Archive for September, 2008
Word Has It…: Wanted: More Local Airtime
Fernandez met with the Minister of Energy, Water and Communication last month.
THE petition by the Malaysian Artistes Association or Persatuan Karyawan Malaysian (Karyawan) to the government to make it compulsory for privately-owned radio stations to have 90 per cent of local music content to alleviate the problems of the music industry, has made some headway.
The Ministry of Energy, Water and Communication confirmed that it has handed over the matter to Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) for review.
Earlier last month, Karyawan president Freddie Fernandez and singer/composer/producer/actor M.Nasir met with its minister, Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, at his office in Putrajaya to discuss the problems plaguing the music industry.
At the meeting, Fernandez reiterated that the industry needed airtime for foreign songs to be limited to 10 per cent for the local music to survive, as most radio stations prefer playing popular Indonesian songs.
Shaziman said the government was committed to addressing issues faced by the industry. All that’s needed, he said, was to get the cooperation of private radio stations too.
At present, all private radio stations have abided by the content requirements set by the authorities - the 60:40 ratio of local to foreign songs.
Statistics show that most stations play more local tunes than mandated, averaging at 70.8 per cent.
Fernandez stressed that a total of 68 local albums were released last year but not all the artistes have been getting fair airplay.
He also blamed the dwindling revenues of the industry on radio stations’ preference for foreign music.
In 1996, the music industry raked in a staggering RM315 million, which has now declined to RM60 million.
JAZZ/R&B singer Noryn Aziz is on cloud nine. Her Hari Raya celebration will see her serenading the country’s dignitaries, politicians and VVIPs when she performs at the open house of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
Noryn has chosen four songs including Suara Takbir and Selamat Hari Raya.
“My family is in Shah Alam so I really don’t mind working on the first day of Hari Raya. It’s an honour to be able to perform at an important event hosted by our Prime Minister,” said the 33-year-old Noryn.
Others performing include Malaysian Idol 1 champ Jaclyn Victor.
Noryn is currently in the midst of collecting material for her second album.
If everything goes well, the album will be produced by renowned musicians and composers, Mac Chew and Jenny Chin.
The singer’s debut album, Alam Maya was released in 2006.
FRESH from clinching the Special Jury Award at the 21st Malaysian Film Festival in August, actor-and-director M. Subash looks set to create a history of sorts.
The filming of his second directorial, Syirik, was completed in a duration of four days!
“How much time you spend to shoot a film is not important. I’m fortunate as my filming went smoothly. I believe that if a director works according to the production plan, nothing is impossible,” said Subash, in a phone interview last week.
Filming took place in Hulu Langat, Selangor, in August.
Syirik is a thriller about a girl who is murdered and seeks her revenge via a camera. Her spirit possesses a “camera” which leads to a killing spree in a quiet town.
Syirik also sees Subash playing multiple characters including lead roles Lina and Kumar.
Others in the cast are Khatijah Tan, Sham Sunder and newcomers Zaid and Jeff Omar.
Produced by Genius Parade Sdn Bhd, the RM400,000 film is slated for release in March or April.
At the MFF21, Subash bagged the Special Jury trophy for his efforts in highlighting the plight of the disabled in his debut directorial, Pensil.
The film also received further acclaim for its compelling theme and was nominated in the coveted Best Film category.
Pensil made heads turn for being nominated in several categories including Best Original Story, Most Promising Actor and Actress, Most Promising Director and Best Poster.
New Straits Times
The ‘H’ Factor
The celebrities who will be speaking at the ‘H’ Factor workshop.
Harnessing celebrities to mentor creative talents among our youth. Sounds like a great idea, writes HANNAH TAN.
THE creative entertainment industry is often perceived with much negativity. Rock stars, movie stars, supermodels, musicians and performers in general are often associated with drug and alcohol abuse and sex scandals.
It is therefore understandable that parents, especially in this part of the globe, aren’t too keen on their kids developing their creative skills and talents.
While it is generally true that most celebrities make poor role models, yet like everything else there are exceptions. The trick is to highlight these positive exceptions and harness their influence on the society.
There is no denying the supreme influencing power of the creative entertainment industry. In the United Kingdom, the music industry alone contributes ΰ5 billion per annum to the country’s GDP. Imagine if that were to happen in Malaysia!
Does Malaysia have what it takes to do the same? Do we even have the creative talents in the first place?
I strongly believe we do, except that many of these talents are, as of yet, undiscovered. They are buried under the emphasis on academic excellence. They are discouraged by the so-called ‘reality’ of not being able to make a living as a creative individual.
How do we change that?
With a new level of commitment towards nurturing a positive cause. It’s time we infect our youths with the positivity bug. Spread the fever for all things good.
By harnessing the influence of recognisable faces from the industry, we can invest in the lives of the young to help them discover and nurture their talents for a good cause.
But in building this generation of creative, skillful and positive individuals, and changing the mindset of the society in general towards the creative entertainment industry, we need everyone’s support, from the government and ministries to the corporate players and the entertainers themselves.
This is where the ‘H’ Factor steps in. The ‘H’ Factor Nationwide Creative Youth Workshop is a series of full-day workshops aimed at cultivating a sense of positivity among the pop-culture community.
