Anusha

This post is about an R&B artist by the name of Anusha Navaratnarajah. She is half Sri Lankan and half Mauritian, although she was born in Wales. She’s only twenty-one years old. She has attended the same school as some of the big names in the music industry including Gem and Charlotte Church.

As a child Anusha was raised listening to an eclectic range of music, due to her mother and father being passionate music fans. From the sweet soul sounds of Stevie wonder to the rocky sounds of Queen. Her passion for performance was ignited. Anusha was born in Cardiff, on a frosty, harsh December evening 1983, to Nava Navaratnarajah and Margaret Hermance. Her father Nava was raised in Sri lanka. Her parents were keen travelers and so Anusha was exposed to cultural diversity at an early age. As she reached her teens, Anusha grew to become a serious music fan. She later started to guest vocal on several garage and R&B tracks with local artists in London but decided it was time to step out as a solo artist.

She has already released two singles. The debut single titled “Freeze” featuring Jerrel was released on May 21st. “Freeze” is a sexy laid back R&B anthem with subtle instrumentation and a catchy mellow beat. It was written & produced by Chris Rockizm Patrick - the force behind artists like Naila Boss and Jayme ‘Blue Jeans’. The track is said to be gaining a fair amount of Radio airplay over there. It has reached no.9 in the Urban radio and Club charts.

The much anticipated follow up single is called “Are You Ready”. The video for the song which is still in the production will be launched soon.

In addition to these two single, Anusha has posed for the cover of Eastern Eye magazine. And her music has been reviewed by several sources. All the tracks are available at her MySpace profile for streaming.

Download Anusha’s new Single “Are you Ready”
http://www.zshare.net/audio/25405504389aef/

Watch the Video for “Freeze”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_s0aWp2yJM

Log on to the official Website to check out her sexy photos and purchase materials.
http://www.anushaonline.com/

Paris Hilton on Larry King Live

Paris Hilton gave her much anticipated first post-jail interview to CNN’s Larry King Live on Wednesday. I was lucky enough to catch it on Cable TV. And I found the whole interview pretty interesting. She was dressed in a white lace sweater and looked so different. I guess she has changed her attitude a lot.

Quotes from the Interview with Larry King:

LARRY KING: Why are you doing this interview?
PARIS HILTON: I consider you an icon and I really respect you and it's an honor for me to be here today.

KING: What have the last two days been like?
HILTON: Some days, overwhelming. You know, I've been confined for 3½ weeks in a little cell so it's just overwhelming to be out and be free again.

KING: How well were you treated?
HILTON: I went up to L.A. County. All the sheriffs there were very professional. I was treated like any other inmate, no better, no worse.

KING: You were in confinement 23 hours a day?
HILTON: Yeah. It was pretty difficult, just -- the cell was like 8 by 12. So I was alone the entire time.

KING: Do you have television in the cell?
HILTON: No.

KING: What do you do with the hour you get out?
HILTON: For the hour I got to shower and call my family. You only have an hour so you try to make the most of it.

KING: Have visitors?
HILTON: Saturdays and Sundays for a half an hour. My family came, my friends.

KING: Do you have to wear special clothes?
HILTON: I wore the orange jumpsuit just like everyone else. It was a very traumatic experience, but I feel like God does make everything happen for a reason. And it gave me, you know, a time-out in life to really find out what's important and what I want to do, figuring out who I am. And I'm -- even though it was really hard, I took that time just to get to know myself. I have a new outlook on life.

If you missed the show, you can follow the transcript of the full interview here…http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/27/king.hilton.transcript/index.html

Paris Hilton’s hour long appearance on Larry King drew 3.2 million viewers, nearly triple the show’s average audience.

Paris Hilton was released from Los Angeles county jail early Tuesday after being sentenced to 45 days in jail for driving on a suspended license. Her jail term was later cut almost in half for good behavior. In total she has served 23 days behind bars. The new season of her hit reality show ‘The Simple Life’ now airs on E!.

Watch the Interview
PART 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSCrSdq0xTM
PART 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMC3qQurC8o
PART 3 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhcbZGvxScI
PART 4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLBsbCCP2rc

Serendib Summer Beach Party @ Hikkaduwa

Summer is here! And Sri Lanka’s beach party central- Hikkaduwa is all set to host the biggest summer party of the year.

