#Charming: Avril Lavigne, G.E.M., & Ashley Tisdale Lend Voices To Animated Musical

A new animated theatrical feature film is currently being developed, with John H. Williams, the producer of “Shrek”, attached to produce.

Titled “Charming”, this upcoming animated comedy will put a refreshing take on the classic fairy tales and it will feature some of the biggest pop stars as the princesses that we’ve come to know. After announcing that Demi Lovato will voice Lenore the female lead, 3QU Media announced that Avril Lavigne, Ashley Tisdale, and Chinese singing star G.E.M. (aka Gloria Tang Tsz-kei) have signed on to voice their respective roles as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.

Ross, Venokur, who recently directed a CG-animated film titled “Animal Crackerz” (or “Get Squirrely”), is helming the film based on his original script. The film reinvents the stories of 3 familiar princesses – Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty – in an unfamiliar plot twist of all being engaged to Prince Charming.

The full description of the plot is as follows:

Charming is an irreverent animated comedy about a young Prince with an irresistible appeal and one kick-ass maiden who wants him only for his money. Cursed as a child, Prince Philip Charming compulsively proposes to every woman he encounters, leaving a trail of lovesick ladies and scorned lovers to wreak vengeful havoc on the Kingdom. Ultimately, Prince Philip’s exasperated father, King Charming, gives the young Prince an ultimatum… Find a true, true-love before his 21st Birthday or lose all claim to the throne.

Demi’s involvement in the musical comedy was announced back in February, but at that time, further details regarding her co-stars were kept under wraps.

Regarding the casting of the princesses, Williams, who also produced “Valiant and Space Chimps”, said in a statement on Wednesday, “Demi, Avril, Ashley, and G.E.M. are among the most popular young stars in the global entertainment arena.”

It is unclear who will play the Prince Charming, but the movie’s producers said it will be shortly revealed.

Soon after the announcement was made, Avril took to Instagram to share the good news:

“Charming” is a 3QU Media Production of a Vanguard Animation film in connection with WVE. SC Films International is handling the foreign sales while Demi is executive producing the film’s score. Production is underway at Cinesite’s animation studio in Montreal.

The film is expected to hit theatres in Spring 2016.

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


5 Classically-Chaotic TV Shows & Movies To Watch For An Easy Dopamine Boost

Let’s face it, adulting is rough, and sometimes we just need a little break from all of it. And it’s at this time that we wish to be young again and live a responsibility-free life – a time where we can be unhinged with little to no repercussions. Thinking about it now, many things happened 10 or 20 years ago that wouldn’t work by today’s standards.

This is especially true for the film industry. Which explains why filmmakers don’t do it like they used to. However, much like photos, video media are an easy way to transport ourselves back to the past. If you can’t decide on what to watch, then here are a few classic – but unhinged – shows and films that will help put some pep in your step and a smile on your face. We are excluding Friends and How I Met Your Mother, as those are automatic winners.

To some extent, in the deepest recesses of our intrusive thoughts, we wish our office was chaotic – to add a little razzle-dazzle to our daily lives. However, if it’s anything like the sitcom, The Office, it’s best that we just watch it from a distance. The Office is a mockumentary series that started in the UK, but it’s the US version that takes the limelight and has been the starting point for other prominent actors we see today, like John Krasinski.

The story largely follows a group of regular office workers when the space they work in is anything but normal, thanks to the escalating escapades, ranging from setting the office on fire to probably even kidnapping a pizza guy. Despite all that, there are still scenes that tug on the heartstrings here and there sprinkled in, making it a one-of-a-kind series that became the basis for other sitcoms like it.

High school can either be the best or worst years of your life, but in Mean Girls, it’s both. Mean Girls follows Cady Heron, a girl home-schooled by her scientist parents in Africa, as she explores the tangled cliques and taboos in an American high school. This dark comedy was heavily influenced by another film – the equally dark 80s cult favourite, Heathers, but with a much more upbeat execution and ending. Even with the change of a few key beats and opting for a much more lighthearted route, this film doesn’t pull its punches with the dirty jokes and outright black humour that capitalise on stereotypes commonly seen in other forms of media.

Nothing sparks more chaos than family; we’re stuck with them, so we might as well go swinging, and nothing encapsulates that idea more than Malcolm in the Middle. This sitcom is a dark comedy that follows a dysfunctional lower-middle-class family in their everyday lives, often viewed through the eyes of an 11-year-old boy genius, Malcolm. The family’s lives frequently devolve into chaos due to their largely dysfunctional personalities and hijinks. This is one of the better comedy sitcoms that still holds up to date, and a show that is also sorely missed.

As a film company, DreamWorks is perhaps the only animation studio that can go toe-to-toe with Disney and still come out on top, which says a lot, especially if you don’t make as many films as the big mouse himself. One of the films that has stood the test of time despite only having one film is Megamind, a film that puts a unique spin on DC’s Superman origin story.

Even though it’s aimed at young audiences, there are things that adults watching the film would definitely enjoy. This witty comedy film also boasts some philosophical moments, like the difference between nice and kind and the definition of good and evil. Not only that, there’s a TV series in the works right now, slated for 2024, and we hope that it lives up to the standards set by this film.

This is definitely the oldest and oddest entry on this list, but one that holds up surprisingly well even by today’s standards. Monty Python was actually a British comedy troupe whose influence reaches far and wide, to the point where they were even compared to The Beatles. Despite being their first “proper” feature film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail was a smashing success and the second-best comedy of all time in the ABC special Best in Film: The Greatest Movies of Our Time.

If you haven’t guessed it yet, the story is based on the legend of King Arthur, with a special twist that is enough to take anyone for a ride, enough to even make cold-hearted people cackle. It is the film that launched many iconic memes that we see or reference to this day, and it’s a must-watch for those who have yet to view it.

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Hype’s Now Playing: DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge – You Know You Like It

“You know you like it, but it drives you insane.”

After a massive 2014, DJ Snake is wrapping up the year with a bang. The French superstar DJ/Producer has released his music video for his single with AlunaGeorge, “You Know You Like It.” The music video for “You Know You Like It” has to follow in the giant footsteps of DJ Snake’s “Turn Down For What” music video, which was nominated for MTV Video Music Awards for Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Visual Effects and the MTV Clubland Award.

“Turn Down For What” gave DJ Snake a reputation as a producer of up-tempo, heart racing trap music. This reputation was further solidified with his 2014 collaboration with Dillion Francis, “Get Low“. However, DJ Snake proves that he is more than just an up-tempo, heart racing trap music producer. His collaboration with AlunaGeorge on “You Know You Like It” shows a different side of DJ Snake as well as his versatility as a producer.

The music video for the tracks highlights DJ Snake’s desire to go in a different direction from his previous hits. The video shows an ape living a normal life in a world of human. In the video, the ape sees his life unravel due to his tortured history with a girl. He turns to drugs and strip clubs to cope, even leaning towards committing acts of violence.

The video for “You Know You Like It” is a dark take on the single, with serious implications about the dangerous consequences of destructive relationships. Though nothing like the entertaining videos for “Turn Down For What” and “Get Low”, the video for “You Know You Like It” is entertaining in its own dark way.


Netizens Question Caprice’s Supposed ‘Jihad’ In Jordan Following The Release Of His MV Teaser

Celebrity and activist, Caprice (real name Ariz Ramli) revealed through his Telegram channel yesterday (Monday, 6th September) that he is finally returning to Malaysia after more than two months in Jordan. Despite his unsuccessful attempt to enter Gaza, Caprice said that he was grateful to meet a new friend who helped tremendously in his mission there.

However, netizens began to question Caprice’s real intentions behind his so-called ‘jihad’ in Jordan after he posted a short clip of what seemed to be a music video of his new song on his Instagram. The short video shows the rapper singing in a Range Rover in the middle of the desert with several other individuals.

A post shared by Tiger of AlQuds (@capricedaddycap)

In the video, Caprice was seen riding in the four-wheel drive vehicle with several Arabs who accompanied him in several scenes while holding a weapon. The brief teaser video that was captioned with “Tiger of AlQuds” with 10th October 2021 is understood to be part of the promotion for the rapper’s latest song with the country’s artist.

The 14-second video clip was re-uploaded on Twitter by a Twitter user known as @thisISsalazar and it certainly stirred public reaction. Many questioned his true purpose and netizens alleged that his trip to Jordan was not for the sake of jihad but was meant to produce his new song.

Jihad Caprice be like:--drive range rover kat padang pasir#road2aqsa2030 pic.twitter.com/dMts0RV4Qc

— sαℓαzαянεяε (@thisISsalazar) September 4, 2021

Many also doubted his real purpose as the 33-year-old rapper’s two months stay in Jordan was supposed to carry out a humanitarian aid mission in Palestine. Netizens also criticised Caprice for going against the original intention of wanting to help the Palestinians. Some even pointed out that the flag used in the video was not even a Palestinian flag. Comments left by netizens include:

For the uninitiated, the song entitled “Tiger of AlQuds” is said to revolve around Caprice’s jihad to Palestine.


#Amazon: Retail Giant To Enter Southeast Asia Via Singapore In 2017

Amazon, US’ retail giant, is currently in the process of launching their services in Southeast Asia. According to a TechCrunch article dated 2nd November (Wednesday), the plan is to enter the region by launching selected services in Singapore within the 1st quarter of 2017.

As we speak, Amazon is covertly acquiring assets, including refrigerated trucks and making new hires. The company will initially offer its Prime delivery service alongside its AmazonFresh grocery service in Singapore.

For those of you who are not in the know, Amazon Prime was launched in the US 11 years ago. The express shipping membership program, which was initially met with skepticism because it was an unproven concept, later became a hit and is now one of the world’s most popular subscription services.

Today, Amazon Prime offers fast, free unlimited shipping on more than 30 million items for tens of millions of Prime members, as well as unlimited streaming of tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, more than one million songs – and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music.

Last week, Amazon quietly a tailored version of its Prime service in China to tap consumer demand for overseas goods. Chinese Prime subscribers get free shipping on orders exceeding 200 yuan (about RM124) on millions of eligible overseas goods, the company said in an e-mailed statement. Domestic goods will also be delivered free and a membership costs 388 yuan (about RM240) a year, lower than the US fee of USD99 (about RM415).

