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SINGAPORE: One of Singapore’s living jazz legends, Jeremy Monteiro has spent more than half of his life in the music business.

But the 49-year-old pianist is not about to sit back and rest just yet as he’s about to set up a music school to groom future jazz talents in Singapore.

His latest project is a collaboration with a group of Singapore classical musicians, the Tang Quartet for the Singapore Arts Festival 2009.

He said: “Where playing is concerned, I’ve never stopped except once in the eighties I worked too hard when I was doing jingles and playing jazz at night that I collapsed from exhaustion and was in hospital for a few days and had to take a few weeks off because I just got too burnt out from working too hard.

“And then I’ve had tendonitis problems, I’ve got surgery twice on my elbow and wrist and also a bad tendonitis case about two years ago when I had to stop playing for two months. That’s the only time I’ve stopped.”

So what does the pianist do in his free time?

“I recently discovered the joys of cycling. I used to be an avid cyclist in my teens until my early twenties. I used to ride across Singapore sometimes from Jurong to Seletar Hills. And I left it in my early twenties and about three or four months ago, I started cycling again.”

Jeremy said before that there are only two kinds of music – good and bad music. But this perception of his has changed.

He added: “I don’t believe that there’s only good music and bad music anymore. I’ve reached a stage where there’s just music I understand and music I don’t understand.

“I do listen to some music by bands like Coldplay and actually a little bit of Beyonce. Not a big Kylie Minogue or Britney Spears fan though.

“Right now because I listen to so much music when I’m practising that when I get in my car, I hardly listen to music. I switch it off so I can have silence and I think silence is also a very important part for musicians because silence is the wellspring of creativity.”

Jeremy Monteiro has been conferred academic titles by the London College of Music and Singapore’s LaSalle College of the Arts.

But that has not stopped him from thinking about grooming the next generation of jazz musicians in Singapore.

He said: “I’ve just registered the Monteiro Music School and basically to being certified by the London College of Music and to be a teaching and examinations centre.

“You can start from zero and learn jazz. You don’t even have to learn classical music if you don’t want to and then go all the way to grade 8 and do your diploma levels. My reason for it is because there’s not enough feeder entities to feed good potential jazz musicians so I want to go to where the lack of training is. No one is addressing this. So I want to help these students who will then feed into SOTA, LaSalle and other tertiary institutions that have jazz programmes.”

Jeremy said that he is only going to be 49 years old but people think he’s in his mid-50s because he’s been in the music business for a long time.

“I first started out as a professional musician and as a producer in 1977. But then one starts to think more and more about legacy and what have you done to make a difference in the place you call home, and so I think this would be it,” he said. – CNA/vm

Channel News Asia

NEW YORK : Huge US chain Toys “R” Us has bought the struggling New York children’s paradise FAO Schwarz in a move that will thrust the largest US toy store into the luxury market, the companies said in a statement Thursday.

Founded in 1862, FAO Schwarz is known for catering to the rich and famous, offering children’s birthday parties featuring mini Ferraris and all-night sleep-overs that run into tens of thousands of dollars.

The company’s iconic Fifth Avenue store also featured in Tom Hanks’ movie “Big,” in which the actor dances on its giant piano.

The flagship store attracts millions of visitors every year, but has run into problems, filing for bankruptcy in 2003.

In 2004, investment firm D.E. Shaw & Co. bought the store in a deal valued at about 41 million dollars.

At the time, chairman David Shaw said FAO Schwarz was more than just a toy store, “it’s a cultural treasure with a great deal of meaning to millions of children and former children.”

Last year, the upscale company entered into an agreement with Macy’s under which it would open 275 FAO Schwarz shops within its stores.

Macy’s had planned to expand the number to 675. Following the acquisition, Macy’s will close those stores.

In the statement Thursday, Toys “R” Us said it will continue to operate two FAO Schwarz stores, including the one in New York and one at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The company will also run the FAO Schwarz Internet and catalog businesses.

“We have enormous respect for the FAO Schwarz brand and for the special place it holds in the hearts of children everywhere,” Toys “R” Us chairman and chief executive Jerry Storch said.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Toys “R” Us operates 1,500 stores in 33 countries. It reported net earnings in 2008 of 218 million dollars, compared to 153 million dollars the previous year, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

– AFP /ls

Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE: It had to happen. Claressa Monteiro, often regularly mentioned with the suffix “sister of jazz legend Jeremy Monteiro”, can stand tall after winning the Compass (Composers and Authors Society of Singapore) Award for Artistic Excellence at the 14th Compass Awards Presentation held earlier this month.

The award is given to outstanding individuals who have excelled in the fields of performance, composition, arrangement and production.

