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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

Halim Othman finds the perfect co-host in Adibah Noor
Astro-On-The-Go launched for overseas Malaysians
Nashville: Country music drama with an all-round appeal

Halim Othman finds the perfect co-host in Adibah Noor

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:11 AM PDT

Wake up to a cheerful morning with Suria FM's new duo.

HE has been doing it for 18 years, while she is a novice in the radio industry. However, when you listen to their banter every morning, you will think that the latest duo in town – Halim Othman and Adibah Noor – have been the best of friends since forever.

In case you haven't heard, Halim now has a new partner-in-crime for his early morning show on Suria FM; he and Adibah have been paired together since Feb 4.

And just like that, our morning Ceria Pagi Di Suria is no longer the same.

Adibah's warmth, her witty jokes and contagious laughter seem to go very well with Halim's brotherly nature – the pair cause a riot of sorts in the studio each morning!

For Adibah, 42, after dabbling in the world of singing (which she says is her first love), and then acting, being a radio deejay seemed like a natural choice.

"It has been fantastic so far. I have yet to dread coming in to work (the show starts at 5am!) and I hope I won't have to. In fact, I'm looking forward to it every morning.

"This is my first time ever working as a radio deejay. I was a guest deejay a few times but as a full-time radio person, this is my first," said the charming and lovable lady in a recent interview at the Suria FM office in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

"It wasn't so difficult to do as Halim Othman is the (show's) anchor and we talk on things or issues that are suitable and relevant. Halim is absolutely lovely and he never puts pressure on me at all. I'm just simply a budak baru belajar (new kid learning new things)," Adibah shared.

According to Halim, 45, it was Adibah who "bullies" him instead.

Apparently, one morning when the two were talking about how bullying has become such a serious problem today, Adibah was teasing Halim on air so much that someone called in and told her to stop bullying her partner!

"Seriously, I saw the dark side of her that day!" recalled Halim, laughing.

"Basically, we are discovering a lot of things about each other and we share many similarities as well," added Adibah.

Halim also said that working together for five hours a day is akin to married life.

Adibah noted: "Seriously, I would spend more time with my working partner than my home partner! The amount of time we spend together in the studio is much more than most any married couples out there."

Halim continued: "(The five hours of working together) could be the reason why the chemistry is just right between us; we are having so much fun in the studio. Regardless who my partner is in my show, I need to be fast in learning about him or her.

"And to be honest I'm glad that Adibah is my partner. She's such a fast learner. We have been working for little over a month now but we find it fun to work together."

Adibah reckons that they both are also on the same wavelength when it comes to many issues, which is important in creating a good working environment.

When teased if their relationship in the studio will spill over into their personal life, Adibah revealed that many listeners do want the two of them to end up together (as a real life couple). "For now I'll leave it to fate. Whatever it is, I don't spend time with Halim outside the studio at all," said Adibah with a cheeky smile.

As for her new job, Adibah is quite content with being a deejay for the time being. However, she turned down a year-long contract from the station, opting instead for a six-month deal.

"I do have my own reservations (about being a radio deejay) so I'll give myself six months to see how things are. If everything is okay, then I'll continue for another six months," she explained.

One of the segments on the early morning show features the deejays discussing a particular Bahasa Malaysia or English phrase with their listeners.

"In that segment we would pick obscure words or phrases that most of us have never heard of before and start discussing it with listeners. It is a small way to enrich our knowledge of language," said Adibah who cited Yasmin Yusoff, Constance Haslam, Patrick Teoh, Noraini Ibnu, Maramah Tejo and Prema as her major influences in radio.

Meanwhile, Halim said he never envisioned himself as a radio deejay.

"I have been in the industry for 18 years and am so thankful for the opportunity to be where I am today," he said.

Halim is currently working on a project to give free English lessons to adults around the Klang Valley, and he hopes to kick it off by the end of this month.

Tune in to Halim Othman and Adibah Noor on Ceria Pagi Di Suria on Suria FM, Mondays to Fridays from 5am-10am. Suria FM is owned and operated by The Star.

Astro-On-The-Go launched for overseas Malaysians

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:50 AM PDT

From the cobbled streets of Europe to the arid plains Down Under, Malaysians living abroad can now watch Astro from any part of the globe.

IT has only been two weeks since Jessica Francis left for Melbourne, Australia, but she is feeling homesick already.

During the day, she is a student busy pursuing her postgraduate education in dentistry at the University of Melbourne. But as night falls and the cold begins to set in, feelings of yearning and loneliness creep up on the 31-year-old Ipoh, Perak, native.

Although her husband Sanjay Raphael is with her, Jessica still longs to be back home.

"We miss Malaysia very much. We miss our family and friends, the home-cooked food, the culture and the festivals," she says wistfully.

