ITV

Category: TV Shows

  • Fair & Lovely foundation awards 91 scholarships to women

    MUMBAI: The Fair & Lovely Foundation has conferred 91 scholarships to women students for graduate, post-graduate, and doctorate studies under its scholarship program, 2006. Ms.Chandra Iyengar, Principal Secretary, Government of Maharashtra, Home Department was the Chief Guest at the awards function held in Mumbai today.

     

    In its fourth year since inception, the Fair & Lovely Foundation scholarships are given to deserving women to pursue higher studies at graduate, post-graduate and doctoral studies. The Fair & Lovely Foundation has awarded over 200 scholarships till date.

     

    Most of the scholarships have gone to women who are the first graduates in their families. With Fair & Lovely Foundation’s Scholarships, these students will now be able to pursue graduate and post-graduate degrees and diplomas in fields ranging from Computer Applications, Medicine, Business Administration, Technology, Journalism, Engineering, Veterinary Science and Psychology, among others.

     

    On the occasion, Ashok Venkatramani, Vice President, Skin Care, Hindustan Lever Limited (HLL) said, “Fair & Lovely Foundation is extremely delighted for these young women who have shown remarkable courage and determination to chase their dreams in their quest for education.

     

    We have found that each one of them have an indomitable drive to achieve clubbed with confidence in themselves, despite all odds. Education brings this confidence and transformation. We at Fair and Lovely strive to continue touching many more lives and helping every woman transcend her boundaries.”

    The past scholars of Fair & Lovely Foundation have been able to carve a niche in the field that they had chosen and we do hope the 90 winners announced today would continue to do so in future.

  • Fluid Audio brings American Idol Underground to Fox’ Americanidol.com

    Fluid Audio brings American Idol Underground to Fox’ Americanidol.com

    MUMBAI: Fluid Audio Networks’ web site, American Idol Underground, will be used to create a “micro site” on Fox Interactive Media’s Americanidol.com. The new site provides visitors immediate access to American Idol Underground’s online branded music player, where they can listen to and judge the music of emerging artists and submit their own music for review.

    “The American Idol Underground micro site will expose American Idol fans to a whole new universe of undiscovered talent through access to American Idol Underground’s 50-plus online music players. Additionally, this is a great opportunity for American Idol Underground bands and solo acts to get in front of the nearly 10 million people who visit Americanidol.com each month,” said Fluid Audio Networks chief executive officer and founder Justin Beckett.

    “Americanidol.com is a community for ‘American Idol’ fans looking to enrich their experience through our interactive offerings. The addition of American Idol Underground adds to Americanidol.com another dynamic, interactive application for our fans to take part in,” said Fox Interactive Media vice president Jeff King.

    In addition to rating emerging artists and discovering new bands, the micro site, located at www.americanidol.com/underground, gives fans access to all of American Idol Underground’s best features and prizes, including:

    Listeners prizes for voting on favorite American Idol Underground artists

    Charts ranking artists and highlighting top-rated songs and artists

    Music uploads for artists which are guaranteed 200 spins on American Idol Underground’s online branded music player

    A chance to win cash, musical equipment and exposure for the top rated artists on American Idol Underground.
    The American Idol Underground Web site is powered by Fluid Audio’s proprietary self-publishing software and is licensed by FremantleMedia Licensing Worldwide, Americas.

  • Curtains close on 2006 Banff World TV Fest

    Curtains close on 2006 Banff World TV Fest

    MUMBAI: The 2006 Banff World Television Festival came to a close on 14 June, with a combined 1,700 delegates attending both the television festival and its sister-event, nextMedia-The Future of Digital Content.

    Banff World Television Festival CEO Robert Montgomery said, “This year’s elite lineup of VIP guest speakers and record number of U.S. delegates really is a reflection on how important this Festival is, globally.”The Festival included a host of panel and session rooms along with special events. It also generated the signing of new deals and an opportunity for delegates to turn their project ideas and concepts into real productions, informs an official release.

    Some of the notable deals inked this year included, David Paperny of Paperny Films who sealed a $1.4-million financing deal with both the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and CTV Inc. for a new documentary.

    Chris Haddock’s latest procedural drama, Intelligence will be viewed in the U.S., an outcome of the deal between U.S. distributors Program Partners and Thunderbird Films.

    In addition, last year’s pitching finalist, Sinking Ship Enterprises, announced that their children’s project Roll Play is slated to air this fall on Canada’s Treehouse TV.

