Local religious authorities have asked for the three tudung-clad Malay girls, who were seen behaving in an improper way on stage with a K-Pop band, to come forward over the controversy, The Star Online reported today.
The three had been seen in a YouTube clip getting hugs and kisses from members of the K-Pop band B1A4 at a mini-concert held at the Live Centre in Jalan Sultan Ismail, Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night.
Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) said today that the three K-Pop fans will be able to assist in its investigations.
The Star Online quoted Jawi director Paimuzi Yahya as saying that the actions of the women and band members went overboard, as it was against Islamic teachings and offended the sensitivities of the Muslim community.
"The Jawi enforcement division has opened an investigation under Section 29 of the Syariah Criminal Offences ( Federal Territories ) Act 1977 (Act 599 Indecent Acts in Public Places.)
"Those who are involved are asked to come forward to help in the investigation," he said in a statement today.
According to The Star Online, Paimuzi explained that the particular Act can be enforced against people who behave indecently and in contravention of Islamic law in a public place, and is punishable with fines of not more than RM1,000 or six months jail or both.
The three-minute video clip of the B1A4 stars hugging and kissing the female fans on stage went viral on social media yesterday, drawing much criticism from viewers.
The Star Online also reported that TGM Events, the organiser of the mini-concert have since expressed their regret over the incident and declared that the three Malay girls had willingly stepped onto the stage. – January 12, 2015.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/authorities-want-girls-help-in-k-pop-band-hugs-and-kisses-probe#sthash.WU2rKuVH.dpuf
KUALA LUMPUR: Just when you taught it couldn’t get worse… it does!
An article appearing on Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia’s (Isma) official website now claims that Christianity was behind the lecherous acts that took place in full view of the public, and captured on video, when members of K-Pop band B1A4 allegedly “molested” three young tudung-wearing Muslim girls at a concert.
The article relayed the arguments put forth by A Karim Omar, the secretary-general of Pertubuhan Muafakat Sejahtera Malaysia (Muafakat), another Muslim NGO.
In the article, Karim made a series of unsubstantiated claims about how K-Pop bands were in reality Christian activists masquerading as pop artistes.
Karim was quoted as saying that the majority of K-Pop artistes were gospel singers when younger. He also claimed that “some people say” the K-Pop genre was an evolution of Korean Contemporary Christian Music (KCCM) that began in the 70s before gaining popularity.
He added, “Apart from that, a random survey shows that over 80% of K-Pop artistes are Christians (regardless of whether male or female).
“The rest are Atheists, Buddhists or those who believe in animism.”
Offering his theory that K-Pop bands were part of the dark agenda of Christian evangelists that were out to lead young Muslims astray, Karim also noted that since 2006, South Korea became the second highest exporter of Christian missionaries after the United States, ousting the United Kingdom that occupied the spot before.
The posting of the article on Isma’s official Facebook page has so far garnered 614 “likes” and 227 shares with 107 Facebooks users venturing to offer their opinions on the subject.
The concert that started out innocently enough has now been blown out of all proportion with the Islamic Development Department (Jakim) and Federal Territories Islamic Religious Department (Jawi) taking offence at seeing young Muslim girls being kissed on the forehead and hugged from behind, in what they deemed as the equivalent of being “molested”.
Local artists have to go through such hassles to get a chance in Malaysian radio whereas Indians are free to get a chance in Malaysia.
Saravanan, Sec. Gabungan Artist-artist Indian Malaysia.
Prime Minister’s Office
Blok Utama, Bangunan Perdana Putra,
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan,
62502 Putrajaya,
Wilayah Persekutuan.
Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia
Aras 5, 8-16 dan 18,
Kompleks Kementerian Komunikasi dan Multimedia
No. 49, Persiaran Perdana,
Presint 4
62100 Putrajaya
YAB/YB/Tuan/Puan,
Malaysian Indian songs should be aired at least 50% in all Tamil radios in Malaysia. We are artists from Gabungan Artist India Malaysia requesting the Malaysian government impose strict guidelines for all Tamil radios to play Local songs more than foreign songs.
