Saturday, March 28, 2009

Quite funny..






This week's Boys Vs Girls show was very interesting & this week we could say Boys outplayed the Girls. Michael after been sent behind the bars could only enjoy the show seeing the performance of his team mates. Krish-Sangeetha couple added entertainment to the show. Sivakarthikeyan was at his best yesterday with the comments and dance. I was laughing for a while in the school dance. Krish's comment were very funny all thru the show. But thank god Krish was not asked to judge the show ;) Priyadarshini who was missing in samayal samayal.. I think she was busy in practicing for this show.. in school dresses she resembled like a school going girl. Challenge round was not for anyone sterday..

Bharathi stops Preeti..

Actress Bharathi Vishnuvardhan (of Sethu film, Ethanai vithangalil manithargal fame) came in Vijay TV yesterday in samayal samayal-kitchen killadigal.. Preeti was in her final round in the competition and most probable for winning the dream kitchen. The topic given to them was "Left over samayal".. yeah this has been earlier in the show even. Preeti took chapathi & Bharathi who came with her friend took rice. Finally Bharathi had won this round stopping Preeti to win the dream kitchen n moving to next round of the show.

TRAI, DTH and Consumers

Gurneet Singh had nicely got into the habit of waking up to soothing Gurbani that plays on ETC Punjabi every morning. For the past one week, he has been getting up all cranky and red-eyed with irritation. Reason: His direct-to-home (DTH) operator has removed this channel from the activated subscription pack. He thought it would be a temporary affair as ETC Punjabi is a paid channel and as he had already subscribed for it, but as days passed he was proven wrong.

A week later, he finds a message pasted where the channel should have been, informing him that he would have to subscribe the channel to resume service. Frustrated, he calls customer care only to learn that the DTH operator had removed the channel from his activated subscription pack and if he wishes to watch it again, he would have to pay an additional subscription fee. Singh protested saying he was being asked to pay up two times in a month. If there is to be a change in pricing then it should be reflected next month. But the monotone from the other side of the phone replied, without much emotion, that nothing could now be done as the pack rates have changed and he would have to pay up extra for resuming transmission of the channel.

Undeterred, Singh decided to lodge a complaint with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), only to realise he is not the only one filing a similar complaint. TRAI has already received a host of similar complaints from customers: DTH providers at times stop showing one particular channel from the list of channels that they had subscribed at the start of the month. And that too without any prior notice. The regulator has raised concerns with regards to the same and has directed all DTH providers to inform customers about any change in the packages subscribed and give them at least 15 days time before implementing the change.

"The service provider also cannot remove a channel from DTH viewers' subscription package during the first six months of enrolment or during the period of validity of a prepaid subscription package, whichever is longer," TRAI said in a statement recently. Apart from this TRAI has also come out with a directive that DTH players should offer channels as al a carte rather than in bouquets, which actually is the practice. Currently the Star bouquet (that consists of 18 channels) is being offered at Rs 48 per subscriber per month, while the Multi Screen Media (MSM, previously known as Sony Entertainment) bouquet of five channels is available for Rs 29.

Therefore, DTH providers argue that the current pricing is competitive and if they are forced to offer channels individually as opposed to bouquet, they would not have the kind of bargaining power with the broadcasters as they have now. This would mean that the customers would have to shell out more. But then, DTH operators cannot ignore the fact that not all consumers watch all channels and that too offered by a same broadcaster. For instance, take the MSM bouquet. It has two English movie channels – Sony Pix and HBO - both of which are paid channels. However, there would be customers who may want to watch only one of them.

Worst they would just want to watch Sony and no English channel, then why should such customers be forced to pay for all the five channels? Even the Supreme Court has upheld TRAI's words and ordered DTH operators to start offering end customers the choice of picking individual channels in addition to bouquets.

The above mentioned cases clearly indicate that despite there being six players in the DTH segment, there are still a lot of loopholes that need to be addressed. "Most people who have DTH installed in their houses would vouch for the pathetic customer service that they have to bear with and there is no transparency in the charges that are being levied on them," avers a media analyst on conditions of anonymity. In fact, it does not matter which brand you pick as there are issues with the customer service being offered by each player. It's not that these companies don't have customer care centers but most customers believe that they are inadequate in taking concrete action towards their complaints.

What's more is that there are customers who have complained that some DTH call centers do not even provide something as basic as a complaint number leave alone any follow up or corrective action.
The people who are already using a DTH service also complain that most of the time there are arbitrary deductions from their pre-paid account and no explanations are given. This problem can be easily addressed by the introduction of a post-paid system for DTH, under which these operators would be required to give an itemised bill for all the charges that were levied on a particular customer for a particular month.

However, unfortunately, currently no Indian operator offers a post paid DTH. Add to it, the current set top boxes are even locked, which means if one has bought the set top box from Tata Sky, and does not want to continue with it for any reason then the only way out for the person concerned would be to purchase a new set top box. "The Indian DTH industry is currently at a very nascent stage and it is only when the penetration increases that we should be really looking at unlocked set top boxes." reasons Vikram Kaushik, managing director, Tata Sky.

It is ironic that while these players are spending crore of rupees to rope in multiple brand ambassadors, they are unable to put in place an accountable and efficient customer grievance handling system, which is the need of the hour. As of now, the best hope for the Indian consumer is the intensifying competition in the Indian DTH industry, when supply would outstrip demand. The day when these DTH operators find it difficult to lure in new customers, would be the day when they would start looking such essential consumer demands.

