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Comebacks and brickbats

Posted by March 15, 2012
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By SHARMILA NAIR
alltherage@thestar.com.my

It has been another crazy week in Tinseltown as celebrities went out and about their usual flashy, extragavant and gossip-laden lifestyles.

Pop princess on TV

Britney Spears is not stepping out of the limelight anytime soon. The singer has found a new way to stay relevant and is rumoured to be in talks to judge the Simon Cowell’s singing competition, X-Factor. She is this close to sealing the US$20mil (RM60mil) deal.

Britney Spears

Spears won’t be the first Mouseketeer to take on judging duties on a reality TV show as fellow Disney-mate Christina Aguilera has been a judge and mentor on that other hit singing competition, The Voice, for two seasons now.

Sharm says: I heart Britney forever, but is she really the right person to judge a singing competition?

A very mad man

John Hamm plays a no-nonsense guy on the hit series Mad Men and the actor is not afraid to speak his mind in real life either. The star recently spoke up about the “idiot mentality” among some celebrities and particularly aimed his displease at two socialites and former BFFs.

Jon Hamm

“Whether it’s Paris Hilton or Kim Kardashian or whoever, stupidity is certainly celebrated,” Hamm said to Elle UK.

“Being a f****** idiot is a valuable commodity in this culture because you’re rewarded significantly.”

Hamm is not the first person to direct his anger towards a member of the Kardashian clan. Last November, actor Daniel Craig also referred to the Kardashians as “f****** idiots” in an interview with British GQ.

Sharm says: Wow. Just goes to show that real men don’t prefer dumb chicks.

It wasn’t her

Last week, the Internet went crazy when nude and other suggestive pictures of actress Olivia Munn started popping up online. However, the actress issued a letter stating that not all the pictures were of her. She wrote a funny letter addressed to her fans and it was read out loud by director Jay Chandrasekhar at a screening of her upcoming movie, The Babymakers.

Olivia Munn

In the letter, Munn hinted that she’s too busy doing good deeds to be sending any lewd text messages to anyone. She ended the letter by saying that the pictures were obviously fake as they didn’t have one particular physical trait.

She wrote: “Some of those photos weren’t even me. I mean, you can’t even see my p****, and it’s pretty big for an Asian. Sheesh.”

Sharm says: LOL … how much you wanna bet that her profile is going to skyrocket now that she has those “nude” photos online?

It’s red again

Our favourite troubled young star is finally getting back to her roots! Lindsay Lohan, who has been blonde (and platinum blonde recently) for a few years, has dyed her hair red. This sudden move comes right after 63-year-old singer Debbie Harry (who also rocks platinum blonde hair) was mistaken for the 24-year-old starlet last week! While it’s definitely a compliment for the ageing rockstar, that kind of mistake must’ve been totally embarrassing for the young actress.

Lindsay Lohan

Sharm says: Aww, poor LiLo. At least they didn’t confuse her with the other blonde … Donatella Versace.

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Ugly Ducklings

Posted by March 9, 2012
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By SHARMILA NAIR

alltherage@thestar.com.my

CELEBRITIES are beautiful people, there is no denying that. Assuming that these folks have not surgically enhanced their looks, it’s safe to say that they have always been beautiful.

It’s also highly likely that these gorgeous celebrities also made the popular kids’ list in school and among their peers when they were younger.

Well, guess what? That is not case for many stars, apparently.

A lot of celebrities have come forward in recent years to claim that they never liked their looks while growing up. Some said that they were bullied for looking different and were even ostracised.

What? Are they for real?

They do know the difference between “feeling” as if you’re not pretty growing up and “actually” being, you know, “not pretty”, right?

Drool-worthy actress (if you can still call her that) Megan Fox is one of the latest celebrities to claim that she didn’t feel attractive growing up.

“I was never the pretty girl,” said Fox in an interview with Miami magazine.

Watchu’ talkin’ about Fox? *roll eyes*

Haven’t we seen photos of her as a hot teen girl? We can bet that there are many young girls today who would give their right arm just to look like that! She looked amazing.

Megan Fox

The 25-year-old sexy, smouldering “actress” and Armani model also described her teenage self as “obnoxious” and “abrasive”, adding that she often felt picked on and ostracised by people around her. Try as we may to imagine Fox as someone who didn’t fit in at the popular girls’ table during lunch breaks, that’s the story she’s sticking with.

Unfortunately, she’s not the only gorgeous gal who claimed to have been picked on while at school.

