MUMBAI: Maa TV a Telugu entertainment channel is growing stronger day by day adding new and lots of innovative programs for its viewers.

Maa TV?s programme ?Rela re Rela? is a very new concept of talent search for folk singers on television. This is first of its kind on the Telugu television industry. This was a rare show which swept the rural audience.

The selection team traveled 13 different points in AP and selected 24 singers for the studio round. There were four major events conducted in Nizamabad, Vizianagaram and Cuddapah which witnessed a rare turn out of more than 7000 audience for non film events which is such a rare phenomenon.

Rela re Rela now reached its finals and the show was besieged by the presence of prominent people. The judge?s panel consists of four eminent personalities from the folk field. ? Ms.L.R.Eeshwari (Popular Playback Singer), Mr.Suddala Ashok Teja (Cinema Lyric writer who won a national award ), Mr.Goreti Venkanna (Folk Researcher, Singer) & Mr. Chandra Teja (Folk background singer). Apart from them, Ballad singer Gaddar, Film maker Dasharath, Film maker and actor R. Narayana Murthy also were present as judges.

The event was held in Warangal and scheduled to be telecasted this Saturday, 23rd Jan 08. The show had witnessed an unprecedented 50,000 crowd with Gaddar as the chief guest. The anchor Udaya Bhanu set the stage on fire with her vivacious compeering. There were performers from Bhadrachalam and Srikakulam also and added color and vibrancy to the show. The participants who qualified for the semifinals were also given chance to sing on the stage. The first prize winner won a cash prize of Rs. 25,000/- . Prizes more than one Lakh were distributed to the winners and the runner ups.

While the crowd went crazy with the energy and the verve of the performances, there was the disciplined involvement and the show went on for 4 hours. The formal launch of the audio CD also happened and CD?s and cassettes in the market will be released very soon.

There was over whelming response both on air and on ground events. The amazement of the popularity of the show showed in its TRP ratings as the show withstood the onslaught of big block buster movies across other channels on Saturdays and still scored an average of 3+ channel share.

Speaking on the occasion Mr.Sharrath Marar, Chief Executive Officer, said ?..? We are really very happy about the way the channel is shaping up. Maa TV had always been a participative channel and called as a people?s channel where lot of interaction with people on ground happens through various events.?

MUMBAI: After weeks of anxiety and nail-biting anticipation, the winner of the RC Live?s Bangalore Regional Finals was declared.It was an evening of powerhouse performances from the top 4 bands at St. John?s Auditorium last evening. In an unprecedented turn of events, the judges were unanimous in their decision to name two bands as the regional finalists. The judging panel Palash Sen, Subir Malik, Vibhav Rao felicitated popular local band Swarathma and upcoming talent Ek who won the Bangalore Regional Finals and qualified for the RC Live National Finals to be held in Delhi on Feb 29, 2008.

The results were declared after electrifying performances by the 4 short-listed bands Udaan, Ek, Swarathma and Anhad who had Bangalore?s Radio Cityzens grooving to their tunes. The edge of the seat excitement on the performances was captured for all on Bangalore?s Radio City 91.1FM by RJ Vasanthi on Joyride. The regional rounds also accounted for listener feedback on original compositions of the short listed bands which saw extensive air-play on Radio City 91.1FM stations in Southern India.

Speaking on the evening?s performances Dr. Palash Sen said, ?I was spellbound to witness the high calibre and the energy levels the bands exuded at the Bangalore Regional Finals. Every performance was superlative and way beyond my expectations and so we chose to shortlist not 1 but 2 bands for the National Finals. The Bangalore Regional Finals have set such standards, bands in Mumbai and Delhi will definitely need to be prepared!?

Equally elated was co-judge Subir Malik who added, ?It was an out rightly unanimous decision to name these bands as the winners of the Bangalore Regional Finals. We were tremendously impressed to see the impeccable performances by the bands in Bangalore. It is heartening to see the vast pool of talent in the country and how Radio City has stepped ahead to provide a platform to nurture and support raw talent.?

Talking of the need for such opportunities, Vibhav Rao from EMI said, ?Bands are the next big thing. There is no substitute to Bollywood right now and bands that have the best sound and the attitude to match will fill this void. RC Live is a phenomenal opportunity for bands to experiment with success.?

Commenting on the tremendous response to RC Live Mr. Rana Barua, National Head ? Marketing, Radio City 91.1FM said, ?The response to RC Live?s Bangalore Regional Finals has been outstanding. We?re glad to identify all this fresh talent that can take our music industry to greater heights. With gifted judges and a robust format driven by stringent criteria, Radio City with RC Live promised to scout the nation in a month to present India with a world class Hindi band. The quality of entries received and the extraordinary feedback from our judging panel, only goes to show that we?re very well on our way to fulfilling that promise.?

