Indonesian Heartthrob

Hi Guys!

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:14:00 +0000

Hi my dear readers!

I'm so sorry for letting my blog in hiatus for quite a while.

I've been traveling these past couple years and didn't have time yet to post more about our heartthrobs.

I really thankful for all the comments that keeps coming in~ It makes me realize that this blog still has some readers and relevant for the references.

At the moment I'm still busy with my adventure~ I don't know til when I can come back in full force. But I'll try to.

Please drop by my new blog too~ a travel blog called Snooky Sparkly where I share my real life/journey.

Once again, thank you and see you later!

With love,

Furansizuka
Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Agnes Monica Performs in São Paulo, Brazil

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:37:00 +0000

(Christian Chavez & Agnes Monica ~photo credit as tagged)

(Agnes Monica ~photo credit as tagged)

Indonesian diva Agnes Monica just performed in São Paulo, Brazil, Jan. 17th, 2012.

Agnes Monica performed together with the Latin superstar and the most beloved Mexican singer Christian Chavez.

The 25 years-old is invited by Chavez to perform as one of the guest stars in his 'Tour Essencial' Concert in Brazil.

All the live performance will be included in The Christian Chavez Tour Essencial DVD. Both of them sang their hit 'En Donde Estas' in 3 languages- Spanish, English and Indonesian.

Brazilians fans sang along with Agnes for the part of Indonesian lyric as well.

The performance (Fancams)

The audience were amazed by Agnes Monica's vocal ability and they asked her to come back for a tour in Brazil.

Agnes Monica said she would love to come back to Brazil for more performance in the future.

Local fans also gathered to meet Agnes Monica since the first time she arrived in São Paulo on Monday, making Agnes surprised for the warm welcome.

Fans praise Agnes "Você é linda!", "é muito linda e canta nuito bem", "incredibly beautiful and talented", and tout her as most beloved Asian diva.

São Paulo Fans (part 1)

São Paulo fans (part 2)

Agnes Monica gets her name popular among the Brazilians especially Christian Chavez's fans, having performed with Chavez at the 2010 American Music Awards Red Carpet Show.

At the AMAs they belted out an acoustic duet on the song that they produced together called 'En Donde Estas?' ('Where Are You?'). Both artists became a very close friend and have been supportive to each other ever since.

At the moment Agnes Monica is still flying back and fort USA-Indonesia to finish her first international album with Timbaland and Missy Elliot team.

photos credit: @AgnesMonicaEnt, @christiancteam, @thaatamello, @brunaorabona, @ChristianChLIVE, @OskarAyon, @GuillermoRosas, @_castiels, @AlinnePortilla

Agnes Monica Nominated at 2011 MTV Europe Music Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 19:03:00 +0000

Indonesia's stellar singer and actress Agnes Monica is one of the nominees at the MTV Europe Music Awards (MTV EMA) 2011 for the World Wide Act Asia Pacific category.

Agnes Monica who's just passed 1 million followers on twitter a couple month ago is nominated alongside other Asian artists Jay Chou from Taiwan, China's Jane Zhang, and Korean group Big Bang.

The 2011 MTV EMA’s will take place in Belfast, Northern Ireland at the Odyssey Arena on Sunday November 6th.

Meanwhile, Agnes Monica's duet album with Michael Bolton "Gem - The Duets Collection" is already available around Asia, including the Japan version that you can order on YesAsia and English version on UK website.

In addition to that, Agnes has released her single "Rindu" as well for local demand.

(agnes and timbaland - cr. @agnezmo)

Agnes Monica herself is still staying in USA and recording her first international album which is produced by Timbaland, DJ Wizz Dumb (both of them just recently produced Demi Lovato's hit 'Skyscraper') and Missy Elliot.

To cast your vote, go to: http://asia.mtvema.com/artists/agnes-monica

Voting ends on 23rd Oct. 2011

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Tweet Her Rite, Sherina Speaks

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:54:00 +0000

Sherina’s Next Bold Move

In March, Sherina Munaf passed the magical number of 1 million followers on Twitter. It was widely hailed in the mainstream media as a landmark coming of age in Indonesia’s intense love affair with the new specter of social media.

Twitter followers are only one measure of influence in the network – retweets and other factors are more important – but it’s a sure indication of popularity. The achievement inevitably spawned a level of follower-envy, but still everybody seemed impressed – well, nearly everybody; the newly anointed über Twitterati herself did not consider it such a big deal.

“I have no idea why it happened, seriously,” she says ruefully at a Japanese restaurant not far from her South Jakarta home. A self-confessed perfectionist, the singer-songwriter chooses her tweets wisely, aiming to inspire and inform. She is not into the school of manic tweet preaching about every thought that comes to mind, and definitely not into retweeting compliments sent her way (a practice she detests) for her 1,290,000 and counting followers.

“It’s not like I tweet every day. I only tweet occasionally, sometimes I forget, and sometimes I choose not to tweet,” she says. Most of her followers are, perhaps, her peers, who grew up hearing her childhood albums and watching her in Petualangan Sherina (Sherina’s Adventure, 2000), the movie musical that was hailed as a savior of the local film industry, then in the doldrums.

They have seen her make the successful transition from cute moppet warbling her heart out on screen to a cool teen with two albums released in the past four years, unlike some unfortunate onetime child stars who are now “where are they now?” stories. Like her, they are the nation’s urban middle class children of the 1990s, who are experiencing social and personal freedoms only dreamed of by their elders growing up during the authoritarian New Order regime (the daughter of an ad executive, Sherina was not yet 8 years old when president Soeharto resigned).

The Internet, coming along at the same time as sweeping social and political change, has also helped usher in this new age. But while cyberspace provides an arena for fans and celebrity chasers overjoyed to be 140 characters closer to their object of adoration, it also provides anonymity, which makes it an ideal stomping ground for passive-aggressive haters. Twitter’s “Mentions” timeline brings any hateful comments right back to the subject.

“I totally understand, in the way that if I was having a really bad day I might say something mean about Britney Spears if I thought she wouldn’t read it. But sometimes people don’t realize that the person they are writing about does see it, and it can be very hurtful,” Sherina says.

“Before you had to Google to find that stuff. But on Twitter it’s right before your eyes. Sometimes, we can be patient, but at others we flip out, especially as a woman at that time of the month.”

She chooses to put such attackers in their place in her own way. She understands that disputes in social media are not just played out between the parties involved, but also come to the attention of many others who are watching – and judging.

“I choose to ignore them, or log off,” she says of haters. “But sometimes I will reply to them. I’m not going to say, ‘hey, Satan ...’, stooping to their level. It’s the way I was brought up; if someone is being aggressive, then you have to be dignified in response.”

Clued In Sherina made the crossover from cute child star to piano-playing teen singer in 2007 with the release of Primadona. Or rather, make that angry teen singer; she used “prima donna” in its common English usage denoting diva-ish arrogance, not the Indonesian meaning of something exceptional. She revealed in the album notes that the title song was written in a fit of anger. “With ‘Primadona’, I had so much anger that I just wanted to vent it,” she says.

She was 17, and had written and arranged almost all the songs on the album, yet she felt she was not in control. She looks over the cover of the September 2007 Weekender, showing her staring pensively into the camera, the cover line stating “All Grown Up”. Perhaps that should have been “all made up”, as she was still in full makeup from a morning photo session with a women’s magazine. Nice concept, she says, but it was not her.

“I don’t like the makeup, my eyelashes are so fake, the lipstick is a strange color, there’s too much blush on,” she says bluntly. Truth be told, with her hair tousled and wearing only a little makeup, she looks younger today. Back then, she says, she was clueless, leaving her styling up to the “experts”. What they thought worked for her often did not; she was uncomfortable wearing high heels on stage and unable to move the way she wanted.

“I was powerless four years ago, I didn’t have the power to say what I wanted. I just went with the flow, what other people thought was right for me,” Sherina says. “In getting older, of course we start to find out new things about who we are.”

The freedom to make her choices came with Gemini, released two years ago. She cut her hair for an edgier and fresher look than the incongruously primped and preened teen of Primadona.

“With Gemini, I was like, screw it,” she says. “I took more control. But then I’m a control freak. I’m not comfortable when there are people who think they understand me better than I do myself.” Music being a business, she says she learned the art of compromise, and held off on the angry songs.

“Gemini is about love songs, because I wanted people to relate to me. And people relate much more to love songs than anger.”

It was an evolution in her career, as taking a more commercial route brought her to a much wider audience. To that point, Sherina’s mother had managed her career, but it can be difficult mixing family and business interests. She is now under separate management.

In the intervening years, she has landed many endorsements, including for a cell phone provider, cosmetics and, most recently, hair-care products. They are part of her professional commitments, and she treats them professionally. She enjoyed a trip to China to observe first-hand the technology behind the shampoo she endorses, and states that she can only endorse something she personally has tried (chicken nuggets would be out of the question as she does not eat chicken, she adds).

Sherina has also used Twitter to promote her activities but says she recently pruned her timeline of all her “watch me on ...” tweets – a move she describes as a very cleansing experience.

Back to School

One thing Sherina hates is being in her comfort zone – it makes her uncomfortable.

But no doubt many will be shocked to hear she is planning to leave the entertainment industry to attend university. She is committed to making a movie musical early next year, coming full circle from her film debut in Petualangan Sherina. “I kind of see it as my last contribution to the market, and then I will have the whole year to focus on my preparations for university,” she says.

Sherina, like many members of her new, more outspoken generation, has had the privilege of making choices. Although her parents tried to discourage her, the second of three daughters, from her entertainment ambitions at the outset of her career, ultimately it was her decision. “They would tell me, this could happen if you do this, and this could happen if you do that, but it was up to me,” she says.

She gets that she may be seen as throwing away her golden opportunities, that it would be daunting to try to come back to the top after a four-year hiatus. “It’s something I have always wanted to do,” she says of studying at university. “But I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn’t do it now, when I my mind is still fresh.”

Curiously, she says life is about a lot of “pretending”. “I’m not really an entertainer, I don’t really like that people know me. I’m not Mulan Jameela who can really entertain, I’m not a people person. I’m more [comfortable as] the person behind the scenes.”

So why do it? “It’s for university, to finance my schooling,” she replies quickly. “But I cannot lie, I like singing. I used to like it, but now I’m bored of singing the same songs to the same audiences. I want something new.”

She is torn between two schools: Berklee College of Music, where she would study film scoring (Sherina famously hummed along to Disney songs while being fed as a toddler), or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she would major in neuroscience or biomechanical engineering. Critical Thinking Science is a new passion, cultivated in recent years by watching Stephen Hawking documentaries and reading.

