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Forlan in Kolkata on a three-day visit!Maradona out as coach of Argentina's national team!

Forlan in Kolkata on a three-day visit!Maradona out as coach of Argentina's national team!



Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time - Four Hundred Forty

Palash Biswas

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I have been supporting Asia and Africa in this Fifa World Cup abdicating my decades old support to Brazil. But I was much impressed with URUGYE and its Striker Forlan who Played in accordance with Great latin American Football. I had written earlier that Forlan should get the Golden ball and it did happen to my overbound joy. But I am not Overjoyed with Forlan in Kolakta to participate a Football Reality show. I am rather pained to see how the Black People`s game is used for Strategic marketing!Forlan has NOTHING to do with Indian Footbal or Indian sports in general. It would not inspire us for any Change for which Footbal in Africa or Latin America is known. Forlan is just on Money Making Mission and has to cotribute to the Iconic Free Market which has to go beyond our own heroes like Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni,Aamir Khan, Shahrukh or Baichung Bhutia. The phenomenon of Commonwealth games and IPL Scam fall quite on line as the Ruling Hegemony has nothing to do to Promote sports in India which is rooted in its Folk, Tradition and Abofriginal Indigenous Humascape!

At the same time, we have a sad news from BUENOS AIRES!Diego Maradona was removed as coach of Argentina's national team on Tuesday, ending an erratic 21-month stint that mirrored his own long history of unpredictable behavior and culminated in a humiliating exit in the World Cup quarterfinals.

The Argentine Football Association, following a unanimous vote of its executive committee, said that his contract would not be renewed after Maradona had said he would only accept the AFA's offer of a new four-year deal through to the 2014 World Cup if his entire staff also remained.

That was unacceptable to Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona. He had asked for several assistants to be replaced. One of them is Maradona's close friend, Alejandro Mancuso.

Argentina football chief Julio Grondona and team manager Carlos Bilardo have rejected accusations of deceit and betrayal levelled at them by sacked coach Diego Maradona.
Maradona blamed the pair for plotting his downfall in an emotional outburst on Wednesday.

"Grondona lied to me. Bilardo betrayed me," Maradona claimed, 24 hours after his colourful and controversial reign as Argentina coach came to an abrupt end.

Bilardo on Thursday dismissed the claims of the man who was part of his 1986 World Cup-winning team.

"I am sure it's not him who is guilty, but his entourage. I defended and I will continue to defend Maradona to the death," he told La Red radio station.

"I am sure it's not him who is guilty, but his entourage. I defended and I will continue to defend Maradona to the death," he told La Red radio station.

In his first public reaction to his dismissal Maradona had told a press conference that Grondona had assured him his job was safe after the 4-0 World Cup quarterfinal defeat by Germany.

"He (Grondona) came up to me in the dressing room after we had been knocked out of the World Cup in South Africa, told me in front of witnesses and the players that he was very happy with my work and that he wanted me to carry on," Maradona said.

"On our return to Argentina, things started to take a bizarre twist and on Monday I met with Grondona.

"After five minutes, he told me that he wanted me to continue, but that seven of my technical staff could not stay. When he told me this, he was saying that he didn't want me to carry on in the job.

"He knows that it is impossible for me to stay without my assistants."

Argentine Football Association (AFA) president Grondona, however, disputed Maradona's version of their conversation in South Africa.

In fact, the Rothschild`s Agenda of Mind Control to inflict Economic Ethnic cleansing is the topmost Priority for the Ruling Brahaminical Zionist dynasty to justify the Strategic realliance meant for Mass Destruction. The Hegemony has to Feed the Killer Money Machine with Foriegn Capital Inflow putting the Nation and the People on Sell Off. Thus, the Indian parliament has become the best background of Reality Show and the Pet media has to underplay all Burning Issues playing the Live Videos of PORN Erotic Consumer Life style Iconised by Rootless Icons created and Promoted by the LPG Mafia. Hence, Rahul mahajan and Dimpy Ganguly gets so much Space sidelining the Parliament in Stand OFF for indefinite period. The media fails to focus the Issue of Disinvestment, Price rise, Inflation and FDI Raj, day to day Problems faced by media. On the other hand it plays freely with the Hindutva Psyche as the Hindu terrorists prepare for the Final Assault with the Banners of ram Mandir once again!

Diego Forlan, the Uruguay striker who won the golden ball in the 2010 World Cup, has come to Kolkata on a three day visit. Forlan who reached the city with his super model girlfriend Zaira Nara on Thursday, spent the day away from public glare. Forlan has come to the city on the invitation of a newly launched Bengali television channel. He is supposed to be present at a football match between Mohun Bagan XI and Challenger XI (a team formed as a part of a football reality show) at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt lake on August 1.

Forlan scored five goals in the World Cup to win the golden ball. Forlan played a pivotal role in taking his country, a two-time champion of the World Cup, to the first semi finals in four decades.

Down the years Kolkata has played host to a number of football greats starting with Pele in 1977. The ones to visit later were Zico, Ger Muller, Diego Maradona, Oliver Kahn, Branco, Romario, Lothar Mattehaus and Karl Heinz Rumminege.

But 31-year-old Forlan is the first player to come to this city in the pink of his career.

Maradona out as coach of Argentina's national team

That was unacceptable to Argentine Football Association president Julio Grondona. He had asked for several assistants to be replaced. One of them is Maradona's close friend, Alejandro Mancuso.

The federation's executive committee sided with Grondona, a little more than three weeks after Argentina was eliminated in the World Cup in South Africa with a 4-0 loss to Germany.

AFA spokesman Ernesto Cherquis Bialo called the decision "very painful for the AFA" but said there was no way to solve the impasse.

"The president said that there was a significant difference between what AFA wanted to achieve and Maradona's aspirations for the future," Cherquis Bialo said. "There was a wide gap, and it was impossible to narrow it."

The AFA said youth team manager Sergio Batista would be the interim coach for the friendly against Ireland on Aug. 11 in Dublin.

Despite Maradona's contract not being renewed, Cherquis Bialo hinted there might be a role in the future for him.

"This marks the end of a first chapter with Mr. Maradona," Cherquis Bialo said. "The doors to this house, as always, will be open to him."

Possible successors include two club coaches in Argentina: Alejandro Sabella of Estudiantes and Miguel Russo of Racing. Former Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa has also been mentioned as an option. Bielsa led Chile to the final 16 of the World Cup.

Asked who will be the new coach, Cherquis Bialo offered nothing. "The people who were in the meeting have no name in their imaginations," Cherquis Bialo said. "It has just been announced that the contract with the coach will not be renewed, and so, a new stage begins."

Maradona tried to do it his way, a style which brought him glory in leading Argentina to the 1986 World Cup title.

"Diego shut himself off to any change," executive committee member Luis Segura said on Argentine television. "Diego has all the right to do what he wants. But so does AFA."

Maradona was also at odds with Carlos Bilardo, the current director of the national team who coached the 1986 World Cup side. He also lobbied to have Oscar Ruggeri on his staff. Ruggeri was a defender in the 1986 team but has fallen out with Grondona.

The 49-year-old Maradona became Argentina's coach in November 2008, replacing Alfio Basile and taking over a team he led to Argentina's second World Cup title. His results were mixed. He had little coaching experience, and the team suffered two of the worst losses in history: a 6-1 hammering at Bolivia in World Cup qualifying, and the recent World Cup defeat to Germany.

Argentina played with flair in South Africa, notably Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain and Carlos Tevez. But Maradona's inexperience was obvious in the loss to Germany, which exposed Argentina's defensive frailties and lack of midfield speed. Dressed in a gray suit, Maradona's enthusiastic and demonstrative antics on the sidelines simply failed to mask his tactical deficiencies.

Messi, widely regarded as the sport's best player, left the World Cup without scoring a goal. Maradona never explained why Messi, who had a roaming role on the pitch, failed to score and he had no answer for the piercing attack of Germany coach Joachim Loew.

"Nobody ever told me where to play. So I shouldn't have to tell Messi where to play either," Maradona said.

Maradona is a larger-than-life icon in Argentina who beat cocaine and alcohol addiction. He grew up in a Buenos Aires slum and his escape from poverty has endeared him to many. But he has worn out his welcome in other quarters.

Maradona got offside with the government of President Cristina Fernandez, who twice invited him to meet with her. She had been openly supportive of keeping him as coach, while one legislator has even proposed building a monument to honor him.

Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez said Maradona failed to respond or answer the phone, forcing the president's secretaries to leave messages.

Two weeks ago, the AFA offered Maradona the chance to renew his contract for another four years. But Maradona put off meeting with Grondona to travel to Venezuela at the invitation of his friend, President Hugo Chavez.

Maradona's relationship with key figures in Argentine football was also tense. He denied the leaders of AFA and businessmen with commercial ties to the organization any access to practice sessions in South Africa but allowed reporters to attend.

Still, Maradona had many loyal supporters. "I want Maradona to stay," Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said Tuesday in an interview on Argentine radio. "We will support his decision. If he leaves, we will miss him."

Team trainer Fernando Signorini added: "I have no doubt they didn't want him. Maradona is like a stone in the shoe of power."

During his tenure, Maradona called up over 100 players. The 23-man World Cup squad he announced in May excluded veteran defender Javier Zanetti and midfielder Esteban Cambiasso, who both play for Champions League winner Inter Milan. In a shock move, he picked Ariel Garce in his squad despite the defender only playing his first international for Argentina in May against Haiti.

Maradona's most controversial moment came nine months ago when Argentina defeated Uruguay, finally ending a struggle to reach the World Cup. Maradona erupted with a stream of sexually graphic profanities at his critics on live TV. He was given a two-month ban by FIFA.
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    Wildly cheered by hundreds of soccer fans, Uruguayan star footballer Diego Forlan - the golden ball winner in the recently held World Cup - arrived in the city on Friday on a three-day tour to take part in a soccer reality show organised by a private channel.

    Forlan, who played a stellar role in carrying two-time World Cup champions Uruguay to their first World Cup semifinal in four decades, touched down at the NSC Bose International Airport in the morning to the cheers of soccer aficionados, who patiently waited for hours for a glimpse of the Athletico Madrid player.

    The Uruguayan sensation, sporting a white collarless t-shirt seemed tired after a 28 hour-long journey from Montevideo via Sao Paulo, Johannesburg and Dubai.

    Amid tight security, he was driven straight to the hotel, where he is scheduled to relax for the rest of the day to overcome jet lag.

    The 31-year-old Forlan, who struck five goals in the South Africa World Cup, would take part in a soccer talent hunt show to be aired by the Mahuaa Bangla channel.

    While Kolkata has hosted legendary footballers like Pele, Diego Maradona, Lothar Matthaus, Oliver Kahn, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Ottmar Hitzfeld, Gerd Muller, Romario and Branco in the past, all of them had visited the city long after their retirement.

    Brazilian star Zico had come as the coach of Japan's national side for a pre-World Cup game, while Cameroon's Roger Milla - adjudged the best African player of the last century - played an exhibition match months after his sparkling performance at the 1990 World Cup.

    Even taking into account these VVIP players' visits, Forlan tryst with the city stands in a league of its own.

    This is the first time a soccer star is visiting the city only weeks after being selected as the best player in the FIFA World Cup.

    Channel sources said Forlan would shoot for the talent hunt show Saturday and efforts are on to squeeze in some more programmes including a media interaction.

    Forlan would also be present during an exhibition match between the selected eleven players from a talent hunt show and Mohun Bagan XI.

    Mohun Bahgan sources said the club would be fielding a junior side for the game slated to be played at the Salt Lake stadium.

    Forlan would be leaving the city in the wee hours Monday.
    Dimpy Ganguli dumps Rahul Mahajan after a night of abuse
    In a sensational development, Kolkata-based model Dimpy Ganguly, who married Rahul Mahajan on NDTV Imagine's swayamvar reality show, Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, dumped him, alleging domestic violence.

    Dimpy left Rahul's residence in Worli after she was beaten up by him. Mumbai

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    Mirror published Dimpy's pictures where she was seen with injuries in her left thigh and swollen face. She also had bruises in both her hands.

    According to the tabloid, the incident occurred on Thursday morning, when Rahul tried to open a message received by Dimpy Ganguly on her cell phone. He could not because the phone was locked. When he tried to awake Dimpy to unlock the phone, she reportedly asked him to let her sleep.

