Zack Snyder’s Justice League Review: Is It Any Better Than Joss Whedon’s Theatrical Cut?

It’s been nearly 4 years since we first saw Joss Whedon’s theatrical release of “Justice League”. By no means was Whedon’s version, in any sense of the word, a good film. It was laughably bad. We watched some of DC’s most established and respected characters utter legendary phrases such as the likes of “My man!” and “I’m rich”. It was essentially one big joke at the expense of Warner Bros’ box offices sales. Needless to say, it sparked an uproar amidst Snyder fans.

Eventually it snowballed into a full-blown petition to have director Zack Snyder’s original vision of “Justice League”  be released to the public. Alas, Warner caved into their demands and has agreed to have it be released on HBO Max streaming services. We now have “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”. The way it was intended to be. So, is it the masterpiece as Snyder fans have heralded it to be? Absolutely not! Is it any better than Whedon’s theatrical cut? Well, let’s find out.

To be fair to Snyder’s version, there are a number of key differences to the plot of his variation in comparison to the 2017 one. For one, we learn that the villain Darkseid was originally defeated by the Old Gods and defenders of Earth, not Steppenwolf. In lieu of Steppenwolf’s hilariously incoherent motivation of trying to be some wannabe conqueror, he takes a submissive role to the Lord of Apokolips. Oh, and there are a number of pivotal characters who die in the film and a few new characters introduced. Beyond those changes, the film is essentially the same. These alternate scenes while interesting, are surprisingly brief. They don’t actually take up the bulk of the runtime. If they did, then there would actually be a justifiable reason for the film’s length. But no.

Believe us when we say that the film’s 4 hour runtime is absurd. Yes, we acknowledge that the backstory additions better flesh out the rushed inclusion of some of the Justice League members. Namely Cyborg, Flash and Aquaman. Cyborg’s character arc from angst-ridden teen to machine-man warrior is by far the most gratifying. Actor Ray Fisher is given more room to flex his dramatic chops and has a more significant role beyond the guy-who-talks-to-boxes. While it is an improvement over Whedon’s treatment of the character, Cyborg is still a completely lackluster one. Simply not enough was done to really elevate any of the characters above the realm of mediocre or tolerable. Ezra Miller’s portrayal of Flash is a tad more bearable here but it is marginal.

The film becomes even more painfully tedious when they use that most dreaded of editing techniques to deliver character growth…musical montages. Those who’ve read our other reviews understand how much we despise that lazy, antiquated storytelling method. Now, imagine having to watch at least FIVE of these scenes and all shot in Snyder’s signature slow-motion effect. It is pure agony on the psyche! Worse than any torture Desaad could ever inflict on his victims. Don’t believe us? Wait till you reach the Aquaman ones. Also why were the women in the fishing village singing for him when he left? It’s never explained, we’re just supposed to roll with it.

Those who are in the know when it comes to DC comic book trivia will get some kick of these extended scenes. There are specific scenes dedicated to expanding the DC Extended Universe’s history and cosmology. The biggest reveal being the reason why Darkseid desires to conquer the planet Earth. A secret weapon that rivals even that of Thanos’ Infinity Gauntlet. The difference here is that the Infinity Gauntlet had years of films and stories to build up its weight. Darkseid and his secret weapon, however, barely gets five minutes. For the average viewer, all this sounds like utter nonsense and gibberish – and rightfully so.

Look, the heart of the issue with “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” is that the film presumes that the majority of the world are diehard DC fans who only live to see their favourite characters on-screen. Sorry to burst your bubble but that’s not the case. You can throw as many crammed references and surprise cameos in the film. None of it matters if the film fails to engage viewers meaningfully on an emotional or human level. Those looking forward to seeing Jared Leto’s Joker redeeming himself are going to be sorely disappointed.

Credit where credit is due, we did prefer the film’s tone over that of Whedon’s bright, candy-coloured romp. It’s a far more grimmer and grander take on the DC Universe. There were moments that felt like they were lifted right out of Greek mythology. Which is quite apt seeing that comic-book films have pretty much become modern-day myths for us.

This tonal shift also translates into Snyder’s on-screen action as well. His version of “Justice League” is surprisingly gory and violent. There are scenes in which limbs are hacked off, people are gunned down and heads are chopped off. He uses all the tricks and visual flair he’s accumulated from his “300” and “Watchmen” days to create battle scenes that capture of the apocalyptic stakes at hand. The one we found the most striking and exciting was Steppenwolf’s battle with the Amazonians, The fights that rely heavily of CGI tend to break immersion, though. There were moments in which character models looked like they were rendered using PS3 graphics. Furthermore, it becomes quite jarring to see our supposed noble paragons of justice indulge in some of the mindless bloodshed themselves. So much for Wonder Woman’s peaceful ways.

Overall, is it better than Joss Whedon’s “Justice League”? No, it’s not.

It’s just as terrible but for other reasons. In place of the Whedon’s paper-thin plot, you get this convoluted mess with massive exposition dumps. Instead of cringe-worthy jokes, you get tear-inducing montages that do nothing for the plot. Snyder fans will no doubt love his vision of “Justice League”. For everyone else, stay clear of it entirely. We really wanted to believe that “Zack Snyder’s Justice League” could be a great film. Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? Sadly, this film should have stayed squarely on the cutting room floor.

If you are curious to peer into the maddening rabbit-hole that is “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”, you can catch it on HBO Max and HBO Go streaming services on the 18th of March.

So what did you think of “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”? Which version of the film do you prefer? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.

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Overall, is it better than Joss Whedon's "Justice League"? No, it's not. It's just terrible for other reasons. In place of the Whedon's paper-thin plot, you get this convoluted mess with massive exposition dumps. Instead of cringe-worthy jokes, you get tear-inducing montages that do nothing for the plot. Snyder fans will no doubt love his vision of "Justice League". For everyone else, stay clear of it entirely.


WINNERS: “F*** Me I’m Famous” CD Giveaway!

It’s a Friday of awesome news where we are! And we hope this will bring smiles to our David Guetta CD contest winners’ faces. First and foremost, we’d like to thank all of our readers/followers who diligently submitted their entries for this. Good job!

As always, we didn’t expect to have so many entries to sieve through. But you’re all troopers!

Here are the FIVE lucky winners who are going to be looping David Guetta’s “F*** Me I’m Famous” CD for a long, long time to come (we hope!):

Congratulations, peeps! And much thanks to our awesome friends from Warner Music Malaysia for making this happen. Aren’t they the best?

Kindly collect your prize from our office from the 1st October 2012 (Monday) onwards. Details are as follows:

B-13-5 Northpoint Office Suites, Mid Valley City,

Our office hours are 10am to 6pm (Monday to Friday only).


#Annabelle: #TheConjuring Doll To Retail Soon, Scarily

Oh boy. Mezco Toyz announced that they will soon market a version of Annabelle, the terrifying doll introduced in the horror movie and set to return in the sequel. We’re unsure of how/what to feel about this!

What, you don’t know Annabelle? She was first featured in 2013’s “The Conjuring”. “The Conjuring” focused on the Warrens, a husband-and-wife paranormal detective team, and their attempt to help a family terrorised by a demon.

The prequel, “Annabelle”, which is due in theatres on 3rd October, focuses on the origin story of the eponymous doll.

Mezco Toyz stated the following on their Facebook page post:

Mezco Toyz Prepares To Thrill Fans With Annabelle and The Conjuring Merchandise

New York- Horror fans first entered the world of the paranormal investigation team the Warrens in 2013 with THE CONJURING. Terrified theatergoers couldn’t get enough of the twisted tale, helping it become one of the highest grossing horror films of all times according to Forbes magazine.

Annabelle, the doll so evil even the Warrens were afraid of her, now returns to the big screen in ANNABELLE, a film dedicated to her terrifying origin. First introduced in THE CONJURING, the upcoming ANNABELLE tells a tail filled with malevolent entities and killer cultists.

Mezco Toyz is no stranger to the world of the bizarre, the shapeless form in the shadows, and the whisper in the dark…so clearly there is no better choice for a producer of THE CONJURING and ANNABELLE merchandise.

Mezco’s award winning design team has already begun creating an Annabelle version of their world record holding Living Dead Dolls, and has many more scares tucked away for the future.

Mezco’s unholy collectibles of the damned will arrive in stores in late 2014. ANNABELLE arrives in theatres in October 2014.

Uh, well, the Annabelle doll isn’t something we (as adults) would find “joy” in playing with, let alone children. In fact, it’s more likely to make you (as an adult) want to sleep with the lights on. Or lock the doll in a closet. Because she/it is this much scary:

Meanwhile, don’t forget to check out some of the horror films that you (and we) definitely need to watch in 2015.

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(UPDATE) #LRT: New Kelana Jaya Line Extension To Open On 30th June; Alternate Route To Putra Heights

Good news for public transport commuters, the new Kelana Jaya Line Extension is almost completed and will open for service in 2 months’ time.

Prasarana Rail and Infrastructure Projects Sdn Bhd (PRAISE) CEO Datuk Zohari Sulaiman said that the project is now at its final stages and they’re mostly doing testing, touch-up, and cleaning works.

“We have carried out the Emergency Response Plan (ERP) exercise as part of requirement set up by the governing authority for public transport, Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD). It is to test the preparedness of our operations team and the readiness of the system and facilities,” he said in a statement.

To recap, the extension line will cover a distance of 17.4km and will pass through these 12 new stations:

The extension will end at Putra Heights, which will be the connecting station between the Kelana Jaya Line and Ampang Line. So those wanting to travel to Puchong can make the switch at Putra Heights instead of Masjid Jamek.

At the same time, the Subang Jaya station will connect to the Subang Jaya KTM, while USJ 7 connects to the Sunway BRT. As aforementioned, the remaining stations from the Ampang Line, Puchong Perdana, and Puchong Prima, is also scheduled open simultaneously with the Kelana Jaya Line on 30th June.

Starting from today (30th June) onwards, commuters can now take the LRT to the aforementioned 12 new stops.

However, there might be a slight inconvenience for those heading towards Putra Heights as you may need to get off at Ara Damansara and switch to a different train to continue your journey.

This temporary measure, which only takes place during peak hours between 7am to 9am and 5pm to 7pm, will last till January 2017. That’s when the new Kuala Lumpur Additional Vehicle (KLAV) trains are expected to be ready.

