Malaysian Singer Yuna To Collaborate With EDM Star Zedd?

Are Yuna and Zedd collaborating soon? We sure hope so!

Based on a recent viral tweet on social media, EDM superstar Zedd has suggested that the two of them should “write something together”, and Yuna is so up to it!

i have to have a song with @zedd so i can fully impress my friend’s 4 year old daughter😍. She loves singing The Middle & its still in my head all week❤❤

Let’s write something together :) https://t.co/kFlVqFViXD

Zedd was responding to Yuna’s earlier tweet, stating that she needs to have a song together with the EDM talent, just so she can impress her friend’s four-year-old daughter who is a huge fan of Zedd.

Of course, after the exchange between the two talented individuals, both of their fans became super excited and highly encouraged for the collaboration to happen!

Malaysian sweetheart Yuna is not a stranger to international collaborations. She previously worked with many acclaimed artistes including Usher, Jhene Aiko, Pharrel Williams, Owl City, DJ Premier, and more.

Yuna is currently based out in Los Angeles after her marriage with Adam Sinclair.

Her latest album “Chapters” was released through Verve Records, and had been selected by Billboard in 7th place of its 2016 Critics’ Picks for Best R&B Album.

Meanwhile, Zedd was in Malaysia earlier this month where he thrilled an audience of 2,500 at KL Live.

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K-Pop Shitstorm: EXO’s Kris Sues, Wants Out

Following the rumours about EXO-M (EXO’s Chinese group) leader Kris’ (real name Wu Yi Fan) random hiatus to Canada last year right before the group’s March promotions, a K-Pop “shitstorm” erupted after it was announced that Kris has filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment recently.

As most of you might already know, this is not the first time that South Korean entertainment powerhouse SM Entertainment has had a wrench thrown in the works with regards to their idol boy bands. SM Entertainment has received allegations of unfair labor practices and contracts in the past. The first was the story of TVXQ!, followed by Super Junior’s Hangeng.

Former TVXQ! members Jaejoong, Yoochun, and Junsu filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment in 2009 which entailed a lengthy battle. Hangeng, on the other hand, filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment in which he cited that a 13-year exclusive contract was amongst many things, unlawful. He also cited lengthy work hours and lack of timely medical treatment in his allegations.

The Korean law firm Hakyul is rumored to be handling the contract termination lawsuit which was filed within the Seoul Central District Court. We hear that Kris specifically selected the same lawyer, Cho Bum Suk, who successfully terminated the exclusive contract for Hangeng, According to news outlet OSEN, the Seoul District Court has confirmed the filing of the lawsuit but it hasn’t been processed.

Apparently, it came as a shock to everyone – the 11 EXO members, SM Entertainment, and fans alike. When he initially “left” the group in 2013, industry insiders claimed that he left because he went through a crisis after realising the harsh realities of the idol life. His absence meant that the rest of the members had to carry on practising as an incomplete group and their comeback date was pushed back while SM Entertainment worked on persuading Kris to come back.

Which he did, for the promotions of “Wolf” and more importantly their hit, “Growl”:

Now, however, news portals are claiming that the reasons behind Kris’ decision to sue SM Entertainment (despite EXO’s huge success the past year) is due to the fact that he was restricted in terms of personal development, plus the unfair distribution of wages. Rumour has it that he wasn’t given what he was originally promised prior to signing the contract with SM Entertainment i.e. acting opportunities.

At first, SM Entertainment denied the rumours. After which, they went on to say, “We are trying to confirm the facts regarding the lawsuit requesting for the termination of Kris’ contract. It is a very shocking issue, but we will do our best so that EXO’s activities will go on smoothly.” On Twitter, a pandemonium brewed overnight, spawning several hashtags related to the news:

EXO’s angry mob of hardcore fans have also taken their shock and sheer disbelief to some of the member’s Instagram accounts. Most of them were “seen” begging the boys to talk Kris out of the lawsuit and to stay “We Are One!”, EXO’s motto/slogan.

Since the announcement, the social media platforms “belonging” to several EXO members have come into spotlight. Not only has the members unfollowed Kris’ Instagram account, some members were seen posting up random, questionable pictures. Sehun (youngest member of EXO) posted up a large question mark simply captioned, “…” while South Korean member Chanyeol uploaded a picture accompanied with a mysterious caption in Chinese characters.

The one that faced and is still continuing to face a lot of heat is Tao’s Instagram account, particularly this post:

Fans are saying that the above post was not made by Tao because it doesn’t sound like something Tao would say about Kris. Also, it’s known fact that the idols are usually under tight “security” and for most of them, their social media accounts are controlled by their respective managers. When we say controlled, we mean even as far as having their smartphones consfiscated.

On top of that, EXO-K appeared on M! Countdown yesterday to promote their new single, “Overdose”. EXO-K leader Suho reportedly told OSEN backstage, “All the members had a conversation. We don’t understand Kris’ actions at all. Everyone was caught off-guard and has mixed feelings. I think Kris’ actions are irresponsible and show that he’s not thinking about EXO at all. Our members and agency have no issues (with Kris). What Kris needs to do right now is take back the lawsuit and apologise to the members and company.”

And that’s not all. After receiving the trophy on the M! Countdown stage for EXO’s “Overdose” win, Suho made a comment that fans strongly believed was in reference to Kris and the lawsuit:

Thank you for the big award. Thank you to all the people who love us. It’s Teacher’s Day, so I want to thank Lee Soo Man sunsaengnim. We won’t forget this blessing. I sincerely love the EXO members. Our motto is, ‘We are one,’ and like the motto says we’ll become an EXO that think about EXO and our fans instead of just our individual selves. We’ll work hard. Thank you. We are one. EXO, I love you.

Suho later went on to perform the encore alone.

We’re not sure how SM Entertainment, EXO, or the fans are going to cope with further “damage” being done. What more at a time when EXO is in the midst of preparations for their first solo concert, slated to be held from 23rd -25th May at the Olympics Gymnastics Stadium in Seoul. What are your thoughts, though? Drop us a comment or two!

Kris updated his Weibo account to say the following:

(I am) One person against a multitude, (but) I’m alright, I wish you all the best, and that things will get even better for you guys. Thanks to all of those who supported me, thanks for all your voices of support. Wu Yi Fan will always be here!

The question is, where is Kris? More to come as the story unfolds.

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#Halloween: 6 Spooky Hollywood Movies That Were Cursed!

It’s officially October! Now, with Halloween looming, we thought it’d be apt to compile a list of spooky Hollywood movies. Not only were they spooky, they were spooky with a “twist”.

Occasionally, thrill seekers in the general audience may enjoy a spooky/horror movie or two for its elements of shock or scare, or twists that will leave people walking out of the cinemas with their mouths agape. But what if we told you that while these movies send a shock through your system, some of these all-time popular Hollywood movies were cursed? Sure, anyone who doesn’t believe in paranormal activities might argue that it was probably just a streak (or many streaks) of bad luck but there are members of the cast and crew who lived to tell the tale.

After all, nobody believes in curses until the end up living in one – like them.

Rosemary’s Baby is an American psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on the bestselling 1967 novel Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin. The cast includes Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Ralph Bellamy, Maurice Evans, Sidney Blackmer and Charles Grodin (in his first film appearance). It was produced by William Castle. Farrow plays a pregnant woman who fears that her husband may have made a pact with their eccentric neighbours, believing he may have promised them the child to be used as a human sacrifice in their occult rituals in exchange for success in his acting career.

The film was an enormous commercial success, earning over USD33 million in the United States on a modest budget of USD3.2 million. It was met with near universal acclaim from film critics and earned numerous nominations and awards. The American Film Institute ranked the film 9th in their “100 Years…100 Thrills” list. The official tagline of the film is “Pray for Rosemary’s Baby”.

In 2014, Rosemary’s Baby was turned into a modern 4-hour mini series adaptation.

The curse starts in April 1969. Days after receiving death threats and hate mail relating to the film, producer William Castle suffered kidney failure. He swore the movie was cursed after crying out, “Rosemary, for God’s sake drop that knife!” throughout his treatment. In the same hospital lay Komeda, the Polish composer who wrote the score for the film. He died of a brain clot before the month was out, the same way a character in the film dies.

But those stories aside, the curse is mainly built around the insanely shitty luck of Roman Polanski. In 1969, Polanski had bought a house for himself and his 8 months pregnant wife Sharon Tate. Unfortunately, Polanski had broken the first rule of real estate: never buy a house from someone who pissed off Charles Manson. The former owner of the house was music producer Terry Melcher, who had previously refused to record Manson’s music. Manson ordered a cult to go to the now Polanski’s house to re-negotiate. There, they killed Sharon Tate, her unborn baby and 4 others, stabbing the victims multiple times. One of the killers even took a rag, soaked up some of Tate’s blood and wrote “pig” on the front door with it.

Known to be one of the scariest movies of all time, The Exorcist was directed by William Friedkin, adapted by William Peter Blatty from his 1971 novel of the same name. The book, inspired by the 1949 exorcism case of Roland Doe, deals with the demonic possession of a 12-year-old girl and her mother’s desperate attempts to win back her child through an exorcism conducted by two priests.

The film features Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller, Linda Blair, Lee J. Cobb, and (in voice only) Mercedes McCambridge. It is one of a cycle of “demonic child” films produced from the late 60s to the mid-70s, including Rosemary’s Baby and The Omen.

The Exorcist was released theatrically in US by Warner Bros. on December 26, 1973. The film earned 10 Academy Award nominations, winning two (Best Sound Mixing and Best Adapted Screenplay), and losing Best Picture to The Sting. It became one of the highest-grossing films of all time, grossing over USD441 million worldwide. It is also the first horror film to be nominated for Best Picture.

In August 1972, while The Exorcist was being filmed, many of the cast felt a presence on the set like something terrible was taking place. Everyone was tense and couldn’t wait for it all to be over as a lot of arguments started breaking out because of the anxiety. It got to the point that technical adviser Rev. Thomas Bermingham was asked to exorcise the set. According to Catholic doctrine, an exorcism has to be applied for and approved by Church authorities; a blessing with holy water is all that is necessary so it was never performed in this case. Rev. Bermingham gave a blessing instead and reassure the cast and crew.

