It came with much surprise when I heard that the BBC would be cutting their Asian Network, it came with much surprise. Since its establishment, the BBC Asian Network has grown to become one of the largest platforms for South Asian artists & producers to showcase their talents. From rising producers to established, award-winning artists, the BBC Asian Network has become a home for us all.

We’ve spent our weekdays listening to Adil Ray catching up with Bollywood stars and jamming away to Sonny Ji’s Bhangra Mixtape. Many of us have partied our way to the clubs with DJ Kayper as she mixes the best of Hip-Hop, R&B, Reggae/Dancehall, 80’s and Soul with Bhangra & Bollywood tracks. And it goes without saying that we’ve created much love for some of our favorite Asian Network hosts like Bobby Friction & Nihal.

Without a doubt, the BBC Asian Network and all the hosts have been our support from day one; it’s time that we help them out when it’s most needed. I request that you please sign the petition to save the BBC Asian Network. It will only take 10 seconds to do so, and you’ll be helping the South Asian music industry in a large way.

Thank you for your time and let’s save the BBC Asian Network!

The highly anticipated, My Name is Khan, can only be described as one word after it’s opening weekend: outstanding. It grossed $761,000 for a 4% increase over Saturday. The figures from its first Sunday release ranked as the highest one-day gross ever for any Hindi-language film in North America! Talk about making a success movie Karan Johar! The Fox Searchlight release’s revised opening weekend figure for February 12-14 now stands at $1,939,000 – still a new all-time record for a Hindi film beating the $1,764,131 of 2007’s Om Shanti Om. And believe it or not, theaters across the country reported sold out shows and even had to turn moviegoers away!

Recently Shahrukh Khan and Kajol were in New York City, and they started talking about the other actors in the film. Suddenly Shahrukh said, “…they were outstanding, amazing talent, so it was really wonderful to work with them. There’s a lady who played Mama Jenny in the film. She told me, “Inshallah when this film wins the Oscar you guys have to come to LA to eat ice cream at my house,’.”

With that I’d like to present to you an intimate interview with actress Jennifer Echols, whom we so lovingly call Mama Jenny.

Jennifer, please give our readers a little bit about yourself! How long have you been acting and when did you get your first ‘break.’
In my opinion, my acting began in junior high school. However, I’m very sure there are countless people who would seriously disagree with that.  I landed my first ‘break’ in a Guest Star role on the TV show Married with…Children.

You’ve acted in an array of films and television shows. What is the main difference you find in preparing for a television role versus a film role?
Mainly the time allotted to prepare the…

I maybe got home from the movie theater about 20 minutes ago and immediately sat down in front of my computer. What can I possibly write about this movie, so that as a writer, I can give justice, I thought to myself.

Throughout the entire movie, it was dead silent. You could literary hear a pin drop. The only time there was noise was at the end when the audience gave the film a standing ovation, cheered, and whistled.

Job well done Karan Johar; job well done.

After having met Shahrukh Khan and Kajol and hearing them talk about the passion, emotion & depth which went into making My Name is Khan, everything was completely understood after seeing their on-screen chemistry that night.Shahrukh Khan plays the character of Rizwan Khan who suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder, in which affected people show significant difficulties in social interaction, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.

In regards to playing a character with an Autistic disorder, Shahrukh told us:
Actually, I have been very interested in what is known as neruo-atypical behavior. I won’t say I enjoy it, but I’m very intrigued about how a different mind thinks. It’s very easy for all of us to sit down and say ‘Oh this person is abnormal’ but I want to know does he think the same about us? When I was younger, I was in a theatre group and we did a lot of work with autistic children and that’s where the interest started. And about four or five years back, a book had come out called “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nightime” about a little kid who has autism. I was really moved by that novel and I gave it to Karan and…

When it comes to Bollywood, producers & directors always try to be one step above the rest. Whether it’s a dance sequence shot on the outskirts of the Himalayas, or taking permission to film within Universal Studios, our film industry is known to go above and beyond.

