Cocktail of Life

Zere Zoes the Zoo-Zoos !

2009-04-29T21:52:00.000-07:00

‘ZooZoos’ are the talk of the town nowaday's with the advent of fiery competition in the commercial side of the IPL much bigger than the competition between the IPL teams.

After the ‘Happy to Help’ series during the first season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), this season,Vodafone has given birth to the Zoozoo: a special character created specifically to convey a value added service offering in each of the newly released commercials.

A little find them akin to aliens; others insist they are animated characters,similar to Pingu cartoons while a third bunch doesn’t quite know what to make of it. Nevertheless, we have all been amicable with these white, weird creatures with giant heads as they invade our TV screens.

Prakash Varma, ad filmmaker, Nirvana Films, has directed the commercials, and reveals that the Zoozoos were a big challenge to create. The practical aspects of how they will move, talk, gesticulate and emote were very important. Essentially, costume design and artwork were crucial elements.
For those of you who are a little bit sceptical : No, they aren’t animated characters. They are human beings who were made to wear body suits. “The design of the characters is such that one gets fooled into thinking it is animation,” explains Prakash Verma, which was indeed the very illusion that had to be created. “In a sense, it is ‘live’ animation!” he quips, referring to the fact that it was all shot live.

Behind the scenes..

The production team divided the outfit into two parts: the body and the head. The body part of the outfit was stuffed with foam in some places, while the head was attached separately. To make it look bigger than a human head, a harder material called Perspex was used, which in turn was stuffed with foam (with scope for ventilation).

Cinematically, the ‘size’ was a trick: the creatures look smaller than they actually are on screen, to portray a different world of sorts. For this, the speed of shooting was altered: Nirvana shot it in a high-speed format to make them look the size that they do.
Furthermore, simple sets/backdrops were created and spray painted with neutral Greys – a colour of choice so that attention isn’t diverted from the main characters. For a supposedly ‘outdoor’ shot, even the shadow of a Zoozoo was kept ‘live’ and not done in post production: it was painted in a darker shade of grey on the ground. An even lighting was maintained throughout.
There was virtually no post production work done.

After the famous pug, O&M has now created a new set of characters called ‘ZooZoos’ for the latest Vodafone campaign. What’s interesting is that there are some 25 such commercials planned under this campaign, 10 of which are already on air. The aim is to release approximately one ad a day, to sustain interest till the end of the IPL.

Ironically, nowhere in the communication does the Zoozoo name pop up, but Rao doesn’t feel that’s much of a problem: it wasn’t a task to popularise the name in the first place.For instance, the Phone Backup ad (the first in the series) has several Zoozoos lined up to have their faces photocopied through a photocopier, while a tetris towards the end (the messenger in all the ads) announces how Vodafone allows for creating a phonebook backup.

Zoozoos: entering the digital world

In the digital space, Zoozoos are currently featured on a specially created microsite – here, one can partake in quizzes and contests, including the ‘What kind of Zoozoo are you?’ quiz. Each Zoozoo has a unique set of characteristics and traits allotted to it. The microsite also allows for goodies to be downloaded (including wallpapers, screensavers and ringtones), and offers details on the IPL. With a specially created YouTube channel on the site, the TVCs are provided there for people to watch and share.

Apart from the microsite, a Zoozoo fan page has been created on facebook, which has more than 5,600 members. Fans have access to special tag-me images, Zoozoo sounds (such as Zoozoo laughter and music tracks) and ad previews. People are also following Zoozoos on Twitter and get updates whenever new commercials go on air.

Zoozoo ads are fast becoming popular on YouTube, and on certain days, claims Nagpal of Vodafone, some of the videos even managed to figure among the most watched lot on the site.The team behind the Vodafone-Zoozoo work includes Rao, along with Kiran Anthony, Elizabeth Dias, Rajesh Mani, Mehul Patil, Kumar Subramaniam, Kapil Arora, Debaleena Ghosh and Desmond Fernandes.

