AJL 22 - "Itu Kamu"

The winning performance by Rich and Estranged



Well...ermm..actually i'm not quite in favour of them singing two verses of the song (including the intro) in 'slow motion' but overall it's very impressive especially when it's accompanied by live orchestra.

Local artistes - David and Joseph

David Pinus makes full use of the internet to promote his new album. Good idea!


A debut effort by Joseph Majakui

Reno, Ivye dalam senarai awal AF6??

Duh! Out of the 1,097 registrations in Sabah only 14 shortlisted!

Teringin juga mau tengok pasangan 'Acha - Irwanshah' Sabah ni, sama-sama berada dalam akademi, mesti gemparkan!?...:P

The acapella version of Sayang Kinabalu

Check out the song I uploaded on radioblog (Malay playlist)

mStar report "Infinatez tak berdiam diri selepas GangStarz"

A truly magical night for Estranged

Mana lebih hebat magic kah atau kejutan? Of courselah magic kan! In the movie Harry Potter even brooms used for sweeping the floor can fly!. So with the theme "Keajaiban Muzik", magic is what its all about in the AJL 22. With a magic wand, an underdog band Estranged turned out to be the big winner! Well the judges are probably sending the message to Malaysians "you don't have to listen to Indon bands anymore, we do have equally good band with just equally good song quality down here!"...:=).

For once I thought Ceritera Cinta performed by Jac and Lah stand a chance to win the grand prize. Anyways they won best vocal for that song. I also thought with a slight touch of miracle Bob would probably be named as the best vocalist. He perfectly delivered the song. But the magic didn't happen to him! (Fiq also performed Mahakarya very well...meremang bulu roma I dengar...hehe)

Out of all the songs "Itu Kamu" won...Woww!!. A favourite song indeed but honestly I just couldn't believe it! But again it's all about magic! Hopefully no one will grumble this time around, especially the guy who made noise on Gemilang victory in AJL20...:). I always believe those who had won AJL automatically become member of the A-list club of Malaysian entertainers. Congratulations to Estranged especially Rich who writes the lyrics. Yang penting ada laungan....Aramaitieee!..:=)

Sabah Cultural Carnival 2008

One thing about this carnival is, there was not much hype about it until about two weeks before the dates (26 and 27 Jan). I was a bit blur of its whole purpose. It's not even listed in the tourism calender despite having a strong tourism attraction. Some people even come up with theories that it is held as part of the silent or hidden political campaign for the coming election. Whatever it is, most importantly it creates a funfair atmosphere and provides some good entertainment for the public. It's very informative as well. A piece of shocking information revealed through the carnival is that Sabah actually has 100 ethnic groups instead of 35 as currently known!. And the government will probably make an official announcement of this finding soon. Hmm...is it necessary to have that many!?

I was with the crowd during the opening ceremony on Saturday night (26 Jan) with the primary aim to watch the concert...:). The ceremony was scheduled to start at 7 pm but Datuk Masidi who represented the CM only arrived slightly past eight. Instead of heading straight to the VIP grandstand he was led to visit the exhibition booths. While waiting for him the crowds were entertained with instrumental melodies by a traditional band who seemed to know only four songs including the late Minie Inus' hit something with the lyric 'nosusu....' (I forgot the title). Since it took Datuk M longer to visit the whole booths, the band repeated the same four songs over and over again much to the pain of my ears (the solo flute was very annoying, often out of tune). Having realised how late the VIPs were, the organiser finally directed Clarice, Everistus and another filler named Bendy to entertain the bored crowd.

Somebody struggled with the lyrics Sayang Kinabalu...:)
After the fillers, the MC pleaded the crowd not to leave yet "we have Ekin, Adam, Abu Bakar Ellah, Imuda and Linda Nanuwil" he announced. Once Linda's name was mentioned, immediately we saw Datuk M about fifty meters away rushed (brisk walk) to the grandstand, almost leaving the other VIPs far behind! *LOL* (actually it's a pure coincident that he completed visiting all booths when the announcement was made and rushed to the VIP grandstand). I checked the time it was ten minutes past nine which means the event was delayed by two hours plus!. Boring speeches followed up next.

And to cut a long story short, here's Linda with Ku Percaya

Ekin vs Candy (looks like Ekin got inspired by Candy's fashion style)



Adam vs Dafi (a song popularised by Dafi but I guess meant to be sung by Adam)

Linda vs Diva Padang Bandaran

Linda performing at Padang Merdeka KK in conjunction with the inaugural Karnival Budaya Sabah 2008 (26 - 27 Jan). She invited fans to dance with her on stage and it so happen the person who took the challenge is a 'diva Padang Bandaran'!

