Muzikal Gah

Iskandar Ismail diberi kepercayaan arah
15 lagu bagi Broadway klasik karya Mancini

Oleh
Haryani Othman

JIKA anda minat dengan muzikal Broadway dan set-set klasik seperti Moulin Rouge, ada satu persembahan perdana bulan depan yang menanti untuk dinikmati.

Pementasan Klasik Broadway, Victor Victoria, satu teater muzikal yang penuh gah akan diadakan di Dewan Teater Esplanade. Pementasan oleh Zebra Crossing Productions ini akan diadakan dari 9 hingga 29 November.

Muzikal ini mengisahkan seorang wanita, Victoria Grant, yang menyamar sebagai seorang penghibur lelaki yang mengambil perwatakan wanita di sebuah kelab di Paris pada 1933. Situasi menjadi hura-hara apabila seorang ketua samseng jatuh cinta dengan ‘wanita’ ini.

Watak Victoria Grant dilakonkan oleh Laura Fygi, seorang penyanyi terkenal dari Belanda yang bukan sahaja boleh bernyanyi dalam lima bahasa termasuk bahasa Cina malah telah menjelajahi dunia menghiburkan penonton dengan bakatnya.

Teater muzikal komedi ini pada asalnya ditulis untuk filem pada 1933 oleh Hans Hoemburg dari Jerman dan skrip ini melalui banyak perkembangan. Selepas perfileman 1933, cerita ini difilemkan semula pada 1982 dan memenangi banyak anugerah termasuk Pelakon Wanita Terbaik dalam watak utama (Julie Andrews), Pelakon Lelaki Terbaik dalam watak pembantu (Robert Preston), Gubahan Muzik Asal Terbaik dan Rekaan Kostum Terbaik.

Pada 1995, filem hebat ini diadaptasikan ke pementasan teater muzikal Broadway dan pementasan inilah yang akan dipentaskan di sini nanti.

Bersedia untuk menikmati kecantikan 250 macam kostum, 15 lagu, kepelbagaian tarian dan kehebatan lakonan. Anda akan berasa seperti diri anda dilayarkan ke Paris pada 1933. Perasaan nostalgia yang dibangkitkan sangat menyerlah.

Selain Laura Fygi, barisan pelakon Victor Victoria termasuk Shane Mardjuki yang pernah menjayakan pementasan What the Butler Saw (Zebra Crossing Productions) dan juga Sooo Lazat di Suria dan Gene Sha Rudyn yang pernah membawa pelbagai watak dalam pementasan seperti Pulau Antara dan Oi! Sleeping Beauty.

Shane membawa watak Henry Labisse, pemilik kelab yang jahat dan dengki, dan Gene pula akan memegang watak Sal, seorang ketua samseng berbangsa Italy dari Chicago, Amerika Syarikat. Sal adalah kawan samseng yang jatuh cinta pada Victoria dan watak Sal ini sungguh lucu.

Ada 15 lagu dalam pementasan lebih dua jam ini dan kesemuanya diarah oleh Iskandar Ismail, penerima Pingat Budaya (2008) yang menjelajahi dunia bersama arahan muziknya. Beliau pernah bekerja dengan Jacky Cheung untuk Snow.Wolf.Lake (1997) dan pernah turuk menjayakan pementasan hebat seperti Sing to The Dawn dan Chang & Eng.

Dalam pementasan ini, Iskandar mengembalikan wirasa dan naluri muzik nostalgia untuk mendapatkan daya tarikan rimbunan ala Hollywood lama.

Semua lagu dan irama dalam pementasan ini dicipta oleh Henry Mancini, penggubah lagu terhebat pada eranya yang pernah menghasilkan irama yang merdu dan popular seperti Moon River dan The Pink Panther.

Jadi untuk mengarah karya Mancini adalah satu pencapaian luar biasa. Apa yang menggelikan hati ialah semasa di bangku sekolah, Iskandar amat takut dengan muzik Mancini dan sekarang beliau harus mengarah karyanya.

Pementasan ini dicantikkan lagi dengan pelbagai rekaan kostum yang berwarna-warni, gah dan mempesonakan! Anda pasti kagum dengan kostum era Marie Antoinette dan ala kabaret ’30-an yang direka oleh Moe Kasim bersama dengan Laichan.

Kedua-dua jejaka ini pernah memenangi anugerah Straits Times Life! Theater Awards bagi rekaan pakaian mereka. Kali ini untuk Victor Victoria, mereka mereka dan menyediakan 250 pasang kostum untuk 30 pelakon atau penari.

Dengan barisan bakat yang berwibawa sebegini, Victor Victoria menjanjikan pementasan menakjubkan.

Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila lungsuri http://www.victorvictoria.com.sg atau ke laman http://www.sistic.com.sg.

Cyberita

@Sinepleks: Pesta Filem Pendek Malam Ini

Oleh Nurulhisham Abdul Latiff

23 filem ditayangkan di kawasan lapang Rumah Pena Kuala Lumpur

MALAM ini, bermula jam 8.30 malam, majlis tayangan filem pendek oleh beberapa pengarah baru dan lama tempatan, Maskara Shorties, akan dilangsungkan di kawasan lapang Rumah Pena Kuala Lumpur.

Seperti tahun lalu, majlis tayangan filem pendek 10 minit ala ‘wayang pacak’ ini akan menayangkan pelbagai genre filem kepada khalayak yang hadir dalam suasana yang santai.

Acara pada tahun ini muncul majlis tayangan filem pendek kedua anjuran Sindiket Sol-Jah dengan kerjasama Sekretariat Penulis-Penulis Blog, Persatuan Penulis Nasional Malaysia (Pena) selepas berjaya dengan penganjuran pertama pada 2008.

Maskara Shorties diadakan bagi memberi ruang kepada pembikin dan pengarah filem amatur serta mapan untuk menayangkan hasil kreativiti mereka secara percuma. Ia hanyalah acara tayangan, tiada sebarang diskusi bersama pengarah akan diadakan. Sebarang diskusi boleh dipanjangkan di blog pengunjung yang datang menonton.

Sesuai majlis yang dilangsungkan dalam suasana cukup santai, pengunjung digalakkan membawa makanan, minuman sendiri serta tikar untuk mengalas punggung.

Maskara atau nama penuhnya Malam Baca Naskhah Sindiket Sol-Jah dan Kawan-Kawan yang Kita Suka, diadakan sekali setiap dua bulan di Rumah Pena. Ia menjadi medan penggiat seni generasi baru untuk mempersembahkan pelbagai hasil karya seni tanpa mengira genre.

Pada masa yang sama, sekurang-kurangnya seorang penggiat seni mapan akan dijemput untuk memperdengarkan sajak, puisi, pantun atau apa saja genre seni mereka kepada hadirin, di samping berkongsi pengalaman mereka. Penggiat seni yang hadir membuat persembahan juga dialu-alukan untuk mempromosi karya mereka dan menjualnya di sana.

Maskara dianjurkan sejak tahun 2007 oleh sepuluh anak muda yang menamakan diri mereka Sindiket Sol-Jah. Kumpulan ini pada asalnya berkongsi minat yang serupa dalam bidang penulisan dan seni. Seterusnya mereka bersepakat mahu menganjurkan aktiviti khusus untuk anak muda yang memerlukan ruang bagi meluahkan diri melalui seni.

Anggota terkini kumpulan itu terdiri daripada Sinaganaga, Vovin, Tok Rimau, Jigo, OP Zaharin, Spyz, Mat Jan, Pipiyapong dan Azzam Supardi.

Walaupun anggota kumpulan ini berlainan latar belakang, seperti editor, pereka grafik, pengaturcara komputer, mekanik, pensyarah bahasa Inggeris dan akauntan, mereka berkongsi minat yang sama dalam bidang penulisan.

Sindiket Sol-Jah menulis dan menerbitkan buku dalam bentuk puisi, antologi cerpen, novel dan blook (buku blog). Sehingga kini sebanyak 15 judul diterbitkan di bawah label Sindiket Sol-Jah dan beberapa judul lagi berada dalam perancangan untuk diterbitkan pada 2010.

Hasil jualan buku terbitan mereka disalurkan untuk penganjuran Maskara, yang membolehkan ia dianjurkan secara percuma kepada umum. Namun begitu, fokus Sindiket Sol-Jah tidak terbatas dalam dunia penulisan semata-mata. Anggotanya turut aktif dalam pelbagai lapangan seperti deklamasi sajak, lukisan abstrak, menggubah lagu dan penganjuran festival filem pendek.

