DesirÉE

Mystery Masterpiece- 29,477,400 INR
To call it a mere pen would be committing an unforgivable sin, to describe it as a jewel that also writes, is more like it. Yet, words might be inadequate in praise of this creation. A combined handiwork of Montblanc and Van Cleef & Arpels to celebrate their 2006 expositions, every piece of this “Mystery Masterpiece” and absolute ‘work-of-art’ comes with (brace yourself). . . 840 diamond studs and 20 carats of gemstones! And, if that didn’t impress you, one can choose from the pen range of rubies, sapphires or emeralds, and highlighted with the brilliance of diamonds. Doesn’t make your decision making any easier, does it?

SSC Ultimate Aero–26,523,614 INR
It doesn’t take a car-crazy to fall in love with this baby! The SSS (Shelby Super Cars) Ultimate Aero is America’s response to sports car market & a brilliant one at that! Not only is it claimed to be the fastest car ever produced but is one of the most elitist of its kind! With mechanics based on Langley wind tunnel calculations, it’s created to run with the wind! It comes with a highly modified V8 engine & is completely low in volume. For those of you who desire this baby, you’d better be fast for there are just 12 of its kind available.

Animated Toy Robot – 1,680,283 INR
If you thought you’ve been spoiling your kid silly, buying him the latest toys in town, just be grateful your little boy hasn’t yet laid eyes on the ‘Gundam’. This robot toy is a brilliant imitation by Japan’s toy maker Ginza Tanaka of a famed animated robot character. While at first glance, it may seem like just a regular 5 inch tall nut-bolt-screw masterpiece, yet this li’l baby weighing all of 1,400 grams, is made in pure platinum! Maybe for just once in history, this is one toy that both parents & kids alike will find irresistible! That leads us to another question, who gets to keep it?

Pat Says Now Mouse- 979,821.945 INR
After spending so much time on your PC, here’s your chance to fuss over it now with a Pat Says Now mouse. So what’s so special about this mouse? Apart from being the world’s most expensive mouse, it comes encrusted with 59 diamonds that are placed in designs of your choice, including your initials. Moreover, this marvel is not just eye candy alone, it actually works! Mac or PC compatible it is a three button optical wheel & comes with a three year warranty too! Definitely, something to feast your eyes. . . rather your fingers on!

J. Lo sets charity event a Glow
It started as a typical benefit dinner for children in the buzzing city of New York until the star couple arrived – Jennifer Lopez & hubby Marc Anthony – & turned the event around. From the Bronx herself, Jenny voiced her support for such programmes, which in her childhood had helped her too. The couple’s entry made the crowds ecstatic & the couple happily humoured the paparazzi by answering their questions & posing for the shutterbugs. And to give the day a perfect finish, Marc even sang for every one.

Heavy dut(t)y stress
No amount of working out will help relieve Sanjay Dutt from all the stress. After being burdened with court hearings time & again, followed by countless allegations & mindless gossip, the poor guy is weary to the bone. So much so, that a couple of his vertebrae bones have suddenly given away. The big guy has been in such agony that a trip to his doctor has become as routine as a trip to the gym. Someone give Sanju Baba a jaadu ki jhappi right this minute!

Sen in Sunderbans
After living most of her life in the concrete jungles of India, Raima is now spending her time in the real jungles for a change. Her upcoming film Japanese Wife requires her to spend a few days shooting in the Sunderbans along with co-star Rahul Bose. So does the city gal mind parting with the luxuries of mobile phones, plush restaurants & the likes? Not at all, for as it turns out, the girl’s absolutely loving it! Looks like Raima’s getting to know her wild side!

Blah-Blah!

Courtney to quit courting cigarettes!
Some things you love just aren’t good for you, that’s why Courtney’s been told to quit her long-time habit of smoking. Apparently, after the doc discovered nodules in her throat, the 42-year-old singer was told she would have to give up singing if she continued to smoke. Along with saying good bye to cigarettes, Courtney’s also preparing to kiss away her ‘slim phase’, for she’s already expecting to gain excess baggage once she quits. Don’t worry Love, you’ll Live Through This.

Groomed for greatness!
Shilpa Shetty is pretty busy these days preparing for her trip to the IIFA awards – after all, she’s got a huge fan following post the whole Big Brother episode(s). And Shilpa’s really getting ready for her UK fans & is having a whole new wardrobe created by renowned designers for the event. She’s reportedly planned her outfits for the various events in hues of blue, white & emerald green. And with a well-toned body to carry out the outfits, she’ll be dressed to kill!

