Breaking and Entering

13 Aug 2011 - Breaking and Entering is a great film which went almost unnoticed. The film is directed by Academy Award-winning director Anthony Minghella. The film stars Jude Law (whom Minghella directed in Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley) and Juliette Binoche (from The English patient, also by Minghella). In a major supporting role, the fabulous Robin Penn Wright plays Liv, the long-standing girlfriend of Will (Jude Law's character). The world was shocked by the UK riots this week, and Minghella's film is set in a blighted, inner-city neighbourhood of London. Thee fiolm examines an affair which unfolds between a successful architect and Amira, a Bosnian woman – the mother of a troubled teen son – who was widowed by the wwar in former Yugoslavia.Ravi Gavron, in his first major film role, portrays Miro. The role, that of a young traceur, and the burglar to which the film's title partly alludes, requires Gavron to perform several difficult physical feats.Breaking and Entering premièred on September 13, 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival and received mainly negative reviews. I loved the movie!

Indian X-Factor

30 May 2011 - Welcome to the global village - the X-factor has reached India. India's version of the X-factor has launched with performances ranging from the amazing to the downright atrocious. But as one of many reality singing shows in India, can the format win over one of the world's largest television audiences? A bad singer is a bad singer, no matter where you are in the world. As contestants took to the stage for the opening auditions for X Factor India, viewers on Sunday night could watch a startling variety of hopefuls, who lived up to the show's trademark mix of the truly talented and truly appalling. What marks out the Indian version of the show is the country's rich and diverse musical heritage, which saw performers try their hand at everything from Bollywood to Bhangra. "We've had everything from 16 Rajasthani folk singers dressed in turbans singing in high-pitched voices to the soft voice of a 70-year-old man who has been brought up with the Bollywood traditions of the 1960s," says Sonu Nigam, one of the judges on the Indian show. With the same theme tune, stage set, categories and editing style, the "look" of X Factor India is almost identical to that of its British predecessor.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

16 May 2011 - It is a bit of a give-away, but I am of the generation being brought up with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. I must have the movie at least five times. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, one of the most loved cars in the world, is going up for auction in Los Angeles. The star of the 1968 family movie was shipped to California from England to go under the hammer on Sunday. The unique vehicle, which is still in working order, is expected to fetch up to $2m (£1.2m). For the past four decades it has been kept in Stratford-upon-Avon by owner Pierre Picton, the man who looked after it on set. It has appeared at hundreds of shows and charity road races, but has never been auctioned until now. There were several Chitty Chitty Bang bang cars made for the film, but this was the only one that actually worked. It was driven in the movie by Dick Van Dyke, who played the eccentric inventor who takes his children on the adventure of a lifetime. The vehicle was designed by Ken Adam and built by the Ford Racing Team. Its bonnet is crafted of polished aluminium; the boat deck is hand-crafted of red and white cedar, and the brass fittings taken from Edwardian cars

Stradivarius for Charity

5 May 2011 - An exceptionally well-preserved Stradivarius violin, the Lady Blunt, which fetched $10m at its last sale in 2008, is to be auctioned for charity. The 1721 violin is being sold by the Nippon Music Foundation, with the entire proceeds going to their Northeastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. The Lady Blunt set a record price every time it was sold last century. Auctioneers Tarisio said they will sell the instrument online on 20 June. Christopher Reuning, of Reuning & Son Violins in Boston, which sells and certifies instruments, said: "Rarely does a Stradivarius of this quality in such pristine condition and with such significant historical provenance come up for sale. "It still shows the tool-marks and brushstrokes of Stradivari. The Lady Blunt is perhaps the best-preserved Stradivarius to be offered for sale in the past century." Tarisio described the foundation's decision to sell "what is considered the finest violin of their collection" as "a gesture of profound generosity". Japan's latest police figures stated that 14,704 people are known to have died and another 10,969 remain missing following the earthquake and tsunami in March.