Zo, what do zoo think?

Some feel that the Zoozoos could well become a part of the brand story, instead of just being used for this VAS oriented campaign. But this comes with a warning tag: one has to be careful about letting the Zoozoos become bigger than the brand or the message. “Vodafone shouldn’t get stuck with a format,” says Jacob of White Canvas. “They did suffer this to a certain extent with the pug.”

Till the next ad, Keep Rocking !!

Section 49-O .. Its your vote

2009-04-15T21:29:00.000-07:00

Vote (Excerpts from the dictionary)
Definition: An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer.

Did anyone knew that there is a system in our constitution, as per the 1969 act, in section ” 49-O” that a person can go to the polling booth, confirm his identity, get his finger marked and convey the presiding election officer that he/she doesn’t want to vote anyone! Yes such a feature is available, but obviously the political leaders do not disclose it. This is called “49-O”.

Why should You go and say ” I VOTE NOBODY”??? Because, in a ward, if a candidate wins, say by 123 votes, and that particular ward has received “49-O” votes more than 123, then that polling will be cancelled and will have to be re-polled. Not only that, but the candidature of the contestants will be removed and they cannot contest the re-polling, since people had already expressed their decision on them.
This would bring fear into parties and hence look for genuine candidates for their parties for election. This would change the way; of our whole political system. It is seemingly surprising why the election commission has not revealed such a feature to the public.
Please spread this news to as many as You know.

Seems to be a wonderful weapon against corrupt parties in India. Show your power, expressing Your desire not to vote for anybody, is even more powerful than voting. So don’t miss your chance. So either vote, or vote not to vote (vote 49-O) and pass this information to all.

Use your voting right for a better INDIA. Share this with as many as You can. Because sharing is caring. Caring about our future citizens.

Apart from this in my opinion we can follow some basic checklist:

I think we all should also decide not to vote for over aged people (may be candidates above 60 or 65).

Also we should say NO to those who are not well educated or have criminal records.

Most importantly every educated person of India should exercise their right to VOTE at any cost.

Sagar alias Jacky .. .. .. Reloaded

2009-03-10T02:03:00.000-07:00

get Ready 2 Reload your seats and hold-on..coz' Sagar aka. Jacky is here to blow u Away ..

March 26 -- be there !!

PREVIEW

Cast: Mohanlal, Bhavana, Suman, Jagathy Sreekumar, Shobhana, Nedumudi Venu, Manoj K. Jayan, Ganesh, Vinayakan, Baiju, Sumeeth, Sreeraman

Director: Amal Neerad

Producer: Antony Perumbavoor

Lyrics: Rio Joy

Music: Gopi Sunder

Cinematography: Amal Neerad

Art Direction: Joseph Nellickal

Screenplay: S N Swamy

Story Writer: S N Swamy

Sagar Alias Jacky is the sequel to Irupatham Noottandu, released 15 years ago, was a blockbuster movie. It was made for 16 lakhs and this movie sweep a whopping amount of 3 crores. Superstar Mohanlal is playing the title role. This movie is considered to be the most stylish movie in Malayalam film industry. The crew is doing a wonderful job for the promotion of this movie. They have released a set of stylish wallpapers that simulates Hollywood flicks.

The cinematography is excellent in this movie. Their last movie Big B starred Mammooty was a big hit and the director introduced a new style to Malayalam movies.Sagar Alias Jacky reloaded will be a trademark for South Indian movies. The stills shown actually deserves classic and a better film. The star cast are really good and it has set for a release on March 26th.

