Concert Review: EXO Leaves Us With An “Obsession” For More

Worldwide phenomenon EXO are no strangers to hall stadiums in Kuala Lumpur. The K-pop boy group has consistently been visiting Malaysian fans for their tour dates, and this time was no different. The long-awaited “EXO PLANET – EXplOration in Kuala Lumpur” would mark the boys’ 5th official concert in Malaysia. Held at Axiata Arena on the 14th of December 2019, the event was organised by Star Planet.

Entering Axiata had a different air to it. It was partially due to the awful weather, which had fans scurrying for cover from the pelts of rain in the form of a flimsy poncho or an empty tent. It was also thick with excitement; cheers and chants louder than anything we’ve heard before. As the ferocious chants of “E, X, O, ” rang through the stadium, it was clear that this was the impact of South Korea’s most prized boy group. What were previously white light-sticks clad by fans were now changing colours, synching with the bombastic VCR playing on the many screens in the arena. As flashy red cars revved up on the big screen, the entire stadium turned into a similar crimson shade.

This show however, was a tad different from their past events as the stage seemed a little emptier than before. Only 6 familiar and extremely good-looking faces were present on the stage; Suho, Chen, Baekhyun, Kai, Chanyeol, and Sehun’s. As vocalists Xiumin and D.O. were currently completing their mandatory military service and Lay continues his promotions in China—it would be a lie to say that the difference was not felt. With that being said, the rest of the EXO members put on a show like never before.

Keeping in the theme of futuristic racers (which was the concept of their album), EXO began the night with the appropriate “Tempo”. The song never rests up once—which made it the perfect opener for a night full of wonders. “Tempo” also shows EXO at their best; harmonious vocals, gorgeous layering, snappy and snazzy dance moves, all while dripping with sex appeal. We were then launched into the gritty “Transformer” and “Gravity” before the members dispersed themselves into the darkness; a sign that the solo stages were about to begin.

baekhyun un village!!! probably my fav for the night #EXplOrationInKL#EXplOrationInMY #EXplOrationInMalaysia pic.twitter.com/q4l0OUBcZ0

— raichu. (@drkyungsoo) December 14, 2019

Vocalist Baekhyun takes the baton first, whisking all of us into a seductive trance with his track, “UN Village”. All of the member’s typical boyish charms were replaced by this charming man who was ready to sweep you off your feet. The entire stadium was tinged a baby pink, which further set the mood for the sensual song. We found ourselves musing that perhaps the view through rose coloured glasses isn’t too bad sometimes.

Maintaining the energy, the rest of EXO were reunited on the stage to perform the somewhat suggestive “24/7” and “Ooh La La La”—but nothing could compare to the sounds that erupted from fans the moment the familiar intro of “Loveshot” began playing.

The members finally took a moment to introduce themselves and say a few words to the crowd. The group’s maknae, Sehun, was quick to notice that the fans had stuck to a dress code, wearing shades of brown and beige, as a tribute to their song, “Universe”. Leader Suho sheepishly smiled when he realised he forgot to introduce himself, but smoothly spoke in English as he noted that the passion was hotter than he expected. “Today, we’re going on a trip,” he said with a smile. “Are you ready?” With that, the lights went off and we held our breath; wondering what would come next.

The answer came in the form of the creeping creature of a track, “Monster”. The 2016 crowd favourite got everyone cheering along as loud as possible, singing almost all the words to the song. However after all of that grittiness, EXO switched things up by performing the invigorating “Oasis”. After that refreshing swig, we were treated to more solo performances. Suho took the stage first, giving us his rendition of “Been Through” while Chen came out shortly after with a heavenly delivery of “Lights Out”. Rappers Chanyeol and Sehun got the whole stadium vibing with their fun jams; “What A Life” and “Closer To You”. It seemed to wind down to the slower songs of the night, with “Falling For You” and “Wait” playing once all the members had reunited on the stage.

After another quick word from the boys who noted that EXO-Ls were their energy, it picked up again once the zestful and bright “Power” came on. The track had everyone jumping from their seats, truly feeling the adrenaline of the moment. Then it was finally time for the last solo stage of the night; Kai’s “Confession”. The greasy hip hop track laced with heavy bass was not what one expected from a graceful dancer like him but at the same time, we could not complain. With a complete 360 from his usual persona, Kai proved to be a seasoned performer with duality who seems to have tricks up his sleeves (or lack of, in the case of this stage).

Fans were truly in for a surprise when the boys threw together performances of their older tracks; the stylish “Growl”, the theatrical “Overdose”, and the iconic “Call Me Baby”. Seeing the members perform the numbers again, we couldn’t help but think about how far they have come since, in terms of sounds and even choreography, but their essence still remains. EXO wrapped the night up by performing two songs off their winter releases, “Unfair” and “On The Snow”. Chen was delighted to wish fans a Merry Christmas as well, smiling through it as he waved energetically.

After constant screams from fans, EXO treated the crowd to an impromptu performance of their latest single, “Obsession”, from their newest album. Despite not having an actual stage prepared for the track, it was clear that fans were extremely excited to see it being performed. The boys, in the end, agreed to give the crowd a little taste, which resulted in them performing as an acapella group—while donning on ridiculous hats, wigs, and scarves that were pelted by fans on stage. It was amusing to say the least, to witness such a sight in general, let alone while performing a track as abrasive as “Obsession”. Regardless, it was obvious from their notion that the boys do truly appreciate and value their fans and would really go above and beyond for them.

All members of EXO came forward to bid their final goodbyes for the night. Kai cheerily mentioned wanting to have a 3-day concert here, which we will hold his word to! Baekhyun mentioned how he would never forget today, especially with how long it’s been since their last visit. Sehun added on to that, mentioning how he really wants to come back to Malaysia badly. He also reminded fans to not be sad as they would meet again in the future. Suho wore the biggest smile of the night when he promised the crowd that they will return again with new albums soon if they were willing to wait.

With that, it was time for the final song of the night. As the bittersweet “Smile On My Face” played, members took their time saying goodbye to fans by running to all corners of the stage to interact with everyone. Several lucky fans managed to catch a glimpse of the members up close—some even had their phones picked up by Chanyeol and Sehun to take selfies with! All 6 members then gathered at the front of the stage where they officially gave a bow of thanks and waved goodbye for the last time.

Overall, it would be safe to say that EXO’s EXplOration tour was an impressive one. The group was at a loss performing without two main vocalists to begin with, and yet they made it work by redistributing lines and performing flawlessly.

With solo stages that each showcased every member in their own light, seductive numbers, and cult classics; it seems like EXO is every bit as captivating as they were when they first debuted. With the tenacity they are performing at, it will be very hard to forget a group with this much of raw talent, star power, and dedication to their fans.

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Resorts World Genting’s Outdoor Theme Park Delayed Due To Covid-19

For the past few years, people have been eagerly anticipating the reopening of Resorts World Genting’s outdoor theme park.

Sadly, it has just been announced that the soft opening – which was originally scheduled in the 3rd quarter of this year – has now been postponed again. The Star reported that the new soft launch is now set in the 3rd quarter of 2021.

Genting Malaysia Bhd explained that the delay is inevitable since construction work has been largely affected by the movement control order (MCO) over the past 2 months. The soft opening was supposed to feature 20 rides, including 4 roller coaster type of attractions, on its 26-acre site.

“As development works on the outdoor theme park were affected by the MCO, the group is working on a revised timeline for the completion and opening of the outdoor theme park,” Genting’s management told the publication.

Having said that, Genting has been updating the public on its cleanliness procedures in hopes to attract visitors back once it’s safe to open for business.


Jesse Ruben Opens Up About His Battle With Lyme Disease, The We Can Project & More

American singer-songwriter, Jesse Ruben was recently here in Malaysia to greet fans and perform songs off his latest EP, “Hope” at The Bee, Publika.

The American singer-songwriter first gained recognition for his single “We Can” in 2013. The success of the tune led to the birth of “The We Can Project”. Its mission is to inspire kids to achieve their dreams and make a difference in their local communities.

However, the project first came to fruition when an elementary school at Vancouver reached out to Jesse, expressing how it inspired the students and staff at the school. This prompted Jesse to visit their school and as the saying goes “and the rest is history”.

To date, the project has over 300,000 students as participants and has been featured on CBS Morning Show in New York, as well as other local publications. Unfortunately, just as things were taking off with the project and his music career, Jesse was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.

A post shared by The We Can Project (@thewecanproject)

It took him 9 months and numerous doctor visits to figure out exactly what was going on. Fortunately, he got better over the course of 2 full years. These days, he’s been busy performing shows around the globe.

Thankfully, our friends from Universal Music gave us the opportunity to speak to him about his journey with Lyme Disease, the We Can project, and his experience running a marathon with his good friend Kyle Patrick (former Click Five lead singer).

Congratulations on your EP and getting married. In your latest EP, “Hope”, you dedicated 2 songs “Simple Little Ballad” and “Ours” to your wife. Could you talk about how your wife inspired those songs and why it was significant for you to include it on the EP.

Thank you. I really like love songs. I really like them. There are already so many of them. So anytime you write one, it’s like what hasn’t been said. So what I like about specifically “Simple Little Ballad” is that it’s so about her. It’s like so specific. I don’t know anyone else that fits all these tiny details.

But even though it was really specific, people still felt connected to it. People are always like “Did you write that about me, how did you know?” So I really like that song cause it’s so specifically her. Plus who doesn’t love a good lullaby?

For “Ours” I wrote it when we started talking about getting married which was a big deal for me. Growing up in a music school and as a musician, it’s sort of drilled into your head that you can’t get married until you made it. That was really challenging because we were talking about moving into this new step of our life and I was like “I am not ready, I can’t do it.”

So that song was the first time I was really looking out into our future and what’s its going to be like. There’s a line in there about raising kids and getting older. So it was the first time I was like “Oh wow, we are going to spend the rest of our lives together, cool.”

