A BYTE OF LIFE Tuesday, July 1, 2008

p
05
UNIVERCELL MOBILES
From spare room to showroom

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 127

MASTERS OF
The "Red Fury"
won their second
European Championship
after 44 years, beating

EUROPE
Germany 1-0, thanks to
Fernando Torres’
first-half strike
» PAGE 8 & 9

The final list!

Turn to page 3 to find the final
lists of competitors in both
Singing Sensations (vocal) and
Winning Moves (dance)
competitions.
The response has been
overwhelming and we have tried
to accommodate as many
participants as possible.

Team Ergo

4 DAYS TO GO
02 ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Man dies
in scuffle with
neighbour
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
A scuffle between two neigh-
bours resulted in the death of
one at New Washermenpet on
Monday morning.
According to New Washermen-
pet police, the deceased, identi-
fied as one Thiagarajan (34) of
VOC Nagar, New Washermenpet,
had a history of petty quarrels
with his neighbour Dileepan (25).
Thiagarajan, who was employed
as a cable TV technician in South
Chennai, came across Dileepan
on Sunday night and poked fun at
him.
At around 8.30 a.m. the next
day, Dileepan along with friends
Mohanraj, Elangovan, Yuvaraj
and Praveen Kumar, all from the
same locality, confronted Thiag-
arajan on his way to work. The
03
On a different wicket
argument turned violent when
one of Dileepan’s friends pulled
out a pen knife and attacked
Thiagarajan on his right hand.
Thiagarajan received three cuts
and ran for cover to one of the
streets nearby.
Assuming that he had fled after
being threatened, Dileepan and
friends left the scene. Unfortu-
nately, Thiagarajan was profusely
bleeding from the cut on his
hand.
He lay there unconscious until
some of the locals found him and
rushed him to a nearby hospital,
where he was pronounced 쒀 Chennai Super Kings opening batsman Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan interacts with
‘brought dead’. students at the Government Higher Secondary School in Arumbakkam, Chennai on
Dileepan and his four friends Monday. The IPL star inaugurated a classroom constructed by Madras Midtown
were arrested by the New Wash- Round Table 42 as part of India Round Table’s “Freedom Through Education”
ermenpet police within hours of project. PHOTO: S.S. KUMAR
the incident and later remanded
to custody. ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008

‘‘
Take the first step in faith. You
don’t have to see the whole
staircase, just take the first step
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

쑺
PopTok
software
weaves a
scene from
the film
’Scarface’
into an
instant
message
exchange.
AFP PHOTO

쒀
Chatters,
A reveler takes part in the 38th Annual San
Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual,
Transgender (LGBT) Pride Celebration and
Parade at Market Street in San Francisco on
Sunday. The parade was a special
express
celebration this year after the California
Supreme Court ruled on June 16 that same-
sex couples can legally marry in California.
AFP PHOTO
yourself thru
video clips
PopTok lets movie snippets do the talking in online messaging

쒀 Japan’s character goods maker Sanrio
employee displays a Hello Kitty shaped
portable digital television set, equipped
with a 2.4-inch LCD display at the
company’s headquarters in Tokyo on
Monday. The TV has a maximum of 4.5
hours autonomy on its built-in Li-ion
battery and will be released in the
market in August. AFP PHOTO
STOCKTRACK
13461.60 4040.55
-340.62 -96.10
I
sraeli start-up PopTok, on Monday, began
inviting people to test a free service that
weaves snippets from memorable films or
hot music videos into instant messages
and email.
Instead of relying on abbreviations such as
“LOL” to indicate “laugh out loud,” people
using PopTok can let movie characters, live
or animated, do it for them in short clips
dropped into conversations.
A friend’s attention online can be grabbed
with Denzel Washington delivering the mo-
vie line “I’d love to talk to you.”
An Internet chat can be started with ac-
tor Charlie Sheen bidding someone “Good
morning.”
A pause in a messaging exchange can be
met with Al Pacino’s character in the film
‘Scarface’ asking “Did you finish?”
“Everybody quotes films,” PopTok
founder Illi Edry said as he presented a
preview of the service in San Francisco.
Edry recalled his stint as vice-president
of marketing and interactive formats at
Israeli television
network Keshet Broadcasting.
“We produce one hour of televi-
sion broadcasting for prime time at a
cost of millions and at the end of the
day people, quote one sentence,’’
Edry said with a laugh. “I came to the
realisation if the one hour is support-
ing that sentence, let’s keep the sen-
tence.’’ PopTok has licensed
memorable television, film, and music
video one-liners from partners includ-
ing Sony, Universal, Warner and Para-
mount Studios. ■
AFP
A friend’s attention
online can be grabbed
with Denzel Washington
delivering the movie line
“I’d love to talk to you.”

