B,o.B Striking it Big!

Recently, I've seen the ascent of the next superstar of rap & hip hop music. You can always say that an artist has struck gold when you see covers of the song being performed by people world over. The next big thing is 'B.o.B a.k.a Bobby Ray'. The Adventures of Bobby Ray hits stores on April 27th, 2010. The first single was 'Nothin' on you' which is at #2 on Billboard Hot 100. However, the song that caught my eye was Airplanes (Part 1) by B.o.B ft Hayley Williams of Paramore. This song is amazing. 

It is artsy, folksy and one of those dream songs you want to keep playing over and over on loop for the sheer artistic sense of the music and lyrics. This post is basically to highlight the song and some of its covers.

Original Song:

Different Covers:

I'm just waiting for Airplanes (Part 2) which features Eminem. Until then, the covers of this song is going to keep me searching youtube for more!

Masala Dosa Vs er... Tourism? Part 2

Right. So, Chennai did well to get 246/5. Rajasthan are chasing 247. Highly improbably, but with Yusuf Pathan, nothing is impossible. If they do chase it, Its going to be close to 500 runs in 40 overs. I hope they don't.

Shane Warne to all of his players : "We're all about making history aren't we?". The look on the players faces said it all. Demoralised to their core.

Be right back after a break when RR chase.

5:20 AM Pacific Standard Time: Albie Morkel starts. Amazing strength this guy has to come out and open the bowling after that hitting. Lost my stream yet again. Sigh.

5:25 AM: Got back the stream. Bollinger looks interesting. 14/0 in 1.3 now. He's bowling great! 1 run in the 2nd over. 15/0 in 2 overs. I'm going to take it a little easy on the live blogging. It is really tiring. Meanwhile, I salute the ball-by-ball commentators of Cricinfo. Now I know how hard their job is, to include mundane commentary every second.

5:32 AM: Sudeep Tyagi. Oh noes! Hope he doesn't leak runs. He's bouncing them up. Nice. Rajasthan's asking rate keeps creeping up. 23/0 in 3 overs. They're trying to cut loose but the bowling is tight, mostly.

5:35 AM: Bollinger is the best thing to happen to the CSK bowling department.

5:40 AM: Raina almost hangs onto one. Tyagi back into the attack. Screw the Miss Universe, get back the cricket! Six by Naman Ojha. 40/0 in the 5th over. Tyagi doesn't look like he's ready for the big time. His short ones are great. Six to end the over. 47/0 after 5 overs. Pretty much similar to the 50/0 in 5 for Chennai

5:45 AM: Albie comes back. First ball off for four. Looking even right now. The UMPIRE is commentating. SMH. Does Rudy Koertzen have a jamaican accent? Lol. 62/0 in 6 overs. This is looking close if they go at this rate!

5:50 AM: "The Spin Demon" Murali is introduced. God please help the other Murali too. Amazing over. 6 of the over. 68/0 in 7.

5:53 AM: Dhoni is finish Morkel and Tyagi off soon I think. He wants them to finish their quota and get out. Interesting strategy. LUMB GOES. First wicket down for Royals. YESS. Albie gets his man.

5:55 AM: 6 for Ojha. Pathan comes in. Pathan is having a go at everything. I hope he does something stupid, which he generally doesn't. Doug Bollinger takes it!!!

DOUG BOLLINGER TOOK THE BEST CATCH OF THIS MATCH!

5:56 AM: 80/2. Pathan takes the long walk back. That begins the inevitable slide of the rest according to me. What a great start to my morning :) Aathichudi is playing on the turntables.

6:00 AM:  Ojha is turning it on. Keeping the run rate ticking. Badri drops it.. Arrghh.. Shadab Jakati is doing a great job. 90/2 in 9 overs. Will the Royals be able to hold on to make it a close match?

