W książkach Zafona zakochałam się w pewien marcowy dzień, kiedy czytałam po raz pierwszy Cień wiatru. Kilka dni temu nabyłam nowość tegoż autora – Marinę. Nie rozczarowała mnie ani trochę. Spędziłam cały dzień na rozpływaniu się w słowach, myślach, świecie kreowanym przez głównych bohaterów. Umyślnie zawiesiłam wszystkie swoje obowiązki na kołku i uciekłam do Barcelony. I znów upewniłam się, że największą wadą książek Zafona jest fakt, że szybko się kończą, zbyt szybko.

Z przykrością też zaobserwowałam, że po Marinie kolejna książka, którą czytam wydaje mi się być płaska jak woda w stawie w bezwietrzny dzień. Haruki Murakami i jego zbiór opowiadań Ślepa wierzba i śpiąca kobieta bez konfrontacji z Zafonem zapewne wypadliby całkiem dobrze. Pierwsze opowiadanie, tytułowe, jest zdecydowanie mizerne. Nieco obawiam się tego co będzie dalej. Prawdę mówiąc, jeśli chodzi o Murakamiego, to póki co najbardziej podobała mi się powieść Sputnik Sweetheart bo skłonił mnie do rozważań nad sensem tęsknot, która w moim odczuciu jest jednak potrzebna.

Stęsknić się dobrze czasem za tym co kochamy. Bez względu na to czy to ukochana osoba czy pasja. Czasem nawet warto zatęsknić za drobiazgami by potem bardziej je docenić.

I coś dla przemierzających Barcelonę z Marina i Oscarem (zrozumieją, jestem pewna):

Kayla Ewell looks radiantly beautiful on the November cover of Beauty Entertainment Magazine. Inside BE!, you’ll see a bevy of hot new stars, celebs and salon people. To subscribe, visit http://www.saloncity.com or http://www.amazon.com. To view November’s digital edition of BE! click on: Kayla Ewell Stars on BE!’s November 2009 Cover!

Confira os vampiros mais famosos da literatura e do cinema

Arquivo/AE

sábado, 14 de novembro de 2009, 13:48

SÃO PAULO - Veja lista dos vampiros mais famosos da literatura e do cinema.

Conde Drácula

O mais famoso vampiro cinematográfico de todos os tempos foi inspirado no personagem central da obra de Bram Stoker. Vários atores ficaram famosos com este papel no cinema, como Maximiliam Schrek, no clássico do cinema mudo “Nosferatu, uma Sinfonia de Horror”, de 1922. Até hoje, muitas pessoas acreditam que Schrek era mesmo um vampiro na vida real! Bela Lugosi, ator de origem húngara, foi o primeiro a imprimir garbo e elegância ao vampiro, marcando para sempre a imagem do personagem. Depois de Lugosi, Christopher Lee representou Drácula em mais de uma dezena de produções, sempre com total aprovação do público. Mais recentemente, Gary Oldman também entrou para este rol sinistro com a brilhante atuação em ‘Drácula de Bram Stoker’, dirigido pelo consagrado Francis Ford Coppola.

Lestat de Lioncourt

“Eu quero interferir nas coisas, fazer as coisas acontecerem!”. Este é o lema do vampiro mais famoso da literatura depois de Drácula: o sedutor Lestat de Lioncourt, narrador de quatro livros das “Crônicas Vampirescas” de Anne Rice. Nos cinemas, o personagem foi imortalizado por Tom Cruise em “Entrevista com o Vampiro”, de 1994. Lestat foi mordido ainda adolescente por Magnus, um vampiro de 300 anos, que se autodestruiu logo depois. Com isso, os poderes seculares da criatura passaram para o rapaz, e também toda sua fortuna. Apaixonado pelo jovem Louis, ele resolveu vampirizá-lo, assim como a menina Claudia. Entretanto, Lestat foi traído pelos pupilos e quase foi destruído. Séculos depois, resolveu contar a um jornalista toda a sua história, para transformá-la num livro. Nos dias de hoje, o egocêntrico Lestat decidiu se tornar uma estrela do Rock, na história que também foi levada às telas do cinema com o título de “A Rainha dos Condenados”.

Louis

Louis du Pontlac é descrito por Anne Rice, sua criadora, como um vampiro bastante suave, de cabelos negros e face inexpressiva, exceto pelos brilhantes olhos verdes… No cinema, o super galã Brad Pitt deu vida ao narrador da “Entrevista com o Vampiro”, que foi vampirizado por Lestat (Tom Cruise) aos 25 anos, depois de uma tragédia. A família de Louis prosperava com as plantações de algodão em Nova Orleans, até que seu adorado irmão mais novo veio a falecer. Louis ficou doente e se tornou uma vítima fácil para o apaixonado Lestat. Ao contrário deste, o jovem Pontlac é um vampiro contemplativo, um intelectual desesperançado em busca de respostas para sua condição maldita. Justamente por isso, o experiente Armand (Antonio Banderas), ao conhecê-lo, afirmou que Louis era o Vampiro mais fraco que ainda caminhava sobre a face da Terra…

Vlad

Em julho de 1991, o público brasileiro conheceu o terrível Conde Vladimir Polanski, um Vampiro que marcou época na televisão brasileira. Interpretado por Ney Latorraca, Vlad era o maior dos vilões da novela “Vamp”, escrita por Antônio Calmon e dirigida por Jorge Fernando, um dos maiores sucessos entre os jovens brasileiros. Na história, a cantora de rock Natasha (vivida por Cláudia Ohana) vende sua alma ao terrível Vampiro para conquistar um lugar no estrelato. Arrependida, a Vampira procura abrigo na cidade de Armação dos Anjos, onde acaba sendo perseguida pelo cruel Vlad. A atuação de Latorraca garantiu ao sarcástico Vladimir Polanski um lugar de destaque no rol dos vilões mais carismáticos da teledramaturgia brasileira, imortalizando bordões como o infantilizado “Gotooooso!”, que Vlad exclamava todas as vezes em que sugava um pescoço.

Natasha

Natasha foi a primeira vampira da dramaturgia brasileira, e deixou muitos marmanjos de queixo caído. A personagem foi interpretada pela bela Cláudia Ohana na novela Vamp, de 1991. Ela vendeu sua alma ao terrível Conde Vladimir Polanski para alcançar o sucesso como cantora de rock. No entanto, não era uma criatura do Mal: ao contrário, logo se arrependeu do pacto com Vlad e pôs-se a fugir dele, escondendo-se na cidade de Armação dos Anjos. Lá, ela reencontrou seu amor de vidas passadas, o capitão Jonas, personagem de Reginaldo Farias. Enciumado e receoso de que esse amor medieval pudesse voltar à tona, o Conde Vladimir passou a perseguir Natasha e a família do capitão, causando trapalhadas que renderam boas risadas ao público.

Angel

Este é o Vampiro mais adorado pelas adolescentes de todo o planeta… Protagonista de um seriado de TV americano, Angel é um Vampiro sedutor que usa todo o seu charme e inteligência para ajudar os oprimidos e tirar da consciência o peso de séculos praticando o Mal… Interpretado pelo galã David Boreanaz, o herói fez sua estréia em outra série televisiva, “Buffy, a Caça-Vampiros”. Depois de ser vencido pela protagonista, o Vampiro irlandês Angelus resolveu assumir o lado do Bem e a paixão pela mocinha, interpretada por Sarah Michelle Gellar. O grande sucesso do personagem lhe garantiu uma série própria, iniciada em 1999, que mostra a trajetória do Vampiro justiceiro após deixar a amada e a pequena cidade de Sunnydale para iniciar uma carreira de investigador particular em Los Angeles… Assim como Blade, Angel se tornou uma dor de cabeça ambulante para seus irmãos de sangue, e um verdadeiro colírio para as fãs mais animadas!

