GECs
Oprah still America’s number 1 TV personality
MUMBAI: The queen of the talk show genre, Oprah Winfrey, retained her title this year as America’s favourite TV personality.
The information is contained in a Harris Intreactive poll. David Letterman took second place this year, followed by Bill O’Reilly, comedian Ray Romano and Jay Leno.
In India, The Oprah Winfrey Show airs weekday mornings on Star World. Dr Phil McGraw and Daily Show host Jon Stewart were tied for sixth place. In India, Jon’s show can be seen on CNN, Sunday nights. William Petersen, of the drama series CSI (airs on AXN) came in eighth while Whoopi Goldberg finished ninth. An AP report adds that Friends star Jennifer Aniston, Ellen DeGeneres and Martin Sheen tied for tenth place.
The Harris Poll was conducted online. 2,376 American adults participated in the poll which took place from 17-23 November. Meanwhile a few days ago, Harris had announced that Mel Gibson was America’s favourite movie star.
Tom Hanks who was number one last year, slipped to the fourth spot. America’s sweetheart Julia Roberts is at number two and everyone’s favourite knight Sir Sean Connery is number three. The one star that is no longer alive but is on the list is John Wayne.
Interestingly, of all the top ten stars, Johnny Depp is the only one to have had a major hit this year with Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean. Tom Cruise did receive a Golden Globe nomination for The Last Samurai but the film did not exactly set the box office on fire.
Mel Gibson is number one among women. Julia Roberts is preferred by people aged 18-29. This demographic is very important to the movie industry as they go to the movies much more often than their elders. Not surprisingly, the African-American community went for Denzel Washington.
GECs
Asianet Television Awards 2026 celebrates women power in Malayalam TV
“She is the Colour” theme honours icons as ceremony airs on March 14 and 15 at 7 PM.
MUMBAI: If television lights up living rooms, this year Asianet decided to let women provide the colour. The Asianet Television Awards 2026 turned the spotlight firmly on women empowerment with the theme “She is the Colour”, celebrating the strength, resilience and achievements of women who continue to shape society and the Malayalam entertainment industry.
The ceremony honoured several distinguished personalities whose journeys have left a lasting cultural imprint. Among them was legendary playback singer Vimala Varma, widely recognised as the first Malayalam playback singer. The evening also paid tribute to Padma Shri awardees Devaki Amma and Vimala Menon for their exceptional contributions in their respective fields.
Leading women from the Malayalam film industry were also recognised during the event, including actor Shweta Menon, who currently serves as president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists, and National Award winning actor Surabhi Lakshmi.
The awards ceremony brought together a glittering lineup of actors and industry figures, including Jayasurya, Vijay Babu, Asha Sarath, Lena, Esther Anil, Anumol, Akhila Bhargavan, Sarayu Mohan, Prajod Kalabhavan, Gayathri Suresh, Sabumon Abdusamad, Swasika, Tini Tom, Sijoy Varghese, Kailash, Veena Nandakumar, Sabareesh Varma, Ansiba Hassan and Dinesh Prabhakar. Kishan Kumar, executive vice president Malayalam at JioStar, was also present at the event.
Beyond individual recognitions, the awards celebrated excellence across Malayalam television, acknowledging artists and technicians whose work continues to drive the industry forward.
The evening also offered plenty of spectacle, with elaborate dance performances, stunt acts and comedy skits performed by popular television and film personalities, turning the ceremony into a full fledged entertainment showcase.
Viewers will get to watch the celebrations when the Asianet Television Awards 2026 air on Asianet on March 14 and 15, Saturday and Sunday, from 7 pm onwards, bringing the star studded tribute to homes across Kerala and beyond.
