Video Beat SUPER MAX - FRESHIE CONTEST DOWN TO FINAL 16 - JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE - December 2006

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Temptations music group film A MUST SEE - FRESHIE TOP 16 REMAIN - Vanda Meas New Freshie co-host??? - Perform @ the Grammy Awards with Justin Timberlake - LEARNING FROM TV - Ultimate Fighter TV show has Fear Factor's Joe Rogan as host but FINALS ABORTED - BRITNEY SPEARS # 1 - Ruben Blades - AXL ROSE LATE - Lenovo Caring For Cambodia - TV SCHEDULE

Thursday December 28, 2006

Cambodia's Freshie Boy & Girl Contest DOWN TO FINAL 16

After six weeks of a selection process and training of what started out with over 1400 applicants the Freshie Boy & Girl contest is down to their final 16 (8 boys and 8 girls).

All of these amateur contestants have appeared on four television shows thereby gaining valuable entertainment experience.

The question remains…. Who will be the 2007 Freshie Boy and Girl title winners?

On Saturday December 2nd in a live telecast on TV 3 from the Chaktomuk Theater in Phnom Penh 20 boys and 20 girls were presented to the public. That show encouraged the viewers to call in and vote for their favorite contestant.

It resulted in 10 boys and 10 girls being eliminated the following week. The training of the remaining 20 contestants continued with the help of teachers from the Ministry of Culture in Khmer classical dance that would be the featured entertainment theme of the first elimination show.

During that week the contestants were in shopping malls/areas passing out brochures, promoting the show and encouraging support from the public.

According to Freshie organizer Boonkerd Angamnuaysri the viewer voting via SMS messaging accounts for only 30% of the final tally. The bulk of the decision-making is made with 35% going to an undisclosed five-person committee and 35% to the teachers and trainers.

The 70% behind the scenes decision making factors are punctuality, how contestants follow instructions and execute them and how they adhere to contest rules.

Other considerations are human behavior, how they treat each other, hygiene and etiquette, table manners and being polite.

The last elimination show will be televised Saturday December 30, on TV 3 at 5:15pm according to TV 3's Marketing Director Kittichai Hatayawat.

After this weeks elimination the final 14 competitors will live in a house together, rehearse and make public appearances.

The final is scheduled to take place at the Chaktomuk Theater Saturday January 27. The show will be televised live on TV 3.

Former Freshie Girl VANDA MEAS ON FIRE

Freshie Girl 2005 1st. runner-up Vanda Meas is an example that winning isn't everything. Since the second place finish she has had one of the most successful entertainment careers of the 2005 competitors.

Meas has co-hosted three TV shows on TV 3 including Women Talk at 7:15 am. She recently was called upon by Freshie contest organizer Boonkerd Angamnuaysri, to co-host this years event replacing 2005 Freshie winner Kanika Cham who a friend of Meas.

Angamnuaysri made the change after the second televised show stating that he wanted to change the female MC weekly. Meas had been the MC the past two weeks. Will she continue? Stay tuned.

Related talent story: The Pinoy DREAM ACADEMY FINAL the growth of all the contestants' confidence levels stood out as the season progressed.

PERFORM AT GRAMMY AWARDS WITH JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

YOU CAN PERFORM AT THE UPCOMING GRAMMY MUSIC AWARDS WITH JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE just by uploading your audition tape. The Top 3 finalists will be eligible to participate in GRAMMY Foundation activities including GRAMMY Career DaySM and GRAMMY CampSM, as well as The Recording Academy's recently launched GRAMMY University Network.

Current multi-GRAMMY nominee Timberlake will culminate his recent involvement with the GRAMMY Foundation's music education initiatives by performing live on the GRAMMY Awards in a special segment with the unsigned artist that fans choose online at Yahoo! Music, the official online partner of the GRAMMY Awards. FULL STORY AND HOW TO ENTER.

GRAMMY AWARDS

The Grammy Awards is the music industry's highest award. It will be televised live Feb. 11, 2007, from the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, USA. In the USA the broadcast will be on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).

DID YOU KNOW???

Angelina Jolie is the daughter of actor Jon Voight? One of his most famous films Midnight Cowboy is currently being televised on the MGM movie channel in Asia. The HBO film GIA is her best work.

KATIE HOLMES - DAWSONS CREEK

Actress Katie Holmes has risen to fame and fortunes during the past eight years BUT DID YOU KNOW Holmes first major exposure to television viewers was as a cast member in the Warner Brothers TV series DAWSONS CREEK? WRITTEN IN THAI LANGUAGE.

MUST SEE TV SHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR:

THE TEMPTATIONS

In a previous edition we noted the sound problems of the background music over the announcers on ESPN.

We mentioned how Berry Gordy the founder of Motown records mixed his records for small car radio speakers since that is where most people listen to radio.

A TV mini-series about one of Gordy's singing groups THE TEMPTATIONS is currently being televised on the Hallmark Channel in Southeast Asia.

It is a MUST SEE for music lovers. It is FILLED WITH MUSIC and tells the story about the groups history. The group was once recognized by many as the number one vocal group in the world.

