The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:17 AM PDT BRINGING more than just Today's Best Music to listeners, Red FM has also brought fans closer to some of today's rising artistes from Justin Bieber to Jang Keun Suk and more recently, Il Volo. And now, in conjunction with the release of his debut solo album, Break Down, Red FM and Warner Music Malaysia are giving K-pop fans the chance to meet Kim Hyun Joong. One of South Korea's hottest stars, the leader of the popular group SS501, will be in Kuala Lumpur to promote his album through an exclusive "High Five" session. This highly anticipated event will take place at Gardens Ballroom, The Gardens Hotel and Residences in Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur, on Aug 21 at 2pm. You get the opportunity to meet Kim as well as a spot to "high five" him just by tuning in to the Red FM Breakfast show with Rudy and Jeremy (Monday to Friday, 6am-10am) all next week. Besides being the leader and main dancer of SS501, Kim has also forayed into acting with roles in television series Boys Over Flowers, where he played one of the lead characters. His career has also earned him numerous awards around the region. Brace yourself for the arrival of this Korean heartthrob who has been breaking down cultural barriers as he wins fans from all around the world. To be one of the lucky listeners to meet Kim, listen out for the cue to enter the contest on the Red FM Breakfast show as Red FM is the official radio station for his "High Five" session. For more details on the contest, log on to www.red.fm. Join the Red FM (Malaysia) Facebook Group page for updates on the station as well as follow us on Twitter (@iloveredfm). Red FM is owned and operated by The Star. > Red FM's station frequencies: Taiping, Kedah, Perlis and Pulau Langkawi: 98.1 FM; George Town and Seberang Perai: 107.6 FM; Ipoh, Perak: 106.4 FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan & Tapah: 104.9 FM; Kuantan, Pahang: 91.6 FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9 FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8 FM. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:14 AM PDT BRITAIN'S most talked about show has finally reached our shores. Get ready for the Malaysian version of Take Me Out – a daring, sassy and electrifying show, where first impressions count. Each week, brave bachelors will have to impress a panel of beauties to try and bag the perfect date. But if the ladies don't like what they see, the bravehearts face a blackout and go home empty-handed. In Take Me Out, due to air in November on Ntv7, a group of single ladies and men from across the country will get a chance to meet up in the hope of finding true love. If you are single and looking, don't miss tomorrow's auditions from 10am to 6pm (male) and Sunday (ladies) at Sri Pentas, Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Participants must be aged between 18 and 40. For more details, go to ntv7.com.my/take meout. Bring along a photocopy of your identity card and photos (one passport-size photo and two 3R photos/face and full body). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 03:13 AM PDT The young cast of The Vampire Diaries lets us in on some 'gory details' of the hit series. PLEASE do not say that The Vampire Diaries is a rip-off of Twilight. Yes, both The Vampire Diaries and Twilight feature vampires and werewolves. Sure, there's a love triangle involving two hunks and one pretty brunette. And of course, the first Twilight movie came out in 2008 – almost a year before The Vampire Diaries TV series made its debut in the United States in September 2009. But consider this fact: the first The Vampire Diaries book (there are currently seven in the series written by L.J. Smith) was published in 1991 – that's 14 years before Stephenie Meyer released the first Twilight book. So, The Vampire Diaries did not copy Twilight. However, the cast of the TV series is going to give credit where it is due. If not for the massive popularity of the Twilight movies, The Vampire Diaries would not have been this successful. "They have kind of paved the road for a lot of these vampire-theme shows that are out now," Steven R. McQueen said about Twilight. "I admire their work but I've only seen the first movie." We are at a fancy suite in Soho Hotel to talk to the cast of The Vampire Diaries who are in London to promote the hit TV series. The cast is represented by McQueen who looks preppy in pants, shirt and a pullover; the sassy Kat Graham in short shorts, sheer top and a pair of dangling earrings which look like locks of blonde hair; and Candice Accola, the most chatty of the lot, channelling a bohemian look in a maxi dress. In the series, McQueen plays Jeremy Gilbert, the younger brother of protagonist Elena. Graham plays Elena's best friend Bonnie Bennett who discovers she's a witch. Accola portrays Caroline Forbes, Elena and Bonnie's friend, who was turned into a vampire. Though Jeremy, Bonnie and Caroline are secondary characters on the show, the fact that Warner TV (which arranged this interview) is pushing them to talk to the international media instead of the three leads (Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev) hints at the importance of these characters in the upcoming third season of The Vampire Diaries (out next month Stateside). But these actors know better than to believe the hype; characters on the series are killed off when writers feel it will help the storyline or ratings! "You don't know how much we have to suck up (to the writers)," Accola joked. "It is stressful when you don't know what's going to happen to your character. So, we always have to be nice to everyone." Accola needn't worry. The character of Caroline, the ditzy vampire, or as she would call it "Barbie Vampire", is one of the fan favourites. And she said she owes it to the writers for writing a character