ITV

Tag: NBC

  • ‘Corporate’ DVD incorporates games

    ‘Corporate’ DVD incorporates games

    MUMBAI: Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate is said to first Bollywood DVD with interactive games. The first of its kind DVD is being released by Excel Home Videos in association with Indiagames.

    Adds Excel Home Videos MD M N Kapasi” The DVD signals the convergence of various media and a paradigm shift in the Indian Home Entertainment scenario”.
    Says the lead actress of Corporate Bipasha Basu, ‘This is the first time in India, and we are glad that Corporate is initiating the trend.”

    The DVD has more than Rs 700 worth of mobile games. The highlight of the feature is the office games based on the popular TV series The Office on NBC. The list of games also includes premium titles like Bruce Lee, Jurassic Park, Predator, Championship Cricket and F-Speed Forge in addition to the Office Games, informs the release.

  • Intel, NBC in broadband content alliance

    Intel, NBC in broadband content alliance

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster NBC Universal and compueter chip major Intel have announced the launch of the NBC VIP Access online service.

    This will provide on-demand broadband-delivered entertainment content for free to consumers with Intel Viiv technology-based PCs and Centrino mobile technology-based laptops.

    NBC.com will provide Intel customers the opportunity to download many of their favorite NBC Universal programs in high-resolution video, including access to the entire fall season of two new shows Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

    NBC Universal Digital Media and Market Development president Beth Comstock says, “Great content coupled with a great experience is a key differentiator on the Web. NBC’s VIP Access showcases some of the best content that we have and we are proud to be working with Intel to deliver the best high-resolution online video experience available to consumers.”

    Intel’s Digital Home Group VP Kevin Corbett says, “The combination of NBC content with Intel Viiv and Centrino technology will give users a chance to enjoy great television in a high quality format in the living room and on the go. This showcases the value the PC can deliver in providing high-quality entertainment content-previews, full episodes, webisodes, etc– on-demand.”

    NBC VIP Access will feature over 20 different NBC Universal broadcast and online programs, including online access to full-episodes of the fall season of Heroes and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. NBC VIP Access will also showcase the season premieres of Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock and Ghost Hunters and first scenes from Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Battlestar Galactica. Special extras include The NBC News Special: Bono in Africa, a Battlestar Galactica special and Ghost Hunters: Best of Season One.

    The NBCU-Intel collaboration began last year with a jointly developed site on NBCOlympics.com entitled “Your NBCOlympics.com Moments.” Consumers using PCs powered by Intel Viiv technology and Intel Centrino mobile technology enjoyed NBC Universal’s Olympic highlights and content in high-resolution format through an easy to use interface.

    Intel Viiv technology connects the PC to the TV, and enables consumers to simplify, share and control their sports, games, music and movies with the energy-efficient performance delivered by the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. The technology is widely supported by a number of PC and consumer electronics manufacturers, as well as content and service providers such as NBC Universal. Intel Centrino mobile technology is a set of integrated computing technologies, now with the Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor, designed to power wireless laptops and make it simple for people to enjoy mobile computing and entertainment.

  • NBC gets lukewarm Emmy ratings

    NBC gets lukewarm Emmy ratings

    MUMBAI: While the Emmy awards on Sunday gave US broadcaster NBC the win in the 18-49 demographic, the ratings were down by about 15 per cent as compared to the the year before.

    Media reports state that 16.1 million Americans watched the broadcast. Whereas, last year 18.7 million watched the show on CBS. In 2004, 13.8 million viewers tuned in to ABC to watch the show.

    On Sunday night ABC re-aired Pirates of The Carribean. The film got 10.2 million viewers and managed to grow its viewership with each half hour.

    One reason for the decline in Emmy viewership compared to last year could have been the absence of television drama, Lost and Desperate Housewives from the nominees roster.

  • HBO, NBC lead winners circle at Emmy Awards

    HBO, NBC lead winners circle at Emmy Awards

    MUMBAI: US TV industry’s biggest award show, the 58th Primetime annual sEmmy Awards, saw HBO sweeping aways with nine awards followed by NBC, which managed to bag six.

