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15 March 2006
He wants to make it big in M'sia
The New Paper
By Sheela Narayanan
Anugerah finalist turns down Suria contract
HE is the shy and sensitive one in the Anugerah foursome.
HE is the shy and sensitive one in the Anugerah foursome.
But he may just turn out to be bravest.
Khairil Yusoff, one of the 2005 Anugerah finalists, is trying his luck across the Causeway.
While his Anugerah friends, Khairul Anuar, Syed Azmir and Fauzie Laily have signed up to be full-time Suria artistes, the 23-year-old singer has turned the offer down.
Instead, he signed up with a Malaysian artiste management company, The EZYS Group.
Khairil has been first off the starting block so far, having put out a single and an album on the horizon.
His single, Nadia, has been on Ria's top 10 charts for over eight weeks.
Khairil told The New Paper in a telephone interview that the offer to record an album came during the Anugerah semi-finals.
'Then, after the finals, I was told about the Suria contract.
'It was not easy for me to reject the contract because I thought that I would be left out (of Suria's promotions),' said Khairil.
As it turned out, he had nothing to worry about.
Khairil and the other three Anugerah finalists are in two Suria-driven vehicles: Television drama Teman Anugerahku (My Friend, My Gift) and the Anugerah karaoke VCD that has been doing brisk sales.
The VCD distributor, Life Records, told The New Paper that the VCD has sold over 7,000 copies.
Khairil explained that while he is grateful for the exposure by Suria, he has his eye on a much larger music market.
HETTY SARLENE WANNABE
'The Malaysian market is much bigger and I want to go the way of Hetty Sarlene.
'When I got the Suria offer, I talked to my parents and some people in the industry, and they encouraged me to go to Malaysia,' said Khairil.
Singapore-born singer-actress Hetty Sarlene moved to Kuala Lumpur in 2000 after her singing career did not take off here.
She has become a household name in Malaysia.
Khairil is aware he is not going to have it easy over in Kuala Lumpur. Being an overnight sensation here may mean nothing to Malaysian listeners.
'Here, I have fans. They scream my name and come to most of my shows. I know I have a lot of support here,' he said.
Khairil has so much support that at the recent Pesta Pesta Pesta awards show, his fans were singing his hit, Nadia, line by line along with him.
'When I heard it, I was like, 'Oh my God'. I didn't expect the song to get this big.'
UNKNOWN IN MALAYSIA
He added with a laugh: 'At some of the shows I have done in Malaysia, I am sure they were wondering, 'Who is this boy?''
Nadia is just starting to get radio airplay in Malaysia.
And Khairil's as-yet-untitled album is due to be released in June. It was supposed to be out in next month, but was delayed due to his Suria commitments.
Right now, he is busy finishing the last episode of Teman Anugerahku and preparing for the Anugerah concert next month.
With Khairil's burgeoning success, we asked the other Anugerah boys if they were feeling the heat.
Syed Azmir told The New Paper at a recent press conference that he and the others felt no pressure to rush out their own albums immediately.
'We are not feeling any pressure at the moment. We will definitely be working on our own albums eventually,' he said.
The Anugerah boys also insist there is no rivalry among them.
Khairil said: 'These guys are like my brothers. They love my single and they give me support.'
In June, he expects to set up base in KL and will start promotions for his album.
He said: 'It's going to be a challenge. I have no friends or fans over there. I am starting from scratch.'I have to put in a lot of hard work, but I believe that I can do it.'
02 March 2006
MediaCorp TV12 sets up new artiste management unit
The New Paper
By Sheela Narayanan
Aaron's happy about it... but not her
While artistes like Aaron Aziz believe being managed by TV12 can bring them more pay, others find themselves being dropped by production houses as a result, they claim, of their higher rates. SHEELA NARAYANAN reports
MORE money, better projects and bigger exposure.
MORE money, better projects and bigger exposure.
The careers of these part-time television artistes may have just got a much-needed boost.
