Surya Speaks Back

Surya Yalamanchili, the earnest brand manager from Cincinnati who was fired by Donald Trump from The Apprentice on Sunday, recently blogged about his time on the show. He offered an insider’s perspective of the reality series that has candidates vie for the chance to work for Trump. Former teammate Tim Urban has also shared his memories of Surya on the show, and it seems that Surya is not a “phony,” but just a sincere guy who puts a premium on integrity and loves whiteboards. Read on for more from Surya himself!

Whose hair took longer to style? Yours or James’?
Mine only took minutes! I would style it by hanging upside down every morning. You know, like Michael Keaton did in the 1989 Batman?
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Patel Not To Be Envied

Roopal in Red (Style.Com)

“I wore the cute white dress and jacket that we picked out on Thursday, and it was soooo cold! Why would I rather look good than be warm? I got to the show and sat next to Meredith Melling Burke from Vogue and Bergdorf’s Roopal Patel, who both have back-to-back shows because of their jobs. I don’t envy them. I mean I love fashion, but it’s really exhausting to run around like that!!!”

So blogs socialite Fabiola Beracasa–daughter of fashion royalty Veronica Hearst–about being behind the scenes in New York this week, where collections by Vera Wang, Behnaz Sarafpour, and Donna Karan will be showcased (among others).

Be sure to check out Beracasa’s forthcoming entries by visiting New York magazine online–because um, it’s going to be, like, soooooo totally cool!!

PS: You know Roopal Patel as Bergdorf Goodman’s fashion director. Read about her in this Ego Magazine piece.

More about Roopal:
Patel gets promoted
Roopal’s “diary”
Gawker takes a jab, naturally

Don’t Call Him Gary (Or Iranian)

Maz Jobrani (abc.go.com)

One of the main characters in ABC’s new series The Knights of Prosperity starring Donal Logue is Indian attorney-turned-NYC taxicab driver Gourishankar (“Don’t Call Me Gary”) Subramaniam. The actor/comic who plays this role is Maz Jobrani, a Middle Eastern American of Iranian background. Such cross-cultural casting is not new for Jobrani who once played a Sikh character on Curb Your Enthusiasm, or for ABC, the network that features Naveen Andrews in the role of Sayid Jarrah, a former member of the Iraqi Republican Guard, on TV series Lost. Andrews was born in the UK to parents from Kerala, India.

The pilot for The Knights of Prosperity, which brings together a diverse bunch of outcasts in NYC for the purpose of robbing Mick Jagger, can be viewed on ABC’s Web site. The verdict is wide open on this new show, but I’ll give it points for not using a canned laugh track and for its over-the-top touches like the houseboy character in Mick Jagger’s apartment.

Jobrani on being called Iranian v. Persian: Ever since the hostage crisis of the early 80s, randomly yelling “I’m Iranian” in any crowd not filled with Iranians was considered a no-no. That’s why to this day you’ll find many Iranians insist on being called Persian—it’s not just a fancier name for Iranian, but it sounds nicer and friendlier, and some Americans don’t even know what it means. “No, no, I’m not Iranian, I’m Persian, like the cat … meow! Let’s hug.” — California Magazine.

More information:
The Knights of Prosperity Official Web Site
Maz Jobrani’s Official Web Site

Update: Check out Naina’s post on Jobrani and Andrews: “I Suppose We All Look the Same to ABC.”

Funky Sitar Cell Phone Ad Features Anjali Track

Anjali (Colin Hawkins)

The catchy sitar tunes playing in a TV ad for Cingular’s new cell phone are from “Stinging Sitars,” a track on Anjali’s CDs “The World of Lady A” and “Rainy Days.” After fronting riot-grrrl group Voodoo Queens, UK-based Anjali Bhatia pursued a solo career as Anjali—DJ, singer, songwriter, and producer. Her music has caught the attention of not just Madison Avenue, but also Hollywood with her tracks featured in TV and movies including One Tree Hill (“7×8”), Mean Girls (“Misty Canyon”) and Nip/Tuck (“Humble Girl”).

More Information:
PromoGuy dot Net
Anjali’s Official Web Site
Anjali’s MySpace
Flash Animation of “7×8”

Women Weigh In On Diwali Barbie

Did Mattel get the Diwali Barbie right? Earlier this month, PRI’s The World interviewed Sepia Mutiny’s Anna John, fellow sagehen (chirp!) and blogger Nina Jacinto, novelist/poet Chitra Divakaruni and Professor Inderpal Grewal about one of Mattel’s newest additions to its Barbie line.