Though I've seen the Temptations live when they were at the height of their career and later interviewed them I never really understood what they were all about. This TV series filled in all of the blanks.

The series has aired before and is on the HALLMARK channel again.

BRITNEY SPEARS # 1

Did you know Britney Spears was number one search on the Yahoo this past year? FULL STORY

ULTIMATE FIGHTER SCHEDULING ABORTION

The final half of the Ultimate Fighter finals was televised this week. Its initial airing went on time Monday night at 7pm Cambodia/Thailand time.

The problem came the following day when the normal 4:00pm start time was moved up to 3:30pm. There was no previous announcement as they have had in the past.

The show ran for one hour and 20 minutes. It is televised later this week on Saturday at 6:00pm Cambodia/Thailand time. See the schedule below and take into account the half hour earlier start time to be safe.

For FEAR FACTOR fans Fear Factor's host Joe Rogan is the co-host of the fight.

MUST SEE TV SHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR - RUBEN BLADES

When I was writing a column for the Musician Union in Los Angeles, California USA a friend asked me if I knew about recording artist Ruben Blades. I did not.

At the time Blades appeared in one film Crossover Dreams. I later interviewed Blades when he appeared in the HBO film The Josephine Baker Story about the famed singer. Blades was great in his role and the film was excellent.

For music lovers this is a must see either on TV, purchase or rent the CD. Blades has since done numerous film roles including The Milagro Beanfield Wars. He also ran for president of his native country Panama but lost.

CLICK ON LINE

For Internet and hi tech lovers tune in to the BBC's CLICK ON LINE. The half hour show airs at 3:30pm Tuesday and Saturday afternoons in the Thailand/Cambodia time zone. Check local listings for time time and date in your area.

AXL ROSE CD LATE

The now 44-year-old Axl Rose the lead singer of Guns 'N' Roses says their new CD will be late but is scheduled for a March 8, 2007 release.

CARING FOR CAMBODIA

Lenovo computer manufacturer CEO Bill Amelio and his wife Jamie are appearing on the CNBC show Managing Asia. They talk about after visiting Angkor Wat in 2003 they recognized the need for educating children when the children were begging for money for their school tuition..

Since that time they established a foundation that has built four schools in Cambodia. At present the Amelio's Caring For Cambodia Foundation educates 3000 children for FREE. The foundation also bought 1500 bicycles to give to the students. Lenovo contributed computers for the schools.

The couple are guardians for two Cambodian children. The 47-year-old Lenovo chief said he came from humble beginnings growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania the son of a shoe repair man.

Jamie pointed out that since Angkor Wat and Siem Reap are attracting so many tourists that learning the English language is important for the children's future employment.

WORLD'S APART

WORLD'S APART is a good TV show to watch on the AXN channel. It sends an American family to a foreign land to live with indigenous people for 10 days. The family has to adapt to their culture and ways.

This is the perfect show that demonstrates how people can get along.

Note: This show is in reruns and is subject to a limited run. Check your local listings for time and date in your area.

TV SCHEDULE

Note: The shows listed are for the Cambodia - Thailand time zone. Check your local listings for time and date in your area.

THURSDAY

7:00 PM - FEAR FACTOR AXN (New episode)

8:00 PM - TOP MODEL (rerun)

8:00PM - AMAZING RACE ASIA - AXN (New Episode)

11:00PM - AMAZING RACE ASIA - AXN (rerun)

FRIDAY

11:00 AM - AMAZING RACE ASIA - AXN - (rerun)

4:00 PM - FEAR FACTOR - (rerun)

SATURDAY

5:15 PM - FRESHIE BOY & GIRL CONTEST - Cambodia's TV 3 - times vary due to erratic scheduling by the station. The past three weeks the show began at 5:00, 5:15 and 5:20pm

6:00 pm - ULTIMATE FIGHTER (rerun)

7:00 PM - FEAR FACTOR (rerun)

SUNDAY

10:30 to 10:50 am -- DREAM ACADEMY - TFC (The Filipino Channel) - times vary due to erratic scheduling by the network

NOON/ 12pm -- ASAP - TFC (The Filipino Channel)

6:00 PM - TOP MODEL - Channel V

11:00pm - ASAP - TFC - (repeat of show televised at NOON)

MONDAY

1:00 pm - TOP MODEL (rerun)

6:00 pm - TOP MODEL (New episode)

WEDNESDAY

11:00PM - AMAZING RACE ASIA - AXN (rerun)

You often hear the phrase SPOT ON meaning you got it right or it's hot. When it comes to comedy often the humor is lost in the translation of language or a cultural misunderstanding.

Jay Leno is recognized as one of America's top comedians. He took over The Tonight Show that Johnny Carson hosted for many decades. They said nobody could replace Carson but Leno certainly has having hosted the show for a decade himself.

To see if Leno is SPOT ON for you the show airs on the CNBC channel Saturday night and Sunday afternoons in the Southeast Asia region. Check your listings.

In Cambodia and Thailand it is televised at 9pm Saturday and 3pm Sunday. CHECK IT OUT.

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