This is all thanks to the three-month-old artiste management unit (AMU) at MediaCorp TV12.
Its head, Mr Alex Zulkifli Mohammed Salleh, believes that part-time artistes like Aaron Aziz will no longer have to put up with low salaries or delayed payments.
This is because the unit is trying to get more involved in their artistes' salary packets and career development.
Aaron is one of 17 new artistes who have signed up to be represented by TV12's AMU.
Only three of them are are full-timers. The unit encompasses artistes from Kids Central, Suria and Vasantham Central.
Other than Aaron who was with talent management agency Fly Entertainment, the rest were previously unrepresented.
Mr Zulkifli told The New Paper that the AMU hopes to promote TV12 artistes in the same way their sister stations - Channels 5 and 8 - are currently doing with their artistes.
'We want to make sure that really talented artists are given the opportunity to grow just like Channel 5 and 8 actors and singers,' he said.
Not everyone is happy with the new AMU. (See report facing page.)
But Aaron, 30, is happy to jump on the bandwagon.
Aaron, who also runs his own events management company, told The New Paper he signed up with TV12's AMU because he believes in its vision.
'(AMU) wants to make this professional and not have this image that we are only part-timers doing it as a hobby,' said the hunky actor, known for his role in Channel 5 drama Heartlanders.
'We have talent and we are serious about it.'
Part of AMU's plan is to get its talents to do cross-over projects in the English and Mandarin channels.
'If Aaron Aziz can be in a Channel 5 show, I don't see why my other Suria or Vasantham Central artistes can't either,' said Mr Zulkifli, who is in his 30s.
His vision is echoed by Suria's vice-president Fahmi Rais. He told Berita Harian last month that the channel wants to give their artistes a different image.
'One of our tasks this year is to take more responsibility to manage the affairs of our artistes,' he said.
'We want to develop their potential and turn them into a professional force.'
So what can TV12 artistes expect from this new management system?
While Mr Zulkifli declined to give details, The New Paper understands they have a service contract where they can take up outside projects, subject to some restrictions.
These restrictions include giving TV12 projects priority but that will be on a case-to-case basis, said Mr Zulkifli.
AMU will also take a 25 per cent cut from their earnings.
However, as AMU artistes, they will get first bite of TV12 projects and endorsement offers.
They will also have a stylist and a makeup artist for their gigs.
Most importantly, the unit will try to increase salaries for their artistes as well as ensure that they get paid on time.
At the moment, a part-time artiste working on a Suria or Vasantham Central programme can be paid between $300 and $400 for a drama series or a variety show.
Mr Zulfikli feels that is too little.
He thinks they should be paid at least twice that amount and he admitted he has had a few run-ins with production companies over artistes' salaries.
'We want to be known as a station that can churn out good programmes with quality talent. How can you have that if you are not going to pay the talent accordingly?' he said.
Apart from Aaron, the three Anugerah finalists - winner Khairul Anuar and runners-up Syed Azmir and
Fauzie Laily - have also signed up with AMU. Also with contracts under their belt are host Rima Melati and veteran TV actor Azhar Noor Lesta.
Azhar, who is currently seen in Suria's new comedy Erlin Montel, believes the change will bring good exposure for Vasantham Central and Suria actors.
Said the 43-year-old actor, who has been acting part-time for 25 years: 'I wish this happened five or 10 years back.This is a good move for this old man to be part of this new approach to nurture our best talent in the station,'
PRODUCTION HOUSES: Why pay more?
WHILE the AMU's intentions may be good, the changes are not sitting well among production houses who depend on part-time artistes for their shows.
Unlike Channel 5 and 8 who create their own programmes, TV12 outsources most of their programmes to these production companies.
Some producers are even asking if they should pay so much for AMU artistes when there are other non-contracted part-timers out there who will work for less.
Two Vasantham Central AMU artistes, Kavitha Subramaniam, 26, a financial advisor, and Gaiyethri A Rahman, 24, told The New Paper they were dropped from separate projects by one production company.
