Mark Fiore: NarcoMex, Inc.

More Mark Fiore brilliance.

Via The San Francisco Chronicle.

Enjoy.

- ferg

Spam Site Registrations Flee China for Russia

Brian Krebs:

A crackdown by the Chinese government on anonymous domain name registrations has chased spammers from Chinese registrars (.cn) to those that handle the registration of Russian (.ru) Web site names, new spam figures suggest. Yet, those spammy domains may soon migrate to yet another country, as Russia is set to enforce a policy similar to China’s beginning April 1.

In mid-December 2009, the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) announced that it was instituting steps to make it much harder to register a Web site anonymously in China, by barring individuals from registering domains ending in .cn. Under the new policy, those who want to register a new .cn domain name need to hand in written application forms, complete with a business license and an identity card.

Chinese authorities called the move a crackdown on phishing and pornographic Web sites, but human rights and privacy groups marked it as yet another effort by Chinese leaders to maintain tight control over their corner of the Internet. Nevertheless, the policy clearly caught the attention of the world’s most profligate spammers, who spam experts say could always count on Chinese registrars as a cheap and reliable place to buy domains for Web sites that would later be advertised in junk e-mail.

According to data obtained from two anti-spam experts, new registrations for sites advertised in spam began migrating from .cn to .ru just a few weeks after the Chinese domain policy took effect.

More here.

Court Says Bush Illegally Wiretapped Two Americans

David Kravets writes on Threat Level:

A federal judge on Wednesday said the George W. Bush administration illegally eavesdropped on the telephone conversations of two American lawyers who represented a now-defunct Saudi charity.

The lawyers alleged some of their 2004 telephone conversations to Saudi Arabia were siphoned to the National Security Agency without warrants. The allegations were initially based on a classified document the government accidentally mailed to the former Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation lawyers. The document was later declared a state secret and removed from the long-running lawsuit weighing whether a sitting U.S. president may create a spying program to eavesdrop on Americans’ electronic communications without warrants

“Plaintiffs must, and have, put forward enough evidence to establish a prima facie case that they were subjected to warrantless electronic surveillance,” U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker ruled, in a landmark decision. Even without the classified document, the judge said he believed the lawyers “were subjected to unlawful electronic surveillance” (.pdf) in violation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which requires warrants in terror investigations.

It’s the first ruling addressing how Bush’s once-secret spy program was carried out against American citizens.

More here.

Report: Fighting Identity Theft Not A Priority

Terry Frieden writes on CNN.com:

Ten million Americans a year are victims of identity theft. It's a growing problem in the United States, but fighting it doesn't appear to be a priority, a new report says.

A report by the Justice Department Inspector General released Tuesday cites the wide-ranging costs and dangers of ID theft. Although the report has no new numbers, the financial losses are believed to be substantially higher than the $15.6 billion documented in 2005.

Inspector General Glenn Fine found the effort to combat the problem, however, has lagged since the President's Task Force on ID Theft was established in 2007.

"We found that to some degree identity theft initiatives have faded as priorities," said Fine. He said the Justice Department has not developed a coordinated plan to combat ID theft and that some recommendations of the President's Task Force have not been addressed. No one has been appointed to oversee the efforts, the report says.

More here.

ABBEY LEE KERSHAW - ID Magazine - Spring 2010

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Ukrainian Hacker Liable in SEC Insider Trading Case

Dan Margolies writes for Reuters:

A Ukrainian national who traded on insider information he obtained by hacking into a secure computer network was ordered by a U.S. judge to forfeit $580,000 in profits, interest and civil penalties, U.S. securities regulators said on Monday.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had accused Oleksandr Dorozhko of gaining access to material nonpublic information about IMS Health Inc's third-quarter 2007 earnings by infiltrating the computer network of Thomson Financial. IMS had planned to announce negative earnings after the market closed that day.

Minutes after the hack and just before IMS's earnings release, Dorozhko purchased 630 put options on IMS's common stock, the SEC said in a statement.

After IMS's stock dropped a record 28 percent the next day, Dorozhko sold the put options and pocketed $287,346, the SEC said.

More here.

TJX Accomplice Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison

Kim Zetter writes on Threat Level:

A hacker who helped TJX hacker Albert Gonzalez and others gain access to corporate networks was sentenced to 7 years and one day on Monday .

Christopher Scott, 27, pleaded guilty to breaching the wireless access points of several retailers between 2003 and 2007 to siphon credit and debit card numbers, which he then passed to Gonzalez. Prosecutors say that together the men pilfered nearly 20 million credit and debit cards, which retailers say led to $200 million in losses from fraud.

They used the cards to obtain cash advances from ATMs or sold the account information to other carders, who encoded the data to blank and counterfeit bank cards for fraudulent use. Scott’s take from the crimes was at least $400,000, according to prosecutors. He was paid in cash and with pre-paid bank cards and used the money to rent limos and partied with up to 10 women at a time, prosecutors say, and later bought a car, jewelry and $400,000 house.

The government is seeking forfeiture of $400,000, nine computers and an array of other electronic goods from Scott. Restitution will be determined at a future hearing.

More here.

I Just Want My Pants Back

I Just Want My Pants Back
by David J. Rosen
(240 pages, Broadway, 2007)

I just finished reading this book, whose title and cover caught my eye and seemed worthy of a 25-cent (OK, 27 cents with tax!) purchase from the Enoch Pratt Central Library's "Books for Sale" rack. Maybe it was the mismatched socks on the cover that attracted my attention, something I could totally relate to; more likely I was lured in by all the sex, drugs, and alcohol that defined the rather shallow narrator, in whom I sometimes spotted a mirror's reflection (except for the sex part) (just thinking about it doesn't count!). Normally I avoid this kind of 20-something "Hipster Looking for Mrs. Goodbar" (typically in some exciting-albeit-expensive big city like New York, LA, Chicago, or even slacker-friendly Seattle) kind of narrative for this was, as one Amazon reviewer described it, "another in a long line of novels devoted to the mishaps of feckless young males struggling to get serious about life and love," turf that's been well-trod over by Brett Easton Ellis (especially in Bright Lights, Big City), Nick Hornby (High Fidelity), Douglas Coupland, and their ilk.