Although Amazon has yet to make any official comment regarding its expansion to Southeast Asia, e-commerce in the region has grown significantly over the past 10 years, with more room to develop in time to come. Southeast Asia’s is the world’s fastest growing internet market, adding 3.8 million new users a month. As of May 2016, there were 260 million users and by 2020, there will be an estimated 480 million users.

It’ll be exciting to see what Amazon will have to offer Southeast Asian e-commerce clients.

Sources: TechCrunch (1), CNA, FORTUNE, Amazon, Bloomberg, TechCrunch (2).

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Massive Fire Engulfs Iconic Seremban Wet Market; Destroys 80% Of Top Floor

The Seremban wet market, also known as Pasar Besar Seremban to locals, caught fire after a downpour late yesterday (9th September, Saturday). The fire, which is believed to have started at around 7:30pm, can be seen engulfing the top floor of the 2-storey market in the below video:

Located in the town centre, the 35-year-old Seremban wet market is home to vegetable vendors, fruit stalls, flower sellers, other fresh produce, so on and so forth. A hive of activity, the market is usually quite jam-packed in the mornings, as well as early evenings to nights as lorries would transport goods to vendors.

The top floor of the market is lined with dozens of hawker fare. It is most well known for being the place where the first and original tasty beef noodles is sold. Local tourists would travel from all over Malaysia and flock to Seremban wet market to savour the dish. Sadly, the stall that sells the beef noodles is located on the top floor of the market.

According to a statement from the Fire and Rescue Department, the Senawang and Seremban 2 Fire and Rescue Stations were involved in putting out the blaze. “The fire involved the upper portion of the market. Until 8:20pm, the fire had destroyed 80 per cent of the upper level,” it said.

As at time of writing, the cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Estimated damage to the Seremban wet market is also unknown.

Sources: Sin Chew Daily NS, malaysiakini / Featured image: Video screenshot.


Oh No! Warner Bros. Says That The DC Extended Universe Is Ending

Movie geeks and comic book fans are saddened to hear that the DC Extended Universe is coming to an end.

Did y’all see this coming from a mile away though?

Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara recently spoke to Los Angeles Times, where he discussed about the future of the DC Extended Universe as a whole. After many failed attempts, DC will finally moved on from creating interconnected superhero movies. Instead, they will shift the focus on standalone films.

“The upcoming slate, with ‘Shazam’, ‘Joker’, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’, and ‘Birds of Prey’, feels like we’re on the right track. We have the right people in the right jobs working on it. The universe isn’t as connected as we thought it was going to be five years ago,” the 54-year-old Japanese American told the publication.

DC failed to hit a home run with “Justice League” and “Batman vs Superman”. However, “Wonder Woman” and the recent “Aquaman” standalone films fared exceptionally at the box office and with critics alike.

“You’re seeing much more focus on individual experiences around individual characters,” said Tsujihara. “That’s not to say we won’t at some point come back to that notion of a more connected universe. But it feels like that’s the right strategy for us right now.”

Do you agree that this is the best strategy for DCEU moving forward?


Online Resellers Are Reselling The PS5 For More Than RM100K

Even though the Sony PlayStation 5 is set to release next month in Malaysia, it has already been released in the United States last Thursday (12th November).

As online stocks for the PS5 sold out within minutes, people are finding it hard to find the PS5 in stock anywhere and online resellers are not doing the prices any justice.

With Covid-19 booming the demand for gaming consoles, online resellers are taking the opportunity to resell the new consoles for overly marked-up prices. As of now, a quick search on eBay will show you countless listings of the PS5 with prices of up to $15,000 (RM61,755).

You’ll be surprised to know that most of the PS5 listed on the site is asking for well over $1,000 (RM4,117), which is way higher than the retail price for the PS5 Digital Edition and the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-Ray Disc Drive, priced at $399 (RM1,642) and $499 (RM2,054) respectively. Earlier, one Twitter user went on the e-commerce site on 14th November and was shocked to see that the console was listed up for $25,000 (RM102,922).

Things are no different in Malaysia as the console was sold out almost immediately upon the opening for pre-sale orders in Malaysia. Until now, the PS5 is currently listed as sold out in the Sony Store Malaysia website.

According to Malay Mail, resellers who managed to secure the console took to local sites to sell the console for RM3,999, which is almost double the original price. However, the situation is actually worse than reported as local resellers are advertising it for up to RM8,000 for the pre-ordered consoles.

If you didn’t get to secure a unit, you can probably try your luck by waiting for the PS5 to officially release in Malaysia on 11th December 2020 and get it for retail price.

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Highlights From Shopee’s Chinese New Year 2022 Promo

Compared to the past 2 years, Malaysians are now more confident and optimistic about travelling. Case in point: There’s been an increase in travel bookings for bus and flights in recent weeks. According to Kenneth Soh, Head of Marketing Campaigns at Shopee Malaysia, there’s also been a higher demand for face masks and Covid-19 test kits on the platform.

“It is encouraging to see the recovery of the travel industry on Shopee as people start to make travel plans again. We will continue to work closely with our travel partners to provide a seamless, safe, and stress-free booking experience for flights, buses and hotels on our platform so Malaysians will have a memorable and enjoyable reunion this Chinese New Year,” Soh said.

In collaborating with Agoda, Airpaz and Easybook.com to fulfil travellers’ needs with the CNY Travel Campaign, Shopee users have been able to enjoy a 10% discount (capped at RM20) on bus tickets, hotels, or flight bookings via the Tickets, Top-Ups & Bills in-app portal on Shopee.

Wesley Wijaya, Vice President of Business Development, Airpaz said they were projecting a 100% increase in air travel bookings for January 2022 on both its platform and Shopee, compared to December last year. “We are expecting a positive rebound as people are now more confident in travelling given the increase in vaccination rate, and reopening of travel routes. We hope that air travel will fully recover by the end of 2022,” he said.

According to William Lee, Managing Director at Easybook.com, they noted an uptrend for bus bookings as there are only two weeks left till the Chinese New Year festival with top destinations including Penang, Perak, KL and Johor There is also a 20 times more demand on Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) bus tickets for CNY. “We saw a decline in travels during the CNY festivities last year due to the lockdown and are expecting the sales of bus tickets to surge leading up to Chinese New Year this year,” said Lee who also recommended travellers to conduct a Covid-19 self test before heading back to their hometown to prevent the spreading of virus to their family members or high-risk groups.

“Travel optimism and hope is returning this Lunar New Year, and travellers can find some great value deals on our platform whether they plan to travel with family and friends to a beach villa or take a couples’ staycation in the city. This partnership with Shopee makes travel even more accessible, and as seamless and hassle-free as possible,” said Cleland Robertson, Country Director, Malaysia & Brunei, Agoda.

Highlights from the Shopee CNY Sale include:


Hype’s Now Playing: SHINee – View

SHINee is slowly stepping away from mainstream music as the electronic dance music style was once again incorporated into their latest single, “View”.

On 18th May, Korean entertainment powerhouse SM Entertainment released the official music video of “View”, the title track off SHINee’s latest album “Odd”.

The video featured the boys being kidnapped by a group of unknown women who hid their faces behind ski masks. However, they can be seen having fun with the women, despite being taken to an unknown location. The members were further seen having a pool party, drinking on top of a building, and dancing in a club. The video also interplayed between their choreographed dance routine and the story.

While it’s not a bass-heavy track, the song has a catchy hook and infectious repetition, making it very ear-pleasing. It is definitely a perfect chill-out track for summer.

“Odd” is SHINee’s 4th full-length Korean album and it marked their first comeback after a year hiatus from Korean promotions. A total of 30 songwriters were asked to write the lyrics of “View”, but Jonghyun’s lyrics were chosen instead.

The full track list of the album is as follows:

For more information, visit SM Entertainment’s Facebook page or SHINee’s Facebook page.


Concert Review: Air Supply Brought Back The Magic Of Love In “The Lost In Love Experience”

It was raining quite heavily before the start of the concert, but that wasn’t enough to hinder fans from arriving a few hours early to the Arena Of Stars, at Resort World Genting. Going into the hall, the crowd was delightfully greeted by a selection of Christmas classics to celebrate the upcoming Christmas day.

The Christmas melodies were sung by a trio of talented singers from New York that provided a very homely feel to the arena, as audiences find their seats. They ended their performance for the night with the Christmas classic “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”, before thanking the crowd once again for inviting them to perform at Resort World Genting.

Kicking off the Air Supply “Lost In Love Experience” concert, the soft rock duo got on stage at around 8:40 pm with their band as they opened with “Sweet Dreams” for their one-night only (15th December 2019) show. The song was sung perfectly by both Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock while featuring a heart pounding guitar solo by their lead guitarist Aaron McLain.

After a few songs, the duo continued on with one of their favourite piece, “Here I Am”, while also taking the time in between songs to thank the organiser, crew and audiences for a wonderful show. In quoting Hitchcock, they described our local shores with “It’s always feel like home” whenever they return here.

Continuing on with “Chances”, Russell chipped in when he mentioned that this is the 8th time they’ve performed in Malaysia. He added that he and the band love it here, praising the food and the friendly people. This being their last show of the month, year and decade, he said that they couldn’t have chosen a better place than Genting.

The atmosphere at the arena was also very lively, with the crowd singing along to the song “Goodbye”. Moved by audiences’ participation, the 70-year-old singer pointed his microphone outward towards the crowd as he invited the crowd to end the song.

“I Adore You” was another crowd favourite when they started playing, as the song was fully composed by the British songwriter of the band. Coincidently, it was also the last song the duo sang before they went on their 4-minute break.

A post shared by 真传媒 TRUTH MEDIA (@truthmedia.my)

During the break, the 69-year-old stood alone on stage as he jokingly teased that he didn’t need it because Hitchcock sang all the difficult part. He then took the free time he had on stage to recite a poem that he wrote. The seasoned performer also recounted his earlier days when he was a child and took us down memory lane.

After that, the Nottingham-born musician played a sneak preview of their new song, “Son Of A Father”, while also sharing how that song came about. Sitting down, he also shared that being together for 45 years and having done 5100 shows together, have only strengthen their bond.

