I promised this particular entry after my APM2013 review and looking at the date, which is almost two months after the wedding, I was in two minds whether to publish this or just put it on the back burner. But a promise is a promise, and since people are still searching for photographs of Fauzie and Nurul‘s wedding, from the search terms I see that people keyed in before entering this domain, I guess there’s no harm sharing. Anyway, this domain is devoid of activity, so it badly needs an entry to keep its existence going. Apologies if this entry is a bit too late or feels a bit stale, but better late than never I guess. The photo gallery below are photographs taken on both the first day (over at the bride’s) as well as on the second day (at the groom’s). I did not stay long for both events so I might have missed out on snapping more photographs of the guests who attended. I was also not invited to the exclusive wedding dinner so forgive me if I have no photos of them. Just hope that the photos are enough to satiate your thirst to view the photographs, no matter how belated this entry is. Enjoy…

Thank you for entertaining RIA 89.7FM listeners, bro Hafeez!!!

The start of the new Gregorian calendar year normally brings with it fresh hope and optimism for what is to come in the next 365 days. But somehow I am starting the new year in this domain of mine a little solemn as I try to come to terms with the fact that one of my favourite radio deejays and one-time mentor during my radio internship back in 1998, none other than Hafeez Glamour, ends his time with the only station that he has been with since its formation on 1st December 1990. This past fortnight, rumours had been swirling that there will be major shake-ups between the two local Malay radio stations for the coming year ahead and this is normal amongst all the Mediacorp-owned radio stations as they inject and infuse new ideas to attract the listeners into tuning in to their daily programmes.

Today 3rd January 2014 marks his final day on RIA 89.7FM, ending a twenty-three year long association, for which he has been the mainstay throughout, whereas those who had joined the station when it first formed, had all gone over to sister station Warna 94.2FM or left for pastures anew. So the question is, where is Hafeez Harun a.k.a. Hafeez Glamour heading to come 6th January 2014??? Of late he had posted several teasing photos of him on his personal social media platforms, some depicting him possibly going the way of our Asian Idol, Hady Mirza. The truth is, Hafeez will still be heard on radio, but will be moving to Warna 94.2FM, where he will team up with wacky deejay Dyn Norahim for the 10pm-2am slot. I did not get the chance to talk about his “Demi Adriana” book launch back in 2012 due to my busy schedule, but here I am dedicating this entry to thank him for his past twenty-three years with RIA 89.7FM.

Hafeez Glamour – A brand name that needs no further introduction nor elaboration…

He had been the last one standing amongst his fellow peers who had transferred over to Warna 94.2FM, but he has been standing proud and tall with RIA 89.7FM all these years, winning the “Most Popular Deejay (Malay)” award for eight years over the past decade, beating his younger colleagues. His success can be attributed to his drive, positive outlook to life, honesty and above all, sincerity in delivering his daily responsibilities to entertain the masses tuning in to him. Mention the name “Hafeez Glamour” and people already know who he is and his infectious personality. It is a brand name in our local Malay community that needs no further introduction nor elaboration. An icon that also shares the same birthday as the station he is leaving.

Me and bro Hafeez go back a long, long way since 1996. Our acquaintanceship began when I took part in one of his daily phone-in karaoke segments back then and won myself a couple of CDs for winning that particular week’s contest. The following year, me and my two buddies entered “kRIAtif 97“, in which bro Hafeez was the producer, and we won the Impersonation Category, mimicking our favourite group KRU. But it was in 1998 that our acquaintanceship grew into a friendship, when I did my polytechnic internship with both Malay radio stations. Bro Hafeez was a good mentor like all the other deejays back then, teaching me the ropes of radio broadcasting and even bringing me out to observe some of their outdoor activities like his Kafe-Teh-RIA segment, whereby there were days when he and co-partner Morniyati Tukimin would be visiting listeners at their work places.

Bro Hafeez seen here entertaining the guests during my wedding dinner back in 2005…

During the period when sending sms to the radio station to air our views or dedications was the in-thing (circa 2003-2006), my nick was a constant mention in his daily radio programme with bro Syah Ibrahim (RIA Jamm). I have to admit back then, I was given plenty of opportunities to get my messages and opinions across, contributing to the success of his daily show, even when I ran the risk of upsetting the other listeners with my no-nonsense and honest-to-goodness comments. Even though my comments bothered on being provocative towards the mentality and mindset of our community, bro Hafeez was always there to see the positive aspect and reiterated my views, to the point others felt he was guilty of favouritism and bias towards yours truly. I can say, thanks to his daily radio programme back then, that is where I learned to be more vocal and more confident in expressing my views, which in turn led to the birth of this blog of mine.

What I admire most about bro Hafeez is his level of patience in entertaining listeners, always having that sense of empathy towards those who might be a little slow in putting their points across or those who might be a little difficult for us to understand, especially the Indonesian domestic workers, who count as his biggest fans. Which is why till today, he is no doubt someone they look up to and the go-to guy when it comes to hosting events involving these foreign workers. Another unforgettable memory I have of bro Hafeez was how, at such short notice before my wedding in 2005, he agreed to host my wedding dinner along with bro A B Shaik. I was surprised to secure his services but I knew, even before asking, that he would never disappoint me on my big day. Till today, me and the wife are so thankful to him and bro Shaik for entertaining the guests who had waited for our arrival almost an hour later than scheduled.

Writing and producing his second book “Demi Adriana” in 2012 was another highlight of his career…

During his time with RIA 89.7FM, bro Hafeez had always encouraged listeners to increase our knowledge through inculcating the culture of reading into our lives. A prolific writer himself having done stints with Manja magazine and other external writing projects, the highlight of his twenty-three year career as a radio presenter has to be when he produced two books, “Diari DJ” and “Demi Adriana“. Again, I am thankful to bro Hafeez for dedicating one of the characters potrayed in his book “Diari DJ“, to me, a form of recognition to several listeners who have added colour to his daily radio programme and segments. When most listeners were always up in arms over my direct and often-brash comments on air, he stated in his book that he found my comments “meant for the good of the community”. High praise indeed!!!

During his time with RIA 89.7FM, bro Hafeez could be attributed to giving the opportunity to up-and-coming acts to display their potential and talents via his segments like “Karaoke 897” and “Opening Act Go Glam“. The likes of Hetty Sarlene, Malaysian singers Fazli Zainal and Izzla, and of late, Aisyah Aziz, Sufie Rashid and Kamsani Jumahat are just a few names I can think off-the-cuff, who have benefited from being spotted through his daily radio programmes and have reaped the rewards of currently being known or have established themselves in the scene, either locally or across the Causeway. Hopefully RIA 89.7FM will continue this legacy to introduce and help push through new talents through segments like “Singa Maksima” and “SG“.

News of his impending transfer to Warna 94.2FM might shock many, especially since he has a very strong fanbase of followers, but I think there could be positives in the long run. Of course, new changes need time to bed in, but overtime I guess he will be a valuable asset to the sister station. Again I thank bro Hafeez for taking the trouble to call me up last weekend to confirm his transfer, even though I had heard the rumours and made my own deductions through several veiled status updates on Facebook both by bro Hafeez himself and his soon-to-be new sparring partner, Dyn Norahim. To bro Hafeez, thank you for everything you’ve done both on a personal level as well as entertaining us all daily for twenty-three years on RIA 89.7FM. May your new posting give you more joy and satisfaction to what you have achieved all these years and I wish you nothing but more success in your upcoming endeavours!!!

It’s been almost half a year since her coronation as “The Final 1” on Mediacorp Channel 5‘s reality singing competition held last year. Over the past five months or so since her win, she has been working hard behind the scenes, recording her debut album which finally made its way in local music stores (CD RAMA) on 28 January 2014. However the media conference held in conjunction with the album launch was held slightly later, about a week after the CDs have been made available, on 6 February 2014. The event was held at The Star Loft, situated on the eleventh floor of The Star Performing Arts Centre in Buona Vista. In a way, it was a full circle for Farisha as she was conferred the title of “The Final 1” at the same building on 21 August 2013.

Farisha being interviewed by Elliot Danker…

Those who had followed “The Final 1” competition since the start would note that Farisha was a model of consistency week in and out. I remember being very impressed by her showing since the very first episode. Besides Farisha, I had other favourites as well but when one by one got eliminated in the competition in the early stages, I felt that the competition was hers to be won at a canter, no disrespect to the other participants. And she did!!! I was mesmerised by her rendition of “Tonight” during the Grand Finals cos I never thought she could pull off a song with an upbeat tempo as well as when she sings ballads and slow numbers. She was a worthy winner that night and the final result was never in doubt.

Farisha performed three songs during the event…

Back to her album launch. Titled “Aligned“, the album consists of nine original compositions, six in English and the remaining three in Malay. Of note, three of the songs found in her album, “Life Is Beautiful“, “Hidup Ini Indah” and “Stranded“, were penned by this talented 19-year old. During the media conference event, I was intrigued by how calm, confident and eloquent Farisha was when posed with questions from host Elliot Danker. Some new artistes need a bit of coaxing to describe themselves or even their songs / albums, but Farisha displayed the kind of confidence seen in seasoned professionals.  Of course I will not describe in detail what went on during the event as you can view highlights of them in the short clip I have managed to put up and included at the end of this entry.

Farisha being interviewed by RIA 89.7FM‘s Aura Shai…

All I can say after observing Farisha, how she tackles the media and most importantly, how she enjoys herself onstage is that generally, I am excited to see how far she can progress in this small music industry of ours and whether she can push on and make waves abroad. With her willingness and determination to improve on her shortcomings, her confidence in being bilingual (even though she admits she could improve on her mother tongue), I feel that over time, the regional audience would warm up to her and she could be our best female export. Though her looks remind me of Malaysia‘s Nurul Wahab, her talent if nurtured well and she reaches diva status, a comparison with Dato’ Sheila Majid cannot be too far away.

Get Farisha‘s “Aligned” album at all CD RAMA outlets now!!!

To Farisha, congratulations Adik on your album launch. I really, really hope that your career will take off from here, that the masses will receive your songs and album in kind, and of course, lend you their utmost support, even more than the one they gave during “The Final 1” competition. Keep your feet on the ground, remain humble as you already are and continue to improve on all aspects so that you can be an all-rounded performer. Wish you nothing but success in your music career and maybe someday, you will be willing to spread your wings and soar to even greater heights. As your mentor Taufik Batisah would say, “The sky’s the limit…”

P.S. Thank you to Hype Records and Artiste Networks for the kind invitation to this memorable event…

Snapshots of Farisha’s Album Launch Media Conference Event…

(Graphics poster courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

2014 seems like a boring year in this domain of mine. I know cos this is only the third entry I am doing so far. I could have done more entries like covering celebrity weddings that happened last month, but I was overseas due to work commitments, which meant I had to miss the weddings of Didicazli & Eliyana as well as “Step Puteri‘s” Ateeqah Mazlan & Effendie (DJ Effen). Congratulations to all of them including bro Hady Mirza & Nur Jannah, SG‘s Siti Nurhaliza lookalike winner Mahirah Yasin & Herdeno as well as Anugerah Skrin 2010 alumnus Mariah Mahfar & Isbahi who have all tied the knot within the last month or so. 2014 is indeed a year filled with celebrity weddings in our local Malay entertainment scene. And it’s still only March. More to follow in the months ahead…

The guys (from left): Warna 94.2FM‘s Tahar Ghalib (TG), Suzairhe Sumari, Hyrul Anuar, Danial Ashriq, Fadhlur Rahman, Hasif Nasir, Taufik Salleh, Khairudin Samsudin and Fauzie Laily. RIA 89.7FM‘s Dzar Ismail was getting ready when this shot was taken…

This past Saturday 22 March 2014, in conjunction with the Halal Food, Weddings & Lifestyle Exhibition organised by Mega Express Pte. Ltd., a segment that was a crowd puller happened to be the prelude event to the upcoming TeRaSeh programme which will make its return come 8 April 2014 on Mediacorp Suria. For those who had been watching or following the first edition last year, you will know that it is a highly entertaining programme with all the crazy and spontaneous antics by all the participants and the hosts. The programme is also an educational one as viewers would also learn general knowledge, culture and and history of the local entertainment scene as well as our country through the questions asked. I did not cover a single episode last year as I was tied down with reservist and family commitments, but I do hope I can cover on a weekly basis this time round, which will be known as TeRaSeh 2.0.

The damsels (from left): Dalina Jaapar, Syirah Jusni, Izyan Mellyna, Nurfarhana M Noor, Mastura Ahmad, Nurul Aini, Nurul Nabila and Siti Hajar Gani…

Which was why I attended the event last Saturday to get a feel of what this year’s list of participants from the radio and television fraternity have in store for us. For one, they gave a glimpse of what might transpire in the upcoming episodes with a Boria performance for the audience at the start and end of the show. Last year, there was a spontaneous Dikir Barat performance at the end of every episode of TeRaSeh. Perhaps this year, they will inject the Boria element just to spice things up further. For one, the participants had to undergo an intensive training prior to the show just to learn the coordinated dance steps and lyrics to the song they were performing. Kudos to all the artistes involved last Saturday for learning within a few hours before having to perform them live for the watching audience.

