There are so many Music TV shows and competitions all over the world ..
One of the Newest ones is
"The Voice"
A Talent Show that only depends on the contestant's voice and voice only!
I like the idea of the program because the Coaches pick their team according to what they hear and not what they see which always would affect the decision of the coach if they always see the person sings!
From watching the Voice UK and The Voice USA I found that the talent in the UK is much better than its in the US! there are so many great singer in the UK but from watching the Blinds in the US show I really didn't find many great voices that match some of the voices in the UK!
Also I like th Coaches of The Voice UK than the other shows ..
I'm yet to watch the Voice Australia and hopefully it will have more and better talent! I also guess that the previous comment came just from me being partially Aussie .. hahaha ..
these shows to be honest are great to give more people more opportunities to show their talents and share their greatness with the world.
I know that sometimes the coaches make some strange choices in the battle rounds from picking who to go against who or who to pick to go through! but that's their choice and their contestants and they would know better (hopefully) than us behind the screen ..
Finally, I have to say that the coaches in each show are great ..
It is the time of the Year! The Wednesday to stops all the traffic and gets all the Eyes on the TV and unites all the different sports fans under one sport and one game only!
"THE STATE OF ORIGIN GAME"
And despite its nearly exam time in universities but everyone will leave their books aside and watch and cheer for their teams .. Queenslander you were or from NSW! A Maroon Fan or a Sky Blue Supporter you will surely make time for this special event .. First game of this series will be in Sydney .. the teams are ready for the fight and so do we :) With the Guidance of Coach Meninga, and the efforts and spirit of the boys we can do it again and again .. Slater, Thurston, Captain Smith, Thaiday, Inglis, boyd, Tate and all the boys in the team .. we will be Victorious We won it 7 Straight and now we want the 8th .. lets go Queensland .. Go the Maroons .. let's dominate once more ..
Being away from home and family is not an easy task to deal with! But once I was told that my friends here are my FAMILY. which is very very true, EAST WEST has been my family since 2009. Every time I start writing this blog lots of memories pass through my mind which stops me of finishing it! It is so overwhelming being part of this Family for so long! see and meeting all those great people throughout this long period. To people who does not know what's East West .. EW is a program started by the student engagement in QUT in order to bring international and domestic students together. The program was successful and attracted many international students and not so many locals. it might be the name that put the locals off or the fact that they don't hang around campus be the reason for that .. Nevertheless, the program served the public of QUT very well ...
My Journey with EW started with East West Tournament which is a 6-aside outdoor football tournament. I still remember receiving the email from the faculty about the tournament and I replied on the spot from my Xperia phone back then .. I joined in and formed my first team here in Australia "East West United"
East West United
We didn't win but we had a great time and that's why we joined in again in the next tournament and kept going together.
From there I fell in love with EW and started attending more events, from Global Cafe to East West East Eats and finally now East West Festival.
Global Cafe was the hub to meet students on campus from all over the world over a cup of warm drink .. In global cafe I met the most wonderful and amazing people I know .. we used to spend hours and hours chatting and forgetting all about the University worries ..
Global Cafe 2009
East West Eats was the guide for students who are new to Brisbane .. it introduced students to many budget restaurants to and also helped students form many different connections not to mention trying all these different cuisines .. great and cheap food + great people = Awesome times :)
East West Eats
The German Club
Jun Japanese
Mexican
Ice Cream (Gelato)
Finally, East west Festival which brings all the different clubs, societies, cultures, and the diverse groups of students we have on campus in the best most enjoyable manner :) I will talk more about EW Festival in another post :) Along with these events we had many others like Ice Skating, Xmas and Australia Day BBQs and many more ..
Ice Skating
Australia Day
East West Family
Orientation Fun
This is my Family away from my Family and my Home Away from Home .. I love everything about East West and also I love everything about QUT ..
Live Below the Line is a simple way to better understand extreme poverty, and make a real impact. From May 6th – 10th, join thousands of Australians taking the challenge to eat on $2 a day for five days – the equivalent of the extreme poverty line. It’s a worthwhile experience that gives you a window into the day-to-day lives of people living in poverty.