Jerry Dandridge

Apesar de serem monstros da escuridão, os Vampiros quase sempre foram representados no cinema como galanteadores incorrigíveis, homens elegantes que não perdem a chance de seduzir uma bela mocinha, para só depois revelar a horrível face do mal… E Jerry Dandridge, o vilão de “A Hora do Espanto”, um blockbuster de 1985, vestiu com perfeição este estereótipo marcante dos sanguessugas. Vestido sempre de modo impecável, perfumado e polido, a máscara de Jerry (interpretado por Chris Sarandon) só não foi capaz de enganar o jovem Charley, que desconfiou desde sempre da boa educação de seu novo vizinho… Com seu estilo doce e sexy, Jerry Dandrige conseguiu vampirizar a namorada do jovem, Amy, e seu melhor amigo, Ed, além de arrancar muitos suspiros da maior parte do público feminino, especialmente quando assobiava romanticamente o clássico “Strangers in the night” (tudo a ver, não é mesmo?), de Sinatra.

David

“Dormir o dia inteiro. Zoar a noite toda. Nunca crescer. Nunca morrer. É divertido ser um vampiro!”. Foi com este lema que o sensual vampiro David conquistou diversos seguidores no filme Garotos Perdidos (Lost Boys, 1987), clássico dos anos 80 estrelado por Kiefer Sutherland. As estripulias bizarras de David e sua turma vampiresca escandalizaram uma pequena cidade da Califórnia. Como em um ritual, suas vítimas precisavam beber vinho de sangue e comer vermes. Foi o caso de Emerson (Jason Patrick), que por amor a Star (Jami Gertz), aceitou o rito de passagem e se tornou um ser das trevas, passando a integrar a primeira gangue de sanguessugas bad boys do cinema!

Bento Carneiro

“Minha vingança será maligna!” – Quem já ouviu esta frase pode até não se lembrar da origem, mas os fãs de Chico Anysio jamais vão esquecer de Bento Carneiro, o Vampiro Brasileiro, o único ser das trevas que morava “aquém do além adonde que veve os mortos”… O personagem, um vampiro atrapalhado, simplório e desprestigiado, foi criado pelo humorista na década de 80 e logo se tornou um dos maiores sucessos de seu “Chico Anysio Show”. Sempre ao lado de seu fiel escudeiro, Calunga, Bento Carneiro fez do mito do Vampiro um veículo perfeito para brincar e ridicularizar, sempre com muito bom humor, as mazelas e contradições da sociedade brasileira.

Os Monstros

Na década de 60, a CBS americana produziu um seriado para a TV que marcou toda uma geração de telespectadores. A exemplo da família Addams, da rival ABC, realizada na mesma época, os Monstros faziam piada com os costumes exóticos de uma família sinistra… O pai, Herman (Fred Gwynne), era filho de um certo Dr. Frankestein. Vovô (Al Lewis), de apenas 370 anos, gastava a maior parte de seu tempo em loucas experiências de laboratório. Os filhos eram Eddie (Butch Patrick), verdadeiro monstrinho de pele verde, orelhas pontiagudas e caninos afiados, e Marilyn (Beverley Owen/Pat Priest), loira, esbelta, de olhos verdes, isto é, um verdadeiro horror para os padrões da família! A única vampira da história era a esposa de Herman, Lily Dracula, uma dona de casa sempre preocupada com a criação dos filhos… Cancelado nos EUA em 1966, o seriado foi exibido no Brasil ainda na década de 60, e reprisado em meados da década de 70, fazendo mais sucesso do que os Addams! As trapalhadas dos Monstros divertiam pessoas de todas as idades, principalmente quando Vovô resolvia dar uma voltinha com seu veículo: um caixão sobre rodas!

Varney

Sir Francis Varney era uma criatura literalmente repugnante. Criado pelo escritor inglês James Malcolm Rymer em 1847 (antes mesmo de Drácula!) no livro “Varney, o Vampiro ou o Banquete Sangrento”, a maior arma dessa criatura era a sua feiúra! Com sua face pálida e mórbidos olhos cor-de-lata, Varney hipnotizava suas vítimas apenas com o olhar… Com unhas e dentes pontiagudos, esse vampiro arranhava as vidraças das casas, fazendo o ruído de granizo. Por isso, também ficou conhecido como o “Vampiro das Tempestades”, agindo sempre em dias chuvosos ou com neve. Esse monstro pavoroso tinha preferência por jovens indefesas, que eram atacadas sem dó nem piedade. No entanto, Varney era um ser bastante temperamental, e se dava ao luxo de se sentir desgostoso com a imortalidade de vez em quando… Então, quando os raios da lua o acordavam e seu humor não estava dos melhores, o vampiro se escondia no Monte Vesúvio, onde nenhum feixe de luz poderia despertá-lo.

Blade

Além da Vampirella, outro herói dos quadrinhos também ficou famoso pelos seus poderes vampirescos. Ele se chama Blade e nasceu das idéias de Marv Wolfman, então roteirista da Marvel Comics. A grande diferença é que o herói negro não é bem um Vampiro de verdade, e sim uma mistura de ser humano com um Filho das Trevas… Como? A origem de Blade é espetacular: sua mãe foi atacada por um Vampiro quando ainda levava o filho no útero. Dessa forma, o bebê recebeu um pouco do sangue maldito, adquirindo alguns de seus poderes especiais. Como vingança, Blade se tornou um impiedoso caçador dos sanguessugas, e para isso utiliza as geringonças high-tech criadas por Whistler, também inventor do soro que Blade usa para poder caminhar à luz do dia sem virar pó. No cinema, o herói já mereceu dois filmes que estouraram nas bilheterias, ambos protagonizados pelo blockbuster Wesley Snipes.

O Vampiro do Brooklyn

Blade, o caçador de Vampiros vivido por Wesley Snipes, não é o único representante da galeria de sanguessugas afro-americanos… Em 1995, Eddie Murphy personificou no cinema o hilariante Maximillian, único sobrevivente de uma raça de Vampiros de uma ilha caribenha. Dirigido por Wes Craven, da série “Pânico”, “O Vampiro do Brooklyn” trouxe a verve cômica do eterno tira da pesada para o mundo dos Filhos da Noite. No filme, Eddie Murphy tem que encontrar a única mulher que pode salvar sua raça da extinção. Vivida por Angela Basset, Rita mora no Brooklyn e convive com estranhos pesadelos. Sem saber, a moça é filha de um Vampiro, e por isso carrega nas veias um destino sanguinolento. Mas uma série de contratempos acontecem (como sempre!) e Maximillian tem de mover mundos e fundos para conquistar Rita e garantir a preservação de sua espécie.

