Monsoon Preview

MOVIES
Raavan Abhishek Bachchan is a bandit tribal avenging his sister’s death by kidnapping the wife (Aishwarya Rai) of the vile law enforcer who killed her. Got that? Easier to grasp is the play on the Ramayan‘s notions of good and evil. Out June 18

Knight and Day Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz reunite for the first time since Vanilla Sky in this farcical action romp with Cruise as a secret agent on the run who drags Diaz along for the ride. Out June 25

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse Twilighters, gird your loins. Robert Pattinson returns as broody vampire Edward. As always, he’s fighting for his human lady love Bella, all while battling werewolves and a manic army of evil vampires. Out July 2

I Hate Luv Storys Director Puneet Malhotra (nephew of designer Manish Malhotra) borrows heavily from the kings of popcorn romance Yash Chopra and Karan Johar for his directorial debut. Sonam Kapoor is the syrupy heroine seeking the fantasy love story and Imran Khan the yielding cynic who taps into his closet loverboy all too soon. Out July 2

Inception Director Christopher Nolan spins a dark tale of a fugitive dream snatcher (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is offered a chance at redemption by “planting” rather than stealing ideas from a person’s subconscious. Nolan spent 10 years working on the script so expect a gripping yarn on level with Nolan’s other memory-based film Memento. Out July 16

Also Out Robin Hood, Sex and the City 2 (June 11); Toy Story 3, The A-Team, (June 25); and Salt (July 23).

MUSIC
Free New Albums Download a new track (one each week) from pop-rock singer-songwriter Ashu Phatak’s new album Petri Dish via his club Blue Frog’s website; for the next seven months starting from July, Indian Ocean will post one tune a month from their new seven-song collection 16/330 Khajoor Road on their official website. Meanwhile, the city’s best-loved electro-pop act Shaa’ir + Func, which has been shelling out rough cuts of tracks from their long-awaited third album Mantis, should finally release the mastered version online.

Watch Music Festivals If, like most of us, you can’t make it to any of the big music festivals in the UK and the US this summer, you can still catch much of the action online. YouTube will be broadcasting Bonnaroo live from Manchester, Tennessee from June 10-13, and the BBC website will be streaming highlights from Glastonbury all through the festival, which runs from June 23-27.

Update Your Podcasts A good place to start is the iTunes* Top Podcast chart, which lists the 200 most popular podcasts in America. Music wise, we recommend NPR’s All Songs Considered, a show that should please music geeks of all dispositions, and IndieFeed, a one-song podcast updated every couple of days. (*You need to download iTunes on to your computer, and set your “country” setting to the US.)

Go for Gigs House music producer-DJ Bob “World Hold On” Sinclair will perform at Hard Rock Café on June 19; the Rolling Stones Metal Awards, featuring a performance by Scribe, takes place at Blue Frog on Sunday, June 20, and Kartick and Gotam, the men behind acclaimed World music documentary The Laya Project, will bring their electro-folk-fusion project Business Class Refugees to the Lower Parel club on July 16.

Also Out (To Buy) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse soundtrack, appropriately featuring The Dead Weather and Vampire Weekend. Scheduled for release in July are Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite and Maya by M.I.A.

TELEVISION
FIFA World Cup Held once every four years, the World Cup is the most watched sporting event in the world, with 32 nations participating in a grueling one-month championship. Say Goaaaaaal! From June 11 to July 11 on ESPN Star Sports.

CSI: New York Tragedy stalks New York’s tenacious crime scene investigators in the sixth season of the forensic investigation drama series. Season 5 concluded with an attack on the entire CSI team by a mysterious gunman. The plot gets further twisted as a new serial killer emerges to hold New York City ransom. Starts June 14, Monday to Thursday, 11 pm on AXN.

Wimbledon Federer fans, get ready. The grass court Grand Slam is the Swiss champ’s undisputed territory. Can he successfully defend his 2009 title?  From June 21 to July 4 on ESPN Star Sports.

Glee A misfit group of students try to sing their way into popularity in this wildly popular US TV show that’s part musical and part comedy. With dramatic story lines and students breaking out in song (watch out for the Madonna-themed episode), it’s a little bit Bollywood, which may not be such a bad thing. Starting June 25, Friday to Sunday at 10pm on Star World.

BOOKS
At Home: A Short History of Private Life Trust Bill Bryson to make being lazy a productive affair. The author best known for his fantastic travel writing (Notes From A Small Country and Down Under) decided to write a history of the world without stepping out of his house and the result was At Home: A Short History of Private Life. The most unexpected questions are raised in the process, including how many times rats have sex. Random House, Rs950, out in June.

Hitch-22 Apparently, one of the first things that a toddler Christopher Hitchens said is “Let’s all go have a drink at the pub.” Even if you haven’t read this celebrated journalist’s writing, how can you resist his memoir? Hitchens counts among his friends literary greats like Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and Ian McEwan. His list of estranged friends include Susan Sontag and Edward Said. Hitchens is known for his provocative, erudite and hilarious writing and Hitch-22 promises to be one of the most enjoyable strolls down memory lane ever. Atlantic, Rs599, out in June.

Kumari Loves Monsters Rashmi Ruth Devadasan is the author of Kumari Loves Monsters in which Devadasan introduces us to good South Indian girls who love monsters. It’s even sillier than Pride and Prejudice with zombies but an absolute delight. Of course, having watched moustachioed heroes on Sun TV, we can see why the Southern maidens might prefer the monsters. Blaft Publications, Rs 395, out in June.

Serious Men Journalist Manu Joseph’s first novel revolves around a man whom some would call a storyteller and the less forgiving would call a liar. Ayyan Mani has an unremarkable life but in his head, he has fantastic stories, which he somehow ends up using to affect inter-office politics at an astronomy institute (of all things). Harper Collins, Rs 499, out in June.

FOOD & NIGHTLIFE
The Comedy Store So far, “laughter challenges” on TV have defined India’s stand on comedy, but Don Ward, founder of the UK entertainment venue The Comedy Store, believes the country is ready for gags and punchlines from seasoned, international stand-up artists (local talent will get their shot on amateur nights). Opens June 10. Palladium Mall, Level 3, Phoenix Mills, Lower Parel.

Le15 Patisserie A patisserie within a spa is the sort of indulgence we applaud. Pooja Dhingra, a Le Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chef and caterer bound herself to a kitchen for many months, perfecting the menu for her soon-to-open dessert counter located in her friend’s spa in Worli. We recommend her macaroons, mini cupcakes and bite-size truffles. Opens June 15. Shama Salon and Spa, Krishna building, near Podar Hospital, Worli.

Cinnabon The American baked goods chain is replacing a health juice bar that failed to lure Gold’s Gym’s brawny crowd post workout. We’re not sure whether a bakery dealing in aromatic cinnamon-laced pastries will have better luck, but with offerings like caramel pecanbons, cinnabites and mochalattas, we’re guessing few will be able to resist. Opens June 14 in Bandra, near Gold’s Gym, Pali Naka, and June 21 in Juhu, opposite the Ramada Plaza Palm Grove hotel, Juhu beach.