AFTER gaining popularity on You­tube and getting signed by Jack Johnson's label Brushfire Records, Miri-born Zee Avi finally comes home to Malaysia for a long-await­ed event.

Set to perform in KL Live Centre this Saturday, March 20, fans who want to catch her up close and per­sonal can do so on March 23 at the Rock Corner outlet in The Gardens, Mid Valley.

 

"G'day mate!" was something that I'd visualise hearing more of on a Press jun­ket by 8tv to Gold Coast, Australia last month.

While we were greeted mostly with normal 'hellos', the friendly faces and big smiles from the Aussies more or less made up for it.

 

Before any girls start to shed tears and go 'boo hoo hoo' over Nick Jonas (right) breaking away from his brothers to go solo, let us inform you officially that they will be back in TV-land soon as a group and will start a new tour together.

But till then, let's just focus on this one Jonas Brother as he forms a new band called Nick Jonas and The Administration.

One in a Million (OIAM) will not be making a comeback to 8tv this year despite being the highest rated local programme on the station.

8TV's chief executive officer, Ahmad Izham Omar admits that first of all, it was due to budget constraints as OIAM is an expensive show to make.

"There is also the problem of talent, not because Malaysia lacks it, but more for the reason that it is not in our culture to 'show off'."

Dine and gather your fortunes this Chinese New Year

 

West Lake Garden Chinese Restaurant at Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa welcomes the Year of the Tiger with bountiful menus and prizes to reward diners.

 

Good acts, a bizarre performance choice and many distractions from Boys Like Girls highlighted the night for the Nokia Comes with Music launch party last Friday at the Mont Kiara Equestrian Park.

One might think that a free party with Boys Like Girls would make their day but it was actually the local acts that fared slightly better.

PETALING JAYA: The Asia Tour for American alternative rock band, The Killers (pic), has been cancelled.

At Press time, there was still no proper explanation given by the organisers.

It was not only the Singapore leg that has been cancelled but Beijing, Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo and Seoul as well.

SOO Wincci's self-titled album may have garnered skepticism, but she's not about to back down anytime soon from her dream of becoming a full-fledged singer.

She has signed a five year contract and will hopefully fly off to Taiwan soon.

BEING part of the Black Eyed Peas is all about family and friendship as told by the Peas themselves. Though the Peas, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift and Zee Avi are not part of the same family, but they can be lumped together as some of the movers and shakers of the industry.

A place to dine on New Year’s Day

Treat your loved ones to a taste of Oriental buffet at Aseana Coffee House today. Among the favourites are Roasted Honey Ham, Butter Cream Crab with Chili Padi, Crispy Fried Fish with Chili Sauce and many more.

To complete a hearty meal, check out the dessert counter which offers a variety of mouth-watering sweet and cold favourites, including Crème Brulee, Sherry Truffle, Mango Baravoise with Fruit Sauce and Ice Cream.

DON'T place high hopes on having two hours of good entertainment with Treasure Hunter. In fact, don't even place any hopes on it. The movie seems to be just another prolonged Jay Chou MTV, much like what Secret was. With the exception of the latter being a better movie.

To put it in a nutshell, it's all about Jay Chou (right) being the hero and nothing more.

RONAN Keating's solo career is thriving.

Not too long ago, his album Songs For My Mother achieved significant success in the UK.

With Christmas around the corner, it's only fitting that he released an album to celebrate the season. Along  comes Winter Songs, which is an album that will probably hold a special place in Keating’s heart.

 

THE last time we saw Raygun, they were performing at the MTV World Stage at Sunway Lagoon Resort alongside The All-American Rejects, Hoobastank and Boys Like Girls.

 

Although not as popular in Malaysia as the other bands, these British rockers left a lasting impression on us
with their high energy performance, enough to ignite a Facebook campaign called 'We want Raygun in  Malaysia' to bring them back to town.

THERE are few Asian artists who are able to find international success by cutting English albums. Anyone still remember what was the name of Coco Lee's English album?

Doesn't ring a bell? That's what we thought.

Unlike the almost forgotten Lee, Thai pop sensation Tata Young is enjoying much more success when it  comes to career longevity in the International market.

IT’S been a rough year for the Irish boys. For the whole time they’ve been hiding away from the world, they've
been quietly working on their 10th album.

Aside from the work, they’ve had to deal with personal tragedies that hit home. Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne’s fathers passed away this year and the band also had to deal with the recent loss of a friend, Stephen Gately, who was one of the lead singers from Boyzone.

A ONE-OF-ITS-KIND corporate reality show is set to hit the airwaves come mid-2010, and the search for the Top 16 is still on!

FOR some reason, Malaysians are not really into Chinese bands. Even the biggest band in Taiwan, Mayday, has failed to garner tremendous popularity here, as our Chinese crowd is still very much into pretty boy/girl artistes.

However, once in a while, we do recognise good acts when we see one.

AS much as it would have been good to  say that Mulan was great in all its glory, it was mediocre at best.

With a famous story like Mulan, a stellar cast like Zhao Wei, Chen Kun and Hu Jun,  and a well-known director behind the cameras (Jingle Ma), the movie falls short of expectations.

LOOKING impishly young for his age, 30-year-old Jamie Cullum is under the limelight not only for the release of his long-awaited album – The Pursuit, but also for his impending marriage to fiancée Sophie Dahl, supermodel, author and granddaughter of Roald Dahl, next year.

The first album to be released by Cullum after a four year hiatus, The Pursuit is definitely partly inspired by  Dahl, seeing as he named it after his fiancée's favourite book, a 1940s classic novel b