Blacula

Blacula é o personagem principal do filme de mesmo nome, dirigido por William Crain em 1972. Trata-se da versão afro-americana do maior vampiro de todos os tempos. A história começa com Manuwalde (William Marshall), um príncipe africano que é vampirizado pelo próprio Conde Drácula em 1780, e acaba trancafiado dentro de seu próprio caixão. Séculos depois, dois colecionadores de arte resolvem levar a tumba para Los Angeles, onde Blacula desperta sedento de sangue! O Vampiro conhece Tina, a reencarnação de sua falecida esposa Luva, e faz de tudo para conquistar o seu amor. Mas o caminho de Blacula está cheio de obstáculos: Gordon, o melhor amigo da moça, descobre a verdade sobre Manuwalde e inicia uma verdadeira caçada ao vampiro africano…

Zé Vampir

Quem é que nunca se divertiu com as histórias da Turma do Penadinho, escritas por Maurício de Souza? Pois essa galerinha de arrepiar não poderia deixar de ter o seu Vampiro. Ele se chama Zé Vampir e é cheio de classe… Ao contrário dos outros personagens do cemitério, como o Cranícola, Muminho, Lobisomen e a Dona Morte, que normalmente usam apenas trapos ou lençóis (afinal, são fantasmas!), o nosso menino Vampiro se inspirou nos elegantes sanguessugas do cinema para compor o seu visual: smoking, gravata borboleta e uma elegante capa! Como a maioria dos Vampiros, Zé Vampir também pode se transformar em um simpático morcego, coisa que faz sempre quando quer assustar alguém. Apesar disso, Zé Vampir é um Vampiro camarada, e nunca leva seu apetite por sangue às últimas consequências. Na verdade, o morceguinho sempre acaba preferindo alguma guloseima à base de morango ou groselha, bem vermelhinha…

Don Drácula

Protagonista de um desenho animado japonês, Don Drácula (Don Dorakyura) fez a festa de muitas crianças brasileiras durante a década de 80, quando foi exibido. Criado por Osamu Tezuka (considerado o “Deus do Mangá”) em 1979, o pano de fundo da história é a mudança de Drácula para o Japão, para fugir de seu arquiinimigo, o Dr. Rip Van Helsing… Muito desastrado, o Vampiro acaba se envolvendo em muitas confusões com sua filha, Sangria, e Igor, seu criado corcunda. Sem falar no morceguinho Yasu, que narra com muito bom humor alguns momentos da história. Além de Van Helsing, Don Drácula também se esforça para fugir dos “ataques” da apaixonada Blonda, uma gorducha cheia de sangue para dar! Um típico desenho japonês, que deixou saudades em muita gente.

Vampirella

Criada na década de 60 pelo célebre Forrest J. Ackerman (o escritor que utilizou pela primeira vez a expressão “Sci-Fi”), a curvilínea Vampirella povoa a imaginação dos marmanjos desde aquela época. Sempre vestida com um sensual maiô colante vermelho, que revela boa parte de sua invejável forma física, a Vampirella das histórias em quadrinhos já teve duas origens… Para Ackerman, a Vampira era uma alienígena de Drakulon, onde todos os habitantes são Vampiros que se alimentam do sangue que corre nos rios desse estranho planeta. Na década de 90, entretanto, Vampirella teve sua origem reescrita por Kevin Lau, e passou a ser a filha de Lilith, uma Vampira mitológica. Seja como for, Vampi (como é carinhosamente chamada pelos íntimos) continua combatendo o crime com seu peculiar estilo sexy-sangrento, e muita gente boa não ligaria nem um pouco em ser mordido pela simpática heroína…

Mirza

Criada em 1967 por Eugênio Colonnese, um dos mestres pioneiros da HQ nacional, Mirza é a personagem feminina mais conhecida do terror brasileiro. Inspirada na internacional Vampirella, a vampira brasileira povoou o imaginário de várias gerações de leitores, já que foi publicada em momentos distintos das décadas de 60, 70 e 80. O verdadeiro nome de Mirza era Mirela Zamanova, uma condessa exuberante que se tornou um ícone não só do terror como também do erotismo nos quadrinhos. Suas aventuras se davam nos ambientes glamurosos das passarelas da alta moda e nas festas da elite brasileira, já que Mirza ganhava a vida como modelo internacional, sempre vestida (ou despida, é claro!) em trajes provocantes e muito muito sensuais… Em seu reinado de terror, Mirza visitou as maiores cidades do mundo, procurando suas vítimas indiscriminadamente entre homens e mulheres, e deixando uma verdadeira legião de “órfãos”, candidatos eternos aos voluptuosos caninos da vampira.

Miriam Blaylock

A secular vampira Miriam Blaylock, interpretada por Catherine Deneuve em “Fome de viver” (The Hungers), ficou célebre na película de Tony Scott, um dos mais belos e chocantes filmes de 1983. Personagem do livro mais famoso de Whitley Strieber, Lady Miriam e seu vampiro-amante John (David Bowie) tinham uma vida sofisticada, eram apaixonados por música clássica e sobreviviam à base de sangue novo de homens e mulheres. Mas repentinamente John teve um estranho distúrbio celular e envelheceu em poucos segundos, forçando Miriam a procurar a doutora Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), especialista em envelhecimento precoce. Foi a deixa para que a vampira seduzisse a médica ao som da ópera Lakmé, de Léo Delibes, em uma das cenas mais eróticas do filme. Sob o poder de Miriam, Sarah foi perdendo aos poucos sua identidade humana, mergulhando cada vez mais fundo na escuridão dos Filhos da Noite…

Carmilla

Personagem central de um conto publicado em 1872 pelo escritor irlandês Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla foi uma das primeiras criaturas da noite registradas na literatura mundial. De hábitos noturnos, cabelos e olhos castanho escuros, Carmilla logo chamou a atenção de Laura, uma jovem da nobreza austríaca com quem a Vampira manteve um relacionamento conturbado. Na história, narrada pela própria vítima, Carmilla acaba revelando ser a Condessa Karnstein, uma antepassada de Laura, falecida há mais de 150 anos! Linda, graciosa e de porte aristocrático, Carmilla influenciou toda uma geração de Vampiras fatais, e há quem diga, inclusive, que Bram Stoker teria se inspirado na obra de seu conterrâneo para criar o seu Drácula.

Philinnion

Philinnion é a personagem de um conto muito antigo atribuído ao historiador grego Phlegon de Trales, que teria vivido no primeiro ou segundo século da era cristã, e por isso pode ser considerada uma das primeiras vampiras da literatura. A história narra o drama de um jovem chamado Machates, que se apaixonou perdidamente por Philinnion, sem saber que ela já estava morta… Machates morava com os pais da moça, e recebia todas as noites a visita de sua noiva. Quando os pais de Philinnion viram a filha na cama com o hóspede, trataram de avisá-lo que aquilo era uma assombração! O jovem ficou arrasado, e Philinnion amaldiçoou seus pais por terem revelado seu pequeno segredo… Mais tarde, os habitantes da cidade perceberam que a tumba da jovem estava vazia e encontraram seu corpo em casa. O cadáver de Philinnion foi então queimado e oferecido ao Deus Hermes, para que sua alma fosse enviada ao mundo das trevas. A história de Philinnion era muito famosa na época do Império Romano, e serviu de inspiração para Goethe escrever seu famoso poema “Die Braut von Korinth”.

