Sweden’s Official Twitter Account Suffers Controversy

The ever changing social media platform, Twitter, is one of the main channels that are being used for various things. From personal rants to promos and campaigns, to news sharing/alerts to spoof accounts for daily LOLs. And now, even tourism.

Thomas Brühl (CEO of VisitSweden) said that Sweden’s tourism ministry officially kicked off their tourism campaign with the blessing of the Swedish government. How does it work? One Swedish citizen will control the handle each week, tweeting about whatever they’d like, as a part of the campaign called “Curators of Sweden”.

Portraying Sweden the best way they know how via Twitter, if they may, for those who have yet to visit the country. So far, the account has seen Swedes’ tweets from all walks of life including an ad agency founder who owns a farm, a suburban writer, a teacher, a coffee-drinking lesbian trucker, and even a priest.

Sweden from the eyes of many? Yes! It was genius. Until:

The current Swede behind the account is mother-of-two Sonja Abrahamsson who made it a point to post not only a string of tweets but also claim, “This @sweden-thing is not an experiment. We have done this for SEVEN MONTHS! We know exactly what we are doing!” to the account’s 39,558 followers.

The controversial tweets have sparked an outrage and our best guess is, it will continue to until her reign as the current weekly Twitterer is over. But we reckon that her personal Twitter account has already gained an influex of new followers since the “abomination”. Can’t really fault her now, or can we?

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Meet Your Favourite TVB Actors Tomorrow At Sunway Velocity Mall

Some of the top actors and actresses from TVB will be coming to Malaysia tomorrow for a special meet-and-greet session with the fans at Sunway Velocity Mall.

The Hong Kong stars who will be coming tomorrow include the cast from the hit TVB series “Heart of Greed” (溏心风暴) like Ha Yu (夏雨), Louise Lee Sze Kee   (李司棋), Michelle Yim (米雪) and Louis Yuen Siu Cheung  (阮兆祥), together with two other famous actors Elena Kong May Yee (江美仪) and Lau Shek Yin (刘锡贤).

This dynamic team of actors will come together for “Secret” (秘密) stage play which is set to take place at Arena of Stars in Resorts World Genting on 30th March  2019, 8.30pm.

The play is a hilarious, captivating story told from the perspective of mankind , full of plot twists and captivating moments and full of mysteries to be uncovered, yet bound to incite laughter.

But before the stage play hit our shores, the cast will be coming down to Malaysia tomorrow, 12th January 2019, on 12pm for a special meet-and-greet-session with the fans at Sunway Velocity Mall’s Ground Floor Main Atrium.

Be sure to catch them in March as well for their exciting stage show. More info on rwgenting.com.

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Alex Goot & Against The Current Live in KL


Michael Jackson, The King of Pop’s Greatest Hits

It’s been five years since the King of Pop, Michael Jackson passed away yet, his career is more alive than it has been in decades.

Last month, Jackson moonwalked across a Las Vegas stage in a nationally televised hologram performance and his latest album recently debuted at No. 2 on the music charts. Also, a traveling Cirque du Soleil show based on his songs has garnered nearly 500 performances worldwide.

Today marks the 5th anniversary of his death and in remembrance of Michael Jackson, here’s a playlist of some of his greatest hits. Enjoy!


#MTV #VMA: Swept Off Our Feet By The All-Star Ensemble

The build up to this year’s MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) 2014 promised exhilarating performances like MTV has never seen before, with Jessie J, Nicki Minaj (what happened to her dress?), and Ariana Grande at the helm of the awards show. Ariana rocked up on stage to sing, “Break Free”, followed by Nicki Minaj, who sauntered onto the MTV VMA stage to gyrate to “Anaconda“.

Jessie J later joined the hotties as they opened this year’s MTV #VMA with their live performances of their collaboration, “Bang Bang”.

Let’s not forget that one time during this year’s awards where Iggy Azalea and Rita Ora “crawled” around on stage in matching outfits to belt out their top tune, “Black Widow“. And also, that one very, very long span of time (about 18 minutes) when Queen Bey herself totally owned the stage when she delivered a vanguard performance.

She later went on to win the “Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award”.

Some of your favourite celebrities were also in attendance to present the awards to this year’s nominees as well as to introduce the performers. Familiar names such as Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Nina Dobrev, Trey Songz, Demi Lovato, Jennifer Lopez, Jason Derulo, Jimmy Fallon, and more. On top of that, with superstars like Queen Bey aka Beyonce, Eminem, and Iggy Azalea leading the nominations this year, the competition for Moonman domination was absolutely fierce!

The nominees and winners list for the “2014 MTV Video Music Awards” are:

Best Female:
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyonce – “Partition”
Lorde – “Royals”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Katy Perry ft. Juicy J – “Dark Horse”

Best Male:
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
John Legend – “All Of Me”
Ed Sheeran ft. Pharrell – “Sing”
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
Eminem ft. Rihanna – “Monster”

Best Pop:
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Jason Derulo ft. 2 Chainz – “Talk Dirty”
Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea – “Problem”
Avicii ft. Aloe Blacc – “Wake Me Up”

Best Hip Hop:
Eminem – “Bezerk”
Drake ft. Majid Jordan – “Hold On (We’re Going Home)”
Childish Gambino – “3005″
Kanye West – “Black Skinhead”
Wiz Khalifa – “We Dem Boyz”

Best Rock:
Imagine Dragons – “Demons”
Arctic Monkeys – “Do I Wanna Know”
The Black Keys – “Fever”
Lorde – “Royals”
Linkin Park – “Until It’s Gone”

Video of the Year:
Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX – “Fancy”
Beyonce ft. JAY Z – “Drunk In Love”
Pharrell Williams – “Happy”
Sia – “Chandelier”
Miley Cyrus – “Wrecking Ball”

MTV Artist to Watch:
Sam Smith – “Stay With Me”
5 Seconds of Summer -”She Looks So Perfect”
Charli XCX – “Boom Clap”
Schoolboy Q – “Man Of The Year”
Fifth Harmony – “Miss Movin On”

What do you guys think of the winners? Did any of your favourite artistes bag any awards? Let us know in the comment box below!

Also, special thanks to our friends from MTV Asia for sending us on this year’s MTV VMA assignment. The 2014 MTV Video Music Awards will repeat tonight (Monday, 25th August) at 7:30pm onwards (WIB), 8:30pm onwards (SG/PH), and 9:30pm onwards (MAL).

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(Video) Driving Toy Racecars With Smartphones: Malaysians Are Obsessed With Shell’s New Collectibles

Before online video games, one of the most popular toys for children to play with was remote control racecars. You would definitely see one neighbourhood kid flexing one of these cars and perhaps a competition on whose racecar is the fastest.

Although these remote control cars are still on sale in shops, we don’t see children playing with them as often. However, the same cannot be said for adults. Many are making up for their childhood by purchasing and playing the newly-released Bluetooth racecars. Lately, these toy cars have been getting a lot of attention; here’s why:

🏎💨 #shellmalaysia #shellmotorsport #racewithshell #imlimitededition

Earlier this month, multinational oil and gas company Shell introduced its line of limited-edition remote control toy racecars. The new releases have been getting quite popular lately with the majority of customers being adults, especially men. What makes these cars special is that they don’t come with their own remote controls as you can simply download the app and use your smartphone to “drive” them.

Several TikTok users posted videos of them trying out the new cars and they seem to really be enjoying themselves. In the video above, user @shellolaklempit showcased himself setting up the car model he purchased and testing it out on a miniature racetrack. We have to admit, it looks really fun and made us reminisce on our own childhood.

The app not only lets you drive these cars, but it tracks your stats and skills as well. This in turn helps the user improve their remote-control “driving” skills. That’s quite impressive, no?

Netizens reacted to these TiKTok videos with many wanting to know where and how they can purchase these toy cars. The answer is on Shell Malaysia’s official website. All you have to do is basically spend a minimum of RM50 to fuel up your car at any Shell petrol station so you can purchase one toy car model for RM30.

But better hurry as these bad boys will only be available until 18th November. If you haven’t bought any of the earlier models, you still have a shot at purchasing the latest ones.


Concert-Goer Sues Steve Aoki For Breaking Her Neck

While Steve Aoki‘s stage antics have become a part of his identity, they’ve also served as one of the biggest criticisms of his shows. Despite the backlash against these antics of his performances, Aoki has continued with crowd-rafting and cake-throwing because well, no one has stopped him for doing it. Now, however, he may have a legal-basis to stop.

Back in 2012, Michigan native Brittany Hickman attended a Steve Aoki concert in San Diego without having any knowledge about the nature of his. Standing with friends at the front of the crowd, Hickman soon found herself a the receiving end of a giant pool raft and a stage-diving Aoki. The stage-dive knocked Hickman unconscious, and days after the show, she found out that the incident had led to her breaking her neck.

Hickman has now filed a lawsuit against both Aoki and Hard Rock Hotel San Diego. She told ABC 10 News:

“I was trapped underneath the pool raft because they threw it out right where I was standing. My friends told me he landed on top of the pool raft, hit me on top of the head and I got knocked over.”

Hickman was not immediately aware of her condition. She only discovered the seriousness of her injury when she visited the hospital for a CAT scan a few days later. She later reflected:

“If I would have thrown my arms above my head or reached for something, I could have paralysed myself.”

The case is now headed to trial. ABC 10 reached out to Steve Aoki’s team for a response, to which they replied:

“Thank you for your inquiry.  As you know I am the attorney representing Mr. Aoki. This matter arises out of an incident which occurred at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego, three years ago.  In addition to Mr. Aoki, Ms. Hickman is also suing Hard Rock. Trial in this matter is scheduled for August 28, 2015 before Judge Pressman of the San Diego Superior Court. Because of the ongoing litigation and the pending trial date it would not be appropriate for us to respond to your inquiry at this time or permit an interview.”

What are your thoughts on Aoki’s antics? Let us know by sounding off in the comments section.

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#TomCruise: Actor Reunites With “Edge of Tomorrow” Director For “Mena”

Ooh, it seems like we will be seeing Tom Cruise in action again.

In fact, we will see a “Edge of Tomorrow” reunion as Universal Pictures. officially announced that Cruise will be seen next in Doug Liman’s upcoming action movie, “Mena”.

Set to be released on 6th January 2017, the movie will see a reunion between Liman and Cruise as both of them previously worked together in the science fiction thriller film, “Edge of Tomorrow“. Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright, Jesse Plemons, E. Roger Mitchell Caleb Landry Jones, and Lola Kirke will be starring in “Mena” as well.