But over the past few years, Bollywood has stepped into a different route – animation.

We go out first taste of Bollywood starts in an animated way when the King Khan himself, Shahrukh Khan, lent his voice to a cartoon character in the Disney movie Hum Hain Lajawab. And it was extra-special for SRK as his son, Aryan, accompanied him in this endeavor as well.

Khan had stated, “I was not sure if he would pass the audition test, but he did a good job and I’m happy he has already got his first pay check,” in regards to Aryan’s voice over for the character Tez Pal. Shahrukh Khan was given the character of Mr. Lajawaab in the movie, which is a Hindi remake of Disney’s ever-so popular, The Incredibles.

Khan then went onto say, “In Hollywood cartoon movies characters are written keeping in mind the Hollywood stars who will voice over. But this character is completely unlike me.”

Sureet Sandhu is a name quite familiar to music enthusiasts here in the US. And after a two year hiatus, he’s back with a bang as he releases his next mixtape, Renegades Volume 4: Forever.

We asked Sureet about the new release and he said it, “features some great established and up-and-coming South Asian Artists such as Sir Aah, Raja Wilco, Swami Baracus, Pacifik, Seminar, Kaly, Ko the Timeless, Ajaxxx, and many more!”

Well, that right there is a mouthful!

One of the tracks on there which I really enjoyed when I heard it for the first time was It Was Written, featuring Young Pharaoh, produced by Sureet Sandhu and P. Nox Productions. Sureet says that the beat is a mix of “hip-hop on a conscious tip.” Continuing that the beat is also quite, “melodic and emotional, which I think is portrayed by the acoustic guitar riff. The drums are mainly arranged using “can” sounds, which gives it that sense of rawness.” As powerful as the beat it’s self is, Young Pharaoh portrays and depicts true emotion just through the chorus of the song which is, “Sometimes the bad guy wins and the good die young, life is like a test, judgment day gonna come, it was written, whether pain or love, no excuse for the actions, only God can judge.”

Another song which I really enjoyed listening to was 2 The Top, by Ajaxxx. His energy is felt from the start of the track when he raps, “I’m back on the beat by Sureet, and it’s heat…I’m knee deep in the vibe, so put it on repeat.” He continues to rap, “Sureet hit me off, now I’m back to my business…I’m back to the rap, act two, don’t miss it.”

But enough of me talking about all these tracks. I asked…

Yes, that’s right, the King Khan himself, Mr. Shahrukh Khan, has proposed to a lovely and sweet Gujarati girl!

Alright, he isn’t literally marrying her, but the gesture was sweet! When I heard that Shahrukh Khan got down on one knee and proposed to 20-year-old Tillana Desai, I had to get my journalist-cap on and find out the true details!

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first and only place where you’ll get to see the official photographs of Tillana Desai and The King Khan down on one knee, proposing to her!

So what really happened?!

Tillana told me, “the experience was magical…I did it just to express my admiration and respect for him.” She went onto say, “he’s a fantastic human being…but at the same time, I know I can’t really marry him..so on impulse, to keep my heart, he went down on his knees…I told him I always wanted to marry him since the age of 7…he said I cant marry you in real but we can rehearse!!! And then he asked me, Tillana, will you marry me? There was nothing or no one in the world that would make me say no!”

RDB & Nindy Kaur have taken over everything like there’s no tomorrow. It’s only a matter of time till little kids are taking lunch boxes to school that say ‘Aloo Chaat’ with a picture of RDB or their nominated for an MTV Music Award! Trust me, it’s RDB & Nindy Kaur – anything, and I mean anything, is possible. And they’ve shown just that; if you believe in what you’re most passionate about, you can achieve the impossible.

From touring across the world to four hit songs this year to performing at the biggest wedding in Bollywood, they’ve done that plus more! Now to me, their Kuly, Manj, Surj & Nindy; but to the rest of the world their idols, role models, and celebrities.

