IBLOG SPACE

They couldn't out Hashim Amla at all. So India, down to three bowlers and led by an exceptional Harbhajan Singh, found a way around him, leaving him stranded with nine mandatory balls to go and sealing a heart-stopping, series-levelling win that also meant they retained the top spot in the ICC rankings. As was fitting, it was Harbhajan who brought about the final wicket with a slider to the left-hand batsman Morne Morkel, who had put together a 76-minute last-wicket stand with Amla. The final few steps didn't come easy for India: the last three wickets batted out 53.3 overs to set up a beautiful Test-match finish. For eight hours and 19 minutes in this innings, which took to 23 hours and 22 minutes the total time he's spent at the wicket for the series, Amla saw everything: offbreaks, topspinners, unintended doosras, big legbreaks, googlies, bouncers, full ones, a blow to the elbow, the bowlers' joy, their frustration, and Harbhajan's eruption on taking the last wic

India have been dealt a jolt ahead of the one-day series with news that Zaheer Khan has been ruled out with a muscle strain in his leg. The Indian board named Sreesanth as his replacement. Zaheer, who did not take the field on day five of the Kolkata Test, pulled up with what appeared a painful right knee after bowling one over during the afternoon session on day four yesterday, and did not return to bowl on the final day as India attempted to square the series. Prior to walking off the field yesterday, Zaheer had stepped off on a couple of occasions for treatment. Zaheer, 31, made his international comeback for the Tests against Sri Lanka late last year having recovered from the injury he sustained during the 2009 IPL. He featured in the tri-series in Bangladesh last month as well as the two Tests there. Zaheer's fitness will undoubtedly be monitored closely considering the third season of the IPL is a few weeks away.

Esha Deol, in her own words, is bruised black and blue. This month after participating in a camel race in Jaisalmer and doing road stunts in Goa for her mother's production Tell Me Oh Khuda , Esha can barely move a limb. "The director Mayur Puri and the fight master Parvez bhai forgot I was all said and done, a girl and therefore delicate in my own way. This has been the most physically demanding experience of my life," says Esha wincing in pain. Twenty-six years after Hema Malini got on a camel in the Rajasthan deserts to sing the haunting ' Ae Dil-E-Nadaan ' in Kamal Amrohi's Razia Sultan , Esha rode the camel like a pro in Jaisalmer. Protests Esha, "In Razia Sultan , mom was singing on the camel. I was wincing in pain. For ten days I rode the camel like a professional for a camel race along with Arjan Bajwa, Chandan Roy Sanyal and Sudhandhu Pande. I was the only girl in the team. But people seemed to forget that. But if I may sa

This was the scene in my newsroom yesterday: A letter saying, My Name Is Khan is all about loving Karan Johar.' Then another letter read - 'We want to read interviews of Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.' A few similar letters for interview request started to pour in. My editor gets panicky. He sends across an email for me to interview Karan, SRK and Kajol because he needs to give an answer to our readers. Like Karan Johar states in this exclusive interview post the release of MNIK , "Our audiences like to leave the cinema hall with a little bit of hope in their heart rather than a question in their mind." So we decided to give the same hope to our readers. A few text messages and I get a call from Karan Johar. The rest is very much readable below. What's not however, is the overseas box office collections, especially in the UK, which are phenomenal. Getting tickets has become a major worry in London's Vue cinemas and some of the priv

Moulli Ganguly, Sangeeta Ghosh and Sanjeeda Sheikh will soon be seen in STAR Plus’ top-rated show Bidaai, albeit in cameo roles. Like every year, this time the serial will be hosting a Natraj Mahotsav, which will be anchored by Moulli. Sanjeeda and Sangeeta will perform on popular numbers. In the past, Hema Malini and Shweta Tiwari have been part of this special episode. Recently, Komalika Guha and Rahuol Lohani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi fame also entered the show in important cameos.

