ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Asian Film Awards to be held at 31st Hong Kong Intl Film Fest on 20 March

    Asian Film Awards to be held at 31st Hong Kong Intl Film Fest on 20 March

    MUMBAI: Hong Kong International Film Festival Society chairman Wilfred Wong has announced the launch of the Asian Film Awards (AFA) which will take place on 20 March 2007, on the opening night of the 31st Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF).

    Organized by the HKIFF and held in conjunction with Entertainment Expo, the Asian Film Awards will honour the best of Asian cinema over the past year, including filmmakers with outstanding career achievements and emerging artists who demonstrate extraordinary talent in the field of cinema.

    Awards will recognize films and filmmakers from all over Asia – from Iran to China to India – in 10 categories including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Screenwriter, Best Cinematographer, Best Production Designer, Best Composer, Best Editor and Best Visual Effects.

    A jury of 17 film professionals, whose experiences and expertise in cinema are internationally recognized (filmmakers, key personnel from international film festivals, and industry experts from all over the world) have screened over 700 eligible films produced in the region in 2006. Up to six nominees in each category have been selected. AFA winners will be announced at the Awards Gala on 20 March 20, informs an official release.

    “With more than 4 billion people in Asia – 60% of the global population – a celebration of the Asian cinema is long overdue” stated Wong. “We aim to make the AFA the most prominent and definitive film awards for the region by highlighting excellence in Asian filmmaking and by bringing broader attention to the rich and diverse stories and storytellers from all over Asia today.”

    The red-carpet gala and award ceremony will be broadcast throughout Asia. AFA is currently in negotiation with major TV outlets for international broadcast throughout Asia. The gala’s presenters and performing acts as well as the design of the AFA trophy will be forthcoming.

  • Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ in Oscar race

    Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’ in Oscar race

    MUMBAI: Nominations for the 79th Academy Awards were announced yesterday. It is likely that Star Movies’ ratings for the show, which it will air on 26 February, will be higher than last year.

    That is because Deepa Mehta’s Water is competing in the foreign film category.

    The film deals with the plight of widows in India in the 1930s and was submitted by Canada. It stars John Abraham, Lisa Ray and Seema Biswas. The film was not allowed to be shot in India. The favourite to win the foreign language film award though is Pan’s Labyrinth from Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. Mongrel Media and Fox Searchlight, which released Water in Canada and 57 other countries, including the UK and Denmark, have, in the past few months, launched a nomination campaign in Hollywood to attract the attention of the Academy.

    Best director is once again a fight between veterans Clint Eastwood and Martin Scorcese. Eastwood made two great second world war films Flags Of Our Fathers and Letters From Iwo Jima. He has ben nominated for the latter film which tells the story of the battle at Iwo Jima from Japan’s perspective. It has Japanese subtitles.

    The former releases in India tomorrow 25 January and tells the story from America’s perspective. Scorcese has been nominated for the gangster film The Departed. Two years back Eastwood won for Million Dollar Baby beating Scorcese who had been nominated for The Aviator.

    Best picture is less clear. Dreamgirls which had been considered the favourite has not been nominated for best film though it got a leading eight nominations. Besides the films of Eastwood and Scorcese the other films competing for best picture are The Queen about the two weeks following Princes Diana’s death, the global film Babel which has five languages and the comedy Little Miss Sunshine. There is no front runner.

  • Star World celebrates world of ‘Heroes’ from Wednesday

    Star World celebrates world of ‘Heroes’ from Wednesday

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World will kick off the supernatural show Heroes from Wednesday 24 January at 9 pm.

    It starts with a question: Are there people with super powers living amongst us? A genetics professor attempts to solve the problem that his father has been struggling with since he started the project — one which has led to his disappearance.

    Meanwhile, a 30-year-old male nurse tries to convince his politician brother that he can fly. A high school cheerleader learns that she is totally indestructible. A Las Vegas stripper discovers that her mirror image has a secret. A fugitive from justice continues to baffle authorities who twice have been unable to contain him. Finally a young man in Japan develops a way to time travel through sheer will power.
    When they all come together, these ordinary people with extraordinary abilities will realize that their ultimate destiny is nothing less than saving the world.

    The show’s executive producer Tim Kring created this cult hit based on comic-lore, making it easy to compare Heroes to Smallville, X-Men and even the drama Lost. But it’s his firm belief that comparisons will go away after watching the series. He says, “The great thing about this premise (people all over the world developing these abilities) is that we can always introduce new characters. The ‘origin story’ is a lot of fun to watch, so we are planning to give audiences that on a regular basis. Some characters you may love could suddenly lose their powers, or die. There’s no telling.”

  • Fox’s new reality show to put a spin on gender roles

    Fox’s new reality show to put a spin on gender roles

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster Fox will expose the battle of the sexes, turning traditional gender roles upside-down and giving women all the power on When Women Rule The World.