Catch a glimpse

CAST & CREW

Saagar Alias Jacky reloaded is the second movie of the talented director Amal Neerad. He received an huge applause for his first movie”Big B”. His main asset is that he tries to maintain variety throughout his movies. Formerly this movie was about to be directed by Shaji Kailas, but later he dropped. Amal is at his best to present the immortal action hero of Malayalam ie Mohanlal to indulge in Sagar Alias Jacky in a total different style. The movie will be produced by Antony Perumbavoor, in the banner of Aashirvad Films. Bhavana plays a very important role in this movie. National award winning actress Shobhana and famous South Indian actress Meena also appear in important roles and Jyothirmayi plays a cameo role. Other cast members are Jagathy Sreekumar, Nedumudi Venu,Suman, Manoj K. Jayan, Ganesh, Vinayakan, Baiju, Sumeeth, Sreeraman and others. The script of movie is by SN Swamy. This movies music is composed by Gopi Sunder and penned by Rio Joy. The shooting of the movie going on at Dubai and other locations in UAE. The movie will be made at the cost of 15 crores. This movie will be one of the high voltage action thriller from Amal Neerad and his crew. Amal will be creating another high voltage action thriller, almost like a sequel of the movie, based on this character. Now this film faces a threaten from “The Kerala Film Exhibitors Federation” that this film did not exhibit in the theatre, if the producer of this film went ahead with his plan of de manding ‘minimum guarantee’ from the cinema theatres.

More ?

Why not rate the movie here :

Vote For India - Express Your Voice

2009-03-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

Looking back into the past year, we saw a number of instances that would have ignited the 'Indian' in you .

From good ones like India being tagged as largest Global Market ,the launch of Chandrayaan,or shooter Abhinav Bindra winning a gold medal in Beijing Olympics to bad ones like the Kandhamal violence, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks or the cash for vote scam, India witnessed a lot.

Now is the time to act, with the central elections coming up pretty soon and all the political parties trying their best to please us, it is us, the voters who have to decide the fate of these political jargons.

As Mahatma Gandhi rightly said "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history", it is our time, so read on to know how we can make full use of this resourceful "RIGHT TO VOTE". Ensure your suffrage.

Steps

don't discuss

Check if you are having your name in the voter's list

register yourself voluntarily. Click here for details

Tips

Warnings

Be a responsible citizen!! Avail the fundamental right given by the Constitution (Right to Vote)

Here is an interesting site i 'surfed by' which promotes Online Voting Registration, Voter List Search, Election Information and Assembly Constituency Search Portal.....Its worth clicking it here

Terrorists attack Sri Lankan Cricket Team : Breaking News

2009-03-02T20:57:00.000-08:00

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricket team as they were on their way to Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Tuesday morning, Dawn news channel reported.

The channel showed footage of two gunmen opening fire using Kalashnikovs. At least 12 gunmen were involved in the attack.

Five security personnel are reported dead, three more are seriously injured and have been rushed to the hospital.

The attackers - who came in a white car - lobbed two grenades at the van and the men then started firing at a police van which was providing security to the Lankan team.

The gunmen, reportedly surrounded the team van and opened fire indiscriminately. They reportedly continuously for two to three minutes.

Rocket launchers used in the attack as well.

The incident happened at Liberty Chowk in Lahore.

According to the Pakistan Cricket Board seven players have been reported injured. Five of them are seriously injured - Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakara, Ajantha Mendis, Mahela Jayawardene and Tharanga Paranavithana.

The tour has been officially cancelled.

Courtesy IBN Live : http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gunmen-attack-lankan-team-6-players-injured/86657-2.html

IPL 2009 Fixtures Rescheduled

2009-02-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

The inaugural ceremony and opening match of the second season of the Indian Premier League(IPL) will be held in Jaipur on 10 April.

