The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Jimmy Fallon to take over 'The Tonight Show'
Simon Cowell debuts YouTube talent hunt
Chef Wan goes global with Fox TV’s new culinary series

Jimmy Fallon to take over 'The Tonight Show'

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 09:01 PM PDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) - NBC plans to move The Tonight Show from California to New York, its original home base, where Jimmy Fallon will succeed Jay Leno as host, the New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing several unnamed senior television executives.

No date for the shift of the top-rated late-night talk show had been set, but it was expected to take place by autumn 2014, the Times said.

"There is no way on earth that this is not going to happen," the Times quoted an unidentified senior executive as saying.

NBC did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Leno, 62, has won the ratings for much of his tenure since taking over for longtime Tonight Show host Johnny Carson in 1992. NBC replaced Leno with Conan O'Brien in 2009, but soon brought Leno back to the show.

The Tonight Show started in New York in 1954, but Carson moved the show to Burbank, California, in 1972. It has maintained a hold on U.S. popular culture for decades, a show for celebrities to promote their latest ventures and a forum that has provided a springboard for leading standup comedians.

Fallon, 38, a former cast member of Saturday Night Live, has hosted Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in the time slot following The Tonight Show since 2009.

Simon Cowell debuts YouTube talent hunt

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:28 PM PDT

LONDON: British pop mogul Simon Cowell launched an innovative online talent contest Wednesday, inviting wannabee stars from around the world to post clips of their skills on YouTube.

"The X Factor" and "Got Talent" guru Cowell joined forces with the video sharing platform to run 26 biweekly contests, called "The You Generation", for hopefuls in 26 countries over the next 12 months.

"We wanted to devise a way that it's easier for you to get noticed," explained Cowell in an interview in his padded-wall office posted on the "You Generation" channel.

Contestants immediately began uploading videos in a host of categories - vocalists to chefs to make-up artists - after an hour-long introduction, live on YouTube, by the Cowell-managed Brit boy band One Direction.

Entries will be judged by talent scouts at Cowell's production company, in a joint venture with Japanese electronics and entertainment powerhouse Sony.

Cowell hopes the initiative will make up for a slide in viewing figures for conventional TV talent shows as more artists bypass traditional routes to success by harnessing the power of the Internet.

Notable among those previously discovered on YouTube is Justin Bieber - but Cowell's idea is to have a one-stop YouTube channel for fans to size up new acts without having to surf all over the website.

The first artists posting on Wednesday swiftly collected hundreds of thousands of views, although comments varied between positive reviews and criticisms of Cowell's tastemaker status in the pop music industry.

YouTube is striving to become more than simply a place to watch amusing cat videos by encouraging, and in some cases bankrolling, original programming.

"It's the biggest TV channel now in the world," Cowell said. "It's changed everything. It has literally changed the music business - for the good." - AFP

Chef Wan goes global with Fox TV’s new culinary series

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:48 PM PDT

PETALING JAYA: Homegrown culinary celebrity Chef Wan has added yet another feather to his cap by clinching a lucrative deal with Fox TV to star in a 13-series syndicated cookery programme.

Fox TV, which will be opening its own food channel soon, has chosen Chef Wan as its first international chef to be featured in its maiden culinary extravaganza.

"I am very excited as I have been looking for a platform to share the essence of true Asian cuisine internationally," said Chef Wan.

Called East Bites West, the programme sees Chef Wan travelling in a caravan all over the United Kingdom and teaching the local community about the nuances of Asian cooking.

"The whole idea of the programme is to show people there how they can eat Asian cuisine in an affordable and easy way and I will be teaching them to prepare simple yet nutritious dishes," said Chef Wan.

The celebrity chef, whose real name is Datuk Redzuawan Ismail, said he had already completed the pilot series, which was wholly shot in Plymouth, England.

"We went to the naval base in Plymouth where I parked my caravan near a popular takeaway place called Captain Jasper and prepared food similar to what was on their menu, but with an Asian twist," he said.

He would also visit farmers' markets, food events and even people's kitchens to introduce the British public to Asian cuisine.

Chef Wan is scheduled to leave for Britain next month to shoot the remaining episodes of the show, which is expected to be launched in June.

Earlier this year, Chef Wan beat six other internationally acclaimed chefs, including highly renowned Jamie Oliver, by bagging the Special Awards of the International Jury for TV-English for his contributions to food TV at the prestigious Gourmand Awards 2013 in Paris, France.

"I have wanted to be on the same level as chefs Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson for a very long time. My dream has finally come true," he said.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Rabu, 20 Mac 2013