#TaylorSwift: When Tay Tay Swiftly Swept Us Off Our Feet

Note: Because professional cameras weren’t allowed, we didn’t get to take better pictures. But that didn’t stop us from covering Taylor Swift’s Red Tour Live in Malaysia concert tour the best way we know how!

If there was a colour for the emotions than ran high last night while Taylor Swift danced her way into the hearts of her Malaysian Swifties, it’d be RED. And RED indeed was the theme of the night. Not only was it in the official name of Taylor Swift’s tour, the concert attendees were also mostly dressed in red!

At 5:30pm, the queue was dotted with fans in shades of crimson as well as some super adorable Swifties who took a lot of time and effort to prepare their costumes:

As the Putra Indoor Stadium in Bukit Jalil filled up over the hour, screams and chants were heard as excited fans anxiously awaited the appearance of their idol. As soon as the lights went out, the colour red flooded the stadium. Then, the 24-year-old multiple award-winning singer-songwriter sashayed onto the stage decked in her signature hat and shorts and belted out, “State of Grace”.

Her opening was followed by high decibel cheers and thunderous claps before she went on to sing “Holy Ground” and “Red”. Like a seasoned artiste, Taylor swished and flicked her hair, pausing to flash smiles and send occasional waves at her adoring fans. Her aura of happiness was surely infectious, which heightened the energy level in the stadium as the night progressed.

Taylor also performed “Lucky One”, “Mean”, and “22”, but she wasn’t alone. The crowd sang along as she sang her songs, word for word. This prompted Taylor to exclaim over the deafening screams, “My backup dancers and I were just talking about you guys backstage and the way you guys welcomed us is amazing. Like, this is how you welcome us. KL, you’re amazing!”

An entourage of dancers and musicians dressed in costumes strutted alongside Taylor throughout her Red Tour Live in Malaysia concert. Some highlights worth mentioning are such as:

..before she ran backstage to prepare for her final performance. For her final song, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”, she trotted onto the stage dressed as a ringmaster while performers in stilts and her “dancing clowns” surrounded her.

With a bow and a big, bright smile, the beautiful blue-eyed blonde idol left the Red Tour Live in Malaysia stage. An experience we won’t soon forget – and neither will her Malaysian Swifties.

For more coverage from the night, hit up our Instagram and Twitter.


AirAsia Free Seats Promo!

Get ready to start clicking because AirAsia is offering up free seats to international destinations such as Bali, Singapore, Krabi, Hatyar, and Surat Thani with their latest promotion which runs from 18th February 2013 (that’s today!) until 24th February 2013 (Sunday). Yes, FREE seats!

Guests can book these free seats for immediate travel period from 1st March 2013 to 31st July 2013. There are 200,000 free seats (only taxes and frees apply to these free seats) available under this promotion, which also featured domestic destinations such as Johor Baru and Kota Baru.

Apart from the free seats, there are also promotional fares from as low as RM39 one way to Terengganu, Alor Setar, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and many more throughout the same booking period and travel period as the free seats offered.

Time to book that holiday you’ve always needed, Malaysians! Don’t say we didn’t share. Go, go, go. You know where.

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They’re Back! #SuJu Announces Comeback Album “Mamacita”

K-Pop idol boy group Super Junior is back and better than ever!

Earlier, we reported that the 12-member group might comeback in late August or early September. Now, it has been confirmed that the group will be holding their comeback on 29th August instead. A teaser image of their new album has been released and it showed the boys dressed in the cowboy outfits. Swag, much?

Best known for their songs “Sorry, Sorry” and “Mr Simple”, it seems like the group is ready to explore a new side of them with a new album concept.

As the album is scheduled for release before their upcoming concert tour “Super Show 6” on September 19th, it is expected that the group will be performing their new songs from the upcoming album during the concert.

“Mamacita” will be Super Junior’s first full-length in over 2 years. So far, Super Junior has only announced that their Super Show 6 World Tour will be held in Seoul from 19th to 21st September. The group previously held their “Super Show 5” concert at Putra Indoor Stadium KL though so there might be just a small glimmer of hope that the group will include Malaysia for Super Show 6 as well. Fingers crossed, peeps!

Meanwhile, check out the videos of some of the SuJu members taking on the #ALSIceBucketChallenge here.

So, what do you think of their cowboy concept here? Let us know in the comment box below!


Michelle Chen’s “Me, Myself & I” Promo Tour In Malaysia

Asia’s most beloved girl-next-door Michelle Chen, the sweet schoolgirl in the 2011 blockbuster “You Are the Apple of My Eye”, will be in Malaysia from 13th till 15th June to promote her first studio album, “Me Myself and I”!

Having taken the stage for six years as an actress, Michelle’s dream of completing her first album has finally come true. With its official release, the multi-talented darling organized musical sharing sessions in Hong Kong, Beijing, Taiwan, and also Malaysia to better convey the meaning of her songs and to meet her adoring fans.

Michelle’s musical sharing session in Malaysia, to be held at Bentley Music Auditorium on 14th June will be the last musical sharing session of her tour. After which, she will be taking a hiatus in order to focus on her shooting/acting career.

“Me, Myself and I” consists of ten songs which were single-handedly written by Michelle Chen herself – 90% of the songs were composed by either Michelle herself or Michelle and her friends. Even the artwork alone took about five years to be completed. Talk about dedication!

Wanna see Michelle Chen live? All you have to do is purchase her “Me, Myself and I” album at your nearest CD Rama store and redeem the musical sharing ticket with the coupon in the album. Tickets are on a “first come, first serve” basis so best you hurry!

For further information about Michelle Chen’s promo tour in Malaysia, please visit their website or Universal Music Malaysia Chinese Facebook page. You can also call the Universal Music Hotline at 03-79587433 (ext 102/205).


Hype Picks: Best Things To Do In The Klang Valley This Week (15th August – 21st August)

Have your daily routines been so consistent that you failed to realise you hadn’t done something for yourself in a while? So start making changes and spend some of your time having tons of fun!

No need to worry because we have compiled a list of events you can visit in this week’s Hype Picks! Get lost in a mascot hunting game at Plaza Low Yat, reward yourself with a staycation at i-City Shah Alam, chit-chat with a medical specialist, and more!

Location: Standard Chartered Global Business Services Sdn Bhd, Bukit Jalil

Exciting rides and games await at the biggest fun fair happening in Bukit Jalil! Be thrilled at its haunted house or enjoy the night view on the Ferris wheel with your loved ones. It’s here for a limited time only, so be sure to have the time of your lives together by visiting Euro Fun Park Bukit Jalil now! For more details, go here.

2. New Beginnings Calligraphy Exhibition

Location: ZHAN Art | Space Petaling Jaya

mo4ji4, Malaysian calligraphy artist, has given Chinese calligraphy a modern twist in his largest and most ambitious art installation to date. One of his works includes taking up the space floor with calligraphy wordings inspired by the songs “The Road to Ordinary” by Pu Shu and “The Brightest Star in the Sky” by Escape Plan. Now available for viewing at ZHAN Art | Space, click here for more information.

Location: Mid Valley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur

Enjoy exclusive deals and discounts up to 70% with ITSU! Buy or rent any of their massaging chairs and other products to experience the ultimate cutting-edge technology infused in their massaging chairs. Visit here to find out more!

Malaysia’s largest IT lifestyle mall’s mascot hunt event takes place from 15th August until 21st August in conjunction with its 23rd anniversary. Win up to RM8,000 cash vouchers and let the mascot hunt begins now! Click here to visit their Facebook page for more information.

This is your chance to immerse yourself in retail therapy and shop responsibly. Check out their selection of locally-made handcrafted goods and fashionable apparel; you might find something that suits your needs! Head here now to learn more about the event.

Location: The Bee, Lot36B, Block C, Level G2, Publika Kuala Lumpur

Party, socialise, and get a tattoo at The Lonely Hearts Club show. Discover and support homegrown artists that will bring you tunes ranging from Pop Punk to R&B, such as An Honest Mistake, EmonightKL, and Late Night Frequency. Click here for details, and to purchase the tickets, go here.

Location: Malaysian Institute of Art City Campus, Dang Wangi

Brought to you by the Sonore String Quartet, the group was formed in 2019. The ensemble has experience performing in wedding events and concerts in various genres, from classical pieces to pop melody tunes. Fill in this from here to get your tickets and visit here for more information on the concert.

SSCD (Sunway Specialist Centre Damansara) encourages you to look after your health and visit their Merdeka Health Fair 2022! Get complimentary health screenings and counselling for blood pressure, fertility, and many more. Make sure to check out their Facebook page to stay updated!

Come over and spoil yourself with the Weekend at Central Market! Enjoy good food and feast your eyes with handcrafted items; most importantly, you can save your pockets at the same time. So, go here now for details and don’t forget to mark you calendars!

The W Kuala Lumpur hotel will hold its first phenomenal wedding exhibition, specially curated for future brides and grooms. Titled “Together Is a Beautiful Place to be”, the public is welcome to attend the showcase at no cost. Save the date now and visit here for more information!

“Silk Road, Connection & Conversation” Malaysia-China Shadow Puppetry Cultural Workshop

Location: China Cultural Centre Kuala Lumpur

Don’t pass up the opportunity to learn from Malaysian and Chinese puppeteers! The 2-day workshop also covers cultural seminars, shadow play, and more! So visit here now for more details, and here to register.

Hilton’s latest addition to the hospitality company’s finally opened its doors to the public. DoubleTree by Hilton is Malaysia’s sixth state-of-the-art hotel which aims provide comfort to both business and leisure travellers.

The UTme! project is a partnership between 8SIAN and UNIQLO to raise awareness of Asian heritage while connecting the Asian community in the digital art space. Starting from 12th August, a collection of customisable t-shirts and tote bags showcasing the cultures and diversity of all Malaysians will be available for purchase. For more information on the collection, go to their official website.

Anis Sharina contributed to this article.

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Elton John, Daddy For The 2nd Time!

Are you feeling the love (tonight)? Because Elton John and partner David Furnish certainly are! The loving pair totally psyched because they will soon be parents to a new bundle of joy, to the second addition to their family.

Their first child, Zachary Furnish-John, was born in December 2012 from a surrogate mother whose identity is yet to be revealed (all we know is that she lives in California). The same surrogate mama will be giving birth to their second child sometime next year.

