About a month ago, I visited Florence with two of my best girlfriends.

We had the most amazing time - from prosecco and tartufati at Procacci, while watching the sun set over the city with the Arno turning into gold, to drives through Tuscany on our way to Forte Dei Marmi, to the most delicious home-grown and home-made olive oils, cheeses and tomatoes, and then there was the tour of the secret Vasari corridoor of the Uffizi. 

But if you’ve seen any of us since then, you’ve also heard an additional story - Yes, we were also guest judges at the Mr. Italy semi-finals/Tuscany regionals. This was one of the most fun (and hilarious) parts of the trip, and below are some photos. Sadly we didn’t take too many pictures of the contestants - since we had to act like real judges and not giggly tourists…

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So we’ve all had random people we don’t know add us to Facebook, Myspace etc. and from that lot we’ve probably gotten stranger messages…

Take for example this one that came into my inbox this morning:

 ”Namaste n sincere blessings,
I will be honoured to have you as my friend whose face is graceful, ruddy, amusing chortle is cheeringly attracting. ur picture reflect you as a lively, candid being and beauteous girly.  you r ravishingly beautiful. Goodday.”

What are your favorite/random requests?

PS - My trip to Florence was amazing. Photos and a post are on their way.

Spike Jonze. Michel Gondry. Chris Cunningham. Anton Corbijn. Vincent Moon.

You’ve probably wondering to yourself: Sure these are some of the greatest music video directors ever (and you long to buy their box sets during the holidays at Virgin Megastore), but who the hell is Vincent Moon?

I came across him when I learned that some mid-20-year-old had made these “innovative” REM and Arcade Fire videos that were anti- MTV. And if you’ve been following this blog closely you have heard how fond I am of MTV… Anyway, I spoke to Vincent Moon on the phone a few weeks ago to learn more about what he was doing – what made his videos and him different. There I was in New York at my desk, it was raining, and miles away Vincent was enjoying sunny Parisian weather, probably inhaling some Pinot.  

Shot primarily in one take, his videos try to take the ‘glam’ away from the subject, and paint a bare, real picture of these musicians. I almost compare his attitude to Robert Ryman’s.

Vincent I learned also doesn’t like having his photo taken…anymore. He tries to steer clear of applying a ‘face to a name’ which he believes is what pop culture today indulges in.  More than the videos themselves, I was impressed by Vincent’s ideology and method. 

Check out these Take-Away shows he has done exclusively for Crackle.com and let me know what you think.  Will we see a Vincent Moon box set in Other Music sometime in the near future? 

Hello Popserious friends and readers, 

Please visit this website I started with my friends called BuildBurma.org.

Last Wednesday I was sitting at my desk staring at my computer screen. I then went to the BBC’s website and read that the death toll from Cyclone Nargis could go past 100,000.  I felt compelled and helpless at the same time. When the tsunami ravaged South Asia a few years ago, I wanted to do something…but I didn’t know how to. We ended up raising money for the Red Cross.

This time I felt that a dialogue was necessary along with fundraising.

A lot of the time we don’t even talk about these issues even amongst friends. And perhaps we should start somewhere. 

A few days ago I went to a panel on Bollywood + Hollywood…perfect for my Masala Popcorn column.

The panel featured Anadil Hossain who I’ve worked with before - She line produced Darjeeling Limited, The Namesake, and various Bollywood films; Mridu Chandra who has produced various documentaries and indie films; Sabrina Dhawan who wrote Monsoon Wedding (when she was at Columbia film school!!); and Molly Thompson who heads A&E’s IndieFilms dept. and has produced Murderball and Jesus Camp (must see!)

One of the topics that came up was that of Indian film formats - Horrendously long, where every big star has ‘enough’ screen time, where the interval determines the pace of the film, and where dialogue writers are more important than the screenwriters, it was made clear that this format is now changing (About time!) to follow American films…Funny considering we rip off so many films (Man on Fire etc.) and manage to put them into our 4 hour long singing-dancing formula!

One of the other topics that came up was that of South Asians in the media…one of the panelists said that South Asians don’t really have a Shakira or JLo type figure to look up to. And perhaps that’s right…maybe Kal Penn is getting up there? But I’m not sure whether Kumar is the type of person parents would want their kids to become…

I just have to end on that thought - Who would the Indian “Shakira” be in the America?! (And Sanjaya is NOT an option!)

Gurjeet any ideas?

I’m proud to say that this morning I had a 7 am training session - which I actually went to and got beat into shape.

I joined Crunch with Rids last week - we’re determined to get in shape for the shore. And since I’m going to Florence in June my motivation has doubled. I don’t really remember the last time I worked out - which is pretty pathetic for a collegiate rower. (Yes, one entire year I was a starboard!)

Since my section is actually about movies primarily - Let’s talk about which movies motivate you to work out! Mine are Blue Crush…and ummm Tomb Raider. What are yours?