The script, which was submitted by Gary Spinelli to The Black List , will follow the real life escapades of the late Barry Seal, a hustler and pilot who is recruited by the CIA to “bring down a burgeoning communist threat in Central America”.

Cruise will be playing Seal (real name:Adler Berriman Seal), who “caused huge political problems for the Reagan administration” when he was still living. He eventually met a gruesome death in 19th February 1986, when he was shot to death in Louisiana by 3 Colombian assassins.

In other news, Warner Bros. has also released the release dates for 2 comedy films, “Keanu” and “Going In Style”.

“Keanu” will be slated for release on 22th April 2016. Don’t be fool by its name because the movie is not the biopic of certain actor. Starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, the movie is actually named after a cat of the same name. It is about the cat that was “abducted by a street gang”, prompting its human owners to go “undercover as drug dealers”.

Peter Atencio (of “Key & Peele” fame) is helming the movie, which will go head-to-head with Universal’s “The Huntsman”, sequel to the 2012’s “Snow White and the Huntsman“.

“Going In Style” will have several big name actors starring in it, namely Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin. The film is actually a remake of the 1979 Martin Brest comedy of the same name. It tells the story of 3 senior citizens who decide to rob a bank together after living a life of routines and monotony. Zach Braff (“Chicken Little”) and Theodore Melfi (“St. Vincent”) have already signed on to direct the remake.

Set to be released on 6th May 2016, “Going In Style” will face a formidable opponent, as it is slated to open on the same week as “Captain America: Civil War“.

What do you think about the movies? Which one do you think will be a success? Leave your thoughts in the comments box below!


Long Weekends For Malaysia 2014/2015

Ah, long weekends. Admit it, some of us are still recovering from last week’s extended weekend break from the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festivities. The bliss of not having to work or sit through the rush hour mornings and evenings. Even driving around Kuala Lumpur city was a breeze during the holiday because most people were out of town. Are you perhaps battling withdrawal symptoms now?

Fret not. We’ve found some handy calendars to map out long weekends for Malaysians for the rest of 2014 and 2015!

cuticutimalaysia.net has also taken the liberty to highlight the school holidays (as seen in the above calendar) for those with families. But you know what school holidays mean for the working crowd – less traffic.

Some public holidays will require you to apply for leave (1 day for each long weekend respectively) such as:

But it’s best to start applying now and plan the last of your 2014 getaways!

For 2015, however, Tripzilla noted that Malaysians will be looking at a year of awesome vacation weekends! How many weekends, you ask? As many as 11 long weekends. Yup!

Granted, different states in Malaysia will celebrate public different holidays such as:

But at the very least you will have 8 long weekends based on the calendar above. And with very minimum application of leave, too. We know, right? Go on and share this with your friends, family, and loved ones!

Meanwhile, official school holidays for Malaysia 2015 will be announced in September this year. We’ll update the 2015 calendar with more information as soon as we know.

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(UPDATE) Hype’s Now Playing: Major Lazer – Too Original (ft. Elliphant & Jovi Rockwell)

The dance megastars release yet another festival-shaking banger.

Major Lazer continue to reveal new music from their upcoming album “Peace Is The Mission“. The trio of Diplo, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire have released the official lyric video their indecipherable yet super catchy and upbeat new single “The Original” which features the frazzled and excitable vocals of Swedish artiste Elliphant.

Featuring Caribbean-influenced rhythms and distorted pitched synths in the drop, “Too Original” is the second track on Major Lazer’s forthcoming album, which will also include hit single “Lean On” featuring DJ Snake and MØ.

Now if you have trouble deciphering the verses on the track, the dance megastar trio have took it upon themselves to release a handy lyric video with the animation used in their FXX cartoon.

Watch the video below and don’t be surprised if you find yourself grooving along to it. ;)

Directed by Tim Erem, the official music video for Major Lazer’s “Too Original” is finally out and it’s as crazy as you might expect from Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Jillionaire.

The video takes place in a restaurant where a rowdy house party was thrown by a bunch of adults while jamming out to the sounds of “Too Original”. The 3 producers starred in it as kitchen staff as Diplo can be seen chopping off the head of a fish and dancing with Walshy Fire and Jillonaire on the cutting boards.

“Too Original” is now available for purchase on iTunes and the collab-heavy album, “Peace Is The Mission” is slated for a release this June.


Cody Walker: Paul Walker’s Brother Plans To Pursue Acting Career

Following Paul Walker‘s tragic death in 2013,  his younger brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, were asked to be the stand-ins for his remaining scenes in “Furious 7“.

Now that they’ve completed the film, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Cody is planning to follow in his brother’s footsteps and pursue a Hollywood career.

Caleb and Cody did not have any acting experience before they came aboard the movie as body-doubles. Director James Wan revealed in an interview with Variety that they “went through a crash course in knowing how to perform for the camera.”

It was a whole different world for them and I think they had new found respect for what their brother did.

As a result, THR reported that Cody, who is 15 years younger than Paul, has been bitten by the acting bug.

Sources told THR that Cody has been working with Paul’s manager Matt Luber at Luber Rocklin Entertainment. He is also meeting with various Hollywood talent agencies as he is keen to pursue a career both in movies and on television beyond the “Fast and Furious” franchise.

The 26-year-old up-and-coming actor was among the guests who attended the Hollywood premiere of “Furious 7” on Wednesday night. Upon hearing Walker’s career plans, Jordana Brewster, who played the wife of Paul Walker’s character in the film, said:

I think that’s great. If it helped spark a dream, that’s awesome!

It is unclear which talent agency Cody has signed on to, but he is currently working as a brand manager for “Reach Out Worldwide”, his late brother’s foundation that helps emergency responders to get into disaster-stricken areas.

“Furious 7″ is slated for release on 3rd April 2015 and it is expected to be one of the top-grossing films in 2015.

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

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#SlideTheCityMY: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Slide The City

Last year, Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia made its official debut in Putrajaya, Malaysia and offered Malaysians a splashin’ good weekend that they’re bound to remember for the rest of their lives.

The good news is that weekend is about to make a comeback!

Yes, you read right. This year, the Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia event is slated to happen again in October through its 2016 Malaysian Tour in several prominent locations around the country. On 15th October (Saturday), the 1,000 feet water slide will take over Johor Bahru.

If you didn’t make it for the previous instalments, you might want to clear your schedule ahead of time to attend this one!

To best prepare you for an epic time at Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia in Johor Bahru on 15th October, here are some little-known fun facts about the event:

1. It became a cult following in only 3 years

“Slide the City” was founded by in the United States by T.R. Gourley, John Malfatto, and David Wulf. Inspired by their own childhood memories, they opened the first slide in Salt Lake City, the company founders’ hometown, in 2013. A video of the event went viral and since then, it has taken place in more than 200 cities around the world including Hong Kong, Vancouver, Japan, Arizona, Cape Town, South Korea, etc. To give you an idea of where the event off to next, check out this map.

2. The slide is the size of not 1, not 2, but 3 football fields

It’s the biggest of its kind and we’re not even making this up (refer to the picture above)! The 1,000-feet long and 24-feet wide water slide (the size of 3 or more FIFA football fields) is made from industrial vinyl and will carry sliders to an 8-to-10-inch deep pool at the finish line. It’s usually divided into 3 lanes designated for single sliders, groups of up to 9 people, and families with kids.

“Slide the City” is promoted as a family friendly slip-and-slide water party event. In fact, the company got the slide padded/cushioned to provide a smooth and safe ride. For the Malaysian editions, children 8 years and above (as of event date) or above minimum height of 117cm are allowed to participate. Participants must slide with an inflatable tube and they are not allowed to run, stand, kneel, tumble, or stop on the slide.

4. What to wear to Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia

What should you wear to “Slide the City”? Well, what would you wear to a water park? Whatever you deem is most comfortable to be slippin’ and slidin’ with, that’s what! Although everyone is encouraged to dress to impress, the organiser does advise against anything with exposed zippers, rivets, or other potentially damaging hardware to ensure a safe slide. You can, however, hold or wear your water shoes, sandals, or flip flops while you slide.

5. You’ll never guess who attended the UK edition

We meant it when we said that “Slide the City” has gained a huge cult following, so much so that it has piqued the interest of celebrities. One such celebrity who made it a point to participate in the UK edition of “Slide the City” last year was none other than Beckham royalty, Brooklyn Beckham. The young “heir to the Beckham throne” posted up a topless picture of himself doing the thumbs up gesture with the simple caption, “Slide the city” on his Facebook page on 14th June 2015. Much to his fans’ glee, we’re sure ;)

You may want to put aside your gadget(s) and abandon your tethers to the virtual world for one weekend (yes, including Pokémon GO) because Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia is a great opportunity for you to spend some quality time with your family, friends, and loved ones. You see, aside from providing a giant slide for hours of fun, the family-friendly event also features carnival games, live music, food and beverage vendors to make it a true festival of sorts.

7. Giving back through charity organisations

The event that couples fun with fundraising as part of the proceeds from each event will be contributed to a cause local to the venue. Because it is held in various locations, there are different forms of charity including donation, fund-raising, and free tickets giveaway. It supports nonprofit organisations or charities with different nature and aspiration e.g. “Slide the City” Hong Kong supports a charity called “A Drop of Life”, “Slide the City” in Allentown raises funds for “Allentown Youth Organisations United to Help”, “Slide the City” in Boise goes to “Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho”, and Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur edition partnered with NKF while the Johor Bahru edition will be working with orphanages to give children the opportunity to slip and slide, an opportunity that they wouldn’t get otherwise.

8. The first Malaysian event was a sold-out one

The inaugural Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia was deemed a success as due to its high reception, as it managed to sell out tickets with upon its ticket launch in August 2015. Held in December in Putrajaya, the first Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia attracted over 10,000 participants from all walks of life! Believe us when we say that this event is not to be missed. At least not for the 2nd time around, eh? ;)

9. “Slide the City” slid into the Guinness World Records

In 2015, the water slide of “Slide the City” was used by The Trinity River Vision Authority to set the world record for the “longest distance travelled on a slip and slide in one hour” on Panther Island, Texas. According to Guinness World Record, the participants collectively travelled a distance of 774,515.09 metres (2,541,060.0 ft) in an hour.

Let’s face it, nobody will want to go to an event of this scale and have a go at the giant water slide only once. Luckily, Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia is now offering some exciting packages for those of you who want to get the best out of your day! Choose from the Tripler Slider, Unlimited Slider, and Save-n-Slide packages for you and your family/friends to slide multiple times. Get your tickets here.

