Ra.One’s 3 day collections soars to Rs 570 million... Neither Bodyguard nor 3 Idiots were able to touch this

I was recently at the MAMI Film Festival which had an open forum every afternoon. On one such afternoon the topic at the forum was “The relevance of film reviews: Do they really matter today …?” which had Mayank Shekhar, Bhawana Somaaya, Nikhil Advani, Anupama Chopra and Meenakshi Shedde discussing about the relevance and reality behind the film reviews. The bone of contentions that day was do the traditional film reviews really matter in establishing the credibility of the film (or trashing it)? Are many of these reviews bought or influenced and are examples of different forms of corruption. Or are their honest, righteous reviewers still that influence or guide the way people go to watch it in the theaters or in any other form. I vividly remember Mayank Shekhar saying that while he was in Midday he had written an SRK film off and that too on the front page, while in reality later it was found to be a block buster.

Ra.One is one such film. This is again one more film that got critics wrong, absolutely throwing cinema buffs off-guard with their complete negative review. The entire media was there ready to rip this film. One tabloid even went to the extent of pasting pics side by side of certain shots of the original from Hollywood with Ra.One.  However, the box office records are something to throw these critics offguard now as Ra.One box office collection for merely three days crosses Rs 570 million mark. It is a record of sort for any Indian movie and time for the critics to eat their words. SRK has proved he is the Badshah - the King Khan and his biggest gamble - Ra.One got an unanimous verdict – Hats off SRK for giving such a film.

But just as a Badshah, he not only takes his leadership role seriously and effortlessly but also takes risks which no other dare do. If he can be the romantic king, he can also play the Asoka or the village spirit in Paheli. Dare anyone else do that. He is also not a one film a year wonder nor rips his shirt to prove his macho image – the only selling point? Or just banking on some South Indian blockbuster remakes and re-styling, where there’s no risk involved? But SRK goes beyond the limits and mostly wins, though like a lesser mortal he loses too, sometimes. This time to the critics.

Even as the debate goes on, RA.One' is going strong at the box office despite the festive season when people normally prefer to stay at home. Ra.One’s first day collection was around Rs 185 million - ofcourse below Bodyguard for a variety of reason and for one, Diwali is a festival which people spend time at home doing pujas, having relatives visit them and all, unlike an Id when Bodyguard was released. Day two, the collection skyrocketed to Rs. 251 million which is the highest collection ever by any Hindi film on a single day and Ra.One’s 3 day collections have soared to Rs 570 million which neither Bodyguard nor 3 Idiots were able to touch.

In the overseas market, the breakup for 'RA.One' in the UK market is also out. The film has garnered £ 187,468, £ 160,020 and £ 170,000 on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday respectively. This makes the overall collection in the UK market touch £ 520,000 so far.

One dashing Male makes an entry – Other from Bigg Boss 5 House, Evicted!

If there is one thing that the Bigg Boss house has in abundance this year, it’s women! Bigg Boss Season 5 kicked off with 12 female contestants, 1 transgender and 1 male contestant. Now, as the show completes its fourth week, the equation has definitely changed - with the house currently hosting 8 female contestants, 1 transgender and 4 male contestants.

And to add to the Diwali weekend special, the ladies had a special guest visiting them – Ranbir Kapoor who not only visited the sets of Bigg Boss 5 – Aapka Farman to promote his upcoming movie Rockstar, but also made it a point to string his guitars with Sunju Baba. And if this wasn’t enough, the actor entered the house and spoke to the contestants in person. He had a good time with the lovely female contestants after a jamming session with Sunju baba. It was said that Ranbir was very keen to have a conversation with the ladies – especially so because they are ‘trapped’ in the house with a handful men. And he not only cheered them up but even broke into a jig with Lakshmi.

On the other hand, Shakti kapoor was evicted last nite after a dance and drama session. However, Shakti was not the only one on radar as Mahek Chahal, Pooja Bedi and Shraddha Sharma were also on the nomination list for eviction this week. The nerves and tension began to rise in the house which was evident from the flaring tempers that audiences witnessed this week. However, in the end, the first and only male then to enter the Bigg Boss House, Shakti Kapoor was evicted from the show.

Hai ye mujre ki raat akhri..

Shakti Kapoor was the only male inside the house for the first week of Bigg Boss Season 5. While his reputation of being a ladies man preceded him, Shakti changed everyone's minds and emerged as the father-figure of the house. He stayed away from conflict and fights and chose to remain neutral as often as possible. Shakti always maintained that he missed the company of his family during the show and was happy to prove to them that he could lead a happy life without his daily dose of alcohol. During his stay in the house, Shakti bonded with not only the female contestants that started the journey with him, but also with the men that provided the much-needed testosterone in the following weeks. Rumoured to have created an extremely close bond with Vida and Shraddha, Shakti also managed to win the hearts of the other contestants, especially during his stint as the captain of the house during the first two weeks of the show. While in the first three weeks, Shakti was able to win hearts, his strategy of influencing house mates to nominate each other was revealed during his final week in the house and the ever diplomatic Shakti was put in the midst of controversy. But will there be no more games being played inside the house now that the mastermind is out?

