The typical Malaysian audience

I attended the Gala Premiere of Peter Pan musical at the Sunway Lagoon Amphitheatre last Friday (26 November 2010).

While the performance was great, I just had to blog about the negative experience I had.

Firstly, the seats were not numbered. So in the typical Malaysian attitude, people started booking seats for their friends, who turned up half an hour late. There were many people who came early but could not find seats because some fucking inconsiderate people put their bags on the seats to book for their friends. I think the Sunway usherers should stop people from doing that.

The show was supposed to start at 8pm but somehow it was delayed for one whole freaking hour. The announcer first made an announcement that the show will start in 15 mins. Then 15 mins later, he announced that the show will start in 5 mins. 10 mins passed nothing happened. Then the announcer came on again and said the show will start in 5 mins. If you are not going to start the show, then don't announce it so. You think we don't know how to read time?

And guess what, after 45 mins delay, I can still see the audience strolling into the theatre like nobody's business. Hello! the ticket says start at 8pm and you walk in at 8.45pm. You think this is your grandfather's house ah?

It's people like these who gives Malaysians a bad name.

My favourite channels in DETV

When I was initially asked to review the DETV IPTV service, I was thinking “shucks I’m not really a fan of Chinese drama series”. However after more than 1 month going through their channels I discovered that DETV has a lot of other interesting programs besides the drama series.

So far my favorite channels are CH 155 and CH 260. I will review each channel below.

Ch 115 – Hunan TV World

Hunan TV World is provided by Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS) which is China's second biggest television network after CCTV. Hunan TV is a comprehensive channel which includes famous variety shows, outstanding reality shows and iconic dramas and is set to be one of the most dynamic Chinese entertainment television brands with distinctive entertainment character.

My sister loves watching Happy Shopping. This program is hosted by Wang Han, Fang Qiong and Barbie Tsu. The program showcases the latest fashion across the world, specifically Asian. There’s also lots of entertainment, games, celebrity interviews.

 
As for me, I prefer Men’s Style This program is hosted by Tang Xiao and Ma Rui. I believe this is a new program launched by Hunan TV for men. The program highlights the unique charm of men in modern society, discussing the most topical issues of fashion, lifestyle and much more.

Ch 260 – Enlight Media

Enlight Media is one of the largest private entertainment program producers and publishers in China, producing four hours of entertainment news, music, fashion and reality shows daily. As one of the largest movie and television drama companies in China, Enlight invested in and distributed five full length motion pictures and over 200 hours of television drama in 2007. It also maintains an entertainment video library with over 50,000 hours of content and a video website.

The programs that I like to watch are Music Chart which showcases the latest Chinese music videos. This is something which I rarely get to see on Astro since I canceled my subscription to their Chinese Package (too damn expensive!)

The other interesting program which my mum loves watching is call Healthcare Tips which showcases recipes and tips using Chinese herbs as cures to common illnesses.

The other program of interest is call I Love Watching Movies. This is a half-hour program which previews upcoming cinema releases.

There are also a lot of other programs which can be found in these 2 channels which I am still exploring. As you can see the programs cater to everybody in the family, young to old. There are so many other channels which I have yet to explore.

My conclusion is that DETV is definitely giving Astro a run for its money. And I cannot stress enough about the streaming of the programs. You can pause, fast-forward, rewind anytime you want. Who needs to buy a PVR now?

Behind The Scenes with Peter Pan

I was fortunate enough to be invited to the backstage of the Peter Pan musical last Saturday. The musical will be held in the Amphitheatre in Sunway Lagoon. This is a collaboration between Sunway Lagoon and the UK producers. This is the first time that the theme park will be showcasing a musical.

During the backstage session, I got to meet the main cast who are all from UK.They performed 2 numbers for us. I realized that the songs are not from the original musical. What the producers have done is to select songs from other musicals and performed it to the context of the story. This would be much better because all the songs are recognizable and the audience can sing along to them.

The Grand Premiere is on Friday 26th November.

The entrance to the Amphitheatre

Inside the Amphitheatre

The stage and props

The cast of Peter Pan

The cast of Peter Pan

Bloggers taking pictures with the cast

The bios of the cast as follows:

MARK ILES
(Peter Pan)

Mark trained on the three-year musical theatre course at Arts Ed London, graduating in 2003.

Mark’s credits include: The Diction Teacher, cover Cosmo and Dexter in Singin’ in the Rain (UK tour): Angel in Rent (English Theatre, Frankfurt): Ensemble, cover Goran in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (West End and UK tour): Jimmy in the new musical The Ghost and Mrs Muir (workshop): Jo in The Selfish Giant (UK tour); Molina in Kiss of the Spider Woman (Emery Theatre, London): Dancer in Stars in Their Eyes Live (UK tour and Her Majesty’s Theatre, London): Ensemble in Oliver! (West End’s London Palladium): Ensemble in Evita (New Theatre, Oxford and Hexagon, Reading): Ensemble, cover Dandini in Cinderella (Mayflower, Southampton): Ensemble, cover Mrs Fridge in Santa Claus and the Return of Jack Frost (Mayflower, Southampton). Mark is thrilled to be performing in Kuala Lumpur and would like to thank his family and friends for their continuing love and support.