Spritzer Slide the City Malaysia is brought to you by Monkey Theory, the exclusive franchise holder for the event.

For more information, visit Slide the City Malaysia’s Facebook page.

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It’s “FORK”-in Rockin’ At PJ Live Arts

Gardner & Wife Theatre presents Scandinavian a cappella powerhouse, “FORK” to blow us away with their world-class voices, theatrical stagecraft and up-to-the-fingernails-styled aesthetic!

The four singers – actors Mia Hafrén and Jonte Ramsten, former police cadet Kasper Ramström, and vocalist Anna Asunta – perform contemporary covers with clever arrangements, which include their rousing Lady Gaga medley, the angelic harmonies of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” and an immaculate rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Every sound heard by the audience, from pristine vocals to rock guitar riffs and powerful bass lines, is produced live on stage; there are no backing tapes or hidden singers!

The whole package is wrapped up in a glamorous presentation, delivered with FORK’s trademark wit and humour:

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It’s no wonder that FORK regularly sells out concerts back home in Finland and rapidly became the talk of the town at last year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, winning rave reviews and standing ovations galore. Don’t miss this chance to see what the fuss is all about and judge for yourself if FORK does to a cappella what Jimi Hendrix did to guitar music and what Viagra does to a man!

FORK will be performing at PJ Live Arts from 12th to 28th October 2012, Mondays to Sundays at 8:30pm.

To purchase tickets online, click! Otherwise, call +6017-2BUY-TIX (+6017-2-289-849). Online packages are also available at Gardner & Wife Theatre’s website.


Christmas 2022: Feel The Holiday Cheer At These Klang Valley Malls

As the Christmas classic song goes, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas~”. We certainly have to agree! After all, Malaysia will never see any snow, but there are many other indicators of the season. People have made plans for the holidays, others are preparing gifts, and Christmas music is blasting everywhere.

But, the biggest indicator is of course all the decorations that are going up! And, we’re not just talking about the usual Christmas tree. In fact, malls in the Klang Valley this year are striving to bring a little Christmas cheer to each corner of their area. So, without further ado, let’s see what magic each of these local malls has to offer!

Shoppers in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur should stop by the Centre Court to experience a little bit of Disney magic! The location has completely transformed into an enchanting not-so-little village called the “Season of Wonder”. Shoppers are able to witness a very special milestone with The Walt Disney Company and their 100th anniversary celebration called, “Disney 100 Years of Wonder”!

If Disney is still not enough, shoppers should go check out the Pavilion’s main entrance and admire the Chanel N°5 Holiday Station. There, a special Christmas galactical expedition awaits you from now until 26th December. Santa Claus will also be dropping in for kids to share their wishes! So, get there before it’s too late.

Book lovers all around should stop by Da Men USJ for a special Christmas delight. Step into a wonderland of toys and storybooks as they transform the Atrium (Ground Floor) into a beautiful Christmas dreamland. “12 Wonderful Days Of Christmas” is open from now until 26th December!

This magical event features glittering Christmas trees and iconic children’s toys to delight shoppers of all ages. Shoppers can also check out Da Men USJ’s Book Castle which features a castle made from rows of books, which you can also take and read! There is also a wide play area creating the perfect reading hideaway for the whole family.

Celebrate Christmas at the Festive Fair at Intermark Mall! Intermark Mall’s “A Bearbrick Christmas” celebration features a magnificent Bearbrick Christmas Tree, the first of its kind in Asia, featuring 24 unique Bearbrick figurines.

Located at the Ground Atrium, shoppers can browse through the Bearbrick showcase and beautiful Christmas decorations to their hearts’ desire. From now until 26th December, shoppers who spend will be rewarded when they shop at Intermark Mall. Simply spend RM500 on a single receipt, and you will receive an exclusive Christmas mug!

To those who want to celebrate the holiday season in a more mystical, mythical, and magical way, stop by the Sunway Pyramid concourse to check out the enchanted forest from now until 2nd January 2023. Shoppers will be able to discover the wonders and magic of a truly mesmerising and magical ambiance, filled with beautiful, colourful lights!

The concourse is decorated with beautiful larger-than-life flowers and trees, Christmas trees embellished by butterflies and dragonflies, magical fairies, and much more. Bring your loved ones to Sunway Pyramid for a magical, mystical Christmas!

At Sunway Velocity, shoppers can expect a fun holiday event called the “Wander Wonder Christmas” Campaign. The end-of-year holiday celebration features a forest of magical mushrooms and flowers – much like to Sunway Pyramid – to celebrate the holiday spirit!

To create even more excitement while the shoppers celebrate togetherness with the family this year, Sunway Velocity Mall is also introducing their one-of-a-kind Mushroom character named Fairy Belle! So, head on to Cheras now to not miss out on this chance.

Shoppers shopping at The Gardens Mall are all invited to check out the Christmas decorations in all their gilded grandeur. With intricate tapestries, ornate frames, grand chandeliers, feathers, baubles, and the warm glow of twinkling lights, The Gardens Mall has transformed into a 17th-century-inspired Christmas blowout!

To make it even more extravagant, this year, Dior and Cartier are contributing to the festivities and have created their first-ever Christmas displays! With these and many more activities happening from 25th November till 26th December, make sure to put The Gardens Mall on your must-visit list this season to make it a truly Gilded Christmas!

This Christmas, waltz down to 1 Utama’s remarkable Swiss Alps Town – the holiday home of your dreams! Travel on the British Steam Train, journey through the enchanting alpine scenery as you snap Instagram-worthy photos inside the glamorous dining carriage while enjoying the picturesque countryside.

After a quick trip on the complimentary Choo-Choo Train Ride around the mall, shoppers should also check out the 3D diorama miniature beautifully created by visual artist Eddie Putera Noordin, expertly capturing scenes of 1 Utama’s Swiss Alps town and train set miniatures with his fine craftsmanship.

This holiday season, Avenue K Shopping Mall has unveiled a beautiful, covered in roses, 30-foot Christmas tree as part of their “Blooming Christmas” theme. From 18th November through 25th December, Avenue K Mall sparkles with the mesmerising beauty of Christmas!

Of course there are performances! The Christmas Acapella Performance, Christmas Fairy Forest Dance, and Christmas Carolling Performance among many more thrilling performances, are definitely not to be missed! Also, be sure to keep an eye out for Santa and Santarina on their walkabouts around the mall for some selfies, wefies and free candy!

Get ready for a sweet (scented) Christmas as you delight in what Fahrenheit88 has in store! This year, together with Bath & Body Works, Fahrenheit88 will be presenting an Artful Christmas to get you into the celebratory mood. Starting at the entrance, shoppers can test new Christmas-inspired fragrances and buy their favourites at the nearby Bath & Body Works outlet.

There are also game booths inside for visitors to try their luck and skill and win adorable prizes. Additionally, check out iNyala’s Latest Immersive Art Exhibition which will be featuring 17 cutting-edge art installations from 26th November to 25th December. Malaysia’s biggest hybrid art fair, Art is Fair KL, will also be in the mall from 1st December.

Similar to Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, those visiting Pavilion Bukit Jalil can also explore special Disney-themed displays inspired by the enchanting worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars at the Centre Court. Strike a cute pose beside replicas of Elsa and Anna from “Frozen”, Thor from Marvel’s “The Avengers” or BB-8 from “Star Wars”.

Many children dream of meeting their favourite Disney characters! For three special days, families and friends will be able to meet two very special Disney Friends! The Meet-and-Greet sessions will be held at 12pm, 2pm, 3pm, 5pm, and 6pm daily, from 2 – 4 December, 2022, at the Centre Court.

Suria KLCC is a must-go for tourists and one of the most iconic landmarks in Kuala Lumpur. As the season of giving is upon us, they have transformed this beloved mall into a Christmas hotspot! The hub of Santa’s amazing toy workshop can now be found at the mall’s Centre Court until 25th December, bustling with Santa’s elves crafting toys and presents to be given out during Christmas.

This month, take a moment to drive out to Kuala Lumpur and witness firsthand, the tallest Christmas tree in Malaysia. Standing at a whopping 100 feet tall, the tree returns to The Esplanade to greet visitors in all its grandeur. Make sure to come during nighttime to be able to spectate the warm glow of the Christmas Tree lights.

Shoppers around Alamanda can stop by and check out their amazing Christmas decorations of Santa’s workshop, even featuring life-size reindeers and sleigh! The iconic Santa Claus chair is also there for you to sit and take pictures with.

Don’t miss out on their fun activities such as the Christmas Workshops, Christmas Acrobatics, Christmas Dance, Magic Show and saving the best for last, the Santa Claus Meet and Greet! All of these activities are happening every weekend for the month of December, so bring your loved ones and head on over to Alamanda now!

This Christmas season, Resorts World Genting (RWG) is snowier and more magical than ever! For families, couples, and groups of friends to enjoy and get away from the rush and bustle of city life, RWG has put together an amazing lineup of holiday events. By popular demand, RWG will once more offer guests the chance to savour snowfall and take in the crystalline splendour of a White Christmas!

Spanning a whole month from 1st December 2022 to 1st January 2023, visit Liberty Lane in Genting SkyWorlds Theme Park to witness the mesmerising snowfall every 30 minutes from 6:30pm to 11pm. On the Eve of Christmas and New Year’s Eve, the snowfall will go on until midnight to usher in the festivities.

Puteri Teja contributed to this article.

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Henry Golding Talks About His Upcoming Steamy Gay Role In Monsoon

Henry Golding is currently Hollywood’s “It” guy. Fresh off his well-received reception from the successful “Crazy Rich Asians“, the 31-year-old star will be playing another male lead. This time, as Blake Lively’s hunky husband in the thriller “A Simple Favor”.

Both films feature shirtless scenes from Golding, but buzz is already building up for his 3rd film, “Monsoon”. In the Hong Khaou-directed film, the Sarawak-born actor will play Kit – a gay British-Vietnamese man traveling from London to his birth country of Vietnam to scatter his parents’ ashes.

Kit left Saigon to flee the Vietnam-American War with his family as boat refugees when he was young. He returns home 30 years later after feeling the need to reconnect to his home country and culture.

“‘Monsoon’ as a script blew me away. After speaking to Hong Khaou the director (who also wrote it), I knew this was something I so wanted to be apart of.” Golding previously wrote on his Instagram post.

In comparison to his leading roles in “Crazy Rich Asians” and “A Simple Favor”, the Hollywood newcomer said, “‘(Monsoon)’ is a much more subtle role. It really stretched what I want to be able to achieve as an actor. It’s the project where I found my feet, and felt like I deserve to be where I am.”

