ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Ugly Betty bags two Globes in its first season

    Ugly Betty bags two Globes in its first season

    Mumbai : The stars rained down on the 64th Annual Golden

    Globe awards as Hollywood turned out in full force to cheer the best in television and motion pictures held at the Bevery Hilton Hotel. Glittering in diamonds and driving the media frenzy were actors like Drew Barrymore, George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Hugh Grant Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hanks, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dustin Hoffman, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Spielberg, Sharon Stone, Hilary Swank, Reese Witherspoon and Renee Zellweger amongst others. Over 50 Hollywood presenters were selected by the HFA and Golden Globe including Leonardo Di Caprio nominated for Blood Diamond and The Departed and Meryl Streep a 6 time Golden Globe winner who won the best actress in a comedy for her role of a wicked fashion editor in The Devil Wears Prada.

    While Hollywood star power takes centre stage at the ceremony the Golden Globe awards is also a time for the best in television entertainment to be honored.And the top honours went to ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy for best television series (drama).

    Kyra Sedgwick won the best actress award in a television series (drama) for her role in TNT’s Closer while Hugh Laurie took home the Golden Globe for the best actor performance in Fox’s House in the same category.

    Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives both highly watched series on ABC were pitted against each other in the best televisions series musical or comedy. Ugly Betty originally a hit Spanish-language telenovela brought to the United States and shown on ABC, won for best musical or comedy series and its star, America Ferrera, was best actress in a comedy. NBC’s 30 Rock won Alec Baldwin a globe for his performance as the best actor in a comedy.And HBO ensured itself a hatrick of awards with its mini series. Helen Mirren as best actress, Jeremy Irons as best supporting actor and the best mini series was bagged by Elizabeth I.

    Helen Mirren has had an exceptionally brilliant run as she was a triple nominee for Monday’s Golden Globe for The Queen and Elizabeth I as well as the television film Prime Suspect: The Final Act.She won best actress awards for playing two Queen Elizabeths: one for the television mini-series Elizabeth I and the second for portraying Elizabeth II in the film The Queen. BBC with its mini series Gideon’s Daughter won Bill Nighy the best actor and Emily Blunt the best supporting actress in a mini series awards.

    Tom Hanks presented actor Warren Beatty with this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for his outstanding contribution to the entertainment field. The Cecil B. DeMille award winners are chosen by the HFPA board of directors and presented each year.

    The Disney-Pixar film Cars won best animated feature in the debut category for animation at the Globes.

    The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards is telecast across 150 countries worldwide and is one of the few awards ceremonies to span both television and motion picture achievements.

    Each year HFPA members interview more than 250 actors, directors, writers and producers, as well as reporting from film sets and seeing more than 300 films.

    Hollywood stars have a special reason to be seen at the Golden Globes.The awards, which are voted on by nearly 90 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are a major stop on the road to the 25 February Academy Awards because winners here often go on to compete for Oscars — the film industry’s top awards.

    The top honours in motion picture category were picked up by Babel for best motion picture drama while Martin Scorsese won the best director for his film The Departed giving it a shot in the arm for the Oscars as well.The Academy award has deluded the director despite repeated nominations.

    Dream Girls picked up a host of awards including awards for Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy. The comedy Borat won Sacha Cohen a best actor in a motion picture comedy and could throw up some surprises even at the Oscars.

    The Oscar nominations will be announced on the evening of 23 January and the awards will be given out at the star studded event on 25 February.

     

  • Watch ‘Inside the Actors Studio’ this Sunday 7:00 pm only on PIX

    MUMBAI: He has gone from platinum recording success as Marky Mark, to billboards over Broadway as a model, to a growing acclaim as an actor in films such as Fear, Boogie Nights, which earned him a Screen Actors Guild nomination, Three Kings, Planet Of The Apes, Rock Star, The Truth About Charlie, The Italian Job and many more. People Magazine has named him one of The Fifty Most Beautiful People in the World and he is none other than Mark Wahlberg.