Enigmatic manifestations were going on at the set of The Exorcist as they continually were also undergoing electrical glitches. In October 1972, the crew were all really spooked with speculation that the Devil himself was trying to hinder their production. They had just started filming when Max Von Sydow (who played Father Merrin), got a phone call to say his brother had died. January 1973 saw the mysterious sudden death of Actor Jack MacGowran who died of Influenza days after completing his scenes.

In one scene Regan Macneil (played by Linda Blair) is possessed, convulsing on a bed, she fractured her lower spine when the harness she was strapped to came undone. The scenes of her screaming are not acting; they kept filming because the director’s thought it would add to the realism. Then in the scene where Chris Macneils (The Mother) is slammed into the wall, she hit the wall so hard she to injured her back, and her screams in the film are real as well. Supposedly Linda Blair inadvertently predicted a crew member’s death during filming. Though some of these are just said to be rumours, Ellen Burstyn has indicated that a lot of these rumours are true in her 2006 autobiography “Lessons In Becoming Myself”.

The curse continued even after the film got taken off for processing at 666 5th Avenue and it affected people outside of the set. It is rumoured that after watching the film many people even went as far to kill themselves because they couldn’t get the horror out of their heads. This speculation is backed up by a steep increase in suicides around the time the film was released. Heart attacks were recorded all over the world during premieres. There was even a lightning strike that destroyed a 400-year-old cross during the Italian premiere at the Metropolitan Theatre in Rome.

The Omen is a 1976 suspense/horror film directed by Richard Donner and starring Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner, Harvey Stephens, Billie Whitelaw, Patrick Troughton, Martin Benson, and Leo McKern. It is the first film in The Omen series based on a horror novel by David Seltzer. A remake called The Omen 666, was released on the 6/6/2006.

The story is based on Robert Thorn and his wife Katherine who’s baby died at birth, to save his wife from heartache, Robert substitutes the dead child for a orphan Damien. For some reason events keep taking place as the boy gets older, Robert starts to suspect his adopted son is in fact the Antichrist.

The movie boasted a particularly disturbing scene, in which a character willingly and joyfully hangs herself at a birthday party attended by young children. It also features a violent decapitation scene caused by a horizontal sheet of plate glass.

No film in history has had worse luck than The Omen. Problems started in June 1975, just 2 months before filming was due to begin. Gregory Peck’s son unexpectedly committed suicide, killing himself with a bullet to the head without any real explanation. Gregory set off from London in September when his plane was hit by lightning high above the Atlantic. This became a growing trend as scriptwriter David Seltzer’s plane was also hit by lighting as was executive producers Mace Neufelds.

You would think that a wild storm would have put them off using planes in this film, unfortunately they were necessary for aerial filming. The plane they had scheduled to use was switched to another client at the last minute. It crashed on take-off, killing all on board.

Then, a hotel Neufeld was staying at during production was bombed by the IRA, as was a restaurant the director and actors were scheduled to eat at. Luckily no one died. An assistant to special effects consultant John Richardson on the other hand, wasn’t quite as lucky. On Friday the 13th of August 1976, Richardson crashed his car in Holland. His assistant was sliced through by the car’s front wheel. Scrambling out of the wreckage, Richardson looked up and saw a road sign: Ommen, 66.6km.

4. The Poltergeist Trilogy (1982 – 1988)

Poltergeist is an American horror film series distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during the 1980s. The films revolve around the members of the Freeling family, who are stalked and terrorized by a group of ancient ghosts that are attracted to the youngest daughter, Carol Anne. The original film was co-written by Steven Spielberg. The Poltergeist films collected a total of approximately $132 million in the United States box office. Rumour has it that they used real human remains as props in the first Poltergeist movie, which supposedly angered the dead.

4 of the trilogy’s actors all died within 6 years of the first movie, giving rise to talk of “The Poltergeist Curse”.

Supposed deaths include child actor Heather O’Rourke, who appeared in all three films and died just before the third film was released. Suffering what was thought to be the flu, she was taken to hospital and later died on the operating table from complications. Then, Julian Beck, (who played the terrifying old man in Part 2), died of cancer. and Native American actor Will Sampson died during an operation (note that he was wanted at the time for the suffocation of a lobotomised Jack Nicholson and vandalism of state property).

Then we have Dominique Dunne (who played the oldest child in the first film) who was strangled to death by her boyfriend the same year the film was released. There was also word that JoBeth Williams (who played Diane Freeling) claimed she returned home from the set each day to find pictures on her wall askew. She would then straighten them out, only to find them crooked again the next day!

Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 anthology fantasy-science fiction horror film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis as a theatrical version of The Twilight Zone, a 1959 and 1960s TV series created by Rod Serling. The film stars Vic Morrow, Scatman Crothers, Kathleen Quinlan and John Lithgow with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks in the prologue segment. Burgess Meredith, who starred in four episodes of the original series, took on Serling’s position as narrator. Unlike Serling, he did not appear on screen, nor did he receive screen credit, though his name appears in the end credits. In addition to Meredith, 6 actors from the original series (William Schallert, Kevin McCarthy, Bill Mumy, Murray Matheson, Peter Brocco and Patricia Barry) had roles in the film.

The film is a remake of 3 classic episodes of the original series and includes one original story. Landis directed the prologue and the first segment, Steven Spielberg directed the second, Joe Dante the third, and George Miller directed the final segment. Dante recalled that in the film’s original conception the 3 stories would be interwoven with characters from one segment appearing in another segment, but later problems with the film precluded this.

During the filming of a segment directed by John Landis, actor Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le (aged 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (aged 6) died in an accident involving a helicopter being used on the set. The helicopter was flying at an altitude of only 25 feet (8 metres), too low to avoid the explosions of the pyrotechnics used on set. When the blasts severed the tail rotor, it spun out of control and crashed, decapitating Morrow and Le with its blades. Chen was crushed to death as the helicopter crashed. Everyone inside the helicopter was unharmed.

The accident led to legal action against the filmmakers which lasted nearly a decade, and changed the regulations involving children working on movie sets at night and during special effects-heavy scenes. Hollywood also avoided helicopter-related stunts for many years, until the CGI revolution of the 90s made it possible to use digital versions.

The Crow is a 1994 American supernatural action film directed by Alex Proyas, written by David J. Schow and John Shirley, and starring Brandon Lee in his final film appearance.

Based on the graphic novel by James O’Barr, this fantasy follows Eric Draven (played by Brandon Lee), a rock musician who is murdered along with his fiancée Shelly (played by Sofia Shinas) by a group of marauding thugs who terrorise the decaying city in which they live. One year to the day after his death (which happens to be Devil’s Night), a mystical crow appears at Eric’s grave; Eric rises from the dead and, with the bird as his guide, goes on a mission to avenge himself against Top Dollar (played by Michael Wincott), the leader of the gang who killed him.

On March 31, 1993, there were 8 days left before shooting of the film was to be completed. The scene being filmed involved Lee’s character Eric Draven walking into his apartment and witnessing the brutal rape of his fiancée by thugs. Lee’s character would then have been shot and killed along with his fiancée by the thugs. As the scene was being filmed, Brandon Lee was killed after Michael Massee (who played the villain Funboy) fired the gun at Lee as intended. The bullet unseated from a dummy round was lodged in the barrel of the handgun. When the blank was fired, the bullet shot out and hit Lee in the abdomen. After Lee’s death, a stunt double, Chad Stahelski replaced Lee in some scenes to complete the film. Special effects were used for digitally compositing Lee’s face onto the double.

The original footage featuring Lee’s actual death was destroyed immediately, without even being developed. It is yet to be known who was really responsible for the presence of live rounds in Massee’s gun.

Brandon Lee was buried next to his father, late martial arts film superstar, Bruce Lee, who also passed away during an unfinished film (1973’s Game of Death).

Coincidences or curses? You decide. If you really want to watch the above movies (at least once and then probably find it hard to forget about them since you now know the back stories), they should be available on DVD.

Also, don’t forget to check out our list of 7 horror flicks you need to watch in 2015. No guarantee that they won’t be (eventually) cursed though! You’ve been warned.

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#GoldenGlobes: Ryan & Giuliana Anchor E!’s “Live From The Red Carpet”

Fashion enthusiasts from all the over the world will get their latest style tips from the award attendees of the 72nd annual Golden Globes as Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic, the E! News anchors will return to give us extensive live coverage from the awards’s red carpet event.

E!’s “Live From The Red Carpet” premieres on 12th January 2015 (Monday) from 8am in Malaysia, 6am in Jakarta, 7am in Singapore and Philippines. The duo will co-host the wall-to-wall coverage with Kelly Osbourne and Ross Mathew from E!’s Skybox at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, joined by E!’s team of entertainment and style experts, to connect pop culture fans from across the globe to every memorable moment from the 2015 Golden Globes Awards.

E! is once again the ultimate red carpet destination for viewers worldwide with the most complete celebrity coverage from the first official award show of the season: the Golden Globes. From the unexpected surprises to the memorable red carpet encounters to the behind-the-scenes action at the must-see event, “Live From The Red Carpet” will not want to miss the exclusive live coverage of the event.

Giuliana Rancic will also join forces with Kathy Griffins,  Kelly Osbournes, Brad Goreski to co-host “Fashion Police“. The show that fearure the brand new panel will premiere on 13th Jan 2015 (Tuesday) from 10pm in Malaysia, 8pm in Jakarta, and 9pm in Singapore and Philippines.

A special edition Of E! News presented by Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic will air on Tuesday, 13th Jan from 9pm in Malaysia, 7pm in Jakarta, and 8pm in Singapore and Philippines.

Produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions., “Live from The Red Carpet” is executive produced by Ryan Seacrest, Gary Snegaroff, Eddie Delbridge, and Gerry Johnston.

The show will give you unprecedented access to all your favourite Hollywood A-listers from the big and small screen through the live coverage of the red carpet event. E! will also air the primetime encore of “Live From The Red Carpet” from 8pm in Malaysia, 6pm in Jakarta, 7pm in Singapore and Philippines. Ross Mathews and Kelly Osbourne will be on hand from the E! Skybox commenting on all of the action and all the fashion. With 18 cameras poised throughout the red carpet including E!’s signature “Glam Cam 360” and the celeb favorite “Mani Cam,” this two-hour television event exemplifies E!’s award show coverage at its finest and gives viewers an up close look at all the fashion and celebrity interaction.

