International Names at Miri Jazz Festival

The Miri International Jazz Festival which debuts in 2006 12th and 13th of May is going to include as many different styles and exotic versions of this genre as its repertoire and it will be held at the Park City Everly Hotel. The event is a brainchild of the Sarawak Tourism Board which has, in the past, been the main instrument in building up the Rainforest World Music Festival that is held in Kuching. Eight very contrasting bands will be performing nightly. Friday 12th May All The Best (Sarawak) Nah Youn Sun (Korea) UBlues (Singapore) Gangbe Brass Band (Benin) Saturday 13th May Mambo Jambo (United Kingdom) Shanghai Jazz Ensemble (China) Fra Fra Sound (Netherlands) Lluis Coloma (Spain) There will be Fra Fra Sound from the Netherlands, Shanghai Jazz Ensemble from China, UBlues from Singapore, Korean singer Nah Youn Sun with her French band, Lluis Coloma from Barcelona, Spain, Mambo Jambo from England and the Gangbe Brass Band from Benin. Fra Fra Sound from the Netherlands is a seven piece Afro-Caribbean jazz big band. Of late, they have also incorporated sounds and influences taken from Latin-American jazz, blues, soul and gospel. They have a vibrant horn section and each individual is a virtuoso in their own right, doing breathtaking and innovative improvisations. Shanghai Jazz Ensemble will be another one of them. This band with the unforgettable Coco as lead vocalist, will be performing on the 13 th of May – the second of the 2 nights of the festival. Sarawak’s very own "All The Best", headed by Shafiee Obe Hairunie, will be the representative of the state in this momentous occasion. Shafiee is a well known figure in the music world in Sarawak – born in Miri and currently the conductor and arranger for the jazz arm of the SONS orchestra based in Kuching. He was also composer and producer for recordings for Camelia under universal records and Diana under Nar Records. Shafiee will be playing on saxophones and keyboards. Together with him will be Abang Taha on drums, Ali Omar on bass and Saji & Azim on percussion. Their repertoire is vast but for the Miri International Jazz Orchestra, they will be presenting a set of contemporary jazz with latin overtones. Tickets for the festival are priced at RM50.00 for a night and a package of RM80.00 for 2 nights per person. Shows will start at 7.30 pm but the doors will be opened early as there will be elegant food and drinks available and for the audience to find a comfortable spot and mingle before the performances begin. The festival is supported by Tourism Malaysia with Heineken as the Supporting Sponsor. The Official Media Partner is ASTRO together with MAS as Official Airline, Park City Everly as Official Hotel, Unison Systems as Official Web Solutions Provider and the supporting partners are Asia Eurowines, Miri Guardians and Water Genesis For more information, call the Sarawak Tourism Board at 082-423600 or the Visitors Information Centre Miri at 085-434181 or email to info@mirijazzfestival.com Check the website for updates at www.mirijazzfestival.com The festival will be partly indoors at the beautiful circular Pavilion with guests able to spill over into the grounds of the hotel overlooking the sea. "All The Best" will be performing on the first night, opening the festival. Also, remember to mark the dates 7 – 9 July 2006 in your busy calendar – that’s when the Rainforest World Music Festival is on in Kuching, Malaysia – on the beautiful island of Borneo They've set up an official RWMF email account – rwmfestival@gmail.com - for the public to write in with enquiries re the Miri International Jazz Festival on 12-13 May 2006 and the Rainforest World Music Festival on 7-9 July 2006. They have people manning this address so if you have anything that needs clarification, please do drop them a line.

Red Bull's 'Bull Fight' - Extreme Sport Challenge

Red Bull is organising a three day extreme sports challenge that will showcase some nail-biting stunts by our very own Malaysian participants. The Bull Fight 2006 consists of 4 activities: BMX Flatland, BMX Stunt Park, Skateboard, and in-line. On the final day, Battle of the Bands will kick-off to showcase some of our local music talents. The winners from this “Bull Fight” extreme challenge will be given the opportunity to perform a demonstration at the Asian X Games 2006. Amongst the judges of this competition are previous Asian X-Games contenders that have made it to the finals in Kuala Lumpur in 2004 and Korea in 2005. This competition promises spectacular performances and state-of-the art stunts that will have you at the edge of your seats.