    Watch out for a breath taking episode of Inside the Actors Studio this Sunday 7:00pm as Monk D, as he is popularly called, reveals himself only on PIX…

    Before he started acting, Wahlberg was best known as Marky Mark, the pants-dropping rapper who attained fame and notoriety with his music group The Funky Bunch which debuted on “The Arsenio Hall Show” in the early 90’s

    He was originally cast as Linus Caldwell in Ocean’s Eleven but dropped out and the part was played by Matt Damon

    Has a tattoo of Bob Marley on his left shoulder

    He was a member of the boy group “New Kids on the Block”, but left the band before they were famous

    Often has a tough time getting his friends to enjoy his movies, because many of them only appreciate his work when it includes violence and nude women

    When asked about his education: “I dropped out of school when I was 13, I couldn’t legally quit without my parents’ permission until I was 16. But 13 was pretty much it. You know. Instead of school I would sell drugs, and have a job, because I wanted to have nice things. I wanted to have a car.”

    Mark Wahlberg is mentioned in the opening words of Eminem’s song “Drug Ballad” (“Back when Mark Wahlberg was Marky Mark…”)

    He was scheduled to be on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001; however, he changed his plans at the last minute, and drove from Boston to New York with some friends

    He said in one of the featurettes in The Italian Job DVD that he thought about doing the movie because it was going to be his third remake in a row after The Truth about Charlie and Planet of the Apes

    Get ready to enjoy your Sunday evening with an interesting episode of Inside the Actors Studio with Mark Wahlberg at 7:00pm on PIX.

  • New season of ‘American Idol’ to hit Star World on 17 January

    New season of ‘American Idol’ to hit Star World on 17 January

    MUMBAI: Star World is set to kick off a brand new season of the musical talent hunt show that has become a worldwide phenomenon, American Idol on 17 January. Slated to premiere excusively on the channel, the first episode will see a two night, four hour event beginning, direct off satellite at 8 pm.
    Apart from the standard trio of judges, guest judges for the first leg of auditions will include Olivia Newton John, Carole Bayer and Jewel. The show will air every Wednesday and Thursday at 8 pm and Thursdays and Fridays at 1:30 am and 10 am, respectively.

    Judges Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell will be back once again to bring their brand of expert advice to participants. From thousands of hopefuls, and a grueling audition process, only 24 will be picked to go onto the semi- finals, and eventually, only one can win a much sought after record contract and the title of American Idol.

    Auditions for the competition began in August and swept through seven cities across the United States. Tens of thousands of would be idols from across the country showed up for what was the biggest audition so far, and the preliminary reports are that the talent this year will definitely not disappoint, informs an official release.

    With just under 43 million viewers and over 63 million votes during last year’s finale, American Idol was America’s number one rated show for the second year in a row. With local spin-offs in 30 different countries, the Idol phenomenon has taken the world by storm, each year gaining more momentum and fanfare as it determines the next big icon in music, adds the release.

    American Idol Alumni have also received Grammy nods with eleven Grammy nominations within the past three years, two of which were won by the first American Idol winner, Kelly Clarkson.

  • Get bitten by the Love Bug on PIX

    MUMBAI: With Valentines Day just around the corner …Love is in the air and not just for your sweethearts, it’s the love for your family, friends, pets, cars, diamonds your favourite box of chocolates, a trip around the world maybe? and while you are busy sharing your love for all these and more…PIX brings you an amazing line up of some great stories all through this month to satisfy your love for movies!!! Now isn’t that something to LOVE.

    If you thought this is going to be another array of romantic mushy movies…you are wrong as this month PIX offers all its viewers an extremely unique and interesting line-up of movies that have a touch of love with lots and lots of wit and humor.