    The release date will be announced later.

    What if it was a womans world? What if women made all the decisions and men are their subjects? These questions and more will be explored when a group of strong, educated and independent women, tired of living in a mans world and each with a personal axe to grind, rule over a group of unsuspecting men used to calling the shots on the show.

    The show will reveal how women and men react in a world where women are in charge and men are subservient, and each genders ability to adapt to a new social order will be put to the test.
    The participants will be brought to a remote, primitive location where the women will have the opportunity to rule as they build a newly formed society one where there is no glass ceiling and no need to dress to impress. For the men, their worlds of power and prestige are turned inside-out and upside-down. And for these women, turnabout is fair play.

    In order to win, the men must accede to the womens every command, 24/7, while building a new world. Here, women command and men obey. Over the series duration, the men will be eliminated by the women until one last man is standing.

  • ‘American Idol’ sets a ratings record on Fox

    ‘American Idol’ sets a ratings record on Fox

    MUMBAI: American Idol is going from strength to strength.

    The sixth season premiere of US broadcaster Fox’s music based reality show was the most-watched in its six-year history, drawing an estimated 37.3 million viewers according to preliminary ratings from Nielsen Media Research. In India the show airs on Star World.

    This represents a five per cent increase over last year’s record premiere audience of 35.5 million, making it the best debut for the show ever for Fox.

    As has been the case in the past American Idol, which gives viewers the chance to pick the finalists and winner, began as usual with scenes from nationwide auditions. The early rounds feature both promising singers and those who serve as targets for acerbic judge Simon Cowell before they are booted out.

  • Oprah tops ‘Forbes’ list of richest women in entertainment

    Oprah tops ‘Forbes’ list of richest women in entertainment

    MUMBAI: The annual Forbes magazine list has put out its list of the wealthiest women in entertainment and there are no new surprises on who occupies the top spot.

    U.S. talk show host and media mogul Oprah Winfrey tops the list with an an estimated $1.5 billion during her career. JK Rowling, who is finishing the seventh and final instalment in her boy wizard series Harry Potter, ranks second with $1 billion. Martha Stewart another talk show host is third with $638 million.
    Madonna ranks fourth with $325 million, followed by Celine Dion ($250 million), Mariah Carey ($225 million), Janet Jackson ($150 million), Julia Roberts ($140 million), and Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Lopez (both $110 million).

    Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, the twin actresses who started out on the ’80s comedy Full House and created a multimedia empire, Dualstar Entertainment Group, are No. 11 with an estimated “combined net worth at around $100 million,” Forbes said. They’re followed by Britney Spears, Judge Judy Sheindlin of TV’s Judge Judy, Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, Gisele Bundchen, Ellen DeGeneres, Nicole Kidman, Christina Aguilera and Renee Zellweger. Forbes stated that to make its top-20 list these female megastars needed a minimum net worth of $45 million amassed over the course of their careers.

    Oprah Winfrey, $1.5 billion

    J.K. Rowling, $1 billion

    Martha Stewart, $638 million

    Madonna, $325 million

    Celine Dion, $250 million

    Mariah Carey, $225 million

    Janet Jackson, $150 million

    Julia Roberts, $140 million

    Jennifer Lopez, $110 million

    Jennifer Aniston, $110 million

    Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, $100 million

    Britney Spears, $100 million

    Judge Judy Sheindlin, $95 million

    Sandra Bullock, $85 million

    Cameron Diaz, $75 million

    Gisele Bundchen, $70 million

    Ellen DeGeneres, $65 million

    Nicole Kidman, $60 million

    Christina Aguilera, $60 million

    Renée Zellweger, $45 million

  • Miditech production Super Cyclone premieres on National Geographic

    Miditech production Super Cyclone premieres on National Geographic

    MUMBAI: Super Cyclone produced by Miditech is set to premiere on the National Geographic Channel on 20 January at 9 pm.

    The documentary tracks file footage of never seen before devastation, powerful recreations and first person accounts. It studies this catastrophe closely, which accounted for more than 10,000 deaths and made millions homeless. The documentary builds on conclusive evidence that the toll on human life was a result of inadequate prediction of the cyclone’s landfall and intensity, as wrong areas were evacuated.

    Produced for global telecast, Super Cyclone chases cyclones along India’s coast, Australia and US Air Force base in Guam to meet scientists working on early cyclone prediction says Miditech vice president documentaries Pria Somiah. The documentary suggests that early warnings will help evacuate and reduce the effects of cyclones along vulnerable and highly populated coastal areas.

    Super Cyclone has been directed by Animitra Chakravarty and follows Nuncio Murukesh, a researcher from the Indian Institute of Oceanography who is mapping a potential cyclone in the Eastern coast of India. The film moves between scientific research in the Pacific shores of Guam and chasing cyclones in Queensland, Australia and India.

