Indian IDOL 3 - Richa Aneja gets voted out

Richa Aneja - 16 year old sensation from Amritsar, India gets voted out. Last couple of weeks have been rough for her. Even though her singing was great, its the judges except Alisha Chinai who were relentless in their criticism. Their complaint was that her voice is very immature. There's nothing she can do about it though, its what it is.

Good Luck Richa! You have tremedous talent. We will see you soon again.

Here's Richa's performance from last night:

New Contributor to Michigan Indian Community Blog

Michigan Indian Community's very own - DJ Amri of SnazzyBeatz is now writing here at MIBAZAAR's Indian Community Blog as "Snazzy". Amri runs the show at SnazzyBeatz. Some of the events which Amri DJ's for is Weddings, Receptions, Mehndi, Graduation, Anniversaries, 1st Birthdays, Sweet 16, Hot 18, Night Clubs and as she says "just about any bahana to have fun!". Check out her website for more details.

Do you want to contribute by writing on things which would be of interest to our community then do let me know by sending me a email.

Himesh Reshammiya enters a mosque wearing a Burqa

Himesh Reshammiya visits a famous muslim shrine of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Hassan Chishti which is located in Ajmer, India to pray that his upcoming movie Aap Ka Surroor does well at the Box Office. Nothing wrong with that. That's great. The Bizarre thing about this prayer visit is that Himesh wore a Burqa so as to avoid being recognized. But someone did recognize him and the word spread. Some people were offended. (read more at BBC).

For all Himesh Reshammiya fans in Michigan: Aap Ka Surroor is all set to be shown on the big screen (starting June 29th) at SR Movies, Novi, MI. Check out MIMANTRA for showtimes.

Teen Surgeon from Tamil Nadu, India

This picture of Dr. K. Murugesan, his doctor wife Gandhimathi, and 15 year old son Dhileepan Raj was taken at their residence at Manaparai, near Trichy, India during happy times.

But now the family is in hot water. Why? Because The 15-year-old Raj performed a filmed Cesarean section birth under his parents' watch in southern India in an apparent bid to gain a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the youngest surgeon. Police on Monday, June 25th arrested the doctor couple. If convicted they could be sent to jail for up to 7 years.

What in the world were the parents thinking? Horrific/Shocking as it is....On top of it they went on to film the whole thing and show off to their friends.

(more at BBC, MSNBC)

Math and Reading Test Scores

In Michigan 62% of the students scored proficient or better in Math Tests administered by the State of Michigan. This compared to 29% of the students in Michigan who scored proficient or better in Nationally administered Tests.

Whereas in Reading 82% of the students scored proficient or better in Reading Tests administered by the State of Michigan. This compared to 32% of the students in Michigan who scored proficient or better in Nationally administered Tests.

Check out Google Maps View of Test Scores in other States including Michigan.

Incredible Indian Talent on Display

This year's Indian IDOL 3 has incredible talent. This year there are 13 contestants in the finals and each one of them is Ek Se Badke Ek. Here's a Google Maps View of the 13 finalists from Indian IDOL 3 at MIBAZAAR.

Also check out EMON, PUJA and ABHISHEK. Wow! what a performance

Smooth Jazz Fest - June 22, 23 and 24 of 2007 @ Southfield

Kick start your summer with the exquisite Smooth Jazz Fest. V98.7 is back with a bang for this year's smooth jazz festival at the Southfield Civic Center, just walking distance for some of us working in Southfield. Enjoy your evening with the wonderful Smooth Jazz music and let your senses be alive.

The interesting line up starts this friday (22nd June 2007) with

Kimmie Horne

Urban Jazz Coalition

Paul Taylor and Regina Belle until 9PM

Then the inevitable Jazz Attack with Rick Braun, Richard Elliot, Jonathan Butler and Peter White at 9:20PM. What more could you ask for, on a fine summer evening? The gates open at 4PM, rush to get your spot reserved.

Saturday's (23rd June 2007) line up includes

Nelson Rangell with a special guest Philippe Saisse

Spyro Gyra and Brenda Russell.

On the sax we will have Jeff Kashiwa, Kim Waters and Steve Cole.

Our all time favorite, Dave Koz will feature at 9:15PM with David Benoit, Phil Perry and Kelly Sweet.

Gates open early at 2:30PM. So, stroll around Southfield, grab a bite to eat and sit back to enjoy the music making waves around Southfield.

Sunday's (24th June 2007) line up includes,

Lin Rountree

Kelly Sweet

Our versatile 98.7 radio host Alexander Zonjic with James Lloyd, Rippingtons ft. Russ Freeman and India.Arie.

I am soooooo there on all the 3 days.

The jazz fest is held

On The Green, Southfield Civic Center

Evergreen Road & Civic Center Drive (south of I-696)

Southfield, Michigan

More information and tickets can be found at their website.

