Da’ KRUsader’s Manor™

Honestly I dunno how to translate nor give a politically-correct sounding term in English to replace the word “sanding“, hence the title has been preserved in its originality so as not to smear it with a bad translation of my own. If you have been following the last two entries I made, you would know that this entry is the last of a three-part series to celebrate arguably the “Wedding of the Year” in the context of the local Malay entertainment industry.

I will henceforth not bore you further with my blabberings and instead let you enjoy the video I’ve put up. Yes I know the background music does not tally with what was being portrayed but the song “For The Rest of My Life” sung by Maher Zain, is a song that the newly-wedded couple love and one that I’ve fallen for the first time I heard it after they introduced it to me. And since it has a Middle-Eastern influence, I’ve added another two personal favourites of mine of the same genre and with the same theme. So without further ado, here it is:

For the record, the wedding was made possible by the kind sponsorship of Bottle Tree Park Pte Ltd, Chinta Weddings, Fatimah Mohsin: The Wedding Gallery, M.A.C., Theme Photography, StudioDua Boutique Photography, Sugarly Nice, Shaistah’s Ink, M.J. Weddings, Lydia’s Oven, Ben Dasuki for the Wedding Bouquets, Sound-Vox Productions & Qaboom with Gumbira.com as Official Online Media.

To the team that ensured the smooth running of events over the three days led by Netty Fiona, you guys are the best!!!

Continuing where I left off from the previous entry, this was the second-part of a three-day celebration for the newly-weds. Held at the main multi-purpose hall at the Bottle Tree Park situated at Lorong Chencharu on the evening of Saturday 17th July 2010, this was an event which was close to a Pesta Perdana affair, with local celebrities and personalities gracing the occasion, dressed in their nines.  Not even the humid weather could dampen the mood as everyone was seen smiling and grinning away, catching up with each other and of course to celebrate the union of the newly-betrothed.

This was also an event that was unforgettable on a personal level as I had experienced a “wardrobe mulfunction” and had to rush home to change my clothes. Due to this unexpected turn of events, I had to miss Sleeq performing “Terima Kasih Sayang” as well as the grand entrance made by Huda & Den, who were serenaded to the tunes of Afgan‘s “Bukan Cinta Biasa” by guest violinist Adliana Supiani. A big thank you goes out to bro Izarr of Izone.sg for being kind enough to take over photo-taking duties when I had to go off for awhile. Appreciate the kind help there.

The event was excellently hosted by none other than Shahrin Azhar and what is a wedding dinner without love songs being serenaded??? Hyrul Anuar‘s version of “Dealova” had my hairs standing on its end, and Sleeq had the guests bobbing their heads when they performed their current hit single on the airwaves ”Untuk Dia” slightly later. Roze Kasmani rounded off the performing cast singing her hit single “Harum“, which literally summed up the fragrance emanating from the blossoming love of the newly-wedded couple. It was indeed a beautiful event for a beautiful couple and attended by beautiful people. Enjoy the video!!!

Thank you also to Netty Fiona, the mastermind behind this event, as well as Huda Ali and family for extending their kind invitation to us…

It was a wedding that was long-awaited for when news of it first made its way on Gumbira.com some months ago and was then picked up by the other entertainment magazines. For the local Malay entertainment fraternity, this was a highly-anticipated event as not many of our local entertainment personalities celebrate their weddings with such a grand affair as this. When one thinks of posh celebrity weddings in the local context, the wedding celebrations of Nurul Aini & Norfasarie back in 2008 immediately come to mind. This year, we can safely add the union of Huda Ali and her husband Den Sabari to the list of momentous and joyous occasions befit for A-List celebrities.

Held at the Bottle Tree Park situated at Lorong Chencharu in the Yishun area on Thursday 15 July 2010 at 8:30pm, the solemnisation ceremony was attended by close friends and family members. Care and consideration were made to ensure the event remained very much private and exclusive from the public eye. When I arrived with my family, most of the guests were already seated waiting for the arrival of the groom as well as the marriage solemniser, Ustaz Sallim Jasman. We did not have to wait too long as the groom arrived shortly after along with his entourage, followed by Ustaz Sallim himself.