Elated with their phenomenal win, vocalist Shashank Venkataramana, Ek said, ?It is rare for Hindi bands to get this kind of platform and I?m so thankful that Radio City has created such a unique opportunity for all of us. I thank the Judges for their feedback and for the finals, we will work on our stage presence and deliver a complete package.?

Live-wire lead vocalist, Vasu Dixit of Swarathma said, ?Hindi bands need national exposure. We believe in taking the voice to the masses and Radio City has helped bring this dream alive! Live performances are our playground and we will put up a spirited fight at the finals in Delhi.?

Spanning the nation through three regional hubs - Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai, RC Live will conclude with a MEGA concert at the National Finals at The Garden of Five Senses, Delhi on February 29, 2008. The winning band at RC Live will not only bag an album release contract with EMI, but Radio City and EMI will also jointly promote the band for the course of one year. Evangelizing RC Live and supporting the cause of finding a truly talented Hindi music band are the Judging Panel and Mentors - Palash Sen of Euphoria, Subir Malik of Parikrama and Vibhav Rao, Manager, Artists & Repertoire, EMI who will judge the month long LIVE musical extravaganza.

RC Live is supported by a robust hi-decibel national promotional campaign comprising extensive outdoors, interactive road shows and on-air elements which got active from January 30, 2008. With RC Live, Croma ? the electronics megastore comes on board as Associate Sponsor, while Spykar is the official style partner and Gibson the prize partner. Barista is the on-ground partner with EMI as the music label partner. Agencyfaqs! is the trade partners to the event.

A sustained focus on understanding listeners and leveraging the synergies of music expertise and innovative programming, allows Radio City to deliver a unique listening experience and be an integral part of the lives of listeners across markets. Aggressively looking at spreading the Radio City experience to new markets across the country, Radio City 91.1FM is committed to growing the market and creating superlative content for premium audiences.

MUMBAI: The hunt for the Globus Seventeen Cover girl concluded at a razzmatazz event graced with the presence of stars like Kunal Kapoor, Amrita Arora, Deanne Pandey, Carol Gracias at the grand finale held at Taj Lands End yesterday.

Globus and Seventeen collaborated to make the Globus Seventeen Cover girl Hunt 2008 an exciting, fun-filled youth event! After an extensive search across the country, having networked with the biggest college festivals in 6 Indian metros, the representatives of The Globus Seventeen Cover Girl hunt searched out the possible winners. The Globus Seventeen Cover girl scouts also kept an eye out at Globus outlets all over India while entries were also invited through forms available in the magazine. From the hundreds of entries received, an in-house judging panel narrowed down to selecting ten finalists for the Globus Seventeen Cover girl Hunt 2008! The shortlisted top-ten girls were then flown down to Mumbai for the Grand Finale. Commenting on the association with Seventeen Cover Girl hunt, Mr. Shilpee Madan, Assistant Vice President, Design, Globus says, ?We are extremely happy to be a part of this initiative. Globus is about youth fashion and an association with Seventeen India is apt as we have the same TG which is fashion conscious, well aware, hip young India.?

The girls have been treated like total stars. From being put up at the Taj Land?s End to delicious meals at Candies and Zenzi. While they are here they have been given a series of makeovers by excellent beauty experts from the exclusive Mumbai salon?Butterfly Pond. To up their fashion quotient the girls have been styled by Seventeen India?s fashion team in glamorous outfits from Globus. And as an exclusive, the top ten will also get the opportunity to t?te-?-t?te with top model Carol Gracias who will give them some expert tips. Celebrity fitness guru Dianne Pandey will also meet the finalists for a few words of expert advice.

An esteemed and experienced panel of judges from varied spheres of glamour, fashion, style and business consisting of teen-favourites?the talented and handsome actor Kunal Kapoor, beautiful and spirited actress Amrita Arora, top model Carol Gracias, leading celebrity and fashion photographer Jatin Kampani, beauty expert and owner of Butterfly Pond Agnes Chen, Celebrity Fitness Guru Dianne Pandey, and the Editor of Seventeen India Superna Motwane! This star studded judging panel from the best of the industry will be the deciding factors in that ensure history in the making?Globus Seventeen Cover girl Hunt 2008!

Avanne Dubash and Arlette Grao winner of the first and second Cover Girl Hunt will play host for the evening while singing sensation Sonal and Sanchit from Indigo will make everyone groove to the rocking tunes they belt out!

