ITV

Tag: America

  • Comedy Centrals destruct-o-matic lets you vent out your anger

    Comedy Centrals destruct-o-matic lets you vent out your anger

    MUMBAI: Comedy Central has played a pivotal role in bringing some of the biggest American sitcoms to India. Earlier in February, the channel premiered the biggest and most anticipated sitcom of the year – Anger Management. The show broke cable TV records in America, making it the most-watched series of all time. The show opened to a crazy frenzy in India as well with fans asking for more of the protagonist – Charlie Sheen.

    Keeping this frenzy in mind, the channel decided to take the success of the show beyond television by presenting viewers with a digital application, The ‘Destruct-O-Matic’ – a one of its kind application – will be launched on Facebook and Twitter today.

    The Destruct-O-Matic is a Mechanical Machine, which allows users to vent their anger and frustration, on a scapegoat that can take it, instead of at each other. Users are given a list of seven methods they can employ to take out their frustration on a dummy on-screen. The user will be able to see the effect of his actions in real time on his screen. There is a live-feed of the Destruct-O-Matic on a microsite, which users can interact with. Each of the vent-actions are activated via tweets or posts on Twitter or Facebook, by visiting the Destruct-O-Matic microsite and logging in via a social networking sign in.

    Speaking on the launch of the ‘Destruct-O-Matic’ application, Viacom18 English Entertainment Sr. VP and GM Ferzad Palia said, “At Comedy Central, it is our constant endeavour to not only offer our viewers the best of comedy available across the globe but to also provide them with entertainment beyond television. Keeping up with the ever rising interaction levels of our TG in the digital domain, we decided to take the Anger Management experience further.  The launch of Destruct-O-Matic will see users venting their anger on digital platforms rather than in public, in a fun, witty and healthy way! I am sure our fans will be absolutely delighted to engage with the ‘Destruct-O-Matic’ and have fun while venting their anger.”

    The activity gives users a chance to take out their grudges on their friends by tagging them in their posts or mentioning them in their tweets. The excitement level increases as Comedy Central is set to short-list 10 of the wittiest, weirdest and most outrageous rationalisation for a ‘vent’. Shortlisted users will win comedy central merchandise.

    Comedy Central continues to air Anger Management with a new episode just 24 hours after US telecast- every Friday at 10:00 pm.

  • American actor Michael Walker dies of heart attack

    American actor Michael Walker dies of heart attack

    American actor Michael Walker, who gained fame in the film Man from Africa by Mickey Nivelli, was found dead at his Four Roads, Diego Martin apartment after he had reportedly died as a result of heart failure about two days before.

     

    Police told the Express that his landlady opened the door to his apartment and found him dead on the floor after one of his sons telephoned her, saying that his father was not responding to his phone-calls.
    Walker was 63.

     

    He shot to fame with his starring role in the locally-produced film Man from Africa, which was released in 1982 and was followed by the sequel Girl from India, both directed by India-born Harbance Kumar aka Mickey Nivelli.

     

    Prior to his acting, Walker enjoyed a modeling career which brought him to the attention of local movie-makers.

     

    He also acted in Jealous, Messing Around and Rainbow Raani, made by Nivelli.

     

    Nivelli in a message said Walker had failed to get in his own country the fame he deserved. “With my movies I had hoped he would travel internationally but those plans fell.”

     

    Fellow actor Ralph Maraj, who also starred in Girl from India, said: “It is so sad that he has passed away. An actor of great talent and he would have done very well if he had continued because he always had natural acting skills.”

     

    “He was quite a warm and friendly person, always full of energy, and I wish to extend my sympathies to his family,” Maraj added.

     
    Walker matriculated with Yale ’63, enrolled for a period, living in Trumbull, studied anthropology, but left before graduating to begin a career in acting. His first role was as Bill Russell on the television show Mr. Novak in March 1964 in the episode Moment Without Armor. The remainder of his filmography includes roles in The Defenders, Perry Mason, The Name of the Game, and others, concluding in 1970.

  • ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ avoids NC-17 after sex cuts

    ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ avoids NC-17 after sex cuts

    MUMBAI: Director Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf Street of Wall Street has garnered an R rating – instead of the dreaded NC-17 – after the filmmaker agreed to trim certain nudity and sex scenes, insiders confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

    Initially, the Classification and Ratings Administration Board indicated that Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as disgraced Wall Street broker and hedonistic party boy Jordan Belfort, was destined for the more restrictive rating because of abundant, explicit sex (not to mention drugs).

     

    Scorsese and Paramount, which is distributing the movie in North America, had several exchanges with the ratings board in terms of what was needed to secure an R rating.

     

    After cuts were made, the studio announced it would open Wolf of Wall Street on 25 December. Indications were that the running time had been reduced to two hours and 45 minutes, but the final count is two hours and 59 minutes, including credits (without credits, it is two hours and 53 minutes).

     

    At that length, Wolf of Wall Street has the distinction of being Scorsese’s longest film, beating Casino by a minute.

  • Wayne Carini returns on Discovery Turbo with classic cars

    Wayne Carini returns on Discovery Turbo with classic cars

    MUMBAI: Discovery Turbo is lifting the hood on season six of the network’s signature series Chasing Classic Cars. Wayne Carini, host and legendary collector car archeologist, once again leads viewers into the exclusive world of high-end automobile collection where he finds, buys, restores and sells some of the finest, rarest vehicles ever made.

     

    The series will kick off on 2 December and will air every Monday at 9 pm.

     

    In the latest season, Wayne will pursue one-of-a-kind autos in secret stashes–homes, garages and barns–throughout America. He will also meet with some of the most respected collectors, restorers and artisans to bring viewers deeper into the elite inner circle of the classic car expert. From an iconic Mercedes Gullwing valued just shy of a cool million, to a duo of silky customs from legendary hot rodder Boyd Codington, to an affair with a collection of vintage motorcycles, this season has something for everyone.

     

    Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Senior Vice President and General Manager – South Asia and Head of Revenue, Pan-Regional Ad Sales and Southeast Asia Rahul Johri said, “Discovery Turbo brings for its viewers the most extraordinary and rare vehicles they love to watch. They appreciate Wayne’s exceptional knowledge of these vehicles in addition to his passion for everything on wheels. It’s this combination that makes Chasing Classic Cars one of Discovery Turbo’s most cherished series.”
     

  • First episode of Homeland season 3 to premiere exclusively on the Star World Premiere website

    First episode of Homeland season 3 to premiere exclusively on the Star World Premiere website

    Star India’s latest offering Star World Premiere HD brings to India some of the world’s best TV shows enabling Indian audiences to watch their favorite TV series along with America, before the rest of the world. Star World Premier HD will air 26 new and returning shows from 4 of the biggest television studios in the world, creating a revolutionary television viewing experience in High Definition (HD). The channel will also air the latest season (S3) of award-winning show Homeland starring Claire Danes and Damien Lewis.

     

    With the brand new GEC debuting on air earlier this week on Tata Sky HD, Star World Premiere HD will showcase an exclusive web premiere of the first episode of the latest season of the drama-thriller several hours before the series airs on television in India.  The critically acclaimed show has won a host of awards including the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series, and the 2011 and 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama. Claire Danes also clinched her second consecutive best drama actress Emmy award on Sunday for Homeland along with the late Henry Bromwell who won a posthumous writing Emmy for the show’s intense ‘Q&A’ episode

     

    Tune in to watch the opening episode of the 3rd season of the show on the Star World Premiere HD website www.starworldpremiere.inon Monday, the 30th of September between 11 am to 7 pm.
     

  • From Russia with love

    From Russia with love

    MUMBAI: As the second largest television market in the world which is only expanding with each passing year, India has witnessed a steady inflow of international channels in recent times.

    As purveyor of all things TV, indiantelevision.com, today kicks-off a brand new series which profiles all such channels aiming to bring a more global, all-round perspective to Indian drawing rooms.

