MUMBAI: Leonia Holistic Destination Flagged off their New Year Campaign at The Orchid, Mumbai before heading off to Bangalore and finally ending at Hyderabad. This drive was organized in order to promote the Leonia International Convention & Exhibition Centre (LICEC), Customized Luxury Buses, New Year Event and the upcoming Flow Rider which is the first water sport of its kind in India.

Leonia is an innovative and exciting Holistic Resort, just a few miles from Hyderabad. Unlike many other resorts, Leonia offers a whole world of experiences; whether business or leisure, detox or pampering, an epicurean or an online gamer - it is all here at one destination, set amidst the verdant Deccan Plains.
Addressing the press were Mr. Raghu, Director - Business Development, Dr. Sarat, Director and Mr. Vipin Seth, Vice President - Sales & Marketing along with DJ Suketu and Manasi Scott, who would be performing live on the New Year Eve at Leonia, Hyderabad.

With the state-of-art facilities the LICEC can accommodate more than 6000 people under one roof. The convertible partition makes it easier to divide the convention centre for multiple gatherings. World class acoustics & interiors along with FunktionOne international standard sound system to give a real international touch.

Leonia also introduces 30 customized luxury buses in a phased manner across the country in all major metros & mini-metros to promote Leonia and offer transport services to its guests. These buses will move around the cities promoting the brand Leonia. Initially the buses will be launched in Hyderabad followed by other cities. Unlike the ordinary buses, these buses have push-back seats with attached headphones, reading lamps, food tray and television for entertainment. The complete Air Conditioned buses will have an attendant to help guests serve better, gives a complete luxury drive till your destination.

Dr. Sharat, Director said, "Leonia is a holistic destination and always takes enough care to satisfy different leisure needs of people. On this new year eve, Leonia is geared up to give a wholesome entertainment to the people and thus plays host for three mega live performances by three popular celebrities of India. Probably for the first time in India any destination could have tried this kind of live entertainment keeping in view both the national and regional tastes and preferences."

Leonia & Pride Events presents a night with the stars. A night where there is something for everyone to explore & experience. A one of its kind party with different genres of music coming together to create an unforgettable experience.

For the first time ever in the history of Hyderabad, the world famous Bollywood DJ, DJ Suketu is going for the Big Spin at the Leonia International Convention & Exhibition Centre (LICEC). Manasi Scott, one of the world famous and leading Indi pop singer will be giving a powerhouse performance at Geo Garden. Renowned & super-hit Telugu music director Chakri will be adding the local flavor along with famous Tollywood actresses Shradha Das & Navneet Kaur at Leo Arena.

Leonia is also introducing 5 special packages for the guests this New Year. These residential packages are a perfect mix of Comfort, Fitness, Cuisines, and Entertainment & Relaxation
 

MUMBAI: England won the recently concluded one day series 2-1 against the hosts, South Africa, but now it?s time for Test match cricket. And arguably Test cricket is the real format that challenges a player to bring out all the aspects that go into making him an international cricketer. The stage is set as the two sides will take each other on at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on 16 December in the first of the four Test match series. All the action from this Test Match series can be seen live on Ten Sports. (please check schedule)

The hosts South Africa must put behind them the loss in the one day series and look ahead with fresh perspective on the four Tests that will be played over the next few weeks. The hosts will take heart from the fact that speedster Dale Steyn is recovering well from the hamstring strain which he picked up in the third ODI at Port Elizabeth. Their biggest strength would be the pace attack, that comprises Makhaya ntini, Wayne Parnell, Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn. But chances of their most prolific all-rounder taking the field remains in doubt as Jacques Kallis is still nursing a fractured rib, and at present, his is a 50-50 situation. On the Test Rankings front, South Africa have recently lost the top spot to India. The team however has expressed the fact that regaining the top rank will not be priority. But they would know that if they win the series 2-0 they will be back on top of the list.