For more information, visit MyRapid’s official website or call MyRapid’s helpline at 03-78852585.

Sources: MY Rapid, Time Out (1) (2), Bernama, The Star.


Barack Obama For 4 More Years!

Known to be an inspiration to both students and scholars, and a strong role model to nations around the globe, 51-year-old Barack Obama won our hearts and the White House with “Yes we can!”. And now, for the second term, the first African-American president of the United States of America is given the chance to sweep the nation with more positive changes.

His supporters, and not just Americans alone, had all eyes on their Twitter and Facebook timelines, with live feeds playing and the CNN channel switched on, while waiting in anticipation during those gut-wrenching hours for the results.

In the end, Romney had 45.2 million votes (49%) whereas Obama had 45 million (49%, with 65 percent of precincts tallied).

He also won his home state of Illinois as well as Romney’ s home state of Massachusetts (where the Republican previously served as governor) and Romney’s birth state of Michigan, along with Colorado, Nevada, California, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Maine, Rhode Island, Hawaii and the District of Columbia, according to the CNN projections.

Fair, Obama is still not yet the agent of change that he had branded himself to be from the very beginning, considering the state of the economy and current unemployment rate of the U.S. – but we must remember that he did, after all, end the war in Iraq and terminate Osama bin Laden.

His next term will greet him with bigger challenges including healing the country’s chronic federal deficits and debt. It’s going to be a long and hard road, but as Obama said during his victory speech, “We know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come”:

[youtube id=”nv9NwKAjmt0″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

Congratulations, Barack Obama! Here’s to four more years of change.

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Contest: Win Invites To Capricorn KL’s Grand Launch

Kuala Lumpur’s nightlife receives a new addition.

Capricorn KL is set to open it’s doors to Malaysians and to Kuala Lumpur’s nightlife this September 11th (Thursday). Set to illuminate nightlife in the city’s Golden Triangle, Capricorn KL is located along the glitzy Jalan Kia Peng and its launch will be anchored by DJ Mag World Top 100 ranked Stafford Brothers from Australia with their dance music concoctions.

The flashy new club features a newly-renovated two-storey space that includes a bigger stage and a sound-sensory experience which will exude the rave feel. According to Eric Loo, General Manager of Capricorn KL, the music is just part of the party. It is the ambience, lights and service which makes for an unforgettable party.

If you’re looking for some anonymity, Capricorn KL also features a balcony-style upper floor offering VIP patrons a chic, exclusive ambience with its own bar and dance floor overlooking the club scene. Apart from a free flow of drinks from 9pm to 11pm, the launch will include hip hop performances too. In addition to making their club nights more exciting, resident DJs: the trio of VDJ X Marc, DJ Edz & M.I.O, who dub themselves “THE PROJECT”, will be keeping the bass and spirits high.

Deets in regards to Capricorn KL’s Grand Launch are as follows:

Venue: Capricorn KL, No. 1, Jalan Kia Peng50450 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Thanks to our friends from Capricorn KL, we will be giving away 5 pairs of invites to the launch. All you have to do is answer the following questions to get your hands on the invites:

1. Where are the Stafford Brothers from?

2. Tell us in your most creative way why you want to party at Capricorn KL.

Submit your answers and details (Name, IC Number, Contact Number) to submit@hype.my and if you’re the winner, we’ll contact you via email once submissions have been closed.

For more information on Capricorn KL, check out these sites: Facebook and Instagram


#MH17: The Story Of Sim Kwang Yung Sim

Yesterday, a blog called My Media Hub (which claims to publish the latest news, current affairs, crimes, and entertainment so that its readers will obtain information faster from a trusted source) posted up a story about a Facebook user named Sim Kwang Yung Sim.

In a post titled, “WANITA CINA HINA KAPTEN MH17, ISLAM, MELAYU & BUMIPUTERA“, it was stated that Sim Kwang Yung Sim, a teacher from SMK Kuhara in Tawau, was seen commenting on a picture of Captain Wan Amran Wan Hussin (who piloted the ill-fated flight MH17) with racial slurs. Within hours of the post going live, the screenshots of the alleged comments spread like wildfire across various social media platforms.

As seen in the above screenshots, Sim Kwang Yung Sim clearly went on a rampage (or so it seems).

Of course, her racist words were met with a giant backlash from scores of netizens, with some saying that she should be reported to the police, calling out to the Ministry of Education to penalise her because she’s a “dangerous teacher”, and even right down to threatening her safety. Some even took the “liberty” to insult her physical appearance, making references to pigs and “mad dogs”.

All in the same breath, Facebook user Lee Chye Ewe, who was previously attached to SMK Kuhara as a teacher, saw Sim Kwang Yung Sim’s posts go viral. For the fear of it getting out of hand, he quickly engaged a former student, Fatimah Naz Ali, to look into the situation. The result?

He posted up the following on his own Facebook page soon after:

As explained by Lee Chye Ewe, the person behind the racial postings was not Sim Kwang Yung, as previously assumed by hundreds of netizens. This is because her Facebook account was hacked a long time ago.

A police report that was made by Sim Kwang Yung in June 2013 was also shared by Fatimah Naz Ali in the comments thread. The report clearly stated that Sim Kwang Yung’s account was hacked. She mentioned that the issue has been brought up to Facebook’s administrators but no action was taken:

One more thing: The report also includes her actual occupation – an insurance agent. Not a teacher from SMK Kuhara as previously assumed by netizens who were quick to jump into their own conclusions.

Some netizens, who found Lee Chye Ewe’s Facebook post, immediately shared it with others in hopes of clarifying the situation before it spiralled even more out of control. The goodwill of these netizens was only met with more harsh accusations, with some strongly believing that she should be “attacked” while others claiming that it’s all lies:

So much so that even Minister of Youth and Sports Khairy Jamaluddin got word of Sim Kwang Yung’s story:

Laporan polis dibuat terhadap Sim Kwang Yung Sim. Kalau individu ini wujud, wajar disiasat bawah Akta Hasutan.

: @azliabaz Yes, let police investigate. Ascertain the truth in her case. — Khairy Jamaluddin (@Khairykj) July 19, 2014

What’s being done about this on the real Sim Kwang Yung’s side, you ask?

The 38-year-old Sim Kwang Yung turned up at the Tawau district police station at about 10am yesterday (19th July, Saturday), the same time as local politician Datuk Mohd Jeffry Rosman who went there to lodge a report against her for the purported comments on Facebook. In her report, Sim told police that her Facebook account under the name “Sim Kwang Yung Sim” featuring photographs of her had been used by the hackers to belittle Muslims and other communities.

She had made an initial police report last year that her Facebook account had been hacked and was being used to promote hatred and anger through various religious and racial comments. “I was shocked when friends told me about those nasty postings on my Facebook,” she said.

She alerted the Facebook administrators about the hacking and to shut down the account but to no avail. “Then, I left messages for the hackers in that account and they stopped putting up those nasty postings,” said Sim. However, she said the offending postings on the Facebook account suddenly resurfaced on Friday when the hackers put up disparaging remarks about the pilots of flight MH17.

“Since then, scores of Facebook users have posted hurtful and messages,” she added. Sim Kwang Yung told police yesterday that such postings had caused her to feel threatened and fear for her life.

We sure hope the repercussions won’t end up anywhere nearly as bad as what happened earlier this week, especially if Sim Kwang Yung’s racial slurs were really the work of hackers in the first place. We also hope that netizens will stop spreading fake posts from the hackers. After all, everyone should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

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#LICSingapore: World’s Largest Paint Party In Singapore Postponed

The world’s largest paint party, “Life In Color” was supposed to debut at Siloso Beach in Singapore come 2nd May with its “Big Bang − The Creation of Color” World Tour”, but last night’s announcement by Future Sound Asia (FSA) indicated that it might not happen as planned.

Last month, it was revealed that the “Life In Color, Big Bang – The Creation of Color World Tour” was heading to Singapore, promising to be one big colourful, slimy mess with some of the world’s top dance music artistes at the decks. Malaysian partygoers were especially excited at the propect of the world’s largest paint party finally happening as “Life in Color” in Malaysia was prematurely cancelled last year.

However, as of last night, “Life in Color, Big Bang – The Creation of Color World Tour” aka #LICSingapore has been postponed. The announcement was made via the organiser’s official Facebook page, citing “unforeseen touring and logistical reasons”. As we speak, FSA is working around the clock to wrap up all event details but meanwhile, all ticket-holders will receive a full refund.

Fingers crossed that everything will get sorted out real quick and we can all have the event we’ve been waiting to experience!

For more information, hit up their Facebook page.


#MH17: World’s Top DJs/Producers Tweet Thoughts & Condolences

The world’s top DJs and producers, some of which have played in Kuala Lumpur before in festivals and clubs, are rallying their thoughts and condolences following Malaysia Airlines’ tragic #MH17 incident. Most uttered shock and sheer disbelief over the news while others readily offered prayers and support.

Dutch dance music maestro and DJ Mag’s #1 DJ for 5 non consecutive years previously, Armin van Buuren, was one of the first to reach out via his Twitter account upon hearing the news.

Completely in shock reading the news about flight #MH17. Thoughts and prayers go out to families and friends … http://t.co/2rxItx39CQ

— Armin van Buuren (@arminvanbuuren) July 17, 2014

Armin van Buuren’s cousin, also co-host for the “A State of Trance” (ASOT) radio show and fellow DJ/producer, Ruben de Ronde shared this heart-wrenching sentiment:

My heart cries with the things that are happening in the world right now.. Why can’t people just get along #peaceplease

— Ruben de Ronde (@rubenderonde) July 18, 2014

Swedish producer Eric Prydz, on the other hand, who is known for his fear of flying, responded to fellow American producer Thomas Pentz aka diplo’s tweet:

“@diplo: Everytime there’s a plane crash anywhere in the world my mom texts me and asks if I was on it”<< mine doesn’t .. — Eric Prydz (@ericprydz) July 17, 2014

Orjan Nilsen, who was just here slightly more than a month ago for his set at Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur, tweeted his thoughts:

My God.. :( All my thoughts are with the loved ones of those on board the Air Malaysia plane.. HORRIBLE!! :(

— Ørjan Nilsen (@orjan_nilsen) July 17, 2014

DJ Carnage, who also made a stop in Malaysia to play at Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur a month ago tweeted his speechlessness:

Wow #prayformalaysia — THOTTIE PIPPEN (@djcarnage) July 17, 2014

Young Dutch DJ/producer, 25-year-old Nicky Romero conveyed utter disbelief in response to the news of the crash:

OMFG I CANT believe some country shot down a Boeing 777 of Malaysia airlines … Is this real life? — Nicky Romero (@nickyromero) July 17, 2014

#prayforMalaysia — Nicky Romero (@nickyromero) July 17, 2014

Doorn Records’ Sander van Doorn offered his support to the families and friends of the #MH17 passengers:

Unreal situation in Ukraine.. My thoughts go out to the families & friends of the passengers of #MH17 — Sander van Doorn (@SandervanDoorn) July 17, 2014

The formidable Swedish DJ and electronic dance music producer Sebastian Ingrosso, who was once part of the Swedish House Mafia trio, posted the following on his Twitter account:

My thoughts & prayers are with the passengers on Malaysian Airlines #MH17, their families & loved ones — INGROSSO (@Ingrosso) July 17, 2014

Sidney Samson, famed for his “Riverside” track, is no stranger to Malaysia as he has been here a couple of times. He posted up the following tweet as soon as he heard the news:

Really terrible news about the Malaysian airplane crash. How can something like this happen.

