Five Feet Apart Recalls Tragic Tale Of Real-Life Couple

For those who have watched the recently-released “Five Feet Apart”, you’ll notice that it bears many resemblance to “Fault In Our Stars”.

5 years after “Fault In Our Stars”, the new 2019 film introduces another teen lovebirds who fall for each other but experience tragedy when illness strikes. It’s a heartbreaking story, to say the least.

“Five Feet Apart” centres on Will Newman and Stella Grant (played by Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson). The duo both are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) – “a chronic genetic disorder that especially affects the lungs and limits a persons’ ability to breathe over time“. CF also produces mucus in the lungs and organs that is life-threatening.

Although people with CF can be intimate with people who don’t have the disease, they have to maintain a strict six foot-distance from other CF patients; thus the title “Five Feet Apart”. This is to avoid cross contamination. “Five Feet Apart” may be fiction but this story has a signifiant resemblance to Katie Prager and Dalton Prager’s highly publicised love story. Did they serve as inspiration?

Katie Donovan and Dalton Prager were first introduced to each other in 2009 via a Facebook support page for people suffering from cystic fibrosis. They fell hard for each other and were constantly send love messages back and forth.

Katie’s doctor had recommended that she stay away from Dalton as he had “Burkholderia cepacia, a bacteria resistant to antibiotics that often leads to lung function decline”. If you recall, Will in “Five Feet Apart” also has b. cepacia.

Despite the high risk, Katie went anyway. Their first date was at an amusement park in Ohio. Katie soon contracted the infection from Dalton. That didn’t stop them from carrying on with their relationship though. 2 years later in 2011, they tied the knot and bought a house together in Flemingsburg, Kentucky.

“I knew that there was a possibility that we would get sicker and something could happen,” Katie told People. “I just told Dalton I’d rather have somebody that I was totally in love with for five years, than be either lonely or not as happy with somebody for 20 years.”

In 2014, their health worsen. Though Dalton overcame Burkholderia cepacia, he had contracted pneumonia and a viral infection. As a result, he had to rely on a ventilator. Dalton’s family intended to transfer him from Missouri back to Kentucky where he could be closer to Katie but he was too weak.

Sadly, Dalton passed away on 17 September 2016 at age 25. The couple communicate through FaceTime. 5 days later, Katie died as well. “The days to follow will not be easy but I find comfort in knowing that my girl lived, she really lived,” wrote Katie’s mother, Debra Donovan.

While CBS Films stated that “Five Feet Apart” is fiction and wasn’t based on the Pragers’ love story, they did a woman named Claire Wineland. Like Stella in the film, Wineland was a public figure in the YouTube world and documented her CF experiences in her YouTube channel.

It was reported that Wineland didn’t get to see the end product of “Five Feet Apart” as she died following complications from a lung transplant in September 2018. The brave young woman was 21.

To quote Refinery29, the film may be fictional but the disease is very much real. It serves as a good reminder that we need to live life to the fullest.

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Hype’s Must Watch: The Boxtrolls

There are your standard animation films, and then there are stop-animation films. We love stop-animation films because, seriously, think about how much work goes into making one!

From the makers of “Coraline” and “ParaNorman” comes “The Boxtrolls”, a 3D stop motion animated fantasy-comedy film based on the novel, “Here Be Monsters!” by Alan Snow.

The film centres itself on the orphan Eggs (voiced by Isaac Hempstead-Wright). Unaware of his human parentage, he has been brought up by the Boxtrolls, a strange race of quirky, mischevious  creatures who hide in a magical, mechanical world far beneath our own. Only able to venture into the city above their home after nightfall, the Boxtrolls live in constant fear of capture by the evil pest exterminator Archibald Snatcher (voiced by Ben Kingsley). Snatcher, who has his own evil reasons for eradicating the cave dwelling creatures, will stop at nothing to keep the young Eggs from discovering how he really came to be brought up by the well-meaning trolls – a secret which could have devastating results for them all.

Produced by Laika, it is being directed by Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi. The film stars Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning, Toni Collette, Jared Harris, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, and Tracy Morgan.

“The Boxtrolls” will be released in a cinema near you on 11th September (Thursday).

For more information, visit its official website.


Hype’s Now playing: Jumero – Free

Known for their chill, upbeat sound, Jumero have proven themselves to be a force to be reckon with as they’ve managed to get the crowd singing and dancing along to their original songs during most, if not all of their live gigs.

Now, following the release and success of their debut single “Fantasy Killer“, the beach acoustic pop trio have released their second single “Free” along with their first music video.

Directed and produced by the team at The Spacemen, “Free” also features local guitarist Brandon Sta Maria on the track. When asked about the single,  lead singer, Jared Lim says:

“”Free” is about standing your ground, rooting for what you believe in, and mainly about being your true self. Too often we witness two faced people, wearing different masks to fit in different clicks. It’s only human nature to want to belong, however nothing beats fitting in where you are free to be yourself. Free from the ‘glares and the stares’.”

Jumero is currently working on their debut album at Starmount Studios and are planning on releasing it this 2015.

Stay updated with Jumero via their social media platforms: Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.


“I Want To Touch A Dog” Organiser Apologises For Furore Caused By Event

Syed Azmi Abhalshi, the man behind the controversial “I Want To Touch A Dog” event, has apologised for the furore it has caused. However, the social activist stressed that the programme was meant to be educational and not to promote liberalism, as alleged by certain quarters.

The objective of the controversial programme is to help Malaysians familiarise themselves with dogs and overcome their fear of dogs. The event also hoped to essentially help erase the negative cultural stigma attached to dogs e.g. dogs are unclean, it’s illegal for Muslims to touch dogs, etc. However, it has been widely criticised despite its major success.

As reported by The Star, he told a packed press conference at Kelab Sri Selangor today (25th Oct), “I organised this event because of Allah, not to deviate the people’s faiths, try to change the Islamic rules of law, poke fun at the ulama or encourage pluralism.”

Reading from a press statement, he admitted that there were weaknesses in the programme, and apologised for the trouble and insensitivities that the programme caused. Syed Azmi left the press conference immediately after reading the statement and did not take any questions from the floor. His lawyer, Syahredzan Johan, said Syed Azmi had to leave for his own safety as he was getting “severe death threats” since the event was held last Sunday at Central Park in Bandar Utama.

2 days ago, American publication TIME magazine also wrote about the controversy, affirming that Syed has received death threats and torrents of online abuse for organising the dog-familiarisation event that religious conservatives claim insults Islam. It was said that he has now been forced into hiding after hard-liners insisted he “should be stoned to death”.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) said it would be conducting an investigation into the event, which attracted about 800 people – half of them Muslims. The event, aimed at dispelling negative perceptions of dogs – particularly among Muslims – started out as a small get-together for those curious about dogs.

Earlier, Syed Azmi also stressed that the programme was never meant to encourage people, particularly Muslims, to adopt dogs as pets, but merely to give them an idea on how to help dogs if they are in a difficult situation. He said he had also received approval from the Selangor Mufti Department, which had given the organisers guidelines on how to handle the animals.

“During the event, the participants were also given detailed explanation on rules and regulations on how to handle dogs,” he said, adding that “sertu” (the Islamic way of purifying after being in contact with dogs) was also explained to the participants.

“Once again, I would like to apologise for any reaction this programme had caused. I would also like to say thank you for all the comments made to me. This is a learning process for me,” he said, adding he had no intention to cause disharmony.

What do you guys think though? Is this simply the case of something that has been blown out of proportion? Did Syed really need to apologise for organising the “I Want to Touch A Dog” event? Or was he being insensitive towards the Muslims’ beliefs?

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CNY 2013: World’s Longest LEGO Snake + LEGOLAND’s Activities

LEGOLAND Malaysia is celebrating the “Year of the Snake” by attempting to set a new LEGO® building record – to make the world’s longest LEGO snake to mark its first Chinese New Year. The snake, built over nine days, is estimated to be more than 300 metres long, using approximately one million LEGO bricks.

LEGOLAND Master Model Builders, led by the Model Shop Manager, Stefan Bentivoglio, spent two weeks designing the LEGO snake and 50 hours building the head in advance. The head is made from red bricks to reflect the Chinese New Year celebrations and the body will be constructed from more than 3000 individual sections.

Children from Sultan Ibrahim Girls School, Johor Bahru were also invited to be the first to be involved in the LEGO building record attempt, which marks the Park’s first Chinese New Year:

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Between 9th February and 17th February, thousands of LEGOLAND guests will be able to play their part in the building activity. Guests will build the sections with the help of the Master Model Builders using twelve different colours of LEGO bricks. Each one will take approximately 30 minutes to build, and the new sections will be added to the snake’s body every day.

On the final day of the record attempt the snake’s tail will be connected and its official length will be measured and announced by Siegfried Boerst (General Manager of LEGOLAND Malaysia). Once it is finished, the world’s longest LEGO snake will wind its way through “The Beginning” and “Miniland” areas of the 76 acre Park.

There will also be a variety of other celebrations including Chinese Magic Mask and Drum performances, Fireworks, and Lion and Dragon Dances. The Park will be open from 10am – 8pm every day during this period. The schedule for LEGOLAND Malaysia’s Chinese New Year line-up of activities is as follows:

For more information, visit their official website or their Facebook page.


“Dune”: The Ending & Future Film Trilogy Explained

If you’re reading this right now, then you my friend have had the good pleasure of watching Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune”, or more accurately known as “Dune: Part One”. A sprawling sci-fi epic so massive in its scope of storytelling that it can be hard to comprehend at times what’s happening on screen. This rings especially true for those not acquainted with Frank Herbert’s novels. Some have tried comparing the film’s plot to something akin to “Game of Thrones” meeting “Star Wars”. Even so, that comparison doesn’t quite do “Dune: Part One” justice. There’s a long rich history behind the world of Arrakis and the production leading up to the film. Moreover, the film seems to end in a rather abrupt manner.

Yet at the same time, the events of future wars and battles have been heavily shown throughout the film. So what exactly is going on? What do Paul Atreides’ visions mean? What can fans expect to see in “Dune: Part Two”? More importantly, will there be a “Dune: Part Two”? Fear not friends (it is the mindkiller afterall) because we’ve got the answers to all your burning questions! Oh, and it goes without saying, massive spoiler alerts.

