#PokémonGO: Kedah Fatwa Council Declares Game “Haram”; Asks Government For Ban

Pokémon GO players in Kedah, you might wanna think again before playing the game.

The Kedah Fatwa Council has declared the augmented reality game as “haram” to all Muslims in the state. Kedah Mufti Datuk Sheikh Muhamad Baderudin Ahmad said that it was declared “haram” to prevent people from playing it as “it could bring harm to them”.

The decision was made during a meeting at the office of the Kedah Mufti in Anak Bukit yesterday (Wednesday, 10th August). Baderudin said that the ruling wasn’t made rashly, but was decided upon after consulting several other fatwa councils in the country and Muslim scholars overseas, as well as those from the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

Regarding the ruling, the mufti said that the game is a “threat” to the Muslim faith and “feared that mosques would be used by players to catch the Pokémon characters”.

He explained, “We are worried that this game will have a negative impact on children as they may believe Pokémon can make magic while only Allah are capable of things beyond our ability.”

The committee would also recommend the Kedah Islamic Affairs Department (JAIK) to include the dangers of playing Pokémon GO in Friday sermons and to put signs around mosques telling players to keep out of the place.

To further deter the public from playing the game, the mufti also wants the government and related authorities to ban the game from being downloaded and played in Malaysia. Citing high security places such as army camps, the Kedah mufti said that the country’s safety and security could be compromised if people trespassed the places just to catch Pokémons.

Sources: The Malay Mail Online, New Straits Times.


Interview: Lorde On The Most Personal Song On “Solar Power” & Wanting To Collab With Harry Styles

When Lorde made her comeback “Solar Power” (the lead single from her third studio album of the same name), Billboard described it as “a fresh chapter in a riveting book, and Lorde fans should be thrilled to meet this new author”. Both the debut single and the recently-released “Mood Ring” provide listeners a glimpse into what the full “Solar Power” universe feels like.

“The album is a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalising the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I’m outdoors. In times of heartache, grief, deep love, or confusion, I look to the natural world for answers. I’ve learned to breathe out, and tune in. This is what came through,” says the Grammy winner of the LP.

We recently caught up with the 24-year-old singer-songwriter in a Southeast Asia press conference via Zoom. Check out what went down where we talk to Lorde about how she’s evolved over the years, being called the “Queen of Renewable Energy” and more.

What is the inspiration behind “Mood Ring”?

When I was unpacking wellness and all the different kinds of systems that we used to feel well and connected in our modern world, I was thinking about the things that my girlfriends and I do. It consisted of little things whether it’s keeping a crystal around, lighting some sage or reading our horoscopes. So, I was trying to put it all together.

How do you keep the balance between being true to your music and following what is the pulse of the moment?

I try not to be concerned with the things happening currently because I really want my albums to feel current for a really long time and not just at the moment they get released. So, often, my inspiration comes from all different decades of genres or periods of time to try and make something that feels permanent.

Your single, “Solar Power”, tells us about nature and how we should treat nature. What message do you want to address based on the flower-child way of living?

This album is a celebration of the natural world and I’ve always thought about the changing climate and how different our environment would look for my children, for example. I think of myself as being environmentally conscious. Making this album and thinking about the parallels between our time and the 60s, specifically, the flower-child movement where they’ve also thought about the environment in a really focused way enabled me to make really conscious decisions through that framework. We’ve only got one planet and we have to take care of it!

What was the very first thing that inspired you to make this album?

Well, I was actually walking in the park by my house with my dog. I would wake up every morning to do that and through that routine, I saw the seasons changing for the first time as well as the morning light. I started feeling the magic of nature and the outside world just by going to a park. I’ve also been on a trip to Antarctica and the name “Solar Power” popped up into my head.

There is an undeniable fact that when you hear music, you see colours too. We love how you’ve described your albums of colours and helped us to see and feel the things you do. Since this record is gold, can we expect the same colour as the rest of the record?

I wanted everything to look like gold or yellow. That was how I knew it sounded like the sun and sunshine. There are a couple of greens and blues but for the most part, a gold record.

How is “Solar Power” the album representative of your growth as Lorde and as Ella?

I made the album as a response to the pop star life that I had. Up to that point, I had a busy, crazy life, filled with tours and when I came out of that phase, I became quiet and mystic. I found that to be transformative and I’ve realised that I need to retreat from being a pop star and make something that has a transformation — something new. It showed me who I am and was indeed a big check to my life.

Fresh. pure and also wild! Would this be what we would expect throughout the album or are there any other feelings you’d want to convey?

The album is varied. There are moments that are big and joyful. Some are quiet, introspective moments. I have thought about the past and future, loss, moving on. These are deep and have lots of different emotions in some sad songs that I’ve included in the album. But those songs sound like nature to me.

It seems like the world is slowly opening. How confident are you that next year would be a lot safer for us to have live concerts?

I am listening to the general guidance and I’d love to be safe next year. No one is going to host concerts without feeling like it’s truly safe. For my fans, I think of them as my kids and I really hope we can do it next year. That would be a huge relief for people.

It has been 4 years since you’ve released “Melodrama”. Why did it take so long to release another album?

Albums mostly take 2 years to write, record and produce. I do it almost all by myself with the help of another person. This includes the merchandise and the videos. It’s a very intense process. I’ve finished touring for the last one, in 2018 and I started writing “Solar Power” within the first few months of 2019. I don’t really have much downtime and it seems like a headlock. Albums take a really long time and I want to really undergo a personal transformation between albums and that would take a while too.

Describe the sound you’re going with for this album.

Well, I really wanted to combine a tiny bit of the 60s, 70s Californian folk with the music of my youth, in the early 2000s which was radio pop. Both sounds capture how it feels like to be on the outside so I took elements from both of them and put them through my specific lens. I wanted it to feel light and free as though I’d want to float away.

Between creating music and recording the songs, which process do you enjoy the most?

I love everything about being in the studio. Creating music and recording the songs happen all at once, so, I keep writing when I’m in the booth, even.

You’ve talked about your reverence for pop music and how it has reached so many people. Did making “Solar Power” make you feel any reservations towards this?

Well, I think definitely, by making this record, albeit not being my most personal record, I made it just for me without really thinking what was really happening in the greater kind of music industry. In pop culture, it was a new experience for me. Growing older, so much of it is about context and now, I understand that more. If these projects don’t exist in a vacuum, it’s in conversation with cultures and current events. That can be both a good thing and a weird thing. I really can’t decide what people are going to be like when they get the album.

What do you think is the best takeaway from the first 3 albums so far?

I don’t know. It’s too soon for me to know. When making pop music, the first half is actually making it and the second half is what would people think. I wouldn’t know until a year from now.

“Solar Power”, seems to have a more timeless, folk-rock sound than your previous single, although the Lorde harmonies, make it unmistakably yours, what was the inspiration behind “Solar Power”?

I think of myself as a real shapeshifter. I come back with a different sound each time. That’s how you excite people and challenge them to make them freak out. You can’t predict what I can do. It’s an important part of who I am with putting out albums with huge changes of time in between. My taste as a listener will change and what I want out of music will change too. Last time, there was a lot of electronic pop and 80s music. It sounded like they came from big cities and the setting was mostly in the dark. Now, it’s more on the outside, during day time. This is why it sounds more different.

A post shared by LORDE UPDATES (@lordeinfo)

What was the vision when you were working on the “Solar Power” album with Jack Antonoff?

I definitely had the vision of combining the two genres of music that I mentioned. I was working on an album that celebrated the natural world so, Jack knew I was coming from that place. “Abbey Road” by the Beatles sounded like how the natural world was to me. It was a touchpoint. I ended up playing with guitars for the first time and it was indeed a huge process.

Was it hard for you to come back after a long hiatus and to promote your music during the pandemic?

It is hard and different. I spent years of my life not being a famous person and it’s cool that I have a tendency to long some part that has been missing from my life. At the moment, it’s tiring and it’s a big change and definitely, an interesting time to put my album out. With fortunate timing, because things are finally opening up, I can do some things in person. It’s also cool to do online press meetings.

We just looked up on Twitter regarding Lorde and “Solar Power” and fans are cheekily calling you the “Queen of Renewable Energy” coupled with the fact that you won’t be releasing a CD for environmental reasons. Is there an environmental message in this album?

I didn’t come to the big conclusions. This is a big topic and I’m a pop star, not a scientist. What I did do, instead is to try and reevaluate all the things I’ve done in my jobs such as making my merchandise and the CD. Over a period of time, I was conscious about my personal climate footprint and to not throw stuff away unnecessarily. I’ve even started making my own compost at home and started buying less clothing. There was this realization that I didn’t know where my merchandise comes from. It’s little systems like that that I try to reevaluate. The CD alternative in the music box is really cool as it produces a huge carbon offset.

Which of the songs mean the most to you and why?

The song which closes the album (“Oceanic Feeling”) is a real personal long song that lasts for 6 and a half minutes talks about my life in New Zealand, my little brother, my dad and what my kids would look like one day. It’s a meandering journey and a personal and special one, nonetheless.

You have said leaving the internet come with insecurities, that you could be forgotten. How did you deal with that fear?

I think it was for a moment, we moved through it because it was something that I got used to. It’s a full-time job staying connected and a lot of time taken to stay on the ball for someone like me. I felt very pressured to wear the right clothes or got to the right places to take pictures. Once I removed myself from there a little bit, it made me feel good. I actually had a private account but I stopped posting there.

A lot of your listeners treat your music as the soundtrack to their coming of age, especially, because, they grew up listening to it be it as teens in “Pure Heroine” and as adults in “Solar Power”. What does it feel like having a generation that relates to your music at such a deep level?

This was one of the craziest things that I could have ever predicted and it has gone beyond my wildest dreams. I wrote my first song because I wanted to do something that my peers could relate to and feel understood by the fact that there is a continuous past. This feels amazing to me.

If there is a film released either new or old that’s close to your heart, what song will you pair it with “Solar Power”?

I don’t watch films very frequently but I’m a big fan of the Marie Antoinette movie as it has an amazing soundtrack. I would probably include Big Star from the new album.

Since we’ve seen the tracklist, what’s the song you could resonate with the most and do you think your listeners could resonate with it well too?