The two of them then recollected about their beginning on how they used to play in Pizza Parlour and Café bars before going big. They then got the show going again with “Two Less Lonely” as the cheers from the crowd got increasingly louder as the night progressed.

During one part, the pair surprised fans by making their way out from the stage and into the crowd as they sang “The One That You Love”. Those in attendance were ecstatic as they gathered up to take pictures with the singers. The singers, of course, were accompanied by a legion of security guards as they both made their way at each end of the stadium.

Upon returning on stage, they encouraged the crowd to sing the next song “Lost In Love” in acapella as they occasionally filled in the void. They then ended the night with their signature hit, “Making Love”, before the pair and their band members exited.

The band came back on stage again at the request of the crowd, whom all screamed for an encore. They sang another of their legendary piece “Without You”, with “Shake It” being performed soon after, before officially ending the night with “All Out Of Love”.

Taking a bow, they once again thanked the staff and the crowd, as well as Resort World Genting for inviting them. Showing no signs of stopping, we sincerely hope to see them again in Malaysia in the near future, as we all could use a bit of that love.

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#Yuna: Singer Nominated For BET Awards; First Malaysian To Do So

When she broke into the Malaysian music scene, no one foresaw how big of a hit she would end up as. But she broke all odds and made it to New York and even worked with Usher. Now, she has added another achievement to her bag.

Yuna has been nominated for a BET (Black Entertainment Television) award and has made the country proud as she’s the first Malaysian to do so!

She’s nominated for the BET Centric Award for her track “Crush” with Usher. Yuna and Usher will be up against 5 other nominees, namely Fantasia, Kehlani, Mary J. Blige, Solange, and Syd.

The award was formerly handed out to neo soul and/or traditional R&B artistes, but as of 2013, BET began recognising specific songs and their respective videos. Previous winners of the award include The Weeknd, Beyoncé, Common, and Tamar Braxton.

My song Crush feat. @Usher nominated for Centric Award @bet! i love everyone on this list with all my heart thank you so much! #BETawards https://t.co/nqFgwPiRW6

The BET Awards was established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in various aspects of entertainment such as music, acting, and sports.

This year’s ceremony will be held on 25th June at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.


Swedish House Mafia To Reunite Minus Angello

Barely a month after the last ever Swedish House Mafia “One Last Tour” set at Ultra Music Festival in Miami, two of the three founding members of the DJ/producer trio have got a brand new announcement to make. Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, and Axwell were supposedly going to focus full-time on their solo careers, running their record labels, and producing music after their split but both Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso are getting back together over the European summer.

Yes, they’ve confirmed their new “Departures” concept.

Axwell and Sebastian, who are both managed by ATM, have been working on tracks together recently, including the collaboration that opened the One Last Tour sets, “We Come, We Rave, We Love”:

[youtube id=”Y9YtU09o2wM” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Their “Departures” concept will see the both of them playing as a duo at Ushuaïa Beach Hotel from 12th June 2013 and every Wednesday after. Nothing has been said yet about whether Axwell and Sebastian will go back-to-back or take on alternating weeks.

So much for splitting up “forever”, huh? And sure, it looks like the two men have ditched Steve Angello for “Departures” but what are the chances that he will make a guest appearance off and on again? Wouldn’t that essentially be Swedish House Mafia minus the official title?

The pair is also on the roaster for new Las Vegas venture “LIGHT” at the Mandalay Bay.


#Shell: Islamic NGO Blames Shell Malaysia For “Exploiting” Women

Islamic NGO Ikatan Muslimim Malaysia (Isma) has called for companies to “learn from Shell’s mistake” of using a woman to sell its products and services.

FMT quoted Isma president Abdullah Zaik Abdul Rahman as saying that this was the outcome when some companies chose to “exploit” women. “Using women to improve sales of goods and services is an exploitation of women which strays far from the value of purity accorded to Muslim women,” he said.

25-year-old Shell employee Nor Shafila Khairusalleh, otherwise known as “Gadis Air Mineral”, was the face of the promotional standee for Shell Malaysia’s dynaflex technology campaign, one of the company’s efforts to help keep engines clean and protected for efficient running. It became controversial when several men shared photos of themselves acting indecently towards the standee. Scores of Malaysians and netizens have since rallied their support for Nor Shafila, calling out the pictures to be distasteful and the actions of the men to be “sick”.

Shell Malaysia was prompt in addressing the issue, having removed the standee from all their sites with immediate effect. A man named Shahril Azmi Abdul Shukor has also taken to his personal Facebook profile to apologise for acting indecently towards the “Gadis Air Mineral” standee.

In response, Zaik said that Nor Shafila was also to be blamed, as “a Muslim woman should not accept the offer to become a model to help a company in its sales efforts, even if she was allowed to wear a scarf and cover up.”

Zaik also said that it was “natural” for men to be aroused when looking at women although it did not excuse the controversial pictures. “They should lower their gaze and be careful of their actions. What these men did shows moral decadence. Where is their sense of faith and loyalty to God? Don’t they know God is watching?” he said.

However, it would be wrong to put all of the blame on the men, according to Zaik. “It’s not their fault alone. This incident happened because irresponsible companies will not stop exploiting our women,” he added.

What are you thoughts on Isma’s response to Shell Malaysia’s “Gadis Air Mineral” standee controversy? Let us know in the comments!

Source: FMT / Featured image: thetrendingnow.blogspot.com via Pinterest.

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Hype’s Movie Review: “BIGBANG10 The Movie – MADE” Is A Festival For VIPs

It’s BIGBANG’s 10th anniversary since their debut and true to their name, they’re celebrating it with as much fanfare as possible.

A movie, an exhibition, and a concert; those are just some of the festivities that VIPs (as BIGBANG fans are lovingly known as) will have the chance to participate in. So far, there are 2 more unlisted events on their BIGBANG10 website and frankly, we’re not sure if BIGBANG could offer anything better than their movie.

And yes, by that we meant that we’ve already watched the movie. Again, yes, it’s worth every penny of your money and we would definitely watch it in the cinemas again. Before we proceed to tell you how awesome the movie was with our movie review, let’s refresh ourselves with the story line of the movie for the sake of the uninitiated.

Well, who are we kidding, there’s no real story line, the whole movie is just BIGBANG being their goofy and honest selves while hopping from city to city for their “BIGBANG 2015 WORLD TOUR [MADE]“. We see the members in their natural state; not the cool and charismatic personas that they exude on stage, and also not the overly-exuberant and charming facade that they give themselves whenever they’re on variety shows.

Without offering too many spoilers, we would like to reveal that not only the happy times are shown on screen. Even the sad, emotional, and angry states of the members were revealed to the audience. As such, we got to know the members as normal human beings, just like you and I, not the image and identity that they try to sell. Once you know their real personalities, they immediately become a lot more relatable and approachable; or in some cases, hostile and repugnant, depending on how you see things.

As they say, the cinematography and background music can make or break a movie, and in this case, I think we can all agree that it made the experience a lot more engaging.

The movie was shot in such a way that cinema-goers felt like one with the concert audience. Wide shots were often used; but not too much, as this movie is for the fans after all. And what do fans want to see? The faces of their idols. However, it was enough for us to experience the exhilarating and electrifying feeling of seeing your idol so near, yet so far away from you. And when close-up shots were utilised, they captured the emotions of the members perfectly. Whether it was BIGBANG jumping on stage while singing “Bang Bang Bang” or performing the melancholy tune of “Haru Haru”, their expressions were all caught on camera.

Also, when transitioning from one segment to another, the apt music choices allowed our emotions to smoothly change. One moment they were talking about a sad memory, and another, they were suddenly reminiscing happier times; but it was all fine, as the music enabled us to connect all the different dots while still retaining the coherency of the movie.

However, if we had to choose the best part of the movie, we would say it was the beginning. Some behind-the-scenes footage of their tour was shown, from the concert’s conception up ’til the day of the final rehearsals. Fans finally got to see the creative process behind BIGBANG’s concert tour and understand how an event of such proportions can fall into all the right places.

Too often, we get to see the final product, which is the day of the concert, and completely neglect the effort of all the other parties and staff that made it possible. Through this movie, we got to see that BIGBANG was not the only element of the tour; in truth, they are only a small part of the puzzle. Without the help of their make-up artistes, choreographers, hairstylists, managers, dancers, fitness instructors, concert director, creative people, and all the other staffs, BIGBANG wouldn’t be who they are today, and they wouldn’t be standing where they are this moment.

All in all, we have to say that the movie did not disappoint. In fact, it exceeded our expectations. Honestly, we were prepared to witness the members offer another one-dimensional side to the idols – the fun and amusing side to them – which is usually the case with K-Pop groups. However, we were surprised to see that emotions ran high throughout the movie and we almost cried a few times.

We’re sorry for emphasising this again, but this is a movie well-worth your money, especially if you’re a BIGBANG fan. Even if you’re not, trust us when we say that you’ll appreciate the glimpse into the life of a K-Pop star. And you never know, you might just be converted into a true blue fan after the movie!

If you have watched the movie and wanna recap, here’s 12 of our favourite moments from the movie. Feel free to share your favourite moment too, by leaving your thoughts in the comments box below ;)

“BIGBANG10 THE MOVIE – BIGBANG MADE” was released in cinemas today (Thursday, 28th July) and is currently available in selected cinemas nationwide.

For more info, visit BIGBANG’s 10th anniversary website or their official Facebook page.


Our 8 Favourite Moments From The Golden Globes 2018

The 75th Annual Golden Globes ceremony had many firsts this year. There were many funny and emotional moments on stage.

More importantly, this year’s Golden Globes highlighted heavy doses of politics and protest, while honouring the outstanding body of work in film and television. The majority of Hollywood A-listers united by making a bold statement with their black fashion choices. Here are some of the top moments that happened today:

In Seth Meyer’s opening monologue, he wasted no time in zoning on the ongoing scandal of sexual harassment in Hollywood. “Happy new year, Hollywood! It’s 2018, marijuana is finally allowed, and sexual harassment finally isn’t,” the Late Night host joked. He also made fun of Seth Rogen, saying ,”Remember when he was the guy making trouble with North Korea? Simpler times.”

