Sandy Lam Concert MMX II “林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II” Coverage

Sandy Lam Concert MMX II “林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II”  Coverage

(Coverage was done by W.L Jack from http://loong-updates.blogspot.com . Copyrights reserved)

 

Million thanks to Fahrenheit88 for giving me the opportunity to attend Sandy Lam Concert MMX II “林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II”. The concert was SUPERB and I have totally enjoyed it!  Check out the coverage below to see why it was so great!

Performance: 

Sandy Lam Concert MMX II “林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II” was a wonderful concert whereby a compilation of Sandy Lam’s Mandarin and Cantonese Classics Songs have been performed LIVE for the satisfaction of the fans who have been eagerly looking forward for it since a few months ago.

Stadium Negara has become a stage for Sandy Lam to display all of her musical, singing and dancing talents. Despite at her age now, she’s still very fit and has a great stamina. There’s no shortness of breath seen in her even though she sang so many songs and danced so energetically. Her vocal was really great!

The concert is an evidence of good fans service by Sandy. She has actually done some homework before the concert and picked the songs which were the choice of her Malaysia Fans based on a poll done before the concert. Fans’ favourites such as “灰色”, “爱上一个不回家的人” and etc have been performed by Sandy.

Although in between every 3-4 songs, there will be a gap whereby Sandy went into the backstage via the lowering of stage for a change of costume. The band would be playing their instruments to keep the audience entertained while waiting for Sandy to reappear again. The costume changing was quite quick. Thus, the audience is basically being kept attended to all the time with the interchanging between Sandy main performance and her bands’ filling performance during gaps.

After every gap, different themes of performance will be switched and performed by Sandy and the band. From sentimental theme to energetic theme and eventually Disco-alike theme of songs and dances were performed. This variety of themes in her concert has been able to draw the audience into a very HIGH and EXCITED mood!

Apart from that, there’s some special segments during the concert. One of the highlighted segment is the duet singing between Sandy and different members of her band & background voice supports. Out of our surprise, all of these members can actually sing quite well too and one of them has even released an album of her own. It was a pleasant segment that has shown us how close the bond between Sandy and her fellow members and it was really quite SWEET. Her fellow members are also as friendly as her. There was this funny moment whereby one of the band member mentioned about “Kickapoo”. Sandy jokingly replied him that she might want to grab one bottle of “Kickapoo” after the concert to try it out.

Besides that, Sandy has also shown us that she can also play guitar and she has two teachers, a.k.a her daughter and one of the fellow guitarist member in her band. She was very humble when mentioning about her skill in playing guitar. This segment was quite nice too as she sang the song which has made her successfully signed by the company for her first  album and basically made her who she is now. The song was “Crying in The Rain”.

Last but not least, there were two encores in this concert.  The first encore ended with “至少還有你” which almost made me cry because her singing was really very touching.

The second encore was ended with “听说爱情回来过” which finally gave a WONDERFUL finishing for the concert!

Although there have been two encores, the crowd was reluctant to leave the concert venue asking for another ENCORE Again! But sadly,no more third encore!

Overall, Sandy has never failed to impress the crowd and I was totally mesmerized by her performance. However, I was a little bit sad though because one of my favourite song “纸飞机” was not sung. But the little sadness was compensated by A LOT OF JOY which I have felt after watching this AWESOME Concert!
 

Costume: 

In this concert, Sandy has a few costumes which suited her different themes of songs. I personally thought that the costumes were quite simple but were able to make Sandy looked differently. Some made her looked so energetic, some simply made her looked so elegant and some made her looked hot! I personally love the red dress she wore. It made her looked really nice!

Props and Settings: 

The setting of the stage was well-built. I was impressed by a few things. One of it was the elevated stage which has the decoration of rocky walls. It was very nicely built and was quite a pleasure for our view.

I was also attracted to the GIANTS that appeared during her first song. It made me wondered what’s really making those GIANTS to move. Are they real people with such big size? It’s still an unsolved mystery for me.
The effects on the background were well planned as well. And I loved it. Those videos were nice too.

Sound System was GREAT in this concert. Bravo to the team for making no flaws at all in the sound of the concert! The concert was done in an audible and clear volume! It was good treat to my ears!

Verdict:

It was really a SPECTACULAR concert! All of the audience left the Stadium with a big smile on their face including me!

Well done to the team behind the concert and also thanks to RUNNING INTO THE SUN for bringing Sandy Lam Concert MMX II “林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II” to Malaysia!