You know, cause that was a scary thought for me but now I am like great.

The latest EP sort of marks your return to the music scene. Why do you think music is therapeutic and how did that play a role while working on this project?

Great question. No one has asked me that yet. Making this EP was very full circle for me because there was a long time where I didn’t think I was going to make music again. So, the fact that we made something so special to so many people, really reminded me that I should be doing this.

For the longest time, I thought I was done and I was never going to make music again. Like that’s it. So it’s really special to see this music we’ve made together have reached so many people on the other side of the world. I am so far away from Brooklyn away right now. So far, you know.

You mentioned that you went through a phase where you thought you were not going to make music again. What helped change that? How did you overcome that phase?

When I got better I had a lot of positivity ‘cos I was so happy to feel like myself again. But for a long time, there wasn’t any. For a long time, it was a nightmare. Like when you wake up everyday feeling terrible, it’s really hard.

I was going a little crazy and when I finally started feeling like a human being again, I was so happy and I was writing like crazy. Thankfully, my support system was really amazing. My friends, family and my wife was awesome. Honestly, it was so relieved to not feel sick again.

A post shared by Jesse Ruben (@jesseruben)

Speaking of challenges, you’ve been very vocal about your battle with Lyme disease. What has kept you strong throughout all these years?

Speaking about it has been really helpful. Connecting with people who are also dealing with similar things. A lot people who have lyme disease, don’t know they have it. A lot of them are tired all the time, have headaches all the time, joint pain all the time and they just think it’s normal.

Whereas I know that it’s not. So, connecting with people and helping other people who are going through the same illness, focusing on spreading awareness about it is really important. It also helps to remind me of how thankful I am for not having to be like that anymore.

Your project “The We Can Project” inspires kids to reach their dreams and make a difference in their local communities. Do you have any plans to take on other causes later on in your career?

Oh maybe. I don’t know. I used to do a lot of work around spinal cord injury because one of my best friends is in a wheelchair. So I kinda thought I was going to do that for the rest of my life. But then I got sick and now I am focusing on Lyme disease because obviously it’s a cause that is very personal to me.

“The We Can Project” has been really fun cause it sort of grew out of nowhere. It was also amazing to go to different parts of the country in the US and meet these kids and see how the song impacted them and how they’re changing. Listen, if we could cure Lyme disease and that’s done. I have to come up with something else to fight for. So, yea I am sure there is going to be something. I am down, hopefully soon.

For your song, “This Is Why I need you”, you worked with Kyle who’s also your friend and manager. How was that process like?

Terrible. Just awful. He was so mean. [laughs]

No, we always worked together. Right after we first met, we started recording together. So we have always worked together in some capacity. I have written with him on some of his records and he always have been a huge part of mine. So when I got better, having him there was really helpful because I really needed somebody who I can trust to make the songs work.

I mean I was still figuring out how to be a human being. So he was really great at mostly telling me not to freak out ‘cos I was freaking out a lot. But he’s an amazing producer. Like we spent so much time together just trying to get these songs to be as good as they possibly could be.

Without him, nobody would have heard them. I think the way they ended up sounding is really special. He did a really good job and we have always work really well together. We will work together forever until he gets sick of me.

A post shared by Universal Music Malaysia (@universalmusicmalaysia)

You guys also ran the New York marathon together right?

Yeah that’s true. So basically the first marathon I ran was during the time I was doing a bunch of stuff with spinal cord injury. And I was going to these events and for this organisation called “The Christopher Reeve” foundation. Christopher Reeve used to play Superman in movies and he had a spinal cord injury and they created a foundation for him.

So I was talking to them a lot and they asked me if I would run the marathon and I said no. Because that was insane and they asked me again, I said no. When I finally said yes, I texted Kyle out of nowhere like “Hey man I am running the New York City marathon for the Reeve foundation” and he wrote back “Me too”. And that’s how we ended up running a marathon together. We did 3 and now Kyle is injured.

Jesse: What did you think of running marathons Kyle?

Kyle: The crazy story for me was the second one we did. The first one we trained for 6 months and didn’t drink. We did a really good job in training. We ran like a really good marathon. Really fast. No issues. Just kinda like best day of our lives kinda thing.

So for the second one, we thought we got this. We will be fine. We trained like maybe a month and we kinda of split up.

Jesse: Yeah, ‘cos my sister was there. So I ran with my sister.

Kyle: And she had like a slower time. So he ran and save his sister. I went ahead and ran a little ahead of them pretty quickly within the race. And we didn’t see each other the entire race. Only the first couple of minutes.

When we finished, we looked at our times and they were exactly the same. Mine, his, and his sister were exactly the same. Down to the second. And we were like this can’t be right because we didn’t see each other the whole race. So we thought it was probably ‘cos we sign up at the same time.

And a month went by and we finally got the footage, you can see Jesse and his sister crossing on one end cause it’s pretty wide. It was at one of the avenues at New York and it was a wide street. They were crossing at one side and I was limping across at the same exact time.

Jesse: Yeah, same exact time. And they were 60,000 people running this thing. Like what are the odds of that. Just so bizarre. So bizarre.

Kyle: That one I just told you about. I have like a lifelong hip injury. Yeah, my right hip feels different. I ran one after that and it kinda made it worse.

Speaking of collaboration, do you have any artist you would like to collaborate with in the future?

Yes. Dua Lipa was at our hotel when we were in Manilla and boy would I love to write with her. John Mayer is in Singapore right now, I would like to play with him.

But having a dream collaboration is tough because you don’t know how you’re going to work well with people. Like I have gone into songwriting sessions where it was just terrible. Styles were terrible and I wasn’t comfortable. When you find people you can make music with really well is a special thing.

Your last album was in 2010. Have you started working on a new project? A new album maybe?

Yeah. Next month I am going to Austin, Texas to record a full length. A follow-up to “Hope” and I am excited to get those songs out to the world. Have people hear them.

I have been doing a lot of writing since we finished the EP. I have this new record that I am doing. I also just wrote a musical which is very fun. So I got a lot going on.

Finally, can you tease us on what we can expect from the upcoming album?

Yeah. “Hope” is definitely more upbeat, positive message thing which I felt like I really needed.

The next album however is going to be a little more rounded. Deals with some of the same issues but darker perspectives. Definitely more of the emotional toll of my experience cause I couldn’t write about being sick for years. It felt too close and I didn’t have any perspectives. And getting older and getting married. There’s a lot but it’s fun.

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(UPDATE) #TWP: The White Party Presents Showtek Live In Kuala Lumpur – CANCELLED

Get ready to party in white with Showtek aka the Janssen brothers!

Before making their way to It’s The Ship 2015, Showtek will bring their new electro house sound to Kuala Lumpur this November for the 3rd instalment of The White Party (TWP).

The Dutch EDM duo is made up of siblings, Sjoerd Janssen (aka Duro) and Wouter Janssen (aka Walt).

The two began producing music since 2001. They first started out in the techno and hardstyle fields, but eventually worked on progressive/electro house music style, which scored them radio and chart success in recent months.

In the past, the Janssen brothers have worked on “Crazy Collabs”, a project which they collaborated with producers of other EDM genres sucha as Tiësto, Hardwell, Justin Prime, Bassjackers, Ookay, MAKJ, and hardstyle duo Noisecontrollers. Besides hosting their own podcast through their website and iTunes, they founded their own label “Skink Records” in December 2013. It is licensed to Spinnin Records, but it’s not a sublabel of Spinnin.

Now, with the release of their new single “Satisfied” (ft. Vassy), Showtek is ready to give fans an epic clubbing experience with the 3rd instalment of “The White Party”. This is followed by the success of the first 2 parties that featured Steve Aoki and Afrojack.

Early bird tickets are priced at RM 158 per ticket and they are available for limited time only. The pre-sale ticket is priced at RM 188 while the normal ticket is priced at RM 218. Tickets are now available for purchase online via TicketCharge. They are also available at all Rock Corner, Speedy & Victoria Music Centre, and more.

To book VIP & VVIP sofa, please calll +60126768269. For other general enquiries, please WhatsApp this number: +60176769060.

Bad news, peeps. We just heard that The White Party ft. Showtek has been cancelled. This was officially announced by the organiser, KC&Friends moments ago via their Facebook page.

We received news on Wednesday night that Sjoerd Janssen one half of SHOWTEK has fallen ill and is not able to do the show. We as organisers have a responsibility to all our key partners, sponsors & fans thus it will be very difficult to only present only one half of the duo. Due to this reason & after much consideration, we intent to postpone the show.

It is crucial to note that this postponement has nothing to do with the local authorities & relevant permits. Numerous events have been held in KL Live this year without any issues including our past (2) TWP events which featured Steve Aoki on December 10, 2014 & Afrojack on March 13, December 2015.

SHOWTEK will still tour their remaining (2) festival dates in ASIA with the other half Wouter Janssen and vocalist/MC Sonny Wilson (from their hit Booyah! and Sun goes down with David Guetta).
All refunds procedures will be announced over the next 7 days via our official ticketing partners TicketCharge & our on ground ticket ambassadors. Last but not least we wish Sjoerd of SHOWTEK a speedy recovery & look forward to announce a new date for the boys to come back next year.

For more information, please visit KC&Friends’ Facebook page.


“The Picture Was Leaked To Bring Me Down!”: Baby Shima Explains Why She Kissed Another Man

Recently, a controversial picture of Nor Ashima Ramli, or better yet known as Baby Shima, went viral over social media. She was seen kissing a man in a suit at one of the nightclubs in Kuala Lumpur. It not only caused an uproar among netizens because she was drinking in a nightclub, but also because she was kissing another man despite being married.

The Malaysian Dangdut singer came forward regarding the controversy, explaining her side of the story. In one of her recent interviews, she tried avoiding the question but due to the countless hate comments left about the photo, she posted an explanation video on her Instagram account last night. Who can blame her for caving in?

