Anoushka Shankar trying to find her motivation

What is motivation? I’m trying to find it. I’m a nature girl when I search for music, finding it in forests, mountains or the beach. But here, in London, there is more literal inspiration, and I’m reveling in making the most of my stay. I want to see as much, hear as much, and do as much as possible in the world of culture!  Here are some of my recent favourites.

- A presentation of Anish Kapoor’s sculptures at the Royal Academy of Art. He’s truly broken the boundaries.  His use of colour is something I feel a physical reaction to and the shapes and movements of his pieces are things I could relate to without needing a crash course in sculpting!

- Keira Knightley starring in a modern retelling of Moliére’s  The Misanthrope. It wasn’t the best I’ve seen, but very funny. I thought Keira was wonderful. She got mixed reviews in London. I thought she was great at projecting from the stage.

- Nitin Sawhney and Akram Khan’s new piece Confluence which ends their Svapnagata festival in which I had participated in, last year. It was a devilish treat to watch them.

- The French film A Prophet, about a young French-Muslim boy who goes to chilling lengths to survive in jail. I just loved how in one film I was exposed to so many issues, from the perception about Muslims in France, or the horrors of jails — all in a perfectly-made cinematic masterpiece.

- Not one, but two operas! I’d never been to an opera before, but this month I went to two, and I’m hooked. The fantastic performance of the classic, La Bohéme made me cry, and I saw a hardcore German opera, Elektra, with music by Strauss. I wondered at the arrogance of the last few generations who think we own the rights to loud, dark, strong music, because this stuff was seriously intense!

I saw two children’s shows which were more entertaining than most things made for adults nowadays! I saw Petruchka at the Little Angel Puppet Theatre, which reminded me how magical puppetry is; it’s incredible to see creatures come to life. I also saw Hansel and Gretel by the Knee high Theatre Company, with the witch and mother's characters both played by men in drag. Amazing stuff.

source:hindustantimes.com

Most Stylish Man - "Johnny Depp "

After grabbing the world's sexiest man title, Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp has now emerged as the most stylish man too, according to a new magazine poll.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star has topped GQ magazine's poll of the most stylish males.

The 46-year-old saw off antagonism from stars like Brad Pitt, Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson, rapper Jay-Z and Gossip Girl star Ed Westwick, who all featured on the list of 25 Most Stylish Men in the World, 2010.

Depp was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive last year, scooping the prestigious honour for the second time and the most stylish title now has added another feather to his well-adorned cap.

source:hindustantimes.com

"Hallelujah" Was A Perfect 'Fit' For Haiti Telethon : Justin Timberlake

When Justin Timberlake was asked to perform on Friday night's "Hope for Haiti Now" telethon, he didn't hesitate to say yes — and he knew exactly what song he was going to perform.

"Obviously, I was going to help answer phones and help make contributions," Timberlake told MTV News. "But as soon as I got that call, all of a sudden ... it was kind of like a big highlighted neon-green [light], everywhere I looked: 'Hallelujah, hallelujah.' "

Timberlake and his former "Mickey Mouse Club" castmate Matt Morris performed Leonard Cohen's 1984 track "Hallelujah" for the telethon. In the years since its release, "Hallelujah" has snowballed in popularity, in part because it's been covered by many musicians — John Cale, Rufus Wainwright and former "American Idol" hopeful Jason Castro, to name a few. Jeff Buckley's version, which appeared on his 1994 album Grace, topped the Hot Digital Songs chart in 2008, after Castro's cover aired on "Idol." Later that year, Alexandra Burke, winner of the Simon Cowell-masterminded U.K. talent show "The X Factor," topped that country's charts with her own version.

The Timberlake/Morris take puts a new spin on the song because it's a duet. The two singers harmonized beautifully, no doubt in part because the song is a go-to track when they're working on music together.

"It's always been one of my favorite songs," Timberlake said. "And my artist Matt, we always kinda sing that song when we're messing around in the studio with ideas.

"The way that it's written can be interpreted many different ways," he added. "But the emotion that comes through — the chords, the melody and also what's being said in the song — it just kind of fit for the telethon."

Timberlake was optimistic that the efforts put forth tonight would be a step toward Haiti rebuilding and growing stronger in the wake of last week's 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

"Hopefully there will continue to be a lot of different ways that everyone can help and that the funds and the actual labor will translate into food and shelter and water for these people, and hopefully that will continue.

"And hopefully you guys download it on iTunes," he added of "Hallelujah," "because you're obviously helping the cause."

source:mtv.com

Shakira Pledges To Build New School In Haiti

Pop superstar Shakira announced on Thursday that her U.S.-based Barefoot Foundation will partner with planning for Humanity to help build a new school in Haiti. The "She Wolf" singer worried that nevertheless the earthquake-ravaged country needs aid right away, she also wants to contribute to recovery efforts down the road.

"There is a great need for instant aid in Haiti, but also for longer-term reconstruction," Shakira said in a press declaration about the Barefoot Haiti School. "For that reason, we are doing our small part to help Haiti reconstruct and give the children affected by this tragedy the chance to learn and thrive. I hope we can use some of what we've learned working in Colombia to help Haiti's children recover. When we educate children, we empower societies, and right now Haiti needs all of our help."

The effort will be patterned after the work done by Shakira's Pies Descalzos foundation in her home country, where it has provided aid to more than 6,000 children. With the help of Howard Buffett, World Food Program diplomat against hunger, the school will also ensure the children's proper nutrition.

Shakira is just one of the many big stars that will appear during MTV's "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief." She's scheduled to perform in New York along with Madonna, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Sting, the Roots and Bruce Springsteen.

Beyoncé, Jay-Z, U2's Bono and The Edge, and Rihanna will perform in London. And in L.A., Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder and Taylor Swift will take the stage, in addition to a group performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow.

George Clooney will be participating in the telethon in Los Angeles, Wyclef Jean will be in New York, and CNN's Anderson Cooper will contribute from Haiti.

source:mtv.com