Krismadata!? Tukoi! Macam nama Dewi Laut
...see I told you not to have a concert at Padang Bandaran, those 'divas' will sure 'promosi diri' one! (alaa Padang Bandaran kan! kampung halaman sendiri! apa mau takut!..:))

And a teaser from Ampal (coincidently the next artiste after Linda is Imuda who walked to the stage ala Sam..:=O

*LOL*...kelakar gila bah si Ampal ni kan!
Other artistes include Ekin, Adam, Imuda, Abu Bakar Elah, Clarice and Evaristus.

Linda in AC Di Sini

Duh! When was Linda Nanuwil last appeared on TV? And finally here she is in AC Di Sini.



The chatting...

Be forewarned....

Well, you've heard them sing and seen them performed. What more can I say this group is really awesome. The good news is Infinatez (Alvin, Andy, Daneal, Rafique, Shah Hans) will be releasing their double singles real soon (scheduled to be released by February). While waiting, you can sample some of their teasers including the acapella version of Sayang Kinabalu on amp.channelv.com. Not too sure though, which of these four songs will be included in the double singles. The song Ada Masa is actually penned by me...oops I mean by our very own Ranau boy, Alvin a.k.a Defoo so check it out....

Instant hitz

The American Idol hopeful Renaldo Lopuz, who became the laughing stock of the three judges, has turned his own composition "We're Brothers Forever" into instant hits (at least on the net). Watch this video before Fox TV requested it to be removed from YouTube! (like the past season)

...and he also turned Simon into St. Simon...aarrgh!

Everybody seems to sing his song on YouTube including this guy ..:=)!

Brokeback Mountain star found dead

...another great actor who died at young age

Heath Ledger, 28

Second album from Rash

His song Hip Hop Daling Daling is still going strong on Carta Sama (Bajau) yet he already release a second album.

(I've uploaded Hip Hop Daling Daling on Bayu)

Mr. Valentine Competition

The competition that will make the ladies screaming...either in excitement or in horror...:=P

More on the AF6 audition

Still on AF6 audition, lots of frustrating stories at the audition yesterday. Firstly I have all myself to blame for the failure to register the three hopefuls I was accompanying. I keep telling them that the registration counter will close at 3 pm and highly likely be extended to 5 pm considering it was the final day yesterday. But once we arrived there slightly before 2 pm it was already closed (as early as 1 pm!) I felt very sorry for the one who came from a far…:(.

I proceed to mingle with the crowds and saw quite a number of familiar faces. Those who have undergone the audition said it was a very tough one. “The judges didn’t even bother listening to my singing, it’s not even 10 sec after I sang Ajai already presses the red button” said one frustrated voice. Having heard of Ajai’s name, those who are still waiting said how they wish Ajai is not the one who’s judging the audition here. “Sometimes I feel he’s not being fair” said one guy “but if you’re a pretty and sexy lady not necessary with a voice to match, you sure get green!” he continued with a laugh. A lady further support his claim by pointing at one plump lady, “the fat lady over there was in my group, she has a voice like Jeniffer Hudson and sang Zaiton Sameon's Menaruh Harapan but given a red light instead!” she explained. At this juncture I asked about the other judge, Faradiya. “She did nothing except stacking the rejected forms handed to her by Ajai. Ajai is the one who play ‘God’ pressing the light as he wishes. He cross-marked the forms and passed them to Faradiya who then neatly stack them!” she said. "Macam kerani fail" chipped in another voice. “No discussion, argument or debate whatsoever between them like Paul Moss and Syafinaz did in OIAM?” I asked. “No, no at all” she lamented. Hmm..that was strange.

I later stumbled upon one hopeful bearing the number 1090. He was told that he’s the last person to be auditioned on that final day. He looked very, very scared as if waiting for a death sentence *LOL*. With him bearing the number 1090, I presumed that the total number of AF6 registrations in Sabah is 1,090 assuming no one has registered twice. This means they failed to reach the target of 2,000 registrations for Sabah alone. Mmm…it’s getting lesser and lesser every year huh!

Out of all the dissapointment, comes the good news of these two artistes (Ivye and Reno) who both managed to reach Stage 4. This means a 50-50 chance for them to be selected to the next round. I keep my finger cross that at least Ivye will make the final cut!

