Initially I thought of restricting to writing about sports,but I will write on other things as well, starting off with this.
* Orange County
Drama based on a rich society in an upmarket California locality. Basically about this one rich family who adopt a tough poor kid and how life revolves around these circumstances.
* One Tree Hill
Series based on two half brothers, set in a town called Tree Hill. One is from the richer side of town, popular basketball player from high school and the other, obviously from the poor soccer mom who is a good basketball player but never gets to play for the school etc. and how these two gel, amongst other things.
* Grey's Anatomy
Soap based on the life of a medical intern, who is the daughter of the best doctor to have worked in the same hospital that she is doing her residency in, and that hospital also employs her one night stand converted to boyfriend to true love etc.
There are many more dramas like this that i have seen.
What is common about them?
*They all have very promising first seasons but fade away drastically then onwards.
*They all work around with a maximum of 8 main characters and a couple of other recurring characters.
*At least one case of adultery in every three episodes.
*Ridiculous things happen to these extra-ordinarily dumb people like getting into Berkley and Harvard Med and what not.
Looking at this we see that these serials are no different from our good own Indian ones except for the long and stretched out ones we have. So what is it that draws people to these kind of serials. My guess : Just the sheer brilliance of these writers to make a story based on the lives of just 6-8 people, its not easy and they do in fact end up making a good, albeit funny job of it.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
¡Viva España!
Spain 4 Russia 1- If you did not catch the game live, somehow find your way to catch it on repeat, or at least the highlights. Last night Spain produced the best performance in the Euro 2008 tournament thus far. The Spanish national team have always boasted of some of the biggest names in world football. Sadly, they have also never won any major international silverware apart from Euro 64. This has earned them the 'underachiever' tag in every tournament. There are several reasons for Spain not to perform at the big stage.
Firstly, it is a country that is plagued by regional rivalry. There are mainly three regions in Spain: Castilla, Catalunya, and Basque among many other subdivisions. These regions do not even identify themselves with the name Spain. They speak different languages, and are even granted autonomy in government. Hence,in the past the team that Spain has put out has never had the national pride that most other teams can associate with. If you notice, even in the present day team, the players born in the Catalan or Basque regions do not wear the Spanish socks, instead they wear their own 'country's'. There are many other political affairs with this country. During the reigns of Franco, Catalan players(including some of the greats like Kubala) were never allowed to play for Spain.Even today a player born in Catalunya cannot become the captain of Spain. This is why Iker Casillas,although has every right to lead the team, is chosen as Captain ahead of the more experienced Carles Puyol. With this sort of regionalism involved, its not hard to see why Spain has never been very successful.
Secondly, Spain just never seem to have the luck. From recent history: In the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, it wouldn't be wrong to say they were cheated out by Korea. In Euro 2004, they got eliminated through goal difference and some last minute goals. In the 2006 World Cup, they bumped into a very inspired Zidane, just at the wrong time.
But,this may be the year in which history is changed. With a squad boasting of some of the world's top class players, there is every chance for them to fancy their chances at this year's European Championships. At goal, they have one of the best shot stoppers in their captain Iker Casillas. The amount of experience Puyol adds to the defence, that already has some of the young stars of the game in Ramos and Capdevilla makes the defence an all the more tough one to breach. In midfield they have Xavi and Iniesta, who have pushed the likes of a player of Fabregas' calibre to the bench. In Torres and Villa, they possibly have the best striker combination in the World at the moment. We saw last night, what this team can do, how fast they can hit opponents on counters, how sublime their passing can be, and just how determined this team is to finally deliver on such a big stage. Its high time the La Furia Roja deliver and this is that tournament. ¡Viva España!
Firstly, it is a country that is plagued by regional rivalry. There are mainly three regions in Spain: Castilla, Catalunya, and Basque among many other subdivisions. These regions do not even identify themselves with the name Spain. They speak different languages, and are even granted autonomy in government. Hence,in the past the team that Spain has put out has never had the national pride that most other teams can associate with. If you notice, even in the present day team, the players born in the Catalan or Basque regions do not wear the Spanish socks, instead they wear their own 'country's'. There are many other political affairs with this country. During the reigns of Franco, Catalan players(including some of the greats like Kubala) were never allowed to play for Spain.Even today a player born in Catalunya cannot become the captain of Spain. This is why Iker Casillas,although has every right to lead the team, is chosen as Captain ahead of the more experienced Carles Puyol. With this sort of regionalism involved, its not hard to see why Spain has never been very successful.
Secondly, Spain just never seem to have the luck. From recent history: In the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan, it wouldn't be wrong to say they were cheated out by Korea. In Euro 2004, they got eliminated through goal difference and some last minute goals. In the 2006 World Cup, they bumped into a very inspired Zidane, just at the wrong time.
But,this may be the year in which history is changed. With a squad boasting of some of the world's top class players, there is every chance for them to fancy their chances at this year's European Championships. At goal, they have one of the best shot stoppers in their captain Iker Casillas. The amount of experience Puyol adds to the defence, that already has some of the young stars of the game in Ramos and Capdevilla makes the defence an all the more tough one to breach. In midfield they have Xavi and Iniesta, who have pushed the likes of a player of Fabregas' calibre to the bench. In Torres and Villa, they possibly have the best striker combination in the World at the moment. We saw last night, what this team can do, how fast they can hit opponents on counters, how sublime their passing can be, and just how determined this team is to finally deliver on such a big stage. Its high time the La Furia Roja deliver and this is that tournament. ¡Viva España!
Friday, June 6, 2008
For love or for money
Inspiration for this post is taken from happenings in the world of sport of late and especially a conversation i had with a friend last night. As the title probably suggests, I have often wondered what is it that drives sportsmen these days. Is it really their love and passion for the game or is it just the monetary benefits that are associated with it. Doing a small financial analysis, I would like to bring to your notice that they amount of money that has been involved in sports these days going up almost exponentially. There was a time in the 90's when a world record football signing would cost say 5 million pounds at the most. There was a time when a cricketer's salary was actually more than his commercial endorsements. There was a time when people had backup jobs whilst simultaneously representing their national team in any particular sport. Think of the situation today. A football signing for 5 million pounds is considered a steal. Commercial endorsements are the primary source of income for cricketers. Thus the motive for sportsmen has changed from playing for love to playing for money. Just the number of business tycoons that have entered the sporting business in the past few years is exhilarating. Most NBA teams are owned by Hollywood big shots, Football clubs are owned by oil tycoons and the likes. Owners of formula one teams are amongst the richest people in the planet. And now even the most patriotic of games, if you could say so, has been invaded by money in the form of the IPL. With the amount of money pouring in, it is expected that the sportsmen live up to it and take it up as something very serious. No longer does it seem possible to play just for the sheer joy of it. I'm beginning to wonder, is it not fair for sportsmen to say they do not play for love of the sport, but for the love of money.
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