Desi [d̪eːsi] is a type of slang that refers to the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent or South Asia and, increasingly, to the people, cultures, and products of their diaspora.^[1] Desi countries include Bangladesh, India,Nepal ,Bhutan^[2] and Sri Lanka.^[3] There are large Desi populations in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, South Africa, Malaysia, Mauritius, Singapore, Guyana, Fiji, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago and other countries.

Etymology[link]

Assamese: দেশী, Bengali: দেশি, Gujarati: દેશી, Hindi: देसी, Kannada: ದೇಸಿ, Malayalam: ദേശി, Marathi: देशी, Nepali: डिसी, Oriya: ଦେଶୀ, Punjabi: ਦੇਸੀ, Tamil: தேசி, Telugu: దేశీయుడు,

This ethnonym belongs in the endonymic category (i.e. it is a self-appellation). Desi originates from the Sanskrit word ((Sanskrit: देश) deś- ("region, province, country"). The first known usage of the Sanskrit root is found in the Natya Shastra (~200 BC), where it defines the regional varieties of folk performing arts, as opposed to the classical, pan-Indian margi. Thus, (Sanskrit: स्वदेश) swadeś refers to one's own country or homeland, while (Sanskrit: परदेश) pardeś refers to another's country or a foreign land. "Desi" is a diverse term than can signify anyone with South Asian ancestry.

History[link]

During the height of the British Raj, many people from the Indian subcontinent emigrated to other British colonies, in search of freedom. Indians increasingly referred to foreign lands as pardeś, and their homeland as swadeś.

After the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, the United States dramatically increased immigration from the Indian subcontinent. ^[4] As increasing number of Indian students arrived in the US and UK, India was colloquially referred to as deś. Thus, all things Indian including Indian expatriates were referred to as "desi". Communities that have remained distinct in South Asia have tended to mix in diaspora and hence the appellation has also been adopted by communities from other South Asian nations.

Some second or third generation immigrants do not think of themselves as belonging to a particular nation, sub-culture, or caste, but as just plain South Asians or desis,^{[citation needed]} especially as intermarriage between different South Asian diaspora communities increases.

Nepal[link]

Nepali uses des(h)i or the related mades(h)i (मधेसी, मधेशी) to refer to people from the Terai (Madhesh) who are linguistically and culturally like people in adjacent India, as well as for people from India proper. In this way, both are differentiated from Paharis and others from the Middle Hills and higher mountains, who traditionally controlled politics in the Kingdom of Nepal. Since Nepal became a republic in 2008, attempts to fully enfranchise the Madhesi have led to conflict.

Culture[link]

Some diaspora desis are creating what can be called a "fusion" culture, in which foods, fashions, music, and the like from many areas of South Asia are "fused" both with each other and with elements from Western culture.^[5] For example, urban desi is a new genre of music formed by the fusion of traditional Indian and Western urban music.^[6] The growing demand of popular programming for South Asians caused MTV to launch the Desi-targeted television channel MTV Desi.

Performing arts[link]

The Natya Shastra refers to the regional varieties of folk dance and music elements as "Desi", and states that these are meant as pure entertainment for common people, while the pan-Indian margi elements are to spiritually enlighten the audience. The medieval developments of the classical Indian dance and music led to the introduction of Desi gharanas, in addition to the classical gharanas codified in Natya Shastra. The Desi gharanas further developed into the present-day adavus. There is raga in Indian classical music known as Desi.

Food[link]

In India, "desi" in the context of food, implies "native" or "traditional." Common examples are "desi ghee", which is the traditional clarified butter used in India, as opposed to more processed fats such as vegetable oils. "Desi chicken" may mean a native breed of chicken.

Heritage varieties of vegetables and other produce can also be qualified as "desi". "Desi diet" refers to a diet and food choices followed by Indians around the world. "Desi sharaab" refers to "country liquor", such as fenny, toddy and arrack. It is differentiated from Indian Made Foreign Liquor such as Indian made whisky, rum, vodka, etc.

In the U.S., "Desi food" (Desi cuisine) most often refers to dishes commonly served in Indian communities, especially westernized restaurant dishes such as chicken tikka masala.^[7]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Desi City Guide
• Desi Video Network
• MTV Desi Website

Diora Baird
Diora Baird in 2003
Born	(1983-04-06) April 6, 1983 (age 29)[1] Miami, Florida, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2004–present

Diora Lynn Baird (born April 6, 1983)^[1] is an American actress and former model for Guess? who has appeared in films such as Wedding Crashers (2005) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006).

