• CNN tracks the terror trail in Pakistan

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 04, 2007

    MUMBAI: 52 commuters were killed and London was in shock after the deadliest attack on British soil since World War II.Three of the four suicide bombers were British-born and of Pakistani origin.

    In CNN?s Pakistan: The Threat Within, Nic Robertson tracks the footsteps of one of the bombers from the UK to Pakistan and uncovers how groups in Pakistan have become support centers for terrorists. Along with another of the bombers, 22-year old Shehzad Tanweer visited Pakistan months before the suicide attacks in July 2005.

    After 9/11 Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf was quick to sign up as an ally in President Bush?s war on terror. Now Musharraf appears to be involved in a near impossible juggling act ? trying to combat terrorism while not appearing to Pakistanis to be a creature of the West.

    Twelve months after the bombing Al-Qaeda released Tanweer?s suicide message. It included words from Ayman al Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda?s number two, and revealed that Tanweer not only attended a madrassa ? a religious school - but also an Al-Qaeda training camp where he was tutored in terror and sent back to Britain to complete his mission.

    The evidence is that Al-Qaeda is alive and well and recruiting in Pakistani madrassas, which attract hundreds of thousands of children each year.

    This worries former Pakistani police officer and current Harvard fellow Hassan Abbas who said that ?According to all accounts, about 10 to 15 per cent of madrassas in Pakistan are involved in militancy, support of the Taliban, terrorism and religious extremism.?

    After the London bombings then British Prime Minister Tony Blair called on President Musharraf to crack down on the militant madrassas. But Pakistan?s former Interior Minister Aitazes Ahsan tells CNN it was ?an entirely half-hearted initiative, one step forward and a step back.?

    One of Musharraf?s steps was to send troops to Mullah Abdul Rashid Ghazi?s madrassas in the Pakistani capital. Ghazi told CNN: ?It was just to please [America]?please Blair. He?s an agent of the United States?he is doing all kind of things against the Pakistanis just to please America. Although with the passage of time, I have realized that he is not sincere to even America.?

    Ghazi is not the only one who believes that Musharraf is playing both sides in the war on terror with the apparent aim of staying in power. Ahsan also told CNN that ?When [Musharraf] goes to the United States he convinces the Americans there that if I do not remain the mullahs will take over. And he comes back to Pakistan and he convinces the mullahs that if I do not remain then the Americans will come and take over.?

    Airtimes: Indian Standard Times

    Saturday, July 7 at 1130 & 1930
    Sunday, July 8 at 1130

  • The runaway kid on Indian Idol

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 04, 2007

    MUMBAI: Milan Thakur, the eldest of the three kids who ran away from Begusarai (near Patna) to be part of Indian Idol, was recently back in the city with his parents this time.Invited to be a guest on the show, Milan was happy and excited at the prospect of meeting the contestants of Indian Idol. The lean and lanky fourteen year old Milan looked shy and a bit embarrassed too as he sat giving his first ever interview.

    "I love music and singing and wanted to take part in Indian Idol, that is why I did what I did," he confesses. "With the forty thousand that I took from home, my two young friends and me booked train tickets to Mumbai. Once in the city, a man who befriended us on the train helped us get rooms in Ashray a city hotel for Rs 400 a day. Once the money was over, we began roaming the streets and even slept at railway platforms. Confident and unafraid of any untoward incident happening to the trio, he said," I was very careful. When the gentleman asked us to accompany him to Delhi I refused the offer," he said firmly. Said the relieved father, "My main worry was that the children should not fall into the wrong hands." But his pretty mother says had she known of his love for music she would definitely have done something about it. One thing is for sure Milan is going to get some music lessons. Different from the kind of music he faced when he got back home!

    A word of caution: Not everybody who runs away from home has the kind of good luck that Milan and his friends had.

    Moral of the story: Running away from home does not always end in a musical journey!

  • Watch Indian Idol-Roobaroo every Thursday at 9 pm

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 03, 2007

    MUMBAI: Know your Idols better! That‘s the need of the hour. From the Galas it‘s the public votes that will bring the Indian Idol participants closer to the coveted title of Indian Idol Bharat Ki Shaan.

