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BOSTON (Reuters) - A succession of all-star bands from Aerosmith to Jimmy Buffett rocked a packed house at Boston's TD Garden on Thursday night in a mostly raucous fundraiser for the victims of last month's marathon bombing.

Tickets priced between US$35 and US$285 sold out fast at the 17,500-seat venue, with net proceeds to be donated to The One Fund, a reserve established by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick that has received more than US$31 million in donations to compensate victims of the April 15 bombing.

Three people were killed and 264 injured, many losing their legs, by homemade pressure-cooker bombs that exploded at the finish line of the world-renowned Boston Marathon.

The concert kicked off with a Jimi Hendrix-style distortion guitar version of the U.S. national anthem by rock band Boston that drew cheering fans out of their seats before lead singer Tommy DeCarlo told the crowd: "Tonight, we are all Boston."

Another Massachusetts band, Extreme, transformed the energy with a sing-along version of More Than Words - an acoustic love song - before the home state J. Geils Band unleashed a torrent of fast-paced blues as lead man Peter Wolf strutted the stage in black leather and shades.

"We came up here to help out Boston, but also because these are some great bands," said Shelly Watson, who drove up from Rhode Island with her husband to see the show, which also included comedians and a short speech by Victoria McGrath, a young girl who was injured in the bombing.

Other acts included country star Jason Aldean, who despite not being from Massachusetts admitted to being a fan of the Boston Red Sox baseball team; New Kids on the Block; James Taylor; and Aerosmith, which made a round-the-world detour from Singapore to make the show.

Donnie Wahlberg (pic) from New Kids on the Block won the decibel award when he took the microphone and yelled the word Boston repeatedly, drawing enthusiastic shrieks from the audience.

"You deserve the credit," he said. "Anyone can celebrate in times of glory ... but when something unspeakable happens, that's not just when cities come together but it is when families come together. We are not just one of the greatest cities on earth, we are one of the greatest families on this planet."

Concert organizers have declined to say yet how much money the concert will raise for The One Fund, but have said bands and venue employees were working for free.

Kenneth Feinberg, a lawyer who specializes in mediation, was tapped by Menino and Patrick to run The One Fund. Feinberg has warned victims to lower their expectations of how much money the fund would be able to pay individual beneficiaries.

Boston bomb suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen with roots in Russia's volatile northern Caucasus, was captured in a dramatic police manhunt days after the bombing. He was criminally charged and is being held in jail.

His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was also identified by the FBI as a suspect but he was killed in a gunfight with police. U.S. security officials have said they believe the brothers had Islamic militant sympathies.

AWARD-winning violinist Daniel Hope new album, Spheres, which showcases works by contemporary masters like Ludovico Einaudi, Arvo Part, Karl Jenkins, Max Richter, Gabriel Prokofiev, Alex Baranowski and others, has just been released by Universal Music Malaysia. The album celebrates the idea that planetary movement creates its own kind of music. The good news is Universal Music Malaysia has 10 autographed copies of Hope’s Spheres CD to be won by Star2 readers.

All you have to do is answer the simple questions below and complete the slogan.

1.Daniel Hope’s Spheres is released by the Deutsche Grammophon label. True or false?

2. How many songs are featured on the Spheres album?

3. Complete this slogan in less than 25 words: “Daniel Hope is taking classical music to the next level because ...”

For the contest, direct all email entries to unimusic09@gmail.com complete with personal details (name, address, IC number, contact number), answers and slogan.

Contest title: Daniel Hope/The Star. The closing date is June 9, 2013. Winners will be notified by Universal Music Malaysia.

A LOT of the old classical composers incorporated popular folk dances and such into their work, and the line between “classical” and “popular” was blurred. Minimalist composer Steve Reich noted that Schoenberg and his followers then caused the “window between the street and the concert hall to be closed.” Reich dismissed the delineation and suggested that instead of “classical” and “popular”, there should only be “notated music” and “non-notated music”.

Daniel Hope says:

I think the origin of an enormous amount of music is folk music. That goes as much for pop as it does for gospel, jazz, ragtime and classical music. Can you imagine Brahms or Mendelssohn without folk music? There’s no way. You can even go back to Bach. And that has been such an important part of music since music was discovered, since somebody started singing and dancing. Popular music changed when records came out ... they had to classify music ... until then, music was music. They didn’t call it classical music in the 17th or 18th century. At the end of the 19th century they started to use the word “classical”. They had to differentiate between vaudeville and musicals and music halls. There was a time when classical music was the popular music. It was pulled apart into different categories. As a musician I feel music. I feel connections and inspiration and respect for musicians. I do believe that classical music is still the highest form of music. As great as a Bob Dylan or Beatles song is, can you really compare it to, say, a Beethoven symphony? No, I don’t think you can. Would those musicians also think that? I mean, unless they’re so full of themselves, I can’t imagine that they would. Think of the complexities and amazing depth that the classical composers go to create music. And yet, for certain people, (popular music) has the same connotation or effect.

Therefore it’s very difficult to say to somebody who loves pop music more than anything else, “your music is not as sophisticated as our music”. That’s not the case. Music doesn’t choose its rights and wrongs. Music reaches people. And I think that has to be respected.

Forward thinking: British violinist Daniel Hope already knew that he wanted to be a musician when he was only four.

British violinist Daniel Hope clearly loves music that is challenging but at the same time, is not afraid of being ear-pleasing.