A well ‘tay(i)lor’ed story!
Taylor Hicks has been all smiles lately. First, he won the Season 5 of American Idol, & then got voted as People’s 2006 Most Eligible Bachelor! And by the looks of it Taylor’s really enjoying his bachelorhood! The very private Hicks was seen having a gala time with a blonde babe at a Hawaii beach. It wasn’t long before the Soul Patrol identified the lady to be Caroline Lyders, anchor the morning show of WISN TV – 12 News This Morning. Pictures of the duo canoodling at the beach have aroused pretty much everybody’s curiosity but for now Lyders has brushed off the hook-up with the usual ‘We’re just friends’ line. Well actions speak louder than words!

Aniston’s back with Pitt!
Ok, not with Pitt but with Pitt’s look-a-like! Ever since her breakup with Vince Vaughan last year, Jennifer Aniston has taken her own sweet time to get back into the game. So, after a long lull when Jen was spotted spending a memorable Memorial Day weekend with a hunk, everyone got up & took notice. Later, she was even seen having a romantic three-hour long candlelit dinner with the handsome Mr. Mysterious who had an uncanny resemblance to her ex-husband Brad Pitt! It didn’t take long for Jennifer’s new hottie to be identified, who turned out to be the 36-year old British model, Paul Sculfor. And from what we hear, Sculfor is a thorough gentleman who really knows how to make women feel special. Looks like the beginning of really nice times for Jen...

Think about a US loved by all & think of it sans Bush
Al Gore is a mortal, most deserving to become President of the US. But does he want to be one?

(column by Bob Herberrt Op-ed Columnist The New York Times)

Al Gore is earnestly talking about the long-term implications of the energy and climate crises, and how the Arctic ice cap is receding much faster than computer models had predicted, and how difficult and delicate a task it will be to try and set things straight in Iraq.

You look at him and you can’t help thinking how bizarre it is that this particular political figure, perhaps the most qualified person in the country to be the President, is sitting in a wing chair in a hotel room in Manhattan rather than in the White House. He’s pushing his book “The Assault on Reason.” I find myself speculating on what might have been if the man who got the most votes in 2000 had actually become President. It’s like imagining an alternate universe!!!

The war in Iraq would never have occurred. Support and respect for the US around the globe would not have plummeted to levels that are both embarrassing and dangerous. The surpluses of the Clinton years would not have been squandered like casino chips in the hands of a compulsive gambler on a monumental losing streak.

Gore takes a blowtorch to the Bush administration in his book. He argues that the free and open democratic processes that have made the US such a special place have been undermined by the administration’s cynicism and excessive secrecy and by its shameless & relentless exploitation of the public’s fear of terror.

The Bush crowd, he said, has jettisoned logic, reason and reflective thought in favour of wishful thinking in the service of an extreme political ideology. It has turned its back on reality, with tragic results. So where does that leave Gore? If the Republic is in such deep trouble and the former VP knows what to do about it, why doesn’t he have an obligation to run for President? I asked him if he didn’t owe that to his fellow citizens. He seemed taken aback. “Well, I respect the logic behind that question,” he said. “I also am under no illusion that there is any position that even approaches that of President in terms of an inherent ability to affect the course of events.”

But while leaving the door to a possible run carefully ajar, he candidly mentioned a couple of personal reasons why he is disinclined to seek the presidency again.

“You know,” he said, “I don’t really think I’m that good at politics, to tell the truth.” He smiled. “Some people find out important things about themselves early in life. Others take a long time.” He burst into a loud laughter as he added, “I think I’m breaking through my denial.”

I noted that he had at least been good enough to attract more votes than George W. Bush. “Well, there was that,” he said, laughing again. “But what politics has become requires a level of tolerance for triviality and artifice and nonsense that I find I have in short supply.”

Gore is passionate about the issues he is focused on – global warming, the decline of rational discourse in American public life, the damage done to the nation over the past several years. And he has contempt for the notion that such important and complex matters can be seriously addressed in sound-bite sentences or 30-second television ads, which is how presidential campaigns are conducted. He pressed this point when he talked about Iraq.

“One of the hallmarks of a strategic catastrophe,” he said, “is that it creates a cul-de-sac from which there are no good avenues of easy departure. Taking charge of the war policy & extricating our troops quickly without making a horrible situation worse is a little like grabbing a steering wheel in the middle of a skid.”

There is no quick and easy formula, he said. A new leader implementing a new policy on Iraq would have to get a feel for the overall situation. The objective, however, should be clear: “To get our troops out of there as soon as possible while simultaneously observing the moral duty that all of us share to remove our troops in a way that doesn’t do further avoidable damage to the people who live there.”

(End of Bob Herberrt column)