In speaking with NewNowNext, Golding talked about recalled his introduction to the LGBT community. “I was a hairstylist, so the environment I grew up in, it was normal. My upbringing was, ‘Be good unto others, be kind, stay healthy, and be happy’. (My parents) never set barriers. And being surrounded by that community, I saw it for what it is: a very loving, inclusive community,” he shared.

The Asian heartthrob continued, “The thing is, it’s so normal for me; it’s weird when people ask me about it, it’s strange they’re asking me something so obvious. You don’t realise there are some people who are still affected by all this crap.”

“I felt so strongly about it that in my 3rd film (‘Monsoon’) my character is gay. I wanted to portray a character with heart—and the fact that it’s his story that shines through, not the fact that he’s gay. He has this wonderful relationship, but the truth of the matter is the material really lends itself to his journey,” Golding added.

So what can fans expect from “Monsoon”? The Malaysian star teased, “It’s pretty darn steamy“. We’ll leave it at that ;)


Comedy Central: deadmau5 Makes The Next Roast Victim

From Charlie Sheen to Pam Anderson to Hugh Hefner and to Flavor Flav, some of the most hilarious Comedy Central Roasts involve a roastee with tonnes of baggage and personal as well as professional troubles to poke at. The 14th annual and most recent Comedy Central Roast, aired on March 30th, placed pop star and Platinum selling singer/songwriter Justin Bieber on the hot seat.

Yesterday, the network announced that the biggest troll in the dance music community, Joel Zimmerman more commonly known as deadmau5 has been selected to be next year’s roastee. The IDMA and JUNO award-winning Canadian superstar producer will headline the 15th annual Comedy Central Roast with a stacked lineup of roastmasters who are all set to turn up the heat.

The cast will include Madonna, Krewella and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, Robert A. Iger.

“Joel has been asking for it for years. We didn’t even have to ask him to go create more source material first, like we had to with Beiber. We’re thrilled!” said Kent Alterman, President of Content Development & Original Programming at Comedy Central

The “Comedy Central Roast of deadmau5” (#Mau5Roast) will be taped in Los Angeles. Tape and airdate is to be announced.

Personally, we can’t wait for this to happen because, seriously, who doesn’t want to watch deadmau5 getting burned? ;)


#FTISLAND: A Long-Awaited Korean Comeback By Late March

Yet another Korean idol boy band will be making their Korean comeback this month and this time around, it’s F.T. Island.

On 2nd March, F.T. Island’s talent agency FNC Entertainment confirmed that the talented band is finally making a comeback with a new Korean album by the end of this month. FNC‘s CEO Han Sung Ho announced their comeback through the group’s official home page and said:

I want to let you know fans know the news of F.T. Island having a Korean comeback. We’re aiming to release F.T. Island’s 5th full album at the end of March. Since many fans have been waiting for a while, they’re planning on active promotions in Korea as soon as they come back. Please show a lot of support for F.T. Island’s new album that will be released soon.

This would mark the band’s 1st Korean comeback since the release of their 5th mini album “The Mood” on 18th November 2013.

F.T. Island (abbreviation for Five Treasure Island) is a 5-member South Korean pop-rock band, whichleader Choi Jong-hoon, lead vocalist Lee Hong-gi, bassist Lee Jae-jin, guitarist Song Seung-hyun, and drummer Choi Min-hwan. The band made their debut in 2007 with their 1st album “Cheerful Sensibility” and their debut song “Lovesick” topped the K-Pop charts for 8 consecutive weeks. The band is considered to be South Korea’s 1st instrumental idol band.

Prior to their comeback announcement, Seunghyun teased his fans with a snippet of the group’s new song through the Instagram video below:

*Caption’s translation: “#Recording #Chorus. I’m doing choruses for 3 songs today~ Building up the harmony!! I’m hungry !!ㅠㅠ What song do you think this is? ^^”

No further details regarding their comeback were announced but what do you think their concept is going to look like? The group recently celebrated leader Lee Hong-gi’s 25th birthday on 2nd March and successfully completed their 1st Europe and North American tour.

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Netflix’s “Senior Year” Review: Watching Paint Dry Is Still Better Than This Trainwreck

Ugh, we’re so done, mate. We don’t wanna hear about being prom queen ever again.

Okay. “Senior Year” from Netflix. Let’s do this.

Stephanie Conway (Angourie Rice) wants it all. Popularity. The hottest quarterback. Being captain of the award-winning cheerleading squad. She wants to be the one to beat. As she’s nearing the final level of high school, there’s only one thing left to do: claim the prom crown.

The track seems to have been laid out but disaster strikes when Stephanie falls off a pyramid. No, not the ones you can find in Egypt, but rather a human one that forms during a dance routine. Of course, after that mishap, it’s blackout time.

20 years later, a 37-year-old Stephanie wakes up in a hospital bed. Discovering that she’s been in a coma all these years, she realises that she has much to catch up on. The quarterback she dated in school, Blaine (Justin Hartley), is now a salesman and still looking smackingly good. But he’s now married to her high school rival, Tiffany (Zoe Chao). Her good friend, Martha, is working at Harding High as the principal. And another good friend, Seth, is also working at the school as a librarian. OK. Coincidences. Yay.

Determined to stay relevant, Stephanie pleads with Martha to enrol her back in Harding High despite her age, claiming that physically, she might be nearing 40, but mentally, she’s still 17. Wanting to make up for lost time, she becomes a social media star, slays it, and reinstates her position as Cheer Captain. But most of all, she still wants to be prom queen. Nevertheless, can she still maintain all that in this cruel age of social media?

You know, there’s another film out there that had this exact same premise. The 2007 film “Kickin’ It Old School” starring Jamie Kennedy and Michael Rosenbaum also featured a lead slipping into a coma after performing a dangerous flip during a breakdance competition. Waking up a decade, or maybe decades later, there is a need to compensate and return to former glory. There is that quest for redemption.

Indeed, movies like these have to play the fish-out-of-water card well. And yeah, “Senior Year” takes it to town with pop-culture references from the early 2000s. We get “Sk8ter Boi”, Kelly Clarkson, and some mentions of Tamagotchis. You know, the standard life we had in the O-Os. Nonetheless, that’s where the fun stops.

Needless to say, the amount of cringe and slap-your-forehead moments in the film is uncountable. Of course, one of the things that would be brought up is the notion of being politically correct. Don’t get us wrong, the idea is right. However, the entire delivery of it all feels like it is being said by try-hard kindergarteners rather than senior high-schoolers.

The humour and dialogue here is consistently out-of-place and so bland. It’s like eating plain boiled ramen without any of the garnish and flavouring. Tasteless, soggy, and overall, it just makes us wanna gag. Look at all of the images from here, mate. We mean, why do all of the characters look as if they’re so done?

The fact that the studio is mentioned in passing after the script publicly makes a joke of sponsored namedrops is one of the most ironic pieces of bul**** that we’ve seen in recent times. Imagine one of those creators on YouTube that deliberately electrocutes or smash their balls or hit themselves with a hammer all for the sake of content. Seriously, don’t hurt yourself guys. We don’t need that.

At one point, the characters watch the 1998 feature, “Deep Impact”. Well, one way “Senior Year” could have had a better impact (pun intended) is if they had emulated the formula from said movie. You know the part where the asteroid hits the Earth’s crust and a massive tsunami wipes out cities? Yeah, that plot point would have worked really well for this movie.

The only scene that probably utilised its absurdities to the best effect was when Stephanie’s father (Chris Parnell) did the dad talk with Seth, who had just come to pick Steph up for prom. Having a 70-year-old do that stare-down intimidation with a fully-grown adult was an oddity we never thought we’d witness but it worked.

Now that we think about it, this has much in common with another Netflix feature, “Metal Lords”. Let’s do a list here, shall we?

Well, we don’t need AI to predict what the next feature might hold. Let’s use our psychic powers here. Hmm, think… We see Alex Lawther… playing a high school nerd with his best friend, Jack Dylan Grazer… And then along the way, they get bullied by jocks. Through sheer will, they decide to beat the bullies by taking up a sport… uhh, football.

We’ll probably get a WTF cameo by Christiano Ronaldo and maybe Hayley Williams will pop up to sing the Star-Spangled Banner. And all these happen while our characters lose the final match 3-2, but due to evidence of cheating, the winning team is disqualified and the nerds win… Yeah, that seems about right.

We’ll see how this plays out. We know, Netflix. We know.

“Senior Year” is currently streaming on Netflix.

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Senior Year in high school is fun. "Senior Year" on Netflix? Not so much. No, you don't wanna go to this prom. It's so... not cool.


Not As Dead As You Think

Ah celebrity death hoaxes. Aren’t they a wonderful thing?

Just yesterday, one of the world’s biggest news stations made a giant boo boo when it falsely reported the death of Australian star Gotye:

The claim, made on CNN’s iReport spread through the interwebs like wildfire. And the public who didn’t know better jumped in on it, lapping it all up. The funny thing, however, was the way nobody bothered to dissect the report properly. Or rather, nobody had the time to.

For example, how did the investigation conclude so soon after he was pronounced dead? Regardless of the cause of death, investigations for cases like these are usually long-drawn and draggy. Also, why didn’t anyone bother to Google the said hospital? “Central Montmorency Hospital” is not, how do we put this, a hospital for human beings.

So no, he’s not “somebody you used to know”. Not just yet:

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Furthermore, if Goyte’s death was real, a quick search would pull up not one, not two, but multiple reports – especially Wikipedia, usually the quickest to update bios and profiles. Tsk!

We’re pretty sure Goyte was amused when he woke up to a flurry of “RIP” tweets a few hours after the news hit mainstream media. The artist himself took it his Twitter account in the morning, stating:


“Jeongseon Arirang”, The Tale Of The Sorrowful Yet Beautiful Backbone Of The “Arirang Festival”

We’ve previously touched briefly on the mysterious “Jeongseon Arirang”, in our earlier write-up about the country here. But what was its origins?

For those of you who are not in the know, the “Jeongseon Arirang” is the regional variety of Arirang, Korea’s best-known folk song, native to Jeongseon area of Gangwon-do.

In 1867, during the regency of Daewongun (Prince Lee Ha Eung), father of Gojong (Last emperor in Joseon Dynasty), Gyeongbokgung palace buildings were reconstructed and formed a massive complex with 330 buildings and 5,792 rooms. Standing on 4,657,576 square feet of land, Gyeongbokgung again became an iconic symbol for both the Korean nation and the Korean royal family.

