MJ12 – Kronik DVD Promo…
After the resounding success of Konsert Misteri Jam 12 – Jangan Takut Hantu held at Fort Canning Park on New Years’ Day, RIA 89.7FM, Cokelat Events & Production and Gridmedia, have teamed up to produce a Misteri Jam 12-themed DVD titled “MJ12 – Kronik“. The DVD contains four short stories sent in by listeners of the most popular programme of the aforementioned radio station. Directed by Rafaat Haji Hamzah and Khairudin Samsudin, the four short stories feature the likes of radio presenters Hafeez Glamour, RZ and Fiza O, as well as up-and-coming artistes like Kai Abu Bakar (Kopi Bujang Season 2), Hisyam Hamid (Cut Amirah) and Rahayu Ridwan (Anugerah 2011 winner). There is a guest appearance by Ustaz Taufiq Ismail and DJ KC acts as the narrator / presenter.
I had the honour of sitting through three consecutive nights of filming, the first at Old Upper Thomson Road and the remaining nights at Wing Tai Building. I have never sat through a filming set before, so this was quite an eye-opening experience. The experience exposed me to some of the works that our talented artistes and backroom crew do which most of us do not get to see. Most of us only see the end product and appreciate the glamour associated with the entertainment scene. Trust me when I say “glamour” is only 10% while the rest is all sweat, toil, blood and tears. Through this experience, I learned to appreciate the hard work put in by everyone in a production. And for that I have to thank Rafaat and his wife Azizah for having me around.
I will not delve too much on what I saw and what I experienced. Instead, I will share with you snapshots I took during the three nights of filming as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Plus I don’t think I need to say much when it comes to the most popular show on local Malay radio. The name “MJ12” itself is an enticement on its own. But in case you are wondering how to go about purchasing the DVD, fret not. Here are the details on how to get the DVD. You can make payment via the following modes:
Bank: OCBC (Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation)
Account No.: 555842640001
Account Type: Corporate
Or
Bank: POSB (Post Office Savings Bank)
Account No.: 049-40431-0
Account Type: Savings Account
Payments can also be made via Paypal at
http://cokelatbox.com/products/mj12-kronik/
You have to indicate your name for the distributors’ reference. For payments via the ATM or at the counter, do send Cokelat Events & Production Pte. Ltd. a copy of the transaction slip for verification. Upon receipt of payment, Cokelat Events & Production Pte. Ltd. will email you an acknowledgment note which also confirms your order. DVDs can be delivered or self-collected at the MJ12 booth located outside Tanjong Katong Complex (till the end of Ramadhan). After Ramadhan, it can be self-collected at COKELAT‘s Office.
This coming Saturday, 4th August 2012, the “MJ12 – Kronik” DVD will be officially launched at Tanjong Katong Complex. The event is held outside the building where the concourse leading to the main entrance of the building is at. If I’m not mistaken, where Fotohi Carpet Gallery has a booth during this festive period. DJ KC will be making an appearance from 4.30pm to 5.30pm. Pre-ordered DVDs can be collected from 4:00pm to 8:00pm.
Official Launch of Piala Dollah Kassim 2011…
It’s back once again!!! Piala Dollah Kassim, a charity football tournament involving the local Malay media and television personalities, which was successfully held last year, makes its return again this year. Now into its fourth edition since it was first conceived and incepted in 2002, the tournament this year has broken the norm of previous years’ editions in having it a year after the last one. Previously the tournament was held once every two years, with a gap of six years between the first and the second editions. I believe due to the success and support from last year’s tournament, especially the Grand Final where two thousand-odd people witnessed it at Yishun Stadium, it is only natural that it has been changed to an annual affair. But for how long it will remain that way, it’s up to the organisers, PERKAMUS, who have worked hard to make it happen again this year. For that, they deserve every pat on the back they get.
The coveted trophy…
This year’s event is probably an emotional one for myself and of course the family of Allahyarham Uncle Dollah. Regular readers of this blog would know by now the family ties that we share as his wife and my mother are sisters. This will be the first time the event is held without him around anymore. Even when he was in a state of coma and bedridden last year, I felt his presence and spirit cheering me on from the stands when I played for the Mediacorp Suria team as its goalkeeper. There were good and bad memories from last year’s tournament, the good of course being able to play in front of a near capacity crowd and the bad, well I’ll just leave it as that, but I tend to take positives out of the few bad ones. This year, I will reprise my role as the team’s custodian once again. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mediacorp Suria for placing their faith in me and it is an absolute honour to represent my family and play in the tournament again.
The launch was hosted by Rosley Jimaen and Deanna Manto…
Once again the tournament will be a four-cornered fight between Berita Harian, Dramatis, Mediacorp Suria and the organisers as well as the defending champions themselves, PERKAMUS. The draw to determine the respective match fixtures was recently held at the rooftop of the Singapore Press Holdings‘ building on 25th September 2011. Representatives and several players from the respective teams graced the occasion, not forgetting the various kind sponsors of the event. This year, the beneficiary organisation who will receive the proceeds from the event will be Darul Ma’wa Children’s Home. Several side-events and carnival have been lined up during the days of the qualifying matches and these are kindly organised by the good people of Bikers’ Aid International, a professional fundraiser and charity organising management consisting of 40 motor clubs with mixed races and genders from 3000 motorcycles members here in Singapore and Malaysia.
Cikgu Yusnor Ef with the opening speech…
Though I will not delve much on what happened during the launch per se, it was heartening to hear the President of PERKAMUS, Cikgu Yusnor Ef, appealing to other organisers of football-related events not to misuse the good name of Uncle Dollah and also to seek his family’s approval before using his name for their respective events. I’m sure older readers of this blog would remember how I went on a ranting spree last year, when some irresponsible people came up with the idea of having a football academy using Uncle Dollah‘s name without seeking his family’s approval. And it was just last week that our family found out that a football competition organised in Tampines also used his name without seeking prior approval. We’re not trying to be high-handed, but I’m sure nobody likes others to use one’s own family members’ names without first seeking permission. Like what Cikgu Yusnor said, “Do not misuse his name to the point that it becomes devalued and cheap…” As a family, we do not want Uncle Dollah‘s name to be used by any organisation for their own benefits. Uncle Dollah was a generous man, any event organiser that uses his name in future should take note that any proceeds from their event, must go to a charity organisation. Over the years, the family has been working closely and have absolute trust in PERKAMUS, because they have been doing the right thing.
Uncle Dollah‘s son, Ezaad, urged all players to check their fitness and health before taking onto the pitch so as to prevent a similar occurence of what happened to Uncle Dollah back on 4th Oct 2009.
I do not know who will be playing in the other teams, other than Nick Mikhail, Izzat Yusoff, Amy Kecik, Khairudin Samsudin, Faizal Ramli amongst others, playing for the Dramatis team and Jeff Catz for PERKAMUS. But I’m quite confident that our Mediacorp Suria team, with the injection of new players from the Anugerah Skrin 2010 competition, and retaining half of those who represented the team last year, will try and give the defending champions a run for their money. This year Mediacorp Suria will be represented by renowned television personalities Rafaat Hamzah, Fauzie Laily, Syed Azmir (captain), Shahril Wahid, Effandy Idris and the Anugerah Skrin 2010 alumnus like Shahril Kahar, Aidil Jufri, Mohd Idris Jamin, Raja Razie and Muhd Dzar. We also welcome into our team the likes of actors-hosts Fadhlur Rahman and Taufiq Salleh, who represented the Dramatis team in last year’s tournament, as well as Khairul Ruzaini (the son of actor Jasmani Basri), and Razif Ariff, who are both part-time actors themselves. In short, this tournament is sprinkling with stars all in the name of charity.
The fixture list…
All qualifying matches will be played at the Singapore Polytechnic stadium on three consecutive Sundays, beginning 9th October 2011. The first match will kick off at 3pm with Berita Harian facing off with the Dramatis team. Mediacorp Suria will play against PERKAMUS at 5pm. The 3rd and 4th placing match as well as the Grand Finals will be held on 20th November 2011 at the Woodlands Stadium. Admission to all the matches is free. So if you do not have anything to do for the next three Sundays, do come down and support your local personalities and also help to do your part for charity. See you there!!!
May the best team wins!!!
From left: Jeff Catz (PERKAMUS), Syed Azmir (Mediacorp Suria), Art Fazil (PERKAMUS), Jasmi Ahmad (Dramatis) and Farid Hamzah (Berita Harian)…
How to get there… (Click on the map to enlarge it)
Simfoni Lebaran Revisited…
I know this blog has been dead for the past month or so. It was meant to be deliberate that way since I did not attend any entertainment-related events of late. We are already into the last few days of Syawal. Goodness how time flies. Hope that your respective celebrations with family, friends and loved ones have been joyous and happy occasions so far. Before I move on and I hope it’s not too late to take this opportunity to wish all my Muslim readers Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri. I am also taking the opportunity to apologise from the bottom of my heart if my reviews or entries have been misunderstood or if I had angered and disappoint anyone through the words, tones and vocabulary used to express my thoughts. I’m not perfect, but I am also not holier-than-thou, so if I had come across as such, then I am truly sorry for potraying it.