TWO years ago, something quite unexpected happened to British violinist Daniel Hope. He was on his way to catch a train in Glasgow, Scotland, when he received a phone call.

“Is this Daniel Hope?” asked the caller.

Yes, Hope replied, a little annoyed because he was rushing with all his luggage to board the train.

“Who is this?” Hope asked, not as politely as he normally would.

The caller replied: “We’re looking to make an investment. We want to buy an instrument and we want to know if you would be interested to choose the instrument.”

In that instant, Hope was so shocked, he dropped his bags, and could only watch as the train started leaving without him.

“It was one of those things that you read in books or see in movies,” said Hope, during our interview at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas where he performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra last weekend. “I was able to try all the instruments I could find. Then I found this one.”

It is the Guarneri del Gesu violin, made in 1742 and once owned by Polish violinist Karol Lipinski, a gorgeous instrument with an even more gorgeous sound – strong, solid yet malleable in Hope’s able hands. There were, however, two conditions for the deal – the generous German family who effected the purchase shall remain anonymous and the price of the instrument, unmentioned.

Hope clearly loves his instrument as he handled it delicately like a newborn baby when he took it out for our photoshoot. In his performance of Benjamin Britten’s Violin Concerto, Hope stretched the instrument’s range, reaching seemingly impossible high registers, especially in the second movement’s cadenza which is an improvised solo. Any higher and there wouldn’t have been enough string for his finger.

This mystery family/priceless violin episode in Hope’s music career is just one of a few other incidents as intriguing as the music of the spheres. At only four, he started on the violin and told his parents it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Of course, he had his teenage crisis of confidence.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it, or if I was good enough,” he said. “But that initial feeling of wanting to be a musician has never left me.”

He is now one of the most sought-after soloists and a recording artiste with Deutsche Grammaphon. He was one of the first classical artistes to have a website.

“People laughed at me then,” he said. But within only half a year, he had received performing offers enough to pay for the website (back then there was no such free service as a “Facebook page”).

And then there is the coincidence of his return to performing with the MPO exactly five years to the day he last performed with the orchestra. What did he play that year? It was also Britten’s Violin Concerto.

His current album, Spheres, approaches a concept as mysterious as one of the composers on the album, the Estonian maestro Arvo Part, whom incidentally Hope had worked with on several occasions in the past.

The selection is as eclectic as it gets. There are old and established compositions as well as those specially commissioned for the album, and also a film score. Bach sits comfortably alongside contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, Ludovico Einaudi, Max Richter, Gabriel Prokofiev and Alex Baranowski.

It’s a departure from his usual output. It’s a restless and intriguing mix, especially with Part’s Fratres, which was originally recorded with only violin and piano by Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett for Part’s seminal Tabula Rasa album. Hope’s version includes an orchestra.

He told of the time he recorded Part’s tintinnabuli masterpiece, Spiegel Im Spiegel. He then sent the first edit of the recording to Part, who duly “tore it to pieces”.

“This time I decided not to send (Fratres) to him,” laughed Hope, who has only great reverence for the maestro. “I just hope that he likes it.”

His next, already completed, album, due out in the second half of next year, will feature the big orchestral sounds of old Hollywood with music by the composers who fled Europe in the 1930s and 1940s, with special guests such as Sting and German singer Max Raabe.

Here’s another strange story. While Hope was mulling over the project, lying on his bed one day in Moscow, his iPod happened to play Sting’s The Secret Marriage from the ... Nothing Like The Sun album. His ears perked up. He checked the album’s credits and found that the melody was adapted from a composition by Hanns Eisler, one of the composers exiled in the 1930s who escaped to Hollywood.

Perfect. An email was sent to Sting to request a guest appearance, and a prompt reply came in the affirmative.

Cool and contented: Zo In-sung is perfectly happy with his success in Asia. He has no plans to crack the Hollywood market.

After a stint with the South Korean air force, the dashing Zo In-Sung stages a successful comeback into showbiz.

AT 186cm, the fair and handsome Zo In-sung (also known as Jo In-seong) stands out in the crowd. However, when paired with petite South Korean actresses such as Song Hye-kyo (who stands at 161cm) in the romantic drama That Winter, The Wind Blows, that could pose as an issue on camera.

But that problem has never crossed his mind. “I’ve never thought about it,” said the towering 31-year-old, adding that it was fantastic working with an established actress like Song, also 31.

Like all able-bodied young men in Korea, Zo had to serve his two-year mandatory military service and did so by following in his father’s footsteps by joining the air force in 2009.

After being discharged in 2011, Zo made his comeback the following year in That Winter, The Wind Blows, his first drama in eight years.

In the 16-episode television series, Zo portrays an orphan named Oh Soo who is addicted to gambling and becomes a con-artist after losing his first love. Things change when he pretends to be the long-lost brother of Oh Young (Song), a blind heiress who has lost her parents. Together, they begin to discover new meaning in their lives.

The dashing model-turned-actor was in a happy mood during a media interview at KL Hilton last Tuesday to promote That Winter, The Wind Blows. “Being here (in Kuala Lumpur) and doing this media interview is just like a holiday for me. I find it all very relaxing and enjoyable,” he drawled as he took a sip from a tall glass of iced coffee. Zo also shared that this was his second visit to Malaysia; his first trip here was to shoot a commercial.

When That Winter, The Wind Blows first aired on ONE HD in March, it was the top rated show in its time slot among international channels in Malaysia and Singapore for pay-TV. Asked to comment on that, Zo said: “I’m not a fortune teller so I didn’t expect it to be this big. I did have a good feeling about this drama, though. With such a wonderful script and story, I had a feeling I could really work at it, and maybe in a way, expect other people to love this drama too.”