On 13th Jan, E!’s complete Golden Globes coverage continues with a special edition of E! News at 9pm (MAL) /8pm (SG/PH) / 7pm (JKT) anchored by Ryan Seacrest and Giuliana Rancic that will recap all the celebrity interviews and inside scoop from the previous night’s events.

Produced by Wilshire Studios, “Fashion Police” is executive produced by Lisa Bacon and Melissa Rivers.

E!’s highly-anticipated hit show “Fashion Police” premieres on Tuesday, 13th Jan 2015 at 10pm (MAL) / 9pm (SG/PH) / 8pm (JKT) with an in-depth, fun-filled analysis of all the red carpet fashions in the one-hour special, “Fashion Police: The 2015 Golden Globe Awards”.

For the first time, two-time Emmy and Grammy award-winning comedian Kathy Griffin takes the throne as new host, alongside Kelly Osbourne, Giuliana Rancic and trendsetting stylist Brad Goreski. Watch as the fashion savvy and outspoken panel go head to head discussing who wore what, which star was best dressed of the night, and why certain stars were sent to the Fashion Police style slammer.

For more information, visit Live From The Red Carpet’s Facebook page and Fashion Police’s Facebook pages.


Move Over, Zac Efron! Joshua Bassett Is The New Lead In High School Musical

There is a new lead actor in Disney’s upcoming “High School Musical: The Musical” series and his name is Joshua Bassett.

The 17 year-old relative newcomer is set to portray the lead role of Ricky. The character is describe as a “cynical but charming” high school junior. In order to woo back his former beau Nini, he auditions in the school’s production of “High School Musical”.

“As someone whose childhood was shaped by the cultural phenomenon that is ‘High School Musical’, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to tell this story. Go Wildcats!” Bassett was quoted as saying. The original 2016 “High School Musical” movie featured Zac Efron as Troy Bolton, a basketball star who secretly yearned to perform in his school’s spring musical.

“Joshua’s interpretation of the Ricky character was brilliant – funny, winning and, at the same time, uniquely vulnerable. The audience is going to love watching this charismatic young actor put his stamp on this next chapter of the ‘High School Musical’ franchise,” shared Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide.

Set to debut in late 2019, the 10-episode series will feature new renditions of “High School Musical” songs as well as an original number.

Bassett, who is an actor, singer, dancer and guitarist, had a recurring role in Disney Channel’s “Stuck in the Middle”.

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Watch My Chemical Romance’s Full Reunion Concert

The iconic rock band, My Chemical Romance, has been making waves in the music industry lately with the announcement of their reunion tour, 6 years after their split.

Last night (22nd December 2019) was the “Welcome To The Black Parade” singers’ first performance on stage as a group since 2012. The show was held in front of a sold out crowd at The Shrine in Los Angeles, USA.

Like Phantoms Forever… Tickets on Sale Friday 11/1/19 at 12:00 PM Pacifichttps://t.co/2YL9zhCflN pic.twitter.com/X4BMzRUBqT

— My Chemical Romance (@MCRofficial) October 31, 2019

Being the signature emo band of the early 2000s has garnered them a giant international fan-base. Unfortunately, many were unable to visit the band’s return show, due to the location of the venue and the fact that the tickets were already sold out within minutes of its launch.

As unfortunate as the missed opportunity was, many of those that were in attendance have graciously took it upon themselves to record the historic event. The videos were uploaded on video-sharing sites such as YouTube, so that many people like us, who weren’t able to attend the concert, can catch a glimpse of what the show was like.

Following the immense success of their LA show’s tickets being sold out within minutes, the band decided to do 3 more shows, this time, on the international stage. The shows will be held in Australia, New Zealand and Japan, all of these are slated for March 2020.

Going back to the LA concert, if curious about how the show went, then check out the entire concert at the video below:

Source: Pitchfork. Featured Image: Rock Sound.


Smash Presents Deniz Koyu At Zouk Club KL

It’s time to lose control with Deniz Koyu!

Proven to be one of the most promising talents to watch out for since 2011, Deniz Koyu’s path to becoming a musician was set the tender age of 5 when he began to learn the piano. It didn’t take long for the Turkish DJ/producer to discover his enthusiasm for synthesisers and drums, getting inspiration from artists such as Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, Kraftwerk or Cassius.

It is to no surprise that Koyu followed suit, spending his pocket money on all the second-hand synths and drum machines he could find. During his teenage years, Koyu spent his time DJing and editing his favourite tracks using small tape recorders and sampling what he could.

It wasn’t till 2011 when Koyu released his singles “Tung” and “Hertz” on Flamingo Recordings. In the same year, his remixes for James Blunt’s “Dangerous” and Kasade’s “Turn It Down” evolved into huge house anthems at clubs and festivals across the world, being played over and over by Tiësto, Swedish House Mafia, Fedde Le Grand, Avicii, Alesso, Erick Morillo, David Guetta, Calvin Harris and more.

Fedde Le Grand voted Koyu “Breakthrough DJ/Producer 2011”, Sebastian Ingrosso called him “big time talent”, and Axwell replied to the question of a Swediash journalist if he had personal favourites among young DJs: “Deniz Koyu. He makes damn cool music at the moment.”

Koyu was added to MTV’s “EDM Rookies To Watch” list in 2012 as the called him “a blazing new talent” and put him in good company with Alesso, Zedd, R3hab and Nicky Romero. He was then hand-picked by Axwell to play at the world premier of Cosmic Opera in New York, performed at Ultra Music Festival Miami on the peak of his North America headline tour and got confirmed for his first-ever Sensation White appearances.

Production-wise, Koyu kicked off 2012 with a remix for Fedde Le Grand’s “So Much Love”, a heavyweight collaboration with Fedde and Johan Wedel on “Turn It”, and his epic hit single “Bong”. Next up was a new track with Wynter Gordon called “Follow You” and brilliant remixes for Zedd, Digitalism, Miike Snow and David Guetta.

He then started off 2013 in style with the release of his much anticipated release “Halo” with Dirty South on his Phazing label. In February, he launched the “Generation Wild” tour which took him to 20 cities in 25 days in North America. March 2013 saw the follow-up to “Bong”: the new EDM anthem “Rage” that was released on Sebastian Ingrosso’s Refune imprint.

Which such success under his belt, Deniz Koyu will be making his way to Kuala Lumpur this November for Smash presents Deniz Koyu. Supported by local DJs BATE and Nick Haydez, Koyu is set to play at Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur on November 7th. Details to the event are as follows:

Ticket Entry (inclusive of 1 drink): RM50 before 11.00pm (Men/Ladies) RM65 after 11pm (Men/Ladies)

For reservations, please call 03-2171 1997 (12pm – 6pm) or 0163323191 (after 6pm) or email rsvn@zoukclub.com.my.

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#Singapore: Blackball Reintroduces Duo Cup Concept

Why settle for 1 when you can have 2 different drinks in a cup?

Popular Taiwanese bubble tea Blackball previously introduced the duo cup where customers are allowed to choose 2 flavours at once. That’s the good news. The bad news? It’s only available in Singapore for the time being.

Blackball Singapore (黑丸嫩仙草) took to their Facebook to announced that the well-received duo cup drink was making a comeback on 15th July (this coming Saturday). However, they didn’t not specify if this is just for a limited duration or if it will be permanent. So heads up to our Singaporean friends (or if you’re visiting there soon) to try out this concept.

The Blackball duo cup was previously available in Malaysian outlets last September but it only lasted for a few months. Now that this concept has been relaunched in Singapore, hopefully our Malaysian stores will also implement this duo cup option. We want to get our hands on this awesomeness too!

If you don’t mind trying a different brand, the duo cup concept is currently available at Leaf & Bean Cafe. The store is located at Taman Connaught, Cheras. You can thank us later ;)

Feel free to check out Blackball Singapore and Blackball Malaysia‘s Facebook pages for more updates.


Christina Aguilera Makes Her Way To Malaysia!

Joining K-pop sensation Jung Ji-Hoon aka Rain and Craig David in Malaysia this March is none other than miss Genie In A Bottle, Christina Aguilera herself! The free concert coinciding with the Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix returns and it’s bound to be a great one! Featuring local acts such as Joe Flizzow, Altimet, SonaOne, Oh Chentaku, DJ Biggie and Irama, the free concert will be taking place at Plaza Petronas, KLCC on March 28th and 29th, 2014.

Grammy Award winner Christina Aguilera headlines the concert and fans can relive the early 2000s with Craig David. Who knows, you might just find out what his flavour is!

Far from done, more acts will be announced soon!


The Reason Marina Mahathir Feels Embarrassed About Tun M’s Biopic

A press conference was recently held to announce the list of cast members on board for the upcoming Tun Mahathir biopic called “Mahathir, The Journey”.

Unfortunately, our Prime Minister’s eldest daughter, Marina Mahathir is not really pleased upon receiving the news. Take a look at her tweets below:

On Tuesday (12th November), the social activist took to her Twitter to give her two cents on the upcoming movie. According to Marina, she was not aware of the film’s existence prior to this. “No endorsement from any of us for this!” the 62-year-old wrote on her account.

In addition, she further tweeted that her family members would rather have “nobody made any movies, biopics, musicals, cartoons, whatever about us. Because it’s just embarrassing. But if you have to, please don’t make us watch them.”

Explain to who? No they won’t be accurate. So if anyone thinks they’re getting some new insights, they’re not. It’s just weird. So many other worthy subjects for films.

— Marina Mahathir (@netraKL) November 12, 2019

Ya, why not make a movie about them?! https://t.co/FD0pwAjeid

Marina also expressed that “it’s completely cringe-making” to think that a movie is being made about her family. The 62-year-old public figure also said that “it’s also very intrusive”.

According to The Star, “Mahathir, The Journey” is estimated to have a RM6mil budget. It is believed that the film, which will highlight several important political events in Malaysia, will debut in July 2020, somewhere closer to Dr Mahathir’s 95th birthday.

As a response, the producer for the movie, Yusof Kelana commented that the project will still continue despite the disapproval from any parties or characters involved.

According to Yusof, he has obtained the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO)’s permission to carry on with the release and he will come up with an official letter to all the figures involved in the movie in the near future.