Early life[link]

Baird was born in Miami, Miami-Dade County, Florida. Her mother was also a model.^[1] She got into acting when her mother enrolled her in an acting class to help her overcome introversion.^[1] Later, she became vice president of her school's Thespian Society.^[1] At the age of 17, she moved to Los Angeles in hope of pursuing an acting career.^[1] To earn money while auditioning, she worked at The Gap as well as a clown at children's parties, caterer, waitress and pre-school teacher until breaking in to the modeling industry, most notably with Guess?.^[1] Her exposure increased considerably with an appearance on the cover of the August 2005 issue of Playboy magazine.^[2][3] She is signed to Elite Model Management in Miami.^[4]

Career[link]

In 2004, Baird also started earning acting roles, such as a guest appearance on the Drew Carey Show and in the low-budget film Brain Blockers. Her breakthrough appearance in a major film was in Wedding Crashers in 2005, which she followed up with roles in Accepted and Hot Tamale. In 2006, she appeared in four films, most notably a major role in the horror prequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning. In 2009, Baird portrayed an Orion Starfleet officer in Star Trek directed by J. J. Abrams but was cut from the final version of the film. She can be seen in the deleted scenes of the home video release.^[5]

Baird had featured photo spreads in several magazines including Playboy, FHM, Stuff, Maxim (in which she was ranked #76 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list,^[6] #64 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2008 list,^[7] #76 on the Maxim Magazine Hot 100 of 2011 list,^[8] as well as scoring the #17 spot on FHM's top 100 2010, and the #40 spot in 2011),^[9] Toro and Esquire (UK).^[10] She lent her voice to the Scarface video game as one of Tony Montana's possible girlfriends.^[11]

Baird has also guest-starred in episodes of Big Day, Shark, The Loop, and Two and a Half Men (the 2009 episode "She'll Still Be Dead At Halftime"). She starred in the movie 30 Days of Night: Dark Days, directed by Ben Ketai,^[12] which is produced by Columbia Pictures and Ghost House Pictures.^[13] Baird stars also in the FEARnet webseries Tea Party Massacre, which is part of the series Women in Horror Month.^[14] She also starred in the 2009 comedy Stan Helsing.

She starred in a couple of videos for the Funny or Die website, including one with Garfunkel and Oates called "Go Running with Chicken" and "Sexy Dark Ages" with Robert Englund.^[15] She starred in another web video with the comedic duo called "This Party Took a Turn for the Douche". In 2010, she appeared in Night of the Demons. In February 2011, she starred in a short musical film called Howlin' for You for the band The Black Keys.^[16]

Her latest film Transit was released in January 2012.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Diora Baird

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Diora Baird

• Diora Baird at the Internet Movie Database
• Diora Baird at AllRovi

Robin Bain
Bain, December 2010
Born	(1980-02-12) February 12, 1980 (age 32) Northern Indiana, USA
Occupation	Actress, Writer, Director
Years active	2001-present
Website
robinbain.net

Robin Bain is an American actress, writer and director.^[1]

Career[link]

Robin Bain performed as a live action character on Seth Green's Emmy Award-winning animated show Robot Chicken, which airs on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.^[2] She also acted as different characters with multiple voices for the Robot Chicken Christmas Special (2009).^[3]

Robin Bain appeared on the NBC comedy series, The Real Wedding Crashers^[4] and Comedy Central's Mind of Mencia.^[5] Bain then made guest appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno^[6]and Real Time with Bill Maher.^[7]

Working as a director, Bain has been at the helm of several music videos, most notably videos featuring In This Moment singer, Maria Brink^[8] and country music band, The Clark Family Experience.^[9] As a writer/director, Bain's 2003 short film, Paper Doll was screened on the independent film festival circuit, and earned Bain nominations for "Best Actress," "Best Director" and a win for "Best Short" at the SMMASH Film Festival.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Robin Bain is skilled with firearms^[11] and is considered a markswoman.^[12] Bain resides in Los Angeles, California.^[13]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Robin Bain

• Robin Bain at the Internet Movie Database
• Robin Bain profile by Byron Perry, Variety
• Official
• Robin Bain blogspot
• Robin Bain Twitter
• fan site
• Robin Bain articles Zimbio.com

William Beau Mirchoff (born January 13, 1989) is an American actor, best known for starring as Danny Bolen on the sixth season of ABC's Desperate Housewives (2009–2010). He also appeared in films such as Scary Movie 4 and The Grudge 3. Beau Mirchoff currently portrays Matty McKibben in MTV's series Awkward.