2. Tommy Wiseau tried to pull a Kanye West

James Franco won the Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy prize for his portrayal in “The Disaster Artist”. While the 39-year-old actor was giving the speech, the real Tommy Wiseau walked on stage and tried to take the mic. But nope, Franco wasn’t having any of it.

3. Allison Janney told the bird on her shoulder to shut up

Two of @ITonyaMovie's very own, @AllisonBJanney and Sebastian Stan, take the #GoldenGlobes stage to introduce a clip. The film is nominated tonight for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. pic.twitter.com/DMGhu2HKJY

— Golden Globe Awards (@goldenglobes) January 8, 2018

Margot Robbie may have been the standout star in “I, Tonya”, but it was Allison Janney’s bird (a parakeet named Little Man) on her shoulder that almost stole the spotlight. During the award ceremony, Janney did so with a fake bird as her accessory.

4. The presenters took a jab at the male nominees

Please welcome @SusanSarandon and Geena Davis to the #GoldenGlobes stage to present Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. pic.twitter.com/59vynCb8tg

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon had the crowd laughing when the presented the award for Best Actor. “These five nominees have agreed to give half of their salaries back so that the women could make more than them,” Davis said. During the Best Director category, Natalie Portman (alongside Ron Howard) was also ballsy enough to point out the obvious: Not a single woman was nominated.

Potterheads, were y’all excited to see Hermione Granger and Cedric Diggory back together again? Emma Watson and Robert Pattinson were there to present the award for best television or movie in the limited series category.

6. There was also a mini “Divergent” reunion

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, who acted in the “Divergent” series and “Fault In Our Stars”, also had a reunion at the Golden Globes and we are feeling all the feels. They were both nominated for awards with Woodley for her role in “Big Little Lies” and Elgort in “Baby Driver”. We’re glad they met up with each other.

7. Oprah Winfrey became the first black women moment to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award

The Cecil B. de Mille award is presented each year to an individual who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment. Right now, @RWitherspoon presents this incredible honor to @Oprah on our stage. #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/sVVM4GZ7va

Before the video tribute was played, Reese Witherspoon shared about the universal love for Oprah Winfrey. “There’s only one person whose names is a verb, an adjective, and a feeling. And that is Oprah. Oprah’s hugs could end wars, could solve world peace,” said the Oscar winner.

During Winfrey’s speech, the icon encouraged viewers to always “speak their truth” and acknowledged women who have endured abuse and injustice and were unable to speak out. “I want all the girls who are watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon!” she was quoted as saying.

Kit and Emilia 🔥 #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/9qCx7W1G0D

All hail the King in the North and the Mother of Dragons.

9. Kelly Clarkson freaking out when she saw Meryl Streep

Kelly Clarkson remains the best #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/oTceeScHCz

— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) January 7, 2018

And almost gave Ryan Seacrest a heart attack. Truth be told, we’d probably have the same reaction if we were in the same situation. Lol ;)

For the complete list of Golden Globes 2018 winners, click here.

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(UPDATE) #Skrillex: To Make Malaysian Debut This September

The day all Malaysian ravers have been waiting for has arrived!

Sonny Moore better known as Skrillex who is undeniably one of the hottest and busiest man in dance music has just made his Malaysian fans very, very happy. Skrillex, who is also one half of Jack Ü, will finally be making his way to Kuala Lumpur this September! Despite numerous attempts of the DJ/producer extraordinaire making his Malaysian debut over the years, it’s officially confirmed this time as Skrillex has taken to Instagram to share the news with fans.

September 19, 2015 Sat-Singapore Singapore, Marina Bay Sands September 20, 2015 – Sun Tokyo Japan, Tokyo Odaiba Ultra Park September 23, 2015 Wed – Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, KL Live September 25, 2015 Fri – Bali Indonesia, Ultra Beach Bali September 26, 2015 Sat -Manila Philippines , Mall of Asia Arena September 27, 2015 Sun – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Lush September 29, 2015 Tue – Hanoi Vietnam, Hero Club September 30, 2015 Wed -Hong Kong China, AsiaWorld Expo October 2, 2015 Fri – Busan Korea, Club Grid October 3, 2015 Sat – Shanghai China, Storm Electronic Music Festival October 4, 2015 Sun – New Taipei City Taiwan, Gongliao Beach October 8, 2015 Thu – Mumbai India, NSCI SVP Stadium October 9, 2015 Fri – Bengaluru India, Supernova Arena & Convention Centre October 10, 2015 Sat – Hyderabad India, Boulder Hills Golf & Country Club October 11, 2015 Sun – New Delhi India, Huda Grounds

A photo posted by skrillex (@skrillex) on Jul 27, 2015 at 9:18pm PDT

Also, included in his Instagram post are dates for his “Asia | India” tour, which also places him on the unannounced Ultra Bali lineup, so Malaysian festival goers who are heading to Ultra Bali will get to catch him there too!

Deets for his Malaysian gig are as follows:

To be honest, we caught his genre-defying set at ZoukOut last year and it was out of the world. We can’t wait to see him again!

So far, no other details apart from the date and venue of his show has been announced. But stay tuned as we will continue to update this post as news roll in :)

Yes, it’s official you guys – Skrillex really is coming to Malaysia!

One of the biggest names in electronic dance music, Skrillex shot to fame in 2011 and is one half of the powerhouse electronic duo, Jack Ü, on which he collaborates with Diplo. With their latest single “Where Are Ü Now“, featuring Justin Bieber currently conquering the top spots of music charts globally, September will mark Skrillex’s debut performance in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In regards to his show in Kuala Lumpur, Rahul Kukreja, Director of Live Events of The Livescape Group said in statement:

“We are thrilled to have Skrillex perform live in Malaysia for the first time in his career and we are sure that the fans will be excited as we are as well. As one of the world’s biggest names in music, fans can come to expect a world-class show with world-class production, and I’m sure Skrillex will play a selection of both his older hits as well as some new sounds. Tickets to the show are extremely limited as we are wanting to provide an intimate show, so I urge fans to purchase them early to avoid disappointment.”

Set to take place at KL Live, Kuala Lumpur on September 23rd (Wednesday). Doors to the show opens at 9.00pm and limited early bird tickets for Livescape subscribers will go on sale today, July 31st (Friday) via Galactix. General tickets will go on sale on August 1st (Saturday) at 12pm and limited VIP table bookings will also be available for purchase.To book a table or to make an enquiry, email Livescape or call +603 – 7931 9419.

For more information or to obtain updates on the Skrillex show in Kuala Lumpur, logon to Livescape’s official website or Facebook Page.


HBO’s “The Last Of Us” Season 1 Ending Explained; What To Expect In Season 2

The first season of HBO’s “The Last of Us” is nothing short of an absolute triumph for video-game-adapted TV shows. If Netflix’s “Arcane” has broken the curse for animated adaptations, then “The Last of Us” will be seen years from now as the show that paved the way forward for many great live-action adaptations. Ending on an equally heart-melting and yet frightening note, the story of Pedro Pascal’s Joel and Bella Ramsay’s Ellie is far from over. Fans of the video game series know what’s coming next and it is not going to be pretty. Not one bit. Beyond a few minor changes, the plot of the first season has managed to remain quite faithful to its original source material. With HBO greenlighting a second season, we can expect the same.

So stick around as we break down the ending of the first season of “The Last of Us” and discuss the plot, characters and release date of the future season! Oh and seeing that the second season will be heavily inspired by “The Last of Us Part II”, massive spoilers ahead.

Joel and Ellie have finally found the Firefly base. Marlene explains to Joel that with Ellie’s mother being infected with the Cordyceps while she was pregnant, Ellie grew up with the Cordyceps in her brain. The chemical messengers in her brain are able to prevent the Cordyceps from infecting her and turning her into a monster. Basically, the chemicals in her brain can be used as a cure to prevent infection. This comes at the expense of killing Ellie in the process though. Joel isn’t having any of that and he proceeds to massacre everyone in the Firefly base to save her.

One of the victims killed during his rampage is a surgeon who told Joel he wouldn’t let him take Ellie. His death will have major repercussions in the second season. In any case, Marlene is killed and Joel “rescues” Ellie. He lies to her about how there’s no chance for a cure and the whole Firefly base was killed by raiders. As the both of them make their way back to the Jackson Community, Ellie begins to doubt Joel’s account of things. This culminates with her asking him to swear that everything he said is true. That will also come back to haunt Joel in the second season.

Against all odds, Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have managed to fit the plot of the entire first game into this season of “The Last of Us”. While this came at the expense of some events being truncated, namely the whole cannibal subplot that the episode “When We Are in Need” is based on. Similarly, it seems that Mazin and Druckmann are set on covering the events of “The Last of Us Part II” in the second season. In an interview with Consequence, Mazin stated that he wants to remain as faithful to Druckman and Naughty Dog’s games as possible and went on to say: “I don’t like filler, I don’t like stretching. I want everything to be as compelling as possible.” This has essentially confirmed that the second season will be based on the game sequel.

Now, “The Last of Us Part II” has proven mighty controversial within the game’s fanbase for making the shocking decision to kill Joel off. This happens at the hands of Abby Anderson, whose father Jerry Anderson was one of the Firefly scientists Joel killed in the game, and now in the season finale. If you thought Glenn’s death in “The Walking Dead” was rough, you ain’t seen nothing yet. It’s especially heart-breaking seeing that Ellie and Joel in the game had a falling out after she realised Joel lied to her about possibly dooming humanity. After forgiving him and learning to live in peace, it’s all shattered when Abby tortures and kills Joel right before her very eyes. This sets Ellie on a very, very long revenge quest after Abby and the Salt Lake Crew.

Joining Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay in the second season will be Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Rutina Wesley as his wife Maria and Cascina Caradonna as Ellie’s girlfriend, Dina. Dina’s the girl Ellie swore at when she first arrived at the Jackson Community. You expect Abby and the members of the Salt Lake Crew to play a major role in the second season. Much like the game, Ellie will probably spend most of the second season hunting down the various members of Abby’s crew. The Salt Lake Crew is part of the Washington Liberation Front (WLF), a paramilitary group that plays a major role in “Part II”. We’ll also get to see the Seraphites, a religious faction that the the WLF and Ellie frequently clash with.