The fantastic Sri Warisan performers who accompanied and trained the artistes for the Boria segment…

Playing games with the audience, maybe we’ll get to see more of the same this year. We’ll just have to wait for the first episode to air, but one thing’s for sure, this will not be a Radio vs. Television affair like last year. The rules have been changed and it will be the radio and television fraternity combining and duking it out between the two genders. Based on what happened last Saturday, you are guaranteed to have a rolling good time and definitely will get sore facial muscles due to too much laughing at the antics of all the participants and hosts. It is also good that the show will see several new faces who will add on to the entertainment and eye candy factors. For the record, TeRaSeh 2.0 will be hosted by Khairudin Samsudin and AB Shaik…

(Graphics poster courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

It’s been awhile since I did a review on an event that I attended at the Mediacorp TV Theatre. Simply because when I accepted the invites from Mediacorp Suria to attend these shows or events, more often than not, I did not see the need to review as they are either a light-hearted affair or for charity. I was there to just snap photos of the event and during the reception afterwards without seeing the need to comment much. Sometimes I don’t need to voice my thoughts as others have done it for me on social media. Anyway there are so many keyboard warriors out there too quick to jump on the bandwagon of criticising without giving substantial suggestions. I guess it’s a favourite pastime now to use one’s handphone keypads to comment every single thing they see on the google box, be it good or bad. I’m guilty of it sometimes when I watch football and passions are running high.

I note from several people I’ve met of late that this blog has somewhat stagnated and that the writer (or should I say, typist???) behind the words on this domain has lost his zest and panache to hit where it hurts, or to put it kindly, give a wake up call when it mattered. Over the years as I mellow down and become less confrontational and got to know more people, I find that it is a challenge to be as hard-hitting as before. I had to tweak and fine-tune my style so as not to be too cynical or cause frictions with others in the long run. Maybe fatherhood has made me more forgiving, understanding and giving others the benefit of doubt but I like to think I type better when I’m having that red mist and I don’t quite experience that as often as before. Wish I could post more entries but like I said from time to time, I am not paid to blog and this is something I do as a community service as and when I am free from my work, family and personal commitments.

The front row audience consisting of bigwigs in the local media industry as well as guest of honour Dr. Mohd Faishal Ibrahim…

Anyway, I was honoured to be invited again to attend the recent Viva Elektra event at Mediacorp TV Theatre. The two-hour variety special was the fourth instalment by Suria and was previously known as Suria Elektra (2010), Rock Elektra (2011) and Bandstand Elektra (2012). The show belatedly celebrated the formation of MediaCorp’s Malay Broadcast Division, the merger between television channel Suria and radio stations Warna 94.2FM and RIA 89.7FM, hence there was an eclectic mix of performers from radio presenters to television personalities and established recording artistes that night. Viva Elektra in a way, symbolised the division’s hopes to establish a commitment to continually bring high quality programmes to their audience, be it on radio and television. Expect to see more of such shows in the near future involving the radio and television personalities. We are already anticipating cross-platform programmes like TeRaSeh 2.0, R&D and the sixth season of infotainment show JUS! this month. Viva Elektra was just the start!!!

The men who made the night ticked – Dyn Norahim and Khairudin Samsudin…

Looking at how the radio and television personalities collaborated on stage, I had a feel-good feeling that we can expect more entertaining shows on television and radio as well. Yes, I will not deny that I’ve heard rumours going round that certain gigs and jobs are affected due to the merger, but I would like to call upon all the artistes who might feel a little slighted that their places and roles in television programmes might be taken up by their radio counterparts, to treat this as a healthy competition. Granted we might not be like our next door neighbour where there are so many channels one can tune to and for radio and television personalities to still do well when they cross platforms, but there are possible avenues that can be explored. Radio could possibly have seasonal guest hosts like what Fauzie Laily did co-hosting Skoolz with Nity Baizura a few years ago. Or if they were to have a shake-up of personnel, who knows, they might just rope in some of these television personalities into their stables??? Let’s not see it as a form of hindrance to one’s rice bowl, but to work as a unit to lift the standards of our local Malay entertainment scene.

The cast of Tak2ut (from left): Ashmi Roslan, DJ KC, Fadhlur Rahman and Wan Haddad…

Maybe a little criticism I would have of Viva Elektra was that feeling of imbalance in some of their segments. While the skit involving the Tak2ut cast (Ashmi Roslan, Wan Haddad and Fadhlur Rahman) and DJ KC seemed a bit short, the Bangsawan and Pentas Radio segments felt a wee bit too long for my liking. I just feel that the song performed by Eiss, “Arjuna (Mencari Cinta)“, was redundant and only served to prolong the segment, even though the audience and myself were tickled by the humour presented by all the performers involved. It is nice to see new faces on television like Wan Haddad and Nurfarhana M Noor given their big break on a big scale event as this. Also Junaidi Sali who often plays a supporting cast to be given the limelight he deserves after all these years.

Fauzie Laily (left) seldom gets comedic roles but when he gets them, he excels…

Nurfarhana it has to be said, is a name and face to watch this year. Her stock is rising and it is not easy to score a lead role in one’s debut drama series (Rima Hatiku) and subsequent ones like Follow Fasha, unless one has the potential and package to succeed. She is currently seen in the new season of Di Luar Garisan and will be one of the participants for TeRaSeh 2.0. I won’t be surprised if she scores a hosting gig in the near future cos she has that bubbly personality to do it. You heard it first on this domain. Another one to impress me was RIA 89.7FM‘s Dzar Ismail. I’m a big fan of his daily Singa Maksima programme and from one karaoke session we had some months ago, I could see his hidden talent and passion in rapping, which was displayed that night when he performed “Cerita Kedai Kopi” with Tukangkata and Sezairi Sezali. I know some people do not quite like his sometimes excessive energy levels, but I think he is a breath of fresh air on radio. And yes I still claim credit unashamedly for saying he belongs in radio when I assessed his performances when he entered Anugerah Skrin back in 2010.

The one to watch this year – Nurfarhana M Noor. A flower blossoming at a continued pace…

Another criticism I would add on will be the choice of performing artistes and some of the songs they performed. Before the show, I saw on social media how people lamented that it’s basically the same faces over and over again. To some extent, I would agree with them as I too felt the same way when I saw the list of performing artistes slated to perform. No I am not attacking or blaming the singers who performed cos they are all excellent in their own respect. My complaint would be a lack of more variety than what we’re used to. Take for instance we have so many bands producing good quality music in Singapore. The likes of Diorama, Tujuh, Klutz are some of the bands that are under-rated here. And if you speak of individual acts, there’s Reyza Hamizan, Sufie Rashid, Chomel, Aidil Akmal, Nurdiana Saad, upcoming acts who deserved to be given their dues and be introduced to the masses.

The hosts replicating Ellen Degeneres at the recent Oscars and taking a selfie photograph with the audience…

I appreciate that we would want to entice people to watch as their favourites would be performing but it does not send a message that the artistes feel appreciated, even though radio plays their music on a daily basis. There is no point having your songs known on radio when people still dunno who you are. Just ask Audionauts when they won at APM2013. There were still people asking on social media and on newspaper reports wondering who they were. “Rentak Laguku“, the song performed by Aliff Aziz, Eiss and Sezairi Sezali, was another one that I felt was a bit redundant as it was only as recent as last October that we witnessed Amy Search and Bunkface performed the song at APM2013. And even though I love Taufik Batisah‘s “Sesuatu Janji” amongst all his songs to date, I think that was the fourth or fifth time he performed the song at a Suria event, in addition to APM2008.

Group photo with all the performers that night once the cameras stopped rolling…

Overall, Viva Elektra was an enjoyable show, even if it did overrun by about eleven minutes. The choice of having Khairudin Samsudin and Warna 94.2FM‘s Dyn Norahim was a good one, with both trading barbs at one another and the latter being the brunt of many of the former’s jokes. At certain points, Dyn looked jittery but it should be forgiven as this was afterall his first live television hosting gig. Speaking to him afterwards, he said that it was nerve-wrecking and a very different experience compared to his daily live show on radio. Like many others before him, I am sure he will grow into the role and be better. Am certainly looking forward to seeing him host the new season of JUS! alongside the gorgeous Ainon Talib and Nurul Akhmar come the end of April. For now I can’t wait for TeRaSeh 2.0. It’s gonna be an absolute riot!!!

TeRaSeh! made its long-awaited return on our television screens this past Tuesday night (8 April 2014). The highly-rated show, which pitted radio and television personalities against one another in various game and challenge segments last year, comes with a difference this time. The battle between the two media platforms have been replaced with a battle of the sexes this time round, aptly called “Mat vs. Minah“. Thirty-six radio and television personalities come together and six will do battle in the qualifying rounds for the first six weeks, whereas the semi-final rounds will see the Top 18 duking it out with one another for three weeks, before the Grand Finale on 10 June 2014. The Grand Finale, like last year, will see the Top 10 make one final battle in a two-hour face off. And yes, it is not just about fun and games, but proceeds from the winnings they earn will go to a charity organisation of their choice.

Dalina was head and shoulders with her more established counterparts, adding grace to brawn. Expect more in the coming weeks…

When I last reported on the TeRaSeh! 2.0 Prelude event held a few weeks ago at Singapore Expo, I had mentioned that A B Shaik and Khairudin Samsudin were the resident hosts and Dalina Jaapar was initially meant to be one of the participants for the Minahs. However I note that there was a change in the line-up in recent weeks, and Dalina has now been drafted as one of the resident hosts. I think that this is a good move. Some will think that three’s a crowd, but when you have a gender-based competition like this, there needs to be a balance and not make it a bit lop-sided with male testosterone dominating proceedings. Rilla Melati and RIA 89.7FM‘s Assistant Vice-President, Mr. Hassan Salleh, reprise their roles as resident jury for this weekly competition series. For the first episode of TeRaSeh! 2.0 this past week, former resident judge of the Anugerah competition, Ann Hussein, was the guest jury.

Ann Hussein joins the judging panel, consisting of Rilla Melati and Mr. Hassan Salleh…

The first episode saw Fauzie Laily, TG and Hafeez Glamour battling against Nurul Aini, Zaza Majid and Izyan Mellyna, with “Retro” being the theme of the week. It was comical to see them mimicking the late Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Diana Ross – just some of the few icons associated with the era. After an intense battle which ended off with a Boria face-off, the ladies emerged clear winners of the first episode. I know some of you must be wondering what in the world is Boria. Originating from Penang, it is almost similar to Dikir Barat, just that accompanying members dance along to synchronised moves as opposed to just sitting down and singing the chorus like the latter. I know the artistes were extremely uncomfortable with this form of face-off, as Boria is not as popular here compared to Dikir Barat, and with them having to dance and sing along to spontaneous lyrics. I can empathise with their predicament but on a positive note, it puts them on equal footing as I foresee the guys would excel on the even weeks when Dikir Barat returns during the final face-off.

Games like these are a weekly hallmark of TeRaSeh!…

Continuing from last year’s edition, there is a live segment from RIA 89.7FM‘s conty with Nity Baizura and Fiza O, being the new addition, replacing Dzar Ismail. Last year’s series featured students who became guest deejays of the week, but this year the glamour factor has been increased with local acts challenging one another weekly to get that coveted spot to guest host with the two aforementioned female radio personalities. The first episode saw Jamiel Said guest presenting live from the conty and though there were initial jitters, I thought he did quite well. My only complaint about the first episode is that there is no segment for local acts to perform like last year where upcoming acts, whose talents were spotted in Hafeez Glamour‘s “Go Go Glam” segment, were featured. It would be nice if the guest presenters at the conty were to perform their latest singles as well. I for one would have loved to hear Jamiel Said perform his latest offering, “Ballerina“.

Boria face-offs like this, will be a common sight on odd weeks for this year’s edition of TeRaSeh! 2.0…

I doubt I will be doing lengthy recaps henceforth as this weekly entertainment series is a light-hearted affair and for charity as well. Subsequent entries on TeRaSeh! 2.0 will most probably be photo recaps of the weekly proceedings. Like I said before, sometimes less is more and people would prefer to view photographs, rather than read long-winded analysis. Tonight’s episode will see Shahrin Azhar, Suzairhe Sumari and Wan Haddad facing off against Aura Shai, Nurul Nabila and Mariam Mas’od. Initially the Paparazzi Pagi deejays, Adi Rahman and Azlin Ali were supposed to be in the line-up, but I guess there was a slight change over the past week, and we now see Wan Haddad coming in and Aura Shai who was initially slated for Week 4 to go head on two weeks earlier than planned. One thing’s for sure, we’re gonna have a good time watching them go against one another and taking the mickey…

I actually typed this entry way back in 2010 and left it in the Drafts section because I wanted to make a victory speech of sorts as a means to hit out at my haters and detractors who were undermining me for my entries, commentaries and analysis. This was initially meant to be an entry to silence and show them, “Hey, if the mainstream media has finally recognised my work for them to invite me to cover their events, then I must have been doing something right all along!!!” Also I did not realise I have reached this milestone till the recent Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza concert, which dawned on me that I have been blogging for the past ten years since February 2004. It has been a long journey, filled with ups and downs, joy, bliss, rejections, and for the first time at Dato Siti‘s concert, embarrassment and humiliation in the presence of my fellow media counterparts (more on that in my upcoming review of the concert).

