Game of Thrones - end notes

Yet another show meets its ending. And wow the strong reactions everywhere. To the extent of threats the director-duo.

I had 2 friends and 3 cousins who were mad about GOT and egged me all the time to catch up with the old episodes before I see the finale season. 66+ episodes of 1+ hours each - Omg I could get some college credits for that kind of time investment. No way I was going to see it all. 

But its not like I was completely ignorant of the GOT Universe. I had spent enough time on Wikia through the past seasons. I just didn't have stomach to watch the gore I heard/read about. So I knew the characters, their developments, relationships and major events.

I still wonder why such strong reactions. It ended perfectly for a TV show. That's how finale-seasons are supposed to be. Considering I started watching from S7 last episode, it provided great closure to all the remaining folks. For the real ending, fans have to wait for the book. 

Starks rule the world - 6 kingdoms, North, Night watch, West of Westeros. 
Tyrion is the real controller. He eggs Jon & then he gets to pick the king, be the hand & rule the place. 
Like any heist movie, no one gets the money.

Loads of impressive things about the show. Massive scale of fictional world. Loads of talking points & thinking points for so many people - what they call inspirational. 

What I hate & love about the show - is the parallel to or borrowing from other mythology and historical events across cultures. Iconic shots have some connections to real life tragic event or painting. Stories are picked from the various mythology or history from different cultures. I don't like this level of unoriginal thought. There is no credit of recreation; just unending borrowing to create your own nest. Plus I have an axe to gring against alternate-history which is written or told in realistic manner. Its misleading; someone someday is going to think this was true. Even in fantasy genre, this would be attributed to the author not the original source.

Best part about the show is the meme it generated to truly reflect our lives in Minnesota :)

BBAB

These acronyms remind me of the "ABBG TPOG" Song.

Anyway, so what is the Height of Desperation ?
Me sitting right here in India, watching Ba Bahu Aur Baby (BBAB) on YouTube !

With my days tightly packed with activities, living in the cable-free world is only beneficial. But memories of BBAB was giving me withdrawal pains. Till I discovered it again on YouTube (ya me Columbus !).

Anyway, it's difficult to give up BBAB. Their set, costumes, witty repartees, camaraderie, बाल की खल निकालना, राय का पहाड़ बनाना, some old world naivety. With so many sample characters, the organized chaos only got more interesting every week. It was my every weekend night fix.








A virtual tug to Hubby, to watch BBAB with me.

The One in Which

... Saif says in a TOI interview:

Would I watch "Thoda Pyaar..."? No I prefer American films. I don't see that many Hindi films.

This reminds me of the FRIENDS episode "The One With Joey's Interview", where Joey is tensed about his interview with Soap Opera Digest magazine and enlists his friend's help to control what he says. But ofcourse, as parting shot he does blurt out something true:

Interviewer: Other than Days of Our Lives, what is your favorite soap opera?
Joey: Oh, I don't watch soap operas. Excuse me, I have a life, you know?
Interviewer (stunned): Thank you. The readers at Soap Opera Digest will be happy to learn that.

And to think we unsuspecting public gratefully partake any bs the media (Films & TV) guys serve us. They don't put much thought or put responsibility in what they create. But we spend hours thinking, analysing & absorbing the thoughts & concepts they publicise. We grow on those lines, change our thinkings, even make them our culture. But the truth is, most of all Film & TV output is crap !

No wonder parents across cultures, have a tight hold on every single thing their children are exposed to. Or indulge in manipulative brainwashing their kids, so they growup well. Ofcourse children will feel 'icky' about it and pen out angst pieces in children/teen magazines or blogs. But ultimately it works out fine.

Frankly, it much better to let kids loose in playground, let them get into brawls with cousins & neighbour kids, let them participate in dogmatic orthodox religious family customs, be told all even juicy extended family history, rather then be babysat by TV. Living in the real world, whether good or bad, will only strengten their instincts and help them think & make decisions. As compared to watching TV or Films, where we simply offload conclusions derived by someone else, for their benefit.

Zindagi ka Language

Zee Studio is showing 'Mind Your Language'. Finally 7pm has a fresh show to see, after nearly a decade of F.R.I.E.N.D.S rerun on the same slot.

MYL is a terrific laugh riot. Each episode is a gem. They should really coin a phrase - 'as patient as Mr. Brown'. Phew what a class of students ! Each one better than the other.

There is a certain innocence / naiveté in watching these retro shows. Zee Studio is also showing 'Doogie Howser MD' & 'Wonder Years', which were a rage on Star plus, when cable television was brand new in India.

