CNN goes south Asian with a vengeance
Waking up to the competitive environment in the most promising country after China, CNN has decided to launch a telev
The much promoted [V] Popstars band will stage its first public concert on 25 May.
The five girls who make up the band are currently undergoing intensive training and thorough image makeover, says Channel [V] programming head Devika Sharma. While model Noyonika Chatterjee is the band manager, dancer Shiamak Davar has been entrusted with choreographing the event. As part of the complete turnaround, the five girls have "lost weight, fine tuned their dance skills, got their hair treated and their wardrobe refurbished by Manish Malhotra," says Sharma.
The Popstars project, into which Star India has reportedly sunk in Rs 50 million, seems to be paying dividends for the channel. Sharma says Popstars is currently the highest rated show on [V], adding that the channel‘s reach has increased since its launch. The 13-part series is also being shown in Hindi on sister channel Star Plus on Fridays at 7 pm, targeting the family audiences.
The five girls who get a shot at fame as India‘s Spice Girls are Pratichee Mohapatra, Neha Bhasin, Mahua Kamat, Anushka Manchanda and Seema Ramchandani.
The group is currently spending several sessions in a studio recording the album, which is being penned by Javed Akhtar. The music is being composed by eight music directors including Jatin Lalit and Sandeep Chowta.
The band, as yet unnamed, made its first live appearance on 26 April.
CBS Television Network has confirmed that the fifth instalment of the reality show Survivor will take place in Thailand on the island of Tarutao. In India the show will air on AXN.
Established in 1974, Tarutao National Park is Thailand‘s first marine park, consisting of approximately 50 islands. Koh Tarutao (koh means island), the largest island of the park, was once used as a prison for long-term punishment and political prisoners. The 16 castaways will share the 58.3 square miles of island with a wide range of monkeys, snakes and bird life, along with whales, dolphins and sea turtles.
The Thailand government granted special permission to the production team for access to the island, which is normally closed to visitors from mid-May to mid-November. Survivor: Thailand is scheduled to premiere in America in the Fall, 2002. The series is produced by SEG, Inc. Mark Burnett is the executive producer.
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