To find out, don't miss Vodafone presents Bigg Boss 5 at 10.00pm, only on COLORS..

Jaanleva 555 exclusive special preview at Mumbai. Next Stop at Los Angeles

Jaanleva 555 that is all set to have an exclusive first preview screening in Hollywood, Los Angeles on November 4, was shown to a few select audiences in Mumbai pre-diwali. However, unlike the first preview show in Los Angeles, California on November 4th 2011 that will be a fund raiser for a critical medical cause, the Mumbai screening was just for a few friends before Producer / Actor Kalpana Pandit flew off to the US. The medical cause for which funds will be raised shall be revealed only during the first preview show. Glue, LLC of Hollywood has acquired the representation rights for Jaanleva 555

Directed by Sundeep Malani, Jaanleva 555 is a mystical romantic thriller set in the exotic jungle locales of India. To release in February 2012, Jaanleva is sure to sneak up, messes with your head, and then floor you. You can't shake it. It's that haunting, that hypnotic. As the film moves back and forth from one bygone era to todays times, the movie is bound to keep the viewers enthralled.

Starring Kalpana Pandit, Jaanleva 555 will be introducing supermodel Abrar Zahoor as leading man. It also stars Cliff Janke, Akash Hora, Willy Manchanda, Mann Hora, Shona Chabra, Anant Vijay Joshi & Ranjeet Jha. Renowned actor Anant Nag has a very crucial role to play in this film and is just brilliant to watch. But Ranjeet Jha plays a really interesting character.

Though not to reveal the plot and the storyline, the focus is very much on character development, and the central mystery itself keeps you involved. The film is pretty much moving fast and takes unexpected turns when you least expect it. With a solid storyline and excellent breathtaking locales which are a rare treat to watch, the film has good performances by Kalpana and a dashing performance by Cliff Janke. Not a masterpiece though, but overall it is engaging as it twists conventions and then goes down a very unique path making it interesting. In short can say, Sundeep Malani has poured his heart and everything he knows about directing into Jaanleva.

The Jaanleva Team.. 

The film will enthrall audiences with thirteen foot tapping melodies composed by seven fresh music directors from India and USA. The lilting and foot tapping musical numbers are composed by Dev Chauhan on lyrics by Sanjay Mishra. The film boasts of fresh talented playback singers Raja Hasan Sagar, Ajay Shukla, Deepa Narayan, Pamela Jain, Aditi Paul and Tarannum Mallick. House of Pandit is proud to state that ace choreographer Longie Fernandez of "Jai Ho" Slumdog Millionaire fame has consented to choreograph the chartbuster title track of the film. Besides this, well known dancers from a reality show will choreograph songs for the film. With Cinematography by Selvam, the film has script screenplay written by Sundeep Malani himself. This is the maiden feature film production from the “House of Pandit" banner.

This film is unique in that it pledges donation of a percentage of the net profits to a critical medical cause in relation to the exciting storyline. The cause will be revealed at the premiere of the film. However, to take this medical cause forward, celebrities from the Indian Film and Television Industry have been gracious enough to film public service messages to support this critical medical cause associated with Jaanleva 555. 

Ranbir Kapoor to come to Bigg Boss House today

If there is one thing that the Bigg Boss house has in abundance this year, it’s women!  And with hunks being a rare breed this season, hot dude Ranbir Kapoor is expected set the barometer raising. In the special episode to be aired today, there is buzz that Ranbir Kapoor along with singer Mohit Chouhan would be visiting the show and would be seen socialising a bit with the women in the house.

Yes, being a Diwali weekend, and with Rockstar due for release, Ranbir has taken the small-screen route to promote the film. Naturally, the ladies will have this special guest visiting them along with singer Mohit Chauhan, will be visiting the sets of Bigg Boss 5 – Aapka Farman to promote his upcoming movie Rockstar. While it is still not confirmed if the actor will enter the house and speak to the contestants in person, we have heard that Ranbir is very keen to have a conversation with the ladies – especially so because they are ‘trapped’ in the house with a handful men. Ladies Man, Ranbir has, in fact, even managed to convince Mohit to try to convince Sanjay Dutt so that they can get a glimpse of the women inside the house. Will Sanjay Dutt give in and give Ranbir Kapoor a chance to chat up the ladies?

To find out, don’t miss Vodafone presents Bigg Boss 5 – Aapka Farman today, October 29 at 10.00pm, only on COLORS.

Emotional Atyachar and Bigg Boss 5

Day 26: The day starts with yet another fight as Pooja Misra & Vida get into an argument over a kamarband which is supposedly Vida’s. Vida claims that it had fallen down a couple of days back which Pooja Misra had picked up conveniently and kept it with her. This really upsets Vida and she goes and talks to Mahek about it.