    We debut with the Russian news channel Russia Today (RT), which arrived on Indian shores in 2009, courtesy a deal with GlobeCast.

    The first channel to report live from the North Pole, RT’s maiden broadcast was on 10 December 2005. Two years later, its Arabic counterpart Rusiya Al-Yaum was launched. Following suit were: RT en Espanol (Spanish) in 2009, RT America in 2010 and RT Documentary in 2011.

    Having made its mark internationally, RT proceeded to test Indian waters in 2009 as part of its endeavour to expand its Asian footprint.

    Back then, it was available for viewing in around seven million homes. Today, it boasts a reach of 60 million subscribers with a viewership of about 300 million.

    Three satellites carry RT for viewers in India: Measat 3a, Insat 4B and AsiaSat 3S. Denizens of Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad can watch RT on their cable network and major satellite platforms across the rest of the country.
        
    On the day it was launched, RT was available for viewing only on WWIL, Dish Hits, InCable, 7 Star (cable operators), Big TV and Sun Direct DTH platforms.

    Today, it is also available on InCable Net, Hathway (cable operators), Dish TV, DD Direct Plus and Airtel DTH.

    However, it is highly unlikely that RT is making any money out of its distribution in the country. In fact it is highly probably that it is digging deep into its pockets to pay carriage fees to the cable and DTH operators. “In the case of DD Direct Plus it could be paying anywhere between Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.5 crore as carriage fees per year while on private DTH operators it could go up to Rs 5 crore per annum,” says a senior media consultant.

    With a tagline that reads ‘Question More’, who does RT cater to in India? While the country is home to a sizeable Russian population – either expats or regular tourists, RT claims it does not necessarily cater to the Russian diaspora but to ‘anybody who can speak English’.

    What do viewers get to watch on RT? Says RT MD Alexey Nikolov: “RT covers major international stories and significant regional developments in politics, society and finance for viewers of all backgrounds and nationalities.”

    Regular RT viewers observe that the channel discusses all major political issues and current affairs, albeit with a Russian perspective. While the news caters to a global audience, there’s some amount of India-specific content too. Of late, the coverage has included the Delhi gang rape, India being awarded permanent observer status in the Arctic Council, defence contracts with Russia, Indo-China military cooperation and potential expansion of major foreign multi-brand retailers in India.

    More specifically, some of the popular shows on RT include ‘Cross Talk’, ‘The Kieser Report’, ‘Breaking the Set’, ‘The Big Picture’ and ‘Larry King Live’ hosted by Larry King who switched from CNN to RT with this show. “What makes RT stand out among other news channels is that we cover stories that most other media outlets either ignore or dismiss, or on which, they provide a one-sided take,” exults Nikolov.

    As things stand, RT does not have any bureau in India to cover news from here. While it works with a number of stringers across the country, when asked, it was unwilling to share the exact number with indiantelevision.com.

    However, in April this year, RT did launch their own video news agency named Ruptly, which works with various stringers and videographers across the globe. Earlier on, the channel also had a dedicated correspondent named Priya Sridhar, who would report about happenings in India. She has now moved on.

    A huge list of hotels show RT on their screens, including the Taj Mahal, The Leela, Hyatt, Marriot, The Lalit and others. Hotels are keen to carry international channels because of the diverse visitors they attract from foreign countries. Although it is available in HD (high definition), as of now, it is limited to the SD format.

    On Airtel DTH (Direct to Home), RT is available a la carte for Rs 5 while on Big TV, the rate is Rs 20. Sun DTH and Dish TV air the channel only in packs, along with other English news channels, while DD Direct Plus is the only channel which offers it free.

  • BBC America, Twitter in branded video partnership

    BBC America, Twitter in branded video partnership

    MUMBAI: As part of its strategy to go beyond 140 characters, micro-blogging site Twitter has tied up with BBC America to offer the first in-Tweet branded video synced to entertainment TV series.

    This news comes after reports that Twitter was in talks with NBCUniversal and Viacom for content. Twitter has also launched a music service.

