MUMBAI: STAR Plus welcomes 2008 with a bang and offers its viewers the best New-Year‘s bonanza as it showcases the Nokia 14th Annual STAR Screen Awards 2008 on 27 January, 2008, 7.30 pm onwards. The evening promises to lighten up your spirit as the biggest and the best of Bollywood heartthrobs astound you with their energetic performances and deliver ‘never before seen‘ scintillating acts. The razzmatazz starts with the red carpet of Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards at 7.30 pm followed by the Award function, 8.00 pm onwards on 27 January, only on Star Plus

Touted as the most prestigious awards ceremony of the year, Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards will showcase the moves and grooves of the sultry Katrina Kaif on a mix of popular chartbusters from her recent releases. Also, in an entertaining performance, the ravishing Urmila Matondkar takes the audience back to the golden era of movies with a retro performance on hits from that period.

King Khan, SRK, sets the stage on fire as he flaunts his recently acquired six packs and boogies away to the hot dard-e-disco number and other smash hits of the year. To add to all the glamour and glitterati of the evening are power-packed performances by Shahid Kapoor, Ritesh Deshmukh and the zestful duo Amrita Arora & Dia Mirza at the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards.

Keeping the audience in splits are anchors Sajid Khan and Shreyas Talpade with their funny comments and spoofs on members of the Bollywood fraternity. Together, they regale everyone with a spontaneous act that predicts the thoughts of the stars present at the event.

Adding glamour to the evening are the effervescent stars of the golden era like Manoj Kumar, Rekha, Sanjay Khan, Simi Garewal, Yash Chopra to the popular actors of recent times, Karishma Kapoor, Poonam Dhillon, Tabu, Irrfan Khan, Chunky Pandey, Ila Arun, Sonali Kulkarni? and many more!

Shah Rukh‘s 17 boisterous Chak De girls make their presence felt all through the evening as they hoot and cheer the nominees, winners, anchors and performers. Basking in their glory, the winners of the Nach Baliye trophy, Aamir Ali and Sanjeeda Shaikh showed up at the awards to show their support.

This month, all roads lead to the biggest and grandest event of the year, the Nokia 14th Annual Star Screen Awards on 27 January, Red Carpet, 7.30 p.m. and Main Event, 8.00 p.m. onwards only on Star Plus!

MUMBAI: This Republic Day tune into Nick for unlimited fun as Ninja Hattori, the lovable little Ninja entertains you through the day with his adventures. Nick presents Ninja Hattori non-stop from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm on 26 January.

Ninja Hattori is a classic animated comedy where a little boy called Kennichi befriends an equally little Ninja called Hattori. Hattori though small in size is not any less powerful than any supreme Ninja. He can move at high speed, sleep suspended on the ceiling and knows martial arts like the back of his superfast hand. Hattori is hardworking, conscientious and quite strict when it comes to disciplining Kenichi. But he has a heart of gold and is always there to rescue Kenichi from any difficult situations.

So tune in to Nick this Republic Day and enjoy your dose of fun and adventure with Ninja Hattori!!!

MUMBAI: Bold and classic ? this is the designer prediction for the country?s most glamorous racing event in Mumbai this year! India?s most prestigious race and the hottest social event Black Dog McDowell Indian Derby 2008 is back and this year with performances that will set the pulse racing for the Derby enthusiasts.

Black Dog McDowell India Derby 2008 will feature an extravaganza of horse racing, fun and fashion over the weekend and a series of tribute performances by the best across the globe.

The McDowell Indian Derby 2008 will offer an even bigger prize purse than last year. You could drive home a sparkling D segment limousine if you hit bull?s eye on the winner team.

The McDowell Indian Derby Weekend 2008 is to be held at Mahalaxmi Race Course, Mumbai on 2 & 3 of February 2008.

So, gear up to be at the helm of all the fun, festivity, glamour and glitz this Derby.

MUMBAI: TIMES NOW, India?s No 1 English News Television Channel is packing in all the action this week in the special preview of the forthcoming episode of Lead India, an initiative of The Times of India to identify new leaders for a new India.

Viewers can catch the special preview on TIMES NOW, the news partner for the Lead India campaign. The previews will run on news bulletins all day on Friday and Saturday before the episode airs on Star One at 8 pm on Saturday 19 January 08.

