Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Monday, November 02, 2009
about This Is IT
A dear friend of mine wrote this on face book and i thought i want to share it with you all here.
What a concert it would have been.
At the age of 50, the man could still move and groove, and the man could still sing. Boo to all the naysayers and the scathing critics. He could shimmy up a storm and heat up the stage leaving the dancers, more than half his age, agog. And this was only during rehearsal.
When he announced in April his comeback swansong 50 concerts in London, I checked out the online sales site, entertaining the idea of flying to London to catch this. But the amount of 300 sterling pounds was beyond my reach, as it didn’t even include the airfare. Even my friend, Stephen, a star who lives in London, said it was too expensive for him. Ah well, I’ll wait for the DVD of the concert, I placated myself. But even that was not to be.
Not long after reeling from the shock of his death, I jumped on the internet again on the day the tickets for “This Is It” went on sale and grabbed the maximum number of tickets allowed. Never mind who they were for, I knew these tickets would be hot. The skeptics laughed at my excitement. Like I cared. And the documentary didn’t disappoint.
The concert film, a collection of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage, captured his professionalism, his attention to detail, his patience, his love for his art, the performer extraordinaire he is, and why he is the King of Pop. He knew every beat, swoosh, bang and padumph of every inch and corner of his songs, evident while he was rehearsing with the musical director, telling him to play it “exactly how I wrote them”. Never the diva, he would explain ever so softly how he wanted it played, interspersing, his scats and beat boxing with imagery such as “let it simmer”, “let it brew”, “let it bask in the moonlight” in reference to a pause in the music, to the cadence of a note. When something didn’t go as they had planned, or if he wanted it changed back to the way it was, there were no tantrums or screaming, ubiquitous with lesser talents, he’d simply say, “that’s why we have rehearsals”. “Love” was a word peppered frequently whenever mistakes occurred or when he sensed tension. Of course he knew he was being filmed, but this was hours and hours of footage. How much of a façade can one have.
It’s not often that the star of the show would thank his crew and support team, let alone even acknowledge them. Michael Jackson thanked them effusively and sincerely, in a circle, with all involved linking hands. Corny to some, but for stage performers, this moment is vital just before an opening. And it was evident that all involved, had great respect for his talent and his meticulousness.
The film showed how the stage was not just for him. During the rehearsal of Dirty Diana, he egged guitarist Orianthi, to play her highest note and to hold it saying, “This is your moment to shine.” There were many moments when his dancers and backup singers would have shone and he made those moments for them like the Jerome Robbins-like silhouette of dancers against the city skyline for “The Way You Make Me Feel”, the film noir “Smooth Criminal” or when his dancers were “toasted” onto stage. His Chaplinesque “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” portrayed his more poignant yet playful side. As they jammed it into a blues dialogue, he directed his backup singer, Judith Hill, in her every move, letting her take the stage. Very few performers would be as magnanimous. What followed rapturous applause for the duet was the only time he got into a mood, and even then barely, as he told off his musicians for letting him “really sing” as he was supposed to preserve his voice. It must have been difficult for the musicians to let the moment slide and not jam along with his improvisation. During rehearsals, stars often simply go through the motions, a dance move would be shown through a hand gesture, steps would be tried out by a walk or a small jog across the stage, saving the actual move for the real show. Michael performed every rehearsal. So, watching this rehearsal footage was close to watching a show. A spin was not just a hand twirl, he did the 360 again and again.
Like the eponymous, best-selling ever Thriller which set a new standard in music videos, this concert would have set a new benchmark for theatrical shows, one which would have been impossible to match, given the power of his hits. This would certainly have been It.
More than 20 years ago, I learnt to moonwalk, body pop, slide, spin, do isolations with the shoulders, the head, the chest, jerked the robot, thrust my pelvis with conviction and punctuate the beat by grabbing parts of my anatomy, by watching and imitating Michael Jackson. We learnt every move in Thriller, snapped our fingers and swung our hip to the side in Beat It and shoved our arm out while yelling at full throttle in front of every air vent. No car park was ever the same again after Bad. I don’t know about my fellow dancers, but my knees have given way, my muscles no longer flex and stretch as they used to, my feet can’t do the inward-outward moves quickly enough to create the illusion of floating on a cloud, but Michael still could…even at 50.
