Zubin Mehta one of five named for Japan's Premium Imperiale

Zubin Mehta has been named one of the five winners of the 2008 Premium Imperiale, widely considered to be the Nobel Prize for the performing and the visual arts.

In simultaneous announcements in six cities on Sept. 19, the Japan Art Association named the five winners: the British artist Richard Hamilton for painting, the Ukrainian couple Ilya and Emilia Kabakov for sculpture, the Swiss Peter Zumthor for architecture, the Japanese Sakata Tojuro for the cinema/theater, and Mehta for music.

The Premium Imperiale carries a check for $140,000, a diploma and a medal to be presented by the Japan Art Association's honorary patron, Prince Hitachi, brother of the Emperor of Japan, at the awards ceremony set for October 15 in Tokyo.

The new awardees join a list of 98 artists honored since the Japanese Imperials instituted this Nobel of the East 20 years ago.

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Verizon launches 'Bollypop Video Dance Competition'

A spiring dancers can enter 'Bollypop,' an online dance competition sponsored by Verizon to help showcase the growing amount of Bollywood movies and music videos the company offers its FiOS TV and V CAST customers.

The Bollypop (www.verizon.com/bollypop) contest is open to all U.S. residents and is maintained by Saavn, the largest digital distributor of South Asian movies, music videos, audio tracks and ringtones. Contest entrants can be either individuals or dance troupes (maximum of four performers) and must submit a video of any dance moves to one of 11 Bollywood songs.

The video with the most votes will win the grand prize, which includes airfare, hotel and transportation to Mumbai, and an appearance in a Bollywood film. Additionally, the grand prize winner or winners will get a three-day trip to New York City to attend a celebration in their honor.

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