Britney Sculpture of Birth Causes Stir

Tue Mar 28, 4:23 PM ET

Britney Spears will soon be giving birth again in Brooklyn, as a sexy sculpture that has drawn thousands of hate e-mails.

"This is a new take on pro-life. Pro-lifers normally promote bloody images of abortion. This is the image of birth," Daniel Edwards said of his work, to be unveiled at a Brooklyn gallery in April, months after Edwards' sculpture of Ted Williams severed head stirred up an artistic storm.

The life-size pop princess is naked and pregnant, crouching face-down on a bare-toothed bear rug as the baby's head appears on the opposite end.

On Tuesday at his studio in Moosup, Conn., Edwards was pouring a mold to cast the sculpture in resin. It'll be transported to the Capla Kesting Fine Art gallery in Brooklyn's artsy Williamsburg neighborhood, where Britney the artwork is to appear next to a display case filled with pro-life materials.

When some bloggers heard about the exhibit "Monument to Pro-Life: The Birth of Sean Preston" the gallery was inundated with about 3,000 e-mails from around the world in just a week, split between pro-choice and pro-life opinions.

Read the complete article

More photos (if you really want to see more)

Now I don't know what really prompted this pro-lifer to use Britney Spears as a role model for his cause, but that sculpture is just plain weird. If I hadn't read the "as the baby's head appears on the opposite end" part, I would have felt a lot better too. Now I'm not sure if I want to laugh, throw up or run away screaming.....

Armless Speedster Shocks New Zealand police

Fri Mar 24, 5:33 AM ET

WELLINGTON (AFP) - A New Zealand police officer could not believe his eyes when he found the motorist he stopped for speeding at 121 kilometres per hour (75 mph) had no arms.

The 32-year-old disabled driver was using one foot to steer and the other to operate the pedals when he was stopped in the Bay of Plenty on the west coast of the North Island.

He told the shocked police officer he was born with no arms and he had never held a driver's licence.

Acting Senior Sergeant Deidre Lackfor said she had spoken to several officers with lengthy careers and none had heard of anything remotely like it.

She said she had nothing against people with disabilities driving but "obviously driving at a speed like that, arms or not, you're just waiting for an accident".

The 32-year-old was fined 170 New Zealand dollars (103 US) and barred from driving

Sirasa Super Star makes it into Wikipedia

There's an article on SSS at Wikipedia - quite brief and to-the-point. Out of all the contestants listed, Amila Perera   is the only singer with a biography at Wiki. And not a word on Shihan Mihiranga - how strange ;-)

INXS - Afterglow

Lyrics of one of my favorite songs by INXS - Afterglow. The video of this song is available at AOL Music.

Here I am, lost in the light of the moon that comes through my window 
Bathed in blue, the walls of my memory divide the thorns from the roses
It's you and the roses

Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow
Heal me from all this sorrow
As I let you go I will find my way when I see your eyes 
Now I'm living in your afterglow

Here I am, lost in the ashes of time, but who wants tomorrow?
In between the longing to hold you again
I'm caught in your shadow, I'm losing control
My mind drifts away, we only have today 

Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow
Heal me from all this sorrow
As I let you go I will find my way
I will sacrifice 'til the blinding day when I see your eyes
Now I'm living in your afterglow 

When the faith has gone as I let you go, as I let you go

Touch me and I will follow in your afterglow
Heal me from all this sorrow
As I let you go I will find my way, I will sacrifice
Now I'm living in your afterglow 

Bathed in blue, the walls of my memory divide the thorns from the roses,
It's you who is closest

First They Came... by Martin Niemöller

First They Came... was written after WWII and has an interesting history behind it.

When they came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I did not speak out;
I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

Sirasa Super Star - Sunday Results Show Format

The start for the Sunday show is more or less the same as Saturday. Except in this one, Kamal lifts up his finger and convincingly states "We are back with the results from yesterday's show. Based on your votes, one of these <number of> singers will be leaving us today"

Cut to some bright lights flashing and background music.

The band and the judges are in their designated spaces and the three singers take the stage and sing a song together.
Kamal is back: In case you missed what I said earlier, one of these <number of> singers will be leaving us today. Who will it be?!?!?!?!?!"

Cut to some ads.

Back to Kamal: Yes my good people, I have to re-iterate one of these <number of> singers will be leaving us today. Is it going to be your favorite? Or my favorite? Or my mother's favorite? Who knows??"

Kamal looks condescendingly at the contestants and turns back to face the camera with a smirk on his face: "Let's find out......"

