etc

Home Theatre

A brand new musical with fresh Veejays on ETC

Beginning telecast from Thursday March 11, 2004, ‘Home Theatre’ is the latest show on etc which targets the youth and the young at heart. It is the show which talks about information, gossips, previews and reviews of latest Hindi films.

For the first time ever etc is also introducing young Veejays on the channel to add their youthful charm and fun to the show with their incessant repartee and banter. Commenting on this trend Mr. Jagjit Singh Kohli, C.E.O. ETC Networks says, “This is another step towards youth centric programmes. We will be catering further to the requirements of teenagers and youngsters.”

While Amit Khanna is the source of unbound energy and pep, Pracchi Mehta reins the show in with her quite charm and wit. They compliment each other with their different personalities and hand out trivia about the film or the artiste very casually before playing the latest songs.

Home Theatre is complimenting the fact that these days when people go and watch films they do so only after seeing promos and listening to previews and reviews. So this show will bring the viewers closer to what’s hot and what’s not in a unique style.

While Amit is the guy who watches the show without getting into the technicalities, Pracchi on the other hand knows more about films and loves to talk about it as they watch these new songs on their home theatre. They compliment one’s idea of ‘family viewing day’. The set resembles a living room / TV viewing room of an urban couple. The screen will appear like Home Theatre only.

Produced by Fusion MEDIA production house ‘Home Theater’ is a bi-weekly fun show which highlights the life style of couch potatoes. ‘Home Theater’ is an hour long musical extravaganza and it will start telecasting every Thursday and Fridays at 7.30 pm from March 11, 2004.

etc is a music based entertainment channel with music dominating more than 95 % of the programming content. etc is beamed from Thaicom –3 and is a free to air digital channel. etc is watched by more then 30 million households.

DJ MANISH WINS THE MTV MOTOALERT DJ CHALLENGE

DJ Nasha spins his magic as Guest DJ!

It was a fight to the finish for the six finalists of the MTV MOTOALERT DJ Challenge at the final knock-out event held last night at Velocity, Mumbai. They spinned, they scratched and pitted their best deck skills. Amidst laser lights and cheering crowds, DJ Manish was declared winner!

The six finalists were judged by the best in the circuit including DJ Nasha, two time winner of the DMC India Championship; DJ Akbar Sami, one of India‚s pioneering DJs; Vishal Shetty promoter of premier nightclub ˆ Fire & Ice; Arjun Sankalia, Sony Music‚s head of international repertoire and Jitin Abraham, radio jockey, specialist in dance music and a member of MTV‚s TAR team. The finalists were judged for their creativity, execution of repertoire, their technical abilities, flow of music and showmanship.

On winning the trophy, DJ Manish exclaimed " Winning the MTV Motoalert DJ challenge trophy is a high I‚ve never experienced before. I am the happiest man in the world! I thank both MTV and Motorola for giving aspiring DJ‚s this platform to showcase our talent".

DJ Manish walked away not only with the MTV Motoalert DJ Challenge Trophy, but also won a Motorola E380 hand phone, an all expense paid trip to London where he gets a sum of cash to go record shopping and clubbing. He also wins a trip to Singapore where he has an opportunity to showcase his talent at Phuture in Zouk -- one of the top 5 clubs in the region. The event in Singapore will include the presence of DJ Colette, the ŒBest Breakthrough DJ‚ at 2003 DanceStar Awards.

The MTV MOTOALERT DJ Challenge will seek out five DJs from five countries - China, India, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand from September to November 2003. It is the ultimate competition for talented and aspiring DJs who will take chances with new music and indulge in the sounds that move people.

The MTV MOTOALERT DJ Challenge is an additional component to the marketing palette that has already seen the launch of the MTV MOTOALERT campaign across on-air and online platforms. With a strong emphasis on breakthrough music discoveries, the MTV MOTOALERT DJ Challenge plays well in the theme, allowing aspiring DJs to create new sounds with their talent.