Last we left off, House Atreides seems to be ruin. The Padishah Emperor had baited the Duke Leto Atreides (played by Oscar Isaac) into a war with House Harkonnen by handing Arrakis over to House Atreides. Arrakis, otherwise known as Dune, is rich with a substance called Spice, a mind-altering chemical that expands perception needed for space travel. Therefore, whoever controls the Spice controls the galaxy. Leto is dead, the Harkonnen are back on top. This leads his son Paul (played by Timothee Chalamet) and his concubine Jessica (played by Rebecca Ferguson) to seek out the native people of the planet, the Fremen in an effort to combat the Harkonnen. Most of them view Paul with distrust, some view him as the Lisan al-Gaib, their long awaited messiah.

With that brief recap out of the way, let’s get into some of the more confusing aspects of the film. What are Paul’s visions and dreams? Do they actually tell the future? The answer is indeed yes. Paul isn’t just the scion of a powerful planetary duke, he is also the child of Jessica of the Bene Gesserit. A revered all-female order of psychics and witches with an insane amount of power. From divining the truth to being skilled fighters to being able to force people to do their bidding with the might of their voice. Think of them as scary Jedi nuns who secretly control the universe.

Due to Paul’s lineage to Jessica, he bears the same power as his mother along with another rare ability: Prescience. We saw parts of this power manifesting in his dreams of Chani (played by Zendaya). Mixed with Spice, his abilities grow exponentially due to the substance’s mind-expanding nature. Near the end of the film, we see Paul have a mental breakdown as his visions stretch across hundreds of years into the future. He will be worshipped as a god and holy wars will be fought in his name. He also sees visions of him and Chani standing side by side as lovers.

If you thought “Dune: Part One” was insane, it’s about to get wilder in the second film. We’ll try to give you the broad strokes without spoiling too much. As predicted, Paul integrates into the Fremens and leads them in battle against the Harkonnen forces. If you were expecting this to be a quick decisive battle with House Harkonnen then you are wrong. His war with them will last for years, long enough for him to marry Chani as seen in the visions. They even have a son together, who is going to play a major role in his character arc.

Josh Brolin’s Gurney is still alive and has become a smuggler in Arrakis, and will eventually reunite with Paul and Jessica. Now one thing we absolutely loved about “Dune: Part One” were the rivetteing battles between the forces of House Atreides against the Harkonnen soldiers and the Emperor’s elite Sardaukar warriors. Expect to see more of this in “Dune: Part Two” but on a much larger scale. In one of Paul’s visions, we see him clad in a golden armour fighting an army of Sardaukar soldiers alongside the Fremen. In “Dune: Part One”, we saw a couple of battalions of Sardaukar cutting down Atreides soldiers. This time, the full weight of the Imperium will come down on the Fremen.

The Emperor and House Harkonnen will indeed join forces to put down the Fremen rebellion. Out of the ashes of this battle, there will be a new galactic order. “Dune: Part One” was masterfully setting up the stage for the future wars to come in the Dune universe. “Dune: Part Two” will see Paul’s ascension into political power with many heartbreaking losses, painful betrayals and bitter victories along the way. This isn’t Star Wars, don’t expect a happily ever after in a galaxy far, far away.

It goes without saying, we’re massive fans of director Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part One” and we’re certainly looking forward to what he has in store. Frank Herbert’s “Dune” novel alone is so richly detailed and complex that at some point it was considered ‘unadaptable’. Essentially, Villeneuve has done the impossible. Since the film’s release, he has expressed an interest in creating a “Dune” film trilogy. “Dune: Part Two” will be based on the second half of the first novel and the third film being will follow the plot of Herbert’s second book “Dune: Messiah”. All three films will follow Paul’s journey from boyhood to godhood. Something akin to Luke Skywalker’s journey throughout the original “Star Wars” trilogy.

The “Dune” cinematic universe extends beyond just films, though. Legendary Television alongside Warner Bros. will be working to produce a spin-off series based on the Bene Gesserit called “Dune: The Sisterhood”. The series is set to appear on Warner’s HBO Max streaming service in the foreseeable. As exciting as all this is, we do need to get to some distressing news. As of now, “Dune: Part Two” has yet to be greenlit. While there is a healthy box office for “Dune: Part One”, there are other factors at play as well. Reportedly, fans will get a sequel as long as enough people on HBO Max stream it.

Director Denis Villeneuve was clearly not happy about this decision stating: “Streaming can produce great content, but not movies of Dune‘s scope and scale”. As unfortunate a thought as it is, we must entertain the upsetting notion that we may not get a follow-up to “Dune: Part One”. We pray to the great Sandworms of Arrakis that this fate will not come to pass! If you’d like to see our full-thoughts on the film, you can check out our review for “Dune: Part 1”!

Be sure to catch “Dune: Part One” in cinemas now and let us know what you thought of it with a reaction down below!

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#Urbanscapes2014: Satellite Show Featuring Mogwai

Urbanscapes, Malaysia’s month-long creative arts festival, confirmed that Mogwai will play an Urbanscapes Satellite Show come November!

The Scottish post-rock band Mogwai (“Take Me Somewhere Nice”) often championed by the late John Peel of BBC Radio will take their brand of shoegazing, instrumental metal renditions to Urbanscapes’ Satellite Show. With a repertoire that contains tracks from the soundtrack for film The Fountain and French TV series, Les Revenants, and “Rave Tapes” which became UK’s best selling vinyl album this year – Mogwai will offer a chilling, ethereal set that will chill the bones and sway the crowd.

*Pre-Sale tickets will be sold once early bird tickets are sold out. These tickets allow access to one satellite show of your choice only (make sure you buy the correct Satellite Show ticket!). These tickets do NOT allow access to Urbanscapes.

Urbanscapes tickets are available for purchase online at www.ticketpro.com.my.

Meanwhile, Tenacious D (Jack Black and Kyle Glass) will be performing in Malaysia for an Urbanscapes 2014 Satellite Show this December. Deets here! Let’s not forget that Chvrches is also slated to performing for an Urbanscapes 2014 Satellite Show in November. Deets for that as well as Urbanscapes 2014 here.

For more information on Urbanscapes 2014, visit their website or Facebook page.


Harry Styles To Produce New Sitcom Based On His Early Days In One Direction

Former One Direction star Harry Styles is set to executive produce a CBC sitcom loosely based on his own life.

Titled as “Happy Together”, the show stars 24-year-old Aussie actor Felix Mallard who is known for his work in “Neighbours” TV series.

A post shared by Happy Together (@happytogethercbs)

The story is based on Styles’ early days in One Direction – which also features Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and previously, Zayn Malik – when he was living with friends in London.

The comedy follows married couple Peter (Damon Wayans Jr) and Claire (Amber Stevens West), who have grown tired of their boring life is suburbia, that is until a young pop star unexpectedly moves into their house.

In real life, Styles spent more than a year living with his friend Ben Winston and his wife in London. Winston is an executive producer on CBS’s “Late Late Show With James Corden” who will also exec-produce “Happy Together”.

“Happy Together” will air on Mondays at 8:30 p.m (US time) on CBS.

Source: Washington Post / Featured Image: Digital Spy, BBC


Fun Facts: 10 Interesting Facts About Your Favourite Villains From “Suicide Squad”

Forget about Batman versus Superman, it’s the bad guys we’re interested in. Even though DC Movies owns the rights to some of the greatest superheroes from DC Comics, it is the group of misfit villains – the worst of the worst – that are making headlines.

Now, regardless if you prefer Marvel over DC, you’re going to want to clear your calendar and make room for the premiere of “Suicide Squad” when it hits theatres this week. To prep you up for this highly-anticipated film, here are some fascinating fun facts to get you even more excited!

1. “Suicide Squad” takes place after “Batman v Superman”

Now that “Suicide Squad” is within touching distance, it’s time to ask some pressing questions. Like where does “Suicide Squad” takes place within the DC Extended Universe timeline. Movie Pilot previously pointed out that the 3rd trailer mentions the Man of Steel by name, questioning, “What if Superman had decided to fly down, rip off the roof of the White House, and grab the President right out of the Oval Office? Who would have stopped him?”

Following the events of “Dawn of Justice“, the government is now trying to come to terms with how to respond the next time an alien pays a visit to Earth. Which brings us to…

2. Task Force X, better known as the Suicide Squad

The answer, according to Amanda Waller (played by Viola Davis), is to recruit society’s most vile criminals, who possess superhuman abilities and powers. These baddies get a break but on 1 condition: Obey their orders, or die, a rule enforced by Waller’s right-hand man, Rick Flagg, with the help of Katana and the explosive devices inserted into their necks courtesy of Wayne Enterprises. Thanks, Batman!

Of the characters mentioned in the info-graph above, Joker is definitely not part of the squad. Expect the tattooed Gotham City arch-criminal to possibly throw a wrench into these plans. Mission be damned, he will be reunite with his one true love, Harley.

3. The Joker & Harley Quinn’s backstory explored in prequel comic

A couple of weeks ago, a mini comic book prequel titled “Suicide Blonde” was released, shedding light on The Joker and Harley Quinn’s complicated relationship, as well as how the couple ended up in the messy situation where the film finds them.

It begins in Belle Reve where Harley is being held captive in a cell. As she mulls over Amanda Waller’s offer to join up with Task Force X aka Suicide Squad, she has a flashback of an incident that happened several months ago in Gotham City. More on “Suicide Blonde” here.

If you’re still curious about DC’s powerhouse criminal couple, be sure to check out our fun facts on The Joker and Harley Quinn.

4. Will Smith’s Deadshot has 1 major weakness

Besides Joker and Harley Quinn, another character we’re really looking forward to seeing is Will Smith’s Deadshot. There is apparently more to the perfect shooter than his sociopathic tendencies. Deadshot has 1 weak spot and that’s his baby girl, Zoe.

“His Achilles heel is his daughter. He loves this little girl and that creates this bizarre conflicting mindset where he enjoys killing people but that’s something this little girl doesn’t want from him. She wants a daddy,” the 47-year-old actor, who shaved his head bald for the role, told Entertainment Weekly.

We’ve been talking about all these super bad guys, but who’s the ultimate villain here? Contrary to many fan theories, Cara Delevingne’s Enchantress isn’t the main enemy of this story. That role reportedly belongs to the Incubus. If the comic book history is any indication, Incubus might be the culprit responsible for controlling the “Eyes of the Adversary”.

In the DC Comics series, Enchantress is an ancient entity, who takes possession of June Moone’s physical body. As it turns out, Incubus and Enchantress’ true identity, Succubus, are actually brother and sister. Together, the sibling duo have the power to resurrect their powerful demonic father.