With 22 years of her life spent in the music scene, it’s probably about time. However, Monteiro said she was flummoxed when they told her of the win.

“I was totally blown away when I received the call from῅ Compass telling me that they needed footage for the awards video. I didn’t even know I had been nominated so it totally came out of the blue,” she told TODAY.

Still, she said was pleased to be in the company of previous music giants of the local music scene. “It is a wonderful validation of the last 22 years of my music career. It was never on my agenda to win any awards, but I have to say it is lovely to receive this one.

“The T’ang Quartet, Jacintha (Abisheganaden), Dick Lee and Iskandar Ismail are all previous winners… I am very honoured and humbled to join this club.”

But Monteiro was also quick to point out others who she felt should win this award. “I think JJ Lin, Taufik Batisah and Stefanie Sun are ideal candidates to receive this award.

“They have had phenomenal careers that have taken flight outside of our shores. As an industry, we are incredibly proud of them and we should give them every award we have to give to honour that!”

However, Monteiro said she’s not ready to rest on her laurels just yet – she’s already got her year planned out.

“Immediately next is my birthday! This year has been an extremely interesting one so far. I’ve been to Dubai to be presented at The Singapore International Foundation’s Singapore Encore; I’ve performed for Youth Star in Cambodia, and now this.

“In June, I will perform in Eurasiana at the Esplanade. Then later in the year I will be involved in the Singapore Sun Festival. That’s just the performing front.

“I also have my radio show on Gold 90FM and that’s always a challenge to keep it fresh and entertaining.”

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Channel News Asia

CANNES: It was only after the premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’ at the 62nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival that the audience realised Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung’s scenes were completely deleted.

In her first public appearance in Hong Kong after adopting self-quarantine (Cheung suffered a bout of flu during the H1N1 outbreak), the actress said she did not mind that her two scenes in the movie were unceremoniously removed.

The actress took it in her stride, saying, “yes, both scenes were deleted. Previously in my movies, even though there deleted scenes, a portion will still remain. That was because I was the lead actress.”

She disclosed that when Tarantino informed her of the decision to remove the scenes, she had viewed the cuts with a positive mindset.

“I wouldn’t mind as long as it benefits the movie. If my scenes do not bring a positive effect to the show, I would also want it removed,” said Cheung graciously.

The Hong Kong actress, who is based in Paris, said that despite the cuts, she enjoyed her filming experience with Tarantino and the crew, and had a great time working with them.

However, she said that things might have turned out differently if she had shared a scene with Hollywood hotshot Brad Pitt, who had a small role in the movie.

“Thankfully, I did not have any scenes with Brad Pitt in the show,” she joked. “Otherwise I would have found it a pity (to have my scenes cut).” – CNA/fa

Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE : Just colleagues. Not friends.

That simple off the cuff statement uttered 14 years ago by Mediacorp artiste Fann Wong in describing her relationship with co-star Zoe Tay in “The Golden Pillow” sparked off a media frenzy over the purported rivalry between the two queens of Caldecott hill who, since then, have not appeared together in a TV drama.

Not until now.

In the time between, one has married and the other has become a mother twice over. But the supposed off screen rivalry is still being milked, this time by the producers and scriptwriters behind “The Ultimatum”.

Starring alongside the two divas is a star studded cast including Li Nanxing, Tay Ping Hui and Felicia Chin in what’s being called the Channel 8 drama of the year, filled with twists and turns that will keep audiences glued to the series.

“The Ultimatum” revolves around the tale of two girls, Ye Yu Chen (Tay) and Fang Song Qiao (Wong) who were accidentally swapped at childbirth.

Growing up in very different households, a twist of fate sees their paths crossing more than 20 years later with Ye now the CEO of her father’s large conglomerate company and Fang a gutsy lawyer who didn’t enjoy such a cushy life.

From scenes shot on yachts to the historical sights of Macau, it’s evident that the big stars have brought in the big bucks for the series.

“We even appeared in the Macau newspapers,” said Tay who was in the city filming with Li for three days, which she adds was nothing like a holiday.

It certainly did seem a lot of hard work going by the sneak preview of the show where one of the most iconic scenes includes Tay holding Wong at gunpoint.

The rivalry in reel-life, was however visibly absent between Tay and Wong in real-life.

Seated next to each, the two were often whispering, laughing and sharing light-hearted moments throughout the show’s news conference.

“We’re better colleagues than before, we’re friends,” said Tay with a smile.

“Colleagues say ‘hi’ when they see each other but we haven’t had the chance to interact that much. It’s only finally now that we get the chance!”

With all the hype about the first collaboration between the two queens of Caldecott hill in 14 years, it’s easy to forget that the leading men in the show who deserve more than some mention.