MJ always wanted to be a legend. He couldn't have planned it better. He was still physically fit, at least fitter than any 50, no, 40-year-old I know. His death was certainly untimely. It wasn’t fair. But perhaps it’s better that he left when he did. When he still could.
At the age of 50, the man could still move and groove, and the man could still sing. Boo to all the naysayers and the scathing critics. He could shimmy up a storm and heat up the stage leaving the dancers, more than half his age, agog. And this was only during rehearsal.
When he announced in April his comeback swansong 50 concerts in London, I checked out the online sales site, entertaining the idea of flying to London to catch this. But the amount of 300 sterling pounds was beyond my reach, as it didn’t even include the airfare. Even my friend, Stephen, a star who lives in London, said it was too expensive for him. Ah well, I’ll wait for the DVD of the concert, I placated myself. But even that was not to be.
Not long after reeling from the shock of his death, I jumped on the internet again on the day the tickets for “This Is It” went on sale and grabbed the maximum number of tickets allowed. Never mind who they were for, I knew these tickets would be hot. The skeptics laughed at my excitement. Like I cared. And the documentary didn’t disappoint.
The concert film, a collection of interviews, rehearsals and backstage footage, captured his professionalism, his attention to detail, his patience, his love for his art, the performer extraordinaire he is, and why he is the King of Pop. He knew every beat, swoosh, bang and padumph of every inch and corner of his songs, evident while he was rehearsing with the musical director, telling him to play it “exactly how I wrote them”. Never the diva, he would explain ever so softly how he wanted it played, interspersing, his scats and beat boxing with imagery such as “let it simmer”, “let it brew”, “let it bask in the moonlight” in reference to a pause in the music, to the cadence of a note. When something didn’t go as they had planned, or if he wanted it changed back to the way it was, there were no tantrums or screaming, ubiquitous with lesser talents, he’d simply say, “that’s why we have rehearsals”. “Love” was a word peppered frequently whenever mistakes occurred or when he sensed tension. Of course he knew he was being filmed, but this was hours and hours of footage. How much of a façade can one have.
It’s not often that the star of the show would thank his crew and support team, let alone even acknowledge them. Michael Jackson thanked them effusively and sincerely, in a circle, with all involved linking hands. Corny to some, but for stage performers, this moment is vital just before an opening. And it was evident that all involved, had great respect for his talent and his meticulousness.
The film showed how the stage was not just for him. During the rehearsal of Dirty Diana, he egged guitarist Orianthi, to play her highest note and to hold it saying, “This is your moment to shine.” There were many moments when his dancers and backup singers would have shone and he made those moments for them like the Jerome Robbins-like silhouette of dancers against the city skyline for “The Way You Make Me Feel”, the film noir “Smooth Criminal” or when his dancers were “toasted” onto stage. His Chaplinesque “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” portrayed his more poignant yet playful side. As they jammed it into a blues dialogue, he directed his backup singer, Judith Hill, in her every move, letting her take the stage. Very few performers would be as magnanimous. What followed rapturous applause for the duet was the only time he got into a mood, and even then barely, as he told off his musicians for letting him “really sing” as he was supposed to preserve his voice. It must have been difficult for the musicians to let the moment slide and not jam along with his improvisation. During rehearsals, stars often simply go through the motions, a dance move would be shown through a hand gesture, steps would be tried out by a walk or a small jog across the stage, saving the actual move for the real show. Michael performed every rehearsal. So, watching this rehearsal footage was close to watching a show. A spin was not just a hand twirl, he did the 360 again and again.
Like the eponymous, best-selling ever Thriller which set a new standard in music videos, this concert would have set a new benchmark for theatrical shows, one which would have been impossible to match, given the power of his hits. This would certainly have been It.
More than 20 years ago, I learnt to moonwalk, body pop, slide, spin, do isolations with the shoulders, the head, the chest, jerked the robot, thrust my pelvis with conviction and punctuate the beat by grabbing parts of my anatomy, by watching and imitating Michael Jackson. We learnt every move in Thriller, snapped our fingers and swung our hip to the side in Beat It and shoved our arm out while yelling at full throttle in front of every air vent. No car park was ever the same again after Bad. I don’t know about my fellow dancers, but my knees have given way, my muscles no longer flex and stretch as they used to, my feet can’t do the inward-outward moves quickly enough to create the illusion of floating on a cloud, but Michael still could…even at 50.