Early life[link]

Beau Mirchoff was born on January 13, 1989 in Seattle, Washington. His father, Bill, is a podiatrist from California. His mother, Kelley, a Seattle native, works for the BC government. Beau has an older brother, Luke (b. February 15, 1985), who plays semi-pro lacrosse and a younger sister, Raeanna (b. April 2, 1992), who was responsible for Beau getting started in acting. Beau has always loved the outdoors, from cruising and fishing the Gulf and San Juan Islands, and Sea Kayaking the West Coast of Vancouver Island to hiking and camping in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia.

Career[link]

Mirchoff first got noticed for his role in the play Bubbly Stiltskin. His first feature was a supporting role in Scary movie 4, playing 'Robbie Ryan'. He was a recurring character on the CBC series Heartland. He also landed a lead role in The Grudge 3. Mirchoff joined the cast of Desperate Housewives, playing Danny Bolen between 2009 and 2010.^[1] He had supporting roles in the indie film Secret Life of Dorks and in the film I Am Number Four. Mirchoff is now starring as a lead in the MTV series Awkward..^[2]. He is also a notable alumni of Mount Douglas Secondary School.

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Beau Mirchoff at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with TV Guide Online
• Beau's Official Fan Site

Jennifer Love Hewitt
Hewitt in January 2008
Born	Jennifer Love Hewitt (1979-02-21) February 21, 1979 (age 33) Waco, Texas, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer, songwriter, television director, producer, author, voice actress
Years active	1990–present

Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress, producer, television director and singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated. She rose to fame in teenage popular culture in her roles in the Fox series Party of Five as Sarah Reeves Merrin, and films I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel as Julie James. She starred on the hit CBS television program Ghost Whisperer as Melinda Gordon, for which she won a Saturn Award in 2007 and 2008 for Best Actress on Television.^[1] She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her television movie The Client List.^[2] Hewitt has served as a producer on some of her film and television projects.^[3] As a singer, Hewitt's most successful single on the Billboard Hot 100 is the 1999 release "How Do I Deal", which peaked at No. 59.^[4] She has contributed music to the promotion or soundtracks of acting projects.^[5] She was identified as the "#1 reader choice" on the November 1999 and May 2009 covers of Maxim.^[6] TV Guide named her the sexiest woman on television in 2008.^[7]

She is currently a recurring star on Hot in Cleveland^[8] and leads the new Lifetime television series The Client List.^[9]

Early life[link]

Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas,^[10] and is the daughter of Patricia Mae (née Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician.^[11] Hewitt grew up in Nolanville, Texas.^[12] Hewitt received her middle name after her mother promised her college friend (named "Love") that if she had a daughter, she would name her after her.^[13] Her older brother, Todd Hewitt, chose the name "Jennifer" as a homage to a crush he had at the time she was born.^[12] After the divorce of her parents, Hewitt and her brother were brought up by her mother.^[14]

As a young girl, Hewitt was attracted to music, which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry. At the age of three, she sang "The Greatest Love of All" at a livestock show.^[15] Just a year after that, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night".^[16] By the time she was five, Hewitt already had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio.^[17] At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team (which also toured in the Soviet Union).^[18] At the age of ten, at the suggestion of talent scouts and after gaining the title of "Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner",^[19] she moved to Los Angeles with her mother to pursue a career in both acting and singing.^[14] In Los Angeles, Hewitt attended Lincoln High School where her classmates included Jonathan Neville, who became a talent scout and recommended Hewitt for her role in Party of Five.^[16]

Career[link]

Acting[link]

After moving to Los Angeles, Hewitt appeared in more than twenty television commercials, including some for Mattel toys.^[20] Her first break came as a child actor on the Disney Channel variety show Kids Incorporated (1989–1991),^[21] where she was credited as "Love Hewitt". She later appeared in the live action video short Dance! Workout with Barbie (1992), released by Buena Vista.^[22]

Hewitt in 2002

She played Pierce Brosnan's daughter in a pilot for NBC called Running Wilde (1993),^[23] which featured Brosnan as a reporter for Auto World magazine whose stories cover his own wild auto adventures. However, the series was not picked up and the pilot never aired.^[24] Hewitt later had roles in several short-lived television series, such as Fox's Shaky Ground (1992–1993),^[25] ABC's The Byrds of Paradise (1994),^[26] and McKenna (1994–1995),^[27] and finally became a young star after landing the role of Sarah Reeves Merrin on the popular Fox show Party of Five (1995–1999).^[28] She assumed the role of Sarah after joining that show during its second season and continued it on the short-lived Party of Five spin-off, Time of Your Life (1999), which she also co-produced.^[29] The show was cancelled after half a season.^[30]