The couple being interviewed by Mediacorp Suria which will be shown on the Persada Seni capsule very soon…

After the usual pleasantries and courtesies were exchanged, it was down to the business of solemnising the marriage. Though the groom looked a little tensed, the bride’s father was slightly overwhelmed by the occasion as he gave away his only daughter’s hand in marriage, needing to recite his lines a few times. Reciting the obligatory lines only once, Den Sabari officially became the husband of Huda Ali, much to everyone’s joy as witnessed on the looks on their faces. The bride herself was overcome with emotions as she was seen dabbing her eyes from the tears that flowed freely.

For the record, both the bride and the groom exchanged eight trays of gifts, with the wedding dowry being a crystal wedding ring and $15406 in cash. For those who might wonder why the monetary value looked a little odd, it actually symbolised the date that the newly-wedded couple first got together – 15 April 2006. It was during that time that Huda was going through the inaugural Anugerah Skrin competition, which of course we all know by now that she won along with Shahril Wahid. You can read all about the couple’s love story in this month’s Sutra magazine.

The couple with the apples of my eyes…

To Huda, we might have been acquaintances before this season’s Anugerah Skrin 2010 and to Den, we might have gotten to know one another through being occasional team-mates during weekend / social football, but I feel that the bond we’ve shared and forged after the weekly variety episodes have made us closer and more at ease with one another. Both of you are truly made for each other and I pray for nothing less than the best for your marriage and may it last till the end of time. May Almighty Allah bless this union and may you both have beautiful babies as handsome and pretty as you…

Thank you also to Netty Fiona, the mastermind behind this event, as well as Huda Ali and family for extending their kind invitation to us…

I know I have not been updating this blog for quite some time. Now that Anugerah Skrin is over and there will not be that many shows or events to attend between now and after Hari Raya, I can finally update this blog on past events and shows that I attended between May 2010 and now. Sometimes I wish I could do this on a full-time basis so as not to make you guys wait and wait only to see the same previous posts you have read before. But there is no market nor monetary opportunity yet for me to turn full-time nor able to earn what I am getting now from my day job.

Which is why I hope you guys would understand that delaying of event updates or uploading of photographs taken at events are very much inevitable as I too have a young family who need my attention other than my daily work commitments. This is more or less a sideline passion which brings me no substantial income, a yeoman service I hope would be beneficial for those who were not able to make it to the events and shows I attended.

Just to whet your appetite on what’s in store for this blog in the weeks to come will be updates on:

The three-day wedding affair of Huda Ali & Den Sabari…

Anugerah Skrin 2010 Grand Finals recap…

The Piala Dollah Kassim tournament which I participated in…

Hyrul Anuar‘s album launch…

Sarah Aqilah‘s album launch…

And last but not least, Roze Kasmani‘s formal introduction to the media…

WATCH THIS SPACE!!!

GALA CULTURAL NITE – AN INSIGHT INTO THE HEART OF SRIWANA.

2010 Emerald Anniversary Celebration – An Ode To Believing will showcase 4 major highlights, kicking off with a grand official opening of the evening. Artistic excellence from SRIWANA’s cream of choreographers, namely, Osman Hamid, Hajjah Som Said – both Cultural Medallion recipients, Fauziah Hanom Yusof, Fauzi Anwar – budding and promising in-house choreographers. The show will be graced by a strong and talented pool of 50 SRIWANA dancers both existing as well as past dancers.

One significant segment would feature Sukarji Sukarman; a dance choreographer from Indonesia who possesses widespread experience and prestige in the dance community since 1984. This gentleman has provided numerous significant contributions in the establishment and development of Malay dance. His contribution was not only limited to Sriwana but also to the Singapore Malay community as a whole.

Fauziah Hanom Yusof – Sriwana‘s very own-bred dancer turned choreographer has been instrumental in the artistic development of the group’s performances especially so in the last 5 years. She has co-led the group in several festivals and her numerous creative works have become the platform of the group’s fundamentals and inadvertently enhanced the group’s repertoire. Had been responsible for the group’s new image and had contributed significantly to the success and being of the group till today.