Victoria’s Secret models Tyra Banks and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Oscar winner Angelina Jolie and even teen sensations Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, all have been reported as saying that they felt left out while growing up.

It really seems that almost every celebrity in Hollywood has claimed that they were once an awkward nerd and an outcast in school.

Didn’t any one of them have a wholesome school experience? What happened to all the bubbly, fun-loving, good-looking school kids? Didn’t they grow up to be anyone famous?

Well, if Adam Levine is to be believed, it is the nerds who score big time after school.

Adam Levine

According to the Maroon 5 frontman, he was a big “nerdy musician” who still managed to snag some dates with girls after class while being all nerdy.

In a recent interview, Levine said, “I loved hanging out with girls … it was never an issue. And, of course, it’s been magnified with this whole (fame) thing that’s happened. So, it’s kind of crazy. I did ok, I did alright.”

Of course he’s saying that. Levine is currently dating Victoria’s Secret model Anne V. Have you seen that woman?

Well, one celebrity that didn’t have as much luck as Levine in school is Mad Men beauty Christina Hendricks.

The heavily-endowed actress recently confessed to Mirror that she was bullied at school for the way she looked.

Hendricks said: “There was a long corridor with lockers on either side and kids would sit on top of them and spit on you. It was something out of Lord Of The Flies.”

Eek! That sounds bad.

Not only did poor Hedricks have a hard time at school, she was also verbally abused by her mother who called her “horrible and ugly.” Bet her mother is eating her words now. Just look at Hendricks today and the attention she gets from all over the world.

Christina Hendricks

It’s good to note that Hendricks didn’t let her childhood tragedy scar her self-image. She is one of the most-photographed women on red carpets and looks good all (well, almost) the time.

She was chosen as Esquire’s “2010 Sexiest Woman Alive” and is now one of the most beautiful women in the entertainment industry.

“If I could go back and tell my 14-year-old self anything, it would be ‘Don’t worry. You’re going to be doing exactly what you want to be doing and those people who are a******* now are still going to be a******* in 20 years. So let it go!”

Yeah, give it to them sister!

Sharm says: I was never bullied for my looks when I was younger. What does that say about me now?

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Similar yet different

Posted by February 21, 2012
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LET’S play a game. I’m going to describe a singer and try to guess who it is.

This singer is in her early 20s and in the last few years, has taken the music industry by storm.

She is an excellent songwriter and is famous for her ability to write songs about her personal relationships, heartbreaks and loser ex-boyfriends.

Her songs have topped the charts worldwide and she has won many accolades, even picking up a few awards at the recent Grammys where she also gave a rousing performance – which earned her a standing ovation.

So, who is it?

Is it – A: Country superstar Taylor Swift or B: British songstress Adele?

Well, the answer is both.

Taylor is 22, while Adele is 23. They both have enjoyed similar fortunes in their careers and have become famous by simply writing and singing songs about their failed relationships.
However, despite their small age gap and similar song topics, Taylor and Adele cannot look, sound or perform more different than one another.

We all know Taylor as the tall and scrawny girl who wrote songs like Teardrops On My Guitar, Fifteen, Love Story and You Belong With Me.

She has a steady stream of followers who comprise mostly of tweens, teens and lovelorn adults (who obviously hadn’t heard of Adele before pledging their loyalty).

Taylor is innocence personified. She dresses demurely, speaks softly and seems appreciative of everything around her.

There is even an Internet meme about the predictable “shocked” face she gives when she wins awards or receives a standing ovation after a performance. YouTube it – it’s cute but definitely gets annoying after a while.

The singer from Nashville, Tennessee, United States, is still kid-friendly and it’s evident in her songs which include lyrics like “Someday, I’ll be living in a big old city and all you’re ever gonna be is mean…”. The world is yet to hear her utter a curse word in her interviews or songs.

The “worst” anyone has ever heard her say was “da*n” on the song Teardrops On My Guitar, which was subsequently removed for a “clean” radio edit.

Adele, on the other hand, is a Londoner who curses like a drunken sailor, sneaks in a few cigarette breaks in her schedule and is now trying to stay sober after quitting cold turkey last May.

She has had her fair share of broken hearts and somehow, her music resonates better with young adults. Her voice is much more refined than Taylor’s and her singing range is unparallel to her current peers.

Adele is a buxom young lady with curves and big hair, and has a classic fashion sense. She dresses more often than not in black and seems wise beyond her 23 years of age.

