ITV

Category: TV Shows

  • Hysteria in Bigg Boss house as John Abraham meets housemates

    MUMBAI: For the housemates its another day in the Bigg Boss house with tasks to do and household chores to complete. The tension has begun…who will be evicted this evening? There’s Rahul Roy, Deepak Tijori, Rupali Ganguly, Anupama Verma.

     

    As they are engaged in their daily routine imagine their surprise when John Abraham decides to take a halt at the Bigg Boss house, meet the housemates ,as his Kabul Express is ready to take off. Imagine the excitement seeing John in their midst. Not just the girls but even the guys just swooned over him.

     

    From kababs, made by the guys, to the girls trying to impress John with their belly dancing, Bigg Boss house was simply bustling with activity.

  • The Man’s World Show wins ‘Best Entertainment Programme’ at 2006 Asian Television Awards in Singapore

    Mumbai: AXN, the action and adventure channel for Indian viewers, received international recognition for its top rated series The Man’s World Show when it won the heavily contested “Best Entertainment Programme” category at the 2006 Asian Television Awards ceremony held last Thursday in Singapore.

    The Man’s World Show was a first-of-its-kind television programme in India that was focused on issues that matter to men in a tongue-in-cheek fashion. Irreverent and cheeky, the show was hosted by Ash Chandler and Vrajesh Hirjee, who interviewed top celebrity guests, and also gave advice about fashion, cars, gadgets and new trends, all while keeping the viewers laughing for the length of the show.

    Says Sunder Aaron, Creator of The Man’s World Show and Country Head of AXN, “AXN over the years has built a large and loyal viewership base in India. Creating an AXN original production for our viewers was the next step in meeting viewers’ needs and will help us solidify our leadership of the English entertainment genre in India. With The Man’s World Show, we were consciously trying to produce a show for men that would be different from all else seen on Indian television. Of course, we wanted all the women out there to watch too.”

    Adds Ricky Ow, General Manager of SPE Networks – Asia, is delighted with the win, “For our one-year-old AXN production unit, we cannot ask for a better start. Not only did The Man’s World Show win the ‘Best Entertainment Programme’ in Asia, but Mondo Magic Singapore was also highly commended for its entertainment efforts. Both shows have a unique and bold approach in ensuring that the entertainment value on AXN is high and yet is different from what others are doing. The awards have confirmed the quality of AXN original productions along with top flight international series such as CSI, The Amazing Race, 24 and Nip/Tuck.”

    Targeting an upwardly mobile male audience, The Man’s World Show provided the Indian viewers with advice, answers, options and ideas for their evolving cosmopolitan lifestyles. With its real life cast and characters (and a little bit of chaos mixed in), this AXN Original Production presented each episode with a different theme of importance.

    The two quirky hosts livened up the show with their fast talk and quick wits, and with the help of regular figures like Sonia the Bartender, Doctor Love, and Benny the thirty-year-old virgin, who helped shed light on everything that a man wants or needs to know.

    The audience was treated to episodes with themes such as “The Art of Seduction”, “The Rules of Success in the Workplace”, and “How to be the Perfect Lover”. The appearance of celebrity guests like Hollywood superstar – Will Smith combined with a bevy of Bollywood beauties like Tanishaa, Celina Jaitely, Amrita Arora, Mandira Bedi, Minisha Lamba among a host of others increased the glamour quotient on the show by leaps and bounds! The celebrities on the show were seen in a new light when they gave the viewers their very personal views on love and life.

    Says Sunder Aaron, “News of the award is especially exciting for us because it perfectly sets the stage for Season 2 of The Man’s World Show, launching on AXN in January, 2007. More on that later!”

