7 Rules to win Oscar Pool

As the stars are busily getting waxed and coiffed for this Sunday's Academy Awards Ceremony, thousands of people across the country are facing the same question: who the heck do they vote for in their Oscar pool? Slumdog or Ben Button? Sean Penn or Mickey Rourke? David Fincher or Danny Boyle? The choices can be overwhelming. I don't claim to have any insider knowledge at Price Waterhouse, but the Academy, as a body, tends to vote in patterns. Knowing these patterns can give you a leg up over your friends, enemies, and co-workers in picking who wins Oscar gold.

1. Follow the Guilds
There are professional unions for virtually every aspect of filmmaking in this town -- hello, Art Director's Guild -- and the people who are in these guilds tend to be the same people who vote for the Oscars in their category. Note which movies are raking in the trophies and vote accordingly. Thus, Danny Boyle won the Director's Guild prize this year, so he's a pretty good bet for winning the gold on Sunday. But, as usual, this rule isn't hard and fast: Julie Christie won the Screen Actor Guild trophy only to watch Marion Cotillard get the Oscar. Though Sean Penn won the SAG prize this year, Mickey Rourke might just win instead.

2a. The Oldest/Youngest Rule
The Best Supporting Actor prize usually goes for the oldest guy nominated. Think of it as a sort of lifetime achievement award. Thus Tommy Lee Jones won for "The Fugitive" and Alan Arkin won for "Little Miss Sunshine." Since Heath Ledger's nomination is obviously going to be seen as a lifetime achievement award -- especially since the Academy stiffed him for "Brokeback Mountain" -- he's the one vote for.

2b. On the flip side, "Best Supporting Actress" awards tend to go to the youngest woman nominated. Think Angelina Jolie in "Girl, Interrupted," Mira Sorvino in "Mighty Aphrodite" and Anna Paquin in "The Piano." Of course, there are exceptions here too; 12-year-old Saoirse Ronan lost to Tilda Swinton last year, for instance. This year, this category is a bit of a toss up. The Academy might follow its tendencies and give the nod to either Amy Adams or Taraji P. Henson. Or they might just give it to Penelope Cruz (Being in a Woody Allen movie helps your chances in the category; Diane Wiest won twice in his films). Your best bet is close your eyes and pick blindly.

3. The Best Picture Factor
Movies that get the coveted Best Picture nomination are much more likely to get the gold for their actors. Thus Tilda Swinton won for the Best Picture nominated "Michael Clayton," even though that movie didn't take home any other trophies. Same goes for Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Capote." This might bode well for either Sean Penn or Frank Langella.

4. The Numerous Nominations Factor
The more times an actor gets nominated but doesn't win, the more likely he/she is to win the gold the next time. Thus Russell Crowe won for "Gladiator" (one prevous nomination), Sean Penn for "Mystic River" (three noms), and Al Pacino for "Scent of a Woman" (seven nods without a win). Once that actor wins the prize, however, it's actually harder to win again. There are exceptions, of course; ask Tom Hanks. In general, though, this looks good for Kate Winslet and Heath Ledger, but so much for Sean Penn.

5. The Hoop Skirt Factor
The movie with the most hoop skirts almost always wins Best Costume Design.

6. The X-Factor
Some stories are too good to pass up. Think Charlize Theron transforming herself for her role in "Monster." If the story is good enough, it pretty much trumps every other Academy rule. Thus Heath Ledger wowing critics with his turn as the Joker so soon after his untimely death is one good story. Mickey Rourke resurrecting his career after spending the past half-decade in wretched obscurity is another.

7. The Panic Choice
If you haven't a clue what to vote for, pick the movie that sounds like it's most closely related to the Holocaust. Think of it like filling in that fail-safe "C" bubble on the SATs.

Got your own rules for predicting an Oscar winner? Share it with everyone in the comments.

Online Matchmaking at VivahaBandhan

Online Matchmaking is very well established today on the Internet. It is said that online matchmaking sites are the fastest growing online market to date. This service, as a whole, has already brought in over 428 million dollars in sales. To stay in the lead, online matchmaking sites have to find a way to stay up to date. To do this they have to look at what more and more people want, and what they are starting to use. This craze is known as instant messaging (or IM). Why is the use of instant messaging growing so fast? I think it is because everyone wants things faster. The do not like waiting for a response. Using instant messaging is almost as good as being in the same room as the person you are talking to.

