ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • AZN adds shows for the year

    AZN adds shows for the year

    MUMBAI: US channel AZN Television, a cable network for Asian Americans, is adding new series to its lineup in 2007.

    Handsome Siblings is a drama starring Chinese pop star Nicholas Tse and TV star Dickie Cheung, recently premiered. Another show that recently commenced airing is Mars with Vic Chou and Barbi Xu.

    Style: Asia meanwhile is a guide to fashion from cities such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Shangai. Then there is the Vietnamese drama Drunken Kung Fu.

    Then there is Music Bang, a music-video series featuring Asian and Asian-American musicians.

  • Exclusive premiere of ‘Madagascar’ on 5 January at 9 pm only on Star Movies

    MUMBAI: The friendship between a New York City lion and zebra is tested when fate brings them out to the unforgiving wilderness in this computer-animated DreamWorks feature. Chris Rock does the voice of Marty the Zebra, whose longing to explore beyond his cushy Central Park Zoo boundaries is the impetus that ultimately strands him and his pals on the shores of savage Madagascar.

    This Friday night, Star Movies has an entertaining treat in store for its viewers!!! Starring voices of Ben Stiller, The Rock, David Schwimmer, and Jada Pinkett Smith, make sure you tune-in to the exclusive premiere of Madagascar on 5 January at 9 pm only on Star Movies.

    At New York’s Central Park Zoo, a lion (Stiller), a zebra (Rock), a giraffe (Schwimmer), and a hippo (Smith) are best friends and stars of the show. But when one of the animals goes missing from their cage, the other three break free to look for him, only to find themselves reunited … on a ship en route to Africa. When their vessel is hijacked, however, the friends, who have all been raised in captivity, learn first-hand what life can be like in the wild.

    This kid-oriented comedy stays adult-friendly every step of the way thanks to a clever script that mixes New Yorker humor and even some existentialism in with the pratfalls and spit-takes. Jolts of comedic brilliance are supplied by some Arctic-bound escaped con penguins, and a couple of literary apes. It’s not a musical, but classic songs from the likes of Louis Armstrong and Sammy Davis Jr. keep the montages flowing loose and sassy.

    DID YOU KNOW

    – At one point, Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Gwen Stefani were considered for the voice of Gloria the Hippo before Jada Pinkett Smith signed on.
    – Early on, the plot was based on a group of activists who liberate the animals from their cages.
    – None of the main character animals (lion, zebra, giraffe or hippo) are actually housed at the Central Park Zoo. There are penguins.
    – The look of the jungles in Madagascar is based on the paintings of Henri Rousseau.

  • Catch Hugh John Mungo Grant in a tete- a- tete with James Lipton on Inside the Actors Studio this Sunday on PIX

    MUMBAI: Inside the Actors Studio is proud to welcome Hugh Grant, this Sunday Jan 21st, 7:00pm on PIX. Although his classic good looks make him a shoo-in for romantic leads, Grant’s comic capabilities — marked by a nervous stutter, desperately fluttering eyelids, and an ability to capture a brand of distinctly English embarrassment, have marked him as more of a comic performer than a serious leading man.

    He has won various awards like the Venice Film Festival Best Actor Award, The British Academy Best Actor Award and the Golden Globe award and many more. Some of his very popular movies are Four Weddings and a Funeral, Sense and Sensibility, Extreme Measures, Notting Hill, Mickey Blue Eyes, Bridget Jones’ Diary, for which he was nominated for an Empire Award. Read below to take a quick peep into Hugh Grants’ Diary and watch out for much more this Sunday on Jan 21st at 7:00pm on PIX…

    Got his start by performing in a British comedy sketch group, The Jockeys of Norfolk

    His favorite artist is Patrick Rondat

    Is an avid golfer and has been spotted taking part in pro-am tournaments

    Won the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy at the 1995 and 2002 Evening Standard British Film Awards

    His production company is called “Simian Films” — so named by Elizabeth Hurley because she has said that he resembles an ape or a monkey

