Sexy DJ: It's Time To Get Sassy

SINGAPORE: Maxim magazine has named her “the sexiest DJ in the world” who has played at high profile parties all over the world including that of music superstars Beyonce, Jay-Z and P. Diddy.

Hailing from London, DJ Sassy Pandez is in Singapore to raise the temperatures at City Alive, Singapore’s biggest street party organized by the People’s Association.

Apart from an earful this deejay is an eye-ful, having graced the covers of Cosmopolitan, FHM, Elle, GQ and Vogue.

However, music comes before modeling for her.

At a tender age of seven, she began to dabble with turn-tables and record-scratching.

“My mum has one turn-table and one record. I was very into urban music as a child. I tried to scratch, but instead of moving the needle back and forth, I moved it from side to side and that completely ruined the record! (My mum) went mad!” recounts DJ Sassy of her first brush with dance music.

The bronzed-skinned beauty who made her debut at P.Diddy’s Launch Party at Caf
 de Paris believes that while understanding the technical aspects of the turn-table is important, having the right selection of music should not be overlooked.

“You could be the best scratcher in world, but if you don’t have the right records, no one is going to dance. So I think it’s a mixture between the two,” shares DJ Sassy who will be bringing her mixes of R&B, hip-hop and reggae to the party.

The DJ who also likes to “add a bit of rock” to give her music more “versatility” says that being able to adapt is just as important, as each crowd in different environments has different needs.

“I think a good DJ improvises on the night. I never really know what I am going to play until I am there and I get the vibe from the scene itself,” says DJ Sassy.

“It is harder to do that but it is what you have to do.”

Despite the somber economic climate, the turnout for the weekend street party is expected to be huge.

“We have received good responses, and almost all our tickets are sold out. Hopefully this platform will (be able to) raise the festive mood and get people into the groove,” says event organizer Lina Chong from PAYM Central Youth Council.

DJ Sassy is not surprised.

“I think that’s why clubs lately are doing better than before. People need a release from what is going on, they need something to make them happy,” explains DJ Sassy.

According to Chong, the whole idea behind the music street festival was to create a platform for youths to come together and “music is a universal language that all can enjoy.”

Besides the thumping rhythms and deep grooves, dance lovers would also have the opportunity to shimmy the night away with Funkamania, an annual dance championship.

Into its 14th year, Funkamania will see killer movements and gravity-defying twists and turns, all battling it out to be the coveted winner.

Other highlights include mega stilt-walkers decked out in costumes and music from Strike Force Percussion.

With a delectable spread of food and drinks as well, everyone can expect a night of good fun with the street becoming like a club, with disco lights being the only source of illumination.

“It is going to be a refreshing change to party outdoors on the streets,” says Chong.

Party revelers who will be turning City Hall into a large open-air dance platform should keep an ear and eye out for other international DJs such as DJ Sarasa from Japan and DJ KoFlow who will be spinning from the top of the Hippo-tour buses!

“I’ve never played on a bus so I am looking forward to that,” said an excited DJ Sassy.

And if what has been said still has not convinced you to head on down to dance till the wee hours of the morning, Chong has this to add.

“How often do you get to close off Saint Andrews Road for a party?”

The party will take off Saturday 31 January from 9.30pm to 3.00am.

For more details and ticket information, log on to this website http://cityalive.sg

-CNA/jk

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MediaCorp’s Mocca.Com Organises Motoring Event

SINGAPORE: There was heart-stopping action from fast cars and hot bikes at “Full Throttle” – an event to promote motorsports in Singapore – as the sound of screeching brakes filled the air on Sunday.

The MocCarnival, which was presented by MediaCorp’s mocca.com, transformed the motoring segment of its online classifieds into a real event.

Organisers said this is one way of integrating the Internet’s dynamics with the physical interaction of consumers and businesses.

Interest for motorsports in Singapore was generated by the first-ever Formula One night race in the country recently.