Money raised through Live Below the Line will be dedicated to those living in extreme poverty. We believe the best way to help them break out of their poverty cycle is through education and skills training.
Why $2
A DAY?
Since 2005, the World Bank has defined the extreme poverty line as surviving on less than US$1.25 a day. So how did we get to an extreme poverty line of $2 in Australia today? It's two simple steps!
The Impact so Far?
In 2012 Live Below the Line had it's most successful year yet, with over 7800 Australians taking the challenge to eat on $2 a day for five days.
Together, with over 50,000 donors, we raised over $1.92 million for schools and teachers in places like Papua New Guinea and Cambodia.
It's always great to have festivals where you live ..
You get the chance to see and meet some of the great artist in many different professions ..
Last time I went the Asia Pacific Screen Awards ..
These days we have the Brisbane Comedy Festival here an I was lucky to attend one of the gigs in Brisbane Powerhouse ..
It's really awesome being an International Student Ambassador With Brisbane Marketing because we get the chance through them to attend such festivals :)
Ronny Chieng was hilarious tonight :) and as comedians say: he Killed it tonight ;)
He did an amazing job and had really funny jokes and the best part is the merchandise he sells .. You have to check them out ;)
The Queensland Art Gallery (QAG) and Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) Hosted The Second Up Late Exhibition in Brisbane. The Idea of Up Late is to have the Exhibition at night to a "LATE" hour in Brisbane Time. This is a Great Idea, it gives many people the chance to come and enjoy such fabulous Exhibition hosted in GOMA & QAG. The Current Exhibition: The 7th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT7) was launched on the 8th of December and will run until 14th of February. APT7 is a FREE Exhibition but there is no more Up Late the open only in the normal day time hours. Established in 1993, The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT) is the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art’s flagship international contemporary art event. It is the only major exhibition series in the world to focus exclusively on the contemporary art of Asia, the Pacific and Australia. APT7 continues the series’ forward-thinking approach to questions of geography, history and culture and how these questions are explored through the work of contemporary artists.
APT7 marks the twentieth anniversary of the APT, and presents an opportunity to reflect on the unprecedented transformations that have occurred in Australia, Asia and the Pacific over the past two decades. Key themes include transforming landscapes, varied engagements with the city, and the adaptability of local cultures in today's globalised world.
Occupying the entire Gallery of Modern Art and key spaces at the Queensland Art Gallery, APT7 will feature new and recent works by 75 senior and emerging artists and groups from 27 countries across the region. Major groups of works by younger-generation artists from Indonesia and Vietnam reflect the exciting scenes emerging in those countries. The diversity and depth of Australian Aboriginal art is expressed in the work of five artists, representing some of the most dynamic aspects of Australian art today.
Papua New Guinea Two co-curated projects explore specific focuses. Works from Papua New Guinea include a spectacular group of performance masks and painted and carved structures from New Britain and the Sepik, co-curated by architect Martin Fowler. Dominating the entrance and central atrium of the Gallery of Modern Art, this display reflects the idea of ephemeral structures, a central motif of APT7, and considers how the built environment influences people’s engagement with their surroundings and connection to place.
West Asia 0 – Now: Traversing West Asia brings together works by seven artists and collectives from the Middle East and Central Asia. Co-curated by Istanbul-based November Paynter, the project considers the shifting borders, cultural interactions and transforming landscapes of this volatile region.
The 20-Year Archive To mark the twentieth anniversary of the APT, artists have been invited to interpret archives from across the region for the 20-Year Archive. These include the Gallery’s own Australian Centre of Asia Pacific Art archive, interpreted by Heman Chong; an installation by MAP Office, working with the Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong; and an installation by Raqs Media Collective, working with the Sarai archive, New Delhi. {disarmed} imagining a Pacific archive, a project by Torika Bolatagici, Teresia Teaiwa and Mat Hunkin, addresses aspects of militarisation in the Pacific. Also included is an archive of Kids’ APT drawing projects, developed in collaboration with APT artists. It features a range of children's drawings from Afghanistan, Papua (Indonesia), Papua New Guinea, North Korea (DPRK), Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar, as well as Australia.
Kids' APT7 Kids’ APT7 premieres 13 interactive art works and installations for children and their families, while the Kids’ APT7 on Tour program will travel to regional and remote Queensland.
