Category Archives: Arts and Entertainment

"Suicide blond, was the color of her hair…"

Posted on by

Ever since Cicatrix made herself at home here in our North Dakota HQ there has been a plethora of attractive men featured on our website.  Consider this a push back.

Meet Canadian rocker Priya Thomas– “Hot body-check”

PRIYA THOMAS may well be one of Canada’s best-kept secrets. Long considered bold and innovative, Canadian songstress, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist PRIYA THOMAS has built a solid reputation for her work by bucking trends and never underestimating her audience. And hers is a rabid audience that just keeps growing.

On a recent tour of the UK, Thomas was hailed by the BBC for her jaw-droppingly intense live show and highly original songwriting. A suicide blonde with an adrenalin-charged stage presence and unusual lyrical complexity, she’s been likened to an odd cross between Debbie Harry and Neil Young, not to mention countless other artists such as Tom Waits, Pj Harvey, Madonna and even Mick Jagger. Originally trained as a dancer, Priya Thomas’ live show is a force of nature to be reckoned with; as Priya steers the audience through her uniquely kamikaze performance energy. And with The blast of 7, a kicking 5 piece band behind her, the live presentation of the new record is a sonic assault of blazing rock riffs, post-punk trash drum loops, crafted melodies and Priya Thomas’ charismatic performance.

Priya Thomas grew up the daughter of a Syrian Orthodox minister and a phycisist mother who gave up working as a professor after moving to Montreal, Canada from the Southwestern state of Kerala in India.

There is nothing, and I mean nothing cooler than a lady rocker.  Best of all her website features videos of her live performances as well as audio clips.  There is none of that hopping in place.  She appears to rock the stage.  You can check out her old CDs here.  There is also an article about her in August’s issue of Elle Magazine Canada.  She has a parrot named Magnus who keeps her company while she writes her songs.  Sigh…

Continue reading →

Back to the Dunce Corner

Posted on by

The internets were alive this morning with the news that Sri Lanka was about to drop its age of consent from 16 to 13 (thanks Enivhsay): sepiagirlstanding1.jpg

government spokesman Nimal Siripala de Silva, who is also the minister of health, told a weekly Cabinet briefing on Friday that the government was planning to lower the age of consent. He gave no reason, but said the proposal was approved “after much debate and a long review.” [link]

Ah, yes. Debate and review. Ve have heard the words, but the meaning is escaping us still. However, in a startling turnaround of events:

The government reversed its decision after a flurry of telephone calls from incensed citizens following the announcement, The Sunday Island newspaper said.

“There is no proposal, whatsoever, to reduce that to 13 or to any other age,” it quoted Dhara Wijayatillake, a secretary in the Ministry of Justice, as saying Saturday. [link]

Que rapido!! When did the Sri Lankan government start pay attention to “incensed citizens”? Did I miss something important during my time here in Amrika?

The Minister [Justice Minister John Senevirathne] said that the government is concerned of the increased number of young men detained in remand prisons as a result of sexual encounters with their girlfriends.

He said: “Many girls are requesting to release them saying the encounter happened with their consent.” [link]

Holy Mammajamma! I’ve missed so much!! Here I was, happily warbling away my speculative fantasies that Sri Lanka may be one of the more progressive South Asian countries…but this much? When I was a wee kella (er, ladki. Indocentric, what?) sex did not exist, no one had ever heard of it, and even if those damn suddhas (goras) couldn’t keep in in their pants, that was still no reason why we Sri lankans couldn’t quietly continue asexually budding. Encounter, bencounter! Sekshuval is a vestern invention, no?

So vat the bluddy hell is going on? Continue reading →

Peter Sellers still outsells actual desis

Posted on by

Peter Sellers outsold actual desis at the Emmy Awards last night. The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, an HBO biopic of the guy who made a career of mocking the desi accent, won three awards. Naveen Andrews was nominated but Lost.

“The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” an HBO movie, won three awards early in the ceremony, including one for Geoffrey Rush as best actor…

“Lost,” which helped vault ABC’s prime-time ratings by fusing elements of the film “Cast Away,” “Survivor,” “The Twilight Zone” and even a dash of “Gilligan’s Island,” had received 12 nominations, including two for supporting actors – Naveen Andrews and Terry O’Quinn. (They lost to [William Shatner, for Boston Legal].) [Link]

Geoffrey Rush is a fine, fine actor, but it’s an interesting contrast. By the way, check out the chunni Barbara Hershey’s sporting. Stand by your man indeed.

