Akon And Aadesh, Vidya Balan On Sleep Awareness, Indian Stereotypes On SNL

-- Akon visited DJ Aqeel's club "Hype
last week. The personnel at the Club tried to stop composer Aadesh Shrivastav from accompanying Akon to the podium, but the singer stood up for Aadesh. Akon reminded the Club's staff that Aadesh was like his brother. Aadesh stated, "Yes that was a rather embarrassing situation, I'd have lost my temper if it wasn't for Akon. Akon did persuade me to come on stage with him." Shrivastav reported, "The craze for Akon singing in any language is phenomenal. You've to judge how popular Akon is among youngsters in Mumbai by the crowds that gathered for him."

-- Indian Sleep Disorders Association (ISDA) has appointed Vidya Balan as the brand ambassador of sleep awareness month this March. The drive is to sensitize people to sleep disorders, the symptoms of which are often ignored but can cause serious health issues. It's Miss Balan's belief that getting a good night's sleep is as important as having daily vitamins. This is supported by many doctors as well. She advocates for medical attention for those who are facing irregular sleep patterns. According to experts, one in every three Indian suffers from insomnia or some other form of sleep disorder.

-- A Saturday Night Live skit called "Talk Show with Ravish," which depicts a young Indian American who aspires to be a late night talk show host, is earning negative reviews from many Indians for its reliance on tired cliches and stereotypes. The premise of the skit is that Ravish's family, upon hearing that Dave Letterman earns $30.5 million a year, has asked him to abandon his medical studies to focus on a career in late night entertainment. Stereotypes are abound in the skit as Ravish and his family speak in exaggerated Indian accents, Ravish and his sister are portrayed to be only concerned with complicated mathematics and earning the highest marks in their schools. Further, their father is overbearing and a stringent perfectionist. Finally, inexplicably, there's a turban-wearing "uncle" in the corner of the room, drinking beer and dancing Punjabi style. The skit seems to produce limited laughter from the audience. Sources are frustrated that even after two decades of unprecedented gain for Indian Americans, old 1980's cliches continue to define their space on television.