A Televisionpoint.com News

Raghini Shree Eliminated ??

Last week we had rumours before the Airtel Super Singer 2008 show started about the eliminations.. saying Prasanna would get eliminated and it happened to be true. This week its said that Raghinishree is getting eliminated from the competition. This is also rumours going abour the star India forum and am not sure whether this is true. She got spot selected last week's round..
Lets wait and see..

1977..



It was Sarath Kumar, Vivek & Dhinesh Kumar in koffee with Anu today.. the show basically had Sarath & Vivek for most of the time and 1977 film director Dhinesh kumar when it came to talk about the film. First to join Anu was actor Vivek who spoke about his fitness then followed by Supreme star Sarath kumar. there were quite a few similarities between them & the latest reason for calling them for the film 1977 where they both have acted.

The interesting part of the show was when rapid fire questions were asked to both of them..and their answers were not so great. Somethings we cant say and it would be understood.. hope u guys understand this.. i will post the videos of the show which u can watch to know more on it. there was koffee taro even in the show. Sarath kumar had got Namitha, Vadivel & Radharavi and Vivek chose Ajith, Vijay & Simbu. Finally in the koffee awards, Anu asked Sarath kumar to present award to a politician & he gave the award to Barack Obama (US President) and Vivek being asked to give it to comedian.. his choice was M.R. Radha..

Choosing Education - Parents or Children..

Its a very interesting topic to speak about and rightly being taken by Vijay TV in Neeya Naana.. it would be who should choose the educational course - is it parents or the children. these days most of the parents allow their children to choose whatever they like but still they are lil scary about the future of the children. I think this will bring some light for few parents and children..good topic to speak..

Unplugged String round..

Next week in Airtel super Singer 2008 its going to be Unplugged string round. The show is set to have top 6 contestants singing with the BGM with the string instruments... last time we saw unplugged round with Stephen Devassy but this round Piano wont be there.. Playback singer Harini is set to join as special guest/judge in the show & looks like the contestants will be performing duet songs.. its easy for the directors to have duets songs with 3-3 boys-girls contestants..

Its Kalpana's wedding..


This week in Namma Veetu kalyanam it would be actress Kalpana's wedding. I donno about details of her marriage.. will search and post it here..

Friday, March 27, 2009

Krish-Sangeetha in Boys Vs Girls



Playback singer Krish & actress Sangeetha will be featuring in this week's Boys Vs Girls. They have been seein few functions together after their marriage & I guess this is the first time they come in Vijay TV. Namitha wont be available this week & Krish-Sangeetha would fit in Namitha's role to judge the performance with actor Srikanth. I donno why Krish gets into this act for a dance program ;)

Ad spends in banking sector increases by 184 % in 2008

Advertising spends in the banking services and product categories has increased by 184.15 per cent in the calendar year January to December, 2008 to Rs 2,492.59 crore as compared to Rs 1,499.92 crore in 2007, according to data from AdEx Nielsen. Public sector banks like State Bank of India (SBI), Union Bank of India (UBI), Bank of Baroda, Axis Bank and IDBI Bank have seen an upsurge in their advertising spends upto 75 per cent. SBI has been the highest spender among banks spending Rs 292.92 crore in 2008.

"Both PSU banks and private sector banks with strong Indian lineage have by and large remained unscathed during slowdown. Consumers too will choose conservative safety over bells and whistles. The reason PSU banks will spend much higher in the last quarter of this fiscal." says Satbir Singh, chief creative officer, Euro RSCG India. UBI's new 'Good People To Bank With' campaign totaled Rs 127.45 crore in 2008 as compared to its spends of Rs 13.13 crore in 2007. IDBI spent Rs 52.68 crore as compared to Rs 15.14 crore in 2007.

The quarter of October to December 2008 has seen an increase of 52.03 per cent in media spends by over 300 banks and financial institution in India as compared to same period previous year with a spent of Rs 714.34 crore as compared to Rs 469.86 crore in October to December 2007. Among the private banks, ICICI Bank has been the largest spender with a total spend of Rs 129.02 crore in 2008. HDFC Bank spent Rs 18.83 crore in calendar 2008 as against Rs 80 lakh spent in 2007. Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS)'s advertising spends have raised from zero to Rs 17.47 crore in 2008.

A Televisionpoint.com news

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Arundhadhi - Oru Sirappu Paarvai



Coming sunday there is a show on film - Arundhadhi. It is actually a telugu film and its dubbed in tamil & got released last week. Looks its a horror kinda film & dont miss the special review on the show at 4.30 PM in our Vijay TV.

Whats in store for TPEM Juniors ??






After the success of the first ever hunt for the best Tamil orator in Thamizh Pechu Engal Muchu, Vijay TV is set on its mission in taking the promotions of the Thamizh language to the next level. They say its best to the tap talents at a young age… well that’s what Vijay TV has done. Vijay TV has launched the junior edition of the hunt for the best Tamil orator in Tamilnadu.

Thamizh Pechu Engal Muchu Chuttigal is the platform for kids aged between 8 – 15yrs (i.e.4th – 10th class) to prove their love and passion for the language. At the auditions held at various cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Thirunelveli, Salem and Thiruchi; over 350 kids participated with great enthusiasm. Renowned Tamil scholars like Writer / Politician Subha Veera Pandiyan, Professor / Orator Parveen Sultana, Professor Salma, writer / editor Lena Thamizhvanan, winner of Thamizh Pechu Engal Muchu title Vijayan, finalist Arul Prakash and other scholars from the field of Thamizh literature judged the Thamizh speaking skills of these kids.