“We started the project for about 7 months ago. The scripts of the movie have also went through reshuffling for 12 times before we finally got the green light from PMO,” Yusuf said to mStar.

“The film is solely about Tun Mahathir and his struggles, not about Marina,” Yusuf clarified, before adding, “We have tried to reach Marina’s assistant after the launching. Even Ning Baizura (actress for Marina’s role) tried to contact her. Since the movie is based on a true story, all the characters, storyline, scripts and locations will remain the same and will never change.”

Aside from Ning, other cast members include Azhar Amir (Tun Mahathir), Fauziah Latiff (Tun Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali), Hilal Azman (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim), Dian P Ramlee (Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail), Lisdawati (Nurul Izzah Anwar), Dazrin Kamarudin (Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman) and Afieq Hussain (Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir).

Directed by Prof. Mohamad Hatta Azad Khan, “Mahathir: The Journey” is set to begin filming this coming December.

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Zombie Run Malaysia 2013

The Zombies had arrived, and was furiously attacking over 1000 participants in 200 teams, at Systematic Mutiny Event’s Zombie Run Malaysia 2013. The first of its kind, the zombie run is a teamwork based treasure hunt experience, but not just against time, but also brain-hungry Malaysianized zombies.

Zombie Run Malaysia 2013 was celebrated with great enthusiasm with the first batch of tickets sold out on the second day of sales. Further tickets also generated great response with the entire event being sold out within one week of tickets going on sales.

Held at Grand Canyon Paintball park, the run featured Zombies in costumes ranging from a bride, surgeon, Chuckie the evil doll, James Bond, bathrobes, rockers, punks, clowns, soldier, medics, and not forgetting the Malaysian twist to the event, Zombies in traditional costumes like the saree, cheongsam, baju kurung, and baju melayu.

To ensure safety for all participants, the Zombies were trained to not physically harm the runners, but need to find a way to steal the runners’ brains.

The obstacle of five zones, runner teams were supposed to defend for their lives against the many zombies, divided into stumbler zombies, chaser zombies, and a “secret” zombie that has left many without their lives aka health tags at the end of the race. Further divided into five waves, teams had 45 minutes to go through all five zones. Finding their own tactics to get it through the obstacle course, including crawling, lying down and walking back-to-back in order to keep their lives – symbolized as a tag on their back that zombies needed to rip apart to disqualify any players.

Although without brain, these zombies definitely had their heart still in place. One zombie even kindly returned a shoe to a runner, allowing her a chance to run away quickly – in all Zombie mode!

With all members intact and all life straps in tow, and the team that managed to stay alive was the “Band of Brothers” – consisting of Ramon Mustaufi, Aidan Salman, Omar Safwan, Raimy Saiden, and Andy Saiden managed to survive with all members still alive and all tokens collected! For their effort, Youth.On.Unity has presented them each with a Wii U gaming console.

For further updates on future Systematic Mutiny events, visit their website or their Facebook page.


Hype’s Now Playing: Tablo (타블로) X Joey Bada$$ X Code Kunst – Hood

Leave it to Joey Bada$$ and Epik High‘s Tablo to drop some knowledge through their latest collaborative track, “Hood”.

On 5th September, the 2 rappers, who are deemed as lyrical geniuses in the hip-hop scene, dropped their collaborative track that is highly anticipated by their fans. It was released after they dropped several teasers that featured their respective verses in the song.

Korea’s renowned hip-hop producer Code Kunst bodies the beat, with both Joey and Tablo connecting the song with today’s issues in society.

Despite being a Korean and American collaborative track, “Hood” is a deep track that really explores how monetary value affects human society. Both Joey and Tablo created a picture of how some people went through the darkest that society has to offer when they have money and power. Not to mention, the metaphors in “Hood” are not just any pointless metaphors thrown in to get spins.

While it’s not the best song from the 2 rappers, we found ourselves listening to it multiple times in a day since its release. The message is absolutely amazing and there’s good rhythm throughout the song.

“Hood” is available now on Apple’s iTunes and various other digital music sites in Korea.

For more information, visit Tablo and Joey Bada$$’s Facebook page.


#AgeOfUltron: Marvel’s New Promo Video Features The Maximoff Twins

The Maximoff twins made another appearance in a new promo video for Marvel‘s upcoming superhero film, “Avengers: Age of Ultron“.

Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, who are better known as Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, are set to be the newest members to join the Avengers team. Both characters made their debut in 1964 through “X-Men #4” and their father is the X-Men’s arch nemesis, Magneto. However, the word “mutant” is not allowed to be uttered in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). As a result, the twins’ origin story is new and slightly different in the MCU.

In the video, director Joss Whedon explained his reasons for introducing the Maximoff twins and how their roles will affect the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes’ mission to save the world.

According to Whedon, both characters shared “darker points of view on the heroes” after their parents were killed in a bomb attack. He said:

They don’t like America, and they don’t like the Avengers. We only touch on it briefly — there was more. When the movie was an hour longer, everything got explained a lot.

Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who came aboard as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, also revealed their thoughts on their respective roles.

Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the film to reprise his role as Iron Man. Chris Evans returns to reprise his role as Captain America and he will be coordinating the team that consists of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, and Mark Ruffalo’s The Hulk.

After his short stint as Richmond Valentine in “Kingsman: The Secret Service”, Samuel L. Jackson is also returning to the MCU as Nick Fury, alongside Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon and produced by Kevin Feige, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is scheduled for worldwide release on 1st May 2015.

According to Whedon, the film will meet a running time of roughly 142 minutes (2 hours and 22 minutes).

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#Warcraft: Movie Artwork & Official Cast Details Revealed

If there’s anything to be excited about the film adaptation of the “Warcraft” video game franchise, it’s its stellar casting!

But first, a little education on the “Warcraft” movie! ;)

It took more than 8 years to develop the film as original creator Blizzard Entertainment announced that they’ve teamed up with Legendary Pictures to develop a live-action film set in the Warcraft universe back in 2006. Director Sam Raimi was originally attached to helm the project but later told Crave Online that he won’t be directing since he was committed to direct the movie “Oz the Great and Powerful”.

Fortunately though, it was later announced that director Duncan Jones (of “Source Code” fame) will be directing the film adapation with a script by Charles Leavitt. The plot of the film is said to be based on the novel “Warcraft: The Last Guardian“. The production of the film started earlier in January this year after revealing its full casting and concept art of the locations during BlizzCon 2013. At that time, no details were provided about the characters.

However, this year’s BlizzCon came with a surprise as the director finally revealed the movie artwork and the official characters that the cast will be playing. According to our source, “Viking” actor Travis Fimmel is set to appear in the film as Anduin Lothar, a character that is described to be a war hero who sacrificed everything to keep the people of Azeroth safe.

“Dracula Untold” actor Dominic Cooper has joined cast to play King Llane Wrynn, the leader of the Alliance city of Stormwind. Cooper previously appeared in “Captain America: The First Avengers” as Tony Stark’s father, Howard Stark.

Other characters that will be included in The Alliance includes Ben Foster’s Medivh, Ben Schnetzer’s Khadgar, Ruth Negga’s Lady Taria, and Paula Patton’s Garona.

Full description of the characters are as follows:

As for The Horde, “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” actor Toby Kebbel will play Durotan, the noble Chieftain of the Frostwolf Clan, battling to save his people and his family from extinction.

Durotan’s right hand, Orgrim, will be played by “Pacific Rim” actor Rob Kazinsky and the character is described to be a brave warrior destined to wield the Doomhammer: a weapon of orc legend. Clancy Brown is set to appear as the orc kind’s most fearsome and titanic warchief, Blackhand aka ‘The Destroyer”.

Hong Kong actor Daniel Wu is the only Asian cast in the film and he is set to portray Gul’dan, the supreme orc ruler who is fueled by a dark magic that even he cannot control.

Alongside the announcement, Legendary Pictures also launched 2 official websites for the highly-anticipated Warcraft adaptation for fans to register at either FightForTheHorde or FightForTheAlliance to show their allegiance to whichever side they choose.

The question is, which side will you choose?

Warcraft is scheduled for release in 3D on 11th March 2016.

WoW fans, what do you think of the film adaptation of the video game franchise? Do you think the cast will be able to portray the characters well? Let us know in the comments box below!


#YG: BIGBANG, WINNER, & iKON To Schedule Releases One Month After Another

Oh, YG Entertainment has so much in store for us that you wouldn’t believe it even if we told you! According to YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun Suk, all 3 of their idol boy groups e.g. BIGBANG, WINNER, and iKON, will be making their comebacks and debut consecutively one after another in the first half of this year.

This was all just revealed in an official statement to TV Report on 15th Feb, in which, Yang Hyun Suk said:

BIGBANG’s comeback is currently planned to be released sometime in April. For now we are planning on April at the latest and we will make their comeback sooner if possible, but there definitely will not be a need to postpone it.

Following BIGBANG’s comeback are their juniors waiting in line. All three teams will be coming out in one month intervals. I guess you can think of it as the older brothers kicking off first before their younger brothers.

He also shared that all 3 groups have exchanged their Lunar New Year vacation time (the Korean New Year is generally the same day as Chinese New Year) for more hours in the studio and that the members have been working hard with the production team to finish up the last few bits of their album completion.

He added that since all 3 teams have songs that have already been completed during their spare time, a comeback within the first half of the year is very likely.

When asked about why BIGBANG was YG Entertainment’s utmost priority, he replied:

BIGBANG has not released an album for the last 3 years. BIGBANG’s fans have been waiting longer than anybody else. This is what I feel most apologetic for to their fans. The members are all currently working really hard, but when you listen to their new music, it’s really thrilling and heart-pounding. Their new music almost gives the same exciting feeling as if you were to meet someone you haven’t met in a really long time.

This new album is an album that is filled with songs that are condensed with BIGBANG’s experiences and charms. All songs depend on who is singing them; I came to realise that the artiste is more important than the actual song through BIGBANG. And leader G-Dragon has indeed been participating in the production of over half of the album. He is consulting with the other members and their suggestions as well. All 5 members are practically living in the recording studios right now.

As such, it has been highly speculated that all 3 groups will be making their appearances via comebacks/debut in the months of April, May, and June 2015. BIGBANG first with a comeback album, then WINNER with their comeback album, and finally rookies iKON with their first debut single.