Lord Ruthven

Personagem principal do livro “The Vampyre”, publicado em 1819, o sedutor Lord Ruthven nasceu durante uma emocionante tempestade literária… Reza a lenda que, em 1816, o grande poeta romântico Lord Byron reuniu em Genebra alguns amigos, entre eles Mary Shelley, escritora, e John Polidori, médico. Byron propôs um desafio aos demais: uma competição de histórias de terror, que foi vencida pelo Frankenstein criado na ocasião por Shelley. Foi nesse jogo que Byron idealizou o enredo para “The Vampyre”, mas logo abandonou o projeto. Polidori, que também estava naquela noite, desenvolveu a idéia de Byron e ainda se inspirou na figura do amigo para dar vida a Ruthven, um elegante Vampiro inglês que transitava com desenvoltura nas festas mais chiques da nobreza européia, onde dava vazão a seus instintos bestiais entre um gole de champagne e uma mordida certeira no pescoço de alguma linda donzela… O evento azedou a amizade dos dois, mas deu ao mundo um dos personagens vampíricos mais marcantes da literatura mundial.

Conde Saint-German

O Conde Ragoczy Saint-German é a principal criação da escritora californiana Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, que conta com uma verdadeira legião de fãs vampirescos nos Estados Unidos. Protagonista de mais de uma dezena de livros, Saint-German é um vampiro do bem, um herói que usa a experiência acumulada em 3500 anos de vida para ajudar o próximo, principalmente no caso de belas mulheres… Poliglota, rico e inteligente, Saint-German é um farmacêutico/alquimista, que precisa de sangue para se manter vivo, mas nunca mata suas vítimas, preferindo alimentar-se de suas amantes ou de estranhos que, em troca, recebem sonhos agradáveis por telepatia. Assim como os sanguessugas tradicionais, o vampiro de Yazbro também não pode se ver no espelho, carrega sempre um punhado de sua terra natal (às vezes dentro dos sapatos…), e pode se recuperar de ferimentos que levariam qualquer ser humano à morte! Um herói pra lá de charmoso, que convida o leitor para conhecer as mais fantásticas eras de nossa história.

Azzo, o Cavaleiro

Encravado em algum lugar dos Cárpatos, na Romênia, está o assombrado castelo Klatka. Este é o lar de Azzo, o Cavaleiro Vampiro que protagoniza a obra “A Mysterious Stranger”, de autor desconhecido, publicada pela primeira vez em 1860. Azzo é um Vampiro centenário, com um profundo desprezo pela humanidade, e só tem interesse pelas coisas pitorescas, incomuns. Ante sua presença, mesmo os lobos mais selvagens se tornam dóceis e inofensivos. Com a eterna aparência de um homem de 40 anos, alto e magro, o Cavaleiro tem olhos cinzas amedrontadores, e usa bigode, barba e cabelos negros e curtos. Sempre vestido em sua armadura medieval, Azzo é rude, sarcástico e monossilábico com os visitantes, guardando toda a sua elegância e cultura secular para cortejar as jovens donzelas que acompanham os viajantes. Quando convidado para um banquete, o Cavaleiro Azzo sempre recusa a comida, fazendo questão de frisar que só se alimenta de líquidos… quentes!

O Vampiro de Sussex

Em 1924, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle publicou “The Sussex Vampire” (“O Vampiro de Sussex”), colocando Sherlock Holmes frente a frente com um ser das trevas. A história começa em uma manhã de novembro, com uma carta assustadora. Nela, um certo Robert Ferguson pede a ajuda de Holmes para resolver um espantoso caso de vampirismo! O detetive começa a investigar uma série de mortes ocorridas no vilarejo em questão, que parecem ligadas a um estranho fato ocorrido há um século atrás. Nessa ocasião, os habitantes do local teriam assassinado todos os integrantes de uma família, acusados de vampiros. Assustados, os novos moradores começam a acreditar que um descendente dos sanguessugas é o responsável pelas mortes, sedento de sangue e vingança. Sherlock tem de usar toda a sua miraculosa astúcia para resolver a questão, e acaba provando mais uma vez que os vivos sempre são muito mais perigosos que os mortos… Mas você não vai querer saber o final da história, certo? O negócio é ler o livro para se deliciar com o caso mais sanguinolento do maior detetive do mundo!

VAMPIROS FAMOSOS DA TV E DO CINEMA

1. Lestat – Interview With the Vampire

2. Christopher Lee’s Dracula

3. Bela Lugosi’s Dracula

4. Edward Cullen – Twilight (Crepúsculo)

5. Bill and Eric – True Blood

6. Asa Vajda, 1960’s Black Sunday

7. Angel

8. Mr. Barlow – Salem’s Lot

9. Schuyler Van Alen – Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods series

10. Gary Oldman’s Drácula

Fonte: Revista Entertainment Weekly

http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/arteelazer,confira-os-vampiros-mais-famosos-da-literatura-e-do-cinema,466500,0.htm

This is an amazing piece created by a creative person, created by a creative God…notice they are singing about “creation”…below are the lyrics in english

Flower Duet English Text Translation

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On the river bank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together!
Gently floating on its charming risings,
On the river’s current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

Under the thick dome where white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On the river bank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together!

Gently floating on its charming risings,
On the river’s current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

The most spectacular show of the season was undoubtedly the Grand Finale at Lakme Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 when India’s top designer, Tarun Tahiliani presented his fabulous collection based on the GLAMOUR BY LAKME 2009 collection comprising RED CARPET GLAM,UPTOWN GLAM, RESORT OR GOA GLAM and GYPSY GLAM.

No longer identified as the Red Carpet look, glamour now has many nuances and it’s exploration by Lakmé Grand Finale designer, Tarun Tahiliani was a fabulous mix of fashion and beauty. The Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai was transformed into a wonderland, with three giant crystal chandeliers on the ramp which gently rose to the ceiling at the start of the show. The walls of the ballroom were swathed in hundreds of metres of luxurious fabric and resembled an opulent Mughal Darbar. Three giant gold frames on the stage swiveled around as the lights dimmed, to reveal the elegant models – and the dazzling show began.

It was a Flashback to Glamour as Tarun divided the show called “The Painterly Vision” into drapes that featured saris, gowns, togas, tunics, Grecian, jersey NavVaaris, fringed kurtas and of course the Pegged Drape. 53 models glided down the ramp in gorgeous outfits which were breathtakingly beautiful in their craftsmanship and the Indian rock music was the perfect accompaniment to the Indowestern garments.

The second part was colourful and tribal with the most amazing boleros teamed with modern shirts and finely tailored trousers all embellished with phulkari, ombre and the elegant Bhagalpur fabrics with block prints were turned into swaying kurtas.

Read More……

More Lakme Fashion Week News…

More Fashion News – India

More Fashion Association Org News – India

The most spectacular show of the season was undoubtedly the Grand Finale at Lakme Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 when India’s top designer, Tarun Tahiliani presented his fabulous collection based on the GLAMOUR BY LAKME 2009 collection comprising RED CARPET GLAM,UPTOWN GLAM, RESORT OR GOA GLAM and GYPSY GLAM.

No longer identified as the Red Carpet look, glamour now has many nuances and it’s exploration by Lakmé Grand Finale designer, Tarun Tahiliani was a fabulous mix of fashion and beauty. The Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai was transformed into a wonderland, with three giant crystal chandeliers on the ramp which gently rose to the ceiling at the start of the show. The walls of the ballroom were swathed in hundreds of metres of luxurious fabric and resembled an opulent Mughal Darbar. Three giant gold frames on the stage swiveled around as the lights dimmed, to reveal the elegant models – and the dazzling show began.

