven sins. And the name of the story on which the movie is based is Susanna's Seven Husbands. So, the number 7 is justified. What was so extraordinary about the story that you decided to base a movie on it? The story of a woman getting away with killing her seven husbands stimulated me. To be frank, I concentrated on making the film in such a way that it should appeal to all. I am hoping for the best. Tell us something about the storyline? It deals with a woman who is accused of killing her husbands in a dramatic fashion. The film is a humorous take on the romantic misadventures of a beautiful woman, Susanna Anna Marrie Johannes. How faithful have you been to the original story? The movie is a little different from the original story. I tried adapting the storyline to the Indian context. Well, there ought to be some difference between all forms. What made you cast Priyanka Chopra after Kaminey? She is amongst the best actors on screen today. She is hard working, intelligent and we share a good rapport. Which is the latest of your films in the offing? I am planning 2 States with King Khan and considering a novel by Ruskin Bond and a film based on Shakespeare. — Dharam Pal
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Film: 7 Khoon Maaf Producer: Vishal Bhardwaj, UTV Motion Pictures Director: Vishal Bhardwaj Star cast: Priyanka Chopra, Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Annu Kapoor, Alexander Dychenko, Konkana Sen Sharma, Vivaan Shah. Vishal Bhardwaj, the maker of Maqbool, Omkara and Kaminey, is back with a complex love story based on Indian-American novelist Ruskin Bond's story, Susanna's Seven Husbands. The screenplay has been written by Mathews Rubbins in association with Vishal Bhardwaj. 7 Khoon Maaf is already the talk of tinsel town. Movie Pundits foresee it as an altogether different movie in which Priyanka Chopra plays a black widow of sorts as she kills, in cold blood, her seven husbands. All the actors have a unique look in the film and leading lady Priyanka Chopra has sported seven different looks, from ages 20 to 65. The actress, this time again, promises to stupefy the audience with yet another mesmerizing performance and this could very well be the turning point of her career. Be sure to watch it….
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Bollywood actor Lara Dutta and tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi had a registered marriage on Wednesday.Announcing their wedding on microblogging site Twitter, Mahesh posted his picture with Lara, saying: "Mr and Mrs Bhupathi folks..."On February 19, the couple will reportedly have a Church wedding in Goa and their sangeet ceremony is February 18. After months of speculation that they are dating, Lara, 32, and Mahesh, 36, disclosed their engagement in September last year. — IANS
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Charlie Sheen’s advice to LiLo
However, the 45-year-old insists he's the perfect person to help Lohan deal with her problems as she fights accusations of stealing a necklace from a Hollywood jeweller, because he understands how the media can "vilify without fact". "I dare you to get Lindsay on the show. You get Lindsay on the show and I'll call in. I have some advice for her. I have some things for her to consider," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Sheen as telling US radio show presenter Dan Patrick on Wednesday. "Control your impulses, just try to think things through a little bit before you do it. Now check it — I was not there in the store, the necklace, some bracelet, who cares? I mean, they are just so desperate to vilify without fact," he said. Lohan, who was already on probation when the incident allegedly occurred in January, has pleaded not guilty to a felony grand theft charge and is currently free on bail after a judge revoked her probation for a previous DUI charge. — ANI
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Ever wondered why some people cheat in relationships while others' love remains intense even after years? Now, science tells you why. A new study has found that when these intensely-in-love-people see pictures of their beloved, their brains respond in an area associated with deeply rewarding and motivating feelings-one of the same areas that lights up in people who are still entangled in the passionate throws of a new relationship. By finding physical parallels between people who are newly in love and those who have been intensely in love for a long time, the study has offered biological evidence that romantic love is real and can be long-lasting.The study, which focused on a group that held particularly strong feelings for their long-term partners, also suggested that couples who simply strive to be happy together may not be aiming high enough, said Arthur Aron, of the Stony Brook University in New York. "This should be inspiring to people who are considering getting married. For long-term couples, it suggests there's a higher possibility than people were imagining," Aron said. According to the study, when people looked at pictures of a new partner their brains fired in a region that processes the reward-inducing brain chemical dopamine. It's the same region that responds to food, alcohol and cocaine, and motivates people to want more of something. — ANI
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Side Lanes
Anyone who crosses 60 is likely to start contemplating the years ahead. Will we be comfortable, kind, painless, safe and full of the joys afforded by family and friends? Will we still have helpers in the house, a steady flow of water, bijli and gas, and cash to see us through till the day we have to cross our given shores? In anticipation of the last, we tidy up loose ends, make wills, and take to reading books on spirituality and the after life.