England on the other hand, will be embarking on their first Test series without the services of Andrew Flintoff, but captain Andrew Strauss is confident that the team will deliver the goods. The recent one day series win would have given the side a sense of belief that would hold them in good stead. Though an area of concern would be the lack of a genuine all-rounder in their ranks, but cricket director Andy Flower and Strauss know that given the squad that they have, with those fit to play, they will give the hosts tough competition.

Five weeks and four tests, is not an easy series by any means. Both sides will have to deliver, with or without their key players. It?s all about performing session by session, where Test Cricket is concerned and both sides know that too well.

MUMBAI: PIX-the premium English movie channel from Multi Screen Media Ltd. formerly known as Sony Entertainment Network celebrates the television premiere of ‘Push‘ as PIX Super Movie of the Month. Directed by Paul McGuigan and written by David Bourla, the absolutely thrilling paranormal movie has been slated for telecast on Saturday, December 19, 2009, 9pm.

Starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou and Li Xiaolu amongst others the movie, Push was released in theatres across the US on the 6th of February ‘09. The plot of this science fiction thriller centers on a group of people born with various powers who band together to attempt to take down a government agency that is using a dangerous drug to enhance their powers in hopes of creating an army of super soldiers.

‘Push‘ is an enthralling movie that showcases hope, anger, and confusion and is brilliantly shot with minimal yet breathtaking special effects.

In the world of Push, there are people with superpowers among us. "Movers" are telekinetics, with the ability to move and manipulate objects around them; "pushers" can "push" memories and motivations onto unwilling and unwitting subjects; "watchers" can see images of the future surrounding specific objects or people. A U.S. governmental organization called "Division" knows these people exist and is trying to capture them to harness their powers for its own ends.

One of them named Nick Gant (Chris Evans) has been hiding out in Hong Kong keeping his 2nd generation telekinetic powers a secret. Gant comes out of hiding after being sought out by Cassie Holmes (Dakota Fanning) who wants to track down a girl named, Kira (CamillaBelle) who is an escaped pusher. Cassie believes Kira may hold the key to stopping the Division. As they try and search for Kira, their scent is picked up by the Division‘s blood hounds and with the help of other rogue psychics, they are able to make their way through the under belly of the city. However, Henry Carver (Djimon Hounsou) who is also a pusher is on their trail and will do anything to try and stop them from accomplishing their goal.

The Tagline, ‘One push can change everything.‘ sums up the plot perfectly. Experience non-stop entertainment; tune in to ‘Push‘ - PIX Super Movie of the Month this Saturday, December 19 2009, 9pm only on PIX.

MUMBAI: Paul Taaffe, Global Chairman and CEO, Hill & Knowlton has been appointed Jury President of the PR Lions category at Cannes Lions 2010.

The 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival will take place from the 20th to 26th June in Cannes. The PR category was added for the first time this year to recognise the role of digital in marketing communications.

Commenting on his appointment, Paul said: ?Last year PR agencies were newbies, and so two thirds of PR Lions submissions worldwide were from advertising agencies. This year the global PR industry has no excuse. Creative thinking is the key to great communications and I look forward to chairing an international PR jury in a year that I?m sure will raise the bar around the world.?

Philip Thomas, Festival CEO, said. ?As the world?s most coveted awards in advertising and communications, it is essential that we appoint only the best global leaders to chair the juries. We are therefore privileged to have such a distinguished and greatly admired professional such as Paul at Cannes Lions to lead the PR Lions jury.?

Paul Taaffe was appointed Chairman and CEO of Hill & Knowlton in 2003. Under Paul?s leadership, Hill & Knowlton has grown to become the most transnational of all the agency networks, with Paul spearheading its drive into the BRIC countries and emerging markets, expanding its range of practices and integrating digital expertise across all disciplines. He personally advises CEO?s and companies on defending reputation and growing brands around the world.
 