It was a Flashback to Glamour as Tarun divided the show called “The Painterly Vision” into drapes that featured saris, gowns, togas, tunics, Grecian, jersey NavVaaris, fringed kurtas and of course the Pegged Drape. 53 models glided down the ramp in gorgeous outfits which were breathtakingly beautiful in their craftsmanship and the Indian rock music was the perfect accompaniment to the Indowestern garments.

The second part was colourful and tribal with the most amazing boleros teamed with modern shirts and finely tailored trousers all embellished with phulkari, ombre and the elegant Bhagalpur fabrics with block prints were turned into swaying kurtas.

Read More……

More Lakme Fashion Week News…

More Fashion News – India

More Fashion Association Org News – India

Namasté

Of course there are displeasures, unhappiness, misery and sufferings going on outside the gates of Taj Lands End. Here, the high end residential area of financial Indian hub Mumbai (Bombay), one can easily pretend life is as good as it gets. Surrounded by modelites, higher end living individuals with private chauffeured limousines and personal butler. Being greeted and served like a member of (any) royal lineage.

Fancy having someone roll out your yoga mat for you to do some stretching on? How about laying your towel on the deck with a chilled bottle of pristine mineral water for your hydration pleasure while the cloudless skies creates a perfect setting for busking in the sun. Living through a (definitely not dull) routine of waking up to a beautiful sunrise across the sea and hills, pumping some iron and hitting the treadmill to work those extra pounds put on the previous evening during sumptuous Indian cuisine of Naans and Paneer, finishing the morning activity with a tan by the pool.

Feeling starved? Indian and International buffet breakfast await with customised servings and orders from attentive staff. Exquisitely finished and displayed desserts round off the meal and work commences. Sitting in the function room looking at candidates coming in with high hopes of crafting their future in Singapore, with that glow in their eyes and the passion for what they do best, to heal and cure. Perhaps, material benefits form a large portion of why they’re really here. I would rather presume otherwise and believe in altruism and for the general betterhood of mankind.

As mentioned, it is easy to slip into this luxurious lifestyle and pretend that the society that we live in is all well and stupendous. But of course, being me, I can’t help but bring myself down to earth and feel for those around me with my heart and soul. IF only, something I could do to help these people who never had and possibly will never have the opportunity to travel out of these boundaries to experience the life that they could potentially be having. In a patriachal society where the social well-being of the fairer sex is often jeopardised, what more can they do and ask for? Often victimised and neglected, these soft spoken voices of the street dwellers can never be heard through the hustle and bustle of the booming financial hub.

Why would any sane person stretch out their helping out when it’s so comfortable keeping it to yourself? Anyway, how much can a pair of hands help in this second most populate country on Earth? Well, maybe we can all start small and contribute in however minute manners we can afford.

By the way, it’s Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) and Hari Raya these days the commingling festivity is lightening up the mood and cityscape around.

I was wrong and I apologise.
I apologise for breaking my own rules.
I was wrong for not seeing or rather ignoring the signals completely.

A few days back, I reiterated my position. My opinion that the global markets seeing a huge bubble type scenario, the last boom, bust and crash.

When I initially posted, my bearishness, I was fully prepared to pay the opportunity cost. Opportunity Cost which comes when you lose a very euphoric part of the rally. When everything you touch is a winning trade and you start planning of an early retirement. It can be a beautiful time to live. But like all good things, it comes to an end badly. And I was ready to stay out of it, and miss it.But many things have changed in between.

What has changed since?

A lot of things. A lot of important things. I initially guessed Chinese markets rallying from here a making a lower high. Well, yes it has rallied to make a lower high, but is it the top?

No, I wont believe it. My system which I had been successfully using in the past on Indian Equity Markets have thrown a buy signal on Shanghai. And being a pure price action guy, had I had the resources I would have taken the trade. So the bottom line, Shanghai will rally and we are not yet there. Am I bearish on the global situation. Hell yes! Does it mean top is here? Hell no!

I have often told, and reiterating it once again, economics and trading are two different things. Lets bother about important stuff like money and investing and trading first. We can safely theoretize about econ later.

What about SPX?What about it? Its testing the downward trending channel made by this bear run and with what it looks like, its going to break out of it, and rally subsequently. See this link for more(thanks to @Woodshedder )

So the question is, are we really doing justice to what the market is showing us. Fundamentally, again, I would defend my views. Somebody has to service the debt, the Fed debt, The Shanghai Debt, The Medicaid yada yada . But who will and when will they, I dont know. Doesnt look like anytime sooner.

Swimming Upstream, today, tomorrow, forever

My effective concern is not that, this is a bubble or not. My effective concern is, too many idiots are very afraid and very cautious about it.I see NIFTY rallying to 5000, and analysts jumping in and saying NIFTY is gonna top out at 5000.(Idiot, Idiot, Idiot!!!) I see and hear  suddenly too much of caution in voices of people who have made an entire career out of throwing the same caution to the winds.
Suddenly everybody has become a crash expert, a financial doom expert, an Indianised version of Mr. GloomBoomandDoom And thats where, I apologise to you for not seeing the right signals when everywhere it was on plain view.

Just recently, I chanced upon a blog which was selling , surprise surprise, tips!!!! Well, he was a shade better than his peers, he was actually actively tracking them. And what I saw, told me the magnousity of how wrong I was, of how wrong I could have been.  In his portfolio he had, around 7-8 well known shares, well known, darling of retail shares like BHARTI AIRTEL, POWERGRID yada yada yada. He posted a snapshot of his portfolio maintained on Excel,on his blog. All had “investment” horizons of 2-3 years. Poor guy is diligent. Has given out four targets for most of his stocks. Some of them showing returns upto 400% in 5 years. Interesting, very interesting. But what caught my attention was one singularly striking thing. He held in his portfolio 4500 puts of NIFTY bought at 165. He plans to hold it for the next three months. But what threw me off guard were his targets. Target 1 was 500, Target 2 was 800 and hold your breath, Target 3 was 1100. Do I remember Black Scholes equation or have I lost my mind. For PE to go above 500, the index has to be in 3900 around with extremely high volatility. 800 is what? 3500 around?

My point is this: If the aam junta, the retail, the dumb money is this cautious, fearful, and anticipating a crash this badly, it really doesnt make any sense for me to stay in their side and expect a crash. Literally everybody in the nation wants the market to go down, that too fast. Why? I reckon they want to buy!!!

Contrarianism Explained

But markets are not gonna give them a second chance. At least not the way they want. I am a contrarian and in some ways, I misread the signals. And this will be a good way to show, how contrarian bias is formed. Being contrarian is not a method of investing, for meI try to make it  a philosophy in life. I have applied it to as diverse as trading, relationships, dating, romance and even future strategizing.  But knowing how to apply it in the right way, takes a bit of insight. The underlying philosophy is the crowd is never right. Copper ‘em. Whenever you can, Wherever you can, Whichever way you can. So when the entire crowd thinks and is fearful be aggressive in the same measure. When its greedy, be cautious even more. Market extremes usually give an ample opportunity to read the signals, thwack your head and go the opposite way.