“Secrets From A Girl Who’s Been It All” — is about talking to my younger self and I’ve imparted some of the stuff that I’ve learnt along the way. It’s sad, beautiful and tender.

You mentioned transformation as something to go through when writing this album, how did you transform from “Royals” to this?

I think I’ve become someone who sees the world a little bit more clearly as my upbringing was different. I lived in New Zealand, in a nice suburban place and I didn’t know much about the world. I have now seen so much and have a greater understanding. The world is a lot broader now and I have more understanding. During my teens, I was pretty tough and I’d make a snap decision usually.

Is there any artist that you wanna collaborate with?

I don’t really do collaborations very often but in an interview recently, I’ve mentioned Harry Styles. He’s such a great pop star and so charming and cool.

“Solar Power” has brought comparisons to songs by Primal Scream, and George Michaels for the song. How did it feel when both of them have praised and gave their blessings to “Solar Power”?

It was pretty crazy and I’ve never expected that a song I wrote on my keyboard has received this impact. It’s quite in the spirit of rock and roll in a way. The vibes were so good.

Lorde’s “Solar Power” is currently available on all digital music platforms and streaming services.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


A Twisted “Mirror Mirror” To Hit The Cinemas Soon!

It’s Monday and we’re kicking it off with announcing “Mirror Mirror“, the upcoming fantasy film based on the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White”.

Directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell, Immortals), this zippy new version of the made-popular-by-Disney’s “Snow White” will take a different spin, led by the comedic American sweetheart, Julia Roberts and Lily Collins (daughter of rocker, Phil Collins). Julia Roberts plays with evil queen whereas Lily Collins stars as Snow White.

The film, which has previously been known as, “Untitled Snow White Project“, plays up society’s obsession with youth and shows the queen undergoing all forms of age-defying procedures in order to seduce the prince.

When asked, Julia Roberts said ,“I think it’s fantastic that the film laughs at all of this. The queen is so blatantly psychotically possessed by this idea of staying young, and especially in this day and age where people can just be so out of sync with what really is truly beautiful about them.”

“It’s always heartbreaking when you see somebody who was beautiful but didn’t appreciate it to the degree that they tampered with it. It really breaks my heart.”

“Obviously, I’m getting older like everybody else. I don’t worry about it because it’s futile. It’s a bit like screaming in the wind. And maybe I don’t struggle with it because I’m over-loved,” she added with a wink.’

On the other hand, Lily Collins tells all about the real twist behind “Mirror Mirror”. In an exclusive interview, Lily revealed, “Snow White, she is modernized and doesn’t stay a victim. She can take control of her destiny and is the princess saving the prince.”

What? Snow White? Not demure, sweet, and timid?

Apparently not. To shake off the timid stereotype of Snow White that we are all only too familiar, Lily Collins had to take up four whole months of sword training for some scenes in “Mirror Mirror”. Hmm. We wonder if this changes everything for the roles of the seven dwarves as well.

Watch the official trailer for “Mirror Mirror”, the fairytale most of us grew up with, here:

[youtube id=”0LUfyttQJC4″ width=”600″ height=”350″]

“Mirror Mirror” is set to be released on the 29th of March 2012. Oh, start the countdown clock already because we can’t wait to watch it!

And we know this for a fact: that whether young or old, this movie is going to be the one movie that will make us all feel both very young and old all at the same time.

For more information, visit their official website.


#SuJu: Boy Group To Make A Comeback After SNSD Concludes Promotions

It is now Super Junior’s turn to hit the spotlight.

After a 10-month hiatus, SM Entertainment revealed that Super Junior will be having their comeback soon, allegedly after Girls’ Generation concludes their activities. The company also noted that that group will not be releasing an album “but a different type of record”.

A SM Entertainment representative released the statement to Korean media outlet TV Report on 24th June.

Super Junior is currently preparing their new album. An exact release date has not been decided yet. This album will include Yesung.

Fans previously suspected that the boy group would be be having a comeback as the group members allegedly left a slew of “hints” on their social media accounts. When fans noticed that Kangin posted a new photo on his Instagram after months of inactivity, they suspected that Kangin was at a saloon getting a new hairstyle for Super Junior’s upcoming comeback. Heechul was also reported to have changed his hairstyle as his Instagram profile photo was switched to a photo of him sporting a platinum blonde look, which was different from his previous brown and long hairstyle.

Meanwhile, leader Leeteuk and member Siwon both uploaded photos from what looked like a photo shoot. Leeteuk was also shown to be posing suavely while sitting on a stool. The photo came with the caption, “..I will become even busier..Lets work hard!!!^^..#soon#comingsoon..” Siwon updated his Twitter with a photo of him and a photographer, along with the message that read, “We are preparing something special for you“, which was directed at ELFs (as Super Junior fans are lovingly known).

볼때마다 날 괴롭히는 1인. 이분과의 인연은 언제까지 될지 참.. we are preparing something special for you. #ELF pic.twitter.com/JUgr2zRyTA

— 최시원 • Siwon Choi (@siwonchoi) June 21, 2015

It has been 10 months since the release of “Mamacita”,their 7th full studio album that was unveiled on 1st September 2014. Members Shindong and Sungmin are then enlisted for their mandatory military services. Thus, the upcoming comeback will proceed without them. Shindong enlisted on 24th March 2015 while Sungmin enlisted the following week on 31st March. However, the album will see the participation of Yesung as he was discharged from army on 4th May 2015.

This year marks the 10th year anniversary for Super Junior, as they debuted on 6th November 2005 with the album “Super Junior ’05 (Twins)”. In 2009, the group exploded into mainstream fame with their hit song “Sorry, Sorry”, which remains one of the more well-known K-pop songs from this decade.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Contest: Win Premiere Passes To Watch World War II Film, Midway

After wreaking havoc on the world with movies like “Independence Day”, “The Day After Tomorrow” and “2012”, Roland Emmerich has turned his focus to World War II and the Battle of Midway for “Midway”.

Based on the real-life events of Pacific Theater’s turning point (the war between the Allies and Japanese Empire), the film chronicles the heroic and harrowing exploits of the soldiers and aviators who achieved the unbelievable.

As seen in the posters, “Midway” has a bunch of Hollywood A-listers. The star-studded cast includes Patrick Wilson as Admiral Edwin Layton, Luke Evans as Commander Wade McClusky, Woody Harrelson as Admiral Chester Nimitz, Mandy Moore and Darren Criss, together with co-stars Aaron Eckhart, Nick Jonas, Dennis Quaid, Keean Johnson and Tadanobu Asano.

“It shows an America that’s not the superpower, a country that just came out of a big recession and tried to stay out of a war but got sucked into it. It was a simpler time, but it also was a time where you had to put your life in danger for ideals,” the filmmaker explained to USA Today on what viewers can expect.

“My dad was in World War II, so there’s a personal connection there,” Dennis Quaid, who plays Admiral William Halsey Jr., shares. “That generation sacrificed so much for all of us, for something bigger than themselves. This film, in a way, is dedicated to that generation.”

Pop star Nick Jonas, who portrays aviation machinist mate Bruno Gaido, explains why he was drawn to the role. “I have an affinity for stories where there is brotherhood and camaraderie at the heart of it. Maybe that’s because I’m close to my brothers and understand the dynamic in that relationship. It’s also a story that needs to be told,” the singer said.

Thanks to our friends from TGV, we’ve got 20 pairs of “Midway” movie tickets to give away. So who’s up for a movie date with Hype? Details of the screening are as below:

P/s: We also have in-season passes in case you can’t make it for the screening on that night.

“Midway” will debut in local cinemas on 7th November 2019.


#UMobile: Telco Offers Free Data For Waze Usage

Can’t use Waze while driving because you’ve used up all your data? No problem!

From today onwards, U Mobile is offering free data just for Waze. The promotion is valid from 19th April 2016 until 31st December 2016.

U Mobile chief marketing officer Jasmine Lee commented that the collaboration with Waze is fitting as the navigation app is one of the most popular apps used by U Mobile customers. “Our customers will be encouraged to play a more active role in updating traffic situations in Malaysia via Waze as their data quota will not be utilised,” she said.

In case you’re wondering, this Waze promo is eligible to all U Mobile users including all current postpaid plans, all U Mobile Unlimited Mobile Internet (UMI) plans, and even MB40 & MB68 prepaid broadband plans.

This offer is great news for U Mobile users, especially for those who are constantly traveling around the country. You can now use Waze all you want without it consuming your precious data quota.

For more information, check out U Mobile’s site or their Facebook page.


Malaysian Heiress Renounces $407 Million Inheritance For Love

When 2 people really care about each other, they always find a way to make it work. Even if it means giving up your entire inheritance.

Laura Ashley heiress Angeline Francis Khoo, the daughter of Malaysian retail and hotel tycoon Khoo Kay Peng and former beauty queen Pauline Chai, announced that she has cut ties with her father after he disapproved of her relationship with her now-husband Jedidiah Francis.

“I’ve been fortunate to have that perspective: you can have money and it’s a blessing; it allows you to do things and gives you options, but there are also things that come with it, such as control,” she told The Telegraph. “Money amplifies negative characteristics and that can cause problems. To walk away from that was actually very easy. I didn’t even consider it.”

Jedidiah is from the Caribbean and he had been dating Angeline since their Oxford day. He currently works at ASOS (British online fashion and beauty store) as the Head of Data Science. The couple now live together in London.

AsiaOne also noted that Forbes estimated Angeline’s net worth to be approximately USD407 million (that’s roughly RM1.7 billion!) in 2015.

Besides that, Angeline’s father was ordered to pay USD84million to his former wife after a 5-year battle. She had taken her mother’s side during the proceedings, which certainly had to have fostered tension between the father and daughter.

“In these situations with so much money often people are, like, ‘I don’t get it. Why are they fighting over so much?’ But it’s not really about the money, it’s about control and losing that control. That’s something that a lot of people can’t grasp because you’re discussing finances way beyond your basic needs,” she said.

However, Angeline, who launched her own brand Rosie on Fire in 2015, hopes that she’ll reconnect with her father in the future, “in the sense that he can let go of his anger and his hurt and there can at least be some (form of) cordial, warm relationship.”