SENSEX NIFTY
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008
05
Websites of the day
All the tap dance terminology you US $ 42.95

SOURCE: RBI
need:http://www.theatredance.com/
dictionary.html Buy up your bikinis for Pound 85.62
those summer beach holidays:http:// Euro 67.81
www.figleaves.com/uk/home.asp 100 Yen 40.65

UniverCell appeal
It’s the service that sets us apart, says Satish Babu
DIVYA M. CHANDRAMOULI so meant that he now has to fend
divya.c@goergo.in off national and perhaps interna-
tional competition but this hasn’t

“I
’m just an average Tamil changed his ethos. “I have always
guy, born and bred in believed that if you provide the
Chennai,” says Satish Ba- best service to people, they will
bu, Managing Director, come back to you.” Not
UniverCell. But most average one
guys don’t aspire to turn
over Rs.1000 crore for the fi-
nancial year.
When Babu established
UniverCell in the spare room
of his father’s office in 1997,
he was battling the grey mar-
ket that sold cell-phones while
offering little service and no
warranty. Prior to UniverCell,
Babu had spent 10 years ma- for just talk,
naging sales of water purifiers Babu ensures that his staff un-
and this experience taught him dergoes rigorous training at dif-
two important lessons – turning a ferent stages to be better
‘no’ into a ‘yes’ and retaining equipped to handle customers.
your workforce – both of which UniverCell’s customer relation-
came handy in the creation of a ship management software also
retail giant. does its bit to help in up-selling
and roping in repeat customers.
Filling spaces
Towards the turn of this centu- Print to primetime
ry, Babu sensed a vacuum in cell- Much is spoken of UniverCell’s
phone retailing in the Indian aggressive promotions. The com-
market. “I personally like to have munication first began with
a choice while making a purchase print, with Classified Mart Ads
and that choice just wasn’t avail- that spanned 10 words. A far cry
able for mobiles. I wasn’t the only from occupying primetime on
one, there were several more like
me,” he says. When he began
television. In 2007, UniverCell
signed up Madhavan, the actor,
His Pick
Classic: Samsung
UniverCell, he targeted “those to be its brand ambassador. “We D-500 – the first
with cars” for only they could af- didn’t narrow down on a star and slider cell-phone
ford to pay an incoming tariff of then attach characteristics, we that made heads
Rs. 17 per minute on a post-paid wanted someone friendly and ap- Satish Babu, turn
connection. In stark contrast, proachable and he fit the bill,” Managing Contemporary:
these were also the times when says Babu. A golden move, given Director, Nokia N95 – Fast
an SMS was free, simply because Madhavan’s association with Air- UniverCell browsing and
nobody was sending one. Sensing tel that will only help UniverCell PHOTO: K. unlimited storage
another opportunity, Babu set when it looks beyond the South. GOPINATHAN space makes for a
about popularising it amongst And that isn’t speaking of the winner
customers. In 2000, the govern- distant future. “We’ll be in anoth-
ment helped a fair deal by lower- er region by the next quarter,”
ing taxes (from 21 per cent to a says Babu while adding that the
near zero) and reducing tariffs 1000 showroom mark will be
considerably. The cell-phone, achieved by 2010. UniverCell is Established Established Falling In May, Currently has
slowly but surely, became an in- also taking the cell-phone to rural UniverCell first tariffs and established 155 stores in
dispensable part of life, across all India. “We’re in the test phase for as a mobile organised taxes led first store the South,
stratas. a colour mobile manufactured by retailer retail to outside of looking to
Babu and UniverCell have also Motorola that will be priced at Rs. showroom mobiles Chennai in move to
come a long way – from five em- 999.” The launch will follow on T.T.K. going Salem another region
ployees to over 1,300 and from shortly. Music, e-mail and gam- Road, mass By October, and introduce
one showroom on T.T.K. Road to ing are amongst the other selling Chennai 100 other a colour
155 showrooms across the South- factors that UniverCell is banking stores were mobile priced
ern peninsular. His ascent has al- on for the times to come. ■ established in at Rs. 999
the 4 Southern
states

I have always believed that if you provide the best

service to people, they will come back to you 1997 1999 2000 2007 2008
06 VILLAGE ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Swim 6,000 miles

A sea lion can swim 6,000 miles,
stopping only to sleep.