According to The Sun, a source close to the happy pair said, “They are over the moon. Elton and David love this lady like a sister and they feel indebted to her for life. Naturally she has been well rewarded. But her identity will never be revealed”.

That’s fine by us. It doesn’t change how happy we are for Elton. Congratulations! Now let’s go have some champagne.


When Pets Come Back To Life

Kids – sometimes, they wish for the darndest things. They wish for better grades (without studying) when exams are looming. They wish for ponies or “a new pet puppy” from Santa for Christmas. And when pets die, they wish they could bring them back to life.

“Frankenweenie” is the perfect example of things going wrong when a pet comes back to life.

Directly by stop motion guru Tim Burton, Frankenweenie is an upcoming 3D black and white stop motion-animated sci-fi film that is a parody of and homage to the 1931 film, “Frankenstein”. It is also a remake of Tim Burton’s own 1984 short film of the same name.

The film tells the story about a young boy named Victor who creates movies starring his beloved dog, Sparky. After the death of Sparky, Victor conducts a science experiment and harnesses its power to bring the dog back to life.

Which is a brilliant idea at first, but when the idea actually worked, it just meant that Victor would need to hide his “creation”.

All is well until the “recharged” Sparky gets out and unintentionally causes havoc in the town, leaving Victor to face unintended and monstrous consequences. Uh oh! What’s a boy to do?:

[youtube id=”Dfq1OV8dTvQ” width=”600″ height=”350″]

The film is scheduled for release on 5th October 2012. It will be the first black and white feature and first stop-motion film to be released in IMAX 3D.

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


YG Entertainment’s Moonshot Has Arrived In Malaysia

Following the recent launch of the first flagship store at Sunway Pyramid last Friday (10th November), it looks like the Korean cosmetic brand by YG Entertainment is set to open 2 more outlets in the Klang Valley.

If you haven’t already visited the first flagship store, Moonshot Sunway Pyramid is located at G1.81 Ground Floor. The next outlet, however, will be opening at 1 Utama New Wing. It will be located at the lower ground where it was previously occupied by Etude House. A gigantic image of idol girl group BLACKPINK (블랙핑크) is already plastered on the upcoming new store.

2NE1’s Sandara Park, aka Dara (다라), and BIGBANG’s G-Dragon, were previously appointed as brand ambassadors for the global makeup brand. BLACKPINK’s Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa are the latest Kpop idols to endorse YG Entertainment’s Moonshot. They were last seen promoting the Creampaint Lightfit AD and Lip Feat lipsticks.

Besides Sunway Pyramid and 1 Utama Shopping Centre, Moonshot will also open another outlet in Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

For more information, hit up Moonshot Malaysia’s Facebook page or their Instagram account.

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#MRT: Sungai Buloh – Kajang Line Phase 1 To Officially Start 16th December

Good news public transport commuters! The long wait for the country’s first mass rapid transit (MRT) system is almost over!

The 1st phase of the Sungai Buloh – Kajang MRT will officially begin operating on 16th December and Rapid KL has announced that it’ll begin at the starting point at Sungai Buloh all the way to Semantan.

Unfortunately, there won’t be any interchange to LRT for MRT’s Phase 1. But there will be feeder busses available to connect you to the nearest LRT station. Phase 2 of the MRT line, which will cover the remaining 19 stations, is expected to be operational by next July.

It was previously reported that the lowest single stop fare based on the cash fare structure is RM1.10 (e.g.: between Merdeka and Pasar Seni stations), while the maximum cash fare structure is RM6.40 (RM5.50 for cashless fare structure).

Also, the discounts applied to students, senior citizens, and OKU, which is 50% off the usual fare, will be brought forward to the MRT too.


#AttackOnTitan2: Popular Anime To Return In Spring 2017

During yesterday’s (Sunday, 3rd July) “Shingeki Matsuri” event, the staff of Hajime Isayama’s popular Japanese manga series, “Attack on Titan” (進撃の巨人, pronounced as “Shingeki no Kyojin”), has announced that the well-loved anime adaption will return for its 2nd season in Spring 2017!

The upcoming series will be produced by WIT STUDIO and according to IGN, the core staff from the previous season will also be returning, with former episode director Masashi Koizuka moving up as director while Tetsuro Araki will act as chief director.

“Attack on Titan” follows the story of Eren Jaeger (voiced by Yuuki Kaji), a boy who desires to eliminate the titan threat after witnessing his mother killed by a titan. He is joined by his adopted sister, Mikasa Ackerman (played by Yui Ishikawa), and his closest friend, Armin Arlert (voiced by Marina Inoue). When a Colossal Titan (a 60-meter-tall giant) appears over Wall Maria, humanity receives a grim reminder that they will always live in fear of the titans.

Hajime Isayama launched “Attack on Titan” in 2009 through Kodansha’s “Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine” and as of April 2016, it has been collected into 19 volumes. The manga was also adapted into a 2-part live-action movie last year.

Are you excited for season 2? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below :)

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


#XMenApocalypse: Newcomer Lana Condor Joins Cast As Jubilee

We already know that director Bryan Singer is casting a slew of young actors to be featured in his upcoming “X-Men” film, but we didn’t know which character is going to appear and who is going to portray it. He made it even harder to guess when the plot details are being kept under wraps.

On 25th March, the director surprised his fans on Instagram by announcing a new cast member of “X-Men: Apocalypse“.

Singer revealed on Instagram that newcomer Lana Condor is set to join the film as Jubilee a.k.a. Jubilation Lee, a Chinese American teenage mutant who is capable of generating pyrotechnic energy plasmoids from her hands.

Very little is known about Condor, other than the fact she is making her film debut through “X-Men: Apocalypse”. Her character was popularised in the early 1990s as she was the youngest member in the “X-Men” Universe. After the death of her immigrant parents, Jubilee became a “mall rat” and eventually joined the junior team, “Generation X”. After being bitten by Xarus, son of Dracula, she gained superhuman strength and speed from her transformation into a vampire.

Despite having appeared in the original “X-Men” film trilogy, she was never a major character in the film series. She was first portrayed by Katrina Florence in the first “X-Men” film, followed by Kea Wong in “X2”, and “X-Men: The Last Stand”. She was also portrayed by Heather McComb in the 1996’s made-for-TV film, “Generation X”.

Further details regarding Condor’s role have yet to announced, but she is expected to play a big part in the film.

James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, and Nicholas Hoult will reprise their respective mutant roles in “X-Men: Apocalypse”. Oscar Isaac has joined the cast to play the titular villain Apocalypse while Rose Byrne will reprise her role as Moira MacTaggert.

“Game of Thrones” actress Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp (of “Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B” fame), and Kodi Smit-McPhee will play the younger versions of Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler, while “EastEnders” star Ben Hardy is joining the film for an undisclosed role.

Singer will direct “X-Men: Apocalypse” based on a screenplay written by Simon Kinberg, Mike Dougherty, and Dan Harris. The movie will begin filming in Montreal in this April before its release on 27th May 2016.

What do you think of the casting news? Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

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Hype’s Movie Review: #Ouija Proves That Even The “Shock Factor” Can Fail

Ouija serves up a huge plate of disappointment.

With Halloween coming up, we were expecting to be served one good horror movie after another but that hasn’t really been the case. Given that Annabelle was a let down, we were expecting a little bit more from Ouija as the trailer was pretty damn good. Okay so before we get into the review, we all know that we are not supposed to be messing with dark magic or summoning spirits via spirits boards right?

Ouija pretty much represents a spirit board is printed with letters, numbers, and other signs to which a planchette or movable indicator points, supposedly in answer to questions asked by those who are playing with it. The Ouija board on its own may sound pretty harmless but for those who aren’t aware, the board is believed to be used for demonic possession.

Tapping onto the believe that the Ouija board is used for demonic possession, director Stile White’s movie is based on just that. Like most horror films, the ghost comes in forms of women in Ouija. Now, we’re not saying that there is anything wrong with that because maybe possessed women make better scarers and inspire these stories but we were expecting a little more horror rather than just shock tactics considering that we’ve been blessed with other horror movies like The Conjuring as well as the Insidious instalments.

Set in modern times, the movie tells a tale about a group of teenagers who decides to play with the Ouija board having lost their friend Debbie (Shelley Henning). The group, lead by Laine (Olivia Cooke) is made up off Laine’s sister, Sarah (Ana Coto), and their friends Pete (Douglas Smith), Trevor (Darren Kagasoff) and Isabelle (Bianca A. Santos).

Having suddenly lost their friend Debbie, the group makes way to Debbie’s home where Laine insists on playing with the Ouija board as she desperately wanted to communicate with Debbie. As they start to call out to Debbie with the board, the first response they got from it was “Hi, Friend”. Immediately assuming that the spirit they were in contact with was Debbie, Laine goes on to ask it a couple of questions before weird things start happening like a complete blackout, the gas stove turning on, and chandeliers swinging. However, it was until Pete sees a reflection in a mirror and gets pushed into from the back that got the group of friends to really freak out and get out of the house.

Ever since then, the group has individually experienced weird things happening around them, all ending with a note that read “Hi, Friend”. As weird things start happening around them on their daily lives, the group of friends gathers once again at Debbie’s house to try and end the game. To no surprise, that did not work as the spirit they were in contact with revealed its true self as Laine looked into the planchette and sees 2 spirits – one of a young girl who’s lips were tied together and one of her mother who charges towards the group and throws the Ouija board up in air.

As that happened, Laine yells out that they are done playing and together with her friends they get out of the house as fast they could. Unfortunately for them, they don’t get to dictate when the game ends. Unusual things continue to happen around each of them individually before one of them dies.

Having lost yet another friend, Laine convinces Pete that they have to go back to Debbie’s house to find more information about the spirits that are haunting them in order to put an end to it. Having discovered old photos of the family that was once living there, the duo searched for information and discovers that one person from the family was still alive. Laine tracks down that one particular family member and is given information as to how she can put an end to the spirits haunting her and her friends. Unfortunately for them, the information given to them came with a twist.

Without wanting to risk spoiling Ouija even more for you horror fans, we are going to say this − much like most horror flicks, Ouija served us with creaking floors, home appliances that go off on their own, home furniture moving around on its own, mysterious writing that shows up in mysterious places and people suddenly dying.

Opening in cinemas on October 23rd (Thursday), we suggest you watch this movie without expectations. We leave you today with the trailer of Ouija.