It’s no secret that Ben Affleck’s Batman will be making his 2nd DC movie appearance in “Suicide Squad”. You’ve seen him in the trailers as well as the set photos. Batman News has also confirmed that he will share some scenes with several Suicide Squad members.

Although the Dark Knight won’t battle the entire ensemble of bad guys, he does cross paths with 3 main characters. Reports claim that he will share an “emotional” scene with Deadshot, in addition to a flashback sequence. Leaked footage from last year has also shown Batman rescuing Harley from drowning after the Joker crashes his purple Jokermobile into a river.

7. Will The Flash be making a cameo appearance too?

Word on the street is that Batman won’t be the only hero appearing in the movie. Another “Justice League” member will also be dropping by. It is believed that The Flash will be popping up in some sort of origin/flashback scene fairly early in the proceedings. There’s more evidence to support this claim here.

8. Twenty One Pilots wrote “Heathens” especially for “Suicide Squad”

Although the term “Heathens” refers to “those who does not follow any of the world’s major organised religions”, the song for “Suicide Squad” probably relates to those who necessarily fit into society’s norm. We have been hitting the replay button again and again ever since the music video came out.

9. Start jamming to your new bad ass playlist

There’s also a “Suicide Squad” soundtrack super villain playlist for your listening pleasure. Panic! At The Disco, Eminem, Skrillex, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons, Grimes, and Skylar Grey are just some of the amazing artistes expected to provide you with an awesome eargasmic experience. Listen to them here.

Trust us when we say that you will want to remain in your seats once the credits start rolling. If there’s one thing superhero fans know to do, it’s to anticipate bonus scenes and teases once the movie ends. We can now confirm that the upcoming David Ayer movie will feature a mid-credits scene, but not an after-credits scene. As for the contents of this bonus scene, well, it’s anyone guess.

11. Still salivating for more fun facts? Well, here’s another 101 ;)

This is it y’all, we can’t wait for the bad guys to take centre stage when “Suicide Squad” opens in cinemas on 4th August 2016.

Sources: Morph Suits, Outer Places, Movie Web (1)(2)(3), Comic Book, Batman News, IB Times.

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#Spotify: Wiz Khalifa Sets Record For Most Plays In One Day With “See You Again”

The track from Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth, from the Furious 7 soundtrack, has set two records on Spotify.

The first being the most streams in a single week in 26 countries during April 6th to April 12th. Paralleling to the enormous success received by the film, the song is gaining rapid popularity and on on April 13th (Monday) the single broke the record for most streams in a single day, earning 4.2 million listens makes for the second record.

“This is one of those special moments when all the forces have aligned to create a song that is resonating emotionally with millions around the world,” said Atlantic Records CEO Craig Kallman. “The combination of Wiz’s star power with the introduction of Charlie as a brilliant singer and songwriter is truly magical, striking a nerve with Paul Walker’s legion of fans and the film’s enormous audience. All of us at Atlantic are thrilled and gratified by the response that this moving tribute has received from Spotify’s global listeners.”

“See You Again” plays an special and emotional role for Furious 7 fans as it helps commemorate Paul Walker, who passed away before the film finished. The song is played during the final scene in the movie.


Hype Hangs Out With The Wanted

Them boys, they came, they saw, they conquered. One thing’s for sure though – it’s quite possible that their Malaysian fanbase grew overnight too while they were here in Kuala Lumpur. People who have more often than not found themselves questioning the appeal of Nathan, Max, Siva, Tom, and Jay can now stop wondering.

At least after they’ve read our interview with The Wanted. Or after they’ve seen this:

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You’d see why it’s so easy to love them, over and over again. We did. We still do!

Have you tried any of our traditional or local food yet?

Jay: “This time around I didn’t try it but the first time we came here I tried the fruit, um, durian? I was not a fan of it at all!”

Tom: “Jay described it as a snot-textured fruit that smelled like feet.”

Siva: “We tried nasi lemak. That’s good!”

Tom: “We got it described to us as, ‘fat rice’ (laughs)”

Nathan: “I just had a great club sandwich as well..”

Tom: “Yes, Nathan. That’s..traditional..”

That was an awesome concert last night. We didn’t think the fans would stop screaming!

But wait, hang on, which one of you boys do you think has the most fans?

Jay: “See! Everyone does this! They always go, ‘Aww..’. He’s only 19 and we met him when he was 15 so it has been a long time. We’ve seen him grow into a man.”

Nathan: “It’s..it’s strange. Each one of us gets different ages of fans. So, the really young ones usually have quite high pitched screams so I think I might be slightly deafer because I’m the youngest. Then Max always gets like, a lot of uh..”

Nathan: “And they’re always very seductive and very forward with him. They’d just be like, ‘Oh this is my daughter..’ ‘Hi Max. How are you? (laughs)”

Jay: “The cougar would shove her daughter to Nathan!”

Speaking of females, or rather, women, if you could choose one female actor to be in your next video as your love interest, who would you choose?

Jay: “Can I have two? No? Okay. Mila Kunis it is then.”

Tom: “Oh come on she only kissed the guy!”

Nathan: “But the guy she kissed is married!”

Siva: “Jessica Alba. I’ve said this for three years so this has to happen. Somebody needs to talk to her – maybe one of you guys. Arrange it please. I’m getting all crazy here.”

Nathan: “I would so laugh if somebody put the question to her and she says, ‘Yeah I think Siva is such an idiot’ (laughs)”

Oh! And pray tell, how was it like sharing the stage with PSY at the 2012 MTV VMAs?

Jay: “He’s really fun and we love Gangnam Style! We went out last night and we did the dance to every single song.”

Nathan: “Hey, I just met you! (does the Gangnam Style dance)”

Nathan: “The first thing that PSY said to me was crazy. He was like, ‘I’m sorry I’m too drunk’ and I was like, I like you already.”

Are there any big artistes that you’re planning on working with next?

Jay: “Chris Brown approached us at the MTV VMAs this year and we spoke to him before about doing something with him but he said that we need to make sure that it happens soon so that could be an option. There are some in the horizon but Pitbull probably going to be the first.”

Jay: “And Nathan worked with LMFAO in the studio..”

Nathan: “We produced some really, really crazy sounds on the track so it might be a tiny bit too wild. It’s like, weird wild. It might be not the direction we’re going in. But LMFAO..it’s a really great team they’ve got and it was a great experience. I’m sure next time we’ll work together and the boys will work with them as well.”

Yay! More The Wanted awesomeness soon to invade the interwebs and our radio airwaves again. We can’t wait! Thanks for speaking to us, boys. We had a wonderful time hanging out with you and we’re kinda sad that it had to end so soon. So the deal is, y’all come back soon, yes?

And thanks to our awesome friends from Universal Music Malaysia for making this happen!

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For more pictures from their concert, click!

For more information, visit The Wanted’s official website or stalk them via their Twitter account. They also have individual Twitter accounts, you know, if you’re interested. In stalking. They are Nathan, Max, Tom, Jay, and Siva. Enjoy!

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Marvel’s “Eternals”: All 10 Superhero Powers As Explained By The Cast

Now that many of us have watched “Black Widow” and the recent “Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings”, all eyes are on the upcoming release of new superhero epic “Eternals”. Expectations are already high for this A-list superhero team-up, and rightfully so.

Directed by Academy Award-winning director Chloe Zhao, “Eternals” will embark on the story of a cosmic group of immortals who choose not to interfere with human conflicts — including Thanos and the snap shenanigans —  despite living on Earth for thousands of years.

The film features the outstanding ensemble of star-studded performers including the likes of Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Richard Madden, Gemma Chan, Kit Harrington, Don Lee (Ma Dong Seok), Barry Keoghan, Lia Mchugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff and Kumail Nanjiani.

The final trailer for “Eternals” was released in August and it introduces us to the brand-new superhero team taking the center stage in the MCU as they battle the new threat, the Deviant. The Eternals, as established in Marvel Comics, are one of the most powerful assemblies in the Marvel Universe, and its live-action counterparts will appear to cement the fact.

In a new interview with Total Film, the cast of the MCU’s “Eternals” shed light and elaborated on just how powerful and formidable their characters are. Each of the cast members break down every power and ability of their respective characters in the film.

Ikaris is the most powerful Eternal and the tactical leader of the group. He is moral, kind, and charismatic with the power of incredible strength, flight and the ability to project beams of intense cosmic energy from his eyes.

Richard Madden as Ikaris shared that his cosmic superhero is “very strong” and “has the ability to fly and shoot lasers from his eyes”. “His powers are pretty cool. I suppose the main challenge was trying to make something look effortless,” he noted.

Makkari is the only deaf Eternal but she also possesses super-speed ability, making her the fastest woman in the universe. She utilises her cosmically-powered super-speed prowess to scout planets for the Eternals.

Lauren Ridloff, about her character, shared that aside from Makkari’s obvious super-speed power, the character’s real strength is “her smarts”. She said, “Her most obvious power is speed, but how she manipulates speed as a weapon is just brilliant, so her true power is her smarts.”

Druig, Ikaris’ cousin, is an aloof and a powerful cosmic being, but at times it is hard to determine whether he’s a friend or a foe. He possesses mind control power, using the cosmic energy to gain control of the minds of men and possesses tremendous telepathic abilities to help him achieve whatever he wants. He is expected to be the villain of the film as an Eternal who sides with the Deviants.

In the comics, Druig withdrawn himself from the Eternals as he disagrees with how the group interacted with mankind over the centuries. “He uses mind-control to manipulate and control people. He doesn’t do anything with his hands. He just stares, which is kind of cool,” Barry Keoghan, who plays Druig revealed about his character.

Phastos is a genius inventor and engineer blessed with the power of invention. The MCU’s first openly gay superhero has the ability to create anything out of his imagination provided that he has enough raw materials at his disposal. Throughout his stay on Earth, Phastos has helped in humanity technological advancement while keeping his brilliance hidden in the shadows.

Brian Tyree Henry, who portrays Phastos shared, “They like to call him a techno-path, which basically means he can use his mind and energy to literally assemble anything out of any technology around him.”

In Marvel comics, Kingo is not only a cosmic-powered member of the Eternals but he is considered one of the most skillful swordsmen on Earth. He possesses the power to project cosmic energy projectiles with his hands. In the live-action counterpart, Kingo is a famous Bollywood star who must leave his life of fame to help the team defeat the Deviant threat.

