Face to Face with Amitabh Bachchan on CNN

CNN International brings to its global audience a living legend of Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan on TALK ASIA.
CNN’s Anjali Rao sat down with Mr. Bachchan in Macau, where the industry gathered for one of Bollywood’s most prestigious awards ceremonies. In a revealing and candid interview, Bachchan shares insights into his long film career, the highs and lows of his early days in Bollywood, and becoming the global superstar and screen idol of Indian cinema.

He also discusses the global financial recession, its impact on the Indian film industry and how it is trying to overcome it.

Bachchan opens up about his experience of working with son Abhishek Bachchan and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - and about the controversy over his reaction to the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. He also talks about what prompted him to decline an honorary degree from an Australian university recently.

A must-watch for all fans of Bollywood’s former ’Angry Young Man’, ‘this special edition of Talk Asia premiers on CNN International at the times above. It can also be seen online at www.cnn.com/talkasia after the first airing.

Show times
Wednesday, July 22 at 1630 UAE
Thursday, July 23 at 0700 UAE

Saturday, July 25 at 0830 & 1830 UAE
Monday, July 27 at 0600 & 2130 UAE

Buzz Aldrin on CNN's Talk Asia

In line with the 40th anniversary of the moon landing, Talk Asia's guest this week is US astronaut and second man on the moon Buzz Aldrin.
On July 20th 1969, an estimated 500 million people watched the live broadcast of the first moon landing, marking one giant leap for mankind. Forty years on, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin looks back to that extraordinary achievement with host Kristie Lu Stout on CNN’s TALK ASIA. He walks audiences through the experience as it happened, as archive footage illustrates his journey. He also shares his views on the future of space travel, the race to Mars and how he struggled to adjust to life back on earth upon his return.

The Bold and the Beautiful returns to Star World

The Bold and the Beautiful returns to STAR WORLD on Tue, 21 July at 1.30pm (UAE). In a move to broaden Bold’s fan base in the Middle East, the series will air with Arabic subtitles.

Watched in over 100 countries, The Bold and the Beautiful remains the most watched daily dramatic serial in the world, attracting an audience of 26 million viewers.

In March 2009, The Bold and the Beautiful celebrated its 22nd anniversary. Two months later, the series received six Emmy® nominations for the 36th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards, including nods for Outstanding Drama Series and Best Lead Actress (Susan Flannery). The Awards will be presented on 20 August 2009 at LA’s historic Orpheum Theatre.

The top-rating drama chronicles the lives, romances and passions of the wealthy Forrester family. Based in LA, the family runs Forrester Creations, the chic women’s fashion house. The company was founded by the family’s strong-willed matriarch, Stephanie Forrester (four-time Emmy winner Susan Flannery) and her husband, Eric (John McCook).

As well as overseeing their successful business, the couple raised four children: Sons Ridge (Ron Moss) and Thorne (Winsor Harmon), and their two daughters Kristen (Tracy Lindsey Melchior) and Felecia (Lesli Kay).

STAR WORLD will telecast The Bold and the Beautiful every Sun-Thu at 1.30pm (UAE). A weekly omnibus edition of the series will air every Sun from 11.30am-2pm.

Bold and the Beautiful fans in the Middle East can also keep up with the daily drama on STAR WORLD’s website (world.startv.com). Along with cast bios and a picture gallery, the website will also be updated daily with episodic synopses.

Don’t miss all the glamour, drama and daily turmoil when The Bold and the Beautiful returns to STAR WORLD on Tue, 21 July at 1.30pm (UAE).

On a mission: Disney G-Force

KK Moidu
Disney Interactive Studios discloses the secret details of G-Force, a video game that will be available for kids to enjoy across the Middle East
G-Force Game inspired by the upcoming Walt Disney Pictures feature film to blast onto multiple platforms this summer.
Disney Interactive Studios will publish the G-Force video game, inspired by the upcoming feature film G-Force from Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films. G-Force is scheduled to deploy to retail outlets in the Middle East this July, officially distributed by Pluto Games.
G-Force is a fast-paced action-platform game featuring a unique team of specially trained guinea animals that use high-tech gadgets and specialised talents to complete a dangerous secret mission. Players control Darwin, the G-Force team leader, and housefly surveillance commando Mooch.
Darwin and Mooch team up with the rest of G-Force to use their unique high-tech gadgets, stealth mastery and pint-sized teamwork to save the world from a robot army of evil household appliances. G-Force features innovative gameplay with a unique sense of scale and puzzle solving that requires players to manipulate environments or enemies, including evil household appliances like waffle irons, water coolers and vacuum cleaners to complete their mission.
"The G-Force video game gives players the opportunity to take on new enemies, weapons and missions that pick up where the film leaves off and expands the experience," said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. "G-Force is filled with fast-paced action and memorable characters that will appeal to video game fans of all ages."
G-Force will carry out missions on the Wii home video game console, Xbox360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStationPortable) system, Nintendo DSTM and Windows-based PC. Published by Disney Interactive Studios, the G-Force game for consoles and Windows PC is being developed by Eurocom. The Nintendo OS and PSP system versions are being developed by Keen Games.
Popular actors Jon Favreau, Bill Nighy and Sam Rockwell reprise their roles from the motion picture, and help bring to life the characters and story in the G-Force video game.
G-FORCE (In Disney DigitaI 3-DTM)
Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Genre: Comedy/Adventure
Rating: TBA
Release Date: July 24, 2009
Cast: Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, with the voices of Nicolas Cage, Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Penelope Cruz, Steve Buscemi and Tracy Morgan
Director: Hoyt Yeatman
Writers: The Wibberleys and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Tim Firth, based on a story by Hoyt Yeatman.
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer

Going Green: Green Light for Business on CNN

Airing at Thursday 9th July 16:30 and 21:30 UAE
Saturday 11th July at 11:00 and 21:30 UAE
Sunday 12th July at 07:00, 11:30 and 19:00 UAE

In the run up to the Copenhagen Climate Conference, CNN International launches its second of three Going Green-themed weeks of coverage to discuss the environmental challenges facing global business leaders today.
Ahead of the important climate change talks taking place in Copenhagen in six months time, CNN International’s Going Green series continues with a week of in-depth reports from Europe, Latin America, Asia and the United States, focussing on how the green movement is being adopted by the global business sector. The daily reports begin on 5th July and the week culminates with a half-hour special which airs the weekend of 9th July. CNN International goes beyond the hype of ‘becoming a green business’ to investigate what is driving and motivating leaders worldwide to make their products and services more environmentally friendly.
Katherine Green, Senior VP of CNN International says: “Once again, CNN International's extensive newsgathering operation is on full display, as our journalists travel across the globe to meet with CEOs, government leaders and environmental entrepreneurs. We want to know how the world's most forward-thinking companies are achieving their environmental and economic goals, and bring the conversation to our inquisitive international audience that cares about the impact of green initiatives in business.”
In addition to daily reports from CNN’s correspondents in the United Kingdom, Sweden, France, Argentina, the United States and Hong Kong, the channel’s flagship hour-long business show, Quest Means Business profiles leaders who are adopting green changes within their industries. In interviews with Vestas’ CEO Ditlev Engel, PriceWaterhouseCooper’s Samuel DiPiazza, Unilever’s CEO Paul Polman and SunTech’s CEO Zhengrong Shi, presenter Richard Quest discovers what motivates them to adopt environmental policies and attempts to understand what it takes, financially, to keeping this pledge.
The half-hour special Going Green: Green Light For Business brings viewers more in-depth reports and analysis from across the globe to reveal how environmentally friendly initiatives affect the bottom line as well as unveiling the added benefits of going green for many businesses. The programme showcases what several companies are doing to work smarter; from streamlining to reduce waste to becoming more efficient and utilising resources in new, more effective and innovative ways.
In addition, CNN.com focuses on stories and blogs from its journalists in the field and features discussions with business leaders from around the world. It also showcases compelling images and stories that complement the television coverage. For more information, visit cnn.com/goinggreen.
CNN International.

SACH KA SAMNA ON STAR PLUS

Sach Ka Samna is the Indian version of The Moment of Truth, the show that rocked America will air on Star plus from July 15 at 10pm.

STAR today announced the upcoming launch of Sach Ka Saamna, the Hindi version of Moment of Truth, on its leading Indian Hindi general entertainment channel, STAR PLUS. The mega game show will debut on July 15, Mon – Fri at 10:00pm (UAE TIME). It offers a grand prize of Rs 1 crore (US$205,000) to any participant who can answer all of the 20 questions they face honestly.

Sach Ka Saamna will be hosted by film and television star Rajeev Khandelwal. The program represents a homecoming for Khandelwal, who first burst into living rooms across India on STAR PLUS’ blockbuster serial Kahiin To Hoga in 2003. Sach Ka Saamna will follow the format of its hit U.S. predecessor, Moment of Truth, which made headlines across the world for encouraging participants to reveal uncomfortable truths about their lives. The U.S. version had developed a significant following in India on STAR’s English language general entertainment channel, STAR WORLD.

Commenting on the launch of the show Mr. Sumantra Dutta, Country Head for STAR Middle East, Pakistan and Africa, said, “Sach Ka Saamna is a truly innovative program that gives participants the chance to bare their souls and reveal hidden secrets in a quest to win a large cash prize. I have full confidence that our viewers will make a connection with this engaging new show, further cementing STAR PLUS’ position as the preferred destination for blockbuster Hindi-language programming in the Middle East.”

MICHAEL JACKSON MEMORIAL: LIVE ON STAR WORLD & [V]

Watch History in the Making as the World Farewells the King of Pop
Airing on STAR WORLD Tues 7 July, 9pm (UAE Time) - Live Wed 8 July, 12am & 12pm (R) Airing on CHANNEL [V] Tues 7 July, 8:55pm (UAE Time) - Live Wed 8 July, 3am & 4pm (R)

STAR WORLD and CHANNEL [V] will air a live telecast of the Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service on Tuesday 7 July.
CHANNEL [V] will launch its live feed from 8.55pm (UAE Time) on Tues, 7 July. STAR WORLD’s live broadcast will start from 9pm (UAE Time).
Millions are expected to tune in to this historic event which will take place at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
Ken Sunshine, a spokesman for the Jackson family, said the public memorial “will reflect the wishes of the family.” Participants in the ceremony include Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder.
An official statement from the Jackson family stated: “It was our wish to allow as many of Michael’s fans to be part of the memorial, and we wish to thank everyone for their support and understanding at this difficult time.”
Over 1.6 million fans from around the world registered online for the 17,500 free tickets that were made available to the public. Only 11,000 selected registrants will be allowed into the Staples Center while the remaining 6,500 will watch a simulcast from the nearby Nokia Theatre. Tourist organizations expect up to 750,000 people will arrive in Los Angeles to pay their last respects to the King of Pop.
STAR WORLD and CHANNEL [V] will televise the 90-minute ceremony live. Details of the broadcast and encore telecasts are below.