  • Ban on AXN: IBF seeks meeting with I&B minister

    Ban on AXN: IBF seeks meeting with I&B minister

    MUMBAI: Broadcasters have reacted strongly to the move by the government yesterday banning for two months the telecast of Sony Entertainment’s action channel AXN on the charge that it was telecasting “obscene programmes”.

    The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the representative body for broadcasters in the country, is planning an urgent meeting to thrash out how to deal with the matter and have sought an appointment with I&B minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi on the matter.

    Says IBF director finance Naresh Chahal: “The IBF views this as a very serious issue that may lead to uncertainty and confusion regarding day-to-day operations of channels. The IBF board will be meeting very shortly to discuss the matter and we have also sought an urgent meeting with the information and broadcasting minister to put forward our point of view.”

    The I&B ministry yesterday issued directions blocking signals of the channel into India up to 15 March.

    Sources told Indiantelevision.com that the ministry had taken objection to the channel repeatedly telecasting programmes such as World’s Sexiest Commercials that “are against good taste or decency and are likely to adversely affect public morality”.

    The government has been issuing warnings from time to time to various channels to desist from telecasting “obscene programmes” and software not suitable for women and children.

    The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act 1995 clearly stipulates that the government has the right to block or take action against channels which violate the broadcasting and advertising codes of the country.

  • HBO lines up Republic Day special

    MUMBAI: HBO’s blockbuster of the month airs on Friday 26 January at 9 pm.The “Eighth Wonder of the World” returns for the third time in this lavish film directed by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson. Thanks to unrivalled, state-of-the-art computer effects wizardry and animatronics, Jackson finally brings justice to the 1933 classic starring Fay Wray.

    Scheming and bankrupt filmmaker Carl Denham (Jack Black, The Holiday, Tenacious D: The Pick Of Destiny) embarks on a desperate plan to get the studio and the creditors off his back. He relies on playwright Jack Driscoll (Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody, Hollywoodland, The Jacket) to finish the pages of a half-baked screenplay.

    Denham talks starving vaudeville performer Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts, The Painted Veil, Stay) into joining them on a film shoot to a far-flung island. The adventure begins when they board a steamer, setting sail for the South Seas at Denham’s behest in their search for the mythical and eerie Skull Island, where rumors of a gargantuan monster abound. Denham believes this monster could clinch the blockbuster he so badly needs.

    Upon reaching the island, Ann is abducted by a fierce tribe who make her their next offering to Kong. Kong takes the terrified Ann, but Ann’s courage and empathy soon let her see through Kong, and a bond between them begins to grow. From Manhattan to the South Seas and back, expect loads of drama, fun, and scream-inducing scenes in what movie critic Roger Ebert calls “magnificent entertainment…one of [2005’s] best films.”

  • Taffy Ent. unveils multi-platform kids’ service ‘Kabillion’ in US

    Taffy Ent. unveils multi-platform kids’ service ‘Kabillion’ in US

     MUMBAI: Taffy Entertainment has announced the launch of Kabillion, a multi-platform, kids’ program service, available both as a free online broadband site (www.Kabillion.com) and a free video on-demand (VOD) channel.

    According to an official release issued by the company, the new service, developed in conjunction with Remix Entertainment Ventures, offers high-quality animated and live-action kids’ series entertainment on both the online and VOD platforms. The VOD platform is now available to digital cable subscribers in the US on Comcast Cable systems, with additional systems to be added in the near future. Future plans also call for offering mobile, gaming and wireless platforms.

    Kabillion’s initial programming lineup includes a variety of options, in keeping with the channel’s “On Demand/Viewer’s Choice” philosophy. From the CGI comedy show Pet Alien, to anime trading card-themed Mix Master: King of Cards original series.

    The On-Demand channel will allow viewers to choose the episodes they want, when they want it and in some cases, the language they want, as Kabillion will offer multi-lingual versions of many titles.

    Instead of being designed from a traditional linear programming service perspective, Kabillion has been conceived and developed around the role that emerging digital media is playing in the lives of kids. To help guide viewers through the new service, Kabillion will also offer “Kablab,” a comedic, live-action Preview show, intended to not only entertain, but to inform kids about some of the other available programming and content choices, adds the release.

    “Kabillion will transform how kids experience media, allowing them to engage in a more interactive and dynamic way, across a range of platforms. Taffy Entertainment will supply first class, award-winning programming through its global production pipelines at both Moonscoop and Mike Young Productions,” explains Taffy Entertainment co-CEO Bill Schultz. “Key acquisitions will also play an important role and we anticipate some important announcements to that effect very soon.”

    The network is advertiser-supported and already has signed key sponsors. Kabillion’s infra-structure will transform traditional approaches to advertising with the innovation that is currently sweeping the older demographic’s advertising models.