Excitement is at its peak this week with judges like the evergreen Bollywood star Anil Kapoor and Industrialist Shashi Ruia of Essar Group joining Dr Kiran Bedi, Javed Akhtar and Vikas Singh on Lead India.

In the forthcoming episode, contestants will get a one-in-a-million opportunity to interact with the British High Commissioner Mr. Richard Stag who will present a brief insight into the political scene in UK and his view of the scene in India. Mr. Stag will also be awarding contestants a scholarship for a Masters Programme at the prestigious London School of Economics.

The contestants battle it out with each having to present their views on various current social topics ranging from SEZs and cast reservations for medical students to sting operations and death penalties for rape cases. For the first time ever, the show will have an open discussion between the contestants and the audience which include renowned women?s welfare organisations, an NGO Swadesh Jagran Manch, management and medical institutes, minority welfare committees and political affiliation groups.

With just two more episodes to go, the excitement is spiraling up every second with heated discussions and loads of action as contestants tread carefully to become what we call ?the New National Leader?.

Watch as these contestants remake history and revive a nation long known for its great leaders. Stay hooked to India?s leading English News Channel. Stay hooked to TIMES NOW!!!

MUMBAI: Spend a night behind bars with Zone Reality?s Death Row Night. The following programmes mark the emotionally charged Special Event night: Women on Death Row: Profiles three women awaiting execution, each convicted of committing murder. This programme dramatically retells their stories, and examines the contradiction between the feminine, maternal and, in most cases, loving aspects of womanhood, with the horrible, rage-filled murders these women committed. Death Row Diaries: Takes an in-depth look behind some of the most compelling crime stories in America. Sentenced to death, those convicted reveal their secrets, motives and feelings about the crimes in their own words. Relatives of both the victims and convicted criminals give their thoughts on the crime and re-enactments reveal the chilling reality of what happened.

My Death Row Lover: Not sure what it does to the age old vow, till death do us part, but marrying a man on death row is definitely one very unique commitment. My Death Row Lover is a remarkable observational documentary that follows three women who began corresponding with Death Row inmates only to fall in love.

MUMBAI: Star Plus, India?s leading General Entertainment Channel is set to give its viewers a daily dose of spice and heartiness with a simple girl?s tale of big dreams Raja Ki Ayeegi Baraat, starting 21 January at 8 p.m.This weekday serial will air every Monday to Thursday. It?s the first time ever that Star Plus has taken the initiative to showcase huge palatial sets, vintage cars, horse races? thus creating a complete royal setting and offering the viewers a visual treat. Sunrise Telefilms will mark its first production venture with the primetime offering Raja Ki Ayeegi Baraat.

Intending to create an interesting mix of programming for the weekday prime time band, this will be Star Plus attempt to showcase a never before shown fiction drama on the lines of the ever popular fairytale Cinderella. Raja Ki Ayeegi Baraat is a story of Rani, a young girl from the village whose only dream is to make her family proud and happy. She is an innocent, shy and a very simple girl. Rani is very good in her studies and always tops in her class. Her mother has been the breadwinner of the family after Rani?s father passes away. Rani has a younger brother and a dadi who are very loving and dote on her.

Like every other girl her age, Rani has hopes, dreams and aspirations of her prince charming taking her away from her uninteresting, drab and routine life to give her the worlds best of material riches and plenty of love. However, Rani?s fate has something else in store for her..Will she be able to win the heart of her prince? And, will she be accepted as the Bahu of the Royal Family in which she works as a servant?

Says Anupama Mandloi, Senior Creative Director, Raja Ki Ayeegi Baraat will add to Star Plus innovative programming mix, which is packed with 100% entertainment for all ages ?- in short, it?s a complete entertainer for the entire family. We, at Star Plus, always look to introduce more variety and depth in the content offering to our viewers. Taking this endeavour forward, this January, we have first introduced the celebrity reality game show Kaho Na Yaar Hai and now with Raja Ki Ayeegi Baraat hope to give an interesting, unique, and distinctive story that is a class apart among the current range of television programmes.?

To watch out for a story which will make you smile, cry & live your fantasies stay tuned to the new show Raja Ki Ayeegi Baraat starting Mon-Thurs, 21 January, 8 p.m. only on Star Plus.