LJ NEILSON
(Wendy)

LJ trained at the prestigious Italia Conti School for the Performing Arts in London. On leaving LJ worked Internationally playing various roles in 18 productions on board MV Aurora for P & O Cruises.

Even though still at a young age LJ has already made her mark on the West End stage. On leaving the ships LJ embarked on a West End career taking her form west End musicals from We Will Rock You, London’s Dominion Theatre, Grease and Fame at The Piccadilly Theatre London.

LJ has recently married in a wonderful ceremony in South Africa.

MICHAEL MORGAN
(Mr Darling & Captain Hook)

Michael comes from Blackpool in The United Kingdom and is from an old theatrical family. Michael’s Grandmother & Great Aunt appeared in many West End & touring musicals - & it was their great love & Passion for the profession that fuelled his ambition to perform. Michael has appeared in repertory seasons in Leeds & Crewe including: “Chase Me Comrade”, “Loot”, “Black Comedy”, “She Was Only An Admiral’s Daughter”, “Anna of the Five Towns”, “The Boyfriend”, “Sunday in the Theatre With Sondheim” (Birmingham Hippodrome).

Michael has appeared extensively in pantomimes touring productions & the West End including: “Snow White” (Theatre Royal Lincoln & Southsea), “Aladdin” (Cambridge Arts Theatre),”Cinderella” (Horsham & Chipping Norton), “Jack & the Beanstalk” (Horsham), “Sleeping Beauty” , “Dick Whittington” & “Sinbad the Sailor (Theatre Royal Lincoln). “Hans Anderson”, “Pinnochio”, “The Wizard of Oz”, “Salad Days”,”West Side Story” (Krupke) – which took him from New York to Paris, Berlin & Rome. Three years in the national tour of “Me & My Girl”. Two years in “Oliver!” at the London Palladium in London’s West End. A year in the national tour of Ken Hill’s “Phantom of the Opera”. Christmas season in “Me & My Girl” at the Alexandra Theatre Birmingham. A year in the national tour of Gershwin’s “Crazy For You”. Seven national tours of”Annie”.

Television work includes: “The Trip” with Steve Coogan, “It’s Now or Never”, “Forty Something”, “The Darling Buds of May”, “Sherlock Holmes”, “A Touch of Frost”, “Call Up he Stars”, “The 12th Kingdom”, “Brookside” & “Heartbeat”.

Michael appeared in the films “De-Lovely” & “Quills” (with Kate Winslett & Michel Caine). He is delighted to be returning to Malaysia to appear in “Peter Pan,” as he played Mr. Sowerberry in the Malaysian Premier of “Oliver!” at Genting Highlands in 2005.

Michael has two daughters – Natalie who is currently starring in “Flashdance” in the West End & Danielle, who runs a Theatre-School in Cheshire and is the mother of his grandson Jacob.

PETER JAMIESON
(Smee)

Peter trained at the famous Sylvia Young Theatre School in London’s West End. Theatre work includes West End runs in Grease playing the mooning T-bird Roger at the Dominion Theatre London, followed by a two year national tour of the show Crazy for You playing Moose at Wimbledon Theatre London followed by a years national tour. Peter created, played and sang the role of Ratcliffe for Walt Disney’s live version of Pocahontas at Disneyland Resort Paris. Other work includes Eddie in A Slice of Saturday Night (Lincoln Theatre Royal) Woof in the European tour of Hair, Charlie Brown in Snoopy! The musical (Cambridge), Herb in Godspell (London) Judas in Godspell (Ipswhich), Nick and Tom in Rock Hard (Millfield Theatre, London). Mushnick in Little Shop of Horrors (Regents theatre Ipswich), Governor and Knife Grinder in Oliver (Theatre Royal Lincoln) Badger in The Wind in the Willows (National Tour). Peter created the role of Stewie in the horror musical Teen Scream (Edinburgh Festival) Smee in Peter Pan (Genting Highlands Kuala Lumpur). Peter has recently completed a season at Lincoln Castle open air theatre in The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged. Peter has extensive experience in children’s Christmas shows and Pantomimes. Pantomimes include Muddles in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Dick Whittington, King Crumble in Jack and the Beanstalk, King Jasper in Sleeping Beauty, Dandini in Cinderella, Gepetto, Fox and Stromboli in Pinocchio, Friar Tuck in Robin Hood, Ugly sister Buttercup Hardup in Cinderella and Marzipan the evil henchman in Snow white and the Seven dwarfs.

