The news channels are getting more dramatic and distorted than the soaps. India TV takes the cake, ache and snake. There they were, the two correspondents, one of whom happens to own the channel, covering the press conference of the new Bachchan flick, Ek Ajnabee. There were closeups of AB’s face, hands, legs?you name it. The commentary from the studio got progressively awkward until one of the correspondents piped in, “Ek Ajnabee has been shot abroad?Mr Bachchan has just completed shooting for it in New York.” Hello, hello? Ek Ajnabee was shot entirely in Bangkok and AB was in NY for Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna. Homework, dear newshounds, homework.

As the popular music contest, SaReGaMaPa Challenge races to a finish in January 2006, the surprises spill out with frenzied furtiveness. After Salman Khan, the next celebrity judge is music aficionado Sanjay Leela Bhansali who will be seen on Friday and Saturday (Dec 2 and 3) on SaReGaMaPa Challenge. Confirming the casting croon, the show’s producer-director Gajendra Singh said, “We want music-minded showbiz icons to come and encourage the finalists. And what better choice than Bhansali? It must be remembered that Shreya Ghosal was picked up by Sanjayji from SaReGaMa. SLB will host a Laxmikant-Pyarelal special on SaReGaMaPa Challenge. He’s been sifting through dozens of the composing duo’s songs to find just the right tunes. The segments with SLB will be recorded on Tuesday morning. “We wanted the songs to be peppy and popular so that the contestants would be challenged and audiences enthused,” reveals Gajendra Singh.

Last week, the 10 SaReGaMaPa finalists drove down to the outskirts of Mumbai where Sanjay Bhansali is holidaying, to meet the director. The finalists continue to make their presence felt. Judge Himesh Reshamiyya who pushed and urged Vinit into getting maximum audience vote, has decided to reward his most popular pupil with a song for Mithun Chakraborty’s son Mimoh in the latter’s debut film. “Never before have our contestants seen such quick results and responses to their abilities and talent. It comes from having music composers as judges,” says Gajendra.