As reviewer Joanne Wilkenson capsulizes the first-person narrative, "...recent college graduate Jason Strider moves to New York City, where he works a day job answering phones and hits the bars every night after work. Alcohol and sex are at the forefront of his agenda until he is faced with two more serious issues. His best friends at college have asked him to officiate their wedding, and his next-door neighbor, Patty, who has partied away the best years of her life, is dying from lung cancer, alone though unafraid. Jason beds one girl after another, loses his job, and increases his already prodigious intake of drugs and alcohol before being jolted into sobriety by Patty's death..."

Though Jason complains about having a "shitty job," I'd trade places with him in a second. He comes in whenever he feels like it, spends all morning texting and IMing (Instant Messaging) his hipster friends, takes 2-hour lunches with his boss, takes numerous "4:20" breaks, and goes out every night getting shit-faced and having sex with strangers - including the coveted French bohemian one-night "girlfriend experience." And he complains because one chick never returned his favorite pair of Dickies pants??? Or he complains about being broke and then relates how he spent $18 drinking three imported beers within the space of an hour at a local bar??? (Here's a tip buddy, stay home, buy a six-pack of Natural Light, and have a good wank - it's called the Economy Plan!)

Thankfully, the writing throughout is snarky and clever enough to keep one reading, with the only wince-worthy moment being the passage in which an out-of-work Jason hits rock-bottom by taking a humilating temp job handing out flyers dressed as chocolate layer cake - it would be funny and not derivative if David Sedaris hadn't already essayed his wage-slave nadir as a Macy's Christmas elf in his 1992 NPR-breakthrough "SantaLand Diaries." Still, Rosen - who not surprisingly went on to develop a number of shows for MTV - made me laugh when he described a fellow food mascot as "...a thin black guy dressed as an entire roast chicken. Had it been fried, I think he could have sued for racism."

Other notable quotables I underlined included:

"I was Daniel Day-Lewis when it came to using public toilets without touching them with my hands."

"You could be a star. You could also end up a cynical New York asshole - you know, you see them on the train, a really intelligent, really bitter nothing who's forgotten how to smile."

But my favorite has to be this passage in which Rosen basically defines today's Post-Ironic Hipster Doofus:

"They'd seen it all before, and even if they hadn't, they'd pretend they had...any sincere thoughts were immediately roughed up and taken advantage of...people laughed out loud a little less here, they were guarded. They didn't want to show they'd been surprised or something."



But I guess what really kept me from putting down the book were all the shards of glass in which I saw those mirror reflections of myself and my world, a checklist that included "pre-, almost-, and post-hip" references to iPods, Bushmills, Pabst, Blaise Pascal ("All of man's problems stem from his inability to sit in a quiet room alone"), Buzzcocks, Dylan, Ray Davies, They Might Be Giants, Ramones, Dead Milkman, Sex Pistols, Devo, Rushmore, Diet Coke, Harold and Maude, Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend (the song, not the movie - but close enough!), and, of course, that so-15-years-ago fad of Universal Life Church ministry (yes I'm a minister and I know people who have either conducted marriages or been married by a ULC minister).

All in all, a quick, fun read that was well worth a quarter!

LADY GAGA - Telephone - Chatroulette Version

Where were you when civilization hit bottom ?

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Yahoo! Proposes 'Really Ugly Hack' to DNS

Carolyn Duffy Marsan writes on ComputerWorld:

Network engineers from Yahoo are pitching what they admit is a "really ugly hack" to the Internet's Domain Name System, but they say it is necessary for the popular Web content provider to support IPv6, the long-anticipated upgrade to the Internet's main communications protocol.Major 'Net players mulling IPv6 "whitelist".

Yahoo outlined its proposal for changes to DNS recursive name resolvers at a meeting of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) held here this week.

Yahoo says it needs a major change to the DNS -- which matches IP addresses with corresponding domain names -- in order to provide IPv6 service without inadvertently cutting off access to hundreds of thousands of visitors. Under Yahoo's proposal, these visitors would continue accessing content via IPv4, the current version of the Internet Protocol.

The reason Yahoo is seeking this change to the DNS is that a significant percentage of Internet users have broken IPv6 connectivity. Web content providers say they need mechanisms to discover that a user's IPv6 connectivity is broken and to switch these users to IPv4 on the fly. Yahoo views DNS as the best place to make this switch.

More here.

U.S. Military Warns of 'Increasingly Active' Cyber-Threat From China

Patrick Thibodeau writes on ComputerWorld:

On the same day that Google Inc. and the GoDaddy Group Inc. complained about China to a congressional committee, U.S. Navy Admiral Robert Willard appeared before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee with an even stronger warning about cyber-threats posed by China.

Willard's comments about China received little press attention but were stronger than anything said by either company.

"U.S. military and government networks and computer systems continue to be the target of intrusions that appear to have originated from within the PRC (People's Republic of China)," said Willard.

He said that most of the intrusions are focused on acquiring data "but the skills being demonstrated would also apply to network attacks."

More here.

Microsoft Keyboards, Media Devices Under Attack By Open-Source Kit

Dan Goodin writes on The Register:

Security researchers on Friday unveiled an open-source device that captures the traffic of a wide variety of wireless devices, including keyboards, medical devices, and remote controls.

Keykeriki version 2 captures the entire data stream sent between wireless devices using a popular series of chips made by Norway-based Nordic Semiconductor. That includes the device addresses and the raw payload being sent between them. The open-source package was developed by researchers of Switzerland-based Dreamlab Technologies and includes complete software, firmware, and schematics for building the $100 sniffer.

Keykeriki not only allows researchers or attackers to capture the entire layer 2 frames, it also allows them to send their own unauthorized payloads. That means devices that don't encrypt communications - or don't encrypt them properly - can be forced to cough up sensitive communications or be forced to execute rogue commands.