    Starting Thursday, 5 July , at 9.00 p.m, Sony Entertainment Television will bring an Indian Idol Special called ROOBAROO, a run up episode for the Big Friday--The Gala Episode. This half hour show is power packed with great entertainment-- catch Emon jamming away his favorite song! Or Charu & Chang, Ankita & Abhishek?and others toil & train round the clock for the big day?the Friday Gala. While the contestants are busy preparing themselves, the camera also zooms to capture some rare & poignant moments that they go through while trying to make music their existence.

    Also catch Mini Mathur chatting up contestants?on their likes & dislikes, dreams & aspirations, their most guarded secrets, trials & tribulations, their favorite co-participant & not so favorite ?and

    Everything the viewers wanted to know about the contestants.

    Mini Mathur, who has over the years become the confidant & best friend of these young aspirants, will also share some interesting incidents, anecdotes and observations that she has made about them. The show will give an insight in to the lives of these talented youngsters, from the auditions, theatre, piano to Galas and their musical journey to fame & fortune and the coveted title.

    While the Galas on Fridays will showcase their electrifying performances, followed by the eviction on Saturdays, ROOBAROO, on Thursdays, will be an exclusive curtain raiser, on the performances to come and also getting close & personal with your favorite contestants.

     
  • Aamir to play cricket with Fans in Infinity Mall

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 03, 2007

    MUMBAI: Following the successful launch of the Lagaan DVD, Actor - Producer Aamir Khan along with Excel Home Videos have planned a unique cricket match at a Mall in Mumbai.The Match scheduled to be played at the Infinity Mall; Andheri West on the 14th July is between the Lagaan XI and 11 lucky consumers of the DVD or VCD purchased from any Landmark store in India. The event is scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m and will be a spectator‘s delight.Says Aamir Khan, "Lagaan DVD has been a landmark in Indian Home Entertainment and in itself the celebration of the Spirit of Lagaan. We wanted to share the celebration with the fans of the movie and hence have planned this cricket match". The event organized by Excel Home Videos in association with Landmark stores will witness a galaxy of film personalities associated with the Oscar Nominated Masterpiece - LAGAAN. The limited over macth will be played at the Mall, barricaded by nets, with area for the general public to enjoy the game.

    The otherwise reclusive Aamir Khan, will also be dining with 10 lucky consumers of the Lagaan Collectors Edition wooden DVD Box set. There is also a special blog site named www.lagaandvd.com where Aamir Khan is personally answering queries from fans. The DVD has been the biggest release in Indian Home Entertainment and is doing extremely well on the charts. The DVD of Lagaan is a treasure trove of extra features like deleted scenes and a never-before-seen song, "Re Bhaiyya Chhoote Lagaan."

  • It's raining new shows, new seasons only on Star World this July

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 03, 2007

    MUMBAI: This July, Star World takes you on a pulsating joy ride! With new shows, new seasons and specials, expect an entertaining roller coaster ride all this month! From the groundbreaking telenovela Ugly Betty which took America by storm to a brand new action-packed thriller Day Break, from the exclusive rights to telecast the Concert For Diana to new seasons of your favorite TV shows like Boston Legal, Everybody Loves Raymond and Criss Angel Mindfreak, you can experience some exciting new entertainment in your living room! And if that‘s not enough, tune in to your favorite celebrities at their candid best on Koffee with Karan- Season 2! All this and more only on Star World!

    Things get exciting on Star World as it brings a Golden Globe Award winning American sitcom to your television sets. Based on the groundbreaking Colombian telenovela ‘Yo Soy Betty La Fea‘, comes the ultimate fish out of water story in UGLY BETTY, starting Wednesday, 4 July at 9 p.m.. Betty Suarez (America Ferrera), may be sweet, intelligent and hard-working, but in the world of high fashion Betty is the oversized peg in the petite round hole. When publishing mogul Bradford Meade (Alan Dale) hands the reigns of Mode, the bible of the fashion industry, over to this son, Daniel (Eric Mabius), he specifically hires Betty as his son‘s new assistant - mostly because she‘s the only woman in NYC Daniel won‘t sleep with. Neither of them really knows the ins and outs of the fashion world, but the two are a formidable team against those who will do anything to see them fall.