that is so compelling. Accola reasoned: "It is lovely that the writers have given viewers the opportunity to see the transition of a vampire, especially one with the temperament of Caroline who is very self-serving, insecure. At the same time, in this transition, she learns to put the needs of others before herself. And that's how she finds love." Now that Caroline is a vampire, it means Accola gets a taste of blood ... fake blood, that is. Accola explained that the special effects team used different concoctions as blood for different scenes. "In the bloody scenes, it all depends on what you are doing and where the cameras are stationed. Like, when you are biting someone (in a tight shot) and come up facing the camera, with the blood dripping from your mouth, they use a thick corn syrup which is very nauseating. But in scenes in which you actually have to 'drink' the blood, they use different fruit juices and make it into a smoothie," said the chirpy 24-year-old Accola. She also let in on a production secret. The transformation from human to vampire is really not that difficult for the actors; no sitting at the makeup chair for hours to look the part of a vamp. "It is a lot less complicated than you'd think," Accola offered. "In Season One, both Ian and Paul (who play vampire brothers Damon and Stefan Salvatore) had to wear contacts, full fangs and veins on their faces. So, it was a full-on production. "But now, with the help of technology in post-production, all the actors have to wear are two caps that fit on your teeth as fangs and six dots around the eyes which are used as tracking marks so that they can create the rippling effects in post-production." In The Vampire Diaries, the viewers are introduced to Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Jeremy who move to Mystic Falls, Virginia, after their parents' death. At school, Elena is immediately smitten by the mysterious Stefan. Romance blossoms between her and Stefan soon after but the latter's brother, the alluring Damon, comes to town hoping to win the affection of Elena as well. A love triangle is the least of Elena's troubles as the Salvatore brothers turn out to be century-old vampires whom she might have known in her past life. To make matters more complicated, Elena's circle of friends – among them is a powerful witch and a hotheaded werewolf – are entangled in her life. With such a premise, naturally the storylines are dark and gritty. However, McQueen assures fans that the set of The Vampire Diaries is far from serious. "It is a dramatic series and we do take it seriously and Jeremy is as depressing a character as it comes but on set we have a lot of fun together," said the 23-year-old McQueen. Maybe a little too much fun. Back in 2009, five of the cast members were arrested in Georgia for disorderly conduct. Accola, Dobrev together with Kayla Ewell, Krystal Vayda and Sara Canning were posing for celebrity photographer Tyler Shields at a bridge in Georgia when things got a little out of control. Drivers called the police when they saw these girls hanging over the bridge and (gasp!) baring their breasts at oncoming traffic! To understand the dynamics of the (mostly young) cast members, you have to know where the series is filmed. After the pilot was shot in Vancouver, Canada, production moved to Georgia, Atlanta in the United States. Since the show is set in the fictional town of Mystic Falls in Virginia, Atlanta is the perfect city to give the Southern feel. Now, Atlanta is not exactly Hollywood, which explains why the cast members stay close to one another. Even lead stars Dobrev and Somerhalder are reportedly dating. "We work together five days a week and then the weekend comes and we're still all hanging out," said McQueen, who is the grandson of legendary actor Steve McQueen. "It's really been like a family experience." McQueen, who has since relocated to Atlanta, finds that working in a city outside Los Angeles is a positive thing. For one, everyone's more focused on work. "It's almost a breath of fresh air." There's a lot of distraction in California and when you get to start over in a new place, you slip into a different mentality and put everything you have into work," said McQueen. Graham, 21, couldn't agree more. "It's kind of like an understood thing where you know you have to do a great job because you're sacrificing so much of your personal life for this work of art," said Graham, who hails from Los Angeles. The crazy days of flashing at the public are over. These days, the cast members indulge in healthier social activities. Accola and Graham both attend dance classes and bikram yoga while McQueen works out at the gym. All three stars know the majority fan base for The Vampire Diaries are a younger set of audience so it comes naturally that they will be viewed as role models. But they don't feel the pressure to live up to expectations. They made it clear that they are not changing themselves for anyone. McQueen said: "At the end of the day, we play make-believe for a living. We are regular people and you can't change that much to please others." Accola only has two people to please. "I just have the pressure to keep my parents happy and I feel that's a good bar to set." Graham felt she has only herself to answer to, and not the public. "I feel the pressure to be myself and not be swayed into different directions because of what the media or people say." With good heads on their shoulders and a fantastic show in their hands, it looks like the future is bright for Candice Accola, Kat Graham and Steven R. McQueen. > The repeats of The Vampire Diaries (Season One) airs at 11pm, every Wednesday, on WarnerTV (HyppTV Ch 162). For more stories on the series, pick up a copy of the Aug 1-16 issue of Galaxie. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by Used Car Search. |
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