• CNN's live programming week from Beijing as Olympic Countdown Begins

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 26, 2007

    MUMBAI: ‘Countdown Beijing‘ is CNN‘s dedicated week of coverage live from the Chinese capital that showcases the city as it prepares for one of the most important sporting events in history, the 2008 summer Olympic games. Featuring unprecedented live filming from sites around Beijing, A-list interviews, in-depth reports and an online special, CNN brings global viewers unique insights into the city, its people and China itself during a hugely dynamic period of transition.

    One year out from the opening ceremony at the stunning ‘Bird‘s Nest‘ stadium, CNN hears from athletes and construction workers, business people, artists and environmentalists as it takes the pulse of a city seeking to define a global view of contemporary China. Throughout the week, Kristie Lu Stout reports live from locations around Beijing for CNN‘s award-winning, morning news program CNN TODAY while Andrew Stevens reports live for the Asia evening prime-time show, World News Asia. In addition, CNN‘s Beijing correspondent John Vause reports from the capital and beyond on the impact of the XXIX Olympiad.

    Talk Asia, CNN‘s in-depth interview program, hears from a remarkable line up of Olympic and artistic greats throughout the week. The first program sees host Anjali Rao sit down with ‘China‘s Oprah Winfrey‘ and Olympic Ambassador Yang Lan, while the next features Chinese female athlete of the century and four time Gold medal winner Deng Yaping, who explains her new role in charge of the city‘s Olympic village.

    The special section of cnn.com at www.cnn.com/beijing features exclusive stories, reports and interviews, and will include interactive multimedia elements showcasing the city and detailing how the Chinese capital‘s landscape has transformed in preparation for the games. Additional highlights include a CNN-designed map that illustrates the path of the Olympic torch relay, poll questions and blogs from CNN journalists, as well as streaming of the video packages that air throughout the week.

    Reports airing in CNN programming throughout the week to more than 200 million households globally include:

    • An interview with the Pritzker Prize winning architects, Jacques Herzog and Pierre De Meuron, designers of the two striking biometric structures and showpiece venues for next year‘s Olympics, the ‘Birds Nest‘ national stadium and the ‘Water Cube‘ aquatics center.
    • " A look at the high-pressure daily life of one of China‘s elite gold medal favourites, Guo Jingjing. CNN visits her home, talks to her about her training and asks her whether the weight of national expectation is a help or a hindrance.
    • " Beijing is planning for clear, blue skies during the Games. CNN looks at what the city has in store to clean up its air including the creation of rain.

    ‘Countdown Beijing‘ - program schedule
    (Airtimes shown are Indian Standard Times)

    Program Name Date Time Description
    CNN Today Aug 6 - 10 0430 - 1230 Kristie Lu Stout reports live from Beijing for CNN Today throughout the week. Special reports also air throughout CNN news and business programming.
    Talk Asia Aug 4 0500, 2030* Hosted by Anjali Rao in Beijing, Talk Asia interviews ‘China‘s Oprah Winfrey‘ and Olympic Ambassador Yang Lan.
    Aug 5 1830*
    Aug 11 0500, 2030* Anjali interviews Chinese female athlete of the century and four time Gold medal winner Deng Yaping.
    Aug 12 1830*
    World News Asia Aug 6 - 10 1630 - 1900 Andrew Stevens reports live from Beijing for World News Asia throughout the week. Special reports also air throughout CNN news and business programming.
  • IBN 7 and IIFA tie-up for IIIFA Coolathon

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 26, 2007

    MUMBAI: IBN 7 has joined hands with the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) in exclusively presenting the ‘IIFA Coolathon‘.Apart from promoting Indian Cinema, IIFA has taken up the serious and worldwide issue of global warming in an effort to create awareness on the subject and promote the simple steps necessary to save planet Earth. The initiative is aimed at educating people by highlighting the issue of climate change that threatens the world as a whole. In an attempt to garner support for and create awareness on this serious issue IBN 7 has lined up a two-part series on Friday, 27 July at 8 pm and Sunday, 29 July at 8 pm.