    According to Dimpy's version, Rahul suddenly turned violent and thrashed her. She said he punched, kicked and dragged her by her hair. Her father arrived at Rahul's house at 4 pm after she related the incident to him over the phone. That's when she returned to the house, packed her bags and left.

    Another source quoted says that the abuse had started just a month after their national TV wedding. "However, the intensity increased in the past month-and-a-half," he said.
    Dimpy further said that the problems started after her insistence on appearing for her second year exam. Rahul was not happy with her trips to Kolkata for the same.
    When he got angry, he would also get physical. "One such fight got so out of hand that I had to call my mother-in-law. Later he was angry that I had involved his mother in the affair," Dimpy said.
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    Their marriage was on the verge of collapse amid reports that Rahul was chasing old girlfriend Payal Rohtagi.
    Rahul reportedly sent text messages to Payal, seeking a second chance. However, Payal rejected his overtures. Rahul Mahajan's first wife Shweta dumped him for the same reason - domestic violence.
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    This is not the first time Rahul, son of late Bharatiya Janata Party leader Pramod Mahajan, has been accused of domestic violence.
    Media reports had indicated his separation from his first wife, commercial pilot Shweta Singh, was because he used to hit her. The couple divorced in August 2008.


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    "We must point out that we have not received any official communication in this regard.
    "In response an e-mail from the Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010, the High Commission of India in London recommended AM Car & Van Ltd as one of the official vendors for cars. The payments were made as per the High Commission rates," it said.
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    "The allegation that Organising Committee Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi makes payments of 25,000 pounds every month to AM Films UK Ltd is baseless and incorrect," the statement read.
    The QBR was launched by Queen Elizabeth at the Buckingham Palace in London, where Indian President Pratibha Patil was also present.

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    Party over for Uruguayan fans as semifinal loss ends World Cup hopes
    ‎Jul 7, 2010‎ - The Canadian Press

    Dutch push Uruguay aside 3-2 to reach final
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    Netherlands leads Uruguay 3-1 after 75 minutes
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    <div class="video-thumb thumbnail"><a class="js-link thumbnail-toggle" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return false;"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/44VolCu41xY/default.jpg" alt="" class="thumbnail" width="120" height="90"> <div class="icon play-icon"></div></a></div> <div class="video-details"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VolCu41xY">Netherlands Advances to World Cup Final</a> <span class="source">The Associated Press</span> &nbsp;-&nbsp; Jul 6, 2010 <div class="icon video-icon"></div> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VolCu41xY">Watch video</a></div>





    Raw Video:Dutch Fans Gather for WC Semi-final
    The Associated Press  -  Jul 6, 2010 Watch video
    <div class="video-thumb thumbnail"><a class="js-link thumbnail-toggle" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return false;"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/5idHURBhnQ4/default.jpg" alt="" class="thumbnail" width="120" height="90"> <div class="icon play-icon"></div></a></div> <div class="video-details"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5idHURBhnQ4">Raw Video:Dutch Fans Gather for WC Semi-final</a> <span class="source">The Associated Press</span> &nbsp;-&nbsp; Jul 6, 2010 <div class="icon video-icon"></div> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5idHURBhnQ4">Watch video</a></div>





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    Diego Maradona factfile

    BUENOS AIRES: Factfile on Diego Maradona, after the Argentine Football Association announced on Tuesday that his contract as Argentina national coach would not be extended.

    Date of birth: October 30, 1960

    Place of birth: Buenos Aires, Argentine

    Height: 1.68m

    Playing career

    Argentinos Juniors (1976-80), Boca Juniors (1981-82), Barcelona (ESP/1982-84), Napoli (ITA/1984-91), Sevilla (ESP 1992-93), Newell's Old Boys (1993), Boca Juniors (1995-97)

    International caps: 91 (1977-94)

    International goals: 34

    Position: Attacking midfielder/playmaker

    Honours:

    World Cup winner (1986)

    UEFA Cup winner (1989)

    Italian champion (1987, 1990)

    Argentine champion (1981)

    Spanish Super Cup (1983)

    Spanish Cup (1983)

    Italian Cup (1987)

    Top scorer in Italy (1988), Argentina (1979, 1980)

    Coaching career: Textil Mandiyu (1994), Racing Club (1995), Argentina (2008-2010).

    India win first practice match in Portugal

    Indian national football team beat Portuguese third division side Desportivo das Caldas 4-1 in their first practice match of the two-month training tour of the Iberian country in Vieria de Leiria.

    For India, Abhishek Yadav, Steven Dias, NP Pradeep and Baldeep Singh scored a goal each in the match played at Pilado ground located some 200km from Portuguese capital of Lisbon on the road to Porto.

    India drew first blood in seventh minute when Yadav headed in a Dias cross from the right flank. The goal spurred the Indians and in the 16th minute, Dias cleverly lobbed the ball over the opponent goalkeeper's head to make it 2-0.

    Pradeep then fired in a superb 30-yard scorcher in the 38th minute before Desportivo das Caldas pulled one back a minute later as the Indians went for the breather 3-1 up.

    After changeover, substitute Baldeep Singh rounded off the tally scoring the fourth goal for India in the 70th minute.

    Bob Houghton used 20 players in the match. The Indians will play against another lower division side Monsanto tomorrow before leaving for Lisbon on Saturday for another month-long training at Sporting Lisbon facilities.
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    Argentine president saddened by Maradona sacking

    BUENOS AIRES: Argentina President Cristina Kirchner has expressed her sadness at Diego Maradona's sacking as national football coach, saying the star did not deserve his treatment.

    Kirchner personally phoned Maradona after his press conference on Wednesday evening during which he lashed out at Argentine Football Federation president Julio Grondona and team manager Carlos Bilardo.

    The 49-year-old Maradona has accused Grondona of lying and Bilardo of treason in a bitter attack on the two men he insisted plotted his downfall.

    "I'm very saddened by his departure. I thought he was very dignified with the team," said Kirchner. "He always defended the colours of his country with a lot of heart."

    The captain of the 1986 World Cup winners read from a prepared statement and refused to answer questions at the press conference.

    "Grondona lied to me. Bilardo betrayed me," said an emotional Maradona, whose colourful and controversial reign as Argentina coach came to an abrupt end on Tuesday.

    "They asked me to put out the fire and we did it. I have given everything. Treason is everywhere. There are people who do not want the best for Argentine football.

    "They only have their own personal interests at heart."

    Maradona, who took charge in October 2008, has been replaced for the time being by under-20 coach Sergio Batista who will lead the team for the August 11 friendly against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.

    Maradona fans lament end of his coaching reign

    REUTERS, Jul 30, 2010, 04.51am IST
    UENOS AIRES: The end of Diego Maradona's tenure at the helm of Argentina's national team has dealt a hard blow to his fans, even though his performance as coach was a far cry from his genius as a player.

    Maradona accused Argentine soccer chiefs on Wednesday of conspiring to oust him and many fans think he deserved a more dignified exit despite Argentina's disappointing showing at the World Cup.

    "He is an iconic figure and deserved a more graceful farewell," said Federico Garcia, 33, who works in retail.

    "Here in Argentina, we love Maradona. I think the heads of the AFA (Argentine Football Association) kicked him out in a dodgy way."

    AFA's executive committee voted unanimously not to renew Maradona's contract as coach on Tuesday, citing "unbridgeable differences" with the former player, who led Argentina to World Cup victory as captain in 1986.

    A solemn Maradona retaliated the following day saying he had been "betrayed" by soccer chiefs and that he had not been given enough time to shine.

    "You know that my cycle lasted only for one and a half years. It was the shortest tenure in the past 35 years," he said.

    In downtown Buenos Aires, many people said Maradona was "stabbed in the back" and that he was not given a proper shot at running the squad.

    IN DISARRAY

    "He didn't do such a bad job as coach. We haven't been beyond the quarter-finals in a World Cup since 1990, so I don't think he did much worse than others given that the team was in disarray when he took over,2 said Claudio Yago, 54, who owns a newspaper stand.

    Maradona rose to stardom from a Buenos Aires slum, but his rags-to-riches story hit the rocks after he quit soccer in the 1990s and battled drug addiction, obesity and alcohol abuse.

    His appointment as coach of the national team in late 2008 was a remarkable comeback, especially as he had little coaching experience.

    "To be coach of the national team, you have to work seriously and that's not something Maradona's known for," said geologist Eric Cayo, 33.

    Argentina's shambolic World Cup qualifying campaign sent alarm bells ringing for fans and critics alike, but convincing victories in their first four games in South Africa propelled the team into the list of tournament favorites.

    Maradona's dreams of reliving World Cup glory as coach were dashed when Germany beat them 4-0 in the quarterfinals.

    But he was still given a hero's welcome at home and urged to stay on by team members including World Player of the Year Lionel Messi. Even President Cristina Fernandez said no one deserved to suffer Maradona's abrupt exit from the job.

    His die-hard fans say Maradona's history of beating the odds make him the best coach Argentina could ever have.

    "As a coach he lacks many things, but it doesn't matter because he's "El Diego"," said Simon Lampa, a consultant for an insurance company.

    "I know there are much better coaches in Argentina, but who cares? Maradona is an idol and he inspired the team, for technical staff he had advisers."

    Aamir influencing multiplexes?

    Actor Aamir Khan has denied his role in allegedly forming a cartel to corner multiplexes over
    release of films and argued before the Bombay High Court that the show cause notice issued to him by Competition Commission of India (CCI) was a form of harassment to him.

    The issue pertains to the strike last year by film producers who decided not to screen movies in multiplexes over payment matters. The multiplex owners had approached CCI which issued a show cause notice to Khan in December last year based on its enquiry report which said he had joined Bollywood producers in a cartel to influence multiplexes over release of films. Khan filed a petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the show cause notice on the ground that CCI had no jurisdiction over the issue.

    When the petition was heard yesterday, Khan's counsel said the actor or his production house, Aamir Khan Productions Private Ltd, had no role to play in forming the cartel and this was a form of harassment to the actor.

    Khan's Counsel Arshad Hidayutallah argued that at the time of strike none of the films produced by Khan were due for release. He submitted CCI had already made up its mind as its preliminary enquiry report said that there appeared to be substance in allegations against the actor's production house.

    Additional Solicitor General Darius Khambata argued that CCI had the jurisdiction to hear the case. Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice S C Dharmadhikari deferred the matter to August 2 for further hearing.

    Check out Aamir Khan's homepage

    SRK is tired, Bips has crazy headache

    TNN, Jul 30, 2010, 01.57pm IST

    Your regular dose of celeb tweets!


    Aamir Khan

    Just met a very dear friend in New Jersey. Always feel very nice when I meet him.


    Riteish Deshmukh

    India's Got Talent- Khoj 2 is all over the papers today. Looking fwd to it, am sure Sajid Khan's talent will be one to look out for.


    Arshad Warsi

    Going to town n listening to country western in this dreamy weather... In my heart I am a cow boy... Love country western


    Amitabh Bachchan

    Ok .. whoever told me about me not following PC was right .. i don't know how she went off .. Just corrected it ..I am back with her !!


    Lata Mangeshkar

    wohi balla bhagwan kirshna ne aap ke haath me saupa hai,aap par shreekrishna aur saibaba ki hamesha aisihi kripadrishti rahe ye kaamna hai


    Sanjay Dutt

    Thank you every one for all the wishes and love. Touched by your lovely and wonderful messages.. Love to all.


    Bipasha Basu

    Sorry guys no tweets tday,vry bz day! Hv loads of personal n professional stuff 2 sort!2 top it, hv a crazy headache thru d day!tweet later!


    Dia Mirza

    Mom's glaring at me :) says u on twitter again!?! Ha ha gotta go ;) lunch awaits. We'll talk soon. Love n enjoy the rest of the day!


    Shah Rukh Khan

    just finished the shooting..have a turnaround day off tom...will have to sleep off the excessive work. mentally tired..love u all...chat tom


    Shahid Kapoor

    Warning warning ... Sugar high .. Sugar high .. !!!


    Sonam Kapoor

    Bombay traffic sucks!


    Anupam Kher

    Father called from Simla,"Worry is the main cause for lack of sleep.""But I am fine Dad.""Take my advise. Be a WARRIER and not a WORRIER.":)


    Vivek Oberoi

    Congratulations to the god of cricket for achieving yet another milestone...another double hundred!!! So proud of you sachin! God bless!


    Arjun Rampal

    By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back you can't sink in quicksand.Can someone pls try it dying to know if its true,hahakidding


    Jiah Khan

    Morning my lovelies! Off to pilates then a 30 min run..I shall be ready for the day!


