TAIWAN POPS... AND OUT COMES TIZZY BAC

Yummy! I must say that I simply love Taiwanese band Tizzy Bac. They are the coolest Taiwanese singers/music makers I have seen in ages. And their talent is for real. They have a cool new video called "Wedding Singer".

If you are really curious about Tizzy Bac, you MUST go to http://www.youtube.com/user/tizzybacvideo

... and check out their material. They are like a Chinese version of My Chemical Romance -- only more quirky and infinitely more good humored and delightful! Oh, with a female lead singer -- a very able one, I might add.

HOTTER THAN HOT... KARDINAL OFFISHALL'S NUMBA 1 (Tide is High)

Woohoo... at present no other tune has as compelling come-hither-and-dance command as Kardinal Offishall's song Numba 1 (Tide is High), featuring Keri Hilson.The video is nice -- albeit a bit similar to Flo Rida's Right Round in terms of the wall-of-light effect/look.

But, that is neglible compared to the exhilarating effect the song's beat and the frenetic dancers have on those watching the video. Kardinal belts out the song nicely too!

Photo credit: Picture from http://www.mixmatters.com/hot/2008/images/Kardinal_Offishall_dangerous.jpg

KANYE WEST... A GIANT AMONGST HIS PEERS...

I must say that although his live performances are sometimes panned by critics (I've only seen one -- Kanye and Jamie Foxx singing Gold Digger -- which I though was rather good) -- Kanye West does have a knack for making cutting edge music videos which complement his superior musical tunesmanship.

He is truly the king of the music world with hardly anyone else coming a second place. Check out his "Welcome to Heartbreak" music video and I dare you to tell me that you are not impressed! Kanye has a fluid mind that embraces vastly different cultures -- be it from Africa or Japan and he melds them all beautifully into is music videos.

Photo credit: Picture from http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/kanye_west.gif

STAR TREK -- MINI REVIEW...

Star Trek has gone totally new generation this time. The depiction, methinks, is a of a totally alternate reality to the Shatner-Kirk universe. Plus points for the young lead actors who are totally funky, but the minus points are for the script which is sometimes a bit of a -- pardon le Francaise -- wank-job (as most self-congratulatory J.J. Abrams cinematic projects are). Verdict: The film is watchable -- but didn't excite me terribly.

Picture credit: 1. photo from http://alexlarman.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/star_trek.jpg
2. Chris Pine: photo from http://screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/chris-pine-james-kirk_l.jpg
3. Chris Pine: photo from http://a.abcnews.com/images/Entertainment/ap_Chris_Pine_081226_mn.jpg

TRAILER PARK: OH-MY-GOD! YUMMY TRAILERS FROM TRANSFORMERS-TERMINATOR-N-G.I.JOE

What a brilliant triptych of movie trailers I managed to lay my eyes on.

First, there was Transformers - Revenge of the Fallen. Not since the first The Matrix movie did my jaw drop so many times. The latest trailer shows us more -- and leaves us wanting more. All the transforming heroes return and the bad one is revived from under the ocean -- and drool-worthy new machines are introduced.

The story line appears suitably skewed towards action and what spectacular action it all looks set to be.

Then, I checked out the four-minute clip from Terminator Salvation. It is directed by McG who brought us the superb Charlie's Angels as a big screen adaptation (and brilliant re-interpretation) of the famous TV series. In his able hands, Terminator Salvation looks like it is going to be a riveting blast. The effects look spot on -- but more than that, the storyline (as sampled in the trailer) looks absolutely riveting. Man and machine and their gritty battles are going to grab everyone's imagination when this film opens.

Finally, I took a look at the G.I. Joe trailers and it looks like a solid-hit-in-the-making. The storyline and villain seem like predictable hash -- but the effects and stunts will leave fanboys delirious with excitement. The camera angles and choreography look amazing during action scenes

All together now: Hooray for Hollywood!

WOLVERINE.. X-MEN ORIGINS...