After a while Lakshmi, Amar & Siddharth are talking about Pooja Misra and her psychotic behavior in the house over the past few days. They feel that fighting with people is like an addiction for her, and that she literally cannot survive without arguing or fighting with someone or the other. They come to an agreement that something needs to be done with her as she is just crossing all limits & being a burden instead of a buddy to everyone.

In a bit, Pooja Misra joins the party on the dining table and taunts Amar for a statement he had made. Amar doesn’t hold back from taunting her back. After a while, Lakshmi intervenes in their conversation and lightens up the atmosphere by cracking a few jokes on Pooja Misra. Shraddha aned Siddharth were washing the dishes as Sky walks in and offers t help. Shradhha obliges him by giving him her job and she walks away coolly. Later Sky realizes that what he thought was a two minute job is actually a major job. Siddharth & Sky are found laughing thinking as to how foolish the idea of offering help was.

After sometime, Bigg Boss calls all the housemates to the living room to make an announcement. Once all are present in the living room, Bigg Boss punishes Pooja Misra, Pooja Bedi & Vida for talking in English despite several warnings. The punishment was that all three shall be tied with handcuffs until the next announcement, also at any point of time only one of the three can be seated and the rest would need to stand.  Pooja Misra & Pooja Bedi start blaming Vida for the punishment as they claimed that she is the sole reason why people feel the need to talk in English.

 Pooja Bedi & Pooja Misra sang a Bhajan in front of the camera to Bigg Boss in order to apologize. Then, the boys of the house have a little gossip session of their own as they discuss who will be evicted in the upcoming Aapka Farmaan.  They come to a conclusion of their own and feel that Pooja Bedi has the highest chances of getting evicted. On the other end Shraddha & Amar talk about the coming weeks’ nominations & plan as to between whom they can create a fight for their personal benefit.

 An emotional Pooja Bedi starts crying to Bigg Boss and expresses that she is being used, abused and insulted time & time again throughout the show. After a while, just before the lights go off Bigg Boss relieves the punished from the handcuffs and all are tired and go to sleep.

To be a part of the action, don’t miss Vodafone presents Bigg Boss 5 at 10.30pm, only on COLORS

Oscar winning Kidman says she saved their joint interview for Australia with Oprah

This Sunday, watch Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban join Oprah on stage for their very first interview together, right in their home country only on Big CBS. Oprah Winfrey gave the couple a warm welcome with a rousing round of applause from the thousands of fans present. Urban was looking sleek in all black, while Kidman looked graceful and elegant in a flowing white dress.

It was in plain view how obviously in love the couple is, with Urban keeping his arm around Kidman the entire time. The happy couple had both appeared on ‘Oprah’ not too long ago, but they were interviewed separately. As they sat down together for their first joint interview, Kidman said, “We saved it for Australia.”

As Oprah got the interview underway, it was clear that the country singer has quite a sense of humor. When Oprah asked what the biggest difference was that they saw between Aussies and Americans. Kidman went on to elaborate while Urban jokingly replied, “The accent.” Urban continued to joke as Oprah asked what they liked to do when they visited their homeland. Kidman answered, “We swim in the ocean,” while Urban said, “Chat with you.”

The show came to an end with a stellar performance of Peter Allen’s ‘I Still Call Australia My Home’ by the Australian Children’s Choir. Urban crooned a few lines as well, followed by Kidman. Nicole Kidman who seemed a bit shy about singing in front of such a large crowd was egged on by Keith Urban by saying, “Take it away girl!”

Urban and Kidman recently added a new bundle of joy to their family, baby girl Faith Margaret, who was born via surrogate. The couple also has a 2-year-old daughter, Sunday Rose.

Don’t forget to tune into BIG CBS to catch the Grand Finale of Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure, on 30 October, 2011 at 8: 00 PM.

Lets celebrate Diwali amidst the gleam of Diyas and the echo of the chants leaving all egos, bitterness and pessimism

In India, there's a festival every full moon-lit night, but no time of the year are the halwais as busy as during this festival that falls on Amavasya. On Diwali even the most self-conscious have their strict diet regimens flying out of the window, as they bite into an array of delicacies. In fact the B-town brigade has already started indulging even as they tell Films & TV World, how they are gonna celebrate and what's on their wish list.

Jackie Bhagnani

Actor / Dancer / Singer / Cook

We are gonna celebrate Diwali in a splendid way with family and friends. We do puja at home. The whole family comes together.

Sakshi Tanwar

Actor

Festivals have always been an important ingredient in Bollywood flicks and now serials that are enjoyed watching by all. And these days, every serial on air has some or the other grandiose plans for their characters to celebrate Diwali and other festivities in the grandeur way. And as Priya in Bade Achche Lagte Hai, I will be celebrating Diwali in a big way. So I’m celebrating in the grandest way possible. Additionally, my audiences will get to see both me and Ram Kapoor on KBC also. That was as Priya. But, as Sakshi, I will celebrate Diwali in a very simple way with family and friends. I also hope that everyone celebrates a safe Diwali and be careful.