    Genelia D'souza

    Mrng all, off 2wrk, nice clear skies 2day, hpe it stays dis way thru d day,c ya later tweeps


    Mugdha Godse

    Best relations don't need promises & terms & conditions they just need 2 wonderful people,Who can trust n understand! GM


    Riya Sen

    With mommy n daddy n richard .. Fam friend .. din at hyatt .. Ecstatic being with them ..distance does make d heart grow fonder


    Neha Dhupia

    Watching point break... Incredible film! Makes me want to surf and sky dive!


    Follow us on Twitter for more stories
    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/SRK-is-tired-Bips-has-crazy-headache/articleshow/6236697.cms

    Hilton denies being paid to party with billionaire
    A representative for socialite-heiress Paris Hilton has denied she has been paid $1 million to party with a Malaysian billionaire. The actress-designer hit headlines in recent weeks that she's received a hefty pay cheque to liven up Jho Low's holiday on his yacht in France, reports contactmusic.com.
    But a rep for the star is adamant the stories are not true.
    "They are friends. Jho has invited Paris and her sister, Nicky, out to St. Tropez as friends. He has not paid her in any way, although he is extremely generous," said the representative.
    Pamela calls Janet Jackson 'greedy'

    Pamela Anderson has said that she is 'disappointed' by Janet Jackson's move to sign up as the new face of a fur firm, and has called the singer "greedy" for backtracking on animal rights issues. Janet has teamed up with BlackGlama to model the brand's mink collection. And the move has infuriated activists


    related stories


    at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
    Joining PETA in denouncing Jackson's fur promos, outspoken animal-lover Anderson has claimed that the singer should never have joined forces with the company.
    "It''s disappointing. She has spoken out against fur before. I don't know why some people stop listening to their heart. I guess some people get greedy, but it's sad," the Daily Star quoted her as telling Out magazine.

    LiLo spends jail time writing & eating
    Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan is spending time in jail by "creating art" and eating sweet snacks, says her lawyer. "She's good. She's eating some (licorice candy) Twizzlers. She looks gorgeous. She's writing a lot. She's creating art. She's a beautiful, talented, creative woman, and she's going
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    to come out and surprise you all!" contactmusic.com quoted attorney Shawn Chapman Holley as saying.
    The Mean Girls star is currently incarcerated at the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, California, where she is serving part of a 90-day jail sentence for violating her probation relating to a 2007 DUI arrest. She is expected to be released as early as Sunday.

    Bengal hold Delhi in santosh Trophy

    KOLKATA: After a lacklustre display, hosts Bengal scored a late goal to hold Delhi 1-1 in their quarterfinal group league opener of the 64th National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Friday.

    Delhi received a solitary chance in the 39th minute and their in-form striker Tuishim Mashangva did not let it go giving them an early 1-0 lead.

    Plenty of missed passes did not help Bengal, last year's runners-up, as they looked to go down before a spirited Jayanta Sen who equalised in the 86th minute to save themselves from ignominy.

    Playing under intermittent showers on the artificial turf of YBK, Bengal started their campaign casually in comparison to the quick adjustment by Delhi who came through cluster stages.

    The Shabbir Ali-coached side had an opportunity in the 13th minute, but strikers Robin Singh and Tarif Ahmed failed to utilise it. Ahmed missed an open net in a one-on-one battle with Delhi goalkeeper Pronoy Roy.

    TFA product Robin Singh up front was ineffective in Bengal's scheme of things, with many missed passes.

    Delhi went 1-0 up by the time Bengal managed to settle down with a corner kick resulting in a goal in what could be termed as a lapse by Bengal goalkeeper Sandip Nandy.

    Nandy failed to get hold of the ball as an unmarked Mashangva headed it home to give Delhi a 1-0 lead. Bengal's script in the second-half was no different, had it not been for the late goal by Sen.

    In the 71st minute, Denson Devadas missed the target, while Sen was unlucky in the 78th when his shot was saved by Roy. But eight minutes later, Sen found the target with a powerful right-footer.

    Bengal and Delhi now have one points each in their group which also has Tamil Nadu and Mizoram. Two teams will make it to the semifinal from the quarterfinal group league.

    A teacher says no to burqa in a West Bengal Muslim university, isn't allowed to teach

    Shiv Sahay Singh Tags : Sirin Middya, Aliah University Posted: Thu Jul 29 2010, 03:12 hrs      Kolkata:
       
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    Sex 'n Sena Hockey Sex scandalBJPIndo-Pak Talks: Relations Trap
    For the past three months, 24-year-old Sirin Middya has not been able to hold her classes at West Bengal's first Muslim university. While the guidelines at Aliah University in Kolkata don't stipulate the same, the students' union has demanded that Middya can teach but only in burqa.
    Middya was appointed a guest lecturer at the university in March this year and got the union "diktat" in the second week of April. "I was told that I would not be allowed to attend college if I did not agree to come in a burqa. The University Grants Commission does not prescribe any such dress code and even the university does not have a dress code. But the most unfortunate part is that students are forcing us to wear burqa," Middya told The Indian Express.
    According to her, she has no issues with wearing a burqa — but if she dons one, it would be of her own free will.

    Many Maoists want to surrender: Buddhadeb

    Special Correspondent
    Share  ·   Comment   ·   print  ·   T+   <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article540697.ece?textsize=large&test=1" title="Large Text Size" >T+</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;·&nbsp;&nbsp; <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article540697.ece?textsize=small&test=2" title="Small Text Size">T-</a>
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    Amnesty scheme for Maoists Top Maoist leader among 7 killed in West Bengal Maoist leader surrenders in Jharkhand

    TOPICS

    India West Bengal
    unrest, conflicts and war
    Quite a few Maoists have surrendered and many more want to, said West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee here on Thursday, a day after the State government issued a notification on its surrender policy for left-wing-extremists.
    He said that the Central forces engaged in security operations to flush out Maoists from Jangalmahal (the forest areas spanning the three south-western districts affected by extremist activity) would stay on in the region till their task was over.
    Mr. Bhattacharjee, who was replying to questions in the Assembly on the situation in the Maoist-affected areas, said that he had discussed the matter with the Centre which had the same view.
    Thirty-five companies of Central forces deployed in the region were conducting the operations against the Maoists along with the State Armed Police.
    The Trinamool Congress, the State's main Opposition party, has been demanding a halt to security operations against the Maoists in the region.
    The Maoists who surrender will be provided by the State government Rs.1.50 lakh in fixed deposits each, besides a monthly fund of Rs.2,000 that will be given for three years together with vocational training.
    The government had, on Wednesday, issued a notification for a surrender-cum- rehabilitation scheme detailing the benefits to be provided to those giving themselves up.
    The authorities have been asked to initiate action for extensive publicity of the scheme in Al Chiki and Bengali in areas where the Maoists have been active.
    On the present situation in the Jangalmahal region, the Chief Minister said that peace was returning, following security operations. Changes for the better had been noticed in the Goaltore and Salboni areas of Paschim Medinipur district among other places.
    'Lack of security'
    Different government departments have begun development work in the affected region, but problems were being faced in the Binpur I and II blocks of Paschim Medinipur district because of lack of security, Mr. Bhattacharjee said.
    School students were now coming out in protest against the forced closure of schools. This was creating an unstable situation and the district authorities had been instructed to look into the problem and take steps to reopen the schools.
    More hostels for students and medical camps were being set up, he added.
    Slideshow
    Day in pictures — July 30, 2010
    Quraishi takes charge as CEC, TRS sweeps Telangana by-polls, Colombo Test ends in a draw, wildfire rages in California. A selection of images from India and around the world.
    more slideshows »
    Slideshow
    TRS emerges winner
    In a bold gamble, the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti gave up its MLA seats, and it has paid off. A photo narration on the party's road to victory.
    more slideshows »
    Slideshow
    Making every grain count
    A recent observation by the Supreme Court on the foodgrain storage facilities in the country points to a corrupted system of foodgrains management that demands immediate attention. Compiled by Soyesh.H.Rawther
    more slideshows »
    http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article540697.ece

    Joint forces to remain: Buddha
                                                                                                                                                        
    OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
    Calcutta, July 29: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today told the Assembly that the joint forces would remain in Bengal "till the time they are required to", adding that the Centre was one with the state government in this regard.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    "The work for restoration of law and order and normality in the Maoist-affected areas has to continue. Thirty-five companies of joint forces are operating in Lalgarh and its adjoining areas. They will stay there till the time they are required to," the chief minister said.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    "I have had several interactions with the Centre in this regard. The Union government also wants the joint forces to stay there,'' he added.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee has been demanding the withdrawal of the joint forces from Lalgarh, alleging that they were torturing innocent people and being used by the CPM to expand its base in Maoist-hit West Midnapore.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    Reacting to Bhattacharjee's announcement, leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee said: "What else can the chief minister say? He looks after the interest of his party first. The state's interest doesn't matter to him."
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    The chief minister told the House that there had been an improvement in the law and order situation in some areas of West Midnapore such as Salboni and Goaltore. He, however, said Binpur was "still an area of concern".
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    "The situation in Binpur is worrisome. Ration items are being looted. The district administration is not able to work there properly. Schools cannot function in these places. However, the joint forces have been able to make some headway,'' the chief minister said.

    http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100730/jsp/bengal/story_12748758.jsp

    Diego Forlán - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
    1. Diego Forlán Corazo is a Uruguayan footballer who currently plays for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the Uruguayan national team, as a striker. ...

    2. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Forlán - Cached - Similar

    3. FIFA.com - 2010 FIFA World Cup™ - Diego FORLAN

    4. Diego Forlan is at the peak of his footballing powers and has the opportunity at South Africa 2010 to strengthen his position as one of the foremost ...

    5. www.fifa.com/worldcup/players/player=189259/index.html - Cached

    6. Maradona's many assists to Uruguay's Forlan - International ...

    7. Diego Maradona helped Diego Forlan get recognized but also aided in fundraising for his paralyzed sister. - International Football news.

    8. g.sports.yahoo.com/.../maradonas-many-assists-to-uruguays--fbintl_ro-forlanmaradona070510.html - United States - Cached

    9. News for forlan

      *
    10. The Hindu

    11. Diego Forlan in Kolkata‎ - 1 hour ago

    12. Diego Forlan, the Uruguay striker who won the golden ball in the 2010 World Cup, has come to Kolkata on a three day visit. Forlan who reached the city with ...

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    16. Images for forlan

    17. - Report imagesThank you for the feedback. Report another imagePlease report the offensive image. CancelDone

    18. AFP: Uruguay striker Forlan gets shock best player nod

    19. 11 Jul 2010 ... JOHANNESBURG — Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was surprisingly awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 World Cup. ...

    20. www.google.com/.../afp/.../ALeqM5imlYJaX4SgpXNvYFcL3LpMsXnV9w

    21. The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Sports | Forlan is set to ...

    22. 24 Jul 2010 ... Incidentally, Forlan will be part of the same football reality show, ... "Forlan will be arriving on the 30th of this month and is likely to ...

    23. www.telegraphindia.com/1100724/jsp/sports/story_12720726.jsp - Cached

    24. Forlan named World Cup's best player - CNN.com

    25. 12 Jul 2010 ... Uruguay striker Diego Forlan has won the FIFA Golden Ball award for the top player of the 2010 World Cup after inspiring his country to its ...

    26. www.cnn.com/2010/SPORT/football/07/12/...forlan.../index.html - Cached

    27. Uruguay's Diego Forlan Wins Golden Ball Award as World Cup's Best ...

    28. 12 Jul 2010 ... Uruguay striker Diego Forlan last night won the Golden Ball award as best player at the soccer World Cup after helping his team to reach the ...

    29. www.bloomberg.com/.../uruguay-s-diego-forlan-wins-golden-ball-award-as-world-cup-s-best-player.html - Cached

    30. Sky Sports | Football | World Cup 2010 | Uruguay | Forlan ...

    31. 12 Jul 2010 ... Diego Forlan dedicated his World Cup Golden Ball award to his Uruguay team-mates after picking up the prize.

    32. www.skysports.com/.../0,27032,17368_6256677,00.html - United Kingdom - Cached

    33. BBC Sport - World Cup 2010 - Diego Forlan

    34. The tormentor of English clubs in Europe this season, Forlan is a proven match-winner and the most experienced member of the Uruguay squad. ...

