Posts for 'Channels' Category

A month shy of the MTV Video Music Awards live telecast, new performers and presenters are revealed. Drake is confirmed to rap at the upcoming event, while Nicki Minaj and Selena Gomez are tapped to present awards. In addition to the Canadian MC, MTV also confirmed rumor that Kanye West will make a return as a musical guest. The two rap moguls.

Who are sharing Best Hip-Hop Video nomination with Lil Wayne and Eminem for their duet track "Forever", are lined up alongside previously-announced act Florence and the Machine. In the presenters line-up meanwhile, Minaj and Gomez are going to be joined by "Superbad" actress Emma Stone, "So Sick" hitmaker Ne-Yo, "Gossip Girl" hunk Penn Badgley and "I Invented Sex" singer Trey Songz.

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After launching her first perfume "Kim Kardashian", the socialite is planning to launch her second fragrance in February 2011. "I am so excited to tell you guys that my second fragrance will launch in February of 2011! I wanted to let you guys know here first so you can all share the excitement with me," usmagazine.com. quoted Kardashian as saying.

"When I was little, my sister Kourtney and I tried to make our own perfume by picking flowers and putting them in the blender, because that's how we thought fragrances were made. Our parents thought we were crazy - and it smelled totally gross!" she added.

As the star of the opening film at Cannes, Russell Crowe was well aware that much of the attention would be on him and his summer blockbuster, Robin Hood, on the first night of the festival. And as he prepared to step into the spotlight once again, the Aussie actor was keeping his wife of seven years, Danielle Spencer, close by his side.

Handsome Russell, 46, held hands with his spouse as he made his way down the red carpet for the world premiere of his latest venture. Dapper in a sharp back Giorgio Armani suit, the leading man was clearly delighted to be sharing the experience with Danielle, who shimmied in a white beaded Armani Prive halter neck.

It was a chance for the couple to enjoy time together – their two children Charlie, five, and three-year-old Tennyson are in Cannes with their mum and dad, but they did not attend the screening which undoubtably took place well after their bed time.

Another set of famous parents making the most of a glamorous evening out were Salma Hayek and her husband Francois-Henri Pinault, whose daughter Valentina was born in September 2007. They hit the red carpet arm-in-arm looking very happy together, with the Mexican beauty breathtaking in a silk georgette gown from Gucci - her billionaire husband's company.

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MEGAN Fox says she’s “thrilled” to have so many fans  but insists she isn’t chasing fame. The actress  who became a household name after starring the Transformers movies  says she’s unfazed by her superstar status.

“I try not to focus on fame,” Megan said. “I am not that aware of it all except at certain times like when I was on the press tour for Transformers and there were large crowds of people wherever we went.

“When I was at the Teen Choice Awards recently it was great. I got very nervous when they got to my category because I thought they would all be screaming for Beyonce but not for me.

I thought it would get quiet when they announced my name, I was actually scared. “But instead there was a huge eruption of screaming and cheering and that made me so happy.

I am thrilled to have so many teenage fans. I think teenagers are the best fans to have and if girls like me, then I am extremely happy because I do not want to push the female audience away.

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BBC Worldwide will lauch two new channels on Foxtel and will take equity control of the UKTV channel as part of a strategic alliance between the broadcasters.

That will take the UK Government owned service's channels on Foxtel to five in 2009, the companies said today.

 BBC will introduce documentary channel BBC Knowledge and CBeebies, which will show educational programs for pre-schoolers, during 2009.

That will be in addition to BBC HD, launched this month, BBC World News, and UKTV, which the broadcaster is buying from Foxtel and FremantleMedia.

Foxtel currently has a 60 per cent stake in UKTV while FremantleMedia owns 20 per cent. BBC already owns the other 20 per cent.

"British programming is extremely popular with Australian audiences and this agreement will provide our subscribers with access to the best of BBC Worldwide's outstanding portfolio of global channels,'' Foxtel chief executive Kim Williams said.

 Sydney-based Foxtel is owned by Telstra Corporation, which holds a 50 per cent stake, News Corporation (parent company of the publisher of NEWS.com.au), with 25 per cent, and Consolidated Media Holdings, also holding 25 per cent. 

appears that Katie Couric may be ready to leave CBS Evening News sooner than expected. Her contract is set to run until 2011, but she could be jumping ship as soon as January 2009.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Couric may be leaving in time for the January 2009 presidential inauguration.

The news comes from CBS News executives as well as close friends to Couric.

The CBS Evening News has not been pulling in big ratings to say the least since Couric came on.

She is being paid an estimated $15 million a year salary. CBS is under a great deal of pressure to cut costs while bringing in more viewers.

Couric has stated she is working hard and having fun.

The 51-year old states she is proud of the show.

She began at CBS in September 2006, but is consistently behind NBC’s Nightly News With Brian Williams and ABC’s World News With Charles Gibson.

There is no word yet on who will take-over for Couric.

The rumored candidate, according to the Wall Street Journal, is 74-year old Larry King.