“The Ultimatum” also reunites golden onscreen couple Zoe Tay and Li Nanxing, last seen together in the iconic drama about gambling kings and queens – “The Unbeatables” (and its sequels).

Contrary to rumours, “The Unbeatables” and “The Ultimatum” have nothing to do with each other plot wise.

Though whether you’d call it coincidence or just getting an actor to do what he does best, Li does appear to be reprising the gambling king persona yet again.

In “The Ultimatum”, the card shuffling, dice rolling, gambling king played by Li seems reminiscent of his character, Yan Fei in “The Unbeatables”.

However, the actor promises that audiences will notice a difference.

Other leading man Tay Ping Hui isn’t too hung up with the leading ladies taking major spotlight.

“The show is about Zoe versus Fann,” remarked the actor sagely who plays a security manager by day and a thief by night in the TV show.

“They need the rest of us to make it work, so it’s ok with me. I’m not that egotistical!”

Perhaps behind every successful woman is a leading man.

To decide whether it is the Caldecott Queens, the Gambling King or Tay the sage, who shines the brightest, catch “The Ultimatum” on Channel 8 starting this Wednesday at 9pm. -CNA/fav

Channel News Asia

CANNES, France: Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon,” a chilling study of malice in a German village on the eve of World War I, snatched top honours at the Cannes film festival on Sunday.

The Austrian director’s austere black-and-white work overcame stiff competition from films by heavyweight auteurs like Quentin Tarantino and Jane Campion to win the coveted Palme d’Or at the world’s greatest cinema showcase.

“Today is a moment in my life when I can say I am very happy,” said Haneke, whose often harrowing films – such as “Funny Ganes” and “Code Unknown” – have shown modern middle-class lives disrupted by malevolent forces.

He was handed the award at a star-studded red carpet gala by the Cannes jury president, French star Isabelle Huppert, who played a sadomasochistic musician in his 2001 film “The Piano Teacher.”

Huppert said “The White Ribbon,” hailed by critics here and seen by many as a parable on the roots of Nazi savagery, was an “extraordinary film” that “doesn’t deliver any messages, but says important things.”

The notoriously extravagant festival toned down the glitz for this year’s recession-era bash and was lighter than usual in star power, but it still saw celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sashay up the fabled red carpet.

Billed as a battle of auteur titans, it mostly lived up to expectations, with Britain’s Independent on Sunday newspaper calling it “a superior vintage” and France’s Journal du Dimanche declaring “the return of great cinema”.

A range of other prizes were dished out on Sunday to the 20 films in competition, with French director Jacques Audiard – who had been a frontrunner for the Palme – taking the Grand Prix for his bleak prison drama “A Prophet.”

Cult South Korean director Park Chan-Wook and Britain’s Andrea Arnold jointly took the jury prize for “Thirst,” a vampire romance, and “Fish Tank,” a coming-of-age drama set in a grim London suburb.

Austrian television star Christoph Waltz clinched the best actor award for his role as a multilingual Nazi nicknamed the “Jew Hunter” in Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds.”

France’s Charlotte Gainsbourg took the best actress award for her taboo-defying role as a woman driven insane by grief in the shock Danish thriller “Antichrist” by Lars Von Trier.

Alain Resnais, 86, the grand old man of French cinema and erstwhile “New Wave” icon, was awarded a special prize for his half-century career.

Brillante Mendoza of the Philippines picked up the best director prize for “Kinatay,” while Australian Aboriginal director Warwick Thornton’s “Samson and Delilah,” was awarded the Camera d’Or prize for a first film.

Penelope Cruz was among the A-list celebrities at the 12-day annual French Riviera bash, who also included Martin Scorsese and Jim Carrey.

Tarantino’s march up the red carpet – flanked by Pitt and his wife Jolie – for the world premiere of his long-awaited “Basterds” on Wednesday provided the biggest celebrity buzz of the 12-day festival.

Scandal came in the form of Von Trier’s “Antichrist”, which provoked fainting, gasps and walk-outs and received an “anti-prize” for misogyny that the festival director angrily denounced as an attempt at censorship.

The late Heath Ledger’s unfinished stint in Terry Gilliam’s “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” was screened out of competition, while “Spider-Man” director Sam Raimi returned to horror with his new flick “Drag Me To Hell”. – AFP/de

Channel News Asia

MANILA – It has been almost a year since David Cook was crowned as American Idol’s Season 7 winner. Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, from breaking Billboard Chart records to serenading millions of fans here in Asia with his recent sell-out concert in Manila.

The popular American Idol series which has been credited for unearthing wannabe singers and creating a launching pad for their music career has given Cook a platform to get his life in place.