Nowadays, communication has never been so fast; meeting people has never
been so easy, but more and more people are looking for and using some kind of matchmaking service – online or offline.

We all see the revival of the millennium-old traditional matchmaking service industry. People looking for matchmaking service are serious love and marriage seekers. They are quite prepared to pay a huge amount of money in exchange for the highest rate of success in the shortest time possible. The Guinness Book of World Records listed Orly Hod (Orly the Matchmaker) – whose fees run up to $100,000 – as the world’s priciest matchmaker.

We do not have to look at the statistics before we know more people live longer today than those a century ago; more people get divorced today than those a century ago. We begin to wonder why marriage relationship would not last longer than those a century ago. Anyone could easily give dozens of reasons.

Of course, most people would think of love and marriage is more an art than a science. But recent research has discovered that even personality and behavior orientations have genetic determinants, and so have marriage relationships.

We also see what the matchmakers are basically applying in matching people is the nowadays "scientific" tool – psychological tests, whether they are called compatibility test, survey or profile.

Almost all matchmakers take the view that compatibility is the golden rule. On the contrary, relationships do not depend only on compatibility.

There are numerous real cases that some couple disliked each other, but were able to stay together for their entire lives, while other couple loved each other deeply, but were only able to enjoy each other’s company for a very brief period of time. That is why there are so many great love stories like "Romeo and Juliette".

One becoming a member of the Vivaha Bandhan Matrimonial website can send private messages without others knowing it. The people working on the offices of the websites provide excellent telephone help to those who want to know any details related to the website. The website provides excellent way to find one’s match. If for example, one is searching for Muslim Shaikh who are working in Intel, then one has to type muslim shaikh + Intel in the search bar and hit enter. The screen gets filled immediately with the names of all muslims shaikhs who have registered with VivahaBandhan. One gets automatic e-mil alerts daily, if looking for specific age range of telugu , tamil, kanada people in the websites.

Choosing your Life Partner

Indian Matrimonial websites, online marriage matchmaking

When marriage is spoken of during these "modern" times, people become horrified, conjuring images of an arranged marriage, trying to find that "perfect" companion, how much of a financial burden it will become, and so on. The reality is that we can solve these problems, not exacerbate them, yet unfortunately we have integrated our local traditions and customs so that marriage has become a major concern for a man rather than a delightful experience.

When living in a free, perverted and corrupt Western society, the male youth finds many temptations and tests, as a result of mixing with females, which he must face and overcome. He must constantly resist these temptations, which are thrown at him in the streets, on the media, and at work. And so the wisdom of the Prophet (s.a.w) echoes on, when he said: "O young men, those among you who can support a wife should marry, for it restrains the eyes from casting (evil glances), and preserves one from immorality..."

When seriously considering marriage, you must pose the question to yourself as to just what kind of wife you want, what her qualities should be in order to establish peaceful household, and how you will know who she is.

"A woman may be married for four reasons: for her property, her status, her beauty, and her religion; so try to get one who is religious, may you be blessed." This specifically defines just what kind of a companion we are seeking, for if we marry her for anything other than her religious piety, our marriage is bound to fall into misery.

True, beauty and charm is hard to resist, yet beauty does not last forever and does not guarantee you her obedience and religiousness. Financial status is dynamic, and so is worldly status, yet religion strongly establishes a household, and it may be that through your intention of marrying her for her religion, the rest is given to you anyway. In another hadith, "The whole world is a provision, and the best object of benefit of the world is the pious woman." Imagine! Nothing in this world is as valuable as a pious woman! This point has been stressed many times by Great persons,

QUALITIES OF THE PIOUS MEN & WOMAN

qualities which by the way should be evident in both males and females. So, my dear brother, choose her for the following attributes:

-a believing person

-a devout person

-a true men /women

-a men /woman who is patient and constant

-a men /woman who humbles herself

-a men /woman who gives charity

-a men /woman who fasts and denies herself

-a men /woman who guards her chastity

-a men /woman who engages much in God's praise.