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


World War Joy: The Chainsmokers Set To Tour 8 Countries In Asia

Grammy Award-winning duo The Chainsmokers will be kicking off their “World War Joy” Asia Tour later this year.

Producers and DJs Alex Pall and Drew Taggart have just announced their tour dates which includes 8 Asian countries, which will kick off in mid August. We hate to break it to you, but once again, Malaysia has been left out.

The American EDM-pop duo has produced some of the biggest hit singles in recent years. Their first breakthrough came with the song “#Selfie”. Other smash hits like “Closer” featuring Halsey, has received more than 1 billion streams on Spotify and over 2.2 billion views on YouTube.

The Chainsmokers, won a Best Dance Recording Grammy Award for 2016 song, “Don’t Let Me Down”, has 2 studio albums under their resume so far – “Memories… Do Not Open” (2017) and “Sick Boy” (2018). Their 3rd record, “World War Joy”, is due for release this year. It’ll feature collaborations from Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds Of Summer and American rockers Blink-182.

A post shared by The Chainsmokers (@thechainsmokers) on May 1, 2019 at 5:07pm PDT

The Chainsmokers World War Joy Asia Tour:

The Chainsmokers also won 2 trophies at yesterday’s 2019 Billboard Music Awards for Best Dance Artist and Best Dance Album for “Sick Boy”.

A post shared by The Chainsmokers (@thechainsmokers) on May 2, 2019 at 12:10pm PDT

The slots for 8th and 9th September haven’t been announced yet. So maybe there’s hope for Malaysian fans?

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Contest: Win Exclusive Passes To Meet The Sam Willows

What’s that? You’re dying to meet multi-talented Singaporean band The Sam Willows when they to come to Kuala Lumpur next month? Here’s your chance!

Thanks to our friends from The Livescape Group and Sony Music Malaysia, we’re giving away ONE pair of exclusive meet and greet passes for one lucky reader to go say hi to Narelle, Benjamin Kheng, Sandra, and Jonathan.

Here’s what you gotta do to win ’em! Tell us:

E-mail your answers and your details (name, IC, contact) to submit@hype.my. The winner will be notified via e-mail after the contest ends.

For more information or to obtain updates on The Sam Willows show, hit up Livescape Group’s website or Facebook page.


Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse – How Does The MCU’s Multiverse Fit Into Sony’s Spider-Verse?

Whether it’s Tom Hardy’s Venom making a cameo in “Spider-Man: No Way Home” or Morbius teasing a team-up with Michael Keaton’s Vulture for a sinister plan, Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and Sony’s Spider-Verse are clearly linked in some way. Also, to avoid confusion, we’ll be referring to the sections of the multiverse that have appeared in the MCU as the MCU’s multiverse and the area of the multiverse in which the “Venom” and the “Spider-Verse” films take place as the Spider-Verse collectively. As fans of both Marvel franchises, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed the multiversal adventures and cameos. However, we’re also thoroughly confused about how it all fits together.

Fans of the MCU might be tempted to say that Sony’s Spider-Verse is merely a pond within the wider ocean of the MCU’s multiverse. Sony fans may argue that the Spider-Verse has always been there before the MCU films started exploring the multiverse, which means the events in the MCU films are happening in the Spider-Verse. Which is the case? Well, fear not, for we’re here to untangle this web and figure out how exactly the Spider-Verse and the MCU’s multiverse are all connected.

So it’s no secret that certain aspects of the Spider-Verse have collided with the MCU’s Earth-616. Besides Venom coming over and leaving his mark, we’ve also seen Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker make their way into Earth-616. With the revelation of the existence of the singular Sacred Timeline as shown at the end of the first season of “Loki”, does that mean that Garfield and Maguire’s Spider-Men are just two branches that came off the Sacred Timeline? Does this mean that before the MCU’s Sacred Timeline split apart into branching paths, there was no Spider-Verse? Well, it’s complicated, so let’s break it down.

According to the writer of “Loki,” Michael Waldron, during an interview with ScreenCrush, the Sacred Timeline isn’t a singular universe in a straight line with no variations. Otherwise, there would be no variants in “Loki”. Rather, the Sacred Timeline is a series of other timelines, which are also called universes, that vary in small, inconsequential ways but they have a “baseline”. The baseline is a status quo such as perhaps the assembling of some version of a team of superheroes, the emergence of a set of certain characters and most importantly, the absolute guarantee that He Who Remains comes into existence in every reality…and Kang doesn’t. Any variation that endangers the emergence of He Who Remains found in a timeline is immediately pruned from existence.

Sure Captain America could be Captain Carter but if a possible variant of Peter Quill starts running around with Infinity Stones and possibly creating enough chaos and variation, then nope. He’s toast. So to clear up the misconception, no the Sacred Timeline isn’t the end-all-be-all universe/timeline that fractured and became the multiverse. The multiverse has always existed, with timelines like strands that have been branching out all over the place. Think of the TVA as the rubberband that ties all these timelines into a bundle that follows a clear baseline and flows in a single direction.

Now, seeing that Spider-Man exists on Earth-616, it stands to reason that the existence of some version of Spider-Man is part of that baseline. Regardless of whether He Who Remains established the Sacred Timeline or not, there would have definitely been universes with a Spider-Man in some of them. So to answer the question: No, the universes from the Spider-Verse have always existed and were always going to come into existence. He Who Remains simply wanted to control all timelines, including the ones within the Spider-Verse, to have them all lead to his existence. Is it possible that his TVA may have pruned certain variants of Spider-Man? Sure it is but it doesn’t matter because he’s dead now. With He Who Remains murdered, the multiverse is going to need a new leader to establish a new baseline. Let’s meet him.

So if you’ve seen the second official trailer for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”, you may notice one particularly grumpy Spider-Man 2099 played by Oscar Isaac, Miguel O’Hara, going on a bit of a rant about Doctor Strange and the little nerd (Tom Holland’s Peter Parker) and how their actions screwed things up for the multiverse. Oh wait, but it gets better because Spider-Man 2099 then goes on to reference that particular universe as Earth-199999, which is huge! You see for the longest time, the main universe in the MCU has been designated as Earth-616, which is also the designation given to the main Marvel universe in the comics. It was a way to cement the status of the universe that most of the films take place in as the prime one.

So to have Miguel O’Hara refer to it by a different designation shows that whatever new multiversal status quo he’s trying to make, he doesn’t consider the MCU to be the main one. Also, whatever Tom Holland’s Spider-Man did to mess up the multiverse has apparently discounted him from being part of O’Hara’s Spider Society; Miles Morales also seems to be on his bad side as well. Why is he so upset? It’s because O’Hara, much like He Who Remains, wants order and stability within the multiverse. He probably feels that the best way to achieve that is with the baseline that if there’s a Spider-Man variant existing in one particular universe, they’re going to have to follow the tragic hero plot, learn sacrifice and save the day.

Now, he’s not a monster like He Who Remains going around pruning universes and killing variants that don’t fit into his baseline. He just wants to link up with all of them and ensure that they’re living out their destiny and not endangering the multiverse by destabilising it with too many crossovers. If the events of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” has taught us anything, is that when characters from one universe travel out of their native one into other universes, it either causes instability or an incursion event that destroys both universes.

That being said, it seems like Miguel O’Hara is perfectly fine with his baseline having other heroes, even variants of MCU characters, sharing the same reality as members of his Spider Society. There’s even a TV spot that sees Spider-Gwen cheekily calling O’Hara the Blue Panther with him sarcastically replying “That’s funny“. This implies that in Spider-Gwen’s world, there probably exists some version of the Black Panther running around and O’Hara is aware of that too!

Right, so we’ve established that no one franchise has a particular monopoly on the origin of the shared multiverse. Rather, there are periods in which individuals and organisations have tried to control and maintain order over a collection of universes for a time. He Who Remains tried to tie all realities down, presumably also the ones from the Spider-Verse, and failed. Now, it’s Miguel O’Hara’s turn to ensure the order of the multiverse with his Spider Society acting as watchdogs and protectors over every Earth that has a Spider-Man variant.

With that in mind, will Miles Morales’ story be forced to conform to Miguel O’Hara’s baseline? How does Miles Morales’s failure to adhere to the baseline threaten the stability of the multiverse? To find the answers to all these burning questions and more, you’re gonna have to swing over to a local theatre near you.

Be sure to catch “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” when it hits theatres on 1st June and be sure to join in our free ticket and merch giveaway as well!

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#Frozen: Sequel Not Happening, Idina Menzel Only Assumed It Was

Yup, time to let it go, everyone. The sequel of Disney’s “Frozen” not in the works at the moment, but a stage version of the musical film will be developed for Broadway instead.

The rumour about the possible sequel of the Oscar-winning animated film emerged after the “Frozen” voice cast Idina Menzel (who voiced Elsa in “Frozen”) told UK-based newspaper The Telegraph that both the stage version and the sequel of the Oscar-winning animated film are “in the works”. However, Menzel later cleared up the confusion by saying that she had “no idea” about Disney’s plans on the movie.

She appeared on Today Show on Monday morning and revealed that she had “no idea” what will happen to the sequel, even though she was hoping to return as Disney princess. She said:

You know, I have no idea. I just assumed that because it’s so successful that’s what they’re up to!

Earlier in April this year, the report about a Frozen sequel was personally denied by Disney chairman Alan Horn as he told the reporters that the studio was concentrating on getting a stage version of the musical film instead. Disney CEO Bob Iger and other executives did not announce anything regarding the film’s sequel but Disney executive Thomas Schumacher, the Disney executive revealed that the stage show “was more important than making it fast”.

The news, of course, have crushed many people who were eagerly waiting for Disney to release a sequel but do you think Elsa and Anna will build a snowman again? How will the story be told if there’s a sequel? Let us know what you think in the comments box below!


Hype’s Movie Review: #Gifted Is A Sweet But Mediocre Family Melodrama

After a 3-year break, director Marc Webb (of “500 Days Of Summer” fame) has finally made his return with a small-scale feature, “Gifted”. This also marks his first movie since “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” in 2014.

Adapted from an original script by Tom Flynn, the movie stars “Captain America: Civil War” actor Chris Evans as Frank Adler, the “damaged, hot-type” uncle who is trying his best to give his 7-year-old niece named Mary Adler (played by Grace McKenna) a “normal life”. The problem is, Mary is a math prodigy.