    35. news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup.../diego_forlan - Cached

    36. Videos for forlan

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    38. Diego Forlan - all goals of season 2009

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    45. Uploaded by xabieruis

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    49. 3 min - 9 Jun 2009

    50. Uploaded by ollyprice

    51. www.youtube.com






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    Diego Forlan in Kolkata

    Hindustan Times - ‎1 hour ago‎
    Diego Forlan, the Uruguay striker who won the golden ball in the 2010 World Cup, has come to Kolkata on a three day visit. Forlan who reached the city with ...

    World Cup star Diego Forlan arrives in Kolkata

    Times of India - ‎7 hours ago‎
    KOLKATA: Wildly cheered by hundreds of soccer fans, Uruguayan star footballer Diego Forlan - the golden ball winner in the recently held World Cup - arrived ...

    Uruguay striker Diego Forlan arrives in Kolkata

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    Party over for Uruguayan fans as semifinal loss ends World Cup hopes
    ‎Jul 7, 2010‎ - The Canadian Press

    Dutch push Uruguay aside 3-2 to reach final
    ‎Jul 6, 2010‎ - Moneycontrol.com

    Netherlands leads Uruguay 3-1 after 75 minutes
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    After 30: Netherlands leads Uruguay, 1-0
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    Germany, Spain seek final date with Dutch
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    <div class="video-thumb thumbnail"><a class="js-link thumbnail-toggle" href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="return false;"><img src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/44VolCu41xY/default.jpg" alt="" class="thumbnail" width="120" height="90"> <div class="icon play-icon"></div></a></div> <div class="video-details"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VolCu41xY">Netherlands Advances to World Cup Final</a> <span class="source">The Associated Press</span> &nbsp;-&nbsp; Jul 6, 2010 <div class="icon video-icon"></div> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44VolCu41xY">Watch video</a></div>





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    Commonwealth Games hit by yet another controversy




    2010-07-30 21:10:00

    Last Updated: 2010-07-30 21:22:57




                           

                                       
    *

    New Delhi/London:  Yet another controversy broke out over Commonwealth Games related projects with the Indian High Commission in London writing to the Indian government about a contract given to an event management firm in London.

    This has been done in the wake of the British authorities referring to the High Commission a matter regarding A M Films, a London-based company, to which a huge some of money was transferred through the Royal Bank of Scotland.

    Media reports have raised questions over the capacity of the firm to deliver a wide variety of projects reportedly entrusted to it by the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

    High Commission sources said the information provided by the UK authorities had been forwarded to the Sports Ministry for follow up action.

    "The UK authorities had referred some matter regarding A M Films to us. We passed on the information to the Indian government. The matter is now with the Indian government", a source in the Indian High Commission said.

    Aiyer says he will be unhappy if CWG is successful

    There were reports that the Enforcement Directorate has been asked to go into the issue but there was no official confirmation.

    There was no confirmation from the Sports Ministry on the development with Sports Secretary Sindhushree Khullar saying that she had no comments to make.

    The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee officials also declined to make a comment, saying they needed to know all the facts before giving a statement.

    The OC Secretary General Lalit Bhanot said he was not in a position to make a comment.

    "I cannot make a statement without knowing all the facts. I will have to check the papers. I know we had conducted an event in London but I can't say anything without looking into the files. The OC deals with so many people, I can't remember everything", he said.

    "I will certainly give an answer but first let me go through the files", he said.

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    All About: Commonwealth Games, CWG, New Delhi, Local Newstopnews





    Reality television

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    Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors.[1] The genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television (primarily with game shows), but has expanded significantly since the series Big Brother first aired in 1999.[1] Programs in the reality television genre are commonly called "reality shows" and often are produced in series. Documentaries and nonfictional programming such as news and sports shows are usually not classified as reality shows.

    The genre covers a wide range of programming formats, from game or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning shows produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (such as Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions such as Big Brother.[1]

    Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality, utilizing sensationalism to attract viewers and so to generate advertising profits.[2][3][4] Participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations,[1] and are sometimes coached to act in specific scripted ways by off-screen "story editors" or "segment producers," with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through editing and other post-production techniques.[2][3][4]

    [edit] History

    [edit] 1940s–1950s

    Precedents for television that portrayed people in unscripted situations began in the 1940s. Debuting in 1948, Allen Funt's Candid Camera, (based on his previous 1947 radio show, Candid Microphone), broadcast unsuspecting ordinary people reacting to pranks. It has been called the "granddaddy of the reality TV genre."[5] In the 1950s, game shows Beat the Clock and Truth or Consequences involved contestants in wacky competitions, stunts, and practical jokes. The Groucho Marx-hosted game show, You Bet Your Life, was primarily composed of Marx' prescripted [6] comebacks to what was most often candid interviews of the contestants, although some 'contestants' were actors. Both the humorous biographical content and the illusory 'real' people presaged the later forms of so-called 'reality' TV. [7] In 1948, talent search shows Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour and Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts featured amateur competitors and audience voting. The Miss America Pageant, first broadcast in 1954, was a competition where the winner achieved status as a national celebrity.[8]

    The radio series Nightwatch (1954–1955), which tape-recorded the daily activities of Culver City, California police officers, also helped pave the way for reality television. The series You Asked For It (1950–1959), in which viewer requests dictated content, was an antecedent of today's audience-participation reality TV elements, in which viewers cast votes to help determine the course of events.

    [edit] 1960s–1970s

    First broadcast in the United Kingdom in 1964, the Granada Television series Seven Up!, broadcast interviews with a dozen ordinary seven-year olds from a broad cross section of society and inquired about their reactions to everyday life. Every seven years, a film documented the life of the same individuals during the intervening period, titled 7 Plus Seven, 21 Up, etc. The series was structured as a series of interviews with no element of plot. However, it did have the then-new effect of turning ordinary people into celebrities.

    In the 1966 Direct Cinema film Chelsea Girls, Andy Warhol filmed various acquaintances with no direction given; the Radio Times Guide to Film 2007 stated that the film was "to blame for reality television."[9]

    The first reality show in the modern sense may have been the 12-part 1973 PBS series An American Family, which showed a nuclear family going through a divorce; unlike many later reality shows, it was more or less documentary in purpose and style. In 1974 a counterpart program, The Family, was made in the , following the working class Wilkins family of Reading. Other forerunners of modern reality television were the 1970s productions of Chuck Barris: The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, and The Gong Show, all of which featured participants who were eager to sacrifice some of their privacy and dignity in a televised competition.[10] One Man and His Dog was a British Television series which began in 1976 featuring the participants of sheepdog trials. In 1978, Living in the Past recreated life in an Iron Age English village.

    [edit] 1980s–1990s

    Reality television as it is currently understood can be directly linked to several television shows that began in the late 1980s and early 1990s. COPS, which first aired in the spring of 1989 and came about partly due to the need for new programming during the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike,[11] showed police officers on duty apprehending criminals; it introduced the camcorder look and cinéma vérité feel of much of later reality television.

    The series Nummer 28, which aired on Dutch television in 1991, originated the concept of putting strangers together in the same environment for an extended period of time and recording the drama that ensued. Nummer 28 also pioneered many of the stylistic conventions that have since become standard in reality television shows, including a heavy use of soundtrack music and the interspersing of events on screen with after-the-fact "confessionals" recorded by cast members, that serve as narration. One year later, the same concept was used by MTV in their new series The Real World and Nummer 28 creator Erik Latour has long claimed that The Real World was directly inspired by his show.[12] However, the producers of The Real World have stated that their direct inspiration was An American Family.[13]

    According to television commentator Charlie Brooker, this type of reality television was enabled by the advent of computer-based non-linear editing systems for video (such as those produced by Avid Technology) in 1989. These systems made it easy to quickly edit hours of video footage into a usable form, something that had been very difficult to do before. (Film, which was easy to edit, was too expensive to shoot enough hours of footage with on a regular basis.)[14]

    More in the vein of earlier reality TV programs like Candid Camera, the series America's Funniest Home Videos became a hit and even a fad (sparking imitators) in November 1989. The show, which continues running today (into the 2010-2011 season), features humorous, amazing, or otherwise interesting home videos that were sent in to the program by viewers, introduced by a host who also adds comic voiceovers or narration. Most of the home videos shown feature truly unscripted accidents or other unpredicted occurrences opportunistically taken from larger bodies of general footage, though some are intentionally prepared and scripted amateur performances or even short amateur films. Prizes are given to the winners of a studio audience vote in each episode, making AFHV (now more commonly abbreviated AFV) more similar to the competitive category of modern reality TV shows than were predecessors like Candid Camera.

    The TV show Expedition Robinson, created by TV producer Charlie Parsons, which first aired in 1997 (and was later produced in a large number of other countries as Survivor), added to the Nummer 28/Real World template the idea of competition and elimination, in which cast members/contestants battled against each other and were removed from the show until only one winner remained. (These shows are now sometimes called elimination shows.)

    Changing Rooms, a TV show that began in 1996, showed couples redecorating each others' houses, and was the first reality show[citation needed] with a self-improvement or makeover theme.

    [edit] 2000s

    Reality television saw an explosion of global popularity starting in the summer of 2000, with the successes of Big Brother (in the UK and US) and Survivor (in the US).

    In particular, Survivor and American Idol have topped the US season-average television ratings on several occasions. Survivor led the ratings in 2001–02, and Idol has topped the ratings five consecutive years (2004–05 through 2008–09). The shows Survivor, the Idol series, The Amazing Race, the America's Next Top Model series, the Dancing With The Stars series, The Apprentice, Fear Factor and Big Brother have all had a global effect, having each been successfully syndicated in dozens of countries.

    Currently there are at least three television channels devoted exclusively to reality television: Fox Reality in the United States, launched in 2005, Global Reality Channel in Canada in 2010, and Zone Reality in the UK, launched in 2002. In addition, several other cable channels, such as Viacom's MTV and NBC's Bravo, feature original reality programming as a mainstay.[15] Mike Darnell, head of reality TV for the US Fox network, says that the broadcast networks (NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox) "might as well plan three or four [reality shows] each season because we're going to have them, anyway."[15]

    During the early part of the 2000s, network executives expressed concern that reality-television programming was limited in its appeal for DVD reissue and syndication, but in fact DVDs for reality shows have sold briskly; Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, and America's Next Top Model have all ranked in the top DVDs sold on Amazon.com. DVDs of The Simple Life have outranked scripted shows like The O.C. and Desperate Housewives; additionally, many reality shows have been successfully syndicated, including Fear Factor, The Amazing Race, Kenny vs. Spenny, Survivor, Wife Swap and America's Next Top Model. COPS has had huge success in syndication, direct response sales and DVD. A FOX staple since 1989, COPS is, as of 2008, in its 21st season, having outlasted all competing scripted police shows. Another series that has seen wide success is "Cheaters", which has been running for 10 seasons in the US and is syndicated in over 100 countries worldwide. In 2007, according to the Learning and Skills Council, one in seven UK teenagers hopes to gain fame by appearing on reality television.[16]

    In 2001, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences added the reality genre to the Emmy Awards with the category of Outstanding Reality Program. In 2003, to better differentiate between competition and informational reality programs, a second category Outstanding Reality-Competition Program was added. In 2008, a third category, Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program was added.

    [edit] Subgenres

    The genre of reality television consists of various subgenres.

    [edit] Documentary-style

    In many reality TV programs, camera shooting and footage editing give the viewer the impression that they are passive observers following people going about their daily personal and professional activities; this style of filming is often referred to as fly on the wall or factual television. Story "plots" are often constructed via editing or planned situations, with the results resembling soap operas—hence the terms docusoap and docudrama. In other shows, a cinéma vérité style is adopted, where the filmmaker is more than a passive observer—their presence and influence is greatly manifest.