Superman Defects

30 April 2011 -  Superman intends to give up his US citizenship, a story in the new issue of Action Comics declares. "I'm tired of having my actions construed as instruments of US policy," the character says in a story that sees him flying to a Tehran protest. Adopted by an American family, Superman decides he is better-off serving the world. Though he only talks about his plans to give up citizenship, the story has been criticised by commentators worldwide. The superhero, originally from the fictional planet Krypton, does not clearly renounce his citizenship in the issue. Action Comics co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio said: "Superman announces his intention to put a global focus on his never ending battle, but he remains, as always, committed to his adopted home and his roots as a Kansas farm boy from Smallville." The disputed story sees the hero standing silently at the protest, wanting to show demonstrators that they are not alone. Superman's announcement comes after accusations from Iran's government that he has caused an international incident, in the nine-page story written by David Goyer. "'Truth, justice and the American way' - it's not enough anymore," Superman says, "The world is too small, too connected."

Little Red Riding Hood

13 April 2011 - Along with the usual sequels and spin-offs, Hollywood is about to bombard cinemas with new takes on old fairy-tales - starting with Red Riding Hood. If Red Riding Hood, with its pale teenage heroine torn between two admirers, looks a bit like Twilight, it's because it is. The live action fairy-tale is directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who launched the Twilight film franchise in 2008. Red Riding Hood sees Hardwicke plunder the earliest versions of the story - before it was re-told by the Brothers Grimm - and make the hairy antagonist a werewolf. Her film is also a "whodunnit" aimed squarely at the teen market. It is set in a medieval village called Daggerhorn, where even the poorest woodcutter wears hair gel and Freudian symbolism lurks behind every tree. "The red cape can represent many things," says Hardwicke, whose other films include a big-screen re-telling of The Nativity Story in 2006.  "Power, sexuality, sensuality, loss of virginity - artists over the last four centuries have been inspired by it. "Japanese anime artists show it in tatters, with Red Riding Hood holding an axe with blood dripping down it."

From Here to Eternity Gay

6 April 2011 - An original version of 1951 novel From Here to Eternity is to be reissued digitally, with previously censored references to homosexuality restored. The heirs of author James Jones have struck a deal with ebook firm Open Road to put out a new edition that includes two scenes with gay content. Jones's novel, about US soldiers serving in Hawaii in the months prior to Pearl Harbor, was filmed in 1953. The uncensored version will be made available online from 10 May. It will include a scene in which Private Angelo Maggio - the character played by singer Frank Sinatra in the film - reveals he is paid to have oral sex with another man.
Another scene referring to a military investigation into possible homosexual activity will also feature in the text.

The restored version will also include profanity that was considered too extreme for Eternity's original publisher Scribner. Jones, who served in Hawaii before World War II and fought at Guadalcanal, had objected to the cuts but eventually acquiesced. "My father fought bitterly to hold on to every four-letter word in the manuscript," his daughter Kaylie told the New York Times. "The publisher was concerned about getting through the censors."

April Fool's

4 April 2011 - It almost went unnoticed because of the Mongolia trip, but April's fool's day has quietly passed.  Usually, it is the day when newspapers compete to come up with the most inventive spoof stories - but not every bizarre report on 1 April is fictitious. The Metro newspaper in France carried an article about French President Sarkozy and many morninng commuters thought it was an April fool's prank. Not so, as the story is in fact, entirely true. It was reported that Sarkozy uses a £10,000 armour-plated umbrella to protect him from attackers. Carried by the head of state's security guards, the rainproof device is allegedly coated in high-strength Kevlar so it can reduce the force of bullets and resist knife attacks. April's fool? Non Monsieur.

.XXX Domain

22 March 2011 - Internet overseer Icann has given final approval to the creation of an internet domain dedicated to pornography. The move to create a top level ".xxx" domain - similar to ".com" and ".org" - ends a 10-year battle over the virtual red-light district. Icann gave initial approval last year, but carried out further consultation checks over the application. It is now poised to sign an agreement with the ICM Registry, which is backing the domain, to make .xxx a reality. Supporters say the domain will make it easier to filter out inappropriate content. But many pornographers worry that the move could ghettoise their content. Religious groups have argued that giving pornography sites their own domain legitimises the content. Icann, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, said in a draft paper ahead of approving the decision: "The Icann community has engaged in extensive debate as well, with this single issue generating higher volumes of community comment than nearly any other issue ever faced within Icann." The organisation oversees the internet's addressing system and demands that new top level domains, such as .biz, must be "sponsored" in that they must serve the needs of a defined community. ICM said last year that it had more than 110,000 pre-reservations for .xxx domains.

