28 November 2006

WEB : Who's That Girl?


(click on the image for a larger view)


Looks kinda' familiar.
Do you know who she is?



UPDATE : 29 November 2006

Drew Barrymore? Carrot Top? Elisha Cuthbert? anak Pak Brahim? Model Mixed mata sepet? Cisss.. tekaan korang semua takde sikit pun yang hampir. So memandangkan korang semua tak terror, aku akan bagi jawapannya.

Untuk pengetahuan semua, that cute lady above is none other than First Daughter of Grunge herself; FRANCES BEAN COBAIN. Anak dara si Kurt Cobain dan Courtney Love. Maybe korang tak perasan yang mukanya mmg sebijik mcm ayah dia.

By the way gambar di atas tu, adalah dari Elle Magazine UK keluaran bulan Ogos.
Diambil dari Wikipedia. - Frances Bean Cobain posed in the August 2006 issue of Elle Magazine in her father's famous red cardigan and pajama pants: "I wore his pajamas because he got married in them to my mom in 1992 in Hawaii so I thought they would be cute if I wore them today...He was too lazy to put on a tux so he got married in pajamas!"

Klik di sini untuk lebih banyak info dan gambar Frances Cobain.

Music : My Current Playlist (Nov)

Just wanted to share my current playlist; music that I listen to regularly in my car stereo, my computer, on my discman, at home and almost everywhere, throughout this month.

  • Soundgarden - The Complete Discography
- I just recently got hold of all Soundgarden albums Yess.. ALL of their albums that includes Screaming Life, Fopp, Ultramega OK, Louder than Love, Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, Down on the Upside and A-Sides. I've been spinning them like crazy. It's something about Cornell voice, man.

  • The Wipers - Wipers Box Set
- Do you know the song D7 by Nirvana? It's actually a cover version. The original band behind that song is The Wipers and they were a major influence on the grunge music scene in general. Their first three albums are now widely considered to be among the greatest and most influential punk albums of all time. The box set contains their first 3 albums, Is This Real, Youth of America, and Over the Edge. If you're a grunge-head like me, this box set is a must-own.

  • Various Artists - Hard To Believe (KISS Covers Compilation)
- Do You Love Me, a KISS cover from Nirvana came from this album. Also include tracks from Melvins and Skin Yard. This album is fun.

  • Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles
- Another grunge band (can you see the pattern here?). A compilation album from Mudhoney. Seattle rock at it's best.

  • Easy All-Stars - Radiodread
- Radiohead's OK Computer is one of the greatest albums of all-time. Radiodread is a complete, song by song makeover of that particular album into reggae, ska, and dub. How could you go wrong with that? Perfect for those late-night drive from the office.

  • Iron Maiden - Best of The Beast
- Brings out the metal in me. For those head-banging moments in the car.

  • Jamiroquai - High Times: Singles 1992-2006
- When you needed to calm down. Smooth acid-jazz candy.

  • Jay-Z - Kingdom Come
- the latest album from President Carter, one of my fave rapper, Jay- Z. Yes, I do listen to hip-hop (regularly too). He's back from retirement, and I'm glad he did.


20 November 2006

FILM : Casino Royale - Bond Restart


As a big James Bond fan (..quite big), I excitedly anticipate the opening of a new 007 flick, but having read Casino Royale (..the only Ian Fleming's novel I read), and upon hearing that the filmmakers were going to adhere to the content of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, I was a little anxious.

Casino Royale is an excellent spy thriller, but very vicious in content, which runs contrary to the escapist fun we mostly expect in a James Bond movie, and therefore, for some this will take a little getting used to. The filmmaker decided to push the reset button in the manner of Batman Begins – and it was a very good move indeed. Reinventing James Bond as a kind of crazy, ruthless army officer with an attitude problem, Casino Royale turns out to be cracking good entertainment, as well as a fresh start for the perdurable 21-picture franchise.