Cinema APT7 will also include two film programs curated by the Gallery's Australian Cinémathèque — the major retrospective Mountains and Waters: Chinese Animation Since the 1930s and the thematic program Change: Paths Through 20 Years of Film. Performances, artist talks and lectures also accompany the exhibition.
Photo by Jack Fan. The Ambassadors before the Awards Ceremony
I used to always wait in front the TV the day the Oscars are on ..
also i used to prepare my own list of winner for the occasion .. some would be right and many won't but that's fine since it was just for the fun of it :) I always dreamed of attending one of those Awards Events and this dream came true .. This year Brisbane hosted the Sixth Annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards and as a Brisbane International Student Ambassador I was invited to attend this spectacular Event.
The Awards were held at Playhouse in Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) a great Venue to host such events. I can't remember meeting a TV star before in my life but in this night i was surrounded by many Stars from many different countries in the Asia Pacific Region .. on the day I remembered one of my previous posts captioned by "Where is my Red Carpet" because there was a red carpet at the entrance to QPAC .. as we usually do when we have a break .. the student ambassadors always take the chance to have more photos together :)
Photo by Jack Fan: with Ming, Xavier, Sumit, Myself and Kylie
at the start and before they air the event on TV we were given some housekeeping instructions of how the event will go and when to clap and how to clap also ..
The Official Ceremony started with Ryuichi Sakamoto's Merry Christmas peace ..
This is a photo of The Awards Given by the academy ..
The First Award Given was the Best Documentary Featured Film. The Winner was "IN MY MOTHER'S ARM" From Iraq
Husham works tirelessly to build the hopes, dreams and prospects of 32 damaged orphans of war under his care at a small orphanage in Baghdad’s most dangerous district.
Husham begs for money to support the children while the bittersweet dramas of their childhood play out: seven-year-old Saif faces the taunts of other kids in constant playground battles; teenager Mohammed struggles to balance school life with his search for identity; Salah, 10 and too traumatised to speak, fears he may never be able to go to school. When the landlord gives Husham and the boys just two weeks to vacate, a desperate search ensues. The Next Award was given for the Best Children's Feature Film. The Winner was "LAUT BERCERMIN" (THE MIRROR NEVER LIES) From Indonesia.
Twelve-year-old Pakis lost her father when he went fishing at sea and didn’t return. A mirror her father gave her is the only hope for Pakis to meet him again.
Invoking a Bajo ritual using a mirror and water, she keeps on waiting to see her father’s reflection but it never appears. But the sea is getting more dangerous: big waves, storms and unpredictable tides. Pakis gets scared and worries more and more about her mother. Together with her best friend Lumo, Pakis keeps searching for answers, and one day meets Tudo, a dolphin researcher. But where have all the dolphins gone?
Best Animated Feature Film Award.
The Winner in This Category was "MOMO E NO TEGAMI" (A LETTER TO MOMO) From Japan.
Momo is a young girl from the big city. Following her father’s sudden death, she has to move with her mother to the old family house on a remote island where time seems to have stopped: old wooden buildings, holy shrines, terraced fields… and no shopping mall. Needless to say, Momo is not too enthusiastic. Worst of all, her heart is still feeling uneasy about an unfinished letter her father left behind: Dear Momo. What was her dad going to say? One day, exploring the attic of her new house, Momo finds an ancient book. And from that moment, strange things start happening.
Best Screenplay Award.
The Winner was "REIS ÇELIK" from Turkey for "LAL GECE" (NIGHT OF SILENCE)
Reis Çelik, born in Anatolia in 1961, studied music and theatre at the State Conservatoire. He worked as a political correspondent and photojournalist, later moving into documentaries, commercial and political campaign films. He has held exhibitions of his photographic work in 12 countries. Çelik’s debut feature Işıklar Sönmesin (1996) won several awards on the international festival circuit. Lal Gece, recipient of the Generation 14plus Crystal Bear at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, is his fifth feature.
FIAPF (International Federation of Film Producers Association) Award. The Winner was RYUICHI SAKAMOTO From Japan.