Wanna to find your life partner with the similar qualities mentioned above? then look no further than VivahaBandhan - India Matrimony, Free Matrimonial site

Aamir Khan: The Entertainer of the year

NDTV presented awards to Indian heroes in a glittering function held at Taj Palace, New Delhi. The function was attended by dignitaries, celebrities and other prominent personalities.

On 22nd Jan 09, NDTV announced the winners of their fourth Indian of the Year. This award ceremony was graced by Home Minister, Mr. P Chidambaram as Guest of Honour. Celebrities and luminaries from all walks of life, including Aamir Khan, Anil Kapoor, Laloo Prasad Yadav, Sheila Dixit, Omar Abdullah, L.K. Advani, Praful Patel, Kavita Karkare and Sushma Swaraj attended the event.

Amongst the various categories, Aamir Khan won the Entertainer of the Year award. However, special recognition was given to Prasoon Joshi for lyrics of the song “Maa” from the film 'Taare zameen par'.

Actor, Director & Producer Aamir Khan on being conferred with the title of Entertainer of the year award thanked NDTV for this recognition and the audience for voting him and encouraging him to give his best over the years. He professed that, it has been a complete team effort and he is fortunate to have worked with some of the best directors in the Industry.

The winners of 'NDTV Indian of the Year 2008' were chosen through a rigorous, multi-layered process guided by an experienced jury.

Article Source from Doctorflix - Latest Bollywood online

online matrimony tips from VivahaBandhan

Are you looking for the right match but are not getting enough response? Do you blame your destiny when you see your friends who have managed to find their ideal match within their social circle? So tighten up your seat belts as your search will soon lead you to your perfect match. VivahaBandhan brings you online matrimony tips, read on.

These days online matrimonial is on the rise and almost every person in search of an ideal spouse posts his/her profile on matrimonial websites. The recent advent of matrimonial sites like vivahbandhan.com, Jeevansathi.com, Bharatmatrimony.com, Shaadi.com, simplymarry.com etc. have brought into light online matrimony, which is now quite prevalent among people seeking a prospective bride or groom.

For all those gearing up for marriage here are certain tips and etiquettes that apply to online matrimonial search.

View Matrimony Profiles

A first impression is the last impression and that's exactly what your profile does. A carefully created profile, free from silly mistakes can do wonders for you. So, make a profile that is a smooth blend of your own and your family's details.

Mention true and accurate demographic information like your age, marital status, country and state of residence, ethnicity, religion and so on. Also, never exaggerate about yourself as sooner or later this will leave a negative impact on the person you contact.

Matrimonial search in Indian context demands information about education, qualification, family background, job profile and work place. This is the most important information apart from the demographics that one needs to provide while creating a profile on a matrimonial website since any parent would want these details before taking forward discussions with a prospective bride or groom.

You can make an impressive profile by giving instances of your likes and dislikes instead of writing them directly. For example, instead of saying that you like to read books you may give names of your favourite novels or if you like music you may mention your favourite genres & music composers.

Always check your profile for spelling and grammatical errors. On Vivahabandhan.com there is a spell check feature that can be used to rectify errors in your profile. For better results you may also buy a service Vivahabandhan.come from where experts will write profile for you.

When it comes to selecting search parameters for your desired life partner, you need to demarcate your requirements as 'must' and 'desired'. You should try to go only with the must requirements rather than the desired requirements otherwise your search may not generate adequate results as the search will only show what you have selected.

For example, your must requirement is a telugu bride between 23-27 of age and your desired requirement is doctor, slim, beautiful and living in Hyderabad. Then while doing a search on the site if you give only must requirements and avoid desired requirements, your search results may show you a lot more profiles that may be suitable for you.

Communication with Brides, Grooms

Communication plays an important role in internet matrimonial services because after a member reads your profile, it is your style of communication, which portrays your personality. Matrimonial websites offer three types of communication- Initial contact through automated mail which comes with free membership, Personalized e-mails & Chat which come with paid membership.

You may express interest in someone by sending an automated initial contact but to carry forward this interaction between you and that person, you will need to exchange a few emails and also "Chat" through a "Messenger" option. Although one needs to buy a paid membership for sending personalised emails and chat requests, at the same time it also adds a lot of seriousness and credibility to your profile, marking you a serious seeker for a life partner.