INFO: Senarai filem dan pengarah yang terbabit dalam Maskara Shorties 2009 1. Detik 10 – Indra Syahbaani 2. Chasing Cats and Cars – Liew Seng Tat 3. The Tree – Amir Muhammad 4. Pintu – Akashdeep Singh 5. Carwash – Aaron Chung 6. Taman di Sinkiku – Azharr Rudin 7. Melayu 7 – Mamat Khalid 8. Soundscapes Journal No. 1 – Kamal Sabran 9. Nilai Setitik Garisan – Rozinor Razali 10. Hangus – Dean Sham 11. Pemburu Buaya Darat – Tok Rimau 12. My Perfect Ana – Nazri M. Annuar 13. Melayu Di Jalan Melayu – Ridhwan Saidi 14. Kimeru – Tosan Priyonggo (filem dari Indonesia) 15. Benting (tali pinggang) – Ahmad Hasan Yuniardi (filem dari Indonesia) 16. Bertukar – Sinaganaga 17. Frankie Goes To Gua Tempurung (The Very Real Road Movie) – Ayie 18. Kakmin – Ajami 19. Aci Baca Sajak – Abdullah Jones 20. Buta-Tribute to Gaza – Iswardy Morni 21. Saya Memang Kacak – Alif Firdaus Azis 22. Hidup Yang Tidak Dipinta – CST Production 23. Psychopomp – M Fathil Shahab

INFO: Carta pecah panggung:1 – Aathavan 2 – Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 3 – Papadom 4 – Surrogates 5 – Inglourious Basterds 6 – Pandorum 7 – Whiteout 8 – Law Abiding Citizen 9 – Ninja 10 – Peraanmai

Berita Harian

GOOD BAD GIRL

FIRST FEATURE
GOOD BAD GIRL
By Jeanmarie Tan
October 30, 2009
 
 

Megan Fox has a very pretty mouth.

She also has a naughty habit of sticking out her tongue and licking her upper lip for the cameras – what is fast becoming her trademark pose

But of late, a whole lot of crazy has been tumbling out of the 23-year-old femme fatale’s unstoppable trap.

More than her hot looks and even hotter bod, what sets Fox apart from all the other plastic Hollywood starlets with no acting ability is her wicked tongue.

The notoriously loose-lipped US actress hasn’t quite mastered the concept of filters when communicating her various deep thoughts.

What she’s an expert in, however, is the outrageous – and sometimes truly nutty – sound bite.

While doing press for her new movie Jennifer’s Body, she displayed an almost fearless honesty and refreshing candour, blurting out whatever was on her mind to get the maximum shock value.

Seems totally apt for someone with a bad-girl persona.

It’s also perfectly in keeping with how the young woman once described herself to Nylon magazine: ‘Outspoken, neurotic and silly.’

What do we know about Fox so far?

She had a relationship with a female Russian stripper at age 18 and prefers kissing women (‘I feel much safer with girls’).

And she uses oddly similar turns of phrases to describe both her bathroom habits (‘I forget to flush the toilet. Friends will tell me, ‘Megan, you totally pinched a loaf in my toilet and didn’t flush.’) and her stage fright (‘Every time I go on stage – instant diarrhoea’).

The Tennessee-born ingenue is even unafraid of dissing actresses more accomplished than herself.

To Esquire again: ‘I don’t want to have to be like a Scarlett Johansson, who I have nothing against, but I don’t want to have to go on talk shows and pull out every single SAT (a university admissions test in the US) word I’ve every learned to prove, like, ‘Take me seriously, I am intelligent, I can speak.’

Bad temper

Fox also made public her ‘ridiculously bad’ temper and mental problems.

She told Rolling Stone magazine: ‘I’ve had to say to (actor-boyfriend Brian Austin Green), ‘You have to go and stop talking to me, because I’m going to kill you. I’m going to stab you with something – please leave.’

‘ I’d never own a gun for that reason. I wouldn’t shoot to kill. But I would shoot him in the leg for sure.’

She also struggles with the idea that she has ’bouts of mild schizophrenia’, fearing she’d wind up dying young like her idol Marilyn Monroe.

And if this isn’t enough verbal incontinence, she even trash-talked Transformers director Michael Bay and compared him to the most evil tyrant in modern history.

After saying that working with Bay ‘is not about an acting experience’, she joked: ‘He’s like Napoleon and he wants to create this insane, infamous mad-man reputation… He wants to be like Hitler on his sets, and he is. So he’s a nightmare to work (for).’

This resulted in Fox getting called ‘ungracious’ and ‘dumb as a rock’ by anonymous Transformers crew members. Bay responded in a post on his website: ‘Her crazy quips are part of her crazy charm. The fact of the matter (is) I still love working with her, and I know we still get along. I even expect more crazy quotes from her on Transformers 3.’

Whether or not Fox’s tendency to make over-the-top statements is contrived or genuine, she is certainly all about provocation.

Addressing the reputation she’s recently developed for mouthing off a little too much, Fox told People magazine: ’98 per cent of the things that come out of my mouth are intended to be harmless or even charming. They’re not ever intended to be offensive or controversial.’

Still, such attention-seeking blabbermouth ways may be sabotaging her budding career.

