Star seems bent on getting viewers‘ opinion on every issue related to the reality show Temptation Island it has started airing on Star World.Although an overwhelming 58 per cent of responses to the online poll Star conducted on Indiatimes voted against an Indian version of the show, the channel is not giving up. The channel has initiated a new poll asking viewers if they would prefer the desi version to be shot in Goa. Interestingly, the less-than-a-week old poll has received a stout 71 per cent endorsement. Only 29 per cent of those who cast their vote in the online poll said they would not prefer Goa as the locale where the reality show, just two weeks old on the channel, could be shot. Two per cent of the voters had earlier said that they were not sure, and 41 per cent had given a thumbs down sign to an Indian version.

The channel pushed ahead with the launch of Temptation Island on 23 November, even though one of its earlier Indiatimes polls perched precariously at 50-50. Only half the number of voters had said that India was ready for a show like Temptation Island.

Obviously, the channel feels that those who log on to Indiatimes are the viewers most likely to watch shows like Temptation Island. That explains another poll that appeared on the site some week ago, asking voters whether they would like to watch Temptation Island at 10:00 pm on Thursdays. Sixty-five per cent of the voters had approved of the time slots.

When the show launched in America in January 2001, it got high ratings amidst shocking reviews and strong criticism. Aired on Fox channel, the series had the highest ratings in more than six years among adults in the 18-34 demographic. As for India, only two episodes have been aired so it‘s early days. However, if the first show‘s ratings are anything to go by there is still a long haul ahead. AC Nielsen‘s TAM data gave it a 0.08 TVR while ORG MARG‘s INTAM gave it a 0.14 TVR (all-India C&S homes 4+).

Meanwhile, the information and broadcasting ministry which had said it would be closely monitoring the show for indecent exposure (remember the pre launch campaign that went - Lust, sex, betrayal ?) does not seem to have found anything objectionable in the content of the show.

TV Lanka, a worldwide digital satellite television channel has made its debut on the LMI1 satellite.
The state of the art 24-hour channel is being promoted by Electroteks, a global satellite communication network. It will be one of the first worldwide digital satellite TV channels operating from the region, media reports say.

The Sri Lankan media also say that the network will operate two full time digital video and six audio/music channels to run cultural and entertainment programmes in addition to news. TV Lanka, reports say, will be used to boost the Sri Lankan image worldwide and could be a catalyst to promote Sri Lanka in the SAARC countries. It is projected as a free to air channel for Sri Lankan expatriates in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

TV Lanka, the reports say, is a fully Sri Lankan owned and operated service without any foreign skill or funding.

Sri Lanka already has the government owned and operated Independent Television Network (ITN), Young Asia Television (YATV), ETV 1 and ETV 2 and the Telshan Network‘s TNL TV.

The International Festival of Films on Art and the Lives of Artists, the event that critically evaluates the latest productions in cinema, television, video and infographics dedicated to the world of visual arts, kicks off in Asolo, Italy, on 2 May, 2002.
The ‘Asolo Project‘, that organises the annual four-day film fest, has invited global entries for the competition. The eligibility criteria for the entries stipulates short, average-length and long films, with or without a subject, produced between 2000 and 2001. Films in both 35 and 16 mm with either optic sound track or with magnetized tape will also be admitted. The deadline for submissions is 28 February, 2002, according to an official release.

The festival, being held each year since 1973, aims to develop a well-thought out critical perspective by focussing on the positive confluence and combinations of the diverse communicative visual forms. The five sections in the festival comprise -

?Films on Art for audio-visuals, on subjects such as painting, sculpture, architecture, music, cinema, theatre, dance and any other form of artistic expression;
?Video Art and Computer Art, for works using electronic and computer audio-visual means as direct artistic expression;
?Computer Net Art, for works of art on the web that are transmitted via internet;
?Experimental cinematographic, television, video and info-graphic productions made in specialised courses of cinema schools and special institutes of higher education.

More details about the festival can be had from www.artfilmfestival.com.