During the management of Tun Dr. Mahathir, he had a policy that local products should be the priority. In that context we would like to urge the government to draw a line for foreign songs especially in Tamil radio stations. We are not anti foreign songs but if local songs are not played even in Malaysia, how can the Malaysian Indian artist reach the height of International level? Foreign songs which are mostly from India already reach the International market.
Recently, many artists have had terrible experiences at THR radio, a private channel, which is enshrined under Jabatan Penerangan Malaysia. Many hardworking artists are not recognized by our local channels. For example:-
a) Local song writers should send their songs under a registered label.
b) According to THR’s website it will take 2 weeks for them to approve or reject a song. It is very interesting to know how they approve a song. First, they send a song for rating which has 18,000 listeners. Those 18,000 listeners will make a decision which song to play in the radio station. We would like to make a point here, not all the 18,000 people are well versed in music, lyrics and expression of a song. They are just listeners. Many songs are rejected because of a low rating. There is an important point which we would like to make here; there are 194,400 likes in THR’s Raaga facebook page, out of 100k people we can see an average of 60 people likes their posting and we can only see 5 or 6 people comment on their postings. If out of 100k people you can get average of 60 likes what you will get from 18,000 people? Not everyone has time to spend on just listening then rating local songs. It is a complete discrimination from THR towards local Indian artists.
c) When a song is approved or rejected they don’t even answer by mail or letter to the related artist. If a song is rejected they should give a reason for it so that an artist can improve.
d) All radio channels should follow the ministry’s guidelines to approve the radio licence. The percentage of local artists should be taken into consideration because it is a guideline from the government.
e) THR and RTM are advertising Indian movie songs even before the release of the CDs or movies. The Indian artists do not have to go through procedures such as Malaysian artists:
• Should fill forms which are downloaded from their website;
• Should make a CD cover for every single song;
• A CD should be sent by registered post to THR’s guard house – with lyrics attached and should include details of the artist involved in the song,
No Indian artist has to go through all the procedures mentioned above. Local artists have to go through such hassles to get a chance in Malaysian radio whereas Indians are free to get a chance in Malaysia. It is not a good system which is created either by JPM or radio stations.
f) For the past 16 years, Malaysian artists have been fighting to get a chance or rights to play their songs in Malaysian radio. According to our recorded conversation from the THR management they play 2 to 3 Malaysian songs in an hour. That means local artists are getting less than a 10% chance in an hour. How will the government promote Malaysian talent when the local radios and TV restrict local songs and talents?
Those 2 or 3 songs are played everyday after 16 years of struggle. Do we have to struggle another 16 years to get another 8% chance? We from Gabungan Artist-artist India Malaysia would like to urge the government under the Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak to draft strict guidelines for local and foreign songs. We need to stick to Tun Dr. Mahathir’s idea where local products should be given priority. We would like to have an official reply from the ministry so that it can be helpful in our effort to highlight the grievances of local artists.
Thank you for your understanding.
Yours faithfully,
Saravanan
Sec. Gabungan Artist-artist Indian Malaysia
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 (Bernama) -- The musical programme 'Kalapaddam'
which was previously aired through the radio programme, MINNALfm, will
be aired over RTM2 beginning January, to ensure that the programme could
be widened to the whole country.
Information, Communications and Culture Deputy Minister Datuk Maglin
Dennis D'Cruz said with the change, it was hoped that the programme
could become a platform for the government to convey information on the
country's development to the Indian community in a more effective
manner.
Through the programme, the Indian community could get various
information on the government including the 1Malaysia People's Aid
(BR1M) and the 'Tabung Ekonomi Kumpulan Usaha Niaga' (Tekun), he told
reporters before attending the recording of the Kalapaddam programme for
the Deepavali edition at Wisma Radio, Angkasapuri, here Friday.
The 30-minute Deepavali edition of Kalapaddam would be aired on
Deepavali day and would be made into a weekly programme on TV 2
beginning January next year.
The Taliban are using the pop singer’s striptease to attack the schoolgirl they tried to murder. Sami Yousafzai reports on the backlash.
There’s no doubt that Madonna was trying to be helpful a few days ago when she performed a striptease
for an audience in Los Angeles. The question is how carefully the pop
entertainer considered the consequences before she shucked off her
costume to reveal the name Malala emblazoned in big letters across her
back, between her bra strap and her thong. The crowd at the Staples
Center applauded and cheered, of course. But the response has been
decidedly mixed in Pakistan, where 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai
(no relation) attended school until Oct. 9, when a Taliban gunman shot
her in the head for her outspoken public advocacy of women’s education.