The Mediacorp Suria staff (whom I share a good working relationship with) with the Ratu Suria contestants post-Sinar Lebaran 2013…

I used to and still feel small whenever I am invited to cover any entertainment events, for the fact that I am mostly a one-man team. There is nothing spectacular about my blog either, as I do not have the expertise to create a more vibrant design, nor add adverts or frilly scripts to make it more pleasing to the eye, being the tech idiot that I am. I also do not have the luxury of a fellow writer, photographer or videographer tagging along with me. My wife helps me out from time to time with recording video snippets but even then, I find it tedious and time consuming having to edit and upload them afterwards. Already editing photographs take up a lot of my personal time. Through entertainment blogging, I find joy in attending live shows, getting to know people in the industry as well as learn and understand why certain things are what they are, especially when the general public demands to know why certain things cannot be done or impossible to execute, for instance.

Another set of people I enjoy working with, the radio fraternity…

Through such learning experiences over the years, I developed a more empathic approach towards producing a balanced entry. I now try to be more understanding why certain things transpire and even when things go wrong, I am able to forgive and give benefit of doubt. I am very sure those who have followed this blog for the longest time would note how much I have mellowed down since when I first started out with all guns blazing whenever I see something to my chagrin. Bombing away and forming seething (and sometimes wild) observations, used to be the hallmark of my entries, but I still maintained decorum and without the need to use vulgarities to get my points across. I believe this was partly why I was finally received by Mediacorp Suria to cover their events beginning with Anugerah 2009. I am also honoured to be the first Malay blogger back then to have broken barriers and opened the doors for more to join in covering entertainment events.

Covering one of my close friends’ wedding (DJ KC & Fiza O) was one of the highlights of the past ten years…

This blog has indeed come a long, long way since I first started out using Blogspot as my host. Not to sound calculative with what I had done to increase the stature and reputation of this blog, but this domain of mine has witnessed evolution from its humble beginnings. From grainy photographs taken from my Nokia handphone, to buying a high-end DSLR camera, complete with extended zoom lens as well as a video camera, these were my commitment to the cause of providing quality pictures and video snippets of events and shows I attended. Oh and how can I forget how my domain’s logo and watermark changing over the years to give it a more professional outlook??? Previously it was just a simple word on photographs before I realised they were ugly and spoiling them. That’s when I made trials and errors on the watermark logo before finalising what you see today.

I did not get to blog on bro Hafeez Glamour‘s “Demi Adriana” book launch due to my busy schedule back then, but I did share photos I took that day in my Facebook account…

You can regard whatever evolution or small changes I’ve done to improve or increase the reputation and quality of my blog, or even whatever promos or reviews I’ve done all these years, as my community service to provide useful information on our local Malay entertainment scene, introducing new acts, reacquaint others with established ones, providing differing views from mainstream media and providing a useful resource in general. From time to time I have people working in the scene thanking me for what I have done, assisting them with valuable information in the process, and it fills me with pride that I have gone in someway to help others, even though I felt like I have done nothing much. It has been a joy so far covering events, helping out with promos and fundings, sharing joyous moments of celebrity weddings, attending concerts and awards shows, book / product / album / single / music video launches, behind-the-scenes filming etc., even if they sometimes come with pain and heartache which most are unaware.

Sri Warisan, very forthcoming and easy to work with when I helped to promo their Bendahara: The Musical event…

Like all those who dare to tread on whatever paths they deem as right or answering the call of passion / challenge, I have faced numerous obstacles and heartbreaks, some of which have affected my relationship with friends I once regarded as siblings. Like anyone who has dared to venture in this line or in this industry, I too have had my fair share of doubters, haters, brickbats and detractors over the years, from comments left in my entries to smses on radio segments, in blog posts right down to Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and the now defunct Multiply site. People questioned my credibility and qualifications in pouring forth my thoughts across, not to mention those that have bitched about my flawed interest in the entertainment scene and how I was just trying to fit in and make a name for myself. Cos truth be told, I’m not cut out to be a singer / actor / host / radio presenter - possible career paths which at some point of time in my life I had tried to be involved or had some interest in, but did not work out. But what did not kill me only made me stronger.

Covering the whole edition of Ratu Suria was an unforgettable experience for the fact that I had to defend the contestants alot in the face of online criticisms, bombarding them from their looks down to their level of intellect…

Call me arrogant or conceited for dedicating an entry reminiscing my past ten years in entertainment blogging, but I believe I have come a long way to proving that what I have been doing for the past decade have always been genuine, sincere, honest, patient, responsible, having self-belief and having loads of passion for the media / entertainment line - seven important traits you need to possess to survive in this harsh industry. The good people who have kindly invited me to cover their events, other than the Malay Broadcast Division of Mediacorp (Suria, Warna 94.2FM and RIA 89.7FM), might have taken notice of those values and principles I so dearly hold on to, and for that I’m extremely thankful to them for acknowledging the work I had painstakingly put up all these while. Even though I am unable to attend all of these invites to launches or shows due to work and family commitments, I still appreciate the invitations and feel honoured that people do recognise my efforts.

I was honoured to have covered Rita Zahara‘s heritage cookbook launch back in January 2012…

Unlike other famous entertainment bloggers across the Causeway, I’m not paid to do what I enjoy doing and even though I’m only doing it as a hobby during my recreational time, I try to give off my best, every single damn time. Most of the concerts I had reviewed so far in my domain, I paid with my hard-earned money and received no sponsorship whatsoever nor official accreditation from the respective organisers. Even when I try to get accreditation, most of the time, my requests were turned down or comes with certain limitations. Which is why till today I am a bit peeved with certain concert / show / event organisers, why they can invite foreign entertainment bloggers and even pay them to cover their events when a small fry like myself who is trying to help and promote new acts for free featured in their concerts, did not even receive any invite to cover and still had to pay to enter the concert venue.

And Fiza O‘s beauty product launch a month after, possibly the first Malay personality to lend her name to a beauty product…

There is something seriously wrong with the local Malay entertainment industry when foreign journalists / bloggers are being paid to cover events and shows, yet the local ones are not being considered or thought of. Also I find it perplexing till this day when I got to know some of our local acts had to sell tickets to one of their concerts to earn their rightful commissions, whereas the foreign acts featured together did not have to go through that form of treatment. While I appreciate the organisers wanting to instil a sense of business-minded tact in our local acts, it creates a form of quiet discontent, that there is a form of double standards being practised, especially when the foreign artistes were being paid and provided lodging without having to sell the concert tickets. And I do not blame them for feeling low and down as a result. Over the years, I’ve been like an Agony Aunt to some of the problems faced by our local acts, and from time to time, will highlight their plights in my entries.

Another momentous moment in 2012 was covering Siti Zahidah‘s album launch and showcase…

Another gripe I have with some local event organisers is their lack of gratitude. Back in 2012, I had planned to cover an event which showcased solely on upcoming local acts. It was a free concert held outside a community club. Out of respect, I just messaged the organisers to say I would like to cover their event and record video snippets of the performers. The plan was to introduce some of these acts on my domain, so people would be made aware of their talents. The reply I received was the event was not theirs per se, but the community club’s so they were unsure if they could allow me to record any video snippets. I was extremely fine with that till I came and saw so many in the audience recording away via their smartphones and iPads. In addition, I did not see any staff from the community club overseeing the whole event or anyone stopping these people from recording.

Another event I covered but did not manage to blog about was the Te:RaSeh! Road Tour last May…

Here I am trying to do a kind service for our local acts, yet my intentions got knocked back just because of a trivial reason and lack of responsibility. Suffice to say, I have refrained from attending any events or shows organised by this event organiser till today. I just cannot understand people turning down free promos online, when they have to fork out hundreds for a space on mainstream media. For the longest time, I have refrained from charging a fee to do promos and write-ups. Because I know our local industry does not pay as well as that across the Causeway with production houses and other organisations limited with fundings. I have been asked by people close to me, why have I not charged or earned anything out of what I enjoy doing??? There is simply no market for it over here, sad to say, or companies would be loathed to part their money for a simple promo.

Den Sabari and Huda Ali‘s wedding back in July 2010 was the first celebrity wedding I covered in this domain…

Speaking of promos, I’ve had over the years event /expo organisers taking my photographs on the Net without asking for my permission, even if my watermark is there for all to see. I will not go as far as saying they “stole” my photographs, even though the promotional photos used have clearly wiped them out, or just a cutout image of the artistes featured. I cannot blame the organisers fully, as from one classic example recently, I found out that the ones doing their promotional poster design was from an external department, a case of communication breakdown somewhere during their planning stages. Something they could have avoided doing when they agreed on what photos that could be used. But me being the ever-forgiving one, will always give others the benefit of doubt and accept people sometimes overlook these sort of things.

Another one of those events I covered, but only shared in my Facebook account, Fiesta Suria 2013…

If I want to be extremely anal about this, I could even bang on their doors and ask for a cut of their earnings, cos seriously expo events are a business windfall to some of these organisers and helping them promote via your photographs, you definitely feel that you deserve at least a little token of appreciation. For concerts and shows, it’s 50-50. One can earn a lot if your show is a sell-out, but what if only a handful turn out??? Even I won’t be so mean and damning as to want a certain cut from their earnings, cos I’ve heard some companies closing down after organising a big-scale sell-out concert in Singapore. Strange fact but true. Maybe I’m too nice or feel the legal route can be messy. But we are a small nation with an even smaller community. I don’t wish to kill or create ill feelings out of such matters, but sometimes people don’t realise that being the big fish, they forget simple ethics and courtesy. Sometimes I wonder, is it so difficult to seek permission or reward in kind???

A significant landmark for me was attending Hyrul Anuar‘s “Mata” music video launch back in September 2011, possibly the first of its kind in our local Malay entertainment scene…

I have to admit that I cannot be a journalist as I’m never able to meet datelines or type in a brief and concise manner. My entries are testament to how long-winded I can be. This entry is no different than the rest. I cringe and feel extremely uncomfortable when the term “celebrity blogger” is used on me, nor like to be called and considered one, cos to be one, you need to get thousands of hits daily and doing it on a full-time basis. My domain’s visitorship is not even 400 on most days. Being a celebrity blogger also means you have to share your private life or what you do on an almost daily basis. I am not prepared to be scrutinised, have my privacy exposed and subject my loved ones to be ridiculed or ogled at, especially since I have two young daughters. Some quarters have also labeled me as a “photographer”, but I am just comfortable being known as an “entertainment blogger”, thank you very much!!!

Thanks to Mini Monsters, I was able to cover the launch of their “Lagu-Lagu Kita CD”, aimed to preserve the heritage of songs we grew up with and to continue its legacy for the coming generations…

When this blog first started out in 2004, I did talk about my life just like any decent blogger out there. I think I also shared some of my photographs taken with famous personalities. I was also more vocal and critical when it came to reviewing and assessing shows / concerts I attended. But as my blog statistics rise over the years, I began to shy away from talking about my private life or putting up photos of myself, or with personalities, preferring instead to highlight the real stars themselves on this blog. With more eyes glued on this domain, building networks with people in the industry, gaining some form of respect through my brutal honesty, as well as being aware of the implications I might run into because of my often-harsh comments, I believe over the years, I have matured as a blogger and being more responsible and tactful with what I say or put across. I believe that nowadays I blog more with my head than my heart.

(Photograph courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

I will forever be thankful to Mediacorp Suria for inviting me to keep goal for them in the tournament that honoured my late uncle, the legendary Dollah Kassim from 2010-2012…

Which might explain why some people have wondered of late, how come I’ve gone soft and less scathing for the past three or four years. Perhaps fatherhood has changed me to be more understanding, to be more forgiving, to be more tolerant and of course to be more accepting of what is presented in front of me. I know I began as a gun-toting, trailblazing, devil-may-care writer (or typist), but it is only effective to a certain extent. People respect views when it comes from the heart, but at the same time, the head needs to balance the emotions so that one does not become too critical or damning. Anyway, my network has grown over the years. Any criticisms that I dish out henceforth, needs to be laced with a certain degree of empathy or at the very least, giving others that benefit of doubt. I don’t just look at things from my point of view but also from the points of those I am commenting on. This holistic approach might soften my style, but I am sure you know I will not mince my words when I experience the red mist.