The film begins with Frank, who has been home-schooling Mary for years, sending a grudging Mary to a regular elementary school in Florida. His landlady and close friend Roberta (played by Octavia Spencer) stomps into his house and demands him to withdraw Mary’s enrolment because she’s afraid that somebody might take her away. At school, Mary impresses her homeroom teacher Bonnie (played by Jenny Slate) with her mad counting skills. When the principal visits her class, Mary yells at her rudely in order to go home. This leads to Frank’s cliché first meeting with Bonnie, who he unsurprisingly sleeps with later.

One day, Mary witnesses an older kid bullying one of her classmates and breaks the bully’s nose with a book. When Frank meets the principal, she offers him a scholarship that will allow Mary to study in an elite school for geniuses. However, Frank declines. What does the principal do? She calls his mother.

Frank’s “very British” mother, Evelyn (played by Lindsay Duncan), is designed to be the most unlikable character in the whole movie. Frank and her are polar opposites – Frank is simple and down-to-earth while Evelyn is arrogant, controlling, and manipulative. We also learned that Mary’s talents runs in her blood. While Frank is a former Philosophy professor at Boston University, Mary’s mother was a celebrated mathematician who committed suicide after giving birth to Mary. And as a result, Evelyn, who was also a mathematician herself, wants to raise her precocious grandchild as a genius and hence files a custody lawsuit against her own son.

So here comes the big question: What is the best way to raise a gifted child?

It’s not hard to see who’s winning the race, if you asked us. The movie clearly wants its viewers to choose Frank over Evelyn. And that’s the problem with “Gifted” – it has fallen prey to predictability. It gives viewers little to no room to think about what’s best for Mary. To be honest, a part of us actually wanted Mary to follow her grandmother because we felt that there’s so much more to Evelyn than meets the eye.

However, despite the formulaic plot, “Gifted” is also blessed with a solid cast. We enjoyed watching Chris Evans play a non-superhero role in a non-action film. The actor has been playing Captain America for so long that we forgot that he’s actually a very good actor. In the film, his chemistry with young Grace McKenna feels so real that it will melt your heart.

Speaking of McKenna, she is no less “gifted”. Considering her age (she’s only 10!), her portrayal of Mary felt natural and unforced. She definitely stole our hearts with her long doll-like lashes, toothless grin, and gutsy attitude. She kinda reminded us of Drew Barrymore’s Gertie in “E.T.” too.

All in all, “Gifted” is a sweet, heartwarming comedy-melodrama that centres around family values. It’s the kind of movie that will make you laugh and cry at the same time.

By the time the credits roll, you’ll find yourself caring about the fate of all the characters, including Fred the one-eyed cat.

“Gifted” hits Malaysian cinemas on 27th April 2017.

For more information, hit up the film’s Facebook page.

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#JurassicWorld: Sequel Slated For Release In June 2018

Although most of the original cast members from the “Jurassic Park” series did not return to reprise their respective roles in “Jurassic World“, the film opened with a bang at the box office.

With Chris Pratt starring in the lead role, one can only hope that he will return to the big screen for his role as the charming Owen Grady. Now, it looks like Universal Pictures has heard our prayers because the movie will be getting a sequel in 2018.

That’s right. More dinosaurs awesomeness and more Chris Pratt for everyone :D

According to Variety, the sequel will see its release on 22nd June 2018, with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard returning to reprise their respective roles. Steven Spielberg will also return to executive produce it through his Amblin Entertainment banner. Frank Marshall will return to serve as a producer for the film.

The film does not have a director yet, but Colin Trevorrow, who directed “Jurassic World”, will return to pen the script. He will co-write the screenplay with Derek Connolly.

The announcement came a day after the news that “Jurassic World” became the 3rd top-grossing film of all-time. It surpassed Marvel‘s “The Avengers” by dominating the box office and grossing $1.52 billion in ticket sales.

No further details were revealed regarding the sequel, but the plot may continue to revolve the theme park and the lead characters portrayed by Pratt and Dallas Howard. Who’s excited? ;)

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


WINNERS: Win Official Jack Reacher Movie Merch

Thank all y’all for waiting so patiently for this. Also, thank all y’all for the creative tweets! But before we announce the winners, check out the official trailer for “Jack Reacher”:

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

Alright, so, without further ado, here are the lucky THREE winners of our official Jack Reacher movie merchandise contest:

Congratulations, guys! And special thanks to our friends from United International Pictures Malaysia for making this happen.

Kindly collect your prizes from our office from 26th December 2012 (Wednesday) onwards. Remember to bring your IC for verification purposes.

B-19-4 Northpoint Office Suites, Mid Valley City,

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

Don’t forget to catch Jack Reacher in a cinema near you. To read our review of the film, click!

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Hype’s Now Playing: Justin Bieber — Bad Day

19-year old Justin Bieber sticks to his Music Monday series by releasing his new song, Bad Day today. The song features the Heartbreaker singer once again tapping into the feelings of heartbreak and emotional loss over a stripped down guitar-based down.

Interjecting The Isley Brothers’ track Footsteps In The Dark which was sampled by Ice Cube on It Was A Good Day, Bad Day is the first release in his Music Monday series as he promotes his upcoming film while touring South America.


Fun Facts: 5 Things Nobody Ever Told You About The Curious #EqualsTheMovie

We gotta admit, we love our dystopian movies. “The Matrix”, “Gattaca”, “The Fifth Element”, “Minority Report”, “The Hunger Games”, and the more recent “Divergent” series all hold a very special place in our hearts.

So when we heard that “Warm Bodies” star Nicholas Hoult and “Twilight” alum Kristen Stewart are starring in a science fiction dystopian romantic drama film together, our hearts skipped a beat!

Directed by Drake Doremus (“Like Crazy”, “Douchebag”), “Equals” tells the story of 2 people infected with a disease that regains their ability of compassion and emotion in a dystopian world where emotions don’t exist.

Think Romeo and Juliet, and forbidden love.

“In a futuristic dystopian/utopian society, human emotions and most illnesses have been eradicated and everyone lives in peace. But when a new disease named S.O.S. surfaces, everything changes for illustrator Silas (played by Nicholas Hoult). He becomes an outcast once infected, but is drawn to his writer co-worker Nia (played by Kristen Stewart), who is also infected but hiding her condition. Their secret romance continues to develop, but when a cure to the disease is found, their relationship and their ability to feel emotion is threatened. With the help of other infected citizens, they develop a potential escape plan, but after Nia receives a conception summons their plan begins to unravel. In the end they go through with their escape plan, as it is implied that the cure did not completely eradicate Silas’ feelings for Nia.”

The movie is now slated for a limited release in the US on 15th July 2016. What’s truly curious is that while an international release date hasn’t been confirmed, “Equals” was actually filmed way back in 2014 – a year after “Warm Bodies” for Nicholas and 2 years after the final installment of “Twilight” for Kristen Stewart.

Here are some other fun facts about the film that you might not have known about:

1. Well, jumpstarting the production certainly took a while

It was announced way back in October 2013 that the critically-acclaimed Drake Doremus will be directing “Equals”, with Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart starring. But news about the rest of the cast (Kate Lyn Sheil, Aurora Perrineau, Jacki Weaver) only slowly trickled in almost a year later and production for the movie didn’t start until August 2014. “Equals” then had its world premiere on 5th September 2015 at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival.

2. Director Drake Doremus knew exactly who he needed to cast

On why he chose to cast Nicholas and Kristen, Drake Doremus said, “I met (Nicholas Hoult) through mutual friends of mine…and modelled the character Silas after him. I then met Kristen (Stewart) and thought she was really unique. (I felt) there was something in her that hadn’t been tapped into yet. And I think the performance in the movie is a very special one. It’s raw and beautiful.” Drake also revealed that Nicholas’ (then) girlfriend, Jennifer Lawrence, was given the movie’s script to read but it later “became evident” that Nicholas and Kristen would have “great chemistry.”

3. Filming for “Equals” kicked off in Japan in August 2014

Immediately after Drake Doremus, Kristen Stewart, Nicholas Hoult, and producer Michael Pruss attended a press conference in Tokyo in August 2014 to announce the start of the film, production kicked off in Japan, a country known for its minimal architecture (co-producer Ann Ruark said that it best expresses that “Utopian vision”) and also one of Drake’s favourite places in the world. While they were there, Nicholas and Kristen were spotted hanging out together off set, eating a sushi meal at the Tsukiji Market (a fish market) in Tokyo, Japan.

4. Production then moved to various beautiful locations in Singapore

After wrapping up filming in Japan, production was then moved to Singapore for another 3 weeks. “Equals” was shot in Singapore at various locations including Henderson Waves at Southern Ridges, One North MRT station, Singapore Botanic Gardens, Marina Barrage, and Reflections at Keppel Bay condominium. Some of the most beautiful shots in the trailer were in fact taken on location in Singapore. Needless to say, there were also many accounts of fans “bumping” into them on the island, including this one. Filming wrapped up in Singapore on 26th September 2014.

5. Nicholas Hoult broke up with Jennifer Lawrence because she was jealous over Kristen Stewart?

Because Nicholas and Kristen were photographed together a lot in both Japan and Singapore on their days off, it sparked rumours that they were “more than co-stars”. When Nicholas and Jennifer split, many assumed that Kristen had something to do with it. However, Jennifer addressed the rumours of alleged jealousy long before she and Nicholas broke up. She told Marie Claire magazine, “There was something in a magazine, and I was like, ‘Oh, my God, that’s hilarious,’ because Kristen and I are friends. I actually texted her a picture of it and was like, ‘Just so you know, this is absolutely true,’.” Jennifer and Nicholas later reunited on the set of “X-Men: Apocalypse”.

“Equals”, which also stars Guy Pearce as Jonas, Jacki Weaver as Bess, Toby Huss as George, David Selby as Leonard, Kate Lyn Sheil as Kate, Rebecca Hazlewood as Zoe, Aurora Perrineau as Iris, and Claudia Kim as The Collective (voice), is slated for a limited release in the US on 15th July 2016.

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

Sources: “Equals” Wiki, mothership.sg, Deadline, AsiaOne, E! News / Featured image: A24.

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#Marathon: There’s A Durian Run Happening Later This Month!

Do you love durians? Do you also enjoy running? Well, listen up peeps, cause we’ve got the perfect event for you to take part in.