Since this entry is a warm-up before I start being active all over again, it’s just going to be a short one with a compilation video of Simfoni Lebaran snapshots I took some two months ago. Yes, you guys might have watched the show on the eve of Hari Raya but the actual recording of the event was done on 8th July 2011, a week before the Anugerah Planet Muzik event. For those expecting me to post a review of the recent Wings concert, no I did not attend it. I would have gone if Search was part of a Double Trouble concert but not Wings alone. I’m also not going to review the upcoming Zain siblings’ (Ziana & Anuar) Pesta Raya concert, even though I am attending the event solely for Anuar Zain, so hopefully no one’s expecting me to post photographs, video clips or reviews concerning the show. Last but not least, enjoy the video…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 9 Recap…
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)
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 8 Recap…
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???
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Show Episode 7 Recap…
I know I have been away for a bit too long. Can’t be helped when the life is a bit topsy-turvy at the moment, plus the World Cup!!! Blogging is kinda far away from my mind and it’s only now that I have the time to blog on last week’s Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Show. Good thing too that this week there is a reprieve with the Bootcamp going on or to be more precise, had gone on the previous weekend, which some of you might have caught last Tuesday on Suria. Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 7 cum Results Show saw another two contestents being eliminated from the competition. With just a few weeks away from seeing new winners, male and female emerging from the pool of potential talents, the competition has by now begun to show who has the potential to go all the way or fall by the wayside in the weeks to come.
Anugerah 2005 winner, Hyrul Anuar, was the guest artiste of the week. He debuted his latest single “Mata“, inspired by the 80s hit sung by Noor Kumalasari.
In what has become a bit of a fortnightly tradition, the judges seemed to reserve their spicy bits towards Group B, even though they were meant for Group A as well. Resident judge Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) noted even though Group B had the stronger pool of potential talents, some were still taking things for granted and not maximising on their given roles. Singling out Syirah, Diana and Firuz as excellent, he gave a warning shot to the rest to start bucking up or better not turn up to the bootcamp. Adding on just before the results of the eliminated two were announced, he told them to be more creative with their roles and to come out from their comfort zones.
The customary weekly welcome getting underway…
Rilla Melati continued where Khai left off and alluded to the possibility of them taking things for granted due to overconfidence, a kind of feeling that they do not need to work hard as they already have a sound fanbase to rely upon. She stressed that at this juncture, the quantity of fans is not important, but their loyalty and trueness which are paramount. Rilla praised Diana and Syirah for being standout performers. Zooming in on Erwin and Nasriah, she felt that they were putting a form of self-censorship on themselves by not giving their all. Focusing on the latter, she felt unsure if Nasriah‘s passiveness was hampered by spiritual aspects and needs to show some confidence in her portrayal of roles.
Our guest judge for this round, Azhar Nor Lesta, agreed with the resident judges that Group B was much better in terms of delivery and execution. Like the week before last when he addressed the Group A contestants, Azhar repeated his advice on them minding their respective attitudes and discipline on and off-screen. Stressing upon the fact that they are future flag-bearers of the country’s acting industry and heirs to replacing the older generation of actors, Azhar reminded the contestants to always remember who they are in that “Once an artiste, they are always an artiste“. Ending his speech, Azhar urged the contestants to continue giving off their best and even if they did not win the competition, they would still have his respect for good attitude and discipline shown.
Smiling for the cameras before the dreaded announcements were made…
Looking at the cull last week, I was not surprised at Nasriah‘s elimination. In fact I had more or less expected it since the last round ended, as she had flirted with the Bottom 4 placing in the previous two rounds and it was just a matter of time before she got the axe. Likewise Aziela Roza should be mindful of her position in the coming weeks ahead, as she has also been in a precarious position in the first elimination round. Nasriah, being the most unique contestant by virtue of being the only one wearing the hijab, could at least be heartened by the fact that her uniqueness would put her in good stead in future, if a role calls for someone who dons the hijab or she could be used as the face for modelling fashionwear for the Muslimahs.
From the start I felt that by wearing the hijab, there will be a limited number of roles she could carry off convincingly and without contradicting herself, whether to her liking or dictated by the directors. Additionally with the wearing of the veil, it becomes a responsibility to live up to. Expectations by the viewers would be that of someone who is gentle, demure and no touchy-feely with their fellow actors, at least over here in Singapore where we are stricter and expect hijab-wearing ladies to mind their Ps and Qs, unlike those across the Causeway where they can get away with shaking the hands of those from the opposite sex and wear short-sleeved t-shirts for example. Even Berita Minggu raised the issue last Sunday about the behaviour of a fraction of tudung-clad ladies out there.
I found this shot simply hilarious as Syirah still had the presence of mind to smile for the cameras even though tears were streaming down her cheeks…
I guess that could be why Rilla alluded to her dual persona and confusion in whether to go all out or otherwise and whether she was hampered by having to juggle between her spiritual beliefs and public expectations. On a positive aspect, she could be happy that she is the first person since Norazela Rosli to break through to the latter rounds of a reality competition when we all know how difficult it is for the public to accept someone wearing the hijab being in the entertainment line and having to mind themselves of their restrictions as well as the expectations and responsibilities that come with it, not only on-screen but off-screen as well.
The ousted two…
I was however a little surprised with Aidil‘s elimination. Along with Firuz and Erwin, his position had been more or less safe before this and I thought for the guys, he was one of the slightly better performers. Coupled with the fact that he had never been in a position where he was amongst the Bottom 4 before this, his position would be safe. But come to think about it, the judges had said that if he were to proceed to the next round, he would have to put in at least 500% effort. Upon reflection, the guillotine actually befell on both Aidil and Nasriah during the judges’ comments’ segment. The judges’ comments were clear indicators that both did not score highly with them. But there’s still time yet for both to improve and brush up on their skills and I know I won’t see the last of them on our television screens just yet. Till then…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 6 Recap…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 5 cum Results Show was a fresh twist in terms of venue. Thanks to the unavailability of the smaller studios that had been host to the show since the start of the current season over a month ago, for this past week only, the show was held at the bigger confines of the Mediacorp TV Theatre. It was definitely a welcome change and a venue which I much prefer as it is more spacious, and thus allowing more people to attend and support their favourite contestants. Two more contestants – Mohamad Idris & Mariah Mahfar – were eliminated from the competition by the end of the show.
Nana was the guest artiste this past week, as she performed her latest single “Aku Milikmu“. A pleasure to finally meet and chat with her in person albeit for a short while after the show…
After a somewhat tensed episode last week, the judges were much nicer this week with their comments. Nevertheless their pearls of wisdom were still words to savour as they pointed out the glaring flaws which the contestants need to improve on. Guest judge Azhar Nor Lesta, even though he is a man of few words, rammed home the fact that the contestants need to brush up on their command and understanding of the Malay language as they are afterall, performing in the medium. He was particularly disturbed by the pronunciation of a basic word like “hela” which the contestants had mispronounced at the start of the show during the short introductory skit. He stressed on the fact that they should read Berita Harian and Malay books / novels religiously to strengthen their vocabulary and understanding of the language.
For the first time in the competition, I observed no coincidences with regards to these kind of poses and shots I took.
Adding on slighly later when asked by resident host Huda Ali what tips he could give the contestants who have advanced to the quarter-finals stage, he gave two important elements that they should have within themselves – Discipline and Team Player – traits that have been stressed upon them throughout the competition. If they were to follow these two important traits and have them wherever they go, then God willing, they would be successful in their craft. He could not have said it better when he alluded to the fact that it is all fine and dandy if one were to be a good actor but if they lack these elements, nobody would want to work with them. I guess these two points have been repeated over and over again and it could be heard again in the weeks to come.
Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) observed throughout the five weeks of competition so far, there were those who were attentive to the tips and advices given, which translated to improvements being made, with two to three unnamed contestants showing progress. There were also those whose performance levels just seemed to dip as the weeks go on. Khai added on that there should also be a “Master & Slave” element, which is the ability to be in control of the situation and time given during their respective scenes, when to grasp and be the focal point and when to step back.
