Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Updates!

Tomorrow we will discover what grand schemes the Finance Minister has planned to taken even more of our money and put it into the grubby hands of party functionaries across the land. But not before the party gets wiped out in UP (if you can call the sorry state of the Congress currently in UP 'not wiped out'). Anyway, there are just some site-related things I thought I would update readers on - firstly I've cleaned up the links a bit, corrected quite a few (sorry about that Jai!) and added a couple of sites which I think are fairly interesting (NSFW) and readable. Now that the other half has decided not to kill me off (hah, he wishes!) this blog is destined for another 500 posts, even though in the process of cleaning up, some very old posts have been discreetly removed, and maybe some more might meet the same fate.
Anyway, on other updates - it seems that God has been given a two-year extension as Group Editoral Boss at the place he runs and because of the upcoming UP Elections, the party and God seem to have kissed and made up, so there will not be a repeat of the events at last years 'big function', and from all indications this years big function will be bigger than ever. The other media related item (and listen I know I give these obtuse and sometimes vague names, but please understand my compulsions) is that this post I wrote last month is coming true. The grapevine has it that 'The V' has put in his papers at 18-20 KG Marg and now will leave CK to take that paper down into a burning heap of rubble by himself. There is an old saying... which would be inappropriate to repeat over here. 'The V' will head up 'The Groups' foray into entertainment which if Nita has her way will start off with a 24/7/365 Dandiya channel. Which wouldn't be so bad really!
In another piece of news, Loha Lady (version 2.1- new 'smiling version' when Railway Minister cracks jokes she can't understand) has launched her latest witch-hunt for the person who leaked out that rather salacious piece of news that Q had been caught and thus totally ruined Rahul Baba's chances in UP. Well, from early indications it seems that her treatment of Natwar Singh is going to backfire because from what I have heard it was a Natwar loyalist inside the MEA who leaked the story - and a very well executed leak, making sure that everybody got the juciest inside details. Touche!
On Thursday we shall see the first 'Big' showdown between Papermint and ET, after the rather insipid performance of the former following Tata-Corus and Vodafone-Hutch, I'm not expecting much, but then again, as Tony Bourdain says, it is when expectations are low that you get really surprised. One way or another!

EDIT : Bonatellis requests and I always please my readers, but the question remains why on earth have One, Two and Three been given the boot at BW? From what I have heard about the explosive happenings at the ABP company today morning - One was asked to choose between the magazine and his own business. The two Bengali's were moved off elsewhere and the China correspondent, not a patch on the best China correspondent of an Indian publication which would be Saibal at the Times has been appointed boss. This has meant that P will quit because he doesn't want to report to the Chinaman and B has been moved to a marketing function within the group. I don't understand why the sudden flurry of activity over there but it might have something to do with competition getting worse and a huge rush of people leaving the publication because Aveek Babu's pursestrings are way too tight. Anyway, this is what I know, I take no responsibility for factual accuracy whatsoever.

6 comments:

livinghigh said...

naaaaaaa. i quite like Mint, ya know. :)

Anonymous said...

arre, no update on what happened at BW this morning?

- Bonatellis

thalassa_mikra said...

Are you seriously suggesting that any development in the Q case has any bearing on Rahul's chances in UP?

I don't think anyone in UP gave a toss about Mrs. G's corruption in her heyday, but her arrogance pissed off many. As long as Rahul Baba doesn't step on too many toes, he'll be fine.

Anonymous said...

It's so sad the way Three has been treated ... 17 yrs of loyalty and this is what he gets in return.
He could have moved anywhere at his peak ... but he foolishly didn't. This should be a lesson for every journalist.

The moral of the story: never work at any Indian media house for more than 3 yrs.

- Bonatellis

Anonymous said...

K further updates on wat's happening at BW pls

Anonymous said...

K,
Your info on the 'mag and own business choice' is wrong :-) Much more there than meets the eye hehehe...