For this major reconstruction of 7 years, workers throughout the country were called in to Hanyang (Seoul’s old name) in order to work on the site. Workers sang many work folk songs together to relieve stress and comforted themselves, and among many songs, “Jeongseon Arirang” was most popular as it has a nice chorus part to sing along as “Arari-Arirang”.

After palace reconstruction was completed, workers went back to their hometown and Arirang song was spread over all the regions in Korea. In the process, it is said to have given rise to the “Jeongseon Arirang,” the “Miryang Arirang,” and today’s most representative “Arirang,” the “Gyeonggi Arirang”.

Throughout dramatic modern Korean history with sorrowful moments as colonial period and Korean war, Arirang as a symbol of Korea has been together with people comforting the heartbrokenness and sharing the happiness and sadness all the time. As such, a festival is held every year in homage to this folk song.

Designated as “Gangwondo Intangible Cultural Heritage No.1. Jeongseon Arirang Festival”, the “Arirang Festival” is inaugurated with a costumed parade and street folk performances. The performance of “Jeongseon Arirang”, the main highlight of the festival, is usually followed by a variety of other folk performances, cultural events, and sporting events such as the “Jeongseon Arirang” calligraphy exhibition, national writing contest, drawing contest, children’s art madang, dance contest, K-POP dance competition, archery contest, students’ music performance, Nakdong farming music performance, fusion Korean music performance, musical, multicultural food and traditional costume experience, etc.

Participatory events are open to public participation, including Jeongseon Arirang singing competition, reenctment of Ttetmok Arari, and a local dialect contest.

Special thanks to our friends from Korea Tourism Organisation (Malaysia) for the opportunity!

Hype Malaysia is also an official “Wow! PyeongChang!” supporter in conjunction with the upcoming 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea. So keep a look out for our future posts as we’ll be gushing over places to go, things to do, and food to eat in Gangwon ?

For more information, hit up the Korea Tourism Organisation (Malaysia) website or Facebook page. Alternatively, you can follow them on Instagram.

Big shoutout to our friends from Travel Recommends for keeping us connected with unlimited data on our trip to South Korea, enabling us to update real-time for the entire duration without a hitch ?

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FT PAS Youth Worried Muslims Will Be Asked To Participate In Sex Fest Next?

So, this is getting completely out of hand.

In case you didn’t hear, though we don’t see why you wouldn’t have by now, the “I Want To Touch A Dog” event that was successfully held last Sunday (19th October) at 1 Utama’s Central Perk received some serious backlash in the past 24 hours. This is despite it the fact that the event received overwhelming response from Muslims in and around the federal capital. Netizens and attendees, particularly, have sung praises for the “I Want To Touch A Dog” event.

Many even shared photos from the event, thanking the organiser for having made it happen for them.

Now, PAS is apparently worried that after the “I Want To Touch A Dog” campaign, Muslims will be invited to participate in a sex fest next. Wait, what? Yup. Its Federal Territories deputy youth chief Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusof said there was a valid reason for concern, especially after events like “Topless Friday” and “Oktoberfest” were organised in the country recently.

According to The Star Online, he said in a statement:

We are worried that one day someone will organise a “sex and condom” campaign, based on the rationale of safe sex and preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Our stand against such events is because we consider it a threat to the religious and cultural values practiced in this country, and not because we are paranoid.

“Muslims are advised to increase their knowledge of Islam and its appreciation for the self and their families, as well as the society around them. We hope programmes like the dog-petting event can be prevented sooner in the future,” he added.

Uhm, well, that escalated quickly? What are your thoughts on this, guys? Is this entire thing completely unnecessary? Is there really a cause for caution just because the “I Want To Touch A Dog” allowed Malaysians of all races, especially Muslims, to get to know canines a little bit better?


Malaysians Exempted From Tourism Tax; Foreigners To Pay A Flat Rate Of RM10

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz has announced that Malaysians are fully exempted from paying the tourism tax, which will start imposing from 1st August 2017. However, foreigners will be charged a flat rate of RM10 per night for all types of hotels and accommodation.

When asked by Anthony Loke (DAP-Seremban) about the latest status of the tourism tax, Nazri replied, “The government is concerned and sensitive to the needs of the people. Hence, Malaysians will be exempted from the tax We will impose a RM10 flat rate from 5-star to zero-star hotels for foreign tourists, and Malaysians will be exempted from the tax across all classifications of hotels.”

He also explained that the tourism tax will not impact the country’s tourist arrival figures and is necessary as the revenue collected will be spent on the upkeep of tourism facilities.

“Malaysian hotel rates are still cheaper compared to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Singapore. Furthermore, many countries which implemented similar tourism tax had actually registered an increase in tourist arrivals,” he said.

Tourists, including Malaysians who are travelling within the country, were expected to pay overnight stays depending on the hotel classification. The tourism tax was initially set at RM2.50 per room per night at a non-rated accommodation to RM20 per room per night at a 5-star accommodation.

Last month, 3,000 Chinese tourists cancelled their trips to Malaysia because they had to pay tourism tax of about RM100,000.


#TrainToBusan: South Korean Zombie Thriller-Action Blockbuster To Get English Remake

This year’s hit South Korean zombie thriller-action film, “Train To Busan” (부산행), is going to get an English remake. The deal was jointly announced by French studio Gaumont and the film’s Korean distributor-financier Next Entertainment World (NEW).

Back in May, “Train to Busan” premiered in the midnight screening section of the Cannes Film Festival, immediately attracting interest. 20th Century Fox and Sony Pictures were among the Hollywood studios who tried to pursue a deal, as well as French companies Studiocanal and EuropaCorp. Alas, Gaumont beat out big players who were circling the project for remake rights.

Gaumont CEO Sidonie Dumas revealed they’ve been “chasing the remake since Cannes Film Festival where the whole team loved it so much”. “We’re excited to start working on the U.S. adaptation that will mark our first foray into English-language moviemaking in Los Angeles,” he said.

Directed by Yeon Sang Ho (from the animation “The King Of Pigs”), “Train To Busan” stars Gong Yoo (of “Coffee Prince” and “Goblin” fame), Ma Dong Seok, Ahn So Hee (former Wonder Girls member), Jung Yoo Mi, Choi Woo Sik (of “Rooftop Prince” fame), and child actor Kim Soo Ahn.

The film follows a group of terrified train passengers battle their way through a countrywide viral outbreak on a suspicion-filled, blood-drenched bullet train ride to Busan, a safe zone that has managed to hold off the hordes of zombies.

“Train to Busan” opened in South Korea on 22nd July and generated USD38.8 million within the first 5 days, an all-time record at the Korean box office. Since its initial release, it has amassed USD80.5 million, making it this year’s top grossing film.

Upon the announcement, NEW CEO Kim Woo Taek said, “We are more than happy to start our business with Gaumont, one of the greatest film companies with rich experience in terms of global projects. We hope this opportunity could let Korean films get more attention and be familiar with the audience all over the world.”

The key staff, cast, and production schedules for the remake of “Train to Busan” haven’t been confirmed, but Gaumont has already been approached by several Hollywood talent agencies and prominent directors. And because it will be set in the US, it is not known if NEW will have any say on the production of the film or if Gaumont will have 100% creative control over it.

Sources: Variety, Deadline, THR / Featured image: NEW.

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First Ever Asean International Film Festival & Awards 2013

From 28th March 2013 till 30th March 2013 (Thursday till Saturday), the first ever Asean International Film Festival and Awards 2013 (AIFFA 2013) will be held at the Sarawak Cultural Village in Kuching, East Malaysia.

The festival aims to leverage on the attendance of participants with an extensive background in filmmaking and have them share with the audience the intricacy of making films.

Aside that, there would also be an ongoing “Karnival Rakyat” as the Kuching Waterfront, screenings of all nominated featured films at the Old Courthouse, a series of exhibitions and seminars, meet and greet sessions with celebrities, and interactive panels at Pullman Hotel, Kuching.

At only RM18 per person, patrons of the opening day of the AIFFA 2013 opening day are able to enjoy a journey into the cinematic world of Asean amidst the lush Borneo rainforest. The marathon showcase of films (67 films from Asean to be shown) will start on 28th March, with the screening of short films from 12pm at the Sarawak Cultural Village. Come sunset, the showcase expands to six other venues at the village to include a non-stop, all night screening of features films until 7pm the following day.

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To purchase tickets to the AIFFA 2013, click! For more information, visit their official website.


Local Fashion Photographer Shares 3 Easy Tips To Capture Perfect Selfies

Let’s be honest, how much effort does it take for us to take and edit the perfect selfie? Don’t forget the elimination process where we send the photos to our friends, asking them “Which one should I post?” We are all guilty of spending too much time than needed on one single Instagram post.

Our lives would be easier if we could capture that one perfect selfie on the first try with very minimal edits. This it is not impossible, fortunately. A perfect selfie does not mean an airbrushed-to-perfect selfie with lots of filters. Alexio Yeoh, vivo V series Official Fashion Photograher, shares some tips on how to eternalise a perfect selfie while enjoying every moment.

Good lighting flatters people by highlighting their good features and complexion (for instance, solid jawline) while minimising any spots or blemishes. Make sure you’re in a spot with ample natural light or sunlight for the camera to capture as much details possible.

Here are some timings and/or places that have great natural lighting:

Even if you’re not at a spot with good lighting, fret not – the vivo V23e 5G is made to complement every selfie moment. Its Natural Portrait mode, supported by enhanced AI algorithm, allows users to capture true-to-life and dazzling selfies effortlessly.

Alexio shared, “The Natural Portrait mode, coupled with the optional beautification toggles in the V series smartphone, can enhance the overall lighting while retaining natural colour tone.”

Tip #2 – Poses does not have to be boring

There is a famous saying that goes: the camera adds ten pounds. Learn how to pose your face and position your camera is as important as a finding for good lighting.

Remember to be confident while you’re posing for a selfie. For ladies, one way to look confident is to ‘smile with your eyes’, then put on a slight pout and voila, you’re ready for a perfect selfie facial pose. To bring out the best angle, try moving your smartphone slightly far away from you face and slightly above your eye-line.

Yeoh also encourages selfie-enthusiasts to think outside of the box: “There are many ways to express your facial expression. Meanwhile, you may add in some gestures and motions (like flipping your hair) for a more interesting selfie. The Double Exposure feature in the V23e 5G series is definitely a fun element and can make quite an impact to a fun selfie.”

Bid farewell to all the external selfie lights you used previously for that one perfect selfie at night, because with the vivo V23e 5G, you can easily capture selfie with decent lighting, thanks to the built-in AI Extreme Night Mode.

