Jennifer Lopez - FOX photo   Steven Tyler - FOX photo   Randy Jackson - FOX photo

Thai actress Apinya Sakuljaroensuk stars as prostitute Sreykeo in Same Same But Different - Wisekwai photo THE STORY

Video Beat EXTRA Part 1 - IDOL JUDGES GROOVE - RED LIGHT (in Cambodia)

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

On a scale of 10 thus far we give this American Idol panel a 9+. - Red Light a film vividly depicting the plight of many Cambodian children who are trafficked into prostitution - Recommended TV Listings

Thursday February 10, 2011

IDOL JUDGES ROLL

Forgive us lord for we are about to sin. After two consecutive bad decisions of the American Idol winners for the past two years compounded by the mysterious way the votes were tabulated by the mysterious firm Telescope (whoever they are) we never thought we would ever again be interested in the program. As far as we're concerned it is FIXED.

But hey up jumps a kinder, gentler and smiling Jennifer Lopez who centers a more mellow judging panel with rock star Steven Tyler 62 who is playing the part of the dirty old man and the veteran Randy Jackson who has survived the Simon Cowell wars of acrid words. So… the question is WHAT'S UP?

J Lo is the biggest surprise as we remember her in our DJ days hosting the cal Tex Drive time Show in Cambodia that she had too many attitude problems. She was dating Ben Affleck and living in a no happy world. She had problems with her chauffeur and she only wanted to eat white chocolates. How racist is that (joke)? To put it into four words... she was a bitch.

So why is J. Lo so mellow? First it was marrying a fellow Latin singer Marc Anthony and they had a baby. We believe that the baby has brought the glow and love out of J Lo :).

Tyler is growing on us. Prior to his AI debut we felt that he would be boring but we were wrong. He blends in well with Lopez and Jackson while making his presence known. He gets his point across without being overbearing. His background as a musician gives him the natural feel of when to talk and when to ease up and let someone else take a ride (ride = solo = talk).

Jackson deserves the purple hart for what he has been put through with Cowell and the parade of judges over the past two years. As a musician (bass player) he has the background to give support and not dominate. He is the one who's taking Cowell's place being the bad guy who rejects some contestants but he does it with class and is not an ass.

Overall this panel works and they let the talent be the talent as opposed to trying to dominate and outshine them with their critiques. On a scale of 10 thus far we give this American Idol panel a 9+. WELL DONE

"The root cause is poverty," said Cambodian politician Mu Sochua following the screening last night at the Meta House in Phnom Penh, Cambodia of Red Light a film vividly depicting the plight of many Cambodian children who are trafficked into prostitution.

It was an OH MY moment for this reporter who has heard it all before from former IOM (International Organization of Migration) Cambodia chief John McGeoghan. The poverty to prostitution topic was also depicted in the UNESCO play A Wounded Life on the same subject over 10 years ago. Nothing has changed the government remains the same and does nothing about their Cambodian children being abused. IOM produced a film with the theme tell your momma when someone approaches you about sex. The bottom line is IOM'S FILM FAILED TO DELIVER THE MESSAGE AS THE PROBLEM CONTINUES.

Basically it's SOS (Same Old $#!t) and the beat goes on for children being trafficked into sex slavery. The only thing that has changed is more NGO'S have come to Cambodia to profiteer from the problem, have a holiday, party and extend their spring break. There are a very few NGO's actually doing any good in dealing with and saving these children, teaching them skills, raising their self esteem and helping alleviate their poverty. Two NGO's that work to remedy the problem are DDD (Digital Divide Data) and Mith Sam Lanh.

The main story in Red Light is about a 14-year-old girl who escaped from a brothel trying to save her younger sister from the same situation. She went to the police who visited the brothel and low and behold they couldn't find her. Unbelievable right?

After seeking help from NGO's she found her sister four months later. The next hurdle was trying to leap over a corrupt Cambodian judicial system to prosecute the trafficker and brothel owner. The police revealed that her sister was hooked on drugs which is business as usual in the sex trade in order to keep the prostitutes dependent and under control.

After the younger sister was saved she eventually returned to the sex trade which indicates NGO's drop the ball after they save victims but do nothing about alleviating the problem of POVERTY AND NO JOB.

The older sister married and stayed out of the business. Their mother was interviewed and said she let the girls go with the trafficker thinking that they would have a job washing dishes. She received $10 a month from the brothel owner. After being informed what had happened to her daughters she said she would do it again.

As IOM pointed out to us seven years ago some of these families who are taken advantage of are so poor that they live under trees. This mother lived in a one room wood and straw shack on stilts in a rural province.

The film crew went to the gambling border town of Poipet to interview a well known big time trafficker who was in prison with a 14-year sentence. When they arrived they were informed that he was RELEASED.

The prison powers that be led the film crew to another trafficker in the compound who was very young. He explained that he did it because he was uneducated and didn't feel he was doing anything wrong. He basically was only a middle man escorting girls across the border. The summary was that he was poor and couldn't afford to pay his way out of jail while the BIG FISH had the money and connections to buy his release.

Other sad tales were shown in the film including young boys in the beach town of Sihanoukville (aka PEDO HEAVEN) who were abused by a Dutch foreigner. He lured a 13-year-old boy into a remote area after he fed him and bought him clothes and abused him. The foreigner was later arrested but released. Other young boys from Sihanoukville (renamed Preah Sihanouk) appeared in the film. They could not bring the pedophile to justice and were not compensated but will be mentally scared for life.

Another story was a 7-year-old girl was sold into the business. Her vagina was too small so they cut her open with a knife. After her case was brought to light the authorities said that she was young and would forget about it. IF IT'S SICK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT'S IN CAMBODIA.

CONTINUED - Part 2

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