Credit: Japrin.blogspot

Check more pics of Sabahans at AF6 audition on murai.com. One of the hopefuls Nursyazhwathul Nadira Mohd Arif, 33, get through Stage 2 but rejected at Stage 3 (due to the lack of x-factor). Catch her interview here.

A heavy penalty

Duh...I didn't expect Faizal's live striptease show will get such a harsh penalty.

Apart of banning Faizal himself for live or delayed concerts aired by other TV stations for three months. 8TV has also been banned from broadcasting live and delayed telecast concerts for the same period. Malay newspapers even reported that 8TV has been banned from broadcasting all forms of entertainment programs (live or delayed). Which I think is just too much! What will happen to the currently on-going OIAM2? But later upon reading some English newspapers the term 'entertainment' is actually means stage concerts.

AF6 audition in KK

The search for Akademi Fantasia 6 contestants from Sabah began yesterday. Hopefully one of them will bring the title to Sabah this season. I met one of the seven contestants who managed to reach stage four yesterday. According to him this is probably his final attempt since he had been trying since AF2!..:). All the best to them!

If you are not selected just presume that your talent is 100% good because according to Ajai they only look for those with 50% good talent..:)

Gang Starz 2 : three groups move to the next round

Three vocal groups from Sabah made it to the final audition of TV3's reality television show 'Gang Starz' after mpressing the jury during the show's preliminary held here over the weekend. The groups are One Nation Emcee, D5 (D Five kah ni atau D Lima?..hmm)and Da Prince.

Asking for forgiveness..

Any of you watch Gang Starz's host Faizal Tahir did the strip show on TV last weekend? :=D...I thought he's going to take all off when he pulled off his belt. I just wondering why he did it. I thought maybe he wanted to show off his newly built six-pack...but...errgh! The singing is also nothing to shout about (out of tune and messy pitching). It is reported that he's now trying to clear the air for being suspiciously under the influenced of drugs and alcohol...:=D

credit: gua.com
Babagon Dam major clean up

The dam was being cleaned up since yesterday which means no water supply to most areas in KK.

Another ghost tale

Looks like Keningau is never short of its paranormal tales. About a year ago, it was reported that a car being parked on the new highway, suddenly moved by itself against the gravity force. Next up was a report not very long ago, about the attempt by some 'ghost hunters' to capture ghost images just by using ordinary camera (they placed the camera at the hot spot for ghosts..:=D). While I was in Tambunan few months ago, there was this tale about a father and his son, who got drowned in Sg. Pagalan Keningau. Their ghosts were seen wandering around looking for each other (as they got drowned separated from one another). The ghosts traveled as far away as Tambunan. Some people even claimed to have stumbled upon the son's ghost that suddenly pop up at their windows asking casually "ada nampak bapa saya?"...LOL (matilah...kalah filem Jangan Pandang Belakang). This tale had enough to scare one lady who forcefully asked family members to stay with her (in Keningau) whilst her housemates were away attending course :=). Another widely reported paranormal occurence in the interior is the images of cross and Virgin Mary seen on a coconut tree! :=0. Not enough with all those tales, here's another one...a ghost image smiling at the camera phone of one sumandak! *LOL*

Gang Starz 2 audition in KK

Siti's sisters auditioned for AF6

First a report of a 'nenek' with 2 grandchildren, a 'bapa' with 7 kids and now Siti's elder and younger sisters are also reported to have joined the AF6 craze. How interesting. I guess I don't wanna miss the boat too...*LOL*

Give it up for Che'Nelle YO!

So Che'Nelle is finally here in Malaysia. She made a special appearance in OIAM2, performing her brand new single "Hurry Up".

And a spot test for her Sabahan language skill. The result? Pass...with flying colours!..:=P

"Saya dari Putatan bah! dakat kadai S. Mugan"

....that "salam" style....shaking hand and naturally draw the hand back to the chest is something I don't quite expect from her...:=). Even some locals, don't do that often. How interesting to find her doing that all in natural manner! *grin*

AF 6 early 'kezutan'!

