Great Findings

Former American Idol Contestant Paula GoodSpeed found Dead, In Front of Paula Abduls House

Paula Goodspeed was found dead outside of Paula Abdul’s home on Tuesday, November 11, 2008. She was 30 years old, and the cause of death has been ruled a suicide, a drug overdose. Appearing on American Idol in 2006, Paula Goodspeed never made it past the first audition. Simon Cowell made a comment regarding her braces and she was eliminated due to the fact that her singing was, less than stunning. However, looking back at the video now, there are signs that Paula Goodspeed was less than stable.

When interviewed, Paula Goodspeed revealed that she had been a fan of Paula Abdul’s since she was a little girl. She also claimed that she had been drawing life-sized portraits of Paula Abdul. The fact that Paula Goodspeed had been obsessed with Paula Abdul makes many wonder how the future of American Idol will deal with this tragedy. In fact, Paula Goodspeed was so obsessed with Paula Abdul, that she changed her name, sixteen years ago. Paula Goodspeed’s real name is Sandra, indicating that when she had auditioned for American Idol, she had already been harvesting a lifelong obsession for Miss Abdul, including changing her name.

Paula Goodspeed - American Idol Audition

There are many questions being asked regarding American Idol and the way it treats contestants. First, the spotlight is focusing on Simon Cowell and his habitual rude dealings with contestants. When those auditioning for American Idol have handicaps, disabilities, or suffer from mental illness should they be made fun of? However, the question remains, how are the producers to know whether or not the contestants have disabilities. Yes, some are physical and can be seen visibly, but those like the type Paula Goodspeed suffers from are worn inside the mind. They seemingly appear like they are balanced and stable, yet after time progresses and looking back in hindsight, you can clearly see the indications that things weren’t as they appeared to be. Such is the case with Paula Goodspeed.

The fact remains that American Idol is a live reality show. They go from city to city auditioning real people to make the cut. However, if you review the terms of the American Idol website, you grant them all rights to use your audition tape in any way they see fit. This is evidenced by the many episodes of Idol Rewind where they play the “worst of the worst” and evoke laughter by showcasing those whose performances were, quite frankly, awful. Yet, should this practice continue? Even when we know that some of these contestants who appear to be off kilter, actually are?

American Idol is entering its 13th season, and with it will be a new female judge. Her name is Kara DioGuardi and she is a former roommate of Paula Abdul’s. Speculation had risen during the announcement of the addition that Paula Abdul had plans on leaving the show. Now, with the Paula Goodspeed tragedy, talk of Paula’s demise from the show has resurfaced. Paula Goodspeed had been apparently stalking Paula Abdul for the past three years. Phone calls coupled with over 100 letters evidenced her obsession. On Paula Goodspeed’s MySpace page she wrote that Paula Abdul was her secret crush. Her license plate bore the letters- ABL LV. Days before her apparent suicide, she had sent flowers to Paula Abdul. Paula Abdul had mistakenly believed the flowers were from her boyfriend, J.T. Torregiani.

Two hunks a pretty lady a love triangle and some silly ‘Kantaben’ jokes. Going into the movie, If this is what you are worried with, you are in for a surprise when the reels roll for the movie. If you do a bit of research before the movie, you would discover something in favor of going ahead and watching the movie. This is the directorial debut by one Mr.Tarun Mansukhani guy who co-directed the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai,Mohabbatein, K3G, Kal Ho na Ho and of course KANK. Does that ring any bells ? Yup, he has been with Karan Johar for a succesful period now and hence K Jo seems to have offered him to direct the new flick Dostana. Seems quite a dostana the director-producer themselves are in !!

Bollywood is maturing to some bold topics and Dostana is one small step for bollywood and one big leap for Indian audience in a lighter way. After experimenting successfully some scenes in Kal ho na ho with Shah Rukh and Saif, K Jo brings this time a fully blown gay movie, a funnier look at the sexism. Devious promotional aspects aside, the movie alone is extremely amusing.Cute Abhishek(I never thought i would say that adjective to a guy !!) , the hot and high on testosterone Johnny bhai Abraham fit perfectly into the raunchy comedy sidekick, whose goal is to get an apartment which is reserved only for ladies. For some odd reason, Abhisheks reasoning works for tagging along with John made sense and to project themselves as a gay couple and get an apartment. Well there’s a third partner as well and its sexy Priyanka chopra[I ve liked her for the first time]. Well from then on its plain fun and humor, the goof ups, the misunderstandings and of course feminism’s from our heroes. There s a love quadrangle with Bobby Deol rubbing shoulders with the two for Priyanka to fuel the plot.