We wish the heiress and her husband all the happiness in the world :)

Sources: AsiaOne, NextShark, The Telegraph / Featured image: AsiaOne.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


#Meg: Fan Bingbing Will Be Fighting A Monster Shark With Jason Statham

Emerging from the depths of a long, delayed production, the giant shark thriller is finally swimming upstream towards production with the announcement of its 2 main leads and an official release date.

Having been in the backseat since 2007 when New Line pulled the plug on the project, things began to look promising for “Meg” when director Jon Turteltaub (best known for his “National Treasure” movies) became attached to the film. We’ve also learned that Jason Statham has taken on the lead role with Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (范冰冰) as his co-star.

Adapted from Steve Alten’s “Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror”, the synopsis for the upcoming sci-fi movie is as follows:

“An international underwater observation program, led by Chinese scientists, is under attack by an unknown danger, and its deep-sea submersible lies disabled and trapped at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. With time running out, former Naval Captain and expert deep sea diver Jonas Taylor (Statham) is recruited by Dr. Zhang Suyin (Fan Bingbing), lead oceanographer of the program, for what is likely a suicide mission.

Years before, Taylor had encountered this same terrifying threat, which forced him to abort his mission and abandon half his crew, resulting in disgrace and a dishonourably discharge. Now, Taylor must confront his fears and risk his own life to save everyone trapped below … bringing him face to face once more with the apex predator of all time.”

Most of you may remember Bingbing from “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, where the 34-year-old actress took on the role of the mutant, Blink. We can’t wait to see how Bingbing will help Statham take on the massive Megalodon. Having these 2 onboard certainly makes the project more appealing.

Warner Bros. has set a 2nd March 2018 release date for “Meg”.


#EXO: K-Pop Idol Boy Group Plans To Make A Comeback In Mid-December

Christmas is certainly coming early for fans of EXO this year because we heard that K-Pop idol boy group is reportedly going to make another comeback soon!

In a report by Soompi, citing Korean media outlet Naver, EXO is planning to make their triumphant return to the Korean music scene in mid-December.

This report came after producer team Joombas posted on their social media that the boys were in the midst of recording new songs for Christmas. The post was immediately removed by Joombas, but it was enough to make EXO-Ls (as fans of EXO are lovingly known) go berserk over that piece of info.

This upcoming album is highly anticipated by fans because it will mark their first winter-themed album in 2 years since the release of “Miracles in December” in 2013. It is expected to receive warm responses from fans because “Miracles in December” performed well both domestically and internationally.

There’s no specific date for EXO’s new album release yet, but tonnes of new music are being scheduled for release in December as well. Fans can expect to enjoy the upcoming Christmas holiday with tonnes of new music from the other idols, including TaeTiSeo‘s long-awaited comeback.

We’ll leave you now with “Christmas Day”, one of our favourite songs from EXO’s “Miracles in December”:


Hype’s Must Watch: Blair Witch

Almost 2 decades after the original “Blair Witch Project” aired and made the found footage style of storytelling a staple (and overused) for horror movies, the witch is back. The original film told the tale of 3 film students (Heather Donahue, Joshua Leonard, Michael C. Williams) who’ve traveled to a small town to film a documentary about the Blair Witch, a legendary local murderer.

The film was so unexpectedly successful, it became a resounding box office success–grossing over USD248 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time. It also led viewers to believe that it (the students disappearing and the recovery of their footage) really happened because of the nature in which the fictional story was told.

Now, 17 years later, it has been revealed that a sequel to the 1999 scarefest will be released before the year ends.

Simply titled, “Blair Witch”, a trailer for the sequel was released over the weekend during the Lionsgate panel at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC). In fact, Lionsgate managed to pull off coup and sprung the entire finished movie for a theatre full of unsuspecting fans who were under the impression that they were going to watch a new horror flick called “The Woods”.

You see, Lionsgate kept “Blair Witch” under wraps and stealthily filmed the movie entirely in secret in Vancouver last year under the working title, “The Woods”. Only a select group of people knew the true nature of the film they were shooting and even the cast were excluded from the knowledge that they were making a “Blair Witch” sequel. It was only after SDCC that the movie was officially renamed “Blair Witch” and Lionsgate has maintained that it is “Not a reboot. Not a prequel. An old fashioned straight-up sequel.”

“A group of college students ventures into the Black Hills Forest in Maryland to uncover the mysteries surrounding the disappearance of James Donahue’s sister, Heather, who many believe is connected to the legend of the Blair Witch after her disappearance 15 years prior. At first the group is hopeful, especially when a pair of locals offer to act as guides through the dark and winding woods, but as the endless night wears on, the group is visited by a menacing presence. Slowly, they begin to realise the legend is all too real and more sinister than they could have imagined.”

Are you ready? Watch the super creepy trailer below:

Directed by Adam Wingard (“Outcast, “Death Note”), “Blair Witch” stars James Allen McCune, Valorie Curry, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott, Wes Robinson, and Corbin Reid. The film is set to be released on 16th September 2016.

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

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Inside Boys Like Girls’ Crazy World

The last time they were here, they rocked out hard core at MTV World Stage Live 2009. For years after, their performance was still the talk of the town. Even more so when they announced that they were taking a break from being “Boys Like Girls“.

The boys are coming, the boys are coming! And aside from listening to John Mayer’s “Born and Raised”, Paul DiGiovanni (lead guitarist) rings us up to tell us what he has been up to.

You boys are going to come to Malaysia in about a week but before this Boys Like Girls took a really long break which led people to believe that the band has silently broken up. So, tell us, what did you guys get up to during the break?

“We’ve been on the road for six years and the music on the radio was changing. So we needed to figure out what was going on and get our bearings right. We were writing and producing for a bunch of different artistes. But we basically took a breather and just reevaluated – and now we’re back stronger than ever!”

Was that also the same time that you boys worked on “Crazy World”?

“Yeah! Martin had written a bunch of songs and he shared it with us. We loved it, and we got back into the studio and started recording it.”

Boys Like Girls often gets compared to other pop punk bands. How would you best describe what sets you apart from them?

“I think this record is going to set us apart from them big time. It’s very dynamic and it’s more complex. I’d say that Crazy World would be our best album ever. Our best album until our next one!”

What was the best moment in your career?

“There’s not one moment, I think. It’s just traveling. Getting on a plane and flying for 13 hours. And BAM! There are fans waiting for us at the airports and they know our names. That feeling is incredible. Just incredible.”

Before you go on stage for a show, is there something that you boys do? A routine or something?

“We usually have a little bit of time to relax before a show. We don’t do any prep. We just have a bit of downtime and just hang out with each other. We don’t do anything strange, we just hang out.”

What can your Malaysian fans expect from your show next week?

“It’s probably going to be the craziest of our career! It’s going to feel totally new in a total new place. It’s so cool that we’re coming back because we haven’t done that in years. We’re going to play a lot of new stuff and there’s going to be a lot of energy.”

Who’s up for a chuckload of high energy on the 12th July 2012 (Thursday) when the boys rock out with their gear out at KL Live in the heart of Kuala Lumpur?

Special thanks to the awesome people from Livescape Asia for making the interview happen. So don’t forget to show ’em some love and “like” their Facebook page!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


#JambanCafe: Would You Eat At This Stomach-Churning Toilet-Themed Cafe?

Toilet-themed cafes and restaurants aren’t new, as the craze for “loo eateries” have popped up in various locations including Taiwan, Japan, Hong Kong, the US, and even Russia. These days, our friends in Indonesia have been flocking to their very own toilet-themed eatery, aptly named the “Jamban Cafe”.

Note: For those of you who are not in the know, “jamban” in the Malay language means “toilet”.

The “Jamban Cafe” resembles a normal toilet, where guests sit on upright toilets around a table and squat toilets are used as serving bowls. But don’t let the otherwise stomach-churning appearance fool you because everything is sterilised in the questionable-looking restaurant, according to Sukardi, a waiter at the eatery.

We know what you’re thinking. “But what do people eat there?”, right? The restaurant currently only serves the traditional Indonesian “bakso” (Indonesian meatball), various types of coffee, ice fruit snacks, and ice tea syrup.

There’s a high change that not many people will be able to stomach a meal of meatballs floating in squat loo, and that’s okay because for those who can’t, there’s a sick bag conveniently hanging by the entrance.

When asked about his decision to open the restaurant, Budi Laksono said that the cafe is not just for amusement but also to serve as a discussion space for people who care about public sanitation and hygiene.

Note: Indonesia has one of the world’s highest rates of open defecation i.e. defecating outside and not in a designated toilet and it’s due to the fact that millions of Indonesians live below the poverty line. In fact, the WHO/UNICEF JMP reports estimates that there are around 55 million people practicing open defecation in the country, or one quarter approximately of the population. This is the 2nd highest country total, after India.

The 52-year-old “Jamban Cafe” owner, who used to work for the local government as a public health expert, hosts discussions with customers and shows them videos to encourage people to use dedicated facilities for their bodily functions. However, Laksono admitted that his unusual approach did spark some controvery in the Muslim-majority country.

“Many critics say the café is inappropriate and against Islamic law,” he said.

The “Jamban Cafe” has been open for business since May this year. Located in Semarang on Java island, it only welcomes small groups who book ahead.

After looking at the photos, would you dine in Jamban Cafe?

Sources: AFP via CNA, CLTS, Rappler / Featured image: AFP.


Hype’s Album Review: Steve Aoki – Neon Future I

DJ/producer and Dim Mak Records boss, Steve Aoki has served us his vision of the future in the form of his new album “Neon Future I”. The album, comprises of 10 songs including a 2-minute intro and a 90-second outro, just barely allowing for “Neon Future I” to be labelled as an album as compared to an EP.

“Neon Future I” opens with “Transendence”, featuring an interesting spoken vocal by Ray Kurzweil. Going along the lines “In the neon future, we’re going to transcend and overcome the limitations that have plagued us for thousands of years…”, the opener dictates a brand new idea of what the future is going to be like in the views of Aoki.

