welcome

Strathwood Coco Fiber 18-by-30-Inch Doormat, Welcome
$45.00
This really is a handsome piece. It's quite thick but not wobbly to stand on, does the job and looks really nice and substantial. I'm reviewing this only a couple months after buying it so no comments on how well it stands up to harsh conditions or years of use. But I'm really pleased with it.

Welcome (2007) dvd
$6.70
Bollywood actors Nana Patekar, Anil Kapoor, and Feroz Khan play mobster brothers who dream of marrying their younger sister Sanjana (the gorgeous Katrina Kaif) into a respectable family.

It's a pretty convoluted plot: Rajiv (Akshay Kumar) is kind of a geeky auctioneer whose uncle is really, really obsessed with finding the ideal wife for him, "ideal" meaning that the girl has to come from the most honest and decent family (Rajiv's uncle has already turned down over 500 prospective marriages so far).

Then, one day, Sanjana and Rajiv meet in the midst of a raging fire, and Rajiv is instantly smitten.

Independent of this, and because Bollywood is fueled by longshot, crazy coincidences, a marriage proposal - with Rajiv and Sanjana as the intended couple - is struck between Rajiv's uncle, Dr. Ghungroo, and one of Sanjana's mobster brothers, Uday Shetty. But Dr. Ghungroo promptly finds out that Uday is a crime lord. You can see where the conflict is, right? Ghungroo, his wife, and Rajiv hastily flee to Sun City, South Africa, where Ghungroo comes up with a plan: Get Rajiv quickly wedded and pretend that he's been married for three months now and just hadn't told his uncle. But, then, guess which soon-to-be-bride Ghungroo unwittingly selects for Rajiv? That's right: it's Sanjana, who's also visiting Sun City. And, this time, she falls in love with Rajiv.

And, with this Bollywood flick being two and a half hours long, that's only half the story. It turns out, the only way Dr. Ghungroo will approve Rajiv's marriage to Sanjana would be if her hoodlum brother, Uday Shetty, goes straight. You can see the dilemma, right? It's a good thing that Uday Shetty harbors longtime aspirations of being an actor and that the other mobster brother, Majnoo Bhai, is a painter. Because those facts come into play as Rajiv and Sanjana devise a scheme to reform her brother. Thank goodness cute Mallika Sherawat is around to lend a hand (she enters halfway in the picture).

Oh, and there's also a fleeting plot thread centering on the "Godfather" of them all. He gets involved when his hostile son, Lucky, gets upset at Rajiv for attempting to set Uday and Majnoo on the straight and narrow. Lucky's harsh words and a chandelier propel the remainder of the story.

WELCOME, a 2007 Bollywood offering, is the third reteaming of Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif. But diminished is the chemistry between Akshay and Katrina, which was so palpable in Namastey London DVD and also present in Humko deewana kar gaye. Maybe it's because their love story takes a backseat to all the comedic shenanigans. What's more, Akshay Kumar, who covers yet another nerdy role (although not as nerdy as in Jaan-E-Mann) is often sidelined so that the gangsters can have more screen time. Katrina gets even fewer moments on camera. Meanwhile, Mallika Sherawat is reduced to basically cameo spots. And, while the acting ranges from good (Patekar, Kumar) to decent (Kapoor, comedian Paresh Rawal as Dr. Ghungroo) to negligible (Kaif, Sherawat), I must say the most over-the-top performance comes from Feroz Khan, who plays the "Godfather." Kaif and Sherawat, by the way, look absolutely ravishing. But, next time, give 'em more to do.

In the end, WELCOME is merely an okay Bollywood flick. Not great, not even very good, but not a disaster, either. I'd rank it as somewhere just a shade above average. It's pretty hokey and I couldn't help but notice that there's a bit of Mickey Blue Eyes going on in this film, and that, like Hugh Grant's character, Rajiv is also an auctioneer. At a running time of two and a half hours, the plot has plenty of time to wander around and mingle and peer into sock drawers. There are some good comedic bits, but, mostly, the unsubtle humor falls thuddingly flat. The schemes the characters concoct are pretty lame, particularly the one involving Mallika simultaneously romancing both Uday and Majnoo. How was that ever gonna turn out well? Then Mallika shows up in the same room with them, and with each guy thinking that she was his girl? Aw, c'mon! Another dumb bit is when Dr. Ghungroo passes himself off as a corpse, knowing the corpse's father was about to see the body. How was that one gonna work? Thankfully, the ending saves the film. The second half of WELCOME is ridden with plot complications which keep piling up, paving the way for a complicatedly wacky climax, which does turn out to be pretty hilarious. But I sure wouldn't want to play RDX's version of "Passing the Parcel" (think Musical Chairs).

I got a chuckle from that quick George Bush joke thrown in.

Here's a paragraph on the songs, of which there are five, with me liking each one. Although not seamlessly integrated into the film, every number, including the title song (played during the closing creds), is energetic and colorful and fun. Malaika Arora (she, whose lips are "as soft as rose petals" and whose beauty is "as intoxicating as wine") shows up to perform in the sexy specialty item "Hoth Rasiley." I loved the wonderful tracks from NAMASTEY LONDON, and "Kola Laka Vellari" and "Ek Uncha Lamba" succeed in mimicking the flavor of the NAMASTEY LONDON songs (like "Chakna Chakna" and "Rafta Rafta"). "Kola Laka Vellari" and "Ek Uncha Lamba," in fact, are the ones which stand out the most to me. Then, while not technically a musical number, there's an amusing scene of Akshay singing and butchering the Bee Gee's "How Deep Is Your Love?"

Just to get it straight: So, was Dr. Ghungroo running both a hospital AND a clothing store?

And, lastly, Anil Kapoor's sunglasses are way cool.

Welcome Back, Kotter - The Complete First Season
$29.98
Not much to say here except THIS DVD IS SO AMAZINGLY FUNNY! The humour is so unique to the time and characters themselves. Being born in the late 80's, it's a little past 'my time' but thanks to reruns in the mid to late 90's, this here-girl was introduced to the brilliant talent that is Gabe Kaplan and his insane Sweathog students. Kaplan plays the iconic Mr. Kotter teaching the likes of Arnold Horshack ("Hiii... How are ya? I'm Arnold Horshack... Ha... ha... ha..."), Freddy 'Boom Boom' Washington ("Hi there.... I didn't have my homework, HANDY..."), Juan Epstein ("I have a note from my mother...") and the ever-so memorable Vinnie Barberino ("Up your nose with a rubber hose!" and later "I'm so confused!!!!") played by a young, pre-Grease John Travolta.

A WONDERFUL DVD set in a cool cardboard-slip case. I can't wait for Season 2!!!

10/10.

Department 56 Christmas In The City Welcome To Chinatown, Set of 3
$47.99
Christmas In The City Series Coordinates with 805533 "Golden Ox Market" & 807254 "Lanterns & Fireworks For Sale". The coordinating China Town gate has the Chinese characters above the arch which translate to "Welcome To China Town". Included are 2 Foo Dog statues to display with the gate. Foo Dogs, commonly displayed at temples, businesses, and homes, are a symbol of protection and believed to ward off evil spirits. The dragon decal on the back sends good luck to all as they leave China Town. Busy sidewalks, street corner Santas and friendly traffic cops create the mood of our Christmas In The City Series. Introduced in 1987, this series of hand-painted porcelain buildings and accessories offers dozens of exciting places to live, shop, work, dine and enjoy the city.