MUMBAI:Indian Idol became even more special this week.It had a special guest who made it so. Not only did Shabana Azmi come as a celebrity guest but stepped in to hubby Javed‘s shoes as a judge in his absence. "With my keen sense of music, I am expected to judge too," she pointed out. And she did do a splendid job of it too. With her ear for music and even keener ear for correct pronunciation, Shabana proved with ample ease that she is as good a judge as her better half.

The Azmi-Akhtar household is known for holding musical soirees. The couple share a great love for music. Shabana herself sings and had trained in Carnatic vocal music for her performance in Morning Raaga . Not only did she point out the faults of the contestants in her inimitable style, she even picked up verbal duels with Anu Malek on a couple of occasions. She even ticked off Anu and told him in no uncertain terms to stop demoralizing the kids. Alisha loved it. For once Anu got the taste of his own medicine and Shabana had the last word. We would not be surprised if other music shows now rope Madam Azmi to sit on the judge‘s chair!

MUMBAI: 11 July 2006, clearly remembered as the dreadful day when Mumbai suburban trains were bombed with a series of 7 blasts in a span of 11 minutes, taking away innocent lives of dozen commuters causing the entire city to come to a crippling halt! Mumbai was rocked after the serial blasts disrupted the buzzing high-strung life of the city? BIG 92.7 FM, India‘s No.1 Radio Station, salutes the spirit of Mumbai and commemorates the ‘BIG Saahas ‘ Day with Mumbaikars. The day marks a year since the fateful 11/7 blasts and BIG 92.7 FM has undertaken this initiative for the city of Mumbai to come together and spread love, cheer and most importantly COURAGE!

BIG 92.7 FM has lined up an interesting programming mix for the ‘BIG Saahas‘ with popular Breakfast RJ‘s Archana Jani & Vrajesh Hirjee on the ‘BIG CHAI‘. There were exciting debates around ‘safety in Mumbai‘ wherein the RJ‘s interacted with victims of the blast, share their traumatic experience and their safety issues after a year of the blast. RJ‘s Archana Jani & Vrajesh Hirjee also interacted with Mumbai Western Railways & Mumbai Police on the preventive measures taken to ensure safety for an average Mumbaikar on the day. The debatable topics also covered safety issues with a clear focus on CCTV‘s that have been put up across the city in trains & buses etc.

Other key BIG 92.7 FM RJ‘s Rohit & Sujata of the ‘Chal Kalti Maar‘ fame, in an effort to impact lives of people positively, have gone a step further by focusing on a positive drift of the issue. They have visited homes of these affected victims of the blast, played the game and have reminisced & recounted their experience with them, asserting that they have moved on in life rather positively.

BIG 92.7 FM invited listeners to send in sms‘s in memory of their lost loved ones, take views and opinions of regular commuters on how they think the trains are the best mode of transport inspite of the blast and how courage has been the only source of inspiration that has helped them overcome the trauma. Popular BIG 92.7 FM RJ Anirudh of ‘Anirudh LLB‘ fame will be talking to Mumbaikars and the affected victims on their horrifying experiences ? take revenge or forget & forgive!

Commenting on the occasion, Mr.Arjun Singgh Baran ? Mumbai Station Head, BIG 92.7 FM, "It is our endeavor to provide wholesome entertainment by way of not only entertaining but also discussing and highlighting incidents that are of local relevance. Through this programming initiative we are saluting the spirit of the people of Mumbai. We are glad to be able to execute and promote such a cause"

BIG 92.7 FM will also be giving away tons of exciting gifts on-air like Fire extinguishers to mark the occasion, for a Safe Mumbai?Safe Home!

MUMBAI: National Geographic Channel presents the story of the disastrous flood that brought the world‘s fifth largest city to a grinding halt - ‘Mumbai Mega Flood‘. In this Sunday Night Special, premiering on 15 July 2007 at 8 pm, Nat Geo follows the siege of Mumbai, as all its systems shut down and millions of people faced nature‘s fury. Two years later, the city of Mumbai finds itself fighting the same battle; this is a story of a recurring phenomenon that has changed the life of Mumbaikars forever.

