15-02-2012 15:12 Nestled in the oak studded neighborhood of Garden Ridge Estates, this Victorian style home boasts the best Garden Ridge has to offer- a location second to none, minutes from the new Garden Ridge Elementary school and half a block walk to Paul Davis Park. Perfect for entertaining a crowd or a small gathering, this home has a showplace kitchen, with alder wood cabinetry and granite countertops, and GE stainless steel appliances. Abundant cabinet and countertop space with a large center island with eat-in counter bar. Travertine floors in the kitchen, dining and breakfast. Living room features glowing Brazilian cherry wood hardwood floors, custom Victorian inspired fireplace mantel. Glass door knobs and intricate door plates are just a few of the interior Victorian period design details. All bedrooms are situated on the second story. A large master suite with sitting area, custom ceiling copula detail. Relax and enjoy the view of the treetops in your jetted master tub. Large walk in master closet and plenty of linen closet storage. The secondary bedrooms have large closets and space saving built-ins. Dual patio decks make enjoying the mature landscape and vast backyard space enjoyable year round. Plenty of space for both outdoor living and covered dining areas. Large laundry area with a mud bench-a perfect spot to store your gear and hang your coat. Guest powder room off the laundry area. Detached garage with workshop, storage and access to side yard dog run. The house has ...

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9325 Blazing Star Trail Garden Ridge 78266 - Video

The fresh faces of 2012 try their hands at all kinds of cuisines, from barbecue to vegan, from an imported gelato to a New York-style pizza. One new restaurant lets you cook your own soup. Check them out.

Less than a week old

Say hello to these newborn restaurants!

Gaijin Noodle + Sake House: Ramen bowls, hamachi paired with Okinawan yams fried into chips, and yakitori at a new concept from chef Antonio Friscia in a textured, trendy spot. 627 Fourth Ave., Gaslamp. gaijinsd.com

The Kebab Shop: An expansion of the popular doner kebab business that first opened in the East Village in 2008. Beech and Union streets, Little Italy. thekebabshop.com

Puesto Mexican Street Food: Grilled Mexican cuisine (huitlacoche tacos! delish) made to order at this fast-casual spot, as well as build-your-own rice bowls. 1026 Wall St., La Jolla. (858) 454-1260 or eatpuesto.com­­

Casa De Luz

Macrobiotic diets aren’t just for age-resistant celebrities (Madonna). Promoting an animal-free, gluten-free, ever-changing organic menu, this spacious Austin import is an update to an old Salvation Army building. It’s a vegan counterweight to North Park’s carnivorous obsessions (The Linkery, Carnitas’ Snack Shack). For breakfast, you might find a porridge of amaranth whole grains. For a three-course, $14.95 lunch, perhaps vegetable miso, roasted beets and onions, and green and black beluga lentils in a French dressing. There are nut-sauce accompaniments — “and sauce for the nut-intolerant,” adds owner Eduardo Longoria. Dinner’s also available, along with meal plans, macrobiotic cooking classes, and soon, organic beer and wine. Remember to compost your scraps when you bus your table. 2920 University Ave., North Park. Unlisted. casadeluz.org

Cremolose

Chef-owner Vicenzo Loverso (Origano) knows how to get Italian goods into the United States. Evidence: the imported, gelatolike cremolose he’s been loading patrons up with since January (with flavors like hazelnut, pistachio, peach, tangerine, strawberry). There’s also the imported beef bresaola in his paninis. And slow-roasted imported pork in his porchetta sandwiches. There’s room for stateside ingredients and traditional gelatos in the 5,000-square-foot Italian cafe, as well as fresh-baked cakes and specialty cocktails made with cremolose. Open until 4 a.m. on weekends. 840 Fifth Ave, Suite 100, Gaslamp. (619) 233-9900 840 cremolosesd.com

Flippin’ Pizza

Hey Cal State U. kids, Flippin’ is pointing at you. Located right across from the San Marcos campus, you’ll find a pizzeria cloning New York’s water for its pizza dough and cooking on pizza stones. “We want to be in the business of replicating the same New York pie I grew up with as a kid,” Flippin’ CEO Patrick Farley says. Two slices with a drink are $6. A bacon and jalapeño calzone is $12. Bring your study group some happiness by getting an airy, 18-inch, four-cheese pie (mozzarella, Parmesan, Gorgonzola, ricotta). Or hang out at this chain: They’ve added a bar and chopped salads like the artichoke and roasted red pepper. 342 South Twin Oaks Valley Road, San Marcos. (760) 736-3180 or flippinpizza.com. 4S Ranch location coming soon, and they’ve got a food truck; find them on Twitter at @FlippinPizzaCA.

