Namaste On A Friday

~ My man-crush, Penn Badgely - who plays Dan in hotly-buzzed TV series Gossip Girl - has just done a new photoshoot and it's totally swoon-worthy.

But then again, I'm biased. You can see the rest of the pics here.

~ Apparently Cher & her lesbian daughter, Chastity Bono, are developing a reality series that features individuals who are planning on coming out of the closet. Is "Coming Out with Cher & Chas" gonna be good thing for TV? Will there be yet another farewell concert to coincide with this new project?

~ I was somewhat distressed by news of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Rawalpindi yesterday. I don't understand the nuances or complexities of Pakistani politics, but what a mess. Surely this madness cannot go on.

On a personal note, I'm more enthused today than I've been for the past few days. Blah is a horrible shade of blue, and seriously, I'm more partial to green.

But then again, maybe blue serves as a good filter to see the self-absorption for what it truly is. It's not evil, but it's not something I want in my life.

Have a peaceful last weekend of the year. Here's to more clarity in '08.

The Dilf After Christmas

Do you remember a time before Eric Dane?

More pictures here.

How are you spending the last weekend of 2007? I think I'll be coming up with new ways to use my favourite new word 'Barfmaste'.

Christmas?

For the first time in memory, I've had the most unChristmassy Christmas.

Sure, there were dinners and drinks and parties and lots of food and the company of friends, but something was missing.

I'm sure the ongoing developments at work played a part in my mind being somewhat preoccupied with things non-festive. And yes, I know that you must learn to switch things off, but believe me when I say that the work stuff's pretty heavy-going. So much so that I wasn't excited about buying gifts or watching Christmas TV specials, or even organizing any get-togethers.

I'm grateful for my friends who included me in their celebrations, and if it weren't for them, I reckon I would've stayed home and watched really bad TV. Or that Confessions Tour DVD. Again.

But maybe my sorta losing the spirit of Christmas might be balanced by the great year that I've had. I'm thankful for many things this year: the chance to visit Bali (twice!), the return visit to the US, the new friends, the heartbreak, the clarity, the getting-over-it, the bonding, the partying, the realization of my family of friends in KL and beyond...so many things. 37's been a very good year, all things considered.

I honestly don't think I'll be making resolutions for the new year, but a recent DMC (deep, meaningful conversation) with a good friend brought up 3 maxims that I think would serve anyone good as daily guides -

1. Say it the way they can understand it
2. You do not have to be a hero
3. Respect and honour people for who they are

But then again, we were a bit hammered when we talked about this, so apply as you see fit.

The Drama In Bali

Greetings from Bali. It's my 2nd trip here this year, and this time around, I'm here to attend the wedding of 2 friends, one of whom is also a co-worker.

I was planning on having as drama-free a trip as possible, but of course, work happens. Friday alone saw 2 developments at work that sucked big time. And their timing couldn't have been more imperfect, framing the wedding celebrations with frantic Blackberry & sms messages. Perhaps Bali will always be a place of drama for me.

Sitting on the beach for an hour this morning, doing absolutely nothing, helped some. Seeing a dog poop in the water made me smile, too.

I'm so not feeling Christmassy.

Just Tell Me Pink Panties Are Nice

The Blackberry has become a huge part of my everyday life. That's nothing new, for those of you who know me.

One of the things that us Blackberryers rely on, besides the push email function, is the Blackberry Messenger application, where you can send instant messages on the go. Very handy during conference calls, too.

Yesterday, 2 of my friends had majorly blond Blackberry messenger moments.

The first sent a message that said, in part, "I went to the toilet and there was a brown skid mark in the bowl. Since I've had the stomach flu all week, my poo is a liquid yellow-green so it wasn't me! What do we do next?"

I was somewhat taken aback by my friend's frankness but advised her to check if there was anything missing in the house, in case someone had come in while she was out. Which led to her mortifying embarrassment because she realized that I wasn't her husband. Who was out of town, by the way, so he didn't leave that skid mark either.

My other Blackberrying friend, in his usual irreverent and oh-so-shocking way, sent "Just tell me pink panties are nice" to someone he thought was me. Too funny.

I'm off to Bali in about 4 hours. What are you doing this weekend?

The X-Factor, The Return, The Leak & The Jackass

~ Could the power-coupling of X-Factor favourite/cutie Leon and a resurgent pop diva have helped in crowning the UK's newest X-Factor champ?



I think Kylie is only a handful of women who can make me like lace. And that's a very, very small hand to begin with. And I'm kinda liking that she's bringing curvy back.

~ After 2 albums that flopped - one brought down by a flashed boob, and the other, well, what the heck was 20Y.O. really about anyway? - Janet Jackson has finally jumped ship from (ever-diminishing record label) EMI and signed with Island Def Jam, one of a few labels under the Universal Music Group (world's #1) that can still make and market hits.



Coincidentally, Janet's boyfriend is a senior executive at Island Def Jam. I'm just saying...

The new album is called Discipline and the first single is the production-heavy, beats-driven "Feedback". Have a listen

~ And super-producer Timbaland might have gotten himself in a spot of bother with the Queen of Don't Fuck With Me, a.k.a. Madonna.