And much before that, we had 'Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi' on Doordarshan. That must have been 1984-6. I had vague memories from it. I always thought that Shafi Inamdar, Swaroop Sampat & Rajesh Bedi & Sathish Shah were the integral part of the show. So the exit of Ranjit & Renu, midway during the show, to Dubai, was a big surprise. And as I child I seriously wondered every week, as to why didn't Ranjit, Renu & Raja realise that it was Sathish Shah every time in different getups ? :)

'Jane Bhi Do Yaaron' also came around this time. Sathish Shah in this movie gave me a scare. My impression was that, this was a horror movie, rather than the sarcastic comedy it actually was. Again, I was a child then, and watching him as a corpse in all that night lighting in theatre did give it a scary feel.

About 'Yeh Jo Hain Zindagi', a few months back Star Plus showed it every weekday morning. It was a good thing to run in background while getting ready for office. When compared to the sophisticated sitcoms of today, it does appear more tacky or naive.

But that was a charm too. To see how things were in the early 80's. Their home, furniture, the phone & Fridge. Parathas for breakfast. Social life before mobile phone & cable television. And a lot of today's TV & movie stars appeared in this show, when they were gangly newcomers. Vidhu Vinod Chopra appeared in one episode as a film director. It was a short comic role and it was funny to see how gangly & awkward he was.

This show must have run as a weekly for years on DD. But showing it daily on Star Plus, exhausted it in a short time.

Chores

Rakhi Sawant is our house favourite contestant in "Bigg Boss". She is simply super ! It was a relevation to see her uninhibitedly wash clothes, mop floor & prepare upma. All her mercurical dialogs are entertaining. She should definitely win.

And why I connected with her, was when in yesterday's episode, she screams this, while rinsing clothes -
"Moushi, tujhe to dus hazar pagar dena chahiye. Apun ki toh watt laga di !"

So very much agree with her. When my Laxmibai was away for a month, and I mopped floor, washed dishes & clothes, I would call my hubby everytime and sob, "We pay her so less, so so less. I have to buy a washing machine - just for her."

Seriously washing clothes is one hell of an exercise. Especially the rinsing part. The soap sods just never seem to end !

That reminds me of the anecdote I read in Reader Digest

Rama took immense pride in personally maintaining a great house.
Rama: I wash all curtains with my hands. I want them to last long.
Shama: Oh I let the ashing machine do it. I want to live long.

Bless the lady who pushed the guy to invent washing-machine.

Nach Baliye

Nach Baliye aired it grand finale yesternight. It was a good show, wrapping up at 12:30 AM. Reminded me of the good old Doordarshan times New Year programs. (They don't do these anymore).

All these weeks, only the ten couples have been dancing, with one dropping off every Thursday. This time every one danced. The finalists danced to Aa dekhe zara, the ultimate Hindi film song for a couple competition dance. So did the other couples, even the anchor couple. And the lead pairs of a new upcoming series. Even Farhan swayed to Nach Baliye song, which was cute, accompanied by Malaika and Saroj.

Okay, my favorite jodi have been Rajeev-Delnaaz. They were cute and hardworking. Delnaaz was so lively. And Rajeev's Mithun number was the ultimate. Of course the judges are biased. They gave glowing praises and full marks for a lousy Don song. Na I mean, the song Khaike paan banaraswala... is a gem. Varun performed some lousy parady and that too very ineffectively. And the way Varun-Rajeshwari have been sulking ! It’s as if they have been well compensated to keep their mouth shut, but need to sulk to blame the producers for snatching away all fame. This is my conspiracy theory. What else can explain the way judges kept putting maska to this couple, though they put up a faltu collage of all well-known actor dance styles.

One more jodi, not exactly a favorite, but they kind-of grew on me - Amit-Neeru. First it was irritating to hear him crib after every performance. But he gave a very dignified and sportive goodbye speech. And that day they had given their best performance. Kab tak ... Mujhse Shaadi Karogi he was in white sherwani and she in lovely pink ensemble.

Anyway moving on to the good couples, Parmeet & Archana were the beauty in this whole ensemble. To quote Farhan, "... the positive vibe which you two create.. its very addictive..." Seriously they were the second best. Great dance and witty remarks.

So the best jodi is Sachin-Supriya (my vote to them as well). Seriously they almost danced ekdum dil-phek-ke. It wasn't like huge effort or so. Just fun and enthusiasm. That's what dance is, according to me.