“Transendence” then leads into the title track “Neon Future” featuring Luke Steele of Empire Of The Sun”. The track hits us with the beat right away, but the vocal unfortunately feels a little disjointed. For some reason, Steele’s vocal and Aoki’s heavy beats just don’t go arm in arm and it’s quite confusing, if I must say so myself.

Personally, my favourite tracks on the record were “Born To Get Wild” featuring Will.I.Am and “Delirious (Boneless)” featuring Chris Lake & Tujamo and Kid Ink.

“Born To Get Wild” features big bad Aoki drops and delivers a big dose of colourfully painted futuristic ideals that the album promises while “Delirious (Boneless)”, which has been doing the rounds for some time now, is an upbeat, EDM-worthy track that is well, quite delirious, in a good way of course.

The album comes to an end with “Beyond Boundaries”, a 90-second outro that bookends “Transendence” nicely with a spoken vocal by Aubrey de Grey. “Neon Future I” shows that Aoki can play with different genres and undoubtably deliver some massive party anthems, but it is ultimately nothing new, nothing groundbreaking.

I’m a little unsure as to how I feel about the whole record to be honest. I don’t hate it nor do I love it because despite it being full of EDM bangers and superstar collaborations, the record just seems to fall short of what I would imagine to be an idealistic future. With that being said though, there is potential in Aoki’s future vision, so I am hoping that Part II delivers what Part I failed to do.

As you may already heard by now, Hype.My (that’s us) are giving away 5 autographed copies of Steve Aoki’s album “Neon Future I” courtesy of Sony Music Malaysia so be sure to not miss out on it! ;)

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Mad Rush To A&W Drive-In Upon News Of Supposed Closure

Yesterday, we got wind that Malaysia’s first drive-in A&W restaurant will be closed down by the end of this year, based on this interview dated 21st July (Monday) between The Edge Malaysia and KUB Malaysia Sdn Bhd’s group managing director, Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Wan Ahmad. In the interview, Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Wan Ahmad in an interview and said that the current A&W restaurant will be closed by year-end and relocated to one of the new RM263 million KUB Tower buildings when completed.

After the news went viral, scores of Malaysians have responded to KUB’s decision to close the iconic drive-in restaurant down, with many sharing their fondest memories of the places. Some netizens recalled hanging out after school at the restaurant while others reminisced about they many dates they’ve had there.

For some of us, the A&W drive-in restaurant holds great sentimental values because it was our first “fast food” restaurant and we’ve probably attended many, many birthday parties there in the company of the Root Bear. Simple put, the A&W drive-in restaurant is home to our childhood memories.

One Facebook user has also taken the liberty to start up a “Save Iconic A&W” Facebook community page. In less than 2 days, it has garnered over 1,300 likes and counting. In there, people are encouraged to share their fondest thoughts and memories of the place – even blog posts, articles, and photos!

Hit this link to share your memories too!

Also, last night, for the first time in a long time, the A&W drive-in restaurant on Lorong Sultan in Petaling Jaya saw a sudden influx of customers. Presumably, the mad rush was all due to the fact that people heard about the impending A&W closure and all wanted to pay A&W a visit before their favourite iconic fast food restaurant is taken down to make way for the KUB Tower buildings.

Coincidentally, some of our friends were there too to savour the all-time A&W favourites such as the coney dogs, waffles, and curly fries – oh yes, of course, everybody’s favourite rootbeer and rootbeer float too! At close to 10pm last night (21st July, Monday), we were sent these pictures:

Wow? Yes. We, too, couldn’t believe our eyes.

We also heard that the queue went as far as halfway down the road and yes, perhaps the A&W staff had quite a bit of a struggle to get all the orders through as fast as they can. But for good reasons, we’re sure. Malaysia, you sure do love your A&W drive-in restaurant!

More pictures from the mad rush at A&W drive-in restaurant in Petaling Jaya here, courtesy of our friend Avril Chan:

So, were any of you there? Are any of you planning to go before the year ends? Let us know in the comments!


#BeautyAndTheBeast: First Goofy Cast #Wefie Will Make You Smile

As you might’ve already heard, Disney is making a live-action adaptation of their “tale as old as time”, “Beauty and the Beast”. Having seen the success of “Maleficent” and more recently, “Cinderella“, it’s only understandable why the studio has decided to take yet another giant leap.

The first of its cast members was announced in January this year, with Emma Watson (of “Harry Potter” fame) taking on the lead role. Not only will she be acting as Belle but she will also be singing!

Following which, it was confirmed that both Dan Stevens as well as Luke Evans (of “Dracula Untold” fame) have also been handpicked to be part of the “Beauty and the Beast” cast. Needless to say, Luke Evans got the role of Gaston (but of course) while Dan Stevens will take on the part of the Beast/Prince.

That’s not all! Just a few days ago, it was revealed that Sir Ian McKellen (omg Magneto!) will play Cogsworth aka the butler who turned into a clock.

And now, while you weren’t looking, the cast of the forthcoming live-action “Beauty and the Beast” got together (probably during their table read?) for a quick wefie, as seen in Josh Gad’s Instagram post:

Josh Gad (Le Fou) posed with Dan Stevens (the Beast), Emma Watson (Belle), Luke Evans (Gaston) and Kevin Kline (Belle’s father, Maurice). Other confirmed cast members include Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), and Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Plumette).

“Beauty and the Beast” is slated to be released on 17th March 2017.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Ke$ha Sues Producer Dr. Luke For Sex Abuse

What is with pop stars and their alleged “sex abuse accusations” rampage? First, it was Amanda Bynes, who said that her own father sexually abused her in the past. Now, it seems that American pop star Ke$ha (real name Kesha Rose Sebert) is suing her producer for something along the same lines.

On Tuesday (14th Oct), it was reported that Ke$ha sued her producer Dr. Luke for allegedly abusing her sexually and emotionally for years, while threatening to harm her career. Famous for hits such as “TiK ToK” and “We R who we R,” Ke$ha, 27 – who signed with his Kemosabe label at 18 – charged the producer, real name Lukasz Gottwald, forced her to take drugs and drink alcohol so that he could abuse her sexually when she was under the influence, court documents show.

The singer also said that she remembered waking up naked after Gottwald, 41, forced her to take some pills, but that she could not remember how she got where she awoke. She also alleged that Gottwald’s berating of her as overweight caused her bulimia. She has said publicly she went to rehabilitation for the eating disorder. Ke$ha further alleged that her producer alienated her from her family when she moved to Los Angeles, and threatened to destroy her career if she reported these incidents.

Strange, because from what we see, she appears to be pretty close to Dr. Luke – the very same man she claims to have violated her beyond reason.

Ke$ha’s attorney, Mark Geragos, said she is seeking damages, and that she is determined to regain control of her career and end professional ties to Dr. Luke. Mark Geragos apparently told TMZ:

This lawsuit is a wholehearted effort by Kesha to regain control of her music career and her personal freedom after suffering for 10 years as a victim of mental manipulation, emotional abuse and an instance of s3xual a$sault at the hands of Dr. Luke. The facts presented in our lawsuit paint a picture of a man who is controlling and willing to commit horrible acts of abuse in an attempt to intimidate an impressionable, talented, young female artist into submission for his personal gain. Kesha is focused on moving her life and her career beyond this terrible time.

Dr. Luke, on the other hand, maintains that Ke$ha is sullying his name in an effort to cut short her contract. The producer’s attorney, Christine Lepera, called the charges malicious lies.


#RaceStartMY: Endless Fun & Laughter With The #RunningMan Cast!

When it comes to the beginning of the month, we always pray, “[insert name of the month, please treat us well.]“. The result? We end up being either incredibly satisfied or incredibly miserable from what we’ve done in that particular month. Fortunately, November kicked off on a rather good note as 5 out of 7 cast members of South Korean variety show, “Running Man” were recently in town for “Hotlink Race Start Season 2 in Malaysia”!

“Hotlink Race Start Season 2 in Malaysia” is an exclusive fan meeting with the Running Man cast members, organised by our friends from ONE HD! We first made the event announcement on July 16, 2014, where only 4 out of 7 cast members will be meeting their Malaysian fans during the fan meeting. However, just a few days before the fan meeting, ONE HD announced that another cast member, Lee Kwang-soo aka “Girin” will be joining in as well!

And boy, oh boy! Did we mention how glad we were to have him over for the fan meeting? Sure, the press conference which was held earlier in the day will be filled with endless laughter if another 2 cast members, Yoo Jae-suk and Kang Gary could join the fan meeting as well!

Our day with the Running Man cast members started off with the media press conference that was held at Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in the morning. Despite a slight delay, the cast was quickly greeted with a warm welcome from the members of the media. The cast earlier received a warm welcome from fans when they arrived at the Malaysian airport on the Halloween night.

As this is Ji-hyo’s and Suk-jin’s first visit to Malaysia, Ji-hyo said her first impression on Malaysia is that it is a beautiful country and she wished she had more time to visit. Suk-jin expressed that the first thing he saw was the swimming pool in the hotel but he didn’t have the chance to swim because he hates water. Jong-kook answered in fluent English and said that Malaysia feels like home to him because he came here often to meet his Malaysian fans.

Throughout the press conference, all the members showed their humble and down-to-earth side as they patiently answer the questions from the selected media. In fact, both HaHa (Ha Dong-hoon) and Lee Kwang-soo were being extremely playful by trying to irritate Jong-kook with “Me too!” while he was fielding the questions in perfect English. Both of them threw various unexpected heart signs to the media as well, which resulted in photographers triggering the shutter buttons.

When asked about how they stay committed to the show, Jong-kook also cheekily answered, “Because there’s gold.” As for Ji-hyo, she expressed that it was tough to be the only female cast member but the members always took good care of her. In fact, she proved her dominance countless time that earned her the “Ace” status in the show.

Right after the press conference, the Running Man cast rushed to a public fan meeting held in Paradigm Mall and saw over 4,000 Malaysian fans gathered for the autograph session. Coming from all across Malaysia, some fans arrived at the mall as early as 6am to queue up and get a good look of their favourite Running Man members during the autograph session! However, the autograph session was exclusively held for only the VIP ticket holders and winners of sponsors’ contests.

