ITV

Category: English Entertainment

  • Zee English to scrap its Indian programming

    Zee English to scrap its Indian programming

    Zee English is making a few changes in its programming and seems to be going the Star World way. It has decided to scrap its Indian programming and will now focus exclusively on foreign content. This move seems to be the channel’s effort to become more focused on the upper crust audience.

    The channel had some four Indian English shows on air. The shows were The Life Style Show, Tonight with Feroze, Spice and You Got It. The channel will get in some additional foreign programmes to fill in these spots.

    It can be noted that Zee English has not achieved the kind of popularity amongst its target elite English-speaking audience that its rival channel Star World has achieved. The move to improve or revamp its programming might also attract additional advertising revenue.

  • VH1 US, Sundance Channel team up for documentary series on illicit drug use in America

    VH1 US, Sundance Channel team up for documentary series on illicit drug use in America

    MUMBAI: Prior to the 1960’s, very few Americans had ever tried drugs. Today, more than 110 million (nearly half of the U.S. adult population) admit to having used an illicit substance at least once in their lifetime.

    Now VH1, in association with Sundance Channel, have produced the original documentary series The Drug Years. This is a four-part look at the rise of illicit drug use and its cultural impact in the second half of the twentieth century.Based on the book Can’t Find My Way Home: America in the Great Stoned Age, by Martin Torgoff, the series premieres on VH1 in the US tonight 12 June 2006.

    Spanning the 1950’s to the present, The Drug Years explores the development of a commercial drug culture in America, using archival footage and interviews to illustrate how popular culture — including music, movies, comedy, and television – have shaped and reflected public perceptions of illicit drugs. The Drug Years also looks at how drugs became part of the nation’s political landscape, from the youth rebellions of the 1960’s to the War on Drugs and beyond.

    This epic recounting of American drug culture is told through dozens of interviews with actors, musicians, journalists, policy advocates, former drug smugglers, and a retired DEA agent.

    Celebrities who will be interviewed include actor Peter Coyote, singer Jackson Browne, rap star Ice-T and rock star John Mellencamp

  • Teri Hatcher recalls tough times before landing ‘Desperate Housewives’ role

    Teri Hatcher recalls tough times before landing ‘Desperate Housewives’ role

    MUMBAI: On UK pubcaster BBC One’s show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross which aired a few days ago Golden Globe-winning Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher admitted that she is full of insecurities. Hatcher – who revealed that she wasn’t wearing underwear all evening – recountted how she’d fallen on hard times before she won the role of Susan Mayer.

    She also spoke on the dificulties women have to face in Hollywood. “I was practically begging for a job, I really needed it,” she says of a failed sitcom audition. “I didn’t get it, I cried for 18 hours … I was desperate.”

    She also lashed out at the fake world of LA. “There’s this illusion that we feel so great. I wanted to admit [in her new book, Burnt Toast] that we women in Hollywood put on extra hair, shove our feet into shoes that don’t fit . There are a lot of women where there are parts that aren’t satisfied. As you gain confidence you are less sensitive about what other people think. That’s played itself out in my life.”

  • Scott Grogin is Fox senior VP, communications

    Scott Grogin is Fox senior VP, communications

    MUMBAI: Veteran Fox spokesperson Scott Grogin has been promoted to senior VP, corporate communications.

    Grogin will continue to be responsible for developing and executing business and tactical communications strategies on behalf of the network as well as serving as primary liaison to the daily trade, financial and business media.

    In addition, he will work closely with Fox Networks Group President and CEO Tony Vinciquerra and Fox Network President Ed Wilson on inter-divisional and affiliate relations initiatives, as well as serving as communications liaison between the broadcast network and various Fox Entertainment divisions, including Fox Networks Group, Fox Mobile Entertainment and Fox Interactive Marketing.

  • Hallmark buys rights to 39 Warner Bros feature films

    Hallmark buys rights to 39 Warner Bros feature films

    MUMBAI: The Hallmark Channel has announced that it has acquired the US telecast rights to 39 feature films from the Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution, including the network TV premiere of March of the Penguins.

    With the network’s acquisition of the Academy Award winning documentary March of the Penguins, the Hallmark Channel executive VP programming David Kenin said, “Hallmark Channel is still bent on world domination and we are starting with Antarctica.”