    Star World presents an action-packed thriller DAY BREAK starring Taye Diggs. Detective Brett Hopper (Diggs) is having a hellacious day; the kind of day where nothing goes his way and he just can‘t wait to put it behind him - only he can‘t, because he‘s living the same day over and over again. On this particular day, Hopper is accused of killing Assistant District Attorney Alberto Garza. He offers a solid alibi, which no one believes. He realizes he‘s been framed. And he runs, discovering en route that not only he, but also his loved ones are in danger. He then wakes up and relives the same day over and over again. Only when Hopper figures out why his life is broken, and how to fix it, will he awaken to a brand new day. He will not only try to save himself but those close to him who are now in danger. But he must carefully weigh each decision he makes, as all will have consequences -- advantageous or disastrous. Tune in to DAY BREAK starting Saturday, 7 July at 10 p.m.

    Combining the talents of legendary Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg and reality-show mastermind Mark Burnett, On the Lot offers 16 aspiring filmmakers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At the end of the series, one director will win a US$1 million development deal at DreamWorks, the studio co-founded by Spielberg! Each week contestants will work to a tight deadline to produce short films across a range of genres, from comedies and romance to sci-fi and horror. The finished film will then debut in front of a live TV audience who will vote for their favourite. In the end, the public will decide whose film will be left on the cutting-room floor. Make sure you catch ‘On The Lot‘ every Wednesday at 8 p.m only on Star World.

    No one brews koffee and conversation like Karan. Tune in to Koffee with Karan, every Sunday at 9 p.m. For one, Karan Johar is an ace filmmaker who is genuinely warm and witty and can effortlessly do away with the formality and stiffness that exists between the host and guests in other celebrity chat shows. And it‘s therefore no wonder that that his guests warm up to him over a cup of coffee and spill the beans like they never have!

    Star World also brings to you brand new seasons of your old favorites! Starting 4 July, tune in to the new season of Boston Legal every Wednesday at 10 p.m. Also watch out for the new season of Everybody Loves Raymond starting 11 July and Criss Angel Mindfreak starting 26 July.

    So this July, tune in to Star World and treat yourself to an assortment of the newest shows, new seasons and specials, all through the month!!!

  • New dreams and new faces on Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 03, 2007

    MUMBAI: Kaana Kaanum Kaalangal; a series on school life, which airs Monday - Thursday at 8pm gave the viewers an alternate viewing breaking the pattern of the melodrama; has created a phenomenon with a huge fan following among the youth and the elderly alike. Set against a school drop this serial revolves around the adolescent lives of Bala (Shiva), Joe (Balaji), Pandi (Lingesh), Pachai (Madhu), Raghavi (Hemalatha), Vineet (Irfan), Krish (Hari), Sanghavi (Monisha), Unni (Iyappan), Rishi (Stalin), Sis Saraswathi (Preethi); split into two groups the rivalry between the 2 groups and the ensuing conflicts form the crux of the story.
    While the youth can identify and relate to the characters on screen like Vineet, Raghavi, Bala, Pandi, Joe etc., and the elders on the other hand watch the show to reminiscence their school days and get to know their kids better.

    Healthy competition, fights, jealousy, friendship is common to any student‘s life; these emotions have been beautifully portrayed in Prabhu Kanna‘s direction with casual & lively dialogues and gripping screenplay. The title track of KKK which is an household anthem now was composed by the renowned music director Vijay Anthony; which is also the mobile ringtone of many young fans. This show produced by Timeframes on behalf of Vijay TV; is the only show that has proven a hit with new faces as its cast. The audience of the show feel that this serial is like watching a blockbuster film on television.

    Launched in October, 2006 the series completed its 100th episode in June, 2007 which was marked with a special episode as the kids traveled back in time to the days of Gurukul. As part of the 100th episode celebrations; a LIVE chat with the KKK team was organized on indya.com in which the die hard fans of the show got a chat to interact with them. The carnival organized in June 20007 was a huge success which witnessed more than thousands of eager fans flocking the grounds to catch a glimpse of their stars. The fans has the names of their favorite character painted on their faces and their joy knew no bounds when they met their KKK stars.

    Now, that the current batch has been promoted to twelfth standard, the auditions for new faces was announced. Over 5000 eager applicants sent in their resume to be a part of this curriculum. The applicants were screened over three months and 225 were selected for the first level of auditions. Following this the Director of the serial, Prabhu Kanna along with Ravi Raja (Head of the Department of Directors‘, DFT) filtered only 11, based on the individual‘s acting skills and looks. Poornima, Vaishnavi, Haritha, Dinesh, Ravikumar, Sarath Chander, Ramesh, Kiran, Sriram and Ragavendra are the fresh faces chosen to act in the next season of Kanaa Kaanum Kaalangal.

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