Jennifer’s Body – written by Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody – marks Fox’s first starring role and is a high-profile follow-up to this year’s most successful blockbuster Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen. In it, Fox portrays a demonic cheerleader who literally feeds off the horny high school boys in a Minnesota farming town.

Poor showing

Jennifer’s Body opened in the US last month with a lacklustre US$6.8 million ($9.5m) and barely covered its US$16 million budget by the end of the film’s three-week theatrical run.

Its under-performance could explain why Fox seems to be toning down her inner drama queen and going on damage control mode.

While accepting the Best Sci-Fi Actress award for her role in Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen at the recent Scream Awards, she was uncharacteristically nice.

She said in her speech: ‘I don’t usually do this, but I wanted to say something. There have been a lot of false reports about how I feel about this movie. I just want to be very clear that I’ve always felt I’m a very ordinary part of an extraordinary film…

‘The movie took me out of obscurity and gave me a career, and I’m completely grateful to everyone involved with this franchise.’

Sounds like Fox finally hired herself a publicist. Or perhaps she has simply decided to walk the talk.

‘I need to behave in a way that will cause people to take me seriously,’ she had declared to Entertainment Tonight back in June.

Still, you can never be too sure what Fox will say next.

Whether naughty or nice, at least the loose cannon sex symbol is making us take notice, according to blogger Trent Venegas, author of http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com.

He told the Los Angeles Times: ‘The feedback is decidedly mixed. Some people love her and others hate her. In the celebrity game, that is the perfect place to be.’

GIVE AWAY

MEGAN FOX POSTER, ANYONE?

WE are giving away five sets of movie hampers for Jennifer’s Body, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox and Warner Music.

Each set contains a comic book, a movie soundtrack, a notebook and movie poster of Megan Fox.

To win, call Infoline at 1900-9140801 and answer this question:

Who plays the devil-possessed teenager in the movie Jennifer’s Body?

1. Amanda Seyfried

2. Megan Fox

3. Diablo Cody

The contest closes on Sunday at midnight. Each call costs 20 cents.

 

The NewPaper

PACIFYING PETER's A-LIST CAST

FIRST ASIAN
PACIFYING PETER’S A-LIST CAST
October 30, 2009
 
 

YOU can always count on Peter Chan to accomplish the rarest of feats – rounding up the biggest names in Hong Kong cinema for a single project.

But as the 46-year-old producer-director shared with FiRST, it’s not easy managing the different egos of A-listers.

The veteran film-maker, sporting his trademark shoulder-length hair, was in town last week to promote his year-end blockbuster Bodyguards And Assassins, which opens here on 18 Dec.

Costing of more than US$23 million ($32m), the action drama is set in 1905 Hong Kong and revolves around a group of bodyguards protecting Chinese revolutionary and political leader Sun Yat Sen.

Bodyguards And Assassins, produced by Peter and directed by Teddy Chan, features more than 10 top-league stars from China and Hong Kong, including Donnie Yen, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Leon Lai, Nicholas Tse and Fan Bingbing.

Former beauty queen Michelle Reis also makes a special guest appearance, after a six-year hiatus from the movie industry.

‘A-listers want to headline projects; they don’t like competition,’ said Peter, explaining the uphill task he faced initially when getting his cast together.

‘No matter how experienced they are, they still become nervous and insecure when acting opposite a fellow actor of the same stature. Everyone wants to be the best in the film.’

He was speaking from experience. His last directorial effort, The Warlords (2007), starred international gongfu star Jet Li, Cantopop’s Heavenly King Andy Lau and heart-throb Takeshi Kaneshiro.

‘Oh, I had great difficulty securing the three of them,’ said Peter with a grin.

‘Similarly, for Bodyguards, I had to convince my actors that it was going to be the biggest film of the year, and that the perfect role had been written for each of them.’

Then, it came down to spreading the message of teamwork.

‘I’d say, ‘Don’t be so small-hearted. Look at Ocean’s Eleven – George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon put aside their respective egos to be part of it.’

‘There is no reason why we can’t do it too.’

Peter revealed that while he enjoyed the process of overseeing Bodyguards And Assassins from birth to completion, he could ‘never have directed it’.

‘The films I direct are all about human weaknesses. They delve into the complicated world of growing up, coming to terms and having the courage to acknowledge one’s flaws,’ he said.

‘Bodyguards is not like that. The film glorifies humanity, the characters in it are selfless and benevolent.’

But he is certainly relishing his role as a producer.

‘Directing is more like a hobby. When producing, you have to constantly look at the bigger picture, to consider all aspects about the film, and not just what’s on camera.’