    The month begins with the intense love story End of the Affair, starring Julianne Moore and Ralph Fiennes on 1st February at 10 pm. Having got you in the mood for romance, PIX follows it up with the Damn Good Drama, Everytime You Say Goodbye on Saturday, 3rd February at 10 pm. Tom Hanks plays an American Flyer who finds himself in Jerusalem, falling in love with a Jewish girl.

    The excitement of love gathers speed as we tumble into the week with Monday – rediscover Peter Sellers and fall in love with great comedies again. It is Mondays with a difference – to wipe away your blues with a collection of the best Peter Sellers movies every Monday night on Perfect 10.

    As Inspector Clouseau, the bumbling French policeman, Peter Sellers will have you roaring with laughter in The Pink Panther and its sequel, A Shot in the Dark on 5th and 12th February respectively. Catch one of Peter Sellers most memorable films, The Party, that has been an inspiration for many Bollywood films of the 60’s and 70’s, on 19th February and rounding off is What’s new Pussycat? on 26th February.

    By the time of his death in 1980, Peter Sellers had over fifty films to his credit. And yet, it’s surprising how many of his finest screen performances have gone unnoticed by today’s audiences. PIX stands for “good stories” and it takes a step forward by bringing you some of the finest films of this well loved comedian.

    Love is infectious and who knows that better than the English Bard – catch the joyous film adaptation of Much Ado about Nothing on 8th February on Perfect 10. The Love Bug has something for angst ridden lovers too – The Age of Innocence – Daniel day Lewis, Winona Ryder and Michelle Pfeiffer are brilliant in this tale of love and betrayal. Don’t miss this Martin Scorsese masterpiece on 24th February at 10 pm.

    Finally, February 14th, Valentine’s Day is incomplete without watching a romantic movie! PIX pays homage to the trials and tribulations of romance with a full-day marathon of romantic films. With a little twist in the tale, PIX will air more youth oriented films in the Prime Time slots like The Class at 8:00pm and Cruel Intentions at 10:00pm, which deals with the love troubles of today’s younger generation.

    Therefore tune- in to PIX this Valentine’s Day and get set for that perfect date, you had always wished for!!! “February is crawling with these bugs and they are all over PIX! Damn, I am sure to get bitten by the Love Bug”, exclaims Gitanjali Murari, Programming Head, PIX.

    So what are you waiting for, grab your space on the couch; cool your wine as PIX serves you the best “Love Recipe” to make your special moments just right.

  • This February, Star Movies brings back the Oscar Mania

    MUMBAI: It’s that time of the year again! The countdown to the Oscars has begun and Star Movies will feature movies that have been honored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the past, exclusively on Oscar Fever!!! Star Movies also brings to you the live telecast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards on your television sets.

    In addition to this, the channel will showcase the exclusive premiere of some of the biggest blockbusters to hit the silver screen!!! So tune in to an action packed month all of February, as Star Movies promises non-stop excitement and entertainment! The Oscar®-mania is about to begin… Every night at 11 p.m., catch powerhouse performances by the biggest stars in critically acclaimed movies that were appreciated worldwide on Oscar Fever. Tune in to some Academy award winning films like Braveheart, Speed, Babe, Con air, Cape Fear, Cinderella Man, Sideways, Million Dollar Baby, Crimson Tide, Shakespeare in Love and many more.

    The Oscar Fever on Star Movies culminates with the LIVE telecast of the 79th Annual Academy Awards on Monday, February 26th. The biggest celebrity event in showbiz, it’s the most important night of the year for the stars, as the prestigious Academy Awards® are presented for the year’s best achievements in film. The event kicks off with a red carpet pre-show offering a first glimpse at what the stars are wearing as they arrive in their limousines and parade down the red carpet.

    Look for interviews with the stars and starlets, and answers to the famous “who are you wearing” question, which will provide keen insight into the fashion trends for the year. The 79th Annual Academy Awards® ceremony takes place in Los Angeles, at the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood & Highland.