At the CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, Dreamlab Senior Security Expert Thorsten Schroder demonstrated how Keykeriki could be used to attack wireless keyboards sold by Microsoft. The exploit worked because communications in the devices are protected by a weak form of encryption known as xor, which is trivial to break. As a result, he was able to intercept keyboard strokes as they were typed and to remotely send input that executed commands on the attached computer.

More here.

After DNS Problem, Chinese Root Server Is Shut Down

Robert McMillan writes on PC World:

A China-based root DNS server associated with networking problems in Chile and the U.S. has been disconnected from the Internet.

The action by the server's operator, Netnod, appears to have resolved a problem that was causing some Internet sites to be inadvertently censored by a system set up in the People's Republic of China.

On Wednesday, operators at NIC Chile noticed that several ISPs (Internet service providers) were providing faulty DNS information, apparently derived from China. China uses the DNS system to enforce Internet censorship on its so-called Great Firewall of China, and the ISPs were using this incorrect DNS information.

That meant that users of the network trying to visit Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were directed to Chinese computers instead.

In Chile, ISPs VTR, Telmex and several others -- all of them customers of upstream provider Global Crossing -- were affected, NIC Chile said in a statement on Friday. The problem, first publicly reported on Wednesday, appears to have persisted for a few days before it was made public, the statement says.

More here.

Hacker Gonzalez Sentenced to 20 Years for Heartland Breach

Nancy Weil writes on ComputerWorld:

Hacker Albert Gonzalez, who participated in a cybercrime ring that stole tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers, was sentenced to 20 years in prison today.

The sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock was for Gonzalez's role in a hacking ring that broke into computer networks of Heartland Payment Systems, which processed credit and debit card transactions for Visa and American Express and retailers Hannaford Supermarkets and 7-Eleven.

The sentence will run concurrently with two other 20-year sentences meted out Thursday, also in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by a different federal judge, Patti B. Saris. Gonzalez pleaded guilty in all three cases last December, with the U.S. Department of Justice agreeing to seek no more than 25 years in prison in each case, with all sentences to run concurrently.

More here.

Electronic Medical Records Data Theft Booming

Nicole Lewis writes on InformationWeek:

Acceleration in the use of electronic medical records may lead to an increase in personal health information theft, according to a new study that shows there were more than 275,000 cases of medical information theft in the U.S. last year.

Unlike stealing a driver's license or a credit card, data gleaned from personal health records provides a wealth of information that helps criminals commit multiple crimes, according to Javelin Strategy & Research, a Pleasanton, California-based market research firm.

Information such as social security numbers, addresses, medical insurance numbers, past illnesses, and sometimes credit card numbers, can help criminals commit several types of fraud. These may include: making payments from stolen credit card numbers and ordering and reselling medical equipment by using stolen medical insurance numbers.

A key finding from the report is that fraud resulting from exposure of health data has risen from 3% in 2008 to 7% in 2009, a 112% increase.

More here.

SCADA Watch: 'Smart' Meters Have Security Holes

An AP newswire article by Jordan Robertson, via MSNBC.com, reports:

Computer-security researchers say new "smart" meters that are designed to help deliver electricity more efficiently also have flaws that could let hackers tamper with the power grid in previously impossible ways.

At the very least, the vulnerabilities open the door for attackers to jack up strangers' power bills. These flaws also could get hackers a key step closer to exploiting one of the most dangerous capabilities of the new technology, which is the ability to remotely turn someone else's power on and off.

The attacks could be pulled off by stealing meters — which can be situated outside of a home — and reprogramming them. Or an attacker could sit near a home or business and wirelessly hack the meter from a laptop, according to Joshua Wright, a senior security analyst with InGuardians Inc. The firm was hired by three utilities to study their smart meters' resistance to attack.

These utilities, which he would not name, have already done small deployments of smart meters and plan to roll the technology out to hundreds of thousands of power customers, Wright told The Associated Press.

There is no evidence the security flaws have been exploited, although Wright said a utility could have been hacked without knowing it. InGuardians said it is working with the utilities to fix the problems.

More here.

Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif in Clean and Juicy Ad Face-Off!

While we still can't say for sure whether Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan are together or not, we do know that both B-town actors like to keep things clean and juicy! The Bollywood beauty recently starred in a commercial for Slice Mango Juice, while B-town's bad boy has shot an ad for Active Wheel Detergent.

But which is your favorite brand ambassador in this famous couple? Katrina Kaif or Salman Khan? Check out their ads here and tell us which star does the best job at selling their product. Katrina Kaif and a hot model are sitting in a boat, playing a game of 'who will blink first.

Katz pulls the old blow air on the face trick, but it doesn't work and her hot co-star has something more powerful in store to make the sexy actress bat an eyelid! Suspense and love is in the air! To find out what happens next, check out Katrina Kaif's flirty and sexy TV commercial for Slice mango juice. While we still can't say for sure whether Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan are together or not, we do know that both B-town actors like to keep things clean and juicy!

The Bollywood beauty recently starred in a commercial for Slice Mango Juice, while B-town's bad boy has shot an ad for Active Wheel Detergent. But which is your favorite brand ambassador in this famous couple? Katrina Kaif or Salman Khan? Check out their ads here and tell us which star does the best job at selling their product.

Katrina Kaif and a hot model are sitting in a boat, playing a game of 'who will blink first.' Katz pulls the old blow air on the face trick, but it doesn't work and her hot co-star has something more powerful in store to make the sexy actress bat an eyelid!

Suspense and love is in the air! To find out what happens next, check out Katrina Kaif's flirty and sexy TV commercial for Slice mango juice. Salman Khan and "Rock On!!" actress Prachi Desai say hi to each other a lot in their ad for Active Wheel Detergent. They also flirt and play with water and rose petals! Cute!

While we have to say that we are surprised to see Salman in an ad of this genre; soft, smooth and loving, we quite like his heartthrob side! We picture him more as a bad boy promoting products like sports gear and fitness drinks, but hey, we have to give the Bollywood veteran props for tempting something new!

