A load of crap from an idle brain

Easily one of the best biographies i have read, Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson is an easy read.  Not too complicated by the jargons of business, Branson writes in his own easy way about how he built a multi billion pound business after having started off life as a dyslexic child.

Yup, its tough to believe that a man who lives such a colourful life, flies over the pacific and atlantic oceans in a balloon, jumps off planes, does all kinds of wierd stunts to keep his business in news was dyslexic as a kid.  He had trouble reading, was one of the worst student in class.  But started off his life running a music store, which moved on to record label (Virgin music), music business to one of the most loved airlines in the world (Virgin Atlantic) to running a telecom company (Virgin telecom) to tens of other business.

The book starts off with his exploits on trying to cross the Atlantic in a balloon where he cheats death to his childhood life and then to his music business where his label published such world class music groups like the Rolling Stones, Phil Collins, Janet Jackson etc.

The dirty tricks that British Airways use to discredit, defame and try to kill the small and fledging Virgin Atlantic is also described in vivid detail.  The end of which Branson sues the whole top brass of British Airways and gets not only monetary compensation, but also an unreserved apology from the British Ariways brass.

Virgin Group founder Richard Branson says one of his prime business criteria is “fun.” Fun made Branson a billionaire, and few business memoirs are one-billionth as fun as Branson’s, nor as niftily written. Not only does it relate his side of near-death corporate experiences, it tells how the chairman literally cheated death by gun, shipwreck, and balloon crash.

Branson’s empire–now encompassing interests in an airline, pop music, soda pop, e-commerce, and financial services–began when the dyslexic 16-year-old dropped out of school in 1968 to found the British magazine Student. His headmaster said, “I predict that you will either go to prison or become a millionaire.” Briefly imprisoned for dodging customs selling records, Branson got his first million by releasing Tubular Bells, a maverick recording all the stuffy executives rejected. (1998′s Tubular Bells III puts the series’ sales over 20 million.)

Despite wild tales of Branson’s wife-swapping and Keith Richards fleeing naked from Branson’s studio at gunpoint with another man’s woman, the most shocking parts of the memoir concern British Airways’ James Bond-like “dirty tricks” campaign against Virgin Atlantic, resulting in the biggest award for damages in English history.

Though it’s filled with famous names, witty quotes, and pulse-pounding accounts of lunatic balloon adventures, it is as a business thriller that the book really scores. His instinctive bet-the-ranch tactics could cost him all, or earn another billion. Either way, Branson will likely remain the most entertaining entrepreneur in Europe

-source: Amazon

Losing My Virginity: How I’ve Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way
Author – Richard Branson
Pages – 416
Publisher – Crown Business

+++

If you are looking at something that goes into the details, you can skip this book.  But if you are just wanting to read a concise and crisp book about what made Madonna what she is and if you want to read her struggles to make it to the top, this is the book.  Not much juicy stuff inside.  A to the point book that chronicles the birth, struggles and stardom of Madonna.

I’ve always admired Madonna for the chameleon like traits she has in her character which makes her re-invent herself to the situation.  At a time when music and musicians hardly linger in your memory for a few days / months, you have a 50 something woman who still makes you groove.  Someone who’se songs still hit the top on the hit list even though she has been around for almost 30 odd years.

250 million albums sold in a career, 27 top 20 singles, earnings of $193 million in 2006 alone,  a networth of $850 million, Madonna is a once in a lifetime phenomenon.

There’s no such thing as the perfect soul mate. Your soul mate is the person that pushes all your buttons, pisses you off on a regular basis, and makes you face your shit.  Its not easy having a good marriage. But i dont want easy. Easy doesnt make you grow. Easy doesnt make you think. I thank God everyday that iam married to a man who makes me think. That’s my definition about true love.

- Madonna speaking about her love and marriage to British movie director, Guy Ritchie.

I have an iron will and all of my will has always been to conquer some horrible feeling of inadequacy…I’m always struggling with that fear. I push past one spell of it and discover myself as a special human being and then I get to another stage and think I’m mediocre and uninteresting. And i find a way to get myself out of that. Again and again. My drive in life is from this horrible fear of being mediocre.  And that’s always pushing me, pushing me.