    Within documentary-style reality television are several subcategories or variants:

    Special living environment
    Some documentary-style programs place cast members, who in most cases previously did not know each other, in artificial living environments; The Real World is the originator of this style. In almost every other such show, cast members are given a specific challenge or obstacle to overcome. Road Rules, which started in 1995 as a spin-off of The Real World, started this pattern: the cast traveled across the country guided by clues and performing tasks.
    Big Brother is probably the best known program of this type in the world with different versions produced in many countries around the globe. Another example of a show in this category The 1900 House, involves historical re-enactment with cast members forced to live and work as people of a specific time and place. 2001's Temptation Island achieved some notoriety by placing several couples on an island surrounded by single people in order to test the couples' commitment to each other. U8TV: The Lofters combined the "special living environment" format with the "professional activity" format noted below; in addition to living together in a loft, each member of the show's cast was hired to host a television program for a Canadian cable channel.
    Celebrities
    Another subset of fly-on-the-wall-style shows involves celebrities. Often these show a celebrity going about their everyday life: examples include The Anna Nicole Show, The Osbournes, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica, Hey Paula!, Hammertime, Hogan Knows Best and now Brooke Knows Best. In other shows, celebrities are put on location and given a specific task or tasks; these include Celebrity Big Brother, The Simple Life, Tommy Lee Goes to College, The Surreal Life, and I'm a Celebrity... Get Me out of Here!. VH1 has created an entire block of shows dedicated to celebrity reality, known as "Celebreality".
    Professional activities
    Some documentary-style shows portray professionals either going about day-to-day business or performing an entire project over the course of a series. No outside experts are brought in (at least, none appear on screen) to either provide help or to judge results. The earliest example (and the longest running reality show of any genre) is COPS which has been airing since 1989, preceding by many years the current reality show phenomenon.
    Other examples of this type of reality show include the American shows Miami Ink, The First 48, American Chopper and Deadliest Catch; the British shows Airport, Police Stop! and Traffic Cops; the Australian shows Border Security and Bondi Rescue, and the New Zealand show Motorway Patrol. The US cable networks TLC and A&E in particular show a number of this type of reality show.
    VH1's 2001 show Bands on the Run was a notable early hybrid, in that the show featured four unsigned bands touring and making music as a professional activity, but also pitted the bands against one another in game show fashion to see which band could make the most money.

    [edit] Competition/game shows

    Another subgenre of reality TV is "reality competition" or so-called "reality game shows," which follow the format of a non-tournament elimination contests. Typically, participants are filmed competing to win a prize, often while living together in a confined environment. In many cases, participants are removed until only one person or team remains, who/which is then declared the winner. Usually this is done by eliminating participants one at a time, in balloon debate style, through either disapproval voting or by voting for the most popular choice to win. Voting is done by the viewing audience, the show's own participants, a panel of judges, or some combination of the three.

    A well-known example of a reality-competition show is the globally-syndicated Big Brother, in which cast members live together in the same house, with participants removed at regular intervals by either the viewing audience or, in the case of the American version, by the participants themselves.

    There remains some disagreement over whether talent-search shows such as the Idol series, America's Got Talent, Dancing with the Stars, and Celebrity Duets are truly reality television, or just newer incarnations of shows such as Star Search. Although the shows involve a traditional talent search, the shows follow the reality-competition conventions of removing one or more contestants per episode and allowing the public to vote on who is removed; the Idol series also require the contestants to live together during the run of the show (though their daily life is never shown onscreen). Additionally, there is a good deal of interaction shown between contestants and judges. As a result, such shows are often considered reality television, and the American Primetime Emmy Awards have nominated both American Idol and Dancing with the Stars for the Outstanding Reality-Competition Program Emmy.

    Modern game shows like Weakest Link, Greed, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, American Gladiators, Dog Eat Dog and Deal or No Deal also lie in a gray area: like traditional game shows (e.g., The Price Is Right, Jeopardy!), the action takes place in an enclosed TV studio over a short period of time; however, they have higher production values, more dramatic background music, and higher stakes than traditional shows (done either through putting contestants into physical danger or offering large cash prizes). In addition, there is more interaction between contestants and hosts, and in some cases they feature reality-style contestant competition and/or elimination as well. These factors, as well as these shows' rise in global popularity at the same time as the arrival of the reality craze, lead many people to group them under the reality TV umbrella as well as the traditional game show one.[17]

    There are various hybrid reality-competition shows, like the worldwide-syndicated Star Academy, which combines the Big Brother and Idol formats, The Biggest Loser and The Pick-up Artist which combine competition with the self-improvement format, and American Inventor, which uses the Idol format for products instead of people. Some shows, such as Making the Band and Project Greenlight, devote the first part of the season to selecting a winner, and the second part to showing that person or group of people working on a project.

    Popular variants of the competition-based format include the following:

    Dating-based competition
    Dating-based competition shows follow a contestant choosing one out of a group of suitors. Over the course of either a single episode or an entire season, suitors are eliminated until only the contestant and the final suitor remains. For a time, in 2001–2003, this type of reality show dominated the other genres on the major US networks. Shows that aired included The Bachelor, its spin-off The Bachelorette, as well as For Love or Money, Paradise Hotel, Temptation Island, Average Joe and Farmer Wants a Wife, among others. More recent such shows include Flavor of Love and its spin-offs I Love New York, Rock of Love, and The Cougar, and The Match Off. This is one of the older variants of the format; shows such as The Dating Game that date to the 1960s had similar premises (though each episode was self-contained, and not the serial format of more modern shows).
    Job search
    In this category, the competition revolves around a skill that contestants were pre-screened for. Competitors perform a variety of tasks based on that skill, are judged, and are then kept or removed by a single expert or a panel of experts. The show is usually presented as a job search of some kind, in which the prize for the winner includes a contract to perform that kind of work. Popstars, which debuted in 1999, may have been the first such show. The first job-search show which showed dramatic, unscripted situations may have been America's Next Top Model, which premiered in May 2003. Other examples include The Apprentice (which judges business skills), Hell's Kitchen (for chefs), Shear Genius (for hair styling), Project Runway (for clothing design), Top Chef (for cooking), Top Design (for interior design), Stylista (for fashion editors), Last Comic Standing (for comedians), The Starlet and Scream Queens (for actresses), I Know My Kid's a Star (for child performers), On the Lot (for filmmakers), The Shot (for photographers), So You Think You Can Dance (for dancers), MuchMusic VJ Search (for television hosts), Dream Job (for sportscasters), and The Tester (for game testers). Some shows use the same format with celebrities: in this case, there is no expectation that the winner will continue this line of work, and prize winnings often go to charity. Examples include Deadline and The Celebrity Apprentice.
    Sports
    Most of these programs create a sporting competition among athletes attempting to establish their name in that sport. The Club, in 2002, was one of the first shows to immerse sport with reality TV, based on a fabricated club competing against real clubs in the sport of Australian rules football; the audience helped select which players played each week by voting for their favorites. The Big Break was a reality show in which aspiring golfers competed against one another and were eliminated. The Contender, a boxing show, unfortunately became the first American reality show in which a contestant committed suicide after being eliminated from the show. In The Ultimate Fighter participants have voluntarily withdrawn or expressed the desire to withdraw from the show due to competitive pressure.
    In sports shows, sometimes just appearing on the show, not necessarily winning, can get a contestant the job. The owner of UFC declared that the final match of the first season of Ultimate Fighter was so good, both contestants were offered a contract, and in addition, many non-winning "TUF Alumni" have prospered in the UFC. Many of the losers from World Wrestling Entertainment's Tough Enough and Diva Search shows have been picked up by the company.
    Not all sports programs, however, involve athletes trying to make a name in the sport. The 2006 US reality series Knight School focused on students at Texas Tech University vying for a walk-on (non-scholarship) roster position on the school's men's basketball team under legendary coach Bob Knight. In the Republic of Ireland, RTÉ One's Celebrity Bainisteoir involves eight non-sporting Irish celebrities becoming bainisteoiri (managers) of mid-level Gaelic football teams, leading their teams in an officially sanctioned tournament.

    [edit] Self-improvement/makeover

    Some reality television shows cover a person or group of people improving their lives. Sometimes the same group of people are covered over an entire season (as in The Swan and Celebrity Fit Club), but usually there is a new target for improvement in each episode. Despite differences in the content, the format is usually the same: first the show introduces the subjects in their current, less-than-ideal environment. Then the subjects meet with a group of experts, who give the subjects instructions on how to improve things; they offer aid and encouragement along the way. Finally, the subjects are placed back in their environment and they, along with their friends and family and the experts, appraise the changes that have occurred. Other self-improvement or makeover shows include "How Do I Look?" (fashion makeover). The Biggest Loser and Fat March, (which covers weight loss), Extreme Makeover (entire physical appearance), Queer Eye For The Straight Guy (style and grooming), Supernanny, Nanny 911 and World's Strictest Parents (child-rearing), Made (attaining difficult goals), What Not to Wear (fashion and grooming), Trinny & Susannah Undress (fashion makeover and marriage), Tool Academy (relationship building), Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School & Rock of Love Girls: Charm School 2 (manners), From G's to Gents (self improvement) The Girls of Hedsor Hall (etiquette) and The Bad Girls Club & Bad Girls Road Trip (self improvement)

    [edit] Renovation

    Some shows make over part or all of a person's living space, work space, or vehicle. The American show This Old House was the first such show,[citation needed] debuting in 1979. The British show Changing Rooms, beginning in 1996 (later remade in the U.S. as Trading Spaces) was the first such renovation show that added a game show feel with different weekly contestants.[citation needed] Other shows in this category include Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Debbie Travis' Facelift, Designed to Sell, While You Were Out, and Holmes on Homes. Pimp My Ride and Overhaulin' show vehicles being rebuilt. Some shows, such as Restaurant Makeover and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, show both the decor and the menu of a failing restaurant being remade. The issue of "making over" was taken to its social extreme with the British show Life Laundry, in which people who had become hoarders, even living in squalor, were given professional assistance.

    As with game shows, a gray area exists between such reality TV shows and more conventional formats. Some argue the key difference is the emphasis of the human story and conflicts of reality shows, versus the emphasis on process and information in more traditional format shows.[citation needed] The show This Old House, which began in 1979, the start to finish renovation of different houses through a season; media critic Jeff Jarvis has speculated that it is "the original reality TV show."[18]

    [edit] Social experiment

    Another type of reality program is the social experiment that produces drama, conflict, and sometimes transformation. Wife Swap which began in 2003 on Channel 4 and has aired for four seasons on ABC is a notable example. People with different values agreed to live by each other's social rules for a brief period of time and sometimes learn from the experience. Other shows in this category include ITV's Holiday Showdown, Oxygen's The Bad Girls Club (lifestyles and actions), and Channel 4's Secret Millionaire. Faking It was a series where people had to learn a new skill and pass themselves off as experts in that skill. Shattered was a controversial 2004 UK series where contestants competed for how long they could go without sleep.

    [edit] Dating shows

    Unlike the aforementioned dating competition shows, some shows feature all new contestants each episode. This format was first used in the 1960s show The Dating Game. Modern examples include Blind Date, Matchmaker, Room Raiders, Elimidate, Next, and Parental Control.

    [edit] Talk shows

    Though the traditional format of a talk show is that of a host interviewing a featured guest or discussing a chosen topic with a guest or panel of guests, the advent of trash TV shows has often made people group the entire category in with reality television. Programs like Ricki Lake, The Jerry Springer Show, Dr. Phil and others generally recruit guests by advertising a potential topic for a future program. Topics are frequently outrageous and are chosen in the interest of creating on-screen drama, tension or outrageous behaviour. Though not explicitly reality television by traditional standards, this (allegedly) real depiction of someone's life, even if only in a brief interview format, is frequently considered akin to broader-scale reality TV programming.

    [edit] Hidden cameras

    Another type of reality programming features hidden cameras rolling when random passers-by encounter a staged situation. Candid Camera, which first aired on television in 1948, pioneered the format. Modern variants of this type of production include Punk'd, Trigger Happy TV, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Just For Laughs Gags, Howie Do It and Rio Ferdinands World Cup Windups. The series Scare Tactics and Room 401 are hidden-camera programs in which the goal is to frighten contestants rather than just befuddle or amuse them.

    Not all hidden camera shows use strictly staged situations. For example, the syndicated show Cheaters, purports to use hidden cameras to record suspected cheating partners, although the authenticity of the show has been questioned.[19] Once the evidence has been gathered, the accuser confronts the cheating partner with the assistance of the host.

    America's Funniest Home Videos can also be considered to fall at least partly in this category; though it usually features videos taken by cameras in plain sight of the subjects, those subjects often act, at least during the time covered in the selected clips, without attention to the camera, and the accidents and other surprises that often feature in these videos are not typically precipitated or influenced by the presence of the cameras. In other cases, viewers send in footage that actually was recorded by a hidden camera, or a camera of which the subjects were not aware. In any case, the voyeuristic element of hidden-camera footage contributes strongly to the interest of many of the home videos shown on the program.