Supergranny takes to the road at McCain, wife have over 225,000

101! dollars in tax arrears
At the age of 101, many people would be happy to rest and Republican presidential
enjoy a quiet life. But Brit grandmother Winifred Hudson, nominee John McCain
however, believes is too young relax. Hudson has entered a and his beer heiress
five-kilometre race and will take her place next month in wife Cindy have
the Race for Life, an event that has inspired thousands of reportedly failed to
women across the region. “My daughter had cancer, so I’m pay house taxes and
doing it for her,” she said. Hudson has pledged to complete owe more than
at least half the 5km race in York, on July 6, on her own 225,000 dollars on
two feet, with a wheelchair for back-up if needed. credit cards. The
ANI McCains owed
6,744.42 dollars in
delinquent property
taxes on a California
Advertise on bus, get a baby home. After the
A 55-year-old British woman who placed advertisements for magazine told the
an egg donor on a London bus has given birth to a healthy McCain campaign
baby girl, it was reported on Monday. Linda Weeks, from about the tax debt,
Maidstone, in the southern county of Kent, and her most of it was paid off
husband Richard, are the proud parents of Katy, born after immediately. The
14 years of trying for a baby. The couple spent US$ 4,000 McCains own at least seven properties and are fabulously
on the advertisements before finding a woman willing to wealthy. But in a recent Senate financial disclosure form,
help them conceive. It was Weeks’ last chance for fertility McCain reported that his wife owed between 200,000 and
treatment, which cannot 500,000 dollars on two American Express cards while a
legally continue after a joint card was in arrears by between 10,000 and 15,000
woman reaches 55. The dollars.
50 adverts were placed ■ANI
on buses in London on
19 March 2007, the day
before their 14th
wedding anniversary, Britain’s most dangerous road
and included a photo of An 8-mile stretch of road in Cheshire often used as a
the couple getting race track by motorcyclists is Britain’s most dangerous
married. “We’ll never be highway while many major routes are still unsafe,
Mummy and Daddy according to a survey. The single carriageway section of
unless a wonderful road between Macclesfield and Buxton has seen 43 fatal
woman aged 36 or or serious accidents since 2001, most of them bikers,
under can help us by according to the Road Safety Foundation. The accidents
donating some of her have continued despite Cheshire County Council’s
eggs. You are our only attempts to improve safety by bringing in new crash
chance of happiness,” it barriers. However, if motorbikes were not included in
said. the analysis, the road would in fact be one of the safest.
DPA Reuters

No decoration for royal palaces

The palaces including Buckingham and Windsor Castle are exactly as
they were during the reign of George VI

S he may be ruling England, yet The

Queen is so thrifty that she has nev-
er had her homes redecorated in more
than 50 years.
By leaving the palaces exactly as
they were during the reign of Queen
Elizabeth’s father George VI, the mon-
arch has managed to save a fortune.
The grand State Rooms at Bucking-
ham Palace and the Royal Family’s
private quarters at Windsor Castle, the
Queen’s main residence, are among
the properties that desperately need
to be repaired. The revelation came as
senior courtiers revealed the Royals’
annual accounts.
Sir Alan Reid, Keeper of the Privy
Purse, said he faced a backlog of 32
million pounds of maintenance pro-
jects over the next ten years. “This re-
lates to essential maintenance and
does not include any allowance for
projects such as the re-decoration of
the State Rooms,” The Sun quoted
him, as saying.
Another official said that it was not
just Buckingham Palace that is in need
of a lick of paint, saying: “The only
rooms at Windsor Castle that have
been re-decorated are the ones that
were damaged by the fire.”
Her electricity bill actually fell by al-
most ten per cent last year, while her
gas bill was unchanged.
However, the Royals came under
fire again over the cost of their travel,
with the annual bill up 800,000 pounds
to 6.4 million pounds. ■
ANI