Am glad to say I was physically there when Fiza O celebrated her 30th birthday and simultaneously announced she was getting married to her colleague, DJ KC…

Being popular and mentioned in the same breath as artistes is not what I had intentionally set out to do. Unable to realise my dreams as a singer / actor / host / radio DJ were also not the main reasons why I became a blogger whose entries are focused on our local Malay entertainment scene, mostly on the musical side of it. I believe there is only so much we can rely on our print media as they have their own limitations and space constraints in terms of monthly / daily publication release, what they can talk about and how much they can feature. Personally, I would like to see more people doing what I’m doing, cos it would be nice to hear differing views and opinions on our local entertainment industry. It would also add more colour and vibrancy since our industry is slowly growing and expanding. I became a blogger who types on local Malay entertainment stuff because there was a dearth and general scarcity in people doing it. I hope more would be inspired to follow my path, given that blogging at one point of time, was quite in and spread across the generations.

Attending events like Sinaran Hati makes one appreciative of the efforts of the artistes who set aside time to give back to the community…

Hand on heart, I would rather remain in the background than be what my haters claimed me to be, and to quote one comment I stumbled upon years ago, that I am “feeling-feeling artis gitu…“, probably due to the fact that I dressed to the nines on a number of occasions that I attended previous music award shows. I was merely respecting the occasion and since my weight was ballooning, I couldn’t fit into my old shirts and had to rely on my kind outfitters. If people have a big problem with that, then so be it. I might have uploaded some of my personal photographs in my Facebook account, which I apologise is only limited to those I know personally, but to share them in my blog is a bit too much to ask for. I do not understand where these people get the idea that I’m using the blogging medium as a means to prostitute myself and be famous. If people appreciate what I do as a yeoman service, then it gives me as much pleasure to provide them with news, promotions and reviews of events, concerts and shows which some of them did not manage to attend, or for those who did, to relive them all over again. What I wear to these events are very much secondary.

One of the events I enjoyed covering – the outdoor Festival Melayu Ada gigs, organised by Cokelat Events and Zaibaktian…

This entry was typed not only to celebrate and reminisce this blog’s journey over the past ten years, but was typed both as a means of defiance to the brickbats as well as to give hope to aspiring writers / bloggers out there that if your intentions are genuine, sincere in your approach, passionate in what you do, honest in how you think, responsible in what you say, having faith in yourself and being patient in the face of adversity, one day your efforts will eventually be recognised, people will begin to respect your views, readers will learn to accept and trust you, knowing full well that you’re not merely running your mouth off for the sake of it. People will be able to discern whether you command respect or lack thereof. It took me five years to finally receive official credibility from a very distinguished national media, a long time frame that perhaps could break one’s resolve if your intentions are flawed or you are chasing after personal agendas, fame or glory.

If not for celebrity blogger, Diah Mastura, who could not make it to this event, I would not have been able to feature this exclusive showcase of Anuar Zain in my blog back in 2011…

Even if I’m not invited again to cover future events after this entry is published and people think I’ve suddenly grown too big for my own shoes by harping about my personal achievements, I think I would be happy and assured to know that future Malay entertainment bloggers, if there are any others in the first place, could always hang on to the hope that anything is possible so long as they stick to the seven traits I stressed upon in the earlier paragraphs. I would love to have added an eighth trait which is humility. But I’m afraid some of you out there would gleefully point out that I am being hypocritical by talking about what I have achieved so far in this entry, which of course would undermine everything I’ve mentioned. However, I believe people who meet and get to know me personally would be better and wise judges of that. Cos words typed on screen have an eerie tendency of having double meanings or tones, which in turn can sometimes mislead into swaying one’s judgements of a person, since you do not know if he is being serious or joking.

My very first album launch event I covered back in December 2006, Imran Ajmain‘s debut album “Dengan Secara Kebetulan“…

I’m more or less a grounded person, and I don’t believe in holding extravagant parties just to celebrate the anniversary of this blog or my existence in the scene. Heck I even forgot that I have reached this milestone till I was on the verge of covering Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza‘s concert last weekend. That’s how much I feel that such celebrations are unnecessary. Even if I can afford to do that, I will still not do it. I think the money is better off spent somewhere or donate to charity / welfare organisations. Anyway, am just considered a “Kucing Kurap” in the scene, which is why sometimes when I cover events, I get restricted privileges or am limited with the things I can share or feature in this blog. I don’t expect nor want anyone to do any celebrations for me either, cos every entry for me is a celebration to those that I feature, the real stars themselves.

The very first media conference I attended – Suria Elektra – in February 2010…

I know too well that over the years, I have ruffled a lot of feathers with my honest-to-goodness comments, be it in my blog entries or even comments made on radio segments. I am naturally a very opinionated person and a non-conformist. I can be tactless sometimes and too brutal, to the point I do not mince my words when I am really pissed off. Which is why, it is best that sometimes I cool down before typing my coming entry with a clear head and with a better choice of vocabulary I can use to describe what I feel. To those who have been at the brunt or wrong end of my lambasting words, insinuations, points of reference, examples and felt small, angered or even disappointed, I am taking this opportunity to apologise for words that might have hurt you. I am only human, and I try all the time to improve on how I address things as they come. I cherish every friendship and acquaintanceship I make along the way.

Covering Anugerah Planet Muzik, an event very much close to my heart, is something I look forward to annually…

To all who believed and have placed your trust in me for the past ten years, and continue to be loyal and silent readers of this domain, words cannot describe how thankful and appreciative I am to you. I will continue striving to provide good reviews and better quality photographs of events, concerts and shows, launches, celebrity weddings etc. I attend in time to come, and I will always be thankful to those I had worked with and continue to be sharing a good working relationship like the Malay Broadcast Division of Mediacorp (Suria, Warna 94.2FM and RIA 89.7FM), Manggiz, Sri Warisan, Cokelat Events, Gridmedia Productions, ATeR | ReTA, Mini Monsters, WorkHeart, Gumbira, amongst many others I am unable to mention thanks to my ageing memory. Also, to all the lovely celebrity couples who have allowed me the privilege to cover your respective wedding events and shared the joyous moments with my readers. This blog is nothing without your kind support… :)

After the euphoria of the previous week, when the Minahs claimed the first scalp in the very first episode of Te:RaSeh! 2.0, it was the Mats‘ turn this time to turn the tables, equalise so elegantly and bring the score to one win apiece. In truth, the win was never in doubt, no disrespect to the ladies, but I felt that with Suzairhe Sumari and Shahrin Azhar in the Mats‘ corner, a win for the guys seemed like a formality. This is not to belittle the ladies (Aura Shai, Mariam Mas’od and Nurul Nabila), but I did say in my previous recap that there is a certain distinct advantage for the men when the even weeks beckon, with regards to the final face-off (Dikir Barat). Based on last year’s edition, I remember Suzairhe coming up trumps, hence why I felt that this time, it would be no different.

The theme for the second episode was “Filem-Filem Klasik” (Classical Films), which seemed to suggest why we had Singapore‘s P. Ramlee impersonator, Shafii Hamzah, as the guest jury of the night. Amongst the many characters potrayed that night, I agree with the judges that Suzairhe deserved to be crowned Man-of-the-Match for his successful impersonation of Kassim Selamat, one of the late Allahyarham P. Ramlee‘s endearing characters from the movie “Ibu Mertuaku“. Even though the guys won by a landslide, the ladies did not put up a feeble attempt and tried to go toe to toe with their counterparts. But I believe the segment that brought them down and somewhat demoralised them was the charades segment. Even the guys claimed afterwards that that segment was rather tricky and that they were a little unsure. They just guessed wildly the dialogues from popular films (which were supposed to be the answers), whatever came to mind.

Post-show, I had the honour of joining Suzairhe and Nurul Nabila at Warna 94.2FM‘s conty studio for their post-show interview. I believe this will be a weekly routine for the next eight weeks of the competition, whereby the Man-of-the-Match, as well as his or her counterpart (one representative from each team), would go live on Malam 2 Mat with the wacky duo Dyn Norahim and Hafeez Glamour. Last week, Fauzie Laily and Nurul Aini were the ones who were up for the live interview session. We had loads of fun during the hour-long interview session, listening to Suzairhe reminiscing his time as a part-time radio presenter with RIA 89.7FM back in the 90s and Nurul Nabila describing her experience working with Sharnaaz Ahmad in last year’s Hari Raya telemovie “Cinta Ramadan“, amongst other things shared live on air.

This coming Tuesday (22 April 2014), the Mats will be represented by DJ KC, Taufiq Salleh and Izzat Yusoff, whereas the Minahs will be represented by Nona Kirana, Sarah Aqilah and Suriani Kassim. The theme for the week will be “Malay Icons“. Expect characters like Badang, Hang Tuah, Munshi Abdullah and Mahsuri to be possibly amongst those that will be portrayed. As for the guest celebrity DJ who will join Nity Baizura and Fiza O at RIA 89.7FM‘s conty studio, Tak2ut‘s Ashmi Roslan will be doing the honours of assisting both teams during the quiz segment. I’m expecting a closer challenge this time round since Boria will make its return and with the artistes seemingly on equal footing, as they are not quite accustomed to it. Till then…

Last Saturday (19 April 2014), situated at the Play Den, The Arts House, Imran Ajmain launched his third career album in front of a bevy of local media representatives, his friends from the local Malay entertainment scene, loyal followers from his Imtiaz fan club and other invited guests. The album titled “Setulus Kasih” (Pure Love) is a seven-track tapestry of love notes and empowering words for womankind. I’d like to call it an “Ode to Women” after listening to six of the songs performed by Imran that day, lyrics which gratify and giving gratitude to women of all ages, for their sacrifices and love. I think this album’s launch is apt, in the middle of International Women’s Day (8 March) and the upcoming annual Mothers’ Day celebrations on the second weekend of May, even though no mention of this was made that day.

Imran doesn’t need extravagant settings and backdrop for his showcases. His voice and storytelling alone more than make up for it. In fact, it is a reflection of his humility…

This album has been long-awaited, given that it was supposed to be released last year, but due to Imran‘s family bereavement, the launch was delayed for about a year, with him taking time off from the scene to spend with his beloved mother. Now back with a renewed vigour, Imran has released his album exclusively with Spotify. In case you dunno by now, Spotify is a commercial music streaming service providing digital rights management-restricted content from established and renowned record labels like Sony, EMI, Warner Music Group and Universal. One is able to listen to albums for free without the need to download the songs. Spotify is also available as an application that you can download into your respective iPhones, Androids and Blackberries. For the record, the digital album was officially launched by none other than PERKAMUS President, Cikgu Yusnor Ef.

Imran Ajmain and Cikgu Yusnor Ef…

Dispensing with melancholic and sappy ballads which he has been known for since bursting into the scene in 2007, Imran has painstakingly injected a positive and motivating outlook in all his songs this time round. A special feature of this album is that all the songs were written by himself with first-time composers and lyricists from Singapore, a project that spanned over two years. One thing I will always enjoy sitting in an Imran Ajmain‘s showcase over the years (and I am a huge fan of his music if you don’t already know by now), is that it has lots of substance, not just plain singing, nor just saying hello-goodbye-thank you to his fans. He makes the effort to relate something from his experiences in life or describe the trials and tribulations he has to go through into composing a particular song he is about to sing or have just sung. This recent album launch was no different.

Dato’ Fazley Yaakob making a surprise appearance…

What he certainly did not expect was the surprise appearance of his boss, Dato’ Fazley Yaakob, owner of FIPro (Fazley International Productions Sdn. Bhd.). When Imran was about to play Dato’ Fazley‘s congratulatory greetings footage on his album launch, the technical guys purposely refused to play the video clip and instead Dato’ Fazley himself came in with some of the members of Imran‘s fan club, Imtiaz, with a birthday cake and singing him the birthday song. I could see from the looks of the faces of those in attendance, how equally surprised they were and of course some of the ladies gushing at how good looking Dato’ Fazley is. It was a befitting tribute and advanced birthday celebration for Imran (who celebrated his 33rd birthday yesterday 25th April 2014), who I know has contributed to the growth of FIPro through his creative ideas.

Imran‘s fan club members – Imtiaz – coming forward with gifts for his surprise advanced birthday celebrations…

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Imran Ajmain on the launch of his “Setulus Kasih” album as well as wish him many happy returns on his 33rd birthday, albeit belatedly by a day. May this album mark another milestone and growth in Imran‘s steady career and may he achieve more success than ever before. You can now listen to his digital album live via Spotify or if you are the traditional kind and would like to get your hands on its physical CD format, it will be made available in an event that will happen on 7 June 2014. The CD will be sold and proceeds will go to An-Nur Mosque in Marsiling, of which Imran is a benefactor. All for a good cause, so why not lend our support to Imran and the mosque on that day??? :)

Episode 3 of Te:RaSeh! 2.0 last Tuesday (22 April 2014) saw the Mats seizing the initiative to take the overall lead against the Minahs. Even though the Mats triumphed by about 70 points against their counterparts. In truth, the challenge from both camps was close and hard-fought, separated only by the final face-off (Boria) where the Mats went one better through the substance of their lyrics, that was in line with the night’s theme (Malay Icons). In my corresponding entry last week, I did say to expect the likes of Badang, Mahsuri, Munshi Abdullah etc. but some of those are more associated to Malay Folklore / Historical Figures. So I stand corrected that night when “Jeffrydin” (DJ KC), “Najip Ali” (Taufiq Salleh), “Sudirman” (Izzat Yusoff), “Rahimah Rahim” (Suriani Kassim), “Dato’ Sharifah Aini” (Nona Kirana) and “Anita Sarawak” (Sarah Aqilah) emerged from the back.