Brazilian filmmaker and musician Andre Luis Oliveira inaugurated a workshop on cinema, conducted as part of Vibgyor-Mazhavil Mela 2010, in Thrissur on Tuesday. Talking on the occasion, he said that cinema was never a career option for him. I did not want to be stuck with the filmmaker's status that would have prevented me from dabbling in many other things including music therapy for children. At the same time, I know filmmaking is not an easy task. It is difficult in every sense. Making films is not easy in any country. Filmmakers from all over the world would agree to this observation," he added. Filmmaker K.P. Sasi spoke about the role of documentaries and short films in engineering social change. 27 years ago, when I entered filmmaking, people's movements did not largely buy the idea that cinema was a medium that could be used for social campaign. In contrast, just about every day now, I get calls from activists demanding documentation of their struggles.

After much delay, four new members have been appointed to the PCB's governing board, all of them elected representatives of regional cricket associations. They will remain on the board for two years. The names of the four were recommended by Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, to President Asif Ali Zardari, the patron of the board. Major (retd) Naeem Akhtar Gillani, president of the Rawalpindi regional cricket association, replaced Shakil Sheikh, the influential president of the Islamabad cricket association. Tariq Baloch, president of the Quetta regional cricket association, has been appointed in place of Mian Mohammad Munir who is president of the Multan association. Chaudry Mohammad Anwar, president of the Faisalabad cricket association, replaces Amir Hayat Rokhri, the heads of the Lahore cricket association and Mir Haider Ali Talpur, the Hyderabad cricket association president, has replaced Mohammad Ali Shah, president of the Karachi cricket association. Shah and Shai

The Big Picture The series is decided so there is little but pride to play for in this match. Australia want to finish the summer undefeated across all three formats, so they won't be easing up despite resting some players. West Indies would love to leave the country with some positives ahead of their home series against Zimbabwe, so they will be keen for a consolation victory after their best hope of the series, the Sydney match, was washed out. It has been a long, tough season for West Indies in Australia. Three months ago they embarked on a Test tour in which they were competitive but didn't win a match and there hasn't been any one-day success either. Gayle is the only member of the squad to have been in Australia for the full three months, having played in the Big bash in between series. He has this ODI and two Twenty20s in Hobart and Sydney before he can head home, and even then there is barely any time to rest. "It's been a long summer to be h

Three series-winning performances, and two inspired efforts that derailed Australia comprise the ODI bowling shortlist of 2009 for the ESPNcricinfo awards. Pace and spin both feature prominently in the nominations, four of which are hauls of five wickets or more and also include a hat-trick. Shahid Afridi bagged the second best figures in 2009, taking 6 for 38 in Dubai in an uncharacteristic Australian collapse, where eight wickets fell for 27. The display won Pakistan the game, though the series was eventually lost. Harbhajan Singh's 5 for 56 in the Compaq Cup in Colombo , in the wake of a blistering reply by Sri Lanka's batsmen in their chase, ended India's long struggle in tournament finals. The fast bowlers had three representatives, leading with Andrew Flintoff, whose hat-trick against West Indies, part of his career-best 5 for 19, won England their first ODI series in the Caribbean. Doug Bollinger had made a mark in only his second ODI, grabbing a

The Bangladesh top order collapsed timidly, for the second time in the match, leaving New Zealand on the verge of victory at the end of the fourth day in Hamilton. A brilliant spell from Daniel Vettori was supported well by his spinning parter Jeetan Patel, and reduced the tourists to 88 for 5, still 316 runs away from an unlikely victory. The spin pair bowled consecutive wicket-maidens shortly before the close of play, taking the game well and truly away from Bangladesh. Tamim Iqbal gave the visitors the opening, slogging to long off where a back-pedalling Daryl Tuffey took an important to catch. The remainder of the top order folded feebly under pressure, with New Zealand hot on attack in the final session. Earlier, a sedate second innings from New Zealand saw the hosts ambling to 228 for 5 at tea before a four over post-break burst from Brendon McCullum brought about the declaration, with his side 403 runs in the clear. It capped a strong finish to the innings that w