    Anchored by Richa Anirudh the special shows will comprise exclusive and engaging programming surrounding the launch of the ‘IIFA Coolathon‘ - comprising an action-packed celebrity Cricket match and several one-on-one interviews with popular personalities, including numerous international bigwigs, from across various disciplines. Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, Boman Irani, Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Bobby Deol, Kabir Bedi, Shilpa Shetty, Bipasha Basu, Rani Mukherjee, Kapil Dev, Ajay Jadeja, Rakeysh Mehra, Sangeeta Bijlani, Md. Aharuddin Govinda, Sienna Miller and Tony Blair are just some of these illustrious names lending their voices to the cause. These celebrities will candidly share their views about climate change exclusively on IBN 7 and the ways in which they are going about contributing to saving the planet.

    The Celebrity cricket match at the Headingly stadium will witness participation from cricket legends and movie stars alike. IBN 7 will not only showcase the match but will also feature exclusive interviews with the players. The celebrities to participate in the match are - Saif Ali Khan, Zayed Khan, Fardeen Khan, Aftab Shivdasani, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sohail Khan, Arbaaz Khan along with cricket greats Kapil Dev, Md. Azharuddin and Ajay Jadeja.

    Sharing his views supporting the initiative, Ashutosh, Managing Editor, IBN 7 said, "Global Warming and other environmental issues can no longer be ignored and put on the backburner. We are proud to partner IIFA in their initiative in spreading the message and educating people about the ever-increasing threat of Global warming. We are confident that together we will be able to make a difference."

    Speaking on the association, Dilip Venkatraman, Director Marketing and Online Projects, CNN-IBN and IBN 7 said, "We are proud to be associated with a platform like IIFA, which has been consistently proving to be a phenomenal success all over the world. I am confident that this association will bear fruitful results and will pave the way for other such successful association in the future."

    "IIFA Coolathon is an attempt to address the issue of global warming with the help of some of the biggest celebrities, including someone as high-profile as Amitabh Bachchan. We are delighted have IBN 7 partner us for this initiative and together we spread awareness on the issue that affects us all alike," said Sabbas Joseph, Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment.

  • Tune in to the exclusive premiere of Eight Below on 27 July at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 25, 2007

    MUMBAI: This Friday night, Star Movies will present the incredible friendship between eight amazing sled dogs and their guide.

    A Walt Disney Pictures film, directed by Frank Marshall and written by David DiGilio, this touching film is based on the 1983 hit movie Nankyoku Monogatari. So tune in to the exciting premiere of Eight Below, this Friday night, 27 July at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.

    In the Antarctic, after an expedition with Dr. Davis McClaren (Bruce Greenwood), the sled dog trainer Jerry Shepherd (Paul Walker) has to leave the polar base with his colleagues due to the proximity of a heavy snowstorm. He ties his dogs to be rescued after, but the mission is called-off and the dogs are left alone at their own fortune. For six months, Jerry tries to find a sponsor for a rescue mission while his dogs fight for survival. Driven by an unwavering bond and tremendous courage, Jerry must make an incredible journey to reunite with his team. The film is inspired by the events of a 1957 Japanese expedition to the Antarctic.

    Humor, tears, tension and drama? experience it all in this touching film! Make sure you tune-in to exclusive premiere of ‘Eight Below‘ this Friday night, 27 July at 9 p.m. only on Star Movies.

     
  • Tune-in to the all-new season of Criss Angel: Mindfreak on Star World on 26 July at 10:30 p.m.

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 25, 2007

    MUMBAI: Get ready to freak out with Criss Angel in the new season of Criss Angel Mindfreak on Star World.Master provocateur Criss Angel captivates audiences with mind-boggling demonstrations of his skills that escape the confines of tradition and give birth to a new breed of modern mysticism. Criss Angel Mindfreak takes viewers behind-the-scenes as he researches and executes his demonstrations with his crew; and meets celebrity friends who drop by to willingly participate in his antics. And what‘s even better is that Star World will now bring these exciting feats to your television sets every Thursday, starting 26 July at 10:30 p.m.

