MUMBAI: PIX-the premium English movie channel from Multi Screen Media Ltd. formerly known as Sony Entertainment Network celebrates the television premiere of ‘Push‘ as PIX Super Movie of the Month. Directed by Paul McGuigan and written by David Bourla, the absolutely thrilling paranormal movie has been slated for telecast on Saturday, December 19, 2009, 9pm.

Starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou and Li Xiaolu amongst others the movie, Push was released in theatres across the US on the 6th of February ‘09. The plot of this science fiction thriller centers on a group of people born with various powers who band together to attempt to take down a government agency that is using a dangerous drug to enhance their powers in hopes of creating an army of super soldiers.

‘Push‘ is an enthralling movie that showcases hope, anger, and confusion and is brilliantly shot with minimal yet breathtaking special effects.

In the world of Push, there are people with superpowers among us. "Movers" are telekinetics, with the ability to move and manipulate objects around them; "pushers" can "push" memories and motivations onto unwilling and unwitting subjects; "watchers" can see images of the future surrounding specific objects or people. A U.S. governmental organization called "Division" knows these people exist and is trying to capture them to harness their powers for its own ends.

One of them named Nick Gant (Chris Evans) has been hiding out in Hong Kong keeping his 2nd generation telekinetic powers a secret. Gant comes out of hiding after being sought out by Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) who wants to track down a girl named, Kira (CamillaBelle) who is an escaped pusher. Cassie believes Kira may hold the key to stopping the Division. As they try and search for Kira, their scent is picked up by the Division‘s blood hounds and with the help of other rogue psychics, they are able to make their way through the under belly of the city. However, Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) who is also a pusher is on their trail and will do anything to try and stop them from accomplishing their goal.

The Tagline, ‘One push can change everything.‘ sums up the plot perfectly. Experience non-stop entertainment; tune in to ‘Push‘ - PIX Super Movie of the Month this Saturday, December 19 2009, 9pm only on PIX.

MUMBAI: Paul Taaffe, Global Chairman and CEO, Hill & Knowlton has been appointed Jury President of the PR Lions category at Cannes Lions 2010.

The 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival will take place from the 20th to 26th June in Cannes. The PR category was added for the first time this year to recognise the role of digital in marketing communications.

Commenting on his appointment, Paul said: ?Last year PR agencies were newbies, and so two thirds of PR Lions submissions worldwide were from advertising agencies. This year the global PR industry has no excuse. Creative thinking is the key to great communications and I look forward to chairing an international PR jury in a year that I?m sure will raise the bar around the world.?

Philip Thomas, Festival CEO, said. ?As the world?s most coveted awards in advertising and communications, it is essential that we appoint only the best global leaders to chair the juries. We are therefore privileged to have such a distinguished and greatly admired professional such as Paul at Cannes Lions to lead the PR Lions jury.?

Paul Taaffe was appointed Chairman and CEO of Hill & Knowlton in 2003. Under Paul?s leadership, Hill & Knowlton has grown to become the most transnational of all the agency networks, with Paul spearheading its drive into the BRIC countries and emerging markets, expanding its range of practices and integrating digital expertise across all disciplines. He personally advises CEO?s and companies on defending reputation and growing brands around the world.
 

MUMBAI: Sunday in the capital city was marked with over 2500 smiles! POGO, Indian kids? favourite channel and Rob, host of the multi award winning arts show ? M.A.D, hosted a fun-filled M.A.D Carnival on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at N.S.I.C. Grounds, Okhla. The carnival resonated with music, art and dance, as fans came together to celebrate creativity. Staying true to his ?recycle message? Rob, for the first time ever, creates a 20-feet high ?Big Picture?, using recycled bags and more than 2500 Delhi kids came together to color the sky blue! The carnival was the culmination of an expansive, multi-city, off-air marketing campaign, bringing M.A.D closer to its fans, across India. Delightedly, M.A.D recently won its ninth ?best kids programme? award, since it kick-started first in April 2005.

Adding zing to the Carnival were the spectacular dance performances by Abhinaya Praneetha Kuchipudi Art Society and Holy Child Auxilium ? winners of the Junior and Senior Inter School challenge, held by POGO on December 5. The fun quotient doubled when kids? lovable cartoon character, Bob ? The Builder showed some cool dance moves to his fans.