    The crime drama “24” won the Emmy for best television drama. This is the first time that 24 has won an Emmy for the best drama show.Kiefer Sutherland won the best actor award for his portrayal of counter terrorist agent Jack bauer for the same show. Whereas, The Office took the trophy for best comedy show.

    The best actress award was taken by Julia Louis-Dreyfus for her role as Christine Campbell in The New Adventures of Old Christine. Dreyfus was earlier working in the television drama Seinfeld. Tony Shalhoub won for his role in Monk.

    The Sopranos,” heading in its final episodes, won an Emmy for outstanding drama writing.

    Elizabeth I” won nine awards, including best miniseries. Fox’s “24” was second with five awards.

    Ironically, three of the four best supporting actor and actress awards went to performances from shows that have gone off the air. Alan Alda won the best supporting actor award for his role as Arnold Vinick on NBC’s “The West Wing.” The political drama ended its seven-year run on NBC in May winning 26 Primetime Emmys over the years.

    And Blythe Danner was adjudged the best supporting actress for the show Huff. Megan Mullally won the trophy for the supporting actress in the sitcom Will & Grace which came to a close on NBC in May after an eight year run.

    Jeremy Piven was named best supporting actor for his role as a Hollywood agent on HBO’s show Entourage. The award for the best film went to HBO’s The Girl In The Cafe.

    Mariska Hargitay won the Emmy for outstanding actress in a drama series for her role in NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

    The award ceremony was aired on NBC and hosted by Conan O’Brien. The show has received cricitism though from some quarters for the fact that the same old shows are nominated. New shows that keep viewers hooked like Lost sometimes get ignored. The Academy had changed the rules for voting and that critics say that it may have led to nonsensical omissions like Lost and also Hugh Laurie failing to get nominated for House.

    The criticism is that even with the change in the voting rules shows from cable channels like TNT, FX, Sci-Fi and USA that are seen by critics as pushing the boundaries are ignored. Shows such as Rescue Me and The Closer might get a token nomination or two, but the bulk of what the cable networks have to offer is not present.

    Of course American cable television is not as heavily reliant on advertsing as the broadcast networks. That allows for more flexibility in the shows that the likes of HBO do though the budgets might be less. The other challenge for the Emmys and other shows that honour the best in American television is that the line between what constitutes a lead actor and a supporting one is getting blurred.

    Under the new Emmy rules holders of various television jobs can vote in on all categories, instead of actors only voting for actors. Ironically Dick Askin who heads the Academy has pointed out that the aim of the change was get away from the valid criticism that the Emmys have a sameness. The criticism is that when the same shows and same actors keep getting nominated it leaves no room for newer shows to be recognised.

    It is worth pointing out that this problem is also glaring at both the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Those awards recognise both television and film. With film the nominee roster keeps changing and fans can look forward to what is nominated as it might reflect trends like earlier this year when independent films outshone their studio counterparts. With television though there is a sense of deja vu as the same faces and shows keep cropping up.

    Coming back to the Emmy’s the opening kit that featured O’Brien has received criticism for being insensitive. Basically he travelled on an airplane which crahes on an islland like the show Lost. After being greeted by Lost star Jorge Garcia, O’Brien fled through a mysterious hatch and ended up crashing through other series including The Office, 24 and House. Yesterday 49 people perished in the US’ deadliest air crash in five years.

  • Alfred Haber to distribute Madonna’s London tour

    Alfred Haber to distribute Madonna’s London tour

    MUMBAI: Alfred Haber, who founded Alfred Haber Distribution (AHDI), has announced that the company has been selected as the international distributor for the two hour Madonna: The Cconfessions Tour Live From London, which will premiere on US broadcaster NBC on 22 November.

    The special was taped this summer at Wembley Arena in London, UK during Madonna¹s worldwide sold-out 25-city Confessions Tour. It marks the first-ever broadcast network programme by this international musical icon.

    Haber says, ” 2006 has definitely been the Year of Madonna. With her top-rated Confessions On A Dance Floor album, her sold-out Confessions World Tour and now her first-ever U.S. Network special, we are delighted to be offering this musical superstar to her fans around the world.”