    This year’s host is comedienne-turned-US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, voted one of the funniest people in America by Entertainment Weekly, and she’ll be joined by Hollywood’s finest presenters on this night to be remembered! Every Friday night at 9 p.m., tune in to the exclusive premieres of some of the best, award-winning, box-office behemoths on your television sets for the first time. Star Movies premieres the latest Hollywood blockbusters like Red Eye, Flight plan, Hotel Rwanda and Walk the Line with superstars Jodie Foster, Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and Robert Patrick to name a few.

    Don’t forget to tune in to Valentine’s Day Special on February 14th. This Star Movies Valentine’s Day, pays homage to the trials and tribulations of romance with a full-day marathon of romantic films like Maid in Manhattan, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Shallow Hal, A Guy Thing and The Perfect Catch.

    On Sunday, February 18th at 8 30 p.m., host Terence Yin presents “Opening Night” with exclusive scenes from this year’s highest Academy Award nominated film, Dreamgirls, a compelling story of loyalty, fame and betrayal that tracks the struggle of a group of outsiders carrying their landmark sound into mainstream America.

    The groundbreaking Broadway phenomenon comes to life as an all-new motion picture adaptation written and directed by Academy Award® winner Bill Condon and starring Eddie Murphy, Beyoncé Knowles and Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx.

    So tune in to Star Movies this February, for the most exciting celebrity event, the best award-winning movies and the biggest premieres to hit your television sets.

  • UFO Moviez raises $22 million from 3i

    UFO Moviez raises $22 million from 3i

    MUMBAI: United Film Organizers (UFO) Moviez, a subsidiary of Apollo International Ltd, has raised $22 miilion (Rs 1 billion) of equity financing from UK-based 3i Group to fund its expansion plans.

    3i Group has subscribed to cumulative convertible preference shares and has the option to invest an additional $3 million at a later date. Indiantelevision.com had earlier reported that UFO was in the process of raising venture capital (VC) funding of $25 million (Rs 1.13 billion) and had mandated Ernst & Young for this.

    “3i has the option to put in an additional $3 million within this year. The exact holding of 3i will be arrived at based on our performance by FY09. That is the time when the preference shares will be converted,” says UFO Moviez CEO Sanjay Gaikwad.

    UFO will be using the capital to invest in hardware as it plans to expand its footprint in India and overseas. The immediate expansion plans include Middle East, South East Asia and Africa and the company says it is ready to roll out in January itself.

    UFO Moviez is currently present in 600 theatres across India and plans to create a chain of 3000 digital cinema houses worldwide by 2008.

    3i had entered the Indian market when last year it picked up around 33 per cent stake in Mumbai-based Nimbus Communications for Rs 1.97 billion.

  • BBC Entertainment enters Malaysia on Astro

    BBC Entertainment enters Malaysia on Astro

    MUMBAI: India may still remain a significant absentee but Malaysia has just been added to the list of countries beaming BBC Entertainment.

    An official communique announced the launch of BBC Entertainment on Malaysia’s dominant Astro direct-to-home (DTH) platform. The BBC-branded general entertainment channel reportedly started beaming on Astro (Channel 26) as of 28 December, 2006.

    BBC Entertainment’s line up of British shows include Doctor Who, Footballers’ Wives, Waking the Dead and comedies like Extras, Suburban Shootout and My Family.

    BBC Global Channels Asia, the part of BBC Worldwide that handles the roll-out of the Corporation’s recently relaunched package of international channels, first launched BBC Entertainment in Asia, replacing BBC Prime on StarHub in Singapore, UBC in Thailand, Skylife in South Korea and Now TV in Hong Kong on 8 October, 2006.

    “We are delighted to be part of the Astro platform and to be reaching new viewers in Malaysia,” Christine Leo-McKerrow, BBC’s SVP of global channels for Asia has been quoted as saying. “BBC Entertainment has had a great reception from both critics and viewers around the region, and we are sure viewers in Malaysia will respond in the same way.”