Although she has talked about enjoying her high school years at the British International School, she did not find science fun. She wants to be a science “communicator”, helping young people to use critical thinking.

For Sherina also uses the power of Twitter to observe social behavior, including looking at differences between urban tweets and those by people from the regions, and also the tendency of people to take information on face value.

“I see that people are so quick to draw superstitious conclusions, and that makes people shallow,” she says of the lack of critical thinking. “On Twitter, people only see one side of something, they make a big deal of it with finding out the facts first, and then it becomes a trending topic!” Critical thinking is important to her, ruled as she is by a rational and practical nature; she acknowledges she is not a spiritual person.

She rattles off a list of names of the inner circle from the 300-odd people she follows on Twitter. Most also share her pragmatic and skeptical viewpoint, and she has to find them smart (internationally, they include the caustic columnist Christopher Hitchens).

In early July, she became involved in a Twitter debate about Darwinism that would have done Mr. Hitchens proud. “Please feel free to comment on the weakness of a theory as long as you have really read up on the argument. Done.”

In another, she wrote “… if you say [evolution] means humans are descended from monkeys, then you clearly haven’t read the book!”

Still, isn’t it a tad creepy having a hoard of people marking her every word? “We’ve become used to it,” she says of social media’s spread. “But I much prefer Twitter to infotainment reporters coming to our door, asking about our private lives. It’s better for me to make that conscious choice about what information to put out there.”

Sherina talks to Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post Weekender, pics credit as tagged.

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Gita Gutawa, the strain of a song

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 13:34:00 +0000

Aluna Sagita Gutawa was destined to be a singer. It was a pretty natural fit for someone whose name means ‘strain of a song,’ and whose father is the well-known composer Erwin Gutawa.

Better known to fans as Gita Gutawa, she has won a number of domestic and international awards, and has released a handful of singles and albums. She’s also found time to appear in films and on TV. Not bad for someone who just turned 18 this month.

Today, Gita talks about fame, school and balancing the two.

What is singing to you?

Singing has always been a ‘career’ for me. I grew up as the daughter of a well-known composer, so I’ve been surrounded by music from the moment I was born. My first step into the industry was through a collaboration with ADA Band in 2004, and I released my first album in 2007.

But the truth is, I have always treated singing as a hobby — but one that I still take professionally. I’ll always make education my first priority, so I can say that I am just a student who sings professionally.

Do you write songs?

I have written some of my songs. I get inspiration from my own experiences or from stories from my friends. Inspiration usually happens at night, before I go to bed, and I write the lyrics down and find the melodies using my piano or guitar. But I’m still learning. You know, there are some songs that are still unfinished because I’m not confident enough to complete them and let other people hear them.

You’re quite well known internationally and have performed often overseas. What’s that experience like?

I am grateful to have had the chance to perform in countries outside of Indonesia. I really enjoy the discipline and time management of concert organizers abroad compared with what we have here.

In countries like Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea, Egypt and Italy — the countries I’ve performed in — there’s a very strict timetable and everything has to be done on time. If the schedule says the singer only has 15 minutes to rehearse on stage, then 15 minutes is all she has. This, of course, differs from Indonesia where ‘ngaret’ [being late] is an infamous tradition.

What do your fans, Gita Lovers, mean to you?

Undoubtedly, my fans have given me remarkable support throughout my career. They are the ones who buy my records, listen to my music, come to my shows and vote for me on award shows. However, knowing that they care so much for me, I realize that I cannot mess up.

My fans sometimes do complain if they feel like there’s something that I need to change. It often makes me feel like I cannot really be myself. But I know they care for me and they are only demanding a better version of me.

Is there anything about the Indonesian music industry you wish you could change?

Two things: The quality and the piracy issue. I do think that Indonesia’s music industry today is too overloaded. Although it’s beautiful to see the diversity we have in the industry, I think there are too many bands, including boy bands. It’s probably because of technology, where you can record songs almost anywhere and release them through different kinds of media, such as YouTube. Nevertheless, these bands need to think more about the quality and stop relying too much on Auto-Tune so the music industry can continue to move forward.

Moreover, piracy is still a big issue that musicians and record labels have to fight against. Do you see yourself following your current career path or trying something different? I think I will need to continue growing and developing as an individual.

And yes, I want to find other things outside music, that’s why I am planning to get a degree in economics. Honestly, I’m still not so sure of where I’m heading with this degree, but I might just be the next minister of economics or an ambassador to the UN [smiles].

You just graduated from high school. Where do you want to continue your studies?

I’m hoping to continue my studies abroad. I’ve applied to a few universities in Singapore and Australia, but my dream university is one in the UK. I’ve chosen economics as my degree. A lot of people ask me, why not music? I just want to learn something new and I think economics is essential. I also find it interesting how economics is one of the indicators of a country’s success. So yeah, I am hoping that I can bring about changes for the country. As for music, I’ll keep it as my hobby. So you’re going abroad soon.

What do you think you will miss the most about Jakarta?

I’ll definitely miss my family and friends. Oh, and the food we have here [laughs]. Jakarta will always be my home.

It seems like you’re living the dream life. Is there anything you’re still after at the moment?

I’m currently focused on my studies. I want to get into a good university and earn a good degree. I’m striving to make my family and myself proud.

Aluna Sagita Gutawa was talking to Angie Theresia. Photos credit as tagged.

via. The Jakarta Post

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Cathy Sharon: Two lives, in Jakarta & Bali

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Cathy Sharon Gasnier has it all -the looks, popularity, and talent.

Presenter and actress Cathy Sharon started her career as a model but her popularity started to rise after she landed a job as an MTV Indonesia VJ.

She soon tried her hand at different things, including running an online clothing store and acting on the big screen in Dawai 2 Asmara (String of Two Loves) and the upcoming thriller The Perfect House.

“I view Jakarta as a place where I have a life and work. When I have free time in the capital city, I usually do little things, like reading books, watching movies, television or surfing the Internet.

“When I have plenty of time, for example a weekend off, I will fly to Jimbaran, Bali, to spend time with my parents.

“I have two lives — my work life and my private life. My busy life in Jakarta makes me miss Bali. Maybe it’s because I was raised in a nice environment on the island — something which made me a real nature freak when I was a kid.

“During my childhood, I loved strolling on the beach, walking on the rocks and watching the fish with my sister [actress and model Julie Estelle] and our maid.

“I was a very imaginative little girl. I liked playing with dresses and pieces of cloth when pretending to be a singer. We also made a playhouse out of small pieces of wood and stones from the beach.

“When I go to Bali to visit my parents, I have family time with them such as eating together. After that, I will have fun on the beach.

“I don’t mind to get tan because it’s actually good for me. My skin is too white and it needs a better color. I always have to apply blush, otherwise I will look very pale and people will think I am sick.

“However, I always try to avoid sunburn during my visits to Bali because my skin can peel and I will not be able to put on makeup at all.

“I am also a movie buff. I watch different film genres, from comedies, thrillers, drama and action. Besides watching feature films, I also like to watch indie movies and French films, especially during festivals.

“Television series are also on my list. Right now, I plan to watch Friends from the first season. It’s a long way to finish because I am currently still watching the second season.

“I like watching Glee too. As I am playing in a thriller movie, I also have to watch some movies as a reference.

“There are [horror] movies that I have but have not had a chance to watch because I come home late at night after a [script] reading session. I don’t dare to watch them alone at night, so I wait for my sister, who also comes home late. When I asked her one night, she refused, saying it was nuts to watch horror movies in the middle of the night. Maybe I will watch them with my mother next time I go to Bali.”

via The Jakarta Post

photos: Tyo photowork

Indonesian Heartthrob by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Agnes Monica, A Woman Who's Driven by Dream

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 05:50:00 +0000

Spreading her wings to international stage has been her dream since she was 17. The duet with Michael Bolton might be one of ways to grasp her goal.

Sitting on the wheelchair and propping her neck with a buffer early this month, Agnes Monica left the hospital after five days of medical treatment due to her suffering from back injury and gastritis.

"Still painful but it gets better. The first day of hospitalized, I couldn't even sit and stand up," said the multi-talented artist.

Agnes Monica is a hard-worker and energetic young woman. Before she felt ill she'd got a truckload of activities, from exercising and musical course, to preparing a theme song for South-east Asian Games (SEA Games) that will be held this upcoming November.

Agnes Monica will be performing the song in the opening ceremony with other South-east Asian singers such as Malaysia's Jacklyn Victor and Philippines Lea Salonga. She'll be singing in the closing ceremony as well.

In addition to that, she wrote new songs and went on tours in some cities. She only had four to five hours of sleep a day. Then one day she couldn't move her hands and suffered from back-pain.

Miraculously enough, several days after discharging the hospital Agnes back to her regular business right away, and performed in Manado.

Her family is the one who shaped Agnes Monica's character up to be a hard-working and discipline person she is today. Born to an athlete family -her mom was a national table tennis athlete and her dad was a national basketball player-, Agnes has been taught by her parents like an athlete has.

Dreamer

Everything comes from a dream. Sporting a white shirt with a tagline "Dream, Believe, Make It Happen", Agnes Monica stood up in front of hundreds of people in one event held by the Embassy of America (@America), and campaigned about how to reach a dream.

"Don't be afraid to seize your dreams," preached the woman who will be 25 a month shy.

The power of dream has brought Agnes Monica to meet Michael Bolton, one of America's living legend. Bolton invited Agnes to sing his greatest hit, "Said I Love You But I Lied" for his Deluxe Album "Gem", that will be thrown to market around September this year.

The invitation from Bolton came up when Agnes was busy preparing her project in Los Angeles USA for two months, early this year. The pretty woman who's just performed for Red Carpet Show at the American Music Awards (AMAs) 2010 took the opportunity and met with Bolton.

"Michael told me there were 3 songs from my album that he liked. In album Sacredly Agnezious and album And The Story Goes," said Agnes to Tempo.

Bolton found out Agnes Monica's portfolio from Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the company wherein Agnes signed a contract with, several months after she performed at the AMAs Red Carpet Show.

agnes monica & michael bolton (cr. @agnezmo)

They didn't need long time for the recording. But the date for Bolton's album that was supposed to release on Jun was pushed back. Bolton explains on his official site;

"I just finished mastering an awesome mix of 'Said I Loved You But I Lied' with killer vocals from Agnes Monica. Unfortunately, the song wasn't finished in time to make the June release of 'Gems - The Duets Collection', but it's such a great track (one of my favorites!) that there is no way I'm not going to share it with you.