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#LDP: Couple Chased & Terrorised By “Mat Rempits”, Endures Night Of Hell

A couple’s outing turned out to be a night of terror when they suddenly found them themselves under attack by a group of “Mat Rempits”. According to a woman named San San, she was with her boyfriend at around 2:15am on Monday (10th October) when their ordeal began.

Her boyfriend had parked their Perodua Myvi at the Kelana Jaya lake open air parking lot to key in coordinates into their Waze app. Suddenly, a group of bikers – 4 motorcycles, each carrying 2 people- appeared and surrounded their vehicle. One of them tapped on the passenger window and order them to get out. However, sensing that something was not right, San San and her boyfriend remained in their car.

San San’s boyfriend then decided to escape and reversed the car in an attempt to get away from the bikers. He floored the accelerator crashed into one of the bikers, which in turn incited aggression and the bikers began kicking their vehicle. What ensued after was a high-speed pursuit along the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) as the bikers gave chase.

Throughout the chase, the men kept shouting at them to stop and threw rocks at their car. One of them even flung a sparkplug, which busted their passenger side window. To make matters worse, one of the wheels on the Perodua Myvi that they were in was running on its rim as it sustained a flat tyre after ramming into one of the motorcycles.

“We had no choice but to slam the emergency brakes, which caused 2 of the motorcycles to escape towards the KDU direction because they probably thought that we were going to hit them. The other 2 motorcycles, however, were still tailing us so I had to call the police,” San San said in her Facebook post dated Monday, 10th October 2016.

The steering wheel also began to fail, which made it difficult for them control their vehicle, what more at the speed that they were travelling. San San and her boyfriend were already approaching 1 Utama Shopping Centre, but they had no choice but to soldier on in hopes of losing the bikers and getting the help that they needed.

Luckily for the couple, the bikers eventually gave up and exited the LDP as they were approaching the Kepong toll plaza. San San and her boyfriend then pulled up by the side of the road but because they were still shaken from the incident and fearful of being followed, they sought help from the toll plaza’s security, who stayed with them until the police arrived. The police arrived in after about 10 minutes and helped them call a tow truck.

San San and her boyfriend filed a police report the next day.

She relayed her entire ordeal in a Facebook post complete with pictures of visibly damaged Perodua Myvi. Her post has since garnered over 28,600 shares and 3,300 comments.


Will Jason Momoa’s Aquaman & Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman Crossover?

Jason Momoa is certainly the man of the hour. Ever since he established himself as the DC superhero “Aquaman”, many have taken an interest on the character’s progress.

It was recently announced that his stepdaughter, Zoe Kravitz, will be playing Catwoman in the upcoming “The Batman” movie. A ton of fans have called for a crossover to be made for the father-daughter duo.

In an interview with Entertainment Online, he was asked about his reaction on the casting of both Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman and Robert Pattinson’s Batman. The “Justice League” star had nothing but praise for the both of them.

In regards to Kravitz, the stepfather was all smiles saying, “So proud. It’s perfect casting, it’s perfect. She’s gonna killed it.” He did not stopped there, as Jason Momoa also expressed his excitement on Pattinson’s casting. “I’m really stoked. He’s a good man, he’s a great actor. I’m excited about the whole thing,” the hunky actor said.

Being a conversation of DC’s characters, it didn’t take long before he was asked about the potential crossover for the beloved characters. Sadly, the answer given by the DC star was certainly not the one fans were hoping for.

The Hawaiian native quickly shot down any possibility of the crossover. “I mean, it’d be awesome, but I don’t think it’s going that way. Let’s just let them do their thing and I’ll do my thing,” he was quoted as saying. But this might just be a blessing in disguise, as Warner Bros. have been criticised in the past for rushing a mega superhero movie rather than focusing on origin stories.

Check out the entire interview in the video below:

Currently, Jason Momoa is promoting his latest series, “See”, which tells a story about a future where humankind has lost the ability to see. However, everything changes when a set of twins are born with sight, thus, challenging the status quo.

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Museum Of Illusions KL Is Closing Down This Weekend

It’s a sad news for the art scene in Malaysia as Museum Of Illusions Kuala Lumpur has announced that they’ll be wrapping up this week.

The modern art museum is located at Ansa Hotel, Bukit Bintang, and will officially close by this weekend, on Sunday, 27th September 2020.

The museum’s official Facebook stated, “Hello everyone, thank you for your support since we opened in 2018. It has been such a wonderful 3 years of experience with all of you. It’s time for us to say goodbye now. We are to officially close down by 27th September 2020.”

The good news is, they are leaving with a farewell promo by giving special walk-in prices for their last remaining operating days. The post stated, “To appreciate you even more, we would like to offer a special walk in price of RM15 for MyKad holders and RM10 for MyKid holders on September 26th and 27th.”

Before the discounted prices, the original admission cost was RM35 per person. That means you’re saving more than half of its full price. It’s also a good place to take pictures if your Insta-feed is looking a little dry.

What are you waiting for? Head over to Museum Of Illusions KL and take some photos that can trick your friends! ?


Pitch Perfect: “Shorty Get Down, Good Lord..”

Beca (played by Anna Kendrick) is a freshman at Barden University. She is also that girl who’d rather listen to what’s coming out of her headphones than what’s coming out of you. But she’s not a social retard or arrogant per se. She just lives in her own little world.

Arriving at her new school, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud comedy, “Pitch Perfect”:

When Beca takes this acoustic singing group, “The Bellas” out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college a cappella. You guessed it – they’re taking on their male rivals in a campus competition. This could wind up either the coolest thing they’ll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.

An example of what Beca and “The Bellas” can do? Here:

[youtube id=”q573_hDhTbE” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Yezzir! “Pitch Perfect” is absolutely loaded with new takes on old favorites to hits of right now that are seamlessly mixed together, mashed-up and arranged like you’ve never heard before.

We’re so game for this movie! “Pitch Perfect” will be released in a cinema near you on 15th November 2012.

For more information, visit the movie’s official website.


Taiwanese Heartthrob Eric Chou Returns To Malaysia This September

Taiwanese heartthrob Eric Chou (周興哲) is coming back to Malaysia for the 3rd time this September!

Following shows in Singapore and Hong Kong, Unusual Entertainment Pte Ltd is proud to announce that Eric Chou will be bringing his latest, upgraded tour – Eric Chou 周興哲《TWENTY TWO PLUS》22PLUS 2018 Asia Tour to Malaysia on 1st September 2018.

The 23-year-old singer-songwriter last visited Malaysia on May 2017 for his “This Is Love” solo concert.

Known in Taiwan as the “King of Lovelorn”, Eric came into the spotlight via ballad hit “The Distance of Love” (以後別做朋友), the OST for the Taiwanese drama “The Way We Were” (16個夏天),  starring Ruby Lin (林心如) and Weber Yang (楊一展).

In the same year, he debuted with “My Way to Love” (學著愛), his 1st self-composed album featuring 11 tracks.

In 2016, he released his 2nd album “What Love Has Taught Us” (愛, 教會我們的事) which features the hit song “How Have You Been?” (你，好不好?), reaching 10 million views upon its release and attained 1st place in various Chinese music charts.

For his upcoming tour, Eric will be promoting his 3rd self-produced album “The Chaos after You” (如果雨之後), featuring his 1st EDM tune “Without Her”.

Throughout his music career, Eric has composed songs for various famous artists including A-Lin (黄丽玲), Jeff Chang (張信哲), Chyi Chin (齊秦), Hu Xia (胡夏), and more.

Catch Eric Chou in Malaysia on 1st September at Axiata Arena.

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#Singapore: Travel In Time – Journey To Revisit The Past In A Modern Enclave

In a rapidly changing world, most countries have to stay on top of their game by redeveloping and revitalising mature areas into modern townships. Singapore, a city that is known for its modern urban planning is no exception.

Since it gained independence 50 years ago, Singapore has been relentless in its pursuit of urbanisation for the comfort of its own citizens and travellers like you and me.

Most travellers would be pleasantly surprised to discover that despite the urbanisation, priceless landmarks like street hawkers, old roads, precincts and buildings have been conserved in preservation of their heritage.

As such, there is much to be discovered in this thriving and modern city that is rich in heritage – be it dining, visiting a museum or simply engaging in a cultural programme – just across the causeway.

Go on a cultural tour around the Katong & Joo Chiat trail

The beginnings of the Katong/Joo Chiat area can be traced back to the early 19th century, where coconut plantations and humble attap-roofed kampungs (villages) dotted the landscape. Up to the 1950s the area was a serene seaside retreat for the wealthy.

Joo Chiat Road started off as a simple dirt track that linked plantations to the sea in the 1920s. It was named after Chew Joo Chiat, a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who bought over the large plots of land in Katong and was known as the “King of Katong”. In the 1920s and 1930s, many communities moved eastward out of the city centre to make Katong/Joo Chiat their home – most of them were of Peranakan and Eurasian descent. This resulted in bungalows, shophouses and places of worship steeped in their culture. To retain its rich architect and heritage, over 700 buildings in the area have been conserved.

Foodies will be happy to know that Katong/Joo Chiat is particularly well known among Singaporeans for their food trails that will take you through traditional kopitiams (coffee shops), Peranakan Dining Institutions and multi-ethnic eateries.

A few eateries to look forward to during the food trail are such as:

If you prefer something more savoury and spicy, the 328 Katong Laksa is a must-visit in Singapore. Ranked number one on the Lonely Planet’s list of things to do in Singapore, this establishment was even visited by Michelin-starred and celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay.

The Tian Tian chicken rice is not your average chicken rice. Known as one of the best Hainanese chicken rice in Singapore, the Tian Tian chicken rice has even gained the approval of celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain who said that the “chicken rice was so good that you can even eat it on its own”.

3. Take a tea break at Chin Mee Chin Confectionary

Chin Mee Chin Confectionary has been known to serve up local sweet treats such as their delicious egg tarts and almond cupcakes to Singaporeans for over 80 years.

Those with a sweet tooth should try this new brick and mortar confectionary that is tucked away in Joo Chiat, specializing in customised cakes for specialised occasions and innovative desserts – which is the mastermind of owner and executive pastry chef Hannah Wong. Not new to this industry, Hannah Wong has a slew of expertise, as she was also the former Chef de Partie in the Pâtissère, of the award winning team at the Food & Hotel Asia Salon Culinaire. She was also the previous scholarship holder of Cacao Barry scholarship to Paris at the World Street Gourmet. Be sure to order her creations, “Hey Hey Devil’s Chocolate cake” and “Strawberry Velure” when you are there.