H-1B Visas - Goal is not to find a qualified and interested US worker

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates can go up to the US Congress and argue that US needs more foreign workers with IT skills. It will be interesting to see him and the IT industry in US defend what is being said in this video. An immigration attorney has this to say about green cards to foreign IT workers

Our goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker," he said. "And that, in a sense, sounds funny, but it's what we are trying to do here.

(more at Computerworld)

America's got talent: Pakistani moves

A 23 year old Pakistani lad named Kashif Memon made his way into the Chicago auditions for America's got talent. 'What is your act?' asked one of the judges and he says ' I am going to perform on the bollywood music, like dancing'. Does he think his talent is worth the million dollars (The prize money for America's got talent winner)? His humble answer, "Yes, if everybody love my dance"!

So here goes this innocent looking boy impersonating a Hritik Roshan on the song 'Ek pal ka jeena....' and tried hard with his moves. While the boy's moves were not outstanding, he was very entertaining, and of course props to him to have been bold enough to try performing a Bollywood song on America's got talent. It was indeed hilarious.

The judges comments varied from "you have the most incredible dance moves I have seen" to "Are there different types of dances or only one" to "I think you mesmerized the audience" and he is shooooooooo in to the Las Vegas follow-up on the show.

While I personally think that his moves do not deserve 1 million dollars or even pass this audition, the show needs some variety and he is in like a breeze. I am curious to see what he comes up with at the Las Vegas auditions. I hope he saves himself some embarassment.

Other contestants included a group of martial arts dancers who floored the judges, the audience and myself. A Boy Shakira who impersonated Shakira with his belly moves, no comments on this one.
IT HAPPENS ONLY IN AMERICA FOLKS !

America's got talent airs on NBC on Tuesdays at 8/7 C. If you want to catch an encore of this episode, watch NBC on this Saturday (06/23/2007) at 8/7 C.

Stay tuned !

Music review: Awarapan

Mahesh Bhatt's Vishesh films set out to release 'Awarapan' on the 29th of June, 2007 and will be featured at our very own Indian threatre in Novi , MI. Directed by Mohit Suri, this film revolves around a love story under a mafia/human trafficking umbrella.The music is quite nice and is composed by few talented artists like Mustafa Zahid, Annie, Rafaquat Ali Khan and is directed by Pritam Chakraborty. I personally like Pritam's music for its contemporary style.

The album features 4 original tracks and few remix versions.

Toh Phir Aao - Original, lounge version, remix

This song is composed and sung by Mustafa Zahid himself and is the loveliest of all the tracks in the album. Although a sad love ballad, the vocals are strong and ask for an encore presentation. Sayeed Quadri provided the lyrics for this beautiful song which places itself thrice in the album with a lounge version and a remix by DJ Suketu

Tera Mera Rishta - Original, remix

Another song composed and sung by Mustafa Zahid again is an upbeat song. The remix version is presented by DJ Suketu.Lyrics are written by Sayeed Quadri

Mahiya - Original, remix

Mahiya is quite a trendy track composed by Annie. The original version is sung by Suzanne and the remix version is sung by Annie herself. The song is very very reggae and will have the listener glued to the beats.Lyrics are written by Sayeed Quadri and Asif Ali Beig.

Maula Maula

A sufi style presentation by Rafaquat Ali Khan, who composed and sang it too. An average song for the album. The lyrics are written by Sayeed Quadri and Asif Ali Beig.

Although, the album is not going to ride high on the charts, it does meet a chord or two in you with Toh phir aao and Mahiya. Emran Hashmi is notorious as a kisser-boy on screen and believe it or not, most of his films have tasted some level of success at the box office. Few weeks of wait will tell how this movie does with our detroit desi wallahs.

Write your thoughts to us.

Latest News from the Indian Sub-Continent

Here's a Google Maps View of the Latest News (via Google News RSS Feeds) from major cities in the Indian Sub-Continent.

73 year old man from Rajasthan sits for his 10th Grade Exam......

Shivcharan Jatav a 73 year old man from Rajasthan appeared for his 10th Grade exam and failed again for the 39th time. He appeared for the exam for the 1st time in 1969.

He says "कोई बात नही, हम अगले साल फिर कोशिस करेंगे ! यह एक्षम् पास करूंगा तो शायद मुझसे कोई शादी कर ले और मुझे अच्छी नौकरी मिल जाये" which means that "No problems! I will try again next year. If I pass this exam then chances of me getting married and getting a good job is very good".

for more on this story click here.

What2Watch4: Sivaji - The Boss

Detroit Desi Cinema is presenting a premiere of the much awaited movie Shivaji - The boss, allowing viewers to reserve their group bookings. For more information visit detroitdesicinema

The premiere is scheduled for today June 14th 2007.

