Mum's the word??

The idea may not have been exactly original, but Star Plus' Mum Tum Aur Hum seems to have struck a chord with little audiences. There have been families that have flown down to Delhi from places as far flung as Amravati and Tuticorin, just to be able to take part in the show. Says producer Anita Kaul Basu, "We even had a hysterical mother calling us from Tuticorin, saying her daughter wouldn't give up till she is called on the show." FM loves it too???? This is perhaps a first...the country’s finance minister is seen endorsing a news channel! The Times Group’s soon to be launched TV news channel Times Now has P Chidambaram, no less, in a pre launch show reel that is currently on air. He is seen smiling and mouthing the channel’s selling line -- "Feel the news." Well, what can we say....if Kumarmangalam Birla and Kapil Sibal and can do it...so can he???? Don't you agree????? Is Eijaz Khan upset with Balaji Telefilms? Eijaz Khan who used to be Ekta Kapoor's lucky mascot in Kahiin toh Hoga and who did Kesar and Kkusum and is now currently the main lead in Kavvyanjali has been keeping a low profile of late. The buzz is that his erratic schedule has taken a toll on him and he is bugged with the fast pace of life that he has been forced to maintain. It is rumoured that he is willing to share his dissatisfaction with Balaji Telefilms to anyone who is willing to listen. If what we have heard is true, we are sure it would soon reach Ekta Kapoor's ears as well. She values Balaji loyalists. Eijaz you can go and ask Ronit Roy, Smriti Irani, Saakshi Tanwar, Ali Asgar, Hiten Tejwani and Chetan Hansraj who are proud of being Balaji loyalists or you can join the other category of stars who rebelled like Shweta Kawaatra, Shweta Keswani, Moulli Ganguly and Nausheen Alii Sardar to name a few. Which path are you taking Mr Khan???? We are all ears! Jack of all trades - that's Akriti! She's a VJ, a journalist (in reel life) and a singer. Monday to Thursday she plays the song of their choice on SMS 7575- Show My Song on ETC channel.On Friday she moves to ETC Nautanki Top 9 to play the top nine songs of the week with Suresh Menon in Desi Nautanki Ishtail. Then she takes time out to sing for the leading ladies of the big screen -- Amrita Rao, Kaitrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor. Meet Akriti Kakar. In between all this she also has taken on the added responsibility of recounting the emotional rollercoaster ride of stars like Irrfan Khan, Konkona Sensharma, Rajit Kapur, Sandhya Mridul, Zakir Hussein and child star Princey Shukla in the film, Deadline- Sirf 24 Ghante, where the lady plays a journalist. "I was never keen for acting because singing is my first love and passion. I have declined film offers but veejaying for ETC is another extension of my singing because it is a music channel. My character in Deadline- Sirf 24 Ghnate was very interesting and there wasn't anything filmy in it like other film roles. So I accepted it and really enjoyed the experience. Director Tanveer Khan knows what he wants so there were not many retakes. It didn't feel like shooting for a film at all. There were no jhatkaas or matkaas required," says Akriti. John's arrival makes Jolly sad!! Indian Idol contestant Jolly Das' cup of woes seems to have brimmed over! First, the lady was diagnosed with chickenpox and now she will miss her one chance to meet the man of her dreams, John Abraham on the sets of Indian Idol. The actor will be a celeb judge in the epidode to be aired on Monday, 23 January. When we spoke to Jolly's father the other day, he said that the finalist was very upset about the turn of events.