The winner of the Globus Seventeen Cover girl Hunt 2008 will be shot by the talented photographer Ashima Mehra and featured on the cover of the March 2008 issue of Seventeen India magazine!

The Globus Seventeen Cover girl Hunt 2008 is our endeavor to provide every girl a chance to achieve her dream, a stepping-stone into the world of glamour, fashion and style. The process is simple, the criteria one?she must embody the right spirit, what we called the Globus Seventeen Cover girl spirit!

Says Preeta Sukhtankar, Publisher, Seventeen, ?The girls never cease to amaze us! Every year we meet so many young, enthusiastic bright girls which such promising futures, the competition just seems to be getting tougher... What we‘re looking for is a confident, thinking girl who carries herself well. She should be positive and ambitious ? just what the 17 girl is all about!

MUMBAI: Pandemonium and disbelief ruled on the sets of Reliance Mobile Kaho Na Yaar Hai when Aditya Narayan took centre stage and stole the show from the host of the show, Karan Patel.Aditya Narayan and Karishma Tanna are the celebrity participants in the upcoming episode of Reliance Mobile Kaho Na Yaar Hai but everyone was in for a surprise and stared in disbelief when Aditya Narayan, at the onset of the show, introduced himself as the anchor!

Much to Karan Patel?s dismay, the audiences seemed to be entertained and were enjoying Aditya Narayan?s anchoring. Just when the tempo was peaking, Karan interrupted the new host and reminded him that he is merely a participant of the show and not the anchor! Very reluctantly, Aditya proceeded to the floor to play the game of friendship and fun, Reliance Mobile ?Kaho Na Yaar Hai?.

Karishma Tanna, accompanied by her friends, Preeti and Neeti received a warm welcome from the audiences. It was a laugh riot on the sets, as Karishma danced to Aditya?s tunes as a penalty for missing an answer in the first round itself! Not to take defeat easily, Karishma retaliated when she made him dance like a chicken in front of the whole crowd!

Audiences were in for a bigger surprise when pretty women walked across the floor wearing attractive accessories, only to realize that they were actually Aditya and his friends disguised as women! The fun doesn?t stop here, the gang went on to dedicate the song, ?Tanna, chumma de de? to their counterpart Karishma Tanna.

So stay tuned to watch Aditya Narayan steal the show from Karan Patel in Reliance Mobile ?Kaho Na Yaar Hai?, February 22, 8 p.m. ? 9 p.m. only on Star Plus!!

MUMBAI: Meet sizzling Bollywood stars at this season‘s largest fashion and luxury event. Get a ringside view of style and opulence at their sparkling best, coupled with the excitement of horse-racing and trendy fashion. Catch ‘Gitanjali Luxury Style Fest‘ on 23 February, 2008 at 10:00 pm and repeat telecast on 24 February, 2008 at 3:00 pm only on NDTV Good Times.

MUMBAI: How does one categorise the work of Anupam Kher? Since his power-packed debut in Mahesh Bhatt‘s Saraansh, the talented actor has - over a long and colourful career - tackled all manner of roles to perfection.He has delighted audiences with his turns as dreaded villains, adorable dads, and incurable romantics.

Today, with 340 movies behind him, Anupam Kher is a true veteran of the Hindi film industry. Add to that his years in theatre, and you have a career that borders on the legendary. Here‘s your chance to find out a little more about the affable Anupam Kher as he chats with Tarana Raja Kapoor on celebrity chat show Let‘s Talk. Tune in on 20 February, 2008, at 8 pm, only on Zoom, India‘s premier glamour and entertainment news channel.

From humble beginnings to a gold medal at the National School of Drama, Kher speaks about his rise to stardom through the expression that mattered most to him - theatre. He credits his passion for the craft with being able to execute all manner of roles effortlessly.

Asked about his contribution to Indian cinema, Kher replies, "I don‘t think I have done a great service to mankind, or that the face of Indian cinema has changed because of me. There have been a lot of actors who have done great work and have contributed substantially. The key is to not take oneself seriously."

The conversation heats up when Tarana tries digging up secrets from Anupam‘s past. She mentions an episode from his childhood, when he allegedly stole 100 rupees to pay for admission to a drama school in Chandigarh. Kher narrates the incident that eventually led to his being selected by the school.

Don‘t miss Let‘s Talk with Tarana Raja Kapoor and Anupam Kher this 02 February, 2008, at 8.00 pm. only on Zoom, Isko Dekho!!!