When she gets on stage, one can’t help but pay close attention to not only her gorgeous face, but her equally gorgeous voice.

She brought the house down at the recent Grammys with her strong and cool peformance of the award-winning Rolling In The Deep, during which she hit all the notes perfectly and effortlessly.

If anyone had listened to her sing that night, they wouldn’t have guessed that the singer is still recovering from throat surgery. When she received a very deserving standing ovation for her peformance, she looked painfully shy and didn’t show an ounce of pride.

What many don’t know is that Adele gets uncomfortable on stage. She has admitted in various interviews to vomitting due to nerves before and after some of her previous performances.

For someone with a colourful personality as hers, she is very timid about perfoming in front of large crowds – a total opposite of Taylor, who revels in such attention.

Taylor is a confident performer and has played in huge arenas where all eyes were on her and her alone.

Adele, on the other hand, still sticks to smaller venues and prefers to entertain her fans in private concerts and showcases.

These young girls are so similar yet different in many aspects of their lives and careers but that doesn’t mean that we can only be a fan of one of them. They are good singers (though Adele is definitely the better vocalist) and write meaningful songs that most people could relate to.

At the end of the day, they reach out to their target audience made up mostly of broken-hearted folks with no songwriting talent of their own … and doesn’t that describe most of us?
Sharm says: Someone recently asked on Twitter what kind of songs we would get to hear if Taylor and Adele dated and then broke up? I don’t think the world is ready for such wrath …

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Glee no more

Posted by February 15, 2012
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OKAY, I have a really important question here – what the heck happened to the once awesome TV show Glee?

It has become extremely boring, draggy and what was that again? Oh yeah, boring! It is now one of the saddest television shows around and it doesn’t seem as if it will get better any time soon.

But that wasn’t always the case, remember?

When the musical TV series about a bunch of singing and dancing high school students premiered in 2009, it was kind of revolutionary.

There were no other shows back then that focused on the fictional underdogs, nerds, geeks and outcasts in schools which got the underdogs, nerds, geeks and outcasts in the real world all excited.

People couldn’t stop talking about the show which revolves around students who are part of their school’s glee (talent) club, called New Directions, which takes part in show choir competitions.

They gave new twists to all-time favourite tunes and also performed hit songs from the likes of Madonna, Kanye West and Lady Gaga. Even Britney Spears made a cameo appearance on the show and gave the series one of its highest ratings ever.

Everyone fell in love with the cast members, made up primarily of Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Dianna Agron, Kevin McHale, Chris Colfer, Cory Monteith and more.

People regarded the show’s producer and writer Ryan Murphy as the most intelligent person in the TV business for creating Glee … that is, until he started spewing nonsense in season two and expected everyone to just play along.

Seriously. How difficult could it be to maintain a TV show for more than one season? The creators of Friends, Seinfeld and Frasier did it. Cheers did it. 24 did it. Lost did … well, hmm … to be fair, the second season of the logic-defying show was pretty insane (and not in a good way at all).

Lost was one of the shows that started off very strong but then the writers eventually got too smart for their own good. Just like the writers of Heroes – a show which totally tanked in its second season.

OMG, who remembers the awesome pilot episode of Heroes and how mind-blowing the entire first season was? *raising both arms*

The second season was unable to provide the audience with the same kind of excitement the show’s debut season did, when everyone was praying for Peter Petrelli (played by Milo Ventimiglia) to “save the cheerleader, save the world”.

Heroes finally met its death after “torturing” viewers for two more years. Many ost of us are not even sure or care about what happened to the cheerleader (played by Hayden Panettiere).

Lost almost met the same kind of ending after producers messed with the fans’ minds by introducing the creepy “Dharma Initiative” and killing off innocent (and good looking) characters in the second season.

But somehow, the show’s writers miraculously got their mojo back and gave viewers a kickass third season, which got everyone hooked on the supernatural drama once again.

The show had a proper ending in its sixth season and even answered all the burning questions fans had about the origin of the island and its mysterious elements.

Well, now it’s time for the creators of Glee to decide which way they want to go – Heroes or Lost. They can either clean up their act and give us a show that would make us beg for more, or continue to stay in a rut and force us to move on to another show.

The show is currently in the middle of its third season and it’s still possible for the writers and creators to return Glee to its former glory.

They should start by NOT introducing new characters to the show and just focus on the cast that they already have.

The audience have come to love the regular faces and there’s no point in forcing people to accept new characters. It just won’t be the same.

