Amrutha makes a sad exit

It sure came as a blow to all of us that Amrutha would exit the competition as I expected her to be in the final 4. Arun Gopan whom I though deserved to be out is in instead. The talented Hesham was also shown the door. In the final tussle between Durga and Amrutha I actually thought Durga would go. Instead it was the sensitive Amrutha who had to leave based on votes though Amrutha had a small lead (I believe 1 vote) over Durga when it came to marks. Amrutha was inconsolable and I am sure she was shocked with the result. It was really sad to the see the child cry one more and last time on ISS. It was really sad when she confessed how much she wanted to be in the final 4 and why people didn't vote for her.

The melodrama surrounding the event was unbearable with the organizers creating so much unnecessary tension for announcing the results that Amrutha's mother almost collapsed on stage. Asianet cruelly telecast her mother's discomfort who seemed to be relieved only when the result was announced. Why build up such tension when the result can be simply announced as it is done on Super Star Global. There are people who tell me they don't watch ISS just for this unnecessary hype. Amrutha's mother could have even fainted or had a stroke and were they prepared for that?

Roopa wins Super Star Global

After a horrendous show by the organizers Roopa was ultimately crowned champion at the live show just a few hours ago. Even her performances today on the show were stellar. My dream that I saw of Roopa winning and that which I told her, ultimately turned out to be true. The telecast was so painful with commercials thrown in at odd times disruption the show, even Roopa's acceptance speech was cut in half.

Thanks to all who voted for her. After the lead narrowed down between Roopa and Jeethu we voted like crazy till the lines were closed at 10.00 PM. By then Roopa had overtaken the leader in the number of votes and from then on there was no going back.

Let this mark the beginning of a very exciting career for Roopa. God bless her.

Dith Pran passes away

The man whose life was immortalized in the movie "The Killing Fields" by yet another Khmer Rouge escapee Haing S Ngor is no more.

Ever since I saw "The Killing Fields" my all time number one war related movie I have been overwhelmed and appalled at the atrocities of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Although more people were killed during the second World War genocide and other genocides the nature of the deaths and killing in Cambodia shook me more than anything I have seen or read about. I have spent countless hours reading and watching documentaries of the same. A well known documentary on the atrocity was made called S12 The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine by a Cambodian. I reviewed both the movie and the documentary on Amazon.

Dith Pran moved to America and worked as a photographer. He dedicated his life to spreading the information of the genocide in his country and was involved in several related activities such as publishing a book on the children of the genocide and the Dith Pran Holocaust Awareness Project.

Here is a rare photograph of Dith Pran and Haing shortly after the latter won the academy award for Best Supporting Actor.



Haing's oscar award acceptance speech was one of the more heart touching speeches I have ever heard where he dedicated the award to his country, Cambodia. Haing was killed in L.A during a robbery. I very much wanted to write to Dith Pran but now it is too late.



I must also mention that in the recent past there have been quite a number of important people who passed away and whom I thought deserve mention because I admired them in some way or the other. Tamil movie actors Raghuvaran, Srividhya and Padmini (last year) and Malayalam movie actor Gopi.

May their souls rest in peace.

Roopa and I

Tomorrow is the Grand Finale of SSG, and it is going to be telecast live at 6:30 P.M. My home is going to be full to some extent as we intent to make it a family viewing event. I have voted like crazy for Roopa but I am weary of the outcome because Roopa is still trailing behind the leader Jeethu. In fact if Roopa loses it will be a shame for the show having voted a winner just on the basis of votes. I just can't imagine Roopa not winning the crown after all those memorable performances. If she wins it will certainly be a celebration for us.

Anyway here's something I wanted to divulge only after the show because I didn't want people to misunderstand I was canvassing for Roopa on this blog although I can perfectly be doing just that, why not? The fact is, I have been in touch with Roopa. It all happened exactly one week after I wrote that big post on this blog just a few weeks ago. Sometimes the "law of attraction" is unbelievable. I was so passionate about the post on Roopa and I couldn't believe that a distant relative (Jaya's cousin Shuba's husband Ajay) actually was a close friend of Roopa's violin teacher. After getting Roopa's number I didn't call but sent her a couple of SMS messages and to the second one she replied asking me to call her whenever I found time. I was so overjoyed that I still retain that SMS on my mobile. I called her that Thursday morning and both I and Suji spent a good deal of time talking to her. She was going to her old school that day for a shoot. After that we have spoken several times although I make sure she isn't disturbed or taking her voice rest before her performances. Sometimes I just send SMS messages.

I consider myself priviliged to have helped Roopa by providing the tamil lyrics for four of her songs on SSG, Kaatril Enthan Geetham, Thulluvadho Ilamai, Enthan Nenjil Neengatha and Singara Velane.

If you find Roopa worthy of the title please do vote for her. As of this writing she is trailing behind the leader Jeethu on SMS votes. If you think you haven't watched her performances check out my earlier posts on her or check out the site made for her at www.rooparevathi.com You can also watch her performances on YouTube. Just enter "Roopa SSG" in the search field on the page and perform a search. Here is one of her recent memorable performances.

A once in a lifetime performance on T.V and on ISS

Yesterday was an unforgettable day in the life of Thushar, contestant on ISS (Idea Star Singer 2007), the audience that watched his performance on the sets and the audience that tuned in to the show last night on Asianet. With the highest ever score, 96, given to a performer on ISS the audience, judges and other performers were left speechless and in tears. M G Sreekumaran in tears confessed that Thushar was the best performer on ISS and Sharath almost speechless towards the end of his remarks admitted that this was the best performance ever on ISS by any contestant. What to say of Didi then. Thanks to Amidala to have uploaded the entire performance in three parts followed by the comments of the show.







and the comments.



Thushar isn't an underdog but it was a shot from the blue and probably the biggest comeback for a contestant on any of the reality shows conducting a singing contest. Thushar himself broke down after the performance. I am sure this performance of his is going to give Najim the current favourite a run for the grand prize. I will not be surprised with a perfect 10 performance as this from Thushar.

Can people look beautiful when they cry?

You bet they can be. One of the earlier instances in my life was when I saw a classmate, a girl, cry in school. It must have been in the 5'th or 6'th grade. It was the first time I saw her cry. She was a studious girl and she was crying becuase she got very low marks in a test. Instead of feeling sorry I was only surprised at how beautiful she looked when she was crying. It was a strange yet beautiful experience. I have been witness to quite a few similar incidents later in life too. Sometimes even a teary eyed face looks beautiful as it happened on a recent trip to Kerala. The scene wasn't actually one of pathos. This time a relative of mine, someone in her early teens had some physical discomfort that got her teary-eyed and I couldn't help admiring the beauty in those eyes.

So why am I writing all this? I was just reminded of these incidents when I saw Amrutha cry on Idea Star Singer (ISS) on Asianet. Please don't get the impression that I would like to watch her cry or that judges should make her cry. Amrutha is a softie and easily breaks down and yesterday Usha Uthup's comments were harsh enough to make her cry. Didi is aware of Amrutha's sensitivity but I wonder what made her be so rude to the girl. As I wrote before even the judges are cracking on ISS these days. Amrutha made a genuine mistake but one that didn't deserve such a treatment. This is the second time I am seeing Didi make such a harsh comment. Earlier she had done it to Vani. It was hurting to see Amrutha sob and when she said "I am sorry Didi", it broke my heart. I am sure she did break many other hearts as well. Though Amrutha tried best to recoup she could hardly speak and Ranjini (thanks to her) had to speak on her behalf towards the end while requesting for votes.