    Opted not to do a nude scene in Four Weddings and a Funeral when a make up artist asked if he wanted definition painted on his body

    On the set of Mickey Blue Eyes, James Caan gave Hugh the nickname of Whippy, because Caan said Hugh worried about everything like “the little whippet dogs that get nervous and you got to put a sweater on them when they’re cold”

    Featured in the 1996 paperback “Mug Shots” that includes many other celebrities who’ve been arrested for one reason or another

    So what you waiting for… get yourselves ready for a cozy Sunday evening with Hugh Grant in an exciting episode of Inside the Actors Studio on21st January, 7:00 pm only on PIX…

  • Star World kicks off the New Year with ‘Falcom Beach’

    Star World kicks off the New Year with ‘Falcom Beach’

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World kicks off 2007 with the show Falcon Beach.

    Every summer, the sleepy New England town of Falcon Beach ignites, and the surf and sand aren’t the only things heating up. When the townies and the rich kids who summer at Falcon Beach collide, the sparks fly. The rest of the year, they live in different worlds, but come summer they share a strip of beach where anything can happen. That’s the thing about Falcon Beach. Anything is possible. But somebody’s bound to get burned.

    The show kicks off on 2 January 2007 at 8 pm.People fall in love, fall out of love, get into trouble and take risks they never thought they would. For a group of friends and the outsiders they meet, this summer is about holding onto the sun and fun as long as they can… because the future is right around the corner and it’s hard to know what you want or what you should do. For now, they’re making the most of every minute while it lasts. There are no right answers, just the endless possibilities of summer. What does that mean for the dreamers and the schemers, the lovers and doubters, the people tied to the past and the ones trying to break free from it?

    The townies are Jason Tanner, a local wakeboard jock whose father died when he was just a kid, Tanya , Jason’s childhood sweetheart who has just returned after a four-year modeling stint in Europe, and Danny, Jason’s best friend, a goofy arcade manager.

    The cottagers are Paige Bradshaw, a spoiled and snobby Toronto rich girl who wants nothing more than to be doing an internship at her father’s big corporation in Toronto rather than be dragged to her mother’s childhood memory cove, Lane Bradshaw, Paige’s conceited and self-destructive brother, a coke addict and dealer, and Erin, who comes to Falcon Beach every summer to be a lifeguard at the beach.

  • Fox Sports introduces downloads for bowl championship series

    Fox Sports introduces downloads for bowl championship series

    MUMBAI: Fox Sports has announced that, for the first time ever, full-length games from the 2007 Tostitos bowl bash will be available on the internet via several digital download sites beginning 28 December.

    Developed in partnership with the Bowl Championship Series, the complete content offering is a comprehensive collection of digital downloads made available online in association with a major sporting event. It also marks the first time that Fox Sports has made downloadable content available for sports fans on the Web, asserts an official release.

    Fans can access the Tostitos Bowl Bash downloads by visiting Fox at http://Foxsports.com, http://direct2drive.com, Apple’s iTunes, Amazon’s Unbox, AOL Video, CinemaNow and Instant Media.

    Fox Sports on MSN and Direct2Drive will also offer a comprehensive programming hub for the Tostitos Bowl Bash, including a free, live simulcast of the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, which marks the first time a 1 January bowl game has been streamed live on the Internet, adds the release.

    Through this digital distribution program, football fans will be able to purchase preview shows covering each of the BCS games airing on Fox Sports and also pre-order full-length games, highlight packages and Short Cuts – a condensed version that allows users to watch each game in approximately 20 minutes. Fans can purchase single-game highlights or a Best of the Bowl Bash highlight package that will feature the best plays from all five games in one program produced exclusively for digital distribution.

    Fox Sports presidentd E Goren said, “Sports fans are consuming content on new and different platforms every day, and our goal is to expand the reach of Fox Sports and the BCS to as many of those media platforms as possible. By working with great distribution partners both within the Fox family and externally, we have given college football fans an incredible amount of choice when looking for official BCS content online.”