Maybe he was inspired by Abhi and Ash Bachchan who recently filmed their first ever TV commercial together for Lux Soap?But the real question is: which is your favorite brand ambassador in this famous Bollywood on-and-off couple? Katrina Kaif or Salman Khan? Drop us a line.

Amrita Rao's glamorous look!

Amrita Rao has gone all glam with her latest photo-shoot. From a fairly normal girl, she's turned into a babe. We asked her what had convinced the girl who was launched in Ishq Vishq and acted in Bhagat Singh, Main Hoon Na and Vivaah to suddenly take a turn into the land of plunging necklines.

She is a beautiful woman whom every man would like to marry because she is not like other actresses who does bold scenes to become famous, she is sweet and beautiful lady who speaks her heart. She has launched with Ishq Vishq and then.

She has given many hits like Bhagat Singh, Main Hoon Na, Vivaah and now the actress has gone glamorous with some photoshoot, we ask Amrita Rao what was the reason behind this…Why have you turned from Gharelu girl-next-door to full-on hottie?

As an actress you can’t restrict yourself to one particular image, because that shows your limitations. An actor has to be versatile. I can do Legend of Bhagat Singh, Ishq Vishq, Vivaah and Main Hoon Na with equal ease. In my photo shoots I wear trendy clothes, I am from today’s generation and my sensibilities are quite western. But whatever projects I get demand the innocent girl from me so you see me as that in my films.

It's not a change of image and certainly not a makeover. It’s just another new opportunity to look different for me. Every girl wanted to look good and try something new in looks. As you and I know, being a celebrity you have to take care of your looks and it’s something that I had not explored earlier.

Aishwarya Rai is a sleeping volcano ready to erupt

Aishwarya Rai gave some easy life to other contemporary actors like Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Kareena Kapoor.

And the likes as Ash was keeping a low profile as far as her celluloid career was concerned.

In the course of the last 3 years, younger actresses have grabbed the Filmfare Award starting with Kareena Kapoor (Jab We Met)

And then followed by Piggy Chops (Fashion) and lately by Vidya Balan (Paa). But, all this while,Aishwarya was calm akin to.

A sleeping volcano ready to explode any time. And the time has come for the volcano to erupt and roar again with the ferocity of a wounded tigress.

Yes! 2010 is bound to belong to Mrs Bachchan.

As she is geared up to invade the silver screen with a cluster of films of varying genres:

1. Ravana- This Mani Ratnam film has been making the headlines for quite some time. A modern take on the epic Ramayana, the tale has been told with a difference and with a modern touch. Interesting to note that the pure Sita (Aishwarya) will be abducted by her real life hubby Abhishek Bachchan who will essay the notorious character of Ravana.

2. Enhiran- This film from South Indian shores will see Ash paired up alongside veteran Rajnikant in a science-fiction flick. Supposedly, it’s a film that revolves around a Robot taking on humans. 3. Action Replay- Pairing up with sexy Akshay, Aishwarya will sizzle again in this Vipul Shah’s thriller that boasts of a strong screenplay.

4. Guzaarish- 2010’s most anticipated film, it marks the comeback of renowned director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and the much-loved, screen-scorching pair ofAishwarya -Hrithik. The film’s script is afresh where a married nurse falls in love with a paraplegic man portrayed by the maverick Hrithik Roshan. The film will be a test ofAishwarya’s acting mettle.

Hey readers, kahan kho gaye (lost in her thoughts). It’s still some months to go before you can gape at her perfect face. Now, I would like to raise an interesting debate. Out of the above 4 flicks, which film do you think can bringAishwarya the Filmfare trophy?

Priyanka Chopra on her new role as a host for Khatron Ke Khilad

Yes, I guess so. I have been offered many shows in the past but I wasn’t really looking at doing TV. So, what appealed to you about Fear Factor Khatron Ke Khiladi?

It was my favourite show on TV. I think it perfectly blends with my personality, which is why when it was offered to me I didn’t think much before accepting the show.

Are you a daredevil in real life? Yes. I am a complete adventure freak. Bungee-jumping, skydiving from 20,000 ft, water-rafting, name it and I have done it.

I find it fascinating. Even in my films Drona and Don I have done my own stunts. The adrenaline rush that you get while doing it is something else altogether.

Will you be doing the stunts in the show? Of course, after all it’s Khatron Ke Khiladi. Don’t you ever get scared? Fear is not a factor, baby.

Are your parents okay with it? They are always supportive, but since I have signed on the show, my mom is a little scared. Since you will be doing the stunts, should we expect it to be easy?

On the contrary they will be tougher. Earlier shows had girls as participants, this time there will be men. So, the stunts will be tougher than the first two. Also, we are shifting from South Africa to Brazil and this time the scale will be bigger.

How does it feel to replace Akshay Kumar who hosted the earlier seasons? I don’t think I am replacing him, I cannot. His shoes are too big for me. He made the show huge and I am just taking it forward. There was a change.

In format in the sense that last two seasons had 13 haseenaein and he was the host, and this time it is the opposite. Are you following the IPL matches? I haven’t been able to, as I was out of the country, but now that I am back I will try and watch a few matches. Do you like cricket? The moment you are born in India, you have to like cricket.

What is your wish-list of cricketers on your show? I would like eclectic personalities. The show will have a mix of national and international cricketers but they are yet to be finalised. As for my wish-list, I would love to have a Harbhajan Singh, Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden, Yuvraj Singh and Brett Lee, to name a few.

Are these your favourite cricketers? (Laughs) Some of them are but I am not telling. This is the first time you will be playing a host. How are you preparing yourself? I am not really preparing for it. I am just going to be spontaneous. That is the way I approach my roles in films too.

Talking about films, you have always experimented with the roles. (Cuts in) Yes, I have always pushed the envelope. I believe in expanding the horizons. It is easy to be in the safe zone but it means there will be no growth. The day I stagnate, I will quit.

Tell us who your husbands are in Saat Khoon Maaf and when do you start shooting. We will start shooting in a few days. Neil Nitin Mukesh, John Abraham, Irrfan, Naseeruddin Shah, Vivaan Shah and a Russian actor are in the cast.