Similarly, both Teartika Abdul Rashid, 26, and her brother Thaqif, 22, agree that after they moved to Sydney five years ago, they have never stopped missing Malaysia. "It's the atmosphere, the warmth and, of course, the food," she shares.

Surely, stories of longing such as these are echoed by many Malaysians living overseas. With this in mind, satellite pay-TV operator Astro recently launched Astro-On-The-Go (AOTG) International to give Malaysians abroad a taste of home.

The service enables users to tune in to their favourite local movies, dramas and live sports and news coverage wherever they are in the world via smartphones, tablets or laptops. The first phase of the launch, held in Melbourne – a city that's home to some 70,000 Malaysians – gave users a free preview of two homegrown channels: The nation's first 24-hour news channel Astro Awani and Astro Arena, its only channel dedicated to local sports.

Chief operating officer Henry Tan explains at the launch that the service is Astro's effort to better serve Malaysians everywhere. Understanding that local programming is hard to come by outside the country, many will miss watching their favourite local shows or finding out about the latest happenings and sporting events in Malaysia.

"You can take a Malaysian out of Malaysia but you can't take Malaysia out of a Malaysian," he says aptly.

Biggest TV revolution

Tan shares that AOTG International is a milestone for Astro as he believes it is the biggest revolution since the invention of TV, besides the switch from black-and-white to colour TV.

"In the past, TV was limited to being a big box in the living room. Today, you can watch it from anywhere in Malaysia and the world. Also, conventional TV used to provide audiences with a shared viewing experience only but now with AOTG, it is available on one's personal screen," he explains.

However, Tan is quick to point out that although the service encourages TV viewing on mobile or online devices, this by no means signifies the end of conventional TV.

"If you look at TV across the world, studies have shown that (traditional) TV viewership is hitting a record high. This is because when people watch shows online, they tend to want to watch it again on a bigger screen, helping to popularise the traditional means of watching TV," he explains.

Launching AOTG on a global scale means that the service is available to Malaysians and non-Malaysians abroad. As such, many may wonder if the local content is on par with international standards.

"I think as Malaysians, we put ourselves down too much ... Some of the offerings that we've done have been highly popular overseas. For example, for Oh My English!, we get people from all over the world writing to us about it. Also, Maharaja Lawak was a hit not only in Malaysia but was a huge sensation in Singapore, too."

Indeed, the pay-TV operator prides itself on being a successful content creator as well as a top broadcaster. Among its past successes are popular reality shows such as Akademi Fantasia, Astro Talent Quest and Miss Astro Chinese International Pageant, just to name a few.

Though AOTG International is mainly targeted at Malaysians abroad, Tan says he would not be surprised if the local content appeals to non-Malaysians, too.

"We broadcast the recent Thaipusam celebration and posted it on YouTube for the first time this year. To our surprise, the video garnered 2.2 million views. People from North America, parts of Europe, and Mauritius were watching us celebrate the festival. So, there is interest," he says.

More to come

The first phase of the launch offers overseas Malaysians a line-up of news and current affairs programmes on Astro Awani plus live coverage of the country's hottest sporting events on Astro Arena. Astro has also committed to providing comprehensive reporting on the upcoming general election on Astro Awani.

As very little news about Malaysia is aired on TV in Melbourne, Sanjay was excited to hear about the service. "I usually depend on online news portals for local news. Now I can watch Malaysian news here. I look forward to news updates on the general election especially."

Teartika, on the other hand, says she can't wait to catch up on all her favourite Bahasa Malaysia dramas while Thaqif is interested in local food programmes. The second phase of AOTG International, scheduled to kick off sometime in the next three months, will see more local programmes like Adam Dan Hawa and Hua Hee Makan besides Oh My English! and Maharaja Lawak on the linear channels as well as popular Astro First movies like Juvana, Husin, Mon & Jin Pakai Toncit and Awan Dania.

Finally, Tan says, phase three of AOTG International will give users the ability to "pull" content, or search for and pick what they want to watch from a library of programmes any time. This Video on Demand (VOD) function will offer up to 1,500 titles for users to choose from.

AOTG was introduced in Malaysia last May and has since racked up more than 500,000 views and 400,000 app downloads. Existing Astro customers in Malaysia can enjoy up to 21 linear channels, live sports events, catch-up content and VOD on AOTG for only RM25 per month.

Meanwhile, non-Astro customers in Malaysia who want to subscribe to AOTG may choose from two bundles. Pack 1 consists of four Bahasa Malaysia channels and Pack 2 consists of four Chinese channels, each priced at RM30 per month or RM5 per day. Alternatively, a la carte channels are available for RM10 to RM15 per month. AOTG subscribers can also choose from a collection of 100 movie titles, priced from RM10 to RM15.

For more information, visit astroonthego.com.