The Stadium was Full House!

** Anyway,sorry for the low quality of the photos because the photos were taken using my handphone.

Paper Crane 尾聲 Coverage

Thanks to The Actors Studio (TAS) Seni Teater Rakyat, the production team behind Paper Crane尾聲.  I was invited to attend the Gala Opening of the show with my girlfriend, Josephine. The show is splendid with good singing and good acting! Thus, both of us have enjoyed the show very much!

Story Introduction:

Paper Crane尾聲 is the story of the rise and fall of an opera star, Ah Kit (played by Roax Tan). At the beginning of the show, he is just a nobody. He asks for a job at an opera troupe which is led by a famous opera superstar Fui Koh (played by Colin Kirton). Fui Koh looked down at Ah Kit because he accidentally spills tea onto Fui Koh’s costume. Ah Kit is aspired to become an actor but he was hired by the Manager (played by Patrick Teoh) as a backstage worker instead due to the incident of spillage of tea. When working in backstage, he gets to know Siu Ngau (played by Ho Soon Yoon). Ah Kit then become even more interested in becoming an opera star after spending some time with Siu Ngau at backstage.

Ah Kit also has a mother Ah Mah (played by Amelia Tan) and there’s some issue between both of them. Besides that, Ah Kit also met with the opera troupe manager’s daughter Fei Mui (played by Lee Elaine) and there’s some sparks of romance between both of them.

A few twist and turn have occurred. Ah Kit finally has the chance to shine as an opera star but eventually falls due to a series of events.

What happens which has caused Ah Kit to rise and fall as an opera star? What is the problem between Ah Kit and his mother? What is the depth of the bond between Fei Mui and Ah Kit?

Find out the answers for all these unsolved questions at KLPAC during the following 3 weeks as the show Paper Crane尾聲 will be staging here from 27^th July 2012 till 19^th August 2012.

Pictures

(Credits to Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL)

(Credits to Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL)

(Credits to Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL)

(Credits to Kelab Shashin Fotografi KL)

Performance: 

The amazing lineups of talents in this show never fail to impress the audience. The acting is great and convincing. Minor expression from the face and even the slightest body motion are well presented by the actors. Their performance make the audience to feel emotionally attached.

The show is directed marvellously with each scene having a balanced amount of scripted dialogue and musical interception. The musical show features a few original songs that are sang live by the actors supported by catchy and melodious background music. The singing is really amazing. Me and my girlfriend Josephine were totally in love with Lee Elaine’s (Fei Mui) high note singing.

Other than singing and acting, each scenes are well linked and thus making it very easy for the audience to follow the story. The show is presented in dual-language. Some dialogues are spoken in Cantonese while some are in English. However, do not worry! A piece of scene-by-scene synopsis sheet is given for each audience. So, whoever cannot understand Cantonese or English can always refer to the sheet to understand each scene of the show.

The plot of the story is also very well written and it is meaningful and aspiring. The mood in this show is also deep and touches the dark side of humanity as it shows how Ah Kit eventually faced with failures in life due to his change of personalities.

Costume: 

The costumes for most ensembles are the same throughout the whole show. However, the costume for a few principal casts change for a few scenes especially Ah Kit’s and Fui Koh’s. Most of the casts are wearing Traditional Chinese costumes except the Manager and an unknown girl near the ending of the story.

Props and Settings: 

The backdrop of the show is actually the backstage of an opera stage. It is well set up and I like the effect when the opera stage is being “burnt down”.

The lighting is very good and has drawn the attention and focus of the audience towards the targeted point efficiently. For example, when Ah Kit is lying on the floor, the well-directed stage light is able to lead the audience’s sight to Ah Kit and not being distracted by the other actors surrounding Ah Kit in the dark.

The sound system is nice and it has delivered the sound of the show to the audience at a suitable volume. Not much problem with it except there’s one scene whereby there’s a slight screeching sound as Siu Ngau talks to Ah Kit. But it is not really noticeable.

Verdict:

Overall, it is a TOP-NOTCH performance and it deserves a round of applause for the effort of the team to present a good show for the audience! WELL DONE!