Stay away from drugs, says Sanjay

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who overcame drug addiction in his youth, today appealed youths to stay away from it.

When the 50-year-old actor was asked about his message to youth, he said "Please stay away from drugs.

"The Munnabhai star today alongwith actor Ranbir Kapoor today launched a contest 'The Game' by Pepsico.

While Dutt would feature as 'Game Master' in the game, Ranbir would be the 'Youngistan'. The game, which would be aired.

In between the ongoing IPL matches, is set in a fantasy world with all the action taking place in a castle owned by the game master.Dutt challenges Ranbir to get his Pepsi from his lair after solving mind boggling challenges.

The audience would be helping Ranbir solve the challenges and the winner would get Rs 50 lakh."This is a very unique and good concept and the youth would definitely connect with it," Ranbir told reporters. "For the first time, gaming and TV advertisement has been brought together," Director of Marketing, Pepsico (India), Punita Lal said.

BAR REFAELI - Passionata - Lingerie

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On Travel

Since I was young, I have always loved to travel. Whether it was a long eight hour drive down to Florida to see my Grandpa, or a quick weekend to D.C. or Philly, or even just a jaunt to a small town in the middle of nowhere in Georgia, I love to travel. Traveling reminds me of when I was young, when I was a student and I had no serious cares in the world, aside from your usual teenage dramas and first heartbreaks. Honestly, while I love living in New York and I love my people here, I'm still trying to figure out what kind of career I need to pay the bills and to keep me sustained and fulfilled in an emotional sense. It's really difficult. If I had my way, I would write full-time. Traveling, even if it's a brief getaway, makes me feel like I'm seventeen again, with my journal and my books, settling in for a long train ride, ready for newness, ready for anything.

When I was eighteen, my mom and I tagged along on a University of Alabama study abroad program called "In the Footsteps of Virginia Woolf," the best trip I've ever taken in my life thusfar. We traveled all over England, to London, to Kent, to Sussex and finally to Cornwall, and when I stood on our hotel balcony I could see the pulsing light of Woolf's lighthouse. I got to watch my mom's face light up with joy while we walked through Vita Sackville West's garden at Sissinghurst. I saw Woolf's original manuscript of Orlando, handwritten in purple ink, that she gave to Vita, installed at Knole.

I've visited Andalusia, Flannery O'Connor's home in Milledgeville, Georgia, where she lived her entire life and wrote there - I saw her typewriter and her crutches.

I've held Sylvia Plath's childhood valentines to her mother in my hands. I've also held two feet of her hair, braided, in my bare hands at the Lilly Library in Bloomington, Indiana.

I've walked through ancient cemeteries in the UK, kissed the Blarney stone (after some intense anti-bacterial wiping) and taken down epitaphs from decrepit tombstones in Massachusetts. I've danced with Frenchmen and Spaniards in Madrid, even though I barely speak French and speak absolutely no Spanish. I lit a candle for my Grandmother in Notre Dame. I walked through the house where Nathaniel Hawthorne was born, and the house on which he based The House of Seven Gables. I dropped my favorite childhood necklace into the bay in Sausilito.

While standing in the Monk's House garden, where Virginia and Leonard Woolf's ashes are buried next to each other, I watched a big black cat cross through in the blinding sunlight.

For me, traveling is about forging a physical connection with places and people, particularly of the literary and historic persuasion. There's nothing I love more than the idea of a trip to Sleepy Hollow, or a visit to Amherst, to see Emily Dickinson's house. Being there situates you closer to the work, to the writer. I think literary excursions are the most romantic excursions.

And while there are still so many places to go and so many things to see, as I recount these past travels I feel a bit better about sitting inside being stuck at a desk on a gorgeous spring day. You know, I feel lucky.

Everything You Need To Know About Alex Chilton

is on Big Star Live (1974):


It's all right here, folks

Big Star Live (1974): "Interview," "The Ballad of El Goodo," "Thirteen," "I'm in Love with a Girl," "Motel Blues"

Alex Chilton is my (anti-)hero and one of my all-time favorite singer-songwriters. So after hearing about his passing last week in New Orleans at age 59, I dug out my fave Chilton mix CD, a disc I promptly rebranded "The Alex Chilton Memorial Mix." Naturally it had a lot of Big Star on it, the '70s powerpop group that attained cult status with rock critics and will forever be identified as the high-water mark of Chilton's career, despite his apparent lack of interest in their after-the-fact legend. (Typical Alex; ever the enigmatic spoilsport and quirky iconoclast snatching ignomity from the jaws of fame, even though it's doubtful he ever got a bigger royalty check than for Big Star's "September Gurls" - a tune famously covered by the Bangles that has been called "the sine qua non of power pop, a glorious, glittering jewel with every facet cut and shined to absolute perfection" - or for "In the Street," which children by the millions know (as covered by Cheap Trick from Season 2 on) as the theme song to That '70s Show).

But my favorite part was a radio station interview followed by four acoustic tracks taken from the 1974 Big Star Live CD, for this "stripped-down, a man alone before the mic and under the spotlight" segment contains everything you need to know about Alex Chilton. It's like a fossil footprint he left behind that capsulizes his passion, his eccentricity, his skepticism, his cynicism, his insecurity, his anger, his bitterness - and, of course, his undeniable God-given talent.


Spotlight on Chilton: Alex explains it all

"Interview"
When a smooth-talking DJ comments, "You're been getting an awful lot of critical acclaim for your new album [1974's Radio City]; it's really good!" Alex sarcastically replies, "Yeah, uh, that's nice...I hope it sells...we've had critical acclaim before."

When the DJ asks him what it was like "in those early days of rock and roll" as a member of The Box Tops, Alex responds, "Pretty scummy...I dunno...about as scummy as now."

DJ: "Really?"

Alex: "Well it was a hard life out on the road and all, driving around in station wagons. It just wasn't any fun..."

DJ: "Did you do a lot of writing for the Box Tops?"

Alex: "No, it was pretty well controlled by some producers we had at the time, who controlled us as well as everything else."