Kumail Nanjiani in the interview spoke about his character and his preparations for the role. “He can shoot beams from his arms. Obviously, they add laser beams in post. I didn’t go with that method. I took martial arts and dance classes to figure out what his motion would be when he was shooting,” Kumail remarked.

Sprite might look like a 12-year-old child, but she is known as a trickster who has lived for thousands of years. Sprite is blessed with the ability to cast lifelike illusions and in the comics, her trickster ability even excels at utilising Celestial powers of manipulation. Sprite spent most of her time on Earth developing and mastering her illusion-casting skills that will surely come in handy as the Eternals battle with the Deviants.

Lia McHugh, the youngest actress with the “Eternals” cast, teased that Sprite’s powers “are utilised in a lot of creative ways” in the film. “Sprite can cast illusions! Her powers are utilised in a lot of creative ways in Eternals that become very relevant to the story,” she remarked.

Sersi is an Eternal with the most affinity with humans, working alongside humanity as a museum curator while saving the crowd from the Deviant threat. Sersi is blessed with the ability to manipulate matter, changing the composition of any non-sentient material she touches. Though Sersi has been in love with Ikaris for centuries, she is also caught up in a love triangle in the film, romantically linked to both Ikaris and Dane Whitman.

Gemma Chan, who plays Sersi, told Total Film about her character. “Sersi can manipulate matter. So inanimate – I suppose – substances or objects, she can transmute them into other things. Which is pretty useful. That’s a good thing,” she shared. Gemma Chan is amongst the few actors to act as more than one character in the MCU, having previously starred as Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel.

Thena, played by Angelina Jolie is a fierce female warrior that is more comfortable in battle than any other place. According to Marvel comics, she is the daughter of Zuras who possesses the power to use cosmic energy to transform anything into a lethal weapon. In addition to that, the Eternal warrior is blessed with super strength and ageless longevity that comes with being an Eternal.

Thena is also involved in a forbidden love affair with Kro, a deviant, who is among the Eternals’ greatest enemies. The Oscar-winning actress, Angelina Jolie described Thena’s ability in the film. “I was given the ‘could manifest weapons in my hands’ [power]. A lot of training was really fun, to try to figure out how to fight that way,” the international superstar shared.

Ajak is the spiritual leader and the Eternals’ headmaster. Her wisdom has guided the team since their arrival on Earth. Ajak has the power to teleport and healing ability that enable her to cure humans and Eternals alike. She also possesses the ability to communicate with the Celestials.

Salma Hayek said that Ajak’s healing ability was one of the biggest highlights for her. “Another thing that inspired me was that her superpower is healing. That very much is the sensation of a mother,” she disclosed.

Another character that makes up the Eternals is Gilgamesh (played by Don Lee), who is the strongest and fierce warrior but also the kindest member of the team. He forges an unlikely friendship with Thena that spans centuries and becomes her de facto partner. He has the capability of projecting a powerful exoskeleton of cosmic energy.

Popular Korean cast, Don Lee or Ma Dong Seok said that Gilgamesh has superhuman strength that secures him as the strongest of the cosmic group. “Gilgamesh is immortal, has superhuman strength, and is considered the strongest of the Eternals. He has a unique one-punch knockout attack like a heavyweight boxer. As a long-time boxer myself, I tried to add a lot of real boxing movements,” he revealed.

Setting aside the immortal characters, Dane Whitman on the other hand, is not an Eternal. Dane Whitman is a genius physicist who inherits a mantle from his uncle that is believed to belong to the Black Knight, who unbeknownst to him, is a villain! He’s skillful with swords and he also inherits a curse from his signature sword, Ebony Blade. He is likely to be romantically involved with Sersi in the film.

Dane Whitman is played by “Game of Thrones” alum Kit Harrington, who, in the interview, did not reveal much about his character’s abilities. Instead, the actor teased the “very cool” interactions that he has with the rest of the Eternals. “I’d just like power. It was very cool, my interaction with those characters. It was cool to see – and also very jealous-making,” he remarked.

You can certainly look forward to the full display of the powers of every Eternals member once the film arrives in theaters. Based on the trailers, the live-action film will not showcase every Eternal ability from the comics, with them only harnessing one or two unique powers.

The Covid-19 crisis has certainly halted many big movie releases. As of now, “Eternals” is scheduled to hit theaters in November this year.

Sources: The Direct, Collider, Digital Trends

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#Malaysia: Meet Lee Chong Wei’s Doppelganger, Ika Syazwani

Who knew that our national badminton hero Datuk Lee Chong Wei had an identical twin sister?

While the Malaysian shuttler was busy competing in the Rio Olympic Games and winning the hearts of Malaysians, another Malaysian has been making headlines for her similar resemblance to Lee Chong Wei.

So who is this doppelganger? This individual in question is Ika Syazwani, and no, she’s not a dude. The Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) student started gaining attention after her Facebook posts as well as screen capture comparisons between her and Chong Wei was widely shared on social media.

“Who knew that people would say I look like Datuk Lee Chong Wei. Maybe its because we have a similar facial structure. I always feel like laughing about it because to me, the whole thing is funny. I did not expect it to become viral,” Ika was quoted as saying.

Ika, who is also a huge fan of Chong Wei herself, suggests that the similarities between the 2 could possibly be because her grandmother is Chinese.

“Overall, Datuk Lee is the best. Even though it was a silver medal, but we know that he is one of the best players in the world. Congratulations once again,” she said. According to The Star, the 24-year-old mathematics and statistics major also has a passion for automotive sports like drag racing and drifting.

Since becoming popular, Ika has been receiving a slew of friend request on Facebook. As of time of writing, she currently has 4959 Facebook friends and 6107 followers.

Sources: Ika Syazwani’s Facebook, The Star.


AirAsia To Open Second Santan Outlet In Sunway Pyramid

Just because we can’t travel abroad doesn’t mean we can’t satisfy our cravings for airline food. Following its launch last December, Santan is now ready to expand.

AirAsia’s restaurant announced yesterday (Thursday, 16th July) that a new outlet will be opening in Selangor next week. It is believed that the new Santan Cafe will debut in Sunway Pyramid on 22nd July 2020.

From the teaser alone, you’d be able to guess the outline of a lion that resembles the famous shopping mall in Bandar Sunway. This new expansion means more job opportunities! AirAsia will be able to rehire previous employees that were let go during the movement control order (MCO).

Similar to the first Santan store in Mid Valley Megamall, foodies will get the chance to taste the airline’s in-flight hot sellers. Food options include Pak Nasser’s Nasi Lemak and Uncle Chin’s Chicken Rice. If you’re craving for desserts – Burnt Cheesecake, Onde-Onde Cake, as well as Inside Scoop ice creams are also available.

The details of the new outlet are as follows:

The eatery is currently offering several promos – Free Delivery (promo code: FREE8) plus RM5 off all orders (promo code: SANTAN5). More info here.


Fun Facts: 8 Things You Might Not Have Known About Will Sparks

At 21 years old, Will Sparks is a DJ producer hailing Melbourne who has cemented his position as the undisputed “King” of the now internationally loved Melbourne Sound − the Melbourne bounce. Undoubtedly the fastest rising star in the current Australian dance music scene, Will Sparks genre-defining track “Ah Yeah!” hit #3 on the Beatport overall charts at the tail end of 2012.

Following his success so far, the Melbourne-bred sensation has come in at #2 Australian DJ for the inthemix Top 50 DJ’s, picked up the inthemix Awards going for “Breakthrough Artist of the Year”, and scored a number of internationally recognised festivals including TomorrowWorld, Stereosonic, and Future Music Festival (FMF).

His highly praised musical talent and energetic electro-house beats with his own twist have gotten him support from some of the biggest names in the scene today including Hardwell, David Guetta, Martin Garrix, Dada Life, Madeon and more. Apart from playing sold-out festival and club gigs across the world such as XS Las Vegas, Studio Paris in Chicago and Pacha NYC, Sparks also holds residencies at Melbourne’s biggest spot “Billboard” and Pacha in Sydney.

On 15th Jan (Thursday), Will Sparks will be making his way back to Kuala Lumpur as part of his Asia tour. In order to prep you for his upcoming show here in Gravity Club KL, here are some fun facts about the young DJ/producer:

Don’t forget! Will Sparks is set to make it bounce this Thursday, 15th Jan at Gravity Club KL. For now, we’ll leave you with our favourite “Bourne” by Will Sparks.

Keep your ears and eyes out for Will Sparks via these platforms: Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For more information, hit up Gravity Club KL’s Facebook page.

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Monopoly Is Now Meowopoly – Sorta!

For the first time ever, fans were given a chance to help toy maker Hasbro decide on the ultimate Monopoly decision – which token to drop and which token to add. A month-long online poll across 195 participating countries was put up via a Facebook app named, “Save Your Token”.

It included this picture of the (then) currently existing eight Monopoly tokens that some of us can closely link our childhood to:

At the end of the month, results showed that the Scottie dog was the clear favourite with fans from more than 120 countries securing 29% of the vote. The shoe, the iron, and the wheelbarrow were neck and neck right up until the final hours of voting. But alas, it was the iron that ended up being the least popular of the lot.

It raked in only 8% of the vote. It was then decided than the iron will now be retired from the game. The iron was one of the original Monopoly tokens introduced by the Parker Brothers in 1935, when the appliance was an important part of domestic life. Of course, hardly anyone’s excited about “being an iron” these days.

Then, there was that voting poll for the newer Monopoly tokens, as pictured:

One of the above new ones (whichever that ends up with the highest votes) will then step in to take the iron’s place. Or should we say, “claw” in?

A robot, diamond ring, cat, helicopter, and a guitar. And the one that had the most votes (all 31% of them) was:

Upon the announcement that the cat will now replace the iron, Hasbro’s Jonathan Berkowitz said, “Tokens are always a key part of the Monopoly game and our fans are very passionate about their tokens, about which token they use while they play. I think there were a lot of cat lovers in the world that reached out.”

Versions of Monopoly Meowopoly with the new token will come out sometime later this year.


Nintendo Sues Man To Hell & Back, Leaving Him Indebted For Life

As one of the pioneers of video games and the reason why the industry still exists to this day, Nintendo is recognised for many things, such as its colourful and memorable mascots and iconic games. However, like all companies, Nintendo has a disgusting underbelly that has even alienated some of its fans who had loved the company wholeheartedly.