According to them, the production house had claimed that under the AMU contract, they were too costly.
Said Kavitha ''I was warned by the other actors that this would happen to me if I signed up (with AMU).
'I was disappointed, but I have put my faith in AMU. We'll see what happens.''
One producer told The New Paper he wasn't surprised that production companies may start shying away from hiring AMU artistes. He declined to be named as his company does work for TV12.
'We work on very tight budgets when we make programmes for TV12,'' said the producer, who has been in the industry for over 10 years.
'If there is a cheaper option, you can't expect us to pay a premium price for talent.''
SMALL MARKET
He added he had reservations about how helpful AMU would be, considering that the Malay and Indian entertainment markets are small here.
'There is only one company and it's not like there is competition to promote their artistes against another company's. Let's hope they do it right,'' he added.
But TV12 remains unfazed about these problems and is still optimistic about their role in nurturing their artistes' prospects.
Said Mr Zulkifli: 'Yes, the producers can always take somebody cheaper. But really, enough is enough.'If we want this industry to grow and expand, we can't keep treating our talent this way.''
01 March 2006
Jejaka Anugerah Bingit!
Manja
By Nurmaya Alias
Kedengaran suara wanita galak memarahi keempat-empat jejaka Anugerah 2005. Apa yang sudah mereka lakukan?
Duduk bersantai di kafe Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, empat jejaka bergura dan ketawa. Di satu sudut lain seorang wanita bertudung memerhatikan mereka dengan satu renungan yang tajam. Salah seorang dari empat jejaka tadi bangun menuju ke arah kaunter. Sesuana yang nyaman tiba-tiba bertukar menjadi tegang apabila wanita itu tadi meneriak pada lelaki yang berdiri tadi. Salah seorang daripada rakannya bangun dan dengan wajah berkerut memarahi wanita itu.
"Kuatkan suara, maintain frustration, tapi jangan nampak kurang ajar," arah pengarah Khairudin Shamsudin pada Fauzie.
Ahh... berlakon rupanya! Ingatkan ada pergaduhan sensasi tadi.
Keempat-empat jejaka tadi sebenarnya Syed Azmir, Khairil, Fauzie Laily dan Khairul Anuar, finalis Anugerah 2005, yang kini ditampilkan sebagai pelakon dalam drama pertama mereka berjudul Teman, Anugerahku. Drama ini menyelongkar kehidupan empat rakan rapat sejak mereka di sekolah menengah lagi. Ia mengetengahkan pelbagai konflik yang dialami mereka - melibatkan persahabatan, hubungan dengan ibu bapa dan mereka secara individu.
Khairul Anuar memainkan watak Izat, seorang pelajar kolej yang bijak dan berdisiplin. Dia mengalami kesukaran mengimbangi pelajaran di kolej dan meluangkan masam bersama rakan-rakan. Keadaan bertambah sulit kerana ibunya memandang rendah pada rakan-rakannya.
Syed Azmir berlakon sebagai Syazwan, seorang pelajar politeknik tahun pertama. Oleh kerana "charming", ramai perempuan suka. Namun, dia tidak sebulu dengan Zulkifli sejak di sekolah menengah. Mereka bersaing dalam pelbagi hal dari soal belajar hingga merebutkan seorang gadis.
Khairil berlakon sebagai Shahril, anak angkat kepada pada Mak Jumiah tetapi dia tidak tahu bahawa dia adalah seorang anak luar nikah. Dia bertugas sebagai seorang penjual untuk menampung kehidupan Mak Jumiah.
Fauzie Laily memegang watak Zulkifli yang bijak tetapi kurang minat belajar. Dia sering menukar kerja sambil menanti gilirannya untuk menjalani Perkhidmatan Negara. Zulkifli selalu dimanjakan oleh ibunya yang suka memberinya wang tetapi dia sering bertegang urat dengan bapanya.