Born in 1952, Ryuichi Sakamoto was 26 years old when he became a distinguished name in Japanese music as a founding member of the influential Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978-1983). Pioneers in synth-pop, rave and ambient music, the band was lauded around the globe, recording 11 albums in 5 years (the second sold over 1 million copies). He began studies in musical composition at 11 years of age and later studied composition (classical and contemporary) and ethnomusicology at the university. But to the eyes and ears of filmgoers, especially those outside Japan, Ryuichi Sakamoto seemed to arrive in one fully formed bundle. It came in the soft, languid fusion of orchestra and electronic keyboards in the central theme to his brilliant music for Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence – a soundtrack that seemed everywhere at the 1983 Cannes Film Festival. When the World War 2 drama directed by Nagisa Oshima screened in Competition, audiences were also enthralled to see the Japanese composer playing Captain Yonoi,commander of the prisoner-of-war camp. It was the first of many extraordinarily fruitful collaborations with English producer Jeremy Thomas.
In 1987, he teamed up with Thomas for Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Last Emperor, once more as both composer and actor. He played the enigmatic figure of Masahiko Amakasu and contributed another outstanding musical score – earning him an Academy Award (with David Byrne and Cong Su), a Golden Globe, a Grammy and the New York, Los Angeles and British Film Critic Associations awards for best original soundtrack.
In 1990, Bertolucci’s The Sheltering Sky won Sakamoto his second Golden Globe. His film scores have included the Japanese version of The Adventures of Milo and Otis (1986), The Handmaid’s Tale (1990), High Heels (1991), Wuthering Heights (1992), the television series Wild Palms (1993), Little Buddha (1993), Snake Eyes (1998), Gohatto (1995), Tony Takitani (2004), Women Without Men (2009) and Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (2011). The latter is his most recent work with Jeremy Thomas, a collaboration that has now endured over three decades. His composition “Bibo No Aozara” closed Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Babel (2006).
Ryuichi Sakamoto contributed the music for the Barcelona Olympics (“El Mar Mediterrani”) and during a career of 46 solo albums, 25 soundtracks and 41 collaborations, he has worked with magical musical figures of his time – Youssou N’Dour, Robbie Robertson, Iggy Pop, Brian Wilson, David Byrne, David Sylvian, David Bowie, Thomas Dolby and writer William S Burroughs and video artist Nam June Paik. He mounted his own opera LIFE in 1999 with contributions from the Dalai Lama, Pina Bausch, Salman Rushdie, Josep Carreras, Salif Keita and Bernardo Bertolucci.
Sakamoto’s world has always been vast: “This global view to the different cultures is just part of my nature. I want to break down the walls between genres, categories, or cultures. Instead of building walls or borders, I always try to combine different things. To me, it’s challenging and exciting.”
A campaigner against carbon emissions, landmines and nuclear reactors, his website opens with a quotation from a speech he gave last year in Oxford. On Fukushima:
“Now that the worst accident in history has awoken us from our deluded slumber to ‘use nuclear energy peacefully’, the next step is to prove to the world that people and nukes cannot coexist, whether it be for weapons or electricity”.
Ryuichi Sakamoto is a man of peace, a man of music, a man of cinema and a deeply committed citizen of the world. Best Performance by an Actress. The Winner was "NORA AUNOR" From the Philippines for her part in "SINAPUPUNAN"(THY WOMB)
Nora Aunor is a Filipino screen legend. She’s also a hugely popular singer with unprecedented record sales, and a television host and actress.
She has to date appeared in over 170 films, including the multi-award winning films Bona (1980), Himala (1982), The Flor Contemplacion Story (1995) and Naglalayag (2009). In 1999, Aunor received the Centennial Honour for the Arts awarded by the Cultural Centre of the Philippines. Best Performance by an Actor. The Winner was "CHO MIN-SIK" From South Korea for his part in "BUMCHOIWAUI JUNJAENG" (NAMELESS GANGSTER: RULES OF THE TIME).
Choi Min-sik, star of many popular and critically acclaimed films, is considered one of Korea’s top screen actors. He also performs on the stage and has starred in a number of television productions.