If you haven't seen it yet, go see Wolverine now. The director is an excellent director indeed. He helms the movie on his shoulder, according to his own strength and his story telling skills are top notch. The special effects are tastefully done.

My only complaint is that the movie studio has been too obsessed in ensuring that Wolverine ties in super neatly with the other X-Men films. That is a great let down -- the ending is a bit of a whimper. And why? Just so that the stupid studio can release the boxed set of the Xmen films? Gimme a break!

Anyway, the director is too much of a great talent for people not to see his film and recognize his genius in storytelling. GO SEE THIS NOW!!!!!!

THE COOLEST MUSIC VIDEO...

Wow, I must say that I was completely blown away when I saw Mims' music video, "Move (If you wanna)" for the first time.

Watch the video at youtube and see for yourself. It is one of those videos where the director and the music artiste are completely in sync and the simple, tasteful and supremely creative music video does justice to everyone.

The slo-mo effect and the use of simple devices (like using super bright light in the daytime to show the sunlight/limelight) makes the video a satisfying watch!

JOLIN TSAI... A POP PRINCESS

Boy, little did that T. S. Eliot know how true his line "April is the cruellest month..." is so true. Some work place shenanigans by a vicious chinaman had upset me tremendously... then as I was wondering why some people can be so unkind, thoughtless and just downright cruel, I saw Jolin Tsai's two brillaint music videos: "Real Man" and "Arrogant". Jolin, God bless her little soul, took my mind off my troubles!

Jolin is a Taiwan lass and a hardcore pop princess. You know that she is in it (i.e. the music industry) -- she is in it for the love of it. She loves the pop confectionery and she deliriously delivers her manufactured pop songs with relish!

The music videos are solid eye candy -- she is more interested in keeping with the physically trying leg splits than trying to lip sync to the song. And that is perfectly fine with me.

As for Jolin herself, she is unremarkable looking -- but her passion for pop is undeniable! She is the real deal. If she was not in the pop music business, she would simply not exist, I think.
(Britney Spears, on the other hand, is in pop because there is nothing else she is good at. As for Lady Gaga, she is in the business because it seems like fun... there are no long term prospects for Gaga, except as a songwriter of hit songs.)

CSI - CLASSY TO THE LAST DROP...

The episode of CSI that dealt with Grissom leaving the team was done in a super classy way -- that it will never be beaten on tv, ever, I reckon.

Grissom has always been a good boss and colleague to his team mates. He always stands by them and speaks his mind when he feels any one of his team members are out of line.

The two episodes recently shown on TV that dealt with his exit were so superb in the scripting, directing and performance, that I am completely bowled over. These two episodes have to be the highest high notes that television has ever hit.

FORD MUSTANG 2010 REVIEW FROM NEW YORK TIMES... READ ON...

Here is the much anticipated review of the superb muscle car of all -- the Ford Mustang 2010... from the New York Times.


April 19, 2009
BEHIND THE WHEEL | 2010 FORD MUSTANG
Original Pony, Now Playing Catch-Up

By JERRY GARRETT
IT’S a lot like 1969 again. The Dodge Challenger, with styling that draws heavily on a sport coupe Chrysler introduced in late 1969, made its return last year. The Chevrolet Camaro, whose shape evokes the popular 1969 model, recently went back into production. Each is a clean and lean interpretation of its ancestor from the muscle-car era.

Meanwhile, Ford’s retro-futuristic Mustang, based on a late 1960s fastback model, has been around since the 2005 model year — and is beginning to look as droopy as a Fu Manchu mustache. So for the 2010 model year, a sartorial segue to a more ripped look, to stay current with the competition, was in order.

None of the period-perfect charm of its predecessor has been lost in the newest edition of Ford’s seminal pony car. But you’d probably need to park a 2009 next to a 2010 to see how truly different they are. The redesign seems to have carved away about half the body fat; what’s left is, appropriately enough, all muscle.