With new characters and more factions being introduced, Mazin has expressed the need to perhaps divide the story of “Part II” into more than one season. Based on that bit of info, we can expect that the second season will cover the first half of “Part II” with the third finishing the story off. Now because the events of the second game take place 4 years after that of the first, we can probably predict that we won’t be seeing the series at least for another 2 years. Bella Ramsay is currently 19-years-old so we imagine the series would want some gap in time to allow the actor to age up to suit the young adult Ellie we see in “Part II”. They’ll have to, seeing that Bella Ramsay isn’t getting recast anytime soon.

With the writer’s room for the second season already established in February this year, we can be optimistic about shooting taking place sometime next year. Then hopefully, fingers crossed, we could get a second season by mid or late 2025. One thing’s for certain though, the second season is going to be a wild ride!

You can now stream “The Last Of Us” on HBO GO.

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


#GotGVol2: Miley Cyrus & David Hasselhoff Join Marvel Cinematic Universe

Surprise, surprise! Did you know that Miley Cyrus and David Hasselhoff are now part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Director James Gunn recently confirmed that Cyrus cameos as a cool character in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”. Fans were also amazed to see actor-cum-singer David Hasselhoff featured on the “Awesome Mix Vol. 2” soundtrack.

The 24-year-old pop star voices the character Mainframe in one of the post credit scenes in “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”. For those who don’t know, Mainframe is an alternate universe version of Vision.

“I was watching ‘The Voice’ and I (thought) she’s so likeable and her voice is awesome, she’s got the best voice. And then I asked Kevin (Feige), what do you think about casting Miley Cyrus as the voice of Mainframe? He was like well if you think we can get her… and I got her to do it,” revealed Gunn during a recent press junket.

Turn it up. The official setlist for #AwesomeMixVol2 has arrived. Download this Friday https://t.co/Nazp2oAbpS #GotGVol2 pic.twitter.com/aZoOr9vIAy

— Marvel UK & Ireland (@MarvelUK) April 19, 2017

Besides Cyrus, Hasselhoff has also been making headlines for his contribution to the “Awesome Mix Vol. 2”. Titled “Guardians Inferno”, the last track on the “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” soundtrack is performed by The Sneepers along with Hasselhoff. Written by Gunn himself, it’s the only original song on the record.

When we spoke to the 64-year-old entertainer last year, he revealed that he was working on a secret project with Marvel but couldn’t elaborate more. Turns out, it was an instrumental disco jam infused with Hasselhoff’s hilarious rap verse, which is supposed to be from Peter Quill’s point of view.

If you’re interested, check out our  “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” fun facts feature here.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” will open in Malaysian cinemas on Thursday (27th April).

Sources: Screen Rant, Movie Web, Idolator.


Live Sustainably Chic With AKEMI UCHI Today!

We know how challenging designing your home is. You want it to look elegant but you still want to be as minimalist as you can be.

But have you ever thought about trying to go minimally elegant? Yes, you read that right. Minimally elegant. Now, with AKEMI UCHI you can be the minimalist you are but still make your home elegant enough without having to squeeze your brain dry trying to combine those two concepts together.

Start reimagining your personal space with the freshly rebranded AKEMI UCHI. Now, you may ask, “Why rebranded? What’s the difference?” The home decoration brand is now going greener to help the planet. It is absolutely worth it to invest in redesigning your home sustainably. AKEMI UCHI offers a space that is both inspiring and convenient for urbanites who would like to invest in redesigning their personal space. The new store in Mid Valley Megamall also has a whole wide variety of designs and home furnishing items to subtly but significantly change the ambience in your space.

Now, let’s start on their effort in promoting sustainability and trying to make a positive impact on Mother Earth. The 4 pillars that hold up the brand’s effort in sustainability are: #PlanetPals, #ThreatToThreads, #CloseTheLoop and #DontPanicGoOrganic.

The first sustainability pillar of theirs is that they believe in choosing all eco-friendly materials. They use almost zero plastic for their packaging. “So what do they use if not plastic?” Fabric, of course! They are indeed using fabric as their packaging, especially for their bed linens and comforters. How sustainably creative is that? We were amazed when we saw it first too.

Take the packaging off, and it gets even more versatile! They can be reused as laundry bags, laptop or tablet cover — hey, be as creative as you want when reusing it. And when you’re done reusing it, you can recycle it in the future.

Just like the name of the pillar, they are turning a threat to the environment into threads! AKEMI UCHI recycles PET waste, or plastic waste as we are more familiar with, into their soft and comfortable sheets. So, let’s keep the oceans clean while sleeping in style and comfort.

Have you ever thought that woods can be turned into fibres? Neither did we — At least until we paid a visit to AKEMI UCHI. They are one of the biggest partners and the first official partner of TENCEL™ in South East Asia. TENCEL™ produces lyocell, which is a form of rayon, but made from wood pulps that are sustainably harvested. The production is a closed loop that recovers and reuses recycled materials up to 99%.

With the last pillar of AKEMI UCHI, not only can you help save the planet by contributing to environmentally friendly products, you can also reap the benefits on your own body. With the organic cotton that AKEMI UCHI uses for their products, it will feel as if you are resting on clouds. It’s also beneficial to avoid the risk of chemical exposure that you get from synthetic cottons or cottons that were grown with chemical fertilisers.

Now, we know what you’re thinking. If it’s environmentally friendly conscious, can it still be stylish? Eco-friendly products are often associated with dull, wood-like colours. Or even if it’s brightly coloured, it would be earth-y colours.

Rest assured because with AKEMI UCHI, you’re not just helping to save the planet but you can also upgrade your home or personal space into something stylish and chic. AKEMI UCHI doesn’t just offer a single concept of design, but four trendy styles altogether! Getting to shop for four unique styles at the same place? Now this is something you’ve got to experience in person.

But you know what’s the best part is? The styles that AKEMI UCHI offers are timeless. Not only that, but the quality is also amazing; so that means, you don’t have to keep on spending money on home decors that will either go out of trend or gets damaged easily.

AKEMI UCHI presents you timeless “Never Out Of Trend (NOOT)” style, elegance in every detail “Modern Luxe“, making simplicity the best accessory with “Contemporary” and finally, rustic, raw and edgy “Industrial” style.

If you would like to cheer up your space with colours, head over to the “NOOT” aisle for pastel colours and cute floral patterns. Don’t worry, the colours and patterns will never go out of style! The designs and patterns for “NOOT” will always be in style and will always make your home feel more homely. Want to take those colours up a notch and make it brighter? Head right to the next style aisle of “Contemporary” that offers you bright colours spicing up your space. You can never get bored experimenting with the textures in “Contemporary”. If you fancy something sleek yet simple, this aisle has all the contemporary aesthetics you’ll need.

Perhaps you like your space more elegant and chicer, say no more! Go for the “Modern Luxe” aisle and get your hands on some golden tinged accessories and elegant decorations like their soft and cool silk bedsheet. Even the smallest hint of “Modern Luxe” in your space will make the whole space radiate with elegance. Or maybe if you would want your space to look more raw and rustic, then the “Industrial” style is the one for you with its darker palettes and bold statement pieces. The rawness of “Industrial” will make you even more comfortable and relaxed in your own space as it reminds you of the simplicity of your primal self.

Hey, who knows, you might even feel sustainably creative and want to play around with combinations of all those four styles altogether in one space!

They even have fragrances to go with each concept that comes in both candles and diffusers. If you are in need of recommendations, our top 3 personal favourite would be the musky “Brandied Apple”, the floral scented “Vivid Bloom” and their “Cashmere Cream” that will absolutely elevate the elegance of your space. Or maybe you can browse for more fragrances here.

Even better news for you, there are 24 more fragrances coming up in the future, so keep your eyes out for the new ones!

The only thing that has it’s own aisle and not included in the four AU styles is their bedding accessories. However, the fun part of it is, they have a wide range of choice for their pillows. They have from firm to soft pillows and even regular to specially shaped pillows that cater to different types of customers with different lifestyle and sleeping styles.

To make it easier for you, AKEMI UCHI bedding section comes with detailed plaques of what you should know about their pillows. Not only that the basic information of the pillows are stated there, but it also has a rating of the pillows’ firmness, density, and how much support does it give you. You would also know the weight, the material and also the filler of the pillow. Have you ever been able to get to know your pillow this way anywhere else? Only in AKEMI UCHI you can!

One of their pillows that really caught our attention was the “Weldon Chiropractic Memory Pillow“. Of course, the memory foam and the shape caught our attention initially, but what intrigues us even more is how the foam pieces are detachable. Being able to adjust your pillow height without having to add another pillow? Take my money! Not only that, but the “Weldon Chiropractic Memory Pillow” will also help improve your posture. So, we absolutely recommend this pillow to those with sleeping breathing problems, and back problems.

So, what are you even waiting for now? Head over to their latest rebranded outlet of AKEMI UCHI in Mid Valley Megamall and start living sustainably in comfort!

Alternatively, you could also find out more about the products on their website, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram to stay inspired.

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


Hype’s Now Playing: Jhené Aiko – The Pressure

Following the release of her new single “To Love & Die”, LA songbird Jhené Aiko unveiled her latest single, “The Pressure” through the world premiere on Vogue.com.

The song exudes a chill out vibe that has once again made us fall for her smooth vocals, as heard in the hit single “The Worst”. Although the tune bears a striking resemblance to “The Worst”, the mood and the lyrics came out truly unique and outstanding that has gotten us immediately hooked onto the song.

Clearly, the primary focus of the song is the lyrics as she said that she “would consider herself a lyricist before anything” during an exclusive interview with Vogue.

Jhené Aiko broke into the mainstream market when she performed “From Time” alongside Drake. Since then, her musical career continued to sail! Her album features collaborations with various hip hop artistes including R&B golden child Miguel and hip-hop recording artiste Kendrick Lamar. Due to her soulful music, Malaysian born R&B singer Nadhira has also expressed her desire in collaborating with Aiko. She told us herself in this exclusive interview!

After releasing her freshman EP “Sail Out” in 2013, her latest studio album “Souled Out” is expected to drop in September this year. If everything goes well, the songbird will also go on a 5-city tour with The Weeknd as well.