It is almost full house for the Gala Opening of Paper Crane 尾聲

For more info of the show, you can refer to my previous post:

http://loong-updates.blogspot.com/2012/07/paper-crane-klpac-27-july-2012-19.html

BIGBANG Alive Galaxy Tour 2012 @ Stadium Merdeka, KL (27 OCTOBER 2012)

BIGBANG Alive Galaxy Tour 2012 @ Stadium Merdeka, KL  (27 OCTOBER 2012) 

Venue: Stadium Merdeka, KL
Date: 27 OCTOBER 2012 (Saturday)   
Time: 8:00pm      

BIGBANG, one of the most influential Kpop Boy Group now is invading Malaysia with their BIGBANG Alive Galaxy Tour Concert 2012! The group is famous for their songs such as "Fantastic Baby", "Monster" and many etc. They are the idols for many Kpop fans.

In order to make sure more BIGBANG fans have the chance to catch a glimpse of their favourite boys, this concert is going to accomodate 12000 fans with a wide variety of ticket price range available. 


The price range for the concert is as follow:
CAT 1 RM 688 Seating
CAT 2 RM 588 Premier Rockpit
CAT 3 RM 488 Rockpit
CAT 4 RM 388 Seating
CAT 5 RM 288 Free Seating
CAT 6 RM 198 Free Seating
CAT 7 RM 188 Free Seating
CAT 8 RM 98 Free Seating

Seating Plans:

How to purchase your tickets? The details can be seen here:

(1.)FAHRENHEIT88
Outlet: fahrenheit88 Concourse, Ground Floor, 179 Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaTime: 1030hrs to 1800hrsPayment: Payment can be made via credit card (Visa, Mastercard), debit card and cash.

Website: http://fahrenheit88.com/content/getting_here.php

(2.)REDTIX Online: http://www.airasiaredtix.com
Outlets: For list of Red Tix outlets, please refer to the Red Tix websitePayment: Payment can be made via credit card (Visa, Mastercard), debit card and cash at all outlets

(3.) TICKETCHARGE Online: www.ticketcharge.com.my
Outlets: For list of Ticketcharge outlets, please refer to the Ticketcharge website.

Payment:
Payment can be made via credit card (Visa, Mastercard), debit card and cash at all outlets.Here are a few advices for fans who are planning to get the tickets:
(1.) The ticketing booths will be opened at Fahrenheit88 from 10:30am to 6:00pm;
fans are advised not to queue overnight for safety reasons.

(2.) For safety reasons, age limit for all seated tickets is 6 years old, and age limit for rock pit tickets is 12 years old.

(3.) Each transaction is capped at a maximum of 10 tickets to prevent black market ticket reselling and to ensure ticket availability.

(4.) Overseas fans can purchase tickets online at Ticket charge and Red Tix using credit card
(Visa and Mastercard)

(5.) For tickets available at Ticketcharge and Red Tix category, please refer to their respective websites.

(6.) Ticketing booths at Ticketcharge and Red Tix outlets will open at their listed operating hours from 10:30am onwards.


How to Guarantee Tickets to the BIGBANG Alive Galaxy Tour 2012 Malaysia? 


This is taken from official source.


Fans who attend the ticket launch event can guarantee themselves a ticket to the concert, as long as they are able to enter the ticketing queue between 1030hrs to 1800hrs at fahrenheit88.


Eight ticketing counters at fahrenheit88 on 28 Jul 2012, 1030hrs to 1800hrs to cope with the high demand of tickets. 

For more info,please visit:

http://www.runningintothesun.com/ 

Sandy Lam Concert MMX II 林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II @ Stadium Negara, KL (28 JULY 2012)

Sandy Lam Concert MMX II  林憶蓮演唱會 MMX II @ Stadium Negara, KL (28 JULY 2012)

Venue: Stadium Negara, KL
Date: 28 JULY 2012
Time: 8.00pm

Seating Plans

For more info,please visit:

http://www.runningintothesun.com/

The Legend Live In Malaysia 2012 《经典传奇马来西亚演唱会 2012》 @ Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands (28th July 2012)

The Legend Live In Malaysia 2012 《经典传奇马来西亚演唱会 2012》 @ Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands (28th July 2012)

Venue: Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands

Date:   28th July 2012

Time: 8.00pm

For more info,please visit:

http://www.jazzygroup.com/v2/

Lala Promo Tour @ Malaysia (August 2012) [Lala 徐佳莹 《理想人生》宣傳]

Lala Promo Tour @ Malaysia (August 2012)  [Lala 徐佳莹 《理想人生》宣傳]

This coming August, Lala 徐佳莹 will be coming to Malaysia to promote her album《理想人生》. There will be a series of fan sign & meet and greet activities througout her promo tour in Malaysia at several states including Penang, Ipoh and KL.