Peter's T.V credits include David in Grange Hill, 1st Witness in Crimewatch, Gino in Holby City, Fame School and various Corporate/Training films. Recording work includes Ratcliffe in Pocahontas-Walt Disney Productions, Boyblue, Jack and Tom in the new musical The Magic Horse and various jingles for Docklands radio. Peter is so happy to be returning to this beautiful country once again to be working with two of his very dear friends.

Peter Pan is coming to KL

You have not seen Peter Pan until you see the live musical in stage. Finally this West End musical is coming to KL. Hope I get a chance to see this here.....

Peter Pan the Musical is the very first theatrical production organised by Sunway Lagoon. Produced and choreographed by talents hailing from London’s famous West End theatre district, this musical tells the well-known and affectionate story of a boy who would just never grow up. The iridescent display of song and dance will take place twice daily and three times on Fridays and Saturdays.

Peter Pan the Musical is directed by Chris Colby and it aims to appeal to a wide variety of audiences. Colby will be directing an international cast line up who are no strangers to the famous London West End theatre scene. In conjunction with the Grand Premiere on November 26, Sunway Lagoon will once again open its doors to the Nite Park, which is aptly set with the festive and whimsical, yuletide theme.

“The story of Peter Pan resonates well with people from all walks of life because it is not just about staying young forever, it is about staying true to yourself and having fun while making the best out of any situation. Sunway Lagoon is the perfect venue for Peter Pan – The Greatest Adventure because it is a place where the young and old come to release their inhibitions, have fun and be themselves,” said Colby.

Altitude sucks

I admit I only watched this movie because of the cool poster.

How disappointed I was after spending 10 bucks on the movie. This movie sucks big time. The first half of the movie just shows the 5 people arguing and bitching about each other on the plane. In the end the monster shows up looking like some paper-mache that a 5year-old kid did at school. I wish the monster would quickly eat everybody up and end our misery.

The ending of the movie was also ridiculous.

OK I'm not even going to waste my time writing a long review for this movie. See this movie at your own risk!

Introducing Malaysia’s latest IPTV Service

If you have read my last post, you will probably know why IPTV is a much reliable TV service than satellite.

So today I’m going to tell you about Malaysia’s latest IPTV-based service, DETV. I received the decoder this morning for testing. The decoder connects to the internet either using WiFi or wired. It offers component video, composite video and S-video output as well as two channel stereo sound output.

Here is a picture of the decoder.

And here’s the remote.

After I connected my router to the decoder, it detected my IP address straight away. Then the Main Menu is automatically displayed.

As you can see from the screen-shot, there’s several options to choose from.

TV Channels has a whole bunch of channels with programs running based on a schedule. The good thing is that it stores the programs up to about 72 hrs. So you don’t have to worry about missing the beginning of the program.

DVD Buffet is based on video-on-demand. Here you can find dozens of Taiwan and China drama series. Tv buffs will have a hard time tearing themselves from the screen. And the good thing is that you can pause, rewind, fast forward all the programs.

TV Channels has a whole bunch of channels with programs running based on a schedule. The good thing is that it stores the programs up to about 72 hrs. So you don’t have to worry about missing the beginning of the program.

List of dramas in the Drama Paradise section.

There is a screen for you to select the episode that you want to see. The good thing is that the episdoes that you have watched is highlighted so you will not forget....sort of like a bookmark.

I have yet to explore all the programs that DETV has to offer. But looking at the useability and functionality of the service, I believe it’s going to pose a big threat to Astro.

Now, only if they have some English channels…..

For more info on DETV services, you can go to their website or join their Facebook page.

IPTV vs Satellite TV

With our internet connection getting faster nowadays, many media companies are jumping on to the bandwagon of Internet TV or IPTV. So the question that most people will pose is that how is IPTV compared to old, reliable Astro? IPTV or satellite TV?

IPTV services are delivered using the architecture and networking methods of the Internet, instead of through traditional radio frequency broadcast or satellite.

Of course the reliability and speed of the line will depend on your internet service provider. To be able to watch HD movies over the internet, you will probably need high-speed broadband which will be quite costly at the moment. However using a dedicated 1Mbps line is sufficient to deliver a good quality movie to your TV.

The main advantage of IPTV is that it has both a download and upload link. This means that users can send back information to the media operator. This is important when you are doing things like online shopping, multi-player games etc.

Best of all is that the programs can be on-demand rather than linear programming like the traditional TV channels. This means that you only pay for what you watch.

In terms of setting-up, all you need is an internet line which connects to a set-top box. That's it....no need to climb up you roof to install that satellite dish. And of course raining will not interrupt your viewing pleasure.