Jass Bhatia

Actor - Mausam (Debuted with Shahid Kapoor and Sonam)

Diwali as usual I will celebrate with my family and friends at my place only - No crackers, no pollution, only candles and diyas. Will go to Gurudwara and pray for me and my family's best future and pray for other people too who lost their beloved in blasts and terrorism in past days, May god support them all and give them courage and happiness. Help aspiring actors and models who really wish to work in Bollywood.

After Mausam I got few movie offers, but I’m looking for something that is more challenging.  After working with such a big Banner like Cinergy and legends like Pankaj Kapur ji and Shahid kapur ji in my debut film, I am hungry for better characters. Hope for the best.

Dia Mirza:

Actor

Like everyone else, even I'll celebrate Diwali with my family.

Girish Nagpal

Actor - Strings of Passion, The Sound of Silence

A daily ritual, my Diwali will start with few chapters from the Bhagvad Geeta, a thanksgiving prayer to the lord for all that I have received till now, and then gorge on sweets and namkeens with family and friends. Would also go out and meet relatives and friends, catch some good movies and Ra.One is top on the charts. Though I am very much a part of this industry, yet I’m not a party animal. So I will be more indoors than outdoors. But, I’m sure going to enjoy to the hilt. Wishing you all a safe and Happy Diwali.

Kartik Tiwari

Actor  - Pyaar ka Punchnama

Well going to miss my family this diwali as I’m not at my native place Gwalior. So will be celebrating here in Mumbai with my friends. Im raring to light up diyas ans burst crackers. This Diwali have done lots of shopping - new range of T-shirts & trousers and looking forward to buy some suits. I wish all of you a Very Happy and have a safe Diwali. 

Sulagna Panigrahi

Actor - Murder 2

Well, first of all am very happy this year to be back after 2yrs at my home town Delhi. Going to celebrate This Diwali with family and friends making rangoli and lightining up diyas. Also going to do a lot of shopping as Delhi is good place for shopping. Gonna purchase lots of Indian clothes. A message I want to give all of you. Have a safe Diwali. Kids should burn limited crackers so that there is less pollution

Rajat Barmecha

Actor - Udaan

Diwali as usual I will celebrate with my family and friends at my place only - No crackers, no pollution, only candles and diyas. And the best part is my Mom & Dad are flying to be here with me. This is the best Diwali gift I could ever wish for.

Rishi Bhutani

Actor

Like everyone else, even I'll celebrate Diwali with my family and friends with lots of mithais, but no crackers. And ya, please, please, please… Have a safe and pleasant Diwali and please be careful with crackers.

DJ Ashish Nagpal

DJ, Music Director

No crackers for me. I hope there was a better way to celebrate Diwali without polluting the atmosphere and adding hazards to others lives. So what if its second hand smoke, but it does kill. It's dangerous and bad for health. Have a smoke free Diwali.

Devrath Sikdar

Music Director - Vikalp, Payback, Strings of Passion

Looking forward to my first married Diwali. The best things about diwali are the lights and the sweets. As I have an aversion to crackers, I really don’t enjoy it so much. Will have a good time at home as my brother will be coming down from Pune to celebrate the festival with me.

 

Ravikant Singh

Director – Short Films

This is the first Diwali that I am celebrating without my friends and family back home, Yet, this is still special for reasons more than one. Kick starting my career and the plunge to fulfill my dreams are one among them. I have some really close friends out here in Mumbai and planning to be a part of their festivities, so that the day after Diwali I find a rejuvenated me.

Sundeep Malani

Director

I will be celebrating this Diwali with my family at Bangalore. We will be celebrating together with diyas, mithais and ofcourse my film Jaanleva 555 that I plan to show to my family - that’s the best gift to them. This is because they haven’t seen it yet and my wife and my son are very much part of the project!

 

Seema Thakur

Photographer

Ye Deepwali ka tyohaar hai. Khoob saare diye jhalaa kar, pure ghar ko sajaa kar, achi achi mithaiyaan banakar, sab rishthey daaro ko bulakar, sundar sundar rangoli banakar, khuub diye hum sab jalayenge, Maa Laxmi ji ko bulayenge, kheel batashain mithaiyan phool malayen chadayenge aur sab khushi khushi deepawali manayenge. I’m not very fond of crackers but sometimes due to the seasons I enjoy them safely. After marriage this is our first Diwali and me and Arpit have planned to celebrate it with our family, relatives and dear ones.

Ashish Rampal

Director - Short Films

I plan to celebrate this auspicious day with my family amidst the diyas and crackers and follow it by going to relatives places the next day for exchange sweets as is the tradition. I would definetly love to buy a canon DSLR.. for Diwali.. for better film-making.. Happy Diwali to all.

