You know there is no news that TV news considers newsworthy when the prime time 8 pm bulletin is an awards ceremony. And so it came to pass recently for those viewers wanting to know if the UPA government could move fast enough,with measures to control black money and prevent Ramdevji from fasting for the cause,or the fate of the Pakistani journalist who broke the behind-the-scenes story on the Karachi naval base attack,or indeed,the latest on the uncivil war over the Lokpal bill. All these questions were set aside to watch our cricket World Cup winning team receive a token of appreciation from the BCCI (not amounting to more than Rs 2 crore!). You had to feel for the man who won the best umpire award and received only Rs 50,000 for standing so much cricket. Well,of course we wanted to see Sachin Endulkar win yet another prize. Besides,it was hot and humid and we needed something cool. What can be cooler than Mahendra Singh Dhonis demeanour,Yuvraj Singhs open neckline,Zaks (Zaheer Khan to you who stand on formality) hair-prongs? Speaking of hair,thank god Sonu Niigaam has got rid of some last seen,he was giving Lady Gaga a bit of competition. Now,hes cut it down to size and isnt he looking much the cooler for it? Hes on The X Factor (Sony),the latest music talent show,alongside judges Shreya Ghoshal and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The show looks every bit like Indian Idol,in terms of auditions,backroom reactions,judges actions (Bhansali embraces contestants),contestants agony and ecstasy,etc. Indeed,the only difference visible to the naked eye right now is the size of the stage much larger in this case. With the IPL over,this is the season of new releases. So Sony has another new show which is rather different. Bade Achche Lagte Hain is about a rich,but lonely and very portly gentleman meeting a poor but lonely and rather lovely tuition teacher (what else would you call a person who only teaches at tuition classes?). Both of them are ignored by their respective families although both possess hearts of gold. They are destined to meet and eventually marry were not letting out a secret here,because that information is in every promo,every hoarding. This is a love and marriage saga for those who are 35 years old and above. It stars old favourites Sakshi Tanwar (Parvati of Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki) and Ram Kapoor who hosted Rakhi Ka Swayamvar. The rest of the cast has the usual suspects a wicked mother,spoilt daughters,helpless fathers. But theres something about the two main characters they have the X factor! Lets see for how long. And how long can Dolly Bindra keep a civil tongue? Yes,madam foulmouth of last years Bigg Boss is back,but this time she is smelling as sweet as the rose-crimson lipstick she is wearing. She plays the,ahem,confidante to Ratan Rajput on Ratan ka Rishta (Imagine). Now Ratan is following in Rakhi Sawants and Rahul Mahajans footsteps to choose her marriage partner,although not necessarily life partner,on air,and Dolly is helping her. In this role,alas,she has to be polite and engaging. So welcome Miss Congeniality,Dolly Bindra. Wow,does that take some getting used to. Theres something coming up that you might like to watch: its a hastily assembled story of how Osama Bin Laden met his end. The Death Of Osama Bin Laden on June 5 (Discovery) revealed a few secrets of how that mulaqat was arranged. We wont reveal more. Such a clever idea to get this out before Hollywood does. And finally,TLC is still showing royal weddings from the past,long after we have seen royal visits to Ireland by Queen Elizabeth and then the Obamas at Buckingham Palace. Its getting to be a royal you-know-what. Much better to watch the French Open on Star Sports. You get to watch some wonderful tennis,plenty of tennis balls and a few cheeky tennis players. shailaja.bajpai@expressindia.com
