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I have a Little Sugar

Friday, 19 March 2010 06:30

OMNI Television is proud to present the world television premiere of I have a Little Sugar, as part of its Language Documentary Specials series. The 60 minute documentary launches to the Tamil language community on OMNI.2, Sunday, March 28^th at 7:00 p.m. ET.

The English language version of I Have a Little Sugar airs one week later on OMNI.2, Sunday, April 4^th at 7:00 p.m. ET.

I Have a Little Sugar, produced by Ben Viccari and Lalita Krishna of Third Element productions, explores important issues surrounding diabetes. According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, diabetes affects more than three million Canadians and is the world’s 4th leading cause of death.

“We applaud Third Element Productions for choosing to inform and reflect key at-risk communities through personal stories that reveal the facts in I Have a Little Sugar,” says Madeline Ziniak, National Vice President of OMNI Television.

In addition to presenting current research findings, I Have a Little Sugar also features four people who share their stories about coming to terms with diabetes:

· John - distanced from his Aboriginal roots, he tried to ignore his diabetes;

· Siva - diagnosed with Type 1 later in life, used it as an opportunity to educate others;

· Julian - learned how to use an insulin pen while his friends studied for their driver's test;

· Williana - recently diagnosed with diabetes; unemployed, and overcome by memories of her grandmother’s death from diabetes.

“I Have a Little Sugar was developed in answer to the need for increased education and awareness about diabetes, especially among those who are most susceptible,” says Lalita Krishna, Writer/Director of the film. “We thank OMNI Television for helping us to create and target this message.”

As reported by the Canadian Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.ca ), Canadian populations that are at higher risk for Type 2 diabetes include people of African, Asian, Hispanic or South Asian descent. People of Aboriginal heritage are three to five times more likely than the general population to develop Type 2 diabetes.

I Have a Little Sugar was exclusively funded through OMNI's Independent Producers Initiative, a $32.5 million independent production fund that to date has supported over 400 new documentary programmes. Interested producers can access funding criteria at OMNI Television’s web site www.OMNItv.ca .

About OMNI Television

OMNI^™ is a free, over-the-air multilingual/multicultural television system committed to positive portrayal and broadcast reflection of Canada’s diversity through the airing of inclusive and accessible programming. With five television stations -- in BC; Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton) and Ontario (OMNI.1 and OMNI.2) – OMNI reaches more than 23 million people in major market areas. As well as specializing in Canadian multilingual/ multicultural programming, OMNI carries well-known International series and films – including East Asian Super Cinema and South Asian Bollywood Freetime Movies. OMNI Television is a part of Rogers Broadcasting Limited., a division of Rogers Communications Inc. (TSX: RCI and NYSE: RCI) which is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. For more information visit www.OMNItv.ca

About Third Element Productions

Third Element Productions was established by Toronto-based producer-director Lalita Krishna and ethnic media specialist producer Ben Viccari. Ms. Krishna is internationally renowned for her work, including such honours as: ReelWorld Film Festival Trailblazer (2010); Winner, Editorial/Opinion Category, TV, Canadian Ethnic Media Association (CEMA) Awards for Shift Focus (2009) and Canadian Association of Broadcasters’ (CAB) Gold Ribbon, Diversity in News and Information Programming category for The M Word (2008). Further information is available @ http://www.insyncvideo.ca .

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Canada’s only public synthetic ice rink!

Friday, 19 March 2010 06:30

Ready, set, skate! On Tuesday, March 23, Harbourfront Centre is holding an interactive media day to showcase the latest addition to our skating facilities - the Natrel® Kinder Rink. Other outdoor rinks are closing for the season, but the Natrel® Kinder Rink is open year-round! This rink is 98 per cent comparable to a conventional rink, so anything done on real ice can be done here. To prove it we’re holding special hockey and figure skating demos with local professional hockey educators and figure skaters!

What: A great opportunity to experience the only public synthetic ice rink in Canada with interactive hockey and figure skating demonstrations with Sandy Velenosi and his team.

Who: Interview and photo opportunities are available with representatives from Harbourfront Centre, Artificial Grass & Landscaping (AGL), world-renowned hockey instructor Sandy Velenosi along with champion figure skaters.