Nathan Hauritz has been given the chance to cement his spot before the World Twenty20 after being added to Australia's 15-man squad for the two games in New Zealand next week. Hauritz has become the No. 1 slow bowler in Tests and ODIs but has not been picked for any of the short-form encounters at home. The selectors were keen to see how the legspinner Steven Smith would perform against Pakistan and Hauritz has been rested from the contests against West Indies on Sunday and Tuesday. "With the important role spin plays in Twenty20 cricket, Nathan deserves the chance to try and establish himself in Australia's Twenty20 side ahead of the World Twenty20," Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, said. While Hauritz can fine-tune for the tournament in the West Indies in April and May, Michael Hussey's international Twenty20 career in the format appears over after he was left out. His brother David is in the squad along with Cameron White,

The ECB made an offer to the BCCI last December to host the 2010 Champions League Twenty20 tournament, but have still to receive a response from the Indian board while their participation in the event remains in doubt with the recently announced dates clashing with the end of the English domestic season. Writing on his Twitter feed, Lalit Modi, the Champions League commissioner, claimed two English counties have now been invited to the event. "We have sent invites to two teams from [the] ECB yesterday for [the Champions League]. Waiting to hear from them," he said. However, an ECB spokesman told Cricinfo they don't class it as an official offer. "There has been a telephone conversation, but no formal invite has been sent." Late last year the English board told the BCCI they would be willing to host the tournament after the end of the season on September 22. Although the daylight is drawing in by that time of the year in England there would still

In an effort to find a solution to widespread press concerns regarding the coverage of IPL 2010, the News Media Coalition (NMC), which reached a compromise agreement with the IPL for last year's competition in South Africa, called upon the tournament's organisers "to avoid alienating the international news media community". "The terms on offer from the IPL raise serious issues of press freedom including the ability to inform the public with topical information and the legitimate distribution of news content for editorial publications," a statement from the body read. "The current wording will serve to act as a barrier to coverage by some media. This can only result in the loss of opportunities for cricket fans internationally to share in this news spectacle through the opinions and eyes of independent journalists and photographers working for publishers worldwide through the network of agencies and newspaper syndication services."

The promos for Jay Leno’s return to the Tonight Show started running during tonight’s Olympics coverage.    I’m sure the video will be available shortly but until then: Instead, the network is opting for a low-key echo of the commercials that launched Leno : Last fall, he was shown driving a race car emblazoned with a 10, a reminder of his new slot. In spots that began airing during the Olympics Wednesday night, he’s driving the same car, only the 10 is replaced by 11:35 (or 10:35, depending on your time zone), as the Beatles song urges him to “Get back to where you once belonged.” The approach is in marked contrast to the hype — painted buildings, grocery-aisle ads — that greeted his move to prime time last fall. Back then he was heralded on the cover of Time as the “future of television”; on March 1, NBC tries to relaunch Leno in his late-night perch and repopulates its 10 ET/PT schedule with dramas and reality shows. Read more at USA TODAY Update: Josef Adalian wri

Update : perhaps since it was marked “Special” because it aired at 8pm rather than 9pm, the Live+7 data for Dollhouse was not included in the data we received (so Dollhouse isn’t included anywhere below!).  I’ll see if  I can track the data down. American Idol was (by far and away) still the most watched show when a week’s worth of DVR viewing was factored in for the week ending January 31.

Ding ding.  Round two of American Idol versus the Olympics is tonight, although tonight isn’t quite as much of a contest since tonight there is only one hour of American Idol. Last night there were two hours.  At 8pm FOX will air Human Target . FOX has a streak of American Idol winning every single half hour versus its competition for six years .  That’s better than the women’s UCONN basketball team and last night FOX had an easier time with NBC than UCONN had with Oklahoma on Monday night. Will tonight be any different?  Tonight features women’s downhill skiing and Lindsey Vonn who is first in line to be America’s sweetheart.  Will a tape-delayed Vonn provide an advantage to NBC?  Perhaps, but I’m guessing not enough of an advantage to topple American Idol between 9p-10p. Last night FOX won easily, both with overall viewers and adults 18-49.  It was no surprise that American Idol won with adults 18-49, but its wide margin of victory was still surprising , at lea