Resceduled Match Dates for Season II of the Indian Premier League 2009 is given below. Day matches marked by (D). All day matches are from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and the night matches are from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Friday, 10-Apr-09

Rajasthan Royals vs Delhi Daredevils,Jaipur

Saturday, 11-Apr-09

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Deccan Chargers, Kolkata (D)

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers, Chennai

Sunday, 12-Apr-09

Delhi Daredevils vs Kings XI Punjab, Delhi (D)

Mumbai Indians Vs Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai

Monday, 13-Apr-09

Deccan Chargers vs Chennai Super Kings, Hyderabad

Tuesday, 14-Apr-09

Royal Challengers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Bangalore

Wednesday, 15-Apr-09

Kings XI Punjab vs Mumbai Indians, Mohali

Thursday, 16-Apr-09

Deccan Chargers vs Delhi Daredevils, Hyderabad (D)

Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Chennai

Friday, 17-Apr-09

Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers, Mumbai

Saturday, 18-Apr-09

Kings XI Punjab vs Deccan Chargers, Mohali (D)

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Delhi Darevils, Kolkata

Sunday, 19-Apr-09

Royal Challengers vs Rajasthan Royals, Bangalore (D)

Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai

Monday, 20-Apr-09

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata

Tuesday, 21-Apr-09

Delhi Daredevils vs Mumbai Indians, Delhi

Wednesday, 22-Apr-09

Rajasthan Royals vs Deccan Chargers, Jaipur

Thursday, 23-Apr-09

Royal Challengers vs Kings XI Punjab, Bangalore

Friday, 24-Apr-09

Mumbai Indians vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai

Saturday, 25-Apr-09

Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, Chennai (D)

Delhi Daredevils vs Royal Challengers, Delhi

Sunday, 26-Apr-09

Deccan Chargers vs Mumbai Indians, Vizag (D)

Rajasthan Royals vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Jaipur

Monday, 27-Apr-09

Kings XI Punjab vs Royal Challengers, Mohali

Tuesday, 28-Apr-09

Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, Mumbai

Wednesday, 29-Apr-09

Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai (D)

Kings XI Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals, Mohali

Thursday, 30-Apr-09

Deccan Chargers vs Royal Challengers, Vizag

Friday, 1-May-09

Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, Chennai

Saturday, 2-May-09

Mumbai Indians vs Deccan Chargers, Mumbai

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata

Sunday, 3-May-09

Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings, Mohali

Royal Challengers vs Delhi Daredevils, Bangalore

Monday, 4-May-09

Deccan Chargers vs Rajasthan Royals, Hyderabad

Tuesday, 5-May-09

Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings, Delhi

Wednesday, 6-May-09

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians, Kolkata (D)

Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab, Jaipur

Thursday, 7-May-09

Royal Challengers vs Deccan Chargers, Bangalore

Friday, 8-May-09

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata

Saturday, 9-May-09

Kings XI Punjab vs Delhi Daredevils, Mohali (D)

Rajasthan Royals vs Mumbai Indians, Jaipur

Sunday, 10-May-09

Deccan Chargers vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Hyderabad

Monday, 11-May-09

Delhi Daredevils vs Rajasthan Royals, Delhi

Tuesday, 12-May-09

Mumbai Indians vs Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai (D)

Chennai Super Kings vs Deccan Chargers, Chennai

Wednesday, 13-May-09

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers, Kolkata

Thursday, 14-May-09

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Jaipur (D)

Delhi Daredevils vs Deccan Chargers, Delhi

Friday, 15-May-09

Royal Challengers vs Mumbai Indians, Bangalore

Saturday, 16-May-09

Delhi Daredevils vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi (D)

Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab, Hyderabad

Sunday, 17-May-09

Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers, Jaipur (D)

Chennai Super Kings vs Mumbai Indians, Chennai

Monday, 18-May-09

Kings XI Punjab vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Mohali

Tuesday, 19-May-09

Royal Challengers vs Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore

Thursday, 21-May-09

Semi Final 1, Chennai

Friday, 22-May-09

Semi Final 2, Chennai

Sunday, 24-May-09

FINALS, Mumbai

Note: This is a tentative schedule and subject to change

Euphoria in town !