Nintendo is like that assh*le boyfriend that your female friend swears is alright once you get to know him; they want loyalty but aren’t exactly making it easier for their clientele and are in fact doing everything so you’d hate them more. Why, you may ask? To put it simply, Nintendo is as insanely cruel to hackers as they are to their consumers.

They’ve received loads of negative PR, but to add to that pile is the story of a poor man whom they sued for hacking Nintendo Switch games. Gary Bowser (yes, that’s his name) found himself in hot water for hacking the portable console and then selling famous and large titles to willing customers. Something of note moving forward is that Gary Bowser is related to Team Xecuter, a notorious console hacking group, and is, by all accounts, a criminal. However, Nintendo wants to make an example out of him in case there are people who want to follow in his footsteps.

After serving time in a US federal prison for 40 months, Nintendo wants this man to pay for damages. In a court order, Gary Bowser needs to pay the company US$14.5 million (RM64.7 million) in damages. He explained in an interview that he was able to make some money while in federal prison and work some odd jobs behind bars, though not necessarily enough to cover the cost of living as he is still in prison. However, Nintendo has already taken 25% to 30% of his monthly income, amounting to a total of US$175 (RM780), which is virtually nothing.

Though this man is a criminal, Nintendo has gone to a needlessly cruel extreme to punish him for a crime for which he has already served prison time. And the reason why we say for life is that, unless you are Jeff Bezos, you will not be able to make that amount of money just to pay off a debt. It would have been understandable if they targeted the collective group of hackers, making them ALL pay for the millions of dollars worth of damages, but they targeted ONE man, further tarnishing their family-friendly image.


NCT Dream & Ha Ji-won To Attend K-Wave & Halal Show In Malaysia

Get ready to celebrate Korean culture at the upcoming K-Wave & Halal Show In Malaysia on 12th and 13th March 2019 in 1 Utama Shopping Centre.

Aside from featuring various halal goods from Korea like food, beauty and health products, the event will also welcome several South Korean celebrities for the growing number of K-pop fans in Malaysia.

The stars who will be gracing the event include famous actress Ha Ji-won, and 3 members of boy group NCT Dream; Jeno, Jaemin, and Jisung.

Fans of the Korean stars will be able to participate in the K-Stars Fan Signing Event, but only 100 lucky fans will be selected through the official SNS event which will take place on 6th March on 9pm.

Check out the official FB for more info on how to join the SNS event.

The fan signing event for NCT Dream will take place on 12th March at 4pm, while Ha Ji-won’s fan signing event will be on 13th March at 4pm.

Full details of K-Wave & Halal Show In Malaysia are as below:-

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Rihanna Honours Her Late Gran Gran Dolly

Aww. We’ve always known that Rihanna have always had a soft spot despite looking bad a$$ all the time.

Last June, RiRi lost someone who was so special; she meant the world to RiRi. Her name was Clara “Dolly” Brathwaite and she was RiRi’s grandmother. In July, RiRi took to Twitter about her grandmother’s (whom she fondly calls “grangranDOLLY”) death:

Now, with treasured memories of her late grandmother held close to heart, RiRi has decided to donate USD1.75 million to a hospital located in Barbados. It was said that the hospital named, “Queen Elizabeth Hospital” in Bridgetown, Barbados was also visited by RiRi’s mother, grandfather, and RiRi herself.

“This was my way of giving back to Barbados, in a form of philanthropy, by assisting the QEH in its continued modernization program, I believe that this will have a huge impact on the people of Barbados. This was all done to save lives, or at least extend them”, said Rihanna to E! News.

Thanks to Rihanna’s openhanded contribution, the hospital’s radiotherapy department has been renamed to “Clara Braithwaite Centre for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine”! And just how awesome is that? We’re so proud of you for giving back, RiRi. And we’re pretty sure that your “grangranDOLLY” is proud of you too.


#2016MAMA: Awards Show To Be Held In Hong Kong For 5th Consecutive Year

The Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA) will be held in Hong Kong once again.

It will be the 5th time the country will host the awards show, and it will be held at the same venue as last year’s, the AsiaWorld-Arena. This year’s event will fall on 2nd December (Friday), an industry insider revealed.

“After confirming the location and date, Mnet has commenced preparations. This year, too, we will strive to put on a magnificent music festival.”

However, as the production is still in its initial stages, no line-ups have been revealed as of yet.

The first edition of the awards show started in South Korea in 1999, and was simply named Mnet Video Music Awards. However, following the expansion of the music industry and in a bid to globalise the awards show, the organisers decided to rename and hold it in other Asian countries.

The only and last time MAMA was held in the Southeast Asian region was in 2011, when Singapore hosted the awards show. Lee Byung Hun took lead of the show, which took place in Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Many Malaysians are hoping that the show would be held in Malaysia at least once, but with several controversies surrounding foreign singers who hold their concerts in the country, it remains to be seen if Malaysia will be chosen.


“Choose or Die” Review: The Most Terrifying Nightmares Come In 8-Bits

We all remember the classic 8-bit games of the 80s and 90s. How classics like Mario had us dodging goombas and Donkey Kong hurling oil barrels at us. Of course, those require a player’s skill and ability to manoeuvre the game’s lead on-screen.

There were also other kinds of 8-bit experiences like the “Twilight Zone Text Adventure” that was very binary in how presented itself to the player. There were more or less two or three choices, sometimes, yes and no questions that got you to progress the plot.

Nevertheless, games have evolved since then. Developers such as Quantic Dream, Supermassive and Telltale have successfully created choice-driven narratives that aren’t just binary. “Until Dawn”, “Detroit: Become Human”, and the “Walking Dead” video game story have all had multiple paths that you can explore with different choices providing distinct endings. Some might be happier and some would be deemed as a bad ending.

In Netflix’s latest, the concept of choices is something that should be taken seriously. And as one might be able to decode, they can be deadly!

“Choose or Die” centres around teenager Kayla (Iola Evans), who is a wannabe coder after dropping out of college. She and her friend Isaac (Asa Butterfield) work together to refurbish and resell retro computers. During one of their meetings at Isaac’s house, she finds a bootleg cassette marked CURS>R.

Curious to see what the deal with it is, they call the number on the box. The duo are surprised to find that not only it is still active and offering a cash prize of $125,000 upon completion of The Game but the recorded voice is none other than Robert Englund, star of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise.

After loading up the program at a diner in the wee hours of the morning, Kayla notices that something is amiss. The CURS>R program begins recognising speech in real-time before it is even spoken. Bemused, she plays along with its initial prompt of “coffee” or “cake”, which just so happens to be a similar question on the diner’s menu.

While she does get her coffee amidst bizarre behaviours, Kayla is disturbed but soon finds out that she cannot exit and reload in real life. The Game has seeped into our world and can’t be stopped. As the prompts become more bloodthirsty, Kayla and Isaac are faced with a horrifying dilemma: Choose Or Die?!

With this being his feature debut, Toby Meakins gives his all in creating a unique spin on an otherwise overused concept. How many times have we seen games or the concept of it come to life and terrorize an entire town or something of that sort, ya know? Escape Room, battle royales, and even truth or dare.

Nonetheless, it’s always about the how and not about looking at something and dismissing it right away. Meakins does display his established values as a horror filmmaker, providing tense, grit-your-teeth moments without relying too much on the jumpscare technique. It gets under your skin enough to provide a decent thrill.

Despite the creepy moments, the movie is aware that it does not need to take itself way too seriously. One of the goofiest moments in the film comes at the climactic revelation that the game’s developer embedded some cryptic symbols in the prompt while performing his first beta test. While the situation was dire, the question asked, in hindsight, is extremely ridiculous: “eat this computer or your arm”. Who says that? While some might find it to be a little jarring, at least it was laugh-out-loud fun.

“Sex Education’s” Asa Butterfield has a ton of fun here as a sidekick who is naive and happy-go-lucky at times but still a caring friend. He’s that non-believer who is not particularly enthused by the idea of a killer game until it actually affects him. Butterfield’s Isaac is a welcome smooth, awkwardness to contrast the notion of a troubled teenager who is his friend.

Now, there is one thing we appreciate about this movie is that it isn’t the group-of-teenagers-who-do-stupid-dumb-s*** bloodbath. No, it’s a story about a young woman who is still finding herself. She’s grown up in a bad neighbourhood, living with a troubled parent, and experienced the loss of a sibling. Iola Evans, who you might have seen in The CW’s “The 100”, holds her breath and dives into this character who struggles with identity and guilt. Kayla wants to break free of the bias of her neighbourhood and her circumstances but does not know how.

In a weird, disturbing way, The Game enlightens Kayla, suggesting that there are more choices (despite The Game’s own binary picks) out there for her to explore. Especially through the film’s ending, the structures of The Game are torn down, giving Kayla control of life itself.

It makes sense especially given the context of social inequalities and myths in our real world. With capitalism, toxic racism/masculinity, and the state of inflation ever threatening the rise of a younger generation, the ability to choose your own path is not so easy. Only if an establishment is restructured will others be able to get a fair shot.

On the surface, “Choose or Die” might be asking its characters to perform tasks based on its objective prompts. Nevertheless, the definition of the matters at hand are not in black and white. It dares to question the authority of the people who create establishments. What do those in power do with their abilities? It begs us to ponder upon these things, to simmer upon acceptance or change. This is a question that we can ask ourselves.

“Choose or Die” is currently streaming on Netflix.

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While "Choose or Die" spawns from the tendrils of an overused genre, the fact that it does not take itself way too seriously all while making sure that it gets under your skin when it matters makes it a uniquely serviceable watch.


Disney Eyes Zendaya For The Role Of Ariel In Little Mermaid Remake

Back in 2016, Disney has announced its plan to develop a live-action version of “The Little Mermaid”, and now a new rumour has surfaced claiming that the House of Mouse plans to cast Zendaya as the titular character.

It has been reported by That Hashtag Show that someone close to Disney has revealed that former Disney Channel star Zendaya has been offered to play the leading role of Ariel. However, the actress or the studio refused to comment on the report.

Seeing that now we are in the era of inclusivity and women’s empowerment, it only make sense that the studio is trying to put a little spin on “The Little Mermaid” live-action remake by casting a woman of colour.

Even the recent remakes of Disney classics feature many notable changes as compared to the originals such as the inclusion of a gay character in “Beauty and the Beast”, or the portrayal of Maleficent as anti-hero instead of a villain.