DJ: "The kind of music you play has been compared to the Beatles in the mid-60s. Do you find the music to be timely? I mean, is it anachronistic to be playing this type of music in the mid-1970s?"

Alex: "I don't know. I haven't really decided yet. Somebody may convince me of that yet. I'm just doing what I like to do, you know? It sounds melodious to my ears."

Alex then introduces the first of four numbers he performs on acoustic guitar.

"This first one's from our first album, #1 Record, which can't be found anywhere. It's really rare. In fact, I can't find any around Ardent Records anymore."

(Ardent Records distribution problems at the time were well-documented; despite critical acclaim for Big Star, the band toured behind a record that was almost impossible to find anywhere outside of Memphis, a fact that crushed founding guitarist and fellow songwriter Chris Bell, who fell into a long depression and left the band.)

"The Ballad of El Goodo" (Alex Chilton)

I never knew exactly what this song - arguably Chilton's greatest - was about. Anti-draft anthem? Anti-conformity shout out? Maybe that's what makes it so great, it's generalized simplicity that lets it be whatever the listener wants it to be. It's certainly Chilton's credo, his "Mission Statement" of beliefs, a sort of Bill of Rights for the Individual, an anti-hero code to live by.

"Years ago my heart was set to live, oh
And I've been trying hard against unbelievable odds
It gets so hard at times like now to hold on
But guns they wait to be stuck by, and at my side is God

And there ain't no one gonna turn me round
Ain't no one going to turn me round...

There's people around who'll tell you that they know
And places where to send you
And it's easy to go

They'll zip you up and dress you down and stand you in a room
But you don't have to, you can just say 'No'

And there ain't no one gonna turn me round
Ain't no one going to turn me round...

I've been built up and trusted
Broke down and busted
But they'll get theirs and we'll get ours
If we can just hold on...hold on

Years ago my heart was set to live
And I've been trying hard against strong odds
It gets so hard at time like this to hold on
But I'll fall if I don't fight
And at my side is God

And there ain't no one gonna turn me round
Ain't no one going to turn me round..."

No one turned Alex 'round from his way of living, which he did on his terms and in his way, even if it meant ending his days living in a tent. He thumbed his nose at all pretense, sneered at potential Top 40 idolatry, and scoffed at any suggestion of rock stardom. As Dylan once sang, "To live outside the law you must be honest." Alex was always honest enough to be free - free to be he. The Man Called (Self?) Destruction said it all right here.

"Thirteen" (Alex Chilton-Chris Bell)

"This one really is anachronistic," Alex explains as he introduces the next song. "I wrote this one when I was 13. In fact it's called 'Thirteen.'" You can tell, as it's full of the innocence, passion, and yearning of Youth, but already anticipating the anger ("Tell your dad get off my back"), disappointment, and frustration of adulthood ("If it's no then I can go..."). Adolescence, in other words. "Thirteen" was later famously covered by Elliott Smith.

"Won't you let me walk you home from school?
Won't you let me meet you at the pool?
Maybe Friday I can, get tickets for the dance,
And I'll take you, ooo ooo

Won't you tell your dad get off my back?
Tell him what we said 'bout "Paint It Black"
Rock and roll is here to stay,
Come inside now it's ok,
And I'll shake you, ooo ooo

Won't you tell me what you're thinking of?
Would you be an outlaw for my love?
If it's so then let me know,
If it's no then I can go,
I won't make you, ooo ooo"

"I'm in Love with a Girl" (Alex Chilton)

Alex is at his most sentimental, teetering on cornball, in this simplistic emo ballad. Still, there's that certain Chiltonesque chill in the breeze, a sort of melodic-melancholy that you can hear in the song's fade-away close, "I didn't know it could happen to me..." that makes it seem as if he's sad that he's glad, as if he's anticipating the inevitable heartache. As Allmusicguide's Bill Janovitz observes:

The last song on Big Star's legendary album, Radio City, is a graceful country-folk ballad that has Alex Chilton alone with an acoustic guitar singing about a newfound love: "I'm in love with a girl/The finest girl in the world/I didn't know I could feel this way." After a power pop record filled with emotional and sexual frustration and angst that almost leads to misogyny, "I'm in Love With a Girl" serves as the calm after the storm, Chilton's high, shaky voice singing a wistful melody over a sparse guitar strum. He sounds as if he was taken by surprise by a love that crept up behind him, especially on the song's — and thus the album's — last three lines: "I didn't know about love/All that a man should do is true/I didn't think this could happen to me," the last of which rings out a capella, as if an apologetic explanation for the whole album.

"Motel Blues" (Loudon Wainright III)

Perhaps no song captures the "scumminess" of rock and roll that Chilton referred to in his DJ interview than this song, a cover of a tune by Rufus' dad, Loudon Wainright III. Or the loneliness ("...driving around in station wagons" town-to-town, eh Alex?). "Motel Blues" was also the start of the carefully selected Chilton cover song modus operandi, something that came to define his later career when the originals became scarcer and Alex seemed to revel in unearthing obscure, indigenous R&B nuggets from his native Memphis and new adopted spiritual home, New Orleans. Don't forget, this is the man who covered The Troggs "With a Girl Like You," the Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash" and "The Singer Not the Song" (the B-side of "Get Off of My Cloud"), Domenico Modugno's 1958 Italian hit (and later car commercial jingle) "Volare" (aka "Nel blu dipinto di blu"), and then whole albums-worth of cover songs - including "The Christmas Song" and J. S. Bach's "Gavotte" (!) - on Cliches (1993) and Set (2000).

