THE stakes are higher than they have ever been, with bigger cash prizes up for grabs. However, that's only true for the top three songs in the 24th Anugerah Juara Lagu (AJL24).

AWARD shows are generally celebratory for industry practitioners over the achievements of the past year.

Meanwhile, post-parties are those rare social occasions where everyone gets to mingle freely.

IN our local film industry, sadly enough, professionals in some disciplines are hardly treated so - at least when it comes to payment. Having an opportunity to chat with some friends in the business, it is amazing how little a supposed professional makes.

And yet, productions don’t bat an eyelid when the media or the fans lash out at such shoddy work. Haven’t they heard that you get what you pay for, or that when you pay peanuts, you get monkeys?