“We used to rely on extra lights from other phones for night shots, but now with the AI Extreme Night mode from the V23e Series, I don’t have to bother using extra lights. Just hold the phone in low light for approximately 2 seconds, and you can capture photos with high exposure, and great lighting, even in the dark.”

Thanks to Alexio Yeoh, vivo V Series Official Fashion Photographer, the secret to taking effortlessly confident selfies is out, now it’s time for you to spread it like hot gossip.

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#Journey: Rock Band To Perform In Malaysia In February

Journey fans, it seems like you don’t have to travel all the way to Singapore to witness your favourite band perform live :)

The reason being? The American rock band will be visiting our country, after all! IMC Live Group, the organisers of the Malaysian leg of the band’s world tour, announced the good news via their Facebook page earlier this week.

Formed in 1973, the rock icons have since undergone several reshuffles over the years. The current 5-piece-rockers includes Filipino vocalist and former fan Arnel Pineda on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitars and backing vocals, Ross Valory on bass and backing vocals, Jonathan Cain on keyboards and backing vocals together with Steve Smith on drums.

With renowned drummer Steve Smith returning to the band after taking hiatus in 1998, fans can expect Journey’s upcoming concert to be nothing short of spectacular with classic favourites such as “Don’t Stop Believin'”, “Separate ways (Worlds Apart)”, “Any Way You Want”, and “Open Arms”.

Tickets are available via TicketCharge’s website and hotline (03-92228811).

For more info, visit IMC Live Group’s official website and Facebook page.


#Vape: Kelantan To Ban Vape Stores Starting January 2016

Will the news about a ban on vaping ever stop?

Following Johor’s ban on vaping, The Malay Mail Online reported that the PAS-led Kelantan state government will stop issuing vape licenses starting 1st January 2016.

According to Malay news portal Sinar Online, Kelantan Local Government, Housing, Youth and Sports Committee chariman Datuk Ab Fattah Mahmood told reporters that vape sellers have been asked to vacate their premises in 14 days time.

We will take action, including confiscating devices if we find that traders continue to sell vape products after 1st January.

“So far, the traders have applied for business licenses for electronic products and other goods to open their businesses“, he added.

This announcement after the Johor state ruler called for a clampdown on vape outlets. The Johor state government is prohibiting the sale of electronic cigarettes starting from the beginning of next year, but Putrajaya has yet to decide on vaping policies.

A 27-year-old vape trader was recently charged under the Poisons Act 152 at the Kota Baru Magistrate’s Court for unlawful possession of nicotine. This is believed to be the first case against the vaping industry.


(UPDATE) #JalanDuta: 39-Year-Old Man “Hits & Commits Suicide” In Kuala Lumpur

In today’s news, a bizarre hit-and-not-really-run accident left one Kuala Lumpur driver in quite a shock.

We’ve heard of hit-and-run stories but this, we’re completely new to.

The driver, one 30-odd year old Malaysian named Erik, initially posted up a status on his personal Facebook page (which we will not link here as he has requested for privacy) a couple of hours ago which read:

Today would be officially the worst day of my life. I witness something that no one should see.

It was then followed by another status which said:

This is so screw up. Witness somebody jumping off.

When contacted via Facebook, he told us that he had been driving along Jalan Duta in Kuala Lumpur at around 11:05am this morning. Then, out of nowhere, a speeding Proton Saga (which had a Perak state car plate registration number) rammed into his car from behind.

The Proton Saga driver (name withheld as this case could be under investigation) then got out of his car, handed his IC over to Erik, and told him to file a car insurance claim for the accident before climbing up a MRT track pillar which was under construction and jumping. He is believed to have died on the spot.

Needless to say, Erik was stunned as it all happened in the blink of an eye. According to him, at the time of the incident, nobody bothered to help him. He told us, “It happened so fast I wish I could turn back time and stop him. I shouted at the workers to go up and stop him. They did not care.”

Erik said that the bizarre incident was due to the fact that the 39-year-old Proton Saga driver was depressed.

Erik also added that police arrived at the scene shortly after, and that he’s currently on the way to the police station to make a report.

According to a report from The Star Online, Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Muhammad Azlee Abdullah said the body of the man, identified as Ngah Yung Chen, 39, was taken to the Universiti Malaya Medical Centre for post mortem after falling form a height of four storeys.

“No foul play was involved and police are investigating the case as sudden death,” he said.

Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) confirmed the incident at the MRT Project work site at Jalan Duta. MRT Corp and all other parties involved in the MRT Project will provide police with the fullest cooperation for investigations into the case.

If you are in pain or if you know someone who’s in pain, please..please get help. Talk to a family member, a friend, or a professional. You may also contact The Befrienders (they have HQs in Malacca, Penang, KL, Ipoh, and Seremban) or call one of the Lifeline Association of Malaysia hotlines at:

We cannot stress enough how serious depression is. Depression is not the same as sadness. Depression is an illness, a disease, whereas sadness is an emotion. Do not downplay it, do not criticise it, do not shun it. Get help as and when necessary.

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Hype’s Must Watch: Dope

One of the biggest movies at the Sundance Film Festival titled “Dope” is an upcoming comedy film for the post hip-hop generation which centres a high-school senior Malcolm and his two other friends who bond over the ‘90s hip-hop culture, their studies and playing the music in their own punk band.

Malcolm is a high school geek with a high-top fade, carefully navigating life in The Bottoms, one of the toughest neighborhoods in Inglewood, California. He and his fellow outcasts share a voracious appreciation for all things ’90s hip-hop, opting to sport Cross-Colours and Z. Cavariccis at the risk of being clowned at school. He dreams of attending Harvard, but first he has to make it home every day. When a drug dealer takes a shine to Malcolm and invites him to his birthday party, Malcolm’s crew is swirled into a hilarious blender of offbeat characters and bad choices where redemption can only be found in Bitcoin.

Directed and scripted by Rick Famuyiwa, we learned from the trailer that “Dope” is not just a red band movie revolving around vulgarism, drugs use or even mild nudity but it is also the kind of movie will require you to have a sense of humour as it includes some pretty sensitive jokes like fooling around with the “N” word.

The comedy film is produced by Forest Whitaker, executive produced by Pharrell Williams and co-executive produced by Sean Combs. Starring Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, A$AP Rocky and Zoë Kravitz (Mad Max: Fury Road), “Dope” is slated to hit theatres on June 19th 2015.

For more on “Dope”, log on to the movie’s Official Website and  Facebook page.

Source: Deadline, Sundance , featureed image via “Dope” Facebook.


BTOB To Make Return To Malaysia This December!

“BTOB back again!” Yup, the boys of BTOB will be coming to Malaysia again!

WE Entertainment announced that they’ll be bringing the idol group to Kuala Lumpur this December. Although BTOB has performed in the country, this marks their first solo show.

Consisting of 7 members, BTOB made their debut in 2012 with “Insane”. While the group, often dubbed as one of the most meme-worthy idol group, enjoyed moderate fame, it wasn’t until 2015 that they had their breakthrough with “It’s Okay“. They also just made their comeback today with “Beautiful Pain”, which is their first without leader Eunkwang, who enlisted in August.

Tickets for their show will only be available online through TicketCharge. Ticketing will open on 16th November from 12pm onwards. There is only one category and all tickets are priced at RM450.

Every ticket holder is entitled to 1 high touch pass, 1 hand fan, and 1 poster. 30 lucky fans will also be picked for a special photo session with BTOB.

According to the press release by the concert organiser, here are 5 additional things to take note:

1) This fan meeting is specially designed ONLY for Malaysia stop.
2) This will be the last overseas event for their members, Changsub and maybe Minhyuk.
3) It will be FREE SEATING event (Initially it was free standing).
4) An additional of 30 signed posters to be given out during the game session.
5) The official hashtag for this event is #BTOBinMalaysia2018.

For more info on their show, visit WE Entertainment’s Facebook page.


#PLAYDayOut: Though Small, ULTRA Beach Bali Is Still One Hell Of A Party

Because every EDM fan’s biggest dream is to party with their favourite DJs.

Held at Potato Head Beach Club in Bali, Indonesia last Thursday and Friday (14th – 15th September), the sold-out sophomore edition of ULTRA Beach Bali attracted thousands of partygoers from all around the world on both nights. Thanks to PLAY Club KL, we were able to dance to the heart-thumping beats delivered by some of the world’s top DJs and producers at the much-hyped outdoor event.

As ULTRA virgins, we have to admit that we were pretty impressed by the festival’s spectacular setting and the crowd’s passion for electronic dance music. Each day’s line-up was packed with DJs on the decks from 2pm till midnight, spanning across 2 stages – the ULTRA Main Stage and the Resistance stage.

As Malaysia was celebrating her birthday last week, many flights to Bali were fully booked, leaving us with no choice but to take an afternoon flight on Thursday itself. Luckily, we were able to make it for Afrojack’s set and it was worth all the time spent travelling!

The Dutch musician galvanised the crowd with “Turn Up The Speakers”, “Ten Feet Tall”, “SummerThing!” as well as other radio hits such as Rihanna’s “This Is What You Came For”, Major Lazer ft. Justin Bieber’s “Cold Water”, and Drake’s “One Dance”. He even ended his set by jumping into the pool from the console, making the crowd go wild. The man sure knows how to keep his fans happy ;)

However, the atmosphere sort of died down when deadmau5 took over the decks. After playing his mega hit “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff”, people stopped dancing and some even left the Main Stage before he could finish his set. Don’t get us wrong, the Canadian producer is super talented but we think that maybe his set should have been scheduled before Afrojack’s because progressive house may not be the best choice to close the night with.

A post shared by Ultra Beach Bali (@ultrabali)

The next evening saw 2 up-and-coming American DJs, Dan Griffith aka Gryffin and Los Angeles-based Jauz, taking over the stage. While the former impressed the crowd with smooth, chilled-out rhythms, the latter rocked the night with hard style, high-energy beats. And honestly, we can’t seem to choose our favourite because we loved both sets!

Just when we thought that the music couldn’t get any better, Swedish electronic music duo Galantis, which consists of Christian “Bloodshy” Karlsson from Miike Snow and Linus Eklö aka Style of Eye, brought the house (or more specifically, beach) down with their hour-long power-packed set. Their hit tracks “Peanut Butter Jelly”, “Runaway (U & I)”, “In My Head”, and “No Money” got revellers dancing hard under the starry night sky.