    [edit] Supernatural and paranormal

    Started by MTV's Fear in 2000,[citation needed] supernatural and paranormal reality shows place participants into frightening situations which ostensibly involve the paranormal. In series such as Celebrity Paranormal Project, the stated aim is investigation, and some series like Scariest Places on Earth challenge participants to survive the investigation; whereas others such as Paranormal State and Ghost Hunters use a recurring crew of paranormal researchers. Shows such as Fear Factor and Scare Tactics dispense with supernatural overtones and aim solely at inciting fear or aversion in the cast. In general, the shows follow similar stylized patterns of night vision, surveillance, and hand held camera footage; odd angles; subtitles establishing place and time; desaturated imagery; rapid fire, MTV editing; and non-melodic soundtracks.

    In a 2009 editorial, noting the recent trend in reality shows that take the paranormal at face value, New York Times columnist Mike Hale characterized ghost hunting shows as "pure theater" and compared the genre to professional wrestling or soft core pornography for its formulaic, teasing approach.[20]

    [edit] Hoaxes

    In hoax reality shows, a false premise is presented to some of the series participants. In truth, the premise of the series is completely different. The rest of the cast are actors who are in on the joke. These shows often served to parody the conventions of the reality TV genre.

    The first such show was 2003's The Joe Schmo Show. Other examples are My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (modeled after The Apprentice), My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance, Hell Date (modeled after Blind Date), Superstar USA (modeled after American Idol), Space Cadets (which convinced the hoax targets that they were being flown into space), Punk'd (involving celebrities in staged crises), The $25 Million Hoax (where a woman convinced her friends and family that she had won the lottery) and Invasion Iowa (in which a town was convinced that William Shatner was filming a movie there), and Reality Hell[21] (different target and premise every episode).

    Other shows, though not hoax shows per se, have offered misleading information to some cast members in order to add a wrinkle to the competition. Examples include Boy Meets Boy and Joe Millionaire.

    [edit] Analysis

    [edit] Political impact

    Reality television's global success has been, in the eyes of some analysts, an important political phenomenon. In some authoritarian countries, reality television voting has been the first time many citizens have voted in any free and fair wide-scale elections. In addition, the frankness of the settings on some reality shows present situations that are often taboo in certain orthodox cultures, like Star Academy Arab World, which begain airing in 2003, and which shows male and female contestants living together.[22] In 2004, journalist Matt Labash, noting both of these issues, wrote that "the best hope of little Americas developing in the Middle East could be Arab-produced reality TV."[23] In China, after the finale of the 2005 season of Super Girl (the local version of Pop Idol) drew an audience of around 400 million people, and 8 million text message votes, the state-run English-language newspaper Beijing Today ran the front-page headline "Is Super Girl a Force for Democracy?"[24] The Chinese government criticized the show, citing both its democratic nature and its excessive vulgarity, or "worldliness",[25] and in 2006 banned it outright.[26] Other attempts at introducing reality television have proved to be similarly controversial. A Pan-Arab version of Big Brother was cancelled in 2004 after less than two weeks on the air after a public outcry and street protests.[27]

    In 2007, Abu Dhabi TV begain airing Million's Poet, a show featuring Pop Idol-style voting and elimination, but for the writing and oration of Arabic poetry. The show became popular in Arab countries, with around 18 million viewers,[28] partly because, according to analysts such as University of Pennsylvania professor Marwan Kraidy, it was able to combine the excitement of reality television with a traditional, culturally-relevant topic.[29] In April 2010, however, the show also become a subject of political controversy, when Hissa Hilal, a 43-year-old female Saudi competitor, read out a poem criticizing her country's Muslim clerics. [1] Hilal received the highest scores from the judges throughout the competition, and came in third place overall.[28]

    [edit] As a substitute for scripted drama

    VH1 executive vice president Michael Hirschorn wrote that the plots and subject matters on reality television are also more authentic and more engaging than in scripted dramas, writing that scripted network television "remains dominated by variants on the police procedural... in which a stock group of characters (ethnically, sexually, and generationally diverse) grapples with endless versions of the same dilemma. The episodes have all the ritual predictability of Japanese Noh theater," while reality TV is "the liveliest genre on the set right now. It has engaged hot-button cultural issues—class, sex, race—that respectable television... rarely touches."[30]

    Television critic James Poniewozik wrote that reality shows like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers showcase working-class people of the kind that "used to be routine" on scripted network television, but that became a rarity in the 2000s: "The better to woo upscale viewers, TV has evicted its mechanics and dockworkers to collect higher rents from yuppies in coffeehouses."[31]

    [edit] Criticism

    Lighting crews are typically present in the background of reality television shows.
    Sound crews are typically present in the background of reality television shows.

    [edit] Influenced by corporate profit motive

    Writers for reality television do not receive union pay-scale compensation and union representation, which significantly decreases expenditures for producers and broadcasters.[2] Reality television programming is often financed by corporations[1][32][33] driven by a profit motive.[2][32][34] Many of the actors in reality television are compensated for their appearances.[19][33][35][36]

    [edit] Product placement

    Product placement, whereby companies and corporations pay to have their products included in television programming for marketing purposes is highly prevalent in reality television.[37][38][39][40]

    The following is a list of television shows with the most instances of product placement (11/07–11/08; Nielsen Media Research).[citation needed] Eight out of the ten are reality television shows.

    [edit] "Reality" as misnomer

    Some commentators[who?] have said that the name "reality television" is an inaccurate description for several styles of program included in the genre.[2] Irene McGee, a castmember on the 1998 The Real World Seattle, has done public speaking tours about the negative and misleading aspects of reality TV.

    [edit] Unreal environments

    In competition-based programs such as Big Brother and Survivor, and other special living environment shows like The Real World, the producers design the format of the show and control the day-to-day activities and the environment, creating a completely fabricated world in which the competition plays out. Producers specifically select the participants and use carefully designed scenarios, challenges, events, and settings to encourage particular behaviors and conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor and other reality shows, has agreed with this assessment, and avoids the word "reality" to describe his shows; he has said, "I tell good stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is unscripted drama."[41]

    [edit] Misleading editing

    In 2004, VH1 aired a program called Reality TV Secrets Revealed, which detailed various misleading tricks of reality TV producers.[42] According to the show, various reality shows (notably Joe Millionaire) combined audio and video from different times, or from different sets of footage, to create an artificial illusion of time chronology that did not occur, and a misportrayal of participant behaviors and actions.

    In docusoap programming, which follows people in their daily life, producers may be highly deliberate in their editing strategies, able to portray certain participants as heroes or villains, and may guide the drama through altered chronology and selective presentation of events. A Season 3 episode of Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe included a segment on the ways in which selective editing can be used to this end.[14]

    [edit] Restaging

    According to VH1's Reality TV Secrets Revealed, the shows The Restaurant and Survivor had at times recreated incidents that had actually occurred, but were not properly recorded by cameras to the required technical standard, or had not been recorded at all. In order to get the footage, the event was restaged for the cameras.

    [edit] Premeditated scripting and acting

    Reality television shows have faced speculation that the participants themselves are involved in fakery, acting out storylines that have been planned in advance by producers.[2] The Hills is one notable example; the show has long faced allegations that its plots are scripted ahead of time. During the second season of Hell's Kitchen, it was speculated that the customers eating meals prepared by the contestants were in fact paid actors.[43] Some participants of reality shows have also stated afterwards that they altered their behavior to appear more crazy or emotional in order to get more camera time.

    Daniel Petrie Jr., former president of the Writers Guild of America, west, an organization that represents 9,000 Hollywood film and television writers, stated: "We look at reality TV, which is billed as unscripted, and we know it is scripted. We understand that shows don't want to call the writers writers because they want to maintain the illusion that it is reality, that stuff just happens."[2]

    [edit] Misleading premise

    Even the premise of shows has been called into question. The winner of the first "cycle", in 2003, of America's Next Top Model, Adrianne Curry, claimed that part of the grand prize she received, a modeling contract with Revlon, was for a much smaller amount of work than what was promised throughout the show.[44] During the airing of the first season of A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila, in which a group of both men and women vied for the heart of Tila Tequila, there were rumors that its star was not only heterosexual, but also had a boyfriend already.[45] The show's winner, Bobby Banhart, claimed that he never saw Ms. Tequila again after the show finished taping, and that he was never even given her telephone number.[46]

    [edit] Instant celebrity

    Reality television has the potential to turn its participants into national celebrities, at least for a short period. This is most notable in talent-search programs such as the Idol series, which has spawned music stars in many of the countries in which it has aired. Many other shows, however, such as Survivor and Big Brother, have made at least temporary celebrities out of their participants; some participants have then been able to parlay this fame into media careers. For example, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a contestant on Survivor: The Australian Outback, later became a host on morning talk show The View; and Kristin Cavallari, who appeared on Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County, has gone on to become a television host and actress. Jamie Chung, a former contestant on The Real World, went on to pursue an acting career, appearing in films such as Sorority Row. Tiffany Pollard, originally a contestant on Flavor of Love, was eventually given four additional reality series of her own on VH1: I Love New York, I Love New York 2, New York Goes to Hollywood and New York Goes to Work. In Britain, Jade Goody became famous after appearing on Big Brother 3 in 2002; she later appeared on other reality programs, wrote a bestselling autobiography and launched a top-selling perfume line. She later received extensive media coverage during her battle with cervical cancer, from which she died in 2009. Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, who has appeared on The Real World, and various spin-offs, later became a professional wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment. Some such manufactured 'celebrities' basically assume the role of a professional greeter at nightclubs, appear at automobile shows, and the like.

    Reality TV contestants are sometimes derided as "Z-list celebrities" or "nonebrities" who have done nothing to warrant their newfound fame.[47] Nonebrities are defined as: "A pointless media figure who would love to rise up high enough to scrape on to the bottom end of the D-list."[47]

    [edit] As a spectacle of humiliation

    Some have claimed that the success of reality television is due to its ability to provide schadenfreude, by satisfying the desire of viewers to see others humiliated. American magazine Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Do we watch reality television for precious insight into the human condition? Please. We watch for those awkward scenes that make us feel a smidge better about our own little unfilmed lives."[48] Media analyst Tom Alderman wrote, "There is a sub-set of Reality TV that can only be described as Shame TV because it uses humiliation as its core appeal."[49]

    Television critic James Poniewozik has disagreed with this assessment, writing, "for all the talk about 'humiliation TV,' what's striking about most reality shows is how good humored and resilient most of the participants are: the American Idol rejectees stubbornly convinced of their own talent, the Fear Factor players walking away from vats of insects like Olympic champions. What finally bothers their detractors is, perhaps, not that these people are humiliated but that they are not."[50]

    [edit] Participation of children

    [edit] Jon & Kate Plus 8

    The reality show Jon & Kate Plus 8, which showed a family of two parents (Jon and Kate Gosselin) raising their eight children, caused controversy when, in June 2009, Jon and Kate began divorce proceedings, and it emerged that Jon had been involved with other women prior to the divorce. The episode announcing their separation became the most-watched of the series, with 10.6 million viewers.[51][52]

    TLC has announced that Jon & Kate Plus 8 will continue under the new title Kate Plus Eight.[53] Criticism has been raised regarding Kate's intentions of continuing with the show, as well as whether or not the children are being exploited or may be under emotional distress.[54] According to lawyer Gloria Allred:

    " Every state does regulate to protect the health, the safety and welfare of little child performers [...] And these little ones are only eight years old and five years old, they can't protect themselves, so the state has to be sure that they are safe in their workplace.[54] "

    In the case of the show, the children's workplace is their home. Currently there are no clear laws in Pennsylvania (where the Gosselins reside) regarding a child's appearance on a reality show.[55] However, Pennsylvania law permits kids who are at least seven years old to work in the entertainment industry, as long as certain guidelines are followed and a permit is obtained. For example, children may not work after 11:30 p.m. under most circumstances, or perform in any location that serves alcohol.[55]

    Kate defended her position that the children are happy and healthy, and not in any danger. In addition, Jon has stated that they are "in talks" regarding ensuring the children's happiness,[54] and that there is no truth to any reports that the children have been hurt by the series.[56] TLC released a statement saying that the network "fully complies with all applicable laws and regulations" to produce the show. The statement also said that "for an extended period of time, we have been engaged in cooperative discussions and supplied all requested information to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry".[55]

    [edit] Other examples

    In another much-publicized case, issues have been raised about the underlying motives that led to the balloon boy hoax, in which six-year-old Falcon Heene was reportedly coerced by his father to stage for a frantic, live-on-TV chase for an out-of-control helium balloon in which he was suspected to be. The police said that the father engineered the hoax with the hope of generating enough publicity in order to get the family back into the reality-show business, after two appearances on ABC's Wife Swap. In an interview with the Denver Post,[57] child psychologist Alan Zimmerman said:

    " Using your family or children to please the masses, or producers of mass entertainment who want ratings and a good bottom line, is inherently risky [...] They are by definition a commodity in a profit-oriented business. "

    The same article quoted psychologist Jamie Huysman as saying, "It is exploitation [...] Nobody wants to watch normal behavior. Kids have to be co-conspirators to get the camera to stay on."