Led by MediaCorp’s CEO Lucas Chow, some participants tried out go-karting at the event, which was also graced by FHM race queens and MediaCorp artist Christopher Lee. Proceeds from the event will go to Rainbow Centre, a provider of Special Education.

Based on the response and turnout at “Full Throttle”, the event looks set to be an annual affair, possibly extending to a series of other MocCarnivals.

– CNA/so

Channel News Asia

MediaCorp's Mocca.Com Organises Motoring Event

SINGAPORE: There was heart-stopping action from fast cars and hot bikes at “Full Throttle” – an event to promote motorsports in Singapore – as the sound of screeching brakes filled the air on Sunday.

The MocCarnival, which was presented by MediaCorp’s mocca.com, transformed the motoring segment of its online classifieds into a real event.

Organisers said this is one way of integrating the Internet’s dynamics with the physical interaction of consumers and businesses.

Interest for motorsports in Singapore was generated by the first-ever Formula One night race in the country recently.

Led by MediaCorp’s CEO Lucas Chow, some participants tried out go-karting at the event, which was also graced by FHM race queens and MediaCorp artist Christopher Lee. Proceeds from the event will go to Rainbow Centre, a provider of Special Education.

Based on the response and turnout at “Full Throttle”, the event looks set to be an annual affair, possibly extending to a series of other MocCarnivals.

– CNA/so

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Wet, Wow And Wonderful

SINGAPORE : There was no lack of babes and beauties at FHM Singapore’s party celebrating their annual poll of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World on Friday night.

The party also commemorated the magazine’s 10th anniversary – no mean feat, noted senior editor David Furhmann-Lim. “So many things have changed in 10 years,” he said. “Ten years ago, we didn’t have iPods. Ten years ago, we just got introduced to ‘The Matrix’. I think everybody took the right pill, because we’re all here tonight having fun.”

True to FHM form, awards were also given out in the quirkiest categories, including a “World Peace” award to popular catfighting bloggers Xia Xue and Dawn Yang, and a “Size Does Matter” award to “881” and “12 Lotus” star Mindee Ong (we’ll let you infer what you will from that).

Among the luminaries who turned up for the do were popular TV personality Utt (Incredible Tales); and MTV VJ Taya, who looked fetching in a sexy blue outfit.

The party was the first to be held at Aqua, a new modular mobile party venue located near Clarke Quay at Merchant Loop. Complementing Aqua’s yacht-like structure, the theme of the night was Wet and Wow – complete with girls in figure-hugging outfits spraying party-goers with Super Soakers.

But nobody appeared more wowed than Andrea Fonseka, who looked surprised that she once again topped the magazine’s poll – she also won last year.

Fonseka beat international beauties, including model Heidi Klum, Chinese actress Zhou Xun, new Bond girl Olga Kurylenko and Heroes star Hayden Panettiere.

“I’m really grateful to David and his entire team because FHM basically kick-started my career in Singapore,” said the 24-year-old Malaysian.

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Party Organiser Cashing In On F1 Buzz Starts Mobile Party Concept

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s inaugural F1 race takes off at the end of September, and cashing in on the buzz is one party organiser who is launching a unique mobile party spot, Aqua, along the Clarke Quay riverside.

While still in the final stages of construction, the concept behind it is simple.

Alexander Hascher, co-managing director of Grandstand, a mobile party venue company, said: “We see a trend, not just in Singapore, but in any big cities, that nightlife has shifted areas. For example, (in) Singapore, (it) used to be Club Street, then Boat Quay, (and) all the different locations.

“Now (it’s) Clarke Quay, maybe One Fullerton (is) next, (and) Sentosa, so there are lots of places here you (can) have… as a bar or lounge. So that is our intention – every 3 months we will move location.”

The concept is made possible as the venue is created out of three shipping containers, which unfold to be set up in a new location within 24 hours.

Costing half a million dollars, the 3-storey structure can take in a few hundred guests, with the middle-level reserved for exclusive parties, like those planned for the F1 racing teams.