    The launches are part of a global rollout of four new TV channels that will include preschoolers’ channel CBeebies and BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle. The plan is that all four channels will be broadcast across all media: linear TV, VoD, mobile and online.

    NO WORD STILL OF INDIA LAUNCH TIMELINES
    In India meanwhile, there is no official word yet on the launch status of BBC Entertainment, as too CBeebies, which according to the announcement made in early September, are the two channels that will be making their entry in the country in the first phase.

    Present indications though are that the BBC is looking at an April-May launch window. The man in charge of operations here is creative head content and production India Saul Nasse.

    The BBC is looking at further rollouts in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in the course of the year, replacing BBC Prime in these markets.

  • BBC World presents ‘India Rising’ in February

    MUMBAI: BBC World Service, the radio arm of BBC Worldwide kicks of its integrated India Rising season of special programming from 3 to 11 February. Starting with a four part documentary series ‘India Rising’ by George Arney, the season aims to get to the heart of contemporary India with key programmes broadcast from the country’s political, cultural, economic, religious, cultural and scientific heartland.

    The coverage will be informed by the findings of a special GlobeScan Survey about political power, corruption, the caste system, gender roles, religion and society.

    Highlights of the season include:

    Monday 5 February

    India Rising (9.05-9.30am)
    Running throughout the week, documentary series India Rising explores the stereotypes about burgeoning India, addressing issues of caste, religion and the role of women. George Arney talks to consumer and retail expert Preeti Reddy about the people and places benefiting from the country’s rise as a global economic power.

    Culture Shock (9.30-10.00am)
    The weekly magazine programme that explores new trends looks at the “Bollywoodisation” of Indian media. It examines the way stars can become newscasters on TV news channels purely to promote their films.

    Outlook (Monday-Friday, 10.00-11.00am)
    Daily human interest magazine programme Outlook gives voice to a wide range of Indian citizens. It will feature the climax of the Young Indian Entrepreneur Of The Year, a high profile event involving more than 1,000 aspiring entrepreneurs. BBC World Service has been tracking the contest from the start.

    Health Check (12.30-1.00pm)
    Health Check visits India’s premier health institute, the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, to report on the state of Indian healthcare.

     

    Tuesday 6 February

    India Rising (9.05-9.30am)
    In Bihar the pace of growth has been slow and parts of the state have been untouched by development. But, even here, there are signs of hope. George Arney talks to Alka Chaudhary of the Confederation Of Indian Industry who is in charge of the Bihar Development Initiative.

    The Word (9.30-10.00am)
    The weekly programme that explores books and writing visits the Calcutta Book Fair, one of the world’s biggest book events.

    Digital Planet (12.30-1.00pm)
    This weekly technology programme comes from Calcutta. The city is home to an increasing number of software companies, which operate within an intriguing employment climate in the Communist-run state of West Bengal.

    Wednesday 7 February

    India Rising (9.05-9.30am)
    In India, more people have access to a TV than a flush toilet. In the last 15 years there’s been a huge expansion in the number of TV channels and internet use is soaring. George Arney looks at the impact on Indian identity and culture.

    Discovery (12.30-1.00pm)
    In the first of a four-part series on the role of science and technology in Indian society, Geoff Watts talks to leading scientists, including the President of India, about science education and what India needs to do to make the biggest possible global impact.

    On Screen (9.30-10.00am)
    This weekly film magazine programme comes from three different centres of the Indian film industry: Mumbai, home of Bollywood movies; Chennai, base of the massive Tamil film industry; and Kerala, a city with a rich film tradition.

    Thursday 8 February

    India Rising (9.05-9.30am)
    George Arney asks if upheaval and tension is inevitable as India embarks on a path of rapid industrialisation. He talks to Amitabh Behar, Executive Director of the National Centre for Advocacy Studies.

    The Beat (9.30-10.00am)
    The weekly programme exploring global popular music reflects India’s contemporary music scene which goes beyond Bollywood and Yogic classical music to embrace rock and pop.

