New Delhi, October 20, 2011:- Delhi?s Creme de la Creme were treated to a delightful evening, literally, as they met and partook of the experience of MasterChef India-2?s celebrity judges Vikas Khanna, Kunal Kapoor and Ajay Chopra.

The best of the best from the world of politics, cinema, fashion and art gathered at the evening?s-do that started with a tete-a-tete between Vikas Khanna, a Michelin Star awardee, and Vir Sanghvi, the ultimate food writer and food critique of the country.

The gathering witnessed attendance from Dr. Farooq Abdullah, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Rohit Bal and Madhu Jain, India?s foremost fashion designers; Chetan Seth, Cigar Baron, Nelofer Currimbhoy, President Shahnaz Herbals and Restauer; Kalyani Chawla, brand ambassador of Christian Dior; Rana Sodhi, India?s ace shooter and parliamentarian.

The celebrity guests were given an impromptu challenge by Chef Vikas and his two colleagues Kapoor and Chopra, who encouraged them to ?cook your heart out? at MasterChef India?s LIVE kitchen.

"MasterChef India is home coming for me and it?s my chance to give back to the place where it all started. I hope I will be able to inspire the talent and inspire more people to change through the power of cooking," said Chef Vikas. That?s also the philosophy Star espouses - ?Ab Badlo India, Apne Khana Ka Andaaz.?

Sameer Gupta, Marketing Head, Star Plus said, "The winner of the last season of MasterChef India and our brand new judge are perfect examples of how you can achieve your dreams through hard work, perseverance and passion. The season-2 is grander, tougher and enthralling and we hope will serve as an inspiration to actualize their dream."

MUMBAI: For the first time ever, 9XM?s most popular and iconic animated characters - Bade, Chote and Bheegi Billi will come out of TV screens to meet their fans at the Comic Con Express Mumbai. An event dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the comic and graphic art medium, the Comic Con Express Mumbai will be held on 22nd & 23rd October 2011 at the World Trade Centre, Cuffe Parade. 9XM is the Music Partner for Comic Con Express Mumbai.

Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Amar Tidke, Head of Programming - 9XM, said, "For the first time since we launched 9XM, our fans will get to meet with our iconic characters Bade, Chote and Bheegi Billi - live & in person! These characters with their unique style of humor have made 9XM popular amongst all the target groups. Comic Con Express Mumbai is an apt platform for our animated characters. 9XM fans will definitely cherish their meeting with Bade, Chote and Bheegi Billi. In the near future, we also plan to take these characters to other key metros across India for similar interactions in true 9XM style."

Bade-Chote and Bheegi Billi with their rib-tickling animated shows on 9XM have received an overwhelming response from viewers across the length and breadth of India. Bade-Chote are like a combination of sock and shoe, inseparable and together they host the most popular show on 9XM called Bakwaas Band Kar. Bheegi Billi -- who fancies himself as a rocker, is like most youth of today. He connects with the youth by singing acoustic ballads about his insurmountable, life-crippling problems like the lack of pocket money and girlfriends, and about not being the best sportsman or scholar of the school, or not being the most popular guy too! Bheegi Billi croons his sob stories in the most entertaining manner, making him very popular with the youth.

At the event, 9XM fans will also get an opportunity to win some super cool goodies by answering simple questions about Bade-Chote, besides posing for pictures with the 9XM characters.

So head to Comic Con Express Mumbai to meet and interact live with Bade, Chote and Bheegi Billi.

MUMBAI: HISTORY, the world‘s leading factual entertainment channel, which debuted its India edition on October 9th, 2011, has opened the launch week of ratings with aplomb. With a connectivity of 50 million households across on leading cable TV platforms such as HATHWAY CABLE, IN CABLE, DEN Networks and leading DTH platforms such as TATA Sky and DISH TV, 19.8 million viewers across India tuned in to HISTORY during the first week of launch.

Cutting across segments & demographics, HISTORY had helped grow the Factual Entertainment Genre by 24% in just the first week. HISTORY also garnered significant market share in the launch week across market clusters. In All India 1mn+ (including Metros), HISTORY ranks as a strong No.2 with 24% market share vis-?-vis Discovery (32%) and Nat Geo (18%) and ahead of the other factual entertainment channels. In 6 metros, HISTORY with 29% market share vis-?-vis Discovery (32%) and Nat Geo (14%) further reduces the gap between existing players and fortifies its entry into the genre.

HISTORY also leads the factual entertainment pack in time spent per viewer with 32 mins vis-?-vis Discovery (20 mins) and Nat Geo (16 mins) which is an indication of differentiated programming and the stickiness quotient of HISTORY‘s content.

Overall, in the factual entertainment genre, HISTORY ranks as a clear No. 2 across market clusters and audience groups, now in the reckoning for a leadership position in the genre.

The channel is truly living up to its promise of Making HISTORY Everyday!