via Turner: TNT TNT’s coverage of the NBA All-Star 2010 weekend combined with original series to help TNT rank as ad-supported cable’s #1 network in primetime delivery of viewers (2.8 million); adults 18-34 (827,000); adults 18-49 (1.5 million); adults 25-54 (1.3 million).  TNT also ranked #1 in total day among adults 18-49 (740,000) and adults 25-54 (731,000). TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2010 NBA All-Star Game was television’s #1 program on Sunday night among men 18-34, beating NBC’s Winter Olympic coverage . The East-West match-up was watched by 6.8 million viewers , 2.3 million adults 18-49, 3.8 million adults 18-49 and 3.3 million adults 25-54 to rank as cable’s #1 program for the month-to-date and TNT’s most-watched program for the year-to-date. TNT’s exclusive coverage of the 2010 NBA All-Star Saturday Night was the second most-watched night in the event’s 25 year history, delivering a 3.1 national household rating (3.6 coverage rating), with nearly 5.5 m

via press release: “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” Posts Best Demo Delivery in Over a Year “World News” is Up 13% in Total Viewers and 12% in Demo vs. a Year Ago ~Increases Total Viewing and Demo Advantages Over CBS Week to Week and Year to Year For the week of February 8, “ABC World News with Diane Sawyer” averaged 9.24 million Total Viewers and a 2.3/8 among Adults 25-54 according to Nielsen Media Research. This marks “World News’” best delivery among Adults 25-54 in over a year and highest Total Viewer delivery in over a month.

via press release: ABC Delivers 4 of the Week’s Top 15 TV Programs Among Adults 18-49, Including “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “The Bachelor” and “Modern Family”

via press release: COMEDY, DRAMA AND REALITY ALL DELIVER FOR CBS “The Big Bang Theory” Scales New Heights While “Two and a Half Men” Delivers Its Largest Audience Since 2008 and Best Adult 18-49 Rating in Three Years “NCIS” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” are the Top Two Dramas as CBS Notches Nine of the Week’s Top 10 Scripted Series “Undercover Boss” More Than Doubles its Time Period’s Season Averages and Posts the Best Adult 18-49 Rating Since 2004 “Survivor:  Heroes Vs. Villains” Premieres with Show’s Largest Audience Since 2007 The Premiere of “The Amazing Race 16″ Posts Year-to-Year Demo Gains

Despite airing against the Winter Olympics on NBC, TNT still won the cable gold medal for the week with  the NBA All-Star Game .   Disney’s StarStruck which also went up against the Olympics (and, also against the NBA All-Star Game ) was second for the week. Top 25  cable shows for the week ending February 14, 2010: Rank Shows NET DAY Time Viewers Live+SD (000) 1 EAST VS WEST TNT Sun 08:42P-11:45P 6,846 2 STARSTRUCK DSNY Sun 08:00P-09:35P 5,956 3 WWE ENTERTAINMENT USA Mon 10:00P-11:10P 5,522 4 NBA ALLSTAR SAT NIGHT TNT Sat 08:30P-11:00P 5,441 5 WWE ENTERTAINMENT USA Mon 09:00P-10:00P 5,161 6 SPONGEBOB NICK Sat 09:30A-10:00A 4,868 7 PAWN STARS HIST Mon 10:30P-11:00P 4,678 8 BURN NOTICE USA Thu 10:00P-11:01P 4,658 9 PAWN STARS HIST Mon 10:00P-10:30P 4,438 10 SPONGEBOB NICK Sat 09:00A-09:30A 4,389 11 THE OREILLY FACTOR FOXN Mon 08:00P-09:00P 4,366 12 PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR NIC