    “We not only saw a significant number of deals being signed, but also facilitated the development of a plethora of future programming,” added Montgomery.

    The winners this year include:

    CTV Canadian Documart 
    First prize and $50,000 was presented to The Dolphin Dealer by Leigh Badgley, OMNI Film Productions Ltd.

    Second prize and $30,000 was presented to Inventing The Future: Atanasoff, Mauchly And The First Computer by Mila Aung-Thwin, EyeSteelFilm.

    Third prize and $20,000 was presented to Web Warriors by Edward Peill, Tell Tale Productions Inc.

    Pitch It : Drama and Comedy 
    Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Ian Johnson, Guru Inc. won a development prize of $10,000 from Showcase for the completeness of the pitch-its setting and characters.

    Pitch It : Lifestyle and Reality 
    High School Reunion Stories by Antonio Hrynchuk, Fahrenheit Films with a development prize of $10,000 from Life Network for an appealing concept and endless potential for conflict in the stories.

    Pitch It : Children’s Programming
    The World According To Ella by Mark Montefiore, Polenta Productions won for fleshed characters, a nice, simple concept and brilliant writing and casting.

    Kodak Audience Award
    Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Ian Johnson, Guru Inc. received $5,000 in film stock from Kodak Canada for being the all-round favourite pitch, chosen by the audience.

    iPitch
    Raven Tales by Michael Ockenden, Sand Box Media Games with Joanne Levy, APTN won a development prize of $10,000 from the Bell Broadcast and New Media Fund for an incredible game element and portraying beautiful Canadian stories.

    nextMedia-The Future Of Digital Content
    nextMedia finished on a high note following an impressive three day schedule of speakers, panels, keynotes and networking events. The sold-out event featured more than 260 delegates, representing a 10 per cent increase over last year.

    The Banff World Television Festival owned by the Banff Television Festival Foundation, is produced by Achilles Media Ltd. on behalf of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and Board of Governors, representing international producers and broadcasters. Achilles Media is a management organization for some of the world’s leading television and new media industry events including the Banff World Television Festival, the World Congress of History Producers and nextMedia – The Future of Digital Content.

  • Scorcese film on Dylan takes grand prize at Banff World Television Awards

    Scorcese film on Dylan takes grand prize at Banff World Television Awards

    MUMBAI: As part of the Annual Banff World Television Festival being held this year from 11 to 14 June, the 27th Annual Banff World Television Awards have announced its winners. In the Grand Prize category, Martin Scorsese’s film, No Direction Home: Bob Dylan walked away with the award.

    The Banff International Jury met prior to the Festival to screen the 18 “Best-of” category winners to decide the Grand Prize winner. This category represents countries from around the world including Belgium, Canada, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and the United States.

    “The International Jury was proud to be able to choose a Grand Prize Winner from such an illustrious slate,” said Jury Chair, Loren Mawhinney. “All members of the jury felt privileged to be given both this responsibility and this opportunity to screen such wonderful television.”

    The NHK President’s Prize which recognizes excellence in the HDTV industry, was handed out to Queen of Trees. In addition, Y in Vyborg and The Rise and Fall of the Russian Oligarchs took home the Rockie Awards, which were the Special Jury Prizes. An official release stated that 2006 saw the largest number of entries submitted over the past five years. Awards were handed out in a variety of categories with 15 different countries taking home the honours.

    The list of the winners for the 27th Annual Banff World Television Award are as follows:

    Grand Prize
    No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
    Broadcaster: PBS, USA.

    Special Jury Prize
    Y in Vyborg
    Broadcaster: YLE Teema, Finland.

    Special Jury Prize
    The Rise and Fall of the Russian Oligarchs
    Broadcaster: ARTE, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Canada, The Netherlands, Finland.

    NHK President’s Prize
    The Queen of Trees
    Broadcaster: BBC TWO, Kenya, Japan, USA, UK, Germany.

    Category: Animation Program
    Jane and the Dragon: Shall We Dance
    Broadcaster: YTV, Canada, New Zealand.

    Category: Arts Documentary
    No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
    Broadcaster: PBS, USA.

    Category: Children’s Program
    Odd one out: Very normal, really
    Broadcaster: Z@ppelin Channel 3, The Netherlands.

    Category: Comedy
    Extras: Kate Winslet
    Broadcaster: BBC TWO, UK.

    Category: Continuing Series
    Life on Mars
    Broadcaster: BBC, UK.