Monica Tata, Deputy General Manager and Vice President ? Entertainment, South Asia, Turner International India Private Limited (TIIPL), said, ?What better way for kids to kick-start their vacations with their very own ?host and dost? ? Rob. The overwhelming popularity and the persistent demands from M.A.D fans compelled us to bring together the M.A.D experience on-ground. M.A.D Carnival was exuberant with Music, Art and Dance and was a perfect platform for kids to team up with Rob to bring out their creativity and have fun.?

The atmosphere was electrifying with Rob entertaining kids and exciting games that kept kids and parents occupied throughout the carnival. Music Art and Dance was in the air with exciting activities taking place simultaneously in the three respective fun zones. Kids were spoilt for choice with plethora of activities planned for them such as ?musical noses, , Paintball with Rob, caricatures, fishing for music, balloon sculpting, photo-op with Rob, M.A.D Jigsaw and Graffiti message board for Rob to name a few. The kids also put on their dancing shoes and enjoyed Whooper Relay, Dance Mats & Hula Hoop.

POGO, a multi-genre channel created exclusively for kids in India, launched successfully on January 1, 2004 and is distributed by Zee Turner Ltd. POGO is available in over 20 million cable & satellite homes. Within a few months of its launch, POGO became the second most popular kids? entertainment channel in India, after Cartoon Network and continues to maintain this position today.

www.pogo.tv is a hugely popular and highly interactive kids? website with exciting features such as video-on-demand, blogs, message boards, gaming and mini-sites of popular shows on POGO. The website attracts over 99,000* unique visitors per month and each of them spend an average of 21 minutes on the website. (*Source: comScore, external research)

Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

MUMBAI: NewsX‘s exclusive expose of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice, Paul Daniel Dinakaran‘s alleged land grabbing has now led to more than 60 Members of Parliament supporting a move to impeach the ?tainted? Chief Justice.

NewsX‘s Chennai correspondent Kunal Shankar broke this story on 14 September 2009.

Since then, NewsX‘s consistent and responsible reporting on the country‘s most sensational case of judicial misconduct has helped mobilise lawyers, farmers and politicians to take action against Dinakaran.

Commenting on the expose, Kunal Shankar said, ?Our travel to Kaverirajapuram, the village where most of these allegations have surfaced was an eye-opener. The villagers‘ horror tales of mid-night arrests and constant police scrutiny and the sense of loss and anger towards Dinakaran took the issue beyond just land grabbing. Corruption seemed like a euphemism. These were charges of human rights abuses.?

NewsX is now reporting extensively on how farmer leaders are seeking the Tamil Nadu government‘s help in redistributing land allegedly held illegally by Justice Dinakaran.

Jehangir S Pocha, co-promoter, NewsX, said, ?Kunal Shankar‘s expose was in the best traditions of journalism for it served the public interest. It is a fine example of how we are making NewsX a home for great journalism."

Stay tuned to NewsX for further updates on the issue.

MUMBAI: Forbes India, the country?s most influential business magazine, is set to declare its choice for the ?Person of the Year? in its upcoming edition that will hit the stands on Friday, December 18. In the race for the honour are 21 eminent Indians who have shown leadership, courage and enterprise and in many ways, exemplify the unique ?Indian Way?.

Forbes India invites its readers to take part in the process of discovering the one person who will top that list. From today, until 11.00 p.m. on Thursday, December 17, readers can vote for their choice of the Person of the Year by logging on to www.forbesindiamagazine.com/personoftheyear.

There are prizes to be won too. Among those who vote for the eventual winner, to be chosen by the Forbes India editorial team, 25 people will be picked by a lucky draw for a special prize.

Similarly, among those who vote for the popular choice in the online poll (who may or may not be the eventual winner), 25 people will be selected for a lucky prize.

The idea behind the Person of the Year package had its genesis in the newsroom discussions at Forbes India, where senior editors debated about what is gripping the minds of the readers as a very volatile and action-packed year draws to a close. They figured it is the emergence of India as an economic power and its arrival on the world stage.