Serendib Summer Beach Party takes place on the 30th June & 1st July at Amaya Reef’s private beach. It’s gonna be a 24 hour party. Music will be provided by the country’s top club DJ’s. The event will be highlighted with a bonefire, percussion sessions and firework displays.

Tickets are priced at Rs.1500. Outstation party goers can take part of the party by either flying or taking a luxury bus. The event is presented by Club One and Sri Lankan airlines. The media sponsor is YES FM.

Sri Lankan lesbians need to see the reality!

Sri Lankan lesbian activists claim that the profile of participants at recent workshops held in different parts of the island goes to prove how many lesbians are living in Sri Lanka. Women from the age of 19 to 60 have been participated in the workshops.

Activists call upon the authorities to decriminalize homosexuality in Sri Lanka and allow lesbian and gays to enter into a marriage. In order to recognize the rights of lesbians the Government of Sri Lanka should repeal Section 365 of the Penal Code. The Sri Lankan legal system has made it extremely difficult for lesbians to lead normal lives in the real sense of the word. According to Section 365, having unnatural sex is a punishable offence. But lesbians question as to how many heterosexual couples indulge in ‘unnatural sex’. The Act came into force in December 2005. When other countries are recognizing the rights of homosexuals, Sri Lanka amended the Penal Code Act No.22 of 1995 and included the Lesbian act which stated that Lesbianism was an offence. Earlier the Penal Code covered only men having sex with men as an offence. Section 365 relating to unnatural offences stipulates that whoever performs a sexual act against the order of nature with a man, woman or animal could be punished with a maximum of a ten years imprisonment. However, these terms have rarely been used or not used at all.

Taking a case in point, a few years ago, a lesbian couple committed suicide in the coastal town of Kalutara because there was vehement parental objection to the affair. The social stigma and homophobic society in Sri Lanka have restricted the rights of Lesbian and Gays. They are subjected to public vilification, harassment, extortion and blackmail. In addition, family pressure mounts on Lesbian to enter into marriage and propagate family traditions. Activists further claim that homosexuals in Sri Lanka do not have the right of choice to select their partners. The right of choice should not be dictated by culture or family pressure but only by human rights…

For the record, the first ever Gay Pride event in Sri Lanka was held on July 20th 2005 - a date that will be remembered for years to come. More than 300 hundred people have packed into a leading club in Colombo for a very memorable celebration. The event was organized by Equal Ground which hails itself as the only organization in Sri Lanka serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex and Questioning (LGBTIQ) community.

Main reports courtesy of The Nation & Sunday Lakbima News

NANCY DREW hits the big-screen

Back in the 90’s I used to read a lot of books from the series 'Nancy Drew Files' by Carolyn Keene. I still have them as a collection. The story of the series grew around a fictional teen detective named Nancy Drew. And now the movie influenced by this mystery novel series hits the big screen. The movie is directed by Andrew Fleming and Emma Roberts gives life to the lovable classy character Nancy Drew….

This summer, Nancy Drew brings the timeless heroine to Los Angeles, where she is faced with a fresh set of challenges and her most baffling case yet.

Nancy Drew, the resourceful teen detective who leaves her friendly hometown of River Heights for the West Coast and enrolls at Hollywood High. There, her unique personal style immediately sets her apart from her self-absorbed, fast-living peers, especially reigning mean-girl fashionistas Inga and Trish who can't quite figure her out but know that everything about her is different - from her super-smarts and retro manners to her perfect picnic lunches and penny loafers.

Their less-than-warm reception might bother the average new girl in town, but not Nancy. She has more important things to think about - namely, a brand new mystery. Even though she promised her worried Dad that she'd quit the "sleuthing" business, it isn't long before Nancy gets a lead on one of the greatest unsolved cases of all time: the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of famous actress Dehlia Draycott. It happens that the Drews are staying in the former Draycott mansion, long reputed to be haunted and now a site where some very strange things have been happening.