The
extremists pounced on the video as soon as it was posted. The
schoolgirl’s shooting had provoked an unprecedentedly fierce backlash
against the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Now Madonna’s performance
allowed the militants to recast Malala as a symbol of Western immodesty
and immorality. Hospitalized in Britain, with a tracheotomy tube down
her throat, she was in no position to protest. Kakar Khan, a former
senior official in the Afghan Taliban’s Information Ministry, sent me a
long email saying, “If you have any doubts about Malala’s game, you must
watch Madonna strip sing.” He urges readers of his Facebook page to
view the video—but not if family members are present: “Do not try to
open it,” he warns. “Total strip and vulgar.”
Many
Taliban say Malala’s Western supporters only prove she was a bad
person. “If Malala were a good Muslim, such terrible people would not
raise their voices for her—people like Obama, [Angelina] Jolie,
Madonna, [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai, and [Pakistani President Asif
Ali] Zardari, says Ghazi Wazir, a TTP member living in Karachi.
“Whoever shot Malala would not be happy for hurting the girl, but they
would be happy for any pain they could inflict on Obama, Zardari,
Karzai, and the rest of the world’s top enemies of islam.” He says he
has seen photos of Madonna on the night of her pro-Malala performance.
Even
people from far outside the Taliban’s ranks are denouncing the singer’s
performance. “I condemned the attack on Malala,” says Omar Mansoor
Ansari, who worked as the media director for Dr. Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai’s
campaign during Afghanistan’s 2009 presidential race. “At the same
time, I also condemn Madonna’s song for Malala. Those who targeted
Malala created a hugely negative message about Muslims, but Madonna has
spread the anti-Islam and anti-Pashtun propaganda even wider by her
song.”
Not
satisfied with using Madonna in efforts to discredit Malala, some
Pakistani Taliban are weaving bizarre conspiracy theories around the
case. One TTP commander, currently living underground in Karachi and
asking not to be named, claims that the Malala shooting was all a big
hoax. “It was just play-acting,” he says. “If she was wounded in the
head as it was said in the media, the doctors would have been forced to
shave her head, but in photos her hair is perfect. She was never wounded.”
Zaman
Taraki, a relatively moderate TTP sympathizer living in London,
concedes that the shooting was genuine, but he insists that the attack
was a plot by Punjabi members of Inter-Services Intelligence, the
Pakistan government’s spy directorate, to rally worldwide support for military action
in the TTP’s tribal-areas strongholds. But it’s no use, he says. U.S.
support for action against the TTP “would only help the religious
fanatics,” he says. “The Pakistani Army would never go after the Taliban
in the tribal areas.”
Not satisfied with using Madonna in efforts to discredit Malala,
some TTP members are weaving bizarre conspiracy theories around the
case.
The
backlash against Malala actually began even before Madonna’s appearance
in Los Angeles. I visited a madrassa in Mardan, a 90-minute drive from
Malala’s Swat Valley hometown of Mingora. “There is no doubt that Islam
never allows the killing of anyone under age,” says Maulana Ali Haqqani,
45, as his class of 15 students listened intently. “The question isn’t
whether what happened to Malala was right or wrong. The question is why
this incident is fueling anti-Islam feelings. The attack on Malala
earned deep and rapid condemnation worldwide. So why does no one speak
out against the killing of innocent kids in the tribal areas,
Afghanistan, and Palestine?”
Haqqani
blames practically everyone he can think of: not only the U.S. and
Israeli armed forces, but Malala’s father for encouraging her to speak
her mind, the late U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke for agreeing to meet
with her and thus helping to make her a target of the TTP’s rage, the
entire world for supposedly ignoring atrocities that are committed
against Muslims. “Thousands of Muslim kids were burned alive in Burma,”
he says, referring to violence that killed an undetermined number of men, women, and children
last June. “Where were the people who are now at the front lines of the
U.S.-led media war against Pakistan’s religious elements?” He takes off
his glasses and looks proudly to his students. “I agree there is more
sympathy for Malala than we thought, but it is Western media using her
case and keeping it alive.”