From the 6 zones, over 160 best orators were selected and they were put to task to select the best 50 speakers for the final competition. The contestants were to talk on various topics like ‘Vannathupoochi’, ‘Kadamai’, ‘Nambikai’, ‘Iyarkai’, ‘Thooimai’, ‘Nanneri’., etc for 3 minutes. The kids’ were judged on the basis of their presentation skills, passion towards the language, stage presence, speaking skills, creativity and general knowledge. The judges also checked the participants’ interaction level with the judges. The stage is set, for the competition… the love and passion for the language shown by this kids will surely revive the dormant Thamizh spirit in all of us. The competition will reach newer heights as the selected 50 kids will face tough times ahead and will not only encourage them but also their parents and teachers to help them put their best foot forward.

They are back ;)




Tamizh Pechu Engal Moochu is back from this week and the most exciting part is that its with the chutties..

Choreographers' Special




It would be Choreographers' Special in amul's Ungalil yaar adutha Prabhudeva.. the top 8 contestants – Sherif, Manojkumar, Nanda, Premgopal, Leelavathy, Saipallavi, Jayalakshmi and Divya will be performing to some splendid dance numbers in front of legendary choreographers in India. South India’s leading choreographers - Sundaram Master, Raghuram Master, Puliyur Saroja will be joined by National Award winning Choreographer and Bollywood’s leading choreographer till date Saroj Khan.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

NDTV to announce 'The 7 Wonders of India'

News channel NDTV, in association with the Ministry of Tourism's Incredible India campaign, will announce the final chosen seven wonders of India on 30 March in the capital. The event will be marked by a fashion show by Sabyasachi Mukherjee. The show will exhibit contemporary outfits using textiles from various Indian states. Also performing at the ceremony will be actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan along with Shiamak Davar’s dance troupe.

The initiative, which commenced in September 2008, acknowledges the natural and man-made marvels of the country. The campaign is supported by State Bank of India and Tata Indicom. The Seven Wonders of India initiative was held nationwide with states clubbed under 16 clusters. After the commencement of this campaign, seven top wonders in each state cluster were declared. A top wonder was then chosen as a nominee from each of these states for the final seven wonders of India. 20 top wonders are in contention for the final honours.

NDTV chairman Prannoy Roy said, “India is a land of incredible wonders and the campaign has brought forward some majestic monuments, places of worship, a mausoleum, a university - all representing India’s rich and varied heritage. It is encouraging to see how people across the country have come out to vote for their favourite places, not only recognising our heritage properties but also taking a pledge to safeguard them”.

The selection process for 'The 7 Wonders of India' involved the common mass. It also included jury members - Shriji Arvind Singh Mewar, chairman and MD of HRH Group of Hotels; Raja Jigmed Wangchuk Namgyal, King of Ladakh; Shama Pawar, founder of The Kishkinda Trust and an artist who restored Hampi; Abha Narain Lamba, donservation architect; travel experts Hugh and Collen Gantzer; OP Jain, president of Sanskriti Pratishthan and former convenor of INTACH; artist Anjolie Ela Menon and Sarod Maestro Amjad Ali Khan. A mass media campaign through television, print, radio and the internet invited NDTV viewers to vote for their favourite wonder via online, Wap or sms service. The campaign also telecast documentaries on each of the monument on NDTV news channels. The state governments across the country also supported the campaign through on-ground activities and took this initiative to the grassroots.

A Indiantelevision.com News

Prasanna - Winner or Loser ??

It was not quite shocking to know the Prasanna was eliminated from the Airtel Super singer 2008 show today in the relationship round after knowing this result few weeks back itself. But, to find whether Prasanna is winner or loser.. I would say he is a winner in this show. Having no musical knowledge he had managed to come into top 7 contestants. Moreover I think he has more fans than other singers.. (other than Ajeesh & Ravi) and lots of supporters whom we could see in many forums. He was asked to learn any kind of music for a year and that will make him a playback singer is wat said by the judges.

Srinivas said that he would give his contact no, address & would meet him, help him. Ahh..this looks great. that was not over.. all the judges were very sad (atleast pretended so) and all 3 judges gave lot of comments on Prasanna's elimination. Srinivas even said that it is most sadest day in Airtel Super Singer 2008. Also he added, With little training on music Prasanna might become super star in tamil film industry in playback singing. All this put together I dont think he had really lost the spot in next round of the show rather won million of hearts and who knows he might get a playback singing chance sOon.

Relationship round ends..

All started well in today's show with 4 waitlisted contestants Renu, Ranjani, Vijay & Prasanna gave very good performances. Ranjani stealed the show with exciting singing. That made her to get into safe zone straight away. Vijay's "Manthoppu manthayila" was quite good but not able to cope up with Ranjani's "yaro yarodi unnoda purushan". Renu gave a brave attempt in selecting "nenjil thil thil.. kanathil muthamittaal" and was fruitful even. Prasanna's "Maama maama maama" was a ROCKING performance & he would not have imagined this to be his last performance in the show.