The Durian Run, which will be a 5km run, is set to take place on the last weekend of the month (Saturday, 30th July 2016). All Durian joggers will be given 50 minutes to complete the run and there will be a feast of “golden treasures” awaiting at the end of the pitstop.

Why a Durian Run and what’s the connection, you ask? Well, instead of rewarding runners with a finisher medal/t-shirt, participants will get to enjoy a durian fiesta, termed “Kendurian”, at the end of the finish line. The “Kendurian” promises all kinds of rare and top quality durians, plus an assortment of durian desserts and delicacies.

But before indulging in the mouth-watering yellow fruit, runners are required to take part in the 5km run that will take them through beautiful sights of Kuala Lumpur before finishing at Dataran DBKL, Kuala Lumpur. Along the way, participants will also pass by famous landmarks such as KLCC and KL Tower.

Brought to you by Event Fest, the details for “Durian Run” are as follows:

To register, go here. The initial registration fee for Durian Run was RM88/pax, but those who sign up before 15th July will be entitled to get Raya discounts off the registration fee.

So durian lovers, who’s ready to take part in the upcoming Durian Run and enjoy a durian feast soon after?

For more information, visit Event Fest’s official website here.

Sources: Discover KL, Eventbrite/ Featured Image: Just Run Lah


Malaysian PM Najib Razak Announces Public Holiday On 4th Sept 2017

Malaysia capped off the 29th Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) at was perhaps their best sporting event ever with a medal tally of 145 gold, 92 silver, and 86 bronze medals. In view of the outstanding achievement of the Malaysian contingent in the games, which ended yesterday, Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared 4th September a public holiday.

This means that Malaysians will enjoy a very long weekend starting with today’s Merdeka Day celebrations, tomorrow’s Hari Raya Haji celebrations, before going on to Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (4th September).

PM Najib Razak made the official announcement during his Merdeka Day speech at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil after the SEA Games closing ceremony. “It is not easy to declare a holiday because Malaysia has too many public holidays but since we have achieved an outstanding result in the SEA Games through the unwavering support of the various races and the excellent performance of our athletes, on behalf of the government I declare Sept 4 as a public holiday,” he said.

PM Najib Razak declares Sept 4 a public holiday

— The Star (@staronline) August 30, 2017


(UPDATE) #RayaniAir: End Of The Road For Malaysia’s Syariah-Compliant Airline?

Rayani Air, Malaysia’s first syariah-compliant airline just can’t seem to catch a break.

And if this leaked memo is anything to go by, it looks like the curtains are coming down really fast for the troubled Airline, which only had its maiden flight barely 4 months ago.

The authenticity of the memo can’t be confirmed but it comes on the back of a very public pilot strike yesterday that caused a cancellation of all Rayani Air flights for the day. Rayani Air also courted controversy before this by giving passengers hand written boarding passes.

While the RayaniAir.com website remains operational, all flight bookings are not showing any availability for any of the dates checked.

Meanwhile, according to a MMO report citing insiders, faulty airframes and unpaid salaries were among the reasons that apparently led to Rayani Air suspending its operations.

Rayani Air operates 2 Boeing 737-400. Pilot had raised concerns about numerous technical issues, including the windows and hydraulic systems, as well as a broken cockpit window, as they could potentially lead to accidents.

FMT wrote that The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) has issued a 3-month temporary suspension to Rayani Air starting today, a first for any airline in the country.

“DCA will exercise its powers under sub-regulation 87 (1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1996 to provisionally suspend the airline’s Air Operators Certificate for three months pending an inquiry on May 12. We cannot allow flights that we feel have contravened our regulations. They will not be allowed to fly. We have to do something about it,” he was quoted as saying.

On top of that, DCA Director-General Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said that an inquiry into the airline’s shortfalls will be carried out on 12th May.

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(UPDATED) K-Festival 2014: MBLAQ, Runningman’s HAHA & More To Perform In Malaysia

If you’ve been longing to visit Korea to experience the Korea culture, then you are in for a special treat! The Korean culture festival is back and better than ever!

Organised by the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO) KL, K-Festival 2014 will be held at Pavilion KL from 8th – 10th August, featuring a series of exciting events including K-Pop performances, a traditional Hanbok wedding fashion show, non-verbal performances as well as the grand finale of MyKTQ 2014. It’ll be their second time holding a Korean cultural festival in Malaysia as “Inspiring Korea Festival 2013” was their first ever festival Korean culture festival.

South Korea boy band MBLAQ will be gracing the event and it’ll be their first time performing in Malaysia. Korean rapper-entertainer HAHA (co-host of Runningman) will be making his second visit to Malaysia as he has previously performed for Skull & HAHA showcase in Malaysia. Korean celebrity chef Lee Sang Hak is set to make his appearance at the festival, along with The Painters: HERO who will be presenting an innovative art performance.

The program lineup for the festival has been announced! Runningman’s HAHA will be attending a fanmeeting event on the first day of the festival from 8pm to 9:30pm. MBLAQ is set to perform on Saturday from 7pm to 8pm.

For more information, just check out their official website!


12 Teams Contend At The IKEA 25-Hour Cook-Off

12 finalists teams with the most resilient relationships have been selected from over 170 entries to participate in the first ever cooking competition held by IKEA Malaysia. Concurrent with the Cook-Off, the IKEA store will also stay wide open for 25 hours for the first time with a host of round-the-clock amazing product deals up for grabs and fun activities with exciting prizes for family and friends.

Represented by pair of husband and wife, parent and child, siblings and friends, these teams are set to put their culinary skills and relationships to test and compete in a series of exciting challenges at the Cook-Off throughout 25 hours. The Cook-Off spotlights RM38,000 worth of total prizes in the form of IKEA Gift Cards, including RM10,000 to be awarded to the coveted champion for their dream kitchens.

The 12 participating teams will be divided into two groups to complete a total of 12 challenges in 25 hours, where their results and performance are meticulously judged on both quantitative and qualitative measures by guest judges, Chef Anis Nabilah and Chef Muluk Rambli and a panel judges from IKEA. Merit points are allocated based on results, which are then accumulated to determine the winner.

The challenges are designed to not only test their culinary skills but also the strength of their relationships. Some of the challenges include:

Join in the fun as the IKEA store will stay wide-eyed open for 25 hours for the first time with a host of round-the-clock amazing product deals up for grabs in the wee hours. There will also be fun activities for the kids and adults, game prizes to be won, and buffet supper!

Note: Details of the winners will be announced on 18th June here.


Hype’s Exclusive: A “New Rush” Of The Gin Wigmore Kind

The New Zealand native first caught the world’s attention with her raw and emotional voice that delivers a mix of genres, such as pop, blues, soul, and rock n’ roll all in one song. Having seen her perform at a private showcase in Singapore recently, we know for a fact that when Gin Wigmore takes the stage at a gig, she doesn’t just take the stage – she owns it with her powerful vocals and her inexhaustible energy.

Thanks to our friends from Universal Music Malaysia, we got to hang out with Gin real quick in her hotel room and had a chat for a bit before her show.

Hi Gin, how is it going? How has Singapore been treating you?

It’s so good! Oh my gosh everyone has been so kind. I think I might need more things to ask for. Because everyone keeps asking me if everything’s okay or if I need anything else. It has been so chill and great, and we went out to have chili crab last night – it was so good! And we ended up doing scissors paper rock bidding games, and we were down at the pool having shouting wars all night. It’s so different from New Zealand and the US – everything is so clean and nice and organised. It’s an awesome way of life – I’m really into it.

Say Gin is who you are by profession, what are some of the biggest differences between “Virginia” and “Gin”?

Virginia and Gin, hmm. I’d have to say that it’s pretty consistent. I kind of stick to being me for the majority of the time. There’s not much apart from maybe marathon-watching series on TV that might be the more “Virgnia” side of me than the “Gin” side. But, I’m pretty consistently Gin ;)

I read a 2011 Huffington Post interview where you said growing up, you were an angry teenager. How greatly did that influence your music? Do you ever look back and regret those years of being angry?

Yeah! I was a shitty teenager (laughs). I don’t regret anything because I’m really happy with who I am and where I am in my life right now. And if I changed anything in the past, that would change the present right now. It’s like that “Back to the Future” story, you know? If you changed a slight thing, it would change your present. And I like who I am and what I’ve become at present so I don’t regret anything. But it was important for me to be rebellious and shitty teenager because I was..I had things that I wanted to say. So much so that my Mom said to me, “Look, I’m sick of hearing about you telling me about your horrible life. Just write it down!” and if it hadn’t been for Mom telling me to write everything down, I wouldn’t have had the lyrics to make my songs. From there, I learnt to play the guitar and I put all my angsty, you know, “My life is so bad” lyrics, into all these songs..when it really wasn’t, but you know I put those in and made songs. And I guess that was the catalyst to this whole thing.

I watch “New Rush” and it was really trippy and dark! Could you tell us the inspiration behind that music video?

Yeah well, with my songwriting, they come about through..when I first write a song, it’s an image in my mind and I almost always write to the picture that’s sitting in my mind. So..the visual for that, when I first started writing “New Rush”, it was kinda like when I first started writing “Blood to Bone”. And it was about changing my whole life and switching everything up, and moving and going and all that stuff. Because I wanted this new rush. I wanted a new whole outlook and direction in my life. It’s like pushing through adversity and the visual to accompany that needed to be that same kind of..so you’re overcoming an arrow that’s in your gut, this really intense..you’re bleeding out and it’s not a good time. And you’re running through in hopes that you’ll survive, and that’s what I wanted to portray with the visual that accompanied that song. But the person who saves you, might be the person who did that to you. Is the grass greener? I don’t know. It’s that struggle and hope that you’ll survive and hope that you’ll get through to a better life, stage..I love intense videos and how people react to them.

Of all the songs off “Blood To Bone”, which songs do you hold particularly close to heart?

I really love “New Rush” because it feels like a very different sound for me. It feels like someone’s just kinda continually punching you in the face. It’s aggressive and I like that about it – it’s relentless. It’s fun to make music like that. There’s a song called “Black Parade” on this album which is really cool and a really powerful track for me. It just feels strong, like a kind of epic, death march in a way. It’s powerful and is really nice to sing because you take on that character where you feel like..invincible while singing the song. Which is a really nice feeling :)

How do it feel to constantly be compared to the likes of Amy Winehouse? And on that note, do you listen to Amy Winehouse?

