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LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Swedish producer Per Blankens will be taking the lead on a revamped season of American Idol, the show's production company said on Monday, after long-time British producer Nigel Lythgoe said he was fired from the show due to falling ratings.

Blankens most recently was the executive producer of Idol, Sweden's version of the popular televised singing competition and helped the show garner strong ratings on Swedish TV.

He will oversee the upcoming 13th season of American Idol, due to premiere in January 2014.

"(Per) is extremely passionate about Idol and I'm very excited about his ideas and vision for keeping Idol creatively vibrant. He brings the talent and energy needed to keep American Idol strong," Trish Kinane, executive producer of the Fox competition show, said in a statement.

Lythgoe, who is the creator and judge of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance competition show, tweeted over the weekend "just had 10 days in the Bahamas, rain everyday. I get back to the States and get fired. Sad!"

In a follow-up statement on Monday, Lythgoe said he was sad to be leaving a great team.

"If the executives that are now in charge of American Idol believe that the ratings will improve with my departure, I have no complaints. It has been a great ride and I've loved every moment of it," Lythgoe said.

His departure comes after judges Mariah Carey, Minaj and Randy Jackson announced they were leaving the show, along with Fox's reality programming chief Mike Darnell, who will be leaving the network at the end of June.

American Idol, which premiered in 2002 and became Fox's ratings juggernaut with more than 30 million viewers during its peak years of 2006 and 2007, has suffered from a slump in viewership in recent years.

Last month, the season 12 finale drew the lowest audience yet despite the star power of Carey, Minaj and country singer Keith Urban on the judging panel, with 14.2 million tuning in to see vocal powerhouse Candice Glover win the competition.

The ratings drop came as a blow to American Idol, which had revamped its panel with high-priced talent. Carey reportedly earned $18 million and Minaj an estimated US$12 million for one season.

Pop singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler left Idol in 2012 after two seasons and used their increased visibility from the show to relaunch their music careers.

Bottoms up: Andy Lau plays agent Xiao Jinhan, who is tasked with a special mission to protect a prized scroll, while Lin Chi-Ling plays a temptress sent to seduce him.

Who else than the affable Andy Lau for the role of a suave spy in China’s answer to James Bond.

GET ready for Switch, China’s answer to James Bond.

And who else can play a super suave spy than Asia’s most bankable stars, Andy Lau? Excitement is evidently in the air as Switch is set to hit cinemas – finally! – after one lengthy year of post-production and multiple postponements from the original release date.

Lau is joined by two beautiful co-stars – Taiwanese leggy beauty Lin Chi-Ling and China’s award-winning actress Zhang Jingchu. Action wise, the actor can be seen tackling Dubai’s imposing skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, as Cruise did in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

In an interview provided by movie distributor RAM Entertainment, Lau says he doesn’t mind being compared with Cruise, and isn’t afraid of people bringing up his age.

“I’m certainly sensitive (about my age), but I’m not afraid of it. After all, I’m old!” the 52-year-old star says.

Asked if some of the film’s similarities to Mission: Impossible – such as the Burj Khalifa jump scene – are a coincidence, Lau says he does not know.

“Even if I didn’t want to jump, I didn’t have a choice. And while we did a 30-feet (9.14m) dive on location, we had filled the backdrop with special effects, a method that renders safer protection for actors against excessive risks.

“I believe there was also extensive planning by Tom Cruise and his crew to complete that scene. After all, not everyone is Jet Li or Jackie Chan who can do a lot of these stunts.

“Though I may not have a martial arts background, having done action films over the years, I think they are enough to convince audiences. So, as long as my body is able, I’ll keep challenging myself,” says Lau, who confesses to being a fan of Matt Damon’s The Bourne Identity.

“After all, I still have films such as A Simple Life (which had won him the Best Actor trophies at the Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Awards) to fall back on if my body gives way one day. The film genres are so diverse that I don’t have to restrict myself.”

Switch tells the story of Interpol agent Xiao Jinhan (Lau), who is assigned to protect a famous Yuan Dynasty scroll called Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains. The scroll is showcased in an exhibition and has attracted the attention of nefarious art enthusiasts in the international black-market, triggering a scramble for it by both the Yakuza and English thugs.

The Yakuza sends mysterious temptress Lisa (Lin) to seduce Xiao, a move masterminded by evil criminal Toshio Yamamoto (Tong Dawei), who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the scroll.

Xiao’s adventures take him across seas and deserts, but will he accomplish the mission? Also entrusted with the task of protecting the masterpiece is another agent, Lin Yuyan (Zhang).

Things get personal when the relationship heats up between Xiao and Lin.

Lau adds that the acting isn’t as challenging as the movie features many special effects, done during post production. Despite criticisms of Lin’s lack of experience and acting ability, Lau was quick to come to her defence.

“She’s very meticulous, and made the extra effort to research her role.

“What she needs now is a good script and a visionary director to let her shine,” opines Lau.

Asked if family will now be factored in as priority when deliberating on whether to accept riskier roles (he is married with one child), Lau replies: “With my advanced age, the side effects are starting to show – like times where my hands get numb from nerve damage. Thankfully now, there are modern, safer filming techniques in place.”

■ Switch opens in cinemas nationwide on June 13.

Laid bare: Nizam Azis (left) and Syed Sharidir Yasni have a gem of an album in the earthy Keramat 16 (below), a collection of acoustic songs that brings all their influences to the surface.

It has taken a while, but Sherry, a former busker, has finally put together a debut album that sounds almost too good to be true.

MORE than 18 years ago, he could be seen howling a version of Brown Eyed Girl, at the five-foot way around Central Market in Kuala Lumpur that wouldn’t get past the PG 13 rating and cut quite an intriguing figure, singing through the hair draped on his face, which went down to his knees, almost. And partnering him in those pre-Internet days was Sidek (Mat Yatim), the eccentric who wrote songs of the every man’s struggles.

But Sherry (real name Syed Sharidir Yasni) has come a long way from those days. For starters, he now has Keramat 16, his folk excursion with percussionist Nizam Azis, an exercise the singer-songwriter describes as “putting together all the songs I had written in Malay on one album.”

But during a recent interview, Sherry, a KL-ite, spilled the beans that a lot more was going on than just the serendipity of opportunity meeting desire.

“As a musician, it’s important to get yourself recorded. And I wanted to put together a collection of songs with different flavours and themes. These are song I’ve written over the years,” he divulged over coffee and rollies.

His vision of keeping the music minimalist was realised, getting a bonus in how much flexibility a smaller setup provides, in the process.

“What we really wanted was to make it intimate, so that it can translate in a live setting. We play half the album live.”

Sherry plays all the guitars and Nizam all the percussion, and there’s plenty of both going on throughout the album. Picked, plucked, strummed and slid(e) guitars, Sherry stretches the edges of his sonic canvas to the peak of his ability. Nizam underpins every melodic nuance with a deceptively languid feel that’s groovy and tight.

The duo clearly shares a musical synergy, and the guitarist is quick to acknowledge the chemistry with the AkashA percussionist: “Nizam’s input made it unique, especially with all the different percussion instruments. Initially, I had a drummer in mind.”

In the years he’s invested in his life-long passion, Sherry knows to call the shots.

“I’m no control freak, but I conceptualised the whole thing ... which took some years. There was no template, but I knew how the whole thing needed to sound. I wasn’t going to change any guitar parts. It was all written in stone, so to speak,” the 42-year-old said, smiling bashfully at his own single-mindedness.