Hascher said: “While this area may still be under construction, in a few days, Aqua hopes to transform it and have exclusive parties on this upper deck for some 70 to 80 people, and just above it, on the top deck, will be an area reserved exclusively for performers and deejays.”

After test-bedding the concept in Singapore, Aqua hopes to make waves overseas.

Gerhard Lanyl, another co-managing director of Grandstand, said: “In view of our plans to promote Aqua as a franchise concept, (there’s) strong competitive advantage for our franchisee to shift venue and not take a major location risk.”

To start it off with a bang, one of the first parties organised at Aqua will be for FHM magazine this Friday, when the magazine combines its 10th anniversary party with its signature cover of the “100 sexiest women in the world 2008”.

-CNA/yt

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FHM Singapore Hits Ten

SINGAPORE : Best known for its sexy pictorials that get the blood pressure rising, FHM or “For Him Magazine” which turns 10 in September, is set to celebrate its anniversary with a bang.

Packed with “the sexiest, funniest and most useful information”, FHM is Singapore’s top selling magazine for men with a readership of some 56,000. Its global publication reaches out to around 10 million men in 31 countries.

If you thought FHM always had skimpy-clothed women on its covers, think again.

Before the onslaught of the Internet, covers were conservative and believe it or not, everyone was covered up. As society became more liberal, the magazine also evolved to become more risqu
 and pushed the boundaries.

Mandy Soong, the newly-crowned champ of FHM’s Girl Next Door, has no qualms about being associated with a men’s magazine, in fact, her nonchalant attitude seems to be working for her.

The 19-year-old student took part in the contest to gain more media exposure and now she’s one step closer to a career in showbiz.

But FHM Senior Editor David Fuhrmann-Lim will have you know that the magazine is not just about hot looks and bodies. “We don’t really set out to objectify anyone, the pictorials glorify the women and they are always accompanied by a very FHM-style interview which in a way showcases the girls’ personalities.”

Besides the beautiful women, which only take up 30 per cent of the magazine, FHM also carries features that cover a wide array of topics, from health and fitness to travel.

However, Fuhrmann-Lim admits that the sexy pictorials tend to overwhelm the magazine, causing people to overlook the other content.

But this very aspect is also part of FHM’s winning formula, which can be summed up in three words – sexy, funny and useful.

“Sexy will attract the people. Funny will make them continue reading, and useful will make them stay as fans,” Fuhrmann-Lim explained.

Part of FHM’s success also boils down to tantalising events held in conjunction with the magazine, which serve as an incentive for readers.

“We tend to be very event-centric because it gets the branding out there and it gets the readers a chance to meet the people at work and of course, the FHM girls. And they know what is going on and it is kind of like a reward for them and for being with us all this time,” said Fuhrmann-Lim.

For FHM’s Girl Next Door, finalists were supposed to come up with a campaign promise which they will fulfil if they won. The more outrageous the promise, the higher the likelihood of garnering more votes.

Unlike other unoriginal suggestions such as letting people lick chocolate off your body, Soong came up with this – making sushi along Orchard Road in her lingerie.

FHM will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in September, and will combine the party with the its signature cover of 100 sexiest women in the world.

In the meantime, you can catch the FHM team and Soong in her sushi act on Friday, 5pm at Tangs Orchard Road.

– CNA/yt

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Philippines To Get Own Playboy, But No Nudes

MANILA : The Philippines will get its own edition of Playboy magazine — only without the nudity that made the US version famous, the editor-in-chief of the local edition said Thursday.

The Philippine edition will be launched on April 2 as a “mature lifestyle magazine”, said veteran journalist Beting Laygo Dolor.

While the magazine will offer pictorials of beautiful women, it will not include nudity. “It will be tamer than the US edition but not as tame as the Indonesian edition,” Lagyo Dolor said in a television interview.

He said it would be aimed at a more mature, affluent readership than “lad magazines” such as FHM and Maxim which already have Philippine editions.