2009-02-17T05:58:00.000-08:00

It's blogging time again, but then, what would a blog be, if it did not reveal the very own sources from which I draw inspiration? - " MUSIC "

The band 'Euphoria', is among one of the reasons behind my love for music! This was the first time Euphoria performed LIVE in Trivandrum and do you think i'll miss it....!!

The band 'Euphoria' gave birth to the phenomenon of "Hind-Rock". The beauty of their music lies in the variety of instruments they play. Euphoria were among the first to bring rock culture to India and their intelligent mix of western instruments like the electric guitar with traditional instruments like the tabla, dholak and sitar has really caught on the imagination of the Indian music lovers.

Lead singer, Palash Sen truly deserves some applause. Not only is he one of the most versatile and talented vocalists I've ever heard , but he's also a practising doctor ...... in essence, proving that the ultimate dream of fulfilling both your personal and professional fantasies is attainable!

The concert kept everyone on their toes as Euphoria went about belting all their hits
right from ‘Dhoom Pichuk’ to ‘Maeri’ to ‘Kabhi aana tu meri gully’.

The team : Palash Sen,Hitesh Madan,Debojeet Bhaduri,Benjamin Pinto

Pick of the Lot : "Mehfuz", "Maeri", "Dhoom Pichak Dhoom", "Phir Dhoom" and "Aana Tu Meri Gully".

TidBit : Recently, they have even inducted female members into the band mainly as backup vocalists. umm... more reasons to love'em...:)

Into Widgets...!!

2008-10-28T23:05:00.001-07:00

Here is a wonderful post defining the most happening gadgets in the Web 2.0 world. Check out this..

CooL LinuX

2008-06-05T05:05:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me this recently. I don't have just one answer. I compiled a list of things I thought of and emailed it to my friend...then I thought I would post it here for future reference. Feel free to add to the list! There is also a forums thread on the same topic, that I remembered as I complied my thoughts, so I stole some of the ideas posted there.

1. Upgrade to the newest version legally and without paying money
2. Have the latest version of the operating system run faster than the previous version on the same hardware
3. Easily install and run different graphical interfaces if I don't like the default setup
4. Install twenty programs with one command
5. Have the system automatically update all my installed programs for me.
6. Install the same copy of my OS (Fedora) on multiple computers without worrying about license restrictions or activation keys
7. Give away copies of the operating system and other programs that run on it without breaking any laws, governmental or ethical or moral, because it was all intended to be used this way
8. Have full control over my computer hardware and know that there are no secret back doors in my software, put there by malicious software companies or governments
9. Run without using a virus scanner, adware/spyware protection, and not reboot my computer for months, even when I do keep up with all of the latest security updates
10. Run my computer without needing to defragment my hard drive, ever
11. Try out software, decide I don't like it, uninstall it, and know that it didn't leave little bits of stuff in a registry that can build up and slow down my machine
12. Make a major mistake that requires a complete reinstallation and be able to do it in less than an hour, because I put all of my data on a separate partition from the operating system and program files

13. Boot into a desktop with flash and effects as cool as Windows Vista on a three year old computer...in less than 40 seconds, including the time it takes me to type my username and password to login
14. Customize anything I want, legally, including my favorite programs. I can even track down the software developers to ask them questions, contribute ideas, and get involved in the actual design/software writing process if I want to
15. Have 4+ word processor windows open working on papers, listen to music, play with flashy desktop effects, have contact with a largely happy community and have firefox, instant messaging, and email clients all open at the same time, without ever having had to beg someone for a code to make my os work, and without the system running so slow it is useless
16. Use the command "dpkg --get-selections > pkg.list" to make a full, detailed list of all software I have installed, backup my /etc and /home directories on a separate partition, and you are able to recover your system any time, easily
17. Run multiple desktops simultaneously, or even allow multiple users to log in and use the computer simultaneously
18. Resize a hard disk partition without having to delete it and without losing the data on it
19. Use the same hardware for more than 5 years before it really needs to be replaced...I have some hardware that is nearly 10 years old, running Linux, and still useful
20. Browse the web while the OS is being installed!
21. Use almost any hardware and have a driver for it included with the operating system...eliminating the need to scour the internet to find the hardware manufacturer's website to locate one
22. Get the source code for almost anything, including the OS kernel and most of my applications

I could go on, but that's long enough. :)

AR Rehman Cocktail -- 02 - Latest Updates

2008-05-27T04:10:00.000-07:00

A.R.Rahman wins his 21st Filmfare Award for Guru -

He now holds the record for the maximum number of Filmfare Awards.