Personally I feel that the theme of the night should have been called “Malay Entertainment Icons” instead, since there were also “Dato’ M. Daud Kilau” (Khairudin Samsudin), “Ramlah Ram” (Dalina Jaapar), “Dato’ Ramli Sarip” (A B Shaik) and “Ziana Zain” (Nity Baizura). The term “Icons” is quite broad-based as we do have successful Malay figures in different fields and industries, icons in their own rights. Sarah Aqilah rightfully won her title for (Wo)Man-of-the-Match. She impersonated Anita Sarawak down to a T – from the pouts, the leg-swinging, the batting of the eyelids, a worthy winner even if her team came up short. I am expecting another close battle tonight when Episode 4 beckons. It is extremely interesting to see the husband-and-wife team of Huda Ali and Den Sabari squaring off against one another and if there will be sparks as a result. Well we just have to wait and see. 8:30pm, only on Mediacorp Suria…

From left: Den Sabari, Dyn Norahim, Fadhlur Rahman, Dalina Jaapar, A. B. Shaik, Huda Ali, Siti Hajar Gani and Azlin Ali…

Episode 4 of the second edition of the Te:RaSeh! series saw the Mats pulling away and giving themselves a healthy lead over the Minahs. As of now, the scoreline reads 3-1 in favour of the Mats. I had expected the Minahs to equalise the scoreline or at least close the points gap between them and the men, but two moments of folly during the quiz round sealed their fate. But it was not at all a one-sided affair. The ladies put up an extremely commendable fight and just looking at the intensity displayed by Azlin Ali, the celebrity-of-the-match, that night was enough to show they meant business. But alas it was not to be. The guys I observed, did not put up much of a sweat and seemed confident at their chances of winning. Though it has to be said, the first round was questionable cos nobody penalised them for going back again to take more bottles to hit. I think they should have been penalised for that round.

Huda Ali put up a valiant fight in the final face-off, but husband Den Sabari‘s experience in Dikir Barat won the battle…

In a quirky twist, the Mats were made to be cheerleaders and the Minahs took on the roles of Muay Thai fighters, a role-reversal when we are accustomed to seeing males as perennial fighters and females as cheerleaders. I truly enjoyed the final face-off round when the husband and wife team of Den Sabari and Huda Ali squared off against the other. Also when they were at Warna 94.2FM‘s conty for the post-show interview, their chemistry and bouncing off one another in their replies made for a very lively and enjoyable session with the Malam 2 Mat hosts Hafeez Glamour and Dyn Norahim. But will the Mats pull further away tonight or will the Minahs close the gap that seems to be widening??? For competition’s sake, I hope that the Minahs can close the gap as it would no longer be fun watching the Mats “bullying” them all the way till the Finals…

The Final Face-Off (Boria) segment had Danial Ashriq squaring off to Norfasarie…

I am starting to think that this Mat vs. Minah competition format in this year’s Te:RaSeh! series is looking a bit lop-sided and slightly unfair towards the fairer gender. For the fourth episode in a row, the Mats triumphed in style with the scoreline now reading 4:1, a thrashing or whitewash in sporting terms, whichever way you look at it. Though I have been willing the guys on weekly, I was also hoping that the ladies would close the gap and try to increase their winning chances or at least their monetary winnings, which would eventually be channeled to a beneficiary organisation of their choice. When the guys equalised the scoreline and led after the third week, it felt a bit fun to see them turning the tables against the ladies, but after the recent fifth episode, there is a danger that interest might fizzle out when the guys keep winning and showing who is the dominant party. Not that we ever need reminding of that fact.

The contestants that night (from left): Mastura Ahmad, Syirah Jusni, Norfasarie, Danial Ashriq, Hyrul Anuar and Dzar Ismail…

For one, I feel that the games segment (Fuh…Te:Ra!) always works to the guys’ advantage, being naturally stronger in the psycho-motor department. The quiz segment (Te:Ra! Habis) is one that I expect the ladies to close the gap but somehow, in their haste and excitement to earn points for their team, they sometimes fail to read the questions in full or experience that slip of the tongue, which so far has proven detrimental to their cause. In this recent episode, the ladies were disadvantaged as they received the misfortune of having a set of questions which were more difficult and tricky compared to the guys. There needs to be a fair balance of questions posed, but maybe it could also be down to the luck of choosing which set of questions to answer.

A common sight for the third week in a row, the judges being unanimous who was the better side during the Final Face-Off…

Also I would like to see the judges be a bit more strict with their punishments towards those who breached the rules of the games / quiz segments. Granted this is a fun programme and in the spirit of goodwill, there should not be any penalties imposed. But in the spirit of competition, I think punishments like “Ketuk Ketampi” should be replaced by points deduction. This would then give both teams better impetus to be the dominant team during the Final Face-Off. Cos I sympathise with Team Minah whenever they are about to go into the last segment of the night. Their body language for the past few weeks, gave away their feeling of disappointment and perhaps bringing their morale down. I know they are trying hard and as best as they could to show that they can stand toe to toe with their male counterparts. Losing inevitably make them feel bad that they cannot earn winnings to channel into their charity organisation of choice.

Without Khairudin Samsudin, Dalina Jaapar and A. B. Shaik, the show might not be as entertaining as it is…

While I thoroughly enjoyed this particular episode’s Final Face-Off as the guys broke the usual norm of just dancing along to the synchronised steps of the Boria, by doing the Worm (Dzar Ismail) and huddling together to sing, I also feel that Danial Ashriq was walking on the edge, when he did the Twerk, as it is not appropriate viewing for viewers at home and audience in the theatre. Though I appreciate that it is for humour’s sake, older viewers might regard that as a bit rude as he turned his back and raised his butt right to the audience and viewers. Fortunately for him and his team, the judges saw nothing wrong with that and did not penalise him for it, and even awarded him as Celebrity-of-the-Match. Stricter judges might have deemed it differently and perhaps awarded the round to Team Minah instead.

Norfasarie and Danial Ashriq held court in Dyn Norahim and Hafeez Glamour‘s “Malam 2 Mat” programme post-show…

This coming Vesak Day (13 May 2014) sees the last qualifying round and final six contestants battling it out. Warna 94.2FM‘s RZ, Hasif Nasir and Firdaus Abdul Rahman will carry the blue flag for Team Mat, whereas Nurfarhana M Noor, Nity Baizura and Seriwahyuni Jaes will be doing the honours for Team Minah. Will the guys be gracious enough to give this episode to the ladies, or will the ladies fight back and show that they are not mere pushovers themselves??? For once, I think I will be rooting for Team Minah to win, just to make the show a little more interesting than it should and not such a one-sided affair, which is what I’ve been seeing for the past month. The ladies are due for a win but they need to earn it. As usual the show will be televised live on Mediacorp Suria at 8:30pm…

I know it is a bit stale to put up this entry more than a month after the concert has passed. But I have extremely good reasons why I chose to post this up much later as I gave myself time to cool down from unsavoury and moments of displeasure experienced after the said concert. In fact, I had been contemplating, hemming and hawing whether I should even post this up if it means having to revisit and open up old wounds. I have only decided to just publish it after much deliberation, as I feel that my bad experience after the concert was a separate matter on its own. You will be reading about it in the latter paragraphs since I had actually typed them in anger a day after the concert, but you will also be reading a more balanced and fair review of the concert per se in this entry. So if you were to see a difference in mood and emotions, you will know which ones were typed much earlier and which ones were much later.

A showcase by Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza is always anticipated and expected over here, once she has done a tour or series of concerts in her home country. It was with great pleasure that I received the news of her impending concert here in Singapore as early as January this year and looked forward to attending it, just as I had done so for her past three solo concerts (Harbour Pavilion – March 2000, Singapore Indoor Stadium – July 2005, Esplanade Concert Hall – March 2008) and the combined showcases with Dato’ M. Nasir, also at Esplanade back in January 2010 and Konsert Diva,all the way back in April 2000, where she shared the stage with Dato’ Sheila Majid, Anita Sarawak and Hetty Koes Endang. Every showcase and concert that Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza performs on these shores is a landmark and milestone on its own for me on a personal level. And this recent one at The Star Performing Arts Theatre in Buona Vista was no different. As she celebrated 19 years of existence in the music industry with the concert, yours truly celebrated ten years of blogging on our local Malay entertainment scene.

Over the years, and especially since 2007, I have slowed down on following her career journey, a little less faithful to put it nicely, than I used to. When in the past I would buy every single album she released, I have since stopped doing so. No, it’s not a form of protest or anything, but I guess priorities and responsibilities in life make one a little less of a groupie than before. I have had extremely memorable and eventful moments supporting her journey in the music scene circa 1996-2005 before family commitments came along. One that still sticks in my memory to this day was helping out at the charity concert by Suria Records artistes (her record label which had stellar acts like Liza Hanim, New Boyz, Noraniza Idris, Aqasha and Handy Black, amongst others back then) back on 16 August 2002, where it was held at one of the halls of Singapore Expo.

I was given a prominent role behind-the-scenes for that particular charity concert and will always be thankful to Kak Sabariah Hirma, her PR Manager here in Singapore for that experience, as well as the other times I was allowed to meet Dato’ Siti herself in person, mostly to send her off at the airport. It was from that aforementioned concert too that I made friends with several key personnel from Dato’ Siti‘s own production company, including her younger sister Saerah. Which is why going to a concert or showcase by Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza is not just to pay homage to her enchanting vocals, but also to say hello to the people working closely with her. Cos seriously, how often do we get to meet and catch up with one another, with all our respective busy schedules???

I was initially sceptical as to how many would actually turn up for the concert. Not to belittle Dato’ Siti‘s pulling power cos her name alone would guarantee more bums to seats, but looking at the overall attendance for big concerts over the past five years, some have been hits, and some have been misses in the attendance factor, even with big names headlining them. Her last solo concert in 2008, if my memory has not failed me, was not actually a sell-out event as compared to the one in 2005. But it has to be said also that that concert back in 2008 was held on a weekday. People might have been hesitant to go as they would have to go to work early the next day. This recent concert organised by Hype Records was held on a Saturday night, so it was definitely heartening to see that the theatre was at least three-quarters full, given that the venue is huge and has about a capacity of 5000 people.

Listening to all the songs Dato’ Siti performed that night was like a walk down memory lane. Almost every song brought back memories, some good, some not-so, but everytime I listen to them, they all tell a story or bring me back to the times I was in polytechnic, serving the nation in the Army or even during the economic crisis where it was difficult for me to attain a job with a stable income after my National Service stint ended. But as always, amongst all the songs that she performed that night or whenever she performs “Wajah Kekasih“, memories of her wearing a necklace I gave her and singing that song in a Hari Raya eve programme back in 1997 on RTM 1, would fill my heart with pride and my head with nostalgia and contentment that she does appreciate the gifts given to her by her fans. That necklace was given to her on the night she received her very first overseas awards which she mentioned during the concert.

When she asked the audience if they knew she had received one of her first awards in Singapore, some knew, while most probably did not. I was so tempted to get off my seat and shout, “24 December 1996 – Anugerah Muzik Popular – Suntec City Convention Centre“, but decided not to in the end. I remember that event till this day as the show was over-runned and lasted about four hours. But what was unique about that awards event was, it was not organised by our local Malay radio stations, even though they supported it as official radio stations. Like Anugerah Planet Muzik, it had a stellar cast of performers and big names from Malaysia and Singapore. Dato’ Siti was just a newcomer in the scene at that time, and together with fellow record label group 2 By 2, they were the next big things on show that night. Look how far she has progressed since that fateful night???

Though Dato’ Siti remarked that night, that “Kesilapanku, Keegoaanmu” was more popular with karaoke-goers than on radio charts, I believe she said that probably due to its rather lukewarm response across the Causeway. But not here though, cos I do remember the song topped our local Malay radio charts for more than a month, more than a decade ago. She performed that song as well as most of the songs that night in a different arrangement to the ones we have been accustomed to from her albums. With such fresh arrangement, some being more upbeat than the other, it made for a concert that was filled with memories aplenty, nostalgic moments reminisced, as evergreen favourites were belted one after another, but still remaining relevant in this day and age, thanks to the astute mind of Aubrey Suwito.

Being a veteran goer of all her concerts here, I could see a big difference from the time she first started out as well as noted a stark maturity in comparison to her first two solo concerts. Gone were all the fancy props and backdrops, not forgetting the minimal costume changes. Even the number of dancers which used to colour her concerts have since been kept to an almost bare minimum. Nineteen years in the music scene, Dato’ Siti is at a stage whereby she does not need all those razzmatazz to add flair to her concerts. People come to watch her for her melodious and enchanting vocals. No matter what she does onstage, people will just lap it up. She will always have the audience under her thumb the moment she steps onstage or opens her mouth to sing.