The campaign can be seen across MTV Asia‚s channels on-air as well as interactive and Web strategies employed on a dedicated microsite at http://alert.mtvasia.com where visitors can get the low-down on emerging artists and a Œbehind-theˆscenes‚ grip of music breakthrough projects. The microsite also links up to Motorola websites in the region to provide a world of themed mobile phone content created by MTV for Motorola users to download onto their phones.

Motorola and MTV International signed a three-year US$75 million alliance in March 2003. This unique agreement represents Motorola‚s and MTV International‚s most significant marketing collaboration and extends MTV‚s programming and innovation from the living room to the wireless world via the power and popularity of Motorola devices.

IMI & MTV JOIN FORCES TO ANNOUNCE THE BIGGEST INDIAN MUSIC AWARDS EVER

THE MTV IMMIES!!!

AirTel to present the first ever Indian Music Excellence Awards which will be simulcast on MTV & Sony Entertainment Television

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) and MTV Networks India Today(20.9.03) informed TVDAILYONLINE on a partnership to host India‚s biggest and most credible music awards show. The Indian Music Excellence Awards (MTV IMMIES), a spectacular production, will be held in Mumbai on December 12, 2003 at the Goregaon Sports Club. Presented by AirTel, the MTV IMMIES is brought in association with LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd and Maruti - for the brand Alto.

MTV IMMIES, which is being held in the 100th year of the Indian recording industry, will be India‚s first truly world-class music awards event that will bring together a galaxy of local and International stars (to be announced later). The event will be executed by MTV India with the help of an international MTV Œexperts‚ team that has produced some of the biggest shows on the planet including the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Music Awards and MTV Asia Awards.

The MTV IMMIES will be filmed before a live audience and broadcast to over 23.5 million homes on MTV and 32 million homes on Sony Entertainment Television on December 14, 2003. The event will have a repeat telecast on MTV, Sony Entertainment Television and MAX.

MTV IMMIES has been institutionalized to acknowledge the immense contribution made by the music artistes and to celebrate their individual achievements in this arena.

Said Alex Kuruvilla, Managing Director, MTV Networks India: "This is the announcement that team MTV has been waiting with bated breath to makethe Œbaap‚ of all award shows in India is now here. Ladies & gentlemen, the MTV IMMIES. With the backing of the entire music industry, the IMI and our partners, this one‚s going to be the biggest, glitziest and most credible awards show. So, Enjoy!"

Added Mr. V.J. Lazarus, President, IMI: "It has been our desire to honour excellence in the field of music. This long felt need stands fulfilled, today, with the institution of 'IMMIES' - India's official Indian Music Excellence Awards. We have blended the experience, technical and creative expertise of MTV International, who host and execute many Award functions in different nations of the world, with the maturity, wisdom and domain strength of the Indian Music Industry to establish IMMIES as the foremost Award for Excellence in Music. IMI and MTV promise you an event extraordinaire."

"Coming together of MTV IMMIES, A. R Rahman & AirTel is indeed a historic moment for us today. We are taking our partnership a step forward after having launched the MTV youth mobile card recently," said Mr. Atul Jhambh, Chief Operating Officer, Bharti Cellular Limited, Mumbai Circle.

Mr. Kunal Dasgupta, Chief Executive Officer, Sony Entertainment Television, commented: "Sony Entertainment Television has built a leadership position in the weekends, by consistently showcasing the finest of live performances and the most prestigious Award shows. As a broadcast partner for the MTV IMMIES, Sony Entertainment Television extends its support to the music industry by bringing to Indian viewers some of the hottest performances of the year."

MTV IMMIES will honor artistes in 23 categories (list attached) across all genres of music ˆ from film to spiritual music; indipop to devotional; ghazal to international. In addition, there will be an Inspiration/Special Recognition Award for outstanding contribution to music over the years.

Any artiste performing in India is eligible for nomination to the awards. Nominations are invited for any song in Hindi or Hindi/Punjabi released in the Indian market between September 15, 2002 and September 14, 2003. Artistes from music labels that are not members of IMI are also eligible to be nominated.

An independent third party -- Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) International -- a leading research agency, along with IMI & MTV, will manage the entire nomination and voting process.