— Sidney Samson (@sidneysamson) July 17, 2014

Last but not least, we also heard from Afrojack, who was just here in December last year to play for Thirst 2013 in Sepang:

All our thoughts right now go out to everyone aboard the crashed Malaysian Airlines plane, and their families

Meanwhile, we’ve created a special Spotify playlist in remembrance of the lives that were lost today. Also, for more timely and verified updates, please visit Malaysia Airlines’ official website and follow their Twitter account.

Families of passengers and crew may contact +603 7884 1234 (Malaysia) or +31703487770 (Netherlands).

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#Logan: Blu-Ray May Include Deleted Scene About Jean Grey; Says Director

The Wolverine (played by Hugh Jackman) and Jean Grey (played by Famkee Janssen) has one of the most complex relationships in the “X-Men” franchise. Unfortunately, the romance ended In “X-Men: The Last Stand” when Logan had no choice but to kill her after she lost control of her powers.

Fans of the pair would be delighted to know that Grey was not forgotten entirely in “Logan”. Director James Mangold thinks that a deleted scene about Jean may be included in the Blu-ray.

Mangold revealed that the deleted scene appeared during Logan, Professor X (played by Sir Patrick Stewart), and Laura aka X-23’s (played by Dafne Keen) dinner with the Munson family. He also said that he sketched out different dinner conversations for that scene, one of them involves Logan’s “marriage”.

“Mrs Munson asks Logan if he’s married, and Charles says he was – but he killed her. Of course, he wasn’t really married, but what that then spawns is Charles waxing poetic about Jean Grey, and it’s a really cool moment. Both Hugh and Patrick were amazing. The problem was, it created an incredibly powerful lead brick in the middle of the only moment in the movie where there was a breather. Even I, with my taste for the dark, felt that it was one too many. Things go pretty shitty within seconds after that. I think (the deleted scene) will make it to the Blu-ray,” he told Empire Magazine.

Of course, fans will be curious to hear what Logan has to say about his former love, considering the fact that he altered the timeline in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”.

What do you think about the deleted scene? Let us know your thoughts in the comments box below!

For more information, visit “Logan”‘s official Facebook page.


#KESAS: Be Careful Of Dangerous Neck-Height Wire Traps Along Shah Alam Expressway

A word of caution for motorists who frequently drive along the Shah Alam Expressway.

Last Friday (21st October), a highway patrol officer named Hafizuddin was a victim of wire trap as he was driving his motorcycle near the Awan Kecil exit heading eastbound towards Kuala Lumpur. As a result, he suffered a slight cut on his neck.

According to Konsortium Expressway Shah Alam Selangor Sdn Bhd (Kesas), no motorists passing by the motorcycle lanes along the highway have been severely injured by tripwire. Following the incident, plans are now being carried out to install CCTVs in strategic locations.

“A move to install closed circuit televisions (CCTV) was already in the pipeline, but this incident highlights the immediate need for them,” said a Kesas Sdn Bhd spokesperson. The wire trap is believed to have been set up by robbers with the intention to take advantage on unsuspecting victims.

Brickfields police chief Assistant Commissioner Sharul Othman Mansor told MMO that investigation on this ploy is currently underway. Although Kesas stated that this was the first such case to be reported, several netizens have taken to Facebook to share that there have been many unreported incidents involving wire traps in recent times.

Do be careful guys, and always be on the lookout!

Sources: Daily Traffic Report’s Facebook, MMO.


McDelivery Is Now McOnline

We spend way too much time in front of our laptops. We eat, breathe, and sleep technology. The good news is, we can now literally eat technology because McDonald’s Malaysia now takes online orders.

Just last week, McDonald’s Malaysia announced their breakthrough in fast-food delivery when they launched their McDelivery online ordering. This means that you don’t even have to get off your seat or stretch to grab your phone (too much effort!) if you plan to order a Chicken Foldover™.

In fact, all it takes is just a simply registration, and a few clicks, and voila! Your McDonald’s meal will be well on its way to your doorstep.

Or, you know, your office entrance – wherever it is you’re ordering from.

For now, the McDonald’s Malaysia Web Ordering service is only available in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. But who knows? If it does well enough and if the demand surpasses their expectations, they might just expand their horizons. Yay!

* The McDonald’s McDelivery is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

For more information, visit McDonald’s Malaysia’s website.

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It’s The Ship 2018, Asia’s Largest Music Cruise Sails Into Its Fifth Year

Asia’s renowned floating festival, It’s The Ship is back to excite Shipmates again this coming November.

Known to be Asia’s largest festival at sea, this year, It’s The Ship is set to depart from Singapore on 4th November, journeying to the tropical island of Phuket, before docking back in Singapore on 7th November.

The festival-cum-vacation cruise features luxurious comforts range from the immaculate cabins to spa activities and top notch service all in the confines of a four-day, three-night festival.

Shipmates will be boarding the Genting Dream, the first-ever Asian luxury cruise line that aims to redefine vacation travel with a transformational journey at sea.

Onboard offerings include a waterslide park, spas, an onboard cinema, the Zouk at Sea, mini golf, casino and much more. Guests will enjoy discovering an eclectic array of over 35 restaurant and bar concepts where they can indulge in the finest Asian and international dining.

“The 2018 instalment of IT’S THE SHIP will see us focusing our efforts on providing shipmates with an all-inclusive festival experience that showcases an impressive array of artists,” said Cyril Francis, Project Director of It’s The Ship and Managing Director of Livescape Singapore.

“Marking our fifth-year sailing, we have prepared an extraordinary adventure for fans, both experience seekers and festival-goers alike. This is going to be a sailing that you wouldn’t want to miss so take this opportunity to join us in celebrating our fifth voyage this November,” he said.

Since it’s inception in 2014, It’s The Ship has featured a multitude of international artists including Dash Berlin, Yellow Claw, David Hasselhoff, Higher Brothers, Showtek, Sander Van Doorn, Kaskade, Lil Jon, Dada Life, CHVRCHES, Basement Jaxx, Carnage, Knife Party, Ferry Corsten, Andrew Rayel, and Far East Movement in the past.

The early bird promotion is now open for all shipmates with cabins going from as low as
USD$398 per person. Cabin prices are inclusive of complimentary 24-hour dining, selected non-alcoholic beverages and free usage of most of the ship’s facilities.

Early bird cabin is now available at galactic.asia/itstheship-2018.


Interview: The Cast Of “Bullet Train” Share Their Favourite Scenes

What are the chances of getting seven assassins on the same train? In David Leitch’s latest film, “Bullet Train,” based on the thriller comedy novel “Maria Beetle” by Kōtarō Isaka, it’s all connected through fate and the hands of the leader of a criminal organisation.

The fast-paced, action-packed movie starring Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Joey King, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Michael Shannon has a lot of thrilling surprises in store for the audience. Recently, Brad Pitt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, and Joey King sat down and shared their favourite scenes from “Bullet Train”, the challenges, and having fun on set.

1. What appealed to you about “Bullet Train” and drew all of you to take on this movie?

Brad Pitt: First, you know, we were right in the pandemic where we were all going a bit stir crazy. And the script came along, and it just seemed like the perfect kind of sad for that time. It was funny, it was irreverent. It had a lot of energy to it.

And it was with an old friend of mine who was directing, and it drew an incredible cast, because, you know, there were so many great characters in it, within the writing. So that was it, it was pretty much a no brainer. When I came along. It was like, Ah, great, right? That’s what we need.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Really refreshing.

Brian Tyree Henry: Definitely the escape of it all, like, you know, we couldn’t really get on trains, you couldn’t drive and go anywhere, we couldn’t get on planes and do anything. So it was like, what better way to do that, and then to go and build a fake train, and then go and fight people for a few months.

But it was a release. It truly was cathartic. It really was something that helped us. Well, me, especially to get through the times, you know, I look forward every day to come in to see these guys and to play and to punch and to slap and to kick; it was really fun.

Brad Pitt: And you were about to go postal.

Brian Tyree Henry: I was gonna light everything on fire in LA. The story was fantastic and fun. And it was something that I knew that I wanted to see. So to be able to be a part of it was, it was absolutely no brainer.

2. How was it like for you to portray your character, The Prince?

Joey King: It was, I mean, gosh taking on this character was so much fun, because she’s just wild. She’s got so many weird moving parts there. She’s so vengeful, she really is sitting there and enjoying all the havoc that she’s wreaking around her. And she’s just just soaking it all in.

So playing this character in a movie that’s just surrounded by so much fun and funny characters, and so much beautiful, cool action going on. It was a real treat to be part of this cast and have a character that I loved as much as Prince. I mean, I got to play a stylish badass assassin who also happens to be a psychopath.

A post shared by Bullet Train (@bullettrainmovie)

3. What was the most challenging part for you guys while filming for the movie?

Brad Pitt: I mean, there was a lot of Covid protocols, you know, we’re in a tight confined space, you know, like a little tube train car. We had to get around the testing, you know, just the hoops we had to jump through to be able to film the movie.

Brian Tyree Henry: Yeah, there were no standards at the time of what to do.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Yeah, it was pre-vaccine.