A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on Oct 10, 2014 at 11:44pm PDT

Some fans were lucky enough to get selfies with as well as hugs from the cast members. HaHa and Kwang-soo couldn’t withhold their gag instincts as they continuously display their comedic sides to the fans. Suk-jin even updated his Weibo by posting 2 pictures he took with Kwang-soo and HaHa during the autograph session in Malaysia!

The cast members continued to infect us with fun and laughter later at night, kicked off the “Hotlink Race Start Season 2 in Malaysia”, attended by over 2,500 fans at Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. Borrowing the concept from the popular South Korean TV series “My Love from the Star“, the cast members charmed the fans with the performance of the drama OST, “You’re My Destiny“. It was, of course, a parody, as HaHa sang rather dramatically for the performance.

A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on Nov 11, 2014 at 3:57am PDT

After the performance, the members adapted to the local culture by greeting fans and introducing themselves in Bahasa Malaysia. The emcee of the fan meeting also did a quick Q&A session with the members, where we saw Kwang-soo doing “aegyo” to Ji-hyo and showing off his sexy model pose to the fans.

The real deal finally arrived as the members later changed their outfits and went back on stage for the game session with 23 lucky Malaysian fans. From a game of chain charades to a butt-pushing game to “Pepero” game, there were 5 entertaining and interactive games in total for their game session. Armed with their variety of skills and entertainer abilities, the members were able to make the crowd burst out laughing at their dramatic actions!

Fans screamed in jealousy whenever the members hugged their fans, especially the part where Kwang-soo had to hug his team member to pop the balloons between them. In fact, some hilarity ensued when Kwang-soo was chosen for the “Pepero” game with fellow member, Kim Jong-kook! What exactly happened? Let’s just say HaHa is the culprit behind their kissing incident as he pushed Kwang-soo’s head from behind! :D

After a break, the cast members returned on stage to deliver their solo performances. Suk-jin was the first to come on stage to perform one of his favourite songs, “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder. His performance was later followed by an unexpectedly charming performance from Kwang-soo. Fans were surprised by his spontaneous action as he went down from the stage to shake hands and send flowers to the enthusiastic fans.

Jong-kook later performed some of his songs from his album and made fans swoon with his cover version of Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning”. Haha effectively brought the house down with his high-energy performance as well. However, the highlight of the evening definitely went to the parody performances of Gary “Turned Off the TV” by Ji-hyo and “Trouble Maker” by Kwang-soo and Suk-jin aka the “Easy Brothers”. Ji-hyo’s performance even had the crowd shouting for “Monday Couple”, referring to her on-screen relationship with fellow cast member, Gary.

A video posted by Hype Malaysia (@hypemy) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:42am PDT

The two-hour long fan meet extravaganza closed on a high note with 2 encore performances by all the cast members. Regarding the successful fan meeting, Virginia Lim, the Vice President of Asian Content at Sony Pictures Television said:

This is ONE HD’s first and successful ticketed event in Malaysia. We are glad that through the channel, fans and viewers are able to interact with their favourite South Korean television stars in close proximity. We are definitely looking forward to bringing more top-notch entertainment content to our audiences in Malaysia on screen and beyond.

The massive success and fantastic reception of the event reflected the popularity of the series. Running Man is the No.1 rated show in its timeslot across all pay-TV channels in Malaysia among pay-TV audiences 4+ in the year to date. In Malaysia, the ratings are higher than all the other channels, including the free-to-air channels.

“Hotlink Race Start Season 2 in Malaysia Running Man Fan Meeting” may be over but the race with Running Man continues on ONE HD with new episodes premiering every Friday at 11.45pm.

For the latest information on the Running Man show, stay tuned to ONE HD on Astro Ch 393; log on to the ONE website or follow the ONE Facebook page and Twitter account. More photos can be found on our Facebook album too.

Don’t forget to check out our Instagram and Twitter for more live updates!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Director Matt Reeves Unveils First Look At Robert Pattinson As Batman

What a pleasant surprise! Out of nowhere, Matt Reeves released the first official look at Robert Pattinson’s Batman.

The director, who has been constantly raving about “The Batman”, posted a 45-second camera test clip on Vimeo. It’s not a full on reveal of everything, but still, it’s R-Patz in his superhero suit!

The clip looks like it was shot in a dark room with our new Caped Crusader barely visible  against the red glow. The 34-year-old Brit walks towards the camera in slow mo, revealing the metal bat-symbol embedded in his chest plate. We then get a closer look at his shoulder armour and his cowl.

There’s definitely a lot of interesting details here. At first glance, it’s a different vibe of costume from what we’ve seen before. You can tell that they’ve taken a more Arkham-style approach based on the chest plate. That Bat symbol on him looks super bad ass!

During the final audition process, Pattinson shared that he had tried on the iconic Batman costume – or at least Reeves’ version. “I remember saying to Matt, ‘It does feel quite transformative!‘” the actor said. “He was like, ‘I would hope it does! You’re literally in the Batsuit.’”

“You do feel very powerful immediately,” the Brit continued. “And it’s pretty astonishing, something that is incredibly difficult to get into, so the ritual of getting into it is pretty humiliating. You’ve got five people trying to shove you into something. Once you’ve got it on, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I feel strong, I feel tough, even though I had to have someone squeezing my butt cheeks into the legs.‘”

“The Batman” opens in theaters on 25th June 2021.


#BonJovi: To Release Special Fan Album “Burning Bridges”

Bon Jovi is not afraid of burning bridges.

Bon Jovi is releasing a special fan album leading up to their overseas fall tour. The band who brought us songs such as “Living On A Prayer”, “I’ll Be There For You” and “Bed Of Roses” will be releasing two new tracks before August 21st, which happens to be the release date of their new album, “Burning Bridges”.

According to a spokesperson for the band:

“Burning Bridges”, which will be released August 21st, is an album for fans and will accompany an upcoming international tour. The band is hard at work on their next album, which will see a full-scale release in 2016.

The first track of the album “We Don’t Run” is written by Jon Bon Jovi and Grammy-winning producer John Shanks. An anthem in the Bon Jovi tradition, the track features a shredding guitarsolo by Shanks, who has a long history with the band, having produced “What About Now”, “The Circle”, “Lost Highway” and “Have A Nice Day”.

The second single “Saturday Night Gave Me Sunday Morning” features a happier, more romantic, bright pop vibe with a hooky chorus. A classic Bon Jovi track that is sure to inspire a big sing-along. Credited to Jon Bon Jovi, John Shanks and former guitarist Richie Sambora, the song was written previous to Sambora’s departure from the group.

While the band’s live dates kick off overseas on September 11th, fans can catch them live in Malaysia on September 19th. Concert details here.

We leave you today with one our personal favs “Livin’ On A Prayer”. Enjoy!


Hype’s Movie Review: Chappie Is Loud, Messy, & Severely Annoying

Brought to you by Neill Blomkamp, the director of “District 9”, “Chappie” starts off with a familiar basis. Set in Johannesburg, South Africa in 2016, an elite team of robotic police officers, referred to as Scouts, are used by authorities to prevent crime rate from rising.

This team of elite forces were created by a young Deon Wilson (played by Dev Patel) and produced by the corporation Tetra Vaal. Wilson, who’s not satisfied with his success believes he can make robots that think and feel for themselves without being controlled by humans. He proposes this idea of his to Tetra Vaal CEO Michelle Bradley (played by Sigourney Weaver) but was rejected by her, which led him to do something no one expected of him.

Apart from just having to deal with Bradley’s rejection, Wilson also has a huge enemy at Tetra Vaal in the form of a Vincent Moore (played by Hugh Jackman) who blames Wilson for the cutback on his project — a different giant crime fighter named The Moose.

After being rejected by Bradley, Wilson stole a damaged scout, Unit 22, to test his new artificial intelligence program on. Unfortunately for him, he gets kidnapped by a trio of street criminals led by Ninja and Yo-Landi (played by Watkin Tudor Jones and ¥yo-Landi Vi$$er of the South African rap group Die Antwoord) to see if Wilson can shut down the Scouts so they can commit a heist which can save their lives as they owe a bigger thug 20 million dollars.

Once they take Wilson back to their hideout and learn that he can’t shut down the Scouts, they get Wilson to program Unit 22 into listening to them and fighting on their side. Given no choice and room for escape, Wilson installs his experimental A.I program into Unit 22 which was soon named Chappie by Yo-Landi.

The newly programmed Unit 22, now named Chappie, starts off with a childlike demeanour and is taught to do things. Chappie also makes a promise to his maker Wilson, that he will not do any thing bad or crime related but is tricked by his gangster buddies. Primarily focusing on Chappie, the movie continues as Moore hacks into Tetra Vaal’s system and overwrites all the Scouts, causing each and everyone of them to shut down.

Chaos breaks out in South Africa with everyone going wild and Chappie is caught committing crime on camera which leads to Moore successfully tricking Bradley into allowing him to use “The Moose” to take control of things. As the movie develops, things just get messier and louder before coming to an end with what looks like a sequel waiting to happen.

Yes, we will admit that the character of Chappie does manage to get his audience to sympathise for him but we personally couldn’t help but feel annoyed throughout the movie because it was a case of “been there, done that”.

But, don’t take our word for it and we encourage you to watch the movie and share your thoughts about it with us in our comments section.

Chappie is set to hit cinemas on 5th March (Friday).

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

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Netizens Unimpressed With Domino’s Vice President’s Apology Statement

The whole nation were shocked with the news about a man being investigated by the police, all because of a suspicious order made at popular food chain store Domino’s Pizza.

According to Hangat, the man – known as Zacky Khairudean – ordered 10 sets of combos including their signature pizza using discount coupons that he purchased online. Doubtful with the transaction, Domino’s then filed a police report against Zacky.

As a result, he was questioned by the cops after being accused of hacking their system. Following the investigation, Zacky was found not guilty. In return, Domino’s released an official apology statement to address the situation.

Despite that, most netizens expressed their disappointment over the food chain and even criticised their apology as being not sincere. Some even asked to boycott the franchise. In response to that, Domino’s came out with another statement – this time around, in a form of a 2-minute video. Check out the full clip below:

The video features the vice president Shamsul Amree clarifying on what had happened at that time. He then took the chance to sincerely apologise to Zacky and also fellow Domino’s customers out there.