MJ always wanted to be a legend. He couldn't have planned it better. He was still physically fit, at least fitter than any 50, no, 40-year-old I know. His death was certainly untimely. It wasn’t fair. But perhaps it’s better that he left when he did. When he still could.
-Norenshah Sahari
Thanks Noren for sharing your thoughts with us. view the original post here
Monday, October 19, 2009
about Cuci baju Beyonce
As first reported by SM on his blog and the Star Malaysia it seems our country would definately wont be seeing any artist from abroad sebab semua takut nak masuk sini.... but then again like what someone pointed on one of his tweet, denda kalau Beyonce pakai baju terdedah nya cuma RM3000 jer hmmm... entah lah.
Apa apa pun , since Beyonce postpone/cancel her tour apa kata kita ramai ramai amik balik duit refund tu and serbu Istana Budaya and support our own artists watch Cuci the Musical!
I had the pleasure to take Akim and Aril last week to Istana Budaya to watch the rehearsal and i must say I AM PROUD AND BANGGA AND TERUJA AND JEALOUS sebab the show is going to be SUPERB! a lot of my friends and team from P Ramlee The Musical and Puteri Gunung Ledang The Musical is working on this Cuci project, Dato Zahim is directing it, Stephen Rahman-Hughes is choreographing it as well as doing the vocal coaching, Cik Lek is the set designer, the back stage team also our kawan kawan yang buat PGLM and P Ramlee... and seronok tengok rehearsal because they have a good story and is funny to watch!
Ticket available from Axcess Tickets www.axcess.com.my
jom ramai ramai serbu ISTANA BUDAYA instead!
original posting at http://cheddyusoff.blogspot.com
Monday, October 05, 2009
about rompakan bermotor dan parang panjang (public reminder)
saya post blog ni sebagai peringatan keada kengkawan semua lebih berhati hati tak kira dimana anda berada.
Hari ini kawan saya dirompak dengan diacukan parang panjang...
kejadian berlaku berhampiran bank islam jalan ss14/22 pj semasa kawan saya menunggu saya menjemputnya selepas beliau habis kuliah petang tadi dalam jam lebih kurang 4 lebih, kawan saya didatangi dua lelaki bermotor yang berlagak seperti sesat untuk bertanya arah kepada beliau dengan bertanyakan dimana arah untuk ke Jalan Kelang Lama, kawan saya yang bukan org KL (part-time U student) memberitahu yang beliau kurang pasti dan dua lelaki tersebut berlalu kearah belakang bangunan sebelum muncul kembali bersama sebilah parang panjang lalu mengacu kearah kawan saya dan memaksanya untuk menyerahkan beg galas yang berisi komputer ribanya.
kawan saya cuba melawan salah seorang dari perompak tersebut melibas libas serta cuba menetak parangnya dan parang tersebut terkena lengan kiri kawan saya sebelum dia melepaskan beg komputer yang digalasnya dan perompak tersebut menyambar handphone kawan saya yang pada ketika itu berada ditangannya. kedua perompak tersebut kemudian melarikan diri.
video yang anda lihat ini adalah aksi perompak gelap bermotor honda merah melarikan diri dari tempat kejadian yang dirakamkan oleh satu satunya saksi kejadian, iaitu seorang gadis yangkebetulan berada dikawasan tersebut tetapi beliau tidak dapat berbuat apa apa kerana takut.
saya tiba ditempat kejadian 5 minit kemudian dan video ini dibluetoothkan kepada saya oleh gadis tersebut untuk dibawa buat laporan polis tetapi tidak dapat berbuat apa apa kerana imejnya yang kurang jelas.
apabila kami sampai dibalai polis sea park untuk membuat laporan, ada seorang lelaki cina sedang membuat laporan dirompak dengan diacukan parang panjang keperutnya dan memberitahu yang wallet beliau dirompak oleh 2 lelaki gelap bermotor honda merah juga di ss14, apabila ditanya kami dan polis membuat kesimpulan bahawa rompakan dilakukan oleh 2 perompak yang sama dengan modus operandi yang sama iaitu dengan bertanya arah jalan ke kelang lama kerana sesat.
lelaki cina tersebut dirompak wallet dan kawan saya pula dirompak komputer riba dan handphonenya. alhamdulillah nyawa mereka selamat dan wallet kawan saya masih dengannya.