As for my favourite judge Rilla Melati, she noted that some of the contestants were ready to step up into the quarter-finals, but still sees room for more improvements to be made. She said that she is beginning to see the potentials and commercial value in Halimah Yahaya and Biwa Mastura. An important tip that she passed on was, the contestants have to be mindful of their surroundings, to observe and use real-life events or personal experiences as points-of-reference. Adding on, she urged them to invest in upgrading themselves on how to look better with regards to skincare and the usage of make-up, as with the advancement of technology and the upcoming age of high-definition television, their facial presentation would be magnified even more to the watching audience.
Congratulations to Halimah Yahaya, Sakinah Rahim, Biwa Mastura, Shahril Kahar, Muhammad Dzar and Raja Razie for making it to the quarter-finals and a chance to improve themselves further in the Bootcamp. By the way, the Anugerah Skrin Top 12 contestants will make an appearance at the Anugerah Skrin 2010 Roadshow which is to be held at East Point Mall on Saturday 12th June 2010 between 3-6pm. The guest artiste thus far confirmed to perform that day will be Roze Kasmani…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 5 Recap…
The Variety Episode cum Results Show of Anugerah Skrin 2010 this past Friday night threw up a whole list of questions posed, and most importantly a sound reality check to all the contestants still surviving in the competition. After a supposed “subdued” episode the previous week, the judges came out with all guns ablazing and I believe it could have been a culmination of pent-up thoughts waiting to be set free, either through what they had observed or through word-of-mouth from trusted informers. I will henceforth zoom straight into their respective comments beginning with guest judge Ariati Tyeb Papar. Oh lest I forget, Ariff Salleh and Jasmine Amira were both eliminated this week.
Ariati noted a uniformed similarity between them in that they did not comprehend the scripts well enough and translating it to acting and reacting. The contestants still lack in teamwork, which is a core component in acting, moreso in a competition like this, since they need to attract the viewers to vote for them. Stressing that this is not a solo acting competition, Ariati also added that they need to be mindful of their facial expressions, especially the eyes and the lips. Any slight twitches would result in a change of emotional expressions which would undermine their performance.
Aliff Aziz opened the show with his new single “Boom Boom Boom“. Nice to see the “forgotten one” strutting his stuff again…
Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) said the first group was a disappointment with no sincerity in their acting. They had no reaction, no sense of urgency, no conflict leading to no drama. So far the only sincerity etched on their faces throughout the four weeks of competition have been the look on their faces when the results were announced. When they act, they have to make believe. Khai however had kind words for Diana Amran & Syirah Jusni, saying that he saw two potential winners in them. The third group was at best patchy, with them starting off their scenes well but fizzling out towards the end. Firuz Khan in particular was singled out as saying out his lines like a newscaster.
For the fourth week in a row, I noticed the same coincidence during the opening sequence. The ones eliminated were made to pair up with each other. I don’t think this is staged as the viewers’ votes only end at 6pm on the day of the results show, whereas rehearsals were done way before that for the contestants to know where they should stand etc. Another coincidence I note is the bottom 4. Like the previous weeks, at least three would come from the same group that acted together. This might be due to the judges’ analysis, which goes to show that teamwork is indeed an important component for all of them to make their respective scenes successful…
But the most poignant of all comments given by the judges had to come from Rilla Melati, who stamped her mark as my favourite judge of the competition with her no-nonsense words of wisdom. She recognised the efforts put in by the contestants as the standard of quality in acting had risen. In Erwin and Syirah, she saw possible winners from the Group B pool. However, she did not mince her words when she said she was disappointed by some of the acting being shown, with some of them showing a part of their real-life personality in their acting, trying to come across as cute when the role did not require them to be. When she said, “There’s a thin line between being slutty and being natural…“, the words resonating in the ears of the contestants must be deafening till this day and maybe throughout the whole season.
Rilla did not stop there. She alluded to the fact that some of the contestants have fanpages dedicated to them in Facebook, some of which were created for or by them. There is a possibility of being over-exposed in the media, given the fact that they already enjoy a decent amount of airtime every Tuesday and Friday nights. There is a thin line between inviting people to like them and begging people to vote for them to stay in the competition. She saw within the contestants who are sincere in their approach and who are just putting up false fronts. Deep words indeed and ones which the contestants have to ask themselves again why did they join this competition, what do they want to gain out of it and what are they going to do to sustain themselves for as long as they can???
After reading today’s Berita Minggu on the article featuring Anita Sarawak, I cannot help but feel it could not have come at a better time and I do hope that the contestants would read it up and understand what it means to attain longevity in the scene. The entertainment industry is not just a game to play with when the cameras are rolling. In fact when the cameras are off, a bulk of people’s opinions of you are formed even more, either when they see you up close and personal or when words travel around. As such I hope the contestants understand that this is not something they can mess around with and be mindful of their respective actions. Asking if roles or scripts to be changed and diverting questions being posed to them are not examples of thinking actors that the judges are looking for. It also smacks of pompous and ignorant attitude which would spell the end of their prospective careers even before it begin in earnest.
Singapore Idol Season 3 contestant, Fathin Amira Zubir, was part of the audience cheering for Aidil Jufri. She cut a relieved figure when Aidil was pronounced as safe to go through to the next round. She should know the feeling of being tensed before the results were announced…
Then there is that issue of respecting their peers or those who are already more experienced than them. Throughout my four weeks observing and also listening to some of the complaints by established people in the industry, the contestants would do well to greet or at the very least, smile at their fellow performers / backroom staff when these people accorded them the same amount of respect. Ok they might be stressed out from the competition but a smile would go a long way to improve people’s opinions of them. Even when it comes to conversing with stagehands, they do not have to raise their voices at them if they did not cooperate or if their jokes were to go overboard. The moment you raise your voice, surrounding people will immediately have a bad impression of you. Stagehands might not be glamourous unlike you, but without them, you are nothing too.
RIA 89.7FM‘s Fiza O promoting The Great Audio Experience event which she was involved in the previous day at Orchard Road along with celebrities like Nat Ho, Michelle Chong, Fauzie Laily and Shabir…
I have gotten wind of a few gossips and unsavoury stories about some of the contestants which I will not reveal here, nor invite people to squeeze it out of me cos whatever I know is between me and my sources. The competition is still a third gone and yet I have heard of possible frictions starting to build up when the ironical part was, I said just last week how much I loved to see them being united and showing a strong solidarity between them. If one had read between the lines what I said last week, it was actually a warning to them that this is a reality competition afterall and whether they like it or not, unhappiness amongst themselves will occur sooner or later. Moreso if the contestants choose to listen to the words of outsiders or hangers-on trying to associate themselves with them or think it’s cool to be seen in their company. For me, I choose to hear the stories and take them in with pinches of salt and no matter what people tell me about the contestants, I tend to give them the benefit of doubt as much as I can.
At the same time, I hope the contestants reading this would not get too worked up or affected and just be honest with their approach henceforth. Yes, I’ve heard of them being affected by the words of people from the “New Media”, as what we entertainment bloggers are called, but they have to understand that they were the ones in the first place who had put their pride and reputation on the line when they signed up for this competition. Whether they like it or not, they have to get used to the intense media glare and the differing opinions that come along with it. I was there after the show ended and heard one of the production team members telling them not to care about what the bloggers have to say. I think that’s an ignorant remark to make, especially when so far from what I’ve read amongst my fellow peers, the comments have so far been objective and constructive. If they cannot receive such criticisms, be it good or bad, then I don’t think this line is for them. In no circumstances have I read anything from my peers as well as from myself that might personally be derogatory to them.
The criticisms we have been giving should never, I repeat, never be taken in personally or feel that we are making them look bad in the eyes of our readers and their respective voters / fans. We commented based on what we saw and how we understood their interpretations of their respective roles. We bloggers are honest people, when we feel that it is good, we credit where it’s due, and if it’s bad, we have to call a spade, a spade. At the rate things are going, I think they could count themselves fortunate that there are only a handful of people blogging about the competition and I dare say all of us have been and are very much responsible with our words. For the third entry in a row, I stress on the point that whatever criticisms they receive from us should strengthen their mental resolve and improve on their future performances. Dwelling on their own self-pity will definitely affect their future shoots and when that happens, we bloggers are seen as the “bad guys”…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 4 Recap…
This past Friday 21st May 2010 saw another round of elimination in the ongoing Anugerah Skrin 2010 season. With each weekly cull, the competition is bound to get tougher and more stiff, with the likely possibility of tensions rising amongst the contestants. So far from my weekly observations and interacting with them, the contestants come across as a very tight unit, like one big happy family. But of course, this is still considered the honeymoon period where everything is very much saccharine and sweet. When the bootcamp week kicks in in a few weeks time, that’s when tensions are bound to rise as witnessed during the last Anugerah Skrin competition, which I don’t need to relate all over again on what transpired. I hope for their sake that whatever disagreements, unhappiness, pet peeves and what-nots that are bound to occur during the bootcamp, their friendship would stand the test of time.