In
the end, there’s always a way to deflect the burden of responsibility
to the West. “The Malala incident helped the West by successfully
diverting attention from anti-Islam movies,” says Kakar Khan, evidently
referring to the idiotic YouTube trailer for Innocence of Muslims, which set off furious protests
across the Muslim world in September. “Malala was a poor and innocent
girl, unwittingly forced to play her part in this satanic drama. Now her
role is at an end, and the play will go on, costing lots of Muslim
blood.” The tragedy will continue. That much seems beyond dispute.
Like The Daily Beast on Facebook and
follow us on Twitter for updates all day
long.
Sami Yousafzai is Newsweek's correspondent in
Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he has covered militancy, al Qaeda, and
the Taliban for the magazine since 9/11. He was born in Afghanistan but
moved to Pakistan with his family after the Russian invasion in 1979. He
began his career as a sports journalist but switched to war reporting
in 1997.
Madonna backs down from wearing Muslim bridal dress
Madonna has decided against wearing a Muslim bridal dress, a combination of a traditional Iraqi bridal veil and a US soldier's uniform, in her new music video after being convinced by her advisers to give the outfit a miss for her own safety.
Madonna has decided against wearing a Muslim bridal dress in her new music video over fears for her safety.
The 54-year-old singer was planning to don a 'Terror Bride' outfit - a combination of a traditional Iraqi bridal veil and a US soldier's uniform - in the video for upcoming single 'Superstar' as a statement against oppression against women and war, but her advisers convinced her to ditch the political stunt because of the outrage it would be likely to cause.
A source said: ''Madonna had the outfit ready to go. She was really proud of it and said it was her 'Terror Bride' costume.
''She had paraded around in it and said she was going to wear it in her next music video.
''At first when people started telling her it was madness she just brushed it off.
''But when they mentioned that her actions could put her life at risk she decided to ditch it from her video and certainly won't be wearing it on stage.''
The 'Celebration' hitmaker - who is a devotee of Jewish offshoot religion Kabbalah - had already tried the costume on, and while she is said to be ''really disappointed'' about not wearing the outfit, she hasn't ruled out donning the attire in a music video at some point in the future.
The insider added to The Sun newspaper: ''She was really disappointed as she was so adamant about it.
''And even when she said she wasn't going to go ahead she winked that it was being put aside 'for now'.''
Last month, Madonna caused controversy when she referred to US President Barack Obama - who is openly Christian - as a ''black Muslim'' at a concert in Washington, but she later clarified her comments insisting she was ''being ironic''.
She added: ''Yes, I know Obama is not a Muslim, though I know that plenty of people in this country (America) think he is.''
Some have suggested that “drug abuse” (usually taken to mean
illegal or hardcore drugs) played a part in Whitney’s downfall, but
reports have emerged that prescription pills were found around her hotel
bath-tub.
The Daily Mail reported:
The body of the singer, 48, was found in a bathtub at her
suite on Saturday, surrounded by different bottles of prescription
pills including ibuprofen – a painkiller, Xanax – an anti-anxiety drug,
Midol – for menstrual cramps, amoxicillin – for bacterial infections and
several others.
Her doctors are said to be facing questions.
Read the full report, which is quite revealing.
Not what Big Pharma would like to hear.
(CNN) -- The news broke on the eve of Grammy Awards, the music industry's biggest night: The woman with the pitch-perfect voice who once reigned as the queen of pop at the awards show had died.
Whitney Houston was found dead Saturday by her bodyguard on the fourth floor of an upscale Beverly Hills hotel where only hours later she was to attend a pre-Grammy bash hosted by her longtime mentor, Clive Davis.
Her death, at age 48, was the final chapter of a storied career that began with the nurturing by superstar cousin Dionne Warwick, soared in the 1980s and 1990s with one record-setting achievement after another, stalled as her drug use and marriage to Bobby Brown made for tabloid fodder and was on the rebound with a highly anticipated star turn.
"You're going to remember where you were when you heard the news. It's that significant. She was undoubtedly one of the greatest superstars of all time," music producer Simon Cowell said.
"One of the greatest voices in our lifetime we're likely ever to hear. And to hear this news, it really, really, really upset me."