Unlike fellow Korean artistes like Lee Byung-hun (G.I Joe: The Rise Of Cobra and G.I Joe: Retaliation) and Rain (Ninja Assassin and Speed Racer) who ventured to Hollywood, Zo said that he does not aspire to take his career beyond Korea. “I don’t speak English,” the lanky chap said, adding, “I don’t have big dreams. I’m already lucky and happy to be in this position here. There is a saying that goes, “If you don’t worry about your future too much, you can focus more on the present”.

>Due to popular demand, That Winter, The Wind Blows is set for a re-run every Saturday and Sunday at 3.15pm on ONE HD (Astro B.yond Ch 393) starting June 1.

Love changes everything: After meeting Zara (Cristina Suzanne Stockstill), Akil (Redza Minhat) has a different perspective in life, in Kil.

A man who takes out a contract on his own life has a change of heart. Is it too late to call off the hit?

IN local movies, themes such as gangsterism, slapstick comedy and horror have been saturating the cinemas for sometime now. Once in a while, we get something different, like the excellent Bunohan and Songlap.

Hence, when there was a buzz about a quirky movie titled Kil, the excitement was palpable.

For the uninitiated, Kil started out as an experimental indie project among a group of friends spearheaded by talented young director Nik Amir Mustapha.

Prior to Kil, the 28-year-old Nik was responsible for music videos for the likes of Seven Collar T-Shirt, Lab The Rat, Pesawat and Diva Universal’s Hari Raya promos with Honda.

From his network, Nik managed to cobble together a film crew that came from the advertising background and Akademi Seni Kebangsaan. He also recruited actors Redza Minhat and Cristina Suzanne Stockstill to play the leads in the movie.

Even after the film was shot and was in post-production, Nik didn’t know if Kil was going to be distributed.

And after being in limbo for a year, the finished film was taken up by Grand Brilliance.

Kil tells the story of Akil, a depressed young man with suicidal tendencies. He decides to off his life once and for all by employing the help of the Life Action Bureau (LAB), a firm specialising in professional hits.

After putting a contract out on himself – the when and how is unknown to him but he is assured that the deed will be carried out – he meets a girl named Zara and falls head over heels in love with her. Akil now has a change of heart and wants to continue living but has trouble trying to call off the hit on himself.

For Redza Minhat, who plays Kil (Akil), being involved in such a project was a new experience that he truly enjoyed.

“You know, Kil started as a passionate project by a group of like-minded people treading on a new approach of movie-making,” Redza, 30, told Star2 in an interview on Monday.

“I told Nik that I agreed to work on Kil if he can work around my (other) filming schedules.” Nik agreed to Redza’s request. They shot Redza’s scenes in 11 days flat; the actor didn’t even take any leave from his day job as a banker.

“I remember some days I just had between two to three hours of sleep. I spent the evening filming until 4am and a couple of hours later I needed to get ready to go to my office. Looking back though, I think (the crazy work schedule) did help me play the pseudo-suicidal, sleep-deprived character well,” he said with a laugh.

“My character is a guy who keeps thinking about committing suicide but he can’t really pull the trigger. Basically, he’s a troubled character and I had fun playing him,” said Redza, who is more active in the theatre scene.

Working with a group of passionate film makers has piqued Redza’s interest to venture into script-writing and screenplay. He has just completed the script for Bikin Filem, a road movie directed by Nik and starring Bront Palarae, Sharifah Amani, Siti Saleha and Nadiya Nissa.

Redza feels nervous for Kil as the movie sets a benchmark in the industry by featuring a new wave of young indie filmmakers who are talented yet lack financial back-up.

“Personally, Kil is about a group of passionate young film makers who want to get work seen by the masses and I’m really excited about it,” Redza concluded.

> Kil is screening in cinemas nationwide.

After Earth

M. NIGHT Shyamalan directs Will Smith and Jaden Smith in this sci-fi action drama. The Smiths play a father-and-son team that crashlands on an abandoned Earth during a mission. As the father is injured, it is up to the younger man to get help.

Pee Mak

A THAI film which mixes romance and comedy with horror. A soldier leaves his pregnant wife to defend the land. After the war, he comes home only to be told that the wife who greeted him at their door is actually a ghost. Starring Mario Maurer and Davika Hoorne.

Hollywood's new Superman has been tapped to top the bill for this spy film by Guy Ritchie, Variety divulges.

British movie actor Henry Cavill, who'll be flying faster than a silver bullet this summer in Man Of Steel, is in talks to supersede Tom Cruise as the lead in The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Armie Hammer (Lone Ranger) and Alicia Vikander (Royal Affair) will co-star in this liberal adaptation of the 1960s TV series.

After exploring the complicated friendship between Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, Guy Ritchie will be shifting gears and switching eras to home in on the Cold War rivalry between American agent Napoleon Solo (Cavill of course) and his Soviet opposite number Illya Kuryakin (Hammer), who are compelled to team up against a terrorist organization.

Robert Vaughan and David McCallum played these parts in the original '60s series. Warner Bros. hopes to start shooting The Man From U.N.C.L.E. this fall.

(Relaxnews)

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael is out of hospital after being treated for head injuries from a car accident two weeks ago, his website said on Wednesday.

The 49-year-old former Wham! frontman, who has been "under observation" since the May 16 accident, has been discharged and is resting, www.georgemichael.com said.