The film succeeds to give a fair, salutorily effective and a very unbiased peek into a gay life, when the the same sex in India is still illegal. Holding onto that thread of illegality, “Dostana” is made wittingly against the conventional , funny and it neatly refrains from announcing some message. The director forces the gay situation as a nonstop comedy of manners like the old Govinda movies where you never tries to logically derive at some meaning. Do not miss the kiss scene in the climax ! Well there are also pinches of some emotional melodrama and some beautiful numbers by Vishal Shekar to keep the tempo on a high. At many a times you can actually feel the K Jo touch either with background music or some scenes.

While Mr.Abraham sizzles in his underpants with his new bod of a Daniel Craig look alike. have to agree that he has improved drastically in the comic region after his Thanda performance in Garam Masala. Abhishek Bachchan finally hits it right with his acting and of-course with his pink and mostly feminine outfits. Piggy chops is cool too. She looks sexy in some parts and fits the role perfectly well. Her swim suite scene is however overshadowed completely by John ! She desperately needed a hit this year after films like Love story 2050 and Drona. And supposedly the surprise package, Bobby Deol is decent for his role. And then there are fittingly Kiron Kher as AB’s mother and Boman Irani as a gay boss of Priaynka to add to the laugh riot. Shilpa Shetty looks as sexy as ever in the one song she appears. Direction is neat, music by Vishal Shekhar is catchy and young. K Jo has come back well with Dostana.

Films like Dostana are a reminder of how wonderful a comedy aimed at our youth can be. I guess the key is to replace the uncomfortable with a smile. Go out with your friends, and you will have a great time seeing hilarious gay gags and lots of skin show by both John and Priyanka. It will definitely make for a perfect movie-going experience.

Hope you will come out happy and Gay

4 out of 5

Google video chat

Gmail video chat is picking up but there are certain issues which need to be resolved. First and foremost is the lag time. The data in the chat probably goes to Google yards and from there it is reflected to a second person in the chat. This causes consistent delay. The chatters get a poor feeling of fragmented chat.

The audio transmission is impeccable or at least nearly so. Voice from one side to the other knocks within a very short time. Mobilizing overseas voice communication has been one of the top strength of Google voice chat. In fact the champion search engine is aligning the overseas communication in a very economic format.

The proprietary plug in runs video in the H.264 mode; Google is perhaps utilizing a server that can deliver the present H.264 mode to a flash client in a browser.

Gmail video chat can be downloaded for free. For seeing the person you are involved in a chat with, you need to download Festoon. Google talk presently does not support web cam chatting. With the present addition of video chat, Google will give Skype a run for its money.

Google surely does believe in multi-dimension.

Raavan: Mani Ratnam’s mythical take

In what can be safely touted as the biggest production of Mani Ratnam Corp, the brilliant south Indian and Hindi movie director Mani Ratnam has sought a perfect foil to delve into – The epical Ramayan.

He is on his way to make Raavan, the legendary antagonist against the saintly Lord Rama. After his astonishingly successful ‘Guru’ , which had great music, Mani has pitched in the leading duo of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. While Abhishek will play the dark role of Ravan, Aishwarya’s role is not clear as of now. The film is being made simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. South Star Vikram will play the lord’s role. Ajay Gehi and Ravi Kishen will play Kumbhakarana and Vibheeshana respectively. It remains to be seen whether the new take on the epic will be appreciated and also Abhishek’s level of justice to the quasi-great Ravana.

The film, slated to come on show next year is supposed to carry the erstwhile signature tunes of Mani Ratnam, per se, an eye for details, logistics, splendid visuals and excellent music. An example of his quest for perfection has already made the rounds with him shooting a part of the movie in Sri Lanka, a place originally thought to be Ravan’s abode.

Also, since the south Indians are known to have a different viewpoint on the great leaders of the story – Rama and Ravan than their northern counterparts, a fact underlined by the difference in Valmiki and Kamban’s Ramayana, it would be interesting to note a south Indian essay on the subject.

Long live the lord!

The US H1B visa is an employment based and non immigrant visa of America. It is meant for temporary workers, and is an employer sponsored visa. This means that to apply for the US H1B visa, the applicant has to have an employer offering them a job and is ready to sponsor the H1B visa. With proof of this job, the applicant can get an H1B stamping and thus work in the USA for the said employer.

H1B Visa - the dual intent Visa

It is through this USA visa that the employers in the US can bring in aliens with professional qualifications to work for them for some time. This visa is one of the dual intent visas where the H1B holder can apply and get a green card while holding the visa.

The reason for this is that today, the legal employment process in US has retrogressed so much that it takes many years for a professional from countries like India and China to get their green card.

However since the span of the H1B visa hasn’t changed more H1B visa holders can renew their visas for 1 or 3 years and live in legal status in the US while waiting for the processing of their green card application.