And while they are at it, they should also cut down on the number of “revolutionary” ideas they have for the show – you know, like same-sex and hot boy/fat-girl relationship.

Well, it’s nice that the show’s creators are trying to keep it real and include every kind of scenario that could happen in a high school but instead of being educational and inspiring, the storyline looks forced and therefore comes off as fake.

Seriously.

With time, effort and a bit of brain power, the creators could get us all back to loving that once popular show. It’s not as if Glee is a lost cause, right?

That, people, is so totally Gossip Girl. There’s really no saving that show anymore … xoxo.

Sharm says: I know how to get the fans back. Just reduce Lea Michele’s screen time and the creators would see an increase in the ratings in no time!

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Judging the judges

Posted by February 7, 2012
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OMG, don’t you just love Jennifer Lopez in the current season (what is it …10? 11? 15? 20?) of American Idol? She is most probably the only reason why people still tune in to watch that dying talent show.

First and foremost, she is super gorgeous and everything she wears is sparkly and trendy – she just makes looking fashionable seem effortless.

Secondly, she may just be the only sane judge on that panel which includes ageing Aerosmith rocker Steven Tyler (he’s still cool, though) and Randy Jackson – who even after all these years, is still unable to prove his worth as a judge on the show.

StarWorld is currently showing the auditions segment of American Idol, which is probably the best part of the whole talent competition.

This is when you get to see awesome, inspiring, weird and even downright scary people walk into the audition rooms and blow everyone’s minds away with their talent, or for some, lack thereof.

It is really fun to see Jennifer being all excited over listening to the new talents and you can sense that she’s always hoping for the best in others. Unlike Randy.

The music producer has often gestured for the contestants to stop singing – even when they were pretty good – causing Jennifer to smack his arms in retaliation.

Sometimes it seems like Jennifer (and maybe Steven with whatever is left of his hearing ability) is the only person who really listens to the contestants before deciding whether they should go through to the next level or not.

Randy is just so impatient and gets exasperated easily nowadays. He was not like this before.

It was usually Simon Cowell – the much-loathed former American Idol judge – who was quick to judge someone, had a short temper and even shorter attention span.

Simon didn’t just have terrible temperament and manners on American Idol. He was also quite unbearable on the other shows that he was on.

Yes, some might argue that Simon is the best judge of them all, but sometimes he lets his mood get in the way of judging. He gets annoyed at people just by looking at them. How is that fair?
Remember how he almost wrote off Susan Boyle during her audition on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009? Even before she opened her mouth?


The dumbfounded look on his face as Susan sang I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables is still one of the most memorable moments on television. One can only hope that Simon finally learned the true meaning of the adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover” that day.

According to some people, Simon is not exactly the easiest person to work with. Well, you don’t say. His brashness is evident when he interacts with his fellow judges, and he often acts as if he is not just right but always right.

This side of him was very visible throughout the US X-Factor show for which Simon is a judge.

He had questioned Nicole Scherzinger’s talent numerous times (well, so do we), causing the former Pussycat Dolls lead singer to belt out Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You just to shut him up.

The rocky relationship among the judges got worse at the end of last year when Nicole made a terrible judgment call by allowing Americans to decide the fate of the show’s front runner, Rachel Crow.

The talented 13-year-old singer was voted off the show and that decision not only angered the nation but also Simon tremendously.

He had called out Nicole’s inability to make decisions at crucial moments and had even labelled her as defensive towards criticisms.

Needless to say, Simon who is also the excutive producer for X-Factor, decided to get rid of Nicole before the start of the show’s next season. Also getting the axe from the show are fellow judge Paula Abdul and host Steve Jones, who, to be honest, didn’t contribute much to the talent show at all.

Why can’t all judges just be awesome and nice like those on The Voice? Christina Aguilera, CeeLo Green, Blake Shelton and Adam Levine all come from (somewhat) different musical backgrounds but somehow they gel together as one on this show.

They know that at the end of the day, the talent show is not about them at all (even though they always bicker about whose team is doing the best). It is about the up-and-coming singers.

These mentors often push the singers under their tutelage not just to beat their contenders, but also to test their own boundaries as vocalists. And that’s exactly what talented and experienced musicians should do – help the newbies find their way in the entertainment industry.

And as a judge, the least they can do is fully listen to the contestants before passing judgment, regardless of how they look or sound.

