The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
| Posted: 15 Sep 2011 04:01 AM PDT THE search for the Red FM's Runaway DJs is underway, and with the Red Ryders acting as their accomplices, it's a joyride all the way! Every Monday to Friday, the Red FM DJs have been taking turns to run away with the help of the Red Ryders in a Proton Inspira to secret locations. Hints and clues are given out on-air and online to help track them down. The first person to turn up at the correct location and identify the Red FM's Runaway DJ of the day will receive a key to the finale for a chance at winning a brand new Proton Inspira. If you failed to grab hold of one of these keys, don't worry. The Red Ryders will be distributing a limited number of Red FM's Runaway DJs car stickers and if your car gets spotted bearing this sticker, they will reward you with a key. Catch the street team this weekend at the following stopovers in Selangor as they hand out the stickers: Saturday 1.40pm: Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall Sunday 12.40pm: Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall Just walk up to the Red Ryders and get hold of a sticker as that could put you in the running to win a car. And while you are at it, join them for some fun during their stopovers as they have CDs, movie ticketsand other merchandises to give away. Check out red.fm for more details of the contest. Join the Red FM Malaysia Facebook fan page (facebook.com/redfm.my) and follow us on Twitter (@iloveredfm) for the latest updates of the contest. 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 Prai: 107.6 FM; Ipoh, Perak: 106.4 FM; Klang Valley, Negri Sembilan and Tapah: 104.9 FM; Kuantan, Pahang: 91.6 FM; Batu Pahat and Malacca: 98.9 FM; Johor Baru and Singapore: 92.8 FM. |
| Posted: 15 Sep 2011 03:58 AM PDT Participants of The Challenger Muay Thai aren't in it just for kicks – winning the reality TV competition could change their lives. WHEN I was told that I'd be visiting a house for the contestants of an international reality TV competition, I was expecting the American Idol mansion or the Top Model house. At the very least the Big Brother house. As it turns out, it was just a quaint old bungalow in a local Malaysian university campus. And instead of having crazy parties, cosying up in hot-tubs and getting all up in each other's faces over petty squabbles, all the contestants did was sleep. But that's because the contestants were 16 of the best middleweight Muay Thai fighters in the world, some seriously hardcore fighters who aren't here for the glamour, but to get their hands bloody. The fighters had been brought together in Malaysia for The Challenger Muay Thai, a reality sports competition that would see the contestants training and fighting for the winner-takes-all US$100,000 (RM300,000) prize money over six gruelling weeks. Starting today, Malaysian audiences will be able to follow their journey on AXN (Astro channel 701 or 721 for HD). One fighter will be sent home every week after a five-round fight, with the last one standing earning the title of The Challenger. Host and mentor Stephen Fox, a former Muay Thai world champion and one of the biggest personalities in the sport, said the show will be packing some serious action with all these top fighters coming together. "We have probably the biggest names in this weight division. Many of these boys are national heroes or superstars in their countries, there's no question about that. Obviously, they're not David Beckhams, but in the Muay Thai circles, these guys are the best of the best in the business," said Fox. Malaysia, being a developing Muay Thai nation, had won the bid to host the filming of the competition, which was done secretly to avoid any spoilers for the audience. But members of the media were given a tour of the set and the chance to watch the first elimination fight, and they are not for the faint-hearted. In Muay Thai, fighters are allowed to kick, punch, elbow and knee opponents; and with so much at stake with The Challenger, fights will be that much more intense. Some fighters will get battered and bloodied, and some will get knocked out cold. So it's probably not a show for the ladies, right? "Well, the girls will get to see a lot of hot bodies ... Kidding!" said Fox. "They'll enjoy the show because there are a lot of emotions in there, a lot of human sacrifices. They'll follow stories of the fighters. In fact, I very much feel the show will be more popular among the female audience. "You can really relate to these boys and their hopes and dreams. And obviously, they're good-looking boys. They're very fit, and I think a lot of girls will like to have one of them as their boyfriend!" Indeed, there are two part-time male models among the 16, but pretty much all of them have abs that would have guys watching at home laying off the chips for at least that one hour. The fighters come from five different continents, and each has a unique story to tell, from the granite-jawed Australian full-time stone mason and part-time fighter, to the sensitive father-of-two who had to take care of his single mother and sister while growing up in the ghettos of France. But all of them have the same goal, to have a life and career-changing win at The Challenger. The constantly-joking Jordan Watson grew up on the rough streets of Leeds, England. But it was also there that his parents started sending him for kickboxing classes when he was six, and he's now seen as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the country. Even then, Watson said winning The Challenger would be a huge break for his career. "I'm well-known in England, but not so much elsewhere," he said. "If I win this, I would get a lot more exposure, and people would know who I am. "I'm already getting well-known for the fights I have now, but this will just get me a little further, so I can get better fights, better money." Australian Rhyse Saliba, on the other hand, is the rookie of the bunch having only fought for less than three years. The quiet 19-year-old qualified for the competition straight out of high school, and he looks completely out of place among the muscular guys with his skinny frame and boyish looks; but he's completely unfazed by the challenge. "I'm not worried about any of them," he said confidently. "They're all big names, but I can hold my own against anyone. I'm a bit light, but it doesn't bother me. However it turns out, the experience will be priceless for me." Saliba has big dreams for his fledgling professional fighting career. "That's what I want to do (fight for a living). This show will help me to make a name for myself, show the world what I can do. I'm not mucking around. I know what I'm doing and I can hold my own," he said. But the contestant that most Malaysians will be looking out for, is our very own fighter, Mohd Faizal Ramli. Stephen was quick to point out that Faizal, who is from Kelantan, was not given an automatic spot in the competition because he was Malaysian. He had to go through the qualifying process just like everyone else, and he made it completely on merit. "Faizal is one of the boys who really surprised us all in the competition," said Fox. "He was one of the outsiders. Malaysian Muay Thai has become very strong in the last couple of years, but not in that weight division. Faizal was really one of the boys whom everyone thought would not last long. But he trained very hard, and prepared very well. He will do Malaysia proud." For Faizal who will be turning 22 next month, Muay Thai has been more than career. It has provided him and his family a chance for a better life. "Muay Thai changed my life. It has given me a lot of discipline, and the prize money I've made has helped me to look after my parents and pay for my siblings' education," said Faizal, who has 11 siblings. Those are the kind of stories and values that Fox hopes people will take away from watching The Challenger, even more than the action. "It's more than just kicking and punching. It is a sport with really deep traditions, respect and honour, and people are going to fall in love with it," he said. The Challenger Muay Thai premieres today at 10pm on AXN (Astro Channel 701 or 721 for HD). |
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