Sunday, July 29, 2007
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT CRACKS THE WHIP ON SMOKING AND DRINKING IN FILMS
Health Minister A Ramadoss can find some support from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in his efforts to curb smoking, as the draft content code of I&B Ministry proposes to classify TV broadcast of smoking under category 'A'.
The draft content code not only proposes to to classify TV broadcast of smoking, use of illegal drugs, tobacco and consumption of alcohol on television under the 'A' category but also plans to restrict TV channels from stereotyping women as passive or submissive so as to promote or glorify their subordinate or secondary role in the society.
It also proposes to allow screening of adult programmes only between 11 pm to 4 am.
With this, the glorification of women's submissiveness and sacrifices for the their families would now become a thing of the past.
The guidelines prohibits portrayal of women as primarily driven by sexual impulses or the female body or form as an object of sexual exploitation.
The content code entails that smoking or alcohol consumption can be shown under the 'A' category "only if it does not glamorise use or misuse of such products and omit to highlight the ill-effects on personal health or criminal tendencies.
According to the code, depiction of use and details of production of such products shall not be a part of any programme classified as 'U' and 'U/A', while song and dance sequences highlighting such activities will not be allowed in programmes meant for family viewing.
It, however, said depiction of public health messages or programmes on de-addiction shall not be governed by above restrictions.
As per the code, which will be a part of the Broadcasting Bill to be introduced during the monsoon session of Parliament, Broadcaster Service Providers (BSP) have been given time till August five to give their comments.
However, the broadcasters are against any government's interference on the content matters as they are self regulated an have asked for more time to respond on the Broadcasting Bill and the content code.
SKY-GAZERS SPOT THE JUPITER STARTING TODAY FOR SIX MONTHS
The sky-gazers have an opportunity to spot Jupiter with a naked eye in the evening upto third week of December from today.
It will be the second bright object after the Moon, according to Raghunandan Kumar, founder secretary Planetary Society India.
After the third week of December, Jupiter can be spotted only in the morning skies.
It can be spotted from all over India towards South East and South direction.
One of the easiest ways to identify planets among tons of stars is "planets do not twinkle, whereas stars twinkle when one observes the night sky from earth", he said.
It will be the second bright object after the Moon, according to Raghunandan Kumar, founder secretary Planetary Society India.
After the third week of December, Jupiter can be spotted only in the morning skies.
It can be spotted from all over India towards South East and South direction.
One of the easiest ways to identify planets among tons of stars is "planets do not twinkle, whereas stars twinkle when one observes the night sky from earth", he said.
TENDULKAR IS SOMETHING SPECIAL, VERY FREAKISH AND ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL, SAYS ALLAN DONALD
Showering praise on Sachin Tendulkar, former South African pacer and England bowling coach Allan Donald said the Mumbaiikar is the best batsman of present era and deserves to become the highest run-getter in Test cricket.
Donald said the veteran Indian willower, who became the third player to accumulate 11,000 Test runs during the second day's play of the second cricket Test against England, was the best in the business and could carry on for a few more years.
"In my era, I think he is the best player I have ever had the pleasure of playing against. He is something special, very freakish, and I think that what he has done for the game and his country has been absolutely phenomenal," Donald said while paying tribute to Tendulkar.
Donald said Tendulkar can carry on playing for a few more years and can go past Brian Lara's record of scoring most number of Test runs (11,953).
"There is a lot more cricket in Tendulkar. He still looks so boyish. It's is a bit scary to notice how many hundreds he has notched up in Test cricket and not to mention those one-day hundreds.
"He's just a credit to cricket. I know he has been through a bad trot with injuries over the last couple of years but he looked his old self out there. I hope there is still a lot more cricket in Sachin because it's unbelievable how many years he's stuck it out and achieved what he has. I hope he goes past Brian Lara's record - he deserves it," Donald said.
With England on the ropes in the second Test, Donald felt that his bowlers had given everything on a wicket that just got a bit better on the second afternoon.
"It was a good day's Test cricket, a classic hard day's toil on a pitch that has got a bit better. With a bit of luck it could have gone the other way - the ball did fly past the edge and a few balls were nicked through but credit to India, they fought hard."
Donald also defended the verbal volleys his bowlers resorted to as Dinesh Kaarthick and Wasim Jaffer stitched together a splendid opening stand of 147 runs.
"There comes a time when a partnership needs to be broken and you need to fire someone up," explained Donald.
"It was right to bowl two lengths, mix it up a bit and change the field. Jimmy (Anderson) stuck up his hand and anything could have happened in that spell. When a partnership gets over 100 you need to be aggressive and he did it well," he said.
Donald said the veteran Indian willower, who became the third player to accumulate 11,000 Test runs during the second day's play of the second cricket Test against England, was the best in the business and could carry on for a few more years.
"In my era, I think he is the best player I have ever had the pleasure of playing against. He is something special, very freakish, and I think that what he has done for the game and his country has been absolutely phenomenal," Donald said while paying tribute to Tendulkar.
Donald said Tendulkar can carry on playing for a few more years and can go past Brian Lara's record of scoring most number of Test runs (11,953).
"There is a lot more cricket in Tendulkar. He still looks so boyish. It's is a bit scary to notice how many hundreds he has notched up in Test cricket and not to mention those one-day hundreds.
"He's just a credit to cricket. I know he has been through a bad trot with injuries over the last couple of years but he looked his old self out there. I hope there is still a lot more cricket in Sachin because it's unbelievable how many years he's stuck it out and achieved what he has. I hope he goes past Brian Lara's record - he deserves it," Donald said.
With England on the ropes in the second Test, Donald felt that his bowlers had given everything on a wicket that just got a bit better on the second afternoon.
