Can Parminder Nagra Become A Mainstream Hollywood Star?

I watched ER a few weeks ago only because I am a fan of the British actress Parminder Nagra. I wish Parminder would get bigger mainstream roles I think she deserves it. It is interesting “Bend It Like Beckham” was such a huge international hit yet Keira Knightley is a big star and Parminder is on ER.

The issue I have is why can’t Parminder have the same opportunities as Keira? Keira is a solid actress and she is very talented but so is Parminder. I would like to see Parminder get some leading lady roles soon.

One movie role Parminder should be the star of is the film “Tulia” about an Indian American lawyer Vanita Gupta. African American actress Halle Berry is the leading lady in the film. Last time I checked Berry is biracial she has European and African heritage she is not South Asian. Vanita Gupta a young South Asian lawyer successfully won the release of 46 African Americans in Tulia Texas on a drug bust.

Shouldn’t the casting of the leading lady be racially accurate? The attitude of Hollywood is South Asian women are “invisible” are “displaced” and not “palatable” for North American audiences. The only reason Halle Berry was chosen for the lead role is due to her celebrity.

The question remains is Halle Berry really a box office draw? “Perfect Stranger”, and “Things We Lost In A Fire” both bombed at the box office. Halle Berry has been most successful recently in ensemble films such as X MEN.

The ideology in Hollywood is African Americans and South Asians “look similar” due to skin tone. Hollywood thinks the public can’t tell the difference between African Americans and South Asians. Since Halle Berry is African American the belief is she can pull off a convincing performance as a South Asian American woman. But is this true? Is this fair to South Asian actresses languishing in secondary roles in Hollywood ? What about the concerns of South Asian people? Is this right to change the race of the leading lady just for profit and business?

Or is this going to be another “A Mighty Heart” all over again? I understand Hollywood wants star power for the movie but choosing Halle Berry for the lead role is deleterious, racist, and incredibly offensive. How many leading lady roles do South Asian actresses get in Hollywood? The answer is zero. Halle Berry should be ashamed of herself she clearly has a huge ego and zero class.

Halle Berry is such an arrogant, selfish, hypocritical, woman she is not South Asian yet she doesn’t mind taking a role meant for a South Asian actress. Halle Berry and her publicity team always market her as the “victim” the public is supposed to feel sorry for her. I am not falling for Halle Berry’s publicity game any longer . Halle knows how hard it is for women of colour to get the leading lady roles yet she doesn’t mind taking on a role that wasn’t meant for her. Halle complains in the media all the damn time about how hard she has it.

Yes, it must be so hard for Halle Berry after all she makes $14 million per movie, multi million dollar endorsements with Revlon & Versace. Halle also receives an incredible amount of mainstream attention compared to other actresses of colour. Halle is also the top actress of colour in Hollywood whenever Hollywood has a major role for a woman of colour Halle gets called first for the role.

I am very disappointed in Halle I believe Parminder should be the star of this movie “Tulia”. “Tulia” should be Parminder’s breakthrough performance she deserves this leading lady role. Parminder has the talent to pull of this very dramatic and intense role if Halle Berry had any class she will drop out of the film. Isn’t it time for another woman of colour to shine in a leading lady role besides Halle Berry?

Meanwhile, Parminder is on television she has a steady gig on ER. Parminder’s character Dr. Neela Rasgotra is the most complex character on the show. Dr. Rasgotra has dealt with the death of her husband, falling in love with a fellow co worker, and trying to maintain her career.

I was on an internet message board the other day and some bloggers actually said Parminder would never make it in Indian Cinema. I responded back saying what about Nandita Das? Nandita Das is a gorgeous woman and talented actress she also has a darker skin tone as well. Nandita has been very successful in both Indian and Western movies. The other bloggers responded back that Nandita Das is an exception to the rule. Is this true? According to the information I have read Parminder is considered “too dark” to be successful in Bollywood. But is this this true of just gossip?

It seems the issue of skin tone racism and beauty standards exist in many communities across the globe. It is well known in the African communities light skinned women are placed on a pedestal compared to darker skinned black women. I have learned in South Asian communities the “lighter skinned” female image is the image that is considered more palatable for Indian film audiences. In Bollywood films the leading male character can be a dark skinned Indian man but the leading lady tends to always have Eurocentric features and lighter skin. Other bloggers also suggested that Parminder is doing the right thing trying to succeed in Hollywood instead of Bollywood.