Mohan Das

Producer / Director (Eon Films)

It is the time of the year to celebrate the "Triumph of Good over Evil" and the zeal and fervor of the festival is very evident seeing the streets and nukkads. The time of the year to let go off all egos, bitterness and pessimism and embark on a new journey amidst the gleam of Diyas and the echo of the chants. It is the time to begin new ventures, to spread light, burst crackers, count your blessings and share your happiness. Isn’t this real essence of Diwali...the festival of lights?

And a special piece of advice to the workaholics who are blindly engaged in competing to be a part of the rat race and are getting entangled in the materialistic web with each passing day. Spend time with your family, friends and children. Make them feel special...Indulge in fun and frolic. And you will surely feel a new sense of vigour and vivacity in whatever work you are engaged in for the entire year.


Siddharth

Actor (Serials like Shobha Somnath Ki, Kasam Se, Jhaansi Ki Rani)
Avoid noisy and dangerous crackers.. Lets just wish Happy Diwali, instead of Happy and Safe Diwali.. HAPPY DIWALI.... Keep it simple..

Anant Vijay Joshi
Actor - Jaanleva 555, Woh 5 Din..
This is the first Diwali that I am celebrating outside home without friends and family and missing them all. Yet, I will be celebrating it with my uncle (Mama) and family who are based here. I just wanna wish all of you lots of love and togetherness as I’m yearning for my close ones. Have a pollution free Diwali. This is the only earth we have and lets do our bit to save it.

Aviral Sachdeva
Actor (Bengali Films)

No matter where I am I like to be back home with my parents for Diwali. It was no different this year. We decorated the house with diyas and lights, mom prepared traditional mithais… some traditions we don’t want to change. And we are happy with it. I gorged on sweets, burnt a lot of crackers and did a lot of masti and fun. And ya, Ra.One is top on the list and I have to see it in 3D.

Akash Hora

Actor - Jaanleva, Jo Jo Laali, Woh 5 Din..

This Diwali like all the previous ones, is traditionally being celebrated with my family and friends while mom seems to be busy with the preparation for Laxmi pooja, I enjoy watching her making sweets decorating house etc. This Diwali I am trying to help my mom in decorating the house with candles and lamps its giving me a very special feeling. After doing the pooja I am planning to burn lots of crackers with my bro and friends. I would end up this Diwali night with delicious food by my mom and pray for the happiness of all the dear ones in my life.

With inputs from Pooja Dutta, Aditya Koley and Kritika Kapur

Diwali and Fight-a-Thon..

Day 24: The weekly task of making 500 candles by each team can be quite taxing in such a small period of time. The housemates were giving in their level best in order to complete this task successfully, in fact they were so engrossed in it that a few of the housemates ended up staying awake all night! The teams were determined to win the battle against time & enjoy the luxury budget this time around.

Siddharth & Lakshmi were working on the candles even early in the morning. After being exhausted from all the hard work, a tired Siddharth had walked up to Pooja Misrra who was snoozing in her room. A patient Sidharth tried waking Pooja Misrra up politely, but the stubborn model refused to cooperate. An agitated Siddharth storms out of the room after giving her a piece of her mind & starts discussing the problem with Mandeep. While Mandeep & Sidharth are in the middle of a conversation, a sleepy Pooja barges into Siddharth’s elbow & almost slips from the stairs. A furious Pooja starts abusing Siddharth accusing him of pushing her with his elbow intentionally! An innocent Siddharth loses his cool & starts abusing the living day lights out of Pooja. Mandeep who was neutral tried to intervene & explain to Pooja that it was a genuine accident & not an intentional move! A disgusted Pooja & Siddharth were still going at each other with much hate & anger. The fight goes on for a while until the two are forcefully kept away from each other.  

An unaware Shraddha walks up to Siddharth to find out what was happening. Siddharth tells her that their team was falling quite short of resources as Pooja Misrra & Mandeep did not contribute to the task. The two get into a discussion in order to find a solution. After a while, an upset Pooja Misrra walks up to Amar to share her opinion on her fight with Siddharth. Amar listens to her side of the story & refuses to take any action against Siddharth as he feels it is unfair for him to comment since he was absent at the time of the incident. On hearing this, Pooja Misrra loses her temper completely & starts accusing Amar of being an unfair, self centered & a heartless guy!

Amar Upadhyay was very patient until Pooja made such harsh comments on him. Boiling with anger Amar starts to fight back with Pooja Misrra & starts calling her all sorts of things. He tells her that she acts mentally instable & that she really needs some medical help! A furious Amar accuses Pooja for being extremely unreasonable & irrational. The two again are put to safe distance from each other in order to curb the fight. While one would think some peace is restored, Pooja Bedi & Shraddha are the next culprits for causing yet another fight! Pooja Bedi & Mahek were sitting in the verandah and chatting up about the amount of bitchiness spreading in the house.

Shraddha enters the verandah & interrupts the conversation. She lashes out at Pooja Bedi & starts insulting her with rather demeaning words. She accuses Pooja Bedi of being a “tuchhi” in the industry & tells her that even her children would be ashamed of their 45 year old mother trying to look & act like a young gun. An agitated Pooja Bedi is extremely furious at Shraddha & asks her to keep her mouth shut & mind her own business. She tells her very sternly to stop doubting & commenting on her character.