"We can confirm that George Michael has been discharged from hospital and continues to rest and recuperate," the message on Michael's website said. "He is well and thanks everyone for all the messages of support."

British media have reported that the Careless Whisper singer fell out of a car he was travelling in on the M1 motorway just outside London during rush hour - the latest of a string of accidents and health scares.

Last year, Michael cancelled a tour of Australia due to "major anxiety" brought on by a 2011 battle with severe pneumonia in Vienna, where he was treated in intensive care for a month.

The singer has sold an estimated 100 million records over his career, but in the past few years has hit the headlines for his personal life more often than for his music.

In 1998 he was arrested in California for "engaging in a lewd act" in a public toilet. He has also had a number of run-ins with British police for possession of narcotics, and served time in jail for driving under the influence of cannabis.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Television, film and stage actor Neil Patrick Harris will host the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards, the highest honors in U.S. television, in September, organizers said on Wednesday.

It will be the second time the Emmy Award-winning performer, who stars in the television series How I Met Your Mother, will host the live broadcast from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on September 22.

"Four years ago, Neil was an amazing Emmy host and we are excited to have him back," Bruce Rosenblum, the Television Academy chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Neil is an extremely gifted and inventive performer, and we look forward to seeing what he has in store this year."

Harris, a popular entertainment awards show host, said he "couldn't be more honored and excited" to host the Emmy Awards.

He is also hosting the Tony Awards, which honor the best of Broadway, from Radio City Music Hall in New York next month. It will be his fourth stint at the Tony Awards.

The actor is a three-time Emmy Award winner for his guest roles on Glee and as host of the 2009 and 2011 Tony Awards.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - French electronic dance music duo Daft Punk scored their first No. 1 album on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday, as their risk to use retro technology paid off with fans.

Random Access Memories, the highly anticipated fourth studio album from Daft Punk, sold 339,000 copies in its first week, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan. That was the group's best sales week to date.

Digital downloads of the album were approximately 65 percent of overall sales, with 221,000 copies downloaded.

Daft Punk, formed by childhood friends Thomas Bangalter, 38, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, 39, were at the forefront of electronic dance music in the 1990s, fusing synthesizers and computers to create music on hits such as Around The World. Daft Punk became popular figures in the dance music field, known for wearing shiny helmets on stage and being elusive and unpredictable.

For the release of their latest album, they stayed away from big stages and instead launched it at a small music festival in the small Australian town of Wee Waa on May 17, which they themselves did not attend.

After the 2005 album Human After All, Bangalter and de Homem-Christo said they took time out to explore "uncharted territories" in their field, waiting eight years before releasing Random Access Memories.

"It's always been a quest (with the) making of each record, somehow reinventing ourselves a little bit, and this time we feel like it's the same musical influence somehow that we maybe had 15 years ago on our first record," Bangalter told Reuters ahead of the album's release.

Random Access Memories is not just an homage to the dance floor music of the late 1970s but an attempt to capture the actual time period itself, the duo said.

"If you listen to Pink Floyd records or the majority of the albums in the late 1970s, they were really experimenting with art, elegance, radicality and integrity," Bangalter said. "That was inspiring for this record, to try to do something that has certain elegance and certain experimentation to it."

The new album features numerous collaborators, including singer Julian Casablancas of the Strokes, veteran Italian music producer Giorgio Moroder and R&B singer Pharrell Williams, who lent his vocals to the raunchy dance floor track "Get Lucky."

ANALOG IN A DIGITAL WORLD

After inspiring a new wave of electronic dance music DJs in the past decade that has included David Guetta, Random Access Memories sees Daft Punk strip away all digital components, recording solely with live instruments onto analog tape in a studio setting.

"Digital technologies are more efficient at working on other aspects of music, like dynamic and energetic qualities," Bangalter said.

"In the same way that sometimes a film camera seems to grab a moment in raw emotion than with a digital camera, that's what analog tape usually is ... it tends to - and we don't know why - grab a magic moment that is emotional."

The risk of going analog appears to have paid off, as the duo topped the Billboard chart with the second-highest debut album of the year, behind only Justin Timberlake's The 20/20 Experience, which opened in March with 968,000 copies.

Get Lucky, which first premiered as a music video broadcast at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Southern California in April, has been streamed more than 33 million times globally on Spotify since its April 18 release.

Daft Punk led four new albums debuting in the top 10 of the Billboard chart this week. Darius Rucker, frontman of rock group Hootie & the Blowfish, entered the chart at No. 2 this week with his country solo effort, True Believers, selling 83,000 copies.

Rock band The National landed at No. 3 with Trouble Will Find Me, while rapper French Montana rounded out the debuts in the top 10 this week with his first album, Excuse My French, at No. 4.

Rockers 30 Seconds to Mars landed at No. 6 the album Love Lust Faith + Dreams, while last week's chart-toppers, Vampire Weekend, fell to No. 7 this week as sales of Modern Vampires Of The City dropped by 64 percent.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Teen pop star Justin Bieber is under investigation for allegedly speeding through his gated Los Angeles-area community in a Ferrari sports car, prompting neighbours to complain to police, authorities said on Wednesday.

Residents of the singer's private Calabasas, California, neighborhood called police on Monday saying Bieber was driving recklessly through the gated estate, Los Angeles County Sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

"Two witnesses called us and claimed he was driving a white Ferrari at high speed," Whitmore said, adding that one witness was former NFL football player Keyshawn Johnson.