But India has a long way to go before it realises this potential. The country must find ways to develop its economy while making sure the growth is inclusive of the less privileged. It must make its governance more efficient while safeguarding its democratic institutions. Such a comprehensive economic solution for nearly 1.2 billion people has never been attempted in the world before.

This cannot be achieved by a cookie-cutter approach, by importing models from the developed world and implementing them here. India must find its own way, by blending the best from all corners of the world, but also evolving local solutions from the hearts and minds of its citizens.

The 21 personalities in Forbes India?s People of the Year List are those who are finding out this Indian Way. In 2009, they have demonstrated a rare ability to bridge the country?s traditional strengths with modern thoughts on development. As 2010 unveils, they will help us find answers for many of our development problems.

But there is one person among the 21 who stands out for an ability to blend visionary ideas with surgical execution. Who is that Forbes India Person of the Year?

The answer will be known on December 18, when Forbes India?s last issue of 2009 comes out.

The Nominees are:

A.R. Rahman, Music Composer

Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson, Hindustan Times Group

Nandan Nilekani, Chairman, Unique Identification Authority of India

Chetan Bhagat, Author

Lalit Modi, Commissioner, Indian Premier League

Facebook, everybody?s Man Friday to connect with humanity

Pranav Mistry, Student and Inventor

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Captain, Indian Cricket Team

Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Group

K.G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India

Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary, Congress Party

Karambir Kang, General Manager, Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai

Anjali Gopalan, Founder, The Naz Foundation

Kiran Karnik, Interim Chairman, Sayam Computer Services

Mehmood Khan, Managing Trustee, Rasuli Kanwar Khan Trust

Rahul Dhir, CEO, Cairn India

Francisco D?Souza, CEO, Cognizant Technology Solutions

Rahul Bhatia, Chairman, IndiGo Airlines

Sunil Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Group

Vikram Akula, Founder, SKS Microfinance

Jean Dreze, Development Economist

MUMBAI: It?s the honey-sweet taste of success for Corporate Voice|Weber Shandwick India. The agency has won the inaugural Asia-Pacific SABRE (Superior Achievement in Branding and Reputation) Award for its Dabur Honey PR campaign. The campaign- ?Drop sugar for a Healthy Honeylicous Life!? ? was adjudged as the ‘Best campaign across the Indian Sub-continent‘, a category which attracted close to 400 entries from across the Asia Pacific region.

Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick India CEO Shiv Reddy said: ?The SABRE Award for the Dabur campaign, adjudged as the sole winner from India, underscores our ability to consistently deliver quality results out of India and win global awards in the face of ever-growing competition. Our advocacy approach to PR is standing our clients, and us, in good stead. At Cannes this year, a Gillette campaign we co-led won the gold and silver in the Media Lions Category, while 2007 had seen the UN Grand Prize for PR Excellence, the IPRA Golden Award and the Media?s Asia Pacific PR Campaign of the Year awards being bestowed on us. Yes, as the list of awards grows longer, the responsibility to deliver and surpass client expectations is even greater.? 

The Dabur Honey campaign surpassed the internal business targets set by Dabur India. The campaign was instrumental in a dramatic sales turnaround for Dabur Honey by 26% in 2008 and maintained the brand?s No. 1 position in the market place.

Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick India President Atul Ahluwalia said, ?Over past years, we have consistently built our agency as a centre of excellence with the delivery-mechanism for best-in-class PR services for all clients, be they global MNCs or Indian business houses. I am proud that the culture of innovation that we have cultivated has progressively borne fruits for us and the present Sabre award win for the Dabur campaign from India in a perfect reinforcement of the success of this endeavour?

The Corporate Voice|Weber Shandwick India team, who spearheaded the campaign, was managed by core team members Gunjan Bagga - Group Account Manger, Vani Khurana- Account Supervisor and Swati Bhandari- Account Executive from New Delhi branch. Dilip Yadav, Executive Vice President who supervised the campaign said, ?It was a challenge to consistently create fresh news around honey as a category. Our focus was on the Indian housewife and her desire to experiment with healthier food options for her family. Yes, the extensive use of advocates, on television and off it, gave enormous credibility to the Dabur Honey PR campaign.?