To calm things down after such a brutal day, Bigg Boss announces & requests the housemates to maintain some peace at least during the lovely festival of lights & try & live with each other in some harmony. Bigg Boss wishes all a very Happy Diwali & tells the housemates that they are in for a pleasant surprise very soon!

To be a part of the action, don’t miss Vodafone presents Bigg Boss 5 at 10.30pm, only on COLORS

Meet the woman behind Oprah’s illustrious career Oprah Winfrey Show

For the first time ever, this Wednesday on Big CBS Love, the hosts of the renowned American talk show, ‘The View’, Barbara Walters, Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sherri Shepherd and Elisabeth Hasselbeck appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Since its debut, The View has become a pop culture phenomenon. The women have made this show news worthy by taking on interesting and engaging topics, pushing the buttons on politicians and having some very heated discussions. 

This is the co-producer Barbara Walters’s fourth appearance on The Oprah Show. At her first appearance, Oprah told her audience, "Here I am today, I think, because I pretended to be Barbara Walters for the first year of my broadcasting career in television and look where it got me." Barbara jokingly reminds Oprah of this and assets that she is responsible for the latter’s career.

Actress, singer and comedian Whoopi Goldberg plays the moderator on the show. She says ‘The View’ is the first steady, every day job she's had and that it's a constant struggle remembering not to get in trouble. She says, “We can have a spirited discussion about abortion and then talk about French ticklers.” Whoopi recently spoke of her struggle with drug addiction on the show, calling herself a "functioning drug addict" at one point. She declares she doesn't regret making that statement. 

Comedian Joy Behar is the only original member of ‘The View’ other than Barbara. For the last 28 years, Joy has been in a relationship with who she calls her "spousal equivalent." A few years ago, they got engaged but Joy eventually called it off. "I get scared by marriage," she says. "I've decided I'll marry him on my death bed because then when they say ‘'Till death do you part,' it will only be five more minutes." 

Along with her job co-hosting ‘The View’, Sherri Shepherd has been busy planning her upcoming Chicago wedding to her fiancé, Lamar Sally. Sherri's even including her friends from ‘The View’ in her nuptials—Barbara is throwing her shower, and Elisabeth is one of her eight bridesmaids.

When discussions on The View turn to politics, Elisabeth Hasselbeck sometimes finds herself all alone as she typically represents the Conservative position, but she says she never feels picked on. She describes their conversations as fun and challenging.  

Talking about their second jobs, Barbara says she heads over to ABC News where she prepares for interviews and specials. Joy's day continues with her nightly interview show. Sherri hosts The Newlywed Game. Whoopi goes to work producing a Broadway musical based on her movie Sister Act. 

Watch these remarkable ladies on Oprah Winfrey show on Wednesday, October 26 at 8pm, exclusively on BIG CBS LOVE.

Diwali Bonanza: Bigg Boss 5 housemates receives gifts in some form or the other

We all know that time just flies, but when occasions like the most celebrated festival of the country- Diwali is on the course, not many would complain. This season the Bigg Boss housemates will get a chance to celebrate the festival of lights with & without their families! Wondering how? Well most of the housemates’ families have sent some special gifts & messages for their loved ones. Though the housemates cannot spend any time with their dear ones, they will enjoy the benefit of getting the best of wishes from them. The housemates are going to be thrilled, excited & pleasantly surprised!

Shakti Kapoor’s family has sent him quite a few goodies in the form of clothes, Pooja Thali, & most importantly a letter. The letter was addressed by his wife & daughter with both stating how proud they were of him, as to what an inspirational leader he has been & how amazingly he has maintained safe distance from 13 other strange women! The lovely lady from Afghanistan aka Vida has received a photo frame & some chocolates. Although Vida doesn’t get along too well with her family, the Afghan beauty has received a very adorable picture of her with her mother. While Amar Upadhyay formerly known as the favorite beta of Indian television, seems to be on the verge of becoming the ladies man of Bigg Boss yet again, as he received a few personal gifts & 13 necklaces! Well the necklaces have been sent for all the pretty women in the house from his daughter. So let’s not get any ideas! 

While most of the housemates have received gifts in some form or the other, the rest have not been so lucky! Will this create any rifts amongst the housemates? Or will all come together, join hands & celebrate the victory of good over evil?

To be a part of the action, don’t miss Vodafone presents Bigg Boss 5 tonight at 10.30pm, only on COLORS

Trying to perform a stunt, Hugh Jackman ends up hurting himself on Oprah’s finale

The Oprah Winfrey Show on BIG CBS LOVE recently showcased the ltimate Australian Adventure and celebrated it with great pomp and show. But the journey has come to an end now and the finale won’t be any less then the colorful journey. The guest list of the special finale includes Australian superstars Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, U2’s Bono, Hugh Jackman and Olivia Newton-John. But the star-studded evening had a little mishap too.