Hewitt's first feature film role was in the independent film Munchie (1992).^[31] A year later, she achieved her first starring film role in Little Miss Millions (1993).^[32] She appeared as a choir member in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993).^[33] Hewitt became a film star after a lead role in the horror film I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997),^[34] which enjoyed great box office success ($125,000,000 USD).^[35] Hewitt and her co-stars gained popular exposure from the film. She appeared in the sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), which, though not as successful as the first film, took in more money on its opening weekend.^[36] She starred in the high-school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998).^[37]

Hewitt starred in The Audrey Hepburn Story (2000).^[38] That same year, she was the "most popular actress on television" due to her Q-rating (a measurement of a celebrity's popularity) of 37.^[39] Noting her "Q-rating", Nokia chose her to become its spokesperson.^[40]

She starred alongside Sigourney Weaver in the romantic comedy Heartbreakers (2001).^[41] She appeared in The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) as Madellaine, the main protagonist's love interest.^[42] Hewitt wrote and performed "I'm Gonna Love You" for the film; the song won "Best Original Song" at the DVD Premiere Awards.^[43] She starred alongside Jackie Chan in The Tuxedo (2002),^[44] which received negative reviews from critics but was a box office success.^[45] Hewitt appeared in If Only (2004) and co-wrote and performed "Love Will Show You Everything" and "Take My Heart Back" for the film's soundtrack.^[46] She starred in Garfield (2004),^[47] which became her highest-grossing film to date ($200,804,534 USD).^[48] She reprised her role for the sequel, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006),^[49] which, though not performing as well as its predecessor, achieved a strong box office gross.^[50]

Hewitt starred in the television series Ghost Whisperer (2005–2010),^[51] which ran on CBS for five seasons before being canceled by the network in May, 2010.^[52] She reunited with her I Know What You Did Last Summer co-star, Freddie Prinze Jr., in Delgo (2008).^[53] The film was a massive box office bomb ($694,782 USD domestically).^[54] After a two-year absence from feature films, Hewitt led the independent drama Café (2010) with her then-boyfriend Jamie Kennedy.^[55] She starred in the Lifetime film The Client List (2010),^[56] for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.^[57] The next year, Hewitt starred in the Hallmark Hall of Fame film The Lost Valentine (2011).^[58]

Hewitt will direct the film Wait Till Helen Comes (2012) based on the novel by Mary Downing Hahn.^[59] This will be Hewitt's feature film directorial debut (she previously directed three episodes of Ghost Whisperer).^[60] She is also set star alongside Ivan Sergei and Joel David Moore in the independent comedy Jewtopia (2012)^[61] and will star in the television series The Client List (2012).^[62]

Music[link]

Hewitt was one of the back-up singers in Martika's number-one single, "Toy Soldiers" (1989).

Jennifer Love Hewitt in Gigaset 2012

At the age of 12, Meldac funded the recording of Hewitt's first album, Love Songs (1992).^[63] The album was released exclusively in Japan, where Hewitt became a pop star.^[64] Her explanation for her success in Japan is that the Japanese "love perky music. The poppier the music, the better."^[65]

After she joined the cast of Party of Five, she signed to Atlantic Records, who rushed her second album, Let's Go Bang (1995), out in October.^[63] The album and its three singles failed to chart.^[63] Juggling her music career with her acting career, she recorded and released her follow-up album, Jennifer Love Hewitt (1996).^[66] The album, along with its four singles, failed to chart and Atlantic dropped Hewitt, who did not return to the music scene for three years.^[63]

She recorded the single "How Do I Deal" (1999) for the I Still Know What You Did Last Summer soundtrack.^[67] The song became Hewitt's first charting single, climbing to No. 59 on the Hot 100 and No. 36 on the Top 40 Mainstream.^[1] It reached No. 8 in Australia.^[68] Hewitt also recorded a cover of the Gloria Gaynor song "I Will Survive", which features briefly in the film.^[69]

She appeared in the LFO video for "Girl on TV" (1999),^[70] a song which was written for her by a member of the band.^[71] She also appeared in the music video for the Enrique Iglesias song, "Hero" (2001), as the singer's love interest.^[72]