Celebrities who have lost their millions

You know the saying, greed can conquer all? Well in this case it can, quite literally. It appears to more successful you are, the more you can gamble although in some cases the gamble doesn’t always win. We as the viewing public have a tendency to discover a slight delight at those who swan around in their mansions and then suddenly lose all of their worldly processions, from their platinum watches, Lamborghinis and their own theater seating. We have searched high and low through some of the most well-known faces in the world, and have devised a list, purely for your own enjoyment, of those celebrities who have gone from riches to rags.

Early Bankruptcies:
Whoever thought that the introduction of the credit card would encourage many to become bankrupt may be right, to a degree. However greed began way before the days of the plastic; with Buffalo Bill in the late 1800s. His West End shows made him a very rich man in his day, although his generosity rather than greed saw him file for bankruptcy in 1914.

Everyone loves the likes of Cinderella, Snow White, Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh and other famous Walt Disney Characters; you would imagine that the creator would have been a very wealthy man indeed. Quite the contrary, in fact in 1921 he was forced to file for bankruptcy after the financial backers of his company Laugh-O-Gram pulled out; just as well really otherwise out Disney favorites would all be but a figment of our imagination.

Even previous U.S. President Abraham Lincoln suffered a slight loss of money back in 1833 after he was declared bankrupt. He spent nearly two decades paying back his friends and thirty years to reach his ultimate goal of becoming the President.

Who else has been declared bankrupt?
American actress and formal model, Kim Basinger is not only known as the lead female in the film Batman in 1989, or for her Golden Globe performance in 1984’s The Natural, or for her widely recognized role in L.A. Confidential. She also had to file for bankruptcy back in 1993, when she was ordered to pay $8.1 million to Main Line Pictures, for backing out of an agreement to star in the film Boxing Helena. This however didn’t stop the actress from continuing her acting, having appeared in a number of films since then.

Perhaps not a celebrity, but still an intriguing story to tell; John Wayne Bobbitt may be a name familiar to some of you, but if you are still in the dark, then the man who had his penis sliced off by his wife may jog your memory. It goes without saying that indeed he and his wife Lorena suffered from a difficult relationship, before the penis incident. He had to endure 12 hours of surgery to have it sewn back on, but due to the incredible doctors bills he had to file for bankruptcy. Since the episode, John has since attempted to make a name for himself in the porn industry whilst having several run-ins with the law.

Winner of six Grammy Award, and having sold more than 40 million records worldwide, it is difficult to believe that Toni Braxton had to file for bankruptcy in 1998. Toni was in $3.9 million debt, although many believed that her file for bankruptcy was to get out of a contract with LaFace. All of her household processions were taken, such as fridge-freezers, televisions and theater seating, she also had to sell her two Grammys to pay off her creditors; although this didn’t deter her from continuing with her career, having later signed a contract with her label, worth $25 million.

Star of American sitcom Diff’rent Strokes, Gary Coleman was described as “one of television’s most promising stars”, although being promising doesn’t always mean he is going to have the best control of his finances, in fact in his case it didn’t. He began well, suing his parents and business advisor for misappropriation of his $3.8 million trust fund in 1989 and then filed for bankruptcy just a decade later.

The well known ‘Hollywood Madame’, Heidi Fleiss began managing a prostitution ring aged just 22 in 1987, and by 1990 she began to run her own ring. She netted her first million dollars just a few months into running her prostitution ring; although by 1993 she was arrested for a number of offences including pandering. By September 1996 she was sentenced to 37 months in prison for tax evasion, and was released three years later. She went onto file for bankruptcy after her release; and has since appeared on the U.K’s Big Brother, opened a Laundromat and has plans to open a legal brothel.

The Too Legit to Quit singer made it big in the 1980s and 1990s with his rap songs, dancing and entertainment. By 1996 he became known as the star who quite literally lost it all, being $13.4 million in debt. His fame brought about an indulgent lifestyle including a $30 million mansion; he now works as a preacher and television host, a far cry from his days on top of the pop charts.
Mike Tyson, the man known for biting the ear off Evander Holyfield’s ear during a boxing match.

The American Boxer made his professional debut aged just 18 years old; although his career made a downward spiral, all at the hands of his personal life which became in tatters. He managed to burn $300 million, through his divorce and lavish lifestyle, he filed for bankruptcy in 2003, owing in excess of $27 million. He was previously convicted of rape on an 18 year old girl in 1991; he served three years in prison.

Anyone remember the loveable Screech Powers in Saved by the Bell? Actor Dustin Diamond played the playful character, put on our screens for us all to love. Yet since the end of the School Show, rather surprisingly Dustin found it difficult to find any work at all. He wasn’t bankrupt, yet his fame died as quick as it had begun, with Dustin reverting to the world of Porn, Reality TV and even selling T-Shirts to help him earn some money.