Casino Royale has many plus points which make it one of the better Bond films that have come to the big screen. First thing first. Daniel Craig – I was skeptical at first, I admit. (read my post here). But after watching Casino Royale I seriously think the filmaker had selected a guy who is actually physically and personality wise, fitting of an assassin. Yes, people, FYI in Ian Fleming's novel, James Bond is a cold-blooded assasin. Also Craig is an actor’s-actor and can masterfully convey emotion without words and through mere stares with his piercing eyes. He may not be as pretty as Pierce Brosnan before him, or as witty as Roger Moore but Craig does portray Ian Fleming’s Bond more closely with rugged looks, and he looks like a guy who could snap your head off if you rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it's an echo from his roles in Munich and Infamous, but Craig makes one very scary Bond. I would not want to get on his bad side. He uses his license to kill repeatedly and decisively, and he isn't all that stylized about it, either; he's bloody and mean. (Seemingly he is the first Bond to actually bleed real blood!)

The first half of Casino Royale is full of happy surprises. The Bond trademarks are all there, but in the script they’re rearranged to catch you off guard. The opening bit with 007 firing into the gun sight and the blood running down the frame is cunningly delayed. "Shaken, not stirred" gets a twist of something acid (..and funny). "Bond. James Bond" is saved for a special moment. The villain is not the usual Blofeld-like wannabe world dominator but a financier called Le Chiffre whose milky eye weeps blood. He’s bloodcurdling.

The dialogue in this film is far superior to many of its recent predecessors, perhaps due to the addition of Paul Haggis to the writing team, making the popular 'one-liners' seem to actually flow well for a change.

The action sequences are back to standards under the helm of Director Martin Campbell. Campell, has re-inserted gritty and precise hand-to-hand combat sequences, amazing chase sequences, and off-set those heavy punching elements with bright-colored backdrops and settings that are all classic Bond. The chase in and around an African construction site, a fight aboard a runaway fuel truck on an airport tarmac, a shootout in a collapsing Venice, Italy, canal building and a grueling torture sequence -- emphasize the physicality of the stunt work rather than special effects.

The Bond girl this time is Vesper Lynd played convincingly by the beautiful and sexy Eva Green, a female counterpart to Bond -- cool, calculating, untrusting but drawn to sexual adventure if it comes packaged to suit her whim. Their exchanges contain none of the usual tired double entendres but rather sharp dialogue as the two suss each other out.

The gorgeous Green pulls off the mix of Vesper's beauty, smarts and conflicted emotional state well - a throwback to the beauties of the Hitchcock era in some ways. More importantly though, and it's something so rare to see these days in these films, the pair share a real chemistry which works extremely well and gets a healthy amount of screen time to shine. Their verbal jousting, moments of tenderness and eventual outcome all flow with a nice sense of old romanticism.

I got to talk about the theme song. Chris Cornell can do no wrong, man. I heard it once and I simply loved it. ‘You Know My Name’ is a rocking tune but with a touch of the classic Bond theme with it’s heavy orchestral feel. Cornell’s voice is as silky smooth as ever. It’s my new favourite Bond theme.

My complaints - the story does spend just a tad too long in its third act indulging in those romantic moments between Bond and Vesper and Bond eventual falling for her never quite feels entirely genuine (thus robbing the ending of some emotional impact). Clocking in a good 30 minutes too long, the first hour is filled with good scenes but quite a few that add up to ultimately little. The moments of action in the second act feel far better incorporated into the story, making the early set pieces somewhat awkward and out of place no matter how elaborate they are. Similarly a scene towards the end set around a collapsing building in Venice allows for a great setting, but is too much for what should be a more underplayed moment.

The torture sequence (which came directly from the original novel, not just thrown in to appeal to people who enjoy violence and gore) is heavily edited by our beloved LPF, but still I really think that it is quite too much for our youngsters. I could see one or two parents taking their kids out of the cinema hall during that scene, so I suggest that parents; leave your kids at home.

The one or two bum notes can't stop the fact that Casino Royale is simply a great film, one of the best in the long-running series and one that returns James Bond to the top of the heap. The jury's still out on whether Craig will challenge Sean Connery for the title of the best Bond ever, but for a first effort in the role he's showing great promise. The film completely justifies its Batman Begins style restart approach, though the early calls of 'best Bond ever' are an over exaggeration. Lets hope the inevitable sequels keep this more character and story rather than action driven approach going for at least a little while. Bond is back and better than he has been in a very long time.

So excuse myself, while I go watch my Dreamers DVD, my 10pm channel 42 marathon of Bond movies, while listening to the new rockin' Bond theme. The Bond fever is back ladies and gentleman!