No photoshop

5 March 2011 - I came across an interesting website (http://thechive.com/2011/03/03/celebrity-close-ups-sans-photoshop-26-photos/) with the pictures of 26 American celebrities without being photoshopped. The portraits are rather intense, often beautiful and always captivating. I do not know who all these "celebrities" are, but there are the amazing faces of Clint Eastwood, Helen Mirren and Cate Blanchett staring you in the eye. No photoshop does not mean no make-up, but these white screen gods suddenly become real people. You could almost meat them in the supermarket. Little is said about the vision of the website, but it's a great initiative. Great people, great picture, great site.

Guam

4 March 2011 - I have never been to Guam, but the name of the place has this magical ring to it. Yet, I seldomly hear of people visiting the place. I checked the Lonely Planet website, and it is explained that there are a few good reasons why Guam, a former Spanish colony and the biggest island in Micronesia, is so rarely visited. From North America or Europe, only a few airlines will take you to this US territory in the Pacific Ocean and almost every route has stops in either Honolulu, Tokyo or Seoul. And with round-trip tickets starting at $1,500, it is not exactly the cheapest place to get to either. But one will forget the long, expensive flight once set foot on the island, which is one third of the size of London and has year-round temperatures between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. One million Japanese tourists flock here every year for the predictable weather, white beaches and crystal-clear Pacific Ocean. They swarm the theme-park style hotel pools, beach-side wedding chapels and the luxury shopping malls that feel like an air-conditioned, less-crowded version of Fifth Avenue. These distractions make for a happy few days away from reality, or a honeymoon, but it might be missing the point. Guam is not just about tourists offerings. The real draws are the local food and culture.

Karaoke Hits

27 Feb 2011 - Some people think that Karaoke is merely an Asian activities. Not rue, and although I do not have any figures to proof it I like to share the Top Ten of Most Poplular Karaoke songs in British venues, as published by The Telegrap. Here we go go go:
1. Waterloo - ABBA
2. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
3. My Way - Frank Sinatra
4. I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
5. Dancing Queen - ABBA
6. Angels - Robbie Williams
7. Like A Virgin - Madonna
8. Its Raining Men - Weather Girls
9. Summer Nights -  Olivia Newton John and John Travolta

10. I Should Be So Lucky - Kylie Minogue

American Idol Again

21 Feb2010 - It's that time of year again: for the 10th year in a row it is American Idol season. I used to be addicted to the programme (see positing 21 April 2010), but thanks to Astro Malaysia I am not able to receive Star Channel, so miss out on this year's season. Last season was not that great, so probably I do not miss that much although it would be funny to see Steven Tyler replacing Simon Cowell. I read in the newspaper that this week 327 people went to Hollywood for that one and only shot at fame. They came out in lines of 10 and acapella was the initial way to go. Their pictures were arranged neatly in front of the judges' table for easy identification and elimination. So far nothing new and I wonder if I really miss much. The newspaper also reports that it seems that this years' teenagers are showing their seniors that singing with a big heart is better than throwing it all out with a powerful voice. Maybe they better understand that one Mariah Carey is enough? At the end of the week 168 people "survived". They were crying, dancing and hugging, and - for a moment - did not seem to care too much about the next round.

The Social Network

19 Feb 2011 - People with the most Facebook "friends" are more likely to feel stressed out by the site, according to researchers. Edinburgh Napier University found a significant minority of users suffered "considerable Facebook-related anxiety".However, they only received very modest rewards.
More than one in 10 said Facebook made them feel anxious and more than three in 10 said they felt guilty about rejecting friend requests.The study found that 12% of the students questioned said they disliked receiving friend requests, while almost two thirds (63%) said they delayed replying to friend requests.
The university's Dr Kathy Charles, who led the study, said: "The results threw up a number of paradoxes.

"For instance, although there is great pressure to be on Facebook there is also considerable ambivalence amongst users about its benefits."And we found it was actually those with the most contacts, those who had invested the most time in the site, who were the ones most likely to be stressed. Like gambling, Facebook keeps users in a neurotic limbo, not knowing whether they should hang on in there just in case they miss out on something good”

Dallas Come-Back

6 Feb 2011 - BBC reports that the hit show Dallas is making a return to our screens, with many members of the original cast including Larry Hagman and Patrick Duffy. At its height - in the 1980s - it was one of the most watched programmes on television, but will it be a success this time? It was the show of stetsons, shoulder pads and plenty of sex and scandal. Dallas, which was set in the Texas oil industry, mixed decadence, deceit and drama, and made for compulsive viewing. Millions around the world tuned in every week as the split-screen opening credits and the unforgettable theme tune transported them into the lives of the Ewing family.
The show ran for 13 seasons, from 1978 to 1991. Twenty years on it is being brought back to life by the TNT network with a pilot. The saga of Who Shot JR? gripped viewers around the world

At its peak it drew in huge audiences. The famous Who Shot JR? plot line in March 1980 attracted some of the largest viewing figures in television history.