“I’ve been able to set up a base for myself back home. I was able to buy a home, get a car and a dog. Those were the three things that I felt were necessities for me. Now that I have these, everything else kicks in,” he said.

The entertainment industry is known for its fickleness and criticisms.

While Cook seems well-aware of these realities, they were not evident at his sold-out concert in Manila.

In fact, when the Illinois-born singer met up with Channel NewsAsia, he wasn’t keen to get bogged down by criticisms such as his music, which some say has been straddling between between rock and pop genre.

“I’ve never been interested in boxing it in and giving it a genre.

“Lots of people called it rock music or pop music. But I never really try to write any particular music and if I have to describe it, I called it music,” he explained.

Cook either comes across as a confident musician who knows about his stuff or a clueless one still finding his musical directions, which explains his latest album which is a mesh of selections.

Reason enough for the 26-years-old to call his album “Organised Chaos”.

“What I love about the record more than anything is that each song has its own life and personality. But as a record, it is cohesive and it works,” he said.

David Cook – the songwriter, singer or even perhaps an actor?

“I would like to try anything,” Cook replied instinctively.

However, he views himself more as a songwriter than a singer and music will always be his priority.

“I just want to create, (and) I love the idea (of) coming up with something that didn’t exist before” he summed up.

- CNA/fa

Channel News Asia

LONDON – Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle, whose soaring voice has made her a global star thanks to YouTube, went through to the final Sunday of the British television talent show that made her famous.

A clip of the 48-year-old singing “I Dreamed A Dream” from musical Les Miserables in the “Britain’s Got Talent” auditions has been watched 60 million times on the video sharing website and her fans include actress Demi Moore.

In the semi-finals on Sunday, Boyle gave a live television performance of “Memory” from the musical Cats, wowing the audience and winning a public vote to go through to next Saturday’s final.

Asked how she coped with the pressure created by the YouTube clip, Boyle, a charity volunteer who lives alone with her cat, said: “What pressure? I really enjoyed myself, I enjoyed every second. I’d do it again!”

The winner of the talent show, screened on the ITV channel, will perform at the Royal Variety Performance before Queen Elizabeth II later this year — and take home a 100,000-pound cheque.

- AFP/ir

Channel News Asia

LONDON – Susan Boyle, the dowdy Scottish spinster whose mighty singing voice has catapulted her to global fame thanks to YouTube, won through to the next round of talent show “Britain’s Got Talent” Saturday.

A clip of Boyle, 47, singing “I Dreamed A Dream” from musical Les Miserables in the show’s auditions has been watched some 60 million times on the video sharing website since April and her fans include actress Demi Moore.

As the “Britain’s Got Talent” auditions round ended Saturday, Boyle was named among 40 acts who will go through to the live semi-finals from Sunday, when she will make her eagerly-awaited second appearance on the show.

When asked how she felt after the judges made their decision, Boyle said: “On top of the world, it’s fantastic”, punched the air and did a dance.

The grand finale takes place on Saturday May 30 and Boyle — nicknamed the “Hairy Angel” by the British press — is the bookmakers’ hot favourite to win.

Boyle’s rivals in Sunday’s show will include Darth Jackson — a postal worker called Phil who dresses as “Star Wars” character Darth Vader and dances like Michael Jackson.

Also featuring alongside her is extreme street peformer Nick Hell, whose act includes attaching a dustbin to his ears with chains and swinging it around, and Latvian belly dancer Julia Naidenko.

Boyle is a charity volunteer who says she has never been kissed and lives alone in Blackburn, near Edinburgh, with a cat called Pebbles.

She told US chat show host Oprah Winfrey in an interview this month: “I am not lonely. Everyone has been so nice. I’ve got millions of new friends now.”

“Britain’s Got Talent” invites members of the public to show off their hidden entertaining skills in front of a panel of three judges — impresario Simon Cowell, former newspaper editor Piers Morgan and actress Amanda Holden.

The winner of the show wins the right to perform at the Royal Variety Performance before Queen Elizabeth II later this year — plus a 100,000 pound (115,000 euro, 160,000 dollar) cheque.

- AFP /ls

Channel News Asia

SINGAPORE: A star-studded mega bonanza carnival took place at Plaza Singapura Saturday afternoon.

Back for the second year running, The Big Idea was to reward loyal readers of MediaCorp’s 8 DAYS and i-weekly.

The three-day festival, which started on Friday, was attended by Evelyn Kok and Darren Lim. Aileen Tan and Adrian Pang from Red Thread were also present, and so were the cast from Fighting Spiders.

Channel 8’s Ultimatum Cast – Fann Wong and Zoe Tay – will be at the carnival on Sunday.

- CNA/yt

Channel News Asia