In this town television shuts off at two
What can a lonely rock & roller do?
The bed's so big and the sheets are clean
and your girlfriend said that you were 19
The styrofoam icebucket is full of ice
Come up to my motel room and treat me nice

I don't wanna make no late night New York calls
and I don't wanna stare at them ugly grassmatt walls
chronologically I know you're young
but when you kissed me in the club you bit my tongue
I'll write a song for you, I'll put it on my next L.P
Come up to my motelroom and sleep with me

There's a Bible in the drawer, don't be afraid
I'll put up the sign to warn the cleanup maid
Yeah there's lots of soap end there's lots of towels
never mind the desk clerk's scowls
I buy you breakfast, they'll think you're my wife
Come up to my motel room and save my life

That last line makes me think of Paul Westerberg's recent op-ed piece in the Times in which he recalled the two friends cracking up discussing Alex's predicament in trying to lure girls back to his...tent. Had he succeeded, one thing is certain: it wouldn't have saved his life. The scummy rock and roll lifestyle ("Rock Hard") finally caught up with his rock and roll heart.

The world lost a true music maverick and renegade rock & roll spirit on March 17, 2010. He was due to perform at Austin's South by Southwest Festival where, in the words of Ardent Records founder John Fry, "You can't throw a rock...without hitting someone who was influenced by Big Star."

"If he died in Memphis, then that'd be cool...," Westerberg sang in "Alex Chilton." Well, the Big Easy was Chilton's last resting place, and that's pretty cool, too.

***

OK, I lied; there is something else about Chilton you need to know that I left out: check out Scott Wallace Brown's excellent rumination "Meditations on Chilton: Part I - "What's Your Sign[ifier], Dude? ".

Related Links:
Of course, if you're a niggling stickler for a God-is-in-the-details examination of Alex Chilton and Big Star, you'll want to avail yourself of the following books:

It Came from Memphis (2001) by Robert Gordon
Big Star: The Short Life, Painful Death, and Unexpected Resurrection of the Kings of Power Pop (2005) by Rob Jovanovic
Radio City (33 1/3 series) (2009) by Bruce Eaton

Kareena Kapoor’s New Avatar As A ‘Tomboy’!

The sensuously beautiful Kareena Kapoor is heading towards for a sturdy look as a tomboy in tapoori localitie style of Mumbai in ‘Golmal 3’ sequence.

Quite innovatively, Rohit Shetty has planned to make a ‘Golmaal 3’ impact with Kareena Kapoor in new look that suits her character. Rohit added, “I wanted to give Kareena a new image in 'Golmaal 3'.

She's 'one of the boys' in the film, and will sport minimal make-up. We are all looking forward to teaching Bebo some exciting language. She's already become one goonda now!”

However, the film is of male domain but Kareena has got some sturdy stuff to outdo the guys.

In this flick Kareena will feature along with Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Kunal Khemu and Shreyas Talpade It is heard that the cool Kareena will sport out.

In rowdy appearance with accent of tapoori and dadagiri style, riding with troops of bikers. This lass will be groomed.

By none other than noted fashion designer Manish Malhotra for her get up in the flick who is planning to give her.

A realistic tomboyish rough-tough look. Hope Kareena comes with her best in her new avatar.

Priyanka’s set to show her mean side

Actress Priyanka Chopra says she is going to be extremely nasty to the 13 cricketers participating in Khatron Ke Khiladi, the television show she is going to host.

“I will completely ruin them. I will be very nasty to all of them,” the actress says. She promises that just like Akshay Kumar used to perform stunts during previous seasons, she too “will perform lots of stunts, and do them in heels!”

About comparisons with Akshay, who hosted the previous two seasons, she says, “There is not a possibility of a comparison between us.

Akshay is the original Khiladi. He has just made my job easier by setting the bar so high. I just have to take it forward from there.” As for why she came on board for this show, Chopra says, “There were offers.

But there was nothing that I felt I wanted to take out time for. Although I am busy with many movies this year, this show suits my personality I’m adventurous and sporty.”

The actress says that films will not take a backseat. “I am working on Saat Khoon Maaf, and I will start working on Don 2 as soon as I am done with the show.”

Priyanka, who recently won her first National Award for Best Actress for Fashion, says, “When I first said no to Fashion, Madhur (Bhandarkar) said he would rather not make the film. He’d always say, ‘Dekh lena’... and here it is,” she says.

Aishwarya Rai leaves Kareena Kapoor behind

Aishwarya Rai leaves Kareena Kapoor behind, In the world of glitz and glamour, the rat race is constantly on, even if the stars accept it or they don’t. The latest winner in such a race seems to be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Ash has apparently been offered.

A whopping Rs. 10 Crores for a role in a movie. The current record for the highest paid actress is owned by Kareena Kapoor, who got Rs. 7 Crores for the third installment of the ‘Golmaal’ series. Aishwarya Rai has not yet accepted the offer, but it’ll be very difficult to turn down two achievements at a time, won’t it?

Katrina getting close to SKR?

After being in news for her alleged relationship with co-star Ranbir Kapoor, Bollywood’s pretty actress Katrina Kapoor has once again became tabloids bait, when reports started to circulate about her growing proximity with King Khan.

But Katrina has rubbished the rumors by saying, “Just because you meet and greet someone doesn’t mean there has to be speculation on what’s going on.

There’s nothing to be made out of my meeting with Shah Rukh. He’s just an acquaintance.” She also maintained that she had met the superstar actor.

At some parties and had shared a cordial chat “like I would with any other senior colleague” but that’s where it all ends. Origin of Kat’s rumored closeness Reportedly, it all started at a function.

That Katrina attended sans her alleged boyfriend Salman Khan few days back. Upon seeing SRK, Kat started chatting with him which gave way to the rumors.

Speculation has it that Kat is planning to join SRK camp so she can have more lucrative career in the Bollywood. The speculations could.

Also be the result of Kat’s reluctance to admit that she is dating Salman Khan. But whenever she’s asked about him Kat always says that she does not want to talk about her private life.

Kat to do just one more movie with Ranbir? It looks like both Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor are so fed up with all the rumors about their alleged relationship that the duo has decided to work one more time with each other before they take extended break from working together.

Katrina was the one who told Imtiaz Ali and Anurag Basu that she will do just two movies opposite Ranbir. Kat is already working with Ranbir on 'Raajneeti' so both directors decided mutually that Anurag will cast her in his film 'Khamoshi'.In the film Ranbir plays the character of a guy who’s deaf and mute and Katrina after coming in his life inspires him to achieve his dreams.