Houston's voice, once described by The New York Times as "peerless," influenced and inspired a new generation of singers, from Mariah Carey to Christina Aguilera, and garnered a legion of fans.
"Her notes soared to places most singers dream of reaching," Aguilera said.
Houston seemed destined for stardom almost from the very beginning.
Born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey, to gospel great Cissy Houston, cousin to both Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick and goddaughter to Aretha Franklin, Houston's upbringing was the embodiment of musical greatness.
Grief flows at hotel where Houston died
She honed her vocal skills from a young age, singing in the church choir and taking the stage occasionally with her mother. As a teenager, she sang backup for Chaka Khan on "I'm Every Woman," a song Houston would re-record in 1992 and that would go on to become one of her biggest hits.
As the story goes, Clive Davis spotted Houston in 1983 in a New York nightclub performing and signed her on the spot.
Houston released her debut album, "Whitney Houston," in February 1985 to wide acclaim. Rolling Stone magazine called her "one of the most exciting new voices in years."
With the release of the album, her commanding voice combined with a natural beauty and a clean-cut image made her an instant star.
Fans: Whitney Houston's music spanned an era
A generation danced their way through the 1980s to a string of her hits, including the poppy "How Will I Know," "Saving All My Love For You," "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "The Greatest Love Of All."
But it was in the 1990s that she shot into the superstar stratosphere with two songs that showcased her stunning octave range and her maturity.
On January 27, 1991, while the United States was at war in the Persian Gulf, Houston performed "The Star Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XXV to a record 79 million viewers.
During a time when the country seemed divided by the war, her searing, heartfelt performance seemed to unite a nation at least for a few minutes. Her rendition -- the gold standard by which all performances of the national anthem are judged -- was released as a single and reached the Top 20 on the U.S. Hot 100 Billboard.
Houston's version was re-released in 2001 following the September 11 terrorist attacks, and proceeds from the sales were donated to charity.
That was followed up by her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" recorded for the movie "The Bodyguard," in which she also made her acting debut.
Stunned celebrities mourn Whitney Houston
While the movie received mostly poor reviews, the song went onto to sell 10 million singles, winning Grammy's record of the year and best female pop vocal. The soundtrack was named album of the year.
"I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, 'Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed,'" Parton said.
But by the time the movie opened, Houston's clean-cut pop image had begun to tarnish with her marriage to R&B bad boy Bobby Brown. The two met in 1989 and married three years later.
HLNtv.com: What about Bobbi Kristina Brown?
Their relationship became tabloid fodder, with every misstep chronicled and the couple's relationship a subject of constant speculation. Brown's notorious hard-partying led him to several run-ins with the law and stints in jail.
While Houston managed to maintain a successful music and movie career through the end of the 1990s, starring in "The Preacher's Wife" and "Waiting To Exhale," her behavior turned increasingly erratic amid reports of heavy drug use.
By the 2000s, her career was in free fall as her album sales dropped off and her voice began to show signs of wear.
The rumors were further fueled by her gaunt appearance and crass behavior on the 2001 short-lived Bravo reality show "Being Bobby Brown," which she later said in an interview she only did to try to save her marriage. The couple, who had a daughter together, divorced in 2007.
Brown performed at a "New Edition" concert Saturday night in South Haven, Mississippi.
"The atmosphere felt bittersweet," said iReporter Moshiu Knox, who attended the concert with his wife. "Bobby was crying during his performance and at one point had to walk off stage. ... The crowd was emotional and tears were flowing all over the arena."
Video of the concert shows Brown asking the audience to pray for the couple's daughter. "If you find the time, can you say a prayer for me because I'm going to need it," he says.
In an infamous interview in 2002 with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Houston admitted to using drugs but denied the use of crack.
"Crack is wack," she said, quoting a line taken from Keith Haring mural painted in 1986.
It was during the same interview, she told Sawyer: "The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy."
Houston bounced in and out of drug rehab twice, declaring herself drug-free during a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, though an Australian tour that same year was fraught with reviews that she sounded "croaky" and, at times, appeared disoriented.
Recently, Houston was working to turn around her career -- and image -- with a star turn in the upcoming movie "Sparkle,'' the remake of a 1976 film that is said to be loosely inspired by the Supremes.