5. Taste of yesteryears at the Immigrants Gastrobar

Doing a food trail, around one of the richest historical precincts in Singapore, would definitely make you wonder what the forefathers ate in Singapore. Experience the taste of the yesteryears as you make your way to Immigrants Gastrobar. Offering a menu that consists of dishes from the major ethnicities that were previously immigrants of Singapore such as the Chinese, Eurasian, Indian, Malay, and Peranakan. Chef Damian D’Silva who is well known for his cultural culinary expertise.

After all that eating, it is always a good idea to walk off some of those calories before your next meal by visiting some of Katong/Joo Chiat’s attractions such as:

Katong’s colourful past at the pre-war shophouses along Koon Seng Road

Get your Instagram ready when you stroll alongside Katong’s colorful shophouses along Koon Seng Road. The colourful pre-war shophouses reflect strongly upon Singapore’s rich Peranakan culture.

For starters, feel free to embrace the Peranakan culture at the “accidental museum”, The Intan.

It is always interesting to learn more about the rich culture and heritage of the Peranakans as they had a major influence on the development of the Katong/Joo Chiat precinct. Learn more about the Peranakan culture and its heritage with a visit to the “accidental” private museum at the Intan by Peranakan-born Alvin Yap.

Visitors may also taste home-cooked Peranakan food by opting for tea or dinner at the museum.

Discover Singapore’s oldest gem, Telok Ayer Street

Telok Ayer Street is one of Singapore’s oldest street gems. It gained prominence in the 1820s because it served as a landing ground for early immigrants. Under the Raffles Town Plan in 1822, which saw the creation of designated development for different ethnic groups in Singapore by its founder Sir Stamford Raffles, Telok Ayer Street belonged in a district that was designated to be a Chinese District.

The concentration of religious buildings and Chinese clan associations along the street, gives both citizens and travelers an insight into the life of the early Chinese immigrants. Telok Ayer Street used to face the sea and served as a docking bay for boats and sampans for the early immigrants. Grateful for a safe journey, many of them set up altars and worship houses to give thanks to the gods, which led to the building of the Thian Hock Keng Temple (one of Singapore’s oldest temple) in 1842.

To completely indulge in Telok Ayer’s rich experience and enjoy a holistic experience, it is recommended that travellers start at Amoy Hotel at Telok Ayer Street:

The Amoy Hotel is definitely a cultural experience on its own. It is linked to the Fuk Tak Chi museum, which used to be Singapore’s first temple built in 1824 before it was restored into a museum. Amoy Hotel, on the other hand was built from a collection of conserved shophouses that existed over 170 years ago, with Chinese-themed detailing throughout the hotel. The rooms are named after Hokkien surnames like “Chen” and “Huang” in memory of the Chinese immigrants who were mostly of Fujian descent and hailed from Amoy, China (which was what the hotel was named after).

Guests will also be greeted with hotel receptionists clad in chinese costumes, to complete the experience.

Visit the architectural masterpiece, Singapore’s oldest Hokkien temple – Thian Hock Keng Temple

An important part of Singapore’s Hokkien Chinese immigrant history can be found in the Tian Hock Keng Temple. Built in the 1839 by the Hokkien clan, the temple was initially created to house the clan’s office and serve as a meeting venue. It was completed in the 1842. Details of the temple’s history were recorded in granite tablets on the wall inside the entrance hall. The temple even attracted the attention of no less than the Qing Dynasty Emperor Guang Xu, who presented a calligraphy plaque inscribed with the phrase “bo jing nan ming” (波靖南溟or “Gentle Waves Over the South Seas” in Chinese) in 1907.

It is now permanently exhibited at the National Museum.

Built in a traditional southern Chinese architectural style, the Thian Hock Keng Temple’s structure was assembled without nails and comprises of an architectural masterpiece of stone, tiles, woods dragons and phoenixes, intricate sculptures and imposing columns. Its long-standing history has led the government to gazette the temple as a national monument in 1973.It has also been awarded some of the most prestigious architectural awards, including the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage 2001 Awards for the Cultural Heritage Conservation Building.

Food choices are also aplenty at Telok Ayer Street – from famous hawker centers to modern cafes, you will be able to satisfy your craving along this street full or rich heritage:

1. Dine at Telok Ayer Market, also known as the infamous Lau Pa Sat

If you would like to taste Singapore’s hawker food, a trip to the Telok Ayer Market aka Lau Pa Sat is definitely a must. Known as the first market in Singapore, Lau Pa Sat has also been gazetted as a national monument in Singapore – offering travelers and foodies alike different local cuisines to feast on. There are also several shops inside the market and on weekend evenings, visitors can enjoy live band performances in the market.

2. Kick back and Relax with a leisure cup of coffee at sandwich café, Sarnies

If you wish to take some time off from exploring, sit back and relax in a laidback environment like Sarnies. Tucked away in the old shophouses at Telok Ayer Street, Sarnies offer a variety of coffee and comfort food that is popular among the young and hip crowd in Singapore.

Revel in the Nostalgic Charm of Tiong Bahru

Built in the 1930s, Tiong Bahru is one of the oldest housing estates in Singapore. It was the first project undertaken by Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT), the government body administered by the British colony history to provide mass public housing in Singapore. Before it became a housing estate, Tiong Bahru was a cemetery. Thiong meant “Cemetery” in Hokkien and Bahru meant new in Malay. The construction style of the estate is a mix of Streamline Moderne and local Straits Settlements shophouse architecture. The streets around Tiong Bahru are also named after its Chinese pioneers of the 19th and 20th centuries (Lim Liak, Kim Pong, Guan Yuan and Chay Yan).

Initially, in the pre-world war years, few could afford living in Tiong Bahru and it became a place for the rich and powerful to keep their mistresses. After the world war, the houses became affordable and more people could live there. Nowadays, Tiong Bahru has transformed into become a hip neighbourhood for families and young people alike.

1. Something for the kids at Woods in the Books

Parents, who are looking to foster good reading habits with their kids, should be introduced to a world of literary at Woods in the Books, an independent bookstore on Yong Siak Street in Tiong Bahru. The co-founder of the bookstore is an artist himself who is known to illustrate some of the books. He and his wife personally curates picture books, comics and graphic novels introduced in the store.

Strangelets is known for one thing: strange things. The owners stock brands that are niche and unavailable anywhere else in the city. Chic designers such as Nils Holger Moorman and David Restorick create some of the item sold at their stores. If you are looking to bring back unique furnishing for your home (i.e. such as fertility dolls) or an imaginative kid’s product, this is definitely the place to go.

Who would have thought that Potatoes and Teas could compliment well with one another. The PoTeaTo is a must-visit in Tiong Bahru. Occupying a tiny shop front in Tiong Bahru, the café has a variety of potato dishes such as the hand cut sweet potato fries, which can be paired with their detoxifying Sencha tea. A few interesting items to indulge in are the hearty Fisherman’s Pie or the Good ol’ Fish and Chips paired with a pot of Oolong Berry.

4. Dine to a daringly different culinary experience at Ikyu

Ask any old Singaporean if they have thought that Tiong Bahru would one day be the home to culinary art, and the answer would probably be a resounding no. However, that has changed with the opening of Japanese restaurant Ikyu. Helmed by executive chef Takuma Seki, formerly of Hide Yamamoto restaurant at the Marina Bay Sands, Ikyu offers a variety of interesting Japanese interpretations such as French Foie Gras Flavored in Yuzu and Grilled Edamame Flavored in the Truffle.

Take a walk on one of Singapore’s most vibrant street – Little India

The area’s main thoroughfare, Serangoon Road, was one of the earliest roads in Singapore. Farms were set up along the road and they produced crops like sireh or betel nut, paddy, vegetables and sugar cane. Years later, it moved on to cattle trading, which drew in a wider Indian population. The Indian population grew further in the 19th and 20th century, and fuelled the birth of numerous religious and cultural landmarks, which later became iconic tourist attractions in Singapore.

Let’s not forget that there’s also the opportunity to explore the rich history of the Indian culture at Singapore’s Indian Heritage Centre.

One of the key attractions this year is the newly built Singapore Indian Heritage Centre (IHC) that is set to officially open next month. Embrace the rich history of the early Indian settlers as you discover special trade and culture exhibitions by the IHC in partnership with the Indian government, and a wide range of showcase pieces reflecting the Indian History of the South East Asian region.

The IHC will also be showcasing heirlooms, arts and crafts and memorabilia from South East Asia, dating back to early 1900th century.

2. Discover favorite Indian eateries at the Tekka Market

If you are a fan of Indian cuisines like Banana Leaf rice or even the infamous “Nasi Briyani” a visit to the Tekka Market in Little India should definitely be on your list. Known as the heart and soul of Little India, the Tekka Market features authentic Indian cuisines that are colorful and fresh. Each food is also suitable for Muslim travellers as most of the hawker stalls sell predominantly Indian Muslim cuisines.

3. Trendy cafe trails to look out for around Little India

After all that walking around little India, it is always nice to take a break and relax with a cup of coffee or have a snack at a hidden café. Over the years, there are many hidden cafes that are popping up all around Little India – which you must make it a point to visit when you visit this colorful precinct.

4. Recharge and relax at the Countryside Café

Start if you are looking for a place to recharge, the Countryside Café is the ultimate go-to place in Little India. Offering a wide range of Alcoholic beverages, mocktails and palatable western snacks, this fuel shack is also ranked as one of the must-visit cafes in Little India by Lonely Planet

5. Your new brewing hangout spot Rouse Café

Plan your next café visit around at the local hipster hangout spot in Rouse Café, Little India. Known as one of the very few Halal hipster cafes around Singapore, this rustic little café offers house blends brewed by Dutch Colony Coffee in Singapore and offer delectable cuisines like “Beef Wrapped Asparagus” and “Open-Faced Roast Beef Sandwich” which has garnered local fan fare.