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New bites to try

ASPEN — Opinions were not in short supply Monday night during an Aspen City Council public hearing on the controversial development proposal involving the Little Annie's and Benton buildings on East Hyman Avenue and the potential construction of a three-story building on a nearby empty lot.

Late in the evening, council members were headed toward a motion to approve the concept behind the application by owner-developer Aspen Core Ventures LLC, with some design details to be worked out later.

The talks started in earnest around 7:30 p.m. after the council's dinner break, but had even seeped into the public comment period just after the meeting's 5 p.m. start and conversations about other ordinances.

The company is seeking concessions from the city on plans for the new mixed-use building in exchange for preserving the Little Annie's and Benton buildings, which the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission designated as historically significant in December after saying earlier that the Little Annie's building could be demolished. An initial plan last fall sought the demolition of both structures, sparking a public outcry.

Many residents and part-time residents expressed dismay over the sheer size of the third building, which would rise to 41 feet above street level, which meets current land-use guidelines, and would include two free-market residential units as well as retail and office space. Others said the city needed to adjust its land-use code to prevent the approval of such large development concepts and said it was a shame that the city was negotiating with the owner-developer amid the threat of a lawsuit.

Lindsay Smith said the process reeked of a game.

“It's a game between the developers and the citizens of this town,” she said. “There's a pattern of post-approval changes to projects that result in surprising and unexpected additions to buildings.”

She used a football analogy to make a point about the ability of citizens to protect the city from unattractive building proposals.

“We have a hole in our defense,” Smith said. “Our developers, our planners and architects know what the holes in our defense are and they use them to walk right through all of the meetings, all of your ordinances, and this really bothers me. … Our defense, unless it's citizens, doesn't ever show up until the second half of the game.”

Like others, she said the council shouldn't be afraid of fighting the developer in court. But Councilman Adam Frisch disagreed, saying, “I think we need to control our own destiny here” by working out a solution that avoids litigation.

Some council members agreed with residents who were concerned about the building's size and appearance as shown through artist's renderings. At one point during the meeting, after planner Stan Clauson and architect John Toya showed a 3-D model that examined the building's relationship to its surroundings from several different angles, Councilman Steve Skadron said, “My first comment is it looks monstrous.” Mayor Mick Ireland added, “Try humongous.”

Earlier, Nikos Hecht, managing partner of Aspen Core Ventures, spoke of his company's efforts to preserve the Little Annie's Building, restore the Benton Building and create a new building that blends in with the surrounding area.

“When we heard council and the community really wanted to keep Annie's and Benton, it personally struck a chord with me, because as a 41-year local, I remember eating at Annie's when there were horses tied out front,” Hecht said. “So, I thought if the community cared that much it was worth me caring that much.”

His group's original plans involved demolishing the two existing buildings. Now, through a negotiation with the city under the AspenModern program, the plans have been revised, but Aspen Core Ventures wants various concessions. He said the initial plans would have been much more financially lucrative.

“We really put profit not in last place, but definitely second place, or tied with first place, with this effort to preserve and restore and now make a perpetual low-priced eatery for this community,” Hecht said. He was referring to his group's plan to make the Little Annie's property deed-restricted so that it will be leased only to an affordable eatery such as the current restaurant the building houses.

The developer initially sought a waiver of affordable-housing mitigation requirements for 29 full-time employees. Under a new proposal, the number of employees who would be housed by the development has been recalculated to nine by city Community Development Department staff. The math involved in the reduction led Ireland to voice a few concerns at a Feb. 6 meeting.

Following recent negotiations with two council members and city staff, Aspen Core Ventures has agreed to provide one off-site residential unit to cover 1.75 full-time employees generated by the development and to pay a little more than $1 million as “cash in lieu” of providing other housing options for the equivalent of another 7.25 full-time employees generated by the project.

The developer previously planned a single, 7,500-square-foot, free-market penthouse for the top of the new building. That proposal has changed, and he's now seeking two units that would total 8,950 square feet of floor area: one at 6,950 square feet and another unit on the second floor at 2,000 square feet.

