July 30

Sonu Nigam is the answer to a long-standing question of mine: where do the songs in Bollywood films come from? Nigam is what's known in Bollywood circles as a playback artist, the singer of a movie's song that the actor lip-syncs for the film. Contrary to the experience in Western entertainment, it's expected and respected. Here's an example from one of my favorite Bollywood films:



The scene is from "Om Shanti Om", one of my favorite Bollywood films. And though I had figured out it wasn't movie star Shah Rukh Khan singing (else, I'd have read about his magnificent music career, instead of just his magnificent movie career) I didn't know who in the credits sang the songs. Now I know: it can be a different singer for each song.
Sonu Nigam is a second-generation singer, whose star rose after he began appearing on a popular music talent show in his 20's. He's worked extremely hard to reach his level of popularity in India; he's released albums in over a dozen languages (because India's that big, and I'm still wrapping my head around this.)
Here's the real Sonu Nigam, in a music video for one of his songs:

He's trying to launch his own film career (no idea if he sings all the songs in his films) but he's more recognized for his musical talent.

I'm used to Hollywood standards, taking for granted that the actors singing onscreen are generating their own musical voices (Glee, Moulin Rouge, Across the Universe) even if I know they're not generating the songs on-set. The first Western equivalent that comes to mind is Turturro's "Romance and Cigarettes," and the effect was jarring, too obvious (one of many problems with that film.) I've also seen it work (John Waters' "Crybaby" comes to mind.) It's one more string to the illusion, and it can still achieve the desired effect; one character unleashing the song in their heart for the world to hear...)

November 2

No contest about today's birthday artist. Shahrukh Khan is one of the biggest stars in Bollywood - like Will Smith big. Seriously, Newsweek named Khan one of the 50 most powerful people on the planet. Personally speaking, the Indian movies that I've watched and re-watched all feature him.
For anybody who wants to dip their toes into Bollywood cinema, I'm going to recommend "Om Shanti Om". It's the perfect example of what Bollywood does best: offer a buffet of genres in one film, with exuberance and wonder. You can find the entire movie on Google video here; if you don't have two and a half hours, here's a sample...

September 13

Today’s Bollywood film star Mahima Chaudhry’s birthday. Apropos of nothing, I just wanted to show some Bollywood, so here’s Mahima! From what little I’ve read, she’s the Halle Berry of Mumbai: a box office draw who’s won India’ equivalent of the Oscar, but that’s not the assets everyone’s raving about…


We featured an Indian; why not a cowboy? Randy Jones is best known for originating the Cowboy persona in the Village People, a role he filled until 1991. I guess being known as “The Cowboy” is better than ‘the guy that stands all the way to the left”

He kept the hat, when his solo career needs a goosing. Yes, he’s still performing, and he even had a cameo in this season’s “Flight of the Conchords.”

Ever seen the Mark Wahlberg movie, “Rock Star”? Well, it’s about 30 percent true. Judas Priest did, in fact, recruit second singer Tim “Ripper” Owens based on footage of him singing with a Judas Priest cover band. The story became a magazine article, which became the nuggest of a script that became “Rock Star”. But the real story is happier, if less dramatic.
Ripper stayed in Priest for seven years and recorded two studio albums with them. The same year Halford returned to Priest, Ripper became the replacement singer for another iconic metal band, Iced Earth. That gig lasted until their original singer returned as well, but this year, he’s singing for Yngvie Malmstein’s Rising Force, which has never had a signature vocalist to try to get their job back. And just in case, Ripper’s got a solo album out too.
I like my metal with uplift and spaceships, so here’s Ripper during his tenure at Iced Earth:


There’s a lot to admire about Don Fagerson, known to the world as Don Was. Don’s been an album producer for everyone from Bonnie Raitt and the B-52’s to Iggy Pop and the Rolling Stones.; he produced the best album Hootie and the Blowfish ever made.
But he also started Was Not Was, a producer project featuring moderately successful Detroit peers and hometown legends. And I originally picked him as an excuse to play the 80’s earworm, “Walk the Dinosaur”…
…but then, I had to throw in the title track from the album of whence it came. I mean, who’d be brave enough to follow “Walk the Dinosaur,” with this?

If all of this is just too much before your time, realize that his son is the drummer of Eve 6. Now, shell out the money for that fruit bouquet…