Here’s a piece of good news for fans dying to see Peter and his long-time girlfriend, 44-year-old actress-comedienne Sandra Ng, collaborate on a film again.

The couple last worked on Golden Chicken (2002)- he as the producer, she the lead actress.

‘It’s not firmed up yet, but I’m likely producing a film starring her and Jacky Cheung,’ said Peter, who has a three-year-old daughter with Sandra.

‘It’ll be sometime at the end of the year.’

Tan Kee Yun

CHARITY’S CHEESY, BUT…

She’s no reality TV junkie.

But Katrina Kaif revealed that the reason she is involved in so many TV shows in Indiais to help her mother’s charity.

The Bollywood actress says she donates every cent she makes through television appearances to mother Susan Turquotte’s charity, Mercy Home, in Madurai, India.

In fact, the actress paid for the Mercy Home’s ambulance after her first game-show appearance.

‘Normally one doesn’t like to speak on one’s charity work. It’s a bit cheesy. But… I’ve to admit that I’ve been lending my mum a helping hand with her orphanage,’ the actress is quoted in RS Bollywood Online.

YUEN WOO-PING’S NEW ACTION MOVIE

Martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo Ping returns as a director for the new Hong Kong action movie True Legend (aka Su Qi Er). Woo Ping, who was the fight choreographer for the Matrix trilogy and also Kill Bill, last directed Tai Chi Boxer in 1996.

In his latest movie, action star Chiu Man Cheuk plays the title character Su, a wealthy man in the Qing Dynasty who loses his fortune. He dedicates his life to martial arts and emerges as a hero known as Su Qi Er, or the King of Beggars.

The movie also stars Michelle Yeoh, Jay Chou, Zhou Xun, Andy On and the late David Carradine, and is scheduled for release in Singapore in February next year.

SAMMI’S 37 AND GETTING YOUNGER

Hong Kong superstar Sammi Cheng said she has no plans for marriage because she’s getting younger.

The 37-year-old recently bumped into a couple taking their wedding photos while she was out filming a music video. When asked by the Hong Kong media if she’s just as eager to walk down the aisle, she laughed: ‘Not at all.

‘In the past, I wondered when it would be my turn but I don’t think about it now. Why? Because I feel I’m back in my 20s now. I won’t think too much. And when I return to my teens next year, the more I won’t think about marriage.’

VIVIAN RETURNS TO HER ROOTS

Actress Vivian Hsu will soon start work on the new Taiwanese movie Seediq Bale, directed by Wei Te Sheng, who also directed last year’s Cape No7.

Vivian plays the lead role in the movie that portrays the Wushe Incident, a 1930 Seediq uprising led by Mona Rudao against the Japanese when Taiwan was colonised.

The Seediq are Taiwanese aboriginal people who, along with the Truku people, were previously classified as the Atayal tribe.

She said: ‘I won’t be speaking any Mandarin in the movie at all. Instead, I would have to speak Japanese and Seediq.’

The movie is due to film for half a year and will be completed in 2011. It is budgeted at $21million.
 

The NewPaper

Ezeki Fida Bidang Lakonan

Oleh Norhayati Nordin
yati@hmetro.com.my

Rap
SEKALIPUN hasrat untuk bergelar penyanyi tidak kesampaian, ia nyata bukan noktah dalam perjalanan seni, Rafidah Ibrahim atau Fida.

Pada usia 23 tahun, gadis manis ini nampaknya kian selesa menyusun langkah sebagai anak wayang apabila aktif berlakon.

Bernaung di bawal label MIG Talent dengan menandatangani kontrak selama setahun, bakat Fida dalam lakonan terus digilap.

Malah, baru-baru ini disiarkan lakonannya di samping Nora Danish menerusi telefilem Tiga Serumah terbitan MIG Production sempena Aidilfitri.

Kata Fida yang pernah menyandang gelaran juara pertandingan Siti Nurhaliza Mencari Bintang Pantene pada 2007, sejak menyertai MIG Talent pada April lalu, tidak dinafikan, karier seninya sekarang lebih cenderung pada lakonan berbanding nyanyian.

“Saya pernah mendapat peluang menjadi artis rakaman sebelum ini. Namun, entah kenapa, tiba-tiba projek yang dirancang tidak menjadi. Justeru, apabila Pengarah Urusan MIG Production, David Teo menghulurkan tawaran menjadi artis MIG Talent, saya terima.

“Apa yang pasti, karier seni saya sekarang lebih teratur dan stabil walaupun bertukar bidang.

“Kalau dulu, fokus lebih pada menyanyi, tetapi kini saya selesa berlakon. Ditambah lagi, David sentiasa memberi saya peluang untuk terus maju dalam karier ini.