    The only two-time recipient of the "Magician of the Year" award, Criss Angel melds his original music, surreal characters, daredevil stunts, performance art and, of course, his revolutionary illusions, to provoke an experience that will stir the soul. In the second season -- in addition to celebrity guests, street performances, and behind-the-scenes looks at the magic -- Criss Angel will perform all new mind-bending feats such as walking on water, levitating from one tall building to another and his version of the classic trick of cutting people in half.

    Season Two of Mindfreak kicks off with a stunt so amazing, it defies comprehension. Criss floats from one building to another in front of a crowd during the middle of the day. Criss Angel also shows off an amazing light bulb float using kinetic energy, lifts a kid right off the pavement in a parking lot by sticking his hand to the kid‘s head, and he also harnesses the power of static electricity among a crowd to levitate them off the ground in the middle of a park.

    Criss Angel Mindbreak (Series 2)

    Premieres 26 July

    Thursday at 22:30

    Friday at 11:30, 17:00

    Saturday 14:30

    Sunday at 07:30

    Monday at 10:30

    Dare to witness and get captivated this Thursday with Criss Angel Mindfreak at 10: 30 p.m. only on Star World and get freaked out.

  • Watch Titan Antakshari - intercollegiate championship from this Friday


    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 25, 2007

    MUMBAI: Titan Antakshari brings a new flavour this month with Inter-collegiate championship starting this Friday, 27 July 2007 at 8:30 p.m. Titan Antakshari inter college special will be a 26 episode series.

    The best colleges of India form three teams coined as Deewane, Parwane and Mastane.

    During the whole series, Dewane, Parwarne & Mastane will keep on appreciating or criticizing the other members of their respective teams. This will lead to complete entertainment for our target audience. This series is full of masti, hungama, intrigue and much to watch for. So the final countdown begins this Friday at 8:30 pm.

  • Riteish Deshmukh 'Cash'es in on Indian Idol

    Submitted by ITV Production on Jul 25, 2007

    MUMBAI: This episode of Roobaroo is a must see. Unforeseen things happened on this episode. The ever punctual Mini was late.The contestants got together and accused Parleen of upstaging them with his performances. A person completely unconnected with Indian Idol who happened to be in the vicinity stepped in to host the show and bring some order to the chaos and ended up playing judge to the case in question! The young man happens to be Riteish Deshmukh.

    Parleen was in the docks. He was accused of concentrating on his performances instead of his singing. He was accused of using his nose to khatarnak advantage. He was also accused of having "the upper hand" while singing! If all this seems a bit far-fetched to you, it seemed so to Riteish Deshmukh too who decided to hear both sides of the case and play a fair and handsome judge! Parleen‘s case was in good hands? he had Ankita and Abhishek on his side as defense lawyers while Deepali and Puja got on his case. What ensued was a free for all debate on performances and singing and dancing . At the end of it all Riteish endorsed Parleen‘s viewpoint and in the strangest scene ever witnessed in a court of law the judge and the accused broke into song and dance! Not to be left behind the others joined in too, even those who had vociferously protested against it. So there was Emon, Amit and Prashant and Chang all shaking a leg with Riteish who in true gentlemanly fashion took turns to dance with all the girls on the show. As per her track-record Ankita did not miss the opportunity to make him dance to her tune.

    Riteish is looking forward to the release of Cash which boasts of a song picturised in one take! He also revealed he sports a strange hairstyle in the film but not as strange as Mini‘s of course!

    It was a special day for some young people from Prerna, an NGO that works for underprivileged children. They not only got to meet Riteish but also hear him sing. The contestants too obliged the young guests by sing songs on request.

    Do not miss the fun, laughter, song and dance session with Ritesh Deshmukh on Roobaroo tonight on Indian Idol at 9 pm only on Sony Entertainment Television.

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