Cast: Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) / Losh Filter (Corky) / Craig Gellis (Thug) / Rick Cooper (Charlie) / Rachael Cook (Jane Brighton) / Amy Bruckner (Bess) / Tate Donovan (Carson Drew)
Director: Andrew Fleming
Script: Andrew Fleming / Tiffany Paulsen
Picture: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 15 June 2007

Theatrical Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cu0ohO7FNnQ

Official Website
http://www.nancydrewmovie.com/

Sri Lanka blocks access to TamilNet

Looks like Sri Lankan government has ordered all the local Internet Service Providers to block access to TamilNet. The website has been inaccessible from Sri Lanka for the past five days or so. TamilNet has later confirmed its site was filtered by the country’s main Internet service provider SLT and others.

TamilNet is one of the most widely surfed news sources on the web. The website mainly covers news and views related to the conflict situation in the North-East of Sri Lanka. It’s a well-known fact that a large number of Sri Lankans across the globe visit this particular website on a daily basis. The site has often been accused of supporting the rebels at LTTE.

According to reports, local ISPs have been blocking access to the website on the government orders since 15 June, Even though no official statement has been made available to the public by the authorities. It also revealed that the blockage came just days after the 10th anniversary of TamilNet’s creation.

Everything seems to be banning these days, from Movies to Newspapers to Cable TV. The corrupted Sri Lankan government is now stepping into the Internet which should be freely available for any individual to speak their heart out. This is probably the first time Sri Lanka banned an online content. So what’s the purpose of blocking TamilNet? Banning an English language website is unacceptable. This is another stupid move by our so called country to mislead the public. This is violation of online freedom. I don’t have a wide knowledge when it comes to this type of issues. But I was under impression that this controversial government is now in the process of preventing citizens from accessing reliable information which are otherwise not covered by local mainstream media. Can even consider it as hiding the truth!! This is the latest attempt to keep the people in the dark. Remember last year, they illegally shut down cable TV operator CBNSat just because it reaches a wide audience….

Even though TamilNet has now being blocked from Sri Lanka, you can still access the site by using anonymous services and proxies. So there’s no need to worry about. I just had a visit. There are a couple of articles on TamilNet regarding the situation.

The TamilNet website is still fresh and updated. The only problem is you can’t have normal access from the footprints of Sri Lanka unless you are connected through a foreign or satellite based ISP.

Report by Free Media Movement

http://www.freemediasrilanka.org/index.php?action=con_news_full&id=625&section=news

Website

http://www.tamilnet.com/

AXE now in Sri Lanka

Promising to give guys an extra edge in ‘getting the girl’, AXE the hip deodorant body spray for men emerged into the local market last year, receiving an overwhelming response from the consumers.

The AXE Effect- the tantalizing ability to attract the opposite sex has been a core message in the brand’s communication the world over. The power of the brand has been phenomenal. Three years after its introduction to the US market, AXE quickly emerged the number one male deodorant, out performing the big names in the category. The AXE Raiders who were recently introduced to Sri Lanka are the brand ambassadors for Axe. These Raiders bring alive the essence of the brand and create a unique brand experience. In keeping with the seductive and dynamic image of the brand, the Raiders have been spotted spreading the Axe effect in and around the city. They’ve also been seen at fashion shows as well rock concerts, all events which were associated with Axe.

AXE is available in four variants of Dimension, Unlimited, Pulse & Click. The brand hopes to introduce a new variant to it’s portfolio in the near future and has a number of unique activities in store for the launch.

SUNDAY LAKBIMA NEWS arrives

A brand new English newspaper called SUNDAY LAKBIMA NEWS hits local newsstands today. This is the newest addition to the list of weekend newspapers.

The maiden copy of today contains six sections. And it has covered local, international, business, sports and lifestyle news.

There was a promo trailer going on media informing the public to switch to a new medium from 17th June. The buzz was all about the arrival of this newspaper.

Online Edition
http://www.lakbimanews.lk/

AL JAZEERA: Sri Lanka war claims civilian lives

First of all, I should mention that I’m not really interested in posting political and ethnic stuff. But a couple of days ago while I was browsing channels on Cable TV, I came across this interesting programme about Sri Lanka on Al Jazeera. This documentary mainly focused on Sri Lanka’s never ending conflict and children that abducted by Tamil Ealam and other unknown gangs. It’s really got me thinking how outsiders may look at our country. And when I logged onto the net this morning the particular report was all over the Sri Lankan news portals. So I thought of sharing it with you. Here’s the exact report which was later posted on Al Jazeera’s official website...