Bieber, 19, who has refused to be questioned by police, could face a misdemeanor reckless driving charge when the investigation is handed over to local prosecutors in the coming weeks, Whitmore said.

A representative for the Canadian singer declined to comment on the reckless driving allegations.

It is the second incident involving Bieber and his neighbours in recent months.

In March, Bieber was accused by a neighbour of spitting on him during a confrontation over parties hosted at the singer's home while he was on tour in Europe. The case has been turned over to prosecutors, who have yet to bring charges against him, Whitmore said.

The incidents follow a string of headline-grabbing episodes over the course of his European tour earlier this year.

A capuchin monkey that belonged to Bieber was confiscated at the Munich airport in March for not having the necessary paperwork and is now German national property after the singer failed to reclaim it.

Bieber also startled onlookers in Lodz, Poland, in March by stripping off his shirt on a freezing evening as he walked through security to his private jet, and in London he scuffled with a photographer outside his hotel.

REUTERS - Former Beatle Ringo Starr is lifting the lid on a collection of previously unseen photographs of the Fab Four in their heyday from his personal collection, in a new photography book due out next month.

Photograph, which will be released as an e-book on Apple's iBookstore on June 12, will coincide with a Grammy Museum exhibit on Starr, entitled Ringo: Peace & Love, the book's publishers said on Wednesday.

A limited-edition hand-bound book signed by Starr will be available for purchase in December.

The book will include photographs from the musician's childhood in Liverpool, England, to his road to fame as part of the Fab Four, with Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison.

"These are shots that no one else could have," Starr, 72, said in a statement.

Highlights from the collection include behind-the-scenes candids of the Beatles in their daily lives and Starr's travel photography as the band toured the world.

Starr has also recorded videos featuring commentary to accompany the e-book.

Mohini Sule (left) and Oli Pettigrew (third from right) reviewing the day’s shoot with kids from the Red and Blue teams on Discovery Kids new show Kids Vs Film.

In Kids Vs Film, children become filmmakers as they research, write, direct and edit their own shows.

KIDS as filmmakers? Now that’s an interesting idea which Discovery Kids is exploring in their new show Kids Vs Film.

Discovery Kids gave 48 kids aged eight to 12 from across the globe the opportunity to become first-time filmmakers, with suitable guidance by a team of professional production experts.

In each of the 12 episodes, two teams of two kids, guided by hosts Oli Pettigrew and Mohini Sule, compete against each other to shoot and produce a two-minute documentary – all in one day.

Pettigrew feels the show will appeal to adults as well as children. “I’m a dad myself. I’ve got two kids. Half the problem of parenting is being exposed to television shows that are insipid, vapid and which just basically suck the life out of you as you’re forced to watch them with your children. Whereas this show is a lot of fun, but it’s just as entertaining for someone my age, as it is for someone who’s 10 or 12 or 13 or 16 because it’s not just funny but also full of information,” Pettigrew said in a phone interview last week.

Although the kids had access to some top-notch equipment and the help of experienced crew (courtesy of Discovery), Sule opined that if the kids were to do it themselves, then all they really needed was a smartphone to shoot and learn editing techniques using different apps available.

While filming the series, Pettigrew discovered there were a few kids who were outstandingly talented. “On set, all of the crew were just amazed by some of these kids. I know at least four kids for whom I see a bright future in film and television (industry), even acting. They were fantastic.”

Shooting a show with kids meant plenty of memorable moments for the hosts. Pettigrew particularly enjoyed filming the episodes involving the coastguard boat and fur seal.

“I think my favourite day was when we got to take out a coastguard cutter, with all the latest technology on it, for about six hours. The footage that we came up with was absolutely brilliant. Also, on the very first day of shooting, we went to Underwater World and I was able to interact with a fur seal,” he said

Pettigrew is also happy that TV viewers are able to see what goes into the making of a seemingly simple scene. He recalled the episode where his team went abseiling. “I’d done some rock-climbing before, on TV, and people don’t notice that while abseiling and talking to the camera, a crew has to be by my side all the time for this shot. So, we had our cameraman, Big Mike, hanging off (the cliff) with this huge camera on his shoulder, and he’s 20 feet up in the air. That’s the cool thing about this episode, that finally kids and even adults get to see how much effort goes into shooting something that’s only two minutes long.”

For Sule, she loves the episode involving fire-fighting with the SCDF (Singapore Civil Defence Force) where the crew used a six-storey building to film a fire scene. “It’s not every day that we get to go into a real life scenario and see simulated fire,” Sule said.

With kids involved, were there any tantrums or fighting on the set? “No, no. I’ve said this to a lot of people, but this is one of the friendliest shows I’ve worked on. We wanted to make the best show possible and there were no divas, no temper tantrums. Everyone just got along really well and enjoyed working on the show,” Sule concluded.

> Catch first-time child directors at work on Kids Vs Film every Saturday at 6.30pm on Discovery Kids (HyppTV Ch 561).

South Korean singer G.Na performing at the K-Pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia 2013 at Genting’s Arena Of Stars.

The K-Pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia 2013 was a feast of sexy showbiz.

It was a misty evening at Genting’s Arena Of Stars as Malaysian K-pop fans took to the hills in droves for the K-Pop Dream Concert Live in Malaysia 2013 last Thursday, which was the first night of the two-day event.

Foggy weather or cold, the masses didn’t care. Genting was a K-pop wonderland last week. Nothing could stop the screaming audience – complete with banners and personal allegiances – from making the trip up to the venue to watch five K-pop artistes in action.

