See some evil, hear some evil!

Saturday, October 22, 2005

Quote of the Day - Couldn't have put it better myself!



"Maybe my values are outdated, but I come from an old school of thought. I think that men ought to treat women like something other than just shorter, weaker men with breasts. Try and convict me if I'm a bad person for thinking so. I enjoy treating a woman like a lady, opening doors for her, paying for shared meals, giving flowers - all that sort of thing."
-Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden in Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Al Shamshoon

; ; ; ;


Homer Simpson just got rechristened Omar Shamshoon, Bart is Badr. Dubbing is passe, it's the age of adaptations.

Arab satellite channel MBC is running an adaptation of The Simpsons, customised to Arab culture. Homer (Omar) has dropped his favorite Duff beer for cola, hence can't really hang out at seedy bars with his chums. Bars being the topic of discussion, Moe doesn't own one anymore, but grazes goats.
With such adaptation, there's a serious risk of losing the USP of the show, it just may not be funny anymore, or at least in the way The Simpsons is perceived to be funny. A Simpsons fan (and I'm not sure if they ran the original Simpsons series in the Middle East) might miss out on what he takes for granted, when the Shamshoons suddenly behave so differently. For example, a lot of the best Simpson moments happen when a character is pissed drunk.
On the other hand, it might just start a whole new industry who's adapting American content for the Middle East and India, and Indian and Chinese content to suit American tastes.
Think of the possibilities, the Shamshoons on their way to India, would become the Sharmas, where Amar (Homer) guzzles Old Monk and Masala Papad, instead of beer and doughnuts, at a theka owned by Moe-han.
Whether that happens and when would probably be decided by the popularity of Al Shamshoon.....(I wonder how they adapt D'oh!!!)

Links to related news items and blogs:
News article in The Independent
FumbleMcStupid's Blog
Image courtsey: Oblogatory Anecdotes

Saturday, October 15, 2005

The F.R.I.E.N.D.S. effect!

; ; ;

A large segment of the Indian population aged between 20 and 30 has been exposed to a fairly large dose of the popular SitCom, FRIENDS. I'm a huge fan myself. Have seen each and every episode from the very first where Rachel's just played Runaway Bride to the Season 10 Finale where Chandler and Monica have twins (oops, you haven't seen it, have you?). The humour is awesome, subtle at times, more in your face at others. I can watch any episode any number of times and still laugh at it. In that, it's an amazing creation and kudos to the creators and the cast.

However, like a lot of media, it has had an impact on our perception of how life would turn out to be. I know, I know, if you actually take television as a true representation of life, you're downright daft! But, come on, the show's so bloody life like. I mean, I really wouldn't, subconsciously, map my life to X-Files or Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, but I've often thought of how particular events on Friends were so similar to what I experienced with my little circle.

So what exactly am I trying to say. Well, here's the thing, with life being as fast as it is and with pretty much no time for anything besides sitting in front of a computer, by whole FRIENDS belief system is being shattered, and I'm actually questioning the fact that those guys never seem to go to work. Yes, Joey goes for the occasional audition and to act in "Days of Our Lives" and Ross has a crush on his student, but besides these rarities, they're almost always at the coffee shop. Now, I love my Barista and Qahwa, but I just can't get enough time to be sitting there, chilling out everyday and it's a fact that bothers me.

Well, I guess the Rembrandts theme would be apt for me right now.

"So no one told you life was gonna be this way,
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA,
It's like you're always stuck in second gear,
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year"

Yup, sums it up pretty well.