The only rooms at Windsor Castle that have been

re-decorated are the ones that were damaged by the fire
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008
First teddy bears
Ideal Toy Company was the first
company to mass produce teddy
bears.
4,00,000 quit smoking after ban
M
ore than 400,000 people
in England have given up
smoking as a result of the
ban on lighting up in
public places introduced in July,
according to a study published
on Monday.
Researchers say 40,000 deaths
will be prevented over the next
decade as a result of the ban.
The Smoking Toolkit Study in-
volved interviews with more than
32,000 smokers and ex-smokers
over the nine months before the
ban and the nine months after-
wards.
Smoking was made an offence
in all enclosed public spaces in
England, including pubs and res-
taurants, on July 1, 2007, forcing
smokers to take their cigarettes
outside.
In the nine months preceding
the ban, there was a 1.6 per cent
fall in the prevalence of smoking
in England, but in the nine
months after its implementation,
the fall was 5.5 per cent which
researchers said equates to
400,000 people.
Despite some opposition to the
tough legislation, compliance has
been almost total.
Another study to be published
this week, by the Department of
Health, will show that a total of
Giraffe saves
pals
F ifteen camels, two zebras and
several llamas and pot-bellied
pigs escaped from a cir-
cus visiting Amsterdam
early on Monday, police
said.
“We suspect that a gi-
raffe kicked open a pen,”
Dutch police said in a
statement, adding that
the animals did not get far
before they were rounded up
and returned to the circus. ■
Reuters
Fifteen camels, two
zebras and several
llamas and pot-bellied
pigs escaped from a
circus camp when the
giraffe kicked open
the pen
07
This day, that year
It was in July 1, 1937 that the world’s
first telephone emergency service
came into operation in Britain.
234,060 people have stopped
smoking with the help of a special
service offered by the National
Health Service since the ban came
in. Around 22 percent of the adult
population still smokes in Britain.
Professor Robert West, Cancer
Research UK’s director of tobacco
studies, who oversaw the study
with funding from drug compa-
nies, said: “These figures show the
largest fall in the number of smok-
ers on record. The effect has been
as large in all social groups, poor
as well as rich smokers. I never
expected such a dramatic impact
and of course there are no guar-
antees that smoking rates will not
climb back up again,” he said.
“But if the Department of
Health can keep up the momen-
tum this has created, there is a re-
alistic prospect of achieving a
target of less than 15 percent
of the population smok-
ing within the next 10
years.”
The health charity Ac-
tion on Smoking and
Health (Ash) welcomed the Smoking was made an
findings but called for ex- offence in all enclosed
tended action from the govern- public spaces in England,
ment to prevent children being
affected by tobacco company including pubs and
marketing. ■ restaurants, on July 1, 2007
AFP
A cheesy ride
쑸
Participants of
the second
annual
Soapbox Derby
compete with
their soapbox
in Vilnius, on
June 29, 2008.
More than 50
participants
raced against
the time with
their home
made vehicles
while speeding
down on the
700 meter
track. AFP PHOTO
08 SPORT
Jeev, Shiv finish tied 21
Delhi lad Shiv Kapur signed off with four-
under 67 to finish 21st, a place he
shares with, among others,
compatriot Jeev Milkha Singh (69)
after the final round of the Open
de France ALSTOM. Fellow Indian
Jyoti Randhawa returned 69 to
finish a lowly tied 66th at 10-over
294. Of the Indian trio in fray,
Shiv made his mark most and
could have finished even higher
but for that last hole bogey. Shiv
had a flawless front nine and he
was three-under at turn. Birdies on the 10th
and 13th had him at five-under but he could
not keep the slate clean and the final hole
bogey came as the lone blot in an otherwise
perfect card. Jeev too ended with a four-day
total of 281 but for the three shots he
dropped over two holes, things could have
been far better for the seasoned pro. Jeev
sunk six birdies but a couple of bogeys and
a double bogey took the sheen off his
round. Randhawa, on their other hand;
recovered from his disastrous third round of
81 to post 69 and sign off in a better frame
of mind. Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal won the
title with a final round of 67 for a 269 total.
PTI
India to block Zimbabwe’s
ouster from ICC
Powerful India will oppose any moves to
throw strife-torn Zimbabwe out of world
cricket and is counting on the rest of the
Asian bloc for support, a senior official said
on Monday. “There is no reason to remove
Zimbabwe,” Indian cricket board secretary
Niranjan Shah said as the International
Cricket Council (ICC) debated the African
country’s future at its annual meetings in
Dubai. Cricket boards of South Africa and
England last week suspended bilateral ties
with Zimbabwe in protest at the
deteriorating political situation in Harare,
where Robert Mugabe has been
controversially re-elected as president. The
ICC’s decision-making executive board will
take up the issue this week after the
British government demanded that
Zimbabwe be excluded from next
year’s Twenty20 World
Championships in England. The
support of seven of the ICC’s 10 full
members, which include Zimbabwe, is
required to suspend a nation from
world cricket, but that appears
unlikely given India’s stance. India,
the sport’s economic powerhouse, is
almost certain to be backed by the
three other Asian Test nations – Sri Lanka,
Pakistan and Bangladesh – on keeping
Zimbabwe in the ICC. The Asian bloc usually
votes together on major cricket issues. It
was not immediately clear if Australia, the
West Indies and New Zealand will back
England and South Africa on Zimbabwe’s
exclusion.
AFP
ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Sutil banks on aero updates
Force India is yet to set the Formula One circuit on fire but its
German driver Adrian Sutil believes the outfit can at least
bridge the gap with rivals with the new aerodynamic updates.
Sutil oozed optimism about the new aerodynamic package,
including a shark fin engine cover, which was tested at
Silverstone ahead of the British Grand Prix.
EURO GLO
SPAIN END 44
S
triker Fernando Torres’s
brilliantly executed first-
half goal gave Spain a de-
served 1-0 victory over Ger-
many on Sunday as they were
crowned European champions
for the first time in 44 years.
Spain dominated a thrilling, end-
to-end Euro 2008 final and could
have won by a far more convinc-
ing margin, but Torres’s 33rd
minute strike was enough to
bring them their first major title
since their 1964 Euro success on
home soil. Just minutes after po-
wering a header against the base
of Jens Lehmann’s post, Torres
ran on to Xavi’s through ball,
sprinted around fullback
Philipp Lahm and
dinked a delicate shot
with the inside of his
right foot past the
advancing
keeper.
“It’s a dream
come true,” he
said. “It’s our
first title (togeth-
er) and we hope it
will be the first of
many. We’ve still got
the World Cup to come, we
have to be ambitious.”
Spain’s quality
Germany coach Joachim
Loew was gracious in
defeat, chances but failed to take
compliment- them. Sergio Ramos, Andres
ing Spain on the Iniesta, Marcos Senna and
standard of their football. Torres all either went close,
“We have to accept the qual- were denied by Lehmann or in
ity of the Spanish side to- one case brought a Torsten
night and their technical Frings clearance off the line as
ability.” Spain, playing the Germany relied on trying to
cultured football and swift inter- counter-attack at every opportu-
passing that marked them out as nity. But with their captain Mi-
the most entertaining team in the chael Ballack carrying a calf
tournament, carved out other injury and unable to dominate in
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008
09

‘‘
I don’t know if it is the bigger moment in my Player of the tournament
career, but it is definitely one of the happiest Spanish midfielder Xavi was named player of Euro 2008
moments of my career. It is a moment to savour, just by UEFA on Monday. Xavi scored once in the
like it was in the Champions League final. tournament and also created the goal for Fernando
Spain and Liverpool midfielder Xavi Alonso Torres in the final.