"So, I'm putting together a deluxe version of Gems, that will also include additional collaborations with other great artists, to be released internationally this Fall. I know that will mean asking you to wait a little bit longer to hear it, but I can assure you it's worth the wait," states Michael Bolton.

Agnes Monica has loyal fans who grew up with her ever since her first child album became hit by the tender age of six. That goes to show why she's got strong fanatics base who's willing to fight for her. Take the Japan J-Pop Awards case, Agnes came out as the winner for 7 categories of awards which was based on readers' vote.

"Thanks God, I have amazing fans who are very supportive of me all the way," Agnes gratefully said. So far, Agnes Monica's twitter has scored more than 860,000 followers.

Agnes might be the first Indonesian actress who has worked with two Asian megastars, Jerry Yan (The Hospital) and Peter Ho (Romance in The White House), and the first Indonesian singer who represented the country two years in a row at the Asia Song Festival in South Korea for the Best Asian Artist Award.

"My mom taught me that award is not the main goal. Win or lose, the main focus is your achievements and attainments," Agnes cited her mother's advise. In order to focus on her goal, Agnes decided to quit studying law at UPH Jakarta, and took distance learning in Politics subject at the Oregon State University, USA.

Agnes realizes many people mocking her go-international dream. Therefore she decided to focus on her dream instead of listening to their negative words. "I didn't pick just any words (to hear). (Because) if I listen to what all people say, I might have gone crazy," she said.

Music critic Bens Leo said the AMAs is a milestone for Agnes. Thanks to the show she got a chance to perform a duet with famous Latin singer Christian Chavez in single "En Donde Estas".

agnes latest pic in a studio, Los Angeles, America, sent from her twitter acc, Jun 13

Another factor that supports Agnes popularity is the benefit from high-tech such as internet and social networks that she efficiently takes. She's got a complete bio, achievements and attainments she's been doing so far that people outside Indonesia can gather through internet easily. "She doesn't need to send her files. They could just look for her name on the internet," Bens said.

Having observed her career for more than three years, Bens perceived Agnes as not a merely singer and song writer. "She's special, because not many singers her age can be a singer as well as a concept-maker. She makes the concept for all her songs, album, dance, and video clips. She totally explores," said Bens.

Bens suggests that Agnes should go for duet with foreign musicians with similar musical taste while they're coming to perform in Indonesia. He also states that it is time for Agnes to have a special international management. (Let me correct you a little, sir. AFAIK Agnes Monica already has international management in USA).

Steve Muljoto, is Agnes Monica's manager and also her big brother who's been guarding Agnes Monica Management from her early career. Agnes and her family are inseparable. Of course, they're the only ones who know her best inside-out.

Agnes Monica in their eyes is a workaholic and perfectionist in everything she does. She can stays in front of computer up for hours in her bedroom. Luckily, her mom drops by her room once in a while to see what she's up to. Her mom always reminds Agnes not to work that extreme. Once she even forced her daughter to get out of her room for a rest and refreshing.

"I teased her, like, 'I'm like this because of you too'. Other moms yell at their kids to study, but mom forbids me to do so," she chuckles.

Well, mom is always right. Turned out, she got sick and spent several days in hospital. Better listen to your mom.

via Tempo

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Edward Gunawan wins Asian Short Film Awards

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 06:40:00 +0000

L to R: Andri Cung, Rio Dewanto, Atiqah Hasiholan, Edward Gunawan @ScreenSingapore Red Carpet (cr. Edward Gunawan @twitter)

Indonesian director-scriptwriter-model-actor...-well, you name it!- Edward Gunawan and director Andri Chung from Indonesia won the Asian Short Film Awards at ScreenSingapore 2011, for their movie Payung Merah (Red Umbrella).

The 9.5-minute long movie is picked by a board of jury helmed by legendary filmmaker and three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone.

Two Indonesian heartthrobs/actors Atiqah Hasiholan and Rio Dewanto play the leading roles in this movie.

The supernatural thriller-drama Payung Merah (Red Umbrella) centers on a taxi driver (Rio Dewanto) who learns to appreciate his loved ones after picking up a beautiful and mysterious passenger (Atiqah Hasiholan). In Bahasa Indonesia with English subtitles, this short film also features theater veteran Zubir Mustaqim and marks the first collaboration between Gunawan and Cung.

Payung Merah (Red Umbrella) competes with 90 entries from 15 countries in Asia-Pacific for the short film awards, which came with a prize of 20,000 Singapore dollars (15,810 U.S. dollars). The entries were submitted by filmmakers in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Philippines, Australia, India, Iran, Bangladesh, Cambodia, New Zealand, Indonesia, as well as China including Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The media week ScreenSingapore kicked off on Sunday evening, with Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi walking the red carpet. The Media Development Authority has said it "is not a film festival" but a film event that will include awards, technologies, content market, conferences and workshops.

Edward Gunawan, 28, who co-directed the short film with 33-year- old Andri Cung, said it was a surprise given that they handed in the application at almost the last minute.

“We actually didn’t even expect the film to be nominated, so we are really shocked by the award. We are truly honored by this recognition,” Cung shares after receiving the award with Gunawan in the opening of ScreenSingapore 2011.

“We made the short film to show what we can do as filmmakers in this genre. Receiving an award like this definitely encourages us very new filmmakers to keep on going. We hope that this will also help us attract and convince potential investors and sponsors to get our feature film made,” Gunawan concludes.

Cung and Gunawan are still working on their feature film debut The Muse. There is also a talk to adapt Payung Merah (Red Umbrella) to a feature film.

Payung Merah (Red Umbrella) had its world premiere in 35th Hong Kong International Film Festival in March 2011. It was then touring the international circuit with screenings at the 2011 Phoenix International Film Festival, International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, Comicon Film Festival (Arizona, USA), Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (California, USA).

It has also been selected from over 300 submissions to compete at the prestigious Oscar-qualifying 2011 Palm Springs International Short Fest (California, USA) in June.

Congrats, folks!

via Xinhua

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Julie Estelle: Playing her roles

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 16:30:00 +0000

Sweet Julie

In a short time, she has danced her way into success, launched a career from a television ad at the age of 16 and is now a familiar face in the showbiz industry.

Acting since 2005, the actress is happy to appear in different genres, from horror to thriller, but she will definitely say no to baring her body.

“I don’t want to portray a role that flaunts sexiness. That’s not my thing,” the 22 year old says firmly.

She has no problem when people bring up her family connections — her sister is actress and former MTV VJ Cathy Sharon — saying she enjoys being in the same industry as her sister.

“We share many things, including our entertainment careers. Cathy is more than just a sister. She’s my best friend.”

Julie Estelle has it all — the looks, style and luck. Slender figure and fresh look launched Julie Estelle’s career in the entertainment industry.

She was noticed by a talent scout when hanging out at a mall with her best friends and given a hard-to-resist offer — to star in a TV ad — when she was only 16.

She took the offer to star in a facial wash product for fun. She had nothing to lose, and she has no regrets.

“It was really a coincidence. I had never thought of becoming an entertainer. I took the offer because I wanted to give it a try,” says Julie, now 22.

Her full name is Julie Estelle Gasnier. She was born to an Indonesian mother and French father, and is the sister of actress and emcee Cathy Sharon.

Julie has all the “unwritten requirements” — including light skin — of a cosmetics model.

Soon after the commercial, she was swamped by offers to become the brand ambassador for products ranging from hair care, sanitary pads and household appliances to mobile networks.

From the ad world, she tried her luck in the local film industry, taking a small part in the 2005 teen flick Dealova.

The 22-year-old sealed her first leading role in Alexandria, starring as Alexandra Yasmina, a young woman who likes collecting comics and dreams of traveling to Alexandria, Egypt.

In the film, directed by Ody C. Harahap, she plays alongside Marcel Chandrawinata and Fachri Albar.

“After playing in Alexandria, I found that I had a passion for film, so I decided to keep on acting,” said Julie.

Just like most Indonesian actors, Julie simply learned how to act from acting coaches during workshops before the production began.

Her face also appeared in a number of projects such as Rizal Mantovani’s horror film, Kuntilanak (Woman Ghost), and its two installments, love flick Selamanya (Forever), Timo Tjahjanto’s and Kimo Stamboel’s thriller Rumah Dara (Macabre) and the teen flick sequel, Hearbreak.com 2.

Her latest film to hit theaters was the comedy Cowok Bikin Pusing (Boys Get Me Dizzy), in which she brushes shoulders with her best friends Aming Supriatna and Laudya Cinthya Bella.

In this film, she stars as a bakery owner named Cecile who is cheated on by her long-time boyfriend, Marco (played by Marcel Chandrawinata), and takes sweet revenge on him with the help of her two best friends, played by Aming and Laudya.

This is actually a 2008 movie, but the release was postponed due technical problems.

“It was so much fun playing with my best friends. It was easy to get the chemistry among us,” Julie says.

“This movie is something that I would show my children and grandchildren, because it is really a great experience playing with my own best friends in the same project.”

Julie says that she does not limit herself to certain genres, adding that as long as the script fits her, she will grab it.

“I appreciate all genres. I’ve been in almost all genres, including horror, but I still want to act in a film which portrays social issues, something that educates people. This is a genre that I have never done before.”

Even though she is willing to play in any genre, Julies said that she would refuse any offer which required her to bare her body.

“I don’t want to portray a role that flaunts sexiness. That’s not my thing,” she says. “Besides, I’m in Indonesia, which has different culture from European countries or the US, which are more open minded.”

Julie is confident that she will stick to the film business for a long time to come. “I’ve just started my career, so I feel like I still have many things to learn. I still want to achieve more,” she says.

She chose to give up her dream of becoming a doctor to totally immerse herself in the entertainment industry.

“I first planned to go to a medical school in France. I had to go to France because I used to speak French since I went to an international French school in Jakarta when was a little,” Julie said.

“It would be difficult for me to learn everything in Indonesian in a medical school. But due to my hectic schedule [in the entertainment industry], I finally chose to study at a business school, though I still take some time off to film projects.”

She does not even know when she will finish her studies, as she is busy doing a new soap opera titled Kasih dan Cinta (Kasih and Cinta) for a private TV station.

While other entertainers may opt to stay away from soap operas due to their time-consuming filming process, Julie does not mind it.

“For me, it’s a good opportunity. Besides, I’m still off campus so I think I have much time to do this [soap opera project],” she says.

“When the soap opera has yet to be aired on TV, the shooting process is still fine. But once it gets on TV, you will work so hard. Sometimes, all the cast and crew have to work everyday and race against the clock, even on Sundays, to shoot the latest episodes.”