    Category: Family & Youth Program
    The Hobart Shakespeareans
    Broadcaster: PBS, USA.

    Category: Feature Length Documentaries
    White Platoon, Baghdad 2004
    Broadcaster: France 2, France, Belgium.

    Category: History & Biography Program
    Speer und Er (Speer & Hitler): The Devil’s Architect
    Broadcaster: ARD, Germany.

    Category: Information – Current Affairs
    Mischief: A Dirty Weekend in Hospital
    Broadcaster: BBC THREE, UK.

    Category: Interactive
    ReGenesis II: Extended Reality Game
    Broadcaster: The Movie Network and Movie Central, Canada.

    Category: Lifestyle Programs
    Jamie’s School Dinners
    Broadcaster: Channel 4, UK.

    Category: Made for TV Movie
    Maria’s Last Journey
    Broadcaster: German Television 1 Channel, Germany.

    Category: Mini-Series
    Bleak House
    Broadcaster: BBC ONE, UK, USA.

    Category: Performance Program
    Enough Rope
    Broadcaster: SVT (Sveriges Television), Sweden.

    Category: Popular Science & Natural History Programs
    The Cyborg Revolution
    Broadcaster: NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Japan.

    Category: Social & Political Documentary
    Children of Beslan
    Broadcaster: BBC TV, UK, USA.

    Category: Sports Program
    Viva Baseball
    Broadcaster: Spike TV, USA, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.

    Category: Unscripted Entertainment Programs
    Young Black Farmers
    Broadcaster: Channel 4, UK.

  • Animation industry gung-ho on proposed mandate on local content

    Animation industry gung-ho on proposed mandate on local content

    MUMBAI: Some proposals in a draft Broadcast Bill 2006, prepared by the information and broadcasting ministry for the Union Cabinet’s consideration, has evoked mixed reaction from the industry.

    The Indian animation industry is excited that the government is mulling mandating a certain percentage of programming on TV channels to be sourced from India.

    “We are absolutely delighted. The proposed bill is a surprise and will be a catalyst for growth. I would like to however add that Cartoon Network, Nick and Disney have anyways gotten interested in local content and this regulation is a bit late, “DQ Entertainment CEO & MD Tapas Chakravarti.

    He went on to add that 15 per cent is too less and that China and Japan have close to 50 per cent of local programming share on TV channels.

    Chakravarti also reveals that the development has inspired DQ to go ahead with its investment plans in Intellectual Property (IP) in India.

    “At DQ, we have taken a decision internally almost six months back for creating Intellectual Property (IP) in India. We are planning $10 million investments on our part and our French and American partners will bring in similar numbers. The idea is to create products for global market but with Indian stories. This will be something similar to what Disney did with Jungle Book,” he explained.

    As per the draft bill, TV channels on a mandatory basis would have to have 15 per cent of their total weekly programming produced locally. It’s also being proposed the share of public service/socially relevant programme content shall not be less than 10 per cent of the total programme content of a channel broadcast during every week.

    This would mean that channels like Cartoon Network, Animax, Discovery, Animal Planet and Discovery Travel and Living would have to have a prescribed percentage of content generated from India, which has been a long-standing demand of Indian animators.

    Concurring with Chakravarti is Phoebus Media CEO Rahul Bakshi. “15 per cent is too less, but is a good start and will have a multiplier effect. It gives companies like ours conviction and confidence that we are on the right track having already invested a lot in local content,” he added.

    The industry also feels that the move will give it shelter from the rain as well as boost the job scenario.

    “Such a government move will help us get more conviction to stick to original content. Thousands of jobs will be created and more animators means more animation outsourcing also,” says Green Gold Animation CEO Rajiv Chilakalapudi.

    According to Graphiti Multimedia director Munjal Shroff, the proposed regulation could help content creators look at other markets to compliment the revenues.

    “Usually there has always been a block because TV channels find it much more economical to buy animated content from markets like Mipcom at $500 to $1000 per episode rather than commissioning new shows in India. If the bill is passed and local content does become compulsory, then it will give local content creators a space to exist and once there is a minimum local market, then content creators can always look at other markets to compliment the revenues,” says Shroff.

    Color Chips CEO Sudhish Rhambotla felt that channels would either commission local content or also have the option of shifting production of some of their shows being produced elsewhere into the country, which again would be “good for the business.”

    On their part, the kids channels expressed their readiness to make changes in their programming structure if need be.