A post shared by NENG BABY SHIMA (@babyshimaofficial)

She started off with an apology regarding the picture and explained how the picture was leaked to “taint Shima’s name, bring Shima down, and embarrass Shima so that people will hate on Shima more.” On the verge of tears, she told the public that she has read all the comments left under the picture. She expressed her disappointment towards netizens for jumping into conclusion.

Some of the hate comments that were thrown towards her were, “lol, so arrogant. When people start boycotting, then you’ll come begging for forgiveness. There are tons of artistes out there who were outspoken, but throws a fit when people won’t watch them on the television. Haa, then they’ll use the depression card”.

A couple of other comments called her bitchy and a party girl; “You’re too much of a bitch that people are disgusted. Chew on that. I pity your parents, they have to see their daughter act like this. You stray too far from God, you chase the world too much”, and “this is no news, she goes clubbing with rich men a lot. It’s not a new thing, this is the real Baby Shima.”

However, she did explain in the video that the pictures were taken during a shooting for her latest music video that was released a few hours ago, “Lalai”. The music video starred Baby Shima herself, James Ng (a local entrepreneur), and Ammar Nazhan (a popular Malaysian TikToker).

Curious what the scene was all about? Here, take a look at it for yourself.

We have a theory that this might just be another scandal that was made on purpose to promote her new music video. After all, bad publicity is still publicity right?

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Robert Downey Jr. Turned Down Disney’s Offer For Oscars Campaign

Marvel fans as well as director Joe Russo feel that Robert Downey Jr.’s performance as Tony Stark/Iron Man is worthy of an Oscar nod.

On the contrary though, Downey Jr. himself think otherwise. During his recent appearance on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM talk show, this topic was brought up.

“I’m so glad you brought this up because there was some talk about, and I said let’s not, and because I’m much more like you than you might really want to believe,” the 54-year-old actor told Stern.

The radio host expressed his frustration at Oscar voters on not taking blockbuster movies – especially superhero roles – seriously. “Because it’s a superhero movie they turn (up) their nose at it,” Stern said. “The performance is excellent. It’s a totally believable character.”

“I listen to the show and I agree with most all of your opinions, varied though they may be. Occasionally, you’ll go on some tributary trail of thought I’ll go like ‘oh that’s not how I see it, but I love that you see it that way’,” Downey Jr. added.

The actor was also asked on his thought’s on Martin Scorsese’s recent comments about how Marvel movies are “not cinema”. “It’s his opinion,” he told Stern. “I mean, it plays in theaters. I appreciate his opinion because I think it’s like anything: We need all of the different perspectives so we can come to the center and move on.”

When probed if he thinks the filmmaker is jealous of Marvel’s success, RDJ replied, “Of course he’s not jealous of the success. He’s Martin Scorsese,” adding that he was “happy to be part of the problem, if there is one.”

If though RDJ has decided to bow out of the Oscars campaign, Disney has high hopes for “Avengers: Endgame”. Question is, will it enjoy the same success of “Black Panther”?

Sources: Indie Wire, Hollywood Reporter.


(Video) Exclusive New Pokémon Store Opens In AEON IOI City Mall

Pokémon trainers! Have you ever wanted to visit those really cool Pokémon Centres in Tokyo, Japan? It’s basically every Pokémon fan’s dream to check out what those stores have to offer. From plushies to toys, to games and clothes, you’d be wanting to catch them all if you had the chance.

Fortunately for us Malaysian fans, we no longer have to travel to the land of the rising sun to get our hands on those official merchandises as a new Pokemon store just opened in Putrajaya! Come and check out the newly opened Pokémon Corner at IOI City Mall!

A post shared by AEON Retail Malaysia (@aeonretail.my)

As you all know, IOI City Mall expanded to phase 2 last year in August, making it the largest shopping centre in Malaysia. At the time of launch, AEON wasn’t open to the public as it was still under development but Pokémon fans can now rejoice as it was recently announced that the brand opened up a Pokémon Corner store!

As seen in the video above, the newly launched Pokémon Corner has basically everything one could ever dream of. Here’s a closer look:

There’s probably more where that came from! Unfortunately, we don’t have the official prices for all these merchandise but according to AEON’s post on Instagram, you can get a free Pokémon Bucket Hat worth RM39.90 with a purchase of RM250 and above on any Pokémon apparel!

So what are you waiting for? Go out there and catch them all at the AEON’s Pokémon Corner at IOI City Mall, Putrajaya today!

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X-Men Apocalypse: Bryan Singer Teases Angel’s Return Through New Production Art

A certain character from the previous “X-Men” films could be making its return to “X-Men: Apocalypse“, the sequel to Bryan Singer’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past“.

After making a surprise announcement that newcomer Lana Condor will join the cast as Jubilee, Singer teased the return of a famed character through a new production art on his Instagram account.

Some production art. #XMEN #XmenApocalypse

A photo posted by Bryan Singer (@bryanjaysinger) on Mar 30, 2015 at 10:57am PDT

Does it looks awfully familiar to you? If you’ve seen 2006’s “X-Men: The Last Stand”, then yes, the mutant featured bears a striking resemblance to Warren Worthington III aka Angel, which was previously portrayed Ben Foster.

Singer did not reveal any details about the character featured in the production art, but it left us wondering what could be happening to him in the film. We do know that in the comic book version of “Apocalypse”, Angel transformed into a dangerous henchman called Death/Archangel after his failed attempt to get his powers removed by the titular character.

Rumour has it that “EastEnders” star Ben Hardy could be portraying the winged mutant as he joined the film for a mysterious key role. He was previously shortlisted to play a young Cyclops, but the role ultimately went to Tye Sheridan.

Set in the 1980s, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, and Rose Byrne will reprise their respective roles in “X-Men: Apocalypse”. Oscar Isaac joined the cast to play the titular villain Apocalypse while Sophie Turner, Tye Sheridan, Alexandra Shipp, and Kodi Smit-McPhee will play the younger versions of Storm, Jean Grey, Cyclops, and Nightcrawler.

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


“Moon Knight” Ending Explained: What To Expect From Jake Lockley & Scarlet Scarab In Season 2

No doubt, the MCU’s version of Moon Knight has been a mind-bending adventure. In a show that tackles serious issues such as dissociative identity disorder, changing the media’s perspective on the Middle East, and expanding its lore on its own terms, it has been quite a ride on the Nile.

That being said, with the show’s finale having aired, let’s take a look at what to expect for the Fist of Khonshu moving forward.

Currently, there is no official confirmation from director Mohamed Diab, the cast, and the crew of “Moon Knight” on whether there will be a second season of the show. That being said, Oscar Isaac has gone on record to express his desire in returning if it makes sense. Co-lead May Calamawy has also said that she has not heard anything but will consider returning if there are plans in motion.

Given the circumstances surrounding the show’s ending, it would make sense to continue Moon Knight’s story. We just don’t know where he will pop up next. There have also been very few connections to the wider MCU in the show save for the Ancestral Plane reference and Steven reading books about Wakanda. So “Wakanda Forever” perhaps? We doubt that. But…

One upcoming project that might feature Khonshu’s avatar is the Marvel Studios’ Halloween Special this year, which is said to be focusing on Werewolf by Night. Now, this is significant, particularly because Marc Spector first appeared in the pages of Werewolf by Night #35 in 1975. This MCU project might be the perfect time to have Moon Knight interact with more supernatural elements.

This would also be a perfect lead-up to the MCU’s Midnight Sons, a superhero team that handles supernatural threats. It would be cool to see the Fist of Khonshu interact with the like of Mahershala Ali’s Blade, Kit Harington’s Black Knight, and fingers crossed, Johnny Blaze aka the Ghost Rider.

While much of the series has focused on the coexistence of both Marc Spector and Steven Grant, the presence of a third personality has been felt throughout. During the initial episodes, reflections play a huge part in creating the stance that Oscar Isaac’s character has more identities in the mix. In some shots, a second or third reflection can be seen.

The mystery further deepens when Marc Spector and Steven Grant become confused upon seeing the carnage around them after certain fights. No definite answer is given. Both personalities remain unaware of that lurking persona in the back of their minds.

The most obvious emergence of the Jake Lockley persona prior to the finale came in episode 5 when a crazed identity picked up a sharp glass object and threatened Dr Harrow. This identity also features a different accent.

Of course, it is revealed in the finale that Lockley has become the champion of Khonshu – that lying old beak (pfft*), of which the other personas might still be unaware. It’s true that Marc and Steven have been set free by the deity, but Khonshu’s manipulation does not stop with his control over Lockley.

Now, in the comics, the Jake Lockley personality is created as a way for Marc Spector to infiltrate the underground by day. He would then use the information he collects to exact his justice by night. Another defining trait of this character is that he is a taxi driver.

Appearing in the post-credits of Moon Knight by name, the persona shows his lethal side while also exclusively speaking in Spanish. Of course, this is intentional considering the other two have British and American accents. Therefore, a distinct trait such as this would help to differentiate the breaks in personalities moving forward.

It is a safe bet to assume that Jake Lockley will be carrying out Khonshu’s deeds from now on. As to how long Marc and Steven will be placed in the backroom drawer, only time will tell.

Layla El-Faoully may have been the one to open up the mind of Steven Grant when she shows up in episode 2. Declaring that she was in fact his wife, she and Steven go on the run after Arthur Harrow’s forces begin pursuit of them.

During the events of the finale, Layla jumps on board the Ammit train in an attempt to halt Harrow in his tracks. Without Marc/Steven’s help, she soon finds herself in a hopeless situation without anyone to fight the good fight alongside her. Khonshu implores her to become his new Knight but she declines.

Eventually, the goddess Tawaret reaches out to her, offering her a chance to become her avatar. Though not explicitly mentioned by name as the Scarlet Scarab, she sports a gold new look which might make a certain resident Captain jealous.