MUMBAI: ET NOW, the 24hr English Business News Channel, continues to be India‘s No.1 Stock Market Channel at a 4 week average amongst the core audience from CS AB Males 25+ Yrs with 42% market share as per the latest Television Audience Measurement data.

ET NOW continues to lead during the all-important ‘Stock Market Hours‘ (Weekdays: 8am to 4pm) which contribute significantly to the overall viewership of the genre with 46% market share at a 4 week average amongst the core audience from CS AB Males 25+ Yrs.

Effective market trading strategies, sector specific trading calls & hot stock tips from India‘s leading technical analysts, opinions & advice from the biggest market experts and also the channel‘s continuous attempts to foster the viewer‘s knowledge on trade analysis, market related anecdotes and effects of macro-economic policies have helped achieve a steadfast leadership position.

So continue to stay tuned to ET NOW for a profitable Samvat 2068.

MUMBAI: Following last year‘s success, the invitation-only 2nd Annual Women in Leadership Forum India was hosted in Mumbai on October 13th ? 14th 2011. The WIL forum is a dynamic platform for the growth of business women from all backgrounds, industry sectors and locations around the world. At this prestigious forum, Kavita Lakhani, President, LinOpinion India and & Co-Chair, India, IPG Women‘s Leadership Network was presented with the award for ‘Leading Woman in Media‘.

The WIL Achievement Awards recognize and reward influential women leaders for their outstanding achievements and honour organizations for their initiatives in promoting the development of women in society. The Awards also recognize an active involvement in encouraging and inspiring other women in the community.

The ‘Leading Woman in Media‘ award was open to presenters, journalists, columnists, writers, reporters, owners of media companies and others involved in the media industry. Kavita was selected from 18 nominees across India. Speaking on the receipt of this award Kavita said, "I am very passionate about Communications and proud to be a part of Lowe Lintas, an iconic institution. I believe the wonderful diversity of experience I get working with leading brands across sectors has given me this wonderful opportunity to excel. It is a great honour to have received this award and be recognized for my work."

A skilled writer with acknowledged strategy and consulting skills, Kavita is one of India‘s most respected PR professionals. Kavita was recently awarded a Lintas Scholarship to pursue an Advanced Program in Strategic Management from IIM Calcutta and topped her batch. She is a seasoned communications professional with nearly 2 decades of experience in the field of Public Relations. Her forte lies in business development, providing counsel for building corporate equity, brand protection, crisis management, using conventional PR, and social media communications. She is visiting faculty at several leading communication institutes including Xavier‘s Institute of Communication, Symbiosis, EMDI, MET Institute and ISBM Pune.

Editor‘s Notes:

About Women In Leadership Forum and WIL Achievement Awards

Since 2009, WIL series has connected over 1,500 successful, international heads of commerce to inspire women business leaders of tomorrow. The initiative features two days of superior networking, inspirational speakers and potential business opportunities. The WIL India Achievement Awards recognize the achievements and success of prominent business women who have broken new ground in their respective areas of expertise and reward their outstanding performances and achievements. Besides the Leading Woman in Media, other award categories were: Innovative entrepreneur of the year, Leading Woman in HR, Leading Woman in Healthcare, Leading Woman in Technology, Leading Woman in Finance and Leading Woman in the Public Sector. 

MUMBAI: For the first time Zee Telugu Announces ‘Zee Telugu Kutumbam Awards 2011‘ to felicitate its most loved TV characters.

Zee Telugu Kutumbam Awards 2011, will felicitate the various nominees from its variety of fiction and nonfiction shows and finally the winner will be decided through viewer‘s voting and a panel of Jury.

The jury consists of esteemed people from the Cine Industry which includes A Kodanda Rami Reddy (Famous Cine Producer and Director), Chandrabose (Famous Cine Lyricist), K M Radha Krishna (Famous Cine Music Director), V Sagar (Famous Cine Producer and Director) to name a few.

With enthralling content Zee Telugu has always strived to offer a wide range of programs from Fiction to Nonfiction. Shows like Chinna Kodalu, Muddu Bidda, Aata, SaReGaMaPa, Bhakti Samacharam have struck the right cord with the audience and have been highly successful.

To excite the audience many such successful shows like popular fiction serials - Chinna Kodalu, Pasupu Kumkuma, Muddu Bidda, Radha Kalyanam and new entrants Kalavari Kodallu, Kanyadama will compete with one another. In nonfiction category, Saregamapa, Teenmaar, Gadasari Atta Sogasari Kodalu, and Batuku Jatka Bandi will compete.

With total 23 categories such as Best Characters, Best Show, Best Pair, Best Family etc. besides 13 Special Jury Awards to be won.

Zee Telugu Kutumbam Awards 2011 - a family festival will commence on Oct 18 2011, at Annapurna Studios (7 Acres, Floor no. 2) Hyderabad and will be soon aired on Zee Telugu for the viewers to watch.