Kamal: Contestant X, you sang <song title> and Judge 1 said <comments from Saturday> and Judge 2 said <comments from Saturday> and Judge 3 said <comments from Saturday>. The.....public.....has.....voted.....please....step....on.....to...
..my.....right/left....side......

Repeat the above for all the remaining contestants.

Once all the guys are surrounding him,

Kamal turns to the judges, who are sitting impassively in their seats: So, who do you guys think should be kept on for the next round?

Judge 1: I really can't say. They are all so good.
Judge 2: I really can't say. They are all so good.
Judge 3: I really can't say. They are all so good.

Kamal: If you had the choice of choosing the person who believe should go into the next round, who would it be?

Judge 1: It's not in our place to choose. The public has chosen through voting. I really can't say.
Judge 2: It's not in our place to choose. The public has chosen through voting. I really can't say.
Judge 3: It's not in our place to choose. The public has chosen through voting. I really can't say.

Kamal: If you had voted for a person to stay in the competition, whom would you have voted for?

Judge 1: There is a person I like to see in the next round but I really can't say.
Judge 2: There is a person I like to see in the next round but I really can't say.
Judge 3: There is a person I like to see in the next round but I really can't say.

Kamal finally runs out of witty questions and turns back to the guys who have been patiently standing on the stage.

Kamal: The people on my left have received the highest number of votes and they can step back onto the stage behind us and sit down on the chairs conveniently placed for them.

Rather bizarre scene where the guys hug and kiss and shake hands and stuff.

The guys with the lowest number of votes are hanging around the stage now.

Kamal turns back to the judges and begins his series of witty questions again.

This time, after his gruelling interrogation methods, some of the judges start to crack.

Judge 1: Okay, don't take this personally, you other guys, but I like Contestant X.
Judge 2Okay, don't take this personally, you other guys, but I like Contestant Y.
Judge 3: Okay, don't take this personally, you other guys, but I like Contestant Z..

Kamal seems really happy that he finally got some answers.

Kamal: Contestant X - the....public...has....voted.....and.....according...to....their....response.....you..
..are...going...to...the....next....round...."

Hugs and kisses and stuff ensues.

Cut to some ads.

Back to the show. Incredibly, for a result that should have taken ten minutes, SSS has managed to drag it on for twenty.

Kamal: There two guys left. One will stay one will go. Who will it be? <smirk smirk smirk>

He turns to the judges <oh god, please no, not again!!!> and asks them: Who do you think should stay?

Depending on the judges mood at this point, some give a name and others just dodge the question.

Kamal turns back to the guys: Contestant Y and Contestant Z, the the....public...has....voted.....and.....according...to....their....response.....
.......you.......are......going.....home..."

Kamal gets all motherly and puts his arm around the guy who has been sent off and starts a sermon about the long journey he has taken and the great chap he has been so far. I always expect Kamal to take out a pirith noola and tie it on to the chap's hand by the end of the sermon, before the poor chap sings his final song for the show but strangely that never happens.

Cut to a montage of scenes depicting Mr Going Home's passage to the SSS finals.

Cut to the final song being sung, only it will take some serious effort to understand what is what because fragments of all his previous performances are also injected into the final few minutes, just for good measure.

Cut to a slow motion clip of the remaining guys giving Mr. Going Home a massive group hug.

And there the show ends.

Sirasa Super Star - Saturday Show Format

As I incredulously watched Kamal announce how Malith Perera's absence will be filled in by replaying two of his previous renditions of songs which were in no way relevant for the theme of Saturday night's show (Appreciating One's Mother), I realised that Dear Kamal follows the same stale repetitive dialog every single weekend and shows no signs of changing it. So I have compiled a format for the show (taking Saturday and Sunday separately and translated rather loosely, I admit)

Kamal standing in the center of a very brightly lit stage with the contestants behind him or flanking him: Welcome to Sirasa Super Star where YOU the PUBLIC decides who is going to be the winner!! Here we have with us the ever dwindling number of singers who are going to perform tonight on <insert whatever theme is relevant> and they will be accompanied by the band <goes on to introduce the band members> and then we have with us as judges <goes on to introduce the judges>

Cut to a series of ads and other stuff which take no less than three to four minutes

Kamal is now inside another brightly lit room except there are two seats on either side of him, occupied by two of the contestants and there are a few dozen chairs filled with members of the audience. Who these people are and how they got invited is anybody's guess but I believe the majority of them are friends and relatives of the singers. Some are carrying banners and posters and what not but they seem to be taking everything very seriously.