Brian Tyree Henry: Yeah, it was before that.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: So I’d say – I’d say the barrier of that was really hard because you’ve been used to the way of filmmaking is such a family environment, such an intimate thing to do. So you build such a bond. So you kind of build this character, you know, you need the connection of people and we weren’t allowed to touch, we hardly see each other.

So I think with that kind of cloud above us, we wanted to create light and push ourselves and be bold and bring the humour into this as much as possible.

Brian Tyree Henry: For me, the hardest part and Brad, can – you can step in with this, but the hardest part for me was being blonde. It was incredibly difficult than I thought it was. And by difficult I mean the easiest thing I’ve ever done because it’s just easier.

Brian Tyree Henry: It’s just, things just happen. I couldn’t believe how much people wanted to give me when I did this movie as a blonde.

Brad Pitt: Oh my God. No, but it is true, like I still don’t know what half the crew look like because they had to be so protected and shields and masks and it’s a bit of shame because as Aaron was pointing out, it is a wonderful family during the shoot.

4. Did you have any sort of special preparations prior to filming? Or what research did you find most helpful?

Joey King: I had to become immersed and comfortable with posh British accent, which was very fun. I was excited and nervous about that. I had to get into the groove of learning how to dismantle a gun and putting it back together. There were a lot of cool elements that came into preparing for Prince.

But most of all, just making myself feel comfortable while getting to know that character inside and out. And just showing up and having a good time –  that’s what made Prince who she was. I mean, I was able to play around with some of the coolest actors ever and just improvise with them and find this character.

5. What were some of your favourite scenes to shoot? Do you have any favourite scenes from the final cut of the movie?

Aaron Taylor-Johnson: We have so many. I think it’s of those rare things where I got to spend most my time with Brian and we were just bouncing off one another and trying to elevate the material (which was fantastic). And then there was the action.

I mean, David Leitch, his stunts and action, I get to fight with Brad and you gotta fight with Brad, and then we’re getting pulled out the train and hanging on harnesses and stuff and we were just pushing the boundary of that kind of stunt. I think you said it best with that kind of Jackie Chan, Buster Keaton-esque kind of comedy and stunts. It’s just really refreshing and it was just fun.

Brian Tyree Henry: And it was also fun to figure out different ways to play with the water bottle in this movie. I didn’t know that you could make a Fiji water bottle another character but we managed to do that.

Brian Tyree Henry: And if you think that’s easy it’s really not. So like, that was fun for him.

Brad Pitt: And I’m gonna say just the humour of it all because, everyday was just kind of a free for all of like, who’s got the best joke, get it in there, get it in there, try another one try another one. And it was just – it just made for really good filming.

Joey King: There are so many favourite scenes I have, one of my favourite scenes is a moment in the trailer where we see Bryan and Brad fighting in the quiet car. That scene cracks me up so much. It’s hysterical. But I love –  for me personally with my character, I just loved any scene where we could just really feel her enjoying all the chaos around her, which was most of my scenes.

6. Before you took on “Bullet Train”, did you have any worries? Or were you sceptical before?

Joey King: I was just excited and felt a little like wow, I can’t believe I get to do this. So, I felt a little bit like a fish out of water like, wow, am I really about to go make this movie with David Leitch and Brad Pitt, and shoot in Los Angeles during a pandemic, all these crazy things. But that was all put to rest when I got there and everyone was just so friendly, so welcoming and so warm and really made me feel like I belonged.

Anis Sharina contributed to this article.

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#MutiaraDamansara: French Rock Band Goes Viral With Unique Band Name

The internet is such a weirdly wonderful place. Not only does it help us learn more about current or upcoming movies, but also it has also helped us come across bands we never knew existed. Case in point, French rock band Mutiara Damansara.

The band recently caught the attention of local Facebook users and of course, no prizes for guessing why they went viral.

This French rock band found themselves in the spotlight after local Facebook users discovered that they ironically named themselves after one of the famed townships in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Earlier in May, they took to Facebook to announce that they’ve altered page name by adding the phrase “French band” behind their band name. Through the announcement, they said, “As you maybe saw, we changed our Facebook page name. We are now “Mutiara Damansara – French band” to avoid any confusion with a f***ing Kuala Lumpur commercial township.” However, the band later decided to remove the post, especially after a number of Malaysians began flooding their page.

Based in Caen, Lower Normady, Mutiara Damansara is 3-member rock band that comprises of vocalist/guitarist/programmer Charlize Ann Myers, guitarist Cyanure Nevermore, and bassist Grumpy Woodcutter. The band has released 3 albums so far, with the first EP titled “Annual Winter Depression” out in 2010. Their second EP, which was released in 2012, is a nod to their band name as it is titled “Pearls”, which means mutiara in Malay. They then released their first full-length album titled “Every Soul Is A Shining Star” via Seventh Crow Records.

According to their official Facebook page, “Pearls” consists of a strong blend of various music genres, including “post-rock, old school goth rock and dark wave, ethereal vocals of Shoegaze and dream pop”. The EP also came with “a few traces of black metal violence and electronic music.”

The band has always been aware of the township of the same name in Malaysia, even before majority of the Malaysians discovered them and pointed it out to them.

When asked why did they decided to name their band after the township, one of the band members simply stated, “Because it sounds beautiful!” The member added that they only came across the name while looking up some exotic-sounding names. However, they also admitted that they’re unsure how to pronounce the name as one of the band members said:

I do my best to pronounce it well, but I can only imagine I butcher Malay each time I’m saying it.

Now that they’ve gained more Malaysian fans, one question became inevitable: “Will they come to Malaysia to perform at Mutiara Damansara?”

And for the question, “Will we play in Malaysia one day?”, as you can imagine we cannot afford such a trip. Buy if there’s a strong will of Malay metalhead fans to see us play in your country, there’s always the possibility. Contact your local promoters and metal associations, or even start a crowdfunding campaign to finance a few tour dates in Malaysia.

Whether or not you’re a metalhead, take a listen to one of their latest singles here:

What do you think? Would you like to see them performing in Malaysia? Share your thoughts in the comments box below.


Is Justin Bieber Cancelling His Concert In KL Following Ramsay Hunt Syndrome Diagnosis?

Devastating news for all! Justin Bieber is taking a break while in the midst of his Justice World Tour due to his health condition. Fans were upset to hear the news when the 28-year-old took to his Instagram to reveal that half of his face has become paralysed.

In the 3-minute video uploaded on the singer’s Instagram account, he explained that he has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome—a virus that affects the nerves located in the ears and facial nerves. The international sensation was forced to cancel his shows in Washington DC, New York and Toronto highlighting the severity of his condition.

From the video, it can be clearly seen that the right side of the popstar’s face is paralysed as he demonstrates how he is unable to smile or use his right eye to blink. According to medical experts, the virus has the potential to cause permanent hearing loss and facial paralysis.

“I’m going to get better, I’m doing all these facial exercises to get my face back to normal, and it will go back to normal. It’s just time, and we don’t know how much time that’s going to be, but it’s going to be OK, and I have hope,” says the Canadian-born singer. At the time of writing (Monday, 13th June), the video has over 50 million views and more than 300,000 comments of fans sending their love and prayers to the idol.

As of now, there have been no announcements on whether the Justin Bieber Live in Kuala Lumpur concert on 22nd October will be cancelled. However, netizens are concerned as the singer’s health seems to be worsening.

A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

The only thing we can do now is pray for Justin’s speedy recovery and health. All you beliebers out there, stay strong and don’t lose hope! Otherwise, Iqbal Zulkefli might take this chance to stand in for the Canadian singer’s concert as you can see from the screenshots below. Don’t worry, he’s only joking (we think).

Neetashini Kanendran contributed to this article

Sources: Berita Harian, Utusan Malaysia, Instagram

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Donald Trump Reacts To His Cameo Being Cut From “Home Alone 2”

For those who have watched “Home Alone 2: Lost In New York”, you might remember a surprise cameo from the current president of the United State (POTUS), Donald Trump.

However, Canadian viewers on Christmas Day had a different version of the sequel film. Trump’s appearance in the comedy was cut from Canadian broadcast channel CBC.

‘Pathetic’: Canada’s CBC under fire when Trump’s cameo in ‘Home Alone 2’ disappears from Christmas broadcast https://t.co/zJUij9qrLe

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 26, 2019

The cut has sparked outrage among many Trump supporters with the president’s own son, Donald Trump Jr., taking to his Twitter account to voice out his displeasure at the editing decision. In the tweet, Trump Jr. called the broadcaster “pathetic” while implying that the move was politically motivated.

Though the cut does seems like a political move at first, with the US president currently being impeached, it was later revealed that the decision to edit out the scene was not a recent occurrence.

As pointed out by CBC’s head of public affair, Chuck Thompson, the cut was actually made in 2014, before Trump even announced that he was running for the presidency. The reason for the decision was simply to save time and include commercials.

As many are asking…CBC’s airing of Home Alone 2 was edited for time. This happens regularly with films adapted for television. The scene with Donald Trump was one of several that were cut from the movie as none of them were integral to the plot. These edits were done in 2014.

— Chuck Thompson (@ChuckTCBC) December 26, 2019

On the other hand, Trump seems to have a more humorous take on the new version, saying, “I guess Justin T (Canadian Prime Minister) doesn’t much like my making him pay up on NATO or Trade!” The tweet was referring to the friction the two leaders had, in regards to their disagreement on major policy issues and trade dispute.

“The Apprentice” star would later send out another tweet regarding the incident. It reads, “the movie will never be the same! (just kidding)”. The former TV personality has always been very proud of his cameo scene in the film.

“Well I’m in ‘Home Alone 2’, and a lot of people mention it every year, especially around Christmas,” he was quoted as saying, adding that, “it’s been a good movie and I was a little younger, to put it mildly. And it was an honour to do it.”

The movie will never be the same! (just kidding) https://t.co/FogquK1ei7

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 27, 2019

For those that are curious, the scene in question was one where Kevin McCallister, played by Macaulay Culkin, got stuck in New York – while his family was having a vacation in Miami. In the scene, we see the main star asking Trump on directions to the lobby at The Plaza hotel.


Spotify Wrapped: BTS & K-Clique Are The Most Streamed Artistes For 2019

2019 has blessed us with tons of good jams – from chilled indie hits to mainstream pop music up to sizzling latin numbers and of course, the world-dominating K-pop genre

Spotify, one of the leading music streaming platform, has recently launched its “Wrapped” campaign for this year. As stated in the press release, this annual year-end campaign revealed the leading artistes, songs, albums, playlists and podcasts that defined how over 248 millions of users have discovered their favourites in 2019.

