Music or Reality?  

Posted by Pratima

I strongly feel that MTV should change its name to RTV! (Reality TV). A channel that was started more than a decade back, whose sole purpose was to play quality music is now showing everything other than music....It's almost as if they feel there is a dearth of good music in this world and they are doing everything to fill up the 24hours with these chain of reality shows...

It started off with Roadies and now there is Splitsvilla, Teen Diva, Fast & the Gorgeous, Airtel MTV Connected (some new show about twins).. I might have missed out quite a few here!! More than being entertaining, they are all just bitchy, full of drama and fake. But I can understand why people end up watching these... Having watched 2-3 episodes, I myself have got hooked onto Roadies/Splitsvilla just to see how stupid people can behave...Sometimes there is nothing good to watch on TV over the weekends and you just end up seeing this crap!! Whatever the reason, MTV's TRP seems to be soaring high...

But I sometimes wonder, even if MTV stops making these reality shows and gets back to playing music like good 'ol days, will people still watch it?? I guess 10-15yrs ago people used to wait in front of this channel to see their favorite song/video (when tapes and CDs were expensive to buy)... but with technology at our fingertips, we probably can get any music online and any video on youtube. So MTV probably did have to rethink its strategy and do something else other than playing just music! It's fairly obvious that it can no longer be a primary source of music like it had been for years. But I dont think they can afford to change the channel name either... "MTV" as a brand has built a great value over decades and changing it would only mean losing this entire brand value...

So I guess all they can do is to try and increase their viewer base and TRP with these stupid-fake-quasi-reality shows...

Thursday Tidbits: #5  

Posted by Pratima in

2 minutes to a happier you

- Found this nice article on the Prevention magazine's website...

As per this, below are some simple ways with which you can lift up your mood... (For the complete article, click on the link above)

  • Flip through your old photos
  • Munch on Nuts
  • Inhale a calming scent
  • Open your shades - let the sunlight stream in
  • Walk around the block
  • Clear away clutter
  • Think Fast - Turn your thoughts into a race!
  • Cue up YouTube - for a hearty laugh
  • Rethink your retail therapy - before you plunk down that credit card
  • Put on a happy face - just smile! :)
  • Zone out - rest, peace, quiet and solitude
  • Chat up a friendly neighbor - socialize with a cheerful person
  • Chop veggies - good unwinding technique
  • Do a good deed

Agnee  

Posted by Pratima

....the new face of Indi-rock is the perfect blend of contemporary musicians. The band formed about a year back comprises of the trio - Arijit, Koko and Mohan. What adds the majaical touch to this band is the unique individual styles and influences that each of these members bring with them. Arijit with his Jazz-Rock, Koko with Classic rock/pop/indian and Mohan with carnatic/hindustani classical music. That's indeed a huge pool of talent!!!!!

Though I havent heard too many songs by them, the very few that I have listened to, have mesmerized me. I absolutely fell in love with the new theme song that they composed for Splitsvilla-2 (why I watched that crappy show is a totally different post by itself, so no questions entertained right now!!) . I've been desperately looking for the source of this music and finally managed to find out today and I'm damn thrilled about it :)

Here's the song I'm talking about. I *loved* the melodic content of it...beautiful!!
(The band was invited on the show to play the song and the video below is that part..)



More details on the band here

I've heard and read that they have a great stage presence... waiting to see them live on stage sometime..

Thursday Tidbits: #4  

Posted by Pratima in

BookCrossing is defined as "the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise." The term is derived from bookcrossing.com, a free online book club which began in order to encourage the practice, aiming to "make the whole world a library."


A nice cool website for all those who love to read and are passionate about books. You can read, register and then release your books into the wild...for other people who are interested in reading the same. You can also follow their progress with a unique tracking ID on the label..I haven't tried doing this myself but nevertheless looks like an interesting concept. You can also read reviews, know the latest in the book world, join the community and discuss in the forums and interact with like minded people

Hum chlormint kyun khatein hai?  

Posted by Pratima in

Looks like Perfetti has signed up the Khan brothers (Salman & Sohail) as the new brand ambassadors of Chlormint mouthfreshner. Caught this Ad on TV yesterday and I was seriously at a loss of words... Creativity seems to be going down exponentially in the Ad world or is it just the new mantra that if you can't make a good Ad which people will remember (in turn increasing your brand recall) then just make a bad one....... coz the end result is the same, people will still remember the Ad - just for a different reason!!!!! So you move up on the brand recall either ways... hmmm...interesting!

I was just browsing thru the reviews on this ad and was quite surprised to see the large number of ppl who actually loved this one - now, that's called tapping the fan following!! You know who I'm referring to, dont u?


99  

Posted by Pratima in


In the last few months, there have been quite a few unconventional movies being made in bollywood and I've tried to watch each one of them. I have been quite impressed with the script, story line and quality of these movies...though most of them haven't done well at the box office (Glad to see that few movie makers have realized this is not the only criteria that defines a movie's success!)

A movie, with an unusual title - 99, starring Bomman Irani and Cyrus Brocha *had* to be something different and it sure was! The movie is set in the year 1999 (hence the title) in the year when communication media such as cell phones and internet were booming. Two small time crooks Sachin (Kunal Khemu) & Zaramud (Cyrus) get caught with a bookie/gangster and become his recovery agents. They end up taking on the biggest bet of their life on a cricket match...and the question is whether they will manage to hit that century in life finally, having been stuck at '99' (one short of the elusive century)

Some people say that 99 falls in the same genre as Guy Ritchie's cult crime comedies like Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels but more toned down and 'Indian'ised. The only complaint I had was the slow pace, especially in the first half. But it was well compensated in the second hour where the plot unfolds really fast and keeps you engrossed.

Apart from the length, the movie scores in all areas - perfect casting, fine performances, smart and slapstick comedy that can make you roll on the floor with laughter at times. In short, 99 is an interesting, smart, well-made, good looking film and a complete entertainer, if you go without much expectations..

Quote for the week  

Posted by Pratima in

Loved this one ... so simple yet so profound..
So if u want to change something u do, change the way u think abt it!

I haven't tried yet, but I will...for sure