Kamal: So contestant X, are you ready to go out?
Contestant: Yes, yes I am.

Kamal: So what kind of song are you going to sing today?
Contestant: I am going to sing <insert song title> today.

Kamal: So why did you pick this song? Why did you find it so appealing? How does it suit your voice? Does it mean anything to do you a personal level? What does your girlfriend think about it? What does yer momma think about it? Who are you thinking about when you sing it? Is there someone special you are singing it to?
Contestant then answers with a series of vague yes's and no's and the occasional blush and shy smile.

Kamal: So alright then, I think I have said all about I could say to waste at least three more minutes of our viewer's precious time, you can go do your stuff now....

Contestant one leaves the room amid applause from the audience

Cut to the band starting up the music and the singer performing.

Cut to a shot of the audience clapping wildly and waving their banners as soon as the song winds down.

Cut to the singer facing the panel of esteemed judges.

The panel of esteemed judges always says the same thing to almost all the singers. They have a standard set of comments:

(a) You have a nice voice
(b) You have a nice deep masculine voice (registered as a trademark to describe Amila Perera's voice)
(c) You sang it in your own unique style without affecting the quality of the song
(d) You pronounce all the svara (sp?) correctly
(e) You must take care to pronounce certain words a bit better but other than that, you did a good job
(f) You should use the stage more often
(g) You make wonderful use of the stage (registered as a trademark to describe Shihan Mihiranga moving his legs and shaking his ass)
(h) You did a great justice to the original song (the grammar sounds a little off but that's what is said anyway)
(i) You have a long way to go in this competition
(j) I wish you all the best
(k) I'm sure your fans will send you into the next round
(l) Sri Lanka needs young singers like you
(m) You have a great future ahead of you

Cut to a scene consisting of a few minutes during which the contestant gets to hear a few of the above comments from each of the three judges. He adds a "Thank you" at the end of each judge's appraisal and then walks off.

Cut to the contestant walking back into the room where he will face another painfully boring minute with Kamal.

Kamal decides to show off his own vocal abilities a little by singing a few lines of the song just performed whilst the contestant pretends he's glad to see Kamal again.

Kamal: I think you did very well and you will receive a wonderful response from your fans. What would you like to say to your fans at this point?
Contestant: I would like to thank my fans for taking the time and effort to spend ridiculously high amounts of money to vote for me. I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am to all of you. Thank you for writing to me and calling me as well. Your support means a lot to me. You can brought me so far in this competition and I hope you will send me to the next round.

Kamal: Ok, here are the numbers for you to vote for Contestant X. You can send an SMS to 7788 by typing STV X - please note I am not going to mention that sending an SMS to this number will cost you ten rupees which is five times the standard rate because then you might have seconds thoughts and Sirasa will not make any money out of this. You can also send an SMS to 114-93700X by typing STV X - here again, please note that I am not going to mention that this number isn't in use and none of the SMS votes you send to this will be delivered, let alone counted. Finally, you can also dial 114-620062 and vote by pressing X and then the # button. This is the only number that doesn't seem to have a problem but good luck getting a ringing tone!!

Kamal then moves on to the remaining contestants and they all go through the same rigmarole described above.

Cut to the final scene where Kamal is back on the brightly lit stage surrounded by the contestants.

Kamal: That's the end of today's show. You have seen the contestants sing and it's all up to you now because you have to vote. One of these guys will be kicked off tomorrow - join us tomorrow for the results."

<Credits start to roll and the show is over and out>

Ok, this post turned out way longer than I expected. The Sunday Results Show Format will be posted later on.

Sirasa Super Star - One for the Road

After watching SSS over the weekend, I made a decision not to make further entries about it. This show has just become way too weird for me. The optimistic streak I had regarding SSS getting its act together has died and I don't want to spend more time writing about what happens to those poor guys (puppets, really) who belt out a couple of songs every weekend. The producers of SSS are going to run this circus for a long time, by the looks of it.

Results on Sunday
So Malith Perera was not physically present (as expected) but apparently showing videos of two previous performances garnered sufficient "votes" to keep him around till next week. I didn't see that coming, really I didn't.

Ajith Bandara sailed through as he has done on all previous occasions.

Amila Perera, despite being the best performer by far on Saturday night, yet again managed to land himself in the Bottom Two (the contestants with the lowest number of "votes") and yet somehow scrape through to the next round.