Despite all the mess, there’s been one consensus – most of them are amused with Mr. Shamsul’s speech. Many netizens have been comparing his way of speaking to a newscaster.

At time of writing (Wednesday, 2nd October), the issue between the two has been officially resolved with Zacky himself accepting the apology. In addition, he also posted a video of himself on Facebook – saying that he no longer wants to “proceed with elongating the issue”.


The Reason Why Kris Wu Left EXO & SM Entertainment

Many K-pop fans would remember the intense dispute between Kris Wu (吳亦凡) and South Korean entertainment powerhouse SM Entertainment when he left EXO.

In speaking with radio show Wild 94.9 recently, the 27-year-old pop star opened up about why being in a K-pop group was limiting to his artistic creativity and he also talked about his current solo music endeavours in America.

“Well, first of all I’m not Korean, right? I’m Chinese. Korea is not like a home for me, it’s not my base. So working there was still kind of stressful, I guess, for me. And… because the way that K-pop works, is that you gotta kind of do stuff that your company asks you to do,” he told DJ Gabby Diaz.

He added, “Everyone had no freedom, and for me, it was super stressful. I wanted to do my own stuff. I wanted to make hip hop music. I wanted to make sure that the stuff that I sing would represent me as an artiste, and I couldn’t do any of that when I was in Korea. That’s one of the reasons why I left.”

Now that he’s pursuing his dream in the US, the former EXO member admitted that he’s much happier since he’s been given the freedom to fully express himself. “Now in China, I have my own company and I run everything by myself. I can just do whatever I want to do,” he shared.

When asked whether he still keeps in touch with his former bandmates from EXO, or if the group had already moved on, the singer replied with an awkward “yeah”, referring to the latter.

Last week, Kris Wu released his new single “B.M.”, which stands for “Burberry made” – a nod to his collaboration with the high-end British retail brand. Besides his work with Travis Scott on “Deserve”, the entertainer has also been in the studio with famed record producer Pharrell Williams.

Check out the interview and his “B.M.” music video below:

Kris Wu’s debut album is expected to drop in early 2018.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


#BAT: British American Tobacco Malaysia Cigarettes Prices Up By 30 Sen

After absorbing the cost of Goods and Services Tax (GST) for 3 months, British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia has finally decided to increase cigarette prices.

The increase, which will take effect Monday (29th June), will see prices of cigarette brands like Dunhill, Benson and Hedges, Pall Mall, Kent, Peter Stuyvesent, and Lucky Strike raised by 30 sen.

This means that a pack of Dunhill cigarettes, for example, will now cost RM13.80.

“The price revision today is to take into account the GST. The company has been absorbing the GST subsequent to its implementation on 1st April,” said BAT Malaysia managing director Stefano Clini in a statement.

After the implementation of GST, BAT announced a price increase of RM0.50 for all its cigarette brands but on 17th April, it reverted to pre-GST prices.


“Tickets To Paradise” Review: “Mamma Mia” Meets “Crazy Rich Asians”

“Right place. Right time. Right circumstance.” From the same director that brought you “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again!” Ol Parker’s “Ticket To Paradise” is a heartfelt film that will bring much laughter, tears, and excitement to audiences.

“Tickets To Paradise” follows Georgia and David Cotton (Julia Roberts and George Clooney), a divorced couple, who are unable to stand within two inches of each other, travel to Bali after learning that their daughter Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) is planning to get married to an Indonesian seaweed farmer named Gede (Maxime Bouttier), whom she just met. Together, they work to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they thought they did twenty-five years ago.

The film is set in Bali, Indonesia – Malaysia’s neighbouring country! Going into the movie, we might expect nothing but orientalism, where it stereotypes or simplifies Asian culture to a fault. But astonishingly, it is the total opposite. To our surprise, there were many cultural aspects appropriately inserted into the film such as the Balinese wedding customs like filing their canine tooth and even stabbing a hand-woven coconut leaf with a dagger! It was such a refreshing thing to watch and learn on the big screens.

“Tickets To Paradise” has excellent cinematography featuring so many beautiful aesthetic beach locations, giving an unrealistic dreamscape look to the film. Throughout the film, Parker attempts to showcase Bali as one of the most beautiful locations on Earth, and we have to say that he has succeeded with such grace that it immediately gives viewers the wanderlust bug!

The cast of “Tickets To Paradise” brings both veteran and amateur actors to the big screen, and it was undeniably a great decision! Their chemistry was not at all awkward, even with the rookie Indonesian-French actor, Maxime Bouttier. Lily and Gede are such a cute couple on-screen, we even hope they make it off-screen! Even the character Paul (Lucas Bravo from “Emily In Paris“) whom we assume is the comic relief, managed to play off his character fairly well.

Academy Award Winners George Clooney and Julia Roberts displayed astonishing performances, stealing the spotlight in every single scene they appear in. Effortlessly funny and quick-witted, their performances touched the hearts of many. It is no wonder they are masters at acting as the duo  managed to get laughs for the simplest things! While watching the film, there were heartfelt scenes with them that even managed to get a tear or two out of this writer!

Watching “Tickets To Paradise” immediately reminds us of two films, “Mamma Mia” mixed with “Crazy Rich Asians” minus, of course, the songs and dances. But the underlying message remains the same for all three films: Love conquers all. Therefore the only drawback of this beautiful film is its predictability. Once viewers get a rounded view of the characters and storyline, the conclusion was too predictable. But then, this film managed to tickle our funny bone and its heartwarming moments won us over.

So, if you are a fan of “Mamma Mia” or “Crazy Rich Asians” or if you are simply just a fan of light-hearted rom-coms, “Tickets To Paradise” should definitely be on your must-watch list! Easily one of the cutest movies this year that we would recommend anyone to watch! The film is set to release on 6th October at any cinema near you. Check out the trailer here;

Puteri Teja contributed to this article.

A divorced couple (George Clooney and Julia Roberts) teams up and travels to Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they think they made 25 years ago.


Here Are 31 Klang Valley Stations For The MRT 3 Circle Line

It’s been a long time coming and it’ll still be a long time until the MRT 3 Circle line actually comes. After the Malaysian government announced the approval for the MRT 3 Circle (CCL) Line back in 2017, Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) has now finally began preparations for the project.

The former Pakatan Harapan government previously axed the Klang Valley’s MRT 3 Circle Line as they were still evaluating the project but the project is now finally back on track. If the previous administrator hadn’t shelved the MRT 3 project, it would have been completed by 2025.

Appropriately named The Circle Line, it’s basically one giant loop around the Klang Valley that will link several rail lines without entering Kuala Lumpur’s central business district. MRT 3 is 50.8km long with 40.1km of elevated track and 10.7km of underground track. There will be a total of 31 stations (excluding 2 provisional stations) including 10 interchange stations:

The MRT 3 project is aimed to start partial operations by 2028 and full operations by 2030. The new rail project is estimated to cost RM31 billion excluding land acquisition. The actual construction cost will only be known after the open tender exercise is completed.

Sources: Soyacincau, TheStar, Malay Mail

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


Johor Prince TMJ On His Father, The Johor Sultan Ascending The Throne As YDPA

Tunku Mahkota Johor (TMJ, Tunku Ismail Idris, had another “Ask Me A Question” session on his Instagram during the long weekend.

This time, the famous royalty figure responded to netizens’ enquiry on when the Johor Sultan will ascend the throne as the ruler of the country.

“Tunku, when will it be the Johor Sultan’s turn to become the YDPA? The politics are becoming worst. The rakyat has been affected,” one of his followers wrote. The crown prince replied by pointing out that the Royal Highness is estimated to have “2 to 3 years” for him to take over the position.

Subsequently, TMJ was also asked whether Johor could possibly be ruled by a Sultan. According to him, “It all depends on the people.” The former Football Association Malaysia (FAM) president also shared his thought if Johor should be independent from Malaysia. “My opinion? If that is what the people want, then it’s their right,” he responded.

During the session, some were also wondering why Johor has its own army. In this case, TMJ explained that the state “was not part of Malaya. It has been a sovereign state since 1885. We had a Federation Agreement during the time when we joined the formation of Malaysia, similar to Sabah and Sarawak.”

Previously, TMJ dished on why he dislikes this one particular politician known as “YB Muar”. Check out what he said here.


B-Movies Worth Watching Because They Actually Weren’t That Bad

Back in the day, a B-grade movie aka “B-movie” is defined by a low-budget commercial motion picture that usually has to claw its way onto the silver screen – if it even gets past production on a shoestring budget (as compared to a high-budget A-movie) at all. At that time, most B-movies only made it as far as one instalment per movie.

These days, some of these movies make it as far as not only the silver screen but they will also go on to inspire multiple sequels. Some older B-movies even got remade into, yes, you guessed it – another B-grade movie (read: Piranha).

But that’s not to say that all B-movies will turn out bad or have turned out bad e.g. bad editing, bad cast, cheap production design, bad storyline, cheesy effects, cheesier script, etc. At least not the B-movies of the “future”, so to say. In fact, some were surprisingly good! So much so that, aside from becoming hits and some going on to get nominated for awards or win awards, you’d forget that it was a B-movie in the first place.

Like these (we chose some of the more recent ones):

Super Mario Bros. is an American science fiction fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. The film was a loose live-action adaptation of the 1985 Nintendo video game of the same name, and stars Bob Hoskins as Mario, John Leguizamo as Luigi, Dennis Hopper as King Koopa, and Samantha Mathis as Princess Daisy. It tells the story of the Mario brothers, as they find a parallel universe, where King Koopa is a dictator. Their task? To rescue Princess Daisy and stop Koopa from attempting to merge the dimensions so that he could become a dictator of both worlds.

Despite the it being a cheesy movie, it still did well because throngs of “Super Mario” video game fans charged into the cinemas to watch it. Much loyalty!

Mortal Kombat is an American video game franchise, developed by Midway Games’ Chicago studio. The original game has spawned many sequels and has been spun off into several action-adventure games, films (animated and live-action with its own sequel), and television series (animated and live-action).