Sharm says: Jennifer Lopez should totally be the fifth judge on The Voice. Although X-tina is holding up well on her own, it’ll be nice to see another opinionated woman put Blake, CeeLo and Adam in their places.

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Marilyn lives forever

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It cannot be denied that Marilyn Monroe is one of the most iconic artists in the entertainment industry.

Many have tried to emulate the curvacious actress and they are yet to capture the magical essence that was part of her persona.

The Getty Images Gallery is presenting Marilyn, a collection of imagery and memorabilia to commemorate 50 years since the untimely death of the entertainer.

Showcased in London for the first time, the exhibition will feature a number of original dresses and costumes worn by the Hollywood icon, alongside unique and iconic photographs.

 

1956: EXCLUSIVE American actor Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) reacts while American actor Don Murray carries her on his shoulder on the set of director Joshua Logan's film, 'Bus Stop'. They are surrounded by a crowd in bleachers. Monroe is wearing a cowboy hat, a blouse and a slit skirt.

 

 

NEW YORK CITY - MARCH 1955: American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) leans over the balcony of the Ambassador Hotel in March 1955 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

 

 

 

American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) out for a cycle ride with her third husband, American dramatist Arthur Miller (1915 - 1905), 13th August 1956. (Photo by Harold Clements/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

 

American actress Marilyn Monroe (1926 - 1962) posing on a rooftop circa 1951. (Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images)

 

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Photos from the 18th Annual SAG Awards

Posted by February 1, 2012
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It was all about glitz and glamour at the recent 18th Annual SAG Awards held at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles.

 

* In the spotlight *

 

* Gorgeous George and his pals *

 

* Emma Stone and Chris Lowell *

 

* The ModernFamily *

 

* Jessica Chastain (left) and Cicely Tyson *

 

* Cast and crew of The Help *

 

* Emily Blunt and John Krasinski *

 

* Diana Agron and Emma Stone *

 

* Cast of Bridesmaids *

 

* (From left) Kristen Wiig, Busy Phillips and Michelle Williams *

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Bye Paula and Nicole!

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So,the rumours are true after all. Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger will not be returning to judge the next season of X-Factor!

* Bye Paula and Nicole! *

The Wrap claims that the duo was fired from the show because they both … erm, sucked. And it also says that the show’s Executive Producer Simon Cowell was just waiting for the right time to get rid of them.

So, now is the perfect time then?

Simon also made another cut by letting go of the show’s host Steve Jones. Aww..he was kinda cute.

Now that Paula, Nicole and Steve have left (or fired, whichever it is), there are three spots left to be filled on that show.

So, who’s gonna join Simon and L.A Reid to find the next X-Factor star?

OMG. Let’s hope that Simon won’t go crazy and bring a bunch of lunatics to judge and host the show just for the sake of increasing the show’s ratings.

Sharm says: I would totally die if any of the Kardashians were hired to host the show. Like seriously. Die.

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Boy bands’ turn

Posted by January 31, 2012
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This will be the year the K-pop boy bands make their debuts.

By NATASHA IMAN

alltherage@thestar.com.my

THIRTY days into 2012, and it has become apparent that the K-pop industry has taken on a new direction. While the output of female idol groups were the trend in 2011, the focus is now on boy bands.

Last year saw the debut of 27 female idol groups in total, bringing the average number of debuts per month to approximately two girl groups.

* Rania *

A handful of girl groups such as Dal Shalbet, A-Pink and Rania managed to break into the mainstream K-pop scene.

However, some girl groups such as Wind Hold Venus and Swan.B  failed to emerge from that pack of debuts.

The influx did ensure that girl groups remained the “hot” topic in K-pop throughout last year. But the many girl groups making their debut distracted fans from existing groups, and no one achieved significant popularity.

Towards the end of 2011, TS Entertainment, the South Korean entertainment company behind girl-group Secret, highlighted an online list titled “Boy Idol Groups Planned for Debut in 2012”.

This list revealed members and companies that were in the midst of preparing and training boys that were to debut in 2012 under the major South Korean entertainment companies.

The non-exhaustive list included SM Entertainments project group dubbed M1 and M2, TS Entertainment’s group B.A.P, and other boy groups by companies such as YG Entertainment, Pledis Entertainment, Big Hit, JYP Entertainment and also Cube.

Out of this forecast list, three male idol groups have already made their way into the K-pop scene within the span of a month and fans are eagerly awaiting the emergence of a surge of male K-pop groups.

