DesiDabba - Boss, Thoda Sa Roomani Ho Jaye
To put it simply, DesiDabba is our effort to be your one-stop guide into one of the world's most lucrative television market, The Indian Television Industry. So enjoy and bring on the traffic. More about Desi Dabba
American Idol: And Then There Were 24
American Idol just handed me the best Valentine’s Day gift that I have got in a while - they nixed 18 year old Josiah Leming from the Top 24. I was so sure this kid was going to make it when he turned on the tap at the end of the Hollywood Round and got three (three!) “yes”s. Thank you, show. Now don’t ruin it by re-introducing the wild card option and bringing him back.
Instead, the top 24 seem pretty normal. I’m shocked. Where are the drama queens and the sympathy inclusions? The annoying people Randy and Paula usually vote in just to piss Simon off? Eh, those bits probably got left on the cutting room floor. Coz, you know, this is their most talented season yet. Never heard that before, have you?
Larry King Live and One-To-One Talk Shows
“It’s the top of the hour, on Larry King Live”. This is how Larry King starts his show, Larry King Live, every night, and has done the same for the last 22 years. The show which premiered in 1985 is one of the most watched shows worldwide and is CNN’s numero uno show. Although due to Time Zone considerations we in India can view it in mornings.
Larry King is undoubtedly one of the most popular Television Commentator ever. The thing which stands out in his interview style is the ease with which he talks with the guests. Mostly a smooth conversation with spikes of tough questions. The guest list includes people from each and every field possible not restricting himself to Politics and World affairs, the stuff in which CNN stands out from the rest. His long experience in the world of Radio and Television, followed by his writing career earns him the due respect from all his guests which levels the playing field in his interviews. The large specs, rolled up sleeves and tie along with mike placed in front of him is a regular image for all his fans now.
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Mature Cartoons on Indian TV
It is surprising that two of the funniest shows on TV these days are cartoons. Unfortunately it might be under whelming that they are not shown on Indian television. Yes, I am talking about South Park and Family Guy. To the uninitiated, South Park is an animated series that veers between extreme levels of grossness to surprisingly intelligent levels of cutting wit. Once of the most influential cartoons of the past decade, South Park is a show that, in their writers’ words, ‘is an equal opportunity offender’.
Sitayana
Nina Paley bills herself as America’s Best Loved Unknown Cartoonist . Give her till 2008 and she’ll be India’s Best Debated Unknown Cartoonist.
To rewind a little, Paley is the creator of Sitayana, a series of animations based on the story of Sita from the Ramayana. Paley, an American artist who lives in New York, has already attracted a lot of attention from Indian netizens for her colorful work set to little known jazz music from the 1930s.
Review Arrested Development
Those regular viewers of Star World might have been aware of this insanely (yet intelligently) funny show that first aired in the US on Fox. Three seasons, tons of critical acclaim, cult fan base, 6 Emmy awards and one Golden Globe Award later, guess what happened? The show got pulled off by the scheming executives heading Fox. While Fox News was known for its largely laughable claim of providing ‘comprehensive and unbiased’ coverage of news, its entertainment arm was infamous for its atrocious program scheduling. Family Guy was spectacularly pulled off air twice (but brought back due to its huge fan base). Anyway, getting back to the show at hand, Arrested Development was a classic example of a show that was too intelligent for its own good.