IMRB will conduct a quantitative study of the nominations received in the popular categories across seven cities (Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Bangalore, Lucknow, Indore and Hyderabad). The final nominations of the popular categories will then be put up for a ŒViewers Choice Vote‚ on MTV. Viewers can vote for their favourite nominees via mtvindia.com, SMS or through on-ground polling booths at MTV hangouts.

In the ghazal, devotional/spiritual and classical /fusion categories, the winners will be decided by a jury consisting of IMI & MTV members, while an IMI & MTV International Label Committee will decide the International winners. A separate Executive Nomination Committee nominated by IMI & MTV will decide the recipient of the Inspiration/Special Recognition Award.

The MTV IMMIES will be promoted via a big bang multimedia marketing campaign. MTV India will turn into ŒAwards TV‚ for four months this year. This will include over 80 hours of dedicated programming on the channel and over 1700 promos. This will be supported by print advertising in national dailies and magazines, outdoor billboards across 4 cities, a 10-city ground contact program, online promotions on www.mtvindia.com and much more.

The Indian Music Industry (IMI) is a consortium of over 50 music companies including several prominent regional and national labels acting such as SAREGAMA, Universal Music, Tips, Venus, Magnasound, BMG Crescendo, Sangeetha, Sony Music, Virgin, Milestone through their principal officers and representing over 75% of the output in legitimate recordings and a wide range of musical repertoire. IMI strives to protect the rights of phonogram producers and in the process promote the development of musical culture.

The MTV IMMIES will get to Indian audiences the same caliber of world-class music awards that MTV produces worldwide which include the Video Music Awards (in its 20th year), the MTV Europe Music Awards (in its 10th year) and closer home the MTV Asia Awards (since 2001).

Cinevistaas' launches music of its debut film

`Sssshhh...'

Cinevistaas Limited released the Audio cassettes and Compact Discs of its debut film Sssshhh... at the J.W Marriot, Mumbai. Actor Ajay Devgan and his wife Kajol were assigned the honors of releasing the first CD and Audio cassette to the public. The music of the film has been released through T-Series.

Besides the two luminary from the Indian film industry, veteran actress Tanuja, newly appointed Rajya Sabha MP Dara Singh, Singer Talat Aziz, Alka Yagnik, Sanjay Gupta, Ken Ghosh, Cleo Isaac, Designer Ashley Rebello, Sohail Khan, the viva girls, Sameera Reddy were present amongst other. Television magnates Kunal Dasgupta, and Tarun Katial were also present.

Making a debut in the film is Tanisha, Kajol's younger sister and daughter of veteran actress Tanuja, who is all set to take her first bow as an actress. Convent educated, she always wanted to be a nun but fate proved otherwise and she ended up with a B.A. in Media & Communication from the University of New South Wales in Australia and then came back home to enter Bollywood.

Says Tanisha on her debut film, “Sssshhh... is an out and out bang-boom-thriller, Yes, I was bit nervous initially. There were some difficult scenes too. But I give credit to Pawanji who made things easy for me. I have to be very physical in this film, besides all the screaming, I also do interesting, different and difficult characterization. It has given me immense satisfaction and I'm sure the audience will love me in it”.

Sssshhh... is an edge-of-the-seat thriller and music is a major highlight of this spine-chilling murder mystery. The songs soulfully penned by Dev Kohli, Yogesh, Raahat Indori and Praveen Bhardhwaj and set to life by renowned names from the music industry including Adnan Sami, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Shaan, and Sonu Nigam. Engineered by Ace Composer Anu Malik who believes that this album is amongst one of his best works.

Speaking at the launch Sunil Mehta, Managing Director of Cinevistaas Ltd, “The romantic and passionate melodies created by ace composer Anu Malik will warm the hearts of music lovers everywhere.”

Directed by Pavan S. Kaul and Cinematography by Hiroo Keswani, the film has been shot extensively at exquisite locations in Shimla, Kulu Manali, Goa, Khandala, Bangkok and the Poda Island in Thailand. Along with Tanisha, the film also stars Dino Morea and Karan Nath in the leads with Simone Singh, Gaurav Kapur, Suvarna Jha, Kushal Punjabi, Teena Choudhry, Shivaji Satam, Arvin Tucker, Maya Alagh, and Aly Khan.