So if, you are one of those Rajnikanth fans who would not mind giving your right hand to watch a movie, even before it hits the theatres, this is the opportunity for you.
The premiere is for both the Telugu and Tamil audience.

Music is composed by none other than AR Rahman and is already at the top of the Tollywood charts. Directed by S Shankar with a star cast including Rajinikanth, Shriya Saran, Prakash Raj, Vivek and Suman in lead roles and Nayantara, Manivannan, Raghuvaran and Shankar in supporting cast.

The plot of the film deals with our educational system and how commercial the industry is and how unaffordable it is for a common man. The political influence on the academic industry is portrayed and the word on the street is that this would be a huge success.

Detroit Telugu Association hosts Youth Basketball and Tennis Tournaments

Here are couple of upcoming events sponsored by Detroit Telugu Association:

Youth Basketball:
Date: Saturday, June 16, 2007 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Venue: Novi Middle School, 49000 11 Mile Road, Novi, MI 48374.

Team Composition:
3 Players per team (4th player - substitute - is optional)

Tournament Format:
Each team will play a minimum of 5 games (League Stage).
League games will be followed by the knock-out stages, beginning with the quarter finals.
Each game will be till 11 points (1 point baskets).

Food & Drinks:
Pizza, Snacks & Drinks will be provided throughout the tournament.

Awards & Certificates:
Trophies will be awarded to the top three teams.
Certificates will be provided to all participants.

Contact: Vikas Kodali: vikaskodali@gmail.com, Akhil Gutta: brasilsoccer@gmail.com or If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Leela Prasad Pamidimukkala at dtayouth@yahoo.com or (248) 219-2398.


Youth Tennis Tournament
Date: Saturday, June 23, 2007 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Venue: Novi Middle School, 49000 11 Mile Road, Novi, MI 48374

Tournament Format:
Both Singles & Doubles tournaments will be held.

Food & Drinks:
Pizza, Snacks & Drinks will be provided throughout the tournament.

Awards & Certificates:
Trophies will be awarded to the top three winners in both Singles & Doubles.
Certificates will be provided to all participants

Please send your entries to any one of the following E-Mail addresses:
- Nithin Gutta: nithin9003@yahoo.com
- Navya Talluri: navya2009@yahoo.com

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Leela Prasad Pamidimukkala at dtayouth@yahoo.com or (248) 219-2398

India's IT Marriage Boom

Interesting article out at BBC which talks about India's IT Marriage Boom. If you are in IT (and not married yet), you are in hot demand. Quoting the article from BBC:

Mrs Khatoon knows exactly what type of man she wants for her daughter.

"I want an IT professional," she says, "preferably someone based in London, or someone who has the opportunity to work overseas in the future."

Up to a decade ago, government employees and accountants were at the top of the most-wanted list for marriage proposals in India - because they were guaranteed a stable and steady income and a lifetime of work.

Related:
Indian Matrimony at MIBAZAAR
Sagar Satapathy has put together a list of "The 10 Top Indian Matrimonial Websites"

Ankita Mishra from Kanpur, India

Ankita Mishra - what a sport. She has just been voted out of Indian Idol. Just before she walks away from Indian IDOL she gives a farewell performance. WOW what a performance. This performance makes Javed Akhtar come on to the stage and show off his dance moves too.

Ankita Mishra@Indian Idol 3 - 9th June
Uploaded by ankitam

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom comes to Michigan

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (Dance Baby Dance) comes to SR Movies, Novi on June 15th. Check MIMANTRA for showtimes. Starring in lead roles are Abhishek Bachchan, Priety Zinta, Lara Dutta, Bobby Deol. Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan make a special appearance.

Talented Girls from Indian IDOL 3

Here's a video clip of Deepali (Patna, India), Charu (Dehradun, India), Harshida (London, England) - all 3 extremely talented girls from Indian IDOL 3. Unfortunately Harshida got voted out.

India's Independence Day Celebrations in Michigan (2007)

India League of America brings to you a fun filled "India Day 2007" at Rock Financial Show Place, Novi, MI on Sunday August 12th, 2007. Check out their website for more details.

The United South Asian Promotions Group brings to you "Festival of India 2007" at Hart Plaza, Detroit, MI from August 24th thru August 26th. Check out Festival of India website and MIMANTRA for more details.

And let's not forget those incredible Indians who fought for our freedom. Here's saluting Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev: (A Classic from Manoj Kumar's Shaheed)

Indian IDOL 3 Contestants

Here's a Google Maps view of Indian IDOL contestants along with YouTube video.

There are 28 contestants (14 Boys and 14 Girls). There is some incredible talent this year.

My favorite is Meiyang Chang. And then there is Ankita Mishra from Kanpur, India. Check her out she is incredible. In fact Udit Narayan (one of the judges) got carried away and joined Ankita at the end of her performance and showed off his dance moves too.