From Breakaway to Canada's Walk of Fame

Samita Nandy 
Celebrity Cultural Critic 
for StarBuzz

Celebrity Cultural Critic Samita Nandy on the fame of Russell Peters in Canada
StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Russell Peters is not only funny but also famous!

The Canadian comedian made his silver screen debut in the romantic comedy Breakaway.  Premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Breakaway is a film that portrays an all-Sikh hockey team and the Canadian dream of achieving hockey stardom.  Produced by Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, Breakaway releases on September 30, 2011 and launches Russell Peters as a film actor in Canada.

Sampradaya after TAJ

Artistic Director Lata Pada in Conversation with Celebrity Cultural Critic Samita Nandy for StarBuzz

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

The word ‘Sampradaya,’ for Artistic Director Lata Pada, represents the transmission of tradition.  Commissioned by Luminato for 2011 festival TAJ showcased Sampradaya Dance Creations’ distinct voice in Canada’s performing arts.

Lata Pada contends that the four sold out performances highlight the potential of this production to tour beyond its world premiere in Toronto in June 2011 at the Fleck Theatre of the Harbourfront Centre. A premiere is an opportunity to get the work ‘ on its feet’; preparing it for a remount is a wonderful chance to revisit the production, find deeper meaning, look at what worked and what did not, and how effectively all the elements came together. Sampradaya is now preparing to take the work across Canada and hopefully to India as well.

The International Dimensions of a North American Idol

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Celebrity Cultural Critic Samita Nandy Traces the Spirit Behind Vikas Khanna’s Popularity

His popularity is beyond the territories of Canada.  It transcends symbols of the nation and its continent.   Often symbols of nature construct authenticity while legitimizing boundaries of a nation.  For Vikas Khanna, however, authenticity resides in a spirit that most nations seek through their symbols.

The “Starbuzz” of the 2011 International Indian Academy Awards (IIFA)!

Samita Nandy, Canada’s First Celebrity Cultural Critic, on the Premiere Event

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-

International cinema is not just located in Los Angles.  In hosting the 2011 IIFA awards, Toronto is the first North American city celebrating a 2 billion dollar Bollywood global film industry.  Starbuzz Media lauds its prestige with in-depth coverage on the celebration.

The IIFA Awards extravaganza is a site that articulates mega-stardom of Bollywood.  In Toronto, cultural and economic capital has started to emerge with the talent of Bollywood celebrities attending the 2011 IIFA gala.   More than 500 film industry members are expected to walk the ‘Green Carpet.’  The gala is also subjected to a spectatorship of 600 million viewers worldwide.  These viewers are not passive “cultural dupes” or “hysterical fanatics,” as earlier critics would assume.  They are rather active audiences and cultural producers, creating symbolic capital and meanings of what it means to be truly celebrated.  

Both film stars and audiences are central to Bollywood productions during this event.  IIFA participants will particularly mark the launch of Mississauga’s Celebration Square.  It is a 40 million dollar state-of-the-art public space, hosting a series of IIFA Buzz events from June 7, 2011.  Vikas Kohli, whose composed music was performed live at the 2008 IIFA, confirms:  the events will pack “free” and “original programming” during the IIFA weekend, June 24-26, 2011.  This includes “Bollywood Under the Stars” which will screen IIFA nominated films and the IIFA awards gala for an estimated 30,000 audiences at the Square.  “We are the only IIFA Buzz location operating on the IIFA weekend,” says Susan Burt, Director of Culture Division in Mississauga.   Divya Kumar, Bollywood dance choreographer asks Torontonians to “bring family” and join “the biggest party” at the Celebration Square during the 2011 IIFA weekend. 

While the globalization of Bollywood cinema may interrogate the Indian nation-state, the IIFA Buzz events rehabilitate cinephilic expressions with particular attention to Indian cinema since historical periods.  The Picture House: the Art of Bollywood is a rare event that traces the roots of contemporary Bollywood cinema.  The exhibition displays hand painted cinema billboards and posters at the Art Gallery of Mississauga till July 12, 2011.   The engagement with these cultural artefacts restores collective memory while expressing pleasures of contemporary cinematic spectatorship coming up in the 2011 IIFA gala.  For further information on the 2011 IFFA Buzz events, please check: http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/discover/iifa

From Lisa Ray’s Cooking with Stella to Oscar nominated Incendies: Samita Nandy on the 11th year of the Canadian Film Festival

Samita Nandy
Celebrity Cultural Critic
for StarBuzz

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Canadian films have soared high at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).   The screenings are beyond the Bell Lightbox on Kings Street.  Its diversity extends to Princess Street in Canada’s first capital.

A StarBuzz Exclusive: Royal Fame in Canada - In Conversation with Federal Heritage Minister Dean Del Mastro - Samita Nandy

 


Prince William and Catherine Middleton

 



Samita Nandy
Celebrity Cultural Critic for StarBuzz

In Canada, aristocratic glamour will be celebrated in the upcoming tour of His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton.  The Royal Tour will take place from June 30 to July 8, 2011 and will include celebration of Canada Day in Ottawa as well as sites in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and the National Capital Region.  The prestigious tour of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton can be seen as a political and cultural site that articulates questions of authenticity in Royal fame.  One of the questions that is pertinent to the Canada state:  How will Canadian public discourses intersect with Royal practices in the tourism?  What are the particular ‘authenticities’ in Canadian heritage that may be reproduced or circulated in the practices of ‘the popular’ in British Royalty? 

Introducing Samita Nandy - Now Celebrity Cultural Critic at Starbuzz Weekly

StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-Samita Nandy is now a celebrity cultural critic at Starbuzz Weekly.  A Doctoral candidate in Media and Information at Curtin University and certified Broadcast Journalist, her research and writing focus on celebrity culture, discursive construction of stardom, and intersections of fame and identity.   Her work has been sponsored by a number of federal and provincial grants and academic awards in Canada and Australia.  Her international media contributions led her to be featured with Global Television's Anwar Knight and Allison Annesley on Daytime and prime-time show First Local on Rogers Television; CTV's Breaking News CP 24; ATN Television Network; CINA 1650 AM; US Quarterly Rivaaj; Canadian  StarBuzz Weekly, Mississauga News, and India Journal; Canadian Monthly Desi News, and Bollywood celebrity magazine Cineblitz.  Nandy holds postgraduate and graduate teaching experience at University of Toronto, Ryerson University, and Curtin University.  She also serves as the Communication Director at Toronto’s non-profit arts organization Nouveau IDEA.