In between performing across India and preparing for the holidays, I had the pleasure (as always *wink wink*) to catch up with these amazing musicians for an exclusive interview. For your reading pleasure, I present, one final sit-down with RDB & Nindy Kaur before the New Year!

Wow, you guys have had one heck of a year. Tell us, what was your most memorable moment 2009?
Kuly: As always touring with my brothers and sister in-law…seeing the tracks we’ve been making really light up fans faces…you just cant beat that feeling.

Manj: It has to be touring with the whole family; this includes Anoop, my son. Every time we got onto stage he would just run on and take the show over…he’s absolute nutcase just like his parents…haha!

Surj: For me it has to be the tours in India. It was great fun, and met so many new people.

Nindy: Performances and video shoos are hand-in-hand for me. But I’m going with video shoots. We shot the video for my song Akhiyan…

The first time I met G-Deep was about four years ago. I’m good friends with his cousin and he told me he wanted to introduce me to someone who sang…first he played his songs for me in the car and the next time I met the real deal. From the first time I met G-Deep, I knew that he was going to do a lot of big things; but I never thought that he was going to do a collabo with Wu-Tang Clan member, Cappadonna and R&B sensation Senjh. But if you believe in something with the same amount of passion and determination as G-Deep anything is possible.

Recently G-Deep shot the video for his forthcoming track, ‘Nach Le,’ at Fire & Ice in Woodbridge, NJ. With a storm storm heading their way, they didn’t let anything get in their way of making this smash-hit.

Kiran Kaur, part of G-Deep’s management team asserts, “In the era of social networking, mergers and acquisitions, alliances and partnerships; it is through music collaborations that the world will first become one. Regardless of the genre, music is a universal language. A language that builds bridges, closes gaps, amalgamates cultures and unites us on the dance floor. The collaboration of Hip-Hop legend Cappadonna of Wu Tang Clan, with recording artist G-Deep, and the talented R&B producer/singer/song-Writer ‘Senjh’ does just that – “unites us on the dance floor.” Their combined musical talents fuse perfectly to form an unmistakable sound destined for chart topping success and platinum record sales.”

Right there, she pretty much summed it all up!

With all the limelight falling on his affairs with over 15 women (at least the ones we know of), Tiger Woods has lost almost all his endorsements. However, i recent days, he’s got one endorsement which is right up his alley…

He’s recently been offered an endorsement deal from a strip club. The question now is whether or not Tiger will take the deal or not. Come to think about it, the one million dollars they’re offering may come in handy now that you’re sponsors and wife are going away.

Executives at Scores Gentlemen’s Club have written a formal letter to Tiger offering him the cash, and what do you know, we’ve got what it says right here:

Dear Mr. Tiger Woods,

As the nation watches your endorsement deals collapse in the wake of your adultery scandal and doors have been closing on many sponsorships and opportunities, we would like to take this time to present you with an opportunity where we open the doors back up to endorsements…

As we took note that you have recently lost endorsements and advertising spots for products such as Gillette and Gatorade, we thought you might be interested in a new endorsement deal with our establishment.

As we recently re-opened under new ownership and management, SCORES would be honored to have you endorse our club and be employed by us as our Human Resources Director, for which, we will offer you a fee of $1 million. We would also like your help in the design of a new room, to be dedicated as the “Tiger Woods Room.” We believe that you have the knowledge and expertise to succeed in this role, should you accept this offer.

We look forward to your response.

Not sure what Tiger’s first reaction was when he…

Kanye West might have bailed on Lady Gaga for their tour together, but he didn’t bail on her when it came ot their photoshoot together. As you can see from the picture, Lady Gaga & Kanye has quite the time as they spent the day shooting with fame-photographer David LaChappelle.

I guess we’ll just have to see what these two can to together both in front of and away from the camera