One of the biggest American stars of the 1980’s, Burt Reynolds once owned several mansions (one would do for us mere mortals), a ranch in Florida and a Helicopter. His downfall however was not being able to spot a dud-deal when he sees one. After investments in restaurant chains were thrown quite literally down the toilet, Reynolds declared himself bankrupt in 1996, owing $11.2 million. This hasn’t quite stopped his acting appearances, having found roles on The Longest Yard, and Dukes of Hazard.

Here is a tip, if you are in a hit TV show, the best idea is to stick at it until the very end. Something Mischa Barton chose to ignore when leaving the OC; whose regretting it now? Most of the main actors went on to amazing ventures after the finale of the TV series in films and continuous acting, yet Mischa went on a lifestyle of drinking, partying and late nights. Sounds good, but it can eventually get you down, and lead to a spiral of depression. She was arrested for driving under the influence, procession of marijuana and driving without a license back in 2007, she was released on a $10,000 bail. She has also been sued by her landlord for failing to pay the $7,000 rent of her apartment, whilst her credit cards have been declined.

Meat Loaf, aka Michael Lee Aday is an incredible musician, and one of the most successful singers in the world. That said, his biggest downfall is, like many, a lack of management in finances. Two of his managers, Dellentash and Sonenberg both got caught stealing money, and then went on to sue him for breach of contract when he tried to leave them for new management. He had to file for bankruptcy not just once, but twice in 1983 and 1986. This never stopped his drive for taking his career to another platform, something which was later achieved with his album Bat out of Hell II.

Where would any list be without the input of one of the most famous music families in the world? The Jackson family we bound to make an appearance at some point, and in this case the biggest losers of their fortune, Michael and La Toya make the list. The siblings may not have had a great deal in common, however one thing which stuck was their inability to keep on track of their spending habits leading to bankruptcies. La Toya attempted a singing career which stemmed through the 1980s and 1990s, although flopped miserably. By the 1990s her finances were left in tatters, leading to her filing for bankruptcy in 1995, and managed to escape a $650,000 payout to Moulin Rouge for terminating her contract early.

As with a lot of things Michael Jackson did, he was always able to put people’s efforts to shame. Described as having a billionaire’s spending habit, with a millionaire’s budget, Michael created an ultimate fairyland of empires, something which at the time may have seemed great but in reality was his biggest downfall. He was once worth $350 million, yet his wealth diminished leaving him in debt of $10 million to the Union Finance and Investment Corporation. He escaped bankruptcy however by signing a deal with Sony, and his debts were sold to Colony Capital LLC, who later took the Neverland Ranch, which gained the King of Pop $35 million. At the time of his death he still owed the LLC, although the amount is unknown.

The world’s most expensive music videos

Ever since the 1980s, music videos have become part and parcel with newly released songs themselves; allowing artists to create an image to determine how the song should be received. Music videos began as fun, a simple way to show off the song in its full glory, however since the turn of mid-1990s and the early 2000’s, music videos have gripped the western world. The amount of money spent on music videos have increased dramatically over the years, and yet the classics still remain on top. Just what has happened to the world of celebrity, have they either lost their sense of imagination, or perhaps put on their brain and decided that spending millions of dollars on music videos just isn’t worth it? The average cost of a music video is about $100,000 to $200,000, which in itself is enough to buy an unbelievable amount of theater seats. Compare that to the millions of dollars which only the top artists have the luxury to play around with, silly money some may say; although perhaps it is a sign of making it in the music industry, to spend over $1 million on a single music video.

We have come up with the list of the twenty most expensive music videos ever made, then you can decide whether they were worth the money.

20) In at 20 is the King of Pop that is Michael Jackson (you may notice a little more of the music genius in this list...). His Black and White music video was released in November 1991, and starting off this list cost $1.5 million.

19) Japanese singer-songwriter, Ayumi Hamasaki has been dubbed the Empress of Pop, a title well deserved for a music video costing $1.6 million (in line with Michael Jackson, the Empress of Pop is a well justified title). Her song entitled Green was released in 2008, and holds a firm place as the 19th most expensive music video of all time.

18) Number 18 is held firmly by TLC, with their music video to their single Un-pretty costing a nice $1.6 million to make. Known as one of the greatest trio of music singers of all time, there is no question that Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, Lisa ‘Left-Eye’ Lopes and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas would make an appearance on this list, so sit back and enjoy watching on your home theater seating.

17 & 16) Once again Ayumi Hamasaki makes an appearance with her music videos to Fairyland and My Names Woman costing an impressive $2 million each, thus meaning that as well as being the Empress of Pop, this Japanese singer is the only non-western artist to appear on the most expensive music videos list.

15) Also costing a cool $2 million was George Michael’s Freeek! Released in 2002, and directed by Joseph Kahn, there is little wander that the music video cost so much with the visions of Kahn, known to make impressive videos for the likes of Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears and Janet Jackson.