    About AXN

    Delivering top rated series, blockbuster features, adventure-reality and first-run lifestyle sports programming, AXN is a leading international television destination among young adults 18-34. AXN is seen in 50 countries across Asia, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East, and is part of Sony Pictures Television International’s diverse portfolio of over 40 global networks. Sony Pictures Television International is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

    AXN Asia is available to more than 78 million households 24-hours daily throughout Asia in Taiwan, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, South Korea, Macau, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Maldives, Mongolia and in hotels and VIP compounds in China. AXN can also be seen in 40 million cable television households on time-block basis in China. More information about AXN can be found online at www.axn-india.com.

    For media enquiries, please contact:
    Deepa/ Kehkashan/ Shahnaz
    LinOpinion
    #9820453418/ 9821131138/ 9323894697

  • INOX Leisure Ltd. Wins TAAL Multiplexer 2006 Award

    MUMBAI: INOX Leisure Ltd., India’s leading multiplex player won the TAAL Multiplexer 2006 award for its contributions to the multiplex industry. TAAL is an international convention and tradeshow on the Infrastructure of Entertainment and workplace sectors related to Theatres, Audio-Visual, Acoustics and Lighting; organized by Sandy Media, publishers of two specialist magazines, Theatre World and SoundSolutions – Asia’s only resource magazines on motion picture exhibition and audio/acoustics technology applications.

    INOX currently has 12 multiplexes with 44 screens in 11 cities across India making it India’s first national multiplex chains. By bringing in a professional and service-oriented approach to the cinema exhibition sector, INOX has established a strong presence in the cinema exhibition industry in the short span of time.

    Its proposed merger with CCPL (89 Cinemas) and its alliance with the Pantaloon Group – a partnership that provides INOX preferential access to all real estate developments which Pantaloon takes up for its retail chain, will exponentially increase its reach across India.

    Commenting on the award, Mr. Alok Tandon, COO – INOX Leisure Ltd. Said, “Our mission is to create India’s largest network of world class multiplex cinema theatres across all the leading towns and cities of India. Given our strong brand name, pan-India presence and impressive growth track record and strong emphasis on technology & customer service we remain positive on our performance outlook going forward.”

    Previously INOX Leisure Ltd. was conferred with the ‘ICICI Entertainment Retailer of the Year’ Award in 2005.

    Live the movie only at INOX!

    About INOX Leisure Ltd.

    INOX has a nationwide presence with 12 multiplexes and 44 screens in 11 cities making it the only national multiplex chain – Pune (Bund Garden Road), Vadodara (Race Course Circle), Kolkata (Forum, Elgin Road and City Centre, Salt Lake City), Goa (Campal, Panaji), Mumbai (CR2, Nariman Point), Bangalore (Garuda Mall, Magrath Road), Jaipur (Vaishali Nagar), Indore (Sapna Sangeeta Road), Darjeeling (Rink Mall), Kota (Indira Vihar) and Nagpur (Wardhaman Nagar). Winner of the ‘ICICI Entertainment Retailer of the Year’ Award 2005, INOX Leisure Ltd. will continue its expansion into Chennai, Mumbai (Borivali), Bharuch, Vijaywada, Lucknow, Faridabad, Jaipur, Kolkatta, Hyderabad, Raipur, Bangalore, Nagpur, Jodhpur, Pune, etc.

    For further information, please contact:

    Snehhal Chitneni

    GM – Corporate Communications

    Ph: 6662 7051

    Mb: 9322091010
     

  • Nach Baliye 2 finale on 18 December

    MUMBAI: After 13 long weeks of perspiration, stress, anxiety, anticipation and a whole lot of naach-gaana, the much-awaited NACH BALIYE 2 Finale is here… the two final Jodis Jodi No.8 – Tina-Hussain, and Jodi No. 2 – Gouri-Yash, gear up for the ‘Elaan-E-Jung’, the ‘Nach Baliye 2 Champions’ title.

    The final competition this year will go live and India ki jantaa will vote to choose their most deserving winner of 2006. Live voting on Star One from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm for the final episode to be aired on Monday 18 December.
     