“The Pressure” is now available on iTunes and no pressure or anything (pun totally intended) but we expect you to download it now!


#CrimsonPeak: New Images Ft. Tom Hiddleston & Mia Wasikowska Released

After getting our first look at “Interstellar” actress Jessica Chastain as Lady Lucille Sharpe in “Crimson Peak“, new images featuring the leading cast members of the film have emerged online over the weekend.

The new images were posted by the official Twitter account of “Crimson Peak” on 4th Jan, allowing the fans to get their first proper (and official) look at Mia Wasikowska as Edith Cushing, a young author who will soon discover the horrifying truth behind her charming new husband, Sir Thomas Sharpe.

One thing to appreciate is the costume design. Beautifully done. The cinematography is gorgeous too. :) pic.twitter.com/uhNGb6MXWJ

— CrimsonPeakTheMovie (@CrimsonPeakFilm) January 3, 2015

Sir Thomas Sharpe is portrayed by British actor Tom Hiddleston, who is one of the leading cast members for this highly anticipated horror film. It was revealed that Benedict Cumberbatch was originally sought for Tom Hiddleston’s role but eventually dropped out of the production.

In the Feb 2015 issue of Empire Magazine, “Crimson Peak” was labelled as one of the films you have to watch in 2015. A copy of the page was posted on the “Crimson Peak” official Twitter account and it revealed more crucial plot details.

Empire Magazine Feb 2015-Films You Have to See- Crimson Peak. pic.twitter.com/Ks2nOAWrGt

— CrimsonPeakTheMovie (@CrimsonPeakFilm) January 2, 2015

According to Empire Magazine, Mia Wasikowska is a young woman who falls in love with a mysterious yet charismatic suitor (played by Tom Hiddleston) and is taken back to his ancestral home. However, it is from there she discovers more about her husband, including his jealous sister (played by Jessica Chastain) and “more than a few skeletons in the closet”.

The gothic period horror film is directed by “Pan’s Labyrinth” director Guillermo del Toro, the Spanish master of horror. After directing a non-horror movie (“Pacific Rim”) in 2013, the director is creeping back to his Spanish horror roots through this film.

Del Toro directed “Crimson Peak” based on a script he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins and Lucina Coxon. The film is produced by Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni, Callum Greene, and himself while Jillian Share executive produces. It was revealed that sexual and violent content are expected as it is a character-driven film that has been rated R.

“Crimson Peak” also stars Charlie Hunnam as Edith Cushing’s childhood friend, Dr. Alan McMichael.

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds…and remembers.

It is unclear when will the trailer be released but the new images and new plot details are enough to build the anticipation for the film.

Co-produced by Legendary Picture and Universal Pictures, “Crimson Peak” is slated for release on 16th Oct 2015.

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

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#AvengersAgeOfUltron: Director Explains Loki’s Absence From The Movie

Truth be told, there is one character that we were hoping to see from Marvel‘s “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and it’s mostly because he is burdened with glorious purpose. Yup, we’re talking about Loki of Asgard.

You see, Loki isn’t just the main antagonist of the first “Avengers” film. Though the Avengers team is what made the movie worth watching, Tom Hiddleston‘s Loki is the integral part of the movie as his scepter would fuel much of the action in the sequel.

However, the Earth’s mightiest heroes are dealing with Ultron, a new baddie who will be taking up a major part of the movie. We will also be introduced to a few new characters, who may or may not become part of the Avengers. There isn’t enough time for a secondary antagonist, unless he/she appears in a dream sequence or brief flashback scene.

So, did Hiddleston appear in the film as Loki? Well, he did. But his scene was deleted from the final cut, as confirmed by director Joss Whedon.

If you haven’t watched the film, then it’s time to look away now because Whedon’s explanation contains potential spoiler.

Idris Elba, who starred in “Thor” as Heimdall, previously let it slip that he had shot a scene with Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in the sequel. But contrary to what Elba said, Hiddleston did not appear in the movie and Elba himself only appeared in Thor’s terrible visions of the future in Asgard.

When MTV asked Whedon about the lost cameo, the director said:

We did shoot something, but it didn’t play.

But it seemed like he may not be the one who decided to remove Loki’s scene as he further explained:

The movie has so much. It’s so filled. We didn’t want it to feel overstuffed. I really wanted to have Loki in it, but I understood the decision that there were now too many voices in the chorus.

“At some point the embarrassment of riches is actually embarrassing,” he added.

Well, that’s kind of upsetting, but we will respect Marvel’s decision. Furthermore, we sort of know how it’ll play out, especially since Loki was already posing as Odin in Asgard. Perhaps we will see more of Thor’s visions of apocalyptic future in “Thor: Ragnarok”, or you know, the Blu-ray version of “Avengers: Age of Ultron”.


Contest: Goodbye Christopher Robin Screening Passes Up For Grabs!

Are y’all ready to re-enter the magical world of “Winnie the Pooh”? Inspired by real life events, “Goodbye Christopher Robin” shines the spotlight on author A.A. Milne’s relationship with son and his love for toys.

The good news is, we’ve got 10 pairs of tickets waiting to be given away to our lucky readers ?

The synopsis for “Goodbye Christopher Robin” is as follows:

“The movie gives a rare glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne (played by Domhnall Gleeson) and his son Christopher Robin (played by Will Tilston), whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne (played by Margot Robbie), and his nanny Olive (played by Kelly Macdonald), Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family?”

“Goodbye Christopher Robin” opens in local cinemas on 19th April 2018.

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The Underdog Series Brings You The Very Best Of Local Music (Live)

Organised by Joshua Desmond, The Underdog Series is brought to you for one reason and one reason only – to provide local performers with a platform to showcase their materials. Aimed to give these local performers a venue to gain publicity and exposure, The Underdog Series is designed to help these local performers get recognition by audiences of a larger scale.

Joining in the effort to keep the local scene alive by providing musicians and performers with multiple platforms to showcase their talents, The Underdog Series is here to promote good local music regardless of genre. The event on November 21st, 2013 (Thursday) at Laundry Bar from 9.00pm onwards will be the inaugural episode of The Underdog Series.

Local acts that audiences will get to catch at the first ever Underdog Series includes +2dB, Reach For The Skies, Danger Disko, Red Ruby Avengers and Hype Sessions residents for the month of November, Seven Days Of Sunny June.

So if you’re a musician, a performer or just someone who enjoys good music, this one’s for you!

For more information on the event, visit their event page on Facebook.

Hype’s Exclusive: Rock Band Reach For The Skies Gives Us The Inside Scoop

Hype Sessions #3 – Seven Days Of Sunny June


Jim Carrey In Talks To Play The Main Villain In Sonic The Hedgehog Movie

“Deadpool” director Tim Miller is currently developing a live-action/CGI version of “Sonic the Hedgehog”, and he is eyeing actor-comedian Jim Carrey to take on the lead villain role, Dr. Robotnik, Variety reports.

Also known as Dr Eggman, the plump-figure mad scientist is Sonic’s archnemesis who builds all kinds of robots and gadgets on his quest to take over the world.

Should Carrey accept the role, he would be starring alongside James Marsden and Tika Sumpter, whose roles in the movie are yet to be known.

The movie will offer up a new storyline for the talking blue hedgehog, described as “a juvenile delinquent on the adventures in a pretty straight rural environment with a local policeman.”

The movie is tentatively set to be released on 15th November 2019 in North America.

Carrey was last seen in 2016 detective drama film “Dark Crimes” by director Alexandros Avranas, following the convicted murderer Krystian Bala, based on David Grann’s article “True Crime: A Postmodern Murder Mystery”.


(Video) Iqbal Zulkefli Receives Flak For Stepping On RM70K Cash Notes

Iqbal Zulkefli’s romance drama with Dato’ Seri Vida may be over for now. Still, the up-and-coming singer couldn’t avoid himself from becoming a target of backlash from local netizens on social media.

This time around, the young entrepreneur found himself on the receiving end of more criticism from the public after a video of him stepping on dozens of RM50 cash notes made its way on social media recently.

As seen in the video on local recording label Rusa Music’s official YouTube channel (before it went viral on other online platforms), Iqbal could be seen scattering cash notes worth RM70,000 on the floor. Apart from the 27-year-old, his label mate, singer Ariff Bahran, was also spotted picking up the RM50 notes, before throwing it back to the ground.

Needless to say, many netizens didn’t react too kindly to the viral video. In this case, most of them called Iqbal out for his insensitive behaviour. To quote a few commentators on social media, “He just stepped on the money, while a lot of people out there are struggling to make ends meet. Remember, your wealth is only temporary. God can take it away anytime.”

If you’ve been keeping up with Iqbal’s life, you’re probably aware about his newly-released single titled “Hujan”. As stated by DS Vida’s former personal assistant, the song chronicles the true story of his life as well as certain real-life events that may have made headlines. So far, the official music video has amassed over 634K views after it was uploaded on YouTube yesterday (Monday, 1st November).

Scrolling through the comments section on the song’s official MV, a lot of people gave mostly positive feedback to the song. For those who don’t know, “Hujan” was composed by Oja and Zai Hamzah. The lyrics were penned by Iqbal himself, with the help of Floor 88 members Eric Fuzi and Achoi.

“I’m not siding with Iqbal here, but of course, Floor 88’s masterpiece doesn’t disappoint. If the song came out perfect and at the same time seen trending on YouTube, it’s not because of the singer, but because of the great line-up of composers,” one netizen remarked.

Another internet user gave a more uplifting comment, saying, “The song sounds so good! I feel so sad after hearing it. Good job, Iqbal. I really hope he will find success in his career and will always be blessed with sustenance. Always be patient in facing your problems. God willing, He will always be there for you. Amin.”

Touching people’s hearts with his sincere and emotional vocals, the music video for Iqbal’s song “Hujan” is currently trending at #1 on YouTube! For those interested, check it out here:

Sources: Oh My Media, Rusa Music YouTube.

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#MTVSessions: Hanging Out With Guy Sebastian In Singapore!

Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian delivered a stunning one-hour set in his first performance in Singapore and for MTV Sessions on Monday night at Resorts World Sentosa’s state-of-the-art Waterfront Studio which saw over 250 fans packing the venue.