Vijay & Prasanna were the final 2 who were in waitlisted after Renu and Ranjani got selected to next round. Special judge of the day was Unni Menon and he wanted Vijay/Prasanna to sing few stanzas of a Malayalam song that he himself had composed. Straight away after that drilling session it was Vijay all the way.. Prasanna missing his knowledge on music to get this test passed. So, now it looks like 6 In, 1 Out.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Public Vs Government Authorities..

It was a very good debate in Neeya Naana last week.. between the public & the public government authorities. It started with Gopinath asking the public side on whom they dislike most. There were answers from doctors, RTO officers, traffic police to bank employees. Then when the topic went on to why they dont like these government authorities.. there were various reasons for everyone. I too felt same as all of us would have atleast few bad experience with those authorities. But, we should not forget the fact that they even have problems bcos of public & if we strictly follow the rules/acts/regulations we might reduce the issues between the public and the government authorities.

There were a Traffic Police & a Police in the show & the way they spoke was really impressive. I feel that makes them to be given respect by the public. Both the sides had valid points from their experiences and both of us have to improve to make the process better.

Whats happening in Relationship (Uravugal) Round ??

Tribute to Friend, Mother..

It was tribute to Friends on day 1 in relationship round of airtel Super singer 2008 today.. the show had all 7 contestants performing songs on friendship. It was Renu to start the show with "Devathai vamsam neeyo" and was quite okay. It was followed by Prasanna's "vaada vaada vaada thozha" & he was as usual. RaghiniShree was the next with her "megam megam" and was okay. But for my surprise she had very good comments from judges. Ajeesh was the next with "kaatukulla manasukulla" & I felt he rocked. Vijay Narayan's "veyilodu vilayadi" was even ROCKED. Ranjani was the enxt with "en uyir thozhi" and was not bad. I dont remember Ravi's song will update once I remember it.

In this round of the show first 2 days there would be 1 contestant selected for next round and other would perform on other days. It was Raghini Shree selected for the next round on day 1 leaving other 6 to perform on day 2.

On Day 2 it was tribute to mother & contestants would sing songs on mother and motherhood. Ranjani was the first contestant on this episode with "enathu kanavai" & her performance was quite okay. Vijay followed her with "theeyuku then" which was unfamiliar to me. Renu's "kaalayil thinamum" lacked sruti in many places but no comments from judges. Ajeesh yet again rocked with his "Amma endru azhaikatha uyirillaiye". Ravi's "Uyirum neeye udalum neeye" was double ROCKING performance. Prasanna was the final contestant on this episode. He sang "pethu kuduthava thaan" was very good and no comments from judges even.

It was RAvi & Ajeesh selected for the next round on day 2. Its now left with Prasanna, Renu, Ranjani & Vijay to fight for next round spot tomorrow.

TPEM Chutties starts..

Much expected Tamizh Pechu Engal Moochu comes back to Vijay TV starting this sunday & it would be with chutties.. quite interesting right.. yeah. there were announcements for kids to prove their knowledge on tamizh and I was thinking for sometime that there is no update on the same. Now, its back.. the show wil start this sunday and there was promotional video being put today. I was shocked looking the way those kids speak in tamizh & their pronounciation of the words. In one instance, the judges asked the kids for meaning of few words & they could explain them with ease.. must watch show..

Why South Africa ??

IPL 2 is been scheduled to be played in South Africa. Here are some of the reasons why it got the nod for the games..

The weather was the most important factor. The IPL realised that rain could seriously affect "as many as 70% of the matches" if the tournament was held in England.

Top officials within the South African government and Cricket South Africa gave assurances that the IPL will receive the full red carpet treatment.

Less logistical problems as South African domestic season concludes before the IPL's scheduled start while in England the county season will just get underway.

The cost of running the tournament in South Africa would be substantially less than in England.

Supersport owns the rights both for the IPL and for international cricket played in South Africa while there would have been a clash between Sky TV and Setanta in England.

South Africa to host IPL 2

Content courtesy - Cricinfo

South Africa has edged out England to be named host nation of the 2009 IPL. The decision was made after a meeting between the IPL commissioner, Lalit Modi, and the Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive, Gerald Majola, in Johannesburg on Tuesday. The IPL also announced that a final schedule for the 59 matches and the host venues for the eight franchises will be released shortly.

Cricinfo understands that the IPL's opening ceremony will be held in Cape Town, and that the tournament will commence on April 18, a week later than initially scheduled, and a day after the one-day series between South Africa and Australia ends.. Sources said Johannesburg, Durban, Centurion, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town would be the host venues. However, it's understood that negotiations between the two boards were not as smooth as it was initially expected with England remaining in contention as an active alternative for hosting the IPL during most of Tuesday afternoon's meeting.

South Africa had been considered the favourite to host the IPL's second season after IPL officials voiced concerns over the effect England's springtime weather might have on the tournament. England also faced issues in the form of cost, scheduling and the likelihood of conflict between television rights holders. South Africa's chances were further boosted after the country's government got actively involved in wooing the IPL, throwing in assurances on security and speedy clearance of visas for players and officials.

"A lot of factors were considered by us while evaluating the final choice for the host venue," N Srinivasan, secretary of the Indian board, said. "However, in the final analysis I think it was the South African weather, which prevailed and tilted the balance in favour of the Rainbow Nation." David Collier, the ECB chief executive, said he understood the hurdles that would have had to be cleared to stage the tournament in England. "We all recognised the difficulties and logistical issues involved in areas such as security when the G20 is meeting in the UK next week and the climatic challenges," he said.