    According to a release, the Hallmark channel is currently being distributed to a little more than 73 million households nationwide.

    In its attempts to bounce back, Kenin also added, “The deal will help to drive ratings, attract more sponsors and increase distribution for the network.”

    However, the terms of the deal were not disclosed, adds the release.

    The 39 Warner Bros. movie package acquired by Hallmark include, Troy, The In-Laws, The Bridges of Madison County, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory and The Phantom of the Opera, among others.

  • Star Movies to focus on Donald Trump, Templars next month

    Star Movies to focus on Donald Trump, Templars next month

    MUMBAI: Star Movies will air a film next month Trump Unauthorised.This movie on the life of real estate tycoon Donald Trump hits all the high and lowlights. It includes Trump’s real estate triumphs, failures and his first two marriages. Trump of course hosts the business based reality show The Apprentice which airs in India on Star World.

    The film was shot in Toronto and the decision to make this film makes sense since Trump has been catapulted into the limelight, courtesy television.

    The channel will also air a three hour mini series Blood Of the Templars. According to legend, the Templars no longer exist, extinguished long ago in the fog of time. But throughout the centuries there have been constant reports that the mystic and secret order does still exist.

    What the legend does not say is that there was a schism within the Knights Templar that lead to the formation of a breakaway group, the Priory of Sion, and that this group is still very much with us. Of course both the book and the film The Da Vinci Code mention this group a lot. For thousands of years the two warring sides have fought for possession of the Holy Grail. But where is it and what powers does it have?

  • AXN goes on a ‘Road Trip’ this football season

    AXN goes on a ‘Road Trip’ this football season

    MUMBAI: In a bid to broaden its programming range the action oriented AXN has announced a new programming band Road Trip. This basically celebrates major sporting and entertainment spectacles.

    The initiative will kick off with a four part series on the football World Cup which kicks off on Friday in Germany. The show airs every Friday at 9 pm.

    AXN Road Trip: Fifa World Cup 2006 will offer viewers a chance to get an inside glimpse of the global phenomenon that is the World Cup and all of the off-the-charts events and activities planned in and around the host cities.

    The show’s host Neil Cole travels across Germany in search of the stories, the people, the places that make this the epic center stage of the world’s favorite sport this summer. The stakes are high as teams representing 32 countries vie for the World cup.

    The show will travel across Germany to highlight all 12 host cities and will feature segments on the players and interviews with fans. It will also include qualifying moments from teams like Brazil, Germany, the Czech Republic, England and Argentina.

    AXN will give viewers the chance to get up, close and personal with some of the sports great’s from around the globe. The show will have insight’s from veterans such as Germany’s Franz Beckenbauer, Brazil’s Pele, Argentina’s Diego Maradona, Italy’s Roberto Baggio, Holland’s Marco Van Basten, and Korea’s Cha Bum Keun will prepare viewers for what is to come, while reflecting on some of the greatest moments the World Cup has ever seen.

  • Discovery introduces viewers to a seven year old surgeon

    Discovery introduces viewers to a seven year old surgeon

    MUMBAI: Discovery will air a one hour special The Seven Year Old Surgeon on 10 June at 8 pm.In 2001 seven year old Akrit Jaswal gained celebrity status when he successfully performed an operation to separate the fused fingers of an eight year old girl in his small village in North India.

    Now the 12 year old researches cures for cancer in his laboratory which was extablished by his proud parents. Viewers will also see him going to the UK to meet British scientists who offer their verdicts on him. The show also interviews psychologists who assess the effects these achievements could be having on his childhood.

    Jaswal became obssessed with medicine at an early age. He memorised medical books and winessed surgeries. He even experimented on animals at his home in Himachal Pradesh. As the word of the young prodigy spread villagers flocked to hime home seeking advice or just a glimpse of the boy.

    Much to his discomfort he was idolised and revered as a God. However he did meet some of the hordes that gathered on his doorstep. He has prescribed medicine for over a thousand cases including a man suffering from a brain disorder.