The night Houston died she was to be a guest of honor at Davis' annual pre-Grammy bash.
"She loved music and she loved this night that celebrated music," Davis told party-goers.
LOS ANGELES, Sept 24 — Baby boomers may remember classical
sitar player Ravi Shankar from his legendary appearances at the 1967
Monterey Pop Festival and Woodstock, or his influence on popular music
culture at the time.
But what the 91-year-old musical icon remembers most about Monterey
was hearing live rock ‘n’ roll for the first time. It was loud, he
recalls, and he walked out on Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar.
File photo of Shankar in performance in Kolkata on February 7, 2009. — Reuters pic
The
three-time Grammy winner appears for one night, September 29, in Los
Angeles at the Disney Concert Hall, and ahead of the show he spoke to
Reuters about his music, his memories of the ‘60s and his friendship
with late Beatle George Harrison.
Q: You collaborated with many high-profile Western artists in the past. In what direction are you taking your music now?
A: “Mostly I’m playing concerts. I just finished
five concerts in Europe, in London, Birmingham and the Edinburgh
Festival, then I went to Oslo, Norway. I finished those and now I’m
looking forward to playing San Francisco and Escondido.”
Q: What’s on the programme for the Disney Hall show?
A: “I always decide what I will play at the last
moment, but I can tell you the format. I always start with very
traditional classical music. The first I think will be very traditional
almost dating back to 16th century. The second is a more later
development known as contemporary-classical music. Another raga, an
Indian raga. It’s more popular, not in the pop sense, but it’s a more
popular second song. Of course the form we play is known as raga.
Popular music with a lot of rhythmic variations.”
Q: Can I take you back to the Monterey Pop Festival? It was a
landmark concert and introduced you to your largest American audience.
What are your memories of that show?
A: “I’ll tell you very frankly, I went to see the
whole night show with people like Jimi Hendrix and The Who, Simon and
Garfunkel, Otis Redding, the Mamas and the Papas, all these people were
performing. This was my first orientation to listening in person to live
performances of rock ‘n’ roll. It was very loud for me. I’m not used to
such loud music.
“But when The Who started breaking their instruments after the songs,
and they are kicking them and breaking all the instruments — and Jimi
Hendrix, after a wonderful performance, which I was so impressed with,
then he took off his guitar and then he put benzene on the guitar and
burned it. That I could not take. I just walked out and said, ‘I won’t
be here’.”
Q: But two years later at Woodstock, you did it all again.
A: “It was a horrible experience because it was
raining. We went by helicopter, which landed behind the stage. There
were a half a million people, it was raining, drizzling, there was mud
everywhere and everybody was, most of them, high on drugs, y’know. And
this was very difficult for my instrument, and I was not happy because
of the whole environment.”
Q: Still, you gained fame in the West from those events
A: “There was one issue that always bothered me.
They mixed my music with drugs and all that type of free love and
everything. That’s what I objected to. I wanted to bring them
consciousness of our music to relate to like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart —
you don’t go to hear a concert being on grass or misbehaving like that.”
Q: Did you ever express that to an audience?
A: “I said, ‘I don’t want to be treated — or my
music — to be treated like that.’ So I, many a times, would walk out of
my concerts until they stopped smoking and behaved properly. I didn’t
want to reach them on drugs, but I did want to play them our music, our
Indian classical music which connected more with — not religion but a
more spiritual energy.”
Q: Your introduction to the rock world came through George
Harrison. What brought the two of you together for the 1971 benefit
concert for Bangladesh?
A: “I was in Los Angeles at that time and I was
thinking of giving a concert or two, raising as much as I could, and
help them. George came to my house and said, ‘Let’s do it in a bigger
way and raise as much as we can.’ He phoned Bob Dylan and all his
friends, and the show happened. One show sold out immediately, so they
had another show in the afternoon. The crisis became known around the
world within 24 hours.”
Q: Harrison studied sitar under you before composing
“Norwegian Wood” and “Within You Without You,” both of which used the
instrument. Was George a good student?