In the event, the IPL's decision to move to South Africa has been greeted with relief by the league's franchises and players. Muttiah Muralitharan, who plays for Chennai Super Kings, said it was the right decision for the league because "the game must go on, else cricket would die".

Vijay Mallya, the owner of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said that though he would have preferred England, the weather had proved a decisive factor. "To be honest, I would have preferred England to South Africa," Mallya said. "You could have taken one good flight from 5-6 places in India to England and it would have been cheaper. Besides, an average Englishman loves his cricket. The stands there would have been full of crowd. I guess weather conditions clinched the issue for South Africa. In England, there were chances that matches would have been rained off. Both teams sharing the point affects the competitiveness of the event."

There had been much speculation as to where the IPL's second season would be based after Cricinfo identified South Africa as a possible destination last Friday. Senior officials from the IPL and CSA denied the report at the time, but had since been locked in intense discussions to finalise the unprecedented switch.

With the decision now made, the real work begins. Security arrangements - which forced the tournament out of India - will need to be arranged, and an estimated 400 players and officials will require visas and accommodation. In all, 59 matches will be held over a five-week period ending on May 24.

With time of the essence, logistical issues delayed the opportunity for a considered response from the ECB, whose chairman, Giles Clarke, and Collier, had been on opposite sides of the world in Australia and Guyana respectively, when contacted by IPL officials on Saturday. The pair reconvened for the first time at Lord's this morning, by which stage discussions with CSA were well underway.

"It is very important for world cricket that this tournament is staged, but ultimately it is a matter for the BCCI where it is staged," Clarke told Cricinfo hours before the IPL decided on South Africa. "We're happy to help, but if it's not staged here, we've got a great deal to do this season anyway. That is how we see it. It is not a competitive situation from our point of view, at all. It can be staged here, the government is keen support it, but the most important thing is that this tournament goes ahead, wherever it is staged." England had initially emerged as the preferred venue to host the tournament after a powerful lobby within the BCCI and the Indian team management felt that such a move would help in preparing for the World Twenty20 in June.

Decision 09: News channels to air special shows

As India prepares for the five phased Lok Sabha Elections, news channels have announced a series of special shows on General Elections 2009 for their viewers. The news channels are fighting on the programming front to bring forth a detailed analysis of the upcoming elections and capture the pulse of the constantly changing political equations in the country.

NDTV Network has brought a series of special shows for its viewers, which voices for the masses and analyzes the political dynamics. These shows will cover debates, interviews, campaign trails and special reports on hard ground realities. Sonia Verma Singh, senior managing editor, NDTV 24x7, says, "Elections is in our DNA, Prannoy Roy and Vinod Dua redefined election coverage in India. We were the only news channel who have been covering elections for over 20 years. Our election reportage is recognized as the most credible, in-depth and analytical." NDTV 24x7 will launch shows like The Buck Stops Here, The Contenders, Left Right and Centre, The Hot Seat, The Election Express, Sunetra Choudhury Show, The 9 o'clock News and Vote Matters.

Times Now, on the other hand, has the Decision 09 property, which aims to be the most definitive coverage of the elections. The channel brings an line-up of political experts that includes names like Arnab Goswami, Mahesh Rangarajan, Vinod Mehta, Swapan Dasgupta, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Swaminathan Aiyer, Navika Kumar and Gautam Adhikari.
Sandeep Sharma, senior vice-president, sales and marketing, Times Now, says, "Decision 2009 will present the sharpest of perspective and in depth analysis on the biggest event of the year- Elections 2009. The election panel will assure the incisive viewpoint being brought forward for the viewers."

Moving ahead, CNN-IBN, in an bid for youth viewer interaction, has launched IBNPolitics.com, a website dedicated to all election based information. The portal will provide real time updates from the election war zone and promises to give a state by state update on the changing moods of a nationwide campaign. Rajdeep Sardesai, editor-In-chief, IBN18 Network, says, "The new portal promises to be the first news website that covers politics in India and specifically elections in this big General Election year."

CNBC Awaaz, the Hindi business news channel, desires to bring out business out of politics. The channel has launched an programming slot under the Badlega India umbrella, which will cover the elections by giving the viewers a platform to voice the changes that they expect the new government to bring. CNBC Awaaz has put together an team comprising of Rahul Bajaj, TCA Srinivasa Raghvan, Suhel Seth, Sanjay Pugalia, Ajay Shah, Ila Patnaik, Gul Teckchandani, Arun Nehru and SP Tulsian, who will travel to various metros and villages, interact with people from all walks of life, and try to demystify the election process.

Neel Chowdhury, vice-president, marketing, CNBC-TV18 and CNBC Awaaz, says, "Everyone out here is conscious of their rights and wants to be a part of these turbulent yet exiting times. As one of the guiding forces in media, we feel it is our duty to guide the electorate, and hence we have devised this comprehensive line-up."

A Televisionpoint.com News

Good Initiative..

This is a very good initiative from Agaram Foundation for educational awareness to the public. I think this will make many of us to join the Agaram foundation or help them in some way. Thanks to actor Surya to initiate this with the media and Thanks to Vijay TV for producting this.

HEROva ZEROva

We have been seeing this video for quite sometime in Vijay TV & I thought of adding it here so that it would reach few more ppl or help Agaram.in in someway.