We believe the power of K-pop genre has been going strong for these past years. In this case, Spotify has announced that South Korean sensation BTS (방탄소년단) is Malaysia’s most streamed artiste this year! For the uninitiated, the 7-member boy band has taken the world by storm this year with their biggest hit “Boy With Luv” featuring Halsey. Other highly-recommended songs that they have released this year are “Microcosmos” and “Make It Right” (with Lauv), just to name a few.

The local music scene saw a surprising twist, as up-and-coming rap ensemble K-Clique beats other mainstream acts including our resident Malaysian pop queen and king – Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza and Faizal Tahir – to become the most streamed local artiste.

Known for songs like “Mimpi” and “Sah Tu Satu”, the group consists of 8 talented gentleman – MK, Noki, Tuju, Somean, KDeaf, FareedPF, Gnello and NastyNas – are definitely worth the stan. Additionally, rising pop rock band Insomniacks has successfully rocketed their way up to the top 5 list, thanks to the popularity of their hit single “Pulang”.

In addition, “Wrapped” has come out with a specially-crafted “A Decade Wrapped” – the 1st time ever in Spotify’s history! For those who don’t know, “A Decade Wrapped” will take a look back at the 10-year-long journey of evolving music, culture and streaming through the eyes of fans, artistes and creators that have made it all possible.

Not only that, users will also get to see their personalised Spotify “Wrapped” which spoiled them with highlights on what they have listened to throughout the year 2019. If you want to find out more, feel free to click here.

And just when you thought we’re running out of good news, here’s the complete list of Spotify “Wrapped” 2019 Top Lists in Malaysia:

Let’s bid 2019 goodbye and look forward to what 2020 has to offer for the music industry.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Not Miss the Cyberjaya Multimedia Festival 2019

Attention arts, music and animation junkies! Cyberjaya Multimedia Festival (CMF) is back once again – this time, even bigger and better! Brought to you by master developers of Cyberjaya, Setia Haruman, the event is set to happen on the 7th of September at Tamarind Square, Cyberjaya.

Living up to this year’s theme, “Light Up!”, the full-day event sees the coming together of arts, animation, and music, promising a carnival-like atmosphere with fun activities for all age groups to enjoy.

What makes it different and why must you be there? Here are 5 reasons why you can’t afford to miss out on the Cyberjaya Multimedia Festival, Light Up!

One of the current trends in the world of creative arts and performances is Projection mapping. It’s simple yet pulsating ability is elevating festival experiences worldwide. For the uninformed, projection mapping is a visual technique that uses a projector to turn any surface into a scintillating visual display.

Curated entirely by the multifaceted, Saishogen, a group featuring local creative talents, the event marks the first time projection mapping elements are featured in Tamarind Square, Cyberjaya. Get ready to be enthralled by the captivating brilliance of projection mapping as it is all set to Light up! Tamarind Square like never before.

Well, what’s a festival without some music?

The Light Up! festival has an impressive lineup featuring some of the best local acts in the music industry which includes the well-known alternative rock band, Azlan the Typewriter, R&B and electro-pop singer, Leaism and folk musical trio, The Impatient Sisters. On top of this, prominent Disk Jockey, DJ Public School, will be spinning on the decks to end the night with a high-octane performance. Be sure to get your dancing shoes on and dance the night away.

One of the highlights of this year’s CMF is an interactive light installation which gives full-
freedom for attendees to dictate the colour displays installation via live tweets. Tapping into the endless possibilities of the Internet of Things (IoT), the event adds an experiential twist to conventional light installation by allowing visitors to light up the installation according to the colour stated in their tweets. For instance, if a tweet reads, ‘#light up! Yellow’, then the official event signage will instantly turn YELLOW!

Curious to figure out how this works? Come and experience the magic for yourself.

On top of all the fun events that are lined up, the event will also feature free movie screenings, an array of food trucks and other mini activities for everyone to participate. From the young ones to the old-heads, the event is set to please everyone’s appetite.

How much is the entrance fee for the event, you ask? Well, here’s reason number 5 then! The event is totally FREE for everyone to join. All you have to do is just register via the link provided below and you’re all set.

There you have it! An epic event awaits you – register here. For further information, check out Setia Haruman’s official Facebook page.


Malaysian Dentist Details Experience Of Receiving Covid-19 Vaccine In India

The National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme was officially launched earlier today (Wednesday, 24th February), with our PM Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin receiving the honour as the first individual to take the vaccine jab in Malaysia.

Naturally, people are curious as to what will happen after getting vaccinated, given that many are still dubious about it. Fret not, guys! A Twitter user, Dr. Wani @syazwanimsd recently shared her experience receiving the vaccine injection in India last Saturday.

According to Dr. Wani, who works as a dentist, the type of vaccine she received in the country is Covishield (Viral vector) produced by AstraZeneca. While in Malaysia, they will receive a pfizer (mRNA) typed vaccine produced by Pfizer-BioNtech. “So what’s the difference between these two? pfizer uses messenger RNA while Covishield uses viral vector. The method of storing this vaccine is also different. This is among the reason why India chose this type of vaccine,” she revealed.

In another tweet thread, Dr. Wani also detailed on how she felt post-vaccinated. The frontliner dished, “There will be a few temporary side effects that are commonly experienced by vaccine receivers. This include dizziness, fatigue, muscle ache, and fever. All of these are short-lived flu-liked symptoms.” She also added that these side effects are normal as the body is producing new antibodies and strengthening the immune system. In fact, these symptoms are commonly felt after a day or a week of being injected.

At the same time, Dr. Wani also advised everyone to get enough rest and sleep to ensure the side effects does not last long. She reassured everyone by writing, “Don’t be afraid to get vaccinated. As I’ve explained earlier, there will always be side effects but it’s only temporary. Let us all spread awareness and at the same time, get rid of the skeptical views about the Covid-19 vaccine.”

Hopefully, Dr. Wani’s sharing will help in shedding some light on everyone’s concerns regarding the Covid-19 vaccine.

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#JonnyQuest: A Live-Action Adaptation In The Works

Ooh, it looks like “Jem and the Holograms” won’t be the only classic animated TV series that is going to be adapted into a live-action feature film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Quest family and their bodyguard from the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, “Jonny Quest”, will be brought back to life as Warner Bros. is planning to adapt the series into a live-action feature film.

Created and designed by comic book artist Doug Wildey, “Jonny Quest” is an American animated sci-fi adventure TV series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions for Screen Gems. The 1964 ABC primetime cartoon is about Quest, a boy who travels around the world with his family (his father Dr. Benton Quest, his adoptive brother Hadji Singh, their bodyguard Roger “Race” Bannon, and their pet dog Bandit), investigating mysterious phenomena they encounter along the way.

Despite its high ratings, the show lasted for only one season as it was too expensive to produce. After spending 2 decades in reruns, new episodes were produced in syndication in 1986 as part of “The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera” Season 2.

A comic book series, 2 telefilms, 3 computer games, and a more modern revival series, “The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest”, were later produced in the 1990s.

After Ted Turner bought the Hanna-Barbera library in the early 1990s, directing duo Richard Donner and Lauren Shuler Donner tried to launch a live-action adaptation. Another adaptation was also close to a green light in 2010, with “50 First Dates” director Peter Segal circling to direct. At that time, Zac Efron was attached to play the titled role, with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson playing Race Bannon, Jonny’s bodyguard.

Dan Lin then began developing a new version of the adaptation in 2007, with Dan Mazeau penning the script. After spending several years in “developing hell”, the project is being picked up by Warner Bros., with “Sin City” director Robert Rodriguez set to helm. Rodriguez will rewrite the script with “Pirates of the Caribbean” screenwriter Terry Rossio.

No further information regarding the film has been announced, but it is reported that Lin will produce it alongside Adrian Askarieh. Andy Fischel and Nik Mavinkurve will oversee for the studio.

Like many other TV-to-film adaptations, the live-action adaptation of “Jonny Quest” begs the question: “Should it stay true to the original or receive a fresh adaptation?”

Share your thoughts in the comments box below.


Eason Chan To Hold Meet & Greet With Fans In KL This Weekend!

Hong Kong artiste Eason Chan (陳奕迅) is coming to Malaysia to promote his latest project.

In conjunction with his 46th studio album “L.O.V.E.”, which debut just last month, the 44-year-old superstar and his duo band will be in town for the first local screening of music documentary “L.O.V.E. in F.R.A.M.E.S.”.

If you’ve been to Eason’s “Duo” world tour, chances are, you’re probably familiar with the duo band. “L.O.V.E.” consists of 8 Cantonese tracks, 2 Chinese tracks and 1 English track. The duo band was responsible for composing, writing the lyrics and producing most of the songs. Meanwhile, Eason personally composed the last track of the album “Ke Yi Ke Zai” (可一可再).

Singles such as “Yu Ni Chang Zai” (與你常在), “Jian Jian” (漸漸), “Ke Yi Ke Zai” (可一可再), “Po Huai Wang” (破壞王), and “Long She Lan” (龍舌蘭) were well-loved by fans. All of them charted high on the KKBOX New Cantonese Song and KKBOX Cantonese Single charts. The next logical step is bring fans behind the scenes with their music documentary.

“L.O.V.E. in F.R.A.M.E.S.” was directed by the duo band’s Mark Cheung. Fans will get an exclusive look into footages of the recording process and the “Duo” world tour when they travelled around the world.

The good news is you can be a part of it! When the singer drops by Kuala Lumpur for his promo tour, Malaysian fans will get to meet him in person. As per the press release, the entertainer will be sharing 11 stories that reflect “love” and “joy”.

The details to Eason Chan’s “L.O.V.E. in F.R.A.M.E.S.” promo tour in Malaysia are as follows:

For more information, Universal Music Malaysia’s Facebook page.

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Putrajaya’s Annual “Magic of the Night” Returns

There will be an explosion of colours and flowers when the annual floral boat parade makes a comeback next week. Popularly known as the “Magic of the Night“, 14 flotillas decked in colourful flowers and lights will cruise through a 3km stretch of the Putrajaya Lake from June 22.

The boats will sail along the lake until June 30 from 8:30pm to 9:30pm before the anchor is dropped for a static display until 11.30pm every night. One million visitors are expected to throng the nine-day event, said Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz.