A: “He was a wonderful student, he was like my
family, my friend and we had a wonderful time. He flew into Mumbai in
1974 and 1975 where I had a festival for 45 minutes with my musicians,
and after intermission he had his group and he helped promote the
concert all over the United States. He was a wonderful friend.” —
Reuters
Members of Kiss perform during the Hellfest music Festival in Clisson, June 20, 2010. — Reuters pic
LOS
ANGELES, Aug 17 — The rock band Kiss was removed from the line-up for a
Michael Jackson tribute concert in Britain, after it was revealed
frontman Gene Simmons has called Jackson a child molester, organisers
said yesterday.
The decision to scratch Kiss from the line-up came after Jackson’s fans this week expressed anger at Simmons’ comments.
“We have listened to Michael’s fans and are grateful to have been
alerted to these unfortunate statements by Gene Simmons,” Chris Hunt,
the chief executive of organizer Global Live Events, said in a
statement.
“Under the circumstances, we fully agree that even though Kiss is a
band Michael admired, we have no choice but to rescind our invitation to
them to appear in our tribute concert,” Hunt said.
Kiss, a rock band famous for such songs as “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “Detroit Rock City,” was a recent addition to the line-up for the tribute concert.
The “Michael Forever” show is planned for October 8 in Cardiff,
Wales, and so far the scheduled performers include Christina Aguilera,
Cee Lo Green and Smokey Robinson, organizers said.
The concert has the backing of Jackson’s mother, Katherine, and his siblings LaToya, Tito, Jackie and Marlon.
The 61 year-old Simmons, who is known for being outspoken, had in the
past criticised Jackson over old accusations that the singer abused
children. Jackson was acquitted at a trial in 2005 of charges that he
molested a boy at his Neverland Ranch.
“The only sexual references ever made about Michael Jackson that were
made by anyone, anywhere around the world, have always been made by
kids, and specifically males usually 10 to 14 years of age; never
females that age or older, and never grown men,” Simmons told Classic
Rock magazine in 2010.
Howard Weitzman, an attorney for the executors of Jackson’s estate
lawyer John Branca and music executive John McClain, said on Monday in a
letter to the tribute concert organisers they were “disappointed” at
the decision to include Kiss.
The letter from Weitzman also raised questions about the October 8
show, including whether all the artists booked to appear will indeed
perform that day.
And Weitzman noted that Michael Jackson’s brothers, Jermaine and Randy, have publicly said they cannot offer their support for the show.
Jermaine and Randy have said the show is ill-timed because the
upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray, who was
Jackson’s personal physician when the singer died in 2009, is expected
to be ongoing when the show is held.
“In light of the questions raised...and the confusion surrounding
this ‘event,’ we are extremely concerned about Michael’s legacy, his
fans and the public-at-large,” Weitzman wrote in the letter.
A spokeswoman for the concert organizers declined to comment on the letter. — Reuters
NEW DELHI, July 15 (Bernama) -- Former 'Rolling Stones' frontman Mich
Jagger, who has collaborated with A R Rahman and three other music
superstars for a new band 'Super Heavy', have released their first
single 'Miracle Worker'.
The three others are Dave Stewart, Joss Stone and Damien Marley, and
all five of them are also planning to come up with their first album by
September, according to Press Trust of India (PTI).
Rahman, who one two Oscars for his music in 'Slumdog Millionaire', is thrilled by the idea of being part of such a band.
"It took me way back to my high school days when I was playing in a rock band, but this one was a real one!" said Rahman.
Whilem Jagger says he couldn't believe that the band would actually come to life.
"I said it sounds like a good idea, I never thought it would actually happen," said Jagger.
The band 'Super Heavy' with diverse and electric line up who share 11
Grammy Awards between them, have been recording together in various
studios around the world.
"It's the most complicated record ever made. Imagine, some of it's
recorded in LA, some of it's recorded in the South of France, some of
it's recorded off the coast of Cyprus, some of it's recorded in Turkey,
some of it's recorded in Miami, some of it's recorded in the Caribbean,
and some of it's recorded in Chennai, in India," said Stewart.
Optician Waiboon Tungyuenyong plays a few bars of "Fly Me To The Moon" on one of his bamboo saxophones.
Not far from Bangkok's Khlong Lod canal lies an optician's run by a man named Waiboon Tungyuenyong. It is set in a long row of shophouses that lines one side of Atsadang Road.