Most matrimonial websites today offer free as well as paid memberships, however, the benefits that one gets with paid memberships are unmatched vis-a-vis free memberships. On one hand paid memberships allow you to send personalised messages and send chat requests, free memberships on the other allow you to send only automated initial contact.

Beware of fraudulent profiles. If you come across any profile that is very impressive and looks too good to be true, you need to be extra cautious towards it. Even if profile screening is being done to filter out fake profiles by the website executives, people with wrong intentions can bypass such safety measures.

It's generally better to know each other through email or chat first and disclose your complete contact details only when you feel that the member is credible.

On a Indian matrimonial site you need to consider that yo u are here for matrimony and not dating. You must realise that people join these avenues in search of long term relationships where family and parents enter the scenario very early, in fact most of the times it is a family member who creates the profile on the website on behalf of the marriageable person.

Saying 'No' is very important. Don't delay in declining initial contacts of members you don't like because saying no is better than saying nothing. Incase you find the member unsuitable after exchanging a few mails even then you may refuse politely.

Search for a life partner is the most difficult task and the internet has definitely simplified this task for us. Online matrimonial search is a very quick and a hassle free option when compared with other offline practices. It gives you the freedom to choose from thousands of profiles at a click of the mouse and know prospective brides and grooms at a personal level.

but at the same time, this also has its own demerits just like any other source. Hence, for all those marriage seekers out there, vivahabandhan.com wishes you a safe, secure and a successful online matrimonial search.find more blogs matrimonial services of vivahabandhan and Indian Matrimony website blog.

Matrimonial services from vivahabadhan

People have been match making since there were people to match make with, either trying to set themselves up with someone of their choice or trying to help out a friend by introducing that friend to someone who is 'just right' for the person concerned. In the twentieth century match making agencies came into their own, and as the Internet moves us into the twenty-first century, online dating has become the way forward for many single people.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of online match making? There are few disadvantages, but those which do exist are of the kind one associates with any interaction of people over the web, chiefly of the kind: "don't trust anyone until you are absolutely sure they are trustworthy". After all, the internet is a medium in which facial expression and body language are missing, not to mention that people can come and go in cyberspace without any clue as to their real world location or their actual age either. But with a sensible approach such problems are overcome, and it is at this point that the advantages of meeting your match online come into their own.

The first main advantage has to be the sheer number of people you have access to online.

Another advantage is the cost. Joining an online match making agency is usually many times cheaper than anything you could find offline. Just imagine the kind of money you would spend in an offline marriage bureau if you wanted to meet one lakh singles. With online match making . that?s possible, and at minimum cost. What's more, you can even place your own ad completely free, which can't be bad.

Add to these advantages the ease and convenience of the Internet and you've pretty much got it made. Your chances of finding the right person for you have just gone up by a huge amount! Aren't we all lucky to be living in the age of the Internet.

Vivahabandhan is a Indian Matrimonial Website specialised in providing all indian brides and grooms profiles, Register for Free and start searching your life partner - matrimonial sites

How to build your brand on internet world - Vivahabandhan's SEO/SEM Expert will teach you here

If you’re like most Search Engine marketers, you spend a lot of time and resources creating and promoting your brand through offline channels such as television, radio, and newspapers. Clearly, it’s something worth protecting. But what if you could improve your branding investment and make it even more worthwhile, reinforcing your offline branding efforts through search? Many search marketers doubt whether search can play a role in reinforcing brand perceptions. But evidence increasingly shows that the doubters are wrong: search can in fact play a powerful role in your overall branding efforts.

Today, search is ubiquitous. Given that, it can’t help but impact brand. Think about it: your customers and prospects go online every day, but what if you’re not there for them when they need you? What happens if they can’t find you?

It’s simple really. If they can’t find you, they’ll surely find your competitors. And when they do, what do you think their perception will be? Chances are, they’ll consider your competitors to be superior. In fact, research by our firm shows that 39% of search engine users believe that the companies whose websites are returned among the top search results are the leaders in their field. And that is exactly why you need to have a well thought out strategy to leverage search to help build your brand.

we have achieved very good results after working on Brand reputation of Vivahabandhan - Most Comprehensive Indian Matrimonial Web Portal, Astrology Service, Chat Facility and Downloadable Toolbar

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