The event is organised in conjunction with the “Putrajaya Floria” flora festival, which takes place in the day during the same period.

“There will be a five-minute fireworks display every night at the end of the cruise parade but on the first night, there will be an additional 45-second display of fireworks”, Mohamed Nazri said in a press conference here yesterday. He said the event would help promote Malaysia as a unique tourism destination and to fulfil tourists’ demand for a value-for-money experience.

The float parade is also among the ministry’s tool to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2014.

Mohamed Nazri said tourist arrivals in the country recorded a 15.9 per cent growth in the first quarter of this year. “We have received 6.4 million tourists as compared to 5.5 million tourists in the same period last year. Tourist receipts for 2012 also grew by 16.7 per cent, generating RM14.99bil to the country’s revenue as compared to RM12.84bil in 2011”, he said.


Zayn Malik Filming A Music Video For Aladdin?

Zquad and Disney fans, guess what? Zayn Malik was recently spotted in New York’s Central Park shooting a music video. The “PILLOW TALK” singer was seen wearing an olive green suit and polished black shoes.

Rumour has it that the singer was filming a video for his upcoming single for “Aladdin” which is set to be included on the soundtrack of the film, alongside with tunes like “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me”.

ZAYN filming a music video for his song on 'Aladdin' recently!

According to a close source, Malik is looking to revamp his brand image. In fact, he is interested in working on something new to lose his reputation that has become murky in recent years.

The insider said “It would be the first kid-friendly work he’s done since he quit One Direction in 2015 and could make him more viable in terms of his future music career.”

In the past, the singer has been associated with the lead character, Aladdin. Due to his pakistani good looks, fans have demanded for him to play Aladdin.

Unfortunately, Malik doesn’t fit the casting requirement. This is because Aladdin is middle eastern whereas Malik is Pakistani. Despite popular belief, Pakistan isn’t a part of the middle east.

Nevertheless, it’s exciting to hear that Malik is a part of the soundtrack. Are you excited to hear the tune?


Demi Moore Caught In A Web Of Photoshopping & Advertising Lies

If you can’t achieve good pictures with good lighting and an extremely professional photographer who knows his/her angles like the back of his/her hand, then there’s always Photoshop. But sometimes, Photoshop makes celebrities the victims of bad press.

At Demi Moore’s lowest point, she looked like she needed more sleep more food, and definitely more makeup. We’re talking major overhaul. But we can’t blame her entirely – especially after going through her relationship hardships.

Cosmetics company Helena Rubenstein (famous for their tagline, “Power Beauty Since 1902) has recently signed Demi on for an ad campaign and is now finding itself under fire for overdoing the friendly photo-editing program. Here’s Demi Moore merely weeks ago:

And here’s Demi Moore post-photo-shoot and clearly, post-a-lot-of-overzealous-Photoshopping:

Note how there are absolutely no lines, no moles, no pores, and as a matter of fact, no sign of aging whatsoever.

Remember, Demi is 49 years old this year but in this ad, she looks decades younger than she actually is. In fact, she looks so heavily defined that she might as well have been wearing a mask! Or have been someone else.

Now, don’t get us wrong. We think that on her own, she’s perhaps one of the Hollywood celebrities who are known for aging gracefully. However, in light of her more recent “unshopped” photos, we all know that she definitely does not look like what Helena Rubenstein is advertising.

We’re sorry but, we much prefer Demi Moore (at her lowest point or not) when she looked a little bit more human.

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Heechul To Return To Super Junior After Discharging From Army

It seems that one of their members has big plans on rejoining the K-Pop idol boy group after he’s done serving the mandatory South Korean army time. Just yesterday, Kim Heechul’s side stated:

Kim Heechul will be discharged on 31st August and he expressed his strong desire to return to Super Junior. He’s currently preparing so that he’ll be able to stand on stage during Super Junior’s world tour after being discharged. There are four months left of his military service and for the remaining period he will practice the different choreographies during the evenings and weekends.

Kangin was the first member in Super Junior to be discharged in April 2012 and rejoined the group after three months of practice and transition. Kim Heechul will be a welcome addition to the group.

Currently, Leeteuk is in the military and Yesung will enter on 6th May. That leaves eight members who will participate in the world tour.

Meanwhile, Super Junior recently held its world tour “Super Show 5” in Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Peru. They’ve also confirmed that they will keep performing until the last member enlists, putting ELFs’ (as Super Junior fans are so lovingly called) minds at ease.


Valiant Entertainment Announces Plans To Create Its Own Cinematic Universe

The battle between the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the DC Cinematic Universe (DCCU) is getting a tad interesting right now because the battle no longer revolves around Marvel and DC. Some of the fans’ and the critics’ favourite superheroes from another comic universe are also coming to the big screen after Valiant Entertainment announced its plans to launch its own cinematic universe.

That’s right, everyone. It seems like our future is going to be dominated by tonnes of superhero movies.

Founded in 1989, Valiant Comics is the brainchild of former Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter and former Marvel Comics writer/editor Bob Layton. The company was sold in 1994 to video game developer Acclaim Entertainment, but Acclaim went bankrupt in 2004. The company was later restarted as Valiant Entertainment in 2005 by entrepreneurs Dinesh Shamdasani and Jason Kothari before former Marvel CEO and Vice Chairman, Peter Cuneo came on board in 2011 as Valiant’s Chairman and an investor in the company.

According to a report by the New York Times, Valiant Entertainment announced that Beijing-based DMG Entertainment is partnering with the independent comic book publisher to create various feature films and television series over the next few years. The Chinese media powerhouse made a 9-figure investment in Valiant for feature-film financing, as well as publishing, television, and licencing opportunities.

In an official statement, DMG CEO Dan Mintz said:

Comic superheroes are profitable and highly sought intellectual properties for film franchises. So taking a stake in the last independent massive comic universe is a strategic investment for DMG that will produce movies and TV that are both appealing and relevant to a global audience.

Ever since Valiant Entertainment resumed the publication of its comic line in 2012, several leaked reports revealed that the company has begun developing their characters for their future cinematic universe. It was later formally announced that the company secured a 9-figure investment with Sony Pictures to produce a feature film based on its famed comic book, “Bloodshot”.

Sony’s Columbia Pictures and Neal Moritz’s Original Film (of “Fast and Furious” fame) acquired the rights to make the “Bloodshot” movie, a deal that came out of the purchase of a spec script by Jeff Wadlow (writer/director of “Kick-Ass 2”). Shamdasani and Kothari will produce, but no director was attached to helm the project yet. “Kingsman: The Secret Service” director Matthew Vaughn was previously linked to direct, but he is no longer involved in the production.

Several other projects are currently in development as well, including 2 different feature films based on “Shadowman” and “Archer & Armstrong”. Produced by Sean Daniel Company (of “The Mummy” and “Dazed and Confused” fame), “Shadowman” is set to be written by J. Michael Straczynski (of “Thor” fame) while “Archer & Armstrong” will be written by Ben David Grabinski. Daniel will produce the movie alongside Shamdasani and Jason Brown.

These comic book heroes might not be household names, but the announcement elicited excitement from fans of the comic book series. Not to mention, the investment allows both companies to develop films for release in the United States and China, as well as new projects targeted at the Asian market. The characters will be introduced to the new audiences in China and the Asia-Pacific region through “Chinese-language publishing, animation and theme parks, as well as toys and apparel”.

What do you think of the announcement? Are you excited for the Valiant Cinematic Universe? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

(Source: Comicbook.com and New York Times / Featured image)

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Subway Malaysia Slammed For No-Veggies Breakfast Subs

Subway is known for introducing its healthy selection of sandwiches and prides itself in providing the freshest ingredients in the sandwiches. But, what is a Subway sandwich without veggies?

A Subway franchise in Malaysia recently sparked outrage among its existing customers for removing fresh veggies in their breakfast subs.

Subway’s breakfast set has always been a popular breakfast choice for those who are always on the go as they provide the healthiest meals in the shortest amount of time. The breakfast set usually consists of a cup of coffee and a 6″ breakfast sandwich that is filled with eggs and veggies of the customer’s choice. Unfortunately, the set is available for a limited time only and the free coffee offer has already ended.

Subway Malaysia has confirmed that a new measure is being taken for their breakfast subs as their chefs have recommended the breakfast subs should be made without veggies. The brand responded to the customers that they can still opt to add veggies upon request and enjoy a cup of coffee at a promotional price of RM1.

However, several customers have lashed out at Subway Malaysia as the employees have told them that there is no such thing as “upon request” and the veggies will still not added to the breakfast menu even if they want to pay for it.

One customer stated in a comment that the employee apologised to him after rejecting his request to add veggies in the breakfast subs.

It seems like there is a miscommunication between the mangers of Subway outlets and their employees but what do you think of their breakfast subs? Do you think the breakfast subs should go without veggies?


#IMSAsiaPacific: Australian Phenomenon NERVO Added To The Bill

It was just announced today that the International Music Summit (IMS) Asia-Pacific has added some female flavour to their already impressive list of speakers!

Now in its 7th year, founder Pete Tong describes IMS Ibiza’s annual electronic music conference as “an intense networking environment with the glamour and glitz of my favourite party island of Ibiza, but with a Back to Business ethos and leading into the official Ibiza opening party weekend”.

IMS Ibiza has since become an annual fixture (the 2012 summit was held in May). Interestingly, the first IMS in 2008 and was open to only 300 delegates. But in 2009, the number of delegate badges available was increased to 400, and saw the addition exhibition space for 30 companies.

Fast forward to 2014, IMS continues to pave the way in the electronic music industry. Described by many as “the TED of music conferences”, 3 IMS panels in 2013 were voted in the top 10 electronic music debates of all-time by Beatport. This year, for the first time ever, the world’s most influential electronic music summit will make its way to Asia in Singapore on 11th Dec.

And who better to take the stage at the inaugural IMS Asia-Pacific forum than Australian musicians Miriam Nervo (Mim) and Olivia Nervo (Liv), otherwise more popularly known as their stage name, NERVO.

More than just Australian DJs/producers, NERVO is famed for being a twin phenomenon. This is because their career achievements span beyond just being musicians and songwriters. When the sisters were 16, an agency approached them, which opened up opportunities for their careers as models in Melbourne. And as you would expect, the appeal of twin models have always been on an all-time high. But little did people know, Mim and Liv have been writing music together since they were 10 years old so music was always the focus for them.