While there are no obvious references, his influences are proudly all over the place. Whether it comes from his time cutting his teeth feasting on a diet of blues rock courtesy of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the like, or hitting the rock gigs in town in the 1980s with various bands, hanging around his mates in Cinema, a recording act that released a handful of albums in its time, he has honed his ability to separate the wheat from the chaff.

It was the 1990s which saw Sherry more in the public domain, when he placed himself bare with a 12-string acoustic guitar and a trusted partner, the legendary Sidek, together peddling their own inimitable humour and high jinx.

“Musically, the journey for me has been beautiful, and I feel privileged to have worked with someone like Sidek. That experience was very educational and satisfying ... it was just wonderful,” he enthused, glad that his learning process continues.

And educating himself he certainly did during his formative years of playing the guitar, absorbing his favourite band Led Zeppelin, Hendrix and Black Sabbath.

“But of all the guitar players, (Fleetwood Mac founder) Peter Green is my favourite,” he punctuated, as he continued to rattle off names of his heroes.

Sherry is only too aware that he doesn’t fit the demographic of marketable artistes, but is certain he has a musical connection with listeners out there. “I’ve learned to expect the unexpected. If I like this album, and Nizam likes this album, there surely must be people out there who can identify with it as well,” he reassured himself, first and foremost.

“I tried to make the songs catchy, so we wouldn’t need more things. I hope all this is unique. This is all of what I can do,” he shared, admitting to exploring the boundaries of his ability.

Keramat 16 being folk was never the plan, though. “I’ve never looked at the album as being genre-specific. I just wanted to record something to show that I did something.”

Top on the list was to leave a legacy behind for future generations, and particularly, his 11-year-old daughter.

The process of putting the songs down was somewhat cathartic for him, and consequently, he feels spent.

“I’m at a stage where I don’t know what to write anymore. This is what I had and I’ve put it all out ... a collection of memories of when I was an angry young man, many of which don’t even apply to me today.”

He has little to worry though, because Keramat 16 looks like it’ll become one of those albums that people will speak of with misty-eyed nostalgia for many years to come, like what fellow folk rocker Meor achieved with his Itu Padang, Aku Di Situ a decade ago.

Keramat is every bit the brooding cultural showpiece that typifies the album’s artwork while the bluesy funkiness of Song Sung pushes the genre envelope and is peppered with his Marc Bolan-type vocal vibrato. Tunes like the cleverly-titled Sigh Young and Trantok are just gobsmackingly pretty, their turn of melody simply sumptuous.

Di Bawah Jamabatan is the kind of folk vehicle out of the Seeger/Guthrie songbook, visualised through the eyes of Neil Young or Led Zeppelin, instead.

There’s just so much love and grace in the way Sherry arranges his tunes and how their structures illuminate his musical journey from rock kid to grungy folkster to the consummate artiste. And because the album is 16 songs long, it’s scary to think that you could be on the edge of your seat through every one of the 65 minutes. When opportunity meets unbridled artistry, this is probably the end product.

Even if this all took a while, at no point did he contemplate throwing in the towel because failure is never an option. Give him another lifetime, and he’ll still do it all the same way.

“We all find our space in this world. Ultimately, we give value to our life’s experiences. For me, above all, it’s always been about the journey, never the destination.”

■ Keramat 16 is available from facebook.com/sharidirnizamazis. E-mail enquiries to: sharidir@gmail.com.

In memory: Catch The Moon Speaks For My Heart: Teresa Teng, Her Life, Her Love, Her Songs, a tribute show by the award-winning Dama Orchestra in honour of the late songstress .

The Moon Speaks For My Heart shines a light on beloved Taiwanese diva Teresa Teng’s legacy.

IF SHE were still alive, Teresa Teng would be 60. And though it has been two decades since the asthma attack that took her life away, the Taiwanese artiste’s music continues to linger on – in radio waves, movie soundtracks, and as the background to many a cherished memory.

Teng didn’t have a loud voice. Nor did she have great charisma. But holding the microphone close to her lips, and singing in a soft yet controlled intonation, she could fill an entire stage with feeling.

That was her secret, songwriter Tsuo Hung-yun once described it as “seven parts sweetness, three parts tears” – Teng was in essence, a master of her own voice.

And staying true to that aspect of her will be one of the most challenging tasks for an upcoming tribute performance, by the multiple award- winning theatre company, Dama Orchestra.

Seasoned singers Tan Soo Suan, Rachel Tan and Chang Fang Chyi have been in training for two months.

Tan and Chang have the benefit of having performed in previous tributes staged by the company. However Rachel, who will be presenting numbers from the earlier stages of Teng’s career, is new to this.

The Moon Speaks For My Heart isn’t just going to be a concert, but a documentary-style tribute to her life.

For its director, Dama Orchestra co-founder Pun Kai Loon, the devil is in the details – which have, three weeks ahead of opening night, been keeping him up untill 3am.

“I usually deal a lot with the sub-text when it comes to the stage directions for each song. However, this time around, I’m putting extra focus into it,” says Pun.

Dama Orchestra resident performers (from left) Tan Soo Suan, Chang Fang Chyi and Rachel Tan will be singing in the tribute show.

Pun says the show is framed around the relevance of the songs throughout her life.

“For example, when she was going through a tough period, she churned out a number of songs about heartbreak. Hence, finding the right settings, stage directions and mood to illustrate the background story that accompanies each song, is of paramount importance.”

Two narrators – Alex Koh and Samuel Tseu – will acquaint us with everything from the early years of her career, to the dizzying achievements at the height of her fame.

Audiences will also learn about her love life, and the numerous scandals thrown at Teng’s unforgiving perch in the limelight – usually dealt by the singer, through an unwavering candour and dignity.

Fame is often accompanied by scrutiny.

Popular icon the late Teresa Teng has left behind a great musical legacy.

“And there has never, in the history of oriental singers, been anyone that has penetrated the global market quite as strongly as her ... even up to today,” says Pun, 54, who confesses that, as a youth, he had thought her music boring.

Part of his lack of interest was because Pun was never a Mandarin speaker. The other half was because he just wasn’t a fan of ballads – of which many of Teng’s songs are.

It wasn’t untill his colleague, Dama Orchestra co-founder Khor Seng Chew, suggested staging their first tribute to Teng, that Pun came to appreciate the full extent of Teng’s influence.

In the process of preparing for September Tale, staged in 2005, Pun says he came to recognise the indelible imprint that Teng’s music has left, not just on society, but on popular culture.

“Once I started researching into her life, her personality grew, getting bigger and bigger in my mind, and when you take a step back, that kind of achievement inspires awe.”

She penetrated the broader Chinese market in a way that no one else had, with hits in Hokkien, Cantonese, Mandarin and even Japanese, he points out.

She was also big outside of Chinese-speaking countries, garnering a huge following in Indonesia and Japan.

“I mean, to penetrate the Japanese market is so difficult, and she wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder. She has proved herself to be an eternal legend, even in that context.”

Unlike Pun, Khor was a convert from day one.

The musical director for The Moon Speaks For My Heart adds that Teng liked to do cover versions of a lot of non-Chinese songs.

“In fact, she was the first Eastern oriental artist to perform in Las Vegas!”

Since the 70s, Khor has been collecting CDs, biographies, and all sorts of books about her from Taiwan, China, Hong Kong ... you name it – now all neatly line at least two shelves’ worth of office space at Dama’s headquarters, in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

Khor, 57, recalls leaving for London, England in 1985 to study classical guitar.

“I brought only three Chinese albums with me, and one was Teng’s, featuring classical poems from the Tang and Song dynasty – Dandan youqing.”

A revival

Rehearsals for the tribute began two months ago.