First appearing in Invaders #23 in 1977, the Scarlet Scarab actually pits himself against the main heroes. Seeking to end Britain’s rule over Egyptian land, Dr, Abdul Faoul took on the mantle and gained powers from a scarab amulet. He soon changed his mind about the Invaders and aided them later on.

It appears Marvel Studios may have taken liberties here (not that we’re complaining) when it comes to the power set. While the comics might have provided the user of the amulet an extra Rogue-like ability to drain powers along with firing energy blasts, the MCU’s version so far has been formidable. Fast, agile, and very strong, the Scarlet Scarab is the Egyptian protector that incites fear in her opponents when she spreads her wings.

Nevertheless, don’t expect to see the same version of the character in future. Layla’s time as Tawaret’s avatar is only temporary. Of course, seeing Layla’s embrace of becoming a superhero, there is a huge possibility that she will return in superhero form albeit with an upgraded outfit.

In the post-credits scene, Jake Lockley gives Arthur a rude awakening as he shoves him into the back of his limousine. Arthur comes face to face with Khonshu, who introduces him to Lockley. The latter then shoots him at close range, carrying out the god’s bidding.

As per comic conventions, we should not rule anything out. If we do not see a body, anything is possible. However, from a narrative standpoint, it would make little sense to actually utilise Arthur once again. The story, for him, is complete. He has been the ruthless zealot, one that has fallen from grace along with Ammit. There are other deities and other threats in Moon Knight’s gallery that should be given the spotlight.

One such character is Bushman, a grisly foe who has been a thorn in Marc’s mercenary career. His name is mentioned in passing, being cited as the partner who got greedy. Although the job was to raid an ancient Egyptian tomb, Bushman changed the plan and called for no witnesses. This led to the execution of those at the dig site. Layla’s father, Abdallah, was among those killed with Marc being gravely injured for Khonshu to find.

Bushman has not been confirmed to be KIA yet so an appearance down the pipeline is very much a possibility. It might also be a good source of dramatic conflict not only for Marc but also for Layla since Bushman was responsible for that execution.

All six episodes of Marvel Studios’ “Moon Knight” are currently streaming on Disney+.

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#myWILDTeksi: Snap A Pic Of Your Wild MyTeksi Ride & Win!

Snap happy people, rejoice! 15 “wild” taxis have escaped and MyTeksi is giving out RM500 of cold hard cash everyday to the lucky ones with the craziest and most fun shot with these myWILDteksis. And not just any boring random taxis, we’re talking about 3 limited edition myWILDteksi cars – Kitty Cab The Pink Tiger, Frog Prince The Green Frog and Mr. Jaws The Shark.

So, how does one go about bagging the daily RM500 cash giveaway?

Easy peasy! All you need to do is snap a photo (the more artistic and more unusual, the better) of any one of the myWILDteksis and share ’em on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtag #mywildteksi. Contest runs from 3rd Dec until 31st Dec. And don’t worry, the myWILDteksis will be on the road until the end of the year so there’s a high chance that you’d be able to spot them!

Alternatively, to stand a better chance at catching these “wild” rides, you could also download the MyTeksi app(iOS, Android, BlackBerry) and start booking. Those lucky enough to get a myWILDteksi ride will get it for free. But don’t forget to take a shot of it, post and tag @myteksi and #myWILDteksi to stand a chance to win RM500 daily.

To participate in the #mywildteksi campaign:


JOHNNIE WALKER® Embraces The Boldness Of Black With “Make It Black”

Johnnie Walker® brings the beauty of black to life with new “Make It Black” campaign.

Johnnie Walker® Black Label® has sparked the bold intensity of its flavours by bringing a whole new consumer experience to its fans. Designed to motivate guests to leave lasting impressions via courageous decisions, Johnnie Walker® Black Label® brought an enchanting series of performances to life at the Make It Black event held in Phuture, Zouk Club Kuala Lumpur on September 4th (Thursday).

The eventful night saw consumers dressed in black as they partied the night away to a lineup ranging from dancers to live musicians that brought an absolutely different vibe than your usual club scene to one of Kuala Lumpur’s hottest nightclub. Apart from dancers, the night saw DJ Joey G making his mark with high-energy, indie dance sets flanked by percussionists and an electric guitarist, while light suited TRON dancers were also placed within the crowd, giving partygoers an exciting and inclusive 360-degree performance.

The Make It Black Zouk Club party plays host as a pre-cursor to the main event slated for October 31st. Promising a wonderful showcase of extravagant and unusual acts, the Make It Black KL event is guaranteed to present Johnnie Walker® Black Label®  consumers across the Klang Valley with an experience like never before.

Natalie Harley, Senior Brand Manager for JOHNNIE WALKER® Malaysia explains:

“This is a new start for JOHNNIE WALKER® BLACK LABEL®. The campaign takes JOHNNIE WALKER® BLACK LABEL® in a bold new direction that not only brings to life the powerful personality and taste of this iconic whisky but also celebrates the bold and progressive spirit of the new whisky generation. The MAKE IT BLACK event at Zouk Club KL is just the beginning and the coming twelve months will bring a number of new initiatives for us.”

Over the next couple of months, Johnnie Walker® will continue to amaze and intrigue its fans around Malaysia so, be sure to keep updated with the latest happening revolving the Make It Black campaign via Facebook.

More pictures from the night can be viewed below:

The campaign’s new TVC featuring Italian artist Mattia Biagi, showcasing a more contemporary look and feel to the brand can be found below:


Nude Sports Games Participants Charged With Committing Obscenity

Earlier this month, a 5-minute-long video surfaced online depicting a “nude sports games” held in at beach on Penang island. The video, released via the account of a man named Albert Yam, showcased 18 nudists aka “naturists” participating in physical activities out in the open in their respective “birthday suits”. Needless to say, the video went viral. Following which, it caught the attention of netizens as well as the authorities. Upon the discovery of the video Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng stepped forward to say that the state would never permit such an illegal event to be held.

Naturism (what naturists practice) is a cultural movement that advocates and defends social nudity, most of which takes place on private property. To the community of naturists/nudists, it’s a lifestyle choice.

However, by law, the “Malaysia-International Nude Sports Games 2014 Extravaganza” is considered a lewd activity in a public place. Hence, the participants landed themselves in the heat of controversy and in trouble with the local authorities. Over the span of a month, one by one, they either turned themselves in or were remanded by the police to assist with investigations.

Just today, Star Online reported that 10 of the 18 nudists have been charged for the offence. They were charged under Section 294 (a) of the Penal Code for committing obscene acts which carries a jail sentence of up to 3 months or fine, or both. 6 of then 10 nudists pleaded guilty while 4 others claimed trial. They are:

It was also learnt that although all 10 are Malaysians, Albert and Loh held Singapore permanent resident status.

Yam also pleaded guilty to a second charge of circulating obscene video clips of the event. That offence under Section 292 carries a jail term of up to 3 years, a fine or both. Magistrate Muhammad Najib Ismail ordered him to be jailed a further 6 months, to run concurrently with the other jail term.

Loh, on the other hand, was said to be not a “naturist” like the other participants but was there to film it.

In passing sentence, Muhammad Najib said the 6 had broken the fifth principle of the nation’s Rukun Negara – Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan (Courtesy and Morality). He also said the local community could not accept public nudity, based on the negative reactions to the event.

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#DisneyLive: Three Classic Fairytales

Prepare to step into a world of wonder where wishing is only the beginning and dreams really do come true in Disney Live! presents Three Classic Fairy Tales.

See Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast unfold before your eyes. Dream with the princesses and cheer for the heroes as they conquer evil villains. You’ll help bring the stories to life as you laugh, clap, and sing along with Mickey and his friends.

Beautiful music, breathtaking sets, costumes and special effects capture all the adventure, humour and romance in this stage spectacular not to be missed.

Date: 24th – 26th October (Friday – Sunday)
 Time: 8pm (24th October); 11am, 3pm, 7pm (25th October); 11am, 3pm, 7pm (26th October)
 Venue: Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre
 Ticketing:

Tickets will be made available for purchase via TicketPro from 4th August onwards!


Carly Rae Jepsen’s Hacker Pleads Guilty To Nude Pics Theft

A 25-year-old Canadian man who hacked into Canadian pop star Carly Rae Jepsen’s computer to seize and release nude photos has pleaded guilty to charges of mischief and possession of stolen property. Christopher David Long of Abbotsford, British Columbia, made the unanticipated plea before a scheduled arraignment hearing on Tuesday.

Police announced in July 2012 that they were investigating a complaint by Carly Rae Jepsen of unauthorized use of a computer and theft of telecommunications. Early reports at that time suggested that nude photos of Carly Rae Jepsen had been stolen from her computer.

Then, in December 2012, the Vancouver police announced charges against Christopher David Long for criminal harassment. He initially faced five charges, including identity fraud, unauthorized use of a computer, possession of stolen property, and fraudulently obtaining telecommunications services. Those charges followed nude photos of Carly Rae Jepsen appearing online, which prompted a search by the police for the source of the leak after a complaint from the “Call Me Maybe” singer’s management team.

Meanwhile, Carly Rae Jepsen is currently touring and unable to comment on the situation.


MACC Investigates Datuk Seri Allegedly Involved In Macau Scam

Everyone has heard of the infamous “Macau Scam” by now; a phone scam syndicate which has conned unsuspecting victims up to millions of ringgit.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is currently investigating the Macau Scam syndicate ties in our country, which might involve several household names and celebrities.

Recently, the commission apprehended 5 people, including a person titled Datuk Seri, suspected to be involved with the syndicate. The individual has also been engaging in money laundering and running an online gambling site.

According to Kosmo!, the Datuk Seri and his wife are quite well known amongst local personalities, frequently partying with them. It is reported that the outcome generated by the illegal activities are laundered or used to fund celebs’ vape products.

The MACC is currently monitoring household names that have connections with the suspect. “Nevertheless, the MACC hasn’t called all of the suspected celebrities considering further investigations are being held,” a source told Utusan.