Her almost two-decade long career has also moulded her into being an all-rounded entertainer. Who can forget how shy she was at interacting with the audience when she first started out??? That night however, she was like a stand-up comedian, poking fun at at the audience, at herself, her husband and even the invited guests. Her first decade as an entertainer showed up quite a number of flaws and rough work that needed to be polished. 12 April 2014, along with about 3000-4000 people in attendance, I witnessed a flower that has blossomed and bloomed to perfection. Even when she cracked jokes and made fun, they did not come across as rude, like some entertainers or comedians out there. She did it all with grace, poise and with a touch of class. The punchlines that came along with her banter were spot-on.

Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza is known to work with a trusted working circle and if you are a regular concert goer of hers, you will also note the familiar faces onstage that back her up, either as sessionists or on vocals. In the past, I have been used to seeing Pak Ngah on accordions and Steve Thornton on percussions, so it felt a little strange to watch her concert that night without the presence of the aforementioned duo. I also note another change in approach by Dato’ Siti during the concert. When in the past, she would call up female members of the audience onstage to dance with her, that night, those that went up were all guys. Though I wished that someone would have gone onstage to sing “Muara Hati” with her. I know for a fact that a certain Hyrul Anuar in the audience would have jumped at the chance and do justice to the song, had she seen him. Or at the very least, have Taufik Batisah singing with her, rather than limit his appearance to the evergreen hits by Singapore artistes segment.

Which finally brings me to my embarrassing and humiliating episode at the concert. Most of you who know me personally or have been following this blog would note that I am a huge fan of Malaysia‘s number one icon. Which was why I felt covering her concert would be the icing on the cake of my tenth year of doing entertainment blogging for our local Malay scene. When it comes to watching a show of immense quality, I have never been one to compromise on the seating price and would not hesitate to pay for the most expensive tickets just to get a good view of the show. The recent concert was no different, and I even booked it the minute I woke up when I was overseas back in February. Out of respect for the concert organisers, I did voice out that I would like to cover the concert and do a write-up. I was granted a media pass but was briefed that I could only snap photographs during the first two songs and during the duet segment with Taufik Batisah.

I did as per instructed but was quite surprised to see other media-accredited photographers snapping away even after the first two songs were done. Since I did not see the ushers stopping them, I continued throughout the concert and I was not stopped either by any of them. However one of the organising staff came up to me somewhere near the end, when Dato’ Siti was mingling with the audience and singing one of her final songs (“Cindai“), and told me indignantly to return to my seat and that I was not supposed to be taking photographs. Imagine I was singled out, when at that point of time I was just standing by the side and not even aiming my camera lens at anyone, whereas there were so many others who got off their seats, came forward and snapped away with their camera phones. Throughout the course of the concert, the audience was taking photographs and video snippets and uploading them on their respective social media accounts. How do these people manage to get away with it when someone like me with a media pass gets told off by the same person who granted me the pass???

When the concert ended, I was told by a fellow media friend that there was a meet and greet session and that the media were allowed in. I was initially together with them, discussing the high points of the concert and was ushered into the waiting area for the media along with them. Followers of this blog would note that I do not do interviews and would just snap the goings-on of what transpire in front of me. Even if I were to “disturb” the artistes, it would be for them to pose for my camera and that too does not take more than ten seconds, fifteen at the most. Which was my initial intentions when I entered the room meant for the meet-and-greet session, which was just to snap some memorable photographs of Dato’ Siti meeting her fans and the media. The same staff who had told me off earlier, this time raised her voice in front of my media counterparts and asked what was I doing there when I was not supposed to, upon seeing me standing by the side. I had not even snapped any photos at that point of time.

I could have kicked up a fuss but I felt perhaps I was really in the wrong for flouting rules which were not briefed to me much earlier, and since I was already embarrassed and humiliated enough from the raised voice and treatment I got, I immediately left after she reiterated again that I was not supposed to upload photographs I took after the first two songs and other than the duet segment. When I left, I could see the faces of my fellow media colleagues, how apologetic and sorry they were for dragging me into this mess, but I do not blame them for it cos I felt they brought me in along with them in good faith and out of goodwill. I am just utterly disappointed that things turned out very badly in the end. I could have been told off nicely or at the very least brought to a corner and explained why I was not allowed inside. I could have accepted that even if it was grudgingly. Not being told off in front of others like that. Respect, whatever I had for this particular staff all these while, has gone out of the window.

For the first time I felt that, even with a media pass hanging on my neck, it was meaningless. Contrast this to the treatment I got during Anugerah Planet Muzik 2013 where I was ushered in to the waiting area for the performers when I first arrived, even when I had no plans whatsoever to disturb or interview them knowing they were doing their last minute preparations. I refrained from entering the changing rooms and just waited for whoever to come out to pose for my camera when they were ready, and left them to do their private rehearsals in peace. That has always been my style and approach, to let the artistes do their thing in peace, yet this treatment made me feel like some kind of pariah. I was not hard up for an interview, neither was I disturbing anyone in that respect, I was just standing by the side watching proceedings. Yet I was singled out as a gate-crasher and uninvited guest, even after giving support to some of the artistes and events by this particular organiser over the years.

In my anger, days after the concert, I almost decided to boycott doing any write-ups nor reviews on the concert itself, even if I have good things to say about the performers, which also included The Final One winner, Farisha Ishak, as the opening act. For all the support that I had given, paying for the most expensive seats, hoping to give a good account by saying good things about the organisation and execution of the show, yet the treatment I got was like a slap to my face which is still ringing in my ears till today. It is extremely difficult for our local entertainment industry to grow when there is apparently little to no synergy, good working relationship and trust between media and record labels, show promoters and event organisers. When the media wants to help you in anyway you can, you embrace it, or even when you cannot reciprocate in kind, you respond with the same respect they had accorded to you. Kindness begets kindness.

I am not sure if there is any exclusive arrangement with any media organisation for this recent concert, but I wonder why should the big players always have the bigger slice of the pie in the name of exclusivity, when there is only a handful of media companies / individuals here in Singapore??? We all want to see the industry thrive and we all would like to help in one way or another to see it blossom. Yet this segregation and ostracising has left a very bad taste in my mouth. I know as an entertainment blogger, people might not take me seriously, even after ten years of being in the scene. But at least treat me with the same respect and support I had given them all these while. There are only two television channels (Mediacorp Suria and Sensasi), two radio stations (RIA 89.7FM and Warna 94.2FM), two print medias (Berita Harian and Manja), two entertainment portals (Sungguh.com and Gumbira) and one active entertainment blog in our local Malay entertainment industry. I personally rate mine being at the bottom of the pile. Perhaps that’s why people don’t give two hoots with what I offer on the table.

I also wonder what significant impact I would gain out of sharing the other photographs I took from the concert with my readers??? I don’t earn through blogging and I certainly do not earn from sharing photographs with my readers. Though I understand copyright issues can be a legal problem when it comes to video recordings and to some extent, photographs being sold for a profit, I believe it is high time concert organisers and venue operators relax some of their rulings and allow at least photographs to be taken. In this day and age, with people carrying smartphones and androids, there is no way they can stifle and refrain the audience from taking photographs during the shows. There will always be people who would want to take for personal memories’ sake. It is blatantly shared on social media accounts like nobody’s business. Even other media outlets were sharing live updates of the concert. And what is the percentage of people making money out of them??? My personal guess is: Not much!!! Or even zilch!!!

If I were to be blacklisted after this for my rant and honest comments by the organisers, then so be it. I have been mentally prepared since I typed them out in anger a day after the concert. My intentions and conscience were clear with regards to covering the concert. I wanted it to be celebrated and remembered for all the right reasons, to even help promo as best as I know I could. Unsavoury incidents like what happened to me, spoilt what I had so excitedly wanted to share to my readers. But do let it be known that my anger is not aimed towards the organisers who had done a stellar job in bringing Dato’ Siti to our shores, as well as done everything to near perfection, but the staff who had so overzealously created an unnecessary friction and tried to play hard ball. The concert itself was an immense pleasure to watch, sadly the conclusion at the end soured a great night and what was supposed to be a celebratory event for me on a personal level as an entertainment blogger in the local Malay scene…

The Minahs clinched the battle for supremacy on Episode 6 through the Final Face-Off (Te:Ra! Habis – Dikir Barat)…

Finally!!! After four weeks of male domination, the ladies closed the gap on the sixth episode of Te:RaSeh! 2.0 last Tuesday 13 May 2014. I did say in my previous entry on the programme that the ladies were due for a win and that they had to earn it, and earned they did. I had sensed at the start of the programme that even though the audience was willing the Mats on even more than showing their support for the Minahs, the confidence that the ladies would do well was felt backstage, down to the two female judges. Some might say, yeah maybe with two female judges, the swing votes would favour the ladies, but even Mr. Hassan Salleh was equally satisfied that the Final Face-Off was comfortably won by the ladies. I personally had confidence they would, thanks to the presence of Seriwahyuni Jaes, who is not only a mean script writer, but also married to a Dikir Barat expert (R. Azmann), who might have passed down useful tips with regards to the lyrics.

The judges (Nura J, Rilla Melati and Mr. Hassan Salleh) were unanimous with their votes…

Over the past six weeks of qualifying, several individuals have impressed me individually with their character portrayal, their strong will and determination to win for their respective teams or just by their personality shining through. For the Mats, Suzairhe Sumari, DJ KC, Danial Ashriq and Den Sabari were standout performers, whereas for the ladies, it was Nurul Aini, Nurfarhana M Noor, Sarah Aqilah, Izyan Mellyna and Azlin Ali for me. Sadly when the Top 9 for each teams was announced, Sarah Aqilah did not make it. Even someone with a strong following on social media like Norfasarie also did not make the cut, when I had personally predicted she would. DJ KC would have been one of the Top 9 but since his beloved wife, Fiza O, is due to deliver their firstborn any day from now, it would have been taxing to include him. Speaking of deliveries, my heartiest congratulations go out to Fadhlur Rahman, whose wife has just given birth a few days ago, their firstborn.

The semi-final participants… (Graphic poster courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

For the semi-final rounds, which will last for three weeks beginning tonight, the themes for the weeks ahead will be Past Jobs (20 May 2014), World Cultures (27 May 2014) and Horror (3 June 2014). For tonight’s episode, the Mats will be represented by Hafeez Glamour, Suzairhe Sumari and Hyrul Anuar. The Minahs will have Mastura Ahmad, Syirah Jusni and Nity Baizura flying the flag for them. Based on last week’s showing, the Minahs might have regained their confidence and will be stepping onto the battlefield with renewed vigour. Will the Mats stand back and let the ladies close another gap or will they secure another win to extend their lead further. We will know the answer tonight, only on Mediacorp Suria, 8:30pm!!! Good luck gladiators!!!

It was a hard fought and close fight between the Mats and Minahs in Episode 7 of Te:RaSeh! 2.0, even though the eventual scoreline betrayed what transpired throughout the hour-long show. Yes, the guys were simply brilliant, led by celebrity-of-the-match Suzairhe Sumari, but so too were the ladies, who fought with every sinew and guile within them. I was with the participants backstage prior to the show and the din they created gave me goosebumps, which made it feel like a carnival atmosphere or even the Grand Finals itself. I knew for the first time, this was not gonna be like any of the first six episodes. There was banter and mickey-taking all round, some friendly exchanges of thrash talk between both teams. There was certainly an adrenaline rush felt by everyone and I just knew the night was going to be a bit special as war was about to break out live on national television!!!

Viewers at home and at the Mediacorp TV Theatre were not to be disappointed. Everyone onstage played their parts well and contributed to a very entertaining and humourous show. Everything we saw last Tuesday night (20 May 2014) was a mixture of planned skits and a spontaneous reaction to what went on. Both teams gave as good as they got. Those that were not slated to battle lent their support and just let their hair down as evident when we saw the Final Face-Off (Te:Ra! Habis – Boria). I personally think every episode should have been like this, with everyone enjoying themselves and making us forget for awhile that it is a competition. Even the judges were not spared from being surrounded and “manhandled”. In the case of resident judge Rilla Melati, she was yanked up to the stage by the ladies. Guest judge, BJ Kadir had his shirt accidentally stained by Mastura Kumari‘s (a.k.a. Mastura Ahmad) make-up. It was extremely hilarious and everyone was buzzing right up till the post-show interview over at Warna 94.2FM was done.

For the sake of interest in the competition, I would really, really hope that those who are not slated to battle it out for a particular episode, to come down and lend their support for their colleagues and create an absolute corker onstage. Unanimously, people I spoke to from the audience, to viewers at home and even those behind-the-scenes agreed that it was the most entertaining episode to date. Evidently, everyone made the most of their presence onstage, some I have been told, had lost their voices from all the cheering, whooping and singing. Who can blame them??? My only regret is that the personalities involved in this competition would not be able to go on a road tour like last year due to logistical difficulties. We had so much fun last year atop the Hippo Bus and it’s just disappointing that the same could not be replicated this year, seeing how everyone enjoyed themselves this past episode.