Length of the visa

It can be said that this USA visa is like a work permit that permits these people to work in the US for a maximum of six years at a time. There are some situations where the maximum length of stay with this visa is reduced.

If an I-140 has been approved, then the extension for the visa is for three years and if a labor certification application has been made, and is pending for a minimum of one year, you can make a one year extension on the H1B visa.

Eligibility for H1B Visa

Foreign nationals applying for the US H1B visa have to be employed for some time in specialty occupations which require specialized knowledge, and have at least a bachelor’s degree in the field. These fields include H1B visa jobs like engineering, law, accounting, business specialties, medicine, mathematics, arts, social sciences and architecture.

The applicant has to have theoretical and practical experience in a specialized field, with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. The degree has to be equivalent to a 4 years’ bachelors degree from a US accredited college or university.

If the applicant has a foreign degree, then 3 years of work experience in the same field is considered equivalent to a year of additional education. Apart from all these educational qualifications, the applicant should be ready to lawfully perform all their duties on receiving the H1B visa.

The quota for the H1B visa is 65,000 while there is additional 20,000 quota for people who have completed their master’s degree from US.

Besides having to prove that the applicant has a job opening in a specialty occupation with the appropriate credentials for the job, the employer also has to prove that the visa applicant is paid the existing wages for the job, and that the employment of the person will in no way harm the condition of US workers.

Fees for filing H1B Visa

The fees for applying for the H1B visa lies between $1440 to $2,190 and has to be borne by the employer or H1B sponsor. Employers who employ no more than 25 full time equivalent employees have to pay $1,440 while those who employ more than 25 full time employees have to pay $2,190. This fees is excluding lawyer fees you have to pay for applying for the H1B visa.

US H1B Stamping Procedure

It is important that you get a H1B visa stamping in your passport to legally enter the United States. H1B stamping is available in the US consulate of your home country; and the procedure to get the visa stamping may vary in individual countries.

After filling out the H1B visa application form, and on receiving the H1B approval petition original documents from your H1B visa sponsoring employer, you can head to get your H1B visa stamping.

The requirements for this stamp are the completed non-immigration visa application, additional questionnaire, copy of the interview appointment letter which you get at your appointment with VFS, a valid passport and the original receipt for the application visa fee.

Besides this, the original H1B approval form, offer of employment from your sponsoring employer, all the legal papers you receive with your h1 documents, original experience certificates from previous employers and two photographs sized 2×2 inches that shows your full face against a light background. In addition to this, you have to take along your original degree certificates, latest resume and the demand draft for the visa issuance fees.

H1B US Visa Interview

Once all these documents are examined by the consulate, you will have to go through the H1B visa interview for the final decision for your H1B visa stamping. Before facing the H1B interview, you have to frame and practice probable questions you will be asked and answer them repeatedly. Answer all the answers aloud 3-4 times till you have mastered all the answers.

It is important that you are confident and not nervous during the H1B interview. This is possible if you are prepared thoroughly for the interview. On meeting the visa officer, smile and greet him or her, but don’t show signs of nervousness like flickering eyes and trembling fingers. When speaking to the officer, make sure you look into their eyes throughout the interview.

Make sure you wear formal clothes, with a tie for males, for the interview, and reach it a bit early to avoid missing it because of traffic jams. Answer questions to the point, and don’t tell any irrelevant things. Be polite and don’t ask unnecessary questions; however if you don’t understand anything, don’t hesitate to ask.

If asked ‘what if’ type of questions, don’t answer immediately but think over the answer first. Answer questions correctly as all answers will be computerized and maintained. Details of a rejected visa cannot be changed the next time you go for a H1B visa interview.

H1B Visa Stamping

Once you manage your H1B interview well, the consulate will give your passport the H1B visa stamp that will take you to the land of opportunities, the United States of America. With this H1B visa and stamp, you can stay in the US for three years and a possible extension of three more years.

It is possible for a H1B visa holder to bring their spouses and children to the US during the validity period of the visa. In such cases, the family members need to have a H4 visa. However with this H4 visa, the visa holder cannot take up any form of paid employment in USA.

H1B Visa Transfer

Foreign nationals having H1B employment can transfer to a new H1B job if the new employer files a non-frivolous petition on the alien’s behalf. Moreover, it is required that the alien has not done anything unlawful in the US.

An H1B visa transfer is only a transfer of an existing H1B visa, and not its issuance. It is through this H1B visa transfer that the H1B visa holder can change jobs in US. To qualify for the H1B visa transfer, the applicant has to have an H1B visa, be in lawful status when applying for it and not engaged in any form of unauthorized employment.