It was also a good show, cause they gave equal footage to the runner-up Poonam-Manish, after the results were announced. Acknowledged all choreographers. Indeed this must be a very good career opportunity for the choreographers and various designers. One more thing, I must say, this show demolished any remnant wonder at bulky people indulging in fast dance. I mean, we always had Saroj Khan. But now we got to see non-professional dancers like Delnaaz, Manasi and Poonam dance very well and enjoy themselves, inspite of their extra pounds.

And for some reason, this reminded me of all school competitions. Only here, parents were competing and kids cheering ! Over all a very well choreographed show indeed !

Dinosaur poster

I have to chip in about Abhishek Bachchan's Ford Fiesta billboards. Seriously what is it about ? A bored looking AB, giving awkward poses and towering over a tiny car. It is very similar to some Dinosaur movie poster. And as far as I can remember this is his first ad. How did he get it ? More like BigB was overloaded with his share and so passed on some of the ads to SmallB.

More pics here.

Oh btw, Amitabh Bachchan is down with colitis and hospitalized. I think it's all due to overwork. I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he takes a long holiday. Though yes, I will miss his movies for that duration.

india calling

There's a new show on Star One "india calling". Promos are interesting, as any on Star bouquet. But I can't help feeling, these guys are trying to fill-in the gap left by Kareena Kareena. Mon to Wed 9:30 pm slot. Protagonist Chandni, a Punjabi working girl from Jallandar (Chandigarh, in case of KK). Directly speaking to camera. The first episode was ok, usual kind - considering that it was to give some background.



If Kareena Kareena was a comedy of errors, from the promos it feels like india calling is about office politics. Ya, going by the good track record of Star One, this one might just work !

Wonderfalls

I say, why do I have to discuss my favourite serials after they are gone ? Yesternight I rushed through the dinner and parked myself in front of the TV for 10pm show of Wonderfalls. And boom ! they show some silly filler. Pst.

Well I hope they come back with the next season. But from what Google tells me, there was no next season. Shame.

I had been skeptical during the promos, but the very first episode got me hooked. Fabulous background music. I don't catch the lyrics, but the sounds are always apt. The star of this show is Caroline Dhavernas. Straight hair, shining eyes and eyebrows flying all over the face. Its about Jaye Taylor, to whom suddenly, all the figurines with faces start talking ! I specially like the therapist's book-reading monkey, which always goes "Eye Love you". Cute. Incredulous & resisting as she was initially, by 6th episode she starts working on their instructions in almost auto mode. Even 'staple her shoe-lace to wall'. She needs to do what they ask her to, no matter what the intepretation. Or they nag & nag her.

I think the fun here, is that, it is very adventurous, in a limited setup. No exotic locals or characters. Just Jaye Taylor, her family, friends and Niagara Falls.

Anyway now, the SaveWonderFalls guys share my enthu. They have put up a good lot of info about this show. And here a really really good review if you want to know more.

Ta Ta Kareena Kareena

Noooooo. Yeh nahin ho sakta .... ah...



I was watching Kareena Kareena just a usual. And bang - at the end of it, they said "Good Wishes & GoodBye". Just like that. I didn't see this coming, so it's a real shocker.

Tried to cheer myself that Hum Paanch is coming back. But no Kareena Kareena, boo hoo hoo. This is not fair.... Ok, let me compose myself and say what I had been wanting to say, but did not find time to.

Kareena Kareena was the Best of Hindi serials around. Just last week I was thrilled, coz it was Kareena-Tushar wedding week. And Prem (Shah Rukh Barucha), my favourite, came back, even if a cameo. And few weeks before that, I was thrilled that my emails had worked, and she was back in Saree.

This fast-paced serial has been through a lot of changes. But unlike, others, where the plot may move 20 years ahead, or the actor may change anyday, any time (even mid-serial), here the changes had been gradual and smooth. For that matter, after watching it from the past one half year, I can say, its in its fifth stage now. Its more like fifth season, only there is no concept of seasons in Hindi Serials. Its always non-stop and then they go dead without winding up of any of the threads.

Here the pace was fast, but even. The story keep twisting and turning every 10 minutes. Everything what we except seem to about to happen, but never does - something else happens.

It was an experience to see her fib. She gets caught in something, and then right from the top of her head, she would spin a tale. Each one incredible, but obivious at hindsight. Ah the cycle of shocks and relief. Each of the charaters, major & minor, are well developed. And most of them adorable.

