Winning ways

They both have long hair, fancy figures and engaging smiles. She can dance and he can sing (sorta). But she won and he lost. Still, they were the two Indians abroad who took over television hearts and minds in Britain and the USA. Shilpa Shetty beat Celebrity Big Brother at his own game, and put Jade Goody in her place for racial slurs. Goody-goody. Now, she is more a star out there than here.

Sanjaya (pronounced Sun-jaya) Malakar has an Indian father, an Italian mother and was the much-sung hero of the popular TV show, American Idol. To the horrified amazement of the judges, he went much further in the singing competition than his jarring notes warranted, all because of his weekly, changing hairdo.

The Sopranos, the gangster show that made you laugh, came to an end after six seasons and 86 episodes that began in 1999. Much confusion over the finale: nobody could tell if the show was ending or beginning. Maybe Tony Soprano and his psycho will reappear like characters in all good Hindi soaps.