All the contestants played their parts well, immersed themselves in their respective characters and were more confident as compared to the qualifying rounds, where some were seen holding back. Tomorrow, 27 May 2014, the eighth episode of Te:RaSeh! 2.0 will have Den Sabari once again going head-to head with his wife Huda Ali. Joining Den will be Hasif Nasir and RIA 89.7FM‘s Dzar Ismail. Huda herself will be joined by Izyan Mellyna and Seriwahyuni Jaes. Another intriguing battle will resume and both sides will have experienced Dikir Barat enthusiasts for the Final Face-Off. After the euphoria of the past episode, I hope and anticipate for another repeat. If they can even get those who are not involved in the semi-finals to support, all the better. As they say, the more the merrier. Indeed it was a merry affair and long may it continue till the series end in less than a month’s time…

Huda Ali got the better of Den Sabari this time round…

Episode 8 of Te:RaSeh! 2.0 last Tuesday (27 May 2014) served up a rare sight not seen in the previous seven episodes – a proper spanking for the Mats and a stunning win for the Minahs in all segments. Something had to give and the Minahs truly rose to the occasion to close the yawning gap that threatened to make this competition a cakewalk for the Mats. Whether the guys deliberately played the role of chivalrous gentlemen and gave the win to the ladies on a silver platter or the ladies found a fighting spirit from within, we will continue to debate for weeks to come, but the fact remains, a win for the Minahs was just the tonic for them to lift their flailing spirits and build on the momentum for the upcoming episode happening tonight.

Judges Sheikh Haikel, Rilla Melati and Mr. Hassan Salleh were in no doubt who ruled the roost that night…

For the very first time in the competition, the Minahs aced through all the segments and the final scoreline was simply unthinkable, a landslide of sorts, the kind of spankings that they were used to receiving between Episodes 2 to 5 from the Mats. How nice and satisfactory it was that they finally managed to buck the trend and dish some of their own medicine back. The Minahs were also on the charm offensive right from the start with different team chants targeting each individual judge. Though I would give full marks for creativity, the execution and synergy during the delivery could have been done a bit better. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the guys getting walloped for once, even though I did detect that they were being generous by playing it cool.

The hosts, Khairudin Samsudin, Dalina Jaapar and A. B. Shaik, in costumes depicting the theme for the night – World Culture…

It was also nice to see Huda Ali finally get one back against hubby Den Sabari during the Final Face-Off (Dikir Barat). All those practices in private with Den, prior to the show, paid off big time for Huda. It also helped that Den was too immersed in his character to the point he was inaudible. The choice of anointing Izyan Mellyna as the Celebrity-of-the-Match was a long time coming in my opinion, as I felt that she should have been awarded that title in the very first episode when she did an extremely good impression of Diana Ross. A rising star in our local Malay entertainment industry, Izyan is set to make waves, starring in her first movie, “Banting“, which would be released this coming August 2014. A former child star having appeared in kiddy shows like “Ya Alif“, she is also a mean stage singer. Just type her name in YouTube, and you will see some of her performances as she belts out crisply like a professional singer.

Izyan Mellyna, Huda Ali and Den Sabari had a great time at Warna 94.2FM‘s conty with Malam 2 Mat hosts, Dyn Norahim and Hafeez Glamour.

With all due respect to the Mats, I think tonight will be another episode where the Minahs will close the gap and make it 5-4 on aggregate, leading up to the Grand Finals next Tuesday (10 June 2014). I base my predictions against the line-up tonight and their performances in the previous episodes. The Minahs on paper look a bit stronger to contend with. In their corner tonight will be the one who leads by example – Nurul Aini, the one with the most determination and willpower in her – Azlin Ali, and the fiesty and gregarious Nurfarhana M Noor. For the Mats, we will see Fauzie Laily, Danial Ashriq and Fadhlur Rahman carrying their hopes. The Mats need to kick the show off in style by gaining the upper hand in the first segment (Fuhhh Te:Ra!). From there, they need to build on the momentum for the Q&A segment (Te:Ra Kapa?) and pick the right lyrics for the Final Face-Off (Te:Ra! Habis – Boria). Can they do it and prevent the ladies from winning again for the second week in a row??? We’ll get the answers tonight at 8:30pm, only on Mediacorp Suria.

The contestants might have felt uncomfortable performing the Boria during the earlier weeks but they seem to enjoy it as the weeks progress…

It has been a week since Episode 9 of Te:RaSeh! 2.0 was aired, but the high entertainment and humour aspects of that particular episode are still fresh in my head. I think it just edged the seventh episode as the most entertaining of the series thus far. The theme for the night (Horror), ensured that whatever costumes or make-up the contestants put on, were sure to tickle our fancy and scared those with faint hearts. Put in each contestant and how they immersed themselves in their respective characters, it was a laugh-a-minute fest that had people like me and my kids watching the re-runs and still laughing at the jokes days after. I personally feel that Fauzie Laily deserved the Celebrity-of-the-Match award as he was in character (dead World War II Japanese soldier) throughout from start till the cameras stopped rolling, and all the way, even after the show had ended.

A. B. Shaik doing his best Michael Jackson – Thriller impersonation in front of his amused colleagues Khairudin Samsudin and Dalina Jaapar…

I will not begrudge Azlin Ali as she too was also a deserving winner in her role as Makcik Keropok, when she appeared onstage at the start of the show munching on the Papadam in her hand and sharing it with the rest. When Danial Ashriq (Chucky) did his somersault from the stage during the Final Face-Off (Te:Ra! Habis – Boria), Azlin responded in kind by jumping off the stage and treating the already-bewildered audience with her own dance moves. I thought there and then that she was to be anointed the Celebrity-of-the-Match for tickling our bones with her antics, and I was not wrong at the end of the show. For the record, Azlin joins Suzairhe Sumari as the only two celebrities who have won the award twice throughout this season’s competition. No mean feat, but it is also testimony to how good they were in their respective roles and characters given to them by the producers of the show.

The Mats, always game for a fun shot like this…

It was also a good show as it put everyone at the edge of their seats and willing each team on to win. It was nervy, not only for the contestants but to the watching audience in the Mediacorp TV Theatre, as well as those at home. I felt that the fight between both teams were so close, anyone could have won it. Going towards the Final Face-Off (Te:Ra! Habis – Boria), both teams were separated by just ten points, with the Mats leading by that slender margin. In terms of showmanship, prose and creativity in delivering their lyrics, I felt the Mats edged the Minahs slightly, but with a guest judge who openly showed her support to the Minahs right from the first quarter of the show, I felt it was a losing battle for the Mats no matter how hard they tried and how good they were. I would like to believe that the show of support was deliberately done to shake the confidence of the Mat and dealt them a psychological blow, but no matter how I look at it, it’s not good viewing even for a show of this fun nature.

The Minahs showing who was the number one last Tuesday…

No, I am not saying the guys deserved to edge that last segment just because I’m a guy, but I think if we were to throw aside the bias and be more rational, we’ll agree that the guys showed better creativity when delivering their lyrics. Even some of the Minahs I spoke to post-show, agreed that the guys did slightly better. This is where I hope the Grand Finals tomorrow will be a fair affair. We already have two resident judges who represent each gender and can get away with the bias, though to their credit they have not been showing it so blatantly these past nine weeks. It’s the guest judges who hold the wild and trump cards. We could do without a repeat of last year’s mini-controversy whereby some of the guest judges showed whose side they were on. A judge has to be impartial afterall, even if this is a fun competition to begin with. One can show their quiet / gleeful support for their favourite teams via their votes during the Face-Offs, but not through openly-blatant display for the whole world to know. It somehow kills the spirit of competition and demoralises the other team, resulting in quiet discontent.

Not surprised with the voting, with the Minahs clinching the overall win…

Though I am a bit disappointed with that particular aspect, I am still pleased to see the Minahs closing the gap as I had earlier predicted. Going into the Grand Finals tomorrow, from what I understand, the winner will win double the points, which means if the Minahs were to win, they would eventually leapfrog the Mats and end up being the dominant gender, not to mention the overall winner. As the score stands, the Mats are leading 5:4. With so much at stake for tomorrow’s Grand Finals, we’re going to see all the contestants giving their all in the special two-hour show. It’s gonna be another heart-stopping affair with the line-up ensuring there will be a good mix of contestants with differing abilities, capabilities and personalities. The Minahs will be represented by Nurul Aini, Huda Ali, Syirah Jusni, Azlin Ali and Nurfarhana M Noor. The Mats will have Suzairhe Sumari, Fauzie Laily, Fadhlur Rahman, Danial Ashriq and Hafeez Glamour fighting in their corner.

Post-show interview with the Malam 2 Mat hosts Hafeez Glamour and Dyn Norahim. Azlin Ali stayed for the first ten minutes before going off as she had her daily morning show and needed to rest for the night. Nurul Aini and Danial Ashriq stayed throughout…

Before I end my entry, I would just like to commend Wawan Husen from Auraz Band for being the best Celebrity DJ throughout the nine weeks, at least from my personal standpoint. He did so much better and was so fluent as compared to some others who looked a little lost and unfocused, which resulted in some of the contestants and audience wincing and lamenting afterwards about points lost during the Q&A segment. For his reward, I believe Wawan will be back for another round tomorrow. Another three that did well so far and caught my eyes were Ashmi Roslan, Ryan Sufiyan and Shikin Imran. Not too sure though how many will be allowed in the radio conty tomorrow. But what is more important is that, I am hoping for a clean, fun, entertaining and fair fight from all contestants as they not only entertain us with their antics, but also channelling all their efforts for a good cause, winning points and monetary proceeds for their respective charity beneficiaries. I wish all the contestants all the best and play safe!!!

It’s been too long that I have been away. But I am trying to make a concerted effort to be more pro-active, especially since my favourite annual event is around the corner. Which probably explains why you are reading this post after seeing such a long hiatus in this domain of mine. Anyway, to all the SleeQ fans or those who are curious to view photographs of the recent wedding event of Alyph SleeQ and Azzah Fariha, I apologise that you have stumbled into this blog only to be disappointed. Yours truly was not invited to the wedding, hence I am unable to share the joyous moments with you. But am sure you could view them elsewhere, such is the power of social media these days. Anyway my heartiest congratulations go out to the newlyweds. May Allah bless this union till eternity and beyond. :)

Simple but lovely set-up of the stage…

Right, back to my favourite event. I was invited to attend the media conference which was held at Grand Mercure Roxy Singapore on 2 September 2014. The last time the organisers (Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division) did it outside of the Caldecott Broadcast Centre to announce the list of nominees for the upcoming event was two years ago at Rendezvous Hotel. This time they managed to secure a bigger space as compared to the last time they held it outdoors and I loved the place as it was conducive to move around as compared to two years ago. This year, Anugerah Planet Muzik 2014 (APM2014) will once again return to my favourite venue, Suntec Convention Centre on 17 October 2014, exactly a year from the last event. For a start, the official logo has been given a fresh revamp from the ones we’ve seen over the past twelve editions.

The trophies up for grabs on 17 October 2014…

Into its thirteenth year, APM2014 once again will be honouring the best and most popular of today’s hottest talents in the region’s Malay music industry. The two and a half hours show will be telecast live on Mediacorp Suria (Singapore), Astro Ria (Malaysia and Brunei) and Net. (Indonesia) as well as Mediacorp radio stations, RIA 89.7FM and Warna 94.2FM, on 17 October 2014 at 9pm (GMT +8) and 8pm (Western Indonesian Time GMT +7). The event is ably supported by Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), Composers and Authors Society of Singapore (COMPASS) and Indonesian Music Awards (Anugerah Musik Indonesia – AMI). A total of 19 awards will be presented this year, an increase of one category from last year.

Hosts for the day – Aura Shai and A. B. Shaik…

As is the norm of previous APM media conferences, this year’s event was once again graced by Dr. Edmund Lam, Chief Executive Officer of COMPASS, Ms. Zakiah Halim, Senior Vice-President, Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division and Mr. Hassan Salleh, Assistant Vice-President of Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division. Before the event started in earnest, the guests, which mostly made up of our own local acts, were treated to performances by Idi Hakim, of Dinodi fame, and his wife Erma Maulood with their current radio hit “Setia Cinta” as well as Haqym Mokhtar with his current single “Semuanya Alright“, which has already risen up the local radio charts. For those not in the know, Haqym is a former member of trio SupaMusiq, which has so far been disbanded due to the group members having different personal commitments. Ironically, the last time I watched them perform as a group, was the media conference back in 2012 at Rendezvous Hotel.

The husband and wife pair, Idi Hakim and Erma Maulood performed their hit single, “Setia Cinta“…

The organisers received about 639 song submissions this year, almost doubled from the previous year, but it has to be said that the qualifying period for songs produced to be submitted in this year’s event has been extended by an additional six months, so as to make it more concurrent with the times. As mentioned earlier, there is an additional category for this year’s awards event. The Best Collaboration category has now been segmented into two categories – Best Collaboration (Artiste) and Best Collaboration (Song – Artiste, Lyricist, Composer). As highly expected from my review last year, “Kalau Aku Kaya” has been nominated for the Best Duo / Group and Best Collaboration (Artiste) categories, a testament to what a smart song it is and the equally panache delivery by both Awi Rafael and Altimet.