Sebastian engaged the attentive audience with anecdotes about his songs and joked with them throughout the intimate live recording session. Backed by a five-piece band, the seasoned singer held everyone in thrall with a setlist that showed off his signature vocals, proof of his continued success as one of Australia’s bestselling artistes. He offered up hit after hit, from latest single “Like a Drum” from his soon-to-be released album to familiar songs like “Battle Scars,” “Who’s That Girl,” “Get Along,” “Like It Like That,” and “Don’t Worry Be Happy”.

When we met him the next morning for a quick chat, we asked if, despite the many times he has performed in front of an audience, he still gets nervous before a show. He confessed, “You know, sometimes, when you try to calm yourself down..you end up working yourself up even more! I think I can never get used to getting nervous before a show.”

“Probably the most nerve wrecking moments I’ve ever had are when I have to perform for people or doing things that I’ve never dreamt of doing like..performing for Oprah when she was in Australia. She was on stage with me with her arm around me singing..for an hour! It was amazing like, Oprah? On stage with me? I’ve also performed on David Letterman and Jimmy Fallon and Conan..and it’s those moments when I sit there and go..oh my gosh David Letterman is talking to me, like what?”

As for his most nerve wrecking moment ever, he said, “Beyoncé..that was probably one of the most nervous I’ve ever been in my life. I was a judge for X-Factor in Australia and I had Beyoncé as my guest judge. We were on a two-seater couch and she was sitting right next to me for an entire day! And in between filming, I’m like..so..whereabouts in New York do you and Jay live? It’s like..I’m small talking with Beyoncé – what do you say to her?! Except, ‘You’re perfect!’ because in real life she’s like a painting. She’s flawless.”

We also had to ask him about the song that he holds very dearly to his heart and he replied, “There’s a song called Get Along, which I wrote in my last album..I wrote it at a time when I guess..my world was being rocked. I was about to have a child and I remember..as this kid was coming, I started to freak out about the world that he was gonna inherit because it’s a world where there’s a lot of crazy things happening. Every time you turn on the TV or read the news, you know, it’s hard to comprehend what’s happening to the world. So I wrote that song which was basically my heart’s wish or a heart’s cry for a world where people (regardless of where they’re from, their religion or sexuality or colour or race) can just learn to love the human being behind all of that.”

Lucky us, we got to hear that live! Thank you so much for speaking to us, Guy Sebastian. And special thanks to our friends from Sony Music Malaysia, Sony Music Singapore, and MTV Asia for making this awesomeness happen.

“MTV Sessions: Guy Sebastian” premieres on MTV Asia on Friday, 18 July at 9pm (WIB), 10pm (SG/HK) and 11pm (MAL) with additional content available online here. Repeat airings of the show are at the following times:

For more information, visit Guy Sebastian’s official website. He’s also on Spotify if you want to check out his music. Also, don’t forget to follow him on Twitter and Instagram!


(UPDATE) Hype’s Now Playing: Will Sparks Ft. Luciana – Sick Like That

He has the bounce where it counts, but perhaps due to his busy schedule, fans have not heard anything new from Will Sparks in awhile.

Ah, but the 21-year-old king of Melbourne bounce has returned, bigger than ever, with a new track!

Dust off your dancing shoes because “Sick Like that”, Will’s first release in 3 whole months, featured iconic UK singer-songwriter Luciana (read: Richard Vission and Static Revenger’s “I Like That”) and is bound to make you shimmy.

The DJ/producer taps Luciana’s infectiously catchy vocals for the track that’s filled with electro-tinged synth stabs, gradually building up to Will’s signature Melbourne bounce drop. Sure, it’s a little darker and twisted as compared to the stuff that he used to put out, but “Sick Like That” is all set to dominate the clubs and the festival season. Be prepared to hear this being played and eventually overplayed a lot.

Well, that took long. But better late than never, right?

The official lyric video for Will Sparks ft. Luciana’s “Sick Like That” has been released. We like how the animation resembles those of the old school video games’, and how trippy it gets! The best part is that we can all sing along to it. Or at least try ;)

Want it? Get it off iTunes here or Beatport here.

For more information, hit up Will Sparks’ website or Facebook page.

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Antebellum Review: Janelle Monáe Shines In A Shaky Experimental Thriller

Heh, we know what you might be thinking. Is this movie a documentary about the band… Lady Antebellum? I mean, if we’re getting one documentary about a certain K-Pop group in cinemas this week, why not one about a country band?

So, the short answer to that question is “O’ course not, sugah“.

Just take a look at the clearly-inspired-by-Silence-of-The-Lambs poster right here. We don’t think Lady Antebellum would appreciate a Hannibal Lecter-like figure to serve a kiss on their lips while munching on some fava beans.

Jokes aside, if you were unaware of the significance of the title, it has a much more grave connotation than what many of us believe it is. As much as we have been entertained by the lovely melodies of the said band, this is in no way, a tune of passion. On the contrary, the Antebellum makes for a haunting requiem in the history of the United States. A Latin term meaning “before, or existing before a war” (the American Civil War in this case), the period was a boomin’ time in the late 1700s for industrial growth and the economy in the Southern states. However, that came at a cost. That cost was slavery.

Of course, the issue of slave-owning became a point of contention between the Northern and Southern states, with abolitionists and apologetics butting heads on the ethics of such a practice. This eventually escalated into a full-fledged war in the middle of the 19th century, effectively ending the Antebellum period.

So, while the word might seem pretty and has an air of pleasantness to enunciating such, its historical connotations aren’t as sweet. As a matter of fact, the aforementioned country band received a whole lot of flak amidst the Black Lives Matter/George Floyd protests this year. Consequently, they dropped the ‘Antebellum’ from the name, opting instead for a single vowel to replace the latter word.

Aight. Let’s move on from talking about country, that little stroll past history, and get to the deets of this movie, shall we?

Filmmakers Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz make their feature directorial debuts, stepping up from directing shorts and music videos (fun fact: they directed the MV for Khalid and Normani’s “Love Lies”). Janelle Monáe (“Moonlight”; “Hidden Figures”) stars as the female lead, marking the first time she is headlining a film after several years of appearing as a supporting figure in acclaimed highlights. Rounding up the supporting cast are Jena Malone (“Donnie Darko”), Kiersey Clemons (“Scoob!”), Jack Huston (“The Irishman”), Eric Lange (“Nightcrawler”), and Gabourey Sidibe (“Tower Heist”).

The premise and concept of the movie itself are intriguing. Framed as a horror outing, it focuses on a woman, having to live in two different realities. One is set in the present day, and the other in the harsh and brutal air of an Antebellum South plantation. Now, this raises some questions. Is it the same person in both eras? How is she in both periods at the same time? Is this some sort of “Cloud Atlas” situation?

We went into this movie blind. Packed in my mental briefcase, we only had the knowledge of other films depicting slavery such as “Harriett” or “12 Years A Slave” or “Django”. So, we did not know what to expect.

From the start, the film thrusts the viewer into the contrasting atmosphere of the Confederate estate. We see both sides at play. The elite plantation owners riding on horseback with their lassos and whips in hand… And the slaves, standing at attention in front of those freshly cleaned white cotton drapes. The audience distinguishes between the ant and the boot from the get-go and is made crystal clear of one’s dominance over the other.

And oh, the movie doesn’t hold back when it comes to the horrors of such a custom. We see the outright assertions of authority upon these slaves, be it the brutal thrashings, brandlings, and other forms of heinous crimes against humanity. The slaves are prohibited from speaking unless their White owners permit them. There is absolutely no refrain in making sure that the audience is petrified by these acts as portrayed by the performers on screen. The tension builds consistently for the protagonists as they bide their time, enduring this hell patiently in search of a perfect opportunity to escape.

Janelle Monáe plays Eden, a leader-type figure within the list of subordinates. Like the others, she too has experienced her fair share of whippings, a crude branding, and other forms of persecution. Besides, due to her being a woman, she is sexually assaulted countless times at night by one of her despicable male masters brought to life by Eric Lange.

Comprehending the consequences of non-compliance, Eden remains relatively composed, treading through daily adversity in hopes that a perfect opportunity will present itself, leading up to an inevitable escape. However, a wedge in the routine comes in the form of Kiersey Clemon’s Julia, who shows up as a new slave on the plantation.

Julia is one who does not believe in the perfect opportunity to strike. She’s desperate to regain her freedom for a perfectly good reason, confronting Eden as to why there has been no action, and just a whole lot of biding. How much longer were they willing to wait before more of their brothers and sisters got killed?

Something rather jarring and unusual happens right in the middle of the narrative. After all that pent up pressure bombarded upon the characters, the elongated band snaps. For the first time, the audience gets to breathe… rather slowly.

The 21st-century leaps into full view as we witness Monáe embrace a different personality altogether, one that has a beautiful home and shares a life with her husband and daughter. However, she has more freedom and more of a voice and than her 18th-century counterpart. She garners respect from the people around her and plays a significant role as a public advocate against racial and gender biases. Her life… is seemingly perfect.

While we would place a gag on ourselves here and refrain from giving away any more plot details, we cannot say the script maintains its stability from this point onward. Some scenes seem to alter in tone such as one particular sequence which was made to allude to the creepy twin girls in “The Shining”. That was relatively strange. The change of pace and setting was an interesting creative choice, but the developments leading up to the climax did crumble under the weight of what it was going for. It made us realise the inconsistencies that arose from such a decision, as the conflicting elements at play became more apparent.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that the abrupt change of pace was bad, and to be honest, we quite like the shakeup. Nevertheless, whatever transpired after that made us think twice about the relative authenticity that it set out for. There is a lot, and we mean about a good 20 to 30 minutes of narrative fodder, in which you see the characters do… stuff… Yea. Some lines appear to be significant to the themes and plot later on, but even if you take out this portion of the movie, it would probably work better due to the enigma that would be created from doing so.

And then, there’s another twist by its third act, which if you pay attention, would have seen coming a mile away. Marred with some questionable dialogue and acting, the climax was a little of a doozy but somehow centres itself with an emotionally uplifting sequence by its end, balancing itself out.