Where: Natrel® Kinder Rink at Harbourfront Centre
235 Queens Quay W. Toronto, Ontario M5J 2G8

When: Tuesday, March 23 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (noon)

*** 20 minute hockey and figure skating demo begins promptly at 10:45 a.m., followed by individual interviews and a media skate opportunity***

A short video preview is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LInmJf5_2Xg

ABOUT HARBOURFRONT CENTRE

Harbourfront Centre is an innovative, non-profit cultural organization which provides internationally renowned programming in the arts, culture, education and recreation, all within a collection of distinctive venues on a 10-acre site in the heart of Toronto's downtown waterfront.

ABOUT ARTIFICIAL GRASS & LANDSCAPING (AGL)

Artificial Grass & Landscaping Inc. (AGL) provides Artificial Grass solutions for a wide variety of applications including; residential, commercial, playgrounds, daycares, rooftops, resorts, and much more!

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5th annual Miss India Worldwide Canada pageant

Friday, 19 March 2010 06:30

ROGERS presents the 5th annual Miss India Worldwide Canada pageant coming this Summer of 2010.

Recognized as one of Canada's glamourous, cultural productions, Miss India Worldwide Canada will feature South Asian talents ranging from the East coast to the West, all of whom that will grace the stage with their beauty, confidence and talents competing for the presti-gious title. We are officially now accepting applications, which is available online. The selection process of the finalists will begin in May where we will hold interviews and auditions. Contestant Coordinator, Ekta Malhotra will be overseeing applications and will be assisting appli-cants throughout the exciting process.

Unlike other cultural pageants especially in Canada, the winner of Miss India Worldwide Canada will represent the South Asian community on an international platform, the Miss India Worldwide pageant organized by the India Festival Committee based in New York. The worldwide pageant is well-known for its Bollywood inspired glamour, its outstanding and unique talents and performances and featuring elite South Asian, young women from around the world proudly representing their Indian heritage. It has been the platform that has been hosted in popular city destinations around the world such as South Africa, Los Angeles, Mumbai and many others. It has exposed new talents which has inspired and motivated many successful young women who advanced in various indus-tries from the medical field to the big screens of Indian cinema.

In the past, the winners who have represented Canada wonderfully have placed among the top three finalists and have walked away with other prestigious titles such as Miss Best Talent, which is the youngest of the winners, Sapna Sehravat of 2006, followed by Uppekha Jain of 2007 crowned as 1st Runners-Up for Canada.

Simultaneously, we will be holding auditions for co-emcees to accompany Mr. Jake Dheer of Rogers Television for the live event. More information will soon be available for the co-emcee audition process online in April.D&T International Inc. would like to recognize the Presenting Sponsor, ROGERS and Hotel Partner, Courtyard by Marriott.

Visit: www.d-tinternational.com

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Indo-Canadian Composer Mixes It Up At ReelWorld & CBC

Friday, 19 March 2010 06:30

On the heels of a dozen artists showcased at this year's Canadian Music Week, all of whom were produced by Vikas Kohli, this homegrown composer is having another great month. Known for his expertise fusing musical genres, Kohli will now have his talents showcased at the ReelWorld Film Festival, CBC and Showtime.

Bollywood music fans will get to hear his title track "Dil Yeh" for the film Shanti Baba Ram and the Dancers of Hope, set to screen at this year's ReelWorld Film Festival running April 7th-11th 2010. Rock music fans at ReelWorld will get to hear "Inside", the music video and first single from jsin's debut album Born, which was produced by Kohli at his studio Fatlabs.

The Reelworld Film Festival, which prides itself on showcasing diversity, is certainly highlighting the diversity of composer Vikas Kohli, drawing attention to his work as a film composer and his work with artists of every musical genre. "Having my work in genres as far apart as hard rock and Bollywood pop both showcased at ReelWorld is a testimony to how the festival is a platform for all cultures," says Vikas Kohli, music producer of FatLabs.

Kohli produced "Dil Yeh", which is an upbeat Hindi pop tune for the Canadian Film Centre's Shanti Baba Ram and the Dancers of Hope. The film is about a jaded food photographer who fights to save his relationship after his idealistic girlfriend invites a charismatic charity leader and nine dancing slum children into their apartment. Directed by Steven Rosenberg and produced by Heidi Tao Yang the film has screened at the Montreal Film Festival, Atlantic Film Festival and has recently been picked up by CBC as well as Showtime. The film will air on CBC beginning April 11th.