Collaborating together, Sukarji with his wealth of knowledge in modern and traditional performing arts and the artistic excellence of the group, an interesting dance piece will materialise and evolve. Injections of foreign artistic elements will definitely elevate the group’s performances and not to mention the knowledge and experience gained from such collaboration.

Another significant highlight will be special appearance of the members of the alumni – they will combine with the existing dancers, to bring back mesmerizing memories of their early days with the group – a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

To celebrate this joyous occasion and achievement, SRIWANA is also extending their invite to dance performers from the other Malay performing groups like Teater Tari Era, Sri Warisan and Majlis Pusat to name a few to celebrate together their 55 years of achievement. A memorable conglomeration of the mega groups who are responsible for the development of the local Malay performing arts scene as they end the night with a mesmerizing fiesta finale!

Yet another highlight of this dance-musical theatre production will be that of the total live music accompaniment of the re-known Sri Mahligai, a local Malay traditional music ensemble. Sri Mahligai had been accompanying the group in a significant number of her major productions and had never failed to live up to his name. And for that, Sri Mahligai is being called upon again this year.

Another special highlight is the presence of Tengku Ryo Riezkan, another reknown leading Indonesian violinist. His collaboration with Sri Mahligai will bring forward another cross cultural understanding and co-operation; enriching our ethnic touch with modern contemporary tunes.

These are part of Sriwana‘s efforts to elevate the standard of our local performing arts.

Not losing in importance is another one of SRIWANA’s forte – theatre. The majority of television personalities and celebrities in this field are largely from Sriwana. Its theatre festivals saw many budding artistes and celebrities nurtured throughout the years, achieving fame and recognition locally and abroad.

Sriwana’s achievement in Theatre saw multiple rewards in its participation in the festivals organized by Ministry of Culture which bagged Best Production Awards, for three consecutive years for its presentation of KUTUKAN (The Curse), MALAIKAT (Angels) and SELIMUT PUTIH (The White Robe).

This year the group is proud to have with them the special appearances of our local Malay drama icons Norsiah Ramly and Azman Shariff together with the group’s very own talented children.

This tragedy and thriller was written by Cultural Medallion recipient Nadiputra

Since the competition’s inception on 4th May 2010 till we reached its semi-final stage this past Friday, we have finally come to its penultimate week. Somehow it felt just like yesterday that I was getting to know the twenty-four hopefuls who would one day be the next big thing to grace our television screens and now here we are awaiting for the day that new winners would be crowned in both the Male and Female categories of Anugerah Skrin 2010. Nine weeks of competition, nine weeks of watching and seeing each contestant growing from strength to strength or falling by the wayside.

Kudos to Shahril Kahar, Firuz Khan, Erwin Shah Dawson, Diana Amran, Syirah Jusni and Halimah Yahaya for reaching the Grand Finals. Looking at their respective pedigrees and potentials, it is clear that the three young ladies’ have been somewhat consistent and have the necessary package to make it in the industry. For the other three gentlemen, I thought Firuz and Erwin were a relative shoo-in as both have seldom (or in Firuz‘s case, never) been placed amongst the bottom few contestants weekly. It was 50-50 between Shahril and Fadzli and I for one had a tough time deciding who was more deserving, till the contestants were asked to switch over during the announcement of results. It might have been nail-biting to some but perhaps the finalists were a fair reflection of each individual’s potential and probable worth they could offer in the long run.

This past week, Rafaat Hamzah, no stranger to Anugerah Skrin as he was one of the resident judges in the first edition back in 2006, was the guest judge. He admitted that he had not had the opportunity to watch this season’s competition as he had wanted to experience an element of surprise. Indeed up till the semi-final rounds, he is surprised that he has not seen a natural performance from any one of the contestants. What he observed were not reflections of how a human being communicate and react in every day life. He stressed on the need for the contestants to learn more and know how a human being reacts, and to widen their knowledge of acting and drama.

Repeating what he had told the first batch of Anugerah Skrin contestants back in 2006, Rafaat said that it doesn’t matter who wins but who is still standing in five to ten years time. Again stressing on the need for them to enrich themselves, he urged all of them not to rest on their laurels and to enrol themselves in workshops or at the very least find an experienced actor / actress / mentor they could tutor and learn the ropes from. He hailed Sani Hussin and Sri Wahyuni Jaes as good mentors they could have learnt from throughout the course of the competition.