The top DJ of the night was undoubtedly boy wonder Martin Garrix. When he stepped up the stage at 11pm, the crowd went berserk! He may be EDM’s youngest superstar, but it’s not hard to see why the 20-year-old Dutch DJ is the festival’s favourite headliner. Not only is he musically talented, he is also very interactive with his fans. During his set he said, “I’m f–cking happy to be here together (with you), I’m here to make you guys go crazy! Make some noise!”

We swear, no matter how may times we hear “Tremor”, “Animals”, and “Poison”, our bodies go on auto-pilot, moving to the infectious Garrix-branded beats. Beyond the confetti, fire displays, and flashing lights, he closed this year’s ULTRA Beach Bali perfectly with with his latest party anthem, “In The Name Of Love” featuring Bebe Rexha.

A post shared by Martin Garrix (@martingarrix)

ULTRA Beach Bali 2016 is said to be the one of the smallest ULTRA festivals (only 2 stages this year) so far and though we wished that our favourite acts (ahem, ahem Chainsmokers) was added into this year’s line-up, the event did not disappoint us. We can’t wait to see what organisers have in mind for next year’s festival!

Speaking of which, the brand recently introduced Ultra Passport for frequent festival-goers. The program enables revellers to become eligible for special bonuses by earning points for attending events. Also, early bird tickets will be made available exclusively to Ultra Passport holders. Click here to sign up!

A post shared by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy)

If you’re a party animal like us, stay tuned to PLAY Club KL’s Facebook page and Instagram as their latest party movement, Play Day Out (PDO), allows you to experience concerts and music festivals first hand! To be eligible for PDO, all you need to do is purchase the selected twin bottle packages, as each purchase entitles one lucky draw coupon to be dropped at the dedicated box located at PLAY’s entrance for a draw during the respective closing parties.

P/S: PDO’s next stop is It’s The Ship 2016. Don’t say we didn’t share ;)

For more information, hit up The Roof’s website. For reservations and further inquiries, please call 013 – 2703 111 or 03 – 8605 3388.

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#PokemonGO: Spawn Of Rock-Type Pokemon To Be Increased For Adventure Week

We’ve had events for water-type Pokemon and grass-type Pokemon. Now, it’s time for Rock-type Pokemon to shine.

Niantic has announced their Pokémon GO Adventure Week, which will see an increase of Rock-type Pokemon spawn. It will also take less distance for an egg to hatch and Pokeballs will be sold at a discounted price during the event.

The event is to commemorate a total of 15.8 billion kilometres traveled by all Pokemon GO users, which, according to Niantic, means that “we’re on a journey past the edge of the solar system”.

During the event week, rock-type Pokemon such as Omanyte, Kabuto, Omastar, Kabutops, and Aerodactyl will be more commonly found by players. Although not mentioned in Niantic’s official announcement, we assume other rock-type Pokemon like Geodude, Sudowudo, Magcargo, Onix, Rhyhorn, Shuckle, Corsola, and Larvitar will also be spawned more frequently.

Aside from that, more items will be awarded for every PokeStop visit and Pokeballs will be 50% cheaper at the in-game shop.

However, the most rewarding aspect of the event will perhaps be this feature – your Buddy Pokemon will now be able to find Candies 4 times faster than usual! This means that instead of the usual 1, 3, and 5km, your Buddies will only need to walk 0.25, 0.75, and 1.25km respectively to gain one Candy.

Running from 4am on Friday (19th May) to 4am on 26th May (Friday), those who open the app during the event will also be given a free wardrobe item – the Explorer’s Hat.


#INFINITE: Leader Sunggyu Drops Official Album Preview

As we count down to the days until INFINITE‘s Sunggyu releases his new solo album, his company Woollim Entertainment dropped an official album preview, giving us a glimpse of what to expect from “27”.

His new solo album is highly anticipated by fans as a number of musicians are featured in it, including Kim Jongwan of Nell and Tablo of Epik High. Jongwan’s signature music style can be heard throughout the whole album as it was also composed and produced by him.

Jongwan and Tablo formed a duo called “Borderline” for Sunggyi’s solo album. Both of them worked on the 5th track “Daydream”, with Tablo as the rapper. The song can be heard in the album preview.

Newcomer Park Yoonha, who was a finalist in the latest season of “K-Pop Star”, was also featured in the final song of the album.

Other tracks included in his album are “The Answer”, “Alive”, “Kontrol”, and “Reply”. Sunggyu will be promoting “The Answer” as well as “Kontrol”. The music video for “Kontrol” was teased in the album preview below:

No further information regarding “27” was released, but the album drops on 11th May. What do you think of the album? Which song is your favourite so far? Let us know in the comments box below.


#PetalingJaya: Road Closures From 26th To 28th August Due To PJ Fair

Several major roads in the Petaling Jaya New Town area will be closed from 26th (Friday) to 28th August (Monday) due to this year’s edition of PJ Fair, which will held on the aforementioned days.

4. Entrance to Jalan Yong Shook Lin (in front of Affin Bank)

PJ Fair is an annual festival organised by the Petaling Jaya City Council (Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya/MBPJ) to commemorate the anniversary of Petaling Jaya’s city status.

Themed “Colours Of PJ”, this year’s celebration will see celebrities such as Amy Search, Altimet, Hunny Madu, and more performing. 2016’s PJ Fair will be held at Section 52 City Centre, Petaling Jaya.

Remember to plan your routes well before travelling, peeps!

For more info, visit PJ Fair’s website and Facebook page.

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“Avatar” Universe: How The Franchise Will Move Forward After “Legend of Korra”

It’s been nearly seven years since we’ve said goodbye to the wonderful world of Nickelodeon’s Avatar universe. Many of us grew up watching “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and in our humble opinion, it is one of the greatest TV series of all time. No, we don’t mean it merely within the genre of animated kids shows. We mean throughout all genres. It is up there alongside “Breaking Bad” and “The Sopranos”.

While its sequel “The Legend of Korra” wasn’t quite as great as the original, it still holds a fond place in our collective childhood hearts. The series came to an end in 2014 and it seemed for the time like it was the end of the franchise. At least in terms of TV shows and films. Recently though, there’s been revived interest around the Avatar universe.

This is obviously exciting news for fans looking to reenter the Four Nations once again! That being said, there are some developments that have left us with concerns. While other reports have indicated some potentially great things coming our way. There’s a lot to unpack here, so join us as we explore the future of the Avatar universe beyond “The Legend of Korra”.

We won’t keep your suspense any longer and get the big question out of the way: Will there be a sequel series to “Legend of Korra”? The answer seems to be pointing to a resounding yes! Nickelodeon alongside ViacomCBS has recently announced that it’ll be working with creators Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko to create Avatar Studios. That’s right, an entire studio dedicated to expanding the Avatar universe with new animated series and films. Currently, Avatar studios will be working on an animated theatrical film soon. Needless to say, we are beyond excited about this!

One of the highlights of watching the “Last Airbender” and “Legend of Korra” series were the unique art styles brought to life. While heavily inspired by Japanese anime, the series distinguished themselves by drawing inspiration from other Southeast Asian influences. Especially when it came to the way the series depicted elemental bending. In spite of the fact that we are slightly disappointed that “Last Airbender” head writer, Aaron Ehasz isn’t joining the gang, we are still thrilled at the prospect of this news. We can’t wait to see new gorgeous and innovative takes on the four bending style in future properties.

Right, so while we are confident that a sequel “Avatar” series is coming our way, what can we expect to see in it? Every Avatar cycle follows the sequence of Water, Earth, Fire then Air before returning back to Water. Aang was an Airbender and Korra was a Waterbender. So based on the canonical Avatar cycle, we know that the next Avatar will be an Earthbender. Provided the new series doesn’t skip a whole generation of course. “Legend of Korra” made some major changes and additions to Avatar history though.

The reason why Avatars are so immensely powerful is because they draw upon the powers of their past lives. From the island-splitting Kyoshi to the volcano-bending Roku, they lend their power and wisdom to the current Avatar. Unfortunately in the second season of “Korra”, we see Korra lose her connections to all her past lives. Essentially, she is now the only Avatar in the spiritual database. Sorry new guy, it’s just going to be you and Korra.

As of now, that’s all the canonical details we can tell you about the next Avatar. That being said, fans of the Avatar series have taken matters into their own hands after “Korra”. As far back as 2018, a group of Avatar fans have actually been working on an unofficial comic series called “Legend of Genji”. The series is set to follow the story of a Sandbender, a subset of Earthbenders, named Genji. A brash teenager who longs to return to his carefree days in the desert before the Earth federation forced him and his family into urban centres. His life will forever change when he discovers his true destiny.

Curious enough, Avatar studios and the showrunners have remained awfully mum about this project. Neither outrightly condemning it or showing support of it. These fan-creators are clearly passionate about the universe Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko created. So, perhaps there could be some sort of collaboration to make “Legend of Genji” the official third Avatar series.

Sequel series aren’t the only things in development though. The Avatar universe is massive and there’s a ton of fascinating stories and characters worth exploring. While Aang was frozen for a hundred years, there was a secret society consisting of warriors and benders from all four nations. All dedicated to maintaining balance and stopping tyranny wherever they could. You may know them as the Order of the White Lotus. Imagine seeing a younger Iroh, gathering forces in secret to one day stop his brother’s madness. A thrilling spy-adventure set within the Fire Nation and beyond.

We could also see a spin-off series following Korra’s master Tenzhin and his daughter Jinora as they lead the new Air Nation. Once considered a near-extinct group of benders, the Air Nation is given a second chance due to their reemergence in the world post-Harmonic Convergence. Throughout the series, we see the new Air Nomads become righteous crusaders, battling injustice throughout the Four Nations. The Water Tribes, the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom have had more than enough development. It’s time for the Air Nation to rise again!

The world of Avatar is chalked full of rich human stories but there’s more to the world that just the Four Nations. In the second season of “Legend of Korra”, “Book Two: Spirits”, we learn a ton of history about the first Avatar, Wan and how he maintained harmony between the spirits and humans. We learnt about the Lion Turtles, the battling spirits Raava and Vaatu and how the human and spirit world were severed.

We saw glimpses of it as well in “Last Airbender” when we met the vicious Black and White Spirit Hei Bai and the o’so creepy Koh the Face Stealer. An anthology series exploring the stories between humans and spirits would be a great idea. One that explores the wonder of the Spirit World…and the creepier side of it as well. There have been some genuinely horrifying moments in “The Last Airbender” and we’d love to see some Spirit World ghost stories brought to life.