  • American Idol Hicks signs with 19 Recordings

    American Idol Hicks signs with 19 Recordings

    MUMBAI: The 2006 winner of American Idol Taylor Hicks has signed a recording deal with Simon Fuller and 19 Recordings Limited, in conjunction with legendary music man Clive Davis, chairman of BMG US and Arista Records.

    The finale on 24 May was the most successful season of American Idol with over 35 million viewers tuning into the finale.
    The 29 year old Alabama native, joins the ranks of other idols that have gone on to have outstanding music careers under the guidance of Davis. Previous Idol winners and runner ups have sold a staggering 33 million records, which includes music from Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Ruben Studdard and Bo Bice.

    The first single from Hicks includes the original Idol composition, “Do I Make You Proud,” sung during the final round of voting and again during the finale. The single also includes his rendition of the Doobie Brothers classic, “Takin’ It To The Streets,” from the American Idol season five encores CD. The single will be available in-stores and through digital outlets on 13 June.

    Hicks’ legion of loyal followers dubbed the “soul patrol” and fans all across the country can expect a full length album from Hicks later this year.

  • Star Movies presents X-MEN Special

    Star Movies presents X-MEN Special

    Mumbai, May 17, 2006: X’treme action fans are in for a treat this Sunday. Star Movies gives you the perfect way to end your weekend with the X-Men Special! Star Movies builds the excitement with the back-to-back airing of X-Men and X-2: X Men United to get your adrenaline rushing. If that’s not enough, it presents a sneak peek into the much-awaited X-Men 3: The Last Stand, the final chapter in the X-Men motion picture trilogy. So don’t forget to tune in to the X-Men Special, from 3:50 pm onwards this Sunday evening, 21 May only on Star Movies!

    For starters, tune in to X-Men at 3:50 p.m. to watch unusual children born with an added twist to their genetic code- the “X-factor” which allows them to perform extraordinary feats. At 5:50 p.m. watch X 2, in which the X-Men band together to find a mutant assassin who has made an attempt on the president’s life. To end the perfect evening, Star Movies presents a dream come true for any “X-Men” fan with Opening Night. Watch some never seen before footage and special glimpses of the making of X-Men 3: The Last Stand at 8:30 p.m.

    Opening Night will not only showcase clippings of the unreleased movie, but will also take you behind the scenes where you can watch Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and the rest of the cast talk about their experiences while shooting this most ambitious work of the trilogy. They discuss how it required complex strategic maneuvering to bring the entire cast back for this project, due to their busy schedules and how their participation was never in doubt as it was key to the story and character relationships, and important to the fans who love these films. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby discuss how it never occurred to them forty years ago that the characters created by them for Marvel Comics would result in such magnificent movies. In this film the characters undergo significant changes and the action is taken to a whole new level.

    X-Men 3: The Last Stand, a “cure” for mutancy threatens to alter the course of history. For the first time, mutants have a choice: retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them, or give up their powers and become human. The opposing viewpoints of mutant leaders Charles Xavier, who preaches tolerance and Magneto, who believes in the survival of the fittest, are put to the ultimate test – triggering the war to end all wars.

    Presented by rising star Terence Yin (Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle Of Life, New Police Story), Opening Night gives you an up-close and intimate view of the most anticipated films before their general release. Previous episodes of this hit show has featured Hollywood blockbusters like Pink Panther, Ice Age 2, Chicken Little, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Fantastic Four, Robots, Ocean’s Twelve, I- Robot, Ladder 49, Lemony Snickets: A series of unfortunate events, Kingdom of Heaven, The Goal and King Kong.

    So don’t forget to tune in to Star Movies on Sunday, May 21st for X-Men Special from 3:50 p.m. onwards, with the back to back airing of X-Men and X-2, followed by an exclusive sneak peek into the making of X -Men 3: The Last Stand.

    About Star
    STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 50 television services in nine languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world’s largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com

    For further information please contact:
    In Mumbai
    Zeenat Khan Shiraz Bhavnani / Aditi Chada
    Asst. Vice President – Publicity Vaishnavi Corporate Communications
    STAR (India) Ltd. Tel: 91-22-5656 8787
    Tel No. 91-22-56305555 Fax: 91-22-5656 8788
    Email :sbhavnani@vccpl.com / achada@vccpl.com