Ah, now its all over. I think they got exhausted churning out good, refreshing & innovative episodes, 4 days a week. They should take a break, and come back with new season. Fingers-crossed.

TV free day

When I reached home, there was no power. And this was great! Because my eyes were burning from all the sleep loss. I simply plonked into my bed. A short nap of one hour and I was feeling great. Though the power came back, I didn't go into auto-mode & switch on the TV. Instead, prepared grand dinner and arranged the balcony flowerpots.

I promised myself a treat of my favorite sitcom 'Kareena Kareena' at 9:30 pm. Until then it was only Radio while I cooked. So promptly at 9:30 pm, I set my dinner, made myself comfy in front of the TV and turned it on. Boom, there was no KK. The channel was showing a cricket match instead. Agh ! Bah, with my schdeule disturbed, I lost all my focus. Watched a little bit of F.R.I.E.N.D.S and went to sleep.

So ultimately, this was a great TV free day (after a long time), even with a TV & TV addict in the same house.

Sleep Deprivation

Ahhgrh ! I am suffering from a major sleep deprivation. I go to bed with burning eyes, at 1 am and get up at 5:30am. There is no possibility of cat-nap anytime in the day.

And guess what I do till that late hour? I was watching TV ! Ahgrh !

I am baby-sitting my parent's TV, at my home for the past few months, till their home gets ready. That combined with the fact that I am alone for sometime now. Its like having a bar at an Alcoholic's house. And then leaving him/her alone. What can I say? I have caught up with each & every one of my favourite sitcoms. And movies. Marathhon sessions actually. Every evening, I come home early, with a resolve that I will grab some dinner and go to sleep asap. But it's never so.

Just one more month, and then I will kick this one out.

TV Filtering

Filtering can be an alternative. But control is never complete. We can filter what kids watch. Possible upto certain age. But how can you control what other adults in the family watch ? We cannot exert control over them. They have as much opinion of right and wrong, as yourself. Needless conflict can result. If not a one shot clash, then there might be slow simmering and an explosion later on.

This is where personal TV concept comes into picture. Like a book. Watch what you want, where you want, when you want, blah blah.
But I am sure the addicition can be so much, we will loose that member for ever. I mean, I remember the slight irritation I felt when friends visited us, while our favourite regular sitcom is on. Or when a long distance relatives calls up, while an interesting scene is playing on TV. This wont happen if it was a case of book, magazine or newspaper. We know it wont run away, and we can always go back to it, after finishing with the friend or relative. Nothing compares to a written word - whether in print or web.

About information from TV, nowadays it is totally laced with some agenda. At most of the news channels, either a lobby is at work, or the sponsor decides the priority or its total crap we could do without. News channel dont build any global community feeling. They only want ratings. After the initial shock, we become passive viewers to far off tragedies. Crime prevention and awareness work better at local community level anyway. Celebrity opnions do not make a better life. Ad discussions, debates and acheiver profiles, are so tiny part of most new networks, they almost always get skipped.

The overhead are too much with TV. We can do well without a TV at home. There is so much entertainment and information available anyway. Plus for learning and growing there are always books, magazines, newspapers, internet and movies in theatre. We can visit places, visit rural areas, see animals (domestic/wild), meet people (relatives, friends, elders, youngsters, strangers, acheivers, all). Nothing compares to first hand experience of life.

"Four Arguments For The Elimination Of Television"

"The mind is never empty, the mind is filled. What's worse, it is filled with someone else's obsessive thoughts and images.

Why do you think they call it programming?"

Jerry Mander, "Four Arguments For The Elimination Of Television"

More reasons not to watch TV

Because of TV no one can sit & speak face to face. No one concentrates on the other. Its more focus on what’s on TV, and then maybe listen to something the other has to say.

Everyone and every furniture is pointed towards one point - the TV.

TV is more like a book. For personal viewing. With books, we take time and space off to read it. That way nobody hinders the reading. And we don’t disturb anybody else. But with TV converted into a group activity, combined with the plethora of channels - there is so much scope for clash.

Cinema is for mass viewing, where we take time off to watch a movie, which we know will end at around a particular time. And then we all are back together to discuss it or something else.

TV is endless entertainment. More like eating chips. Great taste, so should be eaten in moderation. And it provides no nutrients for the body, if you make it your meal everytime.

But with TV at home and remote in hand, who can practise moderation. After all, what’s the logic behind having a bar in the house of an alcoholic.

Plus, you can practise moderation. But how can you expect the same from others in the house. And even if you practice moderation, how can you be sure that the non-TV hours of all members are in sync ?