Since it is confirmed that the remake will definitely be a musical, then casting Zendaya would be a good choice as the actress has shown her singing chops in 20th Century Fox’s musical “The Greatest Showman”, and not to mention that she is already a successful pop singer in her own right with hit songs like “Butterflies” and “Replay”.

A post shared by The Greatest Showman (@greatestshowman)

However, casting Zendaya would mean that Disney will also need to cast people of colour to Ariel’s father King Triton and also her 6 elder sisters, making this a huge departure from the original Disney adaptation based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story.

Surely, this will not sit well with many fans of the original movie and those who are particular for accuracy from the source material. Before, Zendaya has also received backlashes for her role in “Spider-Man: Homecoming” as Peter Parker’s new love interest, replacing the role of Mary Jane Watson.

A post shared by Spider-Man: No Way Home (@spidermanmovie)

Nevertheless, this is just a rumour and nothing is confirmed yet. What has been confirmed is that Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda will be composing the music for it, while “Mary Poppins Return” director Rob Marshall will be helming the film from a script by Jane Goldman.

Zendaya is not the only one rumoured to play the titular role. Previously, there were also rumours that Lindsay Lohan, Chloe Grace Moretz and Ariana Grande were in consideration to play the mermaid princess.


#KPop: Actor Lee Byung Hun To Star In PSY’s New Music Video

K-Pop fans, are you guys excited for PSY’s comeback next month?

On Thursday (27th April), various reports have confirmed that popular South Korean actor Lee Byung Hun will starring in one of PSY’s (real name: Park Jae Sang) upcoming music videos.

According to Koreaboo, the 2 stars are close longtime friends. PSY attended the Los Angeles premiere of Lee’s film “Red” in 2013, while Lee went to see PSY at his concert the same year. It was also reported that the “Magnificent Seven” actor has already filmed his part for the music video.

PSY upcoming untitled album will mark his first release since his 7th studio album, “Chiljip Psy-da”, which held the title track “Daddy” featuring CL, in December 2015. The 9-track album featured a star-studded guest artiste line-up including will.i.am, Ed Sheeran, JYJ’s Junsu, Gaeko, and more.

Best known for his humorous videos and stage performances, PSY catapulted to global stardom in 2012 with his addictive hit single, “Gangnam Style”, and its invisible horse-riding dance move. The track’s music video is one of the most-watched videos on YouTube. Moreover, his 2013 song, “Gentleman”, managed to acquire 100 million views just days after its release.

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Contest: BlackBerry’s #StopMissingOut + Hype Special!

This year, BlackBerry is bringing back the “Stop Missing Out” campaign, offering Malaysian customers the opportunity to stay connected, while joining in on the fun. Fans and customers of BlackBerry will have the opportunity to enter a contest, for the chance to win fun-filled outings and activities with some of Malaysia’s top entertainers and celebrities, including gregarious pop star Aizat Amdan, popular TV host Daphne Iking, radio personality and adventure junkie Rina Omar, and loveable TV personality Nazrudin Rahman.

To participate, users must submit their entries online by uploading a picture that shows them holding their BlackBerry device. The contest will run from 14 July – 21 August 2014.

The winners will be picked at the end of the campaign, with five winners tagged to each celebrity. They will get to spend the day on exciting experiences such as going on a shopping spree, attending a gig, or going on a foodie tour.

For YOU GUYS, please submit your entry and include “(HYPE)” behind your name in the submission form. Just to give you an idea:

This is because our friends at BlackBerry Malaysia have told us that participants/entries with the Hype special code are entitled to special weekly giveaways (4 weeks in total, 2 winners per week) of KFC vouchers worth RM50 each, on top of an outing with the celebrity of your choice!

Go on and reward yourselves for being BlackBerry users and Hype fans!

For more information and details on BlackBerry Malaysia’s “Stop Missing Out” campaign, hit up www.StopMissingOut.com.my.


(UPDATE) Who’s Next: A New Co-Ed Group & Rapper Duo To Debut Soon?

It seems like 2 units from YG Entertainment will be debuting on the same day as it was rumoured that the “1+1” in the “Who’s Next” series indicates the collaboration between 2NE1‘s CL & Korean rapper, Dok2.

Following CL’s collaboration performance with Diplo during the 2014 Style Icon Awards in Seoul, the “baddest female” is rumoured to be collaborating with Dok2, Korean rapper and the founder of the “Illionaire Records” for a new album soon. The rumour came after Instiz, a Korean website posted the following tweet about YG’s “Who’s Next” series:

11일(화), 2NE1 CL(씨엘)xDok2(도끼) 콜라보레이션 앨범 예정 http://t.co/ZB9u8nlTLe

Translation: November 11th, 2NE1 CL (CL) xDok2 (도끼) are planning for a collaboration album.

Both CL and Dok2 also hinted on Instagram that they are collaborating for a new album as Dok2 was spotted hanging out at YG studios. However, the source is considered unreliable as Instiz has previously falsely predicted the release date of other idol groups.

Ein von chaelin_cl (@chaelincl) gepostetes Foto am Okt 10, 2014 at 9:53 PDT

Besides, it was reported that YG Entertainment will be debuting a brand new unit soon as the talent agency has revealed new “Who’s Next” teasers through its official blog.

On November 1st, YG Entertainment posted new teaser images that only shows the members holding Pepero-inspired boxes in their hands. The agency also dropped various clues by including “+” and “÷” in the photos. There’s also one that looks suspiciously like a guy’s hands:

The photos matched another teaser image that was previously posted on October 31st with a message that reads “1+1÷1”. No details were provided about the new unit and the concept is still very vague. In fact, the photos left fans wondering if the female members featured in the teaser images are the members of YG’s new girl group. Plus, the male artiste’s identity remains mysterious as most fans did not expect that the new group will consist of a male member at all.

What do you think of the rumour about CL’s collaboration album and the new co-ed group? What’s the meaning behind “1+1” and “1+1÷1”?

Oh yes! 1/3 of YG’s new co-ed group has been revealed. YG Entertainment surprised fans with a new teaser image, revealing the first member of the new unit group – Lee Hi!

Lee Hi, best know as YG Entertainment’s baby idol, has been on hiatus since the release her first full length album, “First Love“. She was last seen performing on stage with fellow label mate, Epik High at SBS Inkigayo. This came as a surprise announcement as most fans expected YG to debut their new girl group.

That having said, are you glad that it’s Lee Hi though?

YG Entertainment has revealed the mysterious guy in the earlier teaser poster. Who could’ve guessed that it’d be none other than WINNER contender and new boy group iKON’s Bobby?

Bobby was recently confirmed at a member of YG Entertainment’s highly anticipated, upcoming new boy group, iKON. And that’s not all. He was also recently featured in Epik High’s new album, “Shoebox“. We wonder what he has got up his sleeves for this new unit!

So, it turns out that YG isn’t trying to debut a co-ed group because they are merely featuring Bobby from iKON in their new female sub-unit!

Together with Lee Hi, Akdong Musician’s Suhyun is the latest artiste revealed to be the member of YG’s new unit. It seems like more sub-units will make their debut soon as the poster also captioned: “YG Collaboration Project 001”.

What do you think of the new unit? Since both of them are really powerful singers, what do you think their concept will look like? Sound off in the comments box below!

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#DressCode: Malaysian Govt Told To Clear The Air On What To/What Not To Wear

In light of the ongoing dress code/”covering up” issues in Malaysia as of recent, G25 coordinator Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin has stepped forward to say that the Chief Secretary to the Government should issue clear directives regarding dress codes and its enforcement at government offices and agencies.

G25, a group comprising of former high-ranking civil servants and diplomats, gained recognition for its moderate stance on Islam and race relations in Malaysia.

According to The Star Online, Noor Farida was quoted as saying, “There is no legal basis for the imposition of dress codes on the public whom they are serving. We agree with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that dress codes should be applied to the staff of departments and agencies and not members of the public.”

On Thursday (25th June), former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad reportedly said that dress codes were an office matter, that it was the right of an individual to wear shorts in public and should be allowed to enter government facilities like a hospital as long as they weren’t naked.

Soon, not only shorts will be an issue. If a woman leaves a house without a burqa, it will be considered wrong. We are acting like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia. That’s their culture. When we try to turn it into our culture, it becomes a problem.

Dress codes in these buildings should only apply to its employees and not to visitors – especially those who are not Muslim, he added.

Noor Farida added that G25 felt it was inappropriate for security guards at government agencies or other places to enforce dress codes at their whims and fancy.

If they are doing this on their own initiative from a misplaced sense of moral indignation that their religious sensibilities have been violated, they should be taken to task by their department heads. They should learn to respect other races and other cultures. Dresses with hemlines above the knee are perfectly respectable in non-Muslim cultures.

The issue of dressing went public after several women, all of whom weren’t exactly provocatively dressed, were asked to cover their legs before entering government premises such as the Sungai Buloh hospital, and the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan (JPJ) Malaysia (Road Transport Department Malaysia).

The women were asked to “cover up” by the security guards or were not allowed in.

The most recent case involved blogger Wilson Ng (of placesandfoods), who had gone to pick up his luggage which he had accidentally left at the baggage carousel at KLIA.

Initially, we was told to go back home and change the short pants he was wearing. The security office later settled for Wilson “covering up” with a pair of black pants and shoes that belong to the security office before letting him into KLIA’s baggage services’ “Lost and Found” office.

Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) has since apologised over the incident.

We agree with both Tun Dr Mahathir as well as Datuk Noor Farida Ariffin though. Like every other urban-living Malaysian, we’re tired of hearing about the same dress code issue cropping up time and time again. Perhaps these regulations shouldn’t even exist beyond government offices/departments in the first place? Malaysia is, after all, a multicultural country.

It’s about time someone put their foot down and clear this up once and for all.

Source: The Star Online, CNA / Featured image from JPN’s Twitter.

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#Airbnb: G-Dragon Offers Fans A Chance To Stay At His Hongdae Home

BIGBANG fans are about to have their wildest dreams come true as G-Dragon, the leader of the popular K-Pop boy group, is offering fans a chance to spend 2 nights at his 2nd home in Hongdae, Seoul.

Popular accommodation listings site Airbnb is collaborating with G-Dragon to give 5 lucky fans a chance to meet the Korean pop superstar and stay at his apartment for 2 nights.

Located at Seoul’s Hongdae, the legendary Dukyang studio is where G-Dragon kickstarted his career and trained for years. The leader himself described that the studio is “full of stories about his music, dance, art, and philosophy that he would love to share” with his fans. He will personally greet the fans and give them a tour of the space, which is said to be specifically designed for this event.