    Twitter already has partnerships with Time Warner‘s TBS, sports broadcaster ESPN and the Weather Channel.

  • MSM launches Sony Mix in US on Dish Network

    MSM launches Sony Mix in US on Dish Network

    MUMBAI: Sony Mix, Multi Screen Media‘s (MSM) Hindi music channel, has launched on leading US direct-broadcast satellite service provider, Dish Network.

    Moving into the gap created by erstwhile music channels rechristened as ‘youth channels‘ and other music channels dishing out non-music content as interstitial programming, the channel is confident that viewers shall enjoy Mix as a channel that remains true to the music genre.

    Mix also aims to maintain its focus on content by producing packaged shows offering right from user generated content to people profiles executed in the most unmistakably musical fashion.

    Says Sony Entertainment Television (SET) SVP International Business and Head of North America Jaideep Janakiram, “We are proud to announce the launch of our music channel – Mix on DISH Network for the discerning South Asian lovers of Hindi film music. We are confident that MIX will connect with every viewer with its variety of music and special programming. Mix is and shall stay true to music.”

    Dish Network Director of Programming Sruta Vootukuru states, “Sony Mix‘s unique theme-based music format helps Dish deliver a better experience to our customers. Adding the Sony MIX channel compliments Dish‘s robust international programming and enhances our South Asian offerings.”

    In a related development, SET has launched its flagship HIndi general entertainment channel Sony Entertainment on RCN, the all-Digital Cable, Internet & Phone provider in New York City effective 2 April.

    The channel is part of the brand-new RCN “Sona” tier, including other premium South Asian networks.

    “We‘re very excited to announce the launch of Sony Entertainment Television in New York City,” said RCN New York General Manager Bruce Abbott. “It falls perfectly in line with our goal to continually add more networks that provide maximum entertainment and value for our customers.”

    Adds Janakiram, “At Sony Entertainment Television, we continue to lead in ways to make our programming available to the widest possible audience. We are proud to announce the launch of SET Asia on RCN and are committed to bring our viewers the best family entertainment and Bollywood blockbusters.”

  • Warner Bros. to release J Edgar on 20 January

    Warner Bros. to release J Edgar on 20 January

    MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Pictures will release Leonardo DiCaprio starrer J. Edgar on 20 January.

    Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film explores the personal and public life and relationships of a man who could distort the truth as easily as he upheld it during a life devoted to his own idea of justice.

    Edgar Hoover was one of the most powerful men in America. As head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly 50 years, he would stop at nothing to protect his country. Through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover waged battle against threats, often bending the rules to keep his countrymen safe. He was a man who placed great value on secrets and was as guarded in his private life as he was in his public one, allowing only a small and protective inner circle into his confidence.

    The film also stars Naomi Watts, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas and Judi Dench.

    J. Edgar has been produced by Eastwood, Brian Grazer and Robert Lorenz, with Tim Moore and Erica Huggins serving as executive producers.

  • Air Gear: East Side Showdown premieres 25 January on Anime Network

    MUMBAI: Skating onto television screens across America, the action-packed manga series Air Gear: East Side Showdown premieres 25 January on Anime Network.

    U.S. VOD Premiere of Air Gear: East Side Showdown

     

    Welcome to the world of Storm Riders, where motor-powered inline skates called Air Treks take extreme sports to a whole new level. Those who dare to ride with these high tech devices risk life and limb in a struggle for fame, power and wings to take to the sky. Enter Ikki Minami, the toughest fighter on the east side of town. He rules his school, takes on violent gangs single-handedly and lives with the Noyamanos; four sisters with a surprising secret.

    And after a humiliating defeat to a terrifying gang of Storm Riders, the sisters welcome him to the world of Air Trek, where his strength, speed and ambitions soar to brand new heights. Now, with powerful new wings, he must protect his friends, his school and his pride in fierce Air Trek battles known as Parts Wars. One mistake could cost him everything, but each victory brings him one step closer to becoming the king of the sky.