Being an actress is not her only passion. Julie also set her eyes on the directorial field.

She once lent her hand as a co-director for her sister’s directorial debut, the short film Gadis di Ruang Tunggu (The Girl in the Waiting Room), an adaptation of Rachmania Arunita’s short story entitled Gadis di Pesawat (The Girl in the Plane), which starred Laudya Cynthia Bella.

Julie said she learned many things while co-directing the film.

“It takes a lot of responsibility as a director. You have to manage your actors and crew, adjust the music with the scenes and be involved in every process, from shooting to editing.”

“There are more burdens [than acting]. It was so tiring, but I’m satisfied with result,” she added.

Julie said it was good to be in the same industry as her sister.

“We often share about many things, including our entertainment career. Cathy is more than just a sister. She’s my best friend,” she said.

“We always give ideas and critiques to each other. We are not competing. I always support her and she does the same thing.”

She even appears with Cathy in her latest ad for a household appliance brand.

One of her biggest wishes is to work with Cathy again.

“I really want to make another film with her, but not in the near future because we are very busy now, maybe next year.”

via The Jakarta Post

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Anggun: Taking Echoes to a new height

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 16:05:00 +0000

She was born and raised in Indonesia but her golden voice doesn't only belong to Indonesia. To date, Anggun still holds the status as the only Indonesian singer who has successfully conquered the globe and sold more than 3 million copies in Europe.

Despite being a French resident for years, Anggun still keeps returning to her home country. Recently she came to Jakarta to promote her new album Echoes and shared her opinion about the measure of nationalism.

It is said that Echoes is your most personal album, why?

Each of my album is personal, but Echoes became the most personal one because I produced this album by myself. Before, when I still worked for previous label, everything had to come up with negotiation. The label trusted me to manage the material, and yet they asked me once in a while, like "why this song?".

So I had to work hard [in order to] say, "No no no, don't throw this song away, it's got to stay here." But for this album, Echoes, I had bigger freedom in creating music and in making decisions.

What about the song “Eternal” — that tells a story about losing [someone]?

The song is the story of my deceased dad. I received message that my father has passed away when I was in Paris. Thus I couldn't come back to Indonesia soon. I arrived one day after the funeral.

Every thing that happened in my life always gets me pondered. And for me, death gets me thinking what exactly a human being is. Human is just a flesh and bone, and yet it's the spirit [soul] that makes us human. Some of the books that I have read also confirm that spirit stays [albeit the body has died].

So "Eternal" wants to tell that those who leave us are actually never really leave us. And we can't just keep crying over someone who's gone, because we must set them free. Death is not the contradiction of life. It's the contradiction of a birth.

That's so philosophic...

I like reading philosophies because it does help. Socrates and Plato are some of those who have left a valuable footprint we should learn today.

Does philosophy books help you on writing songs?

Very much helpfull. In fact, the title of this album,“Echoes” is taken from a Greek myth. Besides philosophy, I also read newspapers, magazine and other books.

Which one is harder, writing a song in French, English, or Indonesian?

I don't write songs in French. I can't and perhaps I don't want to. Mostly I write songs in English and they translate the songs to French.

Writing is difficult. It re-embraces just what we have seen and learned. To find the perfect words is difficult. It's not an easy thing. My father once said, you have to write one song after you read thousands of sentences. Hence, I respect writers. My husband is a writer..hahaha..

Do you keep up with Indonesian music industry too?

I do, from afar. So many new comers. I just saw Vierra - they have good musicality and song writing skill. Easy-listening pop, and yet good. I'm a fan of Kotak too. I'm amazed with Tantri [vocalist of Kotak], I want to have a duet with her. And actually Ariel [vocalist of Peterpan] is a good song writer. Too bad, we messed up with his private issue. Actually his film entertains people...haha..

I think there are a lot of Indonesian groups and artists who have potential ability as big as those do from abroad, idea-wise and vocal-wise. But the thing is, if you want to get success out there, you got to move out. For instance, Gigi. Yes, I'm telling you the truth!

Why does it necessary for an artist to move out in order to go international?

The system abroad is far better. The music industry in America is no joke, it's really vast. Same goes with British, Germany, and France. They take copyrights issue seriously. While in Indonesia? Piracy everywhere! Piracy including illegal downloading, has made global music industry sinking.

There are so many artists whose contracts being returned. Take Phil Collins, he doesn't have a contract anymore. Annie Lenox was fired by her label. And Madonna, every time she wanted to release her album, she had to fight hard to get radio airtime.

Besides, if you want to fight for yourself in other country, you have to reside there. Thus, I started from the bottom, because for me it's important. We have to understand the business aspect as well.

When my album released in America for the first time, someone said, "It seems that you have the chance to become big in America. But you have to stay here." I felt reluctant, because it meant I had to work with American producers, I had to have American sense of humor as well. I had to adapt myself again.

So many artists started from the bottom, and yet there's a police who sot stardom just within 2 days.

Hahaha, that's a pop culture phenomena. Director Andy Warhol once said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” He's a true visioner. Today, it seems everybody wants to get famous. But it's all just temporary.

It's like an instant McDonalds french fries you eat right on the spot, because when you take it home, it doesn't tasty anymore. It's not eternal for me.

Phenomena is eternal but the people will always be replaced. The hardest thing is being someone who's irreplaceable and everlasting. It takes struggle.

Even though you've been living outside for a long time, you still speak Indonesian perfectly.

I do. I speak with my daughter in Indonesian. She's fluent in Indonesian. It's my pride.

You can't just measure nationalism from visual attributes, such as wearing Batik or having the coat of arms on your passport. For me, it starts from the language. Indonesian kids should be able to speak Indonesian.

via Yahoo
pictures: Sony BMG

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Tracy Trinita: The Supermodel And the Mean Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Sun, 29 May 2011 15:11:00 +0000

cr. classyx blog

Well this might not be a shocking news ~ Model and actress Tracy Trinita says her looks made her a target for school bullies. We know she's got a unique face which propelled her up to the international class. Some of them had gone through tough childhood for having an "extraordinary" features.

Model and actress Tracy Trinita has been chosen as one of the ambassadors of the “Stop Bullying” campaign for a good reason.

Born to a Brazilian father and a Chinese-Indonesian mother, Tracy’s height and fair skin meant she stood out from her Indonesian peers when she was growing up.

“I experienced both verbal and physical bullying. For bullies, it’s a fun thing to do and it’s funny for those who watch,” she said, adding that she even had to move schools due to the intolerable bullying.

Tracy, who went on to study Theology at Wycliffe hall in Oxford, said she rarely told her parents about the problems she experienced at school because whenever she brought it up, her family advised her not to fight back.

“My parents and grandparents said I shouldn’t,” she said. “But I have to admit, I wasn’t brave enough either. I was alone against so many people.”

Growing up, Tracy was one of the few Indonesian models who managed to break into the international market.

In 1994, at the age of 14, Tracy won the prestigious Elite Model Look International competition. She soon had the opportunity to strut her stuff on catwalks in New York, Paris and Milan.

However, she said that the highly competitive nature of the modeling business often triggers bullying among models.

“If they don’t like you, they will do anything they can to bring you down.”

Tracy recalled an incident where a fellow model actually dragged her out of her bed in the middle of the night while she was living in a shared apartment for models in New York City.

“I accidentally kicked her to defend myself and we were called in by the agency the following day because she reported it. But I won the case because I wasn’t guilty and later they found out that she was drunk at the time.”

Bullying, Tracy added, is not always physical but also psychological.

“It is like when everyone in the apartment ignores you and pretends they don’t understand your questions and laughs at you. That’s really mean,” she said.

Tracy said that most bullies use such tactics as a tool to exert authority and power over others.

“What’s interesting is that someone who was once bullied often goes on to bully others,” she said. “The chain has to be broken in order to stop this from going on.”

As one of the “Stop Bullying” campaigners, Tracy is optimistic that the program will raise social awareness of the problem, especially among students.

“Personal testimony is a powerful tool for this campaign,” she said. “It takes time to change people’s mindsets, but the process has to start somewhere.”

via The Jakarta Globe

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Nicholas Saputra: Keeping It Cool

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Thu, 26 May 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Try asking Nicholas Saputra about the girl he is currently dating or about any rumors related to his privacy and you will end up disappointed. It’s most likely that the actor and presenter will ignore such questions.

If his private life is the last thing he wants to share with the public, then so be it. Nicholas, however, will show his talkative nature when he answers questions on other subjects, especially those that attract him most — career, film and hobbies.

After the recent re-launch of a Japanese restaurant, Nicholas was immediately surrounded by dozens of journalists. With a calm and firm tone, he told them that he had to excuse himself to entertain a one-on-one interview with The Jakarta Post.

It was not difficult to ignore the envious looks when you have a drop dead handsome and professional source to interview. Nicholas was also kind enough to answer questions from a few other journalists who had waited patiently.

During the interview, the son of a Javanese mother and a late German father sat comfortably on a couch in the restaurant. He dressed casually, wearing a white striped shirt with long sleeves rolled up just under his elbows, dark colored jeans and a pair of sneakers. A watch and a thin modest rope bracelet lingered on his left wrist.

Simple and classic. That’s his fashion statement. Nicholas said he shops for clothes in bulk once every six months to keep things simple and efficient.

He answered all questions seriously and professionally, using an Indonesian formal reference of saya (I) instead of gue or aku, which are often used by other celebrities.

Nicholas, who rose to stardom after he played in Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? (What’s up with Love?) in 2002, said he would appear in two films this year.

One of the upcoming films is set in Papua and deals with HIV/AIDS, while the other is about the lives of people in a zoo in Jakarta.

“I only have a small part in the film [on HIV/AIDS],” he said humbly. The actor, who is called Nico by friends and colleagues, refuses to talk more about the film as well as his part in the other film.

He hopes the films will be well-received.

“I hope the public will get excited about local films again. I see the recent excitement is a bit lower than that in 2007 and 2008,” he said.

The good looking actor, who has played various lead and supporting roles in a number of movies, has just turn 27 on Feb. 24 this year. At that productive age, he still has a considerably long time to craft his acting and directing skills.

Having co-directed a music video for local band Alexa, Nicholas said he just completed another music video for a music industry new comer. He refused to identify the singer. He apparently did not want to give hints about works that had not yet been released.

Many directors believe that movie stars have the potential to become good directors because they are closely involved in the film industry. Nicholas said he is interested in directing and plans to make a short movie in the near future to further hone his skills.

“For people like me who don’t formally learn cinematography, I think making short movies is a way to learn,” said Nico, who loves Japanese and Italian food.