Kunjung Whitaker opening the show with “Di Manakah“, a song which was supposed to be sung by Maiya Rahman. The latter was unable to grace the show due to last minute work commitments. Kudos to Kunjung for taking a short time to master the song…
You must be wondering why I’m touching upon this matter of all topics I would touch on with regards to this competition, or even at such an early stage as this. From what I have witnessed over the past three weeks or so, I have been very much impressed by their spirit of camaraderie, how well they have bonded over such a short space of time and how much they have stuck by each other through thick and thin, the laughter and the tears. Unlike like season’s Anugerah competition where the eliminated ones seldom return during the remainder of the season to lend their support to those still waging the battle, I’ve seen a healthy dose of attendees by those already ousted so far as well as those not involved during the current week.
The customary welcome. In another coincidental scenario that cropped up during this formation pose, the eliminated contestants, Fahmy and Nissa, were paired together. That’s not all. For the third week in a row, the bottom ones had at least three members who were from the same group during the acting segments. Group B must be worried reading this…
This is not to say that those who did not come were not being good sports themselves, definitely far from it, since they might be tied down by studies, personal or work commitments, but this kind of spirit being displayed is what I applaud. I take my hat off to each and everyone of them for being gracious competitors and for taking the time to come down and lend their support to their competition rivals. This was even more significant when almost everyone was seen wiping tears away after the show ended, showing how much they love the two who were eliminated - Muhammad Fahmy & Nissa Bahruddin – and were shocked by their exits. I hope for their sake that this kind of spirit would continue to be forged even after the competition ends. So what did the judges have to say this week???
Khai sharing his words of wisdom…
Khairudin Samsudin (Khai) highlighted the lack of thinking actors amongst the contestants as most of them tend to use the examples by their mentors as the benchmark for their respective roles. What they should not do is to follow / mimic their mentors and instead find alternatives within them to improvise and perhaps do even better than their mentors. Khai also pointed out the need to play around with the words on their scripts so as not to come across as being formal. Adding on, he also urged them to use more of their body parts and not be too one-dimensional with the body language. To cap it off, he advised them not to just act, but react.
Group photo during the commercial break…
After the “excitement” of hearing Rilla Melati‘s comments last week, this week she was a bit toned down, focusing instead on Raja Razie and Muhammad Fahmy. The uncanny thing about Rilla‘s comments on Razie was, they echoed similarly to what I had said in the last entry about him being a bit stoic and stiff, with the possibility that he was verging on stereotype. Though I had said I see him being able to carry off fatherly roles well, Rilla‘s analogy on him drifting towards ancient roles wasn’t too far off either. Moving on to Fahmy, she remarked that he had to maximise his screen time as he was one of the most good-looking contestants she had come across in any similar reality competition. His biggest mistake was constantly looking away from the camera, which she had difficulty in appreciating the acting without seeing his facial expressions.
The bottom 4…
As for our guest judge Ariati Tyeb Papar, her cool, composed yet stern demeanour gave the impression that she was speaking through gritted teeth. She noted the improvements made by most of the contestants but also lamented the fact that some were still playing catch-up. This was very much evident with what the viewers had seen during the video montage, where the mentors were frustrated with the contestants for failing to get into character and feel. Ariati clearly pointed out the need to prepare one’s self before a shoot, to understand their scripts and also for each member of the group to display the important element of teamwork, so that their scenes would come off well. I thought this was an advice which is often repeated but perhaps not heeded by the contestants due to jitters and excitement during the actual shoot. This is where they need to learn how to focus and channel their concentration to what is expected of them.
Muhammad Fahmy & Nissa Bahruddin ended their respective journey in the competition…
Personally, I was extremely surprised that Nissa got eliminated so early in the competition as she was one of those who had displayed a keenness to do well in this competition. But I did mention in my last entry that no matter what happens to her this past week, I believe we won’t be seeing the last of her just yet. Off-camera Nissa is very much a likeable and bubbly character. It was no wonder that most of the contestants, including those in Group B and those who were eliminated earlier seated amongst the audience, were seen shedding tears for her. It was just bad luck that on the day Nissa was celebrating after officially graduating from Nanyang Polytechnic with a Diploma in Media Studies, she had to suffer the ignominy of disappointment of this magnitude. As for Fahmy, he has lots of room for improvement and like I told him after the show, I sincerely believe I won’t be seeing the last of him too. The journey doesn’t end for them provided they still have vested interest in this line. Maybe it would be good if they were to enrol in acting workshops to enhance their talents further.
Anyway I hope that so far whatever comments and reviews that have been done by me or my fellow counterparts would be taken in well by the contestants. Any form of criticisms, be it positive or negative, are meant to be taken objectively and not personally. I’m thankful that I am given the opportunity to interact on a weekly basis and get to know the contestants on an acquaintance level, which to me is good enough to understand their personalities and give them the benefit of doubt where necessary, something which I never did previously as I was only reviewing from the comfort of home. The contestants too need to strengthen their mental resolve when it comes to receiving criticisms as it would prepare them for what lies ahead in future. I don’t think all of us are harsh, even if we are, we’re still not on par as those around the region. Just take the comments in your stride. It shows that we care and we want you to improve and eventually help lift the standards of our local Malay acting industry… 
Other Highlights of the Show
Our resident joker off-camera, Mr Dyn Norahim of Warna 94.2FM…
Group B showing us their respective voting codes for this week… Till then…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Show Episode 3 Recap…
I began last week’s variety show recap by saying I was gutted by the result. This week I guess the only word that comes to mind is “Deja Vu“, a feeling that resonates loud inside. When Mohamed Nur and Siti Aisyah were eliminated, it was widely noted that they both appeared in the third group of Group A‘s acting segments. This week, Alfhian Dalan and Sarah Anissa who were the unfortunate two to be eliminated, also appeared in the third group of Group B‘s acting segments. The coincidence does not end there.
Somehow I am beginning to feel as though I’m being some sort of a jinx to those I had proclaimed as best performers of the week in my drama show recaps. Remember how I had said that Aisyah was the best performer last week only to see her knocked out in the end??? It happened to Alfhian this week after I had said he was the best male performer. I’m beginning to wonder if my words might have had an impact on voters working extra hard to save their favourites from elimination or result in the voters of the better contestants being complacent that they had done enough. Either way, to borrow a quote from my counterpart, Iskandar, “Reality competitions are an absolute bitch…“
The eliminated two this week. Photos courtesy of Mediacorp Suria…
The highlight of the variety show this week for me would have to be the judges not mincing their words to get their thoughts across to the contestants, either to those who were awaiting their respective fates or those in Group A who were seated in the audience. Though the tone of voices by the judges was subtle, one could see that they were giving their thoughts through gritted teeth; the words that came out from their mouths left an indelible mark, so much so that one could see how shakened and worried the contestants were. Even the ones seated in the audience felt it and they all would do well to take heed of what the judges had to say for future challenges ahead.
The panel of judges: (From left) – Khairudin Samsudin, Rilla Melati & Keatar H M…
This was what the judges said last night:
Khairudin Samsudin – Group B was relatively better than Group A. However, this competition is meant for national viewing and not some school acting competition. Having watched the latter in the past, Khai admitted that some of the acting there were better than the ones he saw from the contestants. For a show meant for national television, the contestants need to buck up and not subject themselves to humiliation. On a sidenote, some came for the shoots unprepared by not memorising their scripts.
Keatar H M (Guest Judge) – Bro Keatar, a senior theatre activist and veteran television actor who sits on the Malay Artistes Association‘s executive committee as the Deputy President (for those of you cynics out there who wondered who is he and how qualified is he to be the guest judge), kept his comments short, simple, swift and sharp. He said that they were all not working as a team and were too individualistic.
Rilla Melati Bahri – Her words stung the contestants the most. I think the term made famous by legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, “Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee” befits her perfectly. Behind that petite frame and captivating smile that still charms the socks of many a man out there, Rilla certainly hit the nail on the head when she said that too many were lost in their own world or to put it in her exact words – “Syiok Sendiri“. There was simply no synergy of emotions being passed on from one actor / contestant to the other.
Adding on, Rilla pointed out painstakingly that acting is a craft in which there should be developments being seen and improvements being made in terms of diction and expression. She did not see the benchmark on what they had set out to portray. There should be actions and reactions between each player and no mimicking. Human emotions should be natural and progressive. If mimicking was what the producers were looking out for, then the competition shouldn’t be held altogether and instead employ the parrots over at the Singapore Jurong Bird Park.
