Hollywood in 5

Bowling feels Malaysia has potential to be recognised for visual effects.

Malaysia has to satisfy five factors in order to woo Hollywood studios into the country. HIZREEN KAMAL talks to Hollywood film luminary William Bowling.

WHEN Hollywood blockbusters Entrapment and Anna and the King were filmed in Malaysia in 1998 and 1999 respectively, the producers had, to a certain extent, introduced the country to the world.

A decade later, Malaysia has yet to see major Hollywood studios making movies here.

Is Malaysia a suitable location for Hollywood films?

Warner Bros worldwide location executive William “Bill” Bowling believes that Malaysia still has a long way to go to entice the studios.
“Malaysia is not well known. The best way to publicise the country would be with a successful film which will open doors,” said Bowling, who was in Kuala Lumpur to conduct a recent one-day seminar entitled Future of Malaysian Film Industry and its Development from an International Perspective and Location Business — Positioning Malaysia as an Attractive Location for Foreign Film Producers at the National Film Development Corporation (FINAS) in Ulu Kelang, Selangor .

The seminar was co-organised by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and FINAS.

“Although Malaysia has the potential to become a suitable location it also depends on what a film requires from the country,” he said.

Bowling stressed five factors for a suitable location.

First is safety and security.

“Schedules are normally tight and a production cannot be halted due to this factor.”

The feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a location is also important.

The fourth factor is getting support from the local government.

“Filming is not simple. For instance, if a scene requires a car to be driven at high speed through a city, the support of the local council is essential.

“Also, film equipment has to arrive promptly and visas must be processed quickly,” he said.

The fifth aspect is skilled and highly trained crew members.

“This is necessary since studios do not want to fly in their crew which will increase production costs.

“Malaysia also needs to consider competition from its neighbours such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines, which are wooing international film studios.

“For example, if a Hollywood studio wants to make a movie in Asia, it may consider Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines which are similar to Malaysia. If production costs is cheaper in Thailand and suitable crew members are available, it’s likely the studio will go there.”

Countries such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Singapore and South Korea also offer financial incentives to Hollywood studios.

“Financial incentives are a major influence on Hollywood studios. Malaysia needs to work on that.”

A classic example is New Zealand, the location of the award-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy.

“This is a big challenge for Malaysia but it is good that the country is working towards developing this industry.

“I look at the booming audiences in China and Indonesia as a positive sign that people are interested in cinema products and building more cinemas. Hollywood studios are looking at ways to penetrate the film markets there.

“They want to bring their products and be part of the Asian film industry,” said Bowling, who is a respectable film luminary in Hollywood.

Bowling has high regards for Malaysia and FINAS.

“A FINAS representative visited Warner Brothers to promote Malaysia. The country is serious about developing a viable and strong industry.”

As for visual effects, Bowling feels Malaysia has potential to be recognised.

“Some Hollywood studios have been in talks to develop digital technology here as another way to improve production costs. Sometimes, it is not just about bringing in a big movie crew but also bringing work in.

“If Malaysian companies excel at visual effects, they can be employed whenever Hollywood needs the expertise even if it doesn’t make movies here. But that takes a lot of training and skills.”

Bowling says filming Hollywood movies locally can create job opportunities and boost the country’s tourism industry.

“Local crew members can also get hands-on training in their respective fields.”

Bowling has worked in more than 80 countries in 25 years.

Among the feature films he was involved in were Talladega Nights, Starship Troopers, Saving Private Ryan and Speed Racer.

Welcome 2009 with Viennese music

By : Radin Sri Ghazali


Arpiné Rahdjian.

USHER in 2009 a la Viennese style with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) from Jan 9-11.

The concerts are held in tribute to renowned Austrian composer Johann Strauss II.

Music aficionados will be entertained by the maestro’s masterpieces including wonderful waltzes, The Blue Danube and Vienna Blood, pleasing polkas such as Annen and Fireworks Festival and sumptuous operettas, The Gypsy Baron and Die Fledermaus.

Held as part of the Light Classics series, the concerts will be conducted by Martin Sieghart, one of Viennese most versatile conductors.

The show will also see the MPO collaborating with soprano Arpiné Rahdjian.
The young Armenian was discovered in 2005 during her debut as Micaela in a Carmen production.

Her potential artistic skills, beautiful voice and extraordinary stage persona has enthralled audiences in Europe, Japan, Canada and the United States.

A graduate of the Vienna Music Conservatoire, Arpiné has also received guidance from renowned maestros in the operatic world and has performed the roles of Fiordiligi, Donna Elvira, Contessa Almaviva, Agathe and Liùand Mimi, making her one of the most successful singers of her genre.

Tickets priced at RM95, RM85, RM75, RM55, RM25 and RM20 are available at the box-office. Call 03- 2051-7007 or email dfp_boxoffice@petronas.com.my.

Mawi returns home for Javanese-style wedding

By : Ahmad Fairuz Othman


Mawi and his bride Ekin preparing to board a helicopter to Felda Taib Andak yesterday.

KULAIJAYA: There was an air of festivity at Felda Taib Andak here when its favourite son, Asmawi Ani, or Mawi, held his wedding ceremony in grand Javanese style.

Mawi, 27, who is one of the country's best-known male singer, and his bride Ekin, or Nora'Ashikin Rahmat, 29, held their bersanding ceremony before a crowd of almost 20,000.

The quaint Felda Taib Andak settlement, located about 6km from Kulai, was filled with a carnival-like atmosphere even before the newlyweds arrived in a helicopter.

The event kicked off when Mawi and Ekin touched down at the Sekolah Kebangsaan Sinar Bahagia field in Felda Taib Andak about 1.30pm.

They then headed for another field in a colourful procession of antique cars and motorcycles, with children carrying bunga manggar and residents beating the kompang.
A large crowd had gathered at the field to catch a glimpse of Mawi and Ekin, who wore glittering silver and grey Javanese wedding costumes.

Mawi and Ekin's costumes and wedding dais were designed by Zulfazli Suhadi of Zul Classique designs.

Later, 20 members of the Sendeng Hang Tuah silat group from Kampung Sri Paya, Pulai captured the crowd's attention with a martial arts performance.

Mawi thanked the thousands who gathered to celebrate his wedding.

"Thank you to everyone who made this ceremony possible, including the police and Rela," he told the excited crowd.

The newlyweds were then whisked away to the multi-purpose hall in Kampung Bahagia, Felda Taib Andak, for a lavish bersanding ceremony, which was telecast live on Astro Prima at 3pm.

The ceremony began with a kuda kepang and barongan dance performance by the Sri Bahyuni group from Batu Pahat.

The hall was adorned with fresh orchid and lilies of white, red and orange. The wedding dais was decorated with fresh flowers and antique furniture depicting a Javanese palace.

Mawi's mother, Rosnah Sarlan, 63, led family members in the merenjis ceremony, or sprinkling of rose water and flower petals on the newlyweds. They were joined by Ekin's family, including her parents Rahmat Mohammad, 60, and Fatimah Saad, 53.

Later, Mawi and Ekin cut a four-tier pulut kuning cake, while guests savoured authentic Javanese ayam penyek with rice, ulam, sambal belacan and soto soup.

A friend of Mawi's family Hishammuddin Abdullah, 61, said: "I've known Mawi since he was 15.

"He has not changed. He is still as selamba (easygoing) as when I first met him.

"I admit, the ceremony and food served at the wedding were pretty lavish. But Mawi has done well and he deserves to have a grand wedding," said the car dealer.

Yesterday's event was part of a series of celebrations that began on Dec 20 with the marriage solemnisation at the Sultan Abu Bakar mosque in Johor Baru.