He said his short film would convey his personal thoughts, inspirations, ideas and restlessness. When asked about what message he wanted to deliver to the audience, he gave an annoying little smile while saying “just wait and watch the movie”.

He said he expects nothing commercial from making short movies as he believes that they are not profit driven.

Young filmmakers in the country have embraced short movies as a part of their lives, as seen in their interest in several film festivals held in the country.

Ada Apa Dengan Cinta? and the children’s musical film Petualangan Sherina (Sherina’s Adventure), another work of Mira Lesmana’s Miles Production, have marked the awakening of local films in the country.

Those films have encouraged the industry to rise from a hiatus in the early 2000s, paving the way for new film stars and film directors. Despite a number of good quality movies, our cinemas are still forced to display poor quality productions, he said.

Nicholas said the current film industry in this country was in need of good acting schools that could boost the quality of movie stars. He pointed out the gap that occurred when local films slumped in the 1990s.

“Now we barely have people who have been competent in filmmaking or becoming acting teachers.

Meanwhile, films stars in my generation are not ready,” he said.

Nico, a graduate of University of Indonesia’s architecture program, strongly disagreed when a reporter criticized him for not using his knowledge of architecture in his chosen career.

He says he believes nowadays people can become successful in jobs they are passionate about even if they study a different subject at college.

“Lawyers do not have to be lawyers as they can work anywhere and so can architects…,” Nicholas said.

“Are you interested to become an entrepreneur?” a journalist interrupted.

He quickly said he had not finished his answer. Without losing a second, he continued his explanation as if nothing ever happened.

“Because there are many people studying architecture who can apply the knowledge to many aspects,” he said while mentioning film director Rizal Mantovani and noted musician Erwin Gutawa as examples.

Nicholas said he was interested in becoming an entrepreneur, but only in the fields related to his passion: Film, architecture and art.

“I am a truly hands-on person. I want to be free to do anything,” he said, adding that he would not do something that was outside his interests.

Considering his achievements in a number of movies, we can say that the actor has a crush on film.

There was Biola Tak Berdawai (The Stringless Violin) in 2003, Janji Joni (Joni’s Promise) and Gie in 2005, 3 Hari Untuk Selamanya (Three Days to Forever) in 2007, and 3 Doa 3 Cinta (3 Wishes 3 Loves) in 2008.

The award winning actor has also found a fun way to sharpen his natural acting talent. His love for traveling has brought him to various places in the country and abroad.

“To me, the real life is the best medium to learn about acting,” he said. His travel hobby, he said, enabled him to closely observe various sides of people’s lives and cultures. He said such experiences will be hard to find if he only visits big cities.

Nicholas does not only explore the beauty of landscapes and the cultures of people when he travels.

He often travels far to enjoy the country’s marvelous pristine coral and underwater scenery.

“Diving is a relaxing hobby. I travel and dive, which means I am enjoying my hobby and learn a lot of things at the same time,” he said, adding that his best diving site is around Komodo island in East Nusa Tenggara.

via The Jakarta Post

photos cr. cottoncolony

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Luna Maya: "Don't call it a comeback"

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Fri, 20 May 2011 04:30:00 +0000

Luna Maya had it all when everything came to a screeching halt. Facing scrutiny from the government, the media and the public, business partners and even “friends”, Luna Maya’s well-publicized scandal left her shocked and confused but ultimately at peace and stronger than before.

As a dusky, exotic beauty with long legs and almond eyes, Luna Maya seemingly has what every girl desires, but she’s suffered a well-publicized setback in her career. Here, she models fashionable clothes and gives DA MAN an exclusive interview. By Obed Napitupulu

It’s a rainy, flooded afternoon in South Jakarta and Luna Maya has not arrived at the studio. Meanwhile, a team of journalists, photographers and their assistants wait anxiously for one of the most talked-about celebrities in Indonesian history to make her entrance. Then, with an audible gasp heard from the often-jaded image-makers, in walks a ravishing vision of sexual energy.

Luna Maya is wearing nothing but a pair of khaki capri pants, flat shoes, a loose-fitting shirt and a wry smile. We’ve heard all the stories. We’ve heard all the whispers. We think we know what to expect. We think we should prepare by putting on our best diva-deflecting body armor. She gracefully saunters in and sits down, the talk turns to sex. Sex videos and their aftermath, in particular.

What comes across more than any of the details of the case or resulting scandal is the fact that she is so cool and laid-back. There is no diva here. Not only that, Luna has an ease about her, a good-hearted aura—mixed with a healthy dose of alluring sexuality, it must be said. However, life is not all smooth sailing and sexy videos anymore.

Outcry

For those of you who’ve been on an extended holiday, this is what happened.

In June 2010, Luna and her former lover Nazril Irham found themselves the target of a police probe due to a leaked sex video.

The resulting outcry across Indonesia and the resulting legal action (due to Indonesia’s recently introduced porn laws) has taken a massive toll on both of their careers (Nazril is a superstar pop singer).

Now she’s rebuilding her life, but she doesn’t want anyone to call it a comeback, because she is not trying go back to anything, but insists on moving forward with new things.

Hippie roots

As a kid growing up in rural Bali with her “hippie Austrian mom” and her Javanese painter/singer dad (who passed away when she was 12 years old), Luna Maya Sugeng wasn’t exactly in the mainstream of Indonesia’s traditional society.

She admits to being a sports-minded tomboy playing in the mud and fields with her pals and trying to compete with her equally sporty brothers, one of whom would become a pro surfer, Tipi Jabrik.

She has said that she rarely wore makeup or cared about nice dresses. “I grew up in Bali, bodyboarding and surfing … and in my family, everyone is pretty relaxed. Not in the sense that we’re all given unmonitored freedom, but as long as you’re responsible and you prove that you’re on the right track, then you’re OK,” Luna says, and chuckles when talking about her Austrian mother. “My mom, she’s a hippie who loves to travel.”

When Luna was younger and her dad was still alive, the family would take trips to Lombok every few months for rest and recreation.

“Those were hippie-style vacations, nothing fancy,” she reminisces with a smile. “We would hike and trek on and around Mount Rinjani. We weren’t a luxurious kind of family.”

She has two older brothers, the aforementioned Tipi, who taught Luna how to surf, and her oldest brother, Juli, who’s now in a band in Bali.

Nonetheless, as a somewhat restless soul and never feeling that Bali was quite the same without her father around, she left for Jakarta to finish high school, moving in with her grandmother.

“I just wanted to get away from Bali. I got bored of it. Bali is a small island and you get to know everybody and there is actually not much to do. It’s always the same thing … and I said to myself I want to do something else,” Luna recalls.

And make no mistake, she did do something else. By the time she was in her late teens, she was already on the road to showbiz stardom with early jobs as a model and later a big breakout, at the age of 20, on the big screen in the film 30 Hari Mencari Cinta (30 Days Looking for Love).

After that, it was a rocket ride to the highest heights of the Indonesian showbiz industry. But then, it all came crashing down.

She’s not the first celebrity to get in hot water over a sex video, but she’s Indonesia’s first. After the videos became public last year, Luna explains that it “was like a bad rollercoaster ride.”

From there, it was a media feeding frenzy, not seen since Suharto left office in May 1998.

“The gossip media seems like they are just trying to get even. It’s not right. The media should not intervene in anyone’s personal issues in any way. But, again, the harder they try, the stronger I become,” Luna says with a smile.

“At the time, I guess I was pissed off, but I try not to think about it. I have more important things to do than to worry about the media and what they are saying about me. I don’t even watch TV anymore or pick up the tabloids,” she adds.

But when the issue first broke, shock was her first reaction. “I went to work and everyone was staring at me. That’s when I thought to myself, ‘This might be a big problem.’” A problem indeed. Within a week, the hardworking performing artist saw it all grind to a halt. She was let go by all her sponsors and dropped from her regular TV job.

While these sorts of scandals happen in lots of countries around Asia, as well as Europe and America, and often create a media circus, particularly the one featuring Paris Hilton, rarely does it so totally destroy careers.

In fact, it’s quite clearly the opposite, at least in the case of Hilton or Kim Kardashian. Their careers actually got a major boost. “I think there are a lot of scandals out there, but the difference is in the way we deal with it. It’s such a big issue, and for me, I think it’s harder being in Indonesia,” Luna explains.

“It’s the culture and the law. Not just the culture; I think it has more to do with the law being unclear,” Luna states.

Having studied law herself for the past two years (and hoping to go back someday, “when everything is settled”), Luna found herself puzzled by the legal system. “The written law is clear, but the implementation of it really left me confused … I’m angry at the Indonesian legal system,” Luna says.

The Twitter wars

That was not the first time she was in danger of being penalized by the system. In 2009, the Great Luna-Infotainment Twitter Wars kicked off in earnest (a group of paparazzi harassed her, prompting her to Tweet: “I hope you burn in hell”) and left her facing possible jail time.

Luna recalls that period and says it left a bitter taste about certain members of the media and the legal system.

But where does the old adage ‘any publicity is good publicity’ come into play here? It certainly worked for others, such as the aforementioned Hilton and Kardashian.

“If you can handle it, it’s OK. But if you can’t, it’s going to be a very big problem,” Luna states. “Maybe because I’m used to it, to all this bad publicity, it doesn’t affect me as much.”

It’s an elusive quality, being able to tune out the gossip of millions of people in your own country; a quality that Luna has undoubtedly refined.

She even says jokingly, “I’m used to it because it happens to me all the time, so I guess I’ve developed an immunity to it … I don’t mean to sound like I’m challenging the media or anything, I’m just trying to move on and make myself happy.”

Luna also draws strength from her Bali-based brothers and mom. “I have a small, but close-knit family, and they’ve all been super-cool and supportive. They don’t judge me,” Luna explains.

Back to Bali

“They don’t call up to get angry at me. They just say, ‘OK, here’s the situation. Just face it. If you need anything, we’ll be there for you and if you want to come home to Bali, you’re always welcome. You still have a home here. You can work with mom. There’s still a lot you can do. It’s not the end of the world.’”

She has been back to Bali a lot, in fact, over the past several months, and her mother has recently visited Jakarta.

Nonetheless, she still calls it a “long-distance relationship with them.”

As a result, Luna mostly confides in her Jakarta-based manager and the friends that have stuck by her.

“I have a lot of friends, but my true best friends are my friends who have been with me since back in junior high [in Bali]. Here in Jakarta, it’s my manager. She’s like my mom. She is real fun and I consider her family.” On the other side of the coin, she adds that the past year also helped her see some people’s true colors.