    The Walt Disney Company India managing director Rajat Jain said, “Whatever changes have to be made, will be made in our programming according to the Broadcast Bill when it is passed. At the end of the day, one has to comply with the laws of the land.”

    When queried as to what percentage of programming on Disney Channel and Toon Disney were local presently, Jain said, “It is difficult to calculate at this point in time what the percentage of local content is.”

    Hungama TV COO Zarina Mehta says her channel already plays more than 15 per cent of local content.

    “I don’t know the exact percentage of local content that we have on the channel but currently it will definitely be more that 15 per cent. If fact, we will be the only kids channel that have that much of local content,” she says.

  • Zee TV presents Ram Kapoor in Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai on December 30, Saturday at 8 p.m.

    Zee TV presents Ram Kapoor in Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai on December 30, Saturday at 8 p.m.

    MUMBAI: What do Ram Kapoor and Amitabh Bachan have in common? They are from same school Sherwood.

    Ram & Cyrus Bahrucha are childhood friends and they were big pranksters during that time. Once while playing Ram jumped from the first floor into the pool and the pool was empty. Ram started bleeding on his forehead and seeing this Cyrus ran away from there.

     

    Once Ram’s sister Aruna called Ram at 1:30 in the night to say that she has met with an accident and was calling from Colaba police station. Ram like a wise bade bhaiya sneaked from the house and rescued his sister. Not only that but he also ensured that she continued with her plan to go Goa next day morning.

     

    Ram feels daughter Sia is very lucky for him. He bagged the much popular role of Jai Walia only after Sia was born.

    Ram and Ashwini share brother & sister relationship in real life.

     

    On Rakshbandhan day Ashwini kept waiting on the highway for Ram to avoid showoff on the sets. Ram apparently forgot to fetch Ashwini and instead went home directly. As compensation, Ram bought 2 necklaces for Ashwini one as a penalty and second as Rakhi gift.

    Ram loves playing cards. In one of such card parties organized by Ektaa , Ram offered money to everyone on the table, but ensured that they win.

  • Grande finale of Reliance Mobile Vijay Awards

    Grande finale of Reliance Mobile Vijay Awards

    MUMBAI: Reliance Mobile Vijay Awards; the first of its kind awards ceremony on this side of the Vindhyas presents the grand star studded evening honoring the winners and applauding the nominees. Reliance Mobile Vijay awards is an awards ceremony for the stars chosen by the best jury – the audience. Vijay Awards was broken into three phases, the nomination stage, the voting stage and the grande finale.

    The nomination stage saw hi-buzz interaction with a van aptly titled Rasigan Express, which traveled across 9 cities in the state of Tamilnadu; registering nominees for the 9 categories. The Rasigan Express received an overwhelming response from the people who came forward to nominate their favorite as part of the final 5 in each category.

    This activity was supported by an effective on air campaign announcing the arrival and the response of the Rasigan Express in each of the cities in the show hosted by the popular comedian Yuhi Sethu.

    In the next stage, the nominees of each categories were announced and the viewers got another chance to cast their vote and make their favorite star the winner. The 9 categories are favorite HERO, favorite HEROINE, favorite film, favorite director, favorite music director, favorite playback singer male / female, favorite villain and favorite comedian. Viewers could cast their vote for their favorite via Reliance Mobile, SMS, landlines and online.

     

    The activity witnessed weekly updates by Yuhi Sethu who kept the pulses of the fans racing announcing the lead of each of the nominess and urging them to vote more and received over 1 crore hits across all platforms.

     

    The votes are in and the counting is complete under the supervision of the eminent jury panel comprising of an eminent film critic Madan; an critically acclaimed film maker Balu Mahendra and popular actress Rohini. Apart from the favorite awards; the jury has also introduced 10 other jury special awards for excellence in other related disciplines.

     

    As part of the special awards, Vijay TV proudly announces the first ever “Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Cinema”; to the one who has contributed immensely to Tamil cinema. Also, in tow are two other awards ‘Superstar of Tomorrow’ and ‘Youth Icon of the year’ for two individuals who have made a mark in today’s youth.

     

    The film fraternity by means of a closed ballot vote decided the recipient of the Superstar of Tomorrow. Every union in the film fraternity cast this special vote to choose one amongst the young generation of stars as the next Superstar.