Medengar arahan Khairuding, Fauzie mengangguk. Babak itu dilakonkan semula beberapa kali sehingga Khairudin berkata, "Bagus. Okay, take a break." Khairul, Azmir, Khairil dan Fauzie segera ketawa terbahak-bahak entah kenapa. Bolehkah pemenang Anugerah, lebih dikenali untukvokal mereka berlakon?
Nantikan tayangan drama Teman, Anugerahku bermula pada 22 Februari, 9.30mlm di Suria.
Budak Baik
Memakai kaca mata, Khairul tampilkan watak "nerdy", taat pada ibu tetapi dalam diam-diam seorang pemberontak.
Si Romeo
Rupa manis Syed Azmir, sesuai menjadi kegilaan gadis. Matanya banyak "berguling", menunjukkan rasa tidak puas hati bila dimarahi ibu Izat semasa rakaman. Usah jelling-jeling selalu, bang.
Bad Boy
Nampaknya melekat gelaran "Bad Boy" ini. Jejaka yang suka tersengih dan bergurau ini seperti singa apabila marah. Dahi berkerut, tangan bergerak-gerak, menundingkan jari pada rakan-rakannya.
Abang 'Rilek'
Khairil 'rilek satu korner' aje. Bila diserbu ibu Izat, dia cuba tenteramkan rakan-rakannya. Raut mukanya tenang seolah-olah memberi isyarat pada rakan-rakannya: "Sudahlah, biarkan ibunya berleter."
Manja Paling Manja
Manja
By Hafeez Harun
Dengar-Dengar!
- Kasihan Khairil Yusof tak dapat pakai baju penaja kerana dress code malam itu denim glamour.
- Peminat Taufik ada yang tak happy bila Nurul kata,"Asyik Taufik Taufik Taufik". Kasihan Taufik rasa macam tidak dihargai oleh teman artis.
- Ada yang kata kalau Suria boleh melakukannya, Saluran 8 juga boleh mengadakan hiburan yang melambangkan acara berbilang kaum.
- Terdengar beberapa orang artis berbisik, "Hai takkan lah Taufik ada, dia tak tentu arah pulak!" Hmm, siapa tu?
Hmm, pilihan yang tepat! Norfasarie pemenang kategori Manja Paling Manja. Daripada persembahan opera Cina, geisha hingga peminat paling heboh, acara ‘gila-gila’ ini adalah satu langkah baru dan titik permulaan segar bagi rancangan-rancangan di Suria akan dating. Syabas Najib Ali selaku penerbit dan pengarah kreatif acara santai ini.
Kata Penonton...
"Rancangan yang berbeza dan inovatif. Daripada grafik hinggalah ke gimik-gimiknya. Yang menarik semuanya artis-artis tanah air. Tiba masanya kita yakin dengan kebolehan artis-artis kita. Cuba kurangkan pengambilan artis luar." - Haris Hussain, pentadbir kanan.
"Konsep yang segar. Out of the box. Melihat artis baru dan veteran duduk bersama di pentas terasa sokongan yang cukup padu sesam artis. Persembahan yang above average." – Arif Reza, kakitangan awam.
Kata Penerbit Najip Ali...
"Menurut saya, Pesta Pesta Pesta bileh dijadikan satu jenama untuk program di Suria. Mungkin untuk filem, fesyen dan sebagainya. Kalu program ini diadakan lagi pada tahun depan daya mengharapkan lebih banyak lagi kategori. Lebih fun. Saya gembira kerana respons yang menggalakkan daripada para penonton Suria."
Dan Pemenangnya Ialah...
Manja Paling Manja: Norfasarie
Menangis Paling Gembeng: Seri Wahyuni Jaes
Marah Paling Terror: Jainon Pari
Rambut Paling Happening: Najib Ali
Veteran Paling Maintain: Rahimah Rahim
Pasangan Skrin Paling Ngam: Aaron Aziz
Artis Paling Laku: Taufik Batisah
Ikon Akan Datang: Khairul Anuar
Penyanyi Paling Jiwang: Khairil Yusoff
Show Paling Over: DnA