The story of the shop and its owner is replicated many times over in this part of the city, with one exception. This particular store also doubles as a purveyor of bamboo saxophones.
“Sometimes people ask me to teach them, but they don’t have the patience, and they can’t pick the wood," says Waiboon.
“I was born here, upstairs," Waiboon explains, gesturing to the ceiling. "My parents came from mainland China, and they ran a shop, like a 7-Eleven. Next door was a general store, selling hammers, nails, mosquito nets. This area was the centre of Bangkok around 80 years ago. The suburbs were just fields."Bangkok’s shift from genteel town to economic and political hub is mirrored by its growth outwards, down the canals, along Charoen Krung, towards Sukhumvit and beyond. The city's initial boom was engendered by hundreds of Chinese migrant workers and their families.
Waiboon isn’t sure what triggered his parent’s move. Initially working as a chef, his father eventually saved up enough to set up his own business. Klong Lod used to be surrounded by government offices, which proved lucrative, as hundreds of employees poured out at lunchtime to purchase goods.
People would also travel in from the rural areas, due to a lack of amenities in the countryside. Eventually the shop started to stock items imported from Japan such as watches and eye-glass frames. While European goods were highly desirable, they were beyond the reach of most people’s pocket.
The bamboo saxophones, however, came from pure curiosity.
“About 30 years ago, I watched a TV show with this German guy on it, who made bamboo saxophones in the northern part of Thailand," says Waiboon. "I can play flute, and the bamboo instrument has the same fingering. The sound touched my heart. I felt sure I could play it.”
Waiboon's shop is filled with cuts of bamboo, machinery and half-made instruments.
Eventually the two met in Bangkok, and Waiboon took to teaching himself to play the instrument, as well as trying to learn tunes off the radio.“I always listened to the radio at night," he recalls. "Frank Sinatra, Pat Boone, Beethoven, instrumental music. I was always listening, but I didn’t know the names of the songs.”
He would occasionally go to a friend’s nearby record store to find out the names. A particular favorite was "Baby Elephant Walk" by Henry Mancini.
This would lead to Waiboon occasionally accompanying local restaurant bands, in what were effectively early karaoke bars.
“I didn’t know the notes, my timing was so bad. I didn’t know which key it was in either. I’d write the keys down to remember for each song.”
His playing intrigued some of the other customers, who wanted to know where they could get a similar instrument.
The final product: Waiboon plays a tune on a finished bamboo saxophone. In the background, a photo of him performing for the Thai princess.
“They said, ‘If you can play it, you can make it’. Every time I went out, it was the same. So I thought if I can make it, then I can make money. This was the starting point.”Having no background in manufacturing instruments, Waiboon began a four-year period of trial and error, during which friends would occasionally suggest he should give up on his quest.
Eventually he put together his first prototype, but the sound was terrible. Despondent, he put it in the window of his shop, where it stayed for almost a year.
“One day a customer asked if it was for sale. I told him 'you can’t play it.' He asked to try, and it sounded fine.
"It’s because before, the wood wasn’t properly dry, so there was no sound. So then I learned you have to let the bamboo dry out first. After this I had success. Now I hold it over a grill. It darkens the wood, and kills any bugs at the same time.”
Around the back of the store lies Waiboon’s workshop, dotted with cuts of bamboo, machinery and half-made instruments. There’s also a photo on the wall commemorating the time he played for Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn at a trade fare.
Like Por, the overseer of nearby Klong Lod market, I wonder if he has a successor in mind.
“Sometimes people ask me to teach them, but they don’t have the patience, and they can’t pick the wood," Waiboon laments.
He then picks up his recently-made tenor sax, and the notes of "Fly Me To The Moon" waft out into the afternoon air. Waiboon Optics is located on Thanon Atsadang, Klond Lod. Saxophones start from 5,000 baht each. It takes Waiboon 2-4 weeks to make a bamboo saxophone, depending on the model.
Chris Menist is a well-known Bangkok DJ who spins alongside DJ Maft Sai at their bi-monthly Paradise Bangkok parties. The next event will take place on May 28. Visit ZudRangMa Records for more info.
They are not doing this with East- timor delegates but it is just piece of low class mentality that they want to show other. This country will appear as Pakistan , Sudan and Somalia one day.