As you can see, even though the analogy used was a bit strong, which resulted in the studio audience falling silent and in awe, I for one think that Rilla‘s words meant well and I hope the contestants would see where she’s coming from. As for those who think they can get away by coming to the shoots late or not coming prepared, welcome to the world of entertainment industry where your reputation is on the line every single minute and tongues will wag for nitty-gritty things you do. Even when the judges are not there in the flesh to watch you act out your scenes live, they have their trusted informers at hand. Every move you make now is being scrutinised, not only by the production team but also the public.
Professionalism is an attitude that is universal no matter what we do. Everyone has his / her own problems to solve but when it comes to work, do it sincerely like you mean it to be. There is no point wanting to be in this industry but your attitude states otherwise. Ask or look around you. The workforce industry, no matter what field you delve into, is the same everywhere. Your performances or productivity levels can be tip-top, excellent and even out-of-this-world, but if your work attitude sucks, then all your good efforts are wasted and go down the drain for nothing. All these negativities have to stop if you dream of some day representing our country, acting in a foreign production. If your attitude is already like this, will you still be proud to carry our flag and represent us??? Think about it…
Congratulations to the ones who had progressed to the next round. I hope that for Alfhian‘s sake, he has done enough to impress producers out there to make him a television star of the future. He certainly has potential and looks and when I watched the various VTs on him, he is comfortable expressing his thoughts in a very structured and matured way. As for Sarah, her looks are her plus points. I had said that her performance was not bad, but not spectacular either, which shows that there is much to work on. But given time, she will improve and I believe that is not the last time we see her on national television…
Highlights of the Show
A bulk of the Group A contestants who will duke it out next week. Even Mohamed Nur who was eliminated last week came to lend moral support to his previous fellow competitors, which is always a nice thing to see…
The studio audience preparing themselves for the show…
The pre-show host, Dyn Norahim, explaining the dos and don’ts to the audience. That’s Netty Fiona, from the production team, sneaking up from behind…
Roze Kasmani, the guest performer of the show, kicking things off by singing her current single on the airwaves, “Harum“. I thought she sounds much better live. Here’s wishing Roze all the good things to come in due time…
The resident hosts, Suzairhe Sumari and Huda Ali welcoming us to the show…
Group B easing tensions by posing for the cameras during the first commercial break… After what happened last week with regards to the coincidence in dressing of the eliminated contestants, I couldn’t see any from this photograph, other than the fact that Alfhian and Sarah were aligned front and back. Even then it wasn’t supposed to be that way since they were all leaning against each other…
Suzairhe trying to crack a joke to ease Group B’s tensions…
Relief etched on the faces of the contestants who were safe…
And worried ones on those in the Bottom 6…
Till we meet again next week. Group A‘s contestants promoting their voting code numbers. I certainly like Mohamed Nur‘s sense of humour. And no, that’s not Ramli Sarip in his youth on the rightmost side of the photograph. All the best for next week, guys!!!
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety Episode 2 Recap…
GUTTED – This one word summed up my feelings on a night whereby I had presumed that separating the cream of the crop from the mediocre would be quite simple and hoping that from previous reality show experiences, the voting public would be wise and mature enough to gauge who deserved to go through and who did not. While I did predict that Mohamed Nur‘s position was precarious alongside Muhammad Fahmy and Mohamad Idris, based on their performances during the first drama episode, I certainly did not expect one of the, if not THE, best performer i.e. Siti Aisyah to be eliminated so soon.
Which goes to show that even when someone performs to or close to his / her potential, they are not considered definite shoo-ins with the voting public having a lot of say at the end of the day and that was what happened when I spoke to a few of the production team afterwards. Remember what I said in the last entry that you should ”vote for those with real talents, not because they are cute, pretty, handsome or related to you. We too have the responsibility to lift our local acting standards through the votes we make to the rightful and deserving contestants. Remember, your personal favourites might one day represent us in drama series or movies through regional tie-ups and you would do well to vote wisely and not subject them and our industry to embarrassment in future if they were to come up short…“??? Please exercise your votes correctly…
The eliminated – Mohamed Nur and Siti Aisyah…
Honestly if you ask me, none of the ladies deserved to go out this past week, even if I had wildly predicted that Mariah Mahfar would be the one to be eliminated. Two of them who made up the bottom three, Halimah Yahaya & Sakinah Rahim, as I had mentioned before, had limited lines during their respective segments and had relatively easier characters to play with, which did not require them to go out of their comfort zones. While it is a relief that their journey did not end, the same could not be said of Siti Aisyah, who made a good impression in her angsty role. All the more I feel that it is an extreme pity for her, as unlike previous Anugerah competitions, there will be no Wildcard rounds this time round for the previously eliminated to be resurrected. I hope I am wrong and that the producers would have some surprises up their sleeves to keep the spirit and interest in this season’s competition going. Maybe they would if future weeks turn out like this.
Seven of the Group B contestants who came to give their counterparts moral support from the stands. From left: Ariff Salleh, Aziela Roza, Nasriah Zainuddin, Erwin Shah Dawson, Syirah Jusni, Aidil Jufri and Diana Amran…
After the results were out, I went over to the Group B contestants seated a few rows in front of me who will duke it out next week, some of whom looked quite shakened by the results, and wondered if their fates would go the same route as Aisyah & Nur. I reminded those that I managed to talk to, that sometimes that proving themselves as credible actors is not enough, neither would them being good-lookers. They have to work on their likeability factor when they have those precious few seconds to talk about themselves to the cameras as a prelude to their acting segments. Yes this is a very brutal competition. What comes out from your mouths, what is expressed on your faces can sometimes be misinterpreted by the watching public, which could either gain you supporters or make them turn against you. Though I did not get the chance to share this with Group A, I know they would be reading this and take heed the next time they go into battle.
Huda Ali getting the perspectives of the judges…
Personally I feel the short half hour live variety show is a bit rushed. I would prefer this to be an hour long programme, with the extra minutes dedicated to the panel of judges zooming in at each individual contestant’s good and bad points during their acting segments, pointing out how they could improve, what improvisations they could have made, rather than subject the show’s hosts to read selected one-liners from the judges’ revered opinions. In any reality show, the judges wise words add colour to it and with some of them, what they say would either be remembered or be a source for debate. I think it is a pity that with all the experience that Rilla Melati and Khairudin Samsudin have since they were child stars, their skills are not imparted and shared to the public as well. Even the guest judge for the week would have lots to share. Why I feel this way is because young upstarts who aspire to be in the industry would use the programme as a source for knowledge in time to come and work on it for the time being. Yes I know the mentors would have shared what could have been done to the contestants off-camera, but it is also good to hear other perspectives and sharing it with the masses…
Tengku Adil performing “Mariam“, a tribute to The New Paper‘s 2001 New Face of the Year winner Mariam Daskalapolou…
But for all the apparent gripes I have, I should commend the producers for using our local acts to entertain viewers and at the same time promote their latest singles / albums. Tengku Adil, an Anugerah 2003 alumnus and quite the under-rated performer in our local Malay music industry, was given the honour to open the show with his song “Cinta Dia” and performed his current single “Mariam” towards the end of it. I was disappointed I wasn’t able to attend the official launch of Adil‘s single last week at Earshot Cafe situated at the Art House @ Old Parliament Building, no thanks to my reservist commitments to the nation. Seeing him perform live last night made up for what I missed the other day. And so, the stage is now set for Group B to show us what they are made of. Tune in to Anugerah Skrin Drama Episode 2 on Tuesday 11th May 2010 at 8:30pm only on Mediacorp Suria…
Other Highlights of the Night
Dyn Norahim, the pre-show host…
Tengku Adil kicked off the show with “Cinta Dia“…
Great to see Huda Ali back on the show and teaming up with Suzairhe Sumari…
For someone who just recovered from chicken pox, Huda sure did not look like she had it…
Group A smiling for the cameras before knowing their respective fates. God knows what was going through their heads then. I noticed something coincidental about the eliminated contestants in this photograph. They were both wearing black vests, unlike the rest. I’m not sure if Raja Razie‘s outfit could also be classified as a jacket or vest but the coincidence between Aisyah & Nur is surely eerie…
The bottom six…
And down to the bottom four…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Variety & Drama Episodes 1 Recap…
Anugerah Skrin 2010 kicked off in earnest this past Tuesday night with the first half hour being a live programme from the studio, dedicated to introducing the Top 24 contestants in this year’s competition, as well as the resident judges and acting mentors responsible in guiding their respective journeys. I believe the hosts, resident judges and mentors for this season’s series need no further introduction as I had already done so in my previous entry.
