Upen Patel and Malaika Arora: Taste tipsKoena Mitra: Screen scorcherDisneyland: Coming soon

n She came close to being a real testosterone pusher with a raunchy track in Ram Gopal Varma?s Road. Now she?s all set to scorch the screen ? with fingers crossed about acting skills ? in Sanjay Gupta?s Musafir.

This December, Channel [V] raises a toast to Koena Mitra, crowning her Goddess of the month.

No surprises, really, for this girl from Rashbehari Avenue has risen from the Calcutta ramp to the Bollywood stage in style.

Koena shifted base to Mumbai after winning the Gladrags supermodel title in 2001. She featured in a few music videos before debuting on screen with the sizzler in Road.

In the multi-starrer Musafir, she plays Anil Kapoor? wife, has a romantic song with him and a dance number with Sanjay Dutt.

If you have missed the sultry siren getting up close and personal on Channel [V]?s Goddess Special on November 28, stay tuned for the repeat airing on December 10, 9.30 pm.

Also catch Koena on Channel [V] Crush and Hotline, where she hosts the popular request show.

n He?s a British Asian who came to Bollywood in search of fame and fortune many moons ago. After making a name on the ramp, the handsome hunk received several film offers but turned them down.

And while Upen Patel waits for the right role on the big screen, he has taken on a giant challenge on the small screen ? learning how to cook!

This Sunday on STAR One, the Mumbai-based model dished out the first episode of Cook Na Kaho with Malaika Arora as star guest. The leggy model-anchor showed the guts to stomach the result and then pass judgment.

But Upen does have help, in the form of celeb chef Karen Anand, who will help him out in his weekly quest with tasty tips and tools, based on her forthcoming book Simple Cooking for Smart Men. There would be tips galore on how to whip up a simple meal, swift and scrumptious.

While the ladies drool over Upen, the men can pick up a few vital titbits, too ? how to look cool while sweating it out in the kitchen and impress women at the same time. So, watch Upen take the shortcut to a woman?s heart, through her stomach.

n Your all-time favourites Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are about to take your homes by storm this month.

Walt Disney Television International Asia Pacific (WDTVI-AP) has signed a multi-year deal with the STAR Group to distribute Disney Channel and Toon Disney Channel in India. Both channels will be launched on Friday, December 17.

?The Disney brand is incredibly strong in India and has a natural resonance with Indian kids and families. This strong brand affinity makes India a natural market for us to launch a Disney Channel and also introduce the region?s first ever Toon Disney Channel,? said Doug Miller, executive vice-president, WDTVI-AP and Walt Disney International.

?We believe that STAR India, with its unrivalled experience and successful track record in delivering compelling content, makes the ideal partner to realise this potential,? he added.

Michelle Guthrie, CEO of STAR, said: ?Disney is the undoubted leader in providing unique entertainment the whole family can enjoy together and we believe adding Disney Channel and Toon Disney to the STAR bouquet will make us the natural home for kids and family viewing in India.?

With 30-million satellite TV viewers under the age of 14 in urban areas alone, India boasts one of the world?s largest kid audiences.

The two channels would be quite different in their programme content. Disney Channel would beam celebrated animated movies and series, as well as specials, sitcoms, family dramas and live action adventure stories.

The Toon Disney Channel would be the true home of animation, built with the best cartoon sequences.

nEver wondered how magicians perform those incredible feats? Sawing a woman in half, levitating eight feet off the ground, walking through a solid brick wall, making things disappear from stage?

The adage ?a good magician never reveals his secrets? is about to be broken by a member of the sacred brotherhood.

If you?re a sceptic, then this is your chance to satisfy that burning curiosity, while budding Harry Potters can learn the tricks of the trade.

Catch The Masked Magician on STAR World on Monday, at 10 pm, for the first in a five-part series, disclosing the dark secrets behind some of the world?s most mystifying illusions. Don?t miss this visual treat, although it might be best not to disappoint the die-hard.

The hour-long programme, Breaking the Magician?s Code: Magic?s Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed!, will expose the mechanics behind seemingly impossible feats like the conjurer catching a speeding bullet between his teeth, getting out of a death trap, making an elephant and a military tank disappear, turning assistants into tigers and more.