Below are the details for her schedule in Malaysia: 

(may be subjected to changes if there's any further notice)

So, fans, take note ya. Remember to stay tuned here for more upcoming details regarding Lala Promo Tour in Malaysia.

For more info, please visit:

https://www.facebook.com/halomusic

The event has ended and here's some of the pictures during Selayang Mall Session:

For more photos,please visit:
LALA Promo Tour Album

Video of Lala singing 不难:

"Mae Nak" Movie Review

"Mae Nak" Movie Review

Introduction

The movie “Mae Nak” is adapted from one of the most enduring Ghost Legend in Thailand which has been told through a few movies for decades. Mae Nak is in love with Mak. They are married with each other. Not long after their marriage, Nak has become pregnant. However, Mak received a letter by government which is to notify him that he is selected for war in Bangkok. He has to leave his wife behind for months. Sadly, when Mak is not with Nak, Nak dies with her stillborn baby during the delivery of the baby. When Mak returns home, he is unaware that his family is dead. But due to the strange actions seen in Nak, Mak starts to notice that there’s something wrong with his family. What will happen to this ill-fated couple then?

Find out at your nearest cinema from this Thursday onwards then.

Review:

As you all know,the movie "Mae Nak" is based on the Famous Ghost Story in Thailand. So I won't comment too much on the plot. However, in my opinion, the story does feel like a Thailand version of "The Legend of White Snake" but without those fighting actions like in the Jet Li's version of "The Legend of White Snake".

The Visual Effects are not convincing and the suspense in the movie is quite predictable.

Some scenes are poorly scripted till their original effect which is to cause fear to audience has actually turned out to be silly. However, I am not sure whether the effect will be different if in 3D. 

The sequence in the movie is also quite confusing at times whereby flashbacks are intermittently chipped in in-between the scenes which can cause the audience to lose track sometimes.

However, the story itself is actually quite a sad one. And the movie is really able to deliver the story of the legendary Mae Nak to the audience in a not too horrifying but understandable way.

What I like about the movie:

1. Adapted from one of the most famous ghost story in Thailand.

What I dislike about the movie:

1. Outdated visual effects.
2. Confusing sequencing of scenes
3. Driven in a different direction than I would expect from a Horror Genre Movie

Verdict:
If it is a Romantic genre movie, it still can fair at a mediocre score of 5.0/10.0 because the message delivered in it is actually quite fitting for couples who are currently deeply in love.

However, if it is based on the genre listed in cinema, which is Horror Genre, I am going to just give it 4.0/10.0. Because, seriously, I don’t really recall much scream from the audience throughout the movie.

4.0/10.0

So, my warning is,

If you expect a serious horror experience from this movie, most probably you will be disappointed!

However, if you are expecting some legendary love story to be shared with your partner, maybe you can watch it, but there’s no guarantee that it will be your cup of tea! 


(Reviewed by W.L Jack, blogger for loong-updates.blogspot.com)

Nuffnang Premiere Screening – Total Recall

Ever heard of this new movie "Total Recall" coming up?

Check out about this movie at the link in Nuffnang below:http://blog.nuffnang.com.my/2012/07/20/nuffnang-premiere-screening-total-recall/

There will be a Nuffnang Premiere Screening of Total Recall thanks to Sony Pictures and Nuffnang is going to give out 50 pairs of tickets to Nuffnangers! 

SUMMARY: (source: Nuffnang Blog)
For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), even though he’s got a beautiful wife (Kate Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life – real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Bryan Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Jessica Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Bill Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

By joining the contest in Nuffnang blog, you will stand a chance to win yourself some Limited Edition Total Recall merchandises!

Details of the screening are as follow:

Date: 3 August 2012 (Friday)
Time: 9.30PM
Venue: Cathay Cineplex (formerly known as Cineleisure Damansara)

Here’s a sneak preview:

Wanna win the merchandise and screening passes? Just comment on the Nuffnang blog based on the question below:

“If you get the chance to implant new memories into your brain, whose memories would you choose and why?” 

Well, for example, for me, if I could have the chance to implant new memories into my brain, I wish my memories would be Jay Chou's. He's one of the most talented male singer in Chinese Music Industry.

What about you? Do try out your luck at Nuffnang Blog and you might have chance to attend this premiere screening of "Total Recall". 