Dharshana Promod looked a little sad in a nostalgic kind of way at the start of the program and that made me wonder if he knew that it was his time was up. Like Shihan had that lost-puppy-dog look two weeks ago......

Where do the votes go?
Nobody seems to care about the unethical practice of asking the public to vote via SMS to Suntel numbers that are not in use. Many have complained about delivery reports stating "Message Not Sent' and yet no one at Sirasa cares enough to respond. Try dialing 114937001/2/3/4 during voting (Saturday 4pm to Sunday 9am) and non-voting hours. There is a recorded message clearly stating "The Number You Dial Is Not in Use". What really happens to the votes sent to these numbers? Are they counted by people who are not in use? Would Sirasa be kind enough to devote some air-time on its program "Gadgematics" to explain how the votes are counted and verified? Given that numbers 7788 and 114620062 accept votes for all contestants, how long does the whole process take? So many questions........

Why isn't there an official website and message board?
Sirasa loves adapting features of US shows and claims to be very up-to-date - so where is its website? The best way to communicate with fans and receive feedback is to set up a message board and let the comments - both positive and negative - flow in. American Idol has a web site and what I like about the message boards and blogs on it, is that people are free to state their opinion and none of the content is censored or taken off the site (well, obviously expletives are a no-no). AI viewers have their doubts over the voting system in the US as well and have expressed their opinion on the official American Idol site instead of their personal blogs, because AI gives them the opportunity to do so. Even the message boards are flooded with scathing reviews from some viewers and it's all a part of the official website. On the other hand, Sirasa doesn't care what the viewers think. They don't want to waste their time on feedback. So what if people know there is something radically wrong with the show?! All they want is the money to trickle in via SMS votes.

Why are the producers scrambling to include Malith back in the show?
Let the boy recuperate at his own pace, already!! The only reason I can see, is the producers of SSS are darting from one decision to another to maintain credibility amongst its remaining fans. And yes, unfortunately there are many gullible folk who believe if their favorite wins, the contest is the best in the world and flawless to boot. Covering up one lie with another rarely works out in the end. It reminds me of a quote by Sir Walter Scott: "Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive"

Enough is Enough
I want the truth and yes, I can handle the truth. I want to know why Sirasa started out by claiming to find the best young singers in the country worthy of being a "Super Star" and then prepped them up for a contest that was rigged from the start. I want to know why exceptional singers were "voted off" and why Sirasa dodges all questions regarding the validity of the voting system it has set up. The common catch phrase "You only know about Shihan/Manjula because of Sirasa" is wearing thin now. Yes, Sirasa did highlight their talent - and it also treated them like cast-offs after awhile. Why? Does a few minutes of fame compensate for being treated as a disposable unit? Questions, questions......just no one to answer them. And I'm bored with it all. So enough is enough indeed.

This is the end of the road for me when it comes to writing about SSS. Actually, this is my one-before-the-last post on SSS. The last one isn't actually a post - it's a Sunday Results Show Format and it's coming right up....

Sirasa Super Star - Guess Who's Back?

A few hours following the entry made on March 10th, I read a couple of posts on a message board which mentioned Malith Perera's return (bandages et all) to SSS. Since it was unconfirmed at that time, I waited until the actual program was shown on Friday night. And what do you know? Malith is going to be back on SSS. It wasn't a jaw-dropping shock but still, what the hell is going on here?

I was stunned to see Malith's father insist his son was fit to take to the stage and perform so soon after surgery. The boy was on a ventilator in the ICU just seven days ago, his doctor stated very clearly (on Sirasa itself) he would need three weeks to recover and now he is well enough to participate in SSS? Really?!

Sirasa did a good job editing all the video clips of the meetings with doctors and former finalists. The information given was so disjointed and vague that I never heard a doctor actually say "Malith has recovered to the extent that it is now perfectly safe for him to return to Sirasa Super Star". Instead I get the impression that SSS is once again bowing down to please the public and risking a boy's life in the process. In other words, they are trying to cover up one mistake with a series of stupid blunders, but this one just takes the cake.

I couldn't help but wonder, if Malith was indeed well enough to re-enter the contest - why wasn't his face shown in the final few minutes on Friday night's show? It's not like we have never seen him before. All we saw was his bandaged lower arm playing the guitar and we heard his voice singing - that was it. What's with not filming his face? Is that how it's going to be for his performance in the remainder of the contest? I think not!