14) Missy Elliot’s illusively named She’s a Bitch also cost the impressive figure of $2 million to create. The video which consists of special effects along with a slightly impressive wardrobe saw the female rapper creep up the most expensive music videos list.

13) Will Smith, funny man turned actor, turned singer turned actor made the $2 million music video mark with his summertime song Miami. Will Smith is notorious for spending a fair buck or two on his music videos, as well as earning a mint from his acting, so there is no question that he should make it onto the list. Will had a vision to include morphs in his music video, costing $14,000 each morph.

12) Backstreet Boys make it onto the list with their music video for Larger Than Life which cost $2.1 million, just beating the likes of Missy and Will to the 12th position. Containing sci-fi themed effects and animations, the budget seems very apparent to the title.

11) Michael Jackson has made it to the 11th spot, with another expensive video Bad. Created in 1987, he began the phenomenon of incredibly priced music videos to the eagerly awaiting viewing public. Costing $2.2 million the music video seemed just like a mini movie, lasting for 18 minutes.

10) This is where the big bucks begin to enter the list (and you thought we were already in the big bucks?). Canadian singer Celine Dion has released many well known songs including the infamous My Heart Will Go On, however It’s All Coming Back to Me Now is her most expensive music video to date, costing a cool $2.3 million. Directed by Nigel Dick, which was shot between June and July 1996 in the Palace of the Czech Emperor; the full version lasts 7.44 minutes, whereas the single version lasts 5.30 minutes in length.

9) Number nine is held by Busta Rhymes (that wasn’t done on purpose). His hit What’s it gonna be? Featuring Janet Jackson, this music video cost a total of $2.4 million. Again the morphing theme comes into play with Busta and Janet morphing into various shapes and forms. Each morph cost $30,000, whilst Busta’s glass costume cost $40,000. Directed by Hype Williams was inspired by the mover The Terminator, something which, of course would have a lasting effect on many.

8) The starlet herself was bound to make an appearance at some point, featuring the rap mogul Jay Z; Mariah Carey’s Heartbreaker cost a rather large fortune to many, and yet remains at number eight on the list. Costing $2.5 million, the video directed by Brett Ratner created Mariah Carey into two conflicting roles, one an innocent and sweet Mariah and another an evil darker haired Mariah. The video took on the role of a mini chick flick movie, which saw a man caught between two women, inspired by the 1973’s Enter the Dragon, as well as the number one hit musical Grease. The video was premiered on Making the Video, created by MTV in August 1990.

7) The 1980s Rap icon, known for his famous ‘You Can’t Touch This’ has incredibly made it onto the list with his lesser known single, Too Legit to Quit released in 1991. The video itself contained many celebrity appearances as well as Michael Jackson’s glove, shown on a Michael Jackson lookalike. The video cost $2.5 million to make, earning his rightful place on the most expensive music videos list.

6) Record producer, rapper, actor and men’s fashion mogul; P Diddy, aka, Puff Daddy, aka, Sean John, aka, Sean Combs holds on tightly to the number six spot. His single Victory, featuring The Notorious B.I.G and Busta Rhymes, was adapted through Bill Conti’s ‘Going the Distance’ which featured in the movie Rocky. Set in the year 3002 CE, the video saw cameo performances fromD Danny DiVito and Dennis Hopper. The video lasts eight minutes long, perhaps worth the $2.7 million spent to create it.

5) Making the massive leap from a mere $2.7 million to a rather large $4 million, Guns N’ Roses have proven that they have what it takes to make it into the big bucks. Their single Estranged was released in December 1993, lasting a movie length nine minutes long. The definitions of illusion and disillusion appear within the video, highlighting the personal life of Axl Rose separating from his then girlfriend, thus the separation and divorce theme very relevant indeed during the filming of the video.

4) The queen of pop, Madonna dominates the lower half of the most expensive music videos of all time, reaching number four with her $5 million music video for Bedtime stories. Directed by the very pricey Mark Romanek, who contributed in making the video one of Madonna’s most artistic, created in December 1994. Madonna explained that her vision was inspired by female surreal painters, such as Frida Kahlo and Leonora Carrington.

3) Madonna has made it again at number three on the list with her Express Yourself music video, filmed in 1989 and cost $5 million, it has often featured as one of the Top 100 Music Videos created. The video was influenced by the film Metropolis, created by Fritz Lang; it also divulged into the support of the empowerment of women.

2) Madonna’s Die Another Day music video made it to number two, narrowly missing out on the number one spot, yet dominating the list throughout. Hailed as one of the best music videos created by Madonna; the video created by Trackor who used special effects to create the second most expensive music video of all time. The video and single was released in 2002, highlighting Madonna dominating the pop charts for twenty years. It cost $6.1 million; a lot considering it was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for the worst original song, although it remains one of Madonna’s most popular songs.