    The solo round will test their individual dancing skills against each other – Tina Vs Gouri and Hussain Vs Yash. A Jugalbandi will see the 2 couples perform against each other to fight for the Nach Baliye 2 title. The judges have applauded, appreciated and have given their verdict but the fate of these two couples is entirely in the hands of the Indian audience!

    This is not all, nostalgia is in the air too. The finale episode will have the eliminated eight celebrity couples come together to enthrall the audience one last time…and compete for the ‘Dumdaar’…’Majedaar’… and ‘Jodidaar’ category of special awards!

    ‘The special episode will be filled with surprise performances by the esteemed jury as well as the hosts – Sangeeta and Shabbir. Watch the gorgeous Malaika Arora Khan burn the dance floor on ‘Yeh Mera Dil’, while legendary dancer Saroj Khan takes centre stage with ‘Man Saat Saumndar all on the 18 December 2006!

    The fun does not end just here, there would be a special ‘Munna Bhai and Circuit’ act by none other than Shabbir and Rajiv Paul promise to make a ‘maamu’ of all the Jodis.

  • Future Group awards media duties to Starcom

    MUMBAI: Future Group and Starcom MediaVest Group have jointly announced that with effect from 1 January 2007, all media investments for member companies of the Future Group, will be managed by Starcom Worldwide.

    The Starcom responsibility of the Future Group media investment management will be handled by Manish Porwal, who is slated to assume his new responsibility of Starcom Worldwide India-West and South managing director, starting 1 January.

    The account will be managed by Starcom in three separate locations in India – Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, with central reporting to the marketing team at the group’s head quarters in Mumbai. Some of the staff to handle the account will be shifted from Starcom’s existing talent pool, while some others will be recruited from the market.

     

    Specific initiatives that Starcom wishes to implement to activate this assignment will be announced in due course.Pantaloon Retail president-marketing Sanjeev Agrawal said, “We are passing through some really exciting times, with consumer spends growing rapidly, and retailing as a business literally exploding. We are a pioneer and leader in the area of retail. We recognize that the media landscape in India is complex and will be even more so in the times ahead. To take us through the challenges and opportunities ahead and help our brand connect with our consumers, we were looking for a new media partner.

     

    Starcom’s focus on Return on Objectives [ROO] as a new metric for marketing accountability appealed to us. We were also happy to see that they have built true 360 degrees communication capability over the last few years. These are the reasons we decided to align with them” commenting on the win, Starcom MediaVest Group CEO-South Asia Ravi Kiran said, “I believe we have a complete mind match with the Future Group marketing team. For some time now, we have been proposing a view of the future of marketing and communication which is based on today’s market realities of attention-challenged, multi-tasking consumers, and the need to activate all the assets of media owners, instead of just negotiating with them to reduce cost. This is the basis for Return On Objectives, a principle that emphasizes leveraging market opportunities, rather than internal constraints such as minimizing costs.

     

    We hope to deliver engaging consumer connections, using platform-agnostic ideas, activated media owner assets and through-the-line planning and execution capabilities, to the brands of Future Group.”

     

    Mumbai based retail group Future Group’s flagship enterprise is Pantaloon Retail in addition to other companies such as Home Solutions Retail India, Indus League Clothing, Galaxy Entertainment and others. the group operates through six verticals: Future Retail (encompassing all lines of retail business), Future Capital (financial products and services), Future Brands (all brands owned or managed by group companies), Future Space (management of retail real estate), Future Logistics (management of supply chain and distribution) and Future Media (development and management of retail media spaces).

  • Hutch Kalakka Povathu Champions 2 – the double dose of laughter continues

    MUMBAI: Hutch Kalakka Povathu Champions – Part 2 launches on December 8, 2006 featuring the cr?me de la cr?me of the comedy kings ever.

    The comedy kings Venkatesh, Erode Srinivasan, Ramanthan, Vadivelu Ganesh and Andrews among others of Hutch Kalaka Povathu Yaaru 2 now join hands with the bandwagon of comedy kings from Hutch Kalakka Povathu Champions namely Muthuirulpandi, Robo Shankar, Arvind, Kadir Kamal and others for some belly-jiggling laughter. Over 26 weeks of non-stop laughter guaranteed.