The live-action film of the same name, “Mortal Kombat”, an American fantasy martial arts film written by Kevin Droney, directed by Paul W. S. Anderson, was released in 1995. The film starred Robin Shou, Linden Ashby, Bridgette Wilson, Christopher Lambert, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa and Talisa Soto. It’s a loose adaptation of the early entries in the fighting game series Mortal Kombat. Other spin-offs include various comic book series, a card game, and a live-action tour.

Starship Troopers is a 1997 American military science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier, originally from an unrelated script called “Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine”, but eventually licensing the name Starship Troopers, from a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein. It is the only theatrically released film in the Starship Troopers franchise.

The film had a budget estimated around USD105 million, making it the ultimate B-movie with A-movie budget. The film went on to spawn several sequels: “Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation” (direct-to-video, 2004), “Starship Troopers 3: Marauder” (direct-to-DVD, 2008), and “Starship Troopers: Invasion” (direct-to-DVD, 2012).

Empire Records is am American coming-of-age film that follows a group of record store employees over the course of one exceptional day before the store sells out to a major chain. The employees of this independent music store try to avoid being sold to a large chain, all while learning about each other. The film was directed by Allan Moyle and stars Anthony LaPaglia, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Renée Zellweger, Ethan Embry, Johnny Whitworth, and Liv Tyler.

It was probably one of the greatest movies from the 90s that managed to spawn a strong cult following after – not because its production is excellent per se. In fact, the movie did pretty badly at the box office. But you see, Empire Records was driven by an amazing OST e.g. Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms, The Cranberries that stole the hearts of the 90s kids.

The Virgin Suicides is an American drama written and directed by Sofia Coppola, produced by her father Francis Ford Coppola, starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, and A. J. Cook. Based on the novel of the same name by Jeffrey Eugenides, the film tells of the events surrounding the lives of 5 sisters in an upper-middle class suburb of Detroit during the 70s. After the youngest sister makes an initial attempt at suicide, the sisters are put under close scrutiny by their parents, eventually being put into near-confinement, which leads to increasingly depressive and isolated behaviour.

The only reason why this movie has been categorised as a B-movie is because it’s an independent film. However, one has to remember that The Virgin Suicides actually went on to win 3 awards and score 11 other nominations.

We’ll come right out and admit it right now – the only reason why anyone should watch this is for its gorgeous cast, notably Devon Sawa and Jessica Alba. Idle Hands is a horror comedy film directed by Rodman Flender, written by Terri Hughes and Ron Milbauer. As mentioned, it stars Devon Sawa and Jessica Alba, as well as Seth Green, Elden Henson, and Vivica A. Fox. The main plot follows the life of an average lazy stoner teenager, Anton Tobias (played by Devon Sawa), whose hand becomes possessed and goes on a killing spree, even after being cut off from his arm.

The film’s name is based on the saying “idle hands are the Devil’s play-things” or “idle hands do the Devil’s work”.

The Blair Witch Project is an American found footage horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. The film relates the story of 3 student filmmakers (Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard) who disappeared while hiking in the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland in 1994 to film a documentary about a local legend known as the Blair Witch. The viewers are told the 3 were never seen or heard from again, although their video and sound equipment (along with most of the footage they shot) was discovered a year later and that this “recovered footage” is the film the viewer is watching.

This B-movie was made with on a shoestring budget of only USD25,000 but received enormously positive reception from critics and went on to gross over USD248 million worldwide, making it one of the most successful independent movies of all time. It spawned a sequel, “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” in 2000. Another sequel was planned for 2001, but did not materialise. A trilogy of video games based on the film was also released in 2000.

Based on a 1999 controversial novel of the same name, Battle Royale (バトル・ロワイアル Batoru Rowaiaru) is a Japanese action thriller that was directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film tells the story of Shuya Nanahara, a junior high-school student who is struggling with the death of his father and is forced by the government to compete in a deadly game where the students must kill each other in order to win. Basically Japanese schoolchildren with weapons killing each other.

It’s probably not a B-movie in the conventional sense. After all, it did cost about USD4.5 million to produce. But it does have the workings of a typical Japanese B-movie e.g. extreme (but so fake) gore, over-the-top sappiness that’s borderline cheesy, bad acting, and bad writing. The film aroused both domestic and international controversy and was either banned outright or deliberately excluded from distribution in several countries. Oh, it also went on to get heavily compared to another novel-turned-film, “The Hunger Games”. For obvious reasons.

American horror film Thirteen Ghosts (also known as 13 Ghosts and stylised as Thir13en Ghosts) is a remake of the 60s film “13 Ghosts” by William Castle, directed by Steve Beck. The story centres Arthur Kriticos (played by Tony Shalhoub), a widower, who is informed by his uncle’s estate lawyer, Ben Moss (played by JR Bourne), that he has inherited a mansion following his uncle’s death. The only problem is, his uncle was a very rich collector of “unique things” including his malicious collection of ghosts!

As all B-movies that are of the horror genre go, one wouldn’t have expected this to be entertaining but it was! If you like toying with the whole supernatural idea and if you enjoy watching people die, uh, creatively, then we say you need to give this one a go.

In the days before we had access to a bountiful of movie spoof videos on YouTube, there were movies spoofing movies. Date Movie is an American parody film directed by Aaron Seltzer. Much of the story line was not-so-seriously based on that of the romantic comedies “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” and “Meet the Fockers”, and therefore, a funny-as-heck spoof. It stars Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, Sophie Monk, Jennifer Coolidge, Mauricio Sanchez, Eddie Griffin, and Fred Willard.

Yes, of course B-movies can be genuinely funny without being only hilarious because it’s an #epicfail.

The people behind Date Movie further milked that B-movie charm with Vampires Suck, a vampire spoof film based on the highly popular Twilight film series. Vampire Suck was directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, starring Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter, Christopher N. Riggi, Ken Jeong, Anneliese van der Pol, and Arielle Kebbel. Like the first Twilight (2008) movie, Vampire Suck has a story line that centres on a teenage girl who finds herself torn between 2 boys. As she and her friends wrestle with a number of different dramas, everything comes to a head at their prom. Basically, it’s like Twilight, but funnier.

Warm Bodies is an American paranormal romantic zombie comedy film based on Isaac Marion’s novel of the same name. Directed and written by Jonathan Levine, the film stars Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, Analeigh Tipton, and John Malkovich. The film focuses on the development of the relationship between Julie (played by Teresa Palmer), a young woman, and “R” (played by Nicholas Hoult), a zombie, and how their eventual romance develops throughout. The film is noted for displaying human characteristics in zombie characters, and for being told from a zombie’s perspective.

Warm Bodies was nominated for 5 Teen Choice Awards, out of which the movie bagged one. It also the 40th Saturn Awards’ “Saturn Award for Best Horror Film” category.

Where can you get the above movies, you ask? Most of them should be out on DVD by now. Alternatively, you could always (cough) torrent (cough) them.

If you’ve got any that you’d like us to add to the above list, let us know in the comment box below!

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


#Kingsman2: Taron Egerton Praises Channing Tatum’s Role; Film Wraps Production

“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is going to blow everyone away, says Taron Egerton. And it’s not hard to believe him, considering how well “Kingsman: The Secret Service” resonated with fans when it came out last year.

Now that Egerton himself has confirmed that film production has wrapped, the British native is opening up about one of the franchise’s newest recruits.

Speaking of his co-stars, Egerton had nothing but praises for his fellow new cast members, particularly Channing Tatum. Although Tatum was only on set “for a couple of weeks but he’s such a great guy and he’s brilliant in the movie“. Unsurprisingly, he kept mum about Tatum’s role in “Kingsman 2”.

Rumour has it that the American hunk will play an American secret agent – think of him as the U.S. counterpart to the Kingsmen. The sequel will follow the British agency as they join forces with the Statesmen against a rogue criminal. Fans are speculating that Gary “Eggsy” Unwin and Tatum will be allies as they track down the dangerous villain.

Tatum isn’t the only new face in “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” though. The Kingsman themselves could be getting some help from Halle Berry and the CIA. We still don’t know what kind of threat Julianne Moore will posed as the villain, but seeing how there will be extra help for Eggsy, things aren’t going to be easy.

“Kingsman 2” is currently slated for a released on 16th June 2017.


Two More Spider-Man Movies By 2018!

Audiences have loved Spider-Man for more than 10 years already, but he’s set to embark on a series of new adventures that is nothing short of amazing. Sony Pictures announced Monday (June 17) that following the release of “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” on May 2, 2014, the web-slinger will return to the screen two more times by 2018. Two yet-to-be-named sequels are scheduled for release on June 10, 2016 and May 4, 2018, expanding the hero’s current series of films to four.

Spider-Man first came to the silver screen in 2002 with the release of “Spider-Man”, a box-office phenomenon that, along with “X-Men”, can take credit for the explosion of superhero-themed stories being told by movie studios.

Director Sam Raimi, who helmed that film as well as its two sequels, wrapped up his storyline in 2007, forcing audiences to wait five years for another big-screen adventure featuring the wall crawler. But after Marc Webb’s reboot, which retold the character’s origin story and added a few new details, Spider-Man seems more popular than ever.

“The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is, like its predecessor, directed by Webb, although “Transformers” and “Star Trek” screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci took over script duties from James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves.


Finding Nemo Keeps Swimming, Swimming, Swimming..

The Pixar studios is about to get busy again with the confirmation what is said to be one of Disney’s biggest and most long-awaited animation flick sequels ever. The company, which is already in the midst of a “Monsters Inc.” sequel can now add “Finding Nemo 2” to their workload.

Already considered as one of Disney-Pixar’s greatest treasures, the original film once won the Oscar for “Best Animated Picture” among other notable awards. It’d be safe to say that the 2003 undersea “Just keep swimming, just keep swimming” adventure propelled the company into super-stardom and raised the bar for the animation genre.

On the 17th July 2012, it was also announced that writer-director Andrew Stanton (who directed the first “Finding Nemo” and “Wall-E”) will be leading the sequel. No word on whether or not Ellen DeGeneres will take on the role as the voice of Dory once again though. She has been joking about doing a sequel on her talk show since forever years so we’re keeping our fingers crossed!