     

    No better way to conclude such a hi-buzz activity than with a mega awards show set amidst exquisite sets attended by the who’s who of Kollywood. The show will witness the performance of the hot and ravishing Yana Gupta from Bollywood; along with the southern belles Lakshmi Rai, Preyamani and Ragasiya. Presenting for the first time in India; a tamil hip-hop band Yogi B and the Natchathira Boys all the way from KL.

     

    In addtion to them, Vijay presents their new celebrities; the Supersingers of 2006 and the 8 jodis of the popular show Jodi No.1 LIVE in action. The awards ceremony will take place on December 23, 2006; 7pm at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai.

  • Whisper presents Provogue Global India Film Awards

    MUMBAI: The Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) 2006 , the glamorous and prestigious award ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur – Malaysia, will be telecast on Sony Entertainment Television on Sunday, December 17, 2006 at 8.00 p.m. GIFA – a global brand and the brainchild of Popcorn Entertainment & Sunil Shetty and Global Events was attended by a galaxy of Bollywood stars –Asha Parekh, Shatrugan Sinha, Smita Thackeray, Hrithik Roshan, John Abraham, Salman Khan, Bipasha Basu, Aftab Shivdasani and some of Bollywood’s style icons like, Minisha Lamba, Upen Patel and Esha Deol.

     

    In conjunction with Cine Stars Association, these awards are an honour propagated by the industry for the industry. The show was attended by the royal family of Malaysia, the King & the Queen, who also presented some of the main awards. The evening was graced by several local celebrities and Malaysian government officials including the deputy prime minister and his lady.

     

    The glitz and the glamour that evening was of course the scintillating performances by Abhishek Bachchan, Priyanka Chopra, Ameesha Patel, Katrina Kaif and the star performer was Salman Khan. The evening saw an array of glamorous anchors like Arjun Rampal, Riya Sen, Minisha Lamba, Rohit Roy, Arbaaz Khan and the Badshah of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan also hosted a segment, thus making the evening a memorable one. There was a brilliant performance by the Malaysian Tourism Board also.

     

    Sony Entertainment Television will also present a special curtain raiser of this 3-day mega extravaganza packed with several glamorous and fun-filled events. One of the highlights of GIFA was the world premiere of Ravi Chopra Baabul starring the stalwarts of the Indian film industry, Amitabh Bachchan & Hema Malini, along with heartthrobs Salman and Rani Mukerji, John Abraham and others.

     

    In fact with Baabul, B.R.Films completed 50 years in film-making. All the stars of the film made it a point to attend the mega premiere.

     

    Though it was not Manchester United Vs Chelsea, but our own Bollywood heroes at their best against a team of Malaysian government officials, the football match was sure fun. There was a lot of excitement and cheering while the two teams played. If this is not enough, Provogue, the leading fashion clothesline, with the creative fashion designer Vikram Phadnis had a sizzling fashion show followed by a charity dinner.

     

    For all the interesting happening at GIFA, Sony Entertainment Television takes the viewers through these events in a curtain raiser on Friday & Saturday, December 15 th & 16th at 11.00 p.m, and the glamorous awards ceremony on Sunday, December 17th at 8.00 p.m. So stay tuned to Sony Entertainment Television as the weekend is sure to entertain you as never before.

  • Gitanjali Group launches “BOLLYWOOD GOLD” from D’DAMAS at the Global Indian Film Awards

    MUMBAI: The Gitanjali Group formally launched “Bollywood Gold” a new range of gold jewellery, on the sidelines of the Provogue Global Indian Film Awards (GIFA) being held at Kuala Lumpur. A D’damas offering, ‘Bollywood Gold’ is being launched in association with the World Gold Council and is a successful effort to bring international standards of design and styling into Indian jewellery.

    The group has already launched an all-new advertising campaign with Bollywood star, Minisha Lamba, as the face of the brand.

    The design styling is inspired by the non-conventional motifs and is targeted at the contemporary Indian women. Using coloured stones and bold and chunky forms, the range presents a huge variety of chic jewellery that would interest any women in the ages of 18-38 years. Gold as a material offers several opportunities of styling in terms of textures, finishes and volumes. It is this beauty that the brand explores through its product line.

    Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Mehul C. Choksi said, “Beyond all laws of trends and fads, gold jewellery in India has attained for itself a timeless connotation. Gold offers a scope for a lot of design innovation and experimentation and we are glad to introduce our collection, Bollywood Gold that translates the possibilities of this metal to the most beautiful adornments, for our customers in India and abroad.”