Biutiful

2 Feb 2011 - I am greatly looking forward to seeing the new Alejandro Inarritu movie "Biutiful". I have been a big fan since his debut with Amores Perros in 2000, and from what I understand Biutiful is another masterpiece. The movie received an Oscar nomination for best foreign language film and the movie's leading man Javier Bardem hopes to receive his second oscar for best actor. The Mexican film academy chose the movie to represent the country, and the film was nominated together with movies from Greece, Algeria, Canada and Denmark. Inarritu said he would watch the other foreign films in the next few weeks and would attend next month's awards ceremony in Los Angeles. Biutiful deals with the lives of immigrants in Barcelona and tells the story of a father, played by Bardem, who knows he's dying and discovers the meaning of life and love. It will also be interesting to see what the movie will do in Malaysia, as immigrants are notoriously poorly treated here.

Just a Service Provider ...

6 Jan 2011 - Who would have predicted this? Clairvoyants and astrologers can legally practise in Romania since a few days as fortune-telling was officially recognized as a profession per 1st January 2011. The Romanian Government adopted last week a bill listing fortune-tellers, astrologers and "small practitioners" along with butlers, embalmers and driving instructors in thye "personal services" category. The move drew scatching comments on the internet with some asking if fortune tellers would have to declare revenues and pay taxes."Will they have to issue bills that will then act as warranty certificate?"Benjib, an internet user, said. If so, :just imagine the number of complaints over unfulfilled predictions lodged with the consumers protection office," he added.

Rolling Stones

2 Jan 2010 - Rolling Stones' guitar player Keith Richards has published his autobiography called "Life". It seems an appropriate title for a man who was near-dead for many years of his life. He wrote the book together with ghostwriter James Fox. Richards explains how it all started ... The band was still totally unknown when they were invited for an interview by a local magazine.Jazz News (!!!!). The journalist asked the duo Mick Jagger and Keith Richards what the name of the band was They had no clue, but they saw an album by Muddy Waters lying around and one of the songs on the album was called Rolling Stone. So, voila ... The Rolling Stones were born. Much has been said about the rivalry (and friendship) between Mick and Keith, but the name of the band was chosen by both of them. Not long after, they played the world in gigantic stadiums and earned lots of money. The legendary band was born.

Gulliver's Travels

22 Dec 2010 - Hollywood is lacking creativity in recent years and is now recycling Gulliver's Travels. In a contemporary re-imagining of the classic take by Jonathan Swift, US actor Jack Black stars as Gulliver, a big talking mailroom clerk. In the story Gulliver is mistakenly assigned a travel piece on the Bermuda triangle and (after shipwrec) suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput. Lilliput turns out to be the home of very tiny people. At first he is enslaved by the industrious Lilliputians, but later he is declared their hero (very Hollywood). There is also a message: Gulliver gets to learn that it is not about how big you are but that it is the inside that counts (sob, sob). Shot on location in and around Britain the movie also stars Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet and Brian Connolly. Soon in theatres near you!

Extreme World

6 Dec 2010 - The BBC will soon start broadcasting their series Extreme World, about the world that divide us. Or we getting closer or becoming more distant from each other? In the coming months BBC World News correspondents will be exploring eight key themes that illustrate the contrasts in our extreme world. For the first theme, Hot and Cold, Adam Mynott will visit the Russian village of Oymyakon, Siberia, officially the coldest inhabited place on earth. In Oymyakon the average temperature in January is minus 46 degrees and frostbite is a constant hazard. The region is rich in gold and diamond, and Russia is now one of the world's leading diamond producers. The second installment will focus on corruption, with Swden and Somalia at both extreme ends of the line. Further themes are Dyring, Crime, Education, Business, Pollution and God. Don't miss it.