“I saw who my real friends were. Some people left me without a reason and I was like ‘OK, so you’re not my friend?’ I learned who really cared about me as well, and I feel more relaxed now because I don’t have to make everybody happy like I used to,” she muses.

“I’m thankful for my true friends. They really care for me. When this stuff was all over the news last year, I would never leave the house and now they’re taking me out to take my mind off things. Now, I’m hanging out more, going to the movies, eating out and going to salons getting my nails done and getting cream baths,” the 27-year-old beauty says.

The phoenix

So with such support from true friends and a non-judgmental family, she’s now ready to get back to work, but what can we expect? “I’m not making any plans. No plans. I’m just doing what I can,” she explains coolly.

On that front, she says that she is trying to do more work from behind the camera. “I’m trying to get my first movie out as director and producer. I have made short movies in the past and, in 2010, I shot a couple of music videos as a director. But this is my first feature-length film,” she explains with obvious excitement.

“It’s nice to find something new like that, which is also related to my passion without being in front of the camera,” Luna says. “We’re still undecided on the title but it’s a suspense thriller and we’re still in pre-production … I’m hoping it will be coming out in July.”

In addition, Luna is continuing to work on her clothing line, LM for Hardware (lunamayaforhw.com). That company now has 12 stores across Indonesia, and “business is great and we are hoping to expand again soon,” she beams.

Luna and some business partners (7 Sins Group) have also gotten into the restaurant business with a restaurant/lounge in Jakarta called Pride Bar & Dine Kebayoran Baru.

Better and stronger

When asked how it has made her a “better and stronger person,” Luna gets somewhat philosophical.

“I don’t mean to be cocky but I can say I am stronger now… I never think that a problem is a bad thing. Even the worst problem you can encounter still has a positive light to it. I do believe that any kind of problem is good for you. It’s helping you to discover who you really are. I don’t like it when people say it’s a disaster,” Luna continues.

“It can’t be a disaster if there’s something it can teach you about appreciating life more or believing in yourself more or showing you something that’s always been missing in your life. There’s always something. It’s not always a happy lesson, but if you look, you can see the positive side of it.”

Photographs: Nurulita/Fotomojo, Styling: Peter Zewet

via: DA MAN

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Sherina video in Hong Kong Charity Concert for Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Tue, 17 May 2011 07:00:00 +0000

rehearsal day, with Jackie Chan and other artists

The 21 year-old singer Sherina Munaf keeps digging the treasure of her talents inside herself out, and she is -along with Agnes Monica- are the best candidates for Indonesia's legends.

On last April, without alarming, Jackie Chan made a phone call to Sherina in person and asked her to join charity concert to raise funds for victims of Japan's earthquake and tsunami in Hong Kong, with other 300 Asian public figures such as Andy Lau, Donnie Yen, Kwon Sang-woo, Coco Lee, Park Jin-young, Wonder Girls, Masao Sen, Masatoshi Nakamura, and many more.

Seven years ago, they've met in similar occasion, a tribute to Indonesia's tsunami. At the time, Jackie Chan was smitten by the little girl who sang while playing her piano on stage. He took Sherina for a ride in his limo that night.

"Japan has a very special place in my heart. I have many best friends in Japan, and I have yet to find a medium to help contribute for Japan, and this opportunity is the answer," explains Sherina to Grazia.

Before the disaster happened, she said she was planning to travel to Japan in March to visit her friends.

In the 3-hours charity concert at Victoria Park, Sherina said the Japanese people should take encouragement from the way her country recovered from the 2004 tsunami that devastated coastlines across Southeast Asia.

"I am very impressed, I am very inspired by the Japanese people because after all these tough times, they still show calmness, respect toward each other and they are very helpful towad one another," she said before performing her song written by herself, Here to Stay.

Sherina performing "Here to Stay" live from Victoria Park

Former children actress

Sherina reached her popularity by the tender age of 9 for her adorable acting in the musical film Petualangan Sherina (The Adventure of Sherina), one of Indonesia's blockbuster movies in history which was also noted as the milestone for the revival of Indonesian movie industry.

Having six successful albums under her belt, today Sherina has become one of the most expensive model in Indonesia as well.

"I don't posses the long legs, big boobs like a supermodel does. I'm just grateful for what I have and make the most of it."

Sherina & the fans

Sherina's followers on Twitter breaks 1 million record. She has a fanclub called Sheraiser who has raised her up to be the person she is today. "My fans are not militant and they are not ultra-fanatic, they're just normal."

What next?

"I have lots of passions, and it all goes in one cycle. I want to learn science, technology, learn how to make film scoring, and learn Canton," gushes Sherina. In 2012 Sherina is ready to enter university in USA.

"Before I die, I should deliver all the stories in my mind..," she states.

via Grazia, May 2011, photos cr. @sherinamunaf

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Rikas Harsa Best National Costume, Top 15 Mr. Universe Model 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Sun, 15 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Rikas Harsa marked his international pageant debut this year with golden ink.

The winner of L-Men of The Year 2010 was just announced as one of Top 15 Mister Universe Model 2011 in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, May 14, 2011. He also received Best National Costume award.

A pageant site quoted as saying, during the pre-pageant Rikas, the automotive company manager-slash-model, grabbed the media and crowd attention of being charm and very participative in every pageant activities. He was also the media's bet in swimsuit and pre-pageant competitions.

For the national costume, Rikas wore the "King of Papua" style designed by Dynan Fariz from Jember Fashion Carnival. During the preliminary, he wore Batik from Alleira and his evening wear is designed by Billy Tjong. Rikas also brought a painting of Balinese girl and a miniature of Becak to Dominica as the souvenirs for the pageant.

Top 15

Slovenia, Venezuela, Portugal, Mexico, Ireland, Bolivia, Serbia, Luxembourg, Bolivia, Indonesia, Iraq, South Africa, Peru, Chile and Dominican Republic.

Winner — Venezuela Juan Pablo Gomez

For more information about the pageant, visit the official website

Here are some of Rikas' pictures during the pageant.

Pictures credit: bellezavenezolana and MUM official website

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Arifin Putra is back for "bordertown"

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Sun, 15 May 2011 05:30:00 +0000

Actor Arifin Putra, who's been off screen for a while is back with his new movie called Batas (border).

Directed by famous director Rudi Sudjarwo (Ada Apa Dengan Cinta?, Mengejar Matahari), Batas explores the condition of a border rural somewhere in West Kalimantan, the closest area to Malaysia, which has been way out of our radar. However, it's not a mere literally geographical but also psychological border that this movie is talking about.

Arifin plays along Marcella Zalianty, the famous Jajang C Noer, and Ardina Rasti. Marcella plays Jaleswari, a teacher from the big town coming to the border village and faces that her actual obstacle is not just about students and nature. Arifin plays a young man called Arif, a mysterious border guard. Hm, I like mysterious guy. For this movie purpose he tans his skin.

This might be Arifin's first idealistic movie after 'Merah Putih', but this one seems more down to earth and human.

'Batas' Trailer

Batas, premieres on May 19.

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Agnes Monica on "Dream, Believe, and Make It Happen" Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Mon, 09 May 2011 14:40:00 +0000

US Deputy Chief of Mission, Ted Osius, with Agnes Monica talking about "Dream, Believe, and Make It Happen" Campaign (cr. @agnezmo & @america)

Shining Agnes

First, she dreams and believes it. Then, she makes it happen. Dream, believe and make it happen. Those phrases have been a mantra that has helped Agnes Monica achieve her dreams.

Today, she is not only known to fellow Indonesian citizens; she also has devoted fans in neighboring countries. Agnes had made a name overseas, particularly in Asia, long before she was appointed to co-host the 2010 American Music Awards in November.

On last Friday, Agnes – a pop singer, actress and model – shared her life journey with nearly 300 teenagers at the American cultural center @america in Jakarta. At the event, also attended by United States Ambassador to Indonesia Scot Marciel, Agnes shared her experiences from her recent trip to the US where she collaborated with Michael Bolton.

Sporting tight denim jeans and a white t-shirt, the singer – who has collected dozens of domestic and international awards – talked about her belief that small people can do big things.

Agnes, who will turn 25 this July, was known to the public as a child singer and a television presenter in the 1990s. Her role in the television series Pernikahan Dini (Premature Marriage) helped catapult her to stardom.

She released the album And The Story Goes at the end of 2003, which chronicled her transition from child singer to a respected and successful artist.

“Hello, people!” Agnes Monica loudly greeted the 300 high school students who flocked to meet the pop singer at the American cultural center @america in Jakarta on Friday.

The students are participants at the Access English language program set up by the US State Department.

“Dream, believe and make it happen” is a mantra for the multi-talented young Agnes. Sharing her dreams and achievements with the teenage audience, Agnes encouraged the students to have big dreams in life.

“Don’t be afraid of dreaming big in life, work hard on it and make it happen. Dream, believe, and make it happen is my principle,” said Agnes.

She asked the audience if they were ever skeptical of their own capabilities to achieve something big in their lives.

“You probably thought you couldn’t do it, but hey, guess what? Everyone can do big things,” she said.

Agnes claimed that since she was little, she was never afraid of dreaming big. A popularly child star in late 1990s, Agnes – unlike many of her peers – succeeded in transforming herself into a multi-talented star with an impressive list of achievements.

She has built a successful career not just as a singer, but also as an actor. However, she says, those achievements weren’t enough for a person with big dreams.

At the event, Agnes showed photos and video clips from her trip to the US and explained her goals of visiting the US as a first step to “going international”.

David Lee Carden, the new US ambassador to ASEAN, gave the opening remarks at the event.

At the event, Agnes also announced other international projects she was involved in, including a starring role on Taiwanese television alongside Taiwanese actor Jerry Yan and co-hosting the American Music Awards 2010 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.

She also performed a duet with Michael Bolton for his upcoming album that will be released in June.

Alfa, a student in the audience, said the event was a great way for high school students from middle- and lower-income backgrounds to get greater exposure to English language and international cultures.

“I think Agnes Monica is a great role model for young Indonesians with big dreams who are trying hard to pursue their dreams. Agnes is all about action, not just talk,” she said.

Fellow student Novi said enrolling in the English language course at @america was a big dream come true for him and his friends at the event.

“I have always wanted to go abroad and study English literature. I hope this opportunity to come and listen to what Agnes said can open doors for me to reach my dream,” Novi said.

Sharing bits of her life with the audience, Agnes said she usually spent her weekends with family like other ordinary people and tried to study and read more books in her free time.