“Muscle goes modern,” Mark Fields, president of Ford’s Americas division, said when he introduced the car in November at the Los Angeles auto show. “This car is a modern legend — with more than nine million of them sold in the last 45 years. We needed to make sure the legend continues to live up to expectations.”

It met — and in some areas exceeded — mine when I opened the door on my Torch Red GT test car. “How can you not love a car with a red-and-white leather interior?” my smitten 16-year-old daughter said with a sigh. Indeed.

A deep love of cars was evident in the designer’s work, I told her, something that hasn’t been apparent in all Fords. But my opinion, since driving recent releases like the Flex, F-150 and Fusion, is beginning to shift. Add Mustang to the list of recent Fords executed with panache, passion and polish.

Here’s an example: The last Mustang had a hip-looking, retro-theme instrument panel. The problem was, you could hardly read the gauges. They were set too deeply into their recesses; reflections obscured the driver’s view. But in the 2010 model, the gauges are bright, well laid-out and easily readable.

Another difference is the sound. Noises intruding from outside, like tire-on-pavement hiss, wind howl and traffic thrum, have been engineered down to a satisfying level.

The sticker price of the GT I drove was $28,845, an increase of about $800 over last year. Yet it has much of the extra-cost high-performance package from the 2008-9 Bullitt Mustang built in. That is good value, I think.

Base V-6 coupes start at $21,845; convertible versions, available as V-6s or V-8-equipped GTs, add $5,000 to the price tag.

The GT’s engine is essentially the 315-horsepower Bullitt version of the 4.6-liter V-8, which has made the list of Ward’s Best 10 Engines in recent years. And it runs on regular unleaded fuel.

Fuel economy ratings for the V-8 are 16 miles a gallon in the city and 24 on the highway with the 5-speed manual gearbox and 17/23 for the 5-speed automatic. The base Mustang engine, a 210-horsepower 4-liter V-6, is only slightly more economical, with ratings of 18/26 for the manual transmission or 16/24 with a 5-speed automatic.

Ford’s upcoming twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6, capable of 340-horsepower (and potentially delivering further improvements in fuel economy), could be an option in later model years.

The new Mustang rides on the same platform as the departing model, with most exterior and interior dimensions very close. The shape of every body panel but the roof has changed, if only slightly, to make the new Mustang look more taut and tight. Even the emblem of the galloping Mustang, a signature element that had been unchanged for 45 years, was put on a diet.

Relax, traditionalists: attention to Mustang-centric details was not lost or trivialized. The double-brow dashboard has been retained, though it now is covered in materials that look and feel richer. There are even new three-section taillights, and they illuminate sequentially, from the center outwards, just as they did on Mercury Cougars in the 1960s.

Nothing evokes disco days like the lighted Mustang emblem in the door sills or the instrument panel lighting that can be customized in 125 colors. The interior ambient lighting offers 7 choices.

The design team’s goal was to eliminate compromises.

“We never stopped at, ‘Good enough.’” said Gary Morales, manager of interior design for the Mustang. “We only stopped at ‘right.’”

There is, however, one area where compromises continue. The Mustang still uses a solid rear axle — a cost consideration — while its modern-day competitors have independent rear suspensions. That setup, with coil springs, three trailing links and a Panhard bar, carries over to the 2010 redesign, but with welcome upgrades to ride and handling similar to the Bullitt package for Mustang GTs.

These include recalibrated shock absorbers, stiffer springs and tire choices that improve grip. Options include a $1,095 19-inch wheel and tire package; a $495 3.73:1 performance axle ratio (instead of 3.31); and treats like a rear-view camera, GPS navigation system and 10-speaker audio system.

The handling — even on the V-6 model, which is calibrated much like last year’s GT — is crisp, rock-steady and unflappable.

Traction control, antilock brakes and electronic stability control are standard. On base models the stability control can be turned off; on GTs with the Premium Package, the system also includes a sport setting that allows a bit more aggressive driving.