ORY FOR SPAIN

4-YEAR TROPHY DROUGHT

AFP

midfield, and their blond dyna-
mo Bastian Schweinsteiger not
finding his passing range, Germa-
ny were kept on the back foot for
long spells. Even when they did
get forward, the Spanish defence
was impregnable. Goalkeeper Ik-
er Casillas punched or caught
everything that got through to
him with total assurance. The
hard-working Spain midfield, in
which Senna was outstanding,
eventually restricted the Ger-
mans to speculative efforts and
the nearest they came to a goal
was when Ballack hit the side-
netting after an hour.
Spanish stride
Germany, though, had enjoyed
the better of the opening period
with Miroslav Klose and Thomas
Hitzlsperger having chances to
give them an early lead. But Spain
soon got into their stride. They
split the German defence open
time and again with some superb
interplay down the wings and
through the middle with low,
swift passes from Cesc Fabregas,
Iniesta and Xavi. Germany in-
creasingly relied on long hopeful
balls, but they remained in con-
tention until the final whistle
simply because the Spaniards
could not kill the game off with
another goal. In the end they did
enough and the victory not only
ends Spain’s long wait for a title
but also marks a personal tri-
umph for their 69-year-old coach
Luis Aragones, the oldest among
the 16 managers that set out to
win the title three weeks ago. His
decision not to include Spain’s
all-time leading scorer Raul in the
squad was criticised by the Ma-
drid media before the tourna-
ment, but Aragones has been
vindicated in his last match in
charge and is now set to join
Turkish club Fenerbahce. For-
ward David Villa, who missed the
final through injury, also finished
as the tournament’s top scorer
with four goals while Spain took
their unbeaten run to 22 matches
and finally banished their reputa-
tion as serial under-achievers. ■
Reuters
10 FLICK ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Grave matter
In the Adam Sandler-starrer Click, as an
in-joke, the names of some of the crew
members are visible on a few
headstones at the graveyard scene near
the end of the film.

E nglish musician Pete Doherty is all set to write an explosive tell-all book about

The his affair with supermodel Kate Moss.

Doherty’s book, billed as an “intensely personal biography”, is expected
to reveal all the secrets of one of the most talked about showbiz relation-
ships of recent years.
The book has the 29-year-old singer in talks with major publishers
for a six-figure deal and has hired ex-drug addict Sean Boru to help him

Doherty-
write the book. Boru, who has also written biographies with snooker
legend Alex Higgins and Lotto
lout Michael Carroll, has vowed
to focus on the reality of the
fiery 18-month affair.
“The whole premise of the

Moss
book is Pete talking about
Kate Moss and the sex and
drugs and rock ‘n’ roll lif-
estyle they shared,” The
Daily Star quoted Boru, as
saying.
“I wrote to Pete when

affair, an
he was in jail about my
experiences when I was
a drug addict and we
built a relationship.
He knows I understand
where he is coming from and this is

open book
the first book that properly details his
private life with Moss – which is really
what everyone wants to read about. We
already have several publishers interest-
ed in a deal and I have experience of
working with celebrities,” he said.
Besides writing the tell-all for Doherty,
Boru would also like to get a chance to
interview 34-year-old Moss as part of his
Pete Doherty in talks with research.
“I am hoping to get the chance to talk to Kate. We have a couple of mutual
publishers to write a book on his friends and I think it is important she gets to have her say as Pete mentions her so
heavily,” he said.
18-month affair with Kate Moss “Pete sees this as his big chance to say what really happened with Kate – and to
make a few quid. He has been ripped off plenty of times, so the book is a great chance
for him to enjoy a big pay day,” he added.
Moss and Doherty split up in August last year. ■
ANI
McConaughey’s lesson learnt

M atthew McConaughey, who had

recently lost his flip-flops during a Blame it on Blake
surfing trip to Nicaragua, was in for
more bad luck as thieves stole
his cellphone and 2,000 dollars
A my Winehouse’s jailed husband Blake Fielder-
Civil has become a source of inspiration for the
singer’s new album, to be released next year.
in cash. McConaughey The 24-year-old singer has even vowed to get
reportedly had to be carried back in the recording studio with top producer
home drunk from a bar in Mark Ronson.
San Juan Del Sur. “She has been writing new material and now
After he passed out, his she has sorted things out with Mark she really
pals from the bar had taken wants to get back in the studio with him. It is
him back to his hotel room fair to say that Blake being in prison has
and put him to bed but been an inspiration in some way,”
they unfortunately left his The Daily Express quoted a
door wide open when they source, as saying. “There is a
left, giving opportunists the positive attempt by both
chance to strike. of them to sort
“Matt didn’t report the themselves out. Blake is
robbery to the local encouraging her to get
authorities. I guess he just back on stage and be a star
considered it a lesson and let the world know what
learned,” the insider added. ■ she has got,” the source said. ■
ANI ANI
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008