*LOL*...whose idea is this? I'm talking about the new season of Akademi Fantasia that opens its door to those from the age of 18 up to 45 years old! Unbelievable but really interesting! As they said, talent knows no age limit...:) So be prepared to vote for your uncle, auntie, father or mother...:=D. It's not even started yet, but we're already given a 'kezutan'

Ramli MS, re-appointed as principal

And here are some details on the auditions and song lists (source: murai.com)

TARIKH & LOKASI UJI BAKAT

12 & 13 Januari : Astro, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur
12 - 20 Januari : Kompleks Asia City, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
12 - 20 Januari : Crowne Plaza Riverside, Kuching, Sarawak
26 & 27 Januari : Gurney Hotel, Pulau Pinang
26 & 27 Januari : Kompleks Mawar, Johor Bahru, Johor
2 & 3 Februari : Astro, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur

SENARAI LAGU UJI BAKAT

Lagu pilihan peserta wanita

Persis Mutiara - Mila AF5
Rindu Merindu - Fauziah Idris
Jika Kau Kekasih - Linda Nanuwil
Ya atau Tidak - Erra Fazira
Salam Untuk Kekasih - Nadia
Setiaku Korbankan - Fauziah Latiff
Unfaithful - Rihanna
Menaruh Harapan - Zaiton Sameon
Akhirnya Kini Pasti - Anita Sarawak
Pastikan - Datuk Siti Nurhaliza

Lagu pilihan peserta lelaki

Langit Biru - Mawi
Fantasia Bulan Madu - Amy Search
Kasihnya Laila - Jinbara
Joget Angan Tak Sudah - Jay Jay
It's Gonna Be Me - N'sync
Izinku Pergi - Kaer
La Camisa Negra - Juanes
Kisah Kau dan Aku - Alleycats
Ku Juga Mencintai Dirimu - Saiful
Azura - Jamal Abdillah

P/s: Hmm...it appears to have contradiction on the date of audition for KK. murai.com (Astro entertainment portal) stated it as 12 - 20 Jan but most newspapers put it as 17 - 20 Jan. I guess the later (17 - 20 Jan) does make sense!

Some E-news updates

Danny F. Malinggi finally releases his debut solo album, only after years of delay, as reported below.

Huminodun 2, the sequel of the telemovie Huminodun, will start shooting on the 9th of January. More familiar faces in the local entertainment scene will be on its list of casts. They include Atama and Max (just to name a few). Read more from this report

The nasyid groups representing Sabah won the respective title their competing in, at the National Nasyid Festival held in Puterajaya recently.

FFVPM 5 UMS

The award presentation night of the Festival Filem dan Video Pelajar Malaysia Ke 5 (in short FFVPM 5 ) was held at Dewan Chancelor UMS last night. It's the highlight of the week-long FFVPM 5 hosted by UMS. Despite being a simple ceremony (with no star-studed red carpet event) it's very entertaining and went on smoothly without glitch. The students' works are quite impressive too. Just take a look at some of those, in this v/c, nominated under the categories of Best Ad Promo, Best Animation and Best Music Video. The UMS' entry of "Sos Cili Tuhau" stirred the excitement in the hall...:)

I'm a bit surprise that out of the 13 categories, University Lim Kok Wing (known as the school of creative technology) only have one nomination. Maybe it's not the question of where you study but how creative you are is the utmost important (BTW the organiser received 208 entries from IPTA and IPTS all over the country for the fifth festival). While ULKW only has one nomination, UITM has no nomination at all!..:=). The major contenders seem to be Universiti Multimedia, Kolej Yayasan Melaka, UMS, Unimas and USM. UMS won 3 awards but 2 of them come from the Jury Choice Award (probably as appreciation for hosting the festival). The other award is for the category of Dokumentari: Pembangunan dan Alam Sekitar with its winning entry entitled Sabah Teh (should be Sabah Tea? Right? No? Yes?..:)). Interestingly all of the three entries nominated under this category are from UMS...:=)

...and here's Mar-Jai performing a duet number (mmm...not so sure the title but it's the latest hits by Ajai and Kris Dayanti). The other artistes include Rey (Bintang RTM) and Dayang Nurul (Bintang Klasik)

(....will upload some other V/Cs of the event later)

Confession! Confession!

After Dr. Chua's infamous confession, here's another one.

It took some irresponsible person to steal her wedding photos to be published on magazine, as proof that she has gotten married..and finally she confesses of being the second wife of Datuk 'S'. Whatever it is all the best to Azharina, semoga berbahagia hingga ke akhir hayat.

Wow! The 'dagu' now looks so 'runcing'..:)

"Kami kenal sejak enam tahun lalu di Kuala Lumpur melalui adik angkat kepada mak angkatnya. Sebelum ini saya memang tak tahu yang dia seorang ahli politik dan peguam. Dia menyamar jadi pemandu lori dan saya pula cakap tak bekerja..." (full article here)

So who says all ladies go for rich men? Some don't even bother if he's a lorry driver you know!...