"It was a good day's Test cricket, a classic hard day's toil on a pitch that has got a bit better. With a bit of luck it could have gone the other way - the ball did fly past the edge and a few balls were nicked through but credit to India, they fought hard."
Donald also defended the verbal volleys his bowlers resorted to as Dinesh Kaarthick and Wasim Jaffer stitched together a splendid opening stand of 147 runs.
"There comes a time when a partnership needs to be broken and you need to fire someone up," explained Donald.
"It was right to bowl two lengths, mix it up a bit and change the field. Jimmy (Anderson) stuck up his hand and anything could have happened in that spell. When a partnership gets over 100 you need to be aggressive and he did it well," he said.
BOLLYWOOD BAKWAS: IS SHILPA SHETTY THE DIVA OF ALL THE GOOD THINGS?
Raj Kundra apologises to Shilpa Shetty and her family for his wife, Kavita's "shocking allegations"
Is Shilpa Shetty quite as charming and saintly as she's been painted?
The hair-stylists of Bollywood's bold and beautiful denizens, 24 in all, are coming together for a Cut-A-Thon next Sunday and offering to give 300 fans the film star style and look.
Karan Johar not only makes his actors shed copious tears on screen, but off it too.
Take a dekko of how the Bollywood heroes have transformed over the years from the simpleton to the sizzling hero.
Not just US and Britain, even Shanghai grooves to Bollywood beats
Bollywood stars are not just entertainers, they have designs on your clothes too
A TICKET TO INDIA'S CINEMATIC HISTORY
Pravinbhai Thakker's eyes are alit as he displays his treasure, handling each piece carefully, explaining its significance and reminiscing about the effort his nearly 40 year long obsession has taken to maintain.
Thakker, a former peon with the Golden Tobacco Company has a unique hobby, one that is symbolic of the nation's obsession with cinema -- he has a collection of 3,397 movie tickets that he has collected painstakingly since 1968.
"I have worked with a tobacco company for 28 years, but never smoked a cigarette. My only vice is that I have to watch the latest movie every week and then store away the ticket. Each ticket is a memory of some celluloid moment that I have enjoyed," Thakker says.
"I watched my first movie in 1957, when I was all of 19. The movie was Mother India and the ticket at the time was 69 paise. At the time I used to work as a helper in a store in Central Mumbai, and earned a total of 12 anna per day," he says with a smile.
Thakkers collection fills up an entire suitcase, with tickets marked according to the year. Dog eared, torn and literally falling to pieces, some of his tickets date way back as 1968 and cost as little as 50 paise.
Each piece has markings on it, stating the date and time the movie was watched, the number of reels it had, the number of people Thakker watched the movie with.
In many ways, his collection is a chronicle of India's cinematic history from the late 60's and Thakker has been a avid witness to the movie revolution India has witnessed.
"I have so far spent Rs 31,407.37 on my hobby, but no regrets. My children are all settled. My family does not begrudge my this hobby at all, and I am happy to continue with it," Thakker says.
His achievement has also been noted in the Limca Book of Records in the year 2003.
Having watched so many films, however makes Pravinbhai somewhat of an expert on Indian cinema, and he is not afraid of airing his opinions on the same.
"Amitabh Bachchan should retire now," he declares, saying "he has overstretched himself. I remember him in his earlier days, and he has none of the energy that he displayed then. Of course, he still remains one of my favourite actors".
Thakker also has something to say on the new breed of multiplexes springing up all over the city. "They are too expensive. With Rs 200 I can watch four movies in a single screen theatre, but it may not even buy me a single ticket in one of these new fangled multiplexes. And after all, they both show the same movie, isn't it", he asks with a twinkle in his eye.
Thakker, a former peon with the Golden Tobacco Company has a unique hobby, one that is symbolic of the nation's obsession with cinema -- he has a collection of 3,397 movie tickets that he has collected painstakingly since 1968.
"I have worked with a tobacco company for 28 years, but never smoked a cigarette. My only vice is that I have to watch the latest movie every week and then store away the ticket. Each ticket is a memory of some celluloid moment that I have enjoyed," Thakker says.
"I watched my first movie in 1957, when I was all of 19. The movie was Mother India and the ticket at the time was 69 paise. At the time I used to work as a helper in a store in Central Mumbai, and earned a total of 12 anna per day," he says with a smile.
Thakkers collection fills up an entire suitcase, with tickets marked according to the year. Dog eared, torn and literally falling to pieces, some of his tickets date way back as 1968 and cost as little as 50 paise.
Each piece has markings on it, stating the date and time the movie was watched, the number of reels it had, the number of people Thakker watched the movie with.
In many ways, his collection is a chronicle of India's cinematic history from the late 60's and Thakker has been a avid witness to the movie revolution India has witnessed.
"I have so far spent Rs 31,407.37 on my hobby, but no regrets. My children are all settled. My family does not begrudge my this hobby at all, and I am happy to continue with it," Thakker says.
His achievement has also been noted in the Limca Book of Records in the year 2003.
Having watched so many films, however makes Pravinbhai somewhat of an expert on Indian cinema, and he is not afraid of airing his opinions on the same.
"Amitabh Bachchan should retire now," he declares, saying "he has overstretched himself. I remember him in his earlier days, and he has none of the energy that he displayed then. Of course, he still remains one of my favourite actors".
Thakker also has something to say on the new breed of multiplexes springing up all over the city. "They are too expensive. With Rs 200 I can watch four movies in a single screen theatre, but it may not even buy me a single ticket in one of these new fangled multiplexes. And after all, they both show the same movie, isn't it", he asks with a twinkle in his eye.
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