It is unknown whether our local artists are involved in the scam voluntarily or not. As of now, no comments or statements has been given by the MACC Chief Commissioner, Datuk Seri Azam Baki.

Given the current circumstances, we hope the syndicate behind the Macau Scam is served justice as this atrocity has been going on for years.

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#TomHolland: “Spider-Man” Star Visits KK Hospital While In Singapore

“Spider-Man: Homecoming” star Tom Holland is a real-life superhero.

The British actor and his co-star Jacob Batalon, who plays his best friend Ned Leeds, visited Singapore last month to promote his new film. While they were in The Lion City, the actors also visited KK Woman’s and Children’s Hospital.

In the series of photos, Holland can be seen wearing his Spider-Man costume, giving presents to patients. “Tom charmed patients and families with his visit and the autographed toys presented to the kids. A big Thank You to Tom and Jacob, for the awesome experience and for bringing cheer to the wards!” wrote the hospital.

In an interview with Channel NewsAsia, Holland said that visiting the hospital was important to me. “It really does cheer up these kids. We met this one kid yesterday with his Spider-Man pyjamas on and he was the highlight of my trip! It was so lovely to meet him and he was so excited. We gave him a little Spider-Man doll,” he said.

The 21-year-old actor also added that he will try his best to bring happiness to people all around the world. He continued, “And I think one of the most important places to do that is in a children’s hospital, especially being Spider-Man. It really is a film for them and if we are able to do that then I’ll continue to do so.”

For more on Holland and his highly-anticipated movie, check out our “Spider-Man: Homecoming”, which grossed an estimated USD250 million at the global box office over the weekend, fun facts here.

Sources: Channel NewsAsia, The Straits Times, KK Woman’s and Children’s Hospital’s Facebook page / Featured image: KK Woman’s and Children’s Hospital’s Facebook page.


Two Dead In A Week At Marina Bay Sands

On the 13th of June, a tourist was found dead at Singapore’s five-star hotel, Marina Bay Sands (MBS). He was believed to have fallen from the Marina Bay Sands’ 57-storeys high SkyPark. His body was found on a grass verge next to the East Coast Expressway (ECP).

The Singaporean police received a call for assistance at around 3pm that Tuesday afternoon but the paramedics pronounced the man dead upon arrival at the scene. According to the Singapore Chinese daily, MBS employees were quick to barricade the area with a black screen to prevent onlookers from probing and security officers were also deployed to prevent unauthorized access.

Further investigations confirmed that deceased was not staying at the hotel, but a guest from a nearby hotel.

That first incident changed the reputation of MBS’ SkyPark forever. But it didn’t stop there.

Just this morning, Channels NewsAsia reported that yet another death has occurred at the luxurious hotel. A body was found outside the lobby of the MBS, in front of its Rise Restaurant.

Singaporean police was believed to have received a call at about 9pm yesterday evening (20th June 2012). Officers and MBS staff was seen crowding around a fountain located outside the restaurant of the integrated resort. No further details have been given yet as both the Police and Singapore Civil Defence Force are still working on it.

Update: Channel NewsAsia have confirmed that the Singaporean police have identified the body as a 32-year-old Indonesian man, believed to be a guest of the hotel. The man had fallen from as high as the 52nd floor and it was understoof that his body parts were found scattered.

If both victims died from falls, it then raises the question about the safety of MBS’ SkyPark. As it is, the outer perimeter of the SkyPark was built fully reinforced to prevent visitors from falling – it is surrounded by 2-metre-high screens and steel ropes. But is that enough?

Should something be done about MBS’ SkyPark before more unfortunate incidents such as these are reported? Will greater measures and precautions be taken to prevent hotel guests and visitors from falling to their deaths?

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7 Solid Reasons To Choose Club Med For Your Next Fam Vacay!

Club Med, the pioneer of premium, all-inclusive holidays since 1950, continues to put families first with vacation experiences like no other. Get ready to create unforgettable mid-year memories with Club Med’s holidays deals – among them: kids under the age of 4 will get to stay for FREE, all year-round, at Club Med’s Sun resorts in Cherating, Maldives*, Phuket, Bintan, Bali, and more.

From luxurious accommodations to thrilling outdoor activities for the entire family, there is always something for everyone. Here are 7 reasons why Club Med resorts are perfect for family getaways NOW!

Convenient and hassle-free for families planning their vacations, Club Med’s all-inclusive holidays come with meals, drinks, activities and childcare services for guests to make the most out of their getaway without worry about additional costs. The resorts also come with Club Med’s signature Kids Club, which includes Mini Club Med + catered to children’s developmental stages and growth.

Club Med’s Amazing Family! is an immersive family programme that comes with a range of activities to suit the multi-generational family unit. Accompanied by Club Med employees, or G.O (gentle organisers), to ensure fun and safety across every stay, this programme is a great opportunity for families to spend quality time together and bring home more than just memories.

Countless outdoor activities await guests of all ages at Club Med. From adrenaline-pumping experiences such as flying trapeze, mountain biking and rock climbing, to team and family sports such as volleyball and padel tennis, to leisurely activities like nature walks and yoga, the possibilities are endless.

Many of the resorts are located near beaches for fun amongst the waves, perfect for water sports such as snorkeling, sailing, kayaking and paddleboarding. With so many exciting activities to choose from, guests are sure to have an unforgettable vacation at Club Med.

Families may immerse themselves in the local cultures of their Club Med resort locale, coupled with excursions, guided tours and cooking classes for culinary enthusiasts. From learning how to make traditional dishes to exploring the sights and sounds of local markets to appreciating museum artifacts, these experiences provide opportunities for a deeper understanding of the community and traditions of the regions Club Med resorts are nestled within.

Club Med’s Kids Club is renowned for being a comprehensive, age-appropriate programme of fun and educational activities tailored to the developmental needs of children from as little as 4-months-old to 17-year-old teenagers. These activities include sports, games, arts & crafts, theatre and creative workshops that promote learning and socialisation.

In addition to being all-inclusive and welcoming for children of all abilities, Club Med has an enhanced Mini Club Med + programme for little ones aged 4 to 10 with additional opportunities for children to express themselves creatively and hone new soft skills. Under the watchful eye of certified G.O who specialise in working with children, parents may rest assured knowing their kids are also enjoying a safe and engaging vacation experience.

Regain inner peace with a plethora of pampering spa treatments at Club Med Resorts. Guests can choose from classic massages or specialised treatments, such as aromatherapy, hot stone massages, and even reflexology. Selected resorts also offer spa treatments designed specifically for children, such as mini facials, manicures and pedicures. This ensures that guests of all ages leave feeling refreshed and revitalised.

Club Med resorts offer wellness activities such as yoga, Pilates and meditation amidst scenic surroundings worldwide, allowing parents to break away from city life, their children’s demands and instead focus on their mental and physical well-being. There are various fitness classes and personal training options catered to all levels of fitness, including aqua fitness classes that are low impact, easy on the joints and promote cardiovascular health.

Club Med’s restaurants also offer a variety of healthy dining options for delicious and nutritious meals for those wishing to maintain a healthy lifestyle while on vacation.

Club Med also incorporates key elements of sustainability across its resorts with education activities for the whole family. These include options for guests to embark on a MobiReef Underwater Trail and Coral Propogation experience with Club Med Kani’s marine biologists, a trip to Club Med Phuket’s Bamboo Shark Nursery as well as a Family Nature Walk to connect with the native flora and fauna in the mountains of Hokkaido at Club Med Tomamu.


Taiwanese Playboy Justin Lee Sentenced To 79 Years In Jail

Justin Lee, son of former Yuanta CEO Lee Yueh-tsang, and was a regular on Taipei’s high roller club scene. Not only was he rich, he would also meet girls in bars and luxury nightclubs such as the Barcelona Bar where he reportedly still has an outstanding tab of over 430,000 yuan (NT$2 million, US$67,000). He was also reported to have been romantically involved with Taiwanese models Maggie Wu and Terri Kwan.

However, he has a shocking vice: While out clubbing, he would identify a target and after plying said target with drinks, he would take her back to a hotel room and spike her drink. Once his victim was unconscious, Lee would rape her, documenting the crime with videos and photographs – without her knowledge. He has since recorded over 25GB of pornographic footage in which he would either show off to friends or blackmail and extort his victims (if they were famous or wealthy). These victims include more than 60 celebrities, actresses, models, artistes, and a TV host.

His collection was so large that he even had a film classification system, organised by “performance ratings”, victims’ personal attributes, sexual preferences, and ratings for “tightness” and “wetness”. His collection included 178 photos and 93 videos, amounting to a shocking total of 883 minutes of footage in 48 separate folders. At the height of his crime spree, he raped and/or recorded as many as 16 women in a month.

In 2011, 2 sisters filed police report against him. After which, the police discovered the files of his computer and had him arrested in November 2012. Now, after more than a year-long investigation into his activities, Shin Min Daily News is reporting that the Taiwanese playboy has been sentenced to 79 years and 7 months in jail for rape.

He was found guilty of abducting a number of women home, videotaping them in sex acts, and raping 9 of them. Taiwan’s High Court meted out the most severe punishment on the wealthy scion – several times harsher than the earlier sentence given by a district court (30 years in jail).

In addition, he has to pay his victims compensation amounting to 27.45 million Taiwan dollars (S$1.15 million).

Is the above too light of a sentence? Does he deserve a heavier punishment for the crimes that he has committed? What do you think? Sound off in the comments!

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8 Must Visit Music Festivals Across The World

Now there really is nothing in the world like a music festival — be it a rave or a blues music festival or a rock fest even. Seeing your favourite musicians and being surrounded by thousands of other fans make for an experience that cannot be duplicated anywhere else — it’s over the moon! As fans, we save up our money, we wait and when the day, weekend or week comes: we go all out. Painted faces, crazy outfits and crazier shenanigans because it’s time for us to leave the world behind and just indulge in good live music.