You can still listen to the report online at The World’s web site.

I agree with John’s assessment of the doll’s outfit—it looks like a lehnga outfit more than a sari. I also thought Divakaruni summarized the significance of the doll well as “a small step in the right direction” but “not a giant leap for mankind or dollkind or womankind.”

What do you think?

Surya on Season 6 of The Apprentice

Surya (NBC/Mitchell Haaseth)

To revive ratings for the upcoming season, reality-TV based series “The Apprentice” moves from NY to LA, replaces judges Carolyn Kepcher and George Ross with Trump offspring Ivanka and Donald, Jr., and adds a women’s ice hockey Olympian to the mix of candidates. Local media reports that Surya Yalamanchili (no known relation) is one of the 18 candidates who will vie for the coveted career opportunity to work with legendary business tycoon Donald Trump.

TVgasm notes that Surya is a standout candidate who “would make a perfect husband for beautiful Ivanka!” He blogs at suryasays.com.
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Mahanandi Is A Feast For The Eyes

“Mahanandi: Cooking with Consciousness ~ Recipes from India and the World” is making me hungry. It’s a food blog maintained by Indira Singari, who is based in Seattle. Her recipes and photos were recently featured in an article on NPR’s “Kitchen Window.” A recent blog entry offers a review of a new cookbook, an interview with the authors and Singari’s experiences with trying out the recipes. The site’s gallery of Indian Sweets 101 might have one of your favorite treats, and it also provides a listing of other food blogs to explore.

What food blogs do you like?

Child Labor in India and Anita’s Story

According to India’s labour ministry, “there are 12.6 million children aged between 5 and 14 working in the country — the largest number of child labourers in the world.”

The real number could be higher, given the unknown size of the child domestic work force. “‘It’s difficult to say how many children do domestic work as it’s such a secretive thing and you simply can’t go around poking into people’s houses,’ said Manab Ray, manager of Save the Children’s Child Domestic Workers Project.” (“India’s child maids resigned to life of servitude,” Reuters, 11/19/06.)

Urbanguru.net provides a personal account of a young couple in Bangalore who noticed an abused nine-year-old child servant, Anita, working for their downstairs neighbors. They took action by contacting local NGOs and the police, and continuing to follow her progress through the child welfare system. Anita shares her story in Hindi (“translation to come”) on video: 1, 2, 3.

More information: Child Workers in Asia, Concerned for Working Children

Update: A follow-up on Anita’s progress—Anita goes home.

Mighty Heart in Mumbai

Angelina Jolie, sex-pot Oscar winner turned inspired humanitarian, is currently filming in Mumbai (the movie, called A Mighty Heart, is about the real-life 2002 slaying of American reporter Daniel Pearl).

But true tabloid-junkies care less about the film than they do about Jolie’s personal life.

Celebrity bloggers have been shvitsn over gossip that Brangelina is looking to adopt an Indian child. According to Perez Hilton, the couple recently spent time at the Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra family adoption center, where orphanage director Roxana Kalyanvala told In Touch Magazine, “every move and every look of the couple was filled with love for our children. “

Not all of Brangelina’s publicity has been so positive.

Jolie’s bodyguards were accused Friday of manhandling parents during a shoot near Mumbai’s Anjuman-e-Islam school.

One guard was also overheard calling a parent a “bloody Indian.” Earlier today, Jolie released a statement in response, saying:

“As for this horrible rumor that someone referred to a local man as a ‘bloody Indian,’ let me say this: I would never work with anyone that was derogatory towards another man’s race.”

Three of Jolie’s bodyguards–all British nationals–have subsequently been arrested.

(Update: Brad Pitt gives his first interview to Indian television. Click here to see him address the racism allegations)

Here’s Looking at Brown People

I stumbled across this Livejournal weblog today: BrownPeople.

From its profile page:

random photos of brown people.

How you use it up to you. . .as a reminder that different brown people are doing their thing, use it as detox from reading 17 magazine, use it to find ideas for a haircut, to remind yourself you’re not an invisible freak, to procrastinate on your postcolonial studies paper…whatever you please.) (this is of course not one of those stupid rating things though.)

How are you going to use it?