The IT Amendment Act, 2008, if notified, will give the government blanket power to block news portals and other sites for 'offensive' content.

A near-decisive victory for the United Progessive Alliance (UPA) in the 15th Lok Sabha may have been unexpected for everyone, but not so the viewer turnout for television channels on May 16, the day the results were declared.

Bollywood is as much about friends as it is about feuding. Which is why several starry battles so frequently turn back to friendship. In the end, everybody ends up working together anyway.

Raja Sen tells us why we should watch 99, a film starring Kunal Khemu, Boman Irani, Cyrus Broacha, Amit Mistry, Soha Ali Khan, Mahesh Manjrekar and Vinod Khann, which he has written the dialogues for.

Hema Malini talks about the TV adaptation of Seeta Aur Geeta.

The search giant gives users a free, iTunes-like service. Will it come to the US.?

Congress is indulging in a populist frenzy; and the US administration is hoping for the best.

Pradip Shah, the forthright chairman of IndAsia Fund says government spending should have targeted infrastructure such as roads and power projects so that productive assets would have been created and at the same time it would have provided a living for low-income labourers and less-qualified people. 'They, in turn, would have spent the money on essentials and some long-term assets for themselves,' he says.

Hyderabad-based game development company 7Seas Technologies Limited has developed five free online political games that enable you to make politician do all kinds of things -- virtually.

The three major parties will use the next 15 days for housecleaning. But what price must they pay for keeping their allies happy? As things stand today the Congress and the BJP are hard put to summon even a simple majority in the Lok Sabha. When the new House reconvenes in summer could we see a situation where not two but even the three largest parties will be pressed to reach the magic number of 272?

We bring you a second excerpt from novelist Qaisra Shahraz's latest book, Love's Fury (also published as Typhoon).

Delhi-6 was greeted well by the audience. Word-of-mouth is crucial in letting the word spread when the film opens on February 20, that it rewards those who are not seeking instant gratification.

Vasan Visual Ventures' Tamil film directed by Bala provides a superb and usually untouched setting for its story, but its screenplay lacks punch.

A R Rahman (who else, really?) makes waiting for his music such a worthwhile chore what with one fantastic soundtrack after another. Close on the heels of a deserving Golden Globes wins follows the anticipated score of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Dilli 6. Considering its impossible-to-define Chandni Chowk roots, Rahman injects the sounds of this 10-tracked album with an eclectic fusion of various genres. Bottom line: it's a 10 on 10.

I think instead of waiting for leaders, each of us can resolve to be a leader in his or her own right, in whatever area we chose to do.

There's funny-funny. And there's sharp wit. The President Is Coming is a delightful combination of both.

Follow these five steps to manage debt without cutting up your credit cards

Chinese guides would rather you shopped instead of anything else

Celebrity craze has been a part of advertising-dom for years, but 2008 saw brands upping the ante on stars to go bigger and larger in numbers

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced that Hugh Jackman will be the host of the 81st annual Oscars, to be held February 22.

His debut TV appearance Oye! It's Friday is very dull, and does not have the Akhtar slickness we're all used to.

Raja Sen advises Aditya Chopra not to make a film that feels over a decade old.

Former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld once said that the enemy gets a vote. The Islamists cast their ballot in Mumbai.

The FWICE says its 35,000 members will resume work immediately if their pay is raised. Of course, there are several other related demands such as a timebound payment of the shift wage, restricting shifts to 8 hours rather than the current 10-12 hours among others, says a senior FWICE executive. Meanwhile, channels are showing re-runs of old episodes. This has resulted in a drop of upto 55 per cent in their prime time viewership ratings, affecting ad revenue.

Talks between production houses, cine workers union inconclusive, no fresh content for broadcasters.

Casino Royale, this film's predecessor and the one in which blonde-haired, blue-eyed and muscle-bound Daniel Craig took on the mantle of James Bond was buoyed by some impressive stunt and action work. That much remains in Quantum of Solace but little else is added to the cocktail to make it palatable this time around.

The Rock On actor is the host of Oye It's Friday on NDTV Imagine. The show promises an hour of cutting edge humour, dazzling performances, news making guests and edgy style all rolled into one.

The record-creating jalebi is 75 inches in diameter and weighed 15 kg. "I am proud that we made it to the record books," Delhi Mistan Bhandar's owner Kailash Verma said. The record-breaking jalebi was made to mark the platinum anniversary of the Delhi Mistan Bhandar in Shillong.

An interview with BMR partners and media specialists Nitin Atroley and Vivek Gupta

Maitri, one of the first organisations in America aiming to empower South Asian women, raised over $500,000 at a fundraiser in Milpitas, California.

Yuvvraaj is a triumphant score from the maestro. For all its meticulous arrangement and old-world grandeur, it's essentially deep-rooted in timeless melody, which seldom disappoints.

Paramount Pictures which had a strong summer season -- with Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and Kung Fu Panda -- is enjoying an extraordinary success with the multiple versions DVD sale of Iron Man. According to the box-office tracking The-numbers.com, the DVD sets grossed $93 million in North America in the first week.

Diwali,in emerging India, has been robbed of its sheen says Kitty Chachra

It's logical, practical and perfectly sane to not desire a rotten tomato in your carefully picked purchase. Unfortunately, Indian television isn't even as smart as doing grocery. It's, in fact, rapidly turning into an evil medium that openly thrives on bitching, provocation and unkindness. The idea is to grab attention of the remote control-bearing viewers at any cost. And with so many channels on the fray, the scenario keeps getting dirtier by the day.

Goldie Behl's attempt to keep it interesting is conspicuous even if not brilliantly executed. And while Drona falls short of being an irresistible experience, it sure had the makings of one.

We have seen Ram Gopal Varma's films, and know of his talent. But how many of us actually know how he became a director? Did you know, for example, that RGV was an engineer before he became a director? And that had he accepted a well-paying job in Nigeria, he would have never become a director!RGV writes about his early days in his blog. We quote.

A Wednesday is a taut film which works mainly because of it's leading man, Naseeruddin Shah. Anupam Kher is his perfect foil. Overall, a must-watch movie.

WALL-E itself is far more than a simple piece of mindless entertainment. With its beautifully rendered world and cheerfully choreographed sequences, it does serve its primary purpose of entertaining, but for those willing to burrow below the surface it offers so much more.

With advertising a little less robust than last year and television ad rates not showing any sign of climbing up, thanks to viewership fragmentation and increased competition, the Hindi general entertainment channels are tapping non-advertising revenue streams to shore up incomes. This includes content-repurposing, overseas subscription, and licensing and merchandising.

A hot-potch of imates ranging from TV stars, a jail bird to a politician, and fronted by the sexy Shilpa Shetty make up Big Boss 2. It's a wild ensemble and we can imagine the intensity of insults that will ensue if the controversial folks rub off the razor-sharp tongues the wrong way.