The 5 lucky fans will also be invited to have a dinner with him at the famous YG Entertainment cafeteria, the very same one that has been featured in TV shows for its delicious authentic Korean food.

Take a look at the concept art of Dukyang Studio in the gallery below:

As a host, G-Dragon will prepare a special itinerary for fans so that they can explore Seoul and his neighborhood at ease.

I’m thrilled to become a host on Airbnb and I’m excited about welcoming my fans into my second home. I look forward to providing them with a unique local experience by sharing a glimpse into the early years of my career and bringing them around the neighborhood I grew up in.

For a chance to win this ultimate Airbnb experience with G-Dragon, visit his listing on Airbnb and submit a write-up of no more than 300 words / 300 characters (in Japanese, Mandarin or Korean) describing how you would connect with someone from a different cultural background before midnight on 29th August 2015 (KST).

One lucky winner each from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia will be selected and notified directly after the contest ends. Winners will be invited to together stay for 2 nights at the Dukyang studio. The prize also includes an economy class return flight ticket to Korea.

You can view all the terms and conditions of the contest on the listing.

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


Daft Punk: Fresh Sounding Funk

If you were expecting Daft Punk to churn out the same type of music that they did during the glory days of Daft Punk, you’re in for a big surprise. The duo’s fourth studio album, “Random Access Memories” consists of 13 tracks that are nothing like what they used to produce. Some will like it, some won’t. Us here, on the other hand, thought that it was bursting with fresh funk.

Daft Punk were always known to “marry” genres from across the music industry board and, well, who’s complaining, really? The sole reason why their music was always something fans have and will continue to look forward to is simply because they love the element of surprise. Think disco plus soft rock plus pop plus electronica plus funk plus more disco – they continue to innovate, you get the idea. One such example of a fresh-sounding track would be “Get Lucky”, in which they got Pharrell to take the lead on the vocals:

[youtube id=”5NV6Rdv1a3I” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Wait, what? Pharrell and Daft Punk? Yes, believe your ears. It’s the one everybody was talking about. Did you secretly bop along to that groove? So did we.

Following closely behind to that style of music is “Lose Yourself to Dance”. Sure, it seems easy to just inject groove as and when they like to any song they see fit but let’s think of it this way; it takes a true producer (or rather, two true producers) to be able to cook up something that’s so retrospective in terms of sound but yet relevant. How’s that for a bit of mind blowing?

And just in case you think that the Frenchmen have long since forgotten the good old days of Daft Punk, wait till you listen to “Give Life Back To Music“. The song’s opening alone takes you down memory lane for just a bit before leaving you in a lurch (albeit not so annoying one) and easing you into the sound of contemporary instruments. And when you’re done with that, blast “Contact“. It’s perhaps one of the more epic-sounding ones off “Random Access Memories”. We have to say though, they “closed” the album well with that one, complete with drums and synths. Almost like a tribute to the electronica that they used to do!

[youtube id=”Rr12u1tk_rM” width=”600″ height=”350″]

But of course, don’t just take our word for it. Go get their album! Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories is available at a music store near you.

Alternatively, you could also purchase their album off iTunes here.

For more information, visit their official website or their Facebook page.

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#GRAMMYs2016: Taylor Swift Reacts To Ed Sheeran’s Grammy Win

If you thought Grammy’s “Song of the Year” was a shoe in for either Kendrick Lamar or Taylor Swift – you thought wrong.

Even though Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift were competing against each another in that category, the BFFs had nothing but love and support to show after it was announced that Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” took home the win over Swift’s “Blank Space”. Sheeran was also up against Little Big Town and Wiz Khalifa for that award.

Sheeran shared the award – which recognises songwriting – with fellow British artiste and co-writer Amy Wadge. The award was presented by YouTube sensation Pentatonix and legendary blind singer Stevie Wonder, who opened the envelope and joked he was the only one who could read it since it was in Braille.

As Sheeran was announced the winner, Swift was seen jumping up and down in elation. Plus, she even cried tears of joy. Cutest reaction ever! Anyone not privy to the announcement would had assumed that Tay Tay herself won Sheraan’s Grammy when she gave him the world’s biggest hug. The “Blank Space” singer was also seen putting her hands over her mouth in pure joyous surprise.

Although several fans online have accused Swift of being over-the-top, we don’t think any of that emotion was staged. Swift has always been one of Sheeran’s biggest champions over the years when he opened for her “Red” tour in 2013 and even revealed that her British pal was one of the first to hear “1989” in-length before its release because she valued his opinion.

As he made his way to the stage, a shocked Sheeran thanked the Grammys for the award and admitted that “Thinking Out Loud” was written “on a couch in my house after having dinner”. “If you could have told my 11-year-old, 5-year-old — any age — that I would receive an award from Stevie Wonder, I’d have been in shock,” said the 24-year-old singer during his acceptance speech.

He then thanked his parents who “have flown in for the past four years to come to the Grammys, every single year. And every time I lose, they go, ‘maybe next year.‘”

Well, not anymore Sheeran. Congratulations!

Earlier, Sheeran also won a Grammy for “Best Pop Solo Performance”, also for the classic romantic song “Thinking Out Loud”.

To check out who won what at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards, head on over here.

Sources: Daily Mail, Hollywood Life, Entertainment Weekly.


#Kingsman2: Elton John To Join Sequel; New Movie Poster Posted On Instagram

“Rocket Man” Elton John will be joining the cast of “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”, the sequel for the 2015 hit spy movie, “Kingsman: The Secret Service”. It was reported last month that the musician was in talks to play a role in the film.

The world-famous singer took to Instagram to confirm the casting news by uploading the film’s new poster. In the post, he wrote, “It’s been a long time since Tommy”. The term “Tommy” suggests that this movie is his first acting gig since “Tommy”, an indie-fantasy film that was released in 1975.

A post shared by Elton John (@eltonjohn)

The poster features a pair of his trademark star-shaped sunglasses and the phrase, “Wednesday night’s alright for fighting”. That is obviously a play on the singer’s hit song, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”.

Returning director Matthew Vaughn revealed to ABC news radio last year that he actually wanted the Grammy-winning singer to appear in the first “Kingsman” movie for “a whole fun subplot about celebrities being kidnapped”.

“I had an idea of, ‘Who’s the worst celebrity you’d want to have locked in a cell?’ And I came up with Elton John, and having Elton John throwing these huge tantrums. And then I wanted to do an action scene of Elton John kicking the living daylights out of people,” said the director.

The sequel will see Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (played by Taron Egerton) and Merlin (played by Mark Strong) travelling to America to work with the Statesmen which is a secret organisation (with headquarters disguised as a whiskey distillery) led by an agent named Ginger (played by Halle Berry) and a “swaggering, sharpshooting cowboy” known as Jack.

Slated for release on 16th June 2017, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” also stars Channing Tatum and Julianne Moore.

Sources: Screen Rant, Entertainment Weekly.

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Toni Braxton Hospitalized!

Legendary singer Toni Braxton has been hospitalized in Los Angeles. But not to worry, she’s now recovering from a complication that’s related to Lupus. We know for a fact that she has a big voice but in this case, she has big guts as well.

In 2010, the Grammy-winning-singer uncloaked that she was battling with potentially deadly autoimmune disease.

“Her doctors expect her to do just fine and recover completely. It is just a side effect of living with lupus”, said an unnamed source that is close with her.

Unbreak our hearts Toni Braxton and get well soon!


Hype’s Exclusive: Disarmed By Cute Korean Sensation, DJ Soda (소다)

Time and time again, cute Korean internet sensation DJ Soda (real name Hwang So Hee) has mesmerised fans wherever she’s invited to play, be in broad daylight at an event or after hours in a club.

She’s bright, she’s energetic, she’s curious, and she exudes the sort of charm that most DJs (nevermind male or female) seriously lack.

If you’ve seen videos of her live sets or if you’ve managed to watch her play live, you’d know that she’s capable of mesmerising the audience by mixing different genres of music with a variety of hip hop classics and is constantly communicating with the audience by energising them with her enigmatic personality.

But how much do you really know about her?

We know that she first embarked on a journey becoming a world class DJ in 2013, after giving up her musical acting to focus on becoming a DJ. And that her background in stage performances aided her signature dance move, “The Flute Dance”, which instantly went viral and accumulated millions of views on social network sites.

Luckily, we got to speak to DJ Soda real quick when she was in town for a Gravity Club KL gig recently. We got to know her better via our exclusive interview and we’re sure you will too ;)

Welcome back to Malaysia! You were just here a couple of months ago. What do you remember most about the crowd?

The crowd is always amazing in Malaysia, which ever city I go to. I enjoy playing my set much more when people are dancing and partying with me rather than filming.

We heard that you were actually training to become a musical actress. What made you switch to DJing?

Switching to DJing was probably the most difficult, yet obvious decisions I had to make. I enjoyed DJing far more than anything else, so I decided to do what makes me happy.

As for the genre that you choose to play during your sets, is it your personal favourite?

Even at EDM oriented clubs, I try to play as much hip hop as possible. Hip hop has been my favorite genre every since I was a child.

Fame is still such a new concept to me :P I struggle with things written about me that are false or comments that are completely wrong. But on the other hand, through the love and support of my fans, I can play at a global level and spread more happiness through my sets!

In your opinion, what are some of the challenges that you face being a female DJ? Do you think that female DJs aren’t taken seriously?

Definitely many women DJs aren’t taken seriously, but this applies to all other fields of work. Many people think I’m faking my sets. But really, who cares? I am very good on both turn-tables and decks without using a laptop. People who judge and talk will find any excuse to put others down. Maybe some are fake and maybe they aren’t, I just hope fellow female DJs aren’t put down by this and just enjoy what they do!

What’s a normal, non-working day like for DJ Soda? What do you do in your free time?

These days, I’ve been focusing all of my free time on my first album, and things pertaining to it. I like to take part in the whole process!

Have you ever had any funny or crazy fan moments that you can share with us?

My signature dance to Red Foo’s “New Thang” is called the flute dance in Korea. During a set a fan held a recorder up for me right before my dance! I incorporated it into my dance and people went crazy! Such a memorable experience :)

If you weren’t a DJ, what do you think you would most likely be doing?

I would be in a field that works close with music. I could be musical acting or studied hard to be a music therapist? Who knows!