6. Dig in to a fine feast at the Jewel Café and Bar at Rangoon Road

If you are looking a fuller meal and are not into sips and bites, this little gem of a café at Rangoon Road, Little India is one to visit. With a stunning chic industrial décor, that is represented by a concrete and brick wall, embellished with copper plates, the shape of jewels and crystal light bulbs, Jewel Café and Bar has a few anticipated dishes such as “Umami Prawn Capellini” and the pan fried “Chilean Black Cod” which is well loved among its recurring visitors.

Rediscover Singapore’s famous developments that are steeped in rich history yet bustling with trendy and interesting lifestyle offerings. Head on over to Singapore to discover more modern experiences set against the historically rich background of the Lion City.

For more information, visit Singapore Tourism’s official website.

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(UPDATED) #MH17: Debris & Bodies Seen At The Wreckage Site

It was reported that a Malaysian Airlines plane carrying a total of 298 people (283 passengers including three infants of various nationalities and 15 crew of Malaysian nationality), has crashed in Ukraine near the Russian border.

Russian non-governmental news agency Interfax first broke the news about the plane crash after citing an aviation industry source. The Boeing Malaysian airlines was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

According to Reuters, the plane did not enter Russian airspace. However, Interfax reported that the Malaysian passenger airliner was shot down at altitude of 10km above Eastern Ukraine by a ground-to-air missile. While it’s not verified, Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser stated that all passengers onboard died in the Malaysian airliner crash.

As the area was controlled by pro-Russian separatists who are fighting the Ukrainian army, Ukrainian journalist Myroslava reported that Malaysia Airlines plane crashed to the north of Torez in the Donetsk region, as confirmed by military expert Dmitry Tymchuk.

Regarding the plane crash, MAS has confirmed that they had lost contact with flight MH17 from Amsterdam with last known position over Ukraine. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak posted a tweet saying that they are launching an “immediate investigation” on the reports of the plane crash.

This is yet another tragic incident for MAS and Malaysia as on March 8, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared. That plane had 239 people on board and searchers have found no trace of 370 or its passengers despite extensive search efforts.

According to the Reuters, the 5th President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko says bringing down of Malaysian passenger plane was a “terrorist act”. Various airlines including Russian airline Aeroflot & Transaero as well as Turkish Airlines will avoid entering Ukrainian airspace as well after the incident.

Various news outlets reported seeing burning wreckage of airplane and dead bodies on ground. Associated Press journalist further confirmed that at least 22 bodies have been found at Ukraine plane wreckage site.

RABOVE, UKRAINE: Plenty of mutilated corpses are seen strewn at the wreckage site of Malaysia Airlines MH17 after it crashed in east Ukraine, reported an AFP reporter who is at the scene.

Debris is spread out over many kilometres and the tail of a passenger jet lay in a corn field with the Malaysia Airlines insignia on it while fire trucks were seen nearby at the crash site. -AFP

We will continue updating this post as we get further information.


Nerves Are High For The 6 Twisties Superstarz X Finalists!

The heat is on as the six Twisties Superstarz X protégés, handpicked by Twisties Superstarz X celebrity mentors Altimet and Prema Yin, battle it out to be crowned this year’s Twisties Superstarz X! This coming week, the finalists will be tried and tested by their mentors through a series of challenges, testing their skills, composure, and everything they thought they knew about musical stardom.

The “The Style” Grooming Challenge, held at Zalora Studio was one of them. Here’s what went down:

[youtube id=”I-6DKZsCtFo” width=”600″ height=”350″]

After which, we were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with these seven very talented kids with confidence to boot, as well as their mentors Altimet and Prema Yin. We discovered their goals, dreams, and about what made them tick throughout the entire time of the Twisties Superstarz X challenges.

If you were picked as the winner of this year’s Twisties Superstarz X, who would you choose to collaborate with on an album?

Kyle: “Honestly, I think all of us (Twisties Superstarz X finalists) discussed this before and we actually want this whole team here in an album together. So, if we were to do a song, I’d imagine a music video displaying our journey and I’d actually love everyone here to be a part of it the video. In terms of collaborations, I’d say Boyz II Men or Rascal Flatts if I ever get a chance to. Locally, I’d honestly like to work with both Altimet and Prema Yin because he’s an amazing rapper and she’s an amazing songstress.”

Syah: “Like Kyle said, we’ve discussed this before and we really do want to feature everyone. I really love their craziness! This is nothing like a competition to us because we’re so close – we’re like siblings. As for future song collaborations, I’d really love to work with Altimet.”

Lina: “We’ve only met for three days but we’re so close – everybody’s so crazy and so fun! So yeah, if I win, I’d definitely feature everyone here in it. Collaborations-wise, internationally..I’d really like to work with Pumped Up Kicks. Locally, well, I really like rapping so if given the opportunity, I’d like to work with Altimet’s..friend, Joe Flizzow.”

Young: “Beyoncé! I’d definitely love to work with Beyoncé. It’d be a dream come true.”

Joey: “A collaboration between all of us would be so amazing because we each have our own personalities and styles. Internationally, I’d love to collaborate with Boyce Avenue. I love their songs, I love how they always change it up with they do covers, and it’s so original and nice.”

Diary Of Us: “We’d love everyone here in our music video if we win.”

In your opinion, what has been the toughest Twisties Superstarz X challenge that you’ve had to face so far?

Kyle: “We’ve been through three challenges so far and the first one was voice projection. I actually found that easy. I’m not showing off or anything! It’s only because I grew up in a family of loud people – I’m considered the softest in my family. The hardest challenge so far for me was the second challenge. We had to come up with something creative and play a beat with random objects. I have very bad tempo and I’m a terrible dancer. I can’t even play a tambourine and sing at the same time – that’s how bad I am!”

Syah: “I think the first challenge was the toughest one for me. It was held at Asia Café in Subang Jaya and it was really noisy there. I don’t think anyone actually heard my voice and the song that was given to me was very random – I had to sing Taylor’s Swift ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’. I had to sing that song in public with my guitar!”

Lina: “We were given the challenge to sing something that was out of our comfort zone and I was given Sheila Majid’s ‘Lagenda’. I didn’t know how to sing the verse or the chorus and we were given only half an hour to learn the song. ‘Lagenda’ it’s a soft song but the challenge required voice projection – you can’t scream a soft song! I felt like no one could hear me. Hands down, toughest challenge.”

Young: “For me, it was the second challenge. I’m also really bad with tempo. Also, it requires creativity and I’m really bad with being creative too. I think I did just..normal and I didn’t stand out. I need to work on this more.”

Joey: “I found all the challenges to be quite fun and I like the fact that it’s nothing you would imagine. The first challenge, when they gave us the songs, I was like, okay I’m not going to do well. I was given Demi Lovato’s ‘Heart Attack’ – I had to learn it in 30 minutes. And when we got to the location, we were all very sweaty and there was oil in the air – and I’m pretty sure that somewhere along the way, a fly flew into my mouth!”

Diary Of Us: “The first challenge was very tough for us. We were given Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ – we love that song. We changed it up a bit when we performed it but we felt like nobody could really hear us. But the most important thing is we had fun!”

Can’t wait to find out who will emerge winner for this year’s Twisties Superstarz X? Neither can we because every single one of them is busting with talent! We wish them all nothing but the best for the grand finale, which is slated to happen on 25th May 2013.

For more information, visit their website

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Step-By-Step Guide On How To Use Apple Pay On Your iPhone & Apple Watch

Apple Pay is finally here in Malaysia, and customers can now use the new feature with their iPhones and Apple Watches. The hassle-free and more secure way to shop is available in-store at leading retailers, in apps and even on the web.

Customers do not need to worry about protecting information in the industry. Credit and debit card numbers are not stored on the device or Apple servers. A unique Device Account Number is assigned, encrypted, and securely stored in the Secure Element on the user’s device instead. Each transaction is authorised with a one-time unique dynamic security code.

Whether grabbing a coffee at Starbucks, buying essentials from Watsons, or making an online purchase from Shopee, Apple Pay aims to bring speed and convenience to users’ daily lives. Here are some simple steps to setup the Apple Pay app in your device and how to use it.

How to add a credit/debit card for Apple Pay on your iPhone:

Add a card for Apple Pay on your Apple Watch:

Our first time using Apple Pay in Malaysia.

Whomever has a Visa or Mastercard cards from Ambank, Maybank, or Standard Chartered Bank can now use Apple Pay! American Express cards will be available to the service later this year. McDonald’s, Machines, Maxis, Starbucks, Uniqlo, Shopee, Watsons, and many more are among the merchants and websites that accept Apple Pay.


Cat + Selfie = Cat Bearding

What do you get if/when you combine a feline friend, a selfie (read: self-taken shot), and too much free time? A purrfectly silly new interwebs craze called, “cat bearding”. And what is this “cat bearding”, exactly?

It is when you grab a cat (and try your darndest to not get clawed in the process) and sit in front of somewhere, anywhere with a camera, wait till the cat’s head is tilted at the right angle, and snap a picture. When done correctly, you could very well end up looking like you’re rockin’ Santa’s beard. Yup. A competition-worthy beard.

Is there a point to it, you ask? No, of course not. Since when did any random Internet meme/craze ever have a point to it? One thing we can say though, is that some of the “cat bearding” pictures have turned out quite cute! Plus, this is perhaps only of the only memes to date that has successfully combined all of the Internet’s most favourite/common things of our generation – cats and selfies.

So, got a cat and some free time? You know what to do.


#MAMA2014: Official Venue & First Line-Up Announced

Hong Kong continues to be the home for K-Pop invasion as Asia’s greatest music ceremony festival, Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) is slated to happen at the Hong Kong AsiaWorld-Expo on December 12, 2014.

Previously known as MMF (Mnet Music Video Festival) and MKMF (Mnet KM Music Video Festival), the 16th music ceremony festival will be held outside of their homeland in South Korea for the fourth time since 2010.

This will be the third consecutive year that Mnet is holding their ceremony in Hong Kong since the 2012 MAMA was held at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. With the slogan “Music Makes One”, the ceremony aims to gather the fans around the world, bringing together diverse culture under one roof. The ceremony is usually broadcasted live in 4 major continents including Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania and thus, taking lead in spreading K-Pop worldwide.

Alongside the news, Mnet also announced its first line-up of performers for the annual music awards.