“Terutama sebagai pelakon drama. Mungkin disebabkan sedikit bakat yang ada membolehkan David yakin untuk memberi saya peluang menggalas watak utama dalam drama. Bergandingan dengan Farid Kamil, saya dipilih berlakon drama Cinta Tikar Sejadah.

“Terus terang diakui, sejak berkecimpung dalam bidang lakonan saya sangat seronok. Banyak pengalaman berlakon mula ditimba dan ia cukup mematangkan diri.

 

 

“Malah, yang penting saya sudah mencuba kerana bukan mudah memperoleh peluang,” katanya.

Menurut anak jati Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur ini lagi, dia juga dengan rela hati menangguhkan perjalanan karier nyanyiannya.

Kata Fida, bila sampai waktu sesuai mungkin dia akan aktif menyanyi semula dan ketika itu pilihan dibuat benar-benar tepat.

“Bukan apa, cukuplah pengalaman dengan syarikat rakaman terdahulu yang dipilih untuk menghasilkan album saya. “Dalam soal ini, saya hanya tidak mahu pisang berbuah dua kali. Bagaimanapun, saya tetap simpan impian untuk miliki album sendiri.

“Tidak dinafikan, ada komposer berpengalaman melamar saya sebagai artis untuk syarikatnya. Namun, saya terpaksa menolak sekarang kerana mahu memberi tumpuan pada lakonan. Buat masa ini, biarlah saya memantapkan diri sebagai pelakon dulu.

“Apapun, saya yakin dengan rezeki yang ditetapkan Tuhan. Andai kata, apa yang dihajati itu memang milik saya pasti masa ditunggu akan muncul akhirnya. Jadi, kesabaran sangat penting terutama apabila memilih seni sebagai karier sepenuh masa,” katanya.

Aktif sebagai pengacara, Fida turut memaklumkan dia juga mendapat peluang untuk menjadi artis rakaman di bawah MIG.

Kata hos program Riwayat Kamil ini, seingatnya David pernah kata jika dia mahu menghasilkan album, mungkin ia boleh diurus MIG kemudian.

“Justeru, saya tidak mahu terburu-buru lagi atau buat tangkap muat saja. Jika ditakdirkan, saya muncul dengan album suatu hari nanti, biarlah perancangannya lebih teliti untuk hasil berkualiti. Ditambah lagi, keadaan pasaran album yang berlaku sekarang.

“Sebagai artis baru, saya sedar perlu berhati-hati dalam mencari peluang terutama untuk menghasilkan album yang hakikatnya menggunakan kos besar. Bahkan, melihat pada senario pasaran sekarang boleh dikatakan pendengar kini senang memilih single,” katanya.

Harian Metro

Byron Letters Sale Sets Record

LONDON – A COLLECTION of correspondence by Lord Byron broke the world record price on Thursday for a group of letters or manuscript by a British Romantic poet, auction house Sotheby’s said.

The collection, which came from the library of 1894-1895 prime minister Archibald Primrose, the Earl of Rosebery, was sold for 277,250 pounds (S$637,675). The pre-sale estimate was 150,000 to 180,000 pounds.

The collection, which includes 71 handwritten pages, contains many unpublished letters and material detailing relationships as well as his thoughts and pursuits immediately prior to his rise to fame.

‘We are absolutely delighted with the above-estimate price achieved for such an important collection of letters by Byron,’ said Gabriel Heaton of Sotheby’s.

‘The pre-sale interest in the collection has been international in its scope and extremely enthusiastic, demonstrating just how prominent Lord Byron remains in the literary canon and in people’s affection.’

‘The letters talk of love and poetry, of religion, travel and revolution, and their sale has offered a wonderful opportunity to reveal aspects of Lord Byron’s character that were either unknown or long-forgotten.’ — AFP

Straits Times

The Giant Rubber Band Ball

LAUDERHILL (Florida) – LOOK, over there. Under that blue tarp in a suburban driveway. That thing that’s the size of a Smart car? It’s Joel Waul’s rubber band ball.

Mr Waul has spent the last six years carefully wrapping and linking and stretching rubber bands of various sizes into the ball shape.

The Guinness Book of World Records declared it the world’s largest rubber band ball in 2008.

On Thursday, Mr Waul said goodbye to his creation. A team from Ripley’s Believe It or Not came to his house with a crane and hauled the 2m tall, 4,096kg behemoth away on a large, flatbed truck.

‘It’s a little bit sad to see it go, but it’s going to be appreciated by thousands and hopefully millions of people in Ripley’s museum to see and wonder, ‘What was this guy thinking?” Mr Waul said.

