KUALA LUMPUR, 30 NOV 2007: Pelakon, penyanyi dan pengacara jelita, Maya Karin Roelcke kini melangkah setapak lagi ke hadapan apabila terpilih menjadi duta jenama jam mewah, TAG Heuer.

Pengumuman ini dibuat pada majlis pelancaran butik terbaru TAG Heuer Malaysia di gedung beli-belah eksklusif, Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur, semalam.

“Ia adalah satu tanggungjawab yang berat buat diri saya. Saya amat berbangga kerana diberi kepercayaan ini. TAG Heuer bukan satu nama calang-calang kerana pernah dikaitkan dengan nama-nama selebriti antarabangsa,” kata Maya kepada murai.com.my.

Pengumuman bersejarah itu dibuat oleh President dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) TAG Heuer, Jean-Christophe Babin, dengan disaksikan ramai pihak media tempatan.

Apa yang jelas, pemilihan pelakon kacukan Melayu-Jerman sebagai duta dan jurucakap baru TAG Heuer menaikkan lagi sahamnya dalam dunia perfileman serta pengiklanan. Sebelum ini Maya juga pernah melariskan iklan produk seperti Pantene, Celcom, L’Oreal.

Dalam dunia lakonan sendiri, Maya sudah merangkul beberapa anugerah utama di peringkat tempatan dan antarabangsa. Antaranya, Pelakon Wanita Terbaik dalam Festival Filem Asia-Pasifik 2004 di Fukuoka, Jepun (melalui filem Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam), Pelakon Terbaik dalam Estepona Fantasy & Terror Film Festival 2005 di Malaga, Sepanyol (menerusi Pontianak Harum Sundal Malam 2) Aktres Filem Pilihan Anugerah Oskar Ke-5 (Anak Halal).

Di samping itu, Maya turut dikenali sebagai VJ bagi saluran Channel [V] selain dipilih sebagai VJ Terbaik oleh Star Buzz Editor’s Choice Award 2006. Sebelum itu, pada 2004 pula, dia diberi peluang membuat liputan majlis kapet merah Oscar di Los Angeles untuk Channel [V].

Ketika ini, selepas 1957: Hati Malaya, Maya sedang menantikan kemunculan dua filem terbarunya di pawagam iaitu Anak Halal dan Duyung.

“Maya seorang wanita hebat. Dia rupawan, berbakat, popular serta versatil. Saya yakin dia membawa impak kepada jenama kami dan semestinya paling sesuai menjadi ikon baru TAG Heuer,” kata Jean.

Sebelum ini, selebriti lain yang pernah menjadi duta TAG Heuer termasuklah Uma Thurman, Shah Rukh Khan, Zhang Ziyi, Tiger Woods, Priyanka Chopra, Kimi Raikkonen dan Brad Pitt. Tahniah Maya!

Murai

KL, 30 NOV 2007: Selain melihat aksi peserta mencuba bakat tarian dalam Sehati Berdansa yang semakin popular di Astro Ria, kemunculan pasangan hosnya – Linda Onn dan Fahrin Ahmad – turut menjadi perhatian penonton.

Sejak digosipkan menjadi kekasih, Murai Batu tengok inilah pertama kali mereka berpasangan sebagai hos dan idea itu memang kena dengan konsep rancangan terbabit itu menonjolkan pasangan yang ada ikatan kasih sayang.

Dengan lain perkataan, kalau bukan pasangan suami isteri, pasangan yang bakal jadi pasangan suami isteri pun OK juga, macam Linda dan Fahrin tu.

Murai Batu telefon Linda dan bertanya, “Haa, rasa seronok tak Linda partner dengan Fahrin? Ada macam rasa semangat tu lebih tak bila buat hosting dengan si dia yang tersayang?”

Jawab Linda: “Amboi, pandai-pandai nak gosiplah tu. Eh, kita orang ni profesional tau. Kalau kerja… kerja, mana boleh campur aduk hal personal.”

Yolah tu… Bagi Murai Batu, pemilihan Fahrin dan Linda memang kena kerana mereka bersahaja dan begitu ceria. Jangan tak tahu, Si Linda tu memang kaki menari. Kalau dah ada kat dance floor, Lindalah yang paling lincah!

MURAI BATU: Nak tunggu tengok aksi peserta menari jazz minggu ini. Minggu depan khabarnya mereka kena menari tarian Bollywood pula.