Whats in Uravugal Vaaram ??

Its Uravugal round in Airtel Super Singer 2008 this week with top 7 contestants..and of course there should be elimination atleast in this week after 2 weeks of no eliminations. The show has Sujatha, Srinivas and Unnikrishnan judging the performance of the contestants & Malini-Yugendran Vasudevan Nayar anchoring the show. Ananth Vaidhyanathan, voice expert is also available in this week. Playback singer Unni Menon will be joining as special judge/guest later in the show. First day all 7 contestants will perform & there would 1 person selected for next round on that day itself. Then the rest 6 will compete for the next round spot. First day it was all the contestants singing songs on friendship. Uravugal i.e Relationship round would have songs best suited for the title.

Blue boys are Back..

Shree, Puli, Kishan crew of blue boys are back in Kanaa kaanum kaalangal show this week.. it was quite boring without these guys & without proper sequence with the older crew. but it looks like blue boys will get trained from Hema for their exams ;) and both the crew would be there in the show. Also the serial is again back to 30 mins.. whatever be the case Madurai is not still on.. :))

Monday, March 23, 2009

Nadanthathu Enna ??

Kutram - Nadanthathu Enna has been impressive program in Vijay TV that brings out the day to day life incidents & awareness to public about the problems/issues. Similar to this program we could see there are many other programs brought by other regional channels. But, these days Vijay TV had become crazy about scheduling the programs. Nadanthathu Enna - Kutramum Pinnaniyum program is telecasted for 3 times in a day.. 15.30, 19.30 & 22.00 hrs..this is too much.

Something about Saroj Khan


Saroj Khan born Nirmala Sadhu Khan is one of the most prominent dance choreographers in Hindi cinema in India. She was born on November 22, 1949and has choreographed more than 200 films. She was mostly trained in dance by B. Sohanlal.

She shot to fame after her hit dance choreograph for Nagina "Main Tere Dushman". She rose and choreographed some hit dance numbers for the queens of Bollywood like Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi for Mr India, Tezaab, Beta during the late 80s and early 90s.

Saroj Khan has also appeared in a reality dance show as a member of the jury in 2005 Nach Baliye which aired on STAR One along with two other judges. She also appeared in the 2nd season of the same show. She has also recently been a judge for the show "ustaadon ka ustaad" which is aired on Sony entertainment television Asia. She appeared in the 2008 show Nachle Ve with Saroj Khan, which was aired on NDTV Imagine. She choreographed for this show. She is appearing on Sony's Boogie Woogie (TV series) show starting December 2008 as one of the judges along with Javed Jaffrey, Naved Jaffrey and Ravi Behl she will also be a judge on the third season of popular show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa which will begin on February 27, 2009 and air on Sony Entertainment Television Asia alongside former Nach Baliye judge Vaibhavi Merchant and actress Juhi Chawla

Awards and recognitions

National Film Award for Best Choreography

* 2006 - Sringaram
* 2003 - Devdas

Filmfare Best Choreography Award

* 2008 - Guru
* 2003 - Devdas
* 2000 - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
* 1994 - Khalnayak
* 1993 - Beta
* 1991 - Sailaab
* 1990 - Chaalbaaz
* 1989 - Tezaab

Sunday, March 22, 2009

IPL; Chennai Super Kings positive despite losses



It has now been now decided that IPL venue will be shifted to international grounds – most likely to England and South Africa. It's not something that the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bosses were expecting, but given the circumstances, they will take it. They know that they will incur losses in revenue, but it was important for them to have the business module of the Indian Premier League (IPL) flowing. According to a top CSK official, they had earned Rs 12.5 crore only from gate sales last season.

"We're going to miss out on a chunk of that money," the source said, but "there's not much we can do about it. For us, it is important that the IPL happens, come what may."
They are not yet sure what their 'home ground' will be, but they're already looking to create a fan base wherever they're asked to play. "The one good thing about South Africa and England is that there's a big Indian population there. And given the success of the last season, we'll probably be able to form a decent enough fan base," the official said, adding that it's a disappointment that the fans in Chennai will miss out on the live action.

"We understand their sentiments. But at the same time, it's also true that 98 per cent of the IPL viewership comprises TV audience." the official said. The production costs will shoot up substantially for hosting the matches outside India, but the CSK top-brass is hoping that those will be shared by the IPL authorities. "We will be having discussions over the next few days. We hope to keep the expenses to manageable proportions," he added.

It's obvious that there won't be more than 16-18 players with the squad. "We have to treat it like a tour, some players will have to miss out, but then again, we've to live with it," the source added. CSK is likely to host a camp wherever their home is and will decide on the composition of the team. Luckily for CSK, all their 10 foreigners won't be available right through the tournament and they'll be able to rotate most of them.

"Freddie Flintoff is available for three weeks, at that time, Albie Morkel and Makhaya Ntini have international commitments. Then Mike Hussey, too, will play only a few matches. So, we can rotate our foreigners quite effectively," he added. Meanwhile, S. Badrinath, who is one of the certainties in the CSK team, will miss the Chepauk atmosphere, but he also believes this will be a good exposure for him. "Playing in South Africa or England will be interesting. And we really have a very balanced team that can do well anywhere," Badrinath said, adding that he'll be surprised that if the team doesn't make the semifinals.