In this business, if an opinion is widely held, then it surely will be proved wrong. Think of it, it makes sense. If money is distributed the way it is today, highly unsymmetric with huge fat tails(take 10 usual persons from your neighbourhood and measure mean wealth. Now add one Rakesh Jhunjhunwala to the group and now calculate average. The 10 of the 11 people will be below the mean. Its called fat tail distribution and can be solved by using Quantile-Quantile plots, but those things later on), then for every million people to lose money, one guy will become a millionaire. How will that guy be  a millionaire. Do just the opposite of what those million people did. Now extend it to every aspect of trading. This is why I believe simplicity can prove to be an advantage. Usually people engage in paralysis by analysis and kill themselves. Also, this is one reason I strongly believe systematic trading can be a harnessed well. So can be quant. The more off-fringe the method is, the better will be its profitability. So the bottom line is copper them.

The End Game

Now how to go about fixing your bias. Once I do get my bias okayed, I just manage my risk exposure of my systems. I dont ignore or liquidate my holdings, I just reduce the exposure. Like, I cut down my slow trades a bit faster. I put a tighter stop loss(again decided by the system). I am a bit more cautious, put the stops as AMO, small things like that.

So how do I get to fix my bias. My usual, indicators, very subjective though and mostly fantastic in market extremes. The name is Hemline Indicator. I blogged about it, long time back, do give it a look. (here) also search for it online, you will getter better idea about it.

The other part, I almost regularly scour through is Common Investing Magazines.

For example notice the recent issue of Outlook Profit. Do look at it, because this is gonna give you a fantastic exercise of first hand contrarianism

Outlook has increasingly cut down on its bullishness and cultivating a cautiousness unseen

The yellowed out part is mine. Notice the pessimism in the tone. Notice a sense of bearishness in the headline which is blaring out. Its dark, filled with an understated sadness, and an ominous feeling. You can click to enlarge but not really quite sure, how clear it will be, since I took a printscreen and posting here. Also note on the sidelines, the column of sophisticated sounding international “experts”(it gives the word a completely different meaning, ain’t it ?) The first one is cautious and asks a question- “is it sustainable?” He is unsure and almost asks a question to his logical self.

A more detailed report of their cautiousness bearishness

This image is the continuation of the same article. With the column on the left is supposed to be a positive upbeat comment, but if you read the green lined section, it makes you wonder if this is the “experts” optimism then what is going to be called pessimism. I havent’ even bothered about highlighting the pessimistic experts opinion.

Notice the very bearish to mild bearish comments made out in the left hand side column. Comments like “canary in the mine”, “potential to signal a deeper correction” “sluggish mid term growth in US” etc. So my dear readers, I lay infront of you, all the nuggets of information which I have gleaned and found to hold some semblence of truth.

Conclusion

I would recommend, myself first, you second to come out of this bearishness. Yes I know we would love to see a correction, and prove all those talking heads right, and make those puts in the money(see above), yet, market is going to carve out a trajectory of maximum pain. And this is gonna continue till the last bear, (this bear cartel was formed in this bear run) is hurt, chopped, killed and his skin flayed. This bear cartel has found a psychologically easy way to be right, be pessimistic. Though they have been rewarded in the previous bear run, but this time they wont be. I would highly recommend ourselves to get hold of things, and be highly aggressive in entering market, on the long side. When I mean aggression, I dont mean ignoring risk management, I mean, with an aggressive bullish bias. Inching your portfolio exposure to market above the normal times, while managing the individual position risk deftly and cleverly.

What is not Prologue, is Epilogue

Some current media reports on present day Fashion:

• Hemlines heading way up in Spring 2010
• The latest hemlines from two ace hotties, walking down the ramp for Nishka Lulla in the latest Lakme Fashion Week, just concluded in Kolkata :

Upbeat not exuberant

No Hemlines- Sobriety, Pessmism

Public definitely wants more of them with shorter hemlines. Personally I love them both. But when they come with such dresses, it just sounds all the more sweeter.

Update[12.30 pm 22nd Sept 2009]:

Its official now, Rediff posts an update and summary of recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week in Kolkata, titled “Raised Hemlines for rising temperatures”

Natūrali profesionali kosmetika. Sunku apibendrinti visus privalumus, ypač kai toks platus asortimentas, Tiesiog rekomenduoju pasiskaityti ir jei patiks išbandyti. Asmeniškai man labai patinka litrinės šampūnų pakuotės – pirma, tai užtenka ilgam,  o antrą tikrai padeda tiems keliems likusiems plaukams nukankintiems kasdienio baseino chloro…

Léo Delibes (1836–1891)
Lakmé

• “Sous le dôme épais” [Flower Duet]

Tuva Semmingsen (mezzo soprano) and Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano)

youtube upload by FuzzyCerts

Sous le dôme épais

Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin
À la rose s’assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs,
Riant au matin
Viens, descendons ensemble.

Doucement glissons de son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l’onde frémissante
D’une main nonchalante

Viens, gagnons le bord,
Où la source dort et
L’oiseau, l’oiseau chante.

Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin,
Ah! descendons
Ensemble!

Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin
À la rose s’assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs,
Riant au matin
Viens, descendons ensemble.

Doucement glissons de son flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l’onde frémissante
D’une main nonchalante
Viens, gagnons le bord,
Où la source dort et
L’oiseau, l’oiseau chante.

Sous le dôme épais
Où le blanc jasmin,
Ah! descendons
Ensemble!

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On the river bank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together!

Gently floating on its charming risings,
On the river’s current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

Under the thick dome where white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On the river bank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together!

Gently floating on its charming risings,
On the river’s current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

The Flower Duet merupakan aria yang terdapat di dalam opera yang berjudul Lakmé, yaitu sebuah opera Perancis 3 babak karya Léo Delibes, dengan libretto yang ditulis oleh Edmond Gondinet dan Phillipe Gille. Opera ini diciptakan berdasarkan novel Rarahu ou Loti karya Pierre Loti. Delibes menulis komposisi musik opera ini selama tahun 1881-1882. Opera ini dipentaskan pertama kali pada 14 April 1883 di Opera Comique, Paris, dan telah mencapai pementasan yang ke-1000 pada 13 Mei 1931.

Lakmé mengambil setting pada akhir abad ke-19, pada saat Inggris berkuasa atas India. Banyak umat Hindu pada waktu itu beribadah secara diam-diam. Opera ini bercerita tentang hubungan kasih antara seorang gadis India bernama Lakmé (Lakhsmi) dengan seorang perwira Inggris, Gérald. Tetapi ayah Lakmé, Nilakantha, seorang pemuka agama Hindu, menolak keras hubungan ini dan menusuk Gérald sang perwira Inggris sehingga ia terluka. Kemudian Lakmé membawa kekasihnya itu bersembunyi di hutan dan merawatnya hingga pulih. Setelah beberapa waktu, sepasang kekasih ini memutuskan untuk meneguhkan cinta mereka, dan untuk itu Lakmé harus pergi mengambil air suci untuk menjadi pengikat janji setia. Pada saat Lakmé pergi, Fréderic yang juga seorang perwira Inggris, datang menemui Gérald dan mengingatkannya tentang tugas dan tanggung jawab terhadap negaranya, Inggris. Ketika Lakmé kembali, ia melihat bahwa Gérald telah berubah dan Lakmé sadar bahwa ia telah kehilangan cinta kekasihnya itu. Daripada hidup dengan sakit hati dan malu, Lakmé memilih mati bunuh diri dengan memakan daun datura yang beracun.