    Fox Sports Enterprises executive vice president Gary Ehrlich added, “Our goal is to expand the reach of the Bowl Championship Series through as many platforms as possible, and digital rights have become a more important part of the media mix every year. This content offering represents important first steps in digital delivery for both the BCS and Fox Sports, and we look forward to finding more ways to deliver sports content to fans via digital download in the future.”

    Preview shows will be available through all distribution channels starting 28 December and will in many cases feature both game overviews and team-centric preview packages. Though exact timing may vary, most full-length games will be available for download within 24 hours of a given game’s completion, and several distribution partners will enable fans to pre-order any of the games starting 28 December.

    Preview shows, Short-Cuts and the Best of the Bowl Bash highlight program is be priced at $1.99 each, while full-length games at $2.99. Every Bowl Bash full-length game and the Best of the Bowl Bash highlight package is priced at $19.99.

    In addition, select retail partners will allow fans of participating teams to purchase all products related to a specific BCS Bowl game – including previews shows, the full-length game, the Short-Cut and the Best of the Bowl Bash highlight package for $6.99.

    While serving as one of the distribution channels for downloadable BCS content, Fox Sports on MSN will also offer its users a wealth of free video and audio content related to college football’s biggest week. The site will deliver free live audio streaming of four BCS games, provide pre- and post-game video reports from several bowl locations, and serve as the home for Fox College Bowl Pick ’em – the official fantasy game of the Bowl Championship Series.

    “With more than a month of hype leading up to the games, college football fans are hungry for any and all BCS content in advance of the broadcasts. From pre-game shows to live game streaming, we are delivering the same great Fox Sports content to fans, whether they’re tuning into the games on television or visiting us on the Web,” said Fox Sports Interactive senior vice president Brian Grey.

  • Zoom lines up New Year specials

    Zoom lines up New Year specials

    MUMBAI: Zoom has lined up a series of specials this New Year with the best of the past. It is offering a complete bonanza of sorts with shows like Maximum Style, Popkorn Newz, Page 3, Santa and Banta Unlimited and more.

    Maximum Style, will take a tour of the trends that ruled the ramp in 2006 in the New year special episode on 29 December at 8:30 pm.

    The New Year special episode will give an insight into the trends that the fashion guru’s predict for the coming season.

    Popkorn Newz will focus on the the top ten Bollywood controversies of the year: from Ash-Abhishek marriage rumours to Aamir’s Fanaa controversy. Popkorn Newz New Year special will also bring to light the trivia of Rakhi- Mika fight.

    The Best of Popkorn Newz, the new year special episode, will be aired on 30 December at 8 pm and will also showcase the controversy of Ekta kapoor boycotting Indian Television Awards.

    Page 3 New Year special will be a recollection of the exclusive news and controversies of the year 2006. The Best of Page 3 will air on 30 December at 7 pm and will bring minute by minute account of the the biggest of superstar wars from Salman- John’s rift to Amitabh- Shah Rukh’s stand-off.

    Santa and Banta Unlimited, Zoom’s foray into comedy, will bring the top five interviews of 2006 on the show. The special interviews of Bappi Lahiri, Shaan, Chunkey Pandey, Arjun Rampal and Riya Sen with Siddharth Kannan and Baba Saigal will be aired on 1 January at 8:30 pm.

  • ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Adrianne Curry gets digitally cloned

    ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Adrianne Curry gets digitally cloned

    MUMBAI: In a move that should send waves through Hollywood, model and television celebrity Adrianne Curry and NVIDIA, which works in the field of programmable graphics processor technology, have teamed up to create the world’s first real-time virtual 3D celebrity.

    This breakthrough, which was created using c and NVidia professional graphics solutions, opens the door for ‘stars’ to create and license detailed replicas of their likeness without ever having to make a physical appearance or take a photograph.

    Virtual celebrity licensing will have a multitude of applications, including adapting celebrity characters into newly developed video games, virtual modelling and endorsements, digital appearances in film and television, and virtual hosting on Web sites or traditional broadcast media.

    Curry says, ‘I am honoured to have been selected as the first celebrity for this project. The Digital Adrianne is so realistic, it’s really trippy. Lara Croft, eat my shorts!”