Some of us let go of our worldly ties to sit down in remote, silent corners, to prepare ourselves for the Great Boatman. Frankly, if we could follow the last step mentioned, the world might ultimately become a harmonious whole. Nan Umrigar has always been in control and an agnostic for most of her life. Born into a wealthy family that lived, nurtured and breathed horses, she had a son named Karl. At 17, he was the youngest and one of the best-known jockeys in the country. Unfortunately, before Karl attained maturity, he fell off his horse and died, having won the 55 th race of his young career. His family was devastated, particularly Nan, who lost all faith in God and herself. Anyone who has lost a child, asks a million times why it happened or could the circumstances we created, have been changed? Nan grieved for six years and then through a chance encounter met someone who introduced her to a medium. Through this lady she started communicating with Karl by means of "automatic writing." Gradually, through Karl and his other world master, Meher Baba, Nan started helping others and living a normal life once again. Her books are available throughout the world. Anyone can read them and relate to the simple ideas, values and narrative. Reading such literature, I ask myself many questions. Are there other worlds? Even that diehard Stephen Hawking seems to think so. Are the people who have left us, living as souls in other dimensions? These books seem to suggest this. Can they guide us? For centuries, India has believed in the guidance and wisdom of ancestors. There is nothing spooky about it, but it seems the west is now gravitating towards our way of thinking. When I find no tangible answers, I tell myself it is presumptuous to believe we know everything. Surely, as our minds progress, more and more shall be revealed to us? It is but natural that as people advance scientifically, they have to go ahead with metaphysics and spirituality too. A chance conversation with a dear friend introduced me to The Sounds of Silence by Nan Umrigar. An assignment in my son's school guided me into a library and to Elia Wise and her wonderful book Letters to Earth. My sister led me to my future husband. At a random gathering, I encountered a wonderful friend. A chance incident made us move out of Chandigarh and an invisible hand charted our course from thereon, until our youngest child left to study in the USA. A friend introduced me to writing for this paper. When we were at the end of our finances, a job offer I could not refuse was placed before me. My son, a doctor, is doing a webair seminar, comparing Swami Ramdev's teachings with General Practice Down Under. This, from a child who was most sceptical about my breathing practices and snorts to keep colds and coughs at bay! There are so many threads in different directions, but taken as a whole, they are linked like a spider's web, or the ripples in a pool. Deepak Chopra, one of the greatest lifestyle gurus of our time, says there are no coincidences or chances. Things happen because they have to. I sense good and bad vibes, antagonistic or benign milieus and fear. People with greater minds have assured me this is a God given gift. All this has made me believe in something. Call this "something" God, Master, energy, soul, or just intuition. It does exist and we need to follow its call. |
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A couple of conversations coupled with the clink of glasses and that's pretty much a cocktail party. Sounds simple, yet there could be a thousand slips. Every new person you meet sizes you up within the first few seconds, but courtesy and common sense will help you cruise through any event and more so through a cocktail party. 
Producer, director and composer Vishal Bhardwaj is a man on a mission. His movies may not be much of a money-spinner at the box-office, but otherwise he is regarded as a brilliant filmmaker. After Kaminey, Vishal is involved with his Priyanka Chopra starrer, 7 Khoon Maaf, which opens on Friday at all theatres across the country. It has substance, grandeur and great performances by the lead stars. And what's more… "Darling…", the song penned by Gulzar and sung by Usha Uthap and Rekha Bhardwaj, has already created a flurry amongst moviegoers.
Charlie Sheen is apparently keen to give advice to troubled star Lindsay Lohan. The Two and a Half Men star has been battling his own personal issues in recent months, and is currently undergoing rehab treatment at his home in Los Angeles.