“I usually spend time with family. I spend a lot of time with them or enroll in different courses in my free time. I love studying because it’s a great way to spend time. I’ve taken the SAT, foreign language courses and a whole lot more. I read a lot of books. I’m basically a nerd.” she said.

During her time in the US, Singer Agnes Monica has worked in collaboration with American crooner Michael Bolton.

The starlet went to the US in February and was asked to do a duet with Bolton. Agnes sang Bolton’s hit “Said I love you but I lied” with him. The new single is slated to be in Bolton’s new album.

Agnes said doing a duet with an International star gave her a sense of pride. In the past year, Agnes has been working to launch an international career and appeared in the American Music Awards as one of the hosts last year.

Agnes said Bolton was supportive of her dream.

“He said it was positive and for him it was something that needed to supported,” Agnes said as quoted by vivanews.com. Agnes said Bolton gave her the freedom to sing in her own style.

“He let me be myself. We have special interpretations in the song that we sang and he always asked me [for my opinion]. We discussed everything together,” she said.

via The Jakarta Post here, here, and here

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Peeking Summer with Renata K

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Sat, 07 May 2011 12:30:00 +0000

Summer is around the corner and Renata comes out with bright colors that looks like just exploded from the paint cants. Sporting in quirky and edgy style, Renata is ready to challenge the sun and brighten up your days. Sunglasses, please!

via Dresscode

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Agnes Monica: "I don't want to judge people"

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:40:00 +0000

Agnes Monica and Michael Bolton

Pop sensation Agnes Monica just came back from America with her new single and video "Paralyzed". Many people have anticipated the single, and we have seen a lot of teasers and behind-the-scene clips of this video, hence didn't come up as a big surprise anymore.

What came as a surprise for people here, is that not only did she film the video clip, but also recorded a duet with one of America's greatest singers, Michael Bolton. They recycled Bolton's hit "Said I Love You But I Lied" for Bolton's new album called "Gem". The album will be released on June. Besides Agnes Monica, Coco Lee is said to be having a duet for the album as well.

"There was actually a project that I had to do [in USA], and I was not allowed to tell about it by my recording label. But eventually people knew about it, my fans asked my dancers about it," says Agnes Monica on her latest interview with Kapanlagi early this week.

"Everything happened spontaneously, including when Michael Bolton was willing to share the news with me [on Dahsyat Show's live cast]. I had no intention to tell people because it was still in process, we haven't got the result yet.

"The album [Gem] will consist of the duets from Michael Bolton with many artists, so it's a compilation album," Agnes explains furthermore. "Mr. Bolton was the one who called me first. I was so surprised and happy."

Agnes Monica and the judgments

We also know that many people have doubt on Agnes Monica's big dream -which is to go international, and Agnes realizes it. She knows too, that most people judge her based on the quotes from infotainment, which are sadly and mostly misleading.

"There's no need to take notice on people who don't believe in our dream, or who keep mocking what we do. Just surrender to God, and consistent on providing our best," states Agnes.

"Our future doesn't depend on what people think of us, but on what we have done to ourselves. And most importantly, it's how we can make God happy in our daily life.

"I don't want to be someone who goes to the church and read bible but still keeps talking about other people, or judging people. In all religions, if we cannot apply the essence of our holy book, if we cannot give love to people, then we just end up being hypocrite.

"It is how to love those who hate us, because if we love those who hate us, bad people will do the same too. Good people do not just love those who love us, even to people who hate us they will give their love too. I hope I can apply this in the entertainment world that is full of temptation," preaches Agnes.

"There are so many knowledge in this world. But if someone only knows from a to d, then his conclusion will be just drawn around a or b, or c or d. But those who know a lot will not quick to judge. Because they observe one thing from many different point of views."

Agnes Monica and music

At the moment Agnes Monica is still focusing herself on singing, especially music production. She's learning several music instruments such as piano and bass guitar, music arrangement, and vocal.

"I've been learning classic piano since I was a little. But for song-writing, I still count on my hearing. I don't know yet about chord. I'm learning several music instruments, but I can't tell you now. Let this be a surprise," says Agnes.

What about leisure time with family and friends?

"I like going to the cinema with my friends when I have spare time. Twitter and Facebook keep me connected with all my friends wherever I go. With my family, sometimes we just go riding outside the city.

Agnes Monica's verified Twitter @agnezmo, does she really tweets the messages herself?

"It's one of ways to keep in touch with my fans. And I can tweet 20 times a day when I feel like it. I tweet them all by myself."

via kapanlagi photos: agnezone

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Anggun on AskMen Top 99 Women

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:00:00 +0000

What's up Anggun?

Anggun new album is scheduled to be released in April 2011 starting in France, Indonesia and the rest of the world soon. She has just finished recording all of the songs and in the mid of mixing and mastering process.

The new album will continues Anggun normality of having both English and france versions with few songs in Bahasa Indonesia version. The album will be released by Warner Music France to be distributed in European countries and Asia.

Currently Anggun in the mid of promoting her single in collaboration with Schiller throughout Germany. The single, 'Blind' and 'Always You' are taken off Schiller latest 2010 album's Atemlos. - via Melodica

Anggun on AskMen Top 99 Women

Anggun is on the list of AskMen Top 99 Women 2010 North America edition. I know it's kinda late, but apparently she's the only Indonesian featured in this website and the chance to come up twice on the list might be slim. So this one deserves to be acknowledged.

What I find interesting is because the webmag also provides quite extensive research of her international career and of why she could be one of the Top 99 Women and what not.

Anggun Rating:

Sexiness: 82

Success: 78

AskMen overall Rating: 80

Why is She Famous

A musical prodigy who had a slew of hit records in her home country as a teenager, Anggun has since found fame in Europe and the rest of Asia with a string of smash songs in the past five years.

Anggun Quote

"Love is when you wake up in the morning and have a big smile."

82 Sex Appeal

Anggun has a unique look that separates her from the normal crowd of female singers out there. With her sensual blend of Asian ethnicity, she is a definite honey on the rise. Her sexiness is not an overt, flaunted and obvious quality but is rather mysterious and enticing. Overall, a much better challenge than some of the transparent female singers on the scene today.

78 Success

We want to give Anggun a higher score but until she blows up on the American market, we have to reserve comment. Our hope and expectation is that she will find a niche in North America, because based on our experience with her musical style, it does translate well. She can sing in a variety of languages with equal skill and has the potential to be an international superstar, like a Celine Dion or Shakira.

What she needs now is a juggernaut marketing machine behind her. In terms of her fame to date, Anggun has established a loyal following in Asia and Europe and other parts of the world. She could get by quite well without America but there is no doubt that with an airwave and MTV rotation, Anggun could become a household name.

Anggun Biography

With millions of albums sold in her native country, Anggun is perhaps the most popular artist ever to emerge from the cultural melting pot known as Indonesia. A relative unknown to North American audiences, Anggun Cipta Sasmi has been a staple on the music scene for almost two decades.

Born on April 29, 1974 in the capital city of Jakarta, her musical family had a profound impact on her life. With the melody of music all around her day and night, Anggun was raised to become a performer of some kind.

Rocking in The East

At the tender age of nine, Anggun released an album and soon became a star in Indonesia. Three years later, a veteran of the industry, she began a collaboration with reputed producer Ian Antono that spawned six hit albums over a seven-year period. Her sound at the time was influenced by rock and Western music in general. A veritable star in her homeland, Anggun founded a record company at 19 years old and began to produce on her own.

Always ready for a new challenge, the young singer left the comfort of home in 1995 for London and then Paris. Without the benefit of the native language but with a few precious connections, Anggun formed a partnership with a known songwriter/producer named Erick Benzi. The resulting album, Snow On The Sahara, cemented her place as an international artist with broad appeal. In fact, one of her songs from the album was used in a major advertising campaign by Swatch.

Her Talent is No Contradiction

In 1998, Anggun received her first taste of the United States when she was featured on the Lilith Fair tour. She has also appeared on the Rosie O'Donnell Show and is hopeful that forthcoming releases will break into the North American market. Until then, however, Anggun will have to remain content to please her vast and loyal global fan club.

via Askmen

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Thomas Sebastian: from nothing to next big thing

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:20:00 +0000

Thomas Sebastian

3rd Runner-up Mister International 2010

A breakthrough story

Healthy life is not all about healthy body, the 4th place winner of Mister International 2010 proved the benefit of healthy life. Thomas made it from nothing to the next big thing.

Fitness buddies plays important role for Thomas' transformation, from overweight to athletic ideal body just like now.

Thomas hit the gym with 98kg of weight. He had never expected he could shape himself up to finally get an athletic body. "I shed 20kg in less than one and a half year," says Thomas.

Thomas' figure that you see now is the result from hard work and commitment. And thanks to that, he also gains confidence as well.

"I used to be so shy, not confident, especially in front of the camera. But now I work with camera a lot," he flashes back.

Healthy reason is also one of the factors that motivated Thomas to stay on healthy lifestyle and exercise five times a week. "I feel fresher and comfy to move around," says the guy who can play piano and saxophone.

He realizes the yo-yo effect that could happen to people who shed weight. Therefore he feels the challenge to keep his diet intact by staying away from greasy food and getting on cardio exercise.

In 2009 he accompanied his friend to the L-Men of the Year 2009 audition, "and I thought I could be the winner for next year, judging from the weight-loss I have managed" he says. And it came true, a wild card to represent Bandung in L-Men 2010 was his golden ticket to the next big thing.

His transformation became an inspiration for his friends as well. "I was the one who got inspired by the winners of L-Men, and now I want to be one of them to convey the positive message to my friends," he enthuses.

From the runner-up of L-Men 2011 to be one of the runner-ups in Mister International Pageant, such a big leap for the guy who was once weight 98kg. Thomas is also the winner of Best National Costume in Mister International 2010. How did he feel when he was going through the competition?

"At first I was afraid to compete with all those representatives, since they are the best from their countries, and I have stage fright...It takes bigger courage to stand up on the stage, being watched by many people.

"I'm glad that I was taught about communication skill and culture study which helped me a lot in this contest," he explains. Even Thomas believed he would get into Top 15. However, he never expected that he could ever be the 3rd Runner-up.

And now the jazz enthusiast is reaping his success; photo shoots, fashion shows, and his face shows up on the package of L-Men Daily Formula. He also appeared in an international magazine, and starred in a commercial film with Miss Universe Ximena Navarrete.

How about acting in a real film? "For the moment I just prefer photo shoot because I'm in the making of a portfolio. I want to work seriously in this field first," he states.

Once you commit to run a healthy lifestyle, it is a promise until the end of your life, he philosophies. Even with tight schedule like now, he keeps doing the sit-up and push-up routine when he doesn't have time for gym.