As of now, the sequel has a tentative 2016 release date. And uh, that’s all we know.

Hang tight, we’ll update this as we go along!


Join Solid Gold In Celebrating Its 1st Anniversary

Time sure does fly when you’re having fun doesn’t it?

This month of September will see Solid Gold at Pisco Bar turn 1! Definitely one of Kuala Lumpur’s most happening acts, Solid Gold is made up of Twilight Actiongirl and Indiego & Co’s Bunga and HULKAS’ Mr. Backsounds. Together, this duo has formed a loyal and fun-loving following and made Solid Gold a great Friday night out twice a month at Pisco Bar.

This month, in conjunction with celebrating their 1st anniversary, Solid Gold will feature two very special editions of their usual Friday nights at Pisco Bar. Featuring Solid Gold regulars Robotron 5000 (Dangerdisko), Thirst winner Phil K Lee, tech and deep house specialist JHin and the man-about-town KOPIGO, fans are party goers are guaranteed to have a good time.

Deets of the anniversary party are as follows:

Lineup: Mr. Backsounds, Bunga, Robotron 5000 and Phil K. Lee

Lineup: Mr. Backsounds, Bunga, JHin and Kopigo

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


It’s The Ship 2018: Lineup Includes Big Shaq, Paul Van Dyk, Cash Cash & More

Turn up the heat! We hope you’re ready, cause there’s a new celebrity captain and an electrifying lineup for It’s The Ship 2018. Dubbed as Asia’s largest festival at sea, It’s The Ship Singapore will be headed to Phuket.

To elevate the fun-filled experience while onboard the vessel, headliners such as Vini Vici, EDM bigwigs Cash Cash and Showtek, household trance name Paul Van Dyk as well as house DJ Sander Van Doorn, have been roped in. Viral sensation Big Shaq will anchor the ship as appointed captain.

Big Shaq, or Michael Dapaah, has been making his stamp in the entertainment industry ever since he appeared on BBC 1xtra’s “Charlie Sloth: Fire in the Booth”. His debut single, “Mans Not Hot”, has also went viral on a global scale. Besides appearing on numerous interviews, Big Shaq has also opened for Drake, DJ Khaled, Stormzy, and Giggs.

Electronic music trio Cash Cash (consists of brothers Jean Paul Makhlouf and Alex Makhlouf, together with lifelong friend Samuel Frisch). Having released 4 studio albums, the New York-based group continues to blur the line between genres. “Our goal was to merge different styles from hip hop, rock, and pop with electronic dance music,” said JP. You may have heard of their smash hit, “Take Me Home” featuring Bebe Rexha.

Don’t rule out household trance act Vini Vici. The duo are expected to be a huge crowd pull when they deliver their signature sound and infectious energy. Closing It’s The Ship 2018 would be Paul Van Dyk, who needs no introduction. The award winning record producer has earned the title of World’s Number One DJ twice in a row! Rest assured that the show will be a banger from start to finish.

“Marking our 5th-year sailing, we have prepared an extraordinary adventure for fans, both experience seekers and festival-goers alike. This is going to be a sailing that you wouldn’t want to miss so take this opportunity to join us in celebrating our 5th voyage this November,” said Cyril Francis, Project Director of It’s The Ship and Managing Director of Livescape Singapore.

The full artist lineup can be viewed below:

For more information, hit up their Facebook page or their website.


(UPDATE) #TheTruth: FTISLAND To Hold Concert In Malaysia This Coming January!

FNC Entertainment’s male idol rock band FTISLAND (에프티 아일랜드) will be performing in Malaysia this coming January! The boys will be coming to town as part of their “The Truth” Tour in Asia.

This is not the first time that the group has performed in Malaysia. In January 2012, they held their “Play!” concert at Stadium Negara, which was said to be a sold-out show.

Having made their debut in 2007, FTISLAND, which is an acronym for Five Treasure Island, consists of 5 members – leader Choi Jong Hoon, vocalist Lee Hong Ki, bassist Lee Jaejin, rapper and guitarist Song Seung Hyun (who replaces Oh Won Bin in 2009), and Drummer Choi Min Hwan.

The band’s first album, “Cheerful Sensibility”, which holds the title track “Love Sick” (사랑앓이), was the 6th best-selling album and they also won various awards that year, including the MNet.com Award and Best New Male Group at the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA).

Their most recent summer comeback track, “Take Me Now”, is co-written by frontman Lee Hong Ki and composed by Hong’s Tower, Lee’s music studio. To date, they have released 6 Korean studio albums including “Colourful Sensibility” (2008), “Cross & Change“ (2009), “Five Treasure Box” (2012), “I Will” (2015), “Where’s the Truth?” (2016).

Malaysian Primadonnas, get your cash ready ‘cos tickets for FTISLAND’s concert in Malaysia will be on sale soon ;)

Fans will be able to purchase tickets at Paradigm Mall from 6th November (Sunday) onwards, but take note that physical sales will only be available from 11am to 3pm. Each person will be entitled to a maximum of 10 tickets but the VVIP category will not be open to the public as it is restricted for sponsors only.

For those who can’t attend the ticket launch, ‘fret not, as online and outlet sales will begin at 5pm on the same day.

Details for the Malaysian stop of FTISLAND’s “The Truth” Tour are as follows:

* VIP Rock Zone ticket holders will be able to gain access to the 20 minutes live rehearsal of “2017 FTISLAND LIVE [THE TRUTH] IN KUALA LUMPUR” and get their hands on 2 official merchandises.

For ticketing details, visit TicketCharge’s website or call 03-92228811. For concert details, kindly visit FTISLAND’s Facebook page and Mega Ultimate’s Facebook page. Alternately, fans can call the organisers at 03-91015857.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.


The “Wish” Has Landed At #THIRST2012

“Wish“, a 50 foot LED dandelion has arrived at Sepang International Circuit right on the heels of Malaysia’s premier electronic music festival, #THIRST2012 happening this 8th December (Saturday).

Installation of the towering structure is in progress & will be ready for its Asian debut. Already a favourite at international music festivals like Coachella Festival, Electric Daisy Carnival and Nocturnal Wonderland, the 50 foot high Wish will be a sight to behold this Saturday.

Designed by San Francisco public art conceptualist Robert James, Wish consists of ‘three contemporary dandelions that are losing their seeds in the wind’. Clad in aluminium leaves and mirrored glass, the structure is edged with pulsating LEDs that react to the beats of music surrounding it.

“Wish is a figurative sculpture of three dandelions losing their seeds in the wind. As a child, I was always told when you held a dandelion and blew the seeds off, that a wish was to be made. Building it from ground up for the first time here in Asia will be nostalgic and as epic as Heineken Thirst,” says its creator, Robert James.

This year, Heineken Thirst features 12 DJs performing in two arenas with Avicii and Justice both making their Malaysian debut. They are joined by top flight talents from abroad: Above & Beyond, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski and Heineken Thirst alumnus: Goldfish and Blink, LapSap, Mr Nasty and GuruGuru, Phil K Lee, Tommy Cham, Nick Haydez, Jee Hoe and Hypeembeats,

Get your tickets now as pre-sale tickets (RM128) are selling fast at all Rock Corner outlets.

For more information on the event, download Heineken Thirst festival guide or follow Heineken’s Twitter account.


Ronan Keating Praises Bunga Citra Lestari’s Tribute To Ashraf Sinclair

Ronan Keating had successfully wrapped his “Romantic Valentine Concert” in Jakarta, Indonesia over the weekend with Bunga Citra Lestari in attendance as a special guest performer.

Though fans didn’t get the chance to see her duet with the Irish heartthrob on stage, the 37-year-old still managed to amaze audiences with her take on hits such as “Karena Kucinta Kau”, “Cinta Sejati” and “Tetaplah Dihatiku” (duet with Christian Bautista).

Despite the unfortunate outcome, Ronan had nothing but praise for BCL’s professionalism in carrying on with the show. “Seeing BCL performing tonight, we can truly understand what kind of person she is in real life. Losing a loved one is certainly the hardest experience. But she put all her sorrow behind for a while in order to entertain the fans,” said the Boyzone frontman.

He continued, “She had went through an extremely difficult phase in her life. My thoughts are with you. You’re an incredible woman”. The English pop star then proceeded with a special performance of his 2002 jam “If Tomorrow Never Comes”. “I want to dedicate this song to BCL and her family,” the 43-year-old singer was quoted as saying.

This was BCL’s second public appearance following the death of her husband, Ashraf Sinclair. Prior to this, she gave a surprise performance at SQ Dome in South Jakarta last Friday (28th February).


(UPDATE) #ChunCuiHe: The Famous Taiwanese Milk Tea Is Now In Malaysia!

Lovers of the milky beverage will be glad to know that it is now available in Malaysia! This means that you don’t have to travel all the way to Singapore – or even Taiwan – just for the delectable drink :)

7-Eleven Malaysia posted an ambiguous photo on their Facebook page yesterday (Monday, 22nd May), showing the Chinese word “敬请期待 (Please look forward)”. Today (Tuesday, 23rd May), they unveiled their surprise – the launch of Chun Cui He in Malaysia.

Although the announcement came out of nowhere, it was a pleasant surprise for Malaysians. According to the announcement, only 3 flavours will be available in the country for now – the original Milk Tea, Latte, and Earl Grey Milk Tea.

Beside its origin country Taiwan, the beverage can also be found in Hong Kong and Korea. When the drink started selling in Singapore, it caused a craze – so much so that it flew off shelves as soon as it was restocked.

We’re expecting to see the same level of insanity here in Malaysia, so if you’re not a fan of crowds, you might wanna wait it out.

Peeps, if you’re looking for Chun Cui He (or known as Just Drink), we have something that might help you.

7-Eleven Malaysia have dropped the list of participating outlets which are selling the drink. So far, around 70 stores are carrying the milk tea, with 30 in Selangor, 29 in Kuala Lumpur, 4 in Johor, and 6 in Penang.

More notable outlets include the ones in SS2, The Curve, Damansara Uptown, Jaya One, Taman Connaught, KLCC, Bangsar, and Persiaran Gurney.

For more info, check out 7-eleven’s website and Facebook page.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.