    Friday 9 February

    Close Up (9.30-10.00am)
    Lucy Duran travels across India and discovers the country’s rich variety of music. She is joined on her journey by Indian sitar player Viram Jasani, who played the tabla drums on Led Zeppelin’s first album. He is now a director of Asian Music Circuit, the leading promoter of Indian music in the UK.

    Science In Action (12.30-1.00pm)
    Science In Action comes from The Indian Science Institute in India’s science capital Bangalore.

    Saturday 10 February

    Feluda: The Golden Fortress (8.00-9.00pm)
    BBC World Drama brings Bollywood stars Rahul Bose and Anupam Kher to the airwaves in Satyajit Ray’s detective play. Ten-year-old Mukul has started having vivid dreams of what he presumes to be a past life. Here, within sight of a golden fortress, he lived in a house with gold and jewels buried under the floor. A para psychologist takes the boy off to Rajasthan, hoping to retrieve his memories and the hidden treasure. But nefarious scoundrels are also on the boy’s trail and it’s a race to see if Feluda and co will get to the boy in time.

    The Ticket (7.05-8.00pm)
    The weekly arts and culture magazine looks at what’s hot and happening in India, from theatre and cinema to the revival of Indian classical music.

    Sunday 11 February

    India – Brother Or Bully? (1.00-2.00pm)
    This debate will link commentators in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. To most of the world India is an emerging power, a secular democracy, a nation of one-billion aspirants. But what do its neighbours think?

    A dedicated India Rising website, bbcnews.com/india goes live on Monday 22 January 2007.

  • Star Movies goes ‘Into The West’ from Thursday

    Star Movies goes ‘Into The West’ from Thursday

    MUMBAI: In order to add variety to its lineup, Star Movies has over the years aired mini series like Lost and Taken.

    Now it will air the epic miniseries Into the West every Thursday at 9 pm from 4 January.

    It looks at the opening up of the American West in the 19th century. It tells stories from that period from the perspective of two families, one of white settlers from Europe and one of Native Americans who must deal with the new inhabitants.

    The two families tell the dramatic stories of the development of the West from their distinct points of view. One family is the Wheeler clan, a Virginia family of wheelwrights making their trek westward. The other family is a plains Native American family hailing from the Lakota tribe.

    For too long Hollywood has depicted Indians as savages, enemies and losers. Now through this miniseries a generation of Native American filmmakers and actors are trying to overturn stereotypes and tell its own truth. This series showcases the glaring differences in perspective as seen through not only the eyes and teachings of the dominant culture, but also as it was and is seen from the American Indian perspective.

    There will be a recreation of key events like Battle of Little Bighorn, Buffalo hunts, the expansion of the American railroad, Wounded Knee. There will be quite a few subtitles on the show one of the few times where a show on an English entertainment channel has subtitles. The series was shot in Calgary and New Mexico.

    The show has a large cast, with about 250 speaking parts. The series features actors like Wes Studi, Irene Bedard, Russell Means, Graham Greene, Raoul Trujillo, Gordon Tootoosis, Michael Spears, Lance Henriksen, Simon Baker, Gil Birmingham and Sheila Tousey.

  • HBO launches mobile Vod service in Korea

    HBO launches mobile Vod service in Korea

    MUMBAI: HBO has announced a deal with telecommunications company SK Telecom for a mobile video on demand service in Korea. The service launched a few days ago.

    The mobile service features full episodes from HBO’s series Sex and the City, Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm. SK Telecom is supporting the launch by offering a free one month trial period to 21 January, making four episodes of both Sex and the City and Six Feet Under available during that time.

    HBO International senior VP Stanley Fertig says, ” With one of the most advanced mobile networks on earth, SK Telecom is a leader in providing on-demand mobile entertainment to its subscribers. This deal is also an example of the many opportunities HBO is finding around the world as digital technology advances in the international marketplace.”