Whilst the production itself seems like a 90-degree turn from the grandeur of Dama’s recent, award-winning hit, Empress Wu, it comes with its own challenges.

With a multi-lingual set, Tan, Chang and Rachel have been subjected to the keen ear of dialect coaches. They’ll be covering Teng’s hits in Mandarin, English, Cantonese and Japanese.

Rachel will be singing songs from Teng’s younger years – more folksy and pop tunes, Chang will cover tunes from the 70s and 80s, and Tan will be singing tunes from the height of her fame.

For classically-trained Rachel, the experience has entailed stepping out of her comfort zone.

She is used to singing in a more operatic style, which requires a lot of voice projection.

“We don’t normally use a mic,” she says.

Teng’s style however, is based on subtlety, and having to soften the volume made Rachel feel very exposed.

But as Khor explains, Teng relied not on using a range of fancy pitch acrobatics to impress her audiences. Rather, she captivated people using nothing but good voice control, microphone technique and clear enunciation.

“A lot of the songs she sang had very simple melodies, but she was a master at using inflections to reflect all the subtle peaks and troughs, and as a result, getting at the emotional core of a song,” he says.

And this is what Rachel has been training to do.

“One of my solo numbers, Songs of Grief, is a Tang dynasty poem.

“It has just four lines, and lasts two to three minutes.

“So, the challenge is to bring depth to it. It is slow, beautiful and very lyrical, and it’s all up to the skill of the singer to achieve that.”

The two narrators will also be joining in for certain numbers – this will be Dama’s first Teresa Teng tribute to feature male singers.

As part of a series of productions to mark Dama Orchestra’s 20th anniversary, this will also be the first time the company has re-staged a show. (The first time when The Moon Speaks For My Heart was staged back in 2011, it proved to be a sell-out hit.)

Choosing The Moon Speaks For My Heart specifically, seems apt, given that 2013 commemorates the 60th anniversary of Teng’s birth.

Besides, Pun says it would be more accurate to term the performance as a “revival”, rather than a “re-staging”.

“In the last two shows (The Moon Speaks For My Heart, 2011 and September Tale, 2005) we did just a few of her more popular songs,” he explains.

“This show takes a more comprehensive look other hits and signature tunes that we have not been able to feature previously, and will include quite a lot of her non-chinese numbers.”

Expect variety

Among her classic Chinese numbers, the set will feature western favourites such as Copacabana, The Way We Were, Careless Whisper, and Flashdance.

Pun promises the show will provide a fresh take on the Teresa Teng tribute – not that Teresa Teng tributes ever seem to become outdated.

As someone who has been travelling to China on a regular basis for many years now, Khor says that over there, one is never short of a Teresa Teng tribute – even today.

It’s hard to overstate Teng’s popularity.

Even when her music was banned for being too “bourgeois” in mainland China during the 80s, amidst political tensions between the latter country and Teng’s native home, Taiwan, her music was played everywhere – from nightclubs to government buildings, thanks to the black market.

Teng’s name in Mandarin pin-yin was Dèng L? Jun.

“As the saying goes,” says Khor. “China’s communist leader Deng Xiaoping may have ruled the country by day, but Deng the singer, ruled China by night.”

■ Catch The Moon Speaks For My Heart: Teresa Teng, Her Life, Her Love, Her Songs, which will be playing from June 14 – 23, 2013, at Pentas 1, Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan, Off Jalan Ipoh, KL. Evening shows are at 8.30pm, while Saturday and Sunday matinees will be at 3pm.

Ticket prices range from RM68 to RM288. For more details, or to book tickets, contact the box office at KLPac @ Sentul Park: 03 4047 9000/ 03 4047 9010 or iLasso Office @ Phileo Damansara II: 03 7957 6088. For online booking, visit ilassotickets.com.

Cyndi Lauper performs onstage at the 67th Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

NEW YORK: With lots of big stars on hand showing Hollywood can do Broadway, '80s rocker turned musical-maker Cyndi Lauper won her first Tony for "Kinky Boots" at the 67th Tony Awards.

"I can't say I wasn't practicing in front of the shower curtain for a couple days for this speech," Lauper said Sunday, picking up one of six gongs for the show, for best original score.

"All right, I gotta thank my mom for sharing all that wonderful music. I wrecked all her Broadway musicals when I was a kid, the cast albums. That's how I learned how to sing, and I want to thank her for sharing the music with me," Lauper added.

The show, which was nominated 13 times, also won best musical and best performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical, as well as three other categories.

Based on a British movie, "Kinky Boots" tells the story of the unlikely reincarnation of a near bankrupt shoe factory. Lauper -- famous for her song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" -- wrote the music and lyrics.

Another top winner for the night was Broadway stalwart "Pippin," which won in four out of its 10 nominations: best revival of a musical, best actress in leading and featured roles in a musical, and best direction of a musical.

Television actor Neil Patrick Harris, hosting in New York, welcomed presenters and performers like Tom Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Anna Kendrick, Martha Plimpton, Sigourney Weaver, Zachary Quinto and Sally Field.

Hanks, better known for his work on the big screen, was considered a favorite for the best actor prize for his performance in "Lucky Guy," a Nora Ephron play about the ups and downs of controversial New York journalist Mike McAlary.

But Hanks was passed over in a surprise upset when the award went to playwright and actor Tracy Letts for his performance in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Letts had won a Tony previously for his writing.

Veteran actress Cicely Tyson, whose stage and screen credits date back to the 1950s, won best performance by an actress in a leading role in a play for her role in "The Trip to Bountiful." It was the first time the Tyson, who has won an Oscar and numerous Emmys, had been nominated for a Tony.

"Matilda," the adaptation of the beloved children's book by Roald Dahl, was another favorite of the night, with 12 nominations. The musical won four awards, including best book of a musical and best performance by an actor in a featured role.

"Matilda," which recounts an exceptionally -- and supernaturally -- gifted girl's determination to make something of her life, has enjoyed rave reviews and is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company.

The nominations list snubbed some major stars, including Johansson in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and Al Pacino in the intense real estate salesmen drama "Glengarry Glen Ross." - AFP

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Joey Covington, former drummer with 1960s US psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane, has died in a car crash in California, officials say. He was 67.

Covington, who lived in Palm Springs, was driving alone when his car veered off a curve and smashed head-on into a wall Tuesday, said the Riverside County Coroner's office east of Los Angeles.

He was a member of Jefferson Airplane, led by charismatic vocalist Grace Slick, from 1969 to 1972, as well as of blues-rock band Hot Tuna, formed with Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Cassady.

The drummer subsequently launched a solo career, and played in the the 1980s and 1990s on the San Francisco Allstars. He was known for playing locally around Palm Springs in later years.

Jefferson Airplane, which debuted in 1965, had hit singles with White Rabbit and Somebody To Love from the album Surrealistic Pillow and played at such celebrated 1960s festivals as Woodstock and Altamont in 1969.

A friend of Covington, Keith McCormick, told the Desert Sun newspaper that the drummer's wife suspected that a stroke or a heart attack had led to the crash. Police said they did not believe drugs or alcohol were involved.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has ordered a probate court investigator to make recommendations about the "health, education and welfare" of Paris Jackson, teenage daughter of late singer Michael Jackson, after an apparent suicide attempt this week, according to court documents.

Judge Mitchell Beckloff ordered the investigator to "address the status of the minor child, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, and recent media reports concerning her welfare," court documents filed on Thursday said.

The teenager was rushed to a Los Angeles-area hospital on Wednesday after attempting suicide, her biological mother Deborah Rowe told the TV program Entertainment Tonight.