Al Jazeera:
Sri Lanka's ongoing conflict, which has claimed tens of thousands of lives, has seen an increasing number of civilian disappearances. The government and the Tamil Tigers blame each other.

Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Sri Lanka, where human rights groups say more than a thousand people have either vanished or been abducted in the past year alone, most of them Tamils.

In a police station in eastern Sri Lanka, six, seemingly ordinary teenage girls wait to be processed. Their short hairstyles mark them out as female fighters in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam. The girls say they were forced to fight for the Tigers.

"I was walking with my mother going to see my grandmother,” one of the girls told Al Jazeera. "Then the LTTE attacked my mother and took me away."

Pushpu, another of the girls, says she was taken three months ago as she tended her parents’ vegetable garden. Most of the girls are about 16-years-old. Pushpu is only 14.

The girls were trained to use machine guns and dig bunkers in an area called Thoppigala, bombarded daily by the Sri Lankan army. They say they ran away because they could not bear the hardships of life with the Tigers. They say they are innocent victims and that they just want to go back to school, but first they will either be sent to jail or for rehabilitation.

The girls' stories are part of a growing problem in Sri Lanka, where a wave of abductions and assassinations have swept the country, blamed on everything from politics to death squads and criminals.

Tony Birtley

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQZVyFqKdmo

The End of an Era….One Tree Hill: Season Finale airs tonight

One Tree Hill ends its fourth season. The final episode will premiere tonight in the US on CW Network. It’s gonna be the end of an era as the kids are graduated from the high school after four years of existence.

I’ll have to wait at least two more days to stream or download the episode from i-Tunes. I can’t wait to see it. Since I have followed the show from the beginning, it has become a part of my life. And it’s the best teen drama alive! It’s going to be a very emotional finale as we say goodbye to the life of Tree Hill High. Most of the former characters are likely to appear on tonight’s season finale specially Rachel and Shelly. And it will be great to see Rachel after sometime.

According to the OTH fan sites, the Season 4 DVD will hit shelves somewhere in September. After tonight's finale, the show will go on hiatus until next season. But big changes are ahead for Season 5 where the show jumps four years into the future. Season 5 will focus on characters lives after college.

Episode 21 (Season Finale) – All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
Dan must face the harsh consequences of his decision to murder Keith as Karen and Haley's pregnancies complicate the lives of Nathan and the graduating seniors of Tree Hill High. Lucas wrestles with his post-high school options, and Peyton and Brooke prepare to spend the summer in Los Angeles together.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPLeMzxoh5g

Meteorite crashes into Sri Lanka

A meteorite has crashed into Sri Lanka. A mysterious noise heard in several areas in the country including Kuliyapitiya, Nattandiya, Bingiriya and Puttalam last Sunday night (June 10) at around nine. Authorities later reported that there had been a loud sound with a simultaneous glow in the sky. But the cause of the incident has not been revealed until the Astronomy Unit of Colombo and Arthur C. Clark Centre confirmed last evening that it caused by a Meteorite explosion.

The meteoroid has exploded in the air above Sri Lanka illuminating the night sky. According to the Arthur C. Clark Centre the size of the meteoroid was around one meter. And some pieces from the exploded meteorite have fallen into a nearby house in Andiambalama. The areas affected by this natural incident had undergone disturbance at the time of the explosion.

Arthur C. Clark Centre further claims that there may have been a meteorite shower, because the centre had received information about unusual sightings from different areas. The organization is to do some research. Many meteorites fall throughout the year. But for the record, this is probably the biggest incident reported from Sri Lanka in recent times.

MINISTRY OF SOUND in Sri Lanka

The finest in dance music, Ministry Of Sound from London will be down here in Sri Lanka for the biggest club night of the year!! The party takes place on the 23rd of this month at H2O.

The line-up comprises DJ’s from MOS and Sri Lanka, dancers and even celebrities. The event has divided into four categories – Percussion, Global Presence, Local Flava and Jaw dropping Moves.