The Nokia N91 Presents The Breakers

Nokia Malaysia is proud to announce the return of The Breakers Vocal Band to Malaysia for an exclusive concert series presented by the Nokia N91. The Breakers Vocal Band, featuring Malaysia’s very own Adam Farouk, will be performing in the first week of May in conjunction with the official launch of Nokia’s flagship music device – the Nokia N91. The Breakers Vocal Band returns to Malaysia after a series of sold-out shows in April 2005. The Breakers Vocal Band is a five piece all-male vocal tour de force who craft their unique brand of streamlined rock entirely without the aid of instruments, tapping into a tradition of music making that predates both musical notation and the orchestra. This a cappella group promises to give listeners a music experience that will captivate and astound the audience. This promise of an auditory experience that enthralls the senses is reflected in the Nokia N91. Nokia’s newest multimedia smartphone delivers on both form and function. The choice of The Breakers Vocal Band demonstrates Nokia’s recognition of quality in sound. Nokia hopes that the audience will learn to see how they can easily be a part of the music in a Breakers Vocal Band performance. “We see that the Breakers Vocal Band offers listeners something unique in terms of a musical performance. The human voice is by far the most powerful musical instrument and we hope that Malaysians will come out and enjoy this extraordinary group,” said Barry Lee, Managing Director of Nokia Malaysia. “The Nokia N91 offers listeners something unique as well – we want people to experience the N91 and think to themselves ‘I never thought I could hear such quality on a mobile phone’”, Lee added. All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The International College of Music to help develop Malaysian music talent and the local industry as a whole. “We hope that this small donation from the concert series will give ICOM some assistance as it looks to build student talent,” explained Lee. Nokia N91 Presents The Breakers Vocal Band The Breakers Vocal Band will be performing at the following venues: 3 & 4 May 2006 - 8.30 PM The Actors Studio at BSC Bangsar Shopping Centre, Bangsar, KL Ticket Booking: Box Office Number: 03-2094 0400/ 1400 Email: tickets@theactorsstudio.com.my Ticket prices: RM72 and RM52 5 May 2006 – 9.00 PM Zeta Bar, Hilton Kuala Lumpur, KL Sentral Telephone: 03 2264 2264 Website: http://www.kl-studio.com

Hilton presents Afro Cuban All Stars

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The Remember Series Collectors Poster

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Higher resolution picture available upon request via email: smoove at ascension.com.my

MTV Asia Awards Voting Party

Vote for your favourite artist and make an impact at the 2006 MTV Asia awards! You Have The Power To Decide And Win Fabulous Prizes At The Same Time The hunt has begun. Stand on the side of your favourite artist if you want him/her to win in the 2006 MTV Asia Awards. Get started by voting! You can make a difference for every vote will give your artist an edge over the other nominees in the same category. Join us at the exclusive MTV Asia Awards Voting Party – the exciting prelude to the Awards in Bangkok on 6 May 2006. If you want your favourite artist to win at the final vote count, then you’ve gotta attend this party and vote! Date: Saturday, 15 April 2006 Venue : Zouk, Jalan Ampang Time : 7.30 – 10.30pm The 2006 MTV Asia Awards voting party is the first of a series of rip-roaring events to come, as a lead-up to Asia’s biggest music event in the region. Fans can expect to catch Too Phat, Ahli Fiqir, Adam and Ruffedge on stage. Their attendance will definitely encourage viewers and fans to vote for local artists. MTV VJ Denise will be hosting this smashing event and attendees can look forward to a night of fun games and activities, goodies and prizes to be won! Viewers can cast their votes for their favourites from 1 March 2006 till 28 April 2006 through various ways including visiting MTV’s official website at www.mtvasiaawards.com, via Short-Message-Service (SMS) or WAP using your mobile phone to log on to http://maawap.com/ . Voters also stand the chance to win an all-expense paid trip to Bangkok to watch the Awards as well as other fabulous prizes. Fans can visit the MTV Asia web sites for more information on Awards related contests and events. Official Partner Sponsors for the MTV Asia Awards 2006 are Haier Electrical Appliances, Toyota Motor Corporation, Tourism Authority of Thailand, Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. Sponsor Siam Paragon, World Class Shopping Phenomenon; Powered by MSN. Official Media Partners: Hitz FM and MYC. Official Hotel Partner: Millennium Hilton Bangkok. SMS Voting Short Codes MTV fans and viewers can send their SMS votes to the following short codes in Malaysia – SMS MAA and send to 33776 (for all mobile subscribers). MTV Asia Awards Categories Regional categories Favourite Music Artist Awards from Asia: • Favourite Artist Mainland China • Favourite Artist Hong Kong • Favourite Artist India • Favourite Artist Indonesia • Favourite Artist Korea • Favourite Artist Malaysia • Favourite Artist Philippines • Favourite Artist Singapore • Favourite Artist Taiwan • Favourite Artist Thailand International categories International Music Awards: • Favourite Male Artist • Favourite Female Artist • Favourite Pop Act • Favourite Rock Act • Favourite Video • Favourite Breakthrough Artist For more information on other nominees in all the categories, click here