Paris' grandmother, Katherine Jackson, said a statement distributed on Wednesday by her attorney, Perry Sanders, noted that "Paris is physically fine and is getting appropriate medical attention."

"Being a sensitive 15-year-old is difficult no matter who you are," Katherine Jackson said in her statement. "It is especially difficult when you lose the person closest to you."

Celebrity news website TMZ first reported the apparent suicide attempt, and said Paris was under psychiatric evaluation.

Pop singer Jackson died in 2009 at age 50 from a lethal dose of surgical anesthetic propofol in Los Angeles while preparing for his This Is It series of concerts in London.

Paris and her two brothers Prince Michael and Prince Michael II, also known as Blanket, live under the joint custody of their 83-year-old grandmother Katherine and their cousin T.J. Jackson, son of Jackson's older brother Tito.

Rowe, who was married to Jackson from 1996 to 1999 and had two children with him, turned over custody of the children to Jackson as part of their divorce, but she had recently rekindled her relationship with Paris.

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - German supermodel Heidi Klum, who has strutted from the runway to entrepreneur and reality TV host, will now try her hand as a judge on NBC's television competition show America's Got Talent.

Klum, 40, nicknamed "The Body" for her statuesque figure, has carved a career beyond modeling, as the host of Lifetime's fashion series Project Runway and Germany's Next Top Model.

For America's Got Talent, the model stepped out of her role as fashion expert for the first time, to sit alongside former Spice Girl Mel B., comedian Howie Mandel and radio host Howard Stern on the judging panel for the show's eighth season, which began this week.

Klum, who has her own fashion empire with jewelry, clothing and fragrances, spoke to Reuters about her transition from a model to entrepreneur and major television player in the United States and Germany.

What is it like to be in your first non-fashion role?

I think (producers) look at me as a judge that has traveled a lot for 20 years. I have climbed from the bottom up through many different maneuvers ... and I think that's why they wanted me there. I don't think they want me there for fashion. I look at (contestants) for their talent and not necessarily the way they're dressed and if their hem length is right. That's what I do on Project Runway but not here.

In what kind of role do you see yourself as a judge?

I look at it as a woman, as a mUm, someone who has seen a lot of shows. You know, I think about, "Hey, is this an act that is interesting? Is this something that I want to see again? Did that excite me? Would my children love to watch this?"

Do you have any specific criteria you are looking for?

I love people that surprise me, that show me things I haven't seen before. Today we looked at this guy ... he's a sword swallower. He combined that with pole dancing. He was pole dancing with a sword down his throat and did that deadly drop that they do at the end sometimes, you know? With a sword in his mouth. ... We're jaded and we've seen so many things and you're looking for something that surprises you.

What made you interested in doing a show like this?

I never saw myself as a judge on the show because I was judging on my couch at home and that was it. And when they called me I was like, "Oh my gosh, what a fun gig that would be." I met with them and I was flattered that they would want me to be part of this. When the news came out that Mel B. was replacing Sharon Osbourne, I thought they just wanted to see if I was into it. Then they're like, "No, no, no, actually we were always planning on having four judges and you're going to be our surprise fourth judge."

Does it remind you of auditions starting out as a model?

No, not really. When you model, people don't really care so much what you have to say. You don't really have to sing or dance or do a performance. It's about your look and they look at your face and your body. You get a once over, and people look at you and either they like your look or they don't.

When did you know that modeling might not last forever?

It wasn't so much that I was thinking I have to branch out. I just branched out naturally because I enjoyed all the different things that I got into. For example, I started designing jewelry because the people who were making the million-dollar bra for Victoria's Secret - I got to wear the bra three times - and they saw my passion for design. So they said, 'Why don't we do a line together?' And that's how it started.

Before I entered my modeling competition in '92, I finished my school and I would've gone to Duesseldorf to design school. ... I wanted to be a fashion designer and if I wouldn't have won that modeling competition, I would've gone to school.

How do you balance work in the United States and Germany?

I spend most of my time in America. I shoot Germany's Next Top Model in Los Angeles too. It airs in Germany, but I do all of it from home basically because I can't travel that much. So I do the finale in Germany and when I do the casting and look at all the girls, but I take them all to America and then we shoot the show in L.A. ...

For me, this (show) is the closest to my heart, because these girls want to do what I've been doing for the last 20 years, and so I feel the closest to these kind of contestants.

LONDON (Reuters) - A woman who threw eggs at international talent show guru Simon Cowell during the finals of the popular television contest Britain's Got Talent will not face charges, show organisers said on Sunday.

Cowell was one of four judges watching two brothers singing during the live televised performance on Saturday night when a viola player ran from the back of the stage and threw several eggs at him before being removed by security staff.

Cowell removed his jacket and the show continued.

The woman was later named as Natalie Holt, 30, a member of the brothers' backing group, who had competed in the same talent show last year with her string ensemble Raven Quartet, without much success.

"As a result of her misguided actions, the police were called. However, we have decided to take no further action at this stage," said a spokeswoman for the show.

In the statement, released by the show's organisers, Holt apologised to the brothers, Richard and Adam, for overshadowing their performance, saying she realised that "it was a silly thing to do".

But she was less contrite in comments to the Telegraph website, saying: "I basically took a stand against people miming on television and against Simon and his dreadful influence on the music industry."

Cowell is the mastermind behind global TV franchises such as The X Factor and Got Talent that are often accused of creating overnight stars without real talent, and of fuelling a culture of celebrity.

Cowell has become a household name in his native Britain through appearing as the acerbic judge on several of his shows.

The seventh series of Britain's Got Talent was won by a Hungarian shadow dancing group called Attraction, who took home 250,000 pounds and will perform for Queen Elizabeth.

The final was watched by an average of 11.1 million people, on a par with last year's final.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Kinky Boots won six Tony awards on Sunday including the top award of best musical and a prize for its composer, pop queen Cyndi Lauper, as Broadway presented its top honors.

Lauper won best score for her first Broadway musical, Kinky Boots, an adaptation of a British film about a struggling shoe factory reinventing itself by making boots for drag queens.

The hit musical topped the nominations with 13 and also won best actor in a musical for Billy Porter, best choreography, orchestrations and sound design.

A tearful Lauper said "I can't say I wasn't practicing in front of the shower curtain for the past couple of days," and went on to "thank Broadway, for welcoming me."

Porter, who as the strong, proud drag queen is at the show's heart, said he first watched the Tony telecast at home at age 11, and recalled a performance from the musical Dreamgirls by saying "That moment has changed my life."

The best play Tony was won by Vanya And Sonia And Masha And Spike, a crowd-pleasing comic riff on Anton Chekhov's work by veteran playwright Christopher Durang that stars Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce.

Winning his first-ever Tony award, Durang noted that he had written his first play in the second grade in the 1950s, adding "It's been a long road."

In an unexpected win, Tracy Letts, who is also an award- winning playwright (August: Osage County) was named best actor in a play for his strongly praised performance in the revival of Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf, which was widely predicted to go to Tom Hanks making his Broadway debut in the late Nora Ephron's journalism drama, Lucky Guy.

The Edward Albee classic also won the Tony for best revival of a play.

Cicely Tyson won best actress in a play for her moving portrayal of an elderly woman returning to her former home in the revival of The Trip To Bountiful, marking her return to Broadway after some 30 years.

Speaking with deliberation and poise, Tyson, 79, noted she had a "burning desire" to do just one more play and remarked a teleprompter was saying "Please wrap it up. Well, that's exactly what you did to me," she continued. "You wrapped me up in your arms after 30 years and now, I can go home with a Tony."

Matilda The Musical, an Olivier award-winning production based on a story by Roald Dahl about a precocious little girl that received ecstatic reviews and 12 nominations, came away with four awards, including best book of a musical and best featured actor in a musical for Gabriel Ebert.