    [edit] Prior elements in popular culture

    A number of fictional works since the 1940s have contained elements similar to elements of reality television. They tended to be set in a dystopian future, with subjects being recorded against their will, and often involved violence.

    • Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), a book by George Orwell, depicted a world in which two-way television screens are fitted in every room, so that people's actions are monitored at all times. (The all-seeing authority figure in the book, "Big Brother", inspired the name of the pioneering reality series Big Brother.) Another is the impact on pop culture bearing a similarity (at least in the eyes of critics) to the concept of prolefeed, feeding the masses what critics deem as trash television.
    • Fahrenheit 451 (1953), a novel by Ray Bradbury, portrays a bookless future society, with omnipresent electronic media and wall-sized two-way home televisions. The protagonist's wife is immersed in a live audience participation program.
    • "The Seventh Victim" (1953) was a short story by science fiction author Robert Sheckley that depicted a futuristic game in which one player gets to hunt down another player and kill him. The first player who can score ten kills wins the grand prize. This story was the basis for the film The 10th Victim (1965), also known by its Italian title, La decima vittima.
    • You're Another, a 1955 short story by Damon Knight, is about a man who discovers that he is an actor in a "livie", a live-action show that is viewed by billions of people in the future.
    • "The Prize of Peril"[58] (1958), another Robert Sheckley story, was about a television show in which a contestant volunteers to be hunted for a week by trained killers, with a large cash prize if he survives. It was adapted in 1970 as the TV movie Das Millionenspiel, and again in 1983 as the movie Le Prix du Danger.
    • "It Could Be You" (1964), a short story by Australian Frank Roberts, features a day-in-day-out televised blood sport.
    • Survivor (1965), a science fiction story by Walter F. Moudy, depicted the 2050 "Olympic War Games" between Russia and the United States. The games are fought to show the world the futility of war and thus deter further conflict. Each side has one hundred soldiers who fight with rifles, mortars, and machine guns in a large natural arena. The goal is for one side to wipe out the other; the few who survive the battle become heroes. The games are televised, complete with color commentary discussing tactics, soldiers' personal backgrounds, and slow-motion replays of their deaths.
    • Bread and Circuses (1968) was an episode of the TV show Star Trek in which the crew visits a planet resembling the Roman Empire, but with 20th century technology. The planet's "Empire TV" features regular gladiatorial games, with the announcer urging viewers at home to vote for their favorites, stating, "This is your program. You pick the winner." The show included several jabs at real-world television, such as a praetorian threatening, "You bring this network's ratings down, Flavius, and we'll do a special on you!"
    • The Year of the Sex Olympics (1968) was a BBC television play in which a dissident in a dictatorship is forced onto a secluded island and taped for a reality show in order to keep the masses entertained.
    • The Unsleeping Eye (1973), a novel by D.G. Compton (also published as The Continuous Katherine Mortenhoe), was about a woman dying of cancer whose last days are recorded without her knowledge for a television show. It was later adapted as the 1980 movie Death Watch.
    • Network (1976) was a film predictive of a number of trends in broadcast television, including reality programming. One subplot featured network executives negotiating with an urban terrorist group for the production of a weekly series, each episode of which was to feature an act of terrorism.
    • "Ladies And Gentlemen, This Is Your Crisis" (1976) was a short story by science fiction author Kate Wilhelm about a television show in which contestants (including a B-list actress who is hoping to revitalize her career) attempt to make their way to a checkpoint after being dropped off in the Alaskan wilderness, while being filmed and broadcast around the clock through an entire weekend. The story focuses primarily on the show's effect on a couple whose domestic tensions and eventual reconciliation parallel the dangers faced by the contestants.
    • The Running Man (1982) was a book by Stephen King depicting a game show in which a contestant flees around the world from "hunters" trying to chase him down and kill him; it has been speculated that the book was inspired by Robert Sheckley's The Prize of Peril. The book was loosely adapted as a 1987 movie of the same name. The movie removed most of the reality-TV element of the book: its competition now took place entirely within a large TV studio, and more closely resembled an athletic competition (though a deadly one).
    • Vengeance on Varos (1985) was an episode of the TV show Doctor Who in which the population of a planet watches live TV broadcasts of the torture and executions of those who oppose the government. The planet's political system is based on the leaders themselves facing disintegration if the population votes 'no' to their propositions. This episode is often credited as the origins of "voting someone off".
    • The film 20 Minutes into the Future (1985), and the spin-off TV show Max Headroom, revolved around television mainly based on live, often candid, broadcasts. In one episode of Max Headroom, "Academy", the character Blank Reg fights for his life on a courtroom game show, with the audience deciding his fate.
    • Real Life (1979) where a pushy, narcissistic filmmaker persuades a Phoenix family to let he and his crew film their everyday lives. A parody of the ground-breaking PBS series An American Family.

    [edit] Pop culture references

    Some scripted works have used reality television as a plot device:

    • Real Life (1979) is a comedic film about the creation of a show similar to An American Family gone horribly wrong.
    • "Special Service" (1989) was an episode of the remade TV series The Twilight Zone, in which a man discovers that his life has secretly been videotaped and is a huge hit on a network television show.
    • Louis the 19th, King of the Airwaves (1994) is a Québécois film about a man who signs up to star in a 24-hour-a-day reality TV show.
    • The Truman Show (1998) is a film about a man (Jim Carrey) who discovers that his entire life is being staged and filmed for a 24-hour-a-day reality TV show.
    • EDtv (1999) was a remake of Louis the 19th, King of the Airwaves.
    • In the film She's All That (1999), the girlfriend of one of the main characters is stolen by a former castmember of The Real World (played by Matthew Lillard)
    • Series 7: The Contenders (2001) is a film about a reality show in which contestants have to kill each other to win.
    • Dead Famous (2001) is a comedy/whodunit novel by Ben Elton in which a contestant is murdered while on a Big Brother-like show.
    • "Helter Shelter" (2002) is an episode of The Simpsons in which the family become contestants in "The 1895 Challenge," living for several weeks in a Victorian style house with antique furniture and no electricity. To boost the ratings, they soon find themselves being abused and humiliated by the show's director, who states that he created the show "by watching Dutch television and tweaking the title." The Simpsons has also repeatedly spoofed reality TV and made reference to fictitious reality shows, with such titles as "Tied To A Bear," "Sucker Punch," "Mystery Injection," "Animal Survivor,", "No-Pants Island" and "Fart Date."
    • Oryx and Crake (2003), a speculative fiction novel by Margaret Atwood, occasionally makes mentions of the protagonist and his friend entertaining themselves by watching reality TV shows of live executions, Noodie News, frog squashing, graphic surgery, and child pornography.[59][60][61]
    • Tomb of the Werewolf (2004) is a film about a man searching for treasure while being followed by a reality show film crew, who encounters a werewolf and a vampire instead.
    • "Bad Wolf" (2005) is an episode of the TV show Doctor Who in which the characters find themselves trapped in various real-life reality television shows.
    • The Comeback (2005) satirizes the indignity of reality TV by presenting itself as "raw footage" of a new reality show documenting the attempted comeback of has-been star Valerie Cherish.
    • American Dreamz (2006) is a film set partially on an American Idol-like show.
    • Chart Throb (2006) is a comic novel, also by Ben Elton, that parodies The X Factor and The Osbournes, among other reality shows.
    • Total Drama Island (2007) is a Canadian animated series about teenagers on a Survivor-like show. Subsequently followed by Total Drama Action (2009) and Total Drama World Tour (2010).
    • "Realistically Speaking 1&2" (2007) is a two-part web-episode of Hero Envy in which one of the main characters allows a reality-TV film crew to document his and his friends' lives in an elimination-style game in exchange for money.
    • "Reality Show" (2008) is a song by T-Pain, from the album Thr33 Ringz, in which he sings to his lover, "Let's make a reality show", to "show 'em how much we in love".
    • Rock Rivals (2008) is a British television show about two judges on a televised singing contest whose marriage is falling apart.

    [edit] Other influences on popular culture

    A number of scripted television shows have taken the form of documentary-type reality TV shows, in "mockumentary" style. The first such show was the BBC series Operation Good Guys, which premiered in 1997. Other examples include People Like Us, Trailer Park Boys, The Office, Drawn Together, Summer Heights High, Total Drama Island, Parks and Recreation and Reno 911!.

    Some feature films have been produced that use some of the conventions of reality television; such films are sometimes referred to as reality films, and sometimes simply as documentaries.[62] Allen Funt's 1970 hidden camera movie What Do You Say to a Naked Lady? was based on his reality-television show Candid Camera. The TV show Jackass spawned three films: Jackass: The Movie in 2001, Jackass: Number Two in 2006, and Jackass 2.5 in late 2007. A similar show, Extreme Duudsonit, was adapted for the film The Dudesons Movie in 2006. The producers of The Real World created The Real Cancun in 2003. Games People Play: New York was released in 2004.

    The mumblecore film genre, which began in the mid-2000s, and uses video cameras and relies heavily on improvisation and non-professional actors, has been described as influenced in part by what one critic called "the spring-break psychodrama of MTV's The Real World". Mumblecore director Joe Swanberg has said, "As annoying as reality TV is, it's been really good for filmmakers because it got mainstream audiences used to watching shaky camerawork and different kinds of situations."[63]