6:06 AM:  Morkel is back. RR is milking singles now. Don't know how much that will help them. Get the sixes out already. Give the Chennai makkal some entertainment! P.S: Monk might have exhausted them out! 142 required from 60 balls. 105/2 in 10 overs. They're still doing 10 an over. One or two more wickets and they're gone.

6:10 AM: 6 more to Ojha. Are they inching closer? Oh noes! 50 up for Ojha. Well played young man. 114/2 in 11 overs.

6:13 AM: I'm losing the live stream again. Hope I don't miss anything big. Back. 124/2 in 12. They're getting closer.

6:18 AM: Jakati continues. Rajasthan are hitting sixes all over. I am contemplating if I should stop watching now. Hmmmmm.. 110 to win in 45 balls. BRING BACK BOLLINGER OR MURALI! 143/2 in 13 overs. This is outrageous. Dhoni, come on. Do something.

6:23 AM: Dang. Tyagi comes back. He's a run giving machine. Sigh. He does bounce them well though. Dropped by Anirudha Srikanth. Shane Watson lives. 152/2 in 14. 95 to win of 36 balls. Getting tighter and tighter.

6:26 AM: Murali comes back. Looks like another catch but its a tough one.Watson is swatting it out of the ground. SIX! SIX again. Watson gets 50 off 21 balls.Oh noes, Rajasthan is running away with it. Watson is blasting it around. 175/2. 72 required of 30 balls. The Royals look threatening now. Bollinger, please save CSK.

Tamil Ad on Set MAX. Woo Hoo.

6:32 AM: Doug Bollinger comes. He STRIKES!! Dougie Bollinger does it for Chennai! Shane Watson out for 60. This was planned by Dhoni I think. Dougie Bollinger has changed this game yet again. Too bad that he won't get the MoM if Chennai win. The crowd in Chennai is chanting Bollinger. Look at the power of the IPL. Yesterday, unknown in Chennai. Today, a hero. 183/3 from 16 overs. Time out called.

6:39 AM: 64 needed from 24 balls. If Chennai lose it from here, shame on them.Raina is bowling. Raina? WTH?? Oh yeah, he stops at the crease. My bad. This is a good move by Dhoni. He's a clever bowler. 9 of the over. 192/3! Need 53 from 18 balls. Closer and closer.

6:43 AM: Is Dhoni behind on his over rate? They're taking some time now to finish overs. MURALI STRIKES. Anirudha takes another catch. 192/4. Fazal goes. SIX next ball. Boy, its a roller coaster ride.SIX again off the 2nd last ball.208/4. They need 39 runs in 12 balls. Possible? Maybe.

6:49 AM: Bollinger to bowl the 19th. Great move. Will this over seal it? Raina takes it. WICKET GOES DOWN! Bollinger strikes again. 210/5. They need 37 runs in 9 balls. Tough. Incredibly tough. 212/5 at the end of 19th. Right. 6 balls, 35 runs to win. Very tough.

6:55 AM: Yay. Last over. Tyagi to bowl the last over. YIKES! 31 required of 5 balls. 4 more to Ojha. 27 off 4 balls now.Up in the air, put down by Hayden. 26 needed off 3.Dot ball. Yup. 26 off 2 balls now. CSK going to win! Single. 25 to win off 1 ball. Done.

CSK win it folks. What a game it was. Brilliant. Dhoni made his moves perfectly and they all paid off. A well deserved win for Chennai attributed to Bollinger and Vijay mainly.

I've enjoyed live-blogging, although it is physically demanding. Maybe I might do it for games which I am not really engrossed in watching it. Alright guys, I'm signing out. Going to hit the bed finally. See ya some other day.

Masala Dosa Vs er... Tourism?

3:20 AM Pacific Standard Time: Its crunch time for Chennai Super Kings (no, not much time!). This is my first attempt at live-blogging an IPL match. Be kind.