With Sssshhh.... Cinevistaas makes its foray into filmmaking after a long and successful stint in television software programming. It has achieved many landmarks and firsts in the TV industry having produced highly acclaimed serials like Gul Gulshan Gulfam, Junoon, Noor Jahan and Jai Mata Ki. Currently it is producing top rated shows like Sanjivani – A Medical Boon for Star Plus and Crime Patrol for Sony Entertainment Television.

HOLLYWOOD'S DANCE GURU TO JENNIFER LOPEZ, NSYNC, BRITNEY SPEARS, CHRISTINA AGUILERA AT BOLLYWOOD MUSIC AWARDS.

Ever wonder what it takes to transform a good-looking artist into a musical pop icon? Its one thing to sound good in the studio, but looking good onstage just may be the real key to building a superstar. Ushering a fresh-sounding artist from the studio to the stage requires a special set of skills unto itself. So when it's time for the music label executives to introduce their new chart-toppers to the world stage, the only choice for creative guidance is Darrin Henson.

Infusing musical talent with a sense of credibility and authenticity onstage is the speciality of Darrin, a Bronx native who has emerged as the hottest, most sought after choreographer in the popular music industry today. Darrin's objective is always to help the artist capture and express, physically, the mood and feel of each song. His ability to realize and focus on the strengths of each artist he works with has put him at the forefront of his field. Earlier this year, Darrin took on the creative process of directing and choreographing Jennifer Lopez's opening number to the American Music Awards “Love Don't Cost A Thing” as well as the choreography for this video which hit number one on MTV's Total Request Live. He has added the Spice girls to his extensive list of talent choreographing their video “Holla.” Today, Henson is a three-time nominee on the MTV Video Music Awards. Winning choreographer of the year in 2000 for “Bye, Bye, Bye” by *NSYNC. In addition, his choreography include working with Britney Spears, Michael Jackson, Jordon Knight, Vanessa Williams, Christina Aguilera, the Artist formerly known as Prince, Enrique Iglesias, Deborah Cox, Marky Mark, C&C Music Factory, and Salt n Pepa. He is also starring in Showtime drama, “Soul Food” playing lead character Lem, which is in its second season.

On more than one occasion, his expertise has landed him on the choreographic stage of the American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards, Soul Train Awards and MTV Video Music Awards.

Over the years, millions of South Asians have made their homes outside of India, yet each of them retains a warm and vibrant link with their motherland through the medium of music. The Bollywood Music Awards will be a celebration of this link and of music!

The Bollywood Music Awards will be a gala event of international stature honoring the outstanding achievement of Indian singers and music-makers.

The Bollywood Music Awards are the largest South Asian event in the WORLD with the largest gathering of South Asian musicians and artists ever along with celebrities, singers, musicians, mimics, comedians, world-class dancers and more will take place on Saturday, Nov 1^st 2003 at the Mark G Etess Arena in the Trump Taj Mahal Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Most extensive and elaborate preparations are underway to make the Bollywood Music Awards a spectacular, dazzling, and historic event.

Celebrities from the Indian and American music industries will attend the event!

Darrin Henson will be awarded the “International Choreography Award” at the prestigious Bollywood Awards on November 1^st, 2003 at the Trump Taj Mahal. Darrin is honored and feels proud that the Bollywood Industry has recognized his work, “I love the Indian culture and am so happy to there and I wish to congratulate Kamal Dandona and his team, the Bollywood Group for globalizing Bollywood and recognizing American talent.” Darrin also has the very successful DVD “Darrin's Dance Grooves” which has sold millions of copies and is currently performing workshops in the USA and globally. Darrin has also partnered up with Neil Prashad, a senior executive committee member of the Bollywood Music Awards with in a venture called “Sacred Dance,” a workshop tour that will highlight Neil's motivational talks on Dance as a “sacred exercise and not only a physical retreat.”