Designed for youths aged between 16 to 25, the workshops will be conducted by various celebrities who will be investing their time and sharing their experience with the workshop participants
pro bono. They are:
1. Film and Acting (Hans Isaac)
2. Comedy & Theater (Harith Iskander)
3. Music (Reymee Hussein of Innuendo)
4. Radio (Serena C & Pietro Felix of Mix FM)
5. Dance & Movement (Fellest Yan of Wild Stream Productions)
6. TV Hosting (Hannah Tan)
7. Motion graphics & Animation (Joey Khor of Hue Visualab)
8. Mentalism & Magic (Mentalist & Magician David Lai)
Our vision is to turn this campaign into a mentorship programme and eventually an academy where talents can be groomed for the local and international creative content arena.
The workshops, to be conducted in Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and Kota Kinabalu this month, will not only be a clean and fun-filled extravaganza for the youth but also an avenue for them to identify their creative interests and subsequently plan for a career in the fields of of their choice.
We hope that by giving them a head start in their creative endeavours, we can encourage them to spend their leisure time wisely without compromising their integrity and moral values.
I would like to end with a quote from Thurgood Marshall: “None of us has gotten where we are solely by pulling ourselves up from our own bootstraps. We got here because somebody bent down and helped us.”
The first of the ‘H’ Factor Nationwide Creative Youth Workshops will kick off in Penang on Oct 12. To register, visit www.h-factor.info.
New Straits Times
Dakwa Boleh Lewatkan Proses Penuaan
DR. PERRICONE (kanan) mendakwa penuaan adalah satu penyakit yang boleh diperangi.
LONDON - Seorang pakar diet, Dr. Nicholas Perricone mendakwa mampu melewatkan proses tua tanpa melakukan sebarang pembedahan kecantikan, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.
Ketika pakar-pakar kulit lain mengakui tugas mereka adalah berusaha untuk meminimumkan kesan tua, Dr. Perricone beralih kepada cara tradisional untuk melewatkan proses penuaan.
Dia sebaliknya berhujah bahawa proses penuaan adalah sejenis penyakit.
“Mungkin ia merupakan satu kontroversi tetapi saya percaya bahawa penuaan adalah satu penyakit yang berlaku di peringkat sel dan anda mampu memeranginya,” kata Dr. Perricone.
Dia tidak mendakwa memiliki rahsia kehidupan abadi tetapi percaya bahawa kemerosotan fizikal dikaitkan dengan penuaan dapat dielakkan.
Dr. Perricone mempunyai ramai peminat daripada kalangan selebriti Hollywood seperti aktres Kim Cattrall, Cate Blanchett, Uma Thurman dan Julia Roberts.
Sebelum ini dalam sebuah bukunya berjudul The Wrinkle Cure and The Perricone Prescription, dia mendakwa diet yang kaya dengan ikan salmon dan buah beri mampu menjadikan anda kelihatan lebih muda.
Sejak bertahun-tahun lalu, dia menganalisis kenapa manusia kelihatan muda dan apakah punca menyebabkan mereka kelihatan tua.
“Apabila anda melihat muka yang muda, apa yang anda lihat adalah lengkung dan ruang yang luas iaitu dahi berlengkung, mulut menonjol, terdapat ruang luas di pipi serta pelipis.
“Berikutan peningkatan umur, kita kehilangan otot dan lemak, oleh itu terdapat kecembungan mendatar menyebabkan cengkung.
“Kami menyedari bahawa penuaan adalah lebih kepada kehilangan tisu-tisu,” kata Dr. Perricone.
Bagaimanapun, perkembangan mendadak dan populariti suntikan Botox sejak beberapa tahun lalu mencetuskan kebimbangannya.
“Saya bimbang mengenai prosedur yang berterusan sama ada ia pembedahan atau suntikan,” jelasnya.
“Semua itu mencetuskan trauma dan saya tidak pasti ia merupakan strategi terbaik untuk mengekalkan muka yang muda,” katanya.
Dr. Perricone mempunyai satu pelan bagi membolehkan manusia kelihatan muda berbanding menggunakan Botox dan menjalani pembedahan.
Menurutnya, jika pelan itu diikuti oleh ramai orang, mereka akan kelihatan 10 tahun lebih muda daripada umur sebenar.
Langkah pertama adalah memakan protein berkualiti tinggi seperti ikan salmon, makan daging ayam yang tidak diternak dalam kurungan, makanan laut yang bercangkerang seperti kerang atau kupang dan tauhu.
Bahan-bahan itu penting untuk memperbaiki sel dan membina blok tisu otot.
Sayur-sayuran dan buahan-buahan seperti, blueberry, brokoli dan bayam menjadikan kadar kandungan gula stabil sekali gus mengekalkan bahan antioksidan yang meneutralkan bahan-bahan radikal iaitu penyebab sel-sel mengalami kerosakan.
Bahan-bahan lemak yang terdapat pada ikan, kekacang dan bijiran mampu membekalkan tenaga untuk sel.
“Ketika saya mula bekerja untuk sejumlah selebriti, saya hairan kenapakah mereka kelihatan cukup glamor.
“Kenapakah mereka kelihatan berlainan daripada kita?
“Jika anda melihat seseorang seperti aktres Angelina Jolie, dia mempunyai bentuk seperti buah epal di pipinya iaitu hasil daripada otot yang terdapat di bahagian muka,” katanya Dr. Perricone.
Menurutnya, setiap orang boleh memiliki kulit seperti Jolie dengan melakukan senaman.
Melakukan senaman muka secara berkesan memerlukan ransangan elektrik yang mampu menegangkan otot.
“Dengan menggunakan ransangan elektrik, saya boleh menjadikan seseorang kelihatan seperti itu (Jolie),” kata Dr. Perricone. - Agensi
Kosmo