Veteran television, film and theater actress Andrea Martin won best featured actress in a musical for an acclaimed circus-themed revival of the 1970s hit Pippin, which won four Tonys including best revival of a musical, best actress in a musical Patina Miller and best director for Diane Paulus.

Women won both the directing honors with Pam MacKinnon taking home the Tony for play direction for Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?

Judith Light, known to television audiences for the sitcom Who's The Boss but also an acclaimed stage actress, won her second consecutive Tony, for The Assembled Parties.

She paid tribute to her fellow nominees, saying "you have made this a celebration, not a competition." Light won the same award last year for Other Desert Cities.

Courtney B. Vance won best featured actor in a play for Lucky Guy, saying backstage as his gazed at his award, "It's nice to meet you fella'."

The show at Radio City Music Hall and broadcast on CBS featured appearances by the casts of Kinky Boots, Matilda and Pippin. It opened with host Neil Patrick Harris leading a lavish, satirical production featuring the casts of those shows as well as Cinderella, Spiderman and even Mike Tyson, who did a one-man show this season and dueted with Harris.

Presenters included Hanks, Scarlett Johansson, Cuba Gooding Jr, Jesse Eisenberg, Jon Cryer, Liam Neeson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anna Kendrick, Zachary Quinto, Sally Field, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Matthew Broderick.

Other highlights included a special tribute to the musical Phantom Of The Opera, Broadway's longest-running show which is still going strong after opening in 1988.

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - Low-budget horror film The Purge scared up US$36.4 million in ticket sales to lead the domestic box office in its first week in domestic theaters, zooming past the car-racing action film Fast & Furious 6.

The Internship, a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson based on the antics of nerds in search of a job at internet giant Google, sold US$18.1 million worth of tickets to finish fourth, according to studio estimates of sales at U.S. and Canadian theaters.

The film reunited Vaughn and Wilson who teamed to make Wedding Crashers in 2005. That movie generated US$209.3 million in domestic ticket sales, according to the site Box Office Mojo.

The duo's latest effort was projected by industry experts to gross a modest US$17 million in ticket sales.

The Purge, made for US$3 million by the producer of the low-budget Paranormal Activity horror series, stars Ethan Hawke and Lena Headey in a futuristic story of the United States in 2022 in which the government reduces crime by allowing almost all crime to go unpunished during a 12-hour "purge" period.

Part science fiction, part horror film, The Purge was dismissed by critics but eagerly awaited by horror fans. Industry experts had forecast it would sell US$20 million worth of tickets.

Universal Studios' president for domestic distribution Nikki Rocco attributed the film's success to its marketing and social media campaign.

Rocco also said that the time was ripe at the box office for a low-budget horror film like The Purge.

"The timing was perfect," she said. "In the last month or two there's been a definable slot for this kind of movie."

Fast & Furious, the sixth installment of the series starring Vin Diesel racked up US$19.8 million to take second place, bringing its total since Memorial Day to nearly US$202.9 million domestically and US$584.6 million globally.

The sixth installment in the billion-dollar franchise takes the action to London, where Diesel and co-star Dwyane Johnson lead their crew on a mission to take down an international ring.

In third place, the comedy heist caper Now You See Me continued its stronger-than-expected showing with US$19.5 million at North American (U.S. and Canadian) theaters, finishing in third place.

The post-apocalyptic After Earth, starring Smith and his teenage son Jaden Smith, continued its weak showing at the U.S. and Canadian box office with US$11.2 million.

The film has generated US$46.6 million in total domestic sales, Will Smith's weakest performance since the 1993 film Made In America that grossed US$44.9 million, according to Box Office Mojo.

After Earth did perform strongly overseas, opening with US$45.5 million in 60 territories over the weekend.

Rory Bruer, Sony Pictures' president of worldwide distribution, said that Sony was happy with the overseas opening and expects much of the film's ticket sales to come from international markets.

"It definitely was the exciting start we were looking for internationally," he said.

LONDON (Reuters) - American R&B singer Robin Thicke held onto the number one spot in the British singles charts for a second week with Blurred Lines, notching up the biggest one-week sale of the year, the Official Charts Company said on Sunday.

The song, which features hip hop artists T.I. and Pharrell Williams, sold nearly 200,000 copies during its second week on sale, keeping British rapper Naughty Boy's dance track La La La, featuring London singer Sam Smith, at number two.

The Official Charts Company said Thicke's success was part of a trend that had seen sales of number one singles go "through the roof" in the last two months selling an average of 150,000 copies a week, compared to 106,000 last year.

In the albums chart, British electronica duo Disclosure snatched the number one spot with their debut album Settle, beating off stiff competition from the Queens of the Stone Age.

"We're absolutely delighted with the result. Proudest moment of our lives. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has bought the record," Disclosure's Guy and Howard Lawrence told the Official Charts Company.

Disclosure's success meant French electronic music duo Daft Punk were knocked off the top spot with Random Access Memories and pushed into third place.

Veteran Rod Stewart was duly pushed into number four with Time.

There aren’t too many of them, but great films about seniors are a vibrant part of cinema’s rich tapestry of tales.

THE subject of ageing and growing older is something that doesn’t crop up in many Hollywood movies. Summer blockbusters usually focus on “stories” that highlight the actors of the season’s slammin’ bodies (Star Trek Into Darkness, Fast & Furious 6, the Transformers films), superheroes (Man Of Steel, The Avengers), cute animated characters (Monsters University, Wall€E), over-the-top comedians (Ted, That’s My Boy) and other superficial or feel-good stuff.

However, although the film industry is still unapologetically all about young hot bods and gorgeous faces, viewers are demanding for more relatable stories with relatable characters. Films that revolve around the lives of senior citizens not only fit this requirement but they can be pretty entertaining and heartwarming, too. Sure, most of them do tend to be within the drama genre, but a little bit of serious can’t hurt anybody.

Quartet, a film that’s currently playing in Malaysia, is about a bunch of veteran classical singers and musicians who live in a retirement home. It’s a comedy with dramatic undertones, so although the script is wildly witty, there are a few scenes which tug at the heartstrings (and potentially turn you into a blubbering fool). Originally a play, the film marks Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut and stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins and Michael Gambon – all of whom are above 70 years of age.

These actors are masters in their craft so they brought to Quartet a world of experience and talent that only seasoned professionals possess. This is why older stars like Smith (who’s 79), Betty White (91), Ian McKellen (74), Anthony Hopkins (76), Morgan Freeman (76), Robert De Niro (70), Jane Fonda (76), Michael Caine (80) and Helen Mirren (68) are still in high demand in Hollywood. Their names lend a sort of instant credibility to a project, which helps in gaining financial support, for example, or filling up the cast list with other top actors.

Over the years, there have been a number of critically and/or commercially successful films about ageing that also starred actors who are in the prime of their lives ... career-wise that is. Here’s a look at some of the memorable ones.

On Golden Pond (1981)

Director: Mark Rydell

Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Jane Fonda, Dabney Coleman

Why it’s good: Hepburn and Fonda, two acting greats in one touching film. Hepburn was 74 when she did this film and Fonda, 76, while his real-life daughter Jane was only 44. The story of how a bitter, elderly father reconciles with his adult daughter is one that has been done over and again in many fictional works. Nonetheless, the fact that the two Fondas were in this film playing roles that in a way mimicked their own relationship adds a rare quality to it. On Golden Pond was Fonda’s final film, and one which finally won him an Oscar for Best Actor (Hepburn won the Best Actress award).