4 apparently…

This is a summary of my schedule over the last day and a half: 

Thursday 4 pm: Told my travel agent to change my flight from American - I was leaving for Chicago on Friday for the weekend for a shoot - I was trying to ‘think ahead’

Thursday 4:10 pm: Agent states that the flight had been cancelled anyway, so now I was booked on United, leaving from Newark at 8 pm on Friday

Friday 6:50 pm: Arrive at Newark to find out that even my United flight has been cancelled. Am told that I have now been put on the Saturday 6 am United flight to Chicago

Friday 7:30 pm:  Head back to Manhattan - JB and I treat ourselves to an amazing Indian meal at Devi

Saturday 4:50 am: Reach Newark. Deal with annoyed flight personnel who are pissed that I’m carrying a lighting case that is overweight (65 pounds) - Pay overweight - Am rushed through check-in so I can make the flight

Saturday 5:15 am: Stuck in security line. TSA staff member is a complete jerk and isn’t giving people who are supposed to leave on earlier flights any concessions

Saturday 5:30 am: Still stuck in security line

Saturday 5:50 am: Still in line - Camera bag is being checked for bombs. Am spot checked. I am also reassured that other passengers from the flight are behind me still and that the flight hasn’t boarded

Saturday 5:58 am: Run to the boarding gate. Am told that the gate is closed. I flip out. Am put on stand by on the 7:30 flight. My lighting kit and little suitcase are on their way to Chicago without me

Saturday 7:00 am: Am told that the standby situation isn’t looking good. The next flight I can officially get a seat on leaves at 2:30 pm in the afternoon. I have a shoot that begins at 10:30 am

Saturday 7:15 am: Name is called out - I make the standby flight

Saturday 8:30 am (Chicago time): Reach O Hare, retrieve bags. Catch cab to hotel

Saturday 10:00 am:Leave for shoot 

Many hours, two interviews, no lunch and a pedicure later, I’m back in my hotel room. And I miss New York already. 

  PS - Check out this poster for the movie Airplane! Totally weird. 

Last week, Jen Gore and I had a meeting with Mia Farrow. (Mia and Dream for Darfur are my clients at SJR.)

Hearing Mia talk about the situation in Darfur and seeing her photographs of the children and young mothers who had gone through the unthinkable made me shiver - It is horrifying to look into the eyes of these children and see lost hope. There is one photograph of a child that Mia calls Child of Hope - she has a faraway smile in her eyes even though she is covered in desert dust.

It is always refreshing and humbling to meet someone - celebrity or not- who is so passionate about a cause that they strive every day to make this world a better place, and in turn, they inspire everyone around them. I’m reminded of my old boss Chandrika Tandon who started League of Artisans - The goal of LOA is to provide employment to artisans across India to reduce poverty in a sustainable and empowering way (I had the opportunity to develop their e-commerce strategy and branding - www.leagueofartisans.org)

Another one of my heroes is my mother - She started a center for special education in Oman, works at a group that spreads Christian-Islamic fellowship in the Middle East, has fundraised for earthquake victims, runs a shelter for women, the list is endless. As a kid when someone asked me who I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said I wanted to be like my mother - that hasn’t changed.

Here is a video that Dream for Darfur has made which features Mia talking about the situation in Darfur.

What can we do to help? And who are the people who inspire you - Who are your heroes?

And I too believe in karma.

Last Saturday night I indulged in too much red wine - I was at my friend Luke Parker Bowles’ 30th birthday party. After playing Connect 4, doing impressions of politicians with Hugh (not Grant but another English actor) and talking to our friend James about the electric guitar he built by hand (truly!), I called it a night and hailed a car service.As the car lurched forward at a traffic light, various contents of my bag fell on the floor - I scrambled for my belongings. One of the items that left my possession that night was my beloved iPhone, and I didn’t realize it for a whole ten minutes - and ten minutes too late.

I frantically called various numbers to be met with “Call us tomorrow”. Of course, my iPhone was dead. I was upset. The phone had been a gift and guilt clung on to me. I spent Sunday in disbelief. Luckily I keep another phone - a simple one as a backup.

I mentioned my loss to my boss - who said that Blackberries were better anyway (That definitely didn’t make me feel any better). I sent text messages to my phone - “Have a heart, please return my phone” and so on. No response.

Sunday and Monday went by, Tuesday, Wednesday. I persisted with my messages. I carried my old Berry with me - tempted to switch my iPhone number over and be tied down to work virtually again. My colleagues were annoyed that I wasn’t reachable when I wasn’t at my desk - Something told me to wait.

Then on Wednesday evening I helped an elderly woman in the subway station with the ticketing machines and I escorted her to the subway. The warmth of her grateful smile made me forget that we were in a crowded station at rush hour - full of irate CitiBankers, Italian tourists, and obnoxious visiting high school students from Ohio (Yes I forgot where I was for that moment).

The next day I got a message from my iPhone: “Meet me on Friday, I have some time.” Holy crap! I had finally gotten a message back. The messages were as follows:
SG: Where, when? Thank you so much for replying
Stranger: Time Warner Building, in the afternoon. What’s the reward?
SG: Great. The reward is $___. Cash or check?
Stranger: Cash. Noon. But if you have an old iPod or nano, that’ll do.
SG: [Weird] Okay great. Thank you so much!

So yes, long story short. I got my phone back. My boyfriend collected my phone for me (as I had a flight to Alabama during that time). He was greeted by the keeper of my iPhone - A short mid-20-something Asian girl.
Girl: So you’re the boyfriend
JB: Yeah
Girl: Can I ask you one question? Why didn’t you switch the number over this entire time?
JB: Because we hoped that someone nice would return it to us
Girl: But I don’t get it - Supposed someone were to make phone calls with it, and run up the bill.
JB: Well because we hoped that someone nice would have the phone and not do that.

End of story - Yes, I did get my phone back and I just think of the ‘reward’ as an expensive dinner I indulged in.

But believe me, karma and dharma do work - So when you find something, return it. Help someone who needs it. And above all, be positive.

Hello - I am in need of a video intern at my company Group SJR - We are a strategic marketing and media relations firm. I am currently developing the video production dept.  Interested candidates should hit me up at sganguly@groupsjr.com