Kohli also produced and co-wrote rock artist jsin's debut album Born, of which the first single and music video is the song "Inside". jsin was featured at this year's Canadian Music Week, playing to a sold-out house at Revival. "Born sounds like Trent Reznor from NIN and Thom Yorke from Radiohead after drinking a bottle of Night Train," comments Kohli in front of a backdrop of guitars and Indian tablas at his FatLabs studio.

About ReelWorld

This year will mark the 10th anniversary of the ReelWorld Film Festival, a five day festival that screens features, shorts, documentaries, animation, music videos from Aboriginal, Asian, Black, Latino, Middle Eastern, South Asian and other communities. This unique Canadian based film festival aims to truly reflect the racially diverse cultures of the World around us.

About Vikas Kohli

Now a sought-after music producer, Kohli is well versed in music across a variety of genres from punk, jazz, and hip-hop, to country, metal, and Bollywood pop. Kohli has been profiled on CBC, The Globe & Mail, The Toronto Star, The Hindustan Times, MSN, AOL, Yahoo, Zee News and is known internationally for his extensive repertoire, and his expertise at fusing musical genres. His accolades include: Composing for the major motion Bollywood film Mission Istaanbul and upcoming Bollywood film Tom, Dick and Harry Rock Again; Producing multi-million album selling Bhangra artist Mika Singh; Producing The Responsibles' punk album The FatLabs Sessions, which charted in the top 20 across Canada (!earshot charts); and collaborations with Cappadonna (Wu-Tang Clan), Moka Only, Deva Bratt and Justin Nozuka.

Born in Nepean (Ottawa), Kohli started playing guitar and studying painting at fine arts school. Kohli received his Honors Degree in Mathematics & Philosophy from the University of Toronto, his MBA from the Schulich School of Business and his CFA. Kohli now lives in Mississauga, Canada where he runs FatLabs.

For more information and Kohli's music portfolio, please visit www.fatlabs.com.

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Amin Dhillon, Miss India Worldwide Canada 2010, Heads to South Africa

Friday, 19 March 2010 06:30

Amin Dhillon, the current Miss India Worldwide Canada, is set to represent Canada at the Nineteenth Annual Miss India Worldwide Pageant taking place on March 27, 2010 at the International Convention Center in Durban, South Africa.

Amin, 25 years old, made history as the first woman from Manitoba to win the prestigious title of Miss India Worldwide in the pageant’s history. Since winning Miss India Worldwide Canada in April 2009, Amin has spent her reign working with various organizations and charities to encourage youth involvement and cultural diversity. This year, Amin selected Folklorama as her official pageant charity and will continue to work with the organization.

Aside from her charity and community work, Amin has been featured in numerous publications from around the world including being named as one of sixteen most promising Indian youth by the prestigious magazine “India Today”.

The Miss India Worldwide pageant is the only international Indian pageant with over 30 countries participating. Previous winners have achieved success in Bollywood, business and politics.

Previously, there have been two former Miss India Worldwide Canada winners to win the Miss India Worldwide crown: Poonam Chibber in 1997 and Melissa Bhagat in 1998.

Amin would like to thank the following sponsors for providing the support needed to prepare for Miss India Worldwide: Kamp Photography, Stephanie Ash Photography, Angie Zachary, 17th Market Jewelry, Hilary Druxman, Lakewood Dental Centre, Murray Chevrolet Hummer, Entegra Credit Union, Sharma Auto Service, Guyanese Association of Manitoba, Tim Hortons, and India Palace Restaurant. As well, thank you to the countless individuals who provided individual private sponsorships of Amin.

CKLY Fashion is the official dress sponsor and Amin will be wearing one of their gowns during the Evening Wear segment. Fans and supporters can visit Amin’s official website (www.amindhillon.com) to keep in touch with Amin and to follow her journey. Official photos of Miss India Worldwide Canada 2010 are available for media print, upon request.

To arrange interviews, press contact:

Susan Smith, Publicist
2010 Miss India Worldwide Canada Committee
www.amindhillon.com
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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