In loving memory Oh! George

The film Stepmom (1998) was dedicated ‘In
loving memory of Irene Columbus’, director
Chris Columbus’ mother, who in the year
before the movie was released had died of
cancer, a similar circumstance to one of the
main characters in the movie.
11
In the original ending of My Best Friend’s
Wedding, after watching Michael and Kimberly
leave the wedding reception, Julianne meets a
man (played by ‘John Corbet (I)’ ). This ending
did not test well and audiences wanted to see
more of George, so a new ending was filmed.

Cine City

J ay-Z hit back at his critics, particularly Oasis’

Noel Gallagher, with a rocking performance at
Britain’s famous Glastonbury music festival.
In April, Gallagher lashed out at the booking
of Jay-Z to headline to festival as ‘wrong’,
declaring: “I’m not having hip-hop at Glas-
tonbury,” reports News.com.au.
However, organisers staunchly de-
fended the choice of Jay-Z, despite the
slow ticket sales and sniping from Gal-
lagher.
In a radical departure from the in-
die rock and guitar bands common-
ly associated with Glastonbury, the
festival recruited the New Yorker Great expectations
in a bid to reach out to a younger It was a great disappointment for director P. Vasu. We
audience. heard that the director had plans to include a song in
Walking on stage with a guitar Kuselan similar to the Om Shanti Om song that featured
slung over his shoulder, Jay-Z led SRK shaking his leg with all leading Bollywood stars.
the crowd in a rendition of Oa- Similarly, director P. Vasu wanted to shoot a similar song
sis’s ‘Wonderwall’, smiling for Kuselan and he invited all Kollywood stars. But, to his
throughout, and with wife Beyonce disappointment, not one of the top actors turned up for
Knowles in attendance. His set in- the shoot. The song now only features a few minor stars –
cluded songs such as ‘99 Problems’. no Ajith, Vijay, Vikram or Suriya.
■ P. Vasu refused to speak about this and defended the stars
ANI saying it was due to improper co-ordination that they were
unable to show up for the occasion.

Madonna Simran in high

spirits now
divorce rumours Actress Simran made a re-
entry into Kollywood after
‘works of fiction’ her marriage, hoping that
things would be favourable
for her. But things didn’t go
G uy Ritchie’s mother has dismissed rumours that her son
and Madonna are considering a split, insisting that re-
ports of meetings with high-powered divorce lawyers are
as expected, as none of the
directors were ready to
feature her in a lead role. It
“total fiction”. was late director-
Last week, Madonna was reported to have met with ce- cinematographer Jeeva who
lebrity divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who most recently advised her to enter ad films
represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce proceedings and that’s how she was
against Heather Mills. spotted with Prakash Raj in
Amber Leighton told Britain’s Daily Mail that there has the Pothys commercial. But
been “no conversation about divorce because there is no now, she has reconciled
divorce”. herself and started accepting
Leighton also described reports that the couple have supporting roles. She is now
spoken to divorce lawyers as “works of fiction”. busy with projects like
Leighton said she now felt compelled to speak publicly Vaaranam Aayiram, Seval,
because a week’s worth of divorce speculation in the press TN07 AL-4777 and Aiynthaam
had “pained her”. Padai. On the bright side, she
The couple’s seven-year marriage is in crisis over ho- has turned into a topper on
mesick Madonna’s desire to return permanently to New the small screen with Simran
York. Thirai, produced by Pyramid
Ritchie is said to have flown to New York, where Madon- Saimira.
na is currently touring with her kids, to make a last-ditch www.cinesnacks.com
effort to save their marriage. ■
ANI
12 SCAN ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Not backstreet material?

According to TV.com, ‘The Believer’
actor Ryan Gosling turned down an
invitation from Backstreet Boy A.J.
McLean to audition for the boy band.

PICK OF THE DAY

HBO Discovery Star Vijay VH1

Forrest Gump – 6-15 p.m.
Lowly Southern boy Forrest starts
off with his legs in metal clamps
and ends up running across
America, after becoming athlete,
war hero, ping pong genius and
shrimper. Crowd-pleasing comedy
drama which won Tom Hanks his
second Oscar.
Into Alaska with Jeff
Corwin – 8 p.m.
Denali National Park and Preserve.
Jeff Corwin begins his journey on
America’s highest mountain, Mount
McKinley, and then travels through
the six million acres of Denali
National Park in his search of the
Denali’s grizzly bears.
Kadhalikka Neramillai Hit factory – 10-30 p.m.
– 7 p.m. A non-stop music block comprising
It is a story of two young people of the biggest hits of today with
Sakthi and Divya caught in the sprinkling of hits from yesteryears.
turmoil of life in a metro. Two
strong individuals with their own
mindsets, their expectations of life;
come together by chance and take
matters in their own hands.