As compared to the usual theatre setting that we have all been accustomed to in the past, this year the atmosphere will be a bit humbling in that the live shows will commence from the studio. For those of you who have been fortunate to attend studio shows before, you would note that depending on the set-up, it can either be spacious or otherwise. With the audience making up of close family members or friends of the contestants, movement around the set was very much restricted and I had a difficult time getting the right angles to capture the shots from the studio without the moving cameras blocking my views. Hopefully for future live shows, I would be able to get better shots to be featured in this blog.
It was only apt that the show began with last year’s Anugerah series singing competition winner Sarah Aqilah, coming onstage to introduce the contestants by singing the show’s theme song. Somehow I just felt that subjecting the contestants to dance to the song was a bit off. They could have just kept it simple by sticking to the basic catwalks and model-like poses. Or if they really needed to dance, then perhaps it should not have been a live show and perhaps recorded so that they could get their steps right. Too many were not in-step, which is a grave injustice to their kind choreographer Mr. Rosley Kassim.
I thought for someone who has not been doing live hosting for ages and being thrusted to the fore only because Huda Ali is down with chicken pox, Shahril Wahid could be forgiven for being nervous and fluffing his lines somewhat. And the bug also spread to someone as experienced as Suzairhe Sumari though his wasn’t as glaring and very much minimal. But I don’t think they are grave issues. It is afterall only the first show with them trying to get some chemistry going between them. In due time and as the weeks progress, I’m sure we’ll see the hosts exploding, moreso when Huda returns.
I like the interview segments with the respective resident judges and hosts, with them outlining their hopes and expectations. As Rilla Melati had laid down her first basic rule on what she expects from the contestants, which is to look at this competition and subsequently career, way beyond the life of glamour and stardust, at least two of the contestants during the introductory video footage mentioned something that had experienced people in the industry who were seated around me cringing. One of them mentioned that he has to improve on his acting cos who knows he might get more fans and another said that in ten years time, he would like to see himself as a star. You’re only at the first step boys, but clearly your intentions and directions are way off what the judges had spelt out. Good luck to you in the following rounds lads!!!
The Top 24 contestants were split into two groups, A & B, with six males and six females in each group. Each week these contestants will be asked to act in different drama genres to test their acting skills. They may spar with each other as well as several experienced actors. This week, we were treated to the recorded segments by Group A in the second half of the show, which was televised straight after the live studio recording. Well what do I make out of their virgin forays on television (ok I’m wrong to use the word “virgin” cos some of them might have appeared on television before as extras / bit-part roles)??? After watching it a few times (since I had recorded the show), I tend to agree with my counterparts at Gumbira.com that the ladies are much better actors than the guys.
Looking at the six girls, the standouts for me were Nissa & Aisyah. Biwa and Mariah seemed a bit patchy with their emotions as they drifted from being focused to a point where their facial expressions showed that something was bothering them. Or in the words of mentor Seri, they were just not giving their all. As for Halimah and Sakinah, they were almost as good as Nissa and Aisyah. However, their scripts were limited and they played more on the safe side as their soft characters did not allow them to push themselves harder. But still it has to be said that overall the ladies were much better. If you were to ask me who should be eliminated, I’m hard pressed to find an answer. But if push comes to shove, then I think Mariah will be eliminated. Don’t sue me, it’s just based on my own personal opinions.
As for the guys, I think the ones that impressed me to some extent were Muhammad Dzar, Raja Razie and Shahril Kahar. The former I believe has had some acting experience in the past, which is why I think he had the extra edge over the rest. As for Idris, Fahmy & Mohamed Nur, it is a pity that blessed with better looks over the three guys who impressed me, they could not back it up with convincing performances. The part where Fahmy knelt down and begged Mahriah‘s character to give him a chance, felt like a big joke, as he was too confused over the correct emotions he should portray. When we were watching it from the giant screen at the studio, the whole audience roared with laughter. One of these three look likely bets to be eliminated this week and that is not a laughing matter.
And so we await for the results this Friday when one male and one female contestant will be eliminated. As viewers’ votes account for 50% of the total votes, I beseech you to vote for those with real talents, not because they are cute, pretty, handsome or related to you. We too have the responsibility to lift our local acting standards through the votes we make to the rightful and deserving contestants. Remember, your personal favourites might one day represent us in drama series or movies through regional tie-ups and you would do well to vote wisely and not subject them and our industry to embarrassment in future if they were to come up short. Till then, here are the numbers to call and sms your respective votes for Group A, which has been kindly provided by Mediacorp Suria, all credits to them:
Voting Period: Tuesday, 4 May, 9pm – Friday, 7 May, 6pm
Voting format via SMS: ANU <space> Contestant’s Code and send to 73388
Voting format via IVRS: Call 1900-112-77, followed by Contestant’s Code
| Contestants | Code | SMS Format | IVRS Format |
| Biwa Mastura | 1 | ANU <space> 1 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7701 |
| Muhammad Dzar | 2 | ANU <space> 2 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7702 |
| Nissa Bahruddin | 3 | ANU <space> 3 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7703 |
| Raja Razie | 4 | ANU <space> 4 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7704 |
| Sakinah Rahim | 5 | ANU <space> 5 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7705 |
| Mohamad Idris | 6 | ANU <space> 6 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7706 |
| Mariah Mahfar | 7 | ANU <space> 7 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7707 |
| Muhammad Fahmy | 8 | ANU <space> 8 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7708 |
| Halimah Yahaya | 9 | ANU <space> 9 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7709 |
| Mohamed Nur | 10 | ANU <space> 10 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7710 |
| Siti Aisyah | 11 | ANU <space> 11 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7711 |
| Shahril Kahar | 12 | ANU <space> 12 and send to 73388 | 1900-112-7712 |
Terms & Conditions
- Each vote via SMS or IVRS costs $0.60 (excluding GST).
- Multiple voting is accepted.
- This service is not open to pre-paid users.
- For those under 18, please seek parental consent before participating.
- This service is provided by MediaCorp Pte Ltd. Enquiry: Tel 68777132
Anugerah Skrin 2010 Media Conference…
We’re just hours away from the anticipated reality show on Suria for the year 2010!!! With the increase in the number of local productions and popularity of Suria’s local programmes, Anugerah Skrin makes a comeback after a four-year hiatus, in search for fresh-faced actors. The series will be hosted by Suzairhe Sumari, no stranger to our local Malay entertainment industry with more than ten years of acting and hosting experience and an award-winner to boot. He will be partnered by Huda Ali, the female winner of Anugerah Skrin 2006, who is now making waves across the Causeway under the tutelage of award-winning film-maker, Dato’ Yusuf Haslam. Shahril Wahid, the male winner of Anugerah Skrin 2006, rounds off the list of hosts for the competition, taking up an almost similar role as Hady Mirza did during last year’s Singapore Idol series.
In the inaugural Anugerah Skrin competition back in 2006, contestants were judged upon their acting and hosting skills. For Anugerah Skrin 2010, the organisers have decided to drop the hosting aspect and concentrate more on acting. Twenty-four aspiring actors have been shortlisted to continue their journey to be the next Anugerah Skrin Champion. One male and one female Champion will get $5000 cash each, roles in Suria’s programmes, a movie produced by KRU Studios, a special teledrama produced by MediaCorp Eaglevision, as well as an opportunity to be involved in English productions.
Each week these contestants will be asked to act in different drama genres to test their acting skills. They may spar with each other as well as several experienced actors. The contestants will be guided throughout the competition by two established actors who act as their mentors – Seri Wahyuni Jaes who is also a scriptwriter and Sani Hussin, who is currently an Arts educator. This year’s resident judges are Khairudin Samsudin and Rilla Melati Bahri who are famous for being child actors and have respectively excelled in creative fields such as directing and scriptwriting. It would be interesting to see who would be playing the good cop, bad cop roles like how Najip Ali & Rafaat Hamzah did the last time round. The way I see it, and from early observations, Rilla looks like the likelier bet to assume the bad cop role and I hope she does it well.
The judges will analyze their acting skills through drama segments which will be televised every Tuesdays at 8.30pm. The results will be revealed on the same week on Friday, live at 8.30pm. Every week, one male and one female contestant will be eliminated until the Top 6 are chosen to proceed to the Grand Finals, where only one male and one female contestant will be declared the Champions of Anugerah Skrin 2010. Winners will be selected based on judges’ score (50%) and popularity votes by the public (50%). Audience can vote from Tuesday from 8.30pm to Friday at 6pm the same week. Each vote costs $0.60.
Anugerah Skrin will make its debut LIVE TONIGHT, 4 May 2010 at 8.30pm on Suria. The series will be telecast at 8.30pm every Tuesday (Drama Segment) and LIVE every Friday (Results Show).