Haqym Mokhtar didn’t disappoint when he performed “Semuanya Alright“…

But amongst the regional categories, it heartens me to see a number of our local acts making inroads when in the past, we wonder if our artistes or songs would ever make it along with their counterparts from the other two countries. Granted, the Best Male and Best Female categories still have a long way to go for our acts to challenge and be amongst the best five, but they are definitely bridging the gaps in other categories as seen by the nominations of Tujuhband, Aryan Band, Ryan Sufiyan, Sufie Rashid, Aisyah Aziz and Reyza Hamizan in their respective categories. Am actually pleased with Ryan Sufiyan‘s nomination. Here is an example of a guy who never gives up. I remember him being a serial reality show contestant, Anugerah, Singapore Idol and God knows what else, he has joined them all only to falter in the earlier stages. Even if he doesn’t win, it is a signal that hard work and patience will eventually pay off in due time. So for those wannabes out there, do not lose hope when you do not make it. There will always be other avenues for you to prove your worth.

Dr. Edmund Lam addressing the guests during the media conference. Seated next to him were Mr. Hassan Salleh (left) and Ms. Zakiah Halim (centre)…

Speaking of wannabes, and even established artistes, Ms. Zakiah Halim made a very clear point that day. She urged all local artistes to maintain a degree of professionalism whether it is for rehearsals or during actual shows. Always give off your best, all the time and do not hold back, even if it’s a mere soundcheck or rehearsal. Of course, I would like to add about punctuality and respect as well. Respect for those interviewing you or those watching you. I did mention in my review back in 2011 for artistes to refrain from chewing gum before / during a performance or when accepting awards onstage and I believe the same reminder could be applied after attending the recent media conference event. Maybe those who attended the media conference and reading this will agree with me and understand what I am trying to convey.

Group photo with all the local acts who attended the media conference event…

So who is performing on 17 October 2014??? As of now, I understand the likes of Sufie Rashid, Aisyah Aziz, Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza, Hazama, NOAH, Tulus, Judika, Maria Calista and Cakra Khan have been confirmed and unconfirmed news that Malaysia‘s Raja Lawak second season winner, Nabil, will be one of the hosts for the night. More names will be confirmed in due time but just looking at the amount of star names on display is enough to whet my appetite as all of them are guaranteed to leave you astounded with their vocal capabilities and showmanship. Tickets priced at $28, $48, $68 and $88 (including GST) can be purchased now at all SISTIC outlets and online at www.sistic.com.sg. This year, the $28 tickets have been introduced to entice more students as well as full-time National Servicemen to attend the event. So what are you waiting for??? Grab your tickets now!!!

APM2014 List of Nominations

List of nominations graphic photos courtesy of Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division

Snapshots of APM2014 Media Conference

(Graphics poster courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

You would have seen the music video by Taufik Batisah singing his latest single “Menakluk Cinta” on Mediacorp Suria since it was first aired right after the recent National Day Parade. It is probably from that music video that you would have taken note of an upcoming drama series titled “Kasih Berbisik” (Whispers of the Heart), that will soon be aired on the said channel. This joint production by leading Free-to-Air TV channels Mediacorp Suria and TV3 will bring you a moving drama of heartache, hope and unbreakable bonds of love, spanning three countries. Conceived and written by prolific script writer, Mr. Hamed Ismail, and directed by Jamal Khan, this tear-jerker has finally come to fruition after three years in the works.

(YouTube clip courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

Set against the backdrop of metropolitan Singapore, lush green fields of Malaysia and exotic Bali, the 13-episode drama series debuts for the first time simultaneously on TV3 and MediaCorp Suria on 1 October 2014 at 9pm and 9.30pm respectively. Its main and supporting cast members include Nurul Aini and Nick Mikhail from Singapore, Remy Ishak, Keith Foo and Tasha Shilla from Malaysia, as well as Demmy Febriana from Indonesia. Jointly produced by Mediacorp Eaglevision and Primeworks Studios, the collaboration is aimed at producing a high-quality drama series that appeal to audiences in Singapore and Malaysia, leveraging on both parties’ expertise in High-Definition (HD) TV production.

The stage all set for the media conference…

I was extremely honoured to once again be invited by Mediacorp Suria to cover the media conference and exclusive screening held last Friday 19 September 2014 at Golden Village Grand Great World City. This was essentially my first time covering a media conference for an upcoming drama series and one which is monumental in that it is a joint-production between two countries featuring the scenic scenes, backdrop and actors from three countries. This was also probably the first time that I’ve been to a media conference where fans were allowed to soak in the atmosphere as well. At times, it felt a bit chaotic when the fans got excited seeing their favourite artistes, but generally they were well-behaved and I could see many smiling faces, contented with their respective signatures and photographs. The media conference was hosted by none other than Fauzie Laily.

The main cast of “Kasih Berbisik” – (from left) Keith Foo, Remy Ishak, Nick Mikhail, Nurul Aini, Tasha Shilla and Demmy Febriana…

I believe for the fans (a large majority were females, may I add) who paid to attend the media conference, it was rewarding enough to have been in close proximity to heart-throbs like Remy Ishak and Keith Foo. Even more rewarding when they witnessed Taufik Batisah himself making an appearance to sing the official soundtrack of the upcoming drama series live. Taufik it must be said, has matured so much since we were first introduced to his singing talents on national television exactly ten years ago. He was cracking jokes with the audience, sometimes even acting like a co-host and even took the time to promote his upcoming album launch this Sunday 28 September 2014, 6pm at Causeway Point. Ten years in the scene, he has blossomed and become more outgoing and even forthcoming in comparison to his earlier years in the scene.

Taufik never fails to make the ladies swoon with his mere presence…

But where there was something good to say about Taufik Batisah, a not-so-pleasant vibe emanated when I was observing two of the main casts that night. I will not mention names but for those who were there, might probably agree with what I have to say. One was seen looking detached and uninterested with the whole proceedings, while another was seen fiddling and constantly checking on her handphone, even when she was up onstage facing the audience, not only made up of the fans, but fellow members of the media from Singapore and Malaysia, as well as the important heads from Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division and Media Prima Berhad. I am just glad that the likes of Taufik, Nurul Aini and Nick Mikhail showed class and accorded respect towards those who came to watch them.

Important figures behind the joint TV production – (from left): Ms. Zakiah Halim (Senior Vice President of Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division), Ms. Siti Nurlisia Mohd. Nadzri (TV3 General Manager), Mr. Suhaimi Jais (Senior Vice President of Mediacorp Studios and Mediacorp Eaglevision) and Mr. Azhar Borhan (Group General Manager Production and Operations of Primeworks Studios)…

Two back-to-back episodes of “Kasih Berbisik” were screened exclusively that night before its TV debut. Just to give you a gist, it is a 13-episode drama based on love, separation and friendship revolving around an architect, Imran (Remy Ishak), who goes on a business trip to Bali and falls in love with Sulastri (Demmy Febriana), a Balinese dancer. Eventually, Imran marries Sulastri and keeps his second marriage a secret from his wife of 6 years, Nora (Nurul Aini). Imran also has a best friend, Andi (Nick Mickhail) who admires Sulastri. In an unexpected twist, Sulastri’s ex-fiancé, Dharma (Keith Foo), vows to win her back. Dharma is clouded by anger and vengeance when he finds out that Sulastri is married to Imran. Will Nora and Dharma accept their fate as second best? How long can Imran keep his second marriage with Sulastri a secret from Nora?

Tasha Shilla entertaining one of the fans, while Remy Ishak was busy signing autographs on the promotional posters…

From what I’ve seen that night, and from speaking to fellow attendees from the media, the general consensus I got and personally felt was, the episodes were kinda draggy. I dunno if it was because the screening started an hour later than scheduled, due to the casts’ meet-and-greet session with the fans and various interviews with the media brigade, and people (myself included) were feeling tired after a long day. The buildup to what’s to come in the show felt a bit slow and when the second marriage was announced in one of the scenes, it felt like the director was pushing for an impactful outcome out of the blue. But what do I know about watching such drama series??? Am never a big fan of long episodic dramas involving love and romance. I just don’t have the patience for it. For the record, let me state there’s nothing wrong with the acting from all the casts involved, just that the storyline I feel could have been developed better and to give a good introduction to each individual character.

Nurul Aini, Keith Foo, Nick Mikhail and Demmy Febriana likewise were busy signing autographs on the promotional posters as well…

To be fair, two episodes might not tell a bigger picture nor relate the whole story, and that one should actually watch the series religiously to find out the twists and turns involving this complicated love saga. Fans of the two Malaysian heart-throbs would definitely not care at all about the storyline so long as they could feast their eyes on their idols weekly. My only concern was watching how the likes of Nurul Aini and Nick Mikhail performed when given their big break to go regional. Though I’ve heard rumours of how they were scolded by the lead actor for not giving their all, I thought both of them gave a good account of themselves and I really hope this will be their breakthrough drama and join the likes of those who have been success stories across the Causeway. No matter the artiste, I am always proud when I hear one of our own making a name for themselves abroad.

Final group photo with the main casts, crew and television station heads…

As for Taufik Batisah, I hope as well that the soundtrack to this drama series, would go the same way as how “Seribu Tahun” had given Imran Ajmain so much success and newly-opened doors across the Causeway. For those not in the know or have forgotten, “Seribu Tahun” was the soundtrack to the drama series “Kerana Cintaku Saerah” on TV3 back in 2007. Ten years in the scene and still to be a household name regionally, I sincerely hope that “Menakluk Cinta” would go on to be an added success to the one that Taufik achieved through his duet with Rossa, “Aku Bersahaja“. “Menakluk Cinta” which was penned by Taufik himself, has every potential to be a haunting hit across our shores. It has been playing regularly in my head for the past few weeks or so leading up to the media conference and even moreso after I had watched the screening of the two back-to-back episodes. As mentioned earlier, “Kasih Berbisik” will air on TV3 and MediaCorp Suria on 1 October 2014 at 9pm and 9.30pm respectively.

Highlights of Kasih Berbisik Media Conference

(Graphics poster courtesy of Mediacorp Malay Broadcast Division)

Anugerah Planet Muzik 2014 was held at Suntec City Convention Centre this past Friday 17 October 2014. The show that celebrates the best in the local Malay and regional Nusantara music industry saw 19 awards up for grabs. As always I will take some time to edit my photographs (which stood at 4918 when I first uploaded into my personal computer yesterday). I will not blog about the event per se just yet and will just honour the winners in this entry, which will be the start of a series of entries on the recently-concluded annual awards show. So for those of you who want to view photographs and such, do keep coming back these coming weeks as I have plenty of stuff to share in this domain of mine. To all the winners at Anugerah Planet Muzik 2014, my salutations to everyone for being deserving winners all around… :)

Taufik Batisah

Ikon Media Sosial / (Social Media Icon)

Artis Singapura Paling Popular / (Most Popular Singapore Artiste)

Lagu Singapura Paling Popular / (Most Popular Singapore Song) – Ikrar Kasih

Cakra Khan

Lagu Terbaik (Indonesia) / (Best Song – Indonesia) – Setelah Kau Tiada

Lagu Terbaik / (Best Song) – Setelah Kau Tiada

Dato’ Siti Nurhaliza

Artis Terbaik (Wanita) / (Best Female Artiste)

Lagu Terbaik (Malaysia) / (Best Malaysian Song) – Lebih Indah (Composer: Aubrey Suwito, Lyricist: Ad Samad)

NOAH – Tak Lagi Sama

Band Terbaik / (Best Band)

Artis Paling Popular Serantau / (Most Popular Regional Artiste)

Tulus – Jangan Cintai Aku Apa Adanya

Artis Baru Terbaik (Lelaki) / (Best New Male Artiste)

Fynn Jamal – Arjuna Beta

Artis Baru Terbaik (Wanita) / (Best New Female Artiste)

(photo courtesy of ERA.FM)

Judika – Mama Papa Larang

Artis Terbaik (Lelaki) / (Best Male Artiste)

Hafiz Suip & Dato’ Rossa – Salahkah

Duo / Kumpulan Terbaik (Best Duo / Group)

Sufie Rashid – Tiada Pengganti

Lagu Terbaik (Singapura) / (Best Singapore Song)

Fatin Shidqia Lubis – Dia Dia Dia

Lagu Serantau Paling Popular / (Most Popular Regional Song)

(photo courtesy of KapanLagi.com)

Awi Rafael & Altimet – Kalau Aku Kaya

Kolaborasi Terbaik (Artis) / (Best Artiste Collaboration)

Mimpi – Aisyah Aziz, Composer: Faizal Tahir, Lyricist: Faizal Tahir & Omar K

Kolaborasi Terbaik (Lagu) / (Best Song Collaboration)

Khareez Kasbullah

Nova Media Baru / (New Media Nova)

WINGS

Anugerah Khas Planet Muzik / (Special Music Planet Award)