Yeah, yeah, totally! I mean, she’s an incredible artiste and an incredible singer..to be considered a musician of the same kind of calibre, it’s an amazing thing. It’s cool. I think we’re not the same artiste because every artiste, even with their similarities, they’re completely unique because they are their own individual. I’m not Amy Winehouse, she’s not me. We’re both females, we have tattoos, and we sing – that’s about all the similarities there is and the fact that I can be placed as a musician at the same kind of level, that’s awesome. Because she was f*cking amazing. She was honest, and sincere, and an incredibly singer. It’s a real shame to have lost her. And yeah, man..I listen to Amy Winehouse! She’s a beautiful singer. And it’s real, you know? It’s raw. And that’s coming from her soul – people like that, it’s kinda like the old singers. When you couldn’t manipulate the sound because all you had was the microphone and a tape, and you get one shot..that was it. She didn’t need anything else to be awesome and that was amazing.

When you’re not being “Gin Wigmore”, what’s your jam? Do you have any guilty pleasure when it comes to the music that you listen to?

Listening pleasure umm, yeah I love listening to this Spotify playlist called “Peaceful Piano” (laughs). And it’s just piano, man. It’s like spa sounds. And maybe I’ll umm, I also like..so because Los Angeles has a big drought and there’s hardly ever any rain, I bought USD10.99 worth of rain because..it’s like (laughs) rain sounds, you know? It’s like..rain of a tin roof, heavy rain, rain with thunder – all kinds of varied rain!

Last one for the road – do you ever sing in the shower? And if you do, what do you usually sing?

I don’t sing in the shower, actually. I used to do this thing when I was like 14/15 years old where..I’d go into the bathroom because bathrooms always have the best, wicked acoustics, and cause you’d sound amazing. And it’d be a tiny ass bathroom in my house, I’d sit in there on the bench next to the sink with my guitar, and I’d be playing and singing, and think that I’m f*cking awesome. And I would bring in my friends to stand in there with me and be like, “How dope is this sound?!” so yeah. I don’t sing in the shower but I used to have mini gigs in the bathroom :D

Gosh haha that’s so cute! Thanks for the lovely chat, Gin.

Special thanks to our awesome buddies from Universal Music Malaysia for flying us in and for the opportunity! We’ll leave you now with what is most definitely one of our favourite songs this year, “New Rush” by Gin Wigmore.

Don’t forget to check out her Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more timely updates ;)

All pictures from Gin Wigmore’s Instagram.

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#Terengganu: Dress Code For Tourists To Be Implemented? Apparently Not!

Yesterday (1st March), The Star Online wrote that tourists who intend to visit Terengganu will have to abide by a dress code, as outlined by the state government news portal Teganukita.

The circular, which has now been removed, highlighted guidelines on attire (read: barring tourists from wearing revealing attire) that was to be be released to all Malaysian travel agents and Malaysian tourism headquarters in neighbouring countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, and Thailand.

The website also stated that the guidelines are targeted at tourists, especially female tourists. Those who fail to do so would be called for counselling and in the case of underaged perpetrators, parents would also be called in to attend counselling sessions.

Now, imagine if that really happened and how damaging it could potentially be to Malaysia’s tourism industry, considering the fact that the state is home to several outlying islands with pristine beaches including Pulau Perhentian, Pulau Kapas and Pulau Redang. On top of that, Terengganu is also popular with tourists for the marine turtles that visit the state to nest.

Malaysian Chinese Tourism Association secretary-general Tai Poh Kim said imposing such rules is unnecessary in the first place as “we don’t have much problems with tourists thus far” and that “Tourists must respect local culture, but to have tourists dress 100% in line with Muslim rules is overdoing it. No one wants to go to a place that’s full of restrictions.”

Fortunately, as quickly as the story went viral, Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman stepped forward to deny that the state ever issued the dress code, and that such rules to police tourists’ attire were unnecessary as there were already sufficient laws to ensure public modesty.

According to Malay Mail Online, he said, “I’ve already asked the exco chairman to explain the statement … The state government has never planned to issue dressing guidelines for tourists,” Ahmad Razif said as quoted by news portal Sin Chew Daily, referring to State Tourism and Cultural Affairs executive committee (exco) chairman Datuk Mohd Jidin Shafee.

The Star Online also quoted him as saying, “If someone dresses indecently, there are existing laws to deal with it, and the government does not intend to introduce new rules.”

Hence, keep calm and come as you are, everyone! So far, the only dress you need to really worry about is this one.

Sources: The Star Online (1), MMO, The Star Online (2).


#Malaysia: 3-Month-Old Baby Killed In Car Crash; Video Goes Viral

On Sunday (28th May), Facebook user Kugan Kathegesen shared a video of a car accident on his account. The video, which was taken from his dashcam, shows the collision between a white Perodua and a black Proton.

“On the way to Kedah today, I witnessed an accident, happened right in front of me. A white Perodua crashed,” he wrote.

In the video, a white car can be seen driving in the slow lane when a black sedan from the middle lane turns abruptly to the left, causing the white car to crash into a drain. Then, Kathegesen stops his car to remove the baby who was trapped inside the white car.

“The father, mother, and their 2 kids managed to come out. One of the kid was like 1 year old, stuck inside the car. The father kept on asking for help to pull his baby out. The doors was stuck. Eventually, I managed to force open the door and pull the baby out. There was a lot of blood and the baby don’t seem to be moving. The mother started to cry while carrying the baby. I was heartbroken,” he explained.

However, what angered Kathegesen the most is that the Proton driver, who is a woman, “never bothered to come and check on the victim”. He also added that it took the ambulance 30 minutes to arrive.

As at time of writing, Kathegesen’s video has been viewed over 1.5 million times and his post was shared more that 11,000 times.

According to Bernama, the incident took place at KM433.8 northbound near Kuala Kubu Baru. The baby is identified as 3-month-old Aril Rizqin Redza Shahril and was confirmed dead at the Sungai Buloh Hospital.

The victim’s father Shahril Salleh, mother Rafnah Mongudancgal, and brothers – Aril Hakimi Ashraf and Aril Zakuan Haris – sustained minor injuries. Also, Hulu Selangor police chief Supt R. Supramaniam said that the black Proton was driven by 27-year-old S. Nishanty.

Sources: Kugan Kathegesen’s Facebook page, paultan.org.

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CONTEST: Impersonate Your Fave Idol(s), Win #GDA Tix!

What’s a new year without a big surprise? As you might have already heard, the “Samsung GALAXY The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur” (GDA) will be happening on the 15th and 16th January 2013 (Tuesday and Wednesday). It’s set to be the biggest K-Pop event that Malaysia has ever had. Judging by the amount of comments and tweets that we’ve been getting, we know you’re all super excited at the prospect of seeing your favourite K-Pop idol(s)/idol group(s).

And yes, it’s true – over 20 of them have since confirmed their GDA attendance. Here’s the thing though, we couldn’t go without giving away tickets to GDA.

Thanks to the awesome GDA committee, we’ve got the following to giveaway to FIVE of our lucky readers/followers:

So, do you want them? Here’s what you need to do:

The best video wins ONE PAIR of “Samsung GALAXY The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur” Samsung GALAXY Zone tickets worth RM999.

Four runner-ups win ONE PAIR of “Samsung GALAXY The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur” Rockpit tickets worth RM688 respectively.

Get crackin’ and you could just be winning your way to attending this year’s most anticipated regional gala music awards event at Sepang International Circuit!:

[youtube id=”sHEFImvzDE8″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

You have one week to work on your video. We wish you the best of luck!

For more information, visit their official website. Don’t forget to “LIKE” their Facebook page.


#Toll: “SMART Tunnel” + 11 Other Highways To Go Fully Electronic Starting 9th Sept

The “Stormwater Management And Road Tunnel” or “SMART Tunnel” will start implementing an electronic toll collection system via only the Touch ‘n Go or SmartTAG for faster payments soon. The announcement was made via their official Twitter just today:

2140hrs Pembayaran Tol secara elektronik sepenuhnya di Smart tidak lama lagi. Hotline Smart 1300 88 7188 pic.twitter.com/VJlMmfG713

— Smart Expressway (@Smarttunnel) July 17, 2015

According to SMART Tunnel’s chief operating officer, Mohd Fuad Kamal Ariffin, Touch ‘n Go cards will be sold in toll lanes especially to those who do not have the card.

The shift to an electronic toll collection system is in line with 11 other toll plazas that will also go fully electronic beginning 9th September. They are as follows:

For further information, visit the “SMART Tunnel” website or Facebook page.

Queries regarding the implementation of this system can be directed to the MHA hotline at 1-800-88-7752 or any highway service centre.

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Taylor Wants Harry Back?

On January 4th, Taylor Swift left her love and her exotic Caribbean vacation behind. But she’s reportedly regretting her break up with One Direction’s Harry Styles. “She was a wreck and torn up”, a friend of Taylor’s tells Us Weekly. She also plans to seek forgiveness from him.

Taylor has sent Harry several text messages – but all in vain as he has refused to reply her. She also tried to call him but he neither answered any of her calls nor returned them. Ah, but who can blame Harry? The last thing he would’ve expected was being dumped so soon after he whisked her to the Caribbean Islands for a surprise Christmas gift.

Well surprise, surprise, now that Harry has no intentions of responding to her.

On 10th January, Taylor tweeted that she was back in the studio. “Uh oh”. Yes, “uh oh” indeed. Because we all know what happens when Taylor Swift gets her heart broken. Boomz! A hit single is created! Still, the question is, will they “ever, ever” be “getting back together”?


#Marvel: Bucky Barnes To Take Up Mantle As Captain America In Future Movies?

Steve Rogers ended “Captain America: Civil War” without his signature shield and costume, which sparked speculations that the superhero might drop his Captain America mantle.

And now, a deleted scene from the movie has seemingly reaffirmed that rumour.

The deleted scene involves Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier and Steve Rogers aka Captain America in a scene after they were attacked by War Machine. The Captain fell to the ground after being attacked by War Machine, but the Winter Soldier rescued him in the nick of time by throwing the former’s fallen shield at the opposing party.

The short sequence might look like a cool move, but what ignited the curiosity of fans was the conversation that took place after the attack. “Nice save,” thanked Steve, to which Bucky answered, “I gotta get me one of those.”