Others - Kamal Haasan - 19, Gulzar - 18, Javed Akhtar - 15,

Yash Chopra, Shah Rukh Khan - 14, Amithabh Bachchan - 12, Bimal Roy - 11.

A.R.Rahman to do Marmayogi - Tamil/Hindi bilingual - to be directed and produced by

Kamal Haasan, who will also be donning the lead role in the movie. More HERE

Sakkarakkatti in Tamil - Audio release expected soon.

A.R.R. composing music for Subhash Ghai's Yuvraaj, starring Salman Khan,

Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Zayed Khan. Movie release expected for 2008 Diwali.

A.R.R. composing music for Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini.

Movie release expected by the end of the year.

A.R.R. signed for Rajinikanth's Robot - to be directed by Shankar.

A catchy new No: from Rahman's new ADA..A way of Life

AR Rehman Cocktail -- 01 - Jaane Tu ...Ya Jaane Na

2008-05-27T03:27:00.000-07:00

Jaane Tu ...Ya Jaane Na is a Hindi movie, which will be released in 2008. This film is directed by Abbas Tyrewala. The movie is produced by Aamir Khan Productions and PVR Cinema. Jaane Tu ...Ya Jaane Na introduces bollywood actor Aamir Khan's nephew Imran Khan Pal. Genelia D'Souza is the leading lady in the movie.
A.R. Rehman has been signed to compose the music of this romantic comedy in which Aamir Khan is expected to make a cameo appearance. Besides Aamir, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak, Arbaaz Khan and Arshad Warsi would be doing cameo appearances in Jaane tu Ya Jaane Na. The movie is Abbas Tyrewala’s first directorial venture.

Kabhi Kabhi aditi meri......from Jaane Tu ..Ya Jaane Na

World's Biggest Airport Opens in Beijing

2008-05-27T03:02:00.000-07:00

The world's biggest airport is now finished and ready for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The $3.5 billion gigantic dragon terminal, which is the centerpiece of the 501-square-mile complex capable to allow 50 million passengers per year, looks even more impressive in the amazing, almost unreal photos.

For more links and photos click HERE !!

Mother's Day Cocktail

2008-05-11T23:30:00.000-07:00

Celebrating motherhood is a historical tradition dating back almost as far as mothers themselves.
Mom,Mummy,Amma,Maa ....or anything tat u shall call her......I'm damn sure tat tis is the sweetest word tat u've ever used..........

M - O - T - H - E - R

"M" is for the million things she gave me,

"O" means only that she's growing old,

"T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

"H" is for her heart of purest gold;

"E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

"R" means right, and right she'll always be,

Put them all together, they spell

"MOTHER,"

A word that means the world to me.

Its a Cocktail, afterall

2008-05-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

Creating a cocktail is so much more than choosing vodka or gin, on the rocks or neat, or shaken versus stirred, those aspects are important, but it's the final touch that makes a cocktail pull in a customer

My First Ever Cocktail !

2008-05-11T23:02:00.000-07:00

Guys, Tis is my first posting in tis brand new blog tat has'nt lost its smell of freshness.So wat to start with was the question haunting my mind....and the best thing got to be the name behind which seems to be the only little thing that continues to be the sole 'hidden' witness to al the funny ,naughty,awesome things tat u may fall into.

My Parents christened me 'Praveen' which infact is the best gift anyone could have gifted me....