Via Men's Guide

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Five Minutes With Jessica Mauboy

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Jessica & Jay Sean duet on 'What Happened to Us'

Five minutes with Jessica Mauboy

We caught up with homegrown superstar Jessica Mauboy to chat about everything from her new single 'What Happened to Us' to her time in high school.

How did you come up with the music video for 'What Happened to Us'?

I've got a great creative team behind me who I work closely with. For this video it was all about lost love and they really helped me bring my vision to life.

Did you enjoy working with Jay Sean?

Yes! We had a ball shooting the video. He's a really talented artist.

How has your life changed since your recent success?

I am a lot busier!

Would you consider a duet with Justin Bieber?

I think Justin is a great young talent, so if the song was right then yes — game on!

When did you first become interested in music?

Music has always been my passion, ever since I was a little girl singing Mariah Carey songs with my hairbrush in front of the mirror!

Who inspires you?

My family, they've always been my rock.

How do you like to spend your downtime?

I try to get home to Darwin whenever I can.

If you weren't in the music industry, what would you be doing?

That's a really hard question because I have never wanted to do anything else!

What is your favourite thing to do?

Perform! Nothing beats getting on stage and putting on a killer show for your fans.

Do any of the stories told in your songs relate to your own stories?

Sometimes when I'm writing and performing I draw on my feelings and life experiences. So yes!

What has been the best moment of your career so far?

There have been so many great moments! Probably going to Los Angeles to write and record the Get 'em Girls album with some of the most amazing producers and artists in the world.

What is a typical day like in the life of Jessica Mauboy?

Every day is seriously different. There is no "typical day" really. But it sure keeps my life exciting!

Are you excited about touring with Chris Brown?

Yes, I am so excited to get out and perform and see all my amazing fans!

What was high school like for you?

I enjoyed high school. Darwin is a great place to grow up and I had lots of great friends.

'What Happened To Us' holds a special place in Jess's heart too.

"It's definitely one of my favourites. I shouldn’t say that I have favourites, but this was a special song – and one that I really contributed to, along with Billy Steinberg who wrote ‘Like A Virgin’ for Madonna among many other famous hits." (Billy also co-penned 'Eternal Flame' for The Bangles, 'So Emotional' for Whitney Houston, 'I Touch Myself' for The Divinlys and 'True Colours' for Cyndi Lauper among many many others.).

"He just had this beautiful melodious bed track. We just started working on it and he just lyrically stunned me. I didn’t know what to say," Jess says. "After we finished the track, I remember asking to listen to it back a few times because I was loving it. I loved the strength of it, but I asked (Jess adopts a sheepish voice) ‘Billy… What do you think about someone else being on the track? I really believe that we should get someone really special to duet on the track.’

"I remember saying, 'Billy, how would I get Jay Sean on this track?' He replied with a 'meh – we’ll get something happening.'

"So I was on my way back home to Australia and I got an email with ‘What Happened To Us’ attached to it. I was listening back to it and I went insane as the second verse came in. I yelled “NO YOU DIDN’T!!?’." She then bubbles over with laughter in her chair.

And it delights us to find out that the physical version of 'What Happened To Us' is not just one of those dreaded one-trackers either.

"The physical single has the two remixes of ‘What Happened To Us’ on the b-side. The remixes really amazed me. I was curious to find out what they’d do to the track in remix form. I’m really thrilled with the way they’ve turned out," she says.

This month, Jessica joins the Chris Brown tour in the role of support act and she's brimming with excitement at the prospect of taking her live performance up another notch.

"Going back to the Beyonce tour, I just performed to track with two dancers, so this is going to be something completely different," she says. "I’ve been working with a live band, so we’re going to rock it out. We’re going to put some electric and percussion in there and take it to another level."

She also tells us to expect the Justice Crew boys to drop by.

"Yeah, the Justice Crew boys are there too. That’s going to be interesting because every time I do a gig with them, we always seem to do a collaboration. You never know. Perhaps they may come out randomly and do their thing on one or two songs.

"But with a whole tour, it’s usually a case of towing the line with what the big act’s team is after. We could be on the third song and they could want us off the stage. We’re just preparing for the worst. I just remember doing the Beyonce tour and her guys asking us to cut it because they were running out of time."

Jessica also says that plans are already well advanced for the "what comes next" phase following on from the current single, saying her fans can expect much more to come from the 'Get 'Em Girls' project.

"We’re trying to take the album straight through to Christmas," she says, hinting at more. "We might even be doing a re-package, which is really cool. All new photos. This might happen next week – I don’t know. I guess it really depends. But before Christmas would be lovely.

"I’ve also been in the studio again. I’ve had some of the previous producers I’ve worked with send me some new stuff and I’ve just been working on it. Putting my thing on it."

Despite all the naysaying about the performance of Jessica's latest project, 'Get 'Em Girls' the album has already achieved a gold sales status and has charted inside the top ten - higher than her debut album 'Been Waiting' which, after countless singles and a repackage, went on to achieve double platinum sales.

"It’s interesting, because the more people hear, the more they end up getting curious about the album," Jess says. "I’m so excited. This is the part where we can really ramp it up."

via auspop and Dolly

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Mariana Renata for "Just Jeans" and "SABA"

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 13:30:00 +0000

Mariana Renata for Dotti Summer 10

Mariana for "Just Jeans"

Mariana Renata for SABA

Mariana and Bambi

BECCA Fallen Angel Christmas 10

Mariana on Cosmopolitan Magazine Australia

There's no rest for Indonesian sweetheart Mariana Renata.

After modeling and gracing the catwalks for some famous Aussie brands/designers such as Becca, Sass & Bide, Alice McCall, Carine Thevenau, Wittner, and more, the Indonesia's Olay Icon scoops up for some more projects this year, that includes posing for Australia's local brands Just Jeans and SABA 2011 commercials.

It's been a while since last time we saw Mariana's TV commercials other than Olay. So it feels refreshing to watch her again, especially in these fashion ads. Dear Mariana, you look fab. When will you back again for acting here?

Just Jeans Aviator TVC

SABA AW11 Season Launch Video

via. Mariana Renata

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Agnes Monica "Paralyzed" Music Video Released!

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:55:00 +0000

Agnes Monica's most anticipated new music video "Paralyzed" is finally premiered today, April 12.

Embellished with Batik extravaganza from Jember Fashion Carnival, traditional Javanese dance to Batik phone boot and sophisticated LA gangsta style with R&B moves, the video takes the eastern-western culture collabs to a new level. The concept and ideas of this video came from Agnes Monica herself.

Directed by famous director David Lehre from USA and also Alyandra -director from Indonesia, Agnes Monica shows off her dancing skill with her dancers from both Indonesia's Nezindahood and America's NezziNez. (PS: Two of the USA dancers are booked for Rihanna's Loud Tour and Britney Spears.)

The video was shot in both Indonesia and Los Angeles, USA, where Agnes met to record a duet with American singer Michael Bolton. They both were recording Bolton's greatest hit Said I Loved You But I Lied, for Bolton's album "Gems" which is going to release on June.

[Agnes Monica was actually in America for her secret project which is related to her international album, and the opportunity to have a duet with Mr. Bolton came as a bonus.]

Agnes Monica & Michael Bolton in the studio, LA, March 2011

(Bolton quoted as saying on his official website, "Have been listening nonstop to the Agnes Monica duet on Said I loved you but I lied. She's taking it to new heights!")

Bolton also praises the Paralyzed MV "Congrats AM. Lovin it!"

The choreography for "Paralyzed" is assisted by famous American choreographers, Tricia Miranda -who's also the artistic director for this video-, and Ellen Kim.

Besides the official video, Agnes Monica also pampers his fans by providing 7 clips of The Making of "Paralyzed".

Official MV - Agnes Monica - Paralyzed (HD)

The Making of Paralyzed

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Pictures cr. Agnezone, Yeyen, Agnes Monica

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Men's Fashion Week Singapore: Fetch People: Edwin Lee Kadarisman

noreply@blogger.com (Furbabe) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:15:00 +0000

Edwin for Shanghai Tang Spring/Summer 2011 Ad Campaign

Edwin for The Fetch Blog

Clearly, leaving his bank job in Japan a few years ago to model was a great decision. FETCH PEOPLE MODEL 27, Edwin Lee Kadarisman is now one of Indonesia’s top model.

Recently seen on the runways for the inaugural Men’s Fashion Week 2011 in Singapore, this handsome model with bones structure to envy was seen in nearly every show. If that’s not enough to prove his mettle as a top model, countless of magazine covers across the region and Shanghai Tang appointed him as their face for their Spring/Summer 2011 international ad campaign.

Edwin has a body to die for too but best of all, this former trophies winning volleyball player is one of the nicest and down to earth guy I have ever met. Even though with his array of accomplishments in modelling. 1.85m tall Edwin took some time off his busy schedule to be FETCH PEOPLE 27.

Edwin for the runways of Men's Fashion Week 2011, Singapore

Tell us more about Edwin Lee Kadarisman.

I am a simple man with a Big Vision. I am based in 3 Countries (Singapore, Hongkong and China ‘Shanghai’) with All Cal-Carries Agency and I enjoy playing volleyball when time permits.

How did modelling come about?

I started to model when I was in Jakarta, because of my girlfriend and friends encouraged me to try it and they supported my decision to model.

Runways or Photo Shoots. Why?

I like both runways and photo shoots. Actually modelling is not just limited to only runways and photo shoots. I have also done TVC and Print job (for Commercial). That said, I like photo shoots more, because I can keep the pictures when I retire from modelling. I won’t be retiring anytime soon though as I still want to attain my goal in modelling.

What is your Style Philosophy?

Keep it simple and be myself. I wear anything as long it’s comfortable and suits my body.

What are your favourite labels?

Shanghai Tang! (haha!) I like mandarin collar. I think it’s classy looking and special.

Who are your Style Influences?

My good friends and my girlfriend.

What do you like to do when you have a free time?

I like to workout or play volleyball. Also meeting up with my friends.

Where to next after Men’s Fashion Week?

I don’t know yet, but I believe my agency has already some plans for me. I think I might go back to Hongkong again.

Any chance of seeing you on a sinetron (Indonesia’s drama series) anytime soon?

Haha, maybe. If I have already reached my goal and retire from modelling. For now though, I want to focus solely on modelling.

What are your advice to new models?

Just be yourself and give your best in whatever you do whichever part of your life.

Via: The Fetch Blog

Indonesian Heartthrob Blog by Furansizuka Cs is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.