In 2002, Hewitt signed to Jive Records^[73] and recorded her fourth album with singer, songwriter and producer Meredith Brooks.^[74] The first single, "BareNaked" (2002), became her biggest radio hit to date when it peaked at No. 24 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, No. 31 on the Adult Top 40 and No. 25 on the Top 40 Mainstream.^[75] It climbed to No. 6 in Australia, remaining there for two weeks,^[76] and reached No. 33 in the Netherlands.^[77] The song later featured in two episodes of Ghost Whisperer: "The Vanishing" (Season 1, episode 20)^[78] and "The Collector" (Season 2, episode 20).^[79] The moderate success of the single propelled the album to peak at No. 37 on the Billboard 200^[80] and No. 31 in Australia.^[81] However, it only remained on the chart for three weeks.^[75] The second single, "Can I Go Now" (2003), failed to chart in the US, while managing to peak at No. 8 in the Netherlands^[82] and No. 12 in Australia.^[83]

Since 2004, Hewitt has remained inactive from the music industry, but the compilation album Cool with You: The Platinum Collection (2006) was released in Asia.^[84] Another compilation, Hey Everybody (2007), was released in Brazil.^[85] In 2009, reports surfaced that Hewitt was planning on making a country album and was in the process of writing material for it.^[86] Jamie Kennedy, Hewitt's boyfriend at the time, said: "I really want to make her a new demo for her music, because I think she should do singing again. She's so good."^[64] However, nothing has of yet come of the reports and Hewitt has remained absent from the music scene.

Writing[link]

In November 2009, Hewitt made a foray into comic books. Veteran writer Scott Lobdell scripted the 5-issue anthology, Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009–2010), based on Hewitt's ideas.^[87] The series has been published by IDW Publishing, and has been compiled in a trade paperback.^[88]

Hewitt wrote a book entitled The Day I Shot Cupid (2010), in which she speaks of her experiences with love and dating.^[89] During a January 2010 interview on Lopez Tonight, Hewitt said that there was a chapter in the book about "vajazzling" her "vajayjay" (decorating her vulva with Swarovski crystals).^[90][91] Hewitt was attributed with popularizing the trend.^[92] The book became a New York Times Bestseller the week of its release.^[93] She announced via her Twitter page that she is currently penning a follow-up.^[94]

Personal life[link]

Hewitt and Jamie Kennedy at the 2009 Primetime Emmy Awards.

Hewitt has said that she has an allergy to nuts and carries with her a pocket-sized epinephrine autoinjector in case of an allergic response.^[95]

She has dated many high-profile celebrities such as Carson Daly,^[96] John Mayer, and Jamie Kennedy.^[97]

Hewitt began a relationship with Scottish actor Ross McCall, whom she met when he made an appearance on Ghost Whisperer in late 2005.^[98] After two years of dating, they became engaged in late 2007, while vacationing in Hawaii.^[99] Paparazzi photographs taken of Hewitt in a bikini at that time led to harsh criticism of her body by bloggers.^[100] Hewitt responded: "I've sat by in silence for a long time now about the way women's bodies are constantly scrutinized....What I should be doing is celebrating some of the best days of my life and my engagement to the man of my dreams, instead of having to deal with photographers taking invasive pictures from bad angles."^[101] Several celebrities supported her views.^[102] During her engagement, Hewitt reportedly said: "I’m getting ready to turn 30 and get married and all those things. This year was my year to try to glow from within and feel better."^[103] People magazine reported that Hewitt called off their engagement in late 2008.^[104]

In 2002, conspiracy theorist and former social worker Diana Napolis was arrested for stalking and uttering death threats against Hewitt and Steven Spielberg after "verbally confronting" the actress at the 2002 Grammy Awards, and the subsequent day attempting to pose as one of Hewitt's friends to enter the premiere of The Tuxedo.^[105] Napolis admitted to becoming involved in a shoving match with Hewitt's mother while confronting the actress.^[106] Napolis accused Hewitt, along with director Spielberg, of controlling her thoughts through "cybertronic" technology and being part of a Satanic conspiracy against her.^[107] Napolis was charged with six felonies related to the incidents.^[108] After a year of involuntary commitment, Napolis pleaded guilty and was released on bail with a condition that she was barred from contact with both Spielberg and Hewitt.^[109]

Filmography[link]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Singles[link]

Soundtracks[link]

Music videos[link]

Music video appearances[link]

Bibliography[link]

Credits as an author:

• The Day I Shot Cupid (2010)

Other credits:

• Jennifer Love Hewitt's Music Box (2009–2010) (creator)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]