The New Year kick started with news – breaking news, but of course.

The world and its living room is occupied betting Shilpa Shetty’s chances of winning Big Brother, even though most of us haven’t even seen the program.

Not to mention how, now, even the most ignorant fellow-around-the-corner has an opinion about the Abhishek-Ash match.

Indeed, we have news channels and tabloids to thank. They will be the first ones to inform us (and emphasize on being first) how some vermilion accidentally fell on Aishwarya’s forehead or how Shamita Shetty’s erroneous posture results in front-page embarrassment.

Integrity and sensitivity seem like dated, poetic words in the field of journalism. One-oneupmanship is the new mantra.

Maybe that’s the norm for now. But who would care for stars if it weren’t for the movies that made them one? So watch movies, loads and loads of movies.

I, for one, have been doing just that. Recently, I had the opportunity to see some fabulous cinema in the form of Kundun (poignant, haunting), Transamerica (incredibly oddball), Babel (superbly crafted) Little Miss Sunshine (extraordinary balance of eccentricity and entertainment) and All The King’s Men (even if somewhat disappointing, it does have quite a few powerful moments and compelling performance).

All these films are so intelligent and well spun, that it’s hard to believe that anything except them exist for as long as they run.

Thank God, a few things in the world are still alright.