Last but not least, leave a shoutout for your Malaysian fans :)

Dear Malaysia, I honestly wouldn’t be able to achieve so much without your love and support. You are definitely one of my favorite countries to visit or play a set at. I won’t let you down and will always strive to provide you with more contents and energetic mix sets!

Thank you so much for the chat, DJ Soda! And thanks to our awesome friends at Gravity Club KL for making this interview happen :)

For more information, hit up her Facebook page. DJ Soda is also on Instagram and Twitter so remember to follow her!

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Cik Epal & Jofliam Spent RM150k During Their 22-Day Trip In Europe

Last month, Malaysian influencer couple Cik Epal and Joefliam left for a long holiday trip to several popular spots in Europe, together with their two kids.

As seen in the posts shared by the husband-wife duo on their Instagram accounts, they visited widely-known tourist attractions in Greece and also Italy during their 22-day-long trip overseas. We can tell that many of her followers out there have been utterly curious on the overall cost of the family vacation.

A post shared by Cik Epal 🍎 (@cikepal06)

Through a post on her Instagram, the entrepreneur revealed that the trip cost more than RM150,000, including flight tickets, accommodation as well as their meals. According to her, the price that she and Jofliam spent during the whole trip was very worth it, as she was able to witness the beauty of Santorini island for herself.

It was also revealed that Cik Epal and her family had spent RM40,000 for the business flight tickets to Santorini! “This didn’t include the domestic flights to Santorini and Athens. I had to buy a new ticket because the first ticket to Santorini was burned because they didn’t accept passports from Malaysia (I already informed you about this the other day),” she shared with her followers.

Cik Epal then added by writing, “So, I ended up buying this domestic ticket twice. Therefore, the cost of a domestic ticket becomes double the price. Moreover, the hotel cost for the first three days in Santorini was also burned.”

As for the meal cost, the social media personality stated that they spent RM500 for a whole meal. “We ate two times a day, so you can assume that we spent approximately RM1000 for our meals,” Cik Epal added in her long social media post.

For those who are keen, check out the highlights of the holiday trip shared by Cik Epal on her IG post:

So the question is, was it worth it to spend over RM150k to travel to Santorini? According to Cik Epal, “For me, I think it’s worth it because I really wanted a relaxing vacation. Santorini is one of the places that I really wanted to go. So bucket list achieved!”


Kronenbourg 1664’s “Taste The French Way Of Life” Wraps Up 2014 In Style

All work and no play, is no way to live.

Kronenbourg 1664 brought the ultimate experience of “Taste the French Way of Life” to over 500 urbanites when the premium French beer celebrated the importance of work-life balance at its year-end bash. The evening was nothing short of a fun-filled and relaxing neighbourhood shindig at Oasis Square, Ara Damansara.

Throughout the brand’s five-month campaign, thousands of urbanites joined Kronenbourg 1664 in its pursuit of achieving work-life balance through seven different events. From a hilarious comedy night, to a breathtaking Broadway night, and even the enticing experience of Dining in the Dark; Kronenbourg 1664 pulled out all the s tops when it comes to helping urbanites take a break from the daily grind.

“We at Kronenbourg 1664 believe that urbanites truly deserve to get some balance back in their lives, which is why we enabled many different platforms for everyone to stop and smell the roses. Be it spending time with friends or just taking time for yourself, I hope everyone has something to take away from the ‘Taste the French Way of Life’ campaign and are ready to celebrate the end of 2014 by making New Year resolutions to enjoy life’s little pleasures a bit more”, said Henrik J Andersen, Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia.

Kronenbourg 1664’s Year-end bash urged urbanites to go into 2015 with balance and an appreciation for life’s simple pleasures. Surrounded by a myriad of scrumptious barbecued grub and delicacies from four famous KL food trucks, the night also featured snippets of the different events held by Kronenbourg 1664 throughout its “Taste the French Way of Life” campaign.

The Year-end Bash which took place on December 4th (Thursday) also featured a comedy set by Kavin Jay, endless entertainment by mimes, talented jugglers, bubbly stilt-walkers, a Broadway sketch and a live band, Dusty Tunes. Of course, the night also included ultimate stress-relievers, a staple in all of Kronenbourg 1664’s events.

The night came to an end with a special surprise from Kronenbourg 1664. Attendees excitedly popped balloons carrying amazing gift vouchers which lead to people leaving with fantastic prizes including free Kronenbourg 1664 beers, limited edition Kronenbourg 1664 mini coolers and Kronenbourg 1664 Eiffel Beer Tower.

Henrik J Andersen further stated “’Taste the French Way of Life’ began as a campaign to help Malaysians get a taste of the work-life balance that the French enjoy. Five months and seven activities later, we at Kronenbourg 1664 believe that more and more urbanites have jumped on the bandwagon to live life with a bit more balance. Let’s embrace the French Way of Life by continuously striving for work-life balance and join us in welcoming 2015 rejuvenated, relaxed and raring to go!”

For more information on Kronenbourg 1664, please visit its official Facebook page.

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Hype’s Movie Review: #InsideOut Tugs At Our Heartstrings In The Best Ways

Trust us when we say Disney Pixar‘s “Inside Out“ is that animated feature film you never knew you needed to watch. This film will get deep inside your head, but it doesn’t confuse you like any of those psychological thriller films, allowing you to understand more about those little voices in your head.

This stunning animated movie centres on Riley, a 11-year-old girl who experiences bickering emotions after she’s uprooted from her Midwest life and moves to San Francisco with her parents. On surface value, the plot of the film seems rather dull and simple. But then again, it’s a Pixar film. Director Pete Docter and secondary director Ronnie del Carmen go deeper and further into Riley’s mind, anthropomorphising her personified emotions – Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness – who help power her through each and every day.

“Inside Out” is not a trippy film per se, but at first glance, it does feel like we were going down that route upon realising that our mind is actually controlled by a set of anthropomorphised emotions. Parents might have a lot of explanations to do when their kids walk out of the theatre and question if their emotions can really talk.

However, the more compelling question here should be: Which emotion do you think is governing your mind?

For Riley (voiced by Kaitlyn Dias), Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler) is the first emotion that popped up when she was born. It’s suffice to say that Riley had a pretty happy childhood because Joy, who’s very optimistic about Riley’s future, is de facto leader of a group of colour-coded emotions that popped up much later in Riley’s head.

The key emotions include Disgust (voiced by Mindy Kaling), Fear (voiced by Bill Hader), Anger (voiced by Lewis Black), and Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith) and each emotion protect Riley in their own way. Joy, however, has been trying to create as many happy memories as possible, to the point of prohibiting Sadness from taking over the “control panel”.

Alas, things change. Riley finds herself facing a new life when she is forced to move to San Francisco with her parents (voiced by Diane Lane and Kyle MacLachlan). The move causes her to leave behind her best friends and her precious home in Minnesota. It’s the kind of thing that we all would feel when we are about to leave somewhere that is filled with happy memories.

Joy and the team then tries to cheer Riley up with Joy’s optimistic behaviour and her goofball attitude, but conflicting emotions begin to take over Riley’s mind when Sadness accidentally turns yellow happy memories into blue sad memories. That is also when “all hell breaks loose” as the colour-changing memories begins to take effect on Riley almost immediately.

The filmmakers perfectly illustrated that emotional turmoil by throwing Riley and her emotions into a bit of a panic. Joy and Sadness get accidentally ejected from Headquarters, leaving Anger, Disgust, and Fear to take care of Riley and help her get through day-to-day life.

Chaos soon ensue around them. Joy must travel through various peculiar lands inside Riley’s mind to return to the HQ and save Riley from self-destruction, and in the process of doing so, risk destroying herself as well.

Everything inside Riley’s mind is neatly mapped out in the movie and each place that they travel through is heavily metaphoric. Not to mention, the visual is aesthetically pleasing and strikingly beautiful as well. First, there are personality islands surrounding the HQ and they are created when a Core Memory is formed. From Hockey Island to Family Island to Goofball Island, each and every one of them makes up Riley’s personality.

And then there’s Imagination Land, a giant theme park where Riley’s imagination usually runs wild. The place is full of imaginary things and it is also where we meet Riley’s imaginary friend, Bing Bong. The detailed imagery of the world inside Riley’s mind is incredibly innovative and it is paired perfectly with the inventive storyline.

Sadness may seem like a total letdown, but the film shows us why she is necessary in the first place. Despite her pessimistic disposition, she is incredibly considerate and compassionate towards others, mostly because she understands the feelings of being hurt. Just like the rest of the emotions, she wants to help Riley find happiness too. Thus, this film further shows us how she goes from being an unwanted emotion to someone who is able to tell others when Riley needs help.

It is worth mentioning that this film has successfully broke the traditional narrative film with its breathtaking visuals and witty dialogues. Humans can have mixed emotions and “Inside Out” deals with this problem in such a way that truly allow us to understand why our emotional experience can feel like a rollercoaster ride.

All in all, “Inside Out” succeeded in telling a story that tugs at our heartstrings while touching on poignant topics like depression and anxiety. It also allows us to interpret our mind in a way that we’ve never seen before.

With its stellar voice cast, this heart-wrenchingly sweet movie simply has a perfect balance of sharp writing and witty one-liners.

Directed and co-written by Pete Docter, co-directed and co-written by Ronnie del Carmen, and produced by Jonas Rivera, with music composed by Michael Giacchino, “Inside Out” is slated to be released in Malaysian cinemas on 20th August 2015.

For more information on “Inside Out”, visit the movie’s official website or Facebook page.

Don’t forget to check some fun facts here and our exclusive interview with Pete Docter here ;)

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Hype’s Now Playing: Ryeowook – The Little Prince

It’s time for Super Junior’s Ryeowook (김려욱) to shine, at long last!

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Ryeowook would be next in line to release a solo album. Having put particular efforts in his vocal training and music composition during his trainee days with SM Entertainment, expectations are certainly high for this idol.

And now, ELFs will finally get their first taste of Ryeowook’s solo project via the music video for his solo debut track titled, “The Little Prince”. The song is a unique ballad about a man in pain and going through a hard time because of love, with its lyrics representing a conversation between the man and the little prince.

We reckon that anyone who has read “The Little Prince” would be able to make the connection :)

“The Little Prince” is the title track of Ryeowook’s first mini album of the same name. The album also includes the songs “POOM”, “Foxy Girl”, “Like A Star”, “Hello”, and “People You May Know”.

“The Little Prince” drops at midnight KST on 28th January 2016.