Red (2010)

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Richard Dreyfuss, Mary Louise-Parker, John Malkovich

Why it’s good: Willis and Freeman in an action flick is nothing new. Malkovich playing a psychopath is expected. But Mirren playing a retired MI6 operative, shooting gigantic guns at bad guys and ducking bullets? Yes, please. If you haven’t seen this film then try to catch the sequel Red 2 (which will also feature Anthony Hopkins), out in July.

Amour (2011)

Director: Michael Haneke

Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Emmanuelle Riva, sabelle Huppert

Why it’s good: Love, companionship, loyalty. The peaceful lives of octogenarian couple Anne and Georges is shattered when the former has a stroke and becomes an invalid. She wants to stay at home, so Georges tries his best to care for her, but is often frustrated when things don’t go accordingly. As Anne’s health dwindles, Georges is faced with a very difficult choice, one he never thought he would have to make. Amour is a truly emotional film with many heart-rending scenes, where certain issues will make you think about your own life. Not many films can do this anymore.

Cocoon (1985)

Director: Ron Howard

Cast: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Brian Dennehy, Jack Gilford, Maureen Stapleton

Why it’s good: A bunch of old folks get their groove on ... well, not exactly but they do feel young and exuberant again after swimming in a pool where alien cocoons are kept. It’s an easy film to watch, and even easier to like. Seeing the elderly characters (except for Dennehy and Brimley, all of those listed above have passed on) literally jump back to life is not just amusing but touching, too. Imagine if it could happen in real life.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Director: John Madden

Cast: Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith

Why it’s good: Seven British retirees head to Jaipur in India after coming across an online advertisement on a beautiful, newly furbished hotel. Once there, they realise that they are victims of false advertising – their hotel is nothing but a run-down building. Still, their young optimistic host assures them that they will still have a great time and convinces them to stay on. Based on a novel, this movie’s a fun watch. The actors bring to life a script that is both funny and affecting, and play their characters perfectly.

Win an autographed copy of Karen Mok’s new album.

WANT to get your hands on Karen Mok’s new album Somewhere I Belong? 988 is giving away signed copies of Mok’s jazz album to coincide with the singer’s exclusive interview to be aired on the station’s Morning Up VIP show this week. Listen to 988 for the cue to call and SMS “UP your message” to 33988 for a chance to win a copy.

Also on 988 this week

Morning Up VIP (Wed-Fri, 9am-10am)

Karen Mok is one ambitious woman. At a mere age of three, the talented Hong Kong-born actress cum singer-songwriter has already set her sights on being an artiste. She has not look back since. This year marks Mok’s 20th year in showbiz and she shows no signs of slowing down.

The Feature (Mon-Tues, 9am-10am)

Father’s Day is just around the corner, so let’s take a look at the job of male babysitters. What’s the behavioral difference between kids raised by male babysitters compared to their female counterparts?

Music VIP (Mon-Fri, 2pm)

Many assume that Taiwanese rock musician Chang Chen-yue, better known as AYue, has a good command of English as his music style is quite westernised. But who would have guess that that’s not the case at all. AYue also reveals he is a spontaneous person when it comes to love. Tune in to find out what other shocking revelation in this interview.

Music Gets Crazy (Mon-Fri, 1pm-4pm)

You might be surprised to find out that Joanna Wang Ruo Lin’s BFF is fellow countryman Tsai Min You aka Evan Yo. So how was their friendship formed? Also, FIR’s lead singer Faye Chan will teach listeners how to dress up like a rock star without putting a dent on your wallet. New Taiwanese band Magic Power will reveal to listeners the secrets of their love life.

> Download the 988 app or stream it online at 988.com.my. 988 is a subsidiary of Star Radio Group.

The problem with a lot of our Indian actors is that they tend to follow whatever they watch in the Tamil movies from India , says local artist figure Sabera Shaik.

The problem with most Malaysian actors? They don’t train.

TRAINING is like bread-and-butter for an actor. Without it, he is simply a fool who “struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more”. The Bard could not have put it any better.

Unfortunately, training, as crucial as it is, is something that suffers the worst blow in the life of an actor. It is often forgotten, sometimes morphing into an afterthought or worse still, it is abandoned and neglected, like that milk in the refrigerator, which curdles and turns sour in the passage of time.

This scenario is nowhere else more true than in our very own country. It is not like Malaysia is suffering a talent-drain. We have very capable and fantastic actors, both on stage and the silver screen. However, many of them lack the theoretical and practical grounding of the enterprise of acting.

Oscar Wilde once said that theatre is the greatest of all art forms. But how can any art form thrive and reach the heights of greatness and inspire awe if it is not trained and girded with knowledge? Does not the knife lose its usefulness if it is not flinted?

All you have to do is turn on the idiot box and watch a Malaysian drama or visit any of the theatres and you will see the uninspired decisions some of the actors make, often resulting in a gut-wrenching experience for the audience.

This situation is no more prevalent than in the local Indian scene, where more and more fledgling actors grow up with the influence of Kollywood. Their performances are mere copycats, where melodrama and exaggeration of emotions are a norm.

The cure for this “disease” is undoubtedly training … earnest training. Veteran director, scriptwriter, actor and activist of Indian theatre and films, S.T.Bala organised a three-day acting workshop for theatre, television and film, targeted at Malaysian Indians.

The workshop focused on acting theories, physicality and vocalisation, to name a few. With a total of five sessions, the workshop, which was held at the Ancasa Express Hotel from May 31 to June 2, was a collaboration between Persatuan Seni Pentas India Kuala Lumpur and Finas (National Film Development Corporation Malaysia).

The workshop saw 13 enthusiastic Indian thespians-to-be gathered with one goal in mind: To gain as much insight as possible about acting and enhance their skills. After all, some of Malaysia’s theatre world’s biggest names facilitated the sessions. What gems and rubies they gathered from the likes of Mano Maniam and Sabera Shaik, whose latest musical Chow Kit Road! Chow Kit Road! performed to rave reviews.

Thomas Anand George, 28, one of the eager participants of the workshop enthused that acting has always been a passion of his but held a myopic view of it before attending the workshop.

“But after attending it and listening to Mano and Sabera, I realised that the basic, intricate details of acting are often overlooked by our actors and these are the most important elements to make a movie or performance good,” Thomas shared.

And these are the bane of our performers: Complacency and the I-know-everything mentality. Sabera, who helmed the physical element of acting in Day Two of the workshop, lamented on this scenario and claimed that Malaysian actors just do not train.

“This is the problem with Malaysian actors. They don’t train. You have to keep training. This can save a lot of time in rehearsals. A lot of our actors go into rehearsals and wait for the director to tell them what to do. That is the wrong attitude. You must be prepared with something to offer to the director,” Sabera told the participants, who were listening attentively.

Sabera, of course, walks the talk, having been in the industry, locally and internationally for nearly four decades! She shared that she trains three times a week, two hours per day, at her friend’s studio to keep her body fit and physically prepared.

Another participant, Punnagai Krishnan, 25, echoed Sabera and said for an actor, the learning process does not and must never stop.

“There is no limit for learning. You need to learn everyday. So, I wish more workshops like this are organised for us, to better ourselves and enhance our skills,” Punnagai, a planning executive, asserted.

In fact, some of the participants were architects, engineers and even a school clerk!

But the burning question that begged to be answered was this: What are the shortcomings of Indian actors in our country?

Bala spoke with the zeal of a crusader and did not shy away from the truth.

“The problem with a lot of our Indian actors is that they tend to follow whatever they watch in the Tamil movies from India. That is their point of reference. But what they fail to see is that some of the actions, emotions and most importantly the lingo of those actors cannot be subscribed here. Malaysian Indians have their own culture, specific to this country.

