2007
- Remembering Edward Yang: Father of New Taiwanese Cinema dies at 59
By Godfrey Cheshire
(Village Voice, July 2, 2007)
Filmmaker Edward Yang, who died last week of colon cancer at the age of 59, exemplified both the protean creativity and the problematic dissemination of Taiwanese cinema in recent decades. Beginning in the mid-1980s, all areas of Chinese filmmaking enjoyed an unprecedented efflorescence. Yet while mainland filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou and Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai found a ready path into American art houses, Yang, like his great contemporary Hou Hsiao-hsien, faced a host of business and cultural obstacles to U.S. commercial distribution. The result was that one of modern cinema's most fascinating careers passed largely unseen by American cinephiles.
Surely the greatest casualty was the fourth of Yang's seven features, A Brighter Summer Day (1991), an electrifying four-hour epic of teenage rebellion and social turbulence set in early-'60s Taipei. Its title taken from Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and its story compounded from a lurid period crime and Yang's own youthful memories, the film fused a startling degree of emotional frankness with a coolly expansive analysis of family and political tensions. Though a masterful accomplishment from any number of angles, it was passed over by the Cannes and New York film festivals, yet emerged as one of the most critically esteemed films of the 1990s. It has never been released in the U.S., either theatrically or on tape or DVD. ...
- India is a fantastic country: Kaiya
(Times of India, June 28, 2007)
Jamaican vocalist Kaiya Manning, who was in town for a concert, shares her passion for singing. Versatile is the word you are looking for when you have to describe Kaiya Manning. What else do you call a musician who can switch from country, to jazz, even blues, soul, rock-and-roll and much more at the drop of a hat! She's even performed with stalwarts like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Percy Sledge, Eddie Floyd and Joceyln Brown. The charismatic, Jamaican-born vocalist was in town for a concert and she enthralled Hyderabadis as she performed with Indian Jazz guru Gary Lawyer.
... Bob Marley, Elvis Presley, Tom Jones are:
[A] few names that bring a sparkle in her eyes. "They've been a great influence in my life, and that since I was a little kid. The best souvenir I bring home from any place I travel to is the music of that place. It becomes a part of me. I even like to groove to mainstream Indian music. And find it inspiring. My all time favourite are the Blues." ...
- Cirque du Soleil takes trademark big top to Shanghai
(Yahoo! Canada News, June 28, 2007)
The Cirque du Soleil has raised the curtain on its first-ever show in mainland China, as the Quebec-born troupe opened a two-month run of Quidam in Shanghai on Thursday. Cirque's recognizable blue-and-yellow, climate-controlled Grand Chapiteau has been erected across from the city's Science and Technology Museum, with about 2,500 spectators able to take in each show from inside the massive tent. Quidam, one of the world-renowned troupe's six touring shows, offers Cirque's trademark blend of music, dance and acrobatics.
Like many Cirque productions, the show - partially brought to China by local firm ThemeSTAR China - draws inspiration from many different cultures around the world. The cast also reflects the global village, counting more than 50 performers hailing from more than a dozen countries, including four from China. According to a recent report in Shanghai Daily, Cirque and local partners are spending approximately 90 million yuan (about $12.6 million) to stage the production (including marketing and promotional costs). Ticket prices range from 150 to 2,000 yuan (about $21 to $281). Quidam will continue in Shanghai until Aug. 26, before travelling to Mexico.
In addition to its touring shows, Cirque has a number of permanent productions, mostly in Las Vegas, including long-running shows Mystere, O, Zumanity, Ka and the Beatles-themed Love, which celebrated its one-year anniversary this week.
In the works are future shows inspired by Elvis Presley and magician Criss Angel. In April 2006, Cirque officials also broke ground at Tokyo's Disneyland complex in preparation for its first permanent venue in Asia. In recent years, China has been opening its doors to an increasing number of western artists and performers, welcoming a range of artists - from marquee recording artists Rolling Stones and Christina Aguilera to Canadian acts, including aboriginal troupe Red Sky and Toronto cellist Ofra Harnoy. Shanghai in particular has been attempting to position itself as China's cultural hotspot.
- Here's how to jazz up a rainy Sunday!
(The Times of India, June 19, 2007)
Frank Sinatra may have sung 'Singing in the Rain' but on Sunday evening, Sharon Prabhakar actually practised what he preached. No dahlins, the singer-cum-theatre actress didn't do a jig in the rain, but she had a live performance of her 'Razzmatazz' show, truly jazzing up the otherwise dull, rainy end to the weekend.
From noted love songs from the 80's to modern hits, coupled with an Elvis Presley special by Mumbai's very own Elvis - Siddharth Meghani - to energetic dancers whose hips certainly didn't lie, the evening was entertainment unlimited! Ask Hanif Hilal - for he was seen dancing in the aisles, truly having a ball! Guess the way to a choreographer's heart is through live song and dance! ...