...and Marsha's confession (hold your breath!)

*LOL* Confessing that she likes pearl lah!

Tiny yet powerful..

So this is the spy-cam reportedly used in the DVD production involving the ex-Health Minister. Very tiny. So next time, you step into a hotel room (for whatever purpose), first thing first, check thoroughly for this device. It could be placed at the sprinkler, lamps, under the sinks etc. Once you find it, don't get panick, reeelax! *aksi ala-ala Eby*. Pose and smile at it before you pick your nose or ear with full emotion. Dig out whatever you can and place 'the digged treasure' (the more the better) right on the lense to cover it. That's it, as simple as that.:=)

Talking about sprinkler, there was one incident reported few months back in the paper. It's about a lady who smashed violently the sprinkler in one hotel room in KK. She suspects that it's a spy-cam! What makes me even more grinning reading the report is the lady is not a tourist from New York, London, Tokyo, Sydney, Taipei etc but from a land called 'Cembiunen' (...errr...that's a pronunciation for Tambunan borrowed from one Englishman..:=D). Anyway it's not reported clearly if the sprinkler burst and spray water all over the room (how I wish it happened). Paranoid you say, but appears to be a high-techly advance woman to me...*grin*.

Asia City New Year's Eve Show

Other interesting shows...

Car show

Twenty gorgeous cars were displayed and the public were invited to vote for the most beautiful car. It's so difficult to decide. All of them are equally good looking.



I voted for the white car (left) and even fantasizing I was the person behind the wheel, too bad the red car (right) won the majority votes

Fashion Show

Madeline Nandu and the gang (cameraman terfokus muka pula bukan baju...:=))

Unfortunately no 'voting-voting' one for the models...:=P

Jiaja singing a Chinese song (left) and Andy Adrian (LG Star) performing Angel



...And the rest of the shows including the countdown by KK Mayor

Rachel at Asia City New Year's Eve show

I think she does the best cover version of this song

Special pose (left) and with elder sister Esther (right)
Sabah VFM best guest DJs of 2007

A regular visitor requested for this paper clip. So here it is. I didn't catch this program, totally forgotten about it. Besides 10 am is too early. I hope next time they have it in the afternoon.

Sex...NO Lies...and Digital Video Disc...

LABIS: "I am the man in the tape," said Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, the Health Minister and MCA Vice-President, as he admitted to be the person captured on a videotape while engaging in sexual acts with a woman friend.

But despite his admission of guilt over the matter, Dr Chua stressed that he would not resign from his government and party positions.... (full report)

The report reminds me of the movie entitled "Sex...Lies...and Video Tape" only this time we have a new title "Sex...No Lies...and Digital Video Disc"...:)

I thought, it's suppose to be Malaysia's version of the 'Clinton Scandal'...with first a lie followed by a dramatic "Yes I did it!". But I think Dr Chua's straight forward confession had turned the situation into an anti-climax..:=D. The other party that tries to create havoc and expect more sensational scenario must be very surprised...."Huh! That's all? That's it!?....just like that ah?...:=D.

Some even jokes that he did it merely to test out some new Viagra products before endorsing it to the public. Pitty to his family especially the wife...:(.

KLCC vs Asia City

While we were at Asia City on the New Year's Eve a friend of ours received a video message from his brother who happened to be at KLCC at that time. He shot a video there and sent it with the text "ngeh! kami di KLCC nampak ni video...ada Ella, Amy Search" (I think the program was telecast live on Astro Ria right?). I'm not familiar with his brother but I offered to reply the message for him and this is what I wrote...

"Apa...kamu sana ada pertunjukan manusia kena putar macam roda? Ada? Tiada kan?"

Actually the action was longer but I was late to capture it

...ada persembahan artis dengan 'powerdara' membuak-buak? Lagilah tiadakan? Pertunjukan bunga api sama artis normal sajakan!?

Nah ambik ni...and we sent a very short videos of the above to him

The brother then replied "Atukoi siapa tu (refering to the sexy lady) ...cuba kasi yang panjang sikit kalau ada" *LOL* (terkejut bah si kawan)

Few minutes after sending the longer version of the video, the friend sms to his brother "Ko tengok Ella di pentaskah atau kusyuk tengok tu video?" :=)