The other two resident judges were relatively kind with their remarks this week. Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) admitted that it was a challenge for the contestants to add on and merged two more minutes of their own thought-out script into the one already given to them, and it was difficult for the judges to assess them as the performance level also increased. However, he only gave props to Group 2 for their smooth flow in delivery and flow of emotions whereas Groups 1 & 3 were patchy at best.

We say goodbye and thank you to Aziela Roza, Sakinah Rahim, Fadzli Mohamad and Raja Razie for reaching as far as the semi-finals and providing stiff competition to the remaining finalists…

Rilla Melati also noted that there were improvements made, but cautioned that the next assessment would be more focused on how the contestants would react to performing in front of a live audience. They need to understand what the audience and the viewers at home expect and want to see as watching it live as opposed to seeing it from the comfort of one’s own couch is totally different. Adding on, she said that whoever is chosen to go to the Grand Finals, their lives would be different after the competition ends. Through all the glitz, glamour and fame, they would do well to leave a space for reality as that will bring them further in this cut-throat industry. They would not and might not be rich, instantly or perhaps even in the long run, but what is most important is that they project themselves as good role models for others to emulate. And that is why I say it again that Rilla is my favourite judge this season for all her thought-provoking views.

Tomorrow night is THE night where the winners will be announced and even the vanquished would perhaps be fortunate to be invited to sign on to join the stable of Suria‘s Artiste Management Unit (P.S. I could be wrong with this fact though). Even though there are still a lot of cynics out there who have yet to be convinced by the six finalists, especially with regards to their potential and promise, lets just enjoy the finals and who knows, they might surprise us all by being better actors live than from what we see through their weekly recorded drama segments.

Highlights From This Past Week

Sleeq opening the show with their latest single “Untuk Dia“…

Eliminated Contestants Nissa Bahruddin, Nur Nasir & Aidil Jufri lending their moral support to the semi-finalists…

Likewise Ariff Salleh, Jasmine Amira, Muhammad Fahmy & Sarah Anissa…

And last but not least, our kind mentors, Sani Hussin & Seri Wahyuni Jaes…

Congratulations to the six finalists!!! (Photo courtesy of Mediacorp Suria)

Promotional Poster courtesy of Mediacorp Suria

With just less than a fortnight away to crowning the next big thing in our local Malay entertainment scene, Anugerah Skrin 2010 saw another two contestants from the remaining twelve, being eliminated this past week. The recent week was also the quarter-finals round of the competition. As in weeks gone by, there was another guest judge for this particular round and she was none other than Era Faridah, otherwise known as “Kak Fid” / “Cik Sal Boleh“. For the record, the ones eliminated this week were Biwa Mastura and Muhammad Dzar. Let’s see what the judges have to say on the contestants this past week.

Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) personally felt that the progress of the contestants, or lack thereof, was extremely disappointing because at this stage of the competition, a lot of things could have been done to explore on their respective roles given. The contestants had gone through sessions with their mentors and workshops conducted for them but they seemed to not make full use of their time properly. He said that he was swarmed with comments that this year’s batch of contestants pale in comparison with their 2006 counterparts and hoped that those who still remain in the competition would prove the doubters wrong.

Rilla Melati noted that some progress was made especially seen by Raja Razie‘s performance. But as quickly as she had given praise, she went on the offensive and chided some of the contestants who it seemed were being overconfident that they could get by just by relying on their looks. Singling Erwin Dawson out, she felt that his acting is still raw and that a lot of rough edges need to be smoothened. She had likened Erwin as the male equivalent of Rima Melati Adams, someone whose good looks and commercial values are a casting director’s dream for any television channel / medium, but to reach that level, he has to buck up and back it up with assured and convincing performances in future.

Even though Era Faridah did not say much in the first round, she did take time to praise Firuz Khan for his perseverence in continuing to pursue his dreams as an artiste (he is afterall a serial contestant in past Anugerah competitions). She gave useful advice towards the end and said that glamour will come through hard work. From what she observed, they need to remain focused, be comfortable with their roles and not be selfish. I believe these are factors that have been drummed throughout the competition but somehow failing to register on some of them. Thanking the mentors for their guidance towards the contestants, she closed her speech by telling the contestants to never take advantage of their looks and to always project a positive working attitude.