That night, Ekin's family hosted a wedding reception at the Johor Baru City Council Indoor Stadium.

Mawi's wedding ceremony was preceded by a concert on Saturday night featuring finalists from Akademi Fantasia, a reality singing contest which put Mawi into the limelight

A Middle East-themed reception will be held at the Palace of the Golden Horses in Seri Kembangan, Selangor on Jan 11.

Celebrities to flock to Obama inauguration

From Oprah Winfrey to Dionne Warwick, the stars will come out

Mark J. Terrill / AP

Oprah Winfrey famously cried as Obama's election was announced, and is likely to attend his inauguration.

NEW YORK - The Super Bowl? Forget it. The Oscars? Who cares. The biggest star-studded event on the horizon is President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration.

The gig of 2009 will take place Jan. 20 on a wintry field in Washington.

"January 20 is going to be ground zero for everyone who wants to be part of this celebration, and that's going to include boldface names and A-listers from Oprah on down," said Roxanne Roberts, co-author of the Washington Post's column "The Reliable Source." "On that particular weekend, this is where the action is."

Details on official inauguration events are scant so far, though prominent Obama supporters like Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen and Will.i.am are widely expected to be involved.

In the last century, entertainers have made indelible marks on presidential inaugurations and often helped set a tone for a new era.

Mickey Rooney performed at all four of FDR's inaugurations. Robert Frost read a poem for John F. Kennedy in 1961. Bill Clinton was ushered in with a parade of performers in 1993, including Maya Angelou.

Any announcements on Obama's official performers is "a ways down the road," said Linda Douglas, a spokeswoman for Obama's Presidential Inaugural Committee, but added: "We want to make it an uplifting and optimistic set of events as much as possible in these trying times."

Unofficially, a who's who of stars are expected at parties hosted by MTV, Dionne Warwick and others.

MTV has said it will host and broadcast the "Be the Change Inaugural Ball," held in conjunction with the volunteerism campaign ServiceNation. The audience will be populated with activist young people in what Stephen Friedman, MTV's general manager, says will be a "celebration of our audience."

Of course, a bevy of music stars are also expected to perform.

"We are being inundated," said Friedman. "It's great when you have so many artists who are passionate about being a part of this moment."

The Creative Coalition will hold a gala to be headlined by Elvis Costello. The nonprofit arts and entertainment advocacy group says that attending its party will be Anne Hathaway, Spike Lee, Tim Robbins, Maggie Gyllenhaal and many others.

Dionne Warwick will reportedly host the American Music Inaugural Ball. Lou Gossett Jr. will host the Purple Ball, where Ashley Judd and Patricia Arquette are among the expected guests. And the Human Rights Campaign Foundation will also throw a party with Cyndi Lauper, Melissa Etheridge and others.

"The unofficial balls are probably going to be better than the official ones," said Roberts. "In this economic environment, it is highly unlikely that there will a lot of dedicated activities for high rollers, as there have been in years past."

Obama has been measured of his embrace of Hollywood and celebrities. That's in part because during the election Obama, himself, was compared to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears by his Republican challenger, Sen. John McCain.

Obama argued with the "celebrity" tag and seldom appeared in public with stars. But on Sept. 16, he raised $9 million for his campaign with a single party in Beverly Hills hosted by Barbra Streisand and attended by Leonardo DiCaprio and many others.

Recession won't slow down celebration
It's unclear whether the Hollywood stigma, or the recession, will put a damper on the evening. Jim Bendat, author of "Democracy's Big Day: The Inauguration of Our President 1978-2009," thinks not.

"Based upon past history, my guess is it will not be terribly toned down," said Bendat. "When the Vietnam War was going on, Nixon had his number of inaugural balls, and of course George W. Bush did the same thing. Generally, the feeling is that for one night, it's OK to have a big party."

Beyonce Knowles earlier announced her eagerness to participate: "I'm there. I can't wait. I feel like all of us, we're ready to do whatever we have to do. If they need me to volunteer, they need me to sing, I'm there and I'm ready."

Angelou, who read her famous "On the Pulse of the Morning" for Bill Clinton, has said she's writing a poem about Obama's election. (She doesn't expect to be invited to read it, though, after supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton in the primaries.)

Bill Clinton's inaugurations in 1993 and 1997 were glitzy affairs preceded by two days of free concerts on the Mall. Then-hip acts like Hootie and the Blowfish and Sheryl Crow performed. In 1997, the Presidential Gala was held at the USAir Arena, with performances from Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Yo-Yo Ma and the Broadway casts of "Chicago" and "Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in `da Funk."

George W. Bush's 2001 Inauguration was cast as a return to respectability to the White House. Performers were more traditional, such as the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Guy Lombardo Orchestra. Many country stars played, including Clint Black, Lyle Lovett and Nell Carter.

American folk music legend Odetta dies at 77

Prominent voice from the civil rights movement succumbed to heart disease

Paul Hawthorne / Getty Images File

Odetta attends the premiere of "Lightning in a Bottle" at the DGA Theater in October 2004 in New York City.

NEW YORK - Odetta, the folk singer with the powerful voice who moved audiences and influenced fellow musicians for a half-century, has died. She was 77.

Odetta died Tuesday of heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital, said her manager of 12 years, Doug Yeager. She was admitted to the hospital with kidney failure about three weeks ago, he said.

In spite of failing health that caused her to use a wheelchair, Odetta performed 60 concerts in the last two years, singing for 90 minutes at a time. Her singing ability never diminished, Yeager said.

"The power would just come out of her like people wouldn't believe," he said.

With her booming, classically trained voice and spare guitar, Odetta gave life to the songs by workingmen and slaves, farmers and miners, housewives and washerwomen, blacks and whites.

First coming to prominence in the 1950s, she influenced Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and other singers who had roots in the folk music boom.

An Odetta record on the turntable, listeners could close their eyes and imagine themselves hearing the sounds of spirituals and blues as they rang out from a weathered back porch or around a long-vanished campfire a century before.

"What distinguished her from the start was the meticulous care with which she tried to re-create the feeling of her folk songs; to understand the emotions of a convict in a convict ditty, she once tried breaking up rocks with a sledge hammer," Time magazine wrote in 1960.

"She is a keening Irishwoman in `Foggy Dew,' a chain-gang convict in `Take This Hammer,' a deserted lover in `Lass from the Low Country,'" Time wrote.

Active in civil rights movement
Odetta called on her fellow blacks to "take pride in the history of the American Negro" and was active in the civil rights movement. When she sang at the March on Washington in August 1963, "Odetta's great, full-throated voice carried almost to Capitol Hill," The New York Times wrote.

She was nominated for a 1963 Grammy award for best folk recording for "Odetta Sings Folk Songs." Two more Grammy nominations came in recent years, for her 1999 "Blues Everywhere I Go" and her 2005 album "Gonna Let It Shine."

In 1999, she was honored with a National Medal of the Arts. Then-President Bill Clinton said her career showed "us all that songs have the power to change the heart and change the world."

"I'm not a real folksinger," she told The Washington Post in 1983. "I don't mind people calling me that, but I'm a musical historian. I'm a city kid who has admired an area and who got into it. I've been fortunate. With folk music, I can do my teaching and preaching, my propagandizing."

Among her notable early works were her 1956 album "Odetta Sings Ballads and Blues," which included such songs as "Muleskinner Blues" and "Jack O' Diamonds"; and her 1957 "At the Gate of Horn," which featured the popular spiritual "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."

Her 1965 album "Odetta Sings Dylan" included such standards as "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," "Masters of War" and "The Times They Are A-Changin'."

In a 1978 Playboy interview, Dylan said, "the first thing that turned me on to folk singing was Odetta." Dylan said he found "just something vital and personal" when he heard an early album of hers in a record store as a teenager. "Right then and there, I went out and traded my electric guitar and amplifier for an acoustical guitar," he said.

Belafonte also cited her as a key influence on his hugely successful recording career, and she was a guest singer on his 1960 album, "Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall."

She continued to record in recent years; her 2001 album "Looking for a Home (Thanks to Leadbelly)" paid tribute to the great blues singer to whom she was sometimes compared.

Odetta's last big concert was on Oct. 4 at San Francisco's Golden State Park, where she performed in front of tens of thousands at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, Yeager said. She also performed Oct. 25-26 in Toronto.

Odetta hoped to sing at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, though she had not been officially invited, Yeager said.

Born Odetta Holmes in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1930, she moved with her family to Los Angeles at age 6. Her father had died when she was young and she took her stepfather's last name, Felious. Hearing her in glee club, a junior high school teacher made sure she got music lessons, but Odetta became interested in folk music in her late teens and turned away from classical studies.

She got much of her early experience at the Turnabout Theatre in Los Angeles, where she sang and played occasional stage roles in the early 1950s.

"What power of characterization and projection of mood are hers, even though plainly clad and sitting or standing in half light!" a Los Angeles Times critic wrote in 1955.

Occasional acting roles
Over the years, she picked up occasional acting roles in TV and film. None other than famed Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper reported in 1961 that she "comes through beautifully" in the film "Sanctuary."

In the Washington Post interview, Odetta theorized that humans developed music and dance because of fear, "fear of God, fear that the sun would not come back, many things. I think it developed as a way of worship or to appease something. ... The world hasn't improved, and so there's always to sing about."

Odetta is survived by a daughter, Michelle Esrick of New York City, and a son, Boots Jaffre, of Fort Collins, Colorado. She was divorced about 40 years ago and never remarried, her manager said.

A memorial service was planned for next month, Yeager said.

© 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Polanski requests dismissal of sex charge

Lawyers say new documentary reveals ‘misconduct’ in director's case

Abdeljalil Bounhar / AP

Filmmaker Roman Polanski, a fugitive in Europe for the last 30 years, has filed a request in Los Angeles to have a child-sex charge against him dismissed.

LOS ANGELES - Lawyers for Roman Polanski, a fugitive for 30 years in a notorious sex case involving a 13-year-old girl, filed a request Tuesday to dismiss the charge against him because of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct.

The motion alleges that a documentary about the filmmaker released this year revealed “a pattern of misconduct and improper communications” between the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office and the judge in Polanski’s case.

“This case serves as a classic example of how our justice system can be abused, and defendants’ rights trampled, by an unholy alliance between courts and criminal prosecutors,” said a statement from attorneys Chad Hummel and Brad Dalton. Dalton is the son of attorney Doug Dalton, who represented Polanski in the original case.

The Polish-born Polanski, 75, has been living in self-imposed exile in France since fleeing the United States in 1978 after pleading guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl in Los Angeles.

He was initially indicted on six felony counts and faced up to life in prison. Instead, he pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor and five other counts were dismissed.

Polanski, who had already been incarcerated for a psychological diagnosis for 42 days, skipped sentencing that would have sent him back to prison, and fled to France. The judge issued a warrant for his arrest that is still in effect.

The maximum sentence was 50 years, although prosecutors had said at the time that the typical sentence was 16 months to three years in prison.

Sandi Gibbons, spokeswoman for District Attorney Steve Cooley, said her office had not been served with the motion and heard about it only through media reports. She said the office could not take a position until they see the legal papers.

“We’re looking forward to seeing Mr. Polanski in Los Angeles to litigate it,” she said.

A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Jan. 21 in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Polanski, the director of “Chinatown” and “Rosemary’s Baby,” has continued to direct films while in exile, including the 2002 Holocaust drama “The Pianist,” for which he won the best-director Academy Award.

Woman in case wants charge dropped
The woman with whom Polanski admitted having sex has said that she wants the charge dropped and that Polanski should be allowed to return to the United States.

The case was a sensation when it broke. Polanski, the widower of Manson family murder victim Sharon Tate, was arrested for having sex with the girl, whom he had hired as a model for a photo shoot. He was accused of giving her Quaaludes and champagne, taking her into a hot tub nude, and having sex with her.

The new effort to wipe out the charge comes after an HBO documentary, “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,” in which the man who prosecuted Polanski, retired Deputy District Attorney Roger Gunson, said that if he had been in Polanski’s position, he also would have fled the country.

The documentary also portrayed the late Superior Court Judge Laurence J. Rittenband as a publicity hound who held news conferences and engaged in extrajudicial meetings about the case.

In a legal brief, the attorneys quoted heavily from the documentary, citing statements by former Deputy District Attorney David Wells in which he acknowledged advising the judge on how to sentence the film director, even though he was not assigned to the case.

The lawyers said that Wells’ recommendation to send Polanski away for a diagnostic study was illegal without Polanski’s lawyers present. They said Wells also inflamed the judge by showing him photos depicting Polanski with girls at an Oktoberfest party in Germany while he was awaiting sentencing. They said the photos were misrepresented.

“As the result of DDA Wells’ illegal ... communications, Mr. Polanski has been subject to a punishment that has spanned the course of over 30 years,” the motion stated, noting he has been deprived of opportunities to work on films outside France.

The lawyers said the now-43-year-old victim, who never wanted Polanski to go to prison, should have the final say. They said the law requires the courts to consider a victim’s wishes.

The woman’s “wishes have remained unchanged, and this court has the discretion to finally conclude this case without any further harm” to the victim or her family, the motion stated.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

‘Circus’ at Britney’s 27th birthday party?

Plus, Kidman coy about having more kids; baby boom on ‘Mother’ set

Lucas Jackson / Reuters

Britney Spears receives a birthday cake after performing on ABC's "Good Morning America" in New York on Tuesday, Dec. 2.

By Courtney Hazlett

The Scoop

msnbc.com

December 2 was a big day for Britney Spears: she performed live on “Good Morning America,” her new album “Circus” dropped, and it was her 27th birthday. Spears celebrated in a way that came as a surprise to some: with a party at Tenjune, a rather trendy Manhattan nightclub.

“She’s been so careful with her image lately, it came as a surprise that she’d turn around and have her party at a club,” said one person in the Spears inner circle. “We don’t expect anything bad to happen, but it just sounds like trouble on the surface.”

That said, “Everyone’s really excited that Britney’s back,” says another person who was privy to some of the party planning. “And it’s not about it (the party) being at a nightclub, it’s about what’s going to happen in the space.”

From the looks of things, a space conducive to — what else — a circus, was the main qualifying characteristic for venue selection. Throughout the day, circus-themed accouterments were being delivered to Tenjune.

Nicole and Keith on more kids
“She’s amazing,” Nicole Kidman told Us magazine of her and husband Keith Urban’s 5-month-old daughter, Sunday. “She’s an easy baby.”

When the subject of more kids came up, though, Kidman wasn’t as direct. The magazine reports that her answer to the question of adding days of the week to the clan was a playful gaze toward the heavens, and “It’s not up to me. ...”

When Kidman discovered she was pregnant while shooting “Australia,” she confided in director Baz Luhrmann and costar Hugh Jackman, both longtime friends of the actress. “She said, ‘I’m pregnant,’ and honestly she burst into tears, and so did I,” recalls Luhrmann. “And then there was a whole secret that Hugh and I had to keep.” Urban supported Kidman at her “Australia” premiere in Paris on Dec. 1.

The ‘How I Met Your Mother’ baby boom

Something seems to be in the water on the set of “How I Met Your Mother.” Show co-star Alyson Hannigan is pregnant and due this spring, and now comes news her co-star Cobie Smulders is pregnant, too. While it’s not clear yet whether the pregnancies will be written into the show’s storylines, show creator Craig Thomas is good natured about the announcements.

“If you're trying to start a family, please come visit the set of ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ Just come by and hang out for a day or two. We can't legally guarantee anything, but by the time you leave, you will almost certainly be pregnant,” Thomas told TV Guide.

Peluang terakhir

Oleh Nurulhisham Abdul Latiff

Jika gagal sebagai penyanyi Alyah berjanji untuk terus memberi sumbangan kepada industri muzik di belakang tabir saja

SEJAK memenangi pertandingan Bintang HMI pada 2000, Noor Hasliah Abu Hassan atau kini mahu dikenali sebagai Alyah, tidak pernah mengecap kegemilangan sebenar dalam dunia nyanyian. Walaupun sudah memiliki dua album solo sebelum ini, bintangnya dalam arena seni belum benar-benar bersinar.

Begitu juga namanya sudah biasa dikaitkan dengan beberapa pertandingan nyanyian seperti One In A Million (OIAM) dan Gang Starz setelah dia sudah pun bergelar artis. Tetapi, program terbabit juga belum mampu meletakkan gadis berusia 27 tahun ini pada tahap yang boleh dibanggakan.

Begitupun, semua kepayahan dalam mengejar impian bergelar seorang bintang tidak dijadikan halangan untuk Alyah meneruskan langkah dalam bidang yang amat dicintai. Menyedari usahanya selama bertahun-tahun tidak harus dinoktahkan begitu saja, wanita muda ini menanam semula keyakinan apabila dia diberi peluang oleh keluarga untuk muncul dengan album terbaru yang hanya diberi judul Alyah.

"Famili tidak pernah membantu saya 100 peratus dalam dunia muzik sebelum ini. Cuma kali ini, mereka memberikan peluang merakam album menerusi syarikat Complete Version. Kata mereka juga, inilah peluang terakhir untuk saya membuktikan kejayaan," kata Alyah ketika berkunjung ke Balai Berita, baru-baru ini.

Menurut wanita peramah ini, jika ditakdirkan album terbabit masih gagal menaikkan namanya, berkemungkinan besar dia akan berhenti daripada karier nyanyian, sebaliknya memberikan sumbangan kepada industri muzik di belakang tabir saja.

Album baru memuatkan lapan lagu hasil ciptaan Ajai, Aidit Alfian, Omar dan Azlan Abu Hassan. Ia diterbitkan Ajai dan sudah diedarkan ke pasaran seluruh negara November lalu oleh Maestro Records.

"Sedikit berbeza daripada penghasilan terdahulu, kali ini Ajai membentuk muzik saya lebih kepada pop Indonesia. Muziknya lebih berjiwa dan mengikut gaya kesukaan muda-mudi sekarang," cerita Alyah yang berasakan, dia sekali lagi berani memasuki studio menghasilkan album dek keyakinannya pada perancangan baik oleh keluarga dan pengurusan.

Sebagai memperkuatkan promosi, Alyah sudah pun merakamkan dua klip video lagu Tak Mungkin Kerana Sayang ciptaan Ajai dan lirik Habsah Hassan serta lagu Ku Pinjam Satu Bintang, juga ciptaan Ajai dan lirik hasil tangan Roslen Fadzil (Slen). Bagi lagu kedua, dia menyanyikannya bersama peserta Akademi Fantasia musim keenam, Riz.

Ketika ini, single pertama, Tak Mungkin Kerana Sayang mula kerap diputarkan radio, menjadi petanda awal Alyah mewarnai persada muzik tempatan.

'Jodoh tak menyebelahi saya'

AWAL tahun ini, kedengaran gosip penyanyi yang pernah bernaung di bawah label EMI ini akan mengakhiri zaman bujang bersama jejaka Indonesia bernama Irfan. Begitupun, sehingga kini Alyah masih memegang status solo. Lalu, apa sebenarnya berlaku pada perancangan menaiki pelamin bersama pemuda berkenaan?

"Sepatutnya kini saya sudah pun berkahwin, sekiranya semua mengikut perancangan. Tetapi, nampaknya jodoh tidak menyebelahi saya. Apabila tiba dekat dengan saat kami sepatutnya bernikah, ia tidak menjadi kenyataan. Tidak ada keserasian lagi nampaknya antara kami berdua.

"Semuanya pernah berjalan dengan lancar, tetapi secara tiba-tiba, keadaan ‘meletup’. Jadi, saya jadi ‘gila’ jugalah untuk seketika. Mula-mula, saya memang berasa geram dengan apa yang terjadi. Namun, lama-lama saya dapat menerima kenyataan, antara kami memang tidak ada jodoh.

"Pasti ada hikmah di sebalik semua kesedihan itu. Contohnya, selepas saya tidak jadi kahwin, peluang merakamkan album pula tiba. Ia umpama peluang kedua untuk saya memberikan fokus kepada karier seni. Saya juga sudah tidak berhubung dengannya lagi. Biarlah tumpuan saya kini diberikan kepada album baru saja," katanya.

Dedah Alyah juga, dia ke Medan, Indonesia, beberapa bulan lalu juga bukan semata-mata untuk mendirikan rumah tangga bersama jejaka yang dikenalinya di Kuala Lumpur itu. Malah dia sendiri mempunyai rakan produser di bandar raya berkenaan. Lalu, kesempatan itu digunakan untuk meninjau peluang merakamkan lagu di sana.

Malah, dia sebenarnya sudah pun membuat perancangan merakamkan album bersama sebuah kumpulan diberi nama Recall di kota itu. Tetapi, rezeki tidak juga menyebelahinya apabila rancangan hanya tinggal rancangan, walaupun usaha ke arah itu sudah dilakukan. Saat dia menyelesaikan soal pembayaran di Medan, Mei lalu, saat itu jugalah dia terlepas tarikh akhir menyertai program Gang Starz walaupun dia antara peserta terpilih menjayakan program realiti berkumpulan itu bersama One Nation Emcees.

Sebelum itu, Alyah juga terpaksa menarik diri daripada kumpulan Fabulous Cats kerana berasakan dirinya tidak dapat memberikan komitmen akibat kesihatan diri.

"Saya tidaklah menyesal apabila meninggalkan kumpulan berkenaan kerana saya juga pada asalnya bermula sebagai penyanyi solo. Cuma saya agak terkilan kerana tidak dapat bersama-sama mereka dalam mengatur langkah membina nama. Bagaimanapun, kami masih berhubungan sebagai rakan artis.

"Saya dan kumpulan itu berpisah bukan kerana kami bergaduh. Ia berkait rapat soal komitmen saya apabila saya jatuh sakit. Mereka juga nampaknya sudah pun mempunyai anggota pengganti, Farhan," cerita Alyah lagi.

Info

ALYAH tampil bersama dua album sebelum ini, iaitu Destinasi pada 2002 dan Permata (2003). Dia turut merakamkan lagu bersama Fabulous Cats.

PENYANYI ini juga mengusahakan sebuah kafe, White Cafe, bersama keluarga di Johor Bahru (JB). Kafe berkenaan beroperasi sejak April lalu. Ia menyediakan hidangan ringan serta menyediakan kelengkapan karaoke. Kata Alyah, di JB, kalau sesebuah restoran tidak mempunyai karaoke, ia bagai tidak lengkap.

ALYAH turut merancang pembukaan sebuah butik menjual pakaian kasual di JB. Dia memilih kota raya berkenaan kerana berasakan, butik sedemikian sudah begitu banyak jumlah di ibu kota.

Hasrat tidak kesampaian

Oleh Rozdan Mazalan

SYED ALWI SYED HASSAN.

Teater patriotik Melaka Menjelma yang bakal dipentaskan di Istana Budaya tinggal kenangan

HASRAT Seniman Negara, Allahyarham Datuk Syed Alwi Syed Hassan, 78 untuk mementaskan karya terbarunya di Istana Budaya (IB) tahun depan tidak kesampaian apabila beliau menghembuskan nafas terakhirnya dipercayai terjatuh di dapur kediamannya malam Ahad, baru-baru ini.

Ketua Pengarah IB, Juhari Shaarani berkata, pihaknya dimaklumkan, Allahyarham akan menghantar karya terbaru beliau yang berjudul Melaka Menjelma dalam masa terdekat ini untuk perhatian pihak IB.

“Pihak kita amat terkejut dengan kejadian menimpa Allahyarham kerana baru-baru ini beliau ada berjumpa dengan menteri kita bagi menghantar karya terbarunya untuk dipentaskan di IB.

“Karya beliau dijangka akan dipentaskan di IB pada tahun depan yang berkonsepkan patriotik yang sangat bersesuaian untuk diperjuangkan oleh IB bagi mengisi teater Tema pada tahun depan.

“IB sebelum ini pun pernah memberi dua slot untuk mementaskan karya beliau. Antaranya pada tahun lalu iaitu teater Keris yang dipentaskan di Auditorium Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP).

SYED ALWI ketika mengarahkan teater Keris.

“Sepanjang mengenali beliau, Allahyarham adalah seorang yang sangat tegas dalam bidang pengarahan. Walaupun tegas tetapi beliau cukup mudah untuk didekati kerana sikapnya yang gemar berjenaka,” katanya yang ingin mengadakan perbincangan bersama pihak atasan untuk meneruskan perancangan mementaskan karya Allahyarham bersama arahan pengarah lain.

Mantan IB (dulu dikenali sebagai Panggung Negara), Supiat Mukri berkata, kejadian menimpa Allahyarham cukup memeranjatkan negara terutama yang mengenali Seniman Negara itu.

“Sebagai kenalan rapat, saya cukup terkejut mendengar berita kematian Allahyarham, biarpun kita tahu bahawa beliau sudah uzur tetapi cara kematian itu seakan tidak boleh diterima.

“Saya mengenali beliau sejak awal 70-an lagi dan pernah terbabit dengan beberapa produksi beliau. Sejak saya di kementerian lagi pihak kita banyak memberi peluang kepadanya untuk mementaskan karya beliau.

“Sebagai sahabat juga, Allahyarham banyak mengadu kepada saya berkaitan dunia teater di negara ini. Jika dulu kerajaan sukar untuk memberi peruntukkan bagi pementasan teater tetapi hari ini pemahaman itu sudah berubah dan anak seni hari ini sudah diiktiraf,” katanya ketika dihubungi.

Seorang lagi sahabat beliau, Rohani Yusof berkata, pengenalannya bersama Allahyarham di awal 70-an meninggalkan banyak nostalgia bersama.

“Saya rapat dengan Allahyarham sejak zaman 70-an lagi dan pernah terbabit dalam beberapa produksi arahan beliau. Pertama kali bersama beliau semasa dia mementaskan pementasan Getar Rasa (1971) dan memanggil saya untuk menjadi penyanyi dalam pementasan itu. Kemudian saya terbabit dengan teater Alang Rentak Seribu karya dan arahan beliau yang mula-mula dipentaskan di awal 70-an.

“Saya cukup rapat dan mengetahui beliau sangat suka memasak. Kali terakhir berjumpa beliau di Aswara sebulan yang lalu, namun saya tidak dapat bersembang lama kerana ramai tetamu di sana.

“Sememangnya pemergiannya adalah kehilangan besar bagi industri teater ini semoga rohnya dicucuri rahmat hendaknya,” katanya yang masih bersedih dengan kehilangan seorang sahabat baik.

Beliau pernah menerima pengiktirafan hasil karya seninya, antara karya yang memenangi pelbagai hadiah seperti drama Alang Retak Seribu (1973), Tok Perak (1974) serta dua drama berbahasa Inggeris I Remember The Rest House (1992) dan Member of The Club (1994).

Beliau juga diisytiharkan sebagai penerima Anugerah Seni Negara kelima pada 19 September 2002, iaitu satu penghargaan dan pengiktirafan tertinggi kerajaan kepada penggiat seni negara.

Allahyarham disembahyangkan di Masjid Taman Tun Dr Ismail dan dikebumikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Bukit Kiara selepas zuhur, kelmarin.

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Anak Amy Search kahwin

Oleh Serimah Mohd Sallehuddin

NABILA dan Zaidy selamat diijab kabul semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR: Anak penyanyi kumpulan Search, Nabila Huda Suhaimi, 24, selamat diijab kabulkan dengan pasangannya Zaidy Zailani, 27, di Masjid Wilayah, di sini, semalam.

Dengan sekali lafaz, Nabila yang juga seorang pelakon, sah bergelar isteri kepada Zaidy, tepat jam 10.45 pagi. Pasangan itu yang berkenalan sejak enam tahun lalu dinikahkan sendiri oleh bapa pengantin perempuan, Suhaimi A Rahman atau Amy Search dan disaksikan Penolong Pendaftar Nikah, Cerai dan Rujuk, Mohd Nazarudi Mohd Nadzir.

Pada majlis pernikahan itu, Zaidy menyerahkan mas kahwin bernilai RM80, wang hantaran sebanyak RM22,222.22 serta tujuh dulang hantaran dan dibalas sembilan dulang oleh pihak perempuan.

Tarikh pernikahan itu dipilih sempena tarikh lahir Nabila, yang jatuh pada hari sama. Nabila yang mula berkecimpung dalam dunia lakonan sejak usia 18 tahun adalah anak daripada perkahwinan pertama Amy Search dengan Farida Fadzil.

Nabila yang anggun dengan persalinan warna putih gading mengucapkan kesyukuran kerana majlis pernikahannya berjalan lancar. Dia yang pernah membintangi filem Akhirat dan bakal muncul dengan filem Bohsia masih belum merancang mengenai destinasi bulan madu mereka.

"Perancangan mengenai bulan madu memang ada tetapi bukan tahun ini. Saya mahu majlis perkahwinan ini selesai terlebih dulu sebelum memikirkan mengenai bulan madu. Insya-Allah kami akan berbulan madu tahun depan," katanya.

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Anak Amy Search kahwin

Oleh Serimah Mohd Sallehuddin

NABILA dan Zaidy selamat diijab kabul semalam.

KUALA LUMPUR: Anak penyanyi kumpulan Search, Nabila Huda Suhaimi, 24, selamat diijab kabulkan dengan pasangannya Zaidy Zailani, 27, di Masjid Wilayah, di sini, semalam.

Dengan sekali lafaz, Nabila yang juga seorang pelakon, sah bergelar isteri kepada Zaidy, tepat jam 10.45 pagi. Pasangan itu yang berkenalan sejak enam tahun lalu dinikahkan sendiri oleh bapa pengantin perempuan, Suhaimi A Rahman atau Amy Search dan disaksikan Penolong Pendaftar Nikah, Cerai dan Rujuk, Mohd Nazarudi Mohd Nadzir.

Pada majlis pernikahan itu, Zaidy menyerahkan mas kahwin bernilai RM80, wang hantaran sebanyak RM22,222.22 serta tujuh dulang hantaran dan dibalas sembilan dulang oleh pihak perempuan.

Tarikh pernikahan itu dipilih sempena tarikh lahir Nabila, yang jatuh pada hari sama. Nabila yang mula berkecimpung dalam dunia lakonan sejak usia 18 tahun adalah anak daripada perkahwinan pertama Amy Search dengan Farida Fadzil.

Nabila yang anggun dengan persalinan warna putih gading mengucapkan kesyukuran kerana majlis pernikahannya berjalan lancar. Dia yang pernah membintangi filem Akhirat dan bakal muncul dengan filem Bohsia masih belum merancang mengenai destinasi bulan madu mereka.

"Perancangan mengenai bulan madu memang ada tetapi bukan tahun ini. Saya mahu majlis perkahwinan ini selesai terlebih dulu sebelum memikirkan mengenai bulan madu. Insya-Allah kami akan berbulan madu tahun depan," katanya.

Jawablah!: 'Susu diberi, tuba dibalas'

Oleh Farihad Shalla Mahmud

Ifa Raziah

BARANGKALI akan ada yang beranggapan bahawa penyanyi Ifa Raziah cuba menegakkan benang yang basah apabila dia tampil memberi kenyataan balas atas dakwaan dia menganiaya pembantu peribadinya (PA), yang bernama Nurul Husna seperti yang disebarkan menerusi e-mel baru-baru ini.

Maklumlah, sebelum ini pun memang ramai yang melabelkan Ifa sebagai artis mulut laser, panas baran dan kaki gaduh. Jadi apabila cerita seperti ini timbul, tentunya mereka yang selama ini mempunyai persepsi buruk terhadap Ifa akan lekas mempercayainya.

Bagi mereka yang berpeluang membaca isi kandung e-mel itu, pasti akan terkejut kerana tidak menyangka, artis mudah didekati serta peramah ini bersikap sedemikian kepada seseorang yang pernah membantunya suatu waktu dulu.

Biarpun pada permulaannya, Ifa enggan memperbesarkan perkara itu kerana tidak mahu ia menjadi kecoh, namun mengenangkan imejnya sebagai pelakon serta ahli perniagaan sudah tercalar gara-gara cerita itu, Ifa merasakan sudah tiba masanya untuk dia bangkit menceritakan keadaan sebenar.

Sambil ditemani suami yang merangkap pengurusnya, Ahmad Yani, si pelantun lagu Panas serta pengasas produk kecantikan Serifa ini meluahkan segala yang terbuku di dada dengan harapan, arang yang terconteng di wajahnya ketika ini dapat segera dipadamkan.

Hip: Benarkah dakwaan yang mengatakan Ifa Raziah menganiaya bekas pembantu peribadi. Bagaimana isu ini boleh timbul?

Ifa: Saya sebenarnya sudah lama tahu pasal e-mel ini tetapi malas hendak memperbesar-besarkan kerana tidak mahu mengecohkan keadaan. Tetapi, apabila dia (Nurul) bertindak menyebarkan cerita ini kepada media, saya rasakan perbuatan itu sudah melampau. Bayangkan, bagaimana saya hendak mengadap muka kawan-kawan, rakan perniagaan, pelanggan saya apabila mereka membaca cerita yang kononnya Ifa Raziah menganiaya pembantu peribadinya. Saya berani memberi jaminan bahawa apa yang diceritakan dalam e-mel itu sememangnya tidak benar, berbaur fitnah dan cuba memburukkan saya dan suami. Walaupun saya sering membawakan watak jahat dalam drama namun saya tidaklah sekejam yang didakwa. Terus terang, apabila cerita itu keluar di akhbar, saya tertekan. Sudahlah anak saya sakit dan sedang dirawat di hospital. Ditambah pula terpaksa berdepan dengan cerita seperti ini. Memang rasa malu sangat kerana satu Malaysia tahu cerita itu.

Hip: Bolehkah orang percaya dengan cerita Ifa ini memandangkan sebelum ini memang banyak cerita negatif mengenai Ifa yang dipaparkan media.

Ifa: Baiklah, memandangkan maruah saya dan suami sudah tercemar gara-gara e-mel yang ditulis Nurul itu jadi saya mengambil peluang ini untuk menceritakan segala-galanya supaya orang di luar sana tahu siapa yang salah dan siapa yang benar. Saya ingin kupas satu demi satu dakwaan yang dilemparkan menerusi e-melnya itu. Saya akui, Nurul memang bekas pembantu peribadi saya. Dia mula kerja dengan saya pada bulan Julai lalu. Saya akui dialah orang yang membantu saya dengan meminjamkan bilik sewaktu peristiwa hitam di Genting Highlands, awal tahun lalu dan saya tak pernah lupa akan jasanya itu. Dalam e-mel itu, dia mendakwa yang saya masih berhutang dengannya kerana tidak mahu membayar gajinya selepas teruk bekerja. Di sini saya ingin menyoalnya balik, sejak bekerja dengan saya, berapa hari yang betul-betul dia berkhidmat dengan saya? Terus terang, sepanjang empat bulan dia menjalankan tugas sebagai PA, jumlah hari bekerja yang sepatutnya dilakukan amat sedikit. Pendek kata, tak berbaloi dengan gaji yang saya bayar. Saya ingin membuat pembetulan di sini. Saya sebenarnya tidak pernah menyuruh dia berhenti kerja di butik seperti yang didakwa. Mengenangkan dia pernah membantu saya, jadi saya ada tawarkannya bekerja secara sambilan dengan saya terutama pada waktu hujung minggu. Maklumlah, si Nurul ni bukan saja seorang pelajar yang masih menuntut di pusat pengajian tinggi tetapi dia juga sudah berkahwin. Jadi saya memahami jadualnya yang padat. Itu yang saya tawarkan dia bekerja secara sambilan. Namun tak sangka pula dia mengambil keputusan untuk berhenti kerja dan ingin mengikut saya. Memandangkan dia yang buat keputusan, saya pun okaylah. Melihat dia sudah tidak bekerja di butik, saya pun memasang niat untuk menjadikannya PA sepenuh masa saya. Iyalah ketika inipun rezeki saya dalam bidang lakonan murah, jadi teringin hendak menggunakan PA. Tapi tak sangka pula si Nurul ini seorang yang banyak sangat alasan. Setiap kali bila saya ada tugasan yang memerlukan dia berada di sisi, pasti ada saja alasannya untuk tidak mahu turut serta. PA apa macam itu? Boleh dikatakan, dalam sebulan, jumlah hari bekerjanya adalah dalam 4, 5 hari. Jadi cuba fikir, nak kira gaji macam mana? Tapi tak kisahlah dan saya cuba untuk bertolak ansur kerana memahami statusnya sebagai pelajar dan juga isteri. Namun, tak sangka pula susu yang kita bagi, tuba yang dibalasnya.

Hip: Bagaimana pula dengan isu tak bayar gaji?

Ifa: Seperti yang saya katakan tadi, dalam sebulan adalah dalam 4 atau 5 hari saja dia bekerja. Jadi takkan saya hendak bayar dia gaji penuh macam orang kerja sebulan. Saya bayarlah ikut hari. Tapi, saya tak pernah lupa bagi duit minyak padanya. Dia juga mendakwa yang kononnya dia bekerja selama 14 jam gara-gara ikut saya shooting Spa Q. Saya akui, ada satu hari itu penggambaran memang ambil masa lama tapi tahu tak apa yang dilakukannya sepanjang saya shooting tu. Dia bukannya berada di sisi saya serta membantu apa yang patut. Sebaliknya, dia tidur dan dia sendiri yang mengaku yang dia tidur. Tapi saya tak adalah marah dia. Dia sepatutnya beruntung dapat majikan macam saya. Cuba kalau artis lain yang pembantunya tidur sewaktu dia sedang bertungkus lumus di lokasi, sah-sah dah kena hamun di situ juga. Itu belum masuk bab saya biarkan dia ambil duit hasil jualan hamper saya. Ketika musim perayaan tempoh hari, saya ada juga memintanya jualkan hamper saya pada kawan-kawannya, tetapi saya tak ambil wang itu. Sebaliknya, saya berikan semua padanya. Apalah sangat duit itu berbanding dengan jasanya yang pernah membantu kami. Tapi itulah, dia masih tak sedar diri lagi dan menuduh kami macam-macam.

Hip: Jadi apakah Ifa akan melunaskan hutang Ifa padanya?

Ifa: Sebelum dia berhenti kerja pada 19 November lalu, dia ada memberikan kami surat. Rupa-rupanya isi kandung surat itu adalah luahan perasaan tidak puas hatinya terhadap kami berdua. Malah dalam surat itu dia sudah buat kira-kira, berapakah baki gaji dia yang kami belum lunaskan. Selepas ditolak dengan apa yang kami sudah berikan sebelum ini, baki yang tinggal adalah RM405. Bukan kami tak nak bayar tapi, suami Ifa kata kalau dia hendak sangat baki gaji itu, dia boleh berikan tapi dengan satu syarat, suami Ifa ingin bertemu dengan dia serta suaminya sendiri. Kami mahu bersemuka dengannya dan kami ingin dia menjelaskan beberapa perkara yang dicatatkan dalam surat setebal sembilan muka surat itu? Kami memang bengang sangat sebaik saja kami baca surat itu. Macam-macam perkara yang dibangkitkannya termasuk perkara yang tak ada sangkut paut dengannya. Yani sendiri ada menghantar SMS pada dia, meminta supaya kita bersemuka. Malah kami sanggup menambahkan jumlah wang menjadi RM450 asalkan dia datang berjumpa dengan kami dan menjelaskan apa tujuannya memburuk-burukkan kami.

Hip: Bagaimana pula dengan isu melayannya seperti binatang?

Ifa: Itu juga tidak benar. Kalau betul saya melayannya seperti binatang, sudah lama badan dia lebam-lebam atau saya simbah air panas padanya. Tapi tak pula berlaku. Dan kalau betul, sudah lama orang gaji saya di rumah itu menerima nasib yang sama. Saya tahu dia tak puas hati dengan saya sebab saya suka jerit atau marah padanya. Tapi cuba fikir, macam mana saya tak marah kalau dia berkelakuan tidak senonoh? Bayangkan, macam mana saya tak jerit kalau setiap kali saya memerlukannya, dia berada di tempat lain. Contohnya sewaktu shooting Spa Q, sudahlah lokasi penggambaran itu dilakukan di sebuah rumah yang teramat besar. Jadi apabila saya memerlukannya untuk mencari barang atau sediakan skrip dan dia hilang entah ke mana, terpaksalah saya menjerit untuk memanggilnya. Rupa-rupanya di sibuk melayan kru produksi bertugas. Saya bukannya apa, dia itu isteri orang. Saya tak mahulah suaminya menyangka yang bukan-bukan serta menuduh saya tak pandai jaga isterinya. Tapi itulah, dia tak boleh terima teguran. Selepas melihat perbuatan dan tindakannya, saya dapati dia sebenarnya tidak tahu apa sebenarnya tugas seorang PA. Malah kalau hendak dibandingkan dia dengan PA orang lain, bezanya macam langit dengan bumi. Orang lain setia menunggu di sisi majikan mereka tapi si Nurul ni suka menghilangkan diri. Kalau tak dipanggil, tak nampak batang hidung.

Hip: Serik untuk menggunakan khidmat PA pada masa akan datang?

Ifa: Terus terang, saya memang serik nak gunakan khidmat PA. Bayangkan sepanjang lebih sedekad menjadi anak seni, Ifa tak pernah guna khidmat PA. Sebelum ini pun suami yang banyak bantu. Ingatkan hendaklah merasa bagaimana rupanya bila ada pembantu. Ingatkan kerja makin senang, rupanya lagi menambahkan masalah. Lagipun memang sebelum ini Ifa malas hendak menggunakan khidmat PA lebih-lebih lagi wanita dan sudah berkahwin sebab Ifa tahu, mereka ada banyak komitmen tapi mengenangkan jasanya yang membantu kami, saya ambillah dia bekerja. Sebenarnya ada banyak benda yang berlaku sepanjang dia bekerja dengan saya. Cerita duit kami hilang sebanyak RM1800 yang pada ketika kejadian itu berlaku, beg tangan saya berada dalam jagaannya. Tapi kami tak pernah bertanyakan hal itu kerana tidak mahu dia menyangka yang kami menuduhnya. Kejadian itu berlaku pada bulan puasa lalu. Jadi apabila dia mereka-reka cerita dan mendakwa kami dengan pelbagai tuduhan menyakitkan, itu adalah perkara yang amat menyedihkan kami.

Rumah Sudirman terbakar

TEMERLOH: Rumah penghibur nombor satu Asia, Allahyarham Sudirman Arshad di Kampung Bukit Tok Embun, Mentakab dekat sini musnah dalam kebakaran kira-kira jam 4 pagi tadi.

Ketua Balai Bomba dan Penyelamat Mentakab, Penolong Penguasa Md Yusof Mustafa, berkata kebakaran itu dipercayai berpunca dari api lilin yang mungkin ditinggalkan oleh penagih dadah yang menjadikan rumah itu sebagai sarang menghisap dadah sejak ditinggalkan kosong beberapa tahun lalu.

Beliau berkata, bomba pada mulanya menerima laporan mengenai kebakaran tiang elektrik pada jarak 15 meter dari rumah itu, tetapi setelah tiba di kawasan kejadian, pihaknya mendapati kepulan asap menyelubungi kawasan rumah berkenaan.

“Semasa anggota bomba sampai ke rumah itu, kira-kira 90 peratus rumah berkenaan sudah hangus terbakar dan bahagian bumbungnya ranap,” katanya kepada pemberita di sini, hari ini.

Beliau bagaimanapun berkata, pihak forensik bomba masih menjalankan siasatan berhubung punca sebenar kebakaran itu dan kerugian belum dapat ditaksirkan.

Sementara itu seorang jiran, Ramlah Daud, 43, berkata, beliau menyedari kebakaran rumah tempat Allahyarham Sudirman membesar, kira-kira jam 4 pagi apabila terdengar bunyi letupan.

“Saya kemudian melihat percikan api terkena pada tiang elektrik berhampiran dan saya terus menghubungi bomba kerana bimbang kebakaran tiang elektrik itu merebak ke rumah kami dan beberapa rumah jiran yang lain,” katanya.

Adik ipar Allahyarham Sudirman, Ahmad Nizam Hamid ketika ditemui tidak menolak kemungkinan rumah yang dibiarkan kosong itu menjadi sarang penagih dadah kerana pernah melihat kesan timah dan jarum di dalam rumah itu.

“Saya juga pernah membuat laporan polis mengenai kehilangan jeriji besi dan atap tahun lalu dan walaupun tidak pernah bertembung dengan penagih semasa membuat tinjauan tetapi terdapat kesan timah dan jarum,” katanya.

Katanya, Allahyarham Sudirman dilahirkan di rumah di Jalan Ibrahim di bandar lama Temerloh dan kemudian berpindah ke rumah itu dan membesar di situ sehingga tamat sekolah menengah sebelum menyambung pelajaran di Universiti Malaya dalam jurusan undang-undang. - Bernama

Sting's classical detour

Sting brings his classical music project, Songs from the Labyrinth, a personal tribute to the late 16th-century Elizabethan composer John Dowland, to the concert stage in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday.

Following the highly successful Police reunion tour, which ended at Madison Square Garden in New York in August, Sting will take on a vastly different challenge this month, as he returns to the stage in this region with his classical project.

Sting might just be the pop star who spearheads the revival of interest in John Dowland, and the lute in general.

Refined Elizabethan music might not come to mind when you think of Sting. Think again. The rock star/bassist supremo will be touring in support of the Songs from the Labyrinth deluxe album, a CD/DVD of songs by John Dowland, one of the Elizabethan era’s most important composers. It’s a collection of songs for voice and lute – a stringed instrument that was popular in the 16th century.

Presented by An Axcellent Production, Sting in classical concert mode rolls out at the Plenary Hall, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre this Sunday.

Dowland’s songs are usually performed by highly trained classical musicians. And Sting admits he’s not one of them. But so far, the CD has received good reviews since its 2006 release. A reissue of the album (with bonus material) was released last year.

On stage in Kuala Lumpur, Sting will be performing with Edin Karamazov, classical concert trio ZBG and choir Stile Antico.

It turns out Sting has been “haunted” by Dowland’s music for more than 20 years. His interest in the composer grew even more intense when he was introduced to Karamazov, a lutenist from Bosnia.

Even though these songs were written long before Billboard charts and Top 40, Sting says he’s treating them like pop songs. He calls Dowland the first English singer/songwriter we know of.

“He kind of invented the form – the alienated singer/songwriter,” Sting says.

It makes sense that the “king of pain” is attracted to Dowland. The composer is perhaps best known for hypnotic songs that are full of anguish, with titles including Flow My Tears, In Darkness Let Me Dwell and Come, Heavy Sleep.

Karamazov, a protégé of the legendary conductor Sergiu Celibidache, has been Sting’s partner in this project from its conception.

Also joining Sting and Karamazov on this tour is the British a cappella choir Stile Antico, who featured in all the European performances of Songs from the Labyrinth.

Classical group ZBG takes its name from the surnames of its three members: Allan Zavod, David Berlin and Slava Grigoryan. All three are respected in their own right and their highly original music encompasses the inimitable soundscapes of classical/jazz fusion.

The setlist isn’t entirely classical as Stings also shows how this 400-year-old music has aspects very much in sync with relatively contemporary works. Both Robert Johnson’s Hellhound on My Trail and Sting’s own Police hit Message in a Bottle have been known to make the setlist, albeit with spare but robust accompaniment.

Tickets for Sting’s Songs from the Labyrinth concert in Kuala Lumpur this Sunday are priced at RM203, RM253, RM303, RM353 and RM383. Showtime is 8pm. For bookings, call Axcess hotline (03-77115000) or browse www.axcess.com.my.

Double the mojo at No Black Tie

By N. RAMA LOHAN

If you know where to look, good music can be found. Plying their blues trade are Karen Nunis and Julian Mokhtar, and the duo will turn it up at No Black Tie this weekend.

Times they must be changing because, apparently, the music climate isn’t as bleak as we think it is.

“I don’t think it’s as bad as it looks. There’s a lot of talent out there among the young and what’s great is there is a lot of underground stuff happening where people get to do their thing and develop a following.

“I find a lot of the musicians who’ve been playing for a long time don’t know the younger ones, so there is clearly a void between the two. But there is still appreciation for these younger musicians, they are playing at gigs, and they are getting hits on Myspace and more,” says folk singer Karen Nunis.

Karen Nunis and Julian Mokhtar to perform at No Black Tie on Dec 6.

Having plied her trade for a fair number of years across different parts of the world (Japan, United States, etc), Nunis is a fair judge of the status quo in her native Malaysia.

“A lot of people don’t understand blues as a musical form. People think its a slow, 12-bar thing with drunk guys participating in this interminable jam session. What’s not seen is there are so many styles – rock n’ roll, R&B – and there’s a lot of fast stuff, too. It’s all one web of music going through, really,” says Mokhtar, finding himself compelled to defend the genre he holds so dearly.

Nunis and Mokhtar will be showcasing their appreciation for the blues idiom at No Black Tie (NBT) on Saturday in a show titled Mississippi to Chicago. Both artistes will trade sets and then sit in with each other, along with Mokhtar’s band, the Soul Doctors, with guest Nan Blues on harp hauled in for good measure.

“It works on a few levels. The simple word, ‘blues’, covers a lot of ground, musically and geographically speaking, as well as over time, and the theme of the night, Mississippi to Chicago, expresses that variety,” explains Mokhtar.

“There are many different styles, from New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi river all the way up to Chicago, from early 1920s acoustic Delta blues through to modern electric urban styles,” he adds.

“We’re not doing a museum piece performance ... where it’s just running through the blues classics. I’ll probably do a couple of acoustic style things. But it’s not going to be direct copies of anybody in particular but my take on the Delta Blues. The rest of it is going to be on electric guitar, from 50s style of Muddy Waters to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Texas-style stuff and in no chronological order. It’s going to be high energy,” Mokhtar says, disregarding any need for a history lesson during the show.

While Mokhtar and Nunis both share an innate love for the blues, there is a fine line that draws them apart.

“I think blues is what we have in common and some of the off-shoots as well. If you listen to my music, it’s not all blues. In fact, someone described my first album as blues-inflected but the second one is a bit of a departure from that,” Nunis relates.

“We hope the show conveys the whole range of the music genre we are doing ... not just geographically, as in from Mississippi to Chicago, but also through time since this took a while to develop the way it did,” explains Mokhtar.

Beyond paying homage to the blues, Mokhtar does feel that audiences should be educated about it because it is a musical form that has received a lot less exposure than it used to. “If people stop listening to the blues, I’ll be out of a job,” he quips, though fully aware of the truth behind his words.

An experience in Japan has left Mokhtar cooing over the audiences there; “Just like kabuki or something similar, the Japanese will always show respect to an ariste performing. They are quiet during the performance and clap appreciatively at the end of songs.” The bluesman is looking to face a similar audience at NBT this weekend.

Popular music has played a small hand in perhaps providing blues with a foothold among younger listeners, courtesy of a new crop of singer songwriters.

“I would say people like Amy Winehouse, Duffy and Joss Stone have done well, people who have given R&B a bit of a shot in the arm,” Nunis shares.

Should the blues evolve to suit a younger generation of listeners, then? “Well, it has always evolved, it started off with acoustic players like Robert Johnson and all and went on to Muddy Waters and later Eric Clapton and after that Robert Cray ...” Mokhtar reasons.

Mississippi to Chicago sounds like a night of rip-roaring fun ... one to savour, a tip of the hat perhaps to the legends who have given the blues so much credibility and appreciation over the years.

Whether it’s the sad wail of a harp or the metallic clangour of a resonator guitar that seeps into a listener’s soul, only No Black Tie and its denizens will know for sure on the night what this art form has always had to offer.

Karen Nunis and Julian Mokhtar perform at No Black Tie on Saturday. Showtime is 10.30pm and admission is RM30. No Black Tie is located at 17, Jalan Mesui (off Jalan Nagasari), Kuala Lumpur. Call 03-21423737 or e-mail noblacktie2003@yahoo.com.