As such, they decided to pursue a music career instead despite still getting approached for modelling jobs.

A contract was then signed with Sony/ATV Music Publishing and the duo subsequently embarked on a songwriting career. Initial recognition for the pair occurred following the single, “Negotiate with Love”, written for British pop singer, Rachel Stevens, which reached 10th position in the UK music charts in 2005. Also in 2005, the duo released the single “Boobjob” which received substantial airplay in their native Australia. The duo went on to write for Kesha, Richard Grey, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Ashley Tisdale, and the Pussycat Dolls.

They would later go on release their club single, “This Kind Of Love”, through their independent UK-based dance record label, Loaded Records as well as co-write the Grammy Award-winning single, “When Love Takes Over“, performed by David Guetta and Kelly Rowland. And the rest, as they would say, is history.

To top that all off, we also spoke to Mim and Liv real quick about them joining the panel of IMS Asia-Pacific speakers and here’s what they had to say:

You’ve both spoken at IMS Ibiza previously. How will your session at IMS Asia-Pacific be different from IMS Ibiza?

Hopefully this time around we will be less nervous when speaking on the panel :)

What are you personally looking forward to most about IMS Asia-Pacific?

We’re Asian obsessed and are thrilled to be in Singapore as it is such a great city. Everything from the architecture, to the food, to the mix of nationalities that live there. Also, it is going to be great to see some of our friends who are on the panel with us and will be interesting to hear their perspective on the same questions. I hear there are some great after parties going on too ;)

In brief, what is your experience with the scene in Asia? How do you expect it to grow?

Asia has been so welcoming for us. Just this last month we played Taipei, Bangkok, and Shanghai. We started touring Asia over 4 years ago to a much smaller crowd. These days, we’re being booked for not only club gigs but also really big festivals like Ultra etc.

So, it looks like they’re more than ready! The question is, are you ready for when NERVO takes over? ;)

Watch the highlights from IMS Ibiza 2014 here:

* Ticket price includes entry to IMS; buffet lunch; and drinks at cocktail party.

* 50% discount for students in music schools at SAE Institute and Republic Polytechnic.

* IMS delegates enjoy W Singapore – Sentosa Cove special room rate at S$360 per night (9th – 12th December).

Buy tickets and book rooms at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove here.

For more information, visit their official website.

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(UPDATE) Studio Ghibli To Close

Less than a month ago, we wrote about the rumour that Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli might halt production on feature films after the legendary anime film maker and Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyaziki announced his retirement. It was said that the decision for the break was largely due to the fact that their feature films are incredibly expensive to make and most have apparently yet to turn a healthy profit despite being tremendously successful.

Despite churning out many of the world’s favourite animated movies such as “Spirited Away” in 2001 and the loveable “My Neighbour Totoro” in 1988, Studio Ghibli has been struggling financially in the recent years. Most of their recent movies failed to make a profit for the studio such as 2013’s “The Tale of Princess Kaguya”:

“The Tale of Princess Kaguya” raked in 5.1 billion yen but it was considered a flop by the studio due to the costs of production.

As such, this morning, the inevitable sad news was delivered.

Studio Ghibli general manager Toshio Suzuki took to Japanese TV to announce the closure of their animation feature film department. What does it mean for the future of Studio Ghibli? According to this site, the full-time staff responsible for producing their feature films will presumable be let go. Meanwhile, the studio will now move on to managing their trademarks and copyrights, but with a smaller staff.

However, not all doors are shut just yet as they will be keeping the option open to freelance out for any new, viable projects.

Meanwhile, “When Marnie Was There”, based on the novel of the same name by Joan G. Robinson, will be Studio Ghibli’s last feature film. The film centres on the story of a sickly girl named Anna as she strikes up a friendship with the mysterious Marnie while she recuperates at a seaside town:

“When Marnie Was There” was released on 19th July in Japan.

Earlier we reported Suzuki’s intention in closing the studio, but the full episode of Jounetsu Tairiku has been provided with a better translation with crucial details about the studio’s future. According to Kotaku, Suzuki talked about the intention of disbanding the production department and trying to bring a bigger change to Studio Ghibli.

As pointed out on Kotaku’s article, Suzuki also said that Miyazaki’s retirement is the turning point in the studio’s future and has considered to restructure (translated from saikouchiku in Japanese) the studio.

“After that, what should Ghibli do?” said Suzki. “It’s not impossible, but…once, right about now, we will take a short rest and think about what’s next.”

On top of that, Japanese news outlet or morning TV shows did not make a huge announcement on the studio’s closure that would become nation’s headline news. Thus, the future of the studio is still indefinite but we are hoping for the best!


Hype’s Must Watch: Message From The King

Netflix has released a new trailer and poster for “Message From The King”.

Starring “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman and “Beauty and the Beast” star Luke Evans, the revenge thriller was directed by Fabrice Du Welz (from “Alleluia”) from a script by Stephen Cornwell and Oliver Butcher.

The film centres on a man named Jacob King (played by Chadwick Boseman) who arrives in Los Angeles from Cape Town, South Africa, looking for his younger sister Bianca (played by Sibongile Miambo). He has a few hundred dollars in his pocket and a return ticket home in a week. Within 24 hours, he has found out that she has been brutally murdered. Now, he has 6 days left to avenge her death.

“Whoever you work for, tell him that this is a message from the king,” he says in the trailer.

Executive produced by Ash Shah and Boseman, “Message From The King”, which premiered at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival last September, also stars Teresa Palmer, Alfred Molina (from “Feud”), Natalie Martinez, and “Harry Potter” star Tom Felton.

The film is slated for release on Netflix on 4th August 2017.

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Fun Facts: 10 Things You Might Not Know About #TerminatorGenisys

Who can forget that iconic catchphrase used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 1984 science fiction film, “Terminator“? Though the catchphrase was subsequently used in the sequels, the story continues to revolve around the battles between Skynet’s synthetic intelligent machine network and John Connor’s Resistance forces, as well as the rest of the human race.

The franchise, which was first envisioned by James Cameron (of “Titanic” and “Avatar” fame) and Gale Anne Hurd, is currently receiving a “Star Trek“-like reboot at Paramount Pictures. The first instalment of the rebooted franchise marks Schwarzenegger’s first movie in 12 years, as he last appeared as T-800 in 2003’s “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”. His character was replaced by a digital computer graphics version for the 4th instalment of the franchise, “Terminator Salvation” (2009).

Titled “Terminator Genisys“, the movie will re-introduce the iconic characters including Sarah Connor, John Connor, and Kyle Reese. Set on a post-apocalyptic world in 2029, the Resistance, which is led by John Connor (played by Jason Clarke), is on the verge of winning a war against Skynet. When John is told that the rival has a new plan that will change the warfare forever, his 2nd commander Kyle Reese (played by Jai Courtney) volunteers to travel back into the past to prevent the Terminator from killing John’s mother, Sarah Connor (played by Emilia Clarke).

However, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline and Kyle finds himself in a new and unfamiliar version of the past. He is faced with unlikely allies, including the Guardian (played by Schwarzenegger), dangerous new enemies, and an unexpected new mission: To reset the future.

In conjunction with the release of the film, here are some of the things you might not know about “Terminator Genisys”:

Note: This article contains potential spoilers.

1. Schwarzenegger did not dye his grey hair because the Terminator androids in “Terminator Genisys” can age like normal humans

When the first “Terminator” film was released, Schwarzenegger was only 37 years old. However, time proves that the actor is not a real cyborg as his grey hair became noticeable.

Instead of using CGI to make him appear 30 years younger, the screenplay allowed his character to age like a normal human being. Cameron, who was involved in the production, told producers David Ellison and David Goldberg that the living human tissue generated and grown on The Terminators is not actually synthetic but organic. Therefore, the Terminators can age. If they were sent back through time and missed their target, they may end up living in society. Due to their brain, which is a central processor (a learning computer), the Terminators could actually become more human and would go undiscovered.

Thus, Schwarzenegger can be seen sporting his natural grey hair as his character ages in “Terminator Genisys”.

2. Tom Hardy was considered for the role of John Connor

John Connor is a messianic figure who leads the Resistance to defeat military supercomputer Skynet and its army of robotic Terminators. He was first portrayed by teenage actor Edward Furlong in the 1991 sequel of the original “Terminator” film, “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”.

The character was subsequently portrayed by 23-year-old Nick Stahl in the 2003 film, “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”. The 19-year-old actor Thomas Dekker also portrayed John in the 2008 television series titled “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”. English actor Christian Bale portrayed a 34-year-old Connor in “Terminator Salvation”. However, he was unavailable to reprise the role.

Bales’ “Public Enemies” co-star Jason Clarke replaced him by playing a 45-year-old Connor in “Terminator Genisys”, but “Mad Max: Fury Road” actor Tom Hardy was once considered for the role of John Connor. At that time, Hardy was best known for his role as Bane in Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight Rises“.

3. “Come with me if you want to live” marks the 5th consecutive time the line has been used in the “Terminator” franchise

Similar to “I’ll be back”, the line “Come with me if you want to live” was once again featured in the new “Terminator” film. The catchphrase was first uttered by Kyle Reese in the original film. The reprogrammed T-800 said it in the 2nd film while John Connor said, “Do you wanna live? Come on!” in the 3rd. Kyle said it again in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation“.

In “Terminator Genisys”, the line was uttered by Sarah Connor instead, making it the first time she has used the line.

4. Sam Reid, Taylor Kitsch, and more screen-tested for the role of Kyle Reese

Before Jai Courtney was selected to portray Kyle Reese, a number of actors were considered for the role.

Nicholas Hoult (of “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “X-Men” fame) and Garrett Hedlund (of “Tron: Legacy” fame) were originally shortlisted to play, but they refused to test for the roles. It was then revealed that the producers were looking for lesser known names to play Reese. Courtney, who was eyed by the studio, screen-tested the role alongside Boyd Holbrook, Wilson Bethel, Sam Reid, Taylor Kitsch, and Thomas Cocquerel. The list of candidates was then narrowed down to Holbrook and Courtney.

After numerous screen tests, Courtney emerged as the top choice.

5. Margot Robbie and Brie Larson screen-tested for the role of Sarah Connor

Emilia Clarke, who is best known for her role as Daenerys Targaryen in HBO’s “Game of Thrones“, is starring in “Terminator Genisys” as Sarah Connor.