    Curry, NVidia states, is the ideal choice for this venture as she is on the cutting-edge of this fresh, new trend in Hollywood. In addition to her successful modelling career, which has landed her on the pages of Maxim, Playboy, Sync and Marie Claire magazines. She has appeared in TV shows like America’s Next Top Model.

    NVidia senior VP marketing Dan Vivoli says, “The uses for this technological breakthrough are truly endless. The digital Adrianne can demonstrate the same range of emotions, movements, and attitudes and appear just as lifelike as her living, breathing counterpart. It is simply a stunning transformation.”

  • Fox puts select archives on auction for Motion Picture and Television Fund in the US

    Fox puts select archives on auction for Motion Picture and Television Fund in the US

    MUMBAI: The Motoion Picture and Television Fund (MPTF) in the US has announced that Twentieth Century Fox has culled its archives and donated more than 200 rare documents including signed contracts and internal memos to be sold at an auction to benefit the Fund.

    Items in the auction represent dealings with over 50 Hollywood legends including: Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn and Elvis Presley. Films involvef include Seven Year Itch, Miracle on 34th Street, The King and I, All About Eve and Love Me Tender.

    The auction called From the Twentieth Century Fox Archives: Documents from the Golden Age of Hollywood, will be accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue available at www.swanngalleries.com.

    The auction, scheduled for 25 January, 2007, will be conducted by Swann Auction Galleries in New York City. Proceeds from the sale will directly benefit the MPTF insurance fund that provides health insurance for actors.

    Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman and CEO Tom Rothman says, “Fox’s heritage reflects Hollywood itself and our well maintained document archives are a Tut’s Tomb of movie history. These papers are so cool that, as a fan of that history, I will have to restrain myself from bidding on each item. This donation is intended to get the past out of file cabinets into the hands of film lovers and let it serve the present through the MPTF. We also hope this auction might inspire other studios to follow suit.”

  • ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Adrianne Curry gets digitally cloned

    ‘America’s Next Top Model’ Adrianne Curry gets digitally cloned

    MUMBAI: In a move that should send waves through Hollywood, model and television celebrity Adrianne Curry and NVIDIA, which works in the field of programmable graphics processor technology, have teamed up to create the world’s first real-time virtual 3D celebrity.

    This breakthrough, which was created using c and NVidia professional graphics solutions, opens the door for ‘stars’ to create and license detailed replicas of their likeness without ever having to make a physical appearance or take a photograph.

    Virtual celebrity licensing will have a multitude of applications, including adapting celebrity characters into newly developed video games, virtual modelling and endorsements, digital appearances in film and television, and virtual hosting on Web sites or traditional broadcast media.

    Curry says, ‘I am honoured to have been selected as the first celebrity for this project. The Digital Adrianne is so realistic, it’s really trippy. Lara Croft, eat my shorts!”

    Curry, NVidia states, is the ideal choice for this venture as she is on the cutting-edge of this fresh, new trend in Hollywood. In addition to her successful modelling career, which has landed her on the pages of Maxim, Playboy, Sync and Marie Claire magazines. She has appeared in TV shows like America’s Next Top Model.

    NVidia senior VP marketing Dan Vivoli says, “The uses for this technological breakthrough are truly endless. The digital Adrianne can demonstrate the same range of emotions, movements, and attitudes and appear just as lifelike as her living, breathing counterpart. It is simply a stunning transformation.”

  • WWE signs a series of mobile deals

    WWE signs a series of mobile deals

    MUMBAI: World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) has signed new content agreements with mobile firms.

    The deals are with communications company Orange, Britain’s third-largest network operator; Heylife, a mobile, internet and TV content producer and distributor based in Portugal; and German broadcaster Tele5, which currently airs weekly installments of SmackDown. In India, viewers can catch WWE on Ten Sports.

    The deal will see Heylife rolling out WWE standard and premium package downloads, including video streams, voicetones, ringtones, wallpapers and SMS alerts.