Rainforest World Music Festival in Sarawak

The Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) will be held 7-9 July this year at the Sarawak Cultural Village at Santubong, a 40 minutes’ drive away from the city of Kuching on the island of Borneo This year marks the 9th edition of the festival which has been gaining in popularity with world music lovers globally. The question is Will You Be There? SmoovePinch had an opportunity to attend this event under the invitation of the Sarawak Tourism Board. We dare say it was the best event we saw in 2005. Imagine dancing under the stars and rainforest amongst 10,000 people from around the world. Amazing!! The groups confirmed (so far) performing at this year’s festival are: Tengir Too from Kargystan Kilema from Madagascar Les Yeux Noirs from France Hotel Palindrone from Austria Egschiglen from Mongolia ChungMyung from Korea Aynur from Turkey Genticorum from Canada Malaysian Dhol Federation from Kuala Lumpur Calle Sur from Colombia Nahawa Doumbia from Mali Yap Ting Chinese Percussion Ensemble from Sarawak Log onto to their website www.rainforestmusic-borneo.com for more information

M! The Opera

Extra Show on Tuesday March 28th

Read more here

SmoovePinch'ed: Yes, there's mixed reviews about this production good and bad.. and our verdict is, we liked it. Visually fresh, clever use of staging and props, superb fashion, witty script, some great singing although the talents available were slightly under utilised, very abstract, interesting fusion of traditional musical instruments and the orchestra and overall, seamless integration of music, talents, fashion, design, songs and art.. superb effort. Still a journey to go for it to be great but it's a step in a positive direction. Congrats to the whole team, it was a tough process but we appreciate the great effort. Why? Because you either get it or you don't. If you did, congrats. If you didn't, go see it again. If you haven't, go see it and judge for yourself. If you don't, then you can't really comment on it can you? ;)

The Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix Spring Gala 2006

Formula 1 Passport

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F1 Fever In Kuala Lumpur

As Kuala Lumpur revs up for the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix 2006, both Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall have once again collaborated to provide racing fans and supporters with thrills and excitement galore. Expect the best of motor racing action, celebrations and a carnival-like atmosphere when you arrive in the Malaysian capital. The F1 related fun and entertainment activities during March are known as Pit Stops. Pit Stop 1 is the launch of the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix and Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix City (KLGPC) programmes at Berjaya Times Square on 5 March 2006. Pit Stop 2 is the shopping spree in KLGPC from 11 to 26 March. The F1 fraternity and supporters can browse and buy the best bargains be it elegant designer brands or unique ethnic souvenirs at shopping malls throughout the city. For Pit Stop 3, the Naza group of companies is organising the KL F1 Auto Festival at Dataran Merdeka, Kuala Lumpur from 11 to 12 March 2006. Among the attractions are the KL 3rd International Vintage & Classic Car Concours parade, Maxis activities, scooter demonstration and competition, musical performances, F1 mini party, colouring contest, magic show, auto festival, karaoke and big screen show of the F1 opening race live from Bahrain.Pit Stop 4 is all glamour and prestige as SIC is holding a spectacular 2006 PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix Spring Gala at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on 16 March. The highlight is the live concert by Lionel Ritchie, the multiple Grammy award-winning singing sensation from the U.S. A total of 200 tickets priced at RM900, RM1,300 and RM1,550 are available to the public. Ticketed guests will have the opportunity to mingle with Formula 1 drivers and personalities, celebrities and corporate leaders during the cocktail reception. Pit Stops 5 and 6 are BMW Sauber F1 events. The BMW Sauber team is a new addition to the 2006 Formula One World Championship. Their events from 16 to 19 March include a fashion show, entertainment act and BMW Heritage Race Cars Demo at Jalan Pinang and Jalan P. Ramlee on 18 March. Pit Stop 7 showcases the richness of Malaysian culture and lifestyle known as “Sights & Sounds of Kuala Lumpur Grand Prix City” at the downtown Bintang Walk from 17 to 18 March. Other pit stops are the Red Zone party at SIC on 17 March (Pit Stop 8), Renault F1 Tiesto Live in KL at SIC on 18 March (Pit Stop 9) and McLaren Chrome Party at the Mercedes Benz showroom, Jalan Sultan Ismail (Pit Stop 10). Sepang will host the second round of the 2006 Formula One World Championship from 17 to 19 March, a week after the new season opens in Bahrain on March 12. The races held at Sepang F1 Circuit, some 50km from the shopping and entertainment haven of Kuala Lumpur, is only a 10-minute drive from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Tickets for the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix range from RM50 to RM1,750 and can be purchased at the SIC office in KL Sentral, via internet at www.malaysiangp.com.my or by calling Ticket Hotline at 603-87782222. Issued by: Communications Division, Tourism Malaysia