Nashville: Country music drama with an all-round appeal

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:08 AM PDT

Nashville has a solid cast, good music, a wonderful script ... and loads of hunky men.

NOT a fan of country music? Well, if there is one thing that could help open your mind to the genre, it is TV's brand new country music drama, Nashville. I should know – I've never been a fan of country music, apart from occasionally humming along to Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers' Islands In The Stream when it comes on the radio, or maybe Lady Antebellum's Need You Now. But that's about it.

A musical drama about country music seemed a little dodgy to me at first. Images of rhinestones, steel guitars, cowboy boots and a honky-tonk immediately popped up in my mind. Still, I was curious about the show and decided to check it out. Good thing I did because Nashville has, so far, proven to be a compelling drama with rich, fleshed-out characters, a well-written script and great music.

While musical dramas like Glee deliver reworked renditions of pop classics, the music on Nashville is original and pleasantly refreshing. It's a mix of country styles: Alternative country rock, country rock ballads and of course, country pop.

The show was, apparently, envisioned by Steve Buchanan (president of the Grand Ole Opry Group, a Nashville, Tennessee-based entertainment group) as a vehicle to sell new music. As such, renowned musicians were roped in to produce or write the songs for the show – Dan Auerbach, frontman for the Grammy-winning band, The Black Keys has reportedly produced a yet unreleased track for an upcoming episode (he also makes a cameo – watch out for it!), while other songwriters that have been recruited include Elvis Costello and Steve McEwan (who has written for country stars Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood and Kenny Chesney).

Marketing strategies aside though, the series itself is written by award-winning writer Callie Khouri (Thelma & Louise) while her husband, acclaimed producer and songwriter T-Bone Burnett is the executive music producer. This pretty much explains celebrity castings and cameos like country greats J.D. Souther (who wrote several The Eagles hits like New Kid In Town and Heartache, among others) and Vince Gill.

The story revolves around two female country singers: Rayna James (Connie Britton), the reigning queen of country who's struggling to stay relevant, and Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere), a rising star who is constantly being reminded how great her competition – i.e. Rayna – is, as a musician and a person.

When the series begins, Rayna is told by her record label executives that ticket sales for her upcoming tour aren't encouraging and the only conceivable way to boost sales is if she pairs up with young Juliette.

Rayna is incensed. She doesn't consider Juliette a true artiste, but more of a flash-in-the-pan young starlet whose songs have little musicality. It doesn't help that her two tween daughters love Juliette. Still, it is the label that calls the shots and Rayna agrees to the match-up, begrudgingly.

So begins a tense relationship between the two. Oh, yes. there's plenty of drama in Nashville. And it's not just the battle between the two ladies – the show is filled with romantic entanglements (Rayna's old flame Deacon Claybourne – played by the ruggedly handsome Charles Esten – gets caught between the women), family issues and politics (Rayna's dad, Lamar Wyat – played to evil perfection by Powers Boothe – is the former mayor of Nashville who is extremely controlling and corrupt).

Of course, there are also loads of skeletons spilling out of closets, like how Juliette's mother is a recovering addict, and Rayna's husband seems to be running away from something. Oh, juicy.

But there is one thing that stops Nashville from going down the soap opera route and that is a strong script and an even stronger cast led by Britton and Panettiere (who knew they could sing?). This is a show driven by women – strong women fighting for success (and not men) and personal fulfilment.

The men, well they're largely eye candy … which brings me to another reason why this show is so watchable: The cast is awfully pretty (and by cast I am singling out the men!).

Apart from Deacon, who I admit can get a little tiresome with his content swooning over Rayna, there is Gunnar Scott (Sam Palladio) who, along with Deacon's niece, Scarlett O'Connor (Clare Bowen), are trying to make a name for themselves in the business. Gunnar is a dish.

Yep, if the main plot is about two established singers, the sub-plot is about three young, struggling singers like Scarlett, Gunnar and Scarlett's louse of a boyfriend, Avery Barkley (Jonathan Jackson).

Some of the best tunes on the show are delivered by Gunnar and Scarlett, who perform as a duo at the Bluebird, an actual cafe in Nashville that is featured on the show.

Nashville premiered in the United States last year to positive reviews. Even Nashvillians (yes, that is a term) have embraced the show for representing their city so authentically – "country-fried but never half-baked" was one of the comments – and not in the cliched way it often is (you know, rhinestones, honky-tonk, etc).

So, release your inhibitions and give Nashville a go. Even if only to drool at the talent (I mean, good looking men. of course)!

Nashville airs on beTV (Astro Ch 712) every Wednesday and Thursday at 8.30pm. Reader response can be directed to entertainment@thestar.com.my or via Twitter (@MyStarTwo).

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

Selasa, 19 Mac 2013