Music festivals are huge events and they happen all over the world. Here’s our pick of 10 music festivals that you should go to — if not this year, at least once in your life. The festivals are arranged in chronological order.

Tomorrowland is a huge electronic dance music (EDM) festival held in the town of Boom, Belgium. Ever since it first hit the world in 2005, Tomorrowland has become one of the most notable global music festivals that takes place every year in July.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival more commonly known as Coachella is an annual two-weekend, three-day music and arts festival that takes place at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Featuring genres of music that includes rock, indie, hip hop and electronic dance music, Coachella is the place to be for all arts and music fanatics.

Bluesfest is Australia’s multi-award winning and internationally renowned festival that takes place every Easter at Byron Bay. Happening over five days and featuring over a hundred performances, this festival is not one any blues music fan would want to miss out on.

A multi day music festival held in New York City, The Governors Ball first launched in 2011. Featuring a variety of genres and style of music, including rock, electronic, indie, americana, folk, pop and more, the festival also offers an array of popular NYC restaurants, food trucks and activities such as photo booth, lawn games and Silent Disco.

Now this legendary festival has been around since the ’70s and everyone must go for it at least once in their lifetime. Glastonbury is a five day music festival that takes place in Somerset, England and features contemporary music, hosts dance, comedy, theatre, cabaret and other forms of arts. Leading pop and rock artists has headlined this festival and it is now attended by 175,000 people from across the globe.

Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia won the “Best Major Festival” award at the European Festival Awards and has been around since year 2000. What’s more amazing is that this festival takes place inside a fort that was build in the 1700s.

Like Bluesfest, Splendour In The Grass also takes place in a huge grassy field on the edge of beautiful Byron Bay. An Australian version of Coachella, Splendour In The Grass is the perfect festival for hipsters as it draws a lor of indie rock and alternative rock bands.

Held in Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, Stereosonic is an annual electronic dance music festival that takes place in November and early December. Considered to be Australia’s fastest growing music festival, Stereosonic is definitely a way for music fans to end the year with a bang!


#MMusicFestival: The Chainsmokers & Hyuna To Perform In Penang?

Wait what, are The Chainsmokers and Hyuna returning to Malaysia?

If the speculation is true, music lovers could be seeing these mega stars perform in Penang sometime this year. M Music Festival has been teasing fans with this year’s line-up over the past few days and we gotta admit, it looks promising.

Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall of The Chainsmokers were previously here in Kuala Lumpur back in June 2015. Since making their debut performance in Gravity Club KL, the American DJ duo has gone on to produce hit after hit including “Closer” and “Don’t Let Me Down” (which earned them their 1st Grammy Award earlier this year).

Naturally, Malaysian fans are ecstatic at the prospect of watching these successful hitmakers live. As at time of writing, the Facebook post has been shared over 3000 times along with more than 2000 comments.

Besides the famous EDM-pop duo, the page also suggests that K-Pop artiste Hyuna (현아) might be making an appearance at the upcoming M Music Festival. The former 4Minute rapper was in town for the H-Artistry event last year, which took place at the Malaysia International Exhibition and Convention Centre (MIECC) in Mines Resort City.

In addition, R&B songstress Tinashe, Australian DJ Havana Brown, Dutch EDM duo W&W, and even Paris Hilton were included in their series of teaser posts. While we wait for the official confirmation, there is a possibility that not all of the aforementioned artists may appear.

To get the latest updates on M Music Festival 2017, be sure check out their official Facebook page here.

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#Tomorrowland: David Guetta Drops Nursery Rhyme For The “People Of Tomorrow”

Talk about an unexpected nursery rhyme twist!

It has been awhile since we’ve heard anything about/from David Guetta and it looks like he has just made it a point for people to talk about him and remember him for the next week or so at least.

During his main stage set the recent Tomorrowland festival in Belgium, he dished out a “new” track, something that can only be described as a nursery rhyme, much to everyone’s surprise. We’ve all heard or seen cross-genre collaborations, some “punnier” than others, but we certainly have not seen someone pull off an EDM edition of “If You’re Happy And You Know It”.

Now, grab your “bantal busuk” and wave it around like you just don’t care while you watch this:


#SmartTAG: Be Careful About Getting Overcharged At Toll Plazas

More and more drivers in Malaysia have become dependant on Touch ‘n Go cards and SmartTAGs ever since full electronic toll collections have been implemented throughout the Klang Valley.

Despite the convenience from this cashless toll structure, many Malaysians are now worried that SmartTAG users may be at risk of being overcharged due to faulty toll system.

Sai Yew Lee, a Malaysian who was recently charged 5 times more than the usual rate while passing through a toll, took to Facebook last Friday (3rd June 2016) to share his personal account on what went down.

The incident took place on Wednesday (1st June 2016) when he was exiting the Rawang Selatan toll from Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim (previously known as Jalan Duta). He was shocked to learn that his initial value of approximately RM100 was reduced to a balance of RM50.70 after passing through the toll.

“[This] means Plus Highway charged me more than RM50.00 for a less than RM10.00 trip,” Lee was quoted as saying from his post.

Upon contacting Touch n’ Go and later Plus Highway, Lee was disappointed by their less than satisfactory response. According to the Malaysian, both companies gave him similar answers when he enquired the cause of such occurrence.

They apparently said that such incidents happen quite frequently and is probably caused by faulty magnetic reader. They also added that those who have been overcharged can head over to the nearest Plus office to get an immediate refund.

Having said that, he was taken aback by the answers given when he asked what happens if the SmartTAG user is unaware that their card is being inaccurately overcharged. “If you don’t complain we won’t know and there will be no refund,” said the rep for Touch ‘n Go and Plus office, as stated by Lee.

Although Lee has proceeded to claim a refund of RM43.80, he is still worried that no action has been taken to solve this common problem. He questioned if Plus Highway and Touch ‘n Go are doing enough to protect the public’s interest.

“Both companies were giving me no other solution but forcing me to drive to their office for a refund. Is it fair?” he added.

To those who have been overcharged and don’t know what to do, you could follow Lee’s example and fill in a complaint form “Aduan Caj Berlebihan” (ACB) at any Touch ‘n Go office. Alternatively, you could call up their care line at 03-2714 8888 or email them at careline@touchngo.com.my.

For more information, check out Touch ‘n Go’s website here.

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#GOT7 To Hold First Fanmeeting In Malaysia

March is going to be a month filled with excitement for music lovers as a slew of musicians including Christina Perri, Taiwanese-Korean singer Bii (畢書盡), and Ed Sheeran are set to perform in Malaysia. “Thriller Live“, a spectacular musical created to celebrate the musical career of the world’s greatest entertainer, Michael Jackson, will also be held in the same month but the excitement doesn’t end there.

K-Pop lovers, we have a piece of good news for you too.

Having previously made their way to Malaysia for a music video filming, K-Pop idol boy group GOT7 will return to our country next month for a special fanmeeting.

Based in South Korea, GOT7 is a 7-member boy group that is being trained under JYP Entertainment. The group is a multinational group (Korea, America, Hong Kong and Thailand) that comprised of 7 members including leader JB, Mark, Jr., Jackson, Youngjae, Bambam, and Yugyeom. Two of the members, JB and Jr., originally debuted as the pop duo JJ Project in 2012. After making their official debut on 16th January 16 2014 through Mnet’s M! Countdown, the group released their debut EP, “Got It?”, on 20th January 2014.

GOT7 released their 2nd mini album “Got Love” 5 months later and made their Japanese debut on 22nd October 2014 with their 1st Japanese single, “Around the World”.

Earlier in January, the group successfully wrapped up their Asia Tour showcase in China, Taipei, and Hong Kong. In the midst of the Chinese New Year celebration, Erama Creative made a surprise announcement for GOT7‘s first-ever fanmeeting in Malaysia.

The details of the fanmeeting are as follows:

Ticket price and seating map have yet to be announced but the ticket pre-sale event will be held on 28th February 2015 at Quill City Mall, Kuala Lumpur, from 1 – 5pm. A total of 100 VIP+ tickets and 400 VIP tickets will be made available at the pre-sale event. VIP+ticket holders are entitled to HI5 with GOT7 while the first 500 ticket holders will receive a special #GOT7inKL poster. Official sales tickets will begin on 1st March 2015 and you can purchase the tickets via TicketPro or call +603 7880 7999.

Overseas fans who are flying in to Kuala Lumpur for the fanmeeting will enjoy special hotel room rates at the official hotel.

Wait no longer, GOT7’s fan. Erama Creative has finally announced the ticketing info and the seating map for the group’s first fanmeeting in Malaysia!

The VIP+ tickets are only limited to 2 tickets per person and if they are bought by a representative, he/she must submit his/her full name, phone number, a copy of his/her identification card/passport and agreed signature copy of HI-5 event terms to the organiser.

For more information, visit Erama Creative’s official Facebook page and Twitter account.


#SafeSteps: Michelle Yeoh Engaged As Ambassador To Raise Awareness On Road Safety

What is the number 1 killer of 15 to 29 years old? Road accidents.

To put it in perspective: Globally, 1.3 million people are killed on the road every year with an average of 1 person every 30 seconds. 500 young kids are killed on the road every day. 50% of all deaths involve pedestrians. All of these are absolutely preventable. In the short amount time it took you to read this, 1 more life has been taken away.

In Malaysia alone, an average of 6,000 to 7,000 traffic related deaths are recorded yearly, much higher compared to other countries, reports Mohan Ramanujam. Statistics shows that while the world average record is 18 deaths per 100,000 of the population, Malaysia registered at 23.6 deaths per 100,000.

The numbers are staggering, and it calls for better road safety education. As such, Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh recently help launched the Safe Steps Road Safety campaign at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur.

She was joined by Datuk Sri Liow Tiong Lai, minister of transport; Jean Todt, President of the FIA and the United Nations Special Envoy for Road Safety; and Donald Kanak, Chairman of Prudence Foundation.