    The concert special will feature songs from the artist’s albym Confessions On A Dance Floor which debuted at No. 1 in 29 countries and has sold over eight million copies around the globe.
    The broadcast will also include some of Madonna’s greatest hits from her career, including Future Lovers, Like A Virgin, Music, Erotica, La Isla Bonita, Ray of Light and Live To Tell.

  • BBC News appoints Sanjoy Majumder as India correspondent

    BBC News appoints Sanjoy Majumder as India correspondent

    MUMBAI: BBC News has appointed Sanjoy Majumder as its India correspondent. He will be based in Delhi and report for various outputs of BBC including BBC World television, BBC World Service radio and the BBC News website.

    Majumder, who started his career joining BBC’s online operations in London in 1999, was posted to the BBC’s south-Asia bureau in Delhi in 2001 as the first overseas correspondent for the BBC News website. Since then he has been heading the BBC’s online operations in the region, informs an official statement.

    During this time he has reported extensively for the BBC online, radio and television outlets from India as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. Some of the events he has covered include general elections in India and Sri Lanka, Afghanistan’s first presidential elections, the tsunami in Sri Lanka, the Kashmir issue, the anti-king protests in Nepal, and most recently, the Mumbai blasts.

    He was born in London and grew up in Africa, the Middle East and India. He graduated with a degree in English from St Stephen’s College, Delhi and then went on to do his master’s in radio/TV/film from Northwestern University in the United States. Prior to joining the BBC, he taught at several colleges in the US and also worked for the American television networks, NBC and PBS.

    BBC south-Asia bureau editor Paul Danahar says: “As the world’s leading international broadcaster and trusted news source, the BBC is committed to bring its audiences credible and impartial journalism. Sanjoy Majumder is an experienced journalist with a background of reporting across platforms such as radio, television and online. I am confident that he will add to the depth and breadth of the BBC’s coverage from this region.”

    Commenting on his new role, Majumder adds: “I am excited at the opportunity to report from India at a time when the country’s presence on the global stage is growing. With the world increasingly looking at India and China over the next decade, the BBC’s role, and that of the India correspondent, in understanding and analysing complex events in this dynamic country and presenting it to an international audience is particularly significant.”

  • Star World ramps up programming next month

    Star World ramps up programming next month

    MUMBAI: English general entertainment channel Star World has announced a slew of shows that it hopes will keep viewers tuning in for more.

    They run the gamut from a hit sitcom to a family drama.

    Kicking things off on 3 August 2006 is The Office. This is the US broadcaster NBC’s version of BBC’s show im the UK. For the uninitiated, the show looks at the humdrum everyday goings-on in a typical nine-to-five workplace, straight out of the ‘Dilbert’ school of work ethics. The Office is a mockumentary of the office Dunder-Mifflin, a paper product company.

    The show has won praise form the characters and the many mini-plots. As the camera follows the Dunder-Mifflin staff around, viewers are treated to a plethora of stories and character backgrounds. There’s Michael Scott, the manager/dense buffoon who may not be diabolical, but is certainly oblivious to what’s going on around him. There’s Pam, the permanently-engaged sweetheart receptionist who’s with a habitual jerk who is constantly putting off their wedding date.

    There’s also Jim, the witty and charming nice guy who harbors a secret crush for Pam despite her engagement. Dwight meanwhile is somewhat nerdy, Lord of the Rings obsessed, and comically abrasive/intrusive to the point that no one takes him seriously. Steve Carrell won a Golden Globe Award this year for his portrayal of Scott.

    Those in the mood for family drama can check out Sons and Daughters from 24 August. The zany and slightly troubled members of a family try to make it through life as comedy ensues. In the center of the mess is Cameron (Fred Goss), who is happily married to second wife Liz (Gillian Vigman), with three children.

    Cameron’s teenage son from his first marriage has officially moved in-and has a little-well, a lot-of trouble becoming comfortable in the new environment. Cameron’s sister Sharon (Alison Quinn) seems to have the perfect life-although her husband, Don (Jerry Lambert), are both in denial about their sex-less marriage. Then there’s Jenna (Amanda Walsh), the gorgeous little half-sister who had her life upturned when she became a single mother. Jenna doesn’t really know what’s good for her.