Madonna – A Biography by Mary Cross

Even though its a small book, i took almost 2 weeks to finish it.  My wife picked up the book in the library, but it was me who managed to finish it even though am somewhere a few pages into other books that Iam reading simultaneously.

+++

The King of Pop is no more.  Maybe he will now belt his hits for his maker.  Thanks for the wonderful music, those pelvic gyrating dance moves, those moonwalks, all the drama and fodder you provided the media, for all the memories that i cherish of your songs during my growing up years and my first ever interaction with your video songs on MTV.

Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson.  You were one of a kind. A very special kind.

Pop star Michael Jackson died Thursday following a cardiac arrest at his home in Los Angeles, officials said. He was 50.

The King of Pop, whose life of stardom and scandal kept him permanently in the headlines, was found unconscious at his rented Bel Air mansion and was rushed to the UCLA Medical Centre.

“We were notified by LAPD that Michael Jackson was transferred from his house to the hospital,” said Los Angeles County Coroner Fred Corral. “He was unresponsive and pronounced dead at approximately 2.26 this afternoon.”

Corral said an autopsy would be performed to check for toxicology and other problems. The results are to be released Friday.

A large crowd formed outside the medical centre and his home, playing Jackson’s music, as news crews and reporters jostled for stories and as news helicopters hovered overhead.

Corral said that he had suffered a cardiac arrest and local media reported Jackson had not been breathing when paramedics reached him. Reports from hospital first said he was in a coma, before numerous media reported his death.

Rest of the news here.

Above picture courtesy: Topnews

+++

No matter how much some intellectuals tried to wish it away, Slumdog Millionaire like a bad dream comes back again and again.  It created history by sweeping 8 oscars.

Meanwhile, AR Rahman scored another massive victory in an impressively star studded career with 2 Oscar awards.  One for the original background score and one for Original Song (Jai ho) which was written by none other than Gulzar himself.

Am awesome day at the Oscars for India as the documentary, Smile Pinki, a heart-warming tale of a poor Indian village girl whose cleft lip made her a social outcast won the award for the best short documentary.

Many people look at Slumdog as poverty porn.  I look at it as the coming of age of Indians who by sheer determination and hard work are making a mark in the world.  They dont crib over their poverty and hardships; instead work hard to rise above all that life has to offer.  There are millions of examples around us and we just need to look around.

A perfect example of the same is AR Rahman.  From having to support his family as a young man after the untimely death of his father, he took to music and his dedication to his craft has brought him to the place where he is today.

“I want to thank everyone. The essence of the film is optimism and hope. All through my life I had the choice of love and hate…I chose love and I am here” an elated Rahman said.

The composer was overwhelmed and interspersed his speech with Hindi as well as Tamil on receiving the coveted trophy.

“There is a dialogue from an old Hindi film,”Mere paas ma hai” – which means I have nothing but a mother. My mother is here, I have her blessings. I am glad she could be here” said Rahman.

He ended the acceptance speech by saying “God is great” in Tamil, something he says after winning every award.

Meanwhile, sound engineer Resul Pookutty became the third Indian to bring Oscar glory for India by winning the award for sound mixing in Slumdog Millionaire.

“I dedicate this award to my country. This is not just a sound award but a piece of history that has been handed over to me” a beaming and emotional Pookutty said while dedicating the trophy to a billion Indians.

“I come from a country and civilisation that gave the world the word that precedes silence and is followed by more silence. That word is ‘Om’. So I dedicate this award to my country” said Kerala-born sound technician.

Pookutty shared the honours with colleagues Ian Tapp and Richard Pryke.

“This is unbelievable. I share the stage with two magicians, who captured the noise and cacophony of Mumbai to create the soul stirring artful sound of Slumdog Millionaire” he said.

+++

Jennifer Love Hewitt – Barenaked

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCXNe-yJWC4]

Youtube link

Madison Avenue – Don’t call me baby

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4-PcMSxrUA]

Youtube link

Eric Clapton – My father’s eyes

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8Or-NEc-O4]

Youtube link

John Denver – Country roads take me home

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC8nDdPM_Qk]

Youtube link

+++