Here’s a lowdown of the announced line-up…
Dipesh Parmar – DJ and A&R for Ministry Of Sound’s annual releases such as Clubbers Guide, 21st Century Disco, Trans Nation and The Chillout Session. He’s the brainchild behind some of the biggest club anthems in 2007 including Destination Callabria (Alex Gaudino), Creeps (Camilla Jones) and Boogie 2Nite (Booty Luv). The man has performed all over the world. And he is currently touring with Groove Armada.
Kelly – A stunning dancer who just returned from the US after touring with Snoop Dogg and P.Diddy.
Franky Wedge – The well known blonde celebrity/model/entertainer who has been featured on music videos, movies, magazines and numerous promos. She recently appeared in the sexy video for Eric Prydz’ "Call On Me". She also made the cover of FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women. Other appearances include Ford Mondeo TV commercial, Maxim, Loaded, Front Mag and the latest being Napster Girl online promo video.
DJ Prasadh - The former resident DJ of the club Tabu. He has been in the scene for over 10 years.

The tickets are priced at Rs.1500 and will be available at the entrance. You receive a free Axe Deo with every ticket.

The event is made possible by Action Station, AXE, Red Bull & Wrangler.
Official hospitality partner: Trans Asia
Official Radio Station: YES FM
Official Print Media: Sunday Times & Daily Mirror

You can refer the following event partners’ links for further information…
MOS Website: http://www.ministryofsound.co.uk/
Action Station: http://www.actionstation.lk/
H2O: http://www.h2olanka.lk/
YES FM: http://www.yesfmonline.com/
Sunday Times: http://www.sundaytimes.lk/

Dialog TV to introduce new channels this month

Sri Lanka’s trend setting Cable/Satellite TV provider Dialog TV (known as CBNSat for most of us) is now in the process of introducing their new set of channels. According to reports, the launch will take place during the month of June. I’m under the impression that it will happen towards the latter part of the month as they have a lot of things to be sorted out before the launch such as channel deals, packaging structure, system upgrade and even the EPG. Dialog TV is yet to release an official statement regarding the whole process.

In addition to the new channels, there are two more transponders waiting to be launched. One has already been activated. Refer the link http://www.lyngsat.com/packages/dialog.html. The frequency for the newly activated transponder is 11498V. They will also introduce PPV (Pay Per View) facilities for the first time in Sri Lanka.

Talking about upcoming channels, it was revealed that a lot of premium channels will be available on the new line-up. It is highly likely that the channels will be allocated to the existing packages. But they might introduce a new packaging structure for future subscribers. At the moment, the new channel list includes the all important STAR bouquet, TEN SPORTS which is the exclusive broadcaster of WWE events, classic favourite HALLMARK CHANNEL and HBO’s latest additions HBO HITZ & HBO FAMILY.

Here’s the confirmed list of upcoming channels…
English Channels....
* HBO HITZ
* HBO FAMILY
* STAR WORLD
* STAR MOVIES
* HALLMARK CHANNEL
* TEN SPORTS
* AUSTRALIA NETWORK
* NEO SPORTS PLUS
* NEO SPORTS
* NDTV 24X7
* DW-TV
* GOD TV
* STAR CRICKET
Other languages...
* STAR PLUS
* STAR GOLD
* STAR VIJAY
* SET
* SET SAB
* SR TV

Every single title that I mentioned above will be available on the new line-up for sure. And also there’s a rumour going on indicating that Fashion TV will be included again. The channel was dropped from the line-up due to the Cable TV controversy occurred last year. With the launch of all these superior channels, Dialog TV will be the first operator in Sri Lanka to introduce HBO Network’s new additions HBO Hitz & HBO Family. The channels were only available in four territories. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of a music channel coming abroad. But hope they will consider adding a channel like Channel V International for the sake of music lovers. The channels Disney and Toon Disney which have been signed up by CBNSat last year won’t be available in the new line-up.

I believe DTV will update their customers as to how things work when everything is ready. So keep your fingers crossed. I can’t wait to see the new channels on the menu!!!

Dialog TV recently added Al Jazeera, the 24/7 news network headquartered in Doha Qatar. Al Jazeera is also available via FTA on AsiaSat 3S. Dialog TV currently has over 30 channels including HBO, VH1, AXN, ZEE Café and Zone Reality.

Dialog TV Website
http://www.dialogtv.com/

Last updated: July 28, 2007 / 2.45pm