Di dalam opera ini, The Flower Duet dinyanyikan pada babak pertama oleh Lakmé dan pelayannya yang bernama Malika. Aria ini menjadi sangat terkenal dan banyak dinyanyikan di dalam film, acara televisi serta iklan.

The Flower Duet – All Angels

Wisconsin Fashion Week: Creates new fashion council
Wisconsin Fashion Week is a series of events highlighting the artful fusion of business, fashion and design in Wisconsin.

Bold fashion defies slowdown in South Africa
Designers defied the global economic crisis at this season’s South African fashion week by showing off vibrant outfits with hints of tradition.

Aiisha showcases her new collection at Dubai Fashion Week
The ramp at the Godolphin Ballroom of Jumeirah Emirates Towers was set ablaze as the Autumn/Winter 2009 season of the Dubai Fashion Week (DFW). Aiisha showcased her exhilarating and vibrant new collection in the Studio 8 fashion show at this year’s Dubai Fashion Week.

Zampa and the Lakme Fashion Week
Long after the excitement of the Lakme Fashion Week was over what lingered on was the flavour of the wines.

No Talent Crisis at Russian Fashion Week
The most renowned Russian Fashion Week (RFW) yet closed this weekend with a fully packed show by an edgy, Russian brand.

Charlotte NC Fashion Week Returns to the Queen City
Networks 2000 will present the second annual Charlotte, NC Fashion Week on September 10-12 at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, NC.

ESCONDIDO: Color and funk mark launch of Fashion Week
Models stroll the runway at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido, during Fashion Week in the city.

Episode 10: Wherein I complain about the plot of the opera Lakme. Trust me, it’s the stupidest opera EVER.

(That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it if someone hired me to.  Please, if you’re casting Lakme, I’m so there.)

Direct link.

Nili Riemer is en route to Kansas City to begin rehearsals for The Pirates of Penzance, in which she will sing the role of Mabel. Nili took a few moments out of her busy schedule to share answers to 10 questions with our readers.

 1.  Where did you grow up?

Israel, Massachusetts, South Carolina and New Jersey, then went to school in Boston/ Milan (study abroad), and New York.

I was born in Israel and lived there until I was nine. My family moved to Newton, Massachusetts when I was in the fourth grade—the first time I saw snow and learned how to ski on the “East Coast” snow (aka- ice). Next, we moved to Greenville, South Carolina (before BMW moved there), so my Middle School days were spent in the idyllic South, swinging on a rope across the creek (pronounced: crick) in our backyard. Next, we moved to New Jersey (exit 14 off of the NJ turnpike, just in case you were about to ask me the “which exit” joke/question!), where I attended public school at Randolph High School until my graduation and subsequent studies at Tufts University, New England Conservatory, and SUNY Binghamton.

 I loved moving as a kid-meeting new people, going to a new school, choosing which room would be mine and where I would put all of my books, tapes, and (eventually) CDs-but I’m also very glad that my family chose to stay in one area during my high school years.

If I learned anything from those early years of packing all of my treasures into boxes and labeling them for the moving men, it was-how to pack light for my life on the road as a professional!

 2.  What is an average day like for you? Do you have a set routine?

Sleep as late as possible because I’m a night owl (I do my best work and Google-research between midnight and 3am)!

During a production I will practice running lines or scenes of the day before my rehearsal begins, then it’s off to rehearsal.

I don’t have a set routine, but my day always involves talking with friends and family on one of the following methods of communication: skype, ichat, google-chat, facebook-chat..and as a last resort-my cell phone!

 3. Have you performed your role in The Pirates of Penzance before? What intrigues you about the role of Mabel?

I haven’t performed this role before and I’m very excited to be performing it for the first time here!

This is going to be the first time that I’m performing a work by Gilbert and Sullivan, and what intrigues me most is the history and record of performance that precedes me.

From the 1879 opening in New York City on New Year’s Eve, Pirates has been a hit. It toured with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company throughout England for almost 100 years! And of course, everyone knows SOME of the words to “Modern Major General”, or has seen the Public Theater of New York production with Rex Smith, Linda Ronstadt, and Kevin Kline as the swashbuckling Pirate King.

With such a high profile work, I hope to make this first performance of Mabel just as memorable and fun, whether the audience has seen or heard the music before, or not!

 4. What language(s) do you speak fluently?

I’m fluent in English and Hebrew with a pretty high level of Italian and French thanks to study abroad immersion programs. I also lived in Munich for a summer to study German.

5. How did your initial interest in the art form of opera begin?

My dream was to sing Christine in Phantom, Cosette in Les miserables, Sarah in Guys and Dolls and a number of other Broadway leading ladies as a younger singer.  Although we listened to classical music in my family, it was mostly instrumental.  My first introduction to opera was really from my first voice teacher, and also-those arias that you hear in the background tracks to Ghirardelli chocolate commercials (The flower duet from Lakme), and Ragu Spaghetti sauce commercials (“O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicci).

After I learned my first aria and translated it into Italian I realized how much amazing repertoire was a part of this art form, and knew that I wanted to be a part of that.

6. What is your favorite opera to watch/experience?

This is a tough question! I have had the opportunity to see and hear many wonderful performances that I will never forget, but I don’t think that I have a favorite.

Many times, the production that I’m singing in becomes my favorite, because I am living in it for 5 weeks of rehearsals; between costume fittings, wig fittings, staging, orchestra rehearsals, director’s notes, and tech week, it’s hard to think about anything else!

7. Where is your favorite place to perform?

It’s a tie between the shower (great acoustics!) and once when I was visiting the Roman amphitheater in Verona as a tourist and I started singing “O mio babbino caro” because it was a once in a life-time thing to do-and all of the other tour guides and tour groups thought I was crazy, but they clapped anyway!

8.  What is the opera role you haven’t performed, but would like to perform the most in your career?

I would really love to sing the entire role of Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne Auf Naxos (I’ve sung it in pieces and in concert, but not in its entirety, yet!)-the vocal prowess and ‘gymnastics’ that the role requires both physically and vocally are amazing. And she is a smart, sensual, and sarcastic character that I think I could really have fun with onstage.

9. If you bumped into me at a coffee shop and learned that I had never been to an opera before, what would you say to entice me to give it a try?

I would ask you what your favorite TV show is, and then let you know that MOST likely, there is an opera that has just as much drama and may EVEN be in HD (thanks to the MET’s recent program to bring opera to the movies), and the only difference is, it’s all sung, you can’t DVR it, and there are subtitles.

For Example:

Desperate Housewives: you think Edie, Mike, and Susan had issues? Try Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro-Susanna, Count and Countess have more problems on their hands and with their in-laws than the folks living on Wisteria Lane.

House: Main character is a self-loathing, sarcastic artist-genius type that has to try and save lives? Meet Rodolfo from Puccini’s La boheme- talented dramatist and poet, who with his three friends must try to save the dying Mimi.

Lost:  A plane crash, mistaken identities, and a hope for return to the mainland.  Rossini’s L’Italiana in Algeri; A shipwreck, a search for a long-lost fiancée, Turkish disguises in order to escape the captors.

Family Guy (yes, I can even do this for cartoons!): Brian the dog, bumbling and well-intentioned Peter, and tangential vignettes—perfect! Try Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann: Nicklausse the Muse, troubled and beer-filled Hoffmann, and Acts that take place in a mad scientist’s lair, a Munich music room, and a Venetian Palace on the Grand Canal.