 

Exo-M and Exo-K

On Jan 27 last year, SM Entertainment had announced it would be debuting a new male group. However, fans have been kept waiting since then.

After almost a year of anticipating the debut of the group, a pop-up timer was released on their official homepage featuring a logo and a 24-hour countdown timer that included the words “From. EXO PLANET”.

The timer counts down to a string of teasers showcasing snippets of songs from the group’s upcoming album. They also introduce different members that were to be part of the groups Exo-M and Exo-K respectively, with one group based in China and the other in Korea.

Exo-M and Exo-K officially released the prologue single What Is Love on Jan 30 in both Mandarin and Korean.

However, their official debut date as a complete unit remains unknown.

 

B.A.P

B.A.P, an acronym for “Best. Absolute. Perfect”, debuted its song on Jan 26, and quickly followed up with their first stage appearance the next day, and a showcase featuring all their members the day after.

Prior to the debut of B.A.P, its member Yong Guk was featured in the song of fellow label mate Song Jieun’s solo track Going Crazy, before making his official solo launch with the single I Remember.

Another fellow member, Himchan, was an emcee on MTV The Show before joining B.A.P.

Its most noted members are Zelo and Yong Guk that currently form B.A.P’s sub-unit of Bang & Zelo.

The sub-unit have also held a fan meet and sign event in Kuala Lumpur earlier last month, which attracted about 2,000 fans, highlighting their popularity amongst international fans even before their official debut.

 

Chaos

New boy group Chaos comprising members HeeJae, DongMin, HyunSun, DuHwa and Park TaeYang have also been garnering much attention, being the first of the boy groups to debut this year.

Their first single She Is Coming was released on Jan 6, and was well received by fans in Korea and internationally.

The group made its debut through music programme SBS Inkigayo on Jan 8, pulling off an impressive dance routine while showcasing flawless vocals.

Their performance caught the attention of K-pop fans, and they have been dubbed as rivals for idol group Exo-M and Exo-K that will be also debuting in the same style as Chaos.

However, Chaos will be promoted mainly in Korea and Japan, instead of China.

While fans of K-pop around the world are rejoicing at the number of eye candy being churned out of South Korea, it has really led me to wonder whether the K-pop scene is starting to favour quality over quantity.

I am not saying the music scene is lacking talent. However, it has become increasingly common to hear about groups making their debuts one day and being on hiatus the next, simply because they are not unique enough.

Auto tune, dark concepts, cute concepts – we’ve all seen those, and are getting tired of them.

What K-pop fans want to see are not fresh faces with the same old concepts. Rather we want new artistes that bring their own personal music styles to the mix.

Coupled with talent and flair, it is no doubt that the newly debuted male idol groups will continue to grow stronger throughout the year.

Till then, we can sit back, enjoy and watch them battle it out for the 2012 rookie awards.

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2012 Oscars list of nominees

Posted by January 26, 2012
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Here’s the list of nominees for the upcoming 84th annual Academy Awards. The awards ceremony will take place on Feb 26, 2012.

Good luck to the nominees. *Go BRAD PITT!*

 

Best picture
“War Horse”
“The Artist”
“Moneyball”
“The Descendants”
“The Tree of Life”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Hugo”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Actor
Demian Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

Actress
Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Supporting actor
Kenneth Branagh, “My Week With Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max von Sydow “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Supporting actress
Berenice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Director
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”

Animated feature
“A Cat in Paris”
“Chico & Rita”
“Kung Fu Panda 2″
“Puss in Boots”
“Rango”

Original screenplay
“Bridesmaids”
“Midnight in Paris”
“Margin Call”
“A Separation”
“The Artist”

Adapted screenplay
“The Descendants”
“Hugo”
“The Ides of March”
“Moneyball”
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Best foreign language
“Bullhead” (Belgium)
“Footnote” (Israel)
“In Darkness” (Poland)
“Monsieur Lazhar” (Canada)
“A Separation” (Iran)

Animated short film
“Dimanche/Sunday”
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”
“La Luna”
“A Morning Stroll”
“Wild Life”

Original song
“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets”
“Real in Rio” from “Rio”

Film editing
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”

Makeup
“Albert Nobbs”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2”
“The Iron Lady”

Original score
“The Adventures of Tintin”
“The Artist”
“Hugo”
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”
“War Horse”

Documentary feature
“Hell and Back Again”
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front”
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”
“Pina”
“Undefeated”

Visual effects
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2”
“Hugo”
“Real Steel”
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

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