On the eve of Oprah Ultimate Australian Adventure finale, the Real Steel actor, Hugh Jackman takes everyone by surprise and makes a dramatic entrance. But the entrance takes an ugly turn when Hugh who was attempting to enter the stage by riding on the flying fox slams into the rigging. The actors timing of hitting the brakes wasn’t quite right and Wolverine ends up injuring his eyes and bleeding profusely. 

The team reacted faster than expected and immediately took the actor away from the set. This unfortunate event resulted in suspension of the show. The actor was soon after giving right medication.

Even as the shoot took an ugly turn, there was no stopping for the Australian dare devil. Hugh Jackman returns on the sets with a bang and carries on with his scheduled interview segment, sporting an adhesive bandage over the wound and a black eye.

Watch the stunning actor Hugh Jackman and other Australians celebrities on the Grand Finale of Oprah’s Ultimate Australian Adventure only on BIG CBS LOVE, on 30 October, 2011 at 8: 00 PM.

Bad boy “Ansh” Akashdeep Sehgal ‘sky walks’ into the Bigg Boss 5 House

Akashdeep Sehgal aka Sky Walkr has entered the Bigg Boss House todayu. The television actor, whose claim to fame is the role of Ansh in Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, claims that the name change has changed his career and personality for the better. Thanks to his numerologist, Akashdeep, who was last seen on television 4 years back, is all set to make a comeback with Bigg Boss 5. In fact, even in his personal life, his non-television career seems to be taking off and Sky Walkr seems to be soaring to new heights.

Being the third new entrant in the Bigg Boss 5 house does not deter him either. In fact, the actor believes that three is his lucky number and hence, being the third entrant is only going to work in his favour. The actor reiterates the fact that his new name has brought a sense of maturity that has changes his life. He is ready to face television now, in a brand new avatar, which his fans are going to be surprised to see, but still find very endearing. Akashdeep highlights that he has a no-nonsense personality and anyone crossing his path should be ready to face some trouble. The very single actor also mentioned that the sleeping arrangement in the house doesn’t bother him and he is going to use it as an opportunity to mingle with the ladies and get to know them better.

The one thing that Akashdeep is hoping will help him gel with his fellow contestants is his cooking skills. He promises to be himself and feed the contestants some delectable dishes to win their hearts and favours! Seems like Akashdeep is all set to show the world his goody-two-shoes side! But will the contestants enjoy this twist in the game as much as his food?

Sun18 Bouquet Goes HD Colors, CNBCTV18 Prime & History Channel to offer HD format

This Diwali, Sun 18 adds sparkle to television viewing by introducing three channels - COLORS, CNBCTV18 Prime and History Channel in high-definition formats. With the transformation to HD, viewers can now enjoy an ultimate combination of impeccable image delivery combined with unmatched audio experience of their favourite channels.

The three channels offer a TRUE HD 1080i picture with 5.1 Dolby digital sound, thus significantly enhancing the viewing experience to the audience.  To enjoy this HD experience, viewers will need to have a HD TV set and an HD set-top box from the DTH platforms such as Airtel, Dish and Videocon & Digital Cable providers like Hathway.

Colors HD and CNBCTV18 PRIME HD services will be running ad free in the first phase of launch and thus audiences embracing High-Definition technology can not only now watch their favourite shows and events in high picture and sound quality but also enjoy the experience without breaks, heralding a new era of uninterrupted television viewing.

Commenting on the move Gaurav Gandhi, Sun18 North COO & Head - International Business, Viacom18 said, “Sun18 welcomes the addition of the 3 HD channels to its portfolio. High Definition broadcast offers a distinct & superior audio-visual experience to the television viewer and  that coupled with strong content from our network channels like COLORS, CNBC TV18 PRIME and HISTORY make it a extremely compelling consumer proposition.  We believe that over the next few months DTH platforms will expand their HD bouquet and digital cable too will add HD as an additional offering for its consumers. Sun 18 is working with all potential partners to make these 3 services available PAN India.” 

Sun18, the first truly pan-India distribution company distributes a total of 33 channels across all platforms in India via all networks including cable, DTH, IPTV, HITS and MMDS company. The 33 channels distributed by Sun18 include COLORS, MTV, Nick, Vh1, Homeshop18, CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18, CNBC-Awaaz, IBN-7, IBN-Lokmat,  The Disney Channel, Disney XD, Hungama TV, SUN TV, KTV, Sun News, Sun Music, Chutti TV, Adithya, Gemini TV, Teja TV, Gemini  News, Gemini Music, Navvulu TV, Kushi TV, Surya TV, Kiran TV, Udaya TV, Udaya Movies, U2, Udaya Varthegalu, Ushe TV and Chintu TV. With these 33 channels, the Sun18 bouquet is already the highest GRP delivering bouquet in the Indian television space