    She always goes for the bad boys like Tommy White (Greg Pitts), while the nice guys like Wylie Blake (Desmond Harrington) love her. Equally problem-filled Colleen (Dee Wallace Stone) and Wendal (Max Gail), the parents of the siblings, try to keep their family in order somehow. Colleen, though, is admittedly uptight and impulsively judgmental. Even though they’re all a little nuts, the Halbert family hangs in there and keeps it all together.

    The supernatural thriller Ghost Whisperer kicks off on 29 August. Jennifer Love Hewitt plays newlywed Melinda Gordon. She communicates with earthbound spirits – ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business which prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence we call life. Inspired in part by the work of famed medium James Van Praagh and Mary Ann Winkowski, a real life communicator to spirits, Ghost Whisperer explores the spiritual side of life and death.

    Actor Charlie Sheen saw his acting career being revived with the comedy Two And A Half Men. This kicks off on 31 August. Sheen and Jon Cryer star along with young Angus T. Jones as three males from two generations, each learning what it really means to be a man. Charlie’s casual Malibu lifestyle is interrupted when his tightly wound brother, Alan, who’s facing a divorce, and Alan’s son, Jake, come to stay with him. Together, these two and a half men confront the challenges of growing up-finally.

  • NBC to air Madonna tour in November

    NBC to air Madonna tour in November

    MUMBAI: NBC will airMadonna: The Confessions Tour Live.

    This is a two-hour special and will air in November 2006.The special will be taped this summer at Wembley Stadium in London, UK during the pop icon’s worldwide sold-out 25-city Confessions Tour and marks the first time that NBC will air a concert of Madonna.

    NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly says, “Madonna is one of the greatest artists of our time and never fails to generate excitement. We think this is going to be a big event for television.”

    The concert special will feature songs from the artist’s recent multi-platinum Warner Bros. Records release “Confessions On A Dance Floor,” which debuted at No. 1 in 29 countries and has sold over eight million copies around the globe. The broadcast will also include some of Madonna’s greatest hits from her career.

    The broadcaster has also struck a deal for the sitcom Nobody’s Watching. The pilot episode has been downloaded 600,000 times on youtube. The show’s concept centers on Derek and Will, two young television addicts from Ohio who are frustrated with the dreadful state of television programming.

    As a result, they decide to become the subjects of a reality show when a major network gives them the opportunity to create their own sitcom. Unaware that the network executives are manipulating and recording their every word and move, the two continue their crusade to develop what they hope will be great television.

    The pilot for the series had been lying virtually dormant since last eyar until it became available on www.youtube.com several weeks ago. It attracted a good fan base.

  • NBC signs drama series deal with filmmaker Spike Lee

    NBC signs drama series deal with filmmaker Spike Lee

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster NBC has signed on filmmaker Spike Lee to develop a new drama series.

    NBC Entertainment senior VP, drama development Katie O’Connell says, “Spike Lee was one of the first people that I wanted to make a priority for the network. I wanted to be aggressive about bringing in a high-profile filmmaker who fits in so well with NBC’s traditional brand of challenging quality dramas.”

    Details of the untitled drama’s concept will be announced later.

    Lee’s first critical breakthrough came when he directed the comedy She’s Gotta Have It in 1986. Shortly after, he followed up with an explovie drama Do the Right Thing which explored inner-city racial themes

  • NBC’s ‘The year without a Santa Claus’ in the making

    NBC’s ‘The year without a Santa Claus’ in the making

    MUMBAI: This yuletide season, US broadcaster NBC will air The Year Without a Santa Claus.

    The film which is currently in production is about Santa Claus and a young boy who help each other believe in Christmas again.The film stars John Goodman, Chris Kattan, Ethan Suplee, Eddie Griffin and Carol Kane

    The film is based on the 1974 Rankin-Bass holiday film favourite that featured stop-motion animation. Mrs. Claus is greatly dismayed when Santa (Goodman) convinced that people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas decides to take a year off and not deliver any gifts.

    She enlists the help of his two closest elves, Jingle (Suplee) and Jangle (Griffin), to help prove there are children who still care about the true spirit of the holiday. But their efforts are complicated by Heatmiser (Elliott) and Snowmiser (McKean), whose help Jingle and Jangle will need to save Christmas before Santa’s devious head elf (Kattan) takes over his job.