The movie circles on the famous William Faulkner quote “The past is never dead, it’s not even past” and frankly it does manage to get that point across right to its climax. The problem is that there is a certain disposable amount of fodder to throw you off, along with a twist that would probably have made sense if it was set on another planetary body due to how the characters trudge along and do certain questionable things. Renz and Bush, who were also writers for the film, probably got too carried away with this concept that they failed to see as to whether the idea would gel by its third act or not.

Thematically speaking, if we were to disregard real-world inconsistencies and exclude any over-the-top circumstances, it’s pretty sound in what it wanted to promote: the endless plight of a community regardless of the era they were in. It aptly explains that the past somehow bleeds into the present no matter what preventive measures have been set up to mitigate such. That history is doomed to repeat itself in some form.

Janelle Monáe’s performance here is probably one of her best. She has consistently churned out great work but in “Antebellum”, she gets to play two characters. She rises to the occasion in both situations, playing the modern writer who gives inspirational speeches. There is queenlike empowerment in her (which somehow reminded me of Angela Bassett). On the flip side, Eden, while not the most ideal form of empowerment, is also brilliantly portrayed. Monáe provides a great display of the pain and torment to the leader-type character, even though she is given minimal lines to speak.

Another standout performance comes from Gabourey Sidibe who was a much welcome dose of comic relief during the middle of the film. While it can be said that her role was essentially inconsequential to the plot, she did exude a welcome sass whenever she was on screen. Besides, the White masters were truly over-the-top caricatures but we believe actors Jack Huston and Jena Malone did so with fair levels of ferocity and unloving viciousness to provide what was required to make them contemptible villains.

The surface shimmer of this arthouse piece is how well-managed the cinematography is. If it isn’t focusing on close-up shots of the slaves and their plight expressed on the shape of their brows, we are treated to silhouettes contrasted against the apricot sunset, tilling the soil as their masters gaze upon their work. There’s a great use of unsettling and dour imagery to instil a queasiness as the story progresses. The utilisation of slow-motion at the climax was also very effective in expressing the arduous battle that the characters had gone through right up to the end.

Some brilliance also peppers the film’s opening in which it utilises a tracking shot which goes on for about 5 minutes or so. There is little to no dialogue and is a device to immerse the viewer into the Antebellum arena. From it opening with a saturated shot of a little girl prancing alongside some docile steeds, the colour steadily fades frame by frame as Confederate soldiers march by, slaves come into view as they work on the cotton fields and barns. We see the scene gradually devolving slowly into more madness as the true dirt and grime of the situation digs itself out of the grave.

The score of Roman GianArthur and Nate Wonder was also key to bringing a thrilling mood to this film as they provide the necessary strings and hollow ghosts for a relatively eerie experience.

So, yeah, there truly is a lot to like about “Antebellum” and it’s a shame that somehow the ideas get lost in translation during the second and third acts. In some manner, this feature’s concept was akin to Jordan Peele’s 2017 thriller “Get Out”, but not executed as well as the said film. It’s due to “Antebellum” feeling like two different movies, which we thought was completely fine until they decided upon that peculiar twist at the end.

Indeed, while we thought the narrative execution was not as good as it could have been, we do believe that “Antebellum” was one heck of an experimental start for the director duo. Bush and Renz displayed a great deal of heft to the craft of their sequences, and it would be interesting to see where they take this next.

Just maybe, they should leave the writing to someone else?

A post shared by ANTƎBELLUM (@antebellumfilm)

“Antebellum” is currently playing in theatres nationwide. The film is rated 18+ for strong language and violence.

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Samuel Kim Releases MV Teaser For “Sixteen” Ahead Of Debut

“Produce 101” season 2 contestant Samuel Kim (사무엘) will finally make his solo debut this Wednesday (2nd August) with his first mini-album, titled “Sixteen”.

His label, Brave Entertainment, has dropped the video teaser for his title track of the same name. Featuring rapper Changmo (창모), the new track is an energetic dance track. “Oh my god, I’m 16,” sings Samuel excitedly in the brief clip.

The teaser doesn’t show much, but it features Samuel dancing in a supermarket, playing basketball, and chilling in his room while looking shyly at his phone.

Born in 2002, 16-year-old Samuel Kim (otherwise known as Punch) was a potential member of Pledis Entertainment’s large scale boy group, SEVENTEEN. Prior to joining the 2nd season of “Produce 101”, he and rapper One formed a hip hop duo called 1PUNCH in 2015. Although the group disbanded shortly after, the Brave Entertainment trainee has always been popular among K-Pop fans thanks to his boyish charm, good looks, and smooth singing voice.

“Sixteen” contains 6 tracks including “Jewel Box”, “I Got It” featuring Maboos, “With U” featuring Kim Chung Ha, “1, 2, 3” featuring Maboos, and “I’m Ready”.

For more info, hit up Brave Entertainment’s Facebook page.


#HarryPotter: J.K. Rowling Apologises For Killing Severus Snape

For the uninitiated, 2nd May is the anniversary of the fictional “Battle of Hogwarts” which happened at the end of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.

In honour of the epic battle, British author J.K. Rowling took to Twitter to apologise for killing off Severus Snape aka Professor Snape. She wrote, “OK, here it is. Please don’t start flame wars over it, but this year I’d like to apologise for killing (whispers)… Snape. *runs for cover*”.

OK, here it is. Please don't start flame wars over it, but this year I'd like to apologise for killing (whispers)… Snape. *runs for cover*

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) May 2, 2017

However, her choice this year sparked a lively debate among Potterheads. As many of you may already know, the potions professor was a former Death Eater and Harry Potter’s least favourite teacher. Although he helped Harry overturn Voldemort, he made the boy’s life extremely difficult during his time in Hogwarts. Despite being on the “good side”, he was extremely cruel to a lot of young students.

So it’s not hard to why some fans did not seem to sympathise his death very much:

He also bullied Harry and tried to make his school life hell just because he was petty and bitter???

— Bridget (she/her/hers) (@dadiva18) May 2, 2017

I think snape was racist to his very core & would have been totally pro to the entire muggle vs magic war, if it werent for lily.

— 𝑏𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑥 ☽ (@_gyuseokhao) May 2, 2017

Honestly, we were devastated when Snape died. We felt that he was deeply misunderstood. He may have chose the Dark Arts over Harry’s mother Lily (the woman he loved) in the past, but people make mistakes, not to mention he saved Harry on a few occasions.

Here are what other Potterheads have to say:

It made sense for the story. We love him so much… pic.twitter.com/WrYizZ9M54

He CHANGED. His love for Lily changed him. Everyone has a reason to be on the "good side", right? This was Snape's.

— Laya B Giri (@truthslayer_91) May 2, 2017

In 2015, Rowling apologised for killing off Remus Lupin and last year, she apologised to Fred Weasley.

What are your thoughts on Snape’s death? Feel free to leave us a comment below!

Sources: Entertainment Weekly, The Verge, Gizmodo.

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#BIGBANG: YG Entertainment Confirms Album Delay, Clarifies Concert Rumours

Oh, shucks. It looks like we’ll all probably have to wait a little longer for BIGBANG’s comeback. While multiple reports have confirmed that, yes, YG Entertainment is indeed planning for a BIGBANG concert next month, it appears the K-Pop idol boy group’s album release has been delayed.

An unnamed source let slip on 19th March that BIGBANG has scheduled a comeback concert from 24th to 26th April at the Olympic Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea. According to numerous reports, the concert is described to be a part of their promotional activities for their latest album release. Along with the news, there was also word that WINNER and iKON were also slated to guest appear.

Don’t forget, YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun Suk previously said that BIGBANG, WINNER, and iKON were scheduled to release new music in the coming months, one after another, starting with BIGBANG.

In an official statement to TV Report on 15th Feb, Yang Hyun Suk said:

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

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

However, YG Entertainment have since clarified the reports and stated, “We scheduled BIGBANG’s concerts from 24th to 26th April in advance. Since their debut, they have been holding concerts with their album release so we reserve the venues in advance.”

They went on to explain that the album release has been delayed as the members, who prioritises quality over release dates, are still working hard on their latest material. On top of that, because the album release date is yet to be finalised, the originally scheduled release dates remain open for discussion by the agency.

As such, the final decision for BIGBANG’s concert dates will only be confirmed sometime next week.

YG Entertainment also clarified that WINNER and iKON will not be performing as opening acts, denying previous reports that they will be performing on BIGBANG’s tentative concert dates.

Well, patience is a virtue after all, VIPs. Keep calm and wait ;)


22nd Seoul Music Awards Winners

Once again, 35-year-old Psy sweeps a South Korean awards show by taking home not only the “Best Single of the Year” award but also the one with the highest honour, the “Daesang” award. As much as the rapper/singer himself said that the reign of “Gangnam Style” has ended, he’s still continuously and effortlessly wiping out competition, making a huge impact in both the international as well as local (back home in South Korea) music industry.

Psy’s crazy success has made him almost invincible.

Super K-Pop idol boy group Super Junior, on the other hand, came out of the 22nd Seoul Music Awards (held at the Handball Stadium, Olympic Park in South Korea last night) with the “Bonsang” award and the “Hallyu Special” award. No prizes for guessing why the group was truly deserving of the awards.

Even during the “Samsung GALAXY The 27th Golden Disk Awards in Kuala Lumpur” (GDA), Super Junior were already big winners, much less this one.

On the other hand, BIGBANG’s leader, G-Dragon took home the “Record of the Year” accolade for his “One of A Kind” album. Consider the fact that G-Dragon (who released the album while BIGBANG was in the midst of their “Alive GALAXY Tour”) had very little time to promote it. Yet, he snags himself a win. Labelmates Epik High, 2NE1, Lee Hi, and his own members aka BIGBANG also walked away with  an award each.

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

More notably 16-year-old newbie Lee Hi, who snagged “Best New Artist” alongside other rookies such as EXO-K, Ailee, and B.A.P. Without further ado, here’s the full winners list from last night’s awards show:

Note: Judging for the other categories are based on mobile poll results (20%), Sports Seoul popularity level (10%), album and music sales (50%), and panel judgement (20%).

Check out our gallery for the compilation of the 22nd Seoul Music Awards’ pictures.

Sources: TV Daily Korea and others as watermarked.

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