The ball will eventually be displayed in a far-off museum yet to be determined, so folks can marvel at Mr Waul’s obsession. — AP

Straits Times

Stargate's Genius Loner

NEW YORK – WHETHER in Yankee Stadium or the Land of Oz, getting home is an all-consuming mission. But not in Stargate Universe. Not for Dr Nicholas Rush. It seems he would rather probe the far reaches of science while stranded in a rattletrap spaceship billions of light years from home.

As played by Robert Carlyle, Rush is at the core of SGU, a meditative thriller premiering recently on the Syfy network and watched by more than 2 million viewers. It builds on the mythology of the 1994 film Stargate and follow up series Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.

The titular Stargates represent a perilous but potentially lifesaving transport system for the voyagers, with each an imposing, ring-like portal stretched with wormhole that allows the brave or brash to pass through and emerge who-knows-where.

The Stargates offer a chance at connect-the-dots salvation. Or maybe doom. Rush, the brilliant scientist, just wants to figure it all out.

Home definitely isn’t where his heart is, which puts him in regular conflict with his fellow journeyers, played by co-stars Ming-Na, Elyse Levesque, Lou Diamond Phillips, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Louis Ferreira, Jamil Walker Smith and Brian J. Smith.

Rush leaves viewers delightfully confused: Is this the one guy on board who, despite the others’ pushback, has a handle on their crisis? Or is he a narcissistic suicidal scoundrel? Viewers don’t know, and they feel for him and doubt him at the same time. — AP

Straits Times

She Kicked Pitt Into Shape

She kicked Pitt into shape
By Germaine Lim
October 29, 2009
 
 

NOTHING’S impossible with Yumi Lee.

In six months, the 40-year-old US celebrity personal trainer got actress Demi Moore to do one-arm-one-leg push-ups effortlessly for the movie GI Jane (1997).

At that time, Moore – who played a soldier undergoing the gruelling US Navy Seal training programme – couldn’t even manage a regular push-up, said Yumi, who charges upwards of US$100 ($140) for a one-to-one hour-long session.

Speaking over the phone from Los Angeles where she is based, the Korean – who has been a personal trainer for the last 16 years – told The New Paper: ‘Demi got the technique right in just six months. Considering she wasn’t even doing any push-ups before this, that was a pretty quick progression.’

And remember Brad Pitt and his incredibly ripped body in Troy (2004)?

That was achieved under Yumi’s training too.

‘For Brad, we focused a lot on core and strength training. Of course he also ate a lot to get his size.’

Yumi appears on the exercise show My Workout, which airs over Li TV (SingTel mio TV Ch22) every Wednesday and Thursday at 7pm, and weekends at 8pm.

While many need a kick in the bottom to get started, there are also others who have gone the other extreme and become addicted to exercise.

She was one of them. There were days when she would work out more than two hours a day, which she said is unhealthy.

Then she was competing in sportaerobics, which combines aerobics and rhythmic gymnastics with dance and choreography.

Between 1995 and 2001, the US national sportaerobics champion had won three gold medals, two silver, and one bronze.

She was also into running and swimming.

‘I changed my social life to exercise. If I was too busy to work out, I would get moody. Then I stopped competing. I was tired of working out. I wanted to live my life.’

Now she alternates between cardio and strength training and a strict diet plan to keep fit.

For example, she suggests eating half a sandwich and keeping the other half for later.

She joked: ‘It’s not nice to shove food into your mouth anyway.’

The pay-off of being a personal trainer isn’t just seeing a client’s physical change. She says it is equally, if not more, rewarding to help others become mentally fit.

That was why she became a personal trainer instead of a journalist. She graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University with a degree in sociology and minor in communications.

She had become a fitness trainer in college and realised that journalism did not gratify her the way motivating people as a trainer did.

Over the last eight years, she has learnt that the clients too, have to be ready to make a difference to their physical and mental well-being.

She said: ‘I can’t be there throughout the day. I can only spend an hour a day with them. For those who are easily discouraged, I try to stay as positive as possible.

‘Sometimes it’s not about what’s going on right now. I try to get to the source of dysfunction: Why they got to where they are now.’

She recalled a woman who was fond of chocolate.

‘This client had been sent to a boarding school as a child and the only comfort she had then was the chocolate bar in her hands. Once we identified her trigger points, it was easier to manage a more effective weight-loss programme.’

It also helps to have a partner to work out with.

Yumi is married to Ron Matthews, also a celebrity personal trainer, who’s helped Hollywood babes like Jennifer Garner and Eva Mendes.