 ‘COLORS’ is Viacom18’s flagship brand in the entertainment space in India. A combination of ‘emotions’ and ‘variety’, COLORS launched on 21st July 2008 offers an entire spectrum of emotions to its viewers. From Fiction shows to Format shows to Reality shows to Blockbuster Movies – the basket contains all ‘Jasbaat Ke Rang’. ‘COLORS’ is dedicated to promoting ‘Cohesive viewing’, through programmes like, Balika Vadhu- Kacchi Umar Ke Pakke Rishtey, Laagi Tujhse Lagan, Uttaran, Na Aana Is Des Laado, Hamari Saas Leela, Parichay, Sasural Simar Ka, Phulwa, Hawan, Veer Shivaji, Bigg Boss Season 5, India’s Got Talent Season 3 amongst others.

CNBC-TV18 Prime HD is CNBC-TV18’s new premium business news service, focused on the needs of India’s rapidly expanding investor and financial services community. To be available in addition to the existing CNBC-TV18 channel, PRIME HD will be broadcast on India’s leading DTH platforms in HD quality, in effect making CNBC-TV18 the first business news channel to foray into the HD space. The PRIME HD service has been designed specifically to target the highly involved business news viewers and investors in the country especially CEO’s, analysts, brokers, investment professionals, fund managers and active retail participants. Fusing the power of broadcast news with the essence of the financial data terminal, PRIME HD will operate on a seamless and unique ‘2 window’ screen architecture, that will offer rich and in-depth live VIDEO and DATA content to viewers simultaneously.

CNBC-TV18 is a business news channel broadcast in India based in Mumbai. The channel was launched in India on December 7, 1999. It was the first business news channel launched in India and still the leads that genre. The channel has been an integral part of the Indian economic story, spearheading and mirroring India's enterprising times. The channel's benchmark coverage extends from corporate news, financial markets coverage, expert perspective on investing and management to industry verticals and beyond. CNBC-TV18 has been constantly innovating with new genres of programming that helps make business more relevant to different constituencies across India. India’s most able business audience consumes CNBC-TV18 for their information & investing needs. This audience is highly diversified at one level consisting of key groups such as business leaders, professionals, retail investors, brokers and traders, intermediaries, self employed professionals, High Net Worth individuals, students and even homemakers but shares a distinct commonality in terms of their spirit of enterprise.CNBC-TV18 is available in over 35 million households in India.

SRK and Kareena with Armaan land up at Inorbit Mall, Malad to launch RA One –The Game, only on PlayStation

King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan dazzled audiences once again, this time not for his acting abilities, but his gaming skills. In a PlayStation contest that was held across 30 stores in 7 cities; winners got a chance to fight it out with G.One (Shah Rukh Khan) himself in front of live audiences at Inorbit Mall.  The participants were asked to come up with a creative slogan and play one level of Sony PlayStation’s latest pioneering game based on the super-hero flick Ra.One – ‘Ra.One – The Game’. Exclusively developed for the PS2 and PS3, the game marks an important milestone in the Indian entertainment industry in being the first Bollywood title to appear as a full cycle game on any console platform.

In addition, the downloadable version of the game was released for the public and is now available on the PlayStation Network Indian store.  Consumers can now download the game for Rs.795/-. only . Shah Rukh Khan being one of the most popular actors; the game is expected to go beyond the Indian shores to millions of his and Sony PlayStation fans across the world. The game would also be soon available on a Blu Ray disc for the PS3 across retail outlets.

The game, which is now available in stores, has been well received by the Indian market. Taking players in-depth into the key characters of the film, Ra.One – The Game is loaded with intrinsic action moves together with striking graphical representations. The consumers, for the first time in the history of Indian cinema, have a chance to play the part of their favorite hero, Shah Rukh Khan in various action sequences from the movie in the game itself.   In terms of the storyline, it loosely connects to the movie storyline and introduces people to the main movie characters and the origin of their powers & characteristics. Conceptualized by Shah Rukh Khan himself the game has more than 20 levels, 4 game modes with various challenges & boss fights across various levels.

This event saw huge gathering as they eagerly awaited Shah Rukh Khan’s arrival.  Entertained with laser show based on the game and other performances, sneak promos of ‘Ra.One – The Game’ and free  PlayStation merchandise the public seemed to be getting into the festive Diwali mood.   The crowd went berserk as the performers led Superstar Shah Rukh Khan onto the stage followed by a laser show depicting the movie characters in Sony PlayStation’s ‘Ra One – The Game’. In association with radio partner, Red FM and venue partners, Inorbit Mall the event received great response and enthusiasm.

More public thronged to the venue and the decibel level skyrocketed the moment King Khan stepped on stage and started speaking about PlayStation’s ‘Ra.One – The Game’ and finally invited the winner of the game contest on stage.  G.ONE battled out with RA.ONE in the game to bring an end to evil; signifying the true meaning of Diwali.

The evening definitely was the one not to miss, with plenty of action, music and entertainment, enjoyed by one and all.