Murai

KL, 30 NOV 2007: Jeng, jeng, jeng.. inilah jawapan kepada teka teki yang begitu dinanti-nantikan peminat program realiti TV popular Akademi Fantasia (AF).

Selepas pengacara popular, Aznil Nawawi menyatakan hasrat untuk tidak lagi beraksi sebagai hos AF musim akan datang, gempar juga satu Malaya dibuatnya. Setahu Murai Batu, ketika itu ramai terkejut beruk dengan tindakan Aznil itu. Mana tidak, berhempas pulaslah team produksi AF mencari calon pengganti untuk pengacara serba boleh ni.

Apapun, yang berlalu, biarlah berlalu. Baru-baru ini, ketika Murai Batu pergi ke satu konsert yang melibatkan bintang AF, ada segelintir peminat bertanyakan pada Murai Batu, siapakah pengganti Aznil. Wah, belum apa-apa lagi, orang dah sibuk tanya. Memang selalu menjadi topik panazz siapa akan jadi pengetua AF pada setiap musim.

Sebenarnya sampai sekarang, Murai Batu masih belum nampak hitam putih kewujudan musim baru AF. Tapi Murai Batu dah dengar-dengar macam-macam nama akan menjadi pengacara menggantikan Aznil seperti AC Mizal, Sarimah Ibrahim, Raja Azura dan Zainal Alam Kadir (Alam). Malah, kemasukan Alam sebagai staf sepenuh masa (berkontrak) Astro juga dikaitkan dengan AF. Betul atau tidak, Murai Batu mulalah mengorek rahsia tu.

Apabila Murai Batu pergi merisik maklumat dari sumber terdekat, Murai Batu dapat tahu khabar angin yang mengejutkan iaitu pengkritik tetap AF5 yang lalu, Fauziah Datuk Ahmad Daud atau Kak Ogy sudah dilamar menjadi pengetua musim baru!

Pun begitu, lamaran itu katanya masih lagi belum ada jawapan sah lagi. Kalau benarlah khabar angin itu, nampaknya meletup lagilah AF6. Sumber itu bercerita lagi, kalau tidak pun jadi pengetua, khidmat Kak Ogy juga diperlukan untuk menjadi hos menggantikan tempat Aznil.

Satu lagi yang Murai Batu dengar, Si Aznil sebenarnya turut dilamar tetapi dengan tugas baru iaitu sebagai pengkritik tetap AF6. Haaai, best gitu kalau menjadi!

Apapun, kita sama-sama tunggu siapa yang kena. Awal tahun depan, semuanya akan terbongkar!

MURAI BATU: Ada juga cadangkan Sheila Majid jadi pengetua AF6. Amacam, ada tokoh?

Murai

ROSYAM Nor dan Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad (empat dari kiri) sedang beramah mesra dengan peserta Bengkel Harmoni Bersama Aura Seri yang diadakan di Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini.

SETELAH menjelajah ke Johor Bahru, Kuantan dan Pulau Pinang, akhirnya Bengkel Harmoni Bersama Aura Seri anjuran majalah Harmoni terbitan Utusan Karya Sdn. Bhd. menemui lokasi terakhirnya iaitu di Hotel Quality, Kuala Lumpur.

Bengkel sehari itu bertujuan memberi peluang kepada orang ramai, khususnya pembaca majalah Harmoni menimba ilmu bersama pakar motivasi, Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Ahmad.

Peserta dihidangkan dengan topik-topik yang menarik seperti Membina Keluarga Harmoni dan Mendidik Anak Ke Arah Kecemerlangan.

Selain itu terdapat tip kecantikan wajah dan memelihara kecantikan dalam daripada pengasas Aura Seri, Norzainah Abdul Ghani atau Ira. Beliau juga mengajar teknik-teknik senaman bagi menghangatkan hubungan suami isteri.

Paling menarik ialah kemunculan artis popular, Rosyam Nor yang menceritakan pengalaman kehidupan berumah tangga dan rahsia kejayaan dalam bidang seni serta perniagaan.

Di samping itu, beliau turut berkongsi rahsia awet muda dan tip untuk mengekalkan keremajaan kulit wajah lelaki dan wanita.