via press release: Disney Channel is TV’s No. 1 Network in Total Day in Tweens 9-14, and Nears 5 Years of Dominance in Prime in Target Kids Debut of Original Movie “StarStruck” is TV’s No. 1 Telecast in Kids 6-11 and Tweens 9-14 , and Cable’s No. 1 Scripted Telecast in Total Viewers Disney Channel Delivers TV’s Top 2 Telecasts in Kids 6-11 and the Top 3 Scripted TV Telecasts in Tweens 9-14 Week of February 8, 2010 Powered by Sunday’s premiere of original movie “StarStruck,” the week’s No. 1 telecast in target kid demos, Disney Channel was the week’s No. 1 TV network in Total Day in Tweens 9-14 (521,000/2.1 rating). In Prime Disney Channel extended its streak as cable’s No. 1 network to 254 consecutive weeks in Kids 6-11 (1.05 million/4.3 rating) and to 250 straight weeks in Tweens 9-14 (880,000/3.6 rating), nearing 5 years of dominance on a weekly basis. Sunday’s debut of original movie “StarStruck” stood as the week’s No. 1 TV telecast in Kids 6-11 (2.4 mil

ADULT SWIM Reigning #1 among all basic cable networks for total day delivery of targeted young adults, Adult Swim posted another week of strong ratings & delivery growth among adults 18-34 and men 18-34.  Compared to the same time period last year, adults 18-34 delivery (481,000) grew by 9% and ratings (0.7) by 17%.  Men 18-34 delivery (292,000) also increased by 9% and ratings (0.9) by 13%.  Additionally, adults 18-49 delivery (666,000) improved by 11% compared to the same 2009 time period. In the competitive 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. late-night time period, Adult Swim also ranked #1 among all broadcast and cable networks for delivery of adults 18-24 and men 18-24, and #2 among adults 18-34 and men 18-34 (behind CBS). Adult Swim telecasts—including Family Guy, Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force —accounted for 17 of the top 50 telecasts of the week on ad-supported basic cable among adults 18-34. CA

In this week’s episode of Lift Kara De, Karan Johar has none other than superstar Amitabh Bachchan as his guest. What is more interesting is that all the studio audience, Bachchan’s fans, turned up looking like one of the characters played by the star. There’s Anthony from Amar Akbar Anthony, Vijay Dinanath Chauhan from Agneepath and a Shahenshah lookalike to name a few. Some of them even narrated lines from his films . When asked about what prompted him to wave out to his fans every Sunday, from his bungalow at Juhu, Bachchan revealed that it started when a fan of his came to meet him all the way from Vadodara on foot. This was post the accident that he had met with on the sets of Coolie. So touched was the superstar that as soon he was intimated of his arrival, he personally came out to greet him and since then the tradition continues. He confessed that whenever he is in Mumbai he still waves out to his fans every Sunday! On the show Bachchan even made a paan and whoever narrated h

The Celebrity Apprentice Saturday, 11.00 pm, ZEE Cafe Yes, it’s back with a new series: Celebrity Apprentice once again pitches two teams of eight celebrities, men versus women, against each other to complete business tasks set by the legendary businessman Donald Trump . The proceeds will be donated to charity, the losing team losing not only a member, but pride as well. For many celebrities there is too much at stake, and this show proves just how proud and, dare one say it, arrogant, these stars can be. The opening shot of the latest celebrities to undergo Trump’s rigorous assessment is fitting at least. Aboard the USS Intrepid, the teams meet, and conflict is established as a theme from the outset. This time the male celebrity line-up includes such public personalities as American National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman, TV personality Jesse James, Canadian comedian Tom Green, American footballer Herschel Walker, and stand-up comedian, Andrew ‘Dice’ Clay, who singleh

Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega Monday - Friday, 8 pm and Saturday 9 pm NDTV Imagine NDTV Imagine declares Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega to be the second season of their Swayamvar franchise. In the first, they had drama queen Rakhi Sawant choose her prospective bridegroom, by putting all claimants through a series of ‘tasks’ to test their compatibility with her. This time round, Rahul Mahajan, the now-popular son of the late BJP politician Pramod Mahajan, has donned a sherwani and is going through a roster of 15 prospective brides to ultimately choose a life partner. Mahajan, whose television career kicked off with Bigg Boss Season 2, has along with the production team of the show, handpicked these 15 contestants out of the 9,000 applicants eager to marry him. Television star Ram Kapoor, who also hosted the first season, is back as the matchmaker. During the course of the show, other minor celebrities will also come as guests to help the would-be groom make up his mind about his life part

Films don’t come cheap and aren’t delivering good ratings. In contrast, fiction costs a fraction and delivers better numbers. Yet channels are chasing films Films are said to be wholesome family entertainers and television is supposed to be an ideal medium of entertainment for the entire family. The synergy between the two has been so strong that their mutual dependence on each other for reach, eyeballs and revenue has been an accepted fact for both businesses. But things are changing, or have been changing for some time, at least. Till about a year ago, films were a preferred weekend family entertainment option on television and they still continue to be. But their appeal and ability to garner ratings and generate revenue has been dented. If 2009 was not a good year for films at the box-office, their performance has not been good enough on television either. Take the case of Wanted and Blue for instance. Both premiered on television in January and December on Star Plus and Colors

Few things are clear on prime-time TV, except that Shah Rukh Khan talks too muchThe idea is to be as communicative and clear as possible but so often we find people on television determined to make statements which make no sense, deliberately or unwittingly. It’s as though they are unsure of what to say. Thus, NewsX, last Friday, while describing Rahul Gandhi ’s visit to Mumbai, said: “He seems to have called the Shiv Sena’s bluff. At least apparently.” Thus, Rahul Bhatt, when asked what David Headley had told him about being in Pakistan by NDTV 24x7, replied, “He spoke of Pakistan as the Wild West.” NDTV: “What did he mean?” Bhatt: “As in the Wild West?” Right, gotcha. Perhaps Bhatt’s problem was that he believed if he repeated himself often enough, he would be believed. That, or he had been told to rein in his tongue (just to keep the Wild West in its saddle!). At least, apparently. NDTV: “You did not know his name was Rana?” Bhatt: “Absolutely not”. NDTV: “You never heard of Rana?

He is the favourite of every kid that tunes into M.A.D, the art and craft show on Pogo. Meet Rob, who is hosting the second season of Make It Easy Seven seasons of M.A.D and now season II of Make It Easy. One can’t imagine the show without you.. Yes, I just love the format. I am a trained artiste from an art school and this is a great platform for me to teach the techniques of art, albeit in an alternate way. It gives me lot of joy and satisfaction teaching in this format, which is simplistic and easier. It is a process of learning for me too as it gives me an opportunity to do something new. You have interacted with thousands of kids, what is the one quality that you like about them? Their best quality is honesty, which is why it is a challenge to work with them. When they like or dislike something that I have made, they tell me immediately. And if they find it tough, they just ask me to simplify it. Tell us how your journey began with M.A.D. . I was in Mumbai working on anim

Court case against him notwithstanding, Dheeraj Kumar is upbeat about his show Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam on Colors and is all set to make a comeback on Doordarshan with two soaps Dheeraj Kumar, who was among the frontrunners on Doordarshan in the late ’80s and ’90s before things went kaput due to policy differences, is all set to revisit the national channel with two soaps. According to sources, one is a primetime serial and another is scheduled for the afternoon slot. Admitting that he is indeed producing shows for DD, the producer however refuses to divulge any details except that “it is an attempt to start with the channel on a fresh note”. Incidentally, the last serial Creative Eye produced for DD was Jap Tap Vrat, which after a break completed its run on STAR Plus. Currently, his fiction soap Yeh Pyaar Na Hoga Kam is

Stars Perform at Tamilnadu CM’s function Rambha, Tamanna, Sneha, Nayanatara etc have performed at Tamilnadu’s CM M Karunanidhi Thanks function.