At the moment, it seems like the road is wide open for the Avatar animated universe. We’re expecting great things to come from Avatar studios soon. There is, however, some less than exciting news coming from other projects related to the Avatar universe from third parties.

Hey, remember that time director M. Night Shyamalan attempted to adapt the entire first season of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” into a single film? Well, we do and we truly wish we didn’t. It was one of the worst films ever put to screen. Both fans and critics eviscerated the film for its disjointed storytelling, poor characterisation and its failure to live up to its source material.

The rationale behind why Shyamalan’s “The Last Airbender” needed to exist is beyond us. The series had just ended a mere two years before its release in 2010. Too short a timeframe to warrant a reimagining. Furthermore, none of the characters portrayed on-screen were anything like the complex and wonderful cast of heroes and villains we’ve come to know and love.

Oh and then there’s the casting. You’d think a film adapting an Asian-inspired series would have Asian actors, right? Apparently not, seeing that Aang, Katara and Sokka are all Caucasian actors! The worst part of it all was that the creators of the series weren’t able to give any input on the project. In a 2014 interview on Nerdist, we hear about how the two eventually had a falling out with Shyamalan and how the director prevented them from having any creative control.

Since then, no attempt (or mistake) had been made to try to create a live-action adaptation of the animated properties…then 2018 came along. Netflix had announced that the service would be teaming up DiMartino and Konietzko to create a live-action version of the series. This time, the creators did agree to collaborate with Netflix to bring an authentic representation of the series to life. They even promised to keep true to the spirit of the original series.

A post shared by Bryan Konietzko (@bryankonietzko)

Then in 2020, Konietzko announced on his official Instagram account that he and DiMartino were no longer involved in the project. There are number of theories behind the two’s departure. Most likely due to creative differences. Regardless, history had repeated itself and like it or not, we’re getting yet another live-action adaptation without the creator’s blessing.

As fans of the series, we’re conflicted with Netflix’s decision to move forward with the project but we’re more than willing to give the series a fair shot. It feels a little weird that there’s going to be a separate live-action Avatar universe running alongside the animated one in development, though. Hopefully, Netflix will do right by the property. That being said, you can now check out both “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Legend of Korra” on Netflix!

So, what do you think of all this Avatar news? Are you excited to see new animated films and series taking place within the Four Nations? Do you think Netflix’s “Avatar” series will be any better than Shyamalan’s adaptation? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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#Apink: K-Pop Group To Hold Fan Meeting & Mini Concert In Singapore In April

Good news, friends and Pink Pandas in Singapore!

A CUBE Entertainment just announced via their Facebook page that their 6-member K-Pop idol girl group, Apink, will be holding a mini concert and a fan meeting in April :)

Apink (에이핑크) consists of Park Cho-rong, Yoon Bo-mi, Jung Eun-ji, Son Na-eun, Kim Nam-joo, and Oh Ha-young. To date, the group has released 5 Korean extended plays and 2 studio albums.

On 16th July last year, Apink released their 2nd full-length album, “Pink Memory”, along with the title track “Remember”. After which, the group kicked off their promotional activities including their second concert “Pink Island” at Jamsil Indoor Stadium, a fan meeting in Thailand, a concert tour in Japan, and a performance at MTV World Stage Malaysia 2015.

Titled, “Pink Memory Day Mini Concert & Fan Meeting”, the upcoming Singapore event will mark Apink’s second concert in the country. Last year, the girls held their “PINK PARADISE in Singapore” concert, which successfully sold out a whopping total of 3,000 seats.

On “Pink Memory Day Mini Concert & Fan Meeting”, Apink said, “We always have missed our fans in Singapore following our wonderful time last year in our first solo oversees concert. We are working hard to prepare a great time of communicating with fans as well as spectacular performance, games, and various activities.”

Fans who purchase Cat 1 VIP tickets will be entitled to either a High-touch pass (limited to 400 passes) or a group photo-op (20 pax per photo; limited to 400 passes) with Apink via a lucky draw.

Cat 1 VIP ticket launched on 20th February (Saturday), while the rest of the ticket categories (Cat 2 to 5) have gone on sale today (23rd February, Tuesday) from 12pm onwards via www.megaboxtickets.com.

For more information, visit A CUBE Entertainment’s Facebook page or promoter Three Angles Production’s Facebook page.

Sources:A CUBE Entertainment’s Facebook page, hallyusg.net, akp.


#Spotify: Premium Users Will Have Access To New Albums 2 Weeks Before Free Users

Thinking of upgrading your Spotify account to premium?

If you’re still on the fence, the music streaming app may have something enticing for all you music lovers. Starting today (Wednesday, 5th April), premium users will have exclusive access to new albums 2 week before everyone else.

In collaboration with Universal Music Group (UMG), artists under the music label have the option of making their new full-length albums available to Spotify premium users. However, UMG singers such as Beck, Lorde, Katy Perry, and Kanye West, can always choose to opt out of this option. Singles will still be available across all tiers.

“We know that not every album by every artist should be released the same way, and we’ve worked hard with UMG to develop a new, flexible release policy,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek was quoted as saying.

Thanks to this agreement with UMG, hopefully Spotify will be able to work out a similar collaboration with major labels Warner Music Group and Sony Music Group.


Bittersweet Goodbye To “Dark Knight”

In the beginning, he was the one who pitched the idea of rebooting the Batman film franchise to Warner Bros., which eventually became a successful trilogy consisting of “Batman Begins” (2005), “The Dark Knight” (2008), and “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012).

Tragedy struck “The Dark Knight” six months before its release when Heath Ledger (who plays the “Joker”) died from an accidental overdose of sleeping pills and other medication. It was claimed that Heath had been in a dark place after wrapping the film, having gotten too deep into his crazed, anarchist character.

That very same year, Morgan Freeman (who plays “Lucius Fox” in the film) also met with a freak accident when his car randomly skipped the road and rolled down an embankment one night. Despite no reports or alcohol or substance abuse. He was in a serious condition for days but he survived.

And finally, in more recent news, the 12 people whose lives were lost all in one night, during the premiere of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado.

It was a senseless act by 24-year-old gunman James Holmes that led to one of the film industry’s greatest tragedies of all time.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking truths are the facts that Christopher Nolan was initially hesitant to return to the Batman film series for the third time, coupled with realizing that above all the tragedies, this would mark the end of Nolan’s Batman works.

And no one else feels it more than Nolan himself, who penned his goodbye “letter” in the foreword to “The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy” book:

Alfred. Gordon. Lucius. Bruce..Wayne. Names that have come to mean so much to me. Today, I’m three weeks from saying a final goodbye to these characters and their world. It’s my son’s ninth birthday. He was born as the Tumbler was being glued together in my garage from random parts of model kits. Much time, many changes. A shift from sets where some gunplay or a helicopter were extraordinary events to working days where crowds of extras, building demolitions, or mayhem thousands of feet in the air have become familiar.

People ask if we’d always planned a trilogy. This is like being asked whether you had planned on growing up, getting married, having kids. The answer is complicated. When David and I first started cracking open Bruce’s story, we flirted with what might come after, then backed away, not wanting to look too deep into the future. I didn’t want to know everything that Bruce couldn’t; I wanted to live it with him. I told David and Jonah to put everything they knew into each film as we made it. The entire cast and crew put all they had into the first film. Nothing held back. Nothing saved for next time. They built an entire city. Then Christian and Michael and Gary and Morgan and Liam and Cillian started living in it. Christian bit off a big chunk of Bruce Wayne’s life and made it utterly compelling. He took us into a pop icon’s mind and never let us notice for an instant the fanciful nature of Bruce’s methods.

I never thought we’d do a second – how many good sequels are there? Why roll those dice? But once I knew where it would take Bruce, and when I started to see glimpses of the antagonist, it became essential. We reassembled the team and went back to Gotham. It had changed in three years. Bigger. More real. More modern. And a new force of chaos was coming to the fore. The ultimate scary clown, as brought to terrifying life by Heath. We’d held nothing back, but there were things we hadn’t been able to do the first time out – a Batsuit with a flexible neck, shooting on Imax. And things we’d chickened out on – destroying the Batmobile, burning up the villain’s blood money to show a complete disregard for conventional motivation. We took the supposed security of a sequel as license to throw caution to the wind and headed for the darkest corners of Gotham.

I never thought we’d do a third – are there any great second sequels? But I kept wondering about the end of Bruce’s journey, and once David and I discovered it, I had to see it for myself. We had come back to what we had barely dared whisper about in those first days in my garage. We had been making a trilogy. I called everyone back together for another tour of Gotham. Four years later, it was still there. It even seemed a little cleaner, a little more polished. Wayne Manor had been rebuilt. Familiar faces were back – a little older, a little wiser…but not all was as it seemed.

Gotham was rotting away at its foundations. A new evil bubbling up from beneath. Bruce had thought Batman was not needed anymore, but Bruce was wrong, just as I had been wrong. The Batman had to come back. I suppose he always will.

Michael, Morgan, Gary, Cillian, Liam, Heath, Christian..Bale. Names that have come to mean so much to me. My time in Gotham, looking after one of the greatest and most enduring figures in pop culture, has been the most challenging and rewarding experience a filmmaker could hope for. I will miss the Batman. I like to think that he’ll miss me, but he’s never been particularly sentimental.

The letter was written before “The Dark Knight Rises” was premiered, and therefore before the numbing news of the Colorado shooting. Hence, making the end of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy one of the most emotional and moving events in the film and entertainment industry ever.

“The Art and Making of The Dark Knight Trilogy” is available here.

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Park Seo Joon Reportedly Making His MCU Debut In “Captain Marvel 2”

It looks like the Marvel Cinematic Universe is welcoming another South Korean actor into its expanding family. Rumour has it that it’s Park Seo Joon (박서준).

According to reports, the 32-year-old Hallyu star will be in the “Captain Marvel” sequel titled, “The Marvels”. However, there’s no word yet on which role he’ll be portraying in the MCU flick.

Soompi reported that Park Seo Joon is scheduled to fly to the United States in the second half of 2021. At the moment, he’s currently busy filming the thriller film, “Concrete Utopia” (콘크리트 유토피아). When asked about the exciting news, Park Seo Joon’s agency Awesome ENT responded, “No comment”.

This is obviously a big occasion for K-drama fans as the “Itaewon Class” actor will be joining Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, and Iman Vellani (who are playing Carol Danvers, Monica Rambeau and Kamala Khan respectively). Zawe Ashton is allegedly the main villain in “The Marvels”.

If this is true, Park Seo Joon will be following in the footsteps of Ma Dong Seok who will be appearing in “Eternals” later this year.