Commercial real estate broker Ruth Kruger was one of many who argued against the proposal. She said it didn't make sense for the city to suffer a net loss of 13 crucial downtown parking spaces with the loss of the empty lot at the corner of East Hyman Avenue and South Hunter Street for the sake of preserving the two buildings.

asalvail@aspentimes.com

Read the original here:
Council session dominated by comments on buildings

13-02-2012 12:12 bit.ly - Subscribe! Twitter.com - Follow Us! http://www.facebook.com - Like Us! The second instalment in the RPG saga about the Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, features a thoroughly engrossing, mature storyline defining new standards for thought-provoking, non-linear game narration. In addition to an epic story, the game features an original, brutal combat system that uniquely combines tactical elements with dynamic action. A new, modern game engine, responsible both for beautiful visuals and sophisticated game mechanics puts players in the most lively and believable world ever created in an RPG game. A captivating story, dynamic combat system, beautiful graphics, and everything else that made the original Witcher such a great game are now executed in a much more advanced and sophisticated way.

Continued here:
The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Complex

ASPEN — Opinions were not in short supply Monday night during an Aspen City Council public hearing on the controversial development proposal involving the Little Annie's and Benton buildings on East Hyman Avenue and the potential construction of a three-story building on a nearby empty lot.

Late in the evening, council members were headed toward a motion to approve the concept behind the application by owner-developer Aspen Core Ventures LLC, with some design details to be worked out later.

The talks started in earnest around 7:30 p.m. after the council's dinner break, but had even seeped into the public comment period just after the meeting's 5 p.m. start and conversations about other ordinances.

The company is seeking concessions from the city on plans for the new mixed-use building in exchange for preserving the Little Annie's and Benton buildings, which the Aspen Historic Preservation Commission designated as historically significant in December after saying earlier that the Little Annie's building could be demolished. An initial plan last fall sought the demolition of both structures, sparking a public outcry.

Many residents and part-time residents expressed dismay over the sheer size of the third building, which would rise to 41 feet above street level, which meets current land-use guidelines, and would include two free-market residential units as well as retail and office space. Others said the city needed to adjust its land-use code to prevent the approval of such large development concepts and said it was a shame that the city was negotiating with the owner-developer amid the threat of a lawsuit.

Lindsay Smith said the process reeked of a game.

“It's a game between the developers and the citizens of this town,” she said. “There's a pattern of post-approval changes to projects that result in surprising and unexpected additions to buildings.”

She used a football analogy to make a point about the ability of citizens to protect the city from unattractive building proposals.

“We have a hole in our defense,” Smith said. “Our developers, our planners and architects know what the holes in our defense are and they use them to walk right through all of the meetings, all of your ordinances, and this really bothers me. … Our defense, unless it's citizens, doesn't ever show up until the second half of the game.”

Like others, she said the council shouldn't be afraid of fighting the developer in court. But Councilman Adam Frisch disagreed, saying, “I think we need to control our own destiny here” by working out a solution that avoids litigation.

Some council members agreed with residents who were concerned about the building's size and appearance as shown through artist's renderings. At one point during the meeting, after planner Stan Clauson and architect John Toya showed a 3-D model that examined the building's relationship to its surroundings from several different angles, Councilman Steve Skadron said, “My first comment is it looks monstrous.” Mayor Mick Ireland added, “Try humongous.”

Earlier, Nikos Hecht, managing partner of Aspen Core Ventures, spoke of his company's efforts to preserve the Little Annie's Building, restore the Benton Building and create a new building that blends in with the surrounding area.

“When we heard council and the community really wanted to keep Annie's and Benton, it personally struck a chord with me, because as a 41-year local, I remember eating at Annie's when there were horses tied out front,” Hecht said. “So, I thought if the community cared that much it was worth me caring that much.”

His group's original plans involved demolishing the two existing buildings. Now, through a negotiation with the city under the AspenModern program, the plans have been revised, but Aspen Core Ventures wants various concessions. He said the initial plans would have been much more financially lucrative.

“We really put profit not in last place, but definitely second place, or tied with first place, with this effort to preserve and restore and now make a perpetual low-priced eatery for this community,” Hecht said. He was referring to his group's plan to make the Little Annie's property deed-restricted so that it will be leased only to an affordable eatery such as the current restaurant the building houses.