Background: I'm a big CSK supporter. Every match I've watched in IPL3, they've ended up making a mess of it. I am defying logic, the gods, and every one out there who says "Don't watch!!!". Since I am in a precarious position of not being able to watch it on Youtube, I googled for a site showing a live stream. I ended up with something called WebCric which is streaming it. I don't know how they do it, but I found it through Google. So, if you plan to rabble about it, you know who the source is.

Right. CSK is batting. Here it goes. The do or die match for Chennai. The big showdown between Masala Dosas, Idlis, Vadas and Sambhar Vs Tourism, Palaces and Deserts (I have no clue what food is famous here, so I'm substituting it with whatever I know)

Match starts at 3:30 AM PST.

3:23 AM: The crowd is going wild for Dhoni! Plenty of runs expected. Mike Haysman is one of the commentators I tolerate, the best in the IPL. No B.S, he gives it out straight! Its hot in Chennai. Yeah, what did you expect? Snow?

3:26 AM: Footage of Dhoni winning toss. Yeah yeah, old news. CSK is batting. Oh noes! Gony is playing. Bad move. Anirudha Srikkanth is playing. Outta boy Anirudh(a). Make Chikka mama proud! Homeground too.

3:27 AM: Why do commentators always mess up Murali's name? Bollinger is playing for CSK. Hope he doesn't have a jetlag.

3:31 AM: 41.7 degrees Celsius. Oh my! Vijay starts it off for CSK. 6/0 I'll probably post after every over I think.

3:33 AM: Devuda Devuda from Chandramukhi. Nice! 8/0 after the first over. Arre arre arre...They really need that song!

3:37 AM: Vijay's cutting loose. 6!! Did you know M.Vijay's nickname is Monk? Apparently, it had something to do with a certain brand of rum ;) Of course, the PC version of it is that he's calm like a monk. On the other hand, I think Karbonn might be the most hated mobile company in India. The ads in the middle of the over with Viru and Gambhir are annoying!

3:41 AM: I got disconnected from the live stream. SMH. 3 overs 31/0. Vijay seems to have decided to have a makeover. Adungada from Pokkiri now. Maybe that is what is making M.Vijay hit. Vijay songs for Vijay!

3:48 AM: Hayden gets into the act now. Its 4 overs gone. 37/0.

3:49 AM: Lost my stream again. Oh well, refreshing the page 10 times. Keeping my fingers crossed.

3:50 AM: Got it back. Hayden is cutting loose now. Fireworks in Chennai. 50/0 in 5 overs.

3:57 AM: Srikanth WAGH. Anything to with the Waugh brothers? Hayden is thumping it around. 3 fours in a row! And Hayden goes.. Lazy shot, straight to mid-off. CSK is 62/1 in 5.5 overs. Right. Raina is in now.

3:59 AM: 66/1 in 6 overs. What is it with the Crop signs around the Chepauk ground? Is Shyamamamalan consulting for the groundsmen? Time out called by the Royals.

4:05 AM: Top-edge from Vijay flew over slip. Phew. That raced for 4..Overthrows galore! Raina joins in the act. Our Guest Commenator Harish chimes in "Over 6.2 : Idea batting by Vijay!!". Indeed sir, indeed. Somebody get me an mp3 of the trumpet. Why does the crowd go wild when it goes off? 771 in 7 overs. Nice start.

4:09 AM: 82/1 in 8 overs. Pretty silent over from Watson. Machan Peru Madurae!! playing now on the Chennai's DJ playlist. Whoever he is, may he get an Arjuna award for Music in Sports.

4:14 AM: Shane Warne comes in and deceives Raina into giving away his wicket. SMH. 83/2 in 8.3. I'm putting earplugs on now. Huggge spin for Warne. 3 byes. Murali must be smiling. 89/2 in 9 overs! Yae Aaatha Aathorama now on the DJ's list. Hahahaha. He's recycling the same songs every match!