PAPER CRANE 《尾聲》@ KLPAC [27 July 2012- 19 August 2012] & PenangPac [25 August 2012- 2 September 2012]

PAPER CRANE 《尾聲》

Venue: KLPAC 

Date: 27 July 2012- 19 August 2012

Venue: PenangPac
Date: 25 August 2012- 2 September 2012

Paper Crane is a chronicle of rise and fall of musical star, Ah Kit. It is a new tale from the award winning duo behind Broken Bridges.

Created by a tried and tested team led by Dato’ Faridah Merican and Joe Hasham OAM, Paper Crane is composed of a dramatic story with a touch of romance, humour and 15 catchy Broadway-style songs performed by a 7-piece live band. This show is also featuring the stunning and lavish costumes created by famous Japanese designer, Shingo Tokihiro.

Paper Crane is performed primarily in Cantonese language with scene by scene descriptions in English and Mandarin. Last but not least, Paper Crane is a production of The Actors Studio under its Seni Teater Rakyat programme.

Introduction (source: http://theactorsstudio.com.my/papercrane/)

Armed with just a dream, Ah Kit ventures to join a Cantonese Opera troupe. However his dreams are dashed when he earns the wrath of the current superstar incumbent, Fui Koh, and he is hired as a lowly stagehand.

As he works hard to prove himself, he befriends another apprentice, Siu Ngau. His potential is noticed not only by the Manager, but also his daughter, Fei Mui.

As love blossoms between Ah Kit and Fei Mui, the friction increases between Ah Kit and Fui Koh. The superstar feels increasingly threatened by Ah Kit’s presence leading to an inevitable showdown. To what lengths will each go to protect what they hold to their hearts so dearly?

Ticketing info:

Kuala Lumpur

Penang 

So.remember to check out this performance if you indulge in stage show performance!

You can definitely expect a wonderful performance from Paper Crane!

For more info,please visit:

http://theactorsstudio.com.my/papercrane/

"The Dark Knight Rises" Movie Review

Thanks to P1 Buddy, I was given a pair of “The Dark Knight Rises” Premiere tickets and get to watch the movie yesterday.

A little introduction of “The Dark Knight Rises”

“The Dark Knight Rises” takes place 8 years after the event of the previous movie. Batman has been missing in action for 8 years but Gotham is still in peace for the past few years due to the lie of Harvey Dent’s death and with the existence of Dent’s Act. Within the past 8 years, this law has been able to control the crime in Gotham.

Bruce Wayne has been detaching himself from the outside world because of his past experience during the previous movie. He still couldn’t let go of what has happened in the past and thus stopping himself from moving on.

However, due to the threats of the new villain Bane (played by Tom Hardy), Bruce Wayne has finally decided to come back as Batman again.

Review

"The Dark Knight Rises" is an EPIC and EMOTIONAL Conclusion to the trilogy. The story is DEEP, POWERFUL and filled with some twist near the end which has surprised all of the audience. The feelings in the movie are so well conveyed and delivered that even the scene where normal people died or police being trapped can also cause the audience to be emotionally affected.

Although the movie is 2 hours and 45 minutes long, the whole movie is very well paced and not draggy at all. There are some transitions here and there which lead you more into knowing the characters.

In addition, well done to Anne Hathaway for her remarkable performance as Catwoman. In my opinion, Catwoman in this movie is even hotter than Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow.

On the other hand, Bane is well portrayed by Tom Hardy.  Since Bane’s mouth is being covered, his only expression depends on his eyes. And Tom has done a great job in providing the menacing feel via the expressions on his eyes.

(*spoiler ahead)

And I am happy to see another famous PROTAGONIST from Batman franchise to appear in this film, though being revealed only at the very end of the movie.

What I like about the movie?

1.  Well-scripted storylines and amazing explosive actions throughout the whole movie. 
2. There are a few scenes which are very emotional and touched the audience.
3. There are some surprises and twists near the end of the story.
4. A thoughtful movie and an EPIC ending for the Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan.

What I dislike about the movie?

1.  Basically there’s nothing that I don’t like about the movie.

Verdict:

Overall, it is definitely one of the BEST SUPERHERO movie ever made! 

In fact, it is the BEST MOVIE so far this year!

9.0/10.0 - AWESOME!

It deserves a 9.0/ 10.0!


(Reviewed by W.L Jack, blogger for loong-updates.blogspot.com)