Previous posts: one, two, three, four

Continue reading →

T minus five

Posted on by

MTV Desi has posted a dilatory yet strangely hypnotic video clip of their launch. The fetching Niharika Desai speaks a single line in an Amrikan accent.

0:04: Hard Kaur raps ‘Glassy‘
1:07: Psychedelic Bollywood tabla clip (can you ID the movie?)
2:53: Talvin Singh beat-boxes a tabla tal
3:00: Skinny uncle type says, ‘the boogie-voogie blaster’
3:04: Niharika yells, ‘We’re live!’
3:05: Eerie, screaming glasses man
3:11: A clip from Indian Cowboy, I think
3:31: Running sadhu, naked and in ashes
4:01: Bhangra troupe dances under the Williamsburg Bridge to the MTV theme (reverse fusion, cheeky!)
4:31: Tim Kash says, ‘Our first video of the night’
4:35: Clip of Karmacy’s ‘Blood Brothers’
4:39: M.I.A. massacres the word ‘desi’ (says ‘dessy’ instead of ‘they-see’)

Interspersed are some random Green Day and Madonna filler clips.

As Abhi posted earlier, you can also watch Rabbi’s ‘Bulla Ki Jana’ video. It has a beautiful, washed-out humanist palette and wiggly English supertitles in black marker on clear plastic.

The images would be postcard-trite in a Red Cross ad. But with the handsome Sufi Sikh dressed all in white, the track comes across as spiritual, a folk bhajan with a bass track and synth. It feels less snarky than earnest, less ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’ (Buggles) than ‘Fragile’ (Sting).

Continue reading →

She’s “hot now, you’ll see” (slightly updated)

Posted on by

Mathangi rocks DC.jpg London calling and speak the
slang now, boys say wha,
go on girls say wha wha

66 hours until MIA destroys the 9:30 club, kiddies. That picture was taken at her last concert in DC; without a doubt, it was one of the greatest shows I’ve EVER been to, and I saw the Pixies final gig at Hammerstein Ballroom last year, so I don’t sling such words sans souci.

People who are new to the Mutiny often out themselves by leaving a comment like, “I don’t get it…why is she successful?” when that subject has been debated and dissected every time we post about her. I’d like to add another dimension to the discussion.

I firmly believe that groups who give good show should be recognized– and that it’s possible that a band you normally dislike can impress you live. Case in point: Smashmouth at the 9:30 club, 1999. I do NOT like Smashmouth, but I was surprised at how their concert didn’t blow. So, even if you can’t stand exoticized, objectified, overexposed Mathangi and you think her music is beyond lame, you should know that she is AWESOME on stage.

I’m thrilled she’s playing the 9:30 club again; it’s such a wonderful, intimate venue, easily my fave place for a concert in swamp city. When MIA opened there for LCD Soundsystem, I was four feet away from her, wishing I had remembered earplugs because the screams were even louder than what was spilling out of the speakers. Oh, and speaking of LCD Soundsystem…I totally dig them, but after the party Miss Arulpragasam threw on stage, they bored me to the point that I left early. I never leave concerts early, yo.

Anyway, unbelievably (and unlike sold-out, Craig’s list-desperate last time) tickets are STILL available, not to mention affordable. The next time she plays DC, it may be a different, bigger venue; she’s blowing up. Anyone catch the advertisement for the newest Civic Si? Sick animation, executed flawlessly to the unmistakable thrum of “Galang”. You love it. And even if you hate it? I’m not trying to hear that, see. 😉

:+:

I’m watching VH1’s “Best Week Ever” as I type this and what are they playing in the background of one of their segments? Yup. “Galang”. That song is tighter than a hoochie ‘fit at a Bhangra party. 😀

Ah, I love synchronicity. 🙂 Continue reading →

Indira Varma Lands in Rome

Posted on by

Even though many recent roles in Hollywood that are accessible to Desi actors are generally geared more towards terror or medicine, there are some actors of South Asian origin landing non-traditional and non-South Asian characters.  British Asian actress Indira Varma, of Kama Sutra and Bride and Prejudice fame is one of these actors as highlighted by the very prominent character she portrays in the new HBO series, Rome.  Varma, who played Naveen Andrew’s sister Kiran in Bride and Prejudice, takes on the role of Niobe,

“the wife that Vorenus has not seen for nearly eight years. A peasant princess from a large and influential Roman clan. Proud, beautiful, selfishly devoted to the interests of herself and her family.” If you don’t get HBO, click on the video button here to see a preview of Rome (again, featuring Varma)   If you do get HBO, the show airs Sunday evenings, from 9-10 in the evening.  More on Varma available over at IMDB.