In a straight line, the Mustang GT is a force, with 0-to-60 acceleration in five seconds flat.

In just about every other area, the Mustang has its rivals fairly well benchmarked. Mustang has a wider range of optional features available. Its V-8 is an aftermarket darling; Ford says it is the industry’s most accessorized engine. And unlike the Challenger and the Camaro, it already comes as a convertible. There’s even a new glass-roof version.

Top that, 1969.

COMING ATTRACTIONS... JOLIN TSAI AND THE VERONICAS

LOOK OUT FOR MY ENTRIES ON JOLIN TSAI AND THE VERONICAS.... COMING SOON.... ALSO A REVIEW OF WOLVERINE... YUP, THE BOOTLEG COPY THAT WAS SUPPOSEDLY UPLOADED ONTO THE NET BY THE SPECIAL EFFECTS COMPANY (NEEDLESS TO SAY... THE SPECIAL EFFECTS WERE NOT DONE YET!)...... KEEP READING THIS SPACE KIDDIES!

Photo credit:
The Veronicas photo from: http://music.ninemsn.com.au/img/promo/special/arias2007/outfits/veronicas.jpg
Jolin Tsai's photo from: http://lh5.ggpht.com/_H87mdwIoc9E/RYDiP_eJtGI/AAAAAAAAAG4/iJ2BMBIeUQk/s800/304780889.jpg

AVENGED SEVENFOLD...

Hmm, I know it sounds strange... like regression into my youth again... but I am now fascinated by the band Avenged Sevenfold. Their songs speak to me! Saw their live performance on TV and I am now hooked.

Photo credit: picture from http://www.peakradar.com/images/event/34561/AvengedSevenfold.jpg

RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN... A RATHER GOOD MOVIE

If you are looking for a good entertaining movie, go see Race to Witch Mountain. It has a good script, the direction is aces and it has my favorite action star Dwayne Johnson in it.

I won't bore you with details, except, it is a film about friendly aliens, a government agency, one really bad alien and a bunch of actors who have fun playing their roles. Oh, and there is a message about the world and the environment as well.

LADY GAGA... CONQUERS AMERICAN IDOL

Everyone who saw Lady Gaga perform on American Idol agree: they were all blown away by this young girl!

Wikipedia lists Lady Gaga as being New Yorker Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, who was born on March 28, 1986. She is a talented singer-songwriter and musician.

The thing is that Lady Gaga immediately appeared on my radar when she released the song Just Dance. Having seen her performances on television and the Internet, all I can say is that her American Idol blowout performance was inspired and borders on the genius in terms of packaging.

You see, Lady Gaga releases good dance songs -- and even better, uses glammed up music videos of herself as a diva in these videos. The thing is that, her live-performances are very dicey -- her voice does not hold up well for long.

Starting out the American Idol gambit with a bit of piano plinketing with the violinist and the delivering a highly explosive but suitably shortened version of her rather fabulous song Poker Face was a stroke of genius. Her voice held up well throughout and her impressive choreography and stage costume delivered the desired effect: she got the whole world to watch her wonderfully theatrical performance in awe.

Now, that is a really REALLY clever girl, if you ask me!

Picture credit: photo from http://www.topnews.in/files/lady-gaga.jpg

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR THE OLD AND THOSE OF US WITH ELDERLY PARENTS...

If you have parents who are aging, then it is important that you read this New York Times article.


THE NEW YORK TIMES
March 31, 2009
VITAL SIGNS
Vitamin D Pills May Prevent Fractures in Older Adults

By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Vitamin D supplements may help prevent fractures in people over 65, provided they take enough of the right kind. A new review of clinical trials appears to show a strong dose-dependent effect for vitamin D in lowering the risk for nonvertebral fractures in the elderly.

The lead author of the analysis, Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, a professor of medicine at the University of Zurich, said that “vitamin D in a high enough dose is not only beneficial in the frail older population, but it also works in those still living at home and able to take care of themselves.”