It will be the 25th international edition of the US-based magazine which was launched more than 50 years ago.

The local edition will have serious articles and fiction by some of the country’s best-known writers but will also include such staples as a “playmate of the month”, Lagyo Dolor said

Movies and publications showing nudity have run into strong opposition in the conservative, largely Roman Catholic Philippines with watchdog groups sometimes filing criminal charges against those who distribute such materials.

– AFP/sf

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MediaCorp Signs On Veteran Journalist Ong Soh Chin

SINGAPORE: A new name will soon grace the pages of some of Singapore’s most popular magazines – and it isn’t “Fann” or “Zoe”.

Veteran journalist Ong Soh Chin joins MediaCorp Publishing as its new deputy editorial director on 3 Dec.

The former deputy editor of the Life! section of The Straits Times has almost 15 years of newspaper and magazine publishing experience.

She told TODAY that changing tastes and opportunities have made it a heady time for publishing in Singapore.

“MediaCorp Publishing has a lot of premium titles which I look forward to working on. In addition, the market is ready now for fresh new ideas and products, as Singaporeans and Singapore’s residents become more sophisticated, globalised and discerning,” she said.

“This is an exhilarating time to be in publishing and journalism. I am honoured to be part of these bold new times.”

The 41-year-old was previously the editor of Cleo magazine and a senior political correspondent at The Straits Times. In July, she joined PR firm Communications DNA as managing director. Pang Siew Moi, managing director of MediaCorp Publishing, said she was equally pleased by the appointment: “We are looking forward to welcoming Soh Chin on board.”

“She is a well-respected media veteran and will be working closely with me to identify potential publishing initiatives to serve the ever-changing needs of our readers and customers.”

MediaCorp publishes some of Singapore’s top magazine titles, including 8 Days, i-Weekly, FHM, Style and Style: Weddings. –

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MediaCorp Launches Malaysian Edition Of Style Magazine

International luxury brands are taking the Malaysian capital by storm, with several big names setting up flagship stores in the past year, with more in the works.

Riding on this wave, Singapore media giant MediaCorp has launched a Malaysian edition of its successful fashion and beauty monthly, Style magazine, which hit the newsstands on Friday.

Stepping out in style, Hong Kong-based Malaysian model Danielle Graham graces the cover of the country’s latest fashion glossy – Style Malaysia.

Pitched at well-travelled, fashion-savvy Malaysians, the magazine is filled with the latest trends and names to look out for at home and abroad.

This is a magazine that is so serious about fashion and beauty that it has no space for traditional women’s issues at all.

Instead, it prides itself as being a vehicle for “guilt-free indulgence in the superficial things in life”.

But there’s nothing superficial about the revenue generated by the multi-million dollar luxury goods industry.

In a city which has seen several luxury brands open major or flagship stores in the past year with more to come, Style’s entrance is timely.

The magazine is the little sister of Style Singapore, launched five years ago.

Michael Chiang, Editorial Director, MediaCorp Publishing, said: “Honestly we were a bit unsure when we tested the market. It’s a Singapore brand but surprisingly most of the luxury brands had heard of the magazine and almost instantly signed up. It’s really like a publisher’s dream to tell them you are coming in and the ads just started falling into place.”

Style Malaysia joins MediaCorporation Publishing’s stable of six entertainment, lifestyle and parenting titles which include FHM Malaysia and Mother and Baby.

The company is the Malaysian publishing arm of Singapore’s broadcasting giant MediaCorp, which also owns Channel NewsAsia.

Among the 350 guests attending the launch at upmarket luxury mall Starhill Gallery were models and advertisers.

Soo Shea Ping, Owner, Anya Hindmarch Malaysia, said: “I think dressing and being a woman is a lot about enjoyment of style, creating your own style and enjoying it, changing the style as you age. So I hope magazines like that will help women to understand style better and make a better choice for their own look.”

Some thirty thousand copies of Style are out at newsstands across Peninsula Malaysia at just over two US dollars a copy. – CNA/ch

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