    More about Bollywood Gold.

    This gold jewellery collection from D’damas Gold in association with the World Gold Council is as dramatic as the tinsel world it draws its inspiration from. This unique set of designs from D’damas sought in-film placement in the Bollywood blockbuster – Krrish. More such promotions will be a natural outcome for this collection as it is inspired by the magic of Bollywood. The brand is steeped in the glamour and glitz of celluloid and has already become a hit in the initial test marketing.

     

    The Group can already boast of its presence in the markets of USA, Japan, Europe and Middle East, with further expansion plans of setting up a retail chain in the U.S. and the Middle East. The existing network of the brand would enable the availability of its collection, both in India and the other parts of the world.

    About D’damas

    D’DAMAS is a mega – jewellery brand that has reached out to the nook and corner of the country and also many parts of the world. With an extensive and highly intensive branding exercise built upon by a 360 degree advertising campaign and the wholehearted support of a pro-active media, D’Damas is today a house-hold name.The Gitanjali Group’s efforts have not just built the company’s more than 30 different brands but also made jewellery – diamond or otherwise – into an accessible and affordable luxury commodity that most Indians now know they can buy and posses with immense confidence and delight. D’Damas Gold jewellery is endorsed by none other than the World Gold Council and most of its diamond brands by the DTC. D’Damas, as with the rest of the group’s other jewellery brands, is today worn with pride by women, and men, across different strata, age-groups and levels, across the country and the globe.

     

    In 2003 the Gitanjali Group and Damas, Dubai – the largest retailing jewellery brand chain in the Middle East came together to form D’damas – a contemporary collection of gold and diamond jewellery catering to different lifestyles and occasions. As a leading brand with its several sub brands endorsed by the who’s who of the film industry, D’damas is today the brand of choice for the Indian jewellery buyer. It is rapidly expanding its retail operations through exclusive stand-alone stores as well as outlets in host stores such as large departmental stores and shopping malls in major metropolitan areas, large cities and towns in India, also beefing up its franchisee and distributor network constantly.

    About Gitanjali

    The Gitanjali Group of Companies was set up in 1966. The Group is one of the earliest diamond houses in India and by 1968 became one of the first Sight holders in India. It has received over 50 awards for outstanding exports from the government and other official bodies. Presently the Gitanjali Group has highly modernized diamond cutting and polishing facilities & jw mnf at five locations in India. Some of the most successful brands of the group are Gili, D’damas, Giantti and Sangini as the latest addition. Gili Jewellery, a part of the Gitanjali Group and an 18-carat diamond studded brand, was launched in 1994, ushering in the birth of branded jewellery in India.

  • The 18th Annual Miss Asia USA Pageant to premiere on ImaginAsian TV

    The 18th Annual Miss Asia USA Pageant to premiere on ImaginAsian TV

    MUMBAI: ImaginAsian TV has announced that it will premiere the 18th Annual Miss Asia USA Pageant on 25 June.

    ImaginAsian is a 24-hour Asian American television network.

    Few weeks ago, ImaginAsian TV network along with Charter Communications, a broadband communications company, had sponsored the 18th Annual Miss Asia USA Pageant in California.

    ImaginAsian TV SVP of programming and production David Chu said, “We are delighted to be able to telecast nationally for the first time the Miss Asia USA Pageant.

    “This pageant is a fun event that not only showcases the talent and beauty of its participants, but also celebrates a mix of cultures with a dynamic line-up of musical and dance performances.”

    “We were delighted to partner with ImaginAsian TV in sponsoring the Miss Asia USA Pageant and also producing this important programming,” said Charter’s Los Angeles systems VP and GM Wendy Rasmussen. “Charter serves some of the most vibrant Asian communities in Southern California and we are always looking for unique programming to meet their needs.”

    With 28 participants representing countries within the Asian continent, the show was hosted by Rob Fukuzaki, KABC-TV Sports Anchor and Reshma Dordi, Miss L.A. India 1989.

    The event was graced with celebrity judges including Bai Ling (Anna & The King; VH 1’s But Can They Sing?) and Benjamin Salisbury (The Nanny). Additionally, performances included R&B singer Natalise, Filipino American hip-hop act The Basco Brothers, bellydancers the Bellytwins, as well as the Punjabside International Bhangra Team.

    The Pageant will air at 5 pm (PT)/ 8 pm (ET), followed by a presentation at 10 pm (PT)/ 1 am (ET), respectively.