petang tadi saya bawa dia membuat laporan polis di sea park, kemudian ke IPD PJ bertemu inspektor untuk laporan kedua dan kemudian ke hospital universiti untuk membuat pemeriksaan serta mendapatkan ubat tahan sakit serta utk dicucuk ubat kerana dilukakan dengan parang.
saya harap anda semua berhati hati , jalan bersama kawan yang ramai dan sentiasa peka. kalau terkena, bagi sahaja harta anda kerana harta boleh kita ganti tapi nyawa hanya satu.
alhamdulillah kawan saya hanya cedera ringan cuma sekarang ada kesan libas, sedikit lebam dan sakit berdenyut denyut.
ingat kengkawan semua. hati hati ok!
kesan libasan . alhamdulillah sikit sahaja.
original posting from http://cheddyusoff.blogspot.com/2009/10/about-rompakan-bermotor-dan-parang.html
Thursday, October 01, 2009
about being sooo quiet!
wow, lama sungguh saya tak merapu atau bercerita disini... last past was in july, rasanya ramai juga yang dah tak return balik here... takpe, saya disini nak minta maaf sebab sunyi begitu lama, kebelkangan ini sangat sibuk dengan kerja. insyaalah saya akan lebih rajin merapu kat sini. tengah ting tong nih!
kalau yang biasa dengan saya di facebook tentu tahu yang saya masih aktif merapu... sekarang ini banyak projek mendatang insyaalah akan saya updatekan soon ok
salam dan selamat hari raya!
Monday, July 20, 2009
About Ju Rami Rami di Kuching this weekend! JOM Ramai Ramai pergi!
Ju Rami-Rami Reunion!
For the first time Kuching will see all the finalists for the Akademi Fantasia season 7 at a special AF7 Reunion Concert.
To make this concert even more special, a 2-day carnival “JU RAMI-RAMI” will be held at Padang Merdeka, Kuching on Friday 24th July and Saturday 25th July 2009. The carnival starts at 2.30pm until 11.00pm on both days.
“JU RAMI-RAMI” carnival will have booths set up by Hotlink, Hafiz Fan Club, Sarawak Tourism & SEDC, Modenas, and the organizer itself, Enfiniti Productions. There will also be booths for food and refreshments.
Highlights of the JU RAMI-RAMI carnival programme on Friday 24th July are Quizzes & Games with a chance to win exciting gifts and hampers, and a Sneak Peek of the AF Reunion Concert rehearsals.
On the second day of the JU RAMI-RAMI carnival, Hafiz, the AF7 winner, will be making an appearance at the Hafiz Fan Club booth.
So, if you are in Kuching on Friday 24th July and Saturday 25th July, bring your family and friends and head on down to Padang Merdeka for a fun-filled 2-day JU RAMI-RAMI Carnival, and a great opportunity to catch your favourite AF7 stars!
Friday, July 03, 2009
about THIS IS IT - Michael Jackson last Rehearsal (23/06/09)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BezYBvWtYWU
as revealed by CNN, this is one of the released footage by AEG the concert promoter for Michael's This Is It concert and he appeared to be alive and kicking. he might not be as 100% energetic but hey, it's rehearsal and we as season performers ourselves do sometimes tends to relax a bit and we have to remember, this man was 50 during this rehearsal.
Apparently they recorded a full rehearsal 2 weeks earlier and i am sure it will soon be on DVD.
R.I.P Michael Jackson
on another note, a dear friend passed away to be with the angels peacefully shortly before 2 am this morning after a battle of cancer. dear IM, you have brought joy to our life with your smile and funny jokes and one-liners... we shall miss that and we shall miss you. rest well now and dont worry, we will all take care of your P for you. P, be strong we all love you.
R.I.P. IM...
www.cheddyusoff.com
Sunday, June 28, 2009
about Michael Jackson "Man in the Mirror"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpTQCQEFhg
this is my all time no 1 fav Michael @ mikaeel's song and this has got to be the best performance of this song ever... now before some of you say "miming" try watch closely especially towards the end of this song. i remember watching this somewhere when i was in school and i was truly in awe at the power of his vocal and performance in this song. may Allah bless you Mikaeel
originally posted on www.cheddyusoff.com
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
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