The developer initially sought a waiver of affordable-housing mitigation requirements for 29 full-time employees. Under a new proposal, the number of employees who would be housed by the development has been recalculated to nine by city Community Development Department staff. The math involved in the reduction led Ireland to voice a few concerns at a Feb. 6 meeting.

Following recent negotiations with two council members and city staff, Aspen Core Ventures has agreed to provide one off-site residential unit to cover 1.75 full-time employees generated by the development and to pay a little more than $1 million as “cash in lieu” of providing other housing options for the equivalent of another 7.25 full-time employees generated by the project.

The developer previously planned a single, 7,500-square-foot, free-market penthouse for the top of the new building. That proposal has changed, and he's now seeking two units that would total 8,950 square feet of floor area: one at 6,950 square feet and another unit on the second floor at 2,000 square feet.

Commercial real estate broker Ruth Kruger was one of many who argued against the proposal. She said it didn't make sense for the city to suffer a net loss of 13 crucial downtown parking spaces with the loss of the empty lot at the corner of East Hyman Avenue and South Hunter Street for the sake of preserving the two buildings.

asalvail@aspentimes.com

View post:
Aspen council session dominated by comments on buildings

The future of the WWE's annual video game seems to be pretty dicey at the moment. Each installment of the former Smackdown series—they have now opted to simply call it WWE '12, WWE '13, and so on—seems to get even more criticism from fans.

The fans seem to be upset with THQ's inability to make a satisfying game and to add to the ugliness THQ's future as a whole seems to be up in the air. Personally, I enjoyed WWE '12 quite a bit, but there are always changes that can be made to improve, and THQ might have to do that if it wants to keep the WWE video game series.

1. Server Issues

Maybe one of the greatest additions to the recent WWE series of video games is that there is now a server where you can download other players' creations, whether it be a wrestler, arena, storyline, or match. In the past, if you wanted to make someone else's created character then they would have to type out all the information, post it on a website, and then the second player would have to make the character step-by-step.

This makes it easier to use a character somebody else has made. One of the most fun aspects of the WWE games is being able to take an old school WWE wrestler, a TNA wrestler, or even a comic book character and place them in the WWE world.

The problem is that the server for WWE '12 was horrible. When I tried to use the server I couldn't get a single download for probably the first 50 tries, and when it did work you could only get maybe one download before being booted back out of the server. To make matters worse, this is a feature in the game that users had to pay to use.

2. Road to Wrestlemania Mode

Let me say that I'm actually a fan of the new "Road to Wrestlemania" mode. In previous versions of the game there was one story. The player would choose a character, and no matter what character you chose that one storyline is the one that would be played. In WWE '12, there are three different stories, but there is a catch: The player no longer chooses any character. Instead, each story is designated a specific wrestler.

The first story the user has to be Sheamus, in the second story the user has to be Triple H, and in the third story the user has to be a created wrestler. The positive of this mode is that each storyline was better than previous versions of the game because it was specific to one character. The story mode didn't take a wrestler like The Undertaker and try to force him into a storyline more appropriate for someone like Rey Mysterio. The Sheamus story was great for Sheamus, the Triple H story was great for Triple H, and the created wrestler story was great for a created wrestler.

The negative of this story mode is obvious. Not everybody likes Triple H and Sheamus. In fact, most video game fans are more likely to be internet wrestling fans, and those people for the most part hate Triple H. If the WWE is going to do storylines for specific wrestlers, then it needs more than three and it needs to do a better job of selecting a good variety of characters. Perhaps have one face and one heel from the main event, two wrestlers from the mid card, and a lower card wrestler. Also, between those five characters, mix the styles so that maybe one is a brawler, one submission wrestler, one high flyer, etc. Give the fans some options while also maintaining good stories.

3. Create-A-Wrestler

As I said before, one of the most popular aspects of the WWE games is the ability to create a wrestler and enter him in to the world of the WWE. When each WWE game hits, there are tons of fans that immediately go to the CAW (Create-A-Wrestler) before they even wrestle any matches. There are many people online that take pride in the fact that they make the best CAWs.

The problem is that throughout the years there hasn't been much advancement in the options or quality of the CAWs. If WWE '13 wants to satisfy fans, then I believe the absolute easiest way to go about it is to simply make the most CAW options ever. If the Road to Wrestlemania or the Universe mode is lacking, then most fans are willing to overlook those modes if the CAW mode is better.