The MBA RJ
A three-minute phone call ended with Gautham Kumar being called to Radio One
V. LOKPRIA inspiration from? her. The fact that she liked me
I read a lot of books. That’s was irritating me. On her birth-

H is Orkut profile reads “The

most difficult thing to do is to
talk about oneself… Swear to God
where most of my inspiration
comes from. I also observe peo-
ple. Everyday is a learning
day, I got hold of the creepiest
creatures, like tadpoles, frogs,
mice, etc., and packed them
ain’t no shit about me”. This experience. in a neat box and presented
week on Radio Head, we feature it to her along with a Five
Radio One RJ Gautham Kumar. Your most embarrassing Star chocolate. (Addressing
Cool, passionate and artistic, moment on air? her) If you are reading this,
Gautham has mesmerised many At times, I run out of conversa- please forgive me. It was just
with his sexy voice. tion on my show. I the age factor that made me
Ergo gets a chance might sometimes do that.
to catch up with Favourites not know the solu-
this ‘dude’ as he is Color: Blue tion to someone’s The best compliment
fondly known Actor: Rajinikanth problem. In such a you have ever
among his fans. Actress: Julia Roberts situation, I tell the received?
Movie: Bheema person that I don’t A lot of callers on my
You have done know the answer show are frustrated with
your MBA from Stansfield and ask for some time to get back their lives. I solve their
School of Business. How did to them. I feel embarrassed then. problems and they call
RJing happen? But again, I am not ashamed to me back to say ‘Thanks
I was studying MBA at that own up, for it lends credibility to a lot, Gautham. You
time, when John Vijay called me. my show. saved my life’. This I
I spoke to him for three minutes. regard as the best
He was impressed with my voice Have you ever experienced compliment, for I am
and asked whether I would like to creative blocks? able to make a differ-
work for Radio One as an RJ. I I am not a creative person. I am ence in people’s
readily agreed. (Laughs). As a a very sober guy. I like to remain lives.
matter of fact, I was one of the silent. But when I get on that mic,
employees in Radio One who got it’s an altogether different me – Define love.
employed quickly. the flow of thoughts, creativity, Rabia, my girlf-
everything just comes to me with riend. She com-
The secret behind your ease. When my show is over I am pletes me.
voice? back to normal.
Nothing at all. I don’t take spe- Ten years from
cial effort to take care of my The freakiest thing you have now…
voice. I would like to call it god’s done? Gautham will be
gift. This incident was way back in a good father to his
school. One of the girls in my kids and a better
Where do you derive class liked me but I didn’t like human being.
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Breakfast for long time

Sleeping passengers
Passengers on a Chinese airliner whose flight was
cancelled refused to get off the plane after the
flight was cancelled. Instead of immediately leaving,
all52 passengers slept on the plane. The flight from
Beijing to Yantai was cancelled due to bad weather.
13
A 105 year-old Southampton, England man is
saying the secret to his longevity is a full English
breakfast every morning, saying he hasn’t missed a
breakfast consisting of bacon, a sausage, two eggs,
mushrooms, tomatoes, black pudding, and three
slices of toast, in 91 years.

Greetings
Dear PADHU
Thali hungama
Happy
Many More The Thali is in. And for some delectable Rajas-
of th e Day
Returns
th is ye ar blend in thani and Gujarati food, head out to Thali Cor-
M ay
ap pi es t and ner, the place to eat your fill and not feel much
many H ents for of the pinch.
om
Successful m Where:Thali Corner,
you. From Windsor Palace,
Hearty Wishes
Indhu, Shop No 1 1st Floor,
Satyam Balfour Road,
Kilpauk
When:July 1 – July 5