Novak Djokovic Wins Italian Open, Can He Become The New Number One?

The media have hyped Rafael Nadal for the past three years the truth is Rafael Nadal is only strong on the clay surface. Most of Nadal’s ATP Tour points are because he’s been so dominant on clay. The problem for Nadal now is Novak Djokovic has emerged and he’s solid on more then just one surface. Nadal has not reached the number one ranking because he’s not good on the faster surfaces. Yes Nadal reached the semifinals of the Australian Open this year but being a semifinalist isn’t good enough.

Roger Federer is in a slump he’s only won one minor event this year the Estoril Open in Portugal. The media have ignored the fact Rafael Nadal hasn’t been winning a lot this year either. Nadal managed to defend his clay court titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona but he failed to deliver on the faster surfaces. Nadal has had some horrible results this year losing to Jo Wilfred Tsonga in the Australian Open semifinals when he was the clear favorite. Also at the Miami Masters Nadal was destroyed by Nikolay Davydenko in the final when he should of won. At the elite level of men’s tennis it is all about “winning” the major grand slams. Nadal also has failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals of the US OPEN.

Perhaps it was inevitable that Roger and Rafael could not maintain the awesome consistency they have achieved for the past three years? Tennis fans have been so accustomed to Roger and Rafael competing in the big finals but not this year. Finally, in the year 2008 it appears the world number one ranking is up for grabs. Since Djokovic just won the Italian Open he is only 310 points behind Rafael Nadal in the ATP tour rankings. If Novak wins the Hamburg Masters he will reach the number two ranking position.

The French Open is going to be very interesting this year. I still believe Rafael Nadal is the clear favorite to win the French Open because he is the three time defending men’s champion. However, Rafael also lost to fellow Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferraro in Rome in straight sets. Are there some cracks in Nadal’s self confidence on his favorite surface?

There seems to be a pattern this year when Nadal and Federer lose Djokovic is coming through and winning the big titles. Novak Djokovic just won the Italian Open today his first Masters Series title on clay and he also won the Indian Wells Masters and the Australian Open this year.

It is obvious Novak is on the rise. It appears to me that perhaps Rafael Nadal might reach the number one ranking but I don’t believe he will stay there very long. Novak Djokovic can play well on multiple surfaces he is competent on clay, grass, indoor and hardcourts. Since Novak has the consistency I think he is the man that will challenge Roger Federer and not Nadal in the future on the faster surfaces.

Nadal is a quandary how can such a big,strong, muscular, young man have such a weak serve? Nadal’s serve has to be one of the worst serves on the ATP Tour. The top women on the WTA tour have bigger and more powerful serves then Rafael Nadal. Nadal is wasting his talent the guy is so muscular and strong he needs a bigger serve. If Nadal was able to win some cheap free points he would take the pressure off of his body.

Rafael Nadal’s body appears to be breaking down at the tender age of twenty one he’s constantly injured because he utilizes too much energy on the court. Nadal isn’t compensating he’s wasting time by not being aggressive enough. Nadal’s defensive game works on clay but this style of play has hurt him on the faster surfaces. On the clay surface Nadal can get away with spinning in serves at 100 miles per hour but on the faster surfaces he is blasted off the court. Novak uses his size, his speed, and power to intimidate his opponents he hits the ball on the rise very flat and robs his opponents of time.

Yes, I know that Rafael has reached two Wimbledon finals but he’s also lost in the finals to Roger Federer. Nobody cares about the “finalist” all the public cares about are “champions” and “winners”. Novak Djokovic will become number one because he has some weapons Nadal lacks. Djokovic is slightly taller then Nadal he also has a superior serve, a better return of serve, and he volleys very well.

There is also another aspect to Novak I believe will propel him to the number one ranking he has a certain amount of arrogance. Novak has been involved in some trash talking with Roger Federer this year and he’s not afraid to speak about the fact he wants to become number one. Rafael Nadal always says “Roger is the greatest” and he is always complementary to Roger.