4. Women Wrestlers

It's no surprise that the women wrestlers aren't taken seriously in the video game, because they aren't taken seriously in the company either. The women get the shaft in every possible way. There is no storyline mode for the women, they don't make many appearances in the male storylines, and even the quality of graphics for the characters don't seem as good. Hopefully, THQ will eventually figure out that even though women aren't considered an asset by the WWE that they can be an asset to the popularity of its video game. Better, quality women characters and a storyline for them will make a lot of fans very happy.

5. Improvement to Universe Mode

Again, I enjoy the Universe mode and could have fun playing it for a long time. There are some improvements that can be made, and the key is the more options the better. Give users the ability to delete televisions shows or add their own. Let them choose how many matches are on a show. Give the users complete control over the brands, shows, belts, and wrestlers.

Sources:

WWE Games

Lee Andrew Henderson has been a fan of wrestling since the WWF in the mid-80s. Since then Lee Andrew has been a fan of WWF/WWE, WCW, ECW, TNA and ROH and followed all the news and results surrounding all of these wrestling federations. Lee Andrew Henderson can be found on Twitter @LeeAHenderson.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Read more here:
Five Improvements THQ Should Make for WWE '13

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 2:13p.m.

By Tristan Clark

The original SoulCalibur on the Dreamcast (and now Xbox Live and, disgustingly, iOS) remains one of the best fighting games of all time. It’s slick, pure, tons of fun, and — a rare thing — welcoming to newcomers and pros alike. But in my opinion, none of its sequels has ever managed to top it. Sure, they’ve added features or changed up the gameplay enough to make it feel partially new, but that hasn’t made them definitively better. It’s the old “less is more” adage: the original SoulCalibur works so well precisely because of its stripped down sleekness.

So here we are with SoulCalibur V, the second entry to hit the current generation of consoles. Can it escape the fate of its direct predecessors? Or does it, too, succumb to the mistake of fixing things that don’t need to be fixed?

Answer: the latter. But it’s more nuanced than that.

You see, SoulCalibur V will still get a good score from me because at the end of the day, it’s still a good game. At its core, the fighting engine remains supremely enjoyable, whether you’re a button-mashing first-timer or a veteran seeking to learn the complex ins and outs of the new characters. Playing against friends or opponents in basic matches is as fun and challenging as it’s ever been.

I’ll return to all that in a moment, but first let’s take a trip down The Changes That Aren’t All That Good Lane.

First up: the story. SoulCalibur has always had a surprisingly meaty number of modes for a fighting game, and its main story mode — usually complete with a map filled with one-off missions — could often be quite engaging. A thorough unlocking system helped add to the longevity.

That’s all gone in SoulCalibur V, and in its place is an absolutely dreadful tale of classic character Sophitia’s two children as they attempt to reunite, kill lots of people, and… I don’t know, destroy the Soul Edge sword, or something. It reads like some people got the Japanese script, stuck it through Google Translate, and left it at that. A handful of animated cutscenes swim amongst a large number of sketched animatics, furthering the feeling of a mode that was left half-finished.

Put aside the actual story part, and you’re left with a linear progression of battles against a variety of foes, some of whom fight you repeatedly. It’s a far cry from the best story modes the series has offered in the past, and one of the biggest disappointments here.

The other, more standard modes fare better, probably because they haven’t changed in the last decade and a half. Arcade and Versus are exactly what you think they are, and at least allow you to enjoy the polished gameplay without much cruft. Legendary Souls, meanwhile, is a punishingly difficult mode that will annoy most people, but please the most fervent fans. It pits you against more and more characters and will eventually wear all but the most skilled players down.

Online play is, happily, a significant improvement from SoulCalibur IV, with a well thought out group lobby system, and netcode that makes most games, if not lag-free, then at least tolerable. Your performance may vary, but I had nary a hiccup getting my ass kicked by superior players over the net.

The Character Creator makes a return from the last game as well, and it’s been fleshed out with even more customisation options. You can spend a long time here if you’re not careful, and as I type this, a friend of mine is sitting on the couch trying to replicate Joker and Harley Quinn.

So what we have in SoulCalibur V is a relatively meagre array of modes. It’s quite a disappointment, but that’s tempered somewhat by the core gameplay, which is still — after all these years — fun, accessible, and deep.