    Muthuirulpandi of Madurai; who gained his entry into Kollywood because of the show will perform some of his best ever stand-up acts along with the inimitable duo Robo Shankar and Arvind who are set for the re-enactment of a popular TV show.

    On the other hand Venkatesh & Sasikumar gang up to mimic a kids show attended by celebrities and Andrews and Vadivelu Ganesh are busy discussing on how to stop a tsunami.

    To add to this goodie bag of laughter, Vijay proudly announces the return of the awesome trio from Hutch Kalaka Povathu Champions the enterprising glam doll Uma Riyaz Khan along with popular comedians Chinni Jeyanth and Madan Bob who catapulted the first series to fame.

    This trio along with the comedy kings of part 1 and part 2 are sure to leave the viewers laughing in splits. Double dose of laughter for double Dhamakaa. So tune in every Friday at 10pm – the one stop solution to drive all the weekday blues and welcome the weekend with a big smile.

  • Essel Group institutes excellence awards

    Essel Group institutes excellence awards

    MUMBAI: The Essel Group and its flagship, Zee Network, have unveiled an ambitious Awards programme aimed at recognising institutions or individuals who have made a significant contribution in public or private life. The Awards aim at celebrating the contribution of unsung heroes in various fields in order to encourage them to scale greater heights.

    Announcing the launch of the Awards, Essel Group and Zee Network Chairman, Mr Subhash Chandra said: “Ours is a Group fired by the spirit of nationalism and patriotism. Through these Awards, we hope to inspire the youth and instil in them a pride for India’s rich heritage. The Awards represent the Group’s strong resolve to empower the people and thereby build a vibrant and resurgent India.”

    The Awards will be instituted under different categories every month, beginning January 2007. The categories are: Legislator (January), Sports (February), Civil Service (March), NGO /Social Worker (April), Police /fire force (May), Legal (June), Minister (July), Young innovator /entrepreneur (August), Medical service (September), Art, Culture and Literature (October), Media (November), Gram Panchayat / Zilla Member (December).

    The Award series will first be launched in Karnataka and then replicated in other States.

    “These Awards will ignite young minds, awaken dormant senses and motivate the people to strive for a brighter future,” Mr M. Gautham Machaiah, Vice-President, Corporate and Public Affairs added.

    This is a truly a people’s Award, where the general public plays a key role in selecting the winner. For each category, nominations will be invited from the public and prominent citizens of the State. The nominations will be sifted by a screening committee and then put before a jury of eminent citizens, which will shortlist five finalists. A capsule on the five finalists will be produced and telecast on Zee Network. The public will then be invited to vote for best in each category.

     

    “It is significant that the Awards are being launched in Karnataka to coincide with the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations. Zee Kannada is proud to be associated with these Awards,” Head of Zee South Initiative Mr R. Ajay Kumar said.

     

    In the case of Karnataka’s Best Legislator, the parameters for the selection include: exemplary public service, commitment to issues, clean image and integrity, social and economic uplift of the constituency and constituents, accessibility to the people, and performance in the State legislature. The last date for receiving nominations is December 15, 2006.

     

    The Jury for the Best Legislator’s Award comprises Justice M.F. Saldhana, former Judge, Karnataka High Court (Chairman); Mr H.S. Balram, Editor, The Times of India, Bangalore; Dr M.S. Thimmappa, former Bangalore University Vice-chancellor; Mr M.C. Nanaiah, former Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs; and Ms Teresa Bhattacharya, former Chief Secretary, Government of Karnataka.

     

    The Essel Group stands out as a shining example of a socially conscious corporate citizen. Education is among the causes that the Group is most passionate about. The Ekal Vidayalaya Foundation of India, headed by Mr Chandra provides free education to over five lakh tribal children every year in remote parts of the country.

