Thoughts While Watching Gelak Gempak Pilot

There's currently a reality competition show for Malaysia's next top standup comic (?) called Gelak Gempak. As someone who enjoys standup on occasion and have seen the American versions of this ilk (Last Comic Standing, Bring the Funny), consider me all in. I only knew of the show because some of the local comics I follow on soc med have been plugging it.

The first episode is up on YouTube, which was how I saw it. 

The first part of reality competition shows is the private audition stage, where both the local comedy club owners (Harith Iskander of The Joke Factory [TJF] and Crackhouse's Rizal van Geyzel) put forth their "tributes" (haha)/candidates for the show. 

So okay, on with the running commentary! 

• The opening - where they try to squeeze in the format, competitors and cash prize in under 5 minutes? RM25,000 is not too shabby, especially in this pandemic, but yeah.
• A LOL Asia production? Kinda credible. 
• Hmm... so judges are Sherry Alhadad, Nabil and Dato' Afdlin Shauki. 
• Heh - the pre-show disclaimer is so CYA, but sadly necessary because (I'm guessing) some people have no chill and will be butthurt by the content going forward. 
• "Private auditions" does sound a little skeezy. 
• Why did Harith only recommended two people? Was there a cap? 
• Love the jab at Harith about his weight loss and "bini lawa"; Dato' is one to talk la, he also married up.
• Of course there's gotta be a tour of the place. LOL sick burn at Dato's (now closed) clubs.
• Makes sense for Nabil to be at the Crackhouse for his side of the "private auditions" with guest judge Douglas Lim. 
• If you were wondering who's still doing the Wakanda Forever gesture in 2021, these guys (Nabil, Douglas and Rizal). These guys did that. 
• Did Rizal and Harith got different memos or something ah - how come one put forth 2 people, the other person, three people? At least Rizal put forth Malay guys la cos it's Astro Warna.. 
• Have to admire Nabil's frankness about getting paid to laugh and judge others? 
• Can't get past Harith putting his mask on his elbow... 😬
• Come on lah, there's no way the judges didn't already know who the club owners were gonna recommend... 
• Harith's candidates: Phoon Chi Ho and Mad Sabah. "Diorang ni berpengelaman, cuma tak femes je" "Bukan tak femes, ini langsung TAK femes" - LOL 
• First guy at the Crackhouse audition: has a day job. Parents dunno neh mind, but wife must be okay with it. But I dunno about going on TV just for the judges feedback....? Ah, self-deprecating material. No idea if Douglas is laughing cos it's actually funny, or just cringing out loud.
• Mad Sabah's set was pretty funny. The line about his wife being from Negeri Sembilan and learning ilmu hitam went over my head, but it's probably me.
• Back to the Crackhouse and Sofwan is up. Oklah his set. 
• Chi Ho is trying his luck doing standup in Malay back at TJF is admirable. The only non-Malay in this episode so far. 
• I'm not familiar with JD, but ok. His set about learning French so he doesn't get made fun of for butchering French brand names is ok, but dunno about the mass appeal. Which Nabil and Douglas had mentioned as much in their deliberation. 
• There's no way Nabil and Douglas didn't already know that Rizal was gonna be auditioning for this show... really meh?! But they had a video package ready to go for Rizal, so cannot be la. Maybe the producers kept it from the judges, which is more likely. 
• Douglas ranting about how Rizal can join but not himself until he realised that he would have to be judged by Nabil... LOL 
• If I was them, I'd put Rizal's (really cute) baby on national TV too... just saying. 
• Rizal might be directly translating his usual intro material into Malay (cos he's mostly known as an English-speaking comic), but still not bad lah. 
• Two people still need to cut meh? To be fair I was totally expecting someone to get cut when I saw this the first time. 
• Yay, both Chi Ho and Mad Sabah are on to the next round...!
• Haha, Nabil throwing Douglas under the bus about the cuts. 
• Wait, if they cut that one guy at this audition... I thought I saw him in the sizzle reel earlier? What happened ah?
• Rizal, after putting ALL his cards on the table, made it to the next round after all, LOL

I think the show is on Astro Warna, which is a channel I don't think I have at home (have to pay extra). Also, don't get me started on the other options like Astro On Demand or Astro Go. So I don't know how to keep watching going forward. But an interesting pilot episode. 

Thoughts While Watching... FBI: Most Wanted

With Criminal Minds now off the air and Hawaii Five-0 also going off the air (dunno if they finished production before the COVID-19 forced productions to shut down), I've been looking to fill the CM and H5-0 shaped holes in my TV watching. 15 and 10 seasons (respectively) is quite the time investment. 

My history with Dick Wolf shows: Too young for the original L&O in its original run, saw SVU reruns on and off for years but haven't been watching the last few seasons closely. Don't get me started on the rest of the L&O spinoffs that didn't quite make it. I don't quite have the energy for the Chicago franchise on NBC. 

So I thought I'd try Most Wanted because it only just came out earlier this year as a mid-season show. Only 8 episiodes to catch up on. 

FBI: Most Wanted is a spinoff of erm, FBI, but this one is about the Fugitive Task Force where they, you know, hunt down fugitives. I've not seen the parent show FBI, but I've been watching the NCIS franchise this long without having seen JAG, so I think I'll live. 

• This is probably the first I've seen Julian McMahon is NOT playing a bad guy? (In my lifetime, he's the bad guy in Charmed, the ambiguous Dr Troy in nip/tuck, and erm, Dr Doom in the earlier Fantastic Four movies)
• Isn't LaCroix that trendy sparkling drink I keep hearing about? Because that's all I'm going to think about every time I hear his name. 
• Australians with American accents: McMahon's had his neutral American accent down for years; I dunno if Keisha Castle-Hughes (dunno if she identifies as Aussie or Kiwi more)'s character is supposed to be a New Yorker or something, but her American accent is leaning in that direction, reminiscent of Alex O' Loughlin's accent on H5-0.
• The black lady's American accent is also not bad. (Didn't know she was English)
• Which kinda makes Kellan Lutz the only American in that group? 
• Wait, so when he's not working, he lives with his in-laws in a multi-generational household? Are they still in-laws since his wife passed?
• No complaints about the in-laws being of Native American descent. Yay for diversity?
• Wait, so the guy is also STILL WORKING with his brother-in-law?
• (Went back and saw the backdoor pilot on FBI) It's kinda weird watching both Kellan Lutz and Peter Facinelli on the (small) screen together again? OMG Matthew Lillard's forearm got blasted off! (I'm still kinda amused that for a guy best known to me as Shaggy in the Scooby Doo movies, he spends the rest of his career playing bad guