What are you losing? Weight or money?

If my sister is not around, then the only person I have to face a battle with, to take charge of the Television remote, is obviously my mother. And it was that time of the day when I got myself sometime to rest- Five minutes past four in the afternoon. Like the usual self, I kept switching channels which, by no means of surprise, put my mother off. She gave me a piece of her mind and walked off.

Clearly, I realized that I had committed a blunder by choosing the wrong time to watch the idiot box. It was the time for repeat telecast of soap operas or some good-for-nothing movies. I should say I was so idle to settle for Teleshopping!

‘The best way to lose weight in a month! Hurry up! Offer valid only for a week’. The week is probably stretchable I believe for, I saw the same advertisement after two weeks and found the same offer. Who knows, may be it has no takers or too many takers that they could afford that space in television and give a discount too.

Brands that showcase a pill, a belt or even tea in such bizarre programmes have been on since my childhood. Questioning the longevity or the effectiveness of the products is clearly unfair since I have not used any of them. Thanks to my undernourished body! Incidentally, I came across a consumer complaint forum where people curse such products after becoming their victims. In fact, police in Britain have barred people from using diet pills of a particular company. A recent study shows that resorting to use such products is dreadful and certainly not the right way to shed excess weight.

The best part would be the animated mannequin whose belly bloats and compresses within fraction of a second. Alas, buyers don’t realize that it is close to impossible to envisage this in reality. Another amusing factor is the custom of using only foreigners. Even a brand that claims its product to be Ayurvedic has foreigners for whom lame dubbing is being done in a vernacular language. I was taken aback when even a 24*7 news channel aired this programme.

Though there might be some genuine products in the market, they go unnoticed and people generalize most of the products to be bogus ones. It could be of great help in the larger interest, if channels which air such programmes ensure that the products of the brands showcased are authentic.

The following are the two links related to the topic

http://marketingandbeyond.wordpress.com/2008/10/03/tele-shopping/

http://www.mediaticks.com/bollywood/bollywoodreviews.php?bollywood-type=Titbits&bollywood=Aamir-Khan-is-such-a-sucker-for-useless-things&id=21263

Vibrations of ‘Textual Overtones’

Excitement is knifing through the air as I begin writing my first blog! No delving deep into the reasons which kept me away from blogging so long. After all, each dog has its day and implying that I think its mine today! Call it photographic memory or the first-impression-is-the-best-impression belief, that till date the first ever blog that I read has surpassed the others to the perennially remain atop. Sudhish Kamath’s blog- Textual Overtones.

So am I telling an untold story? Not at all. Numerous people have read this blog and might like or dislike it. But here is just my version of why I like it. What’s with his blog that caught me? To call a spade a spade. There are aplenty in this field who have implicitly followed this, but what keeps him apart, in my honest opinion, is his- tailored yet casual, brutal yet honest- style of analyzing movies. The reviews keep me glued to the monitor. Literally. The writer shoots at the pros and cons and the transition that takes through the entire post is just incredible to an extent that you don’t realize the post coming to an end.

Questioning the world of cinema as it is evolving and sensible portrayal of characters curiously makes you realize why one should watch that movie. . It may sound clichéd but be it the bashing of ‘Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna’ (Please read the article here)or the genuine admiration of ‘Taare Zameen Par’ (Please read the article here ), no sense of disillusionment or forcible thrust of the writer’s opinion surfaces. Besides, some harsh observations are certainly acceptable in the reviews, for this so called luxurious business wields an immeasurable impact. With great power comes greater responsibility.

The blogroll of ‘He says She says’, involving Suderman as Sudhish and Cappuccino as Shonali Muthalaly, pulls out classic exchanges of chauvinistic squabbling against the opposite sex with enough and more of banter. Episodes of ‘Boys don’t cry’, ‘Why men like chick flicks’ and ‘Who wears the pants?’ are just a class apart.(Please read the article here)

Honestly, some reviews like that of ‘Vettaiyadu Vilayadu’ (Please read the article here) ( I’m not mentioning this just because I’m a diehard Kamal Hassan fan or because he has raved about Kamal’s performance ;) ) and the recent ‘Endhiran’ (please read the article here)are outstanding to the extent that I go back to read the same piece over and over again.

The bliss of watching a good cinema is bettered after reading a great review for the same!