Sania Mirza to marry Pak cricketer Shoaib Malik in mid-April

Image by drona via Flickr

She's India's tennis ace. He's a high-profile Pakistani cricketer. And they're all set to get married in Hyderabad early next month.

Sania Mirza and Shoaib Malik are planning a small, private ceremony in Hyderabad, but their match will inevitably generate huge interest in their respective countries.

The couple will be based in Dubai, though Sania will continue to play tennis and represent India, while Shoaib will turn out for Pakistan. The alliance has been blessed by both families.

"This is the biggest day of my life. I have been in the media glare for too long, and would appreciate a little privacy at this very personal moment," Sania, 23, told TOI.

Shoaib, 28, has pledged Sania his support: "I fully understand what it takes to be an international sportsperson. I'll support Sania in her career as long as she wishes to play."

"Representing India at the 2012 Olympics is very important for her, and I will be the proudest husband if she can win a medal for her country," he said.

3D and Satellite TV - The Next Generation of Sports Entertainment

Watching sports on television has been a national past time since the invention of the first sports cast. Originally starting with baseball and football, all sports eventually made it to the "tube" format and are now mass marketed to millions on a daily basis. Almost every day it is possible to check out a basketball game or hockey game.

Actually, with such channels as ESPN classic on cable and satellite TV, it is even possible to watch old games from thirty years ago. So, just in case you happened to miss Super Bowl XXXII and the Denver Broncos underdog triumph against the Green Bay Packers in 1998, you can relive the action as if it happened yesterday.

Speaking of football, it is almost as if television is now completely catered towards it. Any true diehard football lover has season tickets as well as a subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket, so they can watch all the away games as well as monitor and keep up with rival victories and defeats. It is just the normal thing to have.

And with the recent high definition craze, every type of game, match or event is now taking up the format, broadcasting in crystal clear clarity. Viewers can now watch games as if they were sitting on the sidelines, being able to see the expression of pride on the pitcher's face as he strikes the batter out or of overwhelming joy as the game winning shot makes it in right before the buzzer concludes the basketball game. Even the X-Games and extreme sporting events have transitioned to the new broadcast medium. People watching Shaun White take a half-pipe run can actually see the light reflecting off of the snow at night.

Now, with the recent 3D craze overtaking Hollywood, television companies are getting things in order to offer 3D programming and channels sooner than you think. Companies are already planning on launching a 3D specific satellite in March, according to reports, and such channels as Discovery and ESPN are preparing to launch programming during the upcoming summer, primarily focusing on the most famous sporting event in the world: The 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Reports indicate that the first game to broadcast in 3D format will be the South Africa versus Mexico game.

All this talk about the new 3D phenomenon means taking television sports viewing to the next step, something never thought possible. HD brought people closer to the action, 3D will make it appear that the viewer is actually there. If there is a blizzard during a ski race, the snow could easily be flying right out of the screen, blinding the viewer in the same manner as the actual competitor. When a basketball player dives into the crowd in order to keep the ball in play, it may seem as if he is bursting out of the television. It will be absolutely insane.

Of course, the actual format will require new ways to film games and events as well as new technology and updates for televisions. If current trends have taught the television companies anything these days, it is that people like what they are seeing.

So, who knows? In the next few years all programming, whether athletic or not, could be broadcasted in 3D. Those special glasses will more than likely be prepackaged and sold with brand new remotes. That is unless television technology gets so advanced that people will not need them. The public can only wait and see.

The Physically Challenged in the Nigerian Entertainment Industry

Late Ray Charles had lost his sight at the age of seven and his younger brother, two years earlier. The world he was once saw and basked in its beauty and serenity had become dark and misty. In the face of hardship and seemingly insurmountable mountains as he travelled wearily on life's path, he found solace in music which turned out to be an escape route that late Ray Charles walked upon triumphantly into stardom. Such was the life of this great artiste(though blind), who played the piano with dexterity that "RAY" a biopic movie was released in 2004 starring Jamie Foxx and directed by Taylor Hackford. Our parents would certainly have a nostalgic feeling, reliving hit songs such as "I got a woman", "Georgia", "Hit the Road Jack", amongst others and with a dozen Grammy awards and others coupled with ground breaking achievements recorded in his profile, Ray Charles who passed on to glory on June 10, 2004 was truly a legend.

"This track is so delicious, I go by the way of Cobilicious" was the intro of the rap lyrics Cobhams Asuquo reeled out in Dekunle Fuji's successful track "No Lele", though many Nigerians were unaware of his 'nil vision state'. His popularity soared amongst the populace when he performed the beautiful thought provoking chorus in the song "Lagi Mo" (The Roof Top MCs) which saw the song hitting the number one spot on some Nigerian chart shows. He won the HIP Hop world Awards 2007 for the "producer of the year category", increasing the number of statuettes he'd already received. He is presently one of the highly sought after producers in the music industry, making guest appearances on TV programmes and reality show (Project Fame West Africa, season 1) along with the solicitation for his services which extends to Corporate bodies, banks (Sky bank's advert with the Akuna matata song)

The icy hands of death almost took away Yinka Ayefele in 1999 when he was involved in an auto crash. The crash affected his spinal chord and sentenced him to life on a wheel chair. Through the fiery trials and the stop of the pity partying, he was bold enough to put the ordeal behind him, and bursting forth like water from a rock to quench our thirst with refreshing exciting gospel flavour. Fame, fortune, local and international awards have willingly found their way into his life.

The Nigerian music terrain can boast of this duo who have succeeded on its stage, but can the same be said of the movie industry. We've seen physically challenged roles (visually impaired/ lame) being performed by able bodied thespians to the best of their abilities, but wouldn't it be a surprise to millions of movie viewers for medically proven, physically challenged people to naturally perform such roles assigned to their able bodied counterparts. Who says there are no talented ones among them whose acting skills can't be brushed up, after all not every A-list thespian studied theatre arts or attended schools that specialized in harnessing such talents.

There are a lot of talented physically challenged people out there rotting away simply because no one has dared to give them a chance. After all the scripts can be converted into Braille letters for them to read, at least we know their sense of hearing is hyper functional than that of the sight seeing fellow. Quite a number of TV Reality shows have hit the screens these past couple of years (dominantly in the Entertainment sector) with new ones emerging by the day, such as Gulder Ultimate search, AMBO, Next movie star, The Intern, Maltina Family dance all, Star Quest, Football with Fash, The Twelve Ambassadors, Big Brother Nigeria, Apprentice Africa, Idols West Africa, Nokia First Chance, Project Fame West Africa.

No reality TV show has been made for the physically challenged probably borne out of fear of not securing sponsors (who are focused on making returns for their investments), or fear of outright rejection by the teeming viewers. Who says a reality show that the physically challenged can function in can't be conceived and birthed, its all about ingenuity and who can tell whether such a reality show can end up being the best among the lot, nothing is impossible!

Sports and Entertainment

Sports and Entertainment

Sports and entertainment is a type of pop culture entertainment. This is mainly for relaxation purposes. This is also called recreation because they involve some active participation beyond mere leisure. The sports and entertainment industry consists of a large number of sub-industries. This industry is currently poised to enter a golden era. The industry has a strong growth as one or the largest markets in the world.



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