Fans noticed that the deleted clip referenced a comic book scene in the Bucky Barnes-as-Captain America arc, and Joe Russo, who directed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and “Captain America: Civil War” alongside his brother Anthony Russo, has told IGN that the deleted scene was a “very fun interaction between Cap and Bucky, and it kind of hints at a favorite storyline in the books”.

In the original “Civil War” comic arc, Steve Rogers died, and who better to take over the Captain’s position than his best friend Bucky? As the shield is a crucial part of Captain America, Bucky’s quip to Steve might actually foreshadow the former’s role as Cap for future movie story lines.

In another recent interview with Huffington Post, Russo also revealed that Steve Rogers might be “letting go” of his identity as Captain America.

“I think him dropping that shield (after that fight scene with Iron Man) is him letting go of that identity. (It’s) him admitting that certainly the identity of Captain America was in conflict with the very personal choice that he was making.”

Interestingly, Chris Evans (who plays Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe) only has 1 movie left on his contract, while Sebastian Stan (who takes up the role of Bucky Barnes in the movies) still has 6 more films left.

Coincidence? We think not. However, it seems like we’ll have to wait ’til the next “Avengers” movie to find out if the theory holds any water.

“Avengers: Infinity War Part 1” is slated for cinematic release on 4th May 2018.


Netizens Speculate That WKND FEST Might Be A Scam

News of WKND FEST in Malaysia brought a mixed reaction, but mostly doubt and annoyance.

The first act of the line up was announced to be South Korean boy band, iKON (아이콘). While there was quite a buzz about iKON returning to Malaysia since their tour last year, the announcement raised some concerns.

More to be announce soon… pic.twitter.com/xt7nFL68bQ

Netizens even went on to create various threads to explain their reasons for suspicions. Not only was it a strange date, as it falls on Awal Muharram, but the plot thickens with mentions of how it may not even be legit.

here's what I found out from w*ndfest in Malaysia thus far. As a person who is one year away from graduation in the field of doing a double major of PR and Events Management, I myself find the whole hype of it to be fishy after seeing rising tweets from the people here on twitter

Fans were quick to notice that the poster was lacking the usual logo of the respective K-pop group’s company (YG Entertainment, in this case) and noted how iKON’s schedule for the year did not include a Malaysian stop of any sort. It was also a rather abrupt announcement, which did not give fans enough time to prepare themselves for purchasing.

I’m not sure about this but normally wouldn’t organizers announce all the line up first and then announce the price? And why they only announce ticketing 6 days before?? Shouldnt it at least be like 2 weeks before??

— Go_Go_GFRIEND Fankit PINNED (@PeachBlast__) May 24, 2019

There was a change of the original venue from when the organizer hinted it, which came with a massive hike up of ticket prices. From being only about RM100 range for the cheapest ones, tickets are now almost RM600! Rather much for a festival, don’t you think?

Secondly, they said to have tix price only from RM1xx-RM6xx and what did we get? pic.twitter.com/zsiStrZZaO

It didn’t help that the event is exorbitantly priced for a festival that has not confirmed anything else. According to their official website, a total of 6 acts will be performing this September and yet there has not been any news since. Ticket sales have been delayed to 10th of June instead of the original date (30th May 2019).

Perhaps netizens are even wearier after the release of the Fyre Festival documentary and more recently, the so-called EXO themed cafe “Brusset” being exposed. Some even called for a boycott of the event.

What do you think? Scam or just bad organizing? Either way, let’s just hope no poor intern has to resort to this guy’s method…

There’s been a big question to the legitimacy of WkndFest Vol.1 when it was announced. We’ve been in contact with the organisers and have received an official statement from them. Hopefully, fans can be reassured. Their statement reads:

“As the organisers of Wkndfest Vol1: Kpop Edition, we would like to reassure K-pop fans that the event slated to debut on the 1st of September is indeed taking place as planned.

We understand the concerns that some fans have brought up and acknowledge that we as organisers let our excitement get ahead of ourselves, which resulted in premature announcement of details on our personal social media accounts that were not confirmed and proved to be inaccurate. We from the Wkndfest team sincerely apologise for the confusion this caused some fans.

We have since been working hard to update fans on confirmed developments, including messages from the artists who are eagerly waiting to perform for their Malaysian fans. We would like to take this opportunity to thank the Malaysia K-pop community for their support and hope that all iKONics, MooMoos, Merry-Go-Rounds, and Neverlands are excited to be part of our debut event. We look forward to hosting the best K-pop collective concert in Malaysia, yet.”

Calling out all Malaysian fans! Give a ?hot? welcome to Momoland and catch them live in action at Wkndfest this September! Stand a chance to meet and mingle with them when you get your CAT 1 tickets now! Link in bio #wkndfest #momoland

A post shared by  ???????? (@wkndfest) on Jun 14, 2019 at 3:33am PDT

Those with further inquiries on Wkndfest Vol1: Kpop Edition may reach out directly to the organisers via email at ask@wkndfest.my.

Fans can expect 3 more artists to join the final lineup.

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#Malaysia: Putrajaya & Kuala Lumpur To Get “F” & “V” Car Registration Plates

Get ready to see some new number plates in town.

The current number plate sequence for the Federal Territories of Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur will be retired, and new prefixes of registration number will be assigned for car owners starting from June and July respectively, according to a news report by The Sun Daily.

The letter “F” will be assigned for Putrajaya, while car owners in Kuala Lumpur will be allocated the letter “V”.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi told The Sun Daily that the “F” prefix was selected under the request of the Putrajaya Corporation (PPj) recently. The prefix “F”, which will be implemented on car plates starting 1st June, was selected as it stood for “Federal” in “Federal Territory”.

The car plates prefix in Kuala Lumpur will be refreshed with the letter “V” after Hari Raya, but no particular date has been selected. Director-general of Road Transport Department (RTD), Datuk Seri Ismail Ahmad, also said that the current prefix will be retired in stages starting from mid-July.

To summarize, cars in Kuala Lumpur will no longer have the number plates in the format of “W 9999 A” anymore, but instead will register as “VXX 9999”. It is similar to the previous format, but with a different prefix. As for Putrajaya, the license plate will no longer read “Putrajaya 9999”, but “FXX 9999”.

Some might argue that the RTD are changing something that works perfectly well, as car users in Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur are generally contented with their car plate numbers.

However, Kaprawi explained that the public was more comfortable with the simple prefix and numbering format (from 1 to 9999) that was used before September 2013. According to him, the current sequence was not popular with the crowd.

This is based on massive decline in bidding for the current KL number plate sequence. So I hope with ‘V’, it will get people excited.

The tender bidding notice for Putrajaya will be issued at the end of May by the RTD while the notice for Kuala Lumpur will be released after Hari Raya. The new series will be introduced as part of the effort to encourage car owners to bid for golden numbers (1 digit), fancy numbers (2 digits), and popular numbers (4 digits).

The minister is also hoping that the “F 1” number plate will cause a bidding frenzy. “I think many Ferrari owners will be queuing up to bid for the single alphabet of ‘F’ (number plate),” said Aziz jokingly.

The highest bidding price in Malaysia for a number plate was for “WWW1”. RM520,000 was offered by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, in May 2012.

As of Wednesday (18th May), the latest registration number for Kuala Lumpur was WC 3974 V.


Cristiano Ronaldo’s Reaction When Told To Wear A Face Mask In Public

Cristiano Ronaldo was asked to wear a face mask during Portugal’s 4-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League.

Ronaldo, who has scored 99 international goals for Portugal, was watching the game from the stands. It was reported that the skipper was left out from the squad due to a toe infection.

A satirical football Twitter account, @FootyHumour, posted a video showing Ronaldo being asked to wear his face mask during the game. The tweet said, “Even if your name is Cristiano Ronaldo, you are not above the mask law in Portugal ?”

The Juventus star did not argue and reacted accordingly by putting on the mask and continued on watching his teammates on the field. Being one of the greatest football player in the world has it perks – but getting away with the mask law is not one of it.

Even if your name is Cristiano Ronaldo, you are not above the mask law in Portugal 😂 pic.twitter.com/jIQzHN29Ox

— Footy Humour (@FootyHumour) September 5, 2020

A friendly reminder, keep your mask on in public spaces and remember to practice social distancing.

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Travel: 17 Hotels In Malaysia With Discounts & Promo Packages

As we start to embrace the new norm with the recovery movement control order (RMCO), it also marks the beginning of the recovery for domestic travel.

Under the RMCO, which takes effect from 10th June till 31st August, the hotel industry has come up with guidelines to ensure the safety of tourists and guests are safeguarded. Now that interstate travel has been given the green light, here are 17 hotel promos that are currently available:

Haritu nampak Royale Chulan Cherating viral. Memang tak dinafikan memang cantik tapi ni saya nak promote (bukan paid tweet) satu hidden gem kat Cherating. The Kasturi Cherating. Bilik villa ada private pool semalaman RM 1000+. pic.twitter.com/MRzxM9ZeJp

The Family Staycation package starts from RM450+ per room per night. It is inclusive of:


Google Play Store Removes Jakim’s Anti-LGBT App

Apps are being made, published and downloaded by people everyday. Some apps are super helpful in making our daily lives much easier while some apps may not be all that useful. But there are some apps that goes against the app store policy which had ended up being removed.

After 6 years of being on the Google Play Store, the anti-LGBT e-book endorsed by Malaysian Islamic Development Department (Jakim) has been removed from the store. The e-book was originally published in 2016 as an app on Google Play Store but has now been removed due to breach of the store’s guidelines.

The Hijrah Diri app was developed by Jakim, to help those in the LGBTQ+ community to “return to the right path”. The app was published by app developer Raxbit in collaboration with Ihtimam Malaysia Foundation, a Putrajaya-based social foundation that has the Raja Permaisuri Agong as its patron.

The reason for why it took 6 years for the app to be taken down is probably due to Google not being obligated to monitor every app published unless it’s been brought to their attention. According to Google’s guidelines, apps that “attempt to deceive users or enable dishonest behaviour” or are “determined to be functionally impossible” are disallowed.

Google told The Guardian that, “Whenever an app is flagged to us, we investigate against our Play Store policies and if violations are found we take appropriate action to maintain a trusted experience for all.” The e-book is claimed to be written by an anonymous man who is a ‘former gay’ Muslim and blamed homosexual activities on human lust.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Idris Ahmad, who is in charge of religious affairs, says that the removal of the app from the Play Store is unfortunate. He has also instructed Jakim to contact the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for more information and advise on what to do.