Since a personal trainer may not always be available for everyone, she said people can still get ‘help’ in the form of TV shows like her show My Workout and US reality TV weight-loss show The Biggest Loser.

‘People are motivated by these shows. There’s no way that they can simply watch these shows and not be spurred on by the energy on these shows to do something about their bodies.’

 

The NewPaper

Jemput 800, Datang Lebih 1,000

Oleh Sakini Mohd Said
sakini@hmetro.com.my

Rap
NAMA Raja Rosly Raja Mazlan atau lebih popular dengan panggilan Pak Engku, bukanlah asing di kalangan penggiat seni hiburan tanah air. Terkenal dengan masakan Melayu menerusi Kuzie Catering & Wedding, perniagaan yang beroperasi selama 20 tahun itu kini mampu berbangga dengan pencapaiannya dalam bidang masakan.

Digelar chef selebriti kerana pernah terbabit dengan perkahwinan Datuk Siti Nurhaliza, Ning Baizura dan sebagainya, perkhidmatan yang ditawarkan Pak Engku turut meraih perhatian golongan VIP. Mengambil kesempatan menghargai mereka yang banyak membantu dan menyokong perjalanan Kuzie Catering, Pak Engku baru-baru ini mengadakan majlis rumah terbuka Aidilfitri, bertempat di Dewan Cattleya, Tingkat 4, Wisma PKPS, Shah Alam.

Dengan bertemakan warna hijau dan putih, kemeriahannya dirasakan umpama majlis perkahwinan apabila dihadiri lebih 1,000 tetamu. Malah, Pak Engku juga tidak lupa melaksanakan tanggungjawab sosialnya apabila turut mengundang seramai 60 anak yatim dari Rumah Balkish untuk turut serta berkongsi kegembiraan.

“Alhamdulillah, tahun ini kami dapat mengadakan rumah terbuka yang lebih besar berbanding tahun lalu sekali gus menghimpun rakan artis serta pelanggan Kuzie Catering dalam satu majlis. Sebenarnya, kami cuma menjangka hanya 800 yang hadir tetapi yang datang melebihi 1,000 tetamu. Melihat kehadiran tetamu yang ramai membuatkan saya terharu, bimbang pun ada, takut-takut makanan yang disediakan tidak cukup.

“Ramai tetamu yang saya sama sekali tidak sangka akan hadir seperti Aida Radzwill, Hamidah Wahab, Halil Chik, Nabil dan Irma. Justeru, sebagai tuan rumah saya menyusun 10 jari sekiranya ada sebarang kekurangan. Syukur, majlis hari ini diadakan berkat perniagaan kami yang terus mendapat sambutan biarpun banyak persaingan.

“Baru-baru ini, kami mendapat kepercayaan dari Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak menyediakan makanan untuk 60,000 tetamu sempena acara aktiviti rumah terbuka. Malah, sepanjang Ramadan dan Syawal, permintaan terhadap Kuzie Catering meningkat dan ada pelanggan memberi cadangan supaya membuka cawangan berdekatan mereka.

“Ketika ini, kami dalam proses menerbitkan buku resipi yang memuatkan 60 menu terbaik lauk pengantin. Ia diilhamkan daripada permintaan pelanggan yang ingin mencuba resipi masakan kami. Selain itu, kami dalam usaha membuka institut sendiri yang memberi peluang kepada mereka berminat untuk mempelajari pelbagai resipi makanan dan pengurusan katering.

“Dari segi produk pula, kami akan memperluaskan lagi pasaran makanan beku seperti rendang. Ketika ini, kami sudah menerima permintaan dari golongan VIP untuk makanan beku tetapi tidak secara khusus. Jika tidak ada halangan, produk Kuzie Catering ini bukan saja akan menjengah pasaran tempatan malah luar negara,” katanya.

Berbalik pada acara Rumah Terbuka Aidilfitri Kuzie Catering itu, majlis dikendalikan dua artis terkenal, Raja Azura dan Jaafar Onn. Majlis yang mencecah belanja RM40,000 itu dimulakan jam 8 malam sebelum berakhir jam 12 tengah malam dan dimeriahkan dengan persembahan nyanyian artis baru dan berpengalaman.

Antara artis yang hadir ialah Haziq AF4, Mimi Loma, Halil Chik, Datuk Jefrydin, Juliza Adlizan, Rohana Jalil dan Othman Hamzah. Paling mendapat perhatian apabila Jamal Abdillah menyampaikan tiga lagu, satu daripadanya Salam Aidilfitri. Sebelum majlis menutup tirai, turut diadakan tarian poco poco yang disertai Pak Engku bersama tenaga kerja Kuzie Catering dan para artis yang hadir.

 

 

Harian Metro