“So sometimes when there is a scene where an actor is required to cry after their character’s mother or father died, they end up adopting the over-the-top way of crying, rampant in these Tamil movies. Our actors need to understand how their character would react to the news of a death and bring in their own personality into it and not just wail like in the movies,” Bala opined.

Sabera agreed with Bala and warned Malaysian actors to move away from the over-the-top way of acting.

“When you are true to yourself, that is when you find your character. That is to say, you have to be true to what the character is, within what you have, within your own experiences and your own emotions. And then you will look at some of the Tamil actors and realise that he is actually overacting. So, I say it again, you have to be true to yourself, if not you are overacting,” Sabera articulated.

Both Punnagai and Thomas, who sells furniture, reiterated the importance of learning and training. They said no matter how good an actor is, he or she is never good enough and there are always “windows of learning and opportunities to gain”. Unfortunately, they said, the awareness of education is lacking and actors need to buck up and shed their arrogance.

“What can be done is get a group of actors together, form an ensemble and get them trained. Often times, actors join a production and once they are done with it, they are left alone until another opportunity rises. So, it’s important to have an ensemble and to keep training the actors.

“They (the participants) have an edge over the other actors in the industry. They can speak three languages, Malay, English and Tamil. Who has that kind of advantage? But they need proper and continuous training,” Sabera advocated.

The three-day workshop, now in its fourth year, ended on June 2, where each participant received a certificate from Finas.

The fledgling actors may have come with an empty chest but they definitely left the workshop with that chest brimming with treasures.

Acting requires passion and dedication but it cannot grow with just those. The only way to keep the flame ablaze is to constantly and earnestly engage in practice and training, never underestimating the power of learning.

And most importantly, an actor should never let complacency and arrogance to seep into their veins. That will be the greatest blunder they can commit.

Jazz singer/guitarist George Benson is bringing his Inspiration Tour to Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre on Aug 28.

Grammy award-winning singer/guitarist George Benson is set to return to Kuala Lumpur in August. His last visit was in 2010, and jazz fans will be delighted that Benson, 70, has added the Plenary Hall, KL Convention Centre on Aug 28 as a concert stop on his Inspiration Tour.

The upcoming show, presented by JS Concert Productions, offers up a bumper greatest hits set by Benson. That means a stroll through his classics like Nothing’s Gonna Change My Love For You, Breezin’, This Masquerade and many more.

This upcoming tour also coincides with the release of Benson’s new album Inspiration: A Tribute To Nat King Cole, out last week.

Benson acknowledges that Cole was indeed one of his biggest inspirations as a young musician getting started in his career.

On this tour, fans can also look out for a generous spread of Nat King Cole favourites on stage. Benson doing Mona Lisa, Nature Boy and Unforgettable is bound to light up the Plenary Hall.

Tickets range RM188 to RM588 are available now through ticketpro.com.my and Rock Corner and Victoria Music outlets in the Klang Valley. Hotline: 03-7880-7999.

Ride N’ Seek host Jaime Dempsey answers five burning questions.

How do you deal with helmet hair?

Helmet hair is a huge problem (laughs). I had my hair down for the first episode, but every time I took the helmet off, I would just be drenched in sweat. So I had it up for the rest of the time.

But normally, I keep, like, a brush or comb on me and a hair band around my wrist. That’s what I do.

Can you ride pillion?

No, not a fan. I used to love it; that’s what got me riding motorcycles. But now that I’ve got my own (bike), I am never riding in the back again. Never.

How many tattoos do you have?

I don’t know. Too many to count (laughs). I started 17 years ago and they all have different meanings.

It’s all part of the biker culture. Once you start, you can’t stop.

Do you have a favourite stretch for riding?

Where I live there is a road called the Pacific Coast Highway. It stretches along the entire coast of California and there are a lot of different places to stop along the way.

So me and a bunch of other bikers – all guys, of course, because I can’t find any girls to ride with – go up the coast, stop and watch the surfers, then just ride through the canyon. California has pretty nice places for riding.

Did you pass the motorcycle course the first time you took it?

I passed with flying colours.

Related Stories:
Fast and fabulous

Skyfall director Sam Mendes is back at the negotiating table to make the 24th instalment of the British spy film series, relays Deadline.com.

After being courted for a long time to make the next Bond picture, Mendes withdrew from the project in early March owing to commitments up to 2014. The film franchise producers subsequently decided to wait for Mendes so as to capitalise on the unprecedented success of Skyfall, which grossed US$1.11bil (RM3.4bil) at the box office, outselling all the other Bond films to date.

During the three months of uncertainty about Mendes, EON Productions sifted through a whole slew of resumes from other filmmakers capable of handling action and suspense well and with a modicum of artistic credibility. The shortlisted candidates included Christopher Nolan (Inception), Nicolas Winding Refn (Only God Forgives), Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech), Ang Lee (Life Of Pi), Shane Black (Iron Man 3) and David Yates (last four films in the Harry Potter series).

The follow-up to Skyfall is slated for theatrical release by 2016. Daniel Craig is currently discussing the terms of reprising the role of Agent 007. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw, who played the new M, Miss Moneypenny and Q in the last picture, are attached to reprise their roles in the next one. - AFP Relaxnews

File picture dated 13 May 2012 shows US actor Johnny Depp during a news conference in Tokyo, Japan. Depp turns 50 today. - EPA

Happy 50th birthday to the dashing Johnny Depp! We take an in-Deppth look at his journey through the decades, with key moments from his life and award-winning career.

1963 - 1972

Born John Christopher Depp II in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963, the indrawn child was the youngest of Betty Sue Palmer’s and John Christopher Depp’s four offspring.

Depp has described himself as a “weird child”, perhaps partly due to the stress of coping with an ever-changing environment. After all, his father’s job as a civil engineer would see them changing addresses over 20 times - taxing even for adaptable Geminis - before the seven-year-old could call Florida home.

Actor Johnny Depp portrays the character "Willy Wonka" in a scene from director Tim Burton's film "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" in 2005. -Reuters

1973 - 1982

Adolescence hit Depp hard. By his dozenth year, Depp had self-harmed, lit his fair share of cigarettes, and experimented with drugs.

To add rock n’ roll in the equation, his mother’s gift of an electric guitar would ignite the 12-year-old’s lifelong love affair with music.

However, that wasn’t the only thing that went up in flames. In an attempt to imitate Gene Simmons’ fiery stage theatrics, Depp is said to have accidentally set his own face on fire on July 15, 1975 after some tomfoolery with a gasoline-soaked t-shirt! Luckily, it didn’t cause too much damage, and he blamed the injuries on a misadventure with fireworks.

Cast member Johnny Depp (L) and director Tim Burton during a panel discussion for the movie "Alice in Wonderland" during the 40th annual Comic Con Convention in San Diego on July 23, 2009. - Reuters

Less fortunate was his parents’ divorce just three years later. Depp had the unenviable task of collecting weekly child-support money from his father, and the uncomfortable experience would eventually lead to a rift between the two.

A school drop-out at 16, the bad boy pursued his dreams of rock stardom through The Kids, a garage rock outfit which enjoyed some amount of success before disbanding in 1985.

1983 - 1992

At the still-tender age of 20, Depp walked down the aisle with 25-year-old Lori Anne Allison on December 24, 1983.

Their union ended in 1985, but Lori would introduce Depp to a former lover of hers in a meeting that proved life-changing for Depp.

Johnny Depp in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl.