Yours truly had the opportunity to attend the media conference to announce the Top 24 for this year’s competition back on 14 April 2010 at the Arts House @ Old Parliament Building. I will not take too much time speaking about the event as it is all introductory and basically what you have read in the earlier paragraphs or through fellow mainstream and peer media websites, but one thing stuck in my mind was when Rilla Melati laid out her hopes and expectations on the contestants. For someone who has spent a major part of her life with the Malay station since its Radio Television Singapore days, her words were something which all of the contestants would do very well to hold dear.
It’s not about wanting to be glamourous, it’s not about just wanting to appear on television as new and upcoming stars. It’s about having the pride to lift / maintain the quality of performances / programmes on Suria, which she regards as an institution that had educated her and entertaining us. Maybe at this point of time, her words might not have much of an impact on these young upstarts yet, but once the competition starts proper and they have more inklings of what the industry is about, then perhaps it would sink in and inspire them to greater heights. All twenty four of them have the style, potential and looks. Now it’s up to them to show us what they’re made of starting tonight. I end this entry with photographs taken during the Media Conference…
Shahrin Azhar was the master-of-ceremony for the event…
Introducing the three hosts of the competition - Shahril Wahid, Huda Ali & Suzairhe Sumari…
Shahril and Huda shared their experiences in 2006…
Our distinguished resident judges of the competition – Rilla Melati (centre) and Khairudin Samsudin (right)…
The bigwigs of KRU Berhad Sdn Bhd, Mediacorp Suria & Eaglevision – Dr. Shireen Hashim (a.k.a. Mrs Norman Abdul Halim), Mr. Azlan Salim, Mr. Suhaimi Jais & Ms. Sabariah Ramilan…
Rilla & Shahril posing for the cameras…
The guests and contestants enjoying the nice spread afterwards…
The full picture…
Four of the contestants who will be vying for the big prize…
See you tonight!!!
Charity Football Fiesta 2009…
Photograph courtesy of Amanah Nusa Indah’s (ANI) official website…
Last Friday night, I was at Woodlands Stadium to witness the inaugural Charity Football Fiesta 2009. This event was organised by Amanah Nusa Indah (ANI) in collaboration with Aide’s Soccer Buddies and was the brainchild of Ezreen Taib Zohri, a.k.a. Mrs Aide Iskandar, her husband as well as our Asian Idol, Hady Mirza. It is a noble effort aimed at benefitting our local Muslim charity organisations, through entertainment and football, two industry professions that are quite synonymous to our local Malay community and where we usually excel in. At the same time, it aimed to create a culture of giving and sharing amongst the community, especially the young.
Huda Ali and Luqman Nurhakim introducing the two teams…
The following Muslim charity organisations are the proud beneficiaries of the proceeds to the event and this I quote courtesy of ANI‘s official website:
Fandi’s team lining up before the match started…
When the promotional posters first came about, I thought that it was quite a decent programme to organise since it has been awhile since we had such an event, the last I think was done when our Channel 8 stars played a similar kind of match against their Hong Kong counterparts at the National Stadium more than a decade ago. Seeing one name on the list of players to grace the occasion made me confirmed my attendance there and then, my uncle, the legendary “Gelek King” – Dollah Kassim. The last I saw him in action was when our ex-internationals played against their Malaysian counterparts back in 2007 during the carnival that was supposed to mark the end of our National Stadium. We all know what happened to those plans, unless you have been living on a different planet.
This indirect free-kick in the penalty box came about because Haikel handled a backpass from his own defender…
I tried to gather a few friends to join me but perhaps the day and the time was a turn-off, since it was still technically on a week day. In the end, I decided to join up with the rest of my family members who were there to support my uncle and the event. The location (Woodlands Stadium) too could have been another factor as to why they might not have been keen on going as it was all the way up north of the island. This was quite evident when we stepped into the stadium to find that those with gallery tickets being shunted to the opposite ends of the grandstand. Obviously the grandstand tickets were not that popular judging by the almost empty tiers in the middle, resulting in them being opened up for those who were sitting at the opposite ends to come in and fill the empty spaces.
Tepak Sireh dancers performing during the half-time break…
Which brings me to the factor of the pricing of tickets. While $12 (gallery) and $20 (grandstand) were set as the prices of the tickets, I honestly believe psychologically it is kinda steep for most of those in attendance, especially the latter. Personally I thought it was a fair price to pay to see good entertainment on and off the pitch with proceeds of course going to charity. I think this mindset of watching free / cheap shows should end and I strongly believe this is the result of having too many quarterly exhibitions at Singapore Expo whereby you go there to watch free entertainment that comes together with it, because you either enter for free or pay an entrance fee of not more than $2. Either way the prices of the tickets could have been slightly lower say $10 and $15 for the gallery and grandstand respectively. In this hard economic times, a little prudence would go a long way in attracting more people to come and support such an event.
Team Malek Awab enjoying their breather…
We reached the stadium slightly close to 7pm and waited for Uncle Dollah to appear from the dressing room to pass our tickets to us. No, we did not get complimentary tickets / passes, we still paid for them. If we had complimentary tickets / passes, we would have sat somewhere in the middle, along with the other invited guests. No one can say we did not do our part to support the event, even if we paid for gallery tickets. I managed to exchange pleasantries with Kak Fatimah Mohsin who was standing nearby. She was responsible for doing the make up for female artistes like Huda Ali that night. Then on, we made our way to the left side of the stadium. However, I think that particular section of the stadium was almost full, so the rest decided to go to the other side instead.
Fuad Rahman performing his hit song “Bayu“…
As there was a tent set up for people to do their evening responsibilities at that section of the stadium, I told the rest to move on whilst I join them after I had observed mine. I managed to say “Hi” to people I know sitting there, albeit fleetingly and some with just a mere wave. Many apologies for not going over to you to have small talk as I did not want to have to clamour for a space in that small tent. The availability and erection of this tent is very much applaudable to the organisers. Even better was the decision to extend the kick-off time from 7:30pm to 7:45pm bearing in mind that Maghrib that day was 7:21pm. Even though a tent had been set up, there were still those that turned a blind eye to it. It’s ok if you were PMS-ing, but the guys out there, what excuse do you have???
A distinguished guest who came all the way from Kuala Lumpur, Mr Afdlin Shauki…
I made my way to the other side of the stadium to join up with the rest of the family members, in time for the middle tier sections to open up and allowing us to fill in the empty spaces. We sat close to the middle but our view was quite hampered by the lighting system and props that were supposed to illuminate the stage in the middle of the track. Not long after, the emcees of the night, Luqman Nurhakim and Huda Ali, introduced the two teams, Team Malek Awab in yellow and Team Fandi Ahmad in red. Once the customary introductions were made, the game kicked off in earnest.
Hyrul Anuar performing “Tanda Kasih“, his latest single…
I don’t really have to relate the whole game minute-by-minute, but it is sufficed to say that those of you who did not turn up missed a a great game, full of controversial moments if it was a FIFA-sanctioned match and comedy, orchaestrated by none other than Sheikh Haikel who was playing for Fandi‘s team. Initially we thought that the celebrities would be playing against the ex-internationals but somehow they mixed around so that we would get a level playing field on the pitch. Such a move was laudable given the fact that if the earlier expectations had been materialised, there was a possibility of a cricket scoreline in favour of the ex-internationals, with all due respect to the celebrities on the pitch.
Silat performance by Persatuan Silat Singapura (Persisi) exponents…
Fandi‘s team started well and it was a surprise that Sheikh Haikel got himself on the scoresheet, even if it has to be said that the opposing goalkeeper David Lee dived half-heartedly to save the former’s shot. As someone who plays in goal and has been playing in that position since secondary 1, I know when a save is made instinctively or when you try to make your opponent look good. But it was all in the name of fun of course and I’m sure it was never an issue but David could have acted a bit better given the experience he has. Not long after, Uncle Dollah equalised for his team, a goal reminiscent of his playing days. Twisting and turning as only he knows best against two defenders and opposing goalkeeper Rezal Hassan, all he needed to do was tap into the empty net once the deed was done. Naturally my family members and me erupted with joy.
I did not pay much attention to the remainder of the first half henceforth even though Shahrin Azhar (did I get the scorer right???) and Hady Mirza scored for Fandi‘s team to make it 3-1 in their favour, before Uncle Dollah was brought down in the penalty box which Syed Azmir gleefully took the penalty to score and made it 3-2. Syed Azmir impressed me with his direct running and his tendency to shoot on sight. He treated the game very seriously as was evident when he gave the assistant referee a dressing down for catching him offside, which from where I sat, I could see that he was definitely so as he was at least a metre away from the last defender. The half also saw Sheikh Haikel taking over goalkeeping duties from Rezal Hassan as their team did not have a replacement goalkeeper and again even in goal, he showed that the comedian in him would not let up. It was apparent that due to the tight programme, they only played half an hour each half.