- North Korea offers visitors rare glimpse
By BURT HERMAN
(Yahoo! News / Associated Press, June 11, 2007)
North Korea is peeling back its self-imposed veil of isolation, allowing tourists a rare glimpse of the hardscrabble rural life en route to a new hiking trail that opened this month at the South Korean-run Diamond Mountain resort. The new trail is also aimed at drumming up more business for the tourism venture run by a subsidiary of South Korea's Hyundai conglomerate, which saw a plunge in visitors last year after North Korea's missile and nuclear tests. And drawing more tourists will mean more money for the communist nation's impoverished economy. ... South Korean visitors wave from the bus, but no North Koreans respond to the first outsiders they are seeing in more than a half-century. ... Other attractions to lure tourists include a new concert series, with the premiere event this month featuring Nam Jin, known as South Korea's Elvis Presley. ...
- 'Talat Mahmood - India's Elvis Presley'
By ISTIANJALI SINGH JAISWAL
(Times of India, June 1, 2007)
Khalid Mahmood, son of legendary singer and film star Talat Mahmood, tells how he keeps Talat's evergreen voice alive for his fans.
Do you sing his numbers in concerts?
That's what people want. My father was the Big Daddy of ghazal singers. He was to India what Elvis Presley was to US. In fact, even Mehndi Hasan has remarked that as an upcoming ghazal singer whenever he performed Talat Mahmood's numbers, the audience came alive. Hasan has credited my father for the Mehndi style of rendition which he says helped him make a name.
When did you get interested in ghazal s?
When I was growing up, my kinda music was definitely English pop. Evis Presley and ABBA were my favourites. Then I heard my dad sing and I was awestruck by the beauty of the words. I began sitting for all the rehearsals and my interest grew. While touring Gujarat, dad gave me a chance to sing for the first time in Surat. I was terrified, expecting to be hooted by the people who had turned up to hear Talat saheb sing. But my father goaded me and the public received it quite well.
You are the first Indian artiste to begin crossover ventures with international artistes. Comment.
I guess you can say that. In those days, one had very limited music tracks to work upon in India, but abroad one had the option of no less than 3,000 tracks to pick and choose from, while making an album. This worked well for me as I was keen to amalgamate English beats with Indian thoughts. The result was an album called Heartbeats which I cut with Dan Strikes, ex-member of Jon Bon Jovi and it topped the US charts. These days, despite digital sound effects, the only music director who has achieved international standards is AR Rahman and I would love to work with him some day.
Of late you have been organising a large number of concerts, the recent being the one in Lucknow. What has prompted you to organise them?
Even though my father passed away in 1998, fans from all over the world kept asking me to keep his voice alive. But it was only last year, after I organised the first one in Calicut, that I realised what Talat Mahmood meant to his chahanewale . Since then, requests from across the world have been pouring in on a website I launched in dad's memory. It has had no less than eight million hits and all have requested concerts. The concert in Lucknow was long overdue. Lucknow ki tehzeeb, nazakat and nafasat all shaped my father into the artiste people loved him as.
- Malaysia's King of Rock and Roll
By STEPHEN NG
(thestar.com.my, May 17, 2007)
ON AUG 16, 1977, Elvis Presley was found dead in his room. The news sent shock waves around the world. But, the King of Rock and Roll's legacy lives on, and in Malaysia, we have our very own King of Rock and Roll, following in the footsteps of the man from Memphis.
H.T. Long has had a long association with the King that dates back to the early 1960s. He has even met the man himself, when, at the age of nine, he was a special guest in Memphis. Long had started impersonating Elvis after watching his movie GI Blues in 1960 - using a badminton racquet in lieu of the guitar he did not have. Every Sunday thereafter, he faithfully turned up at the old Cathay Cinema in Klang to watch other Elvis movies - Jailhouse Rock, Love Me Tender and Blue Hawaii - which left a deep impression on him.
Thirty years after Elvis's death, Long brings the magic of the King to young and old alike who enjoy his "live" performances of Elvis's wide repertoire of songs.
Now 56, Long has come a long way since those days when he was nicknamed Klang High School Elvis and pulled aside by the disciplinary master for his Elvis look-alike sideburns and "curry puff" hairstyle. He has attracted raving reviews from many international television and radio stations. He has been interviewed on Radio TV Hong Kong (RTHK Radio 3 Hong Kong), Philippine Broadcasting Service and Radio Poland, and even appeared on both Japanese TV and RTHK Television in Hong Kong.
For a Malaysian - or anyone else, for that matter - to reach such heights is astounding.
Long became the founding president of the official Elvis Presley Fan Club of Malaysia in 1968, the first in Malaysia to be registered and recognised by Graceland Elvis Presley Enterprise at Memphis, USA. Reputed to be the first official Elvis Presley of Malaysia, Long stands out from the many Elvis look-alikes not because of his Elvis look, but in his ability to sing and sound like Elvis.
So much, in fact, that the BBC has referred to him as the "Golden Voice of Elvis". ...
Golden Voice of Elvis: Long stands out from other Elvis lookalikes in his ability to sing and sound like Elvis Presley
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