Clarke was in contention with Brie Larson and Margot Robbie before she was eventually cast for the role. The casting reunites Clarke with director Alan Taylor, who helmed 6 episodes of “Game of Thrones”. The young Sarah Connor was portrayed by Taylor’s daughter, Willa Taylor.

6. The body of young Arnold Schwarzenegger is provided by body-builder Brett Azer

Though CGI wasn’t used to make Schwarzenegger look younger, a body-builder named Brett Azar was hired to portray his younger self in “Terminator Genisys”.

As seen in the trailer, a scene from the original film was recreated, with the nude Arnie from 31 years ago demanding a group of punks to hand over their clothes. However, the scene was later interrupted by the old Arnie, who has been waiting to destroy his doppelgänger. The body of young Arnie in the movie is revealed to have been provided by Azar. Ink dots were placed on Azar’s face to aid the digital mapping as well.

According to Azar, Schwarzenegger, who has always been his body-building idol, gifted him cigars and several body-building magazines after the first day of shooting.

7. Arnie provides turn-by-turn directions through Waze

Driving around with the navigation app has never been more fun! As previously reported, Waze helped promote “Terminator Genisys” by forming a partnership with Paramount Studios.

First reported by USA Today, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is providing turn-by-turn directions as his titular character from the “Terminator” franchise. In addition to directions, drivers can expect an Austrian-accented “Hasta la vista, baby” at the end of each trip, along with some other classic Arnie phrases.

Apparently, Arnie only took an hour’s worth of studio time to record the automated prompts so don’t expect him to be saying “Changkat Bukit Bintang” or any random Malaysian street name. This isn’t the first time that Waze has worked with famous voices as it previously helped promote “Ride Along” with Kevin Hart’s voice. Terry Crewes also worked with the navigation company to promote “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”.

8. A total of 2 sequels are already in the works

Before “Terminator Genisys” was even released, Paramount already greenlit 2 sequels to the film. The first sequel will be released on 1st July 2015 while the 2nd and the 3rd instalment of the rebooted trilogy will open on 19th May 2017 and 29th June 2018 respectively.

All film rights to the “Terminator” franchise will revert back to James Cameron by the year of 2019. It was rumored that the following film will be mark Schwarzenegger’s last appearance as the Terminator.

9. T-800’s smiling scene is a nod to a scene cut from “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”

As seen in the trailer, Schwarzenegger’s T-800 gave Courtney’s Reese an awkward big smile when he said “Nice to meet you!” to him. Sarah then stated that she had been teaching the Terminator to blend in.

This scene was apparently written as a nod to a scene that was cut from 1991’s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, where John teaches the Terminator to smile so that he can be more human and blend in. In that particular scene, the Terminator appeared to be imitating a man who was smiling while talking on a phone. He showed his imperfect and crooked smile to John, but John responded by telling the Terminator that he should try practicing in front of a mirror first.

10. The film was mainly inspired by the 2nd half of “Back to the Future Part II”

Before screenwriters Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier agreed to the film, they turned down the offer thrice. It was revealed that “they didn’t like the storyline for the 3rd and 4th instalments without affecting the first 2 films”. They then agreed to pen the script after Cameron gave them his blessing to do so.

According to Kalogridis, the film was mainly inspired by the 2nd-half of 1989’s “Back to the Future Part II”, where Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox) ended up traveling back to the year 1985 after the older Biff Tannen’s (plaeyd by Thomas F. Wilson) visit to the year 1955.

They also used the best moments from the first 2 “Terminator” films as a base for their story.

Directed by “Thor: The Dark World” helmer Alan Taylor, “Terminator Genisys” is the first in a planned trilogy based on a screenplay written by Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier. The film also stars J.K. Simmons, Dayo Okeniyi, Courtney B. Vance, and “Doctor Who” actor Matthew Smith.

It is slated for a release on 2nd July 2015.

For more information, visit the movie’s official Facebook page.

(Sources: Collider, Variety, The Terminator Fans / Image source: comingsoon.net)

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#UMF: Avicii & Martin Garrix To Headline “Road to ULTRA Thailand”

Following Avicii’s heartfelt declaration that he will no longer be touring after 2016, Ultra Music Festival has announced that the Swedish megastar will be headlining “Road to ULTRA Thailand” in what may be his last ever performance in the country.

Fellow superstar Martin Garrix – now one of the undisputed kings of the electronic music scene and an Ultra family favourite – will return to headline alongside Avicii at RTU Thailand, having played at the debut edition of the event back in 2014.

After a riotous performance at Ultra Music Festival, Jauz is the name on everybody’s lips at the moment and will join the lineup in support. Championed by tastemakers such as Skrillex and Diplo, the Los Angeles native is unquestionably one of the fastest rising stars of the electronic movement right now and is set to put on a show like no other in Bangkok, for what will be his first ever performance in Asia.

Additional support comes from Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano.

The international stars will be ably supported by regional favourites such as Ninegod, Skinny Mark, and Zuper L.

Taking place on 11th June, “Road to ULTRA Thailand” is upping the stakes in 2016, as it prepares to welcome thousands of Ultranauts back into the BITEC Convention Centre in Bangkok once more.

Watch the “Road to ULTRA Thailand” 2015 recap below:

With General Admission Early Bird Tier 1 tickets for RTU Thailand already sold out, only a limited number of Tier 2 tickets remain on sale at 2500 THB. All tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis and are available exclusively at thailand.roadtoultra.com/tickets.

For VVIP Table requests, please fill out the form here.

For more information, hit up ULTRA Thailand’s Facebook page.


Hype OnSite: Ummet Ozcan Gives Zouk Club KL A Smashing Night

We weren’t kidding when we said August was going to be an exciting month.

Turkish Dutch DJ Ummet Ozcan who first gained recognition in 2011 with his #1 hit “Reboot” made his way back to Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur on August 15th (Friday). The 32-year-old DJ who has collaborated with names like Paul van Dyk, R3hab, Nervo and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike put on an unprecedented show at Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur before flying off for Dreamfields Festival in Bali the following morning.

Injecting the room with his most popular tracks as well as his unique big room house mix with progressive and electro house, Ummet Ozcan had the raving mob raging to every beat. Apart from dancing the night away, clubbers that night also sang the Birthday Song to Ummet Ozcan which made everyone’s night even more special.

Of course, we managed to get a chance to chat with Ummet Ozcan before all the awesomeness took place. Here’s what the super charming DJ had to say:

Q: Your track “Raise Your Hands” hit #1 on Beat Port. What inspired you to produce this track — is there a story behind it?

Well, there’s no particular story behind it but you know every track I make is always different and I always get inspired by anything and well, everything. Haha. So when I think back to “Raise Your Hands”, I don’t know, really. The melody just popped up in my mind and I worked on it from there.

Q: What was it like working with Paul van Dyk back in 2012?

It was really nice to work with a name like Paul van Dyk, I mean he’s been in the scene for a very long time. We actually never sat down in the studio. With the Internet and all that nowadays, we can just send stuff back and forth and that’s how we finished the track. But yes, like I said, I’m really happy to have been able to work with such a respectable and big name.

Q: And what about working with R3hab and Nervo?

Ah it’s from two different corners really. Paul Van Dyk is mostly from a trance scene and R3hab and Nervo are more from the stuff that I’ve been doing recently. Also, I’ve known R3hab for a long time and we like ach other’s work so we sent some stuff back and forth. Nervo heard the track somewhere in Miami and they really liked it which led to them writing something for it and well, “Revolution” happened. I was and am really happy with it and so is everyone.

Q: You should be, it’s a great track! Do you have any other collaborations coming up?

Haha thank you! Yes, I have another one with R3hab, another with Nervo as well as with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike. I also have some other collaborations but I want to keep those a secret for now. Haha.

Q: Haha I suppose that’s fair. 2014 has been a pretty big year for you. What would you say is the highlight of your year so far?

It has and wow, just wow, really. Music wise, the success of “Revolution”, “Raise Your Hands”, “Smash” and the remix on “Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat” with Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike has been fantastic. Gig wise, I’ve played so many big festivals. EDC and Ultra for the first time, so yeah, the whole of 2014 so far has been amazing.

Q: Wow! Where else will you be touring after this?

I’m playing at Dreamfields in Bali, then Creamfields on August 22nd (Friday). Also there’s a festival in Austria, then Holland and then it’s off to the States.

Q: Cool. DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll is back. Are you campaigning this year and what do you hope of it?

Yeah, of course I am. But I don’t know what to expect really. I’m really happy to be in it and of course, I hope to go higher but we’ll see how it goes.

Q: And who do you think will be in the Top 5 this year?

That’s a tough question but I think everybody knows that Martin will go really high up this year. I don’t think the top 5 will change much like Avicii and Hardwell will still be in the top 5. I think the only big change will be for Martin to go very high.

Q: What kind of music do you listen to when you’re not working?

I like listening to every kind of music so that different styles of music can inspire me. I really like everything.

Q: Okay, last one. If you had to, which would you give up – food or sex?

Hahahaha. Okay this is difficult. Hmm. I would give up food, yeah, food. Haha

We had such an epic time with Ummet Ozcan and we look forward to more parties at Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur. Stay updated with Ummet Ozcan via these platforms: Website, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

Before we go, here’s “Raise Your Hands” by Ummet Ozcan. Enjoy!

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#AfterSchool: Member Jooyeon Will Be Leaving The Group

2014 has been quite a rocky year for K-Pop idol groups as it has seen idols either suing their respective labels/talent agencies e.g. Kris Wu Yi Fan, Luhan, B.A.P or being abruptly dropped from his/her group i.e. Jessica Jung or simply refusing to renew their contracts altogether i.e. MBLAQ members Lee Joon and Cheondung (Thunder). Now, according to AKP, After School’s lead dancer Jooyeon will be leaving the group.

After School (often stylised as AFTERSCHOOL) is a South Korean girl group formed by Pledis Entertainment in 2009, with an admissions and graduation concept. As it stands now, the band consists of 8 members and they are:

Word has it that Jooyeon’s contract with Pledis Entertainment will expire on 31st Dec and she’s planning not to renew the contract. An insider said, “As Jooyeon acted continuously even when she was in After School, she wants to try various things including acting after leaving After School.”

She’ll be leaving both the group and the label, and her last activities as After School will be the Chinese concert she has on the 31st. No further details have been released yet but we’ll update this post with more information as soon as we have ’em.