I'm not sure what to expect from tonight's program or in fact, if there is going to be one at all. Previously the program telecast on Saturday was recorded on Tuesday - obviously that didn't happen for today's show. In fact, I am not sure what to expect from SSS anymore. For all I know, Sirasa might suddenly decide to take the votes cast via SMS seriously and do the right thing for a change. Then again......

Sirasa Super Star - A Second Chance for one of the Dear Departed

Tonight, one of six former contestants will be selected to fill Malith Perera's spot in the Final Four. Based on last Sunday's program, the six guys are:

1) Theekshana Anuradha
2) Nishantha Nanayakkara
3) Waruna Madhushanka
4) Asela Eranda
5) Shihan Mihiranga
6) Madhawa Dasanayaka

A very brief article on each is available at Sunday Observer Online .

In other news, a poll conducted by WOW indicates Shihan Mihiranga as the person who has "steals the limelight these days in Sri Lanka". Not bad for a 20 year old, eh?! And do note WOW has mentioned the amount of votes received per person - the way it should be done.

One a side note, I wonder how Honourable Mahinda Rajapakse feels about being placed third behind an up-and-coming pop singer and a cricketer?

Sirasa Super Star - Malith Perera's Last Performance

Since I get the impression there are a lot of Malith Perera fans out there who will definitely miss this talented young singer perform in the finals of SSS, here's a link to a website DS Zone which has videos of SSS performances including Malith's last performance available for download - free of charge. It takes awhile, but if you use Firefox and an ADSL connection you should not have a problem.

In addition to Malith, there are also videos of Shihan and a Ajith/Amila/Darshana "mix".

Happy viewing!!

Sirasa Super Star - The Even More Dramatic and Unexpected Exit of Malith Perera

Following a motor accident that occurred on March 1st, Malith Perera is currently recovering from surgery in the ICU. His shocking exit from Sirasa Super Star is yet another twist in this increasingly bizarre television show.

Both programs on Saturday and Sunday (March 4th and 5th) were dedicated to Malith and in between segments of Malith singing and the others' messages about Malith, Kamal announced that an extra selection round would take place on Friday March 10th and the show would go on from that weekend onwards.

Since SSS is a contest and Malith can no longer be a part of it, logically his place should be given to the last person who was sent home. In this case, that person is Shihan Mihiranga – the proverbial sacrificial goat, who was offered to appease the public by SSS to avoid further controversy. So obviously SSS isn't going to take the risk of bringing him back at its own discretion.

So instead, six of eight former contestants are back in the game (what happened to the other two?!) and one of them will be selected to take Malith's place. Since the selection process is already a much talked about, reviled issue, I will not bring it up right now. I hope Shihan gets back in the final four this time without any more negative publicity.  Let's face it, the guy is an above-average singer and deserves to be in the finals no matter how much SSS messed up on their part.

Last and most important of all – I hope Malith Perera makes a complete recovery.

For Those of You Who Thought You Have Seen The Last of Shihan Mihiranga

This is going to be - well, depending on your opinion - really good/bad news. Sirasa is going to show the send-offs from its highly talked about show Sirasa Super Star on Friday March 3rd at 9.30pm. I am not sure why Sirasa suddenly decided to repeat the clips of the contestants' last appearance on SSS but I am very curious why they want to show it now.

There are four contestants left, so why not wait another three weeks before showing all the guys who didn't win? And most interesting of all, is that in the promotional trailers for the upcoming show on Friday, the contestant featured most prominently is Shihan Mihiranga, who was surprisingly sent off (I no longer use the phrase "voted off" because I don't believe that's what happens on SSS) on Sunday February 26th. That's what - four days ago? So does SSS now regret sending him off? Are they trying to pacify several thousand fans who want to see more of him? Let's face it - he's the type who would appeal to a lot young people and would have a rather large fan base.

What is really going on with SSS?

12-year-old sticks gum onto $1.5M painting

According to an article in USA Today a 12 year-old boy had stuck a piece of gum onto a painting valued at USD 1.5 million called "The Bay" at the Detroit Institute of Arts and got his juvenile self suspended from school.

This is one of the funniest news stories I have read this week.

'West Wing' Alums to Return for Show's End

http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/ap/20060301/114126642000.html

As uplifting as it is to find out that several former characters in the West Wing will return for one last time before the series ends this May, I'm very disappointed with the cancellation of the series to begin with. The storyline stalled and slipped when Aaron Sorkin left the series in 2003 but it still had at least three to four years left in it.

At least I have the DVD in which CJ (Allison Janney) sings "The Jackal" - nothing comes close to its genius. Ever.