He's produced a bunch of songs for Madonna's new album and one of them, 4 Minutes To Save The World, features Justin Timberlake. It's also believed to be the first single from this as-yet-untitled (no, not Licorice) new project.

Timbaland appeared at the city of Philadelphia's Jingle Ball event 2 nights ago and played the song, wihch then got posted on the internet. Warner Music has requested most sites streaming the song to remove it.

Ahem, here's a low-quality version. You get the picture.

~ Have you heard about the first studio-produced movie that will premiere online?

Look out for the watershed Jackass 2.5 coming to a computer near you on December 19th. The picture is not from the movie, but I like seeing Jackass star Johnny Knoxville sans shirt.

Blocked

With the year coming fast to an end, you'd think I'll be in a super reflective mood, looking back at what's been a very interesting year.

But I'm mid-way through a heavy travel week - 4 nights in HK, 2 in Singapore, 3 in KL, 3 in Bali (consecutively) - with meetings, presentations, wedding dinners, family catch-ups all thrown in. You'll have to forgive me if I'm at a loss of much to say.

Come back soon. Love to all.

The Full Package

Here's the first look at David Beckham in the ad campaign for Emporio Armani underwear.


(Image courtesy of Towleroad)

Need I say more?

Burger Me Senseless

~ Ok, apparently Madonna's album is not gonna be called 'Licorice'. Phew!

~ Wanna play your part in test-driving a sex toy for men?



~ Here's the teaser trailer for the Sex And The City Movie. Can't wait!



~ And congratulations to my friend Ravenous Rabbit whose new gourmet burger restaurant opens today. Check out The Daily Grind in Bangsar Village when you're in the neighbourhood.


Congrats, Way Cheng!

Licorice?

~ It's been confirmed that the new Madonna album that's coming out in about 8 to 12 weeks' time is gonna be called 'Licorice'.

It will feature Pharrell (who probably needs the gig to regain his musical mojo) and the Tim twins - red-hot producer Timbaland and (Justin) Timberlake. There have been reports that Justin's collaboration with Madonna is gonna 'melt the speakers', according to Pharrell, but I'm more curious to hear the Kanye rap on 'The Beat Goes On", one of the tracks that's been (intentionally?) leaked for months now.

This album so cannot suck but then again, stranger things have happened. There's also gonna be another greatest hits collection coming out some time after June next year, and that will mark the final Madonna album on Warner Music, marking the end that started in 1983 with this classic.



~ And the nominees have been announced for the 50th Grammy Awards and the big 2 are Kanye West, who gets 8 nominations, and Amy Winehouse, who scores with 6. It's gonna be an interesting evening on February 10th (or 11th in Asia) at the Staple Center. Check out the full nominee list here.

~ And thanks to OneTwoMusic for this gem from the Celine Dion archives. This is possibly the gayest music video EVER.



Have a fab weekend, bitches.

Wow

~ Can you believe we're just hours away from the announcement for the year's best music?

Well, at least as seen by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), who you might know is the authority that votes on which artists win the much sought-after Grammy Awards.


The music class of 2007 is a motley crew of huge hits and breakout stars - from the ubiquitous hits of Beyonce (Irreplaceable), Justin Timberlake (so many!) & Rihanna (Umbrella), to Kanye's triumphant 3rd album Graduation; Ne-Yo & Amy Winehouse also made huge inroads on the American charts this year, so I'm super curious to see who gets picked.

If you wanna read what the industry experts have to say, click here.

~ I've been listening to Kylie's new album 'X' almost non-stop over the past week, and I must say that 1 song truly puts me in a good mood. It's simply titled 'Wow' and the pompom dress that Kylie's sporting in this performance (from ITV's The Kylie Show) just adds to general fun-ness of this ditty. I love it!



~ And whatcha think of Madonna's new hair-do?

Make It Right With Brad Pitt

Live & Loud, apparrently

This past weekend, KL hosted an all-stars concert with acts as diverse (and random) as Kool & The Gang (in 2007?) to the UK's James Morrison to one Ms Whitney Houston.

The event was Live & Loud KL and it was pegged as 'The Biggest Music Festival' - my money is on this being a one-off, so such grandiose tag lines are way, way premature.

The biggest question on everyone's mind was "Can Whitney still do it?". Here are excerpts of 2 songs that she performed. You be the judge.

Heartbreak Hotel:



I Will Always Love You:

The Queen, The Princess & The Dumb Blonde

~ Is it possible that Madonna can put on a better show that she already does?

Live Nation, the concert promoter (and then some) that she recently signed a US$120million-dollar deal with, is seeing to it that your money is well-spent at Madonna's concert in 2008.

The only catch is that you've gotta be on the Live Nation mailing list, 'cos the survey is by invitation only. Anyone got the hook-up?

~ Wanna hang out with Kylie in Europe next year? You can check her out on the X Tour (what else can it be called?) in Paris on the 6th of May, or in Hamburg on my birthday (7th June) or even in good ol' London in July.

Full concert details here.

~ Kellie Pickler was the American Idol alum who was the country girl-next-door who hadn't heard of calamari until she came to Hollywood. She's beginning to make a name for herself by having blond moment after blond moment.

Like this appearance on a game show that will haunt her until the end of her days. Or until she poses for Playboy. It doesn't get any blonder than this.



Play safe this World AIDS Day weekend (and every day, for that matter).