Hi Shilpa
Many more Happy
Returns of the
Day....Let’ success be
always with you... Click it with Nikon
Wishes
Revathi Kannan,
PHOTO
TCS EXHIBITION
Photography lovers
a
Dear Dharm can have a wonderful
M or e Happy
Many time at the exhibition
e Day!!!
Returns of th eams as the Students of
l yo ur dr
May al ambitions photogra-
! Wish
come true!!!! in phy institute are dis-
l su cc es s
you al playing their works at
life!! nds Lalit Kala Academy.
Regards, Frie Where:
Lalit Kala
Academy
Egmore Do you love photography? Here’s something exciting for you. The
Hello gang,
When: stylish new range of Nikon Coolpix offers you the opportunity to
Send your greetings to
Till July 6th, not only express yourself with your photos but also with your
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11:00 a.m. - cameras as well.
the word ’greeting’ and
7.00 p.m. Where:
the preferred date of
publication in the Available in all Nikon shops nation wide
subject line. Example: Price range:
"greeting: July 4". This Rs.11,950 to Rs.18,450
will help us organise
the column.
Also, those who want
todedicate greetings,
please send your full
name, company name
and contact number for
verification.
Cheers
TOP 5 FUN WAYS TO STAY HEALTHY
Team Ergo
DRINK RED WINE your body and mind healthy. Group games and sports
can give your mind a workout as well, as you anticipate
Red wine is packed with resveratrol, an antioxidant. other people’s actions and how to work together. Find
Hello gang, These work to protect your body against the effects of a game that suits your level of physical ability and play
Send your greetings to aging. One or 2 glasses of red wine a day can help keep often.
sticky@goergo.in, with the your body young.
word ’greeting’ and the pre- SPEND TIME WITH LOVED ONES
ferred date of publication in SMILE Not only do strong bonds with other people mean you
the subject line. Example: Smiling is a great way to change your attitude, connect will have help when you need it, being connected also
"greeting: July 4". This will with people and give benefit to your body. By forcing means protection from loneliness, depression, and
help us organise the column. ourselves to smile, we "trick" our body into believing mental illness.
Also, those who want to- that everything is good, thereby reducing stress. Like a
dedicate greetings, please switch, smiling can actually change your mood. So put a EAT DARK CHOCOLATE
send your full name, compa- smile on, even if you don’t feel like it, and pretty soon Dark chocolate is a wonderful food that contains a
ny name and contact num- you’ll be smiling for real. large amount of antioxidants that protect your body
ber for verification. from aging. Eating chocolate may lower your blood
Cheers PLAY pressure and cholesterol while providing an energy
Team Ergo Physical games and sports are a great way to keep both boost.
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Cardboard bikes
A design student has developed a bike made of
cardboard that will sell for US$ 30. Phil Bridge of
Stockport, England believes his bike will be
the’ultimate green machine’ and will be cheap
enough for anyone to buy.

sudoku

Balaji
Muthupaiyan
from HCL
Technologies
Limited clicked
this photo at
the Dandeli
forest on Goa-
Karnataka
border. Email:
skgbalaji
@gmail.com

KAKURO
So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the platform?
Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit.
E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in

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karthik@goergo.in

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Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act).
 Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Pope and Prada
The official Vatican newspaper wants to
make one thing clear - the Pope does not
wear Prada! For almost two years, rumours
have been circling that Pope Benedict XVI’s
stylish red shoes were from Prada.
15
Word’s worth
"Macellarious" (mass-uh-lair-ee-us) an obsolete adjective meaning
’like a butcher’s or ’like a slaughterhouse or shambles.’ From a
Latin word meaning ’meat market.’ Perhaps the word could be
renewed etymologically and be used to describe any place that
exists only to encourage people to find romantic partners.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

On the professional front, you will get good output
if you try your hand at software developing. There
may be a lot of logical discussions you may get
into, however they may not yield good results. But
logical discussions with your beloved may help you.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Your communication skills will do wonders. Not only
will your work get done quickly, but you will also
be successful in meetings at work. You may feel like
relaxing with your beloved over a quiet dinner table,
notes Ganesha. Love life will be blissful.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Gemini
BORN LOSER Your energy will be so high today that you will be
seen brimming with joy. On the personal front, your
beloved will share the same feelings. Ganesha
suggests that you should work more on R and D.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Wasting of time may irritate you. However, the
good thing is that your beloved will be very
supportive during your mood swings. Frequent mood
fluctuations may cause harm to your health as well.
Ganesha advises you to maintain cool temper.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
You may encounter some matters which may never
get solved. At office, you might try to show off your
negotiation skills. However, Ganesha feels you won’t
be able to do much on the personal front as your
partner will be more expressive than you.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Ganesha feels that today you will be concentrating
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT only on work. Matters related to career will be of
prime importance. However, it is advisable to
distribute attention on everything equally. Pay
proper attention to love life as well.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
This is a good day to ask for a salary rise. If you
are satisfied with salary, you will feel a sense of job
security. Ganesha thinks your contribution to your
organisation will be at its best. In the evening you
may feel like taking your beloved out for dinner.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Sadly, the day is not in favour for you. You may
face unnecessary delays for particular results or
projects. However, things are going great on the
romantic front. Ganesha feels you lovers might
indulge in activities that make bonding stronger.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
Ganesha foresees a very busy day at work today.
However, you may feel lazy. In that case, you must
not try to experiment new things. On the personal
front, you will remain submissive. The best thing is
that your beloved will adore you for that.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
You will face a cut-throat competition at work
today. Keep a keen watch on things happening
around you. Ganesha further states that being alert
will also help you in your personal relations as there
is a possibility for conflicts and differences.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You may experience extreme mood swings today. If
you have to indulge in multi-tasking, try to
ISSUE’S distribute it, if possible. Ganesha assures that this
tough day will end on a positive note. You will
SOLUTIONS have a gala time with your beloved in the evening.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
In spite of domestic affairs bothering you, you may
not let your work suffer due to this. Ganesha feels,
your office work will keep you busy throughout the
day. On the personal front, you may arrange a small
outing and have a good time with your family.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ERGO Tuesday, July 1, 2008