Changes have been made here, though. You now have a gauge that fills up as you attack or defend. Performing Guard Impacts or extra special moves use up a portion of this bar, while a super move can be unleashed whenever the gauge is filled up enough. Basically, it’s a move towards the systems employed in anything from Street Fighter to Mortal Kombat.

It’s a solid system, and — along with guard breaks that shatter pieces of armour — has the effect of further emphasising attack over defence. Depending on your play style, that’s either a good or bad thing. I’m a bit worried about what that does to the more considered characters like Astaroth, who rely on careful blocking and counter-attacking. It’s still possible here, but it’s certainly harder.

In any case, the SoulCalibur you love still beats at the heart of this instalment. It’s faster and more aggressive, sure, but also remains intensely familiar. And hey, maybe that’s the root of the problem for the developers: they arguably perfected this engine years ago, and look like they’re at a loss about what meaningful additions they can make.

But it is a shame that V is largely a backwards step compared to IV, at least in terms of value. Playing this game, I get the overwhelming impression that the developers were phoning it in — who knows, maybe the budget was slashed, or they (somehow) didn’t have much time. Or maybe it’s simply a case of bad design. Either way: this is far from the best SoulCalibur entry, but that doesn’t make it a bad game. SoulCalibur V is still a lot of fun with some mates around, or when you best an online opponent. Just don’t get your hopes up if you’ve enjoyed the single player modes in the past.

P.S. Ezio from the Assassin’s Creed series is by far the best ‘guest’ character to ever be in the series. Keep him around for next time, Namco!

NZGamer.com

     SoulCalibur V  
:: Publisher: Namco Bandai
:: Developer: Namco
:: Format: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
:: Rating: M

More here:
Soul Calibur V review

Jeremy Lin has solved the point guard problem in New York temporarily. But problems still linger with this New York Knicks roster.

The addition of J.R. Smith could be the volume shooter the Knicks need for a second half run this season.

Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony recently spoke about Smith potentially signing with New York and living in the Big Apple:

"Yeah, I think so, he's one of those type of players," Anthony told a small group of reporters after the Knicks' win over the Nets on Saturday. "If it happens, it happens and I'll be happy."

The shooting guard spot continues to be a mystery alongside their star-studded frontcourt of Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler.

Between rookie Iman Shumpert, and second-year guard Landry Fields, the Knicks guards combine for three years of experience and neither rank in the top 30 in John Hollinger’s PER standings.

In addition, three-point shooting has been a significant area of concern for the Knicks. The team ranks third in the NBA in three-point attempts, but their three-point percentage is at a lowly 25th.

The stats tell the story of a conflict between system and personnel. Coach Mike D’Antoni encourages his team to shoot from long range by any means, but the current roster of Knicks’ shooters cannot execute at a high rate.

Enter J.R. Smith. 

The streaky shooter has shot 37 percent from three-point land for his career and Coach D’Antoni would give him the green light whenever the ball touches his hands. He would see a ton of open looks to bailout Lin-Amar’e pick and rolls and when Carmelo gets double-teamed. 

The Knicks can also offer Smith the largest paycheck of the bunch, with their 2.5 million mini mid-level exception still available.

Even if it’s not all about the Benjamins, the New Jersey native would fit right in playing in New York City.

Go here to see the original:
NBA Rumors: Ranking the Likely Destinations for J.R. Smith

Radhika Rajamani feels SMS has all the ingredients to make it work at the box office.

SMS (Shiva Manasulo Shruthi), yet another love story on celluloid, comes packed with energy and zest and a sprightly new lead pair, Sudheer Babu and Regina Cassandra.

The film has its high moments, though it drags in some places.  Director Tatineni Satya [ Images ] has remade the Tamil film Shiva Manasula Shakti but with his own additions.

Shiva (Sudheer Babu) and Shruthi (Regina Cassandra) meet on a train travelling to Vizag. She says she is an airhostess with Kingfisher Airlines [ Images ] when in reality she is a radio jockey. She takes him to be an army man when in fact he is a courier boy. Their paths keep crossing and they fall in and out of love. There are plenty of such misunderstandings as the film progresses.

SMS is not the usual mushy love story. Here the hero and heroine are often at loggerheads and it's fun watching them argue and take each other for a ride. There's enough humour in the dialogues to make one laugh without the mandatory comedians. There are songs galore. There's some action for the hero too.