Speaking about the series, Rajesh Sheshadri, Vice President - Marketing, National Geographic Channel, India said, "At National Geographic Channel it is our constant endeavour to bring into focus issues that are relevant and relatable to the world we live in through our programming and Mumbai Mega Flood is one such effort. Monsoons bring back the fear of floods in Mumbai every year after the disaster in 2005 and we believe that a show like Mumbai Mega Flood will play a role in highlighting the challenge that life becomes for people of the city and bringing to light the reasons behind this recurring phenomenon".

On 26 July 2005, a month before Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans; Mumbai, India‘s financial capital with a population of 18.3 million received its highest rainfall in recorded history. An incredible 944mm of rain fell on the city in 24 hours - the resulting flood left hundreds dead. It began like any other monsoon day in Mumbai; it was a dull, cloudy day that gave no forewarning of the disaster that was to come. Most people reported to work on time, blissfully unaware that their will to survive and tenacity would soon be put to the ultimate test. Through dramatic recreations, interviews with victims, meteorological experts and environmentalists, Mumbai Mega Flood relives the traumatic and shocking set of events that brought the city of Mumbai to its knees.

Environmental destruction, unplanned construction, climate change and administration failure are the reasons cited by experts and environmentalists for the disaster. However, before any significant action is taken, Mumbai finds itself in the same situation again. On 30 June 2007, it rains more than 600mm in Mumbai bringing the city to a screeching halt and the city is still unprepared for it.

MUMBAI: With the stock market breaching the 15,000 mark and the economy continuing its unabated run; CNBC-TV18 brings the new season of Wizards of Dalal Street .

Meet market guru Mr. Ramesh Damani, in conversation with the wizards who have woven their magic and gained incredible returns from the market. The Wizards of Dalal Street gives you insights into their minds, what made them, their inspiration and how they have driven their success ratio on the market.

This series features some of the most powerful and tactical minds from the Indian stock market as they share their insights, the prominent names amongst them are:

- Madhusudan Kela, Head of Equities, Reliance Mutual Fund

- Prashant Jain, Head of Equities, HDFC Mutual Fund

- Raj Mishra, Founder and CEO, Indea Capital

- Samir Arora - Fund Manager, Helios Capital Management

Which stocks to invest in and what precautions should be taken? How & why to monitor the activities of companies? What are the trends in the markets? How do you spot them? How do they make their investment decisions? These are just some of the questions which will be answered on the show.

Anchored by Mr. Ramesh Damani, one of the most recognizable names within the investment circle and as well as being a member of the Bombay Stock Exchange. Mr. Damani, a proponent of value investing has been tracking the markets for many years now, and holds a notable asset management record.

MUMBAI: Global market research company Synovate has announced key senior level appointments for its Indian operations in Mumbai, starting with former ACNielsen Org Marg director finance Mulraj Gala who has been roped in as the finance head.
Synovate India managing director, Alok Shanker said, "Synovate India has doubled its turnover in two years; Gala‘s foremost task is to ensure that we achieve our global targets with a keen eye on the profitability of the company."

Synovate has appointed Sanskrati Sail to head the human resources division. Additioanlly, Pranay Dankedar has re-joined Synovate a year after moving to WNS global services - a BPO major and has been appointed as a senior project director in the quantitative research division and will primarily be responsible for FMCG sector research, states an official release.

Filled with intense action, Annapolis is an inspirational tale of courage and honor that will keep you riveted. Starring James Franco, Jordana Brewster and Tyrese Gibson, this Friday night at 9 p.m. Star Movies presents the exclusive premier of ‘Annapolis‘.

When he won a coveted admission spot to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, local kid Jake Huard (James Franco) thought all his dreams had come true - but his battle to become the man he wants to be is only just the beginning.

Now, uncertain if a regular kid from a poor blue collar family can fit into the Academy‘s pressure-cooker atmosphere, and barely making the grade as a Freshman "plebe," Jake has one last shot at proving he has what it takes to become an officer in an institution that boasts a venerable 137-year history of focused discipline and determined excellence. With nothing left to lose, Jake decides to enter the notoriously fierce Navy boxing competition known as the Brigade Championships -- and face off against his arch-nemesis, Midshipman Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson). Everything Jake has ever hoped for stands in the balance: the chance to make his father proud, to validate his Lieutenant‘s faith in him, to stand up for his fellow plebes, and most of all, to forge a different future.

Thrilling and exhilarating, ‘Annapolis‘ reaffirms the power of believing in your dreams. Make sure you tune-in to exclusive premiere of ‘Annapolis‘ this Friday night, 13 July at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.