24 May,2011 07:45 AM IST | | Lindsay Pereira
Making sense of the good, bad and often strange trending topics online
The week did not begin well for our neighbours. Karachi becoming a trending topic after Taliban gunmen stormed a major naval airbase there, killing security personnel. Someone called Binayak Ghosh wanted to know: 'If Pakistan can't save its military base, how can it protect its nuclear weapons?' A valid query, no?
And there's more
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar clogged timelines following conflicting reports of him being killed in Pakistan. Tweeter Alibo Maye asked: 'If Omar died two days ago, does that mean he was part of the Rapture?' A certain Ajith had a more pertinent question: 'Has anyone checked with Digvijay Singh yet?'
Blast from the past
With a sing-along version of his old hit Sweet Caroline, singer Neil Diamond accepted the 2011 Billboard Icon Award and promptly became popular with people who had, quite possibly, never heard of him before. This is how a certain Erich Bergen put it: 'It's amazing that Diamond can show up at the end of the awards, sing a song from a bazillion years ago, and steal the show.' That's showmanship for you.
No silly point
Mumbai Indians pulled off a five-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders in the final IPL round-robin league match, with a little help from pacer Laxmipathy Balaji. He conceded 23 runs, became a trending topic, and also brought former cricketer Chetan Sharma back into the limelight. The latter had done something similar while bowling the last over of a match in Sharjah, back in 1986. In the words of Indra Roy: 'Sharma will sleep peacefully tonight. He has Balaji for company after 25 years.'
The last word
This is what actor Rahul Bose wants to know: 'Why does every film need to have a controversy to sell it? Why not a sensible script, believable performances and fine editing for a change?' Why indeed?