The Red Zone Tour set to take Malaysia by storm!!

The highly anticipated Red Zone Tour is back! Partygoers around the nation can now heave a sigh of relief as these much awaited parties, held annually in celebration of the hottest, most sizzling race in the world make a thrilling comeback. Organised proudly by Protein Events and Future Sound Asia, in conjunction with Sepang International Circuit (SIC), the Red Zone Tour 2006 is set to sizzle with a list of illustrious DJs that will excite the most jaded of clubbers. The Red Zone Tour 2006, indisputably the official Grand Prix party of the season, will consist of two mind-numbing outdoor parties that will bring the nation up to speed on the thrill and excitement of the PETRONAS Malaysian Grand Prix - turning Kuala Lumpur into THE Grand Prix city of the region. The Red Zone Grand Prix experience will be brought all the way to Penang on March 11, 2006, as DJ Mario Piu (ITA), DJ Brent Burns (RSA) and DJ Gabriel (accompanied by Tabla Maniam, both from Singapore) thrills partygoers in an unprecedented outdoor experience at Cocos – The Garage. They will be joined by 3 equally exciting local acts – DJ Joey G from Channel V, DJ Roxy and DJ Desire. The heat picks us a week later, on March 17, 2006 at the F1 Village in SIC as ATB (GER) makes his Malaysian debut, accompanied by DJ Montana (NED) and DJ Tall Paul (UK). They are joined by local DJ Bryan Burger, while DJ Brent Burns and DJ Gabriel stage a repeat performance from their show in Penang. Completing the equations of sights and sounds is 4YOUREYE, an Austrian VJ husband-and-wife duo that will provide the ideal visual accompaniment for both parties. Coming to Malaysia for the second time, 4YOUREYE will have full creative freedom, turning both parties into a sensational assault on the senses. Red Zone this year has taken unparalleled steps to make the tickets extremely accessible – the first 1,000 clubbers in Penang and the first 3,000 in Kuala Lumpur will party for free once registered on www.redzone.com.my beginning 27 February 2006. Alternatively, tickets can be purchased at the door for RM20, which includes one standard drink. The parties are open to partygoers 18 and above only, and all tickets collections and purchases are dependant on display of a valid photo ID. Never before has Red Zone given this many tickets away free of charge, or priced them as affordably. This lives up to their promise of being the official Grand Prix party, giving as many Malaysians as possible the opportunity to experience the fever of Red Zone – turning it into the most celebrated Grand Prix event of the season. For more information on the Red Zone Tour 2006, please call 03-2072 9443.

Audition: The Amazing Race, Asia

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Jose Padilla Live at Zeta Bar

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Fort Minor: Live In KL

HOTLINK Proudly presents Fort Minor - Live In Kuala Lumpur

Date: 28th February 2006 Venue: Indoor Arena, Bukit Kiara Equesterian Club Time: 8.30pm Gates Open: 6.30pm Tickets: RM110 + $2 TicketCharge handling fee Ticketing Outlets : TicketCharge, 41-1, Signature Office Suites The Boulevard, Mid-Valley City Hotline: 03 7726 2002 Web Bookings: http://www.ticketcharge.com.my/ Hard Rock Café, Kuala Lumpur Rock Corner Music Stores @ · One Utama · Bangsar Village · Mid Valley Megamall · The Curve · Great Eastern Mall · Subang Parade · Kota Raya · Giant - Subang USJ · Giant - Taman Permata · Trend- SOGO · Music Magic- Central Market · Rhythm Music - Pertama Complex For further information, contact : Warner Music Malaysia at 03-2148 5611

This information is accurate at the time of release. http://www.fortminor.com/ http://www.lushington.com/ A Lushington/Jojo Entertainments Event

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Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival 2006