The K-pop concert juggernaut remains unstoppable in Malaysia with well-heeled fans paying premium for the best tickets at the K-Pop Dream Concert – RM800 (VIP zone). The groups on stage had to deliver the goods.

Without a doubt, the groups – 4Minute, SISTAR, Brown Eyed Girls, and BTOB – came through with slick performances while sexy solo act G.NA was a blast for the hot-blooded male audience.

As the only all-male act of the night, BTOB (Born to Beat), kicked off the two-day show with an upbeat four-song set. The lively seven-piece boyband may have only made its debut last year, but it wowed the fans easily. The boys electrified every inch of the stage with their infectious songs.

It was hard to stay in your seat when Korean-Canadian singer G.NA (real name Gina Jane Choi) took to the stage. The 25-year-old carried her dance-based tunes well and she oozed sex appeal with her every twist and turn. Yes, many fans were glued to the sensual sight of G.NA, but she did have the music to back her image.

Amid the frenzied pop scenes, G.NA’s Canadian-raised Korean accent never got lost in translation. With much confidence, she even belted out the English version of her debut music video I’ll Get Lost, much to the delight of her G.NI fanbase.

Next up was the five-member girl group 4Minute, and they were easily the most colourful act of the night, as they pranced about in their quirky mismatched outfits. The girls looked like they raided Cyndi Lauper’s wardrobe, but credit to them for being a little more cartoonish with the fashion.

All-geared in black, Brown Eyed Girls (B.E.G.) stormed the show with their skimpy outfits. Talk about being too hot! The group knew how to pump up the live action as the girls alternated between fast and slow tunes during their five-song set.

South Korean boyband BTOB (Born to Beat) rolling with the groove as the crowd cheered on.

But, SISTAR won hands-down for being the leggiest act of the night. The members – Hyolyn, Bora, Soyou and Dasom – came prepared to tease and thrill. Of course, the audience lapped up all the grinding and grooving stageside and left the venue wanting more of SISTAR.

If you did not manage to catch the K-Pop Dream Concert in Genting, don’t fret. You will get another chance to see these acts again soon as most of them will be back for the AIA concert at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur late next month.

Wu JiaHui (right) and Cheryl Lee, who used to be in a relationship, have put together an album.

WHEN a pair of ex-lovers decide to collaborate on an album, what is the first thought that crosses your mind? A possible rekindling of an old spark, maybe?

While fans of Malaysian artistes Wu JiaHui and Cheryl Lee Xin Yi may have hoped for that outcome, it was not to be as both artistes flatly denied any notion of a romantic reconciliation. However, they did admit that there was still a spark between them – the kind that stemmed from an unwritten code of mutual understanding and respect for each other.

Their long acquaintance did help set off a fruitful musical relationship though, which cultimated in the launch of their Mandarin pop album The Impressoul 01 in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur recently.

“It’s not possible (anymore),” said Lee, calmly offering her thoughts on their failed relationship that lasted almost two years. “We have come to accept that we can only be good friends, and not (have) a relationship again. It’s partly because we know each other too well, that this collaboration has enabled me to see a (different) side of him, and on a deeper level.”

Wu, who won the Outstanding Regional Artiste and Top 20 Hits of the Year awards at the 12th Global Chinese Music Awards last year, said that people have naturally been asking about his true reasons for collaborating with Lee.

He hopes that more listeners will see Lee for her talent as a singer and songwriter, besides the hosting and deejaying jobs that people usually associate her with.

“Cheryl is a very determined woman; in fact, she had already harboured intentions of coming out with an album three years back,” he said, adding that the spark between them came about from their difference in opinion.

“We would argue and disagree on the musical direction to how a song should be sung. I guess when it comes to music, I can be stubborn and demanding, while she also doesn’t give in easily and isn’t afraid to say her piece, so we had to iron out our differences.

“But it’s a good kind of stubbornness if I may add.”

Wu reckons that his resolve in persisting with what he believes in is the best direction for his music. Well, it’s hard to question someone with his solid credentials – after all, the singer-composer has penned songs for some of Asia’s prolific artistes, like Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Stefanie Sun and Karen Mok.

In 2007, Wu’s song One Half from the movie 881 original soundtrack gained him much fame in Singapore, and he subsequently released his debut album a year later. Today, he has over 150 songs and two mini albums under his belt, among his achievements.

This album’s recording process with Lee has been challenging, admitted Wu, mainly because his recording partner has been busy juggling her other work commitments.

“I would be the one attending most of the meetings and then updating her (the progress). Then there’s the pressure of handling the decision-making aspects,” he said.

For the boisterous Lee, her loud talking nature meant that she is unable to suppress her need to be heard, and would thus express it out through writing and singing.

“Hosting and singing are two platforms I enjoy very much, because they I get to voice out my thoughts in different ways. Making this album was actually not too difficult because I’d done a soundtrack album for the TV series The Age of Glory in 2008 and a few singles in 2009 and 2010.

“However, the significance of this is more special as it’s my collaboration with a good friend,” said Lee, who is the album’s sole lyricist, with Wu composing the melodies and making his debut as a producer.

The album contains eight tracks, including How To Love, which was previously released as a single in 2010 in conjunction with the publication of Lee’s book Serves You Right.

> The Impressoul 01 is distributed by Warner Music Malaysia and available at bookstores and CD stores nationwide.