1) The most expensive music video of all time is held by no other than the ultimate King of Pop and his younger sister – Michael and Janet Jackson, for their single Scream. Costing $7 million the cost would surely make anyone scream. The money paid for a Grammy won in 1996 for the best music video and a Billboard music Award. Scream is directed at the tabloid media, and a personal response from the way in which they reported the coverage of the child sexual abuse accusations made against Michael. Janet became part of the project to show her support for both the song and her brother, a very touching sign of sibling support. It has also been suggested that the song was directed at Michael’s Dad, Joseph, regarding the physical abuse towards his children and his secret fatherhood of another woman’s child.

The video lasts 4.46 minutes and was choreographed by the man himself, Michael Jackson and directed by Mr. Expense himself, Mark Romanek. The concept was left entirely to Mark, something unusual to many Michael Jackson videos, which tend to see the involvement of the King of Pop himself. The video was set on a spaceship, and saw the Jackson siblings attempting to escape from the media, and Earth to a place where they could have fun and enjoy themselves.

Janet is seen to take on a dark persona, differing to what the public is used to, with the public witnessing a stronger, controlled Janet. The video also influenced many other artists such as TLC’s ‘No Scrubs’, and Chris Brown and Lil Mama’s ‘Shawty Get Loose’.

Best Picture Winner: The Hurt Locker

The Hurt Locker

Stars gather to cover 'We Are the World' for Haiti

More than 75 mega-stars gathered Monday to re-record the 1985 charity anthem "We are the World" in the same Hollywood recording studio where the original was cut 25 years ago.

Pink, Celine Dion, Natalie Cole, the Jonas Brothers, Kanye West, Tony Bennett, Jennifer Hudson, Akon and other musical luminaries stood shoulder to shoulder on risers at Henson Recording studios, singing their hearts out and hoping to help Haiti.

Quincy Jones, who produced the 1985 anthem, announced last week that he planned to redo the song to benefit recovery from the deadly Jan. 12 earthquake in Port-au-Prince.

Written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, the original "We Are the World" thundered up the charts when it was released on the radio and in record stores in March 1985.

An unprecedented number of top pop musicians gathered at A&M the night of Jan. 28, 1985, following the American Music Awards, to record the tune. The song featured 45 American superstars, including Jackson, Richie, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen, Diana Ross, Bob Dylan and Cyndi Lauper.

The record raised more than $30 million for USA for Africa, a nonprofit organization founded by the singers to fund hunger relief in African nations.

True to her diva reputation, Barbra Streisand recorded her solo over and over, completely absorbed in the recording process and stopping only to correct her pitch.

While reporters watched a video feed of the session in a nearby room, stars like Kayne West mingled outside with friends, greeting his buddy, Snoop Dogg with a hug.

Julianne Hough from "Dancing with the Stars," who is also a country singer, was only 3 years old when the original tune came out. She said she felt honored to lend her voice to the effort and sing next to so many talented musicians.

"It's just iconic. Celine (Dion) is just so gracious and amazing and such a pro," she said.

The session was all the talk at Sunday night's Grammy festivities. Music producer RedOne said being asked to participate was "the biggest honor a musician can ever do."

"Having Quincy, our father of music ... and Lionel Richie asking me to contribute and help, I said of course, because this is not about me," he said. "It's about Haiti."

500 days of SpiderMan ???

Marc Webb, the director of the romantic-comedy "(500) Days of Summer" has been appointed the director of the next "Spider-Man" movie.

Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios made this announcement yesterday following the departure of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire, the director and star who worked on the previous three Spidey films. The fourth installment is set for a 2012 release and will focus on a younger version of the superhero.

Webb said in a statement he was not taking over the series from Raimi but instead wanted the "opportunity for ideas, stories and histories that will add a new dimension, canvas and creative voice to Spider-Man."

Maybe we will get to see 500 days in the life of Spider-Man?

Happy New Year 2010

Wishing all my readers Happy New Year 2010!!

I would like to apologise for the lack of postings. I started a new job recently and has been really tied up. I hope I can find some time at night to write some more.

Happy Moviegoing!!!

Wolverine Hidden Endings

For those who watched "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" I bet you started walking out to the exit once the credits start rolling.

For your info, there are some hidden endings during and after the credits. And to top it up, there are different endings on different prints. This means that, depending on which cinema you watched the movie in, the ending will be different.

** SPOILERS ALERT **

The hidden scene which I saw features Logan aka Wolverine drinking shots of whiskey in a bar in Japan. The female bartender asks him if he’s American. Wolverine replies "Canadian…I think." She asks if he’s drinking to forget. "I’m drinking to remember" he says.

Comic buffs would know that Wolverine will meet and marry a girl named Itsu in Japan and they have a son, Daken. This ending could be the teaser for a possible sequel.