Larry King’s CNN contract is up in 2009. 

Simran Kaur Mundi of Mumbai was crowned Miss India Universe 2008 at a glittering function held at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on Saturday night.

Parvathy Omanakuttam of Kerala won the Miss India World crown while Harshita Saxena of Goa was declared Miss India Earth.

All the three winners will represent the country at the international beauty pageants during the year.

They were selected from among 28 finalists in the presence of prominent personalities from the field of fashion and Bollywood.

The beauty pageant brought international fame to Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and Dia Mirza among others in recent years.

"10,000 BC," a widely ridiculed prehistoric action movie boasting a menagerie of exotic beasts, trampled the competition at box offices around the world.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, the Warner Bros. Pictures release sold $61 million worth of tickets during its first weekend.

The North American contribution was $35.7 million from 3,410 theaters, an easy No. 1 ahead of fellow rookie "College Road Trip" with $14 million.

The North American opening was "right on target," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic theatrical distribution at the Time Warner Inc-owned studio. Pundits had expected an opening in the $30 million to $40 million range.

The film, which Fellman said cost "slightly north" of $100 million to make, was almost unanimously ripped by critics. USA Today described it as a "bombastic bore" and The New York Times as "sublimely dunderheaded."

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Chris Rock summarized the state of racial affairs with this not-so-presumptuous postulate: If you're not black, you probably aren't wishing you were."Ain't one of y'all that would trade places with me. And I'm rich!"This isn't all hyperbole. I think there are only two people in the world who believe their lives would be easier if they were black ? them being Vanilla Ice and Jason Williams of the Miami Heat.But, just for the sake of curiosity, let's ask an entirely different question:How many of you would like to be a 20-something Caucasian, effortlessly affluent, female celebrity?Imagine that we propose this question to the 6.6 billion people who inhabit the world. Sadly, almost half lives in extreme poverty (this is true), and I think it's safe to assume that most of these people would enjoy being ridiculously rich. This safely puts the number of "people who'd say 'yes'" at about 3.3 billion.I'd also guess that only 5 percent of all males would concede to a sex change, so we can knock the figure down to roughly 1.5 billion.Of course, this number only accounts for people living in poverty. I'd imagine that a lot of people NOT living in poverty would also say yes. So, at the end of the day, we can say that more than 1.5 billion people would like to swap places with Lindsay Lohan. This is considerably more than the number of people who think they'd land on easy street if they were black(two)But 2007 threw a wrench into the whole equation. It turned out to be an apocalyptic year for the hyper-privileged socialite.Paris landed in the slammer. Lindsay went to rehab. Nicole battled health problems. Britney ran over things with her SUV. And Ashley still kept getting mistaken for Mary-Kate, and vice versa.It really was an amazing phenomena. I've never seen a category of people hit the bottom with such force, and with such synchronized timing.I don't think this significantly reduced the number of people who want to be "It Girls," but I'm sure it caused a lot more second-guessing.

Mix 106.5 is determined to shed its poor cousin status among the Sydney FM stations next year with a new breakfast show and a more clearly defined strategy targeting females - it will be the type of show savvy women can happily listen to with their kids in the car. Spearheading the change will be cabaret star Todd McKenney and entertainment reporter Sonia Kruger, replacing Sammy Power and Subby Valentine in the breakfast slot. McKenney and Kruger (pictured) will maintain their ties with Channel Seven, providing plenty of cross-promotional opportunities. Australian Radio Network boss Bob Longwell says it will be a feel-good, fun-loving, kid-friendly lifestyle show with plenty of showbiz: not as crude as Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O, less blokey than Merrick and Rosso and more sophisticated than Jonesy and Amanda. Mix has also introduced brief lifestyle segments across the day between music tracks. They feature Rove McManus, Matt Damon, Katrina Warren, Missy Higgins and others talking about relationships, entertainment, home, kids, travel, beauty and fashion. The breakfast show, however, is critical if Mix ever hopes to challenge 2Day FM for market leadership. McKenney and Kruger, both 42, have a head start on most new radio teams by sharing a genuine friendship. They were best friends on the ballroom dance circuit in their teens and worked together on the film Strictly Ballroom. In fact, Kruger assumed they were boyfriend and girlfriend until the penny dropped that he was gay. "I think it was that night I tried to seduce him and he fled from the room," she laughs. McKenney went on to star in 42nd Street and West Side Story before landing the prized role of Peter Allen in The Boy From Oz. Kruger joined the children's TV show Wonder World, progressing to reporting roles on 11AM and Today Tonight. Their easy rapport has contributed to the success of Seven's Dancing With The Stars. Kruger's gentle teasing has softened McKenney's reputation as the nasty judge. "There is a cutting edge to Todd's humour, but it is humour," Kruger says. "I find him incredibly funny and supportive. I completely lost the plot for a moment on air during Dancing With The Stars last week. In the break, Todd assured me no one would have noticed. Sure, Todd. His attitude is, 'None of this is life-threatening so we shouldn't take it too seriously."

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