New TV Guilty Pleasure

No matter where your tastes in entertainment lie, the new series Spartacus will have something for everyone.



You'll have to wait 'til 2010 for the series...what a tease, I know!

A Brighter Shade of Yasmin

It's funny how people that you hardly know can sometimes move you to feel and act in a way that defies words.

A few days ago, Malaysian film director Yasmin Ahmad suffered a stroke and died without regaining consciousness. She had been in a meeting when she collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital. Her death at 51 shocked many in KL and beyond.

When I was living in KL and was working at Channel [V], Yasmin Ahmad used to be one of the few public figures that I respected and admired. I used to chase the production team that I worked with to get interviews with her, to hear her point of view, to commit her opinion to tape. I had a feeling that her voice was an important one.

She was eloquent and her creative works, though sometimes 'controversial' in the eyes of some, had an almost subversiveness in their simplicity and honesty. And I liked that we were able to give our regional audience an insight into Yasmin's thinking and point of view.

Perhaps it is my mixed-race background that was drawn to Yasmin's message of how we are all the same at the end of the day. Or maybe it was the grace and humility that she displayed when faced with challenges to her religious views, her artistic vision and her 'Malaysian-ness' that gave her voice a relevance that very few public figures could command in Malaysia.

For these reasons and more, Yasmin Ahmad's death has been profoundly sad for me and to fans of her work. Here are some examples of what she did so well.







And here's an interview she did a few years ago that gives you a glimpse behind the person who was Yasmin Ahmad.



I have to stop watching her interviews if I'm going to get any work done at all. Rest in peace, Yasmin.

Shallow-bration

So I was asked to come up with a suggestion for what Madonna's Greatest Hits collection should have as a tracklisting by a friend of mine who knows people who know people who are working on the project. No-brainer for me, and I even came up with a suggested list of iconic videos that Madonnna's done over the years.

If you know me well, you'll know that I do know a little bit too much about Madonna, but unlike Perez Hilton, I do not call her my role model or example in life. He's such a loser, but that's my take.

But back to me.

So apparently my suggestion was sent thru' to the guy who's handling this project in the US, and I was honestly curious to see how close my list will be to the final tracklisting. And I was also curious to hear the new song Celebration, penned by Madonna & co-produced with DJ/producer Paul Oakenfold.

And then yesterday, I saw this monstrosity that is the new album cover.


I'm all for street art, but this? The Greatest Hits album cover? Seriously?

The person behind the art is Brainwashed (how apt), a renowned street artist who's got a lot of buzz and blah blah blah, and I'm sure he's cool and all that, but for a 25-year career to be summed up by this piece of art, I think it falls short. Way short. Like so short that I-can't-believe-I'm-blogging-about-it short.

But in the name of being fair (which I can be), here's an interview with Mr Brainwash himself.

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I respect the art, but I'm no fan of the work. And the music video better be good. Happy Shallow Friday, everyone.

We Can All Do With A Bit Of Jesus

Much has been said about Madonna's new paramour Jesus Luz and many questions have been asked about why are they together.

Does this photograph help?


And if you need more convincing, you can click here.

Palin Comparision

Whichever way you lean politically, whether you are aware of the cable TV wars or not, Rachel Maddow is truly one of the smartest and most eloquent people on cable news television.

Case in point.



Entertaining, to say the least.