The ex in question was Nicholas Cage, who spotted a true National Treasure in Depp and introduced him to a Hollywood agent. A few film extra roles later, Depp landed his first major role in the 1984 horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street.

By this time, Depp was taking acting seriously enough to improve his art through formal lessons.

But it was Depp’s portrayal of Officer Tom Hanson in the iconic television series 21 Jump Street from 1987 to 1990 that truly catapulted him to teen idol status.

Johnny voiced Victor Van Dort in animated feature Corpse Bride.

However, this was an image he resented and strove to shrug off, a feat he eventually pulled off with some much-lauded roles.

They include the comedic musical Cry-Baby (1990) and perhaps most memorably, as the pale protagonist in Edward Scissorhands (1990), where he would meet longtime collaborator Tim Burton.

An overexposed love affair with his co-star Winona Ryder in the latter also resulted in his (modified) Wino Forever tattoo today.

1993 - 2002

With highly praised performances as the eccentric Sam in romantic comedy Benny & Joon (1993) and the long-suffering, small-town lead in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Depp’s career was on the rise even as his personal life took a downturn.

Perhaps Depp found some solace in The Viper Room, where he relived his younger, guitar-playing days through P, his new band featuring names such as Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even Adam Durtz from Counting Crows played bartender for a while.

Johnny Depp playing barber in Edward Scissorhands.

But on the Halloween of 1993, Depp’s club was tainted by the death of young actor River Phoenix, who collapsed from a drug-induced cardiac arrest on its sidewalk after a wild night out. However, the nightspot remained popular.

A highly public and passionate pairing with supermodel Kate Moss also made them familiar faces in the tabloids, and Depp’s infamous hotel-room-trashing in New York took place during the course of their relationship. The couple would later call it quits in 1998.

Happier unions to happen in this period was Johnny reuniting with Burton for a biopic on infamous B-movie director Ed Wood in 1994, and again in 1999 as kooky Ichabod Crane in the lush Sleepy Hollow.

And who can forget his swoon-worthy turn as guitar-playing gypsy Roux in the charming Chocolat (2000) and sympathetic portrayal of notorious cocaine dealer George Jung in Blow (2001)?

In the 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Depp also played Raoul Duke, a character rooted in incidents experienced by famed journalist Hunter S. Thompson, which birthed a deep friendship between the two until Thompson’s suicide in 2005.

His longest relationship to date also began in 1999, when he met French actress Vanessa Paradis while filming The Ninth Gate. They would have two children together - Lily Rose-Melody Depp in May 1999 and John “Jack” Christopher Depp III in April 2002 - before parting ways in 2012.

2003 - 2013

As Depp entered his forties, his career surged to even greater heights.

Johnny Depp portrays journalist Raoul Duke in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It is legendary how Depp got into this role by living in the basement of the real journalist, Hunter S. Thompson. Depp admits it was one character that he couldn't shake off after the filming was over. "He's still in there," he confesses.

From 2004 to 2011, Depp would play one of his most memorable personas, swaggering Captain Jack Sparrow, for the duration of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series to date.

In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the charming character also netted him a Screen Actors Guild award in 2003 for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Those eager for more of Sparrow will have to wait for the fifth chapter in the series, slated for release in July 2015.

Other star turns include portrayals of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie in the critically acclaimed Finding Neverland (2004), eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka in the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and charismatic bank robber John Dillinger in Public Enemies (2009).

His take on a vengeful barber in 2007’s Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street also showcased the actor’s serious vocal chops, and Depp’s performance bagged him the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

After his split from Paradis last year, Depp has since moved on with actress Amber Heard - who was his co-star in the The Rum Diary (2011) - though there’s no telling if their pairing will be as tempestuous as his former love affairs.

What’s certain is that with his charisma and true chameleon quality, Depp will grace the silver screen in one convincing skin after another for many more years to come.

IN more ways than one, Superman is just like everybody else. The young Clark Kent got picked on as a child, he is often misunderstood, and he yearns to find his place in the world.

“It is sort of a universal feeling to wonder what your place in the universe is going to be, and then try to walk that path in life. Superman just represents a distilled version of that, to the point where the choices he makes is going to change the world,” says director Zack Snyder of the beloved character in the new Superman movie, Man Of Steel, at a press conference at Warner Bros. in Burbank, California.

Screenwriter David Goyer agrees that the day-to-day struggle of Clark Kent is something that everyone can identify with, but “the big difference with him is that when he decides what that is going to be, there is going to be this huge ripple effect throughout the world.”

“That’s the kind of crushing responsibility he has,” he says.

Initially hesitant to take on the responsibility of bringing one of the first comic book superheroes back to the big screen, Snyder was sold when he read the screenplay that Goyer had written, based on a story the latter devised with Christopher Nolan.

“Without breaking the canon, without taking away the things that make him Superman, they were about to make him totally relatable,” says Snyder.

Nolan offers: “Where Superman was an impenetrable, god-like figure in previous iterations of the story, we show him as a rather more relatable figure who deals with very human issues of love, divided loyalties and family, even as he is anything but human himself.”

Getting a project of this magnitude off the ground was daunting, to say the least.“It is easy to get paralysed by how important this character is, one that has been around for 75 years,” says producer Deborah Snyder, emphasising that this film is much more than an action comic book story brought to life.

“The depth of the characters and the themes we explore ... this is a story that is so dimensional, that has emotionality. I think that is going to be surprising to the audience,” she shares.

And what a journey the film brings us on, as we witness the trials and tribulations in this conflicted young man’s life and how they are intrinsically linked to worlds beyond our own.

Clark Kent is physically superior, but has to keep it under wraps for fear of repercussions. It is a long and lonely road he has to walk.

According to producer Charles Roven, this character is more complex than we have ever seen him before.

“It is a different take on a very revered subject and it’s a much more emotional road that he travels,” he says.

Henry Cavill (left) and Zack Snyder reviewing scenes from Man Of Steel

To tap into this vulnerability, as well as to capture the realism the film strives for, director Snyder felt that an intimate filmmaking style, including handheld cameras, would help things along.

“I liked the camera not being so rigid,” says Henry Cavill who plays Clark Kent/Superman. “Nothing was off limits as far as the performance was concerned; it lent a freedom to the acting, which was great.”

Man Of Steel is shot on film and in 2D, and post-converted into 3D. The crew traveled to many different locations to shoot: one day in the majestic glaciers of British Columbia in Canada, the next on an air force base in California’s Mojave Desert. The small town of Plano, Illinois, in the United States, was set up as Clark Kent’s hometown, Smallville.

The film boasts an impressive cast line-up, including Cavill, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent, respectively, and Russell Crowe as Superman’s Kryptonian father Jor-El.

Michael Shannon, who plays the menacing General Zod, points out that another theme in the movie, demonstrated in his character as well as in Superman, is that despite their tremendous power, they still face conflicts familiar to the everyman.

“They have a power that many of us would imagine can fix things, would make it easier to live. Yet, ultimately, they struggle as much as everyone else. No matter how strong, no matter how powerful you are, you are still going to struggle with these essential issues,” Shannon says.

And when it comes down to choosing between two fractions, both equally resolute in standing their ground, what will be the consequences of Superman’s choice?

Film director Snyder says that Superman represents the ultimate hero, one that encompasses the cool superhero attributes that inspire us – flight, speed, strength – and at the same time, longs for the same things we do, like our need for love and a sense of belonging in the world.

“He belongs to all of us,” he says.

“That is why, amidst all the awesome visuals, the intense battles, the problems of the planet that he takes on our behalf, we want him to win: because he is true, because he has a good heart and pure intentions. We want him to choose us, because we want to be the best that we can be, just like him.” – Rouwen Lin

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