Gossip Girl: Blair, Serena, Nate, Dan, Jenny—all this teen angst and relationship drama while living the upper class life in New York’s most posh apartments.  How about  Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte-only Despina and Alfonso know the truth about the true love and fidelity of Fiordiligi and Dorabella’s fair-weather boyfriends!

10. What facts about you would our audience be surprised to learn?

I am a down-to-earth-diva–  I do love the glitz and glamour of the opera performer life style, the thrill of the curtain rising on a new performance, the triumphant last curtain call, opening night galas with gowns and grand entrances, but at the end of the night I kick off my heels, put on a pair of fuzzy slippers, have some tea, and settle into bed with a good book-and my ideal day off is spent reading the Sunday New York Times, wearing sneakers and my favorite pair of jeans, and laughing with friends over a late brunch that includes the latest Hollywood gossip.

Also, not many people know that I actually went to school for a degree in International Relations with a concentration in Mid-East policy.  If I hadn’t received an immediate scholarship to pursue my Master of Music degree, I was going to apply for internships in D.C. and with the United Nations.

For the first time, the audience at the 2009 LFW was laughing their hearts out, shouting, screaming, clapping and yelling, “Love you, SRK” to which the superstar replied, “Thank you, darling!”
From Vikram Chatwal, Preity Zinta, Hrithik Roshan and wife Susanne, Kareena Kapoor(not with Saif), Tusshar, Genelia, Sridevi with Boney and daughter, Arjun Rampal with his stunning wife Mehr, Anu Dewan, Gauri Khan (of course), Rita Dhody with Nari (we think they are more than just friends) to Anaita Shroff Adajania (who was seen chatting with Sabina and Anil Chopra) and Parmeshwar Godrej.

Shah Rukh, in a black coat and chocolate brown dhoti pants with a designer gold sling was the showstopper. He walked the ramp and then unlike any showstopper before him, started talking, because he doesn’t do anything without a mic!

“This was gooood!” he exclaimed, “For formality sake, I want to thank the Lakme Fashion Week for having me here because I am neither tall nor good looking. You are very kind people. I would also like to thank all the models who were very kind to me backstage. Thank you everyone as you made me feel that I could do this and my Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team. Since our growing years, we have been taught to believe in the notion that models can’t act but my handsome, beautiful and very talented friend Arjun Rampal has proved them wrong. Then there is Deepika Padukone, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Priyanka Chopra, John Abraham who has muscles everywhere, Dino Morea and even Zeenat Aman has been a model. All you models are wonderful and talented. Thank you”.

“I would also like to thank my beautiful friends Kajol, Kareena, Preity Zinta, Boney and Sri and my wife Gauri. She said she would talk to me the next morning no matter how I do now. I would like to thank Preity because she has joined KKR now,” he laughed

“Choreographer Lubna Adams has done a great job and she tried to make me look good. She told me to give her my ‘good looking face’ and I showed her and said, ‘This is it. So she said ‘Well, you will have to change it by sucking in your face, pouting and looking very angry.’ So I showed her like this and she said ‘You look like a fish that is starved of sex.’ I didn’t mind the fish part but well, I am a Khan and I have some reputation! Then Karan tried to show me and he asked me to look as if I didn’t give a beep!” he said and everyone burst into laughter.

Lastly he introduced and welcomed designer Manish Malhotra on stage. He said, “He designs for the wonderful and beautiful boys and girls on screen but he is the first designer in the history of mankind and in the world to design a sling. If you guys (LFW) give away Filmfare awards, then he should get it for making a sling. Thank you very much, guys.”

L’Inde est à l’honneur en ce début d’année, entre la mode du maquillage Bollywood et sa seconde fashion week que l’on peut qualifier de grand succès, le monde de la mode découvre peu à peu cet univers coloré.

C’était donc LA fashion week où il fallait être, surtout pour assister à la prestation de Naomi Campbell.

Plus d’infos bientôt ; )

The Chatwals and Preity Zinta

Ravi Krishnan and Arjun Rampal

Narendra Kumar Ahmed and Aditi Govitrikar

Queeni Dodhy and Mrs. Chatwal

Rohit Bal

Shekhar Suman

It was a packed house with designers, fashionistas and Bollywood stars all blinged out at Vikram Chatwal’s after party to celebrate the success of his ‘Mai Mumbai’ show at Lakme Fashion Week. Preity Zinta, Rohit Bal, Pria Kataria Puri, Maheka Mirpuri, Renu & Ravi Chopra, Rahul Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Mandira Bedi, Narendra Kumar Ahmed, Nisha Jhamwal, Sameera Reddy, Shamita Shetty, Rahul Bose, Nagrajuna, Kunal Kapoor, Ravi Krishnan (thinking… “Well hey, at least she showed up to my party!”) Arjun Rampal, Madhoo, Bonnie Bulchandani, Farah Khan Ali, Sharmilla Khanna & Roohi Jaikishan, Arbaaz & Malaika Arora Khan . Queenie Dodhy was with Farhad Taraporewala, Aditi Govitrikar made a lone entry and the heir apparent, Vikram Chatwal’s Mrs. Priya Sachdev was missing. Shekhar Suman (sporting a distinct “electric shock bunny” look) spent the evening cosying up to a new “friend” he made at the party. Plus the Delhi gang turned up too including Rohit Bal (working the hat), Kalyany Chawla, Madira Wirk & Feroze Gujral. Karan Johar came but sans BFFs Shah Rukh & Gauri Khan. The only person conspicuously missing was Naomi Campbell herself!

Glam doll Katrina Kaif will be the Indian face of the new Celebrity Barbie. Aishwarya Rai had reportedly been approached first, but declined due to lack of time.

“Mattel [the toymaker] proposed that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan endorse the Barbie doll, but as her prior commitments stretched her for time, she had to decline,” says a statement issued by Aishwarya’s spokesperson. Kat is quite happy to lap it up; she endorses Barbie in the iconic doll’s 50th year.

“It is so much fun to endorse a Barbie doll,” Katrina says to HT City. “Almost every girl has grown up playing with the doll and so have I, so it feels great. My sisters would be really happy to know that I am endorsing this brand.”

The diva is delighted to have walked the runway as the showstopper at a special show dedicated to Barbie at the Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai. The show, Barbie — All Doll’d Up, was held yesterday afternoon, and had several Indian designers showcasing Barbie-inspired outfits.This was a competition segment, and Katrina wore the dress created by the winning designer.

There could not have been a better opening of the Fall/Winter 2009 Lakme Fashion Week than the spectacular “Barbie All Doll’d Up” show that rocked the ramp. Dress the Barbie contest attracted 75 entries from top designers in the country from which the 20 short listed creations were showcased on the ramp at the dazzling show. I

t was the winning dress by Nishka Lulla that Bollywood’s glamorous star Katrina Kaif modeled as the show stopper of the day.

Katrina Kaif will be the Indian celebrity on whose likeness a Barbie doll will be created by Mattel Toys India Pvt. Ltd. The Ballroom of the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai with the extra long ramp was dressed in hundreds of metres of the characteristic Barbie pink silk with the famed Barbie logo all around. The venue almost resembled Barbie’s pretty house and it was a place where a girl of any age would have loved to be.