The objective of the Safe Steps Road Safety campaign programme is to raise awareness on traffic accidents by providing clear and simple life-saving guidance through the dissemination of videos concerning the risks of drunk driving, distracted driving, the importance of seat-belts, adherence to speed limits, as well as motorcycle and pedestrian safety.

At the press conference, Yeoh said the best way to educate the public about road safety is to start with the younger generation. “We are hoping to start soon with the schools, and I have already been approached. It’s a collaborative effort with the government, the private sector, with individuals and especially with schools.

“We have the messages right now, but we need to work together with the schools where it becomes part of the curriculum. We will be assisting schools in getting the Safe Steps videos and pamphlets, so that children can be taught the correct thing to do, and in turn, they can pass the message on to adults,” said the Safe Steps Road Safety Ambassador.

The Safe Steps Road Safety campaign features Yeoh in a series of 60-second educational videos on road safety.

Do check out Safe Steps’ official website for access to educational materials such as pamphlets and posters that can be downloaded for further dissemination.

Alternatively, you can also check out their YouTube channel to watch more public service announcement (PSA) videos featuring Yeoh.

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Oz: Defining “Great And Powerful”

Inspired by “Wizard of Oz”, the film is nowhere close to being a remake of the original story. In fact, it’s more a prequel to the “Wizard of Oz” than anything else.

“Oz The Great And Powerful” stars James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, and Michelle Williams. The film opens in monochrome (read: black and white) Kansas but soon transforms into vivid, technicolour. In case you wonder who “Oz” is, he’s Oscar Diggs (played by James Franco).

Though “Oz The Great And Powerful” does take bits and pieces of the original story line, it’s really not as cute and not as magical. Also, don’t expect to see red shoes, Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, or the Scarecrow.

“Oz” is accompanied by three other characters, Theodora (played by Mila Kunis), Evanora (played by Rachel Weisz), and Glenda (played by Michelle Williams). Of course, you need to know that these three ladies are witches and of course, not all three are good in terms of nature. In fact, you’d be amazed to find out how beautiful and at the same time, ugly it is to watch witches when they turn evil.

And we applaud Mila Kunis for portraying her role so well – it’s so convincing!

Having said that, the CGI in the film, thanks to having fallen in the hands of director Sam Raimi, is amazing. In fact, it was the bold and vibrant colours that inadvertently stole the show:

[youtube id=”DylgNj4YQVc” width=”600″ height=”350″]

Uh, yes. We need to also add that the trailer is not as frightening as the movie really is. Something to consider because you take your young siblings or kids out to catch the film. Is it worth watching in the cinemas though? Yes, of course!

“Oz The Great And Powerful” is now screening at a cinema near you.

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


#Thaipusam2016: Kuala Lumpur Roads Closure To Make Way For Procession

The coming weekend is going to be one of the many long weekends in Malaysia this year due to the Thaipusam public holiday but still, you’ll need to plan your travels well.

According to a The Star Online report, several roads would be closed to make way for the Thaipusam procession from the Sri Maha Mariamman temple in Jalan Tun H.S. Lee to Batu Caves.

The roads will be closed and reopened in stages between 10pm Friday (22nd January) and Saturday (23rd January) evening for the first procession from the Sri Maha Mariamman temple.

For the second procession from Batu Caves, the routes will be closed and reopened in stages between 4pm Monday (25th January) and early Tuesday (26th January).

The routes affected will be Jalan Tun H.S. Lee, Jalan Sultan, Jalan Pudu, Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Leboh Ampang, Jalan Ampang, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Jalan Dang Wangi, Sogo Shopping Complex, Jalan Raja Laut, Jalan Sri Amar, Jalan Tun Razak (u-turn in front of the Fire and Rescue Department), Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Jalan Konvil Hilir, Lorong Konvil Hulu, Jalan Perhentian, Batu 5 and Batu Caves.

Kuala Lumpur traffic police investigation and traffic law officer Deputy Supt S. Markandan said the roads will be closed in stages from 4pm Friday to make way for preparations for the Thaipusam celebrations.

He also encouraged those affected by the road closures to use public transportation and strictly advised road users to not park their vehicles on the designated routes.

“By obstructing traffic, you risk getting summoned or having your vehicles towed away. No exceptions will be made during the celebrations. Traffic offenders will be dealt with. We mean business,” he said.

DSP Markandan said 85 traffic policemen would be on duty along the routes to ensure smooth traffic flow and keep road users safe at all times.

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Oscars 2023 Predictions: Who’s Most Likely To Triumph On Hollywood’s Biggest Night?

The 95th edition of the Academy Awards is set to rock the stage in March. A celebration of the very lives imbued into the films of the yesteryear. Part of the fun of the awards season is speculating who’d end up with the biggest prizes of the night.

So, let’s peel back some of the layers that went into The 95th edition of the Academy Awards is set to rock the stage in March. A celebration of the various lives and artistic visions imbued into the films of the yesteryear, the nominees of 2023 contain some powerhouses with the likes of “Avatar”, Steven Spielberg, and John Williams all being within the same edition.

Part of the fun of the awards season is speculating who would end up with the biggest prizes of the night. Sometimes it’s a little bit of facts and figures along with campaigning, and at other times, something totally out of the pie box.

Therefore, we’re going to put on our thinking hats and dive into the various categories, be it Best Picture, Best Documentary, Best Morbius (ok, we’re kidding about that last one), and the like.

Let’s start off with something that’s a little easier to predict. If there’s one thing that the guilds and academies love, it is the concept of stop-motion. If the dough’s good, it actually has the best chance of winning the trophy,

This year, there are actually two movies which utilise the technique: “Pinocchio” and “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”. Regardless, we think the former has the better chance of clinching the title, and this is especially bolstered by its recent Golden Globes win.

Michelle Yeoh – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Andrea Riseborough’s nomination was definitely a surprise but ultimately, we don’t think it will uproot the strong foundations of the two heavyweights in this category. Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh are going head to head for the best actress spot as they both turned in really strong performances. Michelle might be a favourite but we think Blanchett will ultimately edge out the Malaysian-born actress.

Indeed, Blanchett’s turn as a world-renowned classical composer who slowly but surely slinks into a downward spiral is one for the ages. Blanchett’s captivating gravitas to Lydia Tár has earned her multiple accolades within the past six months and it would be difficult to top that momentum.

Colin Farrell – “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Brendan Fraser. Brendan Fraser. And we’ll repeat it once more. Brendan-the-man-FRASER!

The 54-year-old “The Mummy” actor has recently gotten a resurgence in Hollywood and this rising trend has aptly been dubbed the ‘Brennaisance’. His performance in “The Whale” is quite possibly the best thing he’s had in years, and we were so struck by the humongous gravity of it all that we’re quite certain that he’s gonna clinch it.

The only other performer who’s probably the most likely to take the throne would be Austin Butler for “Elvis”. We mean, the guy’s stuck with the King’s accent now. That’s pure dedication.

Angela Bassett – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”

Kerry Condon – “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Jamie Lee Curtis – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Stephanie Hsu – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

For the first time ever, a performer in an MCU film has been nominated for an Academy Award, but that doesn’t mean that a win is automatic. Sure, Angela Bassett may be the favourite to win here due to that history-making Golden Globe title, but based on momentum and statistics alone, Kerry Condon, Hong Chau, and Stephanie Hsu are actually ahead of her.

Frankly, this one is tough. Kerry Condon and truly, Stephanie Hsu, were both standouts in their respective movies. Nevertheless, we’re placing our cards on Hong Chau’s dramatic chops to take away the prize for her performance in “The Whale”. Her pairing with Brendan Fraser was truly heartfelt. As the lead’s emotional crux, there was so much weight poured into crafting this hefty journey, one that Hong Chau expertly traverses, be it in her scenes with Brendan or with the younger cast of Sadie Sink and Ty Simpkins.

Brendan Gleeson – “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Barry Keoghan – “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Ke Huy Quan – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Like Brendan Fraser, Ke Huy Quan is also enjoying a cinematic resurgence. The only difference is that “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is only his second role in over a decade after appearing in 2021’s “Finding Ohana”. The ‘kid’ from “Indiana Jones” has been killing it at all throughout the awards season and it’s hard to see anyone else take usurp this strong position. Probably Brendan Gleeson or Barry Keoghan could summon some banshees from Ireland and grab hold of the golden man. But we really think that Short Round has got it. After all, the man’s got that ‘Blue Steel’ rizz.

“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Martin McDonagh

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” – Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

“The Fabelmans” – Tony Kushner, Steven Spielberg

There are two films on this list that are simply audacious and fresh: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” that we think they’re going to emerge in a draw. But… if we had to choose… we’d go with “Banshees” as its ludicrous premise hammers its comedy down hard and yet, makes up with a compelling tale of brotherhood and loss for the ages. Feckin’ incredible.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson, Ian Stokell

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” – Rian Johnson

“Top Gun: Maverick” – Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie

For the best-adapted screenplay, we believe that Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking” is the strongest runner and it has been scooping medals left and right since the awards season began. Don’t get us wrong, there are no qualities that make the others on this list inferior, and they are all entertaining in their own right. Yet, “Women Talking” would most probably be something that the Academy would be looking for, with its strong message that would become its talking point.

“All That Breathes” – Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” – Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov

“Fire of Love” – Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman

“A House Made of Splinters” – Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström

“Navalny” – Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

“Fire of Love” is quite the eruption when it comes to the world of documentaries and is quite possibly the frontrunner for the best feature in this category. It’s a fiery mix of danger and adventure and chaos, and yet finds itself melting in a pot of amorous affection, and ultimately tragedy.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)

Two of the films on this list performed really well at the Cannes Film Festival last year. Belgium’s “Close” won the Grand Prix and “EO” won the jury prize. Moreover, the buzz surrounding Netflix’s “All Quiet On The Western Front” has been spectacular as of late too. However, we think, with the momentum that it’s gotten from its time in France, the Belgian film directed by Lukas Dhont has the upper hand over its competition.