Minissha Lamba is Muskan Ali in WELL DONE ABBA!!

Minissha Lamba, the sizzling hot sexy babe of bollywood who plays lead in veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal’s upcoming flick.

Well Done Abba’, is all set to wow the audience with her simple rural belle character in stark contrast to her bikini clad modern sexy avatar in ‘Kidnap.’

Minissha Lamba is very excited about the flick and hopes that the Midas touch of director Shyam Benegal would be able to provide her bollywood career the much needed boost.

The movie also features veteran bollywood actor Boman Irani in the character of Minissha Lamba’s father.

Who takes leave from his employer in Mumbai to search for a suitable groom for his young daughter.

Sources say that the flick has a circumstantial comic touch throughout and the audiences would feel it hard to control their laughing.

The movie also has the ironic touch in it and presents the social problem of marrying off girls in a very subtle and ironic way before the society.

In this way, the flick also conveys a social message to society and becomes relevant to modern times.

Shyam Benegal’s earlier flick ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’, which was very successful at the box office, also had a social message for the society. Though Minissha Lamba featured in several films like Madhur Bhandarkar’s ‘Corporate’ with Bipasha Basu and critically acclaimed ‘Yahaan’, but she could not claim commercial success at the box office or could win the recognition of being an actress of caliber.

However, with ‘Well Done Abba’, Minissha Lamba hopes to change all the notions of the past and come out a winner at the box office. Even trade sources are hopeful about the flick’s success at the box office due to presence of Boman Irani and the superb direction of Shyam Benegal, who was once the doyen of parallel cinema in the country.

The Dave Cawley Songbook

I was bored one day, so I decided to anthologize all of the songs my friend Dave Cawley had written and recorded over the years with Berserk and Garage Sale, as well as the unreleased demos he recorded with his ertswhile lyricist chum Tom Davis. The Berserk and Garage Sale tunage speaks for itself and is readily available on the Berserk (Go-Kart, 1994) and Pointless Summer (Beef Platter, 2000) CDs, but there are some real gems on the Davis recordings, which were recorded and engineered by Tom Davis and feature either Dave Cawley's solo songs or tunes for which Davis wrote the words and Dave composed the music, a la Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Music-wise it's all Dave Cawley, with Dave doing all the singing and playing acoustic (sometimes 12-string) guitar. I never realized how good a guitar player Dave was until now, having previously only seen him play bass in Berserk and Garage Sale. (I remember Dave telling me once how a local guitar player saw him playing an acoustic guitar and exclaimed, "Wow, I didn't know you played guitar, too!" to which Dave replied, "Yes, bass players can actually play guitar - maybe crappy guitar, but a guitar's a guitar no matter how many strings!")


The Dave Cawley Songbook: Much Ado About Nothing



I took all of Dave's songs from the Berserk CD - "Giant Robots," "My Love Is So Big," "Pen Pal," "Kamen Rider Love Song," "When I Think," "Depression" - and added two more that were previously only available on compilation CDs, "Ultra 7" - perhaps the best Berserk song ever (it's certainly my fave!) - from 1996's Go-Kart Vs. Corporate Giant (Go-Kart Records) - and "5 Strings" from 1995's Baltimore band collection Walking By a Building (Hat Factory).

Dave's Garage Sale output, from 2000's Pointless Summer CD, is represented here by "Brentless" (a shout-out to former Berserk and Stress Magnets guitarist Brent Malkus), "She Makes Me Hard," "Forgive Me," and the instrumental "Song of Hope," the latter song usually performed live with a mock "Ballroom Blitz" intro. The lone Cawley song missing from the Garage Sale CD is "I Suppose," which turns up in demo form on The Dave Cawley Songbook - Volume 2...


The Dave Cawley Songbook - Volume 2:
The Basement Tapes



Of the 18 originals here, nine are by Dave Cawley and nine are Cawley-Davis collaborations. Berserk fans take note, this is the only recorded version (unless Skizz has a live recording somewhere) of "Kumi Mizuno," Dave's homage to the comely Japanese film star (shown at left) who appeared in a number of Godzilla films (Godzilla Vs. Monster Zero, Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monster), as well as Matago (aka Attack of the Mushroom People), Frankenstein Conquers the World, and International Secret Police: Key of Keys (the spy movie that Woody Allen dubbed, re-edited, and re-released as What's Up, Tiger Lily?).

"She came to us from a world called Planet X/When I see her, you know it makes-a-me want to have sex," Dave sings, obviously wearing his heart on (or hard-on) his sleeve. I can understand his emotions. Kumi Mizuno (real name: Maya Igarashi) was pretty hot as villainess "Miss Namikawa" in that skin-tight space uniform in Monster Zero. No wonder director Ishiro Honda couldn't keep his hands off her (as shown at right). I only wish Dave had continued his Toho film star obsession with some more tunes, like maybe one called "Akiko Wakabayashi" (admittedly a hard name to create rhymes for!) in homage to the fetching star of Dagora - The Space Monster and You Only Live Twice.

Other noteworthy Dave ditties here include his heartfelt lovesong to his favorite long-lost dominant terrestrial vertebrate animals, "The Dinosaurs Are Gone for Good" (best line: "I'd watch them smash and turn our malls to trash"), his bossa nova song "The Girl That Never Cared," the anti-Dave Matthews Band rant "DMB (The Only Thing Missing Is U)," and "Colby," in which Dave references not only TSU (calling Towson U. "Towson State University" really dates you!), but also, in musical style, the Andy Griffith Show's hillbilly band The Darlings. The song's about a college kid and would-be drummer who's a cheesy as his name implies.

And for Garage Sale completists, there's "I Suppose," though Dave regrets that his voice was pretty hoarse the day he recorded this take. It contains one of my favorite Cawley couplets, "And if someone tells you that I'm not a handsome lad/Darling you can tell them that they must be mad!" Oh, and "Hidden Sudden Drop-offs" was another Garage Sale contender that never made the cut.

MILA KUNIS - GQ - April 2010

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