4:18 AM: Not cool. Shane Watson hits Albie Morkel in the butt with a ball. I never thought I'd type that sentence in a cricket match. JuneJuneWalah is a deceptive bowler. Interesting. 91/2 in 10 overs. Lost my live stream again.

4:21 AM: Got it back.97/2 in 11 overs. They seem to be consolidating now. Or just struggling. Glass is half emtpy or half full remember?

4:24 AM: Horrible overthrow! Sweaty palms my foot. Now that's a sentence I never thought I'd type. Morkel just hit a Korukkupet Maximum. Screw DLF, I'm gonna advertise my hometown. 113/2 in 12 overs.

Live blogging is a pain. Now I know how Cricinfo, Cricbuzz guys must be feeling to keep their visitors updated. Typing in real-time is hard!

4:28 AM: Shane Warne gets hit for a Chormepet maximum. Different stand you see.Murali Vijay is giving Shane Warne the Sachin treatment. 50 for Monk. Outta boy Vijay! Morkel is dropped. 129/2 in 13 overs. Approximately 10 per over. Warne is scratching his head.

4:32 AM: Vijay soldiers on with some textbook cricket shots. Saidapet maximum!! HUGGE six. Morkel is cutting loose too.Yusuf Pathan must've done something wrong yesterday. They're giving him a taste of his own medicine.151/2 in 14 overs. 50 runs in the last 15 balls. Amazing.

4:38 AM: Tait in. Four again. Runs are flowing like Sambhar here. 6 towards Besant Nagar. Old Monk is hitting it 'high' here! Vijay's hit yet another six. He's on fire. Shaun Tait is under tremendous pressure. 169/2 in 15 overs. Strategic time out again. "We will rock you" in the Chennai DJ's list. Probably the only English song the front-benchers of Chepauk know. Or am I wrong?

4:42 AM: Lost my stream again. Trying to switch to an alternate link. Got it back now. M.Vijay's really taking them to the cleaners. SIX! Mike Haysman : Johanas Albertus Morkel. He's hit a SIX too! 100 partnership. Its raining Sixes folks. 6 1 6 1 6 6 reads like a phone number. 26 runs of 16th over. 196/2 CSK.

Maybe me watching the match and live blogging changed mine and CSK's luck. There is still a half match left, so I should hold on to my mouth. Touching wood now.

4:50AM: Albie gets a 50. Warnie is back into the attack. Vijay on 96. Goes onto 97. Warne messes up a runout chance. Monk breathes to keep his chances alive of a 100. Morkel hits it for a 4. Chennai crosses 200. SIX!!! 208/2 in 17 overs. This is turning out to be awesome!

CHENNAI CHENNAI. CHENNAI CHENNAI!

4:55 AM: Vijay gets his 100! What an innings! Askalakadi gala gala gala. Ooh aah ooh aah. Morkel is DROPPED. Sky high catch chance. Put down. Monk goes for it again. 18 from it. 226/2 in 18 overs. 12 MORE BALLS TO GO!! Woo hoo!

Naaka Mukka atlast.. This is eternal bliss for the crowd at this moment.

5:01 AM: Ads in the middle of the over = annoying! Nothing is going right for the Royals. 235/2 in 19 overs. This is a turning out mamoth total! Vijay still there on 120!

Yemmadi aathadi!! Yayy.. Bring TR on I say!

5:07 AM: Morkel goes for a great knock. Both of them are looking tired. Excellent knock. Enga thala Dhoni is the new man in.Vijay's hit a SIX I think. Vijay goes for 127. Greatest knock in IPL ever. Dhoni goes for nought. Will Watson get a hat-trick? Its 241/5. One more ball to go. WIDE! FOUR. 246/5 in 20 overs. Amazing!

The story of the match has been one man supported by another. Murali Vijay is a hero in Chennai, the man called 'Monk' has just proved why he's got that nickname. Morkel played a superb knock too. I'm going to take a break and be back with the live blog of the Rajasthan innings.