A Televisionpoint.com News

Videocon's DTH service from April 27

After many delays, Venugopal Dhoot, chairman, Videocon Industries, has decided the launch date for his much-talked about business - direct-to-home (DTH) venture to April 27, 2009. Videocon officials said the company is targeting consumers who purchase the TV with an integrated DTH STB. To be called D2H+, the new service promises a new-age satellite TV platform that will make use of revolutionary technology.

With over 1,050 distributors and 75,000 retailers, Videocon is ensuring a strong sales network and has been recruiting sales and service staff through its media arm, Bharat Business Channel. Sources said the STB will be made at Aurangabad (Maharashtra) by Videocon with technology from Areon, Korea. Interestingly, the company has initiated an 'alpha offer' for employees. It has already distributed 15-20 STBs in six circles, and will air 57 free-to-air channels.

Videocon will be the seventh company to enter the DTH space in India even as existing players are making losses of up to Rs 1 crore a day, over subsidised set top boxes (STBs) and subscription plans. The recent entry of two more players, Airtel digital TV and Big TV, has driven down the price of STBs, hitting profitability even more.
Dish TV, the first to offer DTH services, was launched in 2003. It was followed by Doordarshan (DD) in 2004 and Tata Sky in 2006. The entry prices for a dish antenna and STB were then around Rs 5,000 while subscription plans ranged from Rs 250 for some channels to Rs 600 for a full bouquet of channels.

Govt : News channels not to air Kasab hearing clips

News channels have been asked by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to stop telecasts of the legal proceedings relating to Ajmal Amir Kasab in the wake of security concerns and the fact that the matter was sub judice. The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that such a communication was passed on by the I&B Ministry.

NBA president G Krishnan said it was, however, incorrect to say that TV channels were being called up separately in this regard, adding that the NBA itself had sent out a circular on this issue. Krishnan said the advisory had asked all member TV channels to refrain from running "any programme or news reports containing the text or details or any other similar material relating to Kasab."

The advisory also said that this would be in violation of the 'Code of Ethics and Broadcasting Standards and Guidelines' issued by it on 18 December in the wake of the 26 November terrorist attack in Mumbai. The advisory to the members issued by NBA Secretary general Annie Joesph also says that such programmes or news reports may be "prejudicial to national interest" or may "interfere" with the course of justice and may therefore also amount to "contempt of court."

In the Guidelines of the NBA, the News Broadcasting Standards Disputes Redressal Authority constituted by the NBA said television news channels should avoid any "live contact with the victims or security personnel or other technical personnel involved or the perpetrators during the course of any incident." Drawn up by Authority Chairman Justice J S Verma, the Guidelines also said "no live reporting should be made that facilitates publicity of any terrorist or militant outfit or its ideology or tends to evoke sympathy for the perpetrators or glamourises them or their cause or advances the illegal agenda or objectives of the perpetrators."

In the six-point guidelines, the Authority said the media should avoid "unnecessary repeated or continuous broadcast of archival footage that may tend to re-agitate the mind of the viewers. Archival footage, if shown, should clearly indicate 'file' and the date and time should be given where feasible."

A Indian Television news.

Back to Back Recap ;)

Vijay TV is getting popular in its program's re-edit/retelecast.. today it was with Amul's Ungalil yaar adutha Prabhudeva & Roja Kootam recap goin on whole of the afternoon. usually there would be some hollywood film but this week it was disappearing. Whats happening guys.. these days why do they telecast this way & even they stop the shows half way thru. I am sure many of us like the kind of programs that are being telecasted in Vijay TV but if they are not going to be consistant.. I am not sure how many would stick on to it..

Uravugal Round !!!

It would relationship (uravugal) round in Airtel Super Singer 2008.. I think this round even goes as expected & as the information are leaked out from the show it becomes lil boring seeing the show. Unni Menon comes back to the show as special judge this week on the show. Otherwise the show is with regular anchorers & judges.

Something about Kris Srikkanth..

Krishnamachari "Kris" Srikkanth (born December 21, 1959 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India) is a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the current chairman of the selection committee.

He made his One Day International debut against England in Ahmedabad in 1981, followed two days later by his Test debut against England at Mumbai. He made his debut at the age of 21 as an opener of the Indian team to partner Sunil Gavaskar. Both batsmen had entirely different approaches to their batting. Gavaskar was more of the orthodox technical batsman and Srikkanth was prolific hitter and a swashbuckling batsman. Srikkanth redefined batting with his power hitting and he gave so wonderful starts to the team against even the toughest of oppositions. He was gifted with good eye and super quick reflexes. Consistency was not his forte. With more technical batsman in the side during his times like Gavaskar, Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath, Shastri etc, he could fancy hitting the bowlers all over.

Srikkanth was a stylish opening batsman with a keen eye and sharp reflexes, allowing him to play aggressive attacking strokes with power and precision. Although somewhat rash in execution, which led to his downfall at times, his swashbuckling style and free scoring like were a favourite with Indian crowds, making him a popular player. As he matured, he tempered his aggression somewhat and became a mainstay of the Indian cricket team. He was an integral member of the Indian squad when they won the 1983 Prudential World Cup and 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship of Cricket. He was made the captain of the Indian team in 1989. He never hesitated to experiment like he did against England where India had a target of 260 to chase and had lost two early wickets and Srikkanth sent all-rounder Chetan Sharma to bat at number 4 and Sharma returned with a score of 103 and India won the game. He remained the captain of the team for India's tour of Pakistan in 1989 and managed to draw all the four Tests of the series, which was seen by many as an honourable result. But the selectors disappointed with his batting failures, controversially dropped him. He returned two years later and played for another year before being dropped again. By this time, he had entered the 30s and his reflexes were slowing down. He retired from international cricket in 1993 after not being picked for the South Zone team. He was the first Indian player to score a half-century and pick up 5 wickets in an ODI. He achieved this feat against New Zealand at Vishakapatnam in 1988.