Both within Korea and internationally he has been the recipient of many acting accolades, including Best Actor at the Korean Film Awards, and the Busan, Deauville and Asia Pacific Film Festivals, for Failan (2001) and Oldboy (2003) among others.
Achievement in Directing
The Winner was "BRILLANTE MA. MENDOZA" From the Philippines for his Film "SINAPUPUNAN" (THY WOMB).
Brillante Mendoza is regarded as a living treasure in the Philippines, having won Best Director at Cannes for Kinatay (2009)—the first and only Filipino to win the award.
His first film, Masahista (2005), won many international awards and his subsequent offerings have put the Philippines on the international film map. Serbis (2008) screened in competition at Cannes and Thy Womb was selected in Competition at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.
The UNESCO Award
WARRIORS OF THE RAINBOW: SEEDIQ BALE Film From Taiwan.
Wei Te-Sheng’s epic film Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale reclaims an extraordinary episode from 20th-century history which is little-known even in Taiwan.
Between 1895 and 1945, the island was a Japanese colony inhabited not only by the majority (Han Chinese immigrants) but also by the remnants of the aboriginal tribes who first settled the mountainous land. In 1930 Mouna Rudo, the leader of one of the Seediq tribes settled on and around Mount Chilai, forged a coalition with other Seediq tribal leaders and plotted a rebellion against their Japanese colonial masters. It was to begin at a sports day meeting where the assembled tribesmen were to attack and kill the Japanese officials and would then broaden to sieges on police stations and local government offices in the region. The initial uprising took the Japanese by surprise and was almost entirely successful. But the Japanese soon sent in their army to crush the rebellion, using aircraft and poison gas.
Mouna Rudo knew from the start that the relatively small force of Seediq tribesmen stood no chance of defeating the might of Japan. But he and his allies were sustained by the beliefs and myths which had nourished their tribes since time immemorial. Young males in the tribes had to undergo a rite de passage to become adult men, which gave them the right to have their faces tattooed. In the tribal language, they becameSeediq Bale – heroes of the tribe. Their belief was that their ancestors would lead the spirits of the Seediq Bale across a rainbow bridge to the summit of the mountain when their time came. And so, whatever the result of their uprising against Japan, they would march in victory across the rainbow bridge… The heroism and fortitude of the Seediq warriors and their womenfolk shocked even the Japanese and won them enduring respect.
The 2012 International Jury give the UNESCO Award to the Director and Producers of Seediq Bale (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale) for their outstanding contribution to the promotion and preservation of cultural diversity through their film.
Jury Grand Prize
ANURAG KASHYAP from INDIA for "GANGS OF WASSEYPUR"
Anurag Singh Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian film director and screenwriter. Kashyap made his directorial debut with as yet unreleased Paanch, with Kay Kay Menon as the lead. As a filmmaker, he is known for Black Friday (2004), a controversial and award-winningHindi film about the 1993 Bombay bombings, followed by No Smoking (2007), Dev D (2009) Gulaal (2009) That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011) and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). As a screenwriter, he wrote the scripts for the Filmfare Award-winning Satya (1998) and the Academy Award-nominated Canadian film Water (2005).
CHO MIN-SOO from South Korea for her part as "PIETA"
Jo Min-su (조민수) (born January 29, 1965 in Seoul) is a South Korean actress best known for her award-winning turn in the Kim Ki-duk film Pieța.
Best Feature Film Award.
"TEPENIN ARDI" From Turkey "BEYOND THE HILL"
It’s a summer’s day and retired forester Faik is receiving visitors at the family’s rural property in Anatolia. Faik’s son Nusret has come from the city to visit—with his two sons Caner and troubled Zafer, scarred by his army experience. Also present are Mehmet, Nusret’s brother, and his wife and children. Despite the summer setting, the mood remains oddly muted. Faik is having problems with a local band of nomads and is constantly on his guard. Within the extended family tensions start to rise to the surface, but when the case against the nomads intensifies, all differences are forgotten.
The Awards Ceremony was ended with another sensational performance from Ryuichi Sakamoto ..
after that everyone moved from the Playhouse in QPAC to the After Party which was held just outside QPAC .. it was a great opportunity to mingle with the guests and Movie Stars and also to take some photos to record this great event ..