     

    The Essel Group with interests spanning across news, entertainment, packaging, infrastructure and communication, is a pioneer in virtually every business that it ventures into. The Group has always responded to opportunities created by changes in technology and captured the first-mover advantage – be it satellite television (Zee TV), amusement parks (Essel World) or cable distribution (Siticable).

  • Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

    Louis J Horvitz returns as director for the Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: Emmy Award winner Louis J. Horvitz will return for his 12 time as director of the US Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ (Atas) 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

    The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air live in the US on 27 August on NBC.

    In March, Horvitz directed The 78th Annual Academy Awards. This marked his 10th year at the helm of the Oscars.

  • Big winners at 2006 Promax/BDA World Gold & North America Awards

    Big winners at 2006 Promax/BDA World Gold & North America Awards

    MUMBAI: Promax/BDA the global non-profit organization for marketing, promotion and design professionals in electronic media, celebrated its annual Promax World Gold and North America Awards.

    Hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Darrell Hammond, the awards ceremony brought the 2006 Promax/BDA Conference to a close. The awards competition is divided into North America and World Gold based on the entrants main region of business.

    The big winners in the Promax World Gold Awards were design house Red Bee Media, with 15 gold and six silver Muse Awards and Italian broadcaster Fox International, who took home 13 gold and eight silver Muse Awards. BSkyB was also among the big winners in the World Gold competition with 11 gold and three silver Muse Awards, informs an official release.

    In the North America Awards competition, NBC led the charge with 16 gold and nine silver Muse Awards. ABC and Bell ExpressVu followed with 18 awards each – ABC had 13 gold and five silver, while Bell ExpressVu earned 12 gold and six silver. HBO was not far behind with eight gold and nine silver awards.

    In addition to the newly redesigned Promax Muse statuette, award recipients will have their winning entries added to the permanent collection of Promax/BDA media at the United States Library of Congress, as part of The Robert Neer Promax/BDA Promos.tv Collection, containing over 6,900 winning promotional spots from Promax/BDA competitions worldwide since 1999, adds the release.

    Commenting on the event, Promax/BDA president and CEO Jim Chabin said, “The worldwide prestige and value of the Promax World Gold and Promax North America Muse Awards are exemplified by the caliber of work and the talented individuals that create that work. This year, we received an unprecedented number of submissions from companies around the globe so our winners should take pride in knowing they are truly the world’s best.”

  • Animax Asia signs output deal with Japanese anime studio Gonzo

    Animax Asia signs output deal with Japanese anime studio Gonzo

    MUMBAI: Animax has sealed a new long term output deal with Japan’s leading animation studio Gonzo to bring the latest edgy animation to Asia.

    With this, Asian viewers will now get the chance to watch anime programmes from Gonzo soon after viewers in Japan. The deal commences immediately for Animax.

    Animax vice-president Programming and Production Betty Tsui says, “We are delighted to have a strong partner like Gonzo as the studio’s original creative direction is in sync with Animax’s overall strategy to provide world-class anime entertainment for the youth of today. With the recent launch of the Animax refresh campaign, the timing of this output deal is a fantastic opportunity for both Animax and Gonzo to showcase more unique anime that wows and inspires viewers.”

    Responsible for some of the most innovative and stylish animation using 2D and 3D computer graphic techniques, Gonzo has brought to viewers around the world extremely popular titles like Samurai 7, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Hellsing. The synergy of Gonzo and Animax is apparent as both partners strive to provide the youth and young adult market with varied and quality programme offerings that wow audiences.

    With a reach of over 25 million households across Asia 24 hours a days, the new partnership represents enormous potential for Gonzo to showcase its new titles and become a household name in the Asian region.

    Rolling out the output deal is the spectacular animation creation, Trinity Blood. Having premiered first and exclusively in Hong Kong on 1 June 2006, Trinity Blood is broadcast on Animax every Thursday at 10 pm.