The other hidden ending features Deadpool. Out of the rubble of the tower, Deadpool's blade begins to retract back into his arm. His hand reaches out from the rubble to find his decapitated head. The eyes pop open and with his, now open, mouth he looks at the camera and says “Ssssh”.

This could be a prelude to the upcoming Deadpool spin-off movie.

For more hidden endings, see my other post Here.

Watching movie online - the legal way

Forget bittorrent, limewire etc. Forget about going to your local video store to buy or rent DVDs. Now there's a convenient and legal way to watch and stream movies online. iReel.com is a new portal which lets you watch movies online using iReels's own player. No plugins or installs required.

iReel's movie database is slowly expanding and includes movies from the early 1950s to recent Hollywood blockbusters such as The Uninvited and Iron Man.

Most importantly to know is that this site offers a legal service and without any threat of viruses or spywares.

Note: unfortunately iReel service is currently still not available in Malaysia. Hopefully it will be made available to us soon.

Winners of the 81st Academy Awards

Here are the winners for some of the key awards in the recent 81st Academy Awards

Best Motion Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn for Milk
Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet for The Reader
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Best Achievement in Directing: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Best Original Song: Slumdog Millionaire: A.R. Rahman, Gulzar ("Jai Ho")
Best Animated Film: WALL·E

A good movie for Valentine's Day

"Nights In Rodanthe" is one of those romantic little movies that are aimed at touching your heartstrings. Seeing that the movie is based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, you can probably tell what the story is about. Yes Nicholas Sparks is the same guy who wrote "Message In A Bottle", "The Notebook", "A Walk To Remember".


Anyway, this is not a movie to shout about. It's just a simple movie to watch while cuddling with your partner on the couch. If you're a guy, this is the movie that would make her cry on your shoulder.

The story is about how Richard Gere and Diane Lane met in a deserted beach house while a storm is brewing outside. While trapped inside the house, both of them falls in love. But like all Nicholas Spark stories, tragedy happens. Telling you anymore would spoil the story.

One great thing about the movie is the beautiful scenery and cinematography. The beach house which is central to the movie looks fantastic. And not to mention great acting by the two leads. Gere and Lane have perfect chemistry and they can still captivate the audience after all these years.


My only complain is that the movie tend to focus too much on the romance between Gere and Lane, and too little on what happens afterwards. The flashback at the end of the movie was too quick.

All in all this will not break any box office, but definitely worth watching on Valentine's Day tomorrow.

Review: Punisher: Warzone

If you are looking for lots of gore and violence, this is the movie to see. "Punisher: War Zone" has lots of over-the-top action which sometimes make it unintentionally funny.

This movie is sort of a sequel to the 2004 movie which starred Thomas Jane as the The Punisher. In the 2004 movie, Frank Castle's entire family was murdered and goes on to take revenge on the mob family who did it. In this movie, Ray Stevenson takes over the lead. And he's still being as vengeful as ever.

In the opening sequence, Punisher infiltrates a local mob dinner, and during the course of the massacre, he hideously disfigures gangster Billy Russoti. Rusotti re-surface as Jigsaw seeking revenge on Castle.

The story wasn't bad at all. But I felt that the Punisher was being portrayed too much as a mindless, violent, un-emotional killing machine. At least in the 2004 movie, the background of the character was shown to us and we sympathize with him. And give me a break with the Jigsaw character. Was he trying too hard to be like The Joker?

Overall this is just a cheesy B-movie action flick. I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Man Shot For Talking in Cinema

Have you ever been annoyed when people start talking to each other or answering the handphone in cinemas?

Sat December 27, 2008 (CNN) - A man angry that a family was talking during a movie threw popcorn at the son and then shot the father in the arm, according to police in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

James Joseph Cialella, 29, was charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault and weapons violations, a police report said.

Cialella told the family sitting in front of him in the theater on Christmas Day to be quiet, police said.

An argument ensued while others at the Riverview Movie Theatre watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Cialella then approached the family from the left side of the aisle and shot the father, who was not identified, as he was standing between Cialella and his family, according to the police report.

The victim was taken to Jefferson Hospital with a gunshot wound to his left arm, police said.

Cialella was carrying a Kel-Tec .380-caliber handgun clipped inside his sweatpants, police said. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Nominees for the 81st Academy Awards

The following are the nominees for some of the major awards for the 81st Annual Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins for The Visitor
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn for Milk
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie for Changeling
Melissa Leo for Frozen River
Meryl Streep for Doubt
Kate Winslet for The Reader

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin for Milk
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams for Doubt
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis for Doubt
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler

Best Achievement in Directing
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry for The Reader
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant for Milk

Best Original Song
Slumdog Millionaire: A.R. Rahman, Gulzar ("Jai Ho")
Slumdog Millionaire: A.R. Rahman, M.I.A ("O Saya")
WALL·E: Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman ("Down to Earth")

Best Animated Fim
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL·E