Continue reading →

Mmm, yummy condescending Colonialism!

Posted on by

blacknar-thumb copy.jpg

If you’re on the east coast, consider turning off the Emmies and switching to Turner Classic Movies, right now. Sabu‘s “Black Narcissus“– I wrote about it in May– is on! Maybe some of you on the west coast will be able to catch it…

IMDB provides a plot summary:

Anglican nuns, led by the stern Sister Clodagh, attempt to establish a religious community in the Himalayas, and must battle not only suspicious locals and the elements, but their own demons as well.

Enjoy the “exotic” accents. They sure as hell ain’t South Asian. Continue reading →

Food for Ogling, er, I mean, Thought

Posted on by

I believe I lead a call for more sexy sepia men on the Mutiny, but now that a reader sent in some pics, (thanks Ananya) I’m not sure what to think. (mental note: research loopholes and plausible deniability) sepiaPETAchili.jpg

Over on the right, we have John Abraham, the 6’1″, half-Keralite/half-Parsi, 1999 winner of Gladrags Manhunt India. Let me hasten to add that he’s now fast becoming an established Ahctor with roles in Dhoom, Water, Viruddh and the soon-to-be released Baabul, among others. The last two with none other than the Daddy-O of Hindi cinema, his excellency Amitabh Bachchan.

As an avowed vegetarian, Abraham recently posed for a PETA India campaign to release caged birds, (see the sexy results below), but it’s this latest poster promoting vegetarianism that caught our tipster’s eye. “Abraham appears dressed in green onions, chilies and what looks like green peas,” s/he succinctly writes. Am I the only one rather turned off by this pic? I dunno, but a scallion grass skirt covering a man’s tender parts entirely makes me lose my appetite. For anything. And what’s with that highly ridiculous crown of chilies? Is this a pun on hotness?

“I’m against cruelty of any kind. That’s why I’m associated with PETA and work against cruelty to animals. Though I’m not the moral police, I’d like people to be considerate to other living beings,” he says. [link]

Sure, sure, but what about cruelty to men, eh? I think forcing a man to wear vegetables surely counts in that category. Continue reading →

Rushdie Rocks the Mic Tonight

Posted on by

rushdie3.jpg

Sorry sorry…wery short notice, thousand apologies, but I just saw this in Flavorpill:

Launching their latest anthology and a new, more svelte format for the magazine, Review editor Philip Gourevitch hosts this evening, featuring Rushdie on the mic and a performance from that precious, precocious kook Miranda July.

That would be the Paris Review, and Miranda July of Me and You and Everyone We Know fame.

Good times are sure to be had by all, so head on over:
Sat 9.17 (7pm) Celeste Bartos Forum, New York Public Library (5th Ave at 42nd St). $15 Continue reading →

“As long as they don’t make me the 7-11 guy…”

Posted on by

We almost had a shot last year at having South Asian characters in a prominent role on network television…but it fell through.  According to reports, Russell Peters has just inked a deal to have his own sitcom on a major American network.  The Canoe Network reports:

For a guy who’s just inked a deal to star in his own sitcom for a major American network, comedian Russell Peters is remarkably calm.

“I just signed the deal with Warner Bros. this week. They want to build a show around me,” Peters says over the phone from Los Angeles. “I’m working with the guys who produced The Cosby Show and In Living Colour, so it’s pretty cool. I guess I’ll be shopping for real estate in L.A.”

While it’s too early to say precisely what the series is about, the 35-year-old knows his East-Indian roots will play a big part of the comedy.

“My heritage is a big part of my comedy,” he says bluntly. “Frankly, I’m open to it. As long as they don’t make me the 7-11 guy or the taxi driver.”

Now I was hesitant to post this story.  It seems that more people find our website by searching for “Russell Peters” than by any other means.  That is very irksome.  It will be interesting to see how the American network executives change his act.  Peters often borders on racial insensitivity.  Having seen his act, although I found him generally funny, I did cringe a few times. Continue reading →

Posted in TV