Maybe Rafael’s thought process is all wrong? Of course tennis players should be professional but you also have to believe in yourself and your talents as well. Some tennis fans don’t like Novak’s “arrogance” but maybe that’s part of the reason Novak is so successful because he honestly “believes” he can become number one.

I admit I think Djokovic’s parents are pretty classless at tennis matches acting so passionate and screaming at the top of their lungs. Novak’s mother also has made some disparaging comments about Roger that I found rather immature and petulant.

Perhaps, this is one of the reasons Rafael Nadal hasn’t reached the number one ranking yet he doesn’t have arrogance? Rafael Nadal is a very nice guy but maybe he’s a bit too friendly with Roger Federer. I think the world number one and number two players need to have a rivalry. I think Novak Djokovic is going to take over men’s tennis very shortly it seems. Yes, Rafael can beat Roger on clay but Roger beats Rafael on all the other surfaces. Novak Djokovic can become number one because he can beat Roger on hardcourts.

What Are Your Secret Musicial Tastes?

I know this will sound weird but do you listen to certain artists but are kind of embarrassed about telling friends about it? Sometimes I hear comments like “this artist is so lame” or “he or she’s just not interesting anymore”. Well I will start. It is kind of funny in some gay circles some gays consider k.d. lang’s music to be watered down “elevator music” but I don’t think so. No I don’t listen to k.d. lang just because she’s also gay I listen to her music because I love her voice.

Although I think it is fantastic that k.d. Lang is also Canadian so its kind of cool and patriotic to see another Canadian do so well in America and on the international scene. k.d. has also openly advocated for equal rights for homosexuals and other people too. My favorite k.d. lang CDs are her 1997 album “Drag” this CD is a bunch of smoky cabaret jazz ballads I love this CD!

Another CD that I love is “Invincible Summer” it was released in the year 2000! One of the amazing things about k.d. Lang is her ability to interpret songs and jump musical genres. k.d. used to be popular in the Country Music world until they discovered she was a lesbian and excommunicated her. After Nashville was so homophobic, k.d. Lang had the biggest success of her career with “Ingenue”. I have to check out k.d. Lang’s 2004 album “Hymns From Of The 49th Parallel” its k.d. Lang’s interpretation of the great Canadian song book.

I can also admit I was never a big Britney Spears fan when she emerged on the pop scene in the year 1999 at the age of seventeen. It was only recently when I started to watch “How I Met Your Mother” on CBS that I became kind of interested in Britney. I will admit I am really rooting for Britney and I hope she does get her life together. Well I started to listen to Britney’s 2003 album “In The Zone” and its actually pretty good. No Britney isn’t the best singer out there but she’s not the worst singer either I like her voice I think she can sing. My sister says Britney’s current CD “Blackout” is pretty good I think I will check it out.

I love Hall and Oates although they were popular before my time in the early 1980s. I remember I was at the drug store last year and I just had to purchase their Greatest Hits CD! All my favorite songs such as “kiss on the list”, “private eyes”, “Out of Touch”, “maneater” “I can’t go for that(no can do) “, are on the album. Hall and Oates are affectionately called “blue eyed Soul” music. Daryl Hall the lead singer in Hall and Oates is such an amazing singer his vocals are incredible. A lot of people say Justin Timberlake is a great white male soul singer but Daryl Hall has a much stronger voice with more range and soul.

I also think Robin Thicke is an amazing singer too. Last year I fell in love with the song “Lost without U” its such a sweet ballad. Some people say that Robin Thicke is an older version of Justin Timberlake but that’s not fair. The media have compared Timberlake to Thicke because they are both young white males singing R&B but I think Thicke’s music is much more mature sounding then Justin Timberlake’s music. Thicke also plays multiple instruments. Thicke sings deeply personal songs that touch the soul.

Robin Thicke has been in the music business for a very long time he also is a Grammy award winning producer and songwriter. Thicke has worked with top artists such as Usher and Mary J Blige. Thicke’s second album “The Evolution Of Robin Thicke” was a surprise success selling over 1 million copies in the United States. There is also a Canadian connection Robin’s is the son of the Canadian actor Alan Thicke from the 1980s sitcom “Growing Pains”.