13 November 2006

JURNAL : The Tall, The Short and The RM15


It's the weirdest thing.. I'm sure that most Malaysian don't even know about it, but last week the World Tallest and World Shortest Man (..that's what the organizer claimed) were in Malaysia. They were brought here from Pakistan by Pasaraya KK (..what?) as part of their charity program. You can take one photograph with both of them for RM15 and all the proceeds will be donated to charity.

Actually aku terserempak dgn diaorang ni by accident. Aku dan girlfriend aku baru selesai makan malam, dan bila kitaorang lalu alongside Ampang Waterfront, nampak mcm ramai gila org kat Pasaraya KK tu. Ingatkan ada jualan murah ke apa ke, tiba-tiba nampak satu bayang manusia tinggi gila kat depan kedai tu. I was like "..Shit! That guy is so damn tall. We got to take some pictures of him." Mmg la diaorang ni tak se-famous selebriti Bollywood atau pemain kriket Pakistan. Tapi it's the world tallest+shortest man, dude. The freak of nature themselves. Ingat senang ke nak jumpa. Dekat Pasaraya KK depan umah aku plak tu..! Gila..!. So we rushed back to get the camera, dan berenti depan Pasaraya KK tu untuk amik gambar.

Aku baru aja nak snap gambar diaorang, sekali dia punya security or organizer or whatever, bagi isyarat dekat aku and he said "..Sorry sir. No free pictures please. You have to pay RM15 for a photograph. " Fark.. RM15? R u kidding me..? He go on to say that the money will go to charity, bla, bla, bla. Charity apa aku pun tak tahu, tak nampak pulak ada mention kat mana-mana. Aku rasa mcm berat pulak nak spend RM15 untuk sekeping gambar dan duit aku tu disedekahkan kepada 'charity' yang aku sendiri tak tahu wujud atau tidak. So kitaorang pun blah aja la.

Anyway aku sempat snap satu gambar curi kat atas tu, in case kalau orang ingat aku tipu. Tapi pelik jugak aku, kenapa takda exposure langsung. Mcm illegal aja. Hmmm..

07 November 2006

MUSIC: Hidden gems

I never quite understand the reason for it. But sometimes when an artist or a band record an album, they will throw in one or two hidden tracks in the album. Maybe because they wanted to suprise the listeners. Maybe the hidden track doesn't fit with the album concept. Maybe it's cool to do so.

There are many methods of hiding a track. Some artistes placed the song after another track (usually the last track on the album), some placed the song in the pregap of the first indexed track (the CD must first be cued to the track, and then manually rewound). Sometimes the track is placed in between two tracks, using negative time and sometimes many short tracks of silence are used before the hidden track.

Whatever the reasons are, discovering a hidden track in an album, especially if you didn't know anything about it, can be quite exciting. Some hidden tracks have become quite popular and received heavy radio airplay, such as Lauryn Hill's hidden cover of 'Can't Take My Eyes Of You' or Counting Crows' hidden cover of 'Big Yellow Taxi'. Hidden tracks can sometimes be hidden gems.

Here's a list of my favourite hidden tracks :

  • Alanis Morissette
Album: Jagged Little Pill
Track : Track 13 contains an alternate take of "You Oughta Know" and, following silence, at 5:12 the acapella version of "Your House".

  • Alice In Chains
Album : Dirt
Track : "Iron Gland" is sandwiched in between "God Smack" and "Hate To Feel", being track 9 or track 10 (depending on the version) on the disc itself.

  • The Beatles
Album : Abbey Road
Track : "Her Majesty" follows a short silence at the end of the album.

  • Beck
Album : Mellow Gold
Track : "Analog Odyssey" appears a couple minutes after "Blackhole."

  • Bloc Party
Album :Silent Alarm
Track : "Every Time Is The Last Time" is hidden in the album's pregap.

  • Green Day
Album : Dookie
Track : "All By Myself" follows on from final track "F.O.D.".

  • Guns N' Roses
Album : The Spaghetti Incident?
Track : "Look At Your Game Girl," originally performed by Charles Manson, at the end of the album.

  • Korn
Album : Take a Look in the Mirror
Track : A live cover version of Metallica's "One" after the final track.

  • Live
Album : Throwing Copper
Track : "Horse" appears on track 14.

  • Nirvana
Album : In Utero
Track : "Gallons Of Rubbing Alcohol Flow Through The Strip" starts about 20 minutes after the end of "All Apologies" on non-U.S. pressings. The song is listed on the back cover of the album, but is not a separate track.