“Applause” – “Tell It Like a Woman” (Diane Warren)

“Hold My Hand” – “Top Gun: Maverick” (Lady Gaga, BloodPop)

“Naatu Naatu” – “RRR” (MM Keeravaani, Chandrabose)

“Lift Me Up” – “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Ryan Coogler)

“This Is A Life” – “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski)

Rihanna and Lady Gaga both lent their soulful voices to two of 2022’s most popular films. Their songs got some significant airtime on the charts. However, we think “RRR’s” “Naatu Naatu” is the song of the year, with its extended choreographed sequence becoming a phenom on its own.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Volker Bertelmann

“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Carter Burwell

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” – Son Lux

We just want to point out that a crime was committed within the streets of Gotham with “The Batman” being snubbed for this category. That’s it.

Regardless, there are some stellar works from the brilliant 5 minds on this list that are equal parts haunting, dynamic, and giddy. Ultimately, we do think Justin Hurwitz will triumph here for his latest collaboration with Damien Chazelle.

However, we’re not ruling out the might of John Williams, who has basically broken his own record of being the individual with the most Oscar nominations alive. If one is capable to cause an upset, it’s the legend himself. So, we’ll just have to wait and see.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – James Friend
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” – Darius Khondji
“Elvis” – Mandy Walker
“Empire of Light” – Roger Deakins
“Tár” – Florian Hoffmeister

For the film with the best cinnamon toast crunch, there are three that could take the crown. Roger Deakins work on “Empire of Light” was sublime as was Florian Hoffmeister’s approach for “Tár”. Yet, we think Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s “Bardo” will rise above the rest with its dark, humorous approach to life, and the bewitching absurdities within its context.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank, Kamil Jafar

“Avatar: The Way of Water” – Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon, Daniel Barrett

“The Batman” – Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands, Dominic Tuohy

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” – Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White, Dan Sudick

“Top Gun: Maverick” – Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson, Scott R Fisher

(Insert ‘eyes’ emoji here). Is this even a competition?

“The Banshees of Inisherin” – Mikkel EG Nielsen

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” – Paul Rogers

Like his musical biopic brother before him, “Elvis” has the potential to do a little jiggle-wiggle and walk away with the Oscar here. This time, however, we’re going to go with the Multiversal effort of “Everything Everywhere All At Once” which basically mashed a whole lot of varying ideas and made it all work! “Everything Everywhere All At Once” was simply perfect in its pace and presentation, which is why we think it will triumph here.

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” – Ruth E Carter

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” – Shirley Kurata

“Mrs Harris Goes to Paris” – Jenny Beavan

Ruth E Carter is back once again for the “Black Panther” sequel and she’s achieved a nomination once again for her great work in bringing Wakanda and Talokan to life this time around. Nevertheless, will she be able to retain her crown?

Loads of work were poured into recreating the suits that the King of Rock and Roll wore, and “Babylon” was a fiesta in the works. “Everything Everywhere All At Once” had a wicked amount of costumes. Cough. Raccoon hair. Cough. Sausage fingers.

So, in the end, did you think we were gonna rule out “Black Panther” after listing all of the others? No, actually, we were going to say that the Marvel sequel has a really great shot at attaining a second trophy in the category with its intricacies and beautiful craftsmanship on display throughout the sequences of the movie. Tenoch Huerta’s Namor and Mabel Cadena’s Namora designs are truly beautiful and the glory of Wakanda was increased ten-fold with the new costumes.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel, Stefan Korte

“Avatar: The Way of Water” – Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Michael Hedges

“The Batman” – Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray, Andy Nelson

“Elvis” – David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson, Michael Keller

“Top Gun: Maverick” – Mark Weingarten, James H Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor

While one might expect a spectacle like “Avatar” to sweep the technical categories, we actually think that it’s the least likely to win. With “All Quiet on The Western Front”, the sound design was chilling; haunting when it was needed, and silent to showcase creeping stealth. The same can be said about Matt Reeve’s “Batman” here. “Elvis”, on the other hand, is a pompous ride, one that needed to splurge on the wealth of the King’s vocals.

This time, however, we are feeling the need… for speed with “Top Gun: Maverick”. While much of its adrenaline-fuelled rushes can be attributed to the giddy camera work, what we can say is that the IMAX experience of hearing jet fuel combust through airspace is simply a master’s work of art. Simply put, it’s music to the ears.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Christian M Goldbeck, Ernestine Hipper

“Avatar: The Way of Water” – Dylan Cole, Ben Procter, Vanessa Cole

“Elvis” – Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy, Bev Dunn

“Babylon” – Florencia Martin, Anthony Carlino

“The Fabelmans” – Rick Carter, Karen O’Hara

For this category, we think “The Fabelmans” extensive set work and preparations in creating a piece true to a specific era will ultimately prevail. Rick Carter and Karen O’Hara worked off floor plans from Spielberg’s memory and translated them into a working set. And it evolves with the journey that Sammy goes through as every space and crevice is put into account.

“All Quiet on the Western Front” – Heike Merker, Linda Eisenhamerová

“The Batman” – Naomi Donne, Mike Marino, Mike Fontaine

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” – Camille Friend, Joel Harlow

“Elvis” – Mark Coulier, Jason Baird, Aldo Signoretti

“The Whale” – Adrien Morot, Judy Chin, Anne Marie Bradley

There’s been a trend in which make-up and hairstyling tend to look up to the use of prosthetics that significantly alter a person’s appearance. In this case, we could eliminate all of the nominees save for two. One obviously is “The Whale” and the second is “Elvis”.

Once again, due to the nature of “The Whale” and how it basically transformed Brendan Fraser’s natural appearance into a heavy, morbidly obese man, it’s definitely going to pull the weight in this category to its favour.

Anders Walter previously won the Oscar for Best Short Film in 2014, and we think he is able to do it once again for his excellent work on “Ivalu”.

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”

“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”

Looking at the last two titles on this list is enough to give someone a chuckle but let’s try to keep a straight face here. We actually think that the raunchy title has the best shot here. “My Year of Dicks”, a tale of self-discovery has been killing it at film fests and we wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up losing its vi- sorry, we mean winning the grand prize here.

“How Do You Measure a Year?” and “Stranger at the Gate” are both coming in hot with prior nominations and subsequent wins from film festivals. However, we’re going with our gut to say that “Stranger at the Gate”. It’s a loving message, which allows for a testimony of man’s capacity for compassion even when violence is knocking right at the door.

Martin McDonagh – “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert – “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Now, this is actually pretty tough as all of these directors poured their hearts to create significantly unique cinematic experiences. Todd Field masterfully brought the life and slow death of a composer to screen, the grieving artist perhaps he was trying to convey. Martin McDonagh imbued his sensibilities to craft a stellar irony in Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson’s performances. Not to forget, the Daniels, one time directors of DJ Snake’s “Turn Down For What” music video, built up a wacky and extraterrestrial experience.

Despite that, we’re actually going to go with Steven Spielberg. The man drew inspiration from himself to create a sort of pseudo-biography. The vision he had from the start helped shape up that dream of his upon the silver screen. He’s embraced it, fully immersed himself in the arts, and has now become part of cinema itself.

And so, we’re down to the most coveted award of the season. After what “CODA” pulled off last year, it’s safe to say we can expect the unexpected. Yet, we’ll try to predict who will take home the prize.

Let’s face it, “Avatar”, “Maverick”, “Elvis” and “All Quiet on The Western Front” are probably not going to win Best Picture. They’re a little more to the technical and visual side, which doesn’t really fit into the mould of the Best Picture winners in recent years.

So, that leaves us with six more contestants in the dramatic category. Here’s where it really gets going. We think that “Women Talking” has a chance but it might not be the neutral ground that some might want. So, that leaves us with what? “Banshees”, “EEAAO”, “Tar”, “The Fabelmans”, and “Triangle of Sadness”.

We haven’t really discussed Ruben Ostlund’s film, and it may pretty much be the outlier over here. However, it’s also worth noting that it did win big at Cannes last year. And you know what won big previously at the same fest a few years back? That’s right, Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite”, did go on to win Best Picture during the 92nd Academy Awards.

That being said, we can’t count the rest out based on a singular statistic from a few years back. Indeed, “Banshees” and “The Fabelmans” have equal shots at bringing it home. Yet, we still think that “Everything Everywhere All At Once” might actually be the most complete film. It’s got homages to cinema. It’s big on spectacle, and yet, doesn’t shy away from its dramatic moments. And overall, the idea of bringing kindness to one another through this weird, wonderful film is quite simply a most logical choice here. It’s unconventional, and yet it ticks all the boxes.

What do you think of our predictions for the 95th edition of the Academy Awards? Are we smack-on right or are we dead wrong? Give us your guesses and tell us who you think would win!

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Hype’s Now Playing: Hyuna – Morning Glory (나팔꽃)

It has barely been a month since HyunA dropped her music video for “How’s This (어때?)“, but she’s back again, much to the delight of fans.

A music video for “Morning Glory (나팔꽃)”, which is a track from her latest album “A’wesome”, was released yesterday night (Monday, 22nd August) without prior notice, giving fans a nice surprise.

Rapper Qim Isle (김아일) is featured in the music video of the song, which is composed, arranged, and written by Seonwoo Jeonga, a film score composer.

While HyunA’s music videos are usually filled with sexual tones and gyrating dance moves, her latest visual fest gives off a very different mood. The music video is simple, as it shows the singer dressed in daily wear while enjoying her holiday in Bali. Unsurprisingly, the songstress still manages to look sexy while shopping, resting, and eating!

HyunA’s 5th mini-album “A’wesome”, which was released on 1st August, consists of 6 songs including “How’s This (어때?)”, “Wolf” featuring rapper Hanhae, “Do It”, “Seduction”, and “U & Me”. Her latest effort was also her first since the disbandment of 4MINUTE.

For more information, hit up HyunA’s official Facebook page and Instagram.