There's a mother (Rohini) and two suitors for Shruthi. In a sub-plot, Shruthi's brother, Sada [ Images ] (Vennela Kishore), falls in love with a girl from another community.

There's a bit of everything to make the dish palatable. Sudheer and Regina add the extra spice with their acting and the chemistry between them.

Director Satya ensures the momentum is maintained to a large extent. The low moments in the film would be the drinking sequences and certain sequences in the second half which break the energy and exuberance of the characters.

Sudheer Babu and Regina liven and lighten up the screen with their performances and act with the ease of old hands rather than the newcomers they are. Sudheer dances well and fights well too. He needs to work on his voice and dubbing though.

Regina, too, seems at ease before the camera. She is expressive and can convey a variety of emotions.  Although Rohini's acting was over the top, she did a good job. Tagabothu Ramesh made his presence felt in the climax in his usual role of a drunkard.

Selva Ganesh's music suited the film. The film scores on the technical front too.

Rediff Rating:

See more here:
Review: SMS is fun to watch

I will admit that I had decided not to read this book for two reasons: (1) I tend to ignore books by “celebrity authors” (with name in large type on book jacket) and a “co-author” (with name in much smaller type); and (2) there isn’t much point in reading a history book which is promoted on the jacket by two authors of fiction, albeit writers I really enjoy for works of fiction.

There are, for instance, no citations, even for direct quotes, so I’m not sure that Nelson DeMille’s depiction on the jacket of Bill O’Reilly as a “historian” is really accurate. There are so many statements that make me wonder at the source: (Lincoln) “furls his brow” (Page 3); “his guts churn” (Page 11). Really? The source for this information? My favorite example is on Page 91. Booth “stands alone in a pistol range” to practice his aim. Alone, and yet every detail of his stance is described in full. Also, “the smell of gunpowder mixes with the fragrant pomade of his mustache.” Since he was completely alone at the time, did Booth himself describe somewhere the details of his stance and the fragrance of his mustache?

Perhaps the strangest claim for historical accuracy is the story on Page 5. It is the day (March 4, 1865) of Lincoln’s second inauguration. While there is no doubt that John Wilkes Booth was present (a famous long-range photograph shows the actor on a balcony overlooking the inaugural platform), I cannot find a single corroboration that at this event “Booth lunged at Lincoln.” He was caught and held back by a D.C. police officer, but he was not detained. “Arresting a celebrity like Booth might have caused the policeman problems.” Perhaps in historical writing there is something akin to “poetic license,” and that this “revelation” is an excellent example. It makes a good story, but I don’t think that it is true.

However, if the reader can overlook such questionable statements, this is a popular book. It has been on the Publishers Weekly best-sellers’ list for 19 weeks. Lincoln’s birthday is today.

It is officially classified as nonfiction, but perhaps we need a category between fiction and nonfiction. I recommend “historical fiction which is more-or-less accurate.” The book does tell the story of Lincoln’s assassination, and the subtitle is accurate: “The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever.” Historians to this day debate the effects Lincoln’s steady hand might have had on the unfortunate and divisive period of Reconstruction. Alas, we will never know.

I found the afterword and the replication of Harper’s Weekly very interesting and good additions to the text. The notes section gives the reader who wants to dig more deeply into the subject a fine list of optional reading material. Most of the books mentioned here are considered to be first-rate history books by the national “Lincoln community.” In fact, I wonder if it entered O’Reilly’s mind to run the completed manuscript by one of these currently available experts. I believe that by listing these books, the co-authors give “Killing Lincoln” at least a semblance of historical accuracy.

This is an important book because its position on best-seller lists means that people are reading of one of the most significant events in the history of the United States, and I firmly believe that we should know this story. I wish that it were more historically accurate, but that is only because I am firmly entrenched, for better or for worse, in the category of “history geek.” As I mentioned earlier, I believe that the book deserves a special category between fiction and nonfiction: “historical fiction which is more-or-less accurate.”

Sara Vaughn Gabbard is executive director of the Friends of the Lincoln Collection in Indiana, as well as the editor of “Lincoln Lore.” She was the vice president of the Lincoln Museum before it closed and is editor of several books on Lincoln. She wrote this for The Journal Gazette.

Originally posted here:
Not quite fact, not quite fiction