YOU made it, bro!” said a fan, interrupting Balan Kashmir’s interview during the launch of his debut album Illegally Macha in Kuala Lumpur.

Needless to say, the rapper from Klang, Selangor, almost broke into tears, as the fan was right. Kashmir’s 15-year effort of becoming an established artiste had paid off despite all the hurdles.

The second track on his album, Unnal Mudiyum (You can do it) tells his story of overcoming adversities.

Kashmir was exposed to drugs, alcohol and gang-bangers at a very young age, and he has seen many of his former mates going down the path of no return.

“It was everywhere. It was difficult to turn a blind eye,” said Kashmir, 30, who was once an angry rebel himself.

The angst, however, was channelled positively, through poetry and rhymes.

“My parents were into poetry. You could always hear it at home,” said Kashmir who paid tribute to his mum with a song titled Mama.

As his affection towards poetry translated to lyrics, Kashmir formed KLG Sqwad, a four-piece rap group with his friends and they started making a name for themselves in the underground rap scene in the Klang Valley.

However, their joy was short-lived as group members decided to pursue other things, leaving Kashmir as the sole crusader in his musical journey.

Kashmir carried on as a solo artiste by working with some local music names such as Too Phat, Reefa and DJ Fuzz. Despite being one of the better rap lyricists in Malaysia, Kashmir did not explode into the English scene. “In Malaysia, if you are a local English artiste, you are always second best. We don’t get the same support as international acts and it is always perceived that we are not good enough,” he said.

He did include three English-language cuts on Illegally Macha, but the album remains mostly Tamil in voice and spirit.

By chance, Kashmir became involved in the Tamil music scene, appearing alongside some big names but he did not receive “street cred” immediately.

He was “too English” for the native Tamil speakers, which can be said to be the base of his Hiphop Or Karipap track. In the song, he answers his critics who claim that he is not proud of his heritage.

Across the nine tracks on Illegally Macha, Kashmir also shows a softer-side and his musical diversity. In Hey Ponnu (Hey girl) with other popular Indian rappers, Psychomantra and Rabbit Mac, Kashmir becomes a smooth-talking romantic lover. This new side of Kashmir can be attributed to his girlfriend, who has stood by his side through ups and downs. Didn’t we say he is all grown up?

> Balan Kashmir’s Illegally Macha album will be released by Warner Music Malaysia next month. For more info, email: starrsoundasia@gmail.com or machamagic@gmail.com. Look up Balan Kashmir on Facebook and Twitter.

M. Nasir is no stranger to spellbinding concerts as seen by this classic snapshot during his Stadium Merdeka concert in January 2000.

M. Nasir celebrates the romantic and spiritual side of his music at Istana Budaya next month.

IF the sneak preview performed recently was anything to go by, the upcoming M. Nasir Sang Pencinta concert series is one musical feast that shouldn’t be missed by music lovers.

Mesmerising tunes such as Kau Yang Satu and Keroncong Untuk Ana reverberated inside Lambang Sari at Istana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur that afternoon as M. Nasir gave the members of the media a glimpse of what is in store.

For three decades, M. Nasir has been a constant fixture in our music landscape with popular hits such as Suatu Masa, Malam, Mentera Semerah Padi, Phoenix Bangkit Dari Abu, Juwita Cinta Terindah, Tanya Sama Itu Hud Hud and Mustika.

Not to mention all his other compositions popularised by other artistes such as Kau Yang Satu (Ramli Sarip), Sekuntum Mawar Merah (The Alleycats), Fantasia Bulan Madu (Search), Sejati (Wings), Sandarkan Pada Kenangan (Jamal Abdillah and Fauziah Ahmad Daud) and Aduh Saliha (Mawi).

Hence his upcoming Sang Pencinta concert from June 28 to 30 at Istana Budaya in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, is something that his fans cannot miss.

The concert, jointly-organised by Bombbay Worldwide with Red On Black and Belbis, will see M. Nasir rolling out his popular tunes accompanied by spellbinding special effects.

His longtime collaborator, Bombay, from event organiser Bombbay Worldwide, is the creative mind behind the M. Nasir Sang Pencinta shows.

Initially scheduled for early June, Sang Pencinta will now take place later next month due to some unforeseen circumstances.

“Initially we planned to stage the concert in early June. But after a series of discussions we decided to move it to the end of the month. Hopefully with changes (of the dates), more M. Nasir’s fans will be able to come to watch him in concert,” said Bombay, who has produced most of the singer’s past concerts. “For those who already bought the tickets, (the tickets) still can be used,” he further explained.

As for the maestro, M. Nasir said that he is still in the midst of writing a new single, which he intends to debut during the concert series.

“For the concert, I will sing mostly my old songs because I’m sure that my fans will like to see me sing them. You know, the tunes that they are familiar with. The shows will have a mixed setlist – my songs and (other) songs that I’ve composed for other artistes as well.

“Altogether there will be 20 songs to be performed, and I’ll be backed by more than 30 musicians. So it is going to be really exciting and fun,” he said.

“The concert will be two hours long and my focus is on those songs which fit nicely into the Sang Pencinta (lover, romantic) theme, which is all about love, spirituality and redemption.”

He also said that he was delighted to work with Bombay as the latter was a highly creative producer.

On Bombay’s part, he has been more than busy to ensure everything goes as planned.

“Yes we are busy preparing for the concert right now. The performance of each song is meticulously crafted by my creative team, with feedback from M. Nasir. There’s a storyboard for each one, so it’s more like a series of musical scenes.”