MUMBAI: Sunday in the capital city was marked with over 2500 smiles! POGO, Indian kids? favourite channel and Rob, host of the multi award winning arts show ? M.A.D, hosted a fun-filled M.A.D Carnival on Sunday, December 13, 2009 at N.S.I.C. Grounds, Okhla. The carnival resonated with music, art and dance, as fans came together to celebrate creativity. Staying true to his ?recycle message? Rob, for the first time ever, creates a 20-feet high ?Big Picture?, using recycled bags and more than 2500 Delhi kids came together to color the sky blue! The carnival was the culmination of an expansive, multi-city, off-air marketing campaign, bringing M.A.D closer to its fans, across India. Delightedly, M.A.D recently won its ninth ?best kids programme? award, since it kick-started first in April 2005.

Adding zing to the Carnival were the spectacular dance performances by Abhinaya Praneetha Kuchipudi Art Society and Holy Child Auxilium ? winners of the Junior and Senior Inter School challenge, held by POGO on December 5. The fun quotient doubled when kids? lovable cartoon character, Bob ? The Builder showed some cool dance moves to his fans.

Monica Tata, Deputy General Manager and Vice President ? Entertainment, South Asia, Turner International India Private Limited (TIIPL), said, ?What better way for kids to kick-start their vacations with their very own ?host and dost? ? Rob. The overwhelming popularity and the persistent demands from M.A.D fans compelled us to bring together the M.A.D experience on-ground. M.A.D Carnival was exuberant with Music, Art and Dance and was a perfect platform for kids to team up with Rob to bring out their creativity and have fun.?

The atmosphere was electrifying with Rob entertaining kids and exciting games that kept kids and parents occupied throughout the carnival. Music Art and Dance was in the air with exciting activities taking place simultaneously in the three respective fun zones. Kids were spoilt for choice with plethora of activities planned for them such as ?musical noses, , Paintball with Rob, caricatures, fishing for music, balloon sculpting, photo-op with Rob, M.A.D Jigsaw and Graffiti message board for Rob to name a few. The kids also put on their dancing shoes and enjoyed Whooper Relay, Dance Mats & Hula Hoop.

POGO, a multi-genre channel created exclusively for kids in India, launched successfully on January 1, 2004 and is distributed by Zee Turner Ltd. POGO is available in over 20 million cable & satellite homes. Within a few months of its launch, POGO became the second most popular kids? entertainment channel in India, after Cartoon Network and continues to maintain this position today.

www.pogo.tv is a hugely popular and highly interactive kids? website with exciting features such as video-on-demand, blogs, message boards, gaming and mini-sites of popular shows on POGO. The website attracts over 99,000* unique visitors per month and each of them spend an average of 21 minutes on the website. (*Source: comScore, external research)

Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment products around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.

MUMBAI: NewsX‘s exclusive expose of Karnataka High Court Chief Justice, Paul Daniel Dinakaran‘s alleged land grabbing has now led to more than 60 Members of Parliament supporting a move to impeach the ?tainted? Chief Justice.

NewsX‘s Chennai correspondent Kunal Shankar broke this story on 14 September 2009.

Since then, NewsX‘s consistent and responsible reporting on the country‘s most sensational case of judicial misconduct has helped mobilise lawyers, farmers and politicians to take action against Dinakaran.

Commenting on the expose, Kunal Shankar said, ?Our travel to Kaverirajapuram, the village where most of these allegations have surfaced was an eye-opener. The villagers‘ horror tales of mid-night arrests and constant police scrutiny and the sense of loss and anger towards Dinakaran took the issue beyond just land grabbing. Corruption seemed like a euphemism. These were charges of human rights abuses.?

NewsX is now reporting extensively on how farmer leaders are seeking the Tamil Nadu government‘s help in redistributing land allegedly held illegally by Justice Dinakaran.

Jehangir S Pocha, co-promoter, NewsX, said, ?Kunal Shankar‘s expose was in the best traditions of journalism for it served the public interest. It is a fine example of how we are making NewsX a home for great journalism."

Stay tuned to NewsX for further updates on the issue.