Album : Nevermind:
Track : "Endless, Nameless" appears 10 minutes after "Something In The Way," but is not included on first pressings on the album and all pressings of the album after 1994.

  • Offspring
Album : Smash
Track : "Come Out and Play Solo" at 9:10 of "Smash".

  • Pearl Jam
Album : Binaural
Track : "Writer's Block" after the final track "Parting Ways".

Album : Pearl Jam
Track : Brief hidden track after the final track "Inside Job".

Album : Ten
Track : "Master/Slave" at the end of the album, but also opens the album when played on repeat.

Album : Yield
Track : "Hummus" after final track "All Those Yesterdays".

  • Radiohead
Album : Pablo Honey
Track : A clean version of track 2, "Creep", plays as track 13.

  • The Smashing Pumpkins
Album : Gish
Track : "I'm Going Crazy" appears shortly after "Daydream".

  • Stone Temple Pilots
Album : Purple
Track : "Twelve Gracious Melodies", a song sung by Richard Petersen, shortly after "Kitchenware & Candybars".

  • System Of A Down
Album : Toxicity
Track : "Arto" begins at 3:58, just after last track "Aerials". It is an Armenia folk song, as the band is of Armenian heritage.


And my favourite hidden track of all time :

  • Nirvana
Album : No Alternative (compilation album)
Track : "Sappy" at the end of the album. When I first listened to the album, I had no idea there was a hidden track. I was lying on my bed, trying to sleep when suddenly Kurt Cobain's voice started to attack my brain cells. And when the drums kicks in, you know I couldn't sleep no more. I immediately pick up my guitar and learn the song. The next morning I called all my friends telling all about it. And the day after that we were playing the song in the studio. It became our favourite song to play (until now). One of the best Nirvana song (..and the best Nirvana guitar solo) ever. Hidden gems indeed..

06 November 2006

WEB : Mary, Mary..


Last weekend I saw Final Destination 3 (FD3) on DVD, and I can't help but be mesmerized by the beautiful lead actress in the movie. She's got that sweet, innocent, familiar '..have I seen her before?' face that you simply can't forget. Her cherubic face makes you want to stare at her for the longest time. Plus, she's a very good actress and one of the reason why FD3 is so enjoyable to watch.


So I did a little checking on the internet and it turns out that she was in two movies that I saw last year, Sky High and The Ring Two. Her name is Mary Elizabeth Winstead and she is the bomb! This girl is going to be a huge star. Her upcoming projects include an all star cast of Emilio Estevez's Bobby, the next Die Hard movie Live Free or Die Hard, and the highly anticipated Tarantino and Rodriguez's Grindhouse where she will have a lead role in Tarantino's segment 'Death Proof'. Watch out for this girl. She's a star in the making. You read it here first.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead on IMDB
Mary Elizabeth Winstead on Wikipedia

*photos courtesy of mary-winstead dot net

SPORTS : Signs of a good week ahead

Man United 3
Portsmouth 0

West Ham 1
Arsenal 0

Tottenham 2
Chelsea 1


I was smiling when I went to bed last night. Satisfaction is pure bliss. Come on u RED DEVILS! This season is ours for the taking. We can go all the way..!


Happy annivesary to the gaffer, Sir Alex Ferguson. 20 strong wonderful years in charge of Man Utd. I've been supporting you since your first game when we lost to Oxford United(?) 2-0. I grew up with your success. For me, there's only one manager in my life; Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson. Thank you.

..Fergie Ferg, and we love you long time!!

01 November 2006

TV : Scream Awards 2006

Last night Scream Awards 2006 was shown on Star Movies (Ch 42 Astro). The award show was excellent but suffered major cut from our censors. (..It's a horror movie awards for god sake!). I have to say that it was the best award show I have ever seen because it honors some really great people not only from the horror movie genre, but also from the comic books and science fiction genre as well.

Some of the the categories for Scream Awards are Most Memorable Mutilation, The “HOLY SH%T!”/JUMP-FROM-YOUR-SEAT”Award, Best Flesh Scene and my favourite Best Rack On The Rack. Yes, it's not your typical award show. Click here for full winners list.

But the best moment of the Scream Awards 2006 last night has got to be the world premiere of the highly anticipated double feature of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's 'Grindhouse'. It's fuckin' awesome! Unbelievably awesome! Check it out below :