Before the removal, the Hijrah Diri app has received backlash locally and globally especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. The app is not the first conversion therapy app to be removed from Google Play Store as the store once removed an app from a United States-based group Living Hope Ministries that promoted so-called “conversion therapy”.

Sources: MalayMail (i)(ii), TheStar, The Guardian


#RayaniAir: Newly Launched “Syariah-Compliant” Airline To Face Suspension?

Rayani Air just had its maiden flight back in December 2015 but already, there has been numerous complaints about the airline. As such, the Syariah-compliant airline may face suspension of operations if it fails to comply with airline regulations.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai commented on complaints from Rayani Air passengers and said that the ministry was closely monitoring the airline company following reports of flight delays and cancellations as well as handwritten boarding passes.

TRP quoted him as saying, “We will investigate if reports have been lodged with the ministry. We will look at the complaints such as cancelled flights which were not replaced. That is a serious matter. We can even suspend the airline’s services if they’re not following our order.”

Liow said that a warning has already been issued to Rayani Air following an incident where flights were cancelled without warning and no replacements were provided, adding that the Transport Ministry will take action against Rayani Air if it receives more complaints about the airline.

Rayani Air was granted the Air Service License (ASL) and Air Operator’s Certificate by the DCA Director-General Datuk Seri Azharuddin Abdul Rahman in Putrajaya on 18th December. When asked about how the airline managed to obtain the operating license, Liow said that as long as the company complied with the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) regulations, they would be given the licence.

Sources: malaysiakini, TRP, The Star Online / Featured image from Rayani Air’s Facebook page.

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Malaysia’s Adele Lim Is Working On Disney’s Upcoming Animated Feature

Did you hear? Malaysia’s very own Adele Lim is in charge of writing Disney’s upcoming feature animation!

The producer-screenwriter has been recruited for her next project, titled “Raya And the Last Dragon”. Previously, she was the screenwriter for the hit 2018 movie “Crazy Rich Asians”.

SO happy to finally share our very secret baby at #D23Expo – that crowd and energy got us all tingly… #RayaAndTheLastDragon #DisneyAnimation https://t.co/Z4NO5dzsSQ

— Adele Lim (@adeleBlim) August 25, 2019

Her involvement in the project was announced back in August 2019. The film was slated to premiere this year. However, it has been pushed to the year 2021. This came in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic that has been impacting several industries worldwide.

“Raya and the Last Dragon” tells the story of the titular character, who is on a mission to search for the last dragon named Sisu to save her realm from danger. Will she be able to complete the obstacles that comes her way? Fans will have to wait and see until the movie drops.

So far, the confirmed cast for this movie are Cassie Steele and Awkwafina, who lent their voices to the characters Raya and Sisu respectively.


CONTEST: “Tonight, We Are Young”

Fresh out of the split of the band, “The Format” in 2008, Nate Ruess decided to continue pursuing his career in music. He then formed “Fun” (aka “fun.”) with Andrew Dost and Jack Antonoff and together, they set out to do what they love most. In 2009, the indie ban released their debut album, “Aim and Ignite”.

Sure, we didn’t get word of it on this side of the world. Ah, but they hit back with their latest album, “Some Nights” in February 2012. You might know them for their hit single featuring Janelle Monáe:

[youtube id=”Sv6dMFF_yts” width=”600″ height=”350″]

“We Are Young” went straight into the music charts, reaching number one on the U.S Billboard Hot 100 and Digital Songs. It also became the first alternative song to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart since Coldplay’s “Viva la Vida” in 2008. Let’s not forget how the single peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart.

Dare we even throw in how much airplay they’ve gotten in Malaysia?

And today, thanks to the awesome people of Warner Music Malaysia, we’re giving out FIVE copies of Fun’s “Some Nights” album to FIVE LUCKY WINNERS!

Contest is open to those residing in Selangor only and it ends on the 7th of June 2012 (Thursday). Here’s your chance to spam us with tweets for a week. Do it!

For more information, visit Fun’s official website.


Hype’s Exclusive: Up In The Air, Somewhere On Cloud Nine, With Morgan Page

In case you’ve ever wondered what Morgan Page has got tucked neatly under his belt and why he’s so successful, well, he’s more than just a DJ and a top producer. As a matter of fact, aside from rocking out at shows around the globe, beyond just DJing, Morgan is also an artiste, a songwriter, and a radio presenter (for his “In The Air” radio show). Much can be said about the music that he puts out too, what with previously cinching 2 GRAMMY award nominations – a personal nomination for best remix with vocalist Nadia Ali and in 2009, his song was nominated for best remix (The Longest Road – Deadmau5 Remix).

Morgan made a pitstop in Singapore, to play at day 2 of The Freqender aka Godskitchen MEKANIKA as part of his Asia tour. Fortunately, we were able to catch him backstage at the event real quick before his set for an exclusive interview. Here’s what went down:

Hey, it’s good to be here. How you doing? :)

Good! But you know, you’ve never played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Any plans of coming by soon?

Yeah! People have asked me to come and I’ve heard a lot about Kuala Lumpur but I’ve never played. I’m always out in the West but you know what, I was real close to Kuala Lumpur a few days ago – I was in Phuket, Thailand for a little while. I know it’s not Malaysia. That’s Southern Thailand so I’m getting there. Kinda close! ;)

What were you looking forward most to when you knew that you were coming to play at this part of Asia?

I think..well, I just love Asia because it’s such a cool melting pot of different cultures and also, I love Asian food in general! I play a lot in the US so it’s really refreshing to get out and play in countries that has different cultures. I like to see different perspectives and explore the world because I love traveling.

The scene in the US is a lot different from anywhere in Asia though, right?

Yeah, it has gotten really good. It’s really good scene but it’s not quite as exotic or as fun as traveling.

So, the dance music sphere has evolved and now the spectrum is unbelievably huge! What have you, as an artiste or producer, done to adapt to that change?

You know, my sound has gotten a little bit more aggressive and it has got a little bit more of that EDM focus. It’s kind of what the crowds demand and when you play at main stage at festivals, you have to play a fairly aggressive set. But I try to play a real variety of stuff and try to integrate my music, you know..as music styles change, I need to keep my songs relevant so I do some special mashups or edits and bootlegs.

A video posted by lainey ying ツ (@laineyyyx) on Nov 11, 2014 at 10:28am PDT

Oh yes, you’re known for your bootlegs and remixes!

Right :D So, when you only have an hour to play like tonight or at festivals, you gotta squeeze a lot of music in there. I still try to make it like a journey though – I want it to be kind of like a roller coaster ride of style and breaks and buildups and not just a flatline DJ set.

The last time you released an album was “In The Air” in 2012. What have you been working on between then and now?

The next album, which is done. We’d put it out now if we could but..so there’s new singles early 2015. I can’t reveal what it’s going to be called yet because it’s going to be a surprise ;) But, I can tell you this much – it’ll relate to solar power. That’s all I can say. I’ve got one song out right now that’s something I did with Carnage and it’s sort of a soft release. That’s the only sort of “EDM” track and the others are back to my usual style. You know, with strong female vocals and still club-by. There’s going to be a single called “Open Heart” with Lissie (singer on “The Longest Road”) and that’s going to be the main single off the album. The next one’s going to be called “No Ordinary Life” and that’s with Angela McCluskey (singer on “In The Air”).

Out of curiosity, what’s the production process like for you considering the fact that you travel so much?

(laughs) That is the eternal question! There really isn’t there much time on the road I mean, a lot of people ask me about that. Like tonight, we had maybe an hour at the hotel in total, and when I’m in the plane I’m either working on the my radio show called “In The Air” so I’m like working in the air on my podcast :D Or I’m sleeping and resting up. I definitely prefer to be back in my studio with big speakers and my gear. I do all the work because I don’t hire ghost producers and stuff. A lot of guys pretend that they do the work but in the back end, they hire some guy to do it. And then when they’re on the road they have like videos done that show them like, working  on their laptops (laughs). Some guys work on the road and do get a lot of work done, but for me..I need to have my keyboard and big speakers. When you play out your new track, you wanna make changes to the build or the arrangement, that’s when it’s really helpful to have a proper setup. But for me, it’s just difficult to create stuff from scratch on the road. I *try* to do it and ideally I try to do one track a day.

A photo posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on Nov 11, 2014 at 9:39am PDT

And now back to the dance music scene – it has gone from the good old days of house, then the golden era of trance, and now it’s the Hardwell and W&W EDM sound. Where do you think it’s going next?

It seems like it’s going deeper but it’s hard to say. I’m curious too what with like guys like Kygo making it big. That’s actually a little too deep for me and little like elevator music but it’s cool stuff. I don’t know..to me, it’s important to have it just be songs, you know, to have it come back to really strong songs. You can wrap a song up in any way you want and present it in any kind of framework. I think that people are getting a little tired of getting hit over the head with the same hard stuff..

Yeah, because that’s all I’m going to be playing tonight (laughs). Kidding ;) But yeah, people are going to be hungry for something a little more. There are melodies and stuff but there has just been too much emphasis on energy right now. And some of the songs are too mellow for me to play and I can’t play them at a festival so I have to get a special remix done or a bootleg mix. It’s challenging because I try to focus on the song first and then figure out the energy later. But the dance floor demands a certain kind of energy which limits what you can do.

Final question for the road – DJ Mag. What do you think? Is it a popularity contest? Is it still relevant?

Um, yes..and no (laughs). I think for Asia, it’s important. I’ve never been in the Top 100 – doesn’t matter, because it doesn’t really seem to affect the shows. I think the music speaks for itself and I think the results have been really inconsistent! Like, there are a lot of really good DJs in there and then there are a lot of people that I’ve never even heard of, have never  played in the US ever, and I’ve never heard their music. At least half the guys in the DJ Mag Top 100 are guys who are really good and deserve to be in there but then you have guys who are ahead of Kaskade that are like, warm up acts. I don’t think much of it because I just focus on touring and music.

And you do keep putting out good music ;) Thanks so much for speaking to us, Morgan.

We’ll leave you now with the new Morgan Page song “We Receive You” featuring Carnage and Candice Pilay, which debuted at TomorrowWorld 2014.

Special thanks to our awesome friends from The Freqender for making the above interview happen!

For more information, hit up Morgan Page’s website or Facebook page. He’s also on Twitter and Instagram if you want to stalk him ;)

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