After retirement he took up the mantle of coaching the India 'A' team and was a quite successful stint. He has since been a broadcaster and commentator with various sports and news channels. On September 27, 2008, he was appointed the Chief Selector of the Indian Cricket team. Kris Srikkanth was named the ambassador for the Chennai Super Kings franchise of Indian Premier League.

Srikkanth played 43 Tests for India, scoring 2,062 runs at an acceptable average of 29.88. His style was better suited to one-day internationals, where he compiled a significantly better record of 146 matches for 4,091 runs at a good average of 29.01. He also bowled off spin regularly in ODIs, taking 25 wickets at a very good average of 25.64. He also lost his flamboyance after he became captain of the Indian team.

Courtesy - Wikipedia

Krish Srikanth @ CSK Juniors..



I was thinking about Krishnamachari Srikanth's entry in the Chennai super Kings Junior selectioins in our Vijay TV. Being one of the member of CSK & even now national selector, I knew he would be invited for Chennai auditions. Its happening too..

Mayalogam goes on Roads..

Its been a wonderful journey by Mayalogam & its crew in performing different kinds of Magics with lots of Magicians into the show.. but this time its making a difference in the show itself. looks like there would be roadside & public shows being done in roads/celebrities' houses.. but this kind of magics had been done in other regional channels even. Vidya who anchors the show is coming around with the crew & Magician in auto and looks like they would go around the city. Today it was turn for Triplicane & show started with performing magics in front of Parthasarathy Perumal temple.

Chennai's Cinema theatres Unsustainable

Late last year, the venerable Kamadhenu cinema theatre in Chennai's Mylapore area screened a movie for the final time. After the curtains came down on the JK Riteesh starrer 'Nayagan,' the 50-year-old theatre became a marriage hall. Like dozens of others before it, Kamadhenu's existence as a movie hall, especially one with a single screen, had become unsustainable in Chennai, a city renowned for its film industry. While Kollywood and its Mumbai counterpart Bollywood grow at a healthy pace, the movie halls which exhibit the films they produce are fading into the sunset.

According to a recent report by FICCI and consultancy firm KPMG, India's film industry grew by over 17 per cent during the last four years and had combined revenue of nearly Rs 11,000 crore in 2008. On the other hand, the two most important centres of Indian cinema have lost dozens of movie halls each in recent years. Chennai has just 60 of them left, with its Mount Road entertainment corridor the worst hit. Mumbai has only 87 movie theatres, excluding multiplexes.

"There came a point where selling the theatre space to real estate developers was a much better business than running cinemas on Mount Road," said S Sridhar, secretary, Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners' Association.Only three out of the 13 movie halls on Mount Road remain. The rest, such as Alankar, Anand, Saffire and Wellington have given way to malls or office complexes. Vidhani RV, the secretary of the Single Theatre Owners' Association in Mumbai, said there are restrictions on the conversion of movie halls into other businesses. "Closed theatres here are being used as warehouses for odds and ends."

One of the reasons that operating movie halls in Chennai has become an unattractive proposition is that people are avoiding the trouble and expense of traveling to the city centre. They'd rather watch films at a neighbourhood cinema, hire movies or turn to direct-to-home television service providers, opines SVRM Ramanathan, president, Chennai Cinema and Film Exhibitors' Association. The surviving theatres in Chennai are adapting to survive but turning themselves into multiplexes to maintain an average sustainable occupancy rate of 40per cent. "Multiplexing a theatre actually reduces its seating capacity by putting in more screens and other recreational facilities in the place of seats," Ramanathan explained.

Another factor driving multiplexing is the increasing use of cars and need for space to park the vehicles. Typically, a parking lot for 100 cars occupies 30,000 sq ft, while a 500-seat theatre occupies only about 4,000 sq ft. "Achieving 40per cent occupancy in a 500-seater is not possible today. Only a multiplex which can survive on low occupancy and capacity by charging high rates can survive," according to Sridhar of the theatre owners' association.

Six major theatres have become multiplexes so far and two more are expected to make the change soon. In Mumbai, Vidhani said, multiplexing is not an easy option because of a rule that a theatre can be converted into a multiplex only if it houses a minimum of three screens. Vidhani is bitter that while producers recover costs from satellite rights and the home video segment, exhibitors and distributors are left to bear the brunt. He estimated the box office loss from Bollywood films at Rs 360 crore in 2008 despite investments in film industry growing.

"The losses are borne by film distributors and exhibitors. Only six of the 216 Bollywood movies released last year made profits at the box office." Vidhani says. According to Rajesh Jain of KPMG, profitability has taken a hit because of higher break even points and rising talent costs, but there is backing from private equity investors and other organised funding agencies now. But TN entertainment trade magazine editor R Ramanujam is of the view that break even for traditional theatre businesses can take 12 years and big investors are still skeptical about how the audience will respond. "It's a wait and watch period for the exhibition business now." Jain says.

A Televisionpoint.com News.
 
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