Oscar winners 2009- Hats off to AR Rahaman

A great and unforgettable moment for Indians to feel proud of, our beloved Mozart of Madras has made it, bagging two Oscars , and he took Indian film music to the mainstream American audience, once again he proved that music is beyond racial discrimination or any barriers, color, culture nothing comes in the way for a universal rhythm.

This soft spoken, down to earth artist who is entertaining us for more than a decade and unraveled so much memorable melodies to Indian and overseas audience. Let me tell you all frankly I still consider his debut "Roja" as his masterpiece, and then songs from Bombay, Dilse the list of my favorite scores will go on and on.

As everyone is putting it “slumdog millionaire" is the flavour of the season, the tale of underdogs, an emotional story in a thriller format which successfully captured the fancy of the Hollywood, has swept the 2009Oscar awards total 8 Oscars out of 10 nominations.

Billions of Indians are seeing this recognition as a stepping stone for future collaborations between Indo- US film industry , India's non commercial films that are truly artistic have always earned good recognition and gained acceptance in other parts of the world, if we reel back to the proud lineage which produced veterans like Satyajith rai . I believe India can really utilise this exposure to American film Industry to more international acclamations in the coming years.


The state of Kerala can boast about its intellectual and artistic legacy, kudos to Resul Pookutty. My heartfelt congratulations to you Mr. AR Rahman, Mr Gulzar and Mr.Resul
Of course to Mr. Danny Boyle as well who made this dream come true.


Winners from the 2009 Oscars

Best supporting actress: Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best original screenplay: Milk
Best adapted screenplay: Slum dog Millionaire
Best animated feature film: Wall-E
Best animated short film: La Maison en Petits Cubes
Art direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Costume design: The Duchess
Make-up: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Best live action short film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Best documentary feature: Man on Wire
Best documentary short subject: Smile Pinki
Visual effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sound editing: The Dark Knight
Sound mixing: Slumdog Millionaire
Film editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Best original score: Slumdog Millionaire
Best original song: 'Jai Ho' - Slumdog Millionaire
Best Director: Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Best foreign language film: Departures - Japan
Best Actress: Kate Winslet - The Reader
Best Actor: Sean Penn - Milk
Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Dear readers please share your views on the Oscar results with me, wishing you all a fun filled week ahead!

The Global Village - 2009 Dubai

This New Year has plenty to offer at Global Village. Bringing a precious opportunity to witness one of the most spectacular international entertainment and cultural events this year, Dubai's Global Village has opened its doors on November 12, 2008 and will remain open for a total of 102 days( closes on February 21st, 2009) just after the end of the Dubai Shopping Festival. In addition it has other attractions to offer its projected 5 million visitors, such as around 40 fun fair rides, Venetian gondolas, rowing boats and a World Culture Stage.
Pavilions participating in the 2008-2009 season:
Asia & Sub continent

Pakistan India Nepal Afghanistan Iran
Far East

China Philippines Vietnam
Arabia

Bahrain YemenUAE Saudi Arabia Kuwait Lebanon Jordan Syria PalestineEgypt Morocco
Africa

Rwanda SenegalEast & West Africa

Let's gear up to enjoy the flavors of the world in a single platform. Prepare yourself and your family to bask in the fun and cultural fiesta in the City of wonders in the coming days.
Guinness World Record Pavilion

This Pavilion is a novel concept to feature past world records and a venue to bring in world records in different categories. Try to break the record for the loudest scream, the fastest text message, or the longest coin spin.
Friends of Little Big Club Pavilion

A haven to delight your children, make them meet the much-loved characters of the Little Big Club including Barney, Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Pingu.

Fun Fair

The Entertainment Fun Fair Area has a lot of exciting games and adventurous rides in store. The Luna Park is extremely popular among family audiences. A daily attraction is the fireworks display that lights-up the night sky at Global Village and there are occasional attractions like the Kite Festival. A big crowd-puller is the spectacular free-for-all Musical Fountain located in the heart of Global Village.
Entertainment and Activity Zone

The entertainment events will include the World Culture Stage, showcasing premiere entertainment from around the world. Featured on the lake will be the "Beach Adrenaline" Jet-Ski Show, which will provide nightly thrills with exciting stunts from a team of internationally awarded jet-ski champions. Additionally, a Lantern Festival (Festival of Lights) - an array of specially created Chinese lanterns - will beautify the entire park including the entrances and canal to create a wonderful festive ambience throughout the entire destination.
Dining

With restaurants, cafes and kiosks scattered all over the venue, Global Village is the perfect place to savour the many flavours of the world. With both international and locally renowned restaurants available, the Global Village Food Courts are a smorgasbord of global cuisine offering variety unlike anywhere else.
Location

The mega entertainment complex of the Global Village is located on the Emirates Road within the sprawling Dubailand. It is close to the residential development of Arabian Ranches on Exit 37. The Global Village is connected to all emirates of the UAE via an efficient road network. In addition to housing the pavilions of different countries, the Global Village accommodates restaurants, shuttle transport services and a massive parking area.
For more info about the events and shows, please call 04-3624114 or visit Global Village website http://www.globalvillage.ae/

http://www.gowealthy.com/gowealthy/wcms/en/home/articles/travel/shopping/The-Global-Village-2008-1197448018783.html

Dubai Shopping Festival 2009

Hi guys,

Are you on a holiday mood, thinking hard on preparing for your dream vacation, lets make it easy and enjoyable this time because Dubai shopping festival is around the corner the beautiful city of wonders , Dubai is calling you for an extravagant shopping and entertainment fiesta thats truly worth spending your precious holidays.....

Transforming Dubai to a dream world thriving with activities like great bargains, sales, raffles, drawings, promotions, concerts and performances, carnivals and games Dubai Shopping Festival captures millions of visitor's and shopper's hearts.

The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) 2009 will take place from January 15 to February 15, best time of the year for shopping enthusiastic to visit and enjoy the sprawling event.

The Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) was started in 1996 by the government to promote retail trade in the city, and has since grown into the foremost shopping event in the world, an annual extravaganza of shopping and entertainment that promotes tourism and attracts millions of people from around the world to Dubai every year. The city is already known as a shopping paradise, but for a whole month thousands of retail outlets offer further specials, with hotels, travel companies and airlines also extending special discounts to visitors during this period.
Besides the shopping malls and souks, one of the most popular shopping spots is the Carpet Oasis, showcasing thousands of exclusive carpets from around the world. Other events include nightly fireworks, laser/light shows, international fashion shows, street performances, music concerts and many cultural events. Daily raffle draws offer very attractive prizes of money, gold, cars and 4x4s.

The venues include shopping centres and malls in various parts of the city and there is also a Global Village with pavilions offering products from retailers and manufacturers from around the world. So let's plan your next trip to Dubai coinciding with this mega event.

And do post your comments in my blog dear visitors!