Bombay said he is utilising visual mapping to create magical images around the national theatre’s stage and these are tailor-made for each of Nasir’s 20 songs.

He also added that every song has an interesting story to tell. Hence, he has created colourful graphics to accompany each of them so that fans can go on a visual and musical adventure.

He also said this is the first time he is producing a show for M. Nasir at the national theatre. He had previously produced shows for Ziana Zain, Search and Wings.

When asked if there will be any guest artistes, M. Nasir said that there’ll be none as the musicians supporting him are “as good as guest artistes.”

Apart from M. Nasir’s band, the Orkestra Simfoni Kebangsaan will also provide strings while Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia supplies the gamelan edge at the shows.

> Tickets to M. Nasir Sang Pencinta concert series at Istana Budaya on June 28-30 are priced at RM65, RM85, RM145, RM225, RM245, RM265, RM325 and RM455, and are available at ticket2u.biz. For more information, call 03-4147 8600 or 03-2061 8134.

Indian classical dance exponents, teachers and dancers come together at the annual Festival of Bharatanatyam.

THE air will be filled with sounds of anklets jingling when the annual Festival of Bharatanatyam kicks off tomorrow.

Organised by the Malaysia Barathanatya Dance Association (MBDA), the fifth festival will take place at the Civic Centre, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, from May 31 to June 2.

The MBDA, which has a membership of 64 dance schools and individuals in Malaysia, aims to bring together all bharatanatyam exponents, teachers and dancers to combine talents to preserve the classical Indian dance form.

“We started this festival to create a platform to perform and exhibit different brands of bharatanatyam. There are a lot of differences in the community but to me, I think we should put them aside and exchange our knowledge so we can develop the art form further,” said MBDA president Indira Manikam.

The three-day festival will see more than 15 schools participating in recitals. Each school will be allotted 20-30 minutes to present their item. This year’s highlight, however, will be a performance by New Delhi-based dancer Jyotsna Shourie, who brings with her 37 years of experience.

“Every year, depending on how much funds and sponsors we have, we bring a different artiste from India to showcase her or his way of performing. This is an opportunity for our dancers to learn from the experts,” said Indira, adding that it is always interesting to observe the differences between the dance schools when it comes to their technique and performances.

Jyotsna began learning bharatanatyam at the age of six, and completed her formal learning at the Sri Rajarajeshwari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai. At her arangetram (graduation), which was held when she was 10-years-old, The Times Of India wrote that she would “emerge a star as luminous as any in this firmament.” Since then, Jyotsna has held performances all over India and has participated in cultural festivals all over the world, emerging as a cultural ambassador for the dance form and for India.

In 1990, she established The Dance Centre in New Delhi to teach in the traditional manner, following the tenements laid down in the Natya Shastra, a detailed treatise and handbook on dramatic arts. Through her varied influences, Jyotsna tries to widen the boundaries of the art form. She has choreographed many dance dramas, some purely classical, and others with contemporary themes. She has introduced audio-visual media, carols and gospel singing, and tap dancing into her productions.

In her performance tomorrow, Jyotsna and her group will present Face To Face, depicting the life journey of two celebrated heroines in Indian mythology, Sita and Draupadi. The recital pictures the inner emotions of women as they traverse through different periods of time.

“These women are two characters from the epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Sita and Draupadi are considered icons of Indian womanhood and Jyotsna will explore this in her thematic drama. The music is by O.S Arun,” explained Indira.

Most of the performances at the Festival of Barathanatyam will assume a traditional approach although it’s up to the schools to interpret accordingly.

“Parents should make use of the school holidays to come watch these free performances and introduce their children to some culture. It’s not only for dancers. Anyone can come and watch,” urged Indira.

> The Festival of Bharatanatyam takes place from tomorrow till June 2. Tomorrow, Jyotsna Shourie and her dancers will perform at 7.30pm at the Petaling Jaya Civic Centre. On June 1, different bharatanatyam schools around Malaysia will participate in dance recitals at the same venue from 4-10pm. Admission is free on both days. On June 2, there will be a seminar cum workshop conducted by Jyotsna Shourie at the Kalamandapam, Jalan Scott, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, from 10am to noon. The fee is RM30. To register and for enquiries, call Dr Aruna at 012-652 1284 or Vikneswary at 012-391 3787.

LONDON (Reuters) - Singers Beyonce and Madonna, activist Gloria Steinem and Bishop Desmond Tutu will be among big names reaching out to a billion people from a pop concert in London on Saturday with a message of empowerment for women across the planet.

The Sound Of Change Live gig headlined by Beyonce, Florence + the Machine and Jennifer Lopez will be broadcast live from Twickenham sports stadium to 150 countries, and on primetime TV in the United States the following day, organisers said on Tuesday.

The four-hour concert could fund at least 120 projects supporting women and girls in more than 70 nations, if all the tickets are sold, they said.

Organised by the Chime for Change campaign, started by Italian fashion house Gucci, every ticket buyer will be able to choose which project their ticket will fund in what the campaign said was a world first for such a venture.

Madonna will be a presenter at the gig alongside other musicians, public figures, activists, film directors and actors including Indian stars Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan.

"Sixty percent of the children in the world not in school are girls," Madonna said. "Two-thirds of the world's illiterate are women. I do not accept this. We need to change this and we will change this."

In addition to performances and collaborations from artists, the concert will serve as a platform to broadcast inspirational and provocative films and stories highlighting women's issues around the world.