EXO and BIGBANG‘s members, G-Dragon and Taeyang are set to perform on stage during the upcoming music awards. Back in 2012, EXO won the Best New Asian Group award despite being relatively new in the K-Pop music scene. In the same year, BIGBANG also won “Artist of the Year” award while its leader, G-Dragon aka Kwon Ji-yong, claimed the “Best Male Solo” award for his own.

After unveiling his long-awaited solo album, Taeyang is expected to perform some of his title tracks from the album including “Eyes, Nose, Lips” and “1AM“. Currently touring around Asia for their “The Lost Planet” Tour, EXO is also expected to perform “Overdose”, which was released earlier in May this year.

The voting page for the award is currently open with 17 award categories, including Union Pay Artist of the Year and Union Pay Song of the year. The voting ends at 12am on December 3, 2014.

We’ll leave you now with one of our all-time favourite MAMA performances, K-pop idol boy goup BIGBANG’s epic performance at MAMA 2012:

So, what are you waiting for? Start voting for your favourite artistes now! For more information, visit MAMA’s official website.

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#Thailand: Foreigners To Be Given SIM Cards That Will Track Their Every Movement

Thailand has always been a favourite holiday destination for Malaysians, but it might all change with this new regulation.

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) proposed a plan today (Tuesday, 9th August) to use SIM cards to track all movements of foreigners – not just tourists – in a bid to increase national security.

The plan, which was originally proposed by the national telecom regulator last week, will be enforced on anyone who doesn’t hold a Thai passport, including “resident aliens” who owns long term employment, marriage, or retirement visas.

The secretary-general of NBTC, Takorn Tantasith, said that the matter would be brought forward to mobile phone operators, Customs Department, and other related state agencies for discussions. They will also preset certain features on the SIM cards to ensure that the tracking function will not be able to be turned off.

“We will separate SIM cards for foreigners and Thais. The location will always be turned on in this SIM card for foreigners. And it cannot be turned off,” explained Tantasith while claiming that he learnt of the plan from telecommunication officials of Malaysia and Singapore. However, while tourists and foreigners in the aforementioned countries are obliged to register their SIM cards under valid identification, no tracking systems are implemented.

Foreigners would still be able to bring in their local SIM cards that are on roaming plans, but a location-tracking SIM card will be presented to those who want to purchase a Thai SIM card. When questioned if it was invading the privacy of those affected, Tantasith said that he was “unconcerned”, as it is “like a foreigner writing in the address of their residences in immigration documents”.

He continued, “We would just facilitate the police. So they could more easily track foreigners who enter the country and commit crimes. The function is not in SIM card for Thais because we can always easily track them.”

The plan is expected to come into effect in around 6 months’ time, but the secretary-general continues to assuage fear by informing foreigners that a court order would be needed to track someone by their SIM card. If anyone abuses the system, a severe penalty would be imposed.

Sources: Tech In Asia, Bangkok Post, Khaosod English.


Hype’s Now Playing: 7 Times A DJ/Producer Made A Song For A Pop Artiste

We love great tracks, be it electronic dance music or mainstream pop music. In the recent times, a lot of work is being put into crossing genres (also cross-marketing genres) in the music industry. We’re talking about both Avicii and Tiesto trying to break in into the Chinese market with unlikely collaborations, as well as Jack Ü (aka Skrillex and Diplo) riding the radio airwaves with their Justin Bieber track.

By the looks of it, many more creative team-ups are coming our way, starting with K-Pop idol girl group 2NE1 leader CL’s US solo debut, which will consist of some Diplo masterpieces. We already got a taste of “Dr. Pepper“, after all :)

While we’re on the topic of DJ/producer and artiste collaborations, did you know that there were some DJs/producers who chose to work behind-the-scenes in the past? You would be surprised to find out who worked on what because some of these names didn’t actually appear anywhere else (read: song title) except for maybe the credits. And even that’s a little on the down low as the DJs/producers were credited under their real names, not their stage names.

Here are 7 times a DJ/producer made a song for a pop artiste:

In 2001, BT told MTV that he was at first a little hesitant when N’Sync members JC Chasez and Justin Timberlake approached him to work on some music. But he was sold the moment Justin told him, “You can do whatever the hell you want to our vocals. Anything.” So, BT took him up on the offer, and he did whatever the hell he wanted. He spent 2 weeks working on their vocals, trying 40 different treatments, using special equipment usually reserved for movie sound effects.

And the result was “Pop”, released in 2001. Listen to it below:

It took nearly 20 years before David Guetta finally stumbled upon his breakthrough hit with The Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling”. In an interview with The Guardian, he said, “That changed everything. I Gotta Feeling really changed the game and opened the doors for dance music in America. They started to play it for the first time on the radio, so not only did I cross over, but my entire scene crossed over. It was pretty exciting.” 2009’s “I Gotta Feeling” turned out so well, it cinched multiple awards and went on to stay stuck in our heads till this day.

3. Christian Karlsson (Galantis) for Britney Spears

We know, right? Galantis for Britney Spears? Most unlikely combo ever! This one actually took a bit of research because “Toxic” was produced under the name of a duo called Bloodshy & Avant. Bloodshy being Christian Karlsoon, who also happens to be one-half of electro house and big room duo Galantis. Christian co-wrote the Britney Spears song, which eventually earned an Ivor Novello award (for songwriting and composition) and a Grammy award for “Best Dance Recording”. It’s addictive! And of course, there was also the super crazy music video for “Toxic” that we shamelessly/secretly love.

Within 24 hours of the release of “Beauty And A Beat” on Vevo, it garnered 10.6 million views, surpassing the record held by One Direction’s “Live While We’re Young” clip . It could be because of its “leaked music video” concept, or it could just be due its catchy, pounding pop tune courtesy of young DJ/producer Zedd. Zedd told MTV, “I made the song and I didn’t know who to give it to. And Bieber was actually the first, or his people hit us up. They heard the song and they were like, ’Please, let’s try it out.’ And I wasn’t convinced at first, to be completely honest. But then it started with the fact that he was early in the studio, which just never happens – like never happens. And then he was just extremely fast. He nailed the song in an hour and sounded amazing. And then it was no question for me. I don’t need to try someone else out if I know this is right.”

You can hear Zedd’s signature sound in “Beauty And A Beat”, released in 2012. Check it out:

The truth is, we miss Swedish House Mafia as much as you do, if not more. Because just about everything that the trio touches turns to gold. In 2012, they produced “Euphoria” alongside Usher, a dance-pop song which included the DJs’ glimmering synths while Usher croons in his coolly-controlled falsetto. Quietly, Swedish House Mafia also helped Usher produce “Numb”, an inspirational song about finding one’s destiny, becoming numb to the negativity, and just following your dreams. Unlike “Euphoria”, Swedish House Mafia wasn’t credited for “Numb” in the song’s title – but the secret’s out now!

The result? A nice cross between dance, electropop, and R&B:

When Lady Gaga first premiered her 80s-sounding anthem “Gypsy” in Germany, it left fans speechless. The song sounded like it came from an incredible production team, just like the rest of her “Artpop” album and true enough, it did. “Gypsy” was co-written by none other than then 19-year-old DJ/producer Madeon. Having worked together, Lady Gaga offered the highest of praise to Madeon, saying, “He is so amazing. He has such an understanding of music at such a young age. He reminds me of myself so much. He’s obsessed, so obsessed with music.” Madeon, too, couldn’t stop gushing about Lady Gaga, calling her amazing and really impressive.

He’s credited for 2013’s “Gypsy” under his real name, Hugo (Pierre) Leclercq. Listen via Lady Gaga’s live performance below:

Last but not least, the work of one of electronic dance music’s wonderboys, Avicii. He came together with Coldplay frontman to produce “A Sky Full Of Stars”, but not without leaving his “Avicii imprint” all over the song – from the majestic piano lines to the pounding bass drum that propels the song forward, and Martin’s appropriately dramatic vocals that soared over the top of this arena-ready anthem. Upon its release, “A Sky Full of Stars” garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics, and charted inside the top 10 in over 16 countries such as Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan, Mexico, the UK, and US. It went on to get nominated for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” at the 57th Grammy Awards. Released in 2014, “A Sky Full Of Stars” is beautiful, thanks to Avicii’s brilliant production skills, of course.

The above are just some of our personal “hidden gems” favourites. Do you have any that you’d like us to check out and perhaps add to the list? Leave a comment in the comments box below ;)

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Heineken Wants To Take You To Ibiza!

As some of the best football teams in the world battle it out to reach the UEFA Champions League Final, Heineken announced the launch of its “Heineken Ibiza Final” campaign to celebrate its seventh consecutive year sponsoring the UEFA Champions League (UCL).

This year, Heineken takes its campaign a notch higher by rewarding its fans with the chance to watch the screening of the UCL finals in the world’s party capital – Ibiza, Spain. Moving beyond just a viewing event, Heineken Ibiza Final is set to bring together the best of football and the best of music in one spectacular night to create an unbelievable VIP experience.

Fans are encouraged to engage with the Heineken Ibiza Final campaign via social media activity or from on-pack and in-bar to be one step closer to this incredible once in a lifetime prize. As the campaign reaches its climax, fans will then have to display their skills through a combination of charm, imagination and inventiveness to be rewarded with this ultimate football experience.

The Heineken Ibiza Final campaign will go live from 1st – 20th April 2013 online at Heineken’s Facebook page and at all participating Heineken outlets in Malaysia.


Fun Facts: 7 Reasons To Put Your Hands Up For The Stafford Brothers

Because sometimes, two really is better than one. ;)

(Featured image via Stafford Brothers on Facebook)

We’ve always loved a good sibling duo or any duo for that matter and tonight at the grand launch of Capricorn KL, we’ll get to party it up with none other than the Stafford Brothers. Australia’s hottest export, Stafford Brothers are made up of brothers Matt and Chris Stafford who are currently based in Los Angeles. Known for their performance presence and for their ability to always throw down wild, energetic and engaging sets that takes every party to the next level, Stafford Brothers sure are the life of the party.

Considering that these guys are going to be turning things up at the grand launch of Capricorn KL tonight, we figured you should probably brush up on some fun Stafford Brothers facts.

Today, we leave you with one of our favourite Stafford Brothers track “Hands Up” featuring Lil Jon. Enjoy!

Keep updated with the Stafford Brothers via these platforms: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.