Was I surprised by the eliminations??? In most ways yes, as I had at least expected Dzar to be one of the three male finalists. As for Biwa, I felt that based on her performances throughout the competition, she was at least good enough for another week. But like some of those who were previously eliminated, I wasn’t feeling too sad for them as I feel that they have done enough to show that they have something to offer to our industry in the years to come. Biwa with her theatre background, could only improve on her acting through experience and learning more from her peers as well as through her curriculum.

As for Dzar, I am suitably impressed when I heard him during the contestants’ weekly on-air promotions on RIA 89.7FM. He is extremely comfortable and fluent conversing in our mother tongue, a rare trait to have in our younger generation these days, and he has a natural flair for hosting as witnessed during the Anugerah Skrin Roadshow a fortnight ago at East Point Mall. Coupled with the fact that he has what one might term as a “radio voice“, I had encouraged him a few weeks ago to go for a voice audition if the opportunity arises in future and now with his elimination, I really do hope that he would make use of his God-given talents to pursue another avenue. I already foresee him as the heir to helming the Misteri Jam 12 (MJ12) show and I definitely won’t mind sharing a working relationship with him, as much as I enjoy assisting KC updating the official MJ12 blog from time to time.

This coming week, Anugerah Skrin 2010 reaches its semi-final stage whereby things will be doubly harsh, in that out of the remaining ten who will be fighting for the final slots, four will be eliminated. Who will they be??? Before the results are known,  don’t forget to tune in the Drama Episode tomorrow on Mediacorp Suria at 8:30pm or catch the repeat on Wednesday at 11:00pm.

Highlights of the Episode

Before the show, the audience was laughing along…

To Dyn Norahim‘s jokes…

The eliminated contestants along with mentor Sri Wahyuni Jaes…

Syed Azmir who just turned 26 last Saturday, debuted his latest single “Jalan Terus“, which was composed by none other than the creative duo from Sleeq…

Syirah will never fail to look out for my camera… By the way, the eerie coincidence returned again this past week when I realised both eliminated contestants had to pair up here.

Safe for another week at least. Could they also be the possible finalists???

I did say a couple of weeks ago that I would review again when the quarter-final round beckoned. Well here we are again albeit a bit belated and too close to the results show later tonight. Life has been a bit hectic and haywire for me, no thanks to being maid-less, the whole family’s been down with the seasonal influenza outbreak and of course we have the World Cup. So I have to apologise if I’m not able to assess the contestants this week again and perhaps the following week as well, till normal life resumes.

Anyway based on what I watched last Tuesday night, I felt very much frustrated, not at the contestants, but the scripts, storylines and dialogues used. I dunno how many times I cringed and felt like throwing something at the television screen. I dunno if for this round onwards, the contestants are supposed to think more out of the box and improvise on their respective scenes, to the point of creating their own lines even, but I felt the scripts that were given to them did not lend justice at all and made them look silly at times, to the point of being cheesy even.

Ok I know that there’s some form of tie-ups being made with organisations like the Health Promotion Board, especially the last scene encouraging living a healthy lifestyle, but the scripts could be better rather than be repetitive (“Keyakinan Diri” or “Confidence“ seemed to be the commonly used word for the second segment) or not challenging the contestants at all as seen by the last segment. Some only had very little lines to play with while others were more prominent having more lines to say. Even the transitions between emotions and scenes were not smooth.

Surprisingly, Diana, Syirah and to some extent, Dzar and Firuz, who have been generally consistent throughout the whole competition, dipped in form. I dunno if it was due to having new team-mates or having to explore on their own since their mentors did not guide them fully this time round, but as a whole, nobody gave convincing or should I say stellar performances that they could be proud of, at least from my own personal observations. But on a more positive note, I would like to say that I am impressed with Sakinah for heeding the judges’ advice to upgrade herself. I think her skin looks much better and more radiant on television as compared to previous weeks.

The results tonight will be quite open and I believe will be down to the votes cast by viewers. Well you have until 6pm to vote for your favourite contestants.