The Indonesian capital will once again play host to a major international musical and cultural event on 3, 4 and 5 March 2006 at the Jakarta Convention Center. The flagship 2006 Dji Sam Soe Super Premium Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival with the mission of “Bringing the World to Indonesia” is the second in an annual series and is already positioned as the largest music festival in Asia and one of the most important events in Indonesia’s arts and cultural calendar. More than 100 jazz and contemporary groups, featuring over 1,000 musicians will perform in more than 150 shows on 15 stages over the 3 days. Audiences at the magnificent Jakarta Convention Center, the same venue as last year, are expected to top 60,000 and be treated to a kaleidoscope of jazz, fusion and cross over to pop, rock, soul, R&B, blues, hip hop, gospel, world/ethnic, electronic and many other genres with music to suit every taste. The line up of international jazz, soul, rhythm and blues artists includes : Patti Austin, Kool & the Gang, Brand New Heavies, Lee Ritenour, Bob James, Jeff Lorber, Tower of Power, Mezzoforte, and many others. They will be accompanied by Indonesian jazz legends such as: Bubi Chen, Margie Segers, Oele Pattiselano, Luluk Purwanto, Andi Rianto, Elfa Secoria, Indra Lesmana, Ireng and Kiboud Lesmana, Benny Likumahuwa, Deviana, Gilang Ramadhan, Dwiki Dharmawan, and a long list of others. Some foreign groups are sponsored by their cultural councils: Ad Colen Jazz Quartet by Erasmus Huis, Raphael Gualazzi by the Italian Cultural Institute, Youn Sun Nah by French Cultural Centre Culturel Francais, and Harri Stojka by the Austrian Embassy. The British Council also participates in this inter-cultural event. New, up and coming names in the international and national music scenes will also be featured. These include: Omar & Carleen Andersen, Take 6, Marc de Clive Lowe, Daniela Schaechter, Hiromi, Ad Colen Quartet, Eric Benet, Aksan Syuman, Bintang Indrianto, Balawan, Rita Arsyad, Discus, Saharadja, Rieka Roeslan, Nial Djuliarso, Tomorrow People Ensemble, Nina Tamam, Ello, Glenn Fredly, Mocca, Tangga, Kahitna, and more. From the 15 stages spread across the magnificent venue, visitors can enjoy over 150 performances during the 3-day span, each day offering 9 – 12 hours of shows. All shows are freely accessible with day ticket or 3-day multipass. For the 6 Special Shows, an additional special show ticket is required. The lineup of stars for the special shows at the Plenary Hall are: Patti Austin featuring Dave Koz and Rendezvous All Stars, Tower of Power, Take 6, Brand New Heavies, Omar and Carleen Andersen featuring Incognito, and Kool & the Gang. Read more... Tickets are available at the ticket boxes priced as follows: Daily Ticket: Rp 350.000 (RM140) Three Day Ticket : Rp 900.000 (RM360) Special Show: Rp 150.000 (RM60) Special prices available for students. Click here for: Official Website Alternate Site Enrich Website - Enrich Members Package, starting from RM 988 (incl. Flight, Transfers, Hotel, Show Tickets) (Note: If you are not an Enrich Member yet, you can sign up to be a member and then qualify for the special package)

Puteri Gunung Ledang, The Musical

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Bangkok 100 Rock Festival 2006

For AirAsia: Click Here For concert information, please log on to www.bkk100rock.com. To purchase concert tickets: • Buy online at www.thaiticketmaster.com or • Walk-in to any ThaiTicketMaster outlets and get 10% discount by presenting your AirAsia Boarding Pass (for outlets location, please log on to www.thaiticketmaster.com)

Hilton Valentine Special

Puppy Love Charity Walk-A-Hunt

Together with Pet Rescuers Malaysia, we are organising a charity walk a hunt in aid of homeless animals. The aim of this "small project" is to bring about awareness on animal welfare and to raise funds to help the cause. We want to educate the people as well as lobby for stricter laws on animal cruelty in Malaysia. We hope to garner the support of the young and old in this event, the prizes are attractive, the people are fun and the cause is great! Please sign up and support these animals without a voice... Personally, we look forward to your support... as an incentive, we’re giving away Dog and Cat Calendars for the first 50 individuals who sign up with us. The Calendars cost RM39 outside, so this is worth it. Our early registration fee is RM85, thereafter RM100. Thank you for your support, should you need any info, please feel free to call me at the number below or email me at "purpleheart8877 at yahoo dot com" for the rules, format, prizes and more. Cheers! Shobie Segara Blue Print Events 016 6610262 03-20944887