Aziz Ansari apparently played the same character in Scrubs as in Funny People and Parks and Recreation. But that one character is hilarious.
Here’s how he was written off when he landed Parks and its inevitable schedule conflict. Playing an underperforming desi med student is breaking stereotypes of a sort:
Inspired by flash mob musicals, employees of Portugal’s national airline staged one of their own at Lisbon airport two days before Christmas. Tracks included lots of Mariah, ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ ‘Dancing Queen,’ ‘Mack the Knife,’ a Portuguese pop song and, of course, some Bollywood-style music. At 5:46, they dance to ‘Chori Chori Hum Gori Se‘ from [...]
Dileep Rao shows up briefly in this clip from Avatar, James Cameron’s high-tech yet Luddite tale of a soldier going native. The story evokes some obvious parallels like the European colonization of the New World. Cameron reportedly paid close attention to fashioning a bow-and-arrow culture which rides steeds bareback going up against white men with [...]
Journalist Anup Kaphle embedded with British troops in Afghanistan and got this fantastic footage of Gurkhas bonding with Afghans over Bollywood and Urdu:
The report was partly funded by SAJA. (via Andrew Sullivan)
Related posts: One more ride on the Kabul Express, Retro ‘Express’, The yellow badge of courage
Now that an 11/26 recon man was found in the U.S., says Aasif Mandvi, India has no choice but to invade the U.S.
Seen an American TV show recently? Invasion underway.
On Parks’ all-Aziz special, Ansari passes out at a strip club, mooning over the green card wife he just divorced. Then gets man-carried home. Bullocks, she’s from Canada.
Related post: ‘Parks’ a re-creation
In this entertaining snip from the documentary Good Hair, Chris Rock returns from Chennai to meet an Indian-American hair merchant. Vijay Gupta carries $15K of weaves in a rolling suitcase, selling to Beverly Hills salons:
The real juice of the doc is a barbershop discussion when a black man says the last time he was allowed [...]
Wyclef Jean, Cyndi Lauper, DJ Rekha and Neel Murgai performed ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ on Letterman last night (thanks, Joolz). The track’s sweet, poppish melody sounds like Maya lyrics crossed with Cornershop sitar.
And to answer your burning question: Cyndi’s 56, but she still rocks it.
Kumail Nanjiani unfurled his eyebrows for comedy on Letterman Friday night. It’s interesting how every standup comic who’s not black or white starts with a joke about his ethnicity. Nanjiani didn’t riff off it too much, slowed down his set and kept it clean for primetime.
Letterman’s intro was a touch awkward. He seems like he’s [...]
Stephen Colbert riffed last night on the leaked memo telling Indian cricketers to have sex before a match because it increases testosterone. It’s such a pleasure to finally have the phrase ’sticky wicket’ handled correctly.
American ice dancing pair Meryl Davis and Charlie White won the NHK Trophy on Sunday, rising into the lead with a medley of ‘Kajra Re,’ ‘Dola Re Dola’ and ‘Silsila Yeh Chahat Ka’ (thanks, blackmamba):
Davis and White were first after the original dance [the Bollywood medley] and were awarded 100.79 points following a strong free [...]
Kumail Nanjiani, who plays Gitmo Guy on The Colbert Report, gives you advice on the latest new drug cocktail (at 4:40). He’s on Comedy Central tonight at 11pm ET / 8pm PT as the warmup act for ‘Live at Gotham.’
He began performing at open-mike nights eight years ago at the Cubby Bear in Chicago, where [...]
Decked out in pimp suit and dreads, Aziz ‘T-Pain’ Ansari gets a Halloween party started. 1 minute clip.
Happy Heteroween.
From the Rupa and the April Fishes show last night in SF, their hometown album release party: