| For the first time,transgender to anchor TV show
For the first time in the history of Indian television, a transgender will anchor a talk show on a Tamil channel, Star Vijay, titled Ippadikku Rose (Yours Rose), glamourising a gender condemned to begging and sex work. A 28-year-old transgender, Rose, hailing from Chennai, will come on air about issues hitherto considered 'hush hush' like homosexuality, alternative sexuality, child abuse, sex abuse and generally things labelled as taboo. Dressed in glamourous costumes, that would range from designer sarees to western clothes, Rose will talk to celebrities on issues like phobias, rebellion and beauty "evoking emotions of all kinds in all kinds of people" for about half-an-hour in a late night talk show to be aired once every week. Rose, a chemical engineer, who completed her MS in biomedical engineering in the US, had won a beauty pageant for transgenders this year in Chennai.
'Beowulf' demands a reaction
In the name of the mighty Odin, what this movie needs is an audience that knows how to laugh. Laugh, I tell you, laugh! Has the spirit of irony been lost in the land? By all the gods, if it were not for this blasted infirmity that the Fates have dealt me, you would have heard from me such thunderous roars as to shake the very Navy Pier itself down to its pillars in the clay. To be sure, when I saw "Beowulf" in 3-D at the giant-screen IMAX theater, there were eruptions of snickers here and there, but for the most part, the audience sat and watched the movie, not cheering, booing, hooting, recoiling, erupting or doing anything else unmannerly. You expect complete silence and rapt attention when a nude Angelina Jolie emerges from the waters of an underground lagoon. But am I the only one who suspects that the intention of director Robert Zemeckis and writers Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary was satirical? .
Theater Reviews: Waiting For Godot, 'Nami, Virgin Love
BIRDY It's no surprise that a poet-dramatist as fine as Naomi Wallace would be attracted to William Wharton's 1978 novel (also adapted by Alan Parker in his 1984 film). The dualities of brutality and sensitivity, of flight and imprisonment, sneak up and grab you by the throat. Wallace's adaptation tracks the intense friendship of two boys, Al and Birdy (Joe Mahon and Jayk Gallagher). Al's a body builder of Sicilian heritage, while Birdy is an effeminate daredevil possessing a growing obsession with flight, and flying — not as a pilot or astronaut, but as one of the many pigeons he raises and fixates on while growing up. Juxtaposed against flashbacks of their youth are scenes in a post-WWII clinic where both young men have been traumatized by the war. Birdy (played in adulthood by Josh Mann) has regressed into a mute bird state and literally hovers at the precipice of being institutionalized.
Ann Taylor offers new product line
Ann Taylor Stores is launching a line of beauty-care products at all 350 of its Ann Taylor stores and through the AnnTaylor.com Web site. The New York-based retailer of women's clothing said the new collection, Beauty, includes a fragrance named Possibilities and other products. The company plans to expand its presence in the beauty-care market over time, including a line of products to be sold at Ann Taylor Loft stores in 2008. Czech model Petra Nemcova was named "the face" of Possibilities, according to Ann Taylor Stores. The company said it will donate $2 from each sale of the fragrance through Dec. 31, up to a maximum of $50,000, to the Happy Hearts Fund. Nemcova founded the charity, which aids children who have suffered from a disaster, after being stranded in Thailand during the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004.
Miss Malaysia eyes world crown
A recent UQ political science and economics graduate is using the Miss World contest to promote her country and raise child rights issues. Miss Malaysia Deborah Henry wants to end poverty and put Malaysia on the map when she vies against another 100 women for the Miss World crown in China next month. The 22-year-old has been busy modelling and preparing for the final since being crowned Miss Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur in May. �My focus now is very much on getting enough dresses, practising my talent, putting together a charity video and reading up on Malaysian info and facts,� Ms Henry said. �It's definitely going to be a great experience and it is an opportunity to voice our opinion and represent our countries.� Ms Henry beat 16 Malaysian finalists based on her decorum, punctuality, personality and public speaking.
13 years after a breakup, he'd like to send an apology
Dear Annie: In 1994, my first real relationship ended when "Lisa" and I parted ways. For reasons that are still valid, I broke it off. It was emotional and very tough on her. After that, I met the woman who became my wife, and we've been married eight years. Here is the issue: I have been thinking and dreaming a lot about Lisa. I don't know why she still takes up such a large portion of my head 13 years later. I have not spoken to her or seen her since a month after our breakup, but I still care about her. I guess I really want to know she is happy and healthy. I also want to apologize for the way I ended things. I think she was treated unfairly by my circle of friends. I suspect my wife would be less than enthusiastic about my initiating contact with an old flame, even though my intentions are strictly platonic.
Hilton Head 'in serious trouble'
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. Here's a quiz for all the travelers out there: What do Hilton Head Island, Jamaica and Phuket, Thailand, have in common? Sure, all have a natural beauty that draws tons of visitors every year. But according to a survey of environmentalists, tourism industry experts and other researchers, all three also face rampant over-development that is burying their natural charm, threatening their environmental assets and sucking the cultural life off the islands. The destinations were all labeled "in serious trouble" and landed near the bottom of a ranking of 111 islands in the November/December issue of National Geographic Traveler magazine. The magazine surveyed 522 experts from around the world, many of whom had unpleasant things to say about the second-largest barrier island along the East Coast.
Rhine Valley: River of time
Our barge came round a bend in the River Rhine and there it was: the castle where Sleeping Beauty received her awakening kiss, where Rapunzel let down her hair, where Cinderella lived happily ever after with her Prince Charming and where Shrek met Fiona.
This river, which flows through the heart of European history, is lined with glorious scenery, clusters of gingerbread cottages, elegant churches, picturesque rows of grapevines and fairytale castles (plus the occasional plant belching waste and the odd boring modern subdivision). But the stretch known as the Rhine Gorge is the most scenic part of all and, for me, the Burg Rheinstein is the most perfect fairytale castle. In part that's because of the way the mists threatening to obscure the view suddenly parted revealing the storybook castle looming above.
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