Setiap peserta menerima tiga bulan (enam keluaran) percuma majalah Harmoni dan cenderamata daripada Aura Seri, manakala tujuh peserta bengkel yang bertuah membawa pulang pelbagai hadiah menarik menerusi cabutan bertuah.

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Trip the light fantastic

MINI ANTHIKAD-CHHIBBER

Madhuri Dixit insists it is by chance and not design that her big comeback jive, Aaja Nachle, is a dance film

Dance with me Madhuri Dixit is on familiar ground in Aaja Nachle

In this day and age of reinvention — look at Madonna who went from pop tart and disco queen to earth mother and retro revival goddess — it is a tad surprising that Madhuri Dixit who had the world and then some more dance to her tunes in t
he Eighties and Nineties chose Anil Mehta’s “Aaja Nachle” to announce her return to tinsel town.

“I did not go looking for a dance film you know,” Madhuri says with a hearty laugh.

“It all just came together. The film has a lot of layers and is not only about dancing. ‘Nachle’ is also about the triumph of the human spirit.”

Madhuri says the fact that “Nachle” is produced by the Yash Raj banner was a big plus. “Yashji has worked with married actors before and is mindful of our needs and commitments.”

The “ek do teen” girl’s first thought on being offered the role of Dia was “is the public still interested in seeing me. That was my immediate reaction. No, I did not say ‘yes’ right away. I thought about it, discussed it with my family. I was not sure if it would all pan out you know. I took four to five days to make up my mind.”

Madhuri says it was no walk in the park there after.

“Of course I was nervous! But then when I stood in front of the camera, it was like I had never gone away. Everything miraculously fell in place.”

Talking about her role, the 42-year-old mum of two says: “I play Dia, who leaves her small town, Shamili, to go to New York where she makes a name for herself as a choreographer.

She returns to Shamili when her guru calls her, as his theatre, Ajanta, is under threat from builders who want to tear it down.” One of the things one remembers about Madhuri in the eighties and nineties apart from nimble dance routines are the truly hideous costumes! Who can forget the frizzy hair topped with gaudy ribbons, the garish make up and the huge, tacky accessories?

All that changed in 1997 with Yash Chopra’s “Dil to Pagal Hai”. Haute couturier Manish Malhotra stepped in and turned Madhuri into a sexy swan. The matte look coupled with flowing chiffons and nude make up created a serendipity of style.

No prizes for guessing who is doing Madhuri’s clothes for “Nachle.” “Manish has designed for me. Since the movie is set in a small town, and I am a working woman, my clothes are not very glamorous. They are all about comfort.” Anil Mehta has already spoken of the burden of expectations for what is being touted as Madhuri’s comeback film—it is not like she has been away forever. Sanjay Leela Bansali’s paean to retinal fatigue, “Devdas”, was released just five years ago.

Different strokes

Talking about expectations, the good doctor Nene’s missus says: “Expectations are so varied. Each person would be looking for something else, so the best thing to do is believe in the film and everything else will fall in place.”

In the five years she has been away being wife and mum in the US of A, Madhuri says of the changes in tinsel town: “Corporates and multiplexes have changed the map of the movies. Now we have access to the best of everything — from technical support to writers, music, everything. There is greater discipline and everything is planned to the last little detail. This has made working in the movies very easy for actors.”

Madhuri feels audiences and filmmakers have matured and are more accepting of married actors now. “Kajol did a wonderful job in ‘Fanaa.’ You may say these roles are few and far between but at least it is a start and people are attempting something different.”

And to all of us who moan the mindless monotony of every actor, la Dixit says: “You mean every actor has the same make up and straight hair? Well, that is because some one in Paris decides the look of the season and everyone blindly follows it. But the soul of a film is created by the actor and that will come through irrespective of the styling!” While it is easy for us as audience to pick our preferred Madhuri Dixit film, Ms. Twinkle Toes finds it a tough task to pick her favourite.

“It is hard to say. Every film is special in its own way. I learnt something from each of my films. As of now my favourite film is “Nachle’ as I had so much fun. It was great working with all these talented young actors.”

Mehta has said how working with Madhuri was very easy as she is very down to earth. “That is the way I am. It does not require any particular effort.”

Madhuri does not want to commit about whether she would take up other acting assignments in the future. “I don’t want to compromise on my boys,” the yummy mummy signs off with suitable maternal flourish.

Hindu On Net