One of the comedic moments in the match, Sheikh Haikel going down “injured”. Just look at the grins on the faces of the paramedics…
After the excitement of the first half, the half time was a bit of an anti-climax with performances by Tepak Sireh Dancers, Fuad Rahman (Bayu), Hyrul Anuar (Tanda Kasih) and silat exponents from Persatuan Silat Singapura (Persisi). Why I said it was an anti-climax was because the performances were a bit draggy especially the dance and silat items. I was quite ok with the singing performances though. Once your adrenaline had been pumped up, it kinda crashed down just waiting for the second half to start. I remembered telling my cousin Ezaad during half-time, that at the rate the game was going, I would not be surprised that the full time would end up 6-6. Since my view was blocked from where we sat to appreciate the game, I decided to make my way to the other side of the stadium where the open gallery seats were.
The one minute silence in memory of Allahyarham Borhan Abu Samah…
As I was making my way there, they held a one minute silence to remember one of their stalwarts and comrades, a loyal servant to the nation in his prime with his uncompromising tackles, the late Borhan Abu Samah, who passed away on 29 Oct 1999. Goodness, it’s been almost a decade since he left us. Out of respect, I stood on the track and said my prayers for his departed soul. The only thing I was not too happy about was the crowd was not made to stand and observed the silence as well like those you normally watch on television and for the fact that this should have been done before the match started instead of before the start of the second half. Another thing that the organisers would do well to improve on for future events is to get a FIFA-sanctioned referee for the game cos according to my uncle, this guy knew nuts about how such a thing like observing a one minute’s silence should be done. How can you call yourself a referee when you don’t even know a basic thing like blowing the whistle to signal the start of the silence and when the one minute is up on your watch, you just need to blow again to signal its end??? It was no wonder Roslan Kemat gave him a red card for allowing Fandi‘s team a goal even though they were playing with 12 men on the pitch in the second half. Diabolical to say the least…
This photograph I took became a source of controversy when two officials came over to me to say I was not allowed to take photographs by the pitchside or behind the goalpost. But kudos to Aaron for gamely posing for the cameras…
Anyway I didn’t know that this event was very exclusive. A case in point was when I was making my way to the other side of the stadium. Aaron Aziz who had replaced David Lee ambled up to the goalpost where I was walking behind. I did not want to let the opportunity pass me by so I asked him to pose for me and he gamely did. Not long after I was trailed by two officials, one of them in a spiffy suit and they asked me whether I was an ANI photographer. I said no, I was just making my way to the other side of the stadium and they told me off about taking photographs just behind the pitch. I could have debated and kicked up a fuss but I thought it would only worsened matters knowing the acid tongue that I have. It’s a charity event for Heaven’s sake, why was there a need to have sanctions imposed on taking photographs??? It’s not that I’m gonna sell the photos I took for a fortune. Sheesh. I did not expect those officials to be so anal about it.
The players waiting for the second half to begin…
The second half began from where it left off, with the humour elements intensifying as the minutes ticked by. Sheikh Haikel scored again and made it 4-2 to his team before Aaron himself stepped up to score from the spot when his team got themselves another penalty. Fandi was doing his best to entertain the crowd with his trademark acrobatics and diving headers but he could not find the target with them. I was too mesmerised by them till I did not get the chance to capture those shots of him doing those flamboyant moves. He got himself on the scoresheet and made it 5-3 before Taufik Salleh and Roslan Kemat (did I get the scorer right???) made it all square again. R. Sasikumar put Fandi‘s team ahead again with a header but the match ended 6-6 as I had predicted during half-time, when Saswadimata Dasuki scored from long range. In between, Fandi even took the time to play rugby by hiding the ball under his jersey and running towards goal before “scoring”. Naturally the “goal” was invalid.
Fandi Ahmad celebrating scoring his team’s fifth goal with a cartwheel…
We then went to a mandatory penalty shootout to get the outright winners. If I’m not wrong, Malek‘s team won the shootout or did it end all-square??? I was unsure as I was not paying attention to it since I was trying to figure out how to take photographs of what was happening on the pitch. Anyway, who won did not matter much. What was most important was everyone came away a winner that night, either by contributing in cash to the charitable causes or by contributing to the success of the event, on the pitch or on stage. And best of all it was heartening to see players of yesteryears coming together like the good old Malaysia Cup days. Seeing them all on the pitch brought me back in time and I felt as though I was back in secondary school again.
Aaron relaxing while the action was at the opposite end of the pitch…
The night did not end there. Imran Ajmain came on to sing his current hit across the Causeway “Selamat Ulang Tahun Sayang” and this was followed by Syed Azmir singing Letto‘s “Permintaan Hati” and then paying a tribute to Fandi Ahmad by singing the latter’s old hit “Anugerah” from the album of the same title that he recorded years ago. They were joined on stage by the other players who danced and sang along. Something “possessed” our legendary number 17 and he broke into a silat routine on stage during the song’s bridge. He even dragged my uncle who was standing behind to come forward and danced with him. The night ended with a punchy performance, as usual, by Ahli Fiqir, who welcomed back Mawar Berduri into the fold fresh from her maternity leave. They sang “Dol & Minah” and “2 X 5“.
Sheikh Haikel stepping up to take one of the penalty kicks during the shootout…
We left the stadium close to 10:30pm and waited for Uncle Dollah to appear from the dressing room. There was a sizeable crowd waiting to take photographs with the celebrities and ex-internationals. I managed to grab hold of Afdlin and take a photograph with him and wished him all the best with his future projects. Once Uncle Dollah appeared, we left the stadium for Jalan Kayu to have dinner. He did not join the rest for their satay session at Lau Pa Sat. As I was about to move off, Malek Awab came over and waved us goodbye. He had parked his car next to mine. He’s always been affable and friendly and always had that toothy grin on him. One of the nicest guys to have played for the national team.
Imran Ajmain serenaded the crowd while the players had a group photo in the background…
It was a laudable effort to organise such an event. I take my hats off to the organisers for doing up this event which I feel should be done on an annual basis. Granted this was their first time doing this and not all things were expected to have gone smooth sailing. Perhaps they could use this experience to improve on future events. Where certain things could be cut down and lessened or added for that matter, we could then perhaps enjoy it a little more and expect more bums on the seats. Oh and a central location like Bishan or Toa Payoh would be very nice as well.
Uncle Dollah receiving his memento from R. Vengadasalam, former manager of Woodlands Wellington Football Club…
For the record the players who played for Malek Awab‘s team were (according to jersey numbers):
0 – Aaron Aziz, 1- David Lee, 2 – Syarif (Sleeq), 3 – Taufik Salleh, 5 – Aide Iskandar, 6 – Razali Saad, 7 – Tokijan Darimosuvito, 8 – Roslan Kemat, 9 – Nahar Daud, 10 – Dollah Kassim, 11 – Othman Abdullah (D’ Episodes). 12 – Malek Awab, 14 – Azhar Nor Lesta, 15 – Nazri Nasir, 17 – Mohd Rafi Ali, 18 – Khairudin Samsudin, 19 – Saswadimata Dasuki, 21 – Fuzzley (B8), 23 – Syed Azmir.
Syed Azmir and Fandi singing “Anugerah“, Fandi‘s hit song in the 90s…
As for Fandi‘s team, this was their squad:
1 – Rezal Hassan, 2 – Hasli Ibrahim, 3 – Daly (Ahli Fiqir), 4 – Elfee R. Ismail, 5 – Samad Allapitchay, 6 – Shahrin Azhar Mohd, 7 – Samawira Basri, 8 – Yahya Madon, 9 – Ishamuddin Baroocha, 10 – Sheikh Haikel, 11 – Azhar Baksin, 12 – J. A. Halim, 13 – R. Sasikumar, 15 – Rudy Khairon Daiman, 16 – Hady Mirza, 17 – Fandi Ahmad, 18 – Hasnim Haron.
Fandi breaking into a silat routine, much to the amusement of the players on stage…
He followed that up by dragging Uncle Dollah to dance with him…
Apologies if I had missed out on anyone or if I had their jersey numbers labelled wrongly or even spelt their names wrongly. And also for the record, this Charity Football Fiesta 2009 was organised by Amanah Nusa Indah and Aide’s Soccer Buddies. They were ably supported by the following organisations: Response Ambulance & Services, The Cage, O’ lando Jamming Studio, Bukit Batok MAEC, Le Standard, NILAM – Strategic Land Investments, Chateau – Sip of Fortune and Red Carpet Productions Pte Ltd.
Mawar Berduri & Daly singing “Dol & Minah“, the soundtrack of the series from the same title…
Samsol a.k.a. Tukang Kata then joined them on stage for “2 X 5“…
MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE NEXT YEAR!!!