    [edit] See also

    [edit] Further reading

    [edit] References

    1. ^ a b c d e Hill, Annette (2005). Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television. Routledge. ISBN 041526152X. 
    2. ^ a b c d e f g Booth, William (August 10, 2004). "Reality Is Only An Illusion, Writers Say - Hollywood Scribes Want a Cut Of Not-So-Unscripted Series". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html. Retrieved April 26, 2009. 
    3. ^ a b "Just how real are reality TV shows? - Shows may exist in a middle ground — not fully scripted nor completely true". MSNBC. April 14, 2009. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30092600/. Retrieved April 2009. 
    4. ^ a b "Just How Real are Reality TV Shows?". NBCBayArea.com. April 8, 2009. http://www.nbcbayarea.com/around_town/the_scene/Just_how_real_are_reality_TV_shows_.html. Retrieved April 28, 2009. 
    5. ^ Rowan, Beth (July 21, 2000). "Reality TV Takes Hold". Infoplease.com. http://www.infoplease.com/spot/realitytv1.html. Retrieved May 8, 2007. 
    6. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042171/
    7. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042171/
    8. ^ "1950's - Year in Review". Miss America Pageant. http://www.missamerica.org/our-miss-americas/1950/review.asp#. Retrieved May 8, 2007. 
    9. ^ Baracaia, Alexa (October 4, 2006). "Warhol 'reality' film named in top 100". Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/article-23369560-details/Warhol+'reality'+film+named+in+top+100/article.do. 
    10. ^ James, Caryn (January 26, 2003). "Bachelor No. 1 And the Birth Of Reality TV". Television/Radio (The New York Times). http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E0D61330F935A15752C0A9659C8B63. Retrieved March 18, 2009. 
    11. ^ Peterson, Karla (November 6, 2007). ""With writers on strike, expect more reruns and dose of reality"". San Diego Union-Tribune. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20071106-9999-lz1c06strike.html. 
    12. ^ Source: Zeven werklozen samen op zoek naar een baan by Raymond van den Boogaard, NRC Handelsblad, 28 september 1996
    13. ^ Keveney, Bill (October 9, 2007). "MTV's 'Real World' launched a revolution". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-10-09-real-world_N.htm. 
    14. ^ a b "Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe - Reality TV Editing". YouTube. February 2007. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBwepkVurCI. 
    15. ^ a b Levin, Gary (May 8, 2007). "'Simple economics': More reality TV". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-05-07-reality-TV_N.htm?csp=34. 
    16. ^ "Jaded". The Economist. January 27, 2007. pp. 57. 
    17. ^ ""How can I audition for reality shows?"". MSNBC. June 1, 2007. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16530873/. 
    18. ^ Jarvis, Jeff (August 6, 2005). "Tag the greatest — but not obvious — TV shows". BuzzMachine.com. http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2005/08/06/tag-the-greatest-but-not-obvious-tv-shows-ever/. Retrieved May 8, 2007. 
    19. ^ a b Nowell, Scott (October 17, 2002). "Your Cheatin' Art". HoustonPress. http://www.houstonpress.com/2002-10-17/news/your-cheatin-art/. Retrieved April 29, 2009. 
    20. ^ Hale, Mike (December 10, 2009). "Consigning Reality to Ghosts". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/13/arts/television/13paranormal.html. Retrieved 7 January 2010. 
    21. ^ Perigard, Mark A (August 16, 2009). "Shocker! Stooges do anything for camera in 'Reality Hell'". Boston Herald. http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/television/reviews/view.bg?articleid=1191257. 
    22. ^ Lynch, Marc (2006). "'Reality is Not Enough': The Politics of Arab Reality TV". http://www.tbsjournal.com/Lynch.html. 
    23. ^ Labash, Matt (October 18, 2004). "When a Kiss Is Not Just a Kiss". The Weekly Standard. http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/752xbofx.asp?pg=1. 
    24. ^ "Democracy Idol". The Economist. September 8, 2005. http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4382469. 
    25. ^ Macartney, Jane (August 29, 2005). "TV talent contest 'too democratic' for China's censors". London: The Times. http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article560126.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=World. 
    26. ^ University of Cambridge (July 5, 2007). "Footage from banned Chinese "Pop Idol" receives Cambridge premiere". Press release. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2007070501. Retrieved July 29, 2007. 
    27. ^ "Arab Big Brother show suspended". BBC News. March 1, 2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3522897.stm. 
    28. ^ a b Winner's tribe put the millions in Million's Poet, James Calderwood, The National, April 19, 2010
    29. ^ Move over American Idol: Hissa Hilal in finals of Arab reality TV poetry contest, Kristen Chick, Christian Science Monitor, April 7, 2010
    30. ^ Hirschorn, Michael (May 2007). "The Case for Reality TV". The Atlantic Monthly. http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705/reality-tv. 
    31. ^ Poniewozik, James (May 22, 2008). "Reality TV's Working Class Heroes". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1808612,00.html. 
    32. ^ a b "NBC: Must-see profitability - General Electric, the parent of NBC Universal, promised investors that NBC will generate earnings growth this year. Can the media division deliver?". CNN. January 16, 2007. http://money.cnn.com/2007/01/16/news/companies/ge_nbc/index.htm. Retrieved May 22, 2010. 
    33. ^ a b "How Much do Reality Stars Get Paid?". http://www.tseworld.com/press/20070820-how-much-do-reality-stars-get-paid.php. 
    34. ^ "Fox's 'American Idol 5' premieres to record debut ratings". January 18, 2006. http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/fox-american-idol-5-premieres-record-debut-ratings-3911.php. Retrieved May 26, 2009. 
    35. ^ "Celebrity Apprentice Stars Paid $16,000 for 3 weeks". http://blogs.nypost.com/tv/archives/2009/03/celebrity_appre_1.html. 
    36. ^ "Dancing with the Stars' celebs paid relatively little despite big ratings". http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/dancing-with-stars-celebs-paid-relatively-little-despite-big-ratings-1008223.php. 
    37. ^ 1/5/2008. Profit motive: Ads become more prominent amid squeeze in industry from The Californian (News). Retrieved May 2009.
    38. ^ Product Placement Market Soars to $3.46 billion in 2004: Report. Promo Magazine. March 30, 2005.
    39. ^ TV product placement moves out of background. USA Today. October 14, 2004.
    40. ^ TV Writers Must Sell, Sell, Sell. Wired Magazine. December 12, 2005.
    41. ^ "Surviving and thriving". The Age. November 13, 2003. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/12/1068329621438.html. 
    42. ^ IMDB listing, "Reality TV Secrets Revealed"
    43. ^ Roger Holland (June 19, 2006). "Hell's Kitchen review". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/tv/reviews/h/hells-kitchen-060619.shtml. 
    44. ^ My Fair Brady's Adrianne Curry & Christopher Knight: The Raw and Uncensored PR.com Interview, Allison Kugel, December 10, 2005
    45. ^ "Report: 'Bisexual' MTV Star Tila Tequila Is Straight". FoxNews.com. November 30, 2007. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,314116,00.html. 
    46. ^ "As 'Shot' misses, Tequila aims anew". Chicago Tribune. January 3, 2008. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-shot_personalsjan03,0,7358540.story. 
    47. ^ a b "Introducing the Nonebrities". The Sun. November 7, 2007. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article434361.ece. 
    48. ^ Dan Snierson, Josh Wolk (December 2002). "Can't-Be TV". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,397796__399467,00.html. 
    49. ^ Alderman, Tom (February 13, 2008). "Shame TV: Why Humiliation Sells on American Idol and Others". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-alderman/shame-tv-why-humiliation_b_86500.html. 
    50. ^ Poniewozik, James (February 12, 2003). "Why Reality TV Is Good for Us". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030217-421047,00.html. 
    51. ^ "Jon & Kate Plus 8 Separation Episode is Most-Watched in Series History". broadcastingcable.com. http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/295542-_Jon_Kate_Plus_8_Separation_Episode_is_Most_Watched_in_Series_History.php. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
    52. ^ "Ratings: Jon & Kate 's Split Is a Record-Breaking Hit, and More". tvguide.com. http://www.tvguide.com/News/Ratings-Jon-Kate-1007200.aspx. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
    53. ^ "Gosselin Apologizes, Tries to Halt Divorce, But a New Kate Plus 8 Moves On". www.popeater.ca. http://www.popeater.com/2009/09/29/jon-gosselin-halts-divorce-kate-gosselin/. Retrieved 2009-09-29. 
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    55. ^ a b c "Pa. labor officials probing Jon & Kate complaint". news.yahoo.com. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090529/ap_en_tv/us_tv_jon___kate_investigation. Retrieved 2009-05-29. 
    56. ^ "Report: Jon Gosselin says his 8 kids are happy". news.yahoo.com. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090603/ap_en_tv/us_tv_jon___kate. Retrieved 2009-06-23. 
    57. ^ Psychological toll: Experts say TV cameras alter family dynamics, like in "balloon boy" case. By Electa Draper. The Denver PostPosted: 10/18/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT. Updated: 10/18/2009 02:11:45 AM MDT.
    58. ^ "The Prize of Peril". e-text. arthurwendover.com. http://arthurwendover.com/arthurs/sheckley/prizep10.html. 
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    61. ^ Sharon Rose Wilson, "Myths and fairy tales in contemporary women's fiction: from Atwood to Morrison", Palgrave Macmillan, 2008, ISBN 0-230-60554-0, pp.43,49
    62. ^ Prigge, Matt (January 3, 2007). "Jackass Number Two... the year's best, most twisted cross-over documentary-and don't forget it is, in every definition of the word, a documentary". Repertory (Philadelphia Weekly). 
    63. ^ Dollar, Steve (August 17, 2007). "Reality Never Looked So ... Real". The New York Sun. http://www.nysun.com/article/60745. 

    [edit] External links

    mtv football reality show

    nfl reality show



    Football in India

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    Sayed Rahim Nabi of East Bengal and Daniel of Chirag United SC during I-league 2008-09 at Salt Lake Stadium

    Football is one of India's popular sports, and is said to be ranked second only to cricket[citation needed] in popularity in states like West Bengal, Goa, Kerala and the entire North-East India, especially Manipur, Mizoram and Sikkim. Football is played in almost all schools in India.

    Having been Asian champions twice, the standard of Indian football has degraded due to a lack of investment and proper planning. While standards of other Asian nations in which football is the most popular sport improved, Indian football was largely neglected in preference to cricket in which the national team is among the top three countries in the world.[1] In September 2006, India and Brazil signed an agreement formalising a scheme to train Indian footballers and coaches.[2]

    Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), in the state of West Bengal, is considered to be the home of Indian football. The city contains the two most famous Indian teams, East Bengal Club and Mohun Bagan AC. Derbies between these two clubs are popular events in Kolkata. Recently, Goan clubs have been doing well in the I-league with Dempo SC being the most successful club in the history of the league.

    Contents

    [hide]

    [edit] History

    The early Indian football clubs include Dalhousie Club, Traders Club and Naval Volunteers Club.

    Initially, games were played between army teams. However, clubs were soon set up around the country. Mohun Bagan Athletic Club was set up in what is now West Bengal in 1889. The club became famous in 1911 when it became the first Indian team to lift the IFA Shield, a tournament previously won only by British teams based in India. It defeated the Eastern Yorkshire Regiment 2-1 in the final of the tournament in a victory that is still regarded by many as the greatest by an Indian team before Independence.

    The Indian Football Association (IFA) was established in Calcutta in 1893, but did not have a single Indian on its board until the 1930s.

    The national football team was quite successful until the 1970s, when it qualified for the Olympics. The story that team qualified for the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, but could not appear as they still played bare feet at the time is myth, actual reason for Indian football team refusing to play after being selected was lack of practice time, team selection issues and valuing Olympics over FIFA World cup [3] .

    The Indian team also won gold medals in football at the 1951 and 1962 Asian Games, and finished fourth at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.

    In August 2007, the Indian national team won the Nehru Cup for the first time in its history beating Syria 1-0.[4] In August the following year, India defeated Tajikistan 4-1 to lift the AFC Challenge Cup and in turn qualified for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar.

    In 2009 August, India again won the Nehru Cup beating Syria in penalty (6-5).

    [edit] Structure of the game in India

    The game in India is administered by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), which is affiliated to the regional Asian Football Confederation, as well as to the worldwide body FIFA. The Indian national team has entered into the regional Asian Cup but has never competed in any World Cup. The Indian women's national team has also played in various competitions; moreover, women's football has its own separate inter-state and state competitions. Youth football is administered by the governmental Sports Authority of India.

    The standard of Indian football (compared globally) is poor. According to FIFA rankings, the national team is ranked 132th place in the world as of April 2010, and is said to struggle to qualify for both the World Cup and the Asian Cup. Part of this has been put down to the lack of opportunities for proper training and development of players in the country.

    [edit] Women's football

    Women's football has not had the relative head start over the rest of the world that the men's game has had, and also has not had the chance to spread through the country like its male counterpart. The game was administerd by the Women's Football Federation of India (WFFI) from 1975 until the early 1990s when they were absorbed into the AIFF. However, there are complaints that women's football is treated as a poor relation to the men's game leading to (unfulfilled) plans to de-merge the WFFI.[5]

    The women's game, like the men's game, also has its early pioneers in the state of West Bengal. The large Kolkata teams, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, started women's club sides in the 2000/01 season, and they participate with other teams in the Calcutta Women's Football League. However, it has been seen recently that players from Manipur have made advances in the game. Players from these two states make up a large part of the India women's national football team.

    The main women's national competition is played on a state vs. state basis in the Senior Women National Championship [6]. There are also similar national championships for junior teams: Junior Girls National Championship (for under 19s) and the Under-17 Girls National Championship.

    Some female players have become internationally recognised. Among them are Chitra Gangadharan selected to play for the All Asian Star team. Jaanki Kotecha was selected as captain to the All Asian Star Team in 2008-2009, where she led her team to victory. In February 2000, Sujata Kar and Alpana Sil became the first Indian footballers to sign a contract outside India. They signed with the German team TSV Crailsheim, but had to return after a month due to problems with the clearance of their international transfer.

    Until 1983, women's football tok part in international tournaments like the Asia Cup. For example the team won silver in 1980 at Calicut. In later years it had become poor in status just like its male counterpart. In the 2003 AFC Women's Championship, the Indian team was embarrassed by a 12-0 defeat to the Chinese women's team.[7]

    The poor support of the national team by the AIFF became evident, when the team's trip to Germany was only made possible by Non Resident Indians in the country, and by the support of the German Football Association. Furthermore, championships are hold in remote locations, and national media coverage is said to be restricted to state and local newspapers.[5]

    The women's game reached a new low in June 2009 when FIFA delisted the side from its world rankings for being out of action for more than 18 months. This comes at a time when the game is gaining in popularity amongst the younger generation as evident by the local leagues conducted around the country. The recently concluded Mumbai Football League 2009-10 organised by the MDFA (Mumbai District Football Association) was a major success and featured many talented players who had played for the national team.[8]

    [edit] See also

    [edit] References

    [edit] External links

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