The researchers, writing in the March 23 issue of The Archives of Internal Medicine, reviewed 12 randomized trials that together included more than 65,000 subjects. Doses under 400 international units a day had no discernible effect, but for doses larger than that, the pooled data showed a 20 percent reduction in the risk for all nonvertebral fractures, and an 18 percent reduction for broken hips.

The type of vitamin D made a difference. The effect of vitamin D3 was significant, with a 23 percent risk reduction, but there was no significant reduction with vitamin D2. The authors suggest that D3 is more effective in maintaining blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the active form that the supplement takes in the body.

PREMA LUCAS... IN FUSION

Hey folks, please do check out Prema Lucas' new album called In Fusion. She is a very dear friend -- and a very talented one at that! Her album is available on iTunes.... CHECK IT OUT PLEASE!

MY PREDICTION WAS CORRECT... GONNA GLOAT A BIT NOW!

Aha... I said it and it came true... Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is going places. He is now the number two man in Malaysia. The first thing he and his numero uno need to do is consolidate their hold on the media... by removing those promoted by the previous regime and those who have weakened the influence of the media to a big extent amongst the Malaysian population. ESPECIALLY EDs who are vicious, petty and vengeful towards subordinates and who like to play God with other people's careers and livelihood -- these type of nasty characters must be neutered and displaced immediately. And when putting a new layer of top guns in place in the media... the choice of candidates must be top notch in calibre and charismatic and... please do not appoint the weak minded types who are easily influenced by substandard tongue waggers/brownnosers. It will be interesting to see how the next chapter of Malaysia's progress unfolds....

Photo credit: picture from http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20081110/yassin-bb.jpg

AMERICAN IDOL... MOTOWN WEEK HAS BEEN A STUNNING REVELATION

Usually, I make it a point to avoid American Idol till things really heat up towards the end. The reason is simple -- I want the talents who exploit their underdog status to be eliminated and only the really talents to emerge as the show closes in on its climax.

But I must confess that the Motown Week has been nothing short of a revelation. That chameleonic Adam Lambert is simply incomparable. His delivery of Tracks of My Tears simply blew viewers aways. He is such a supernova of a talent that I am putting all my bets on him.

Of course, the caveat is that the American Idol underdogs will milk it for all it is worth and the teenie audience that votes will fall for this gag as they did with the gray haired dude and other American Idol winners who no one can remember now... sigh!

The only winners who have have impressed me so far are Jordin Sparks and Kelly Clarkson. ANd hopefully, this year, Adam Lambert!


Photo credits: pictures are from http://image.examiner.com/images/blog/wysiwyg/image/motown-adamlambert(1).jpg and http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20090326/tv-american-idol/images/a2d0b72e-4fef-46ca-bd3e-f3ae437e2fdc.jpg

MILEY CYRUS... STAR POWERED TO THE MAX!

It is very heartening indeed to see Miley Cyrus set herself lightyears ahead of other 17 year olds with her new single, The Climb.

The song, a country-pop blend, gets star treatment from Miley in the way she beautifully emotes the words. Papa Billy Ray must be proud of his highly pedigreed teenaged daughter -- she is an actress and singer and even writer who is doing tremendously well.

The video to the song is also very tastefully and artistically directed and Miley is now legitimately a superstar in the making.

Photo credit: picture is from: http://popwatch.ew.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/01/10/miley_l.jpg

EARTH HOUR... I'D RATHER EVERY ONE PLANT TREES....

Hmmm, personally I'd rather tell people to plant trees, respect mother nature and be vigilant about emissions (emission of chemicals/effluent/garbage into our waterways or noxious substance into the air etc)... but people are mostly into token gestures. And so we have Earth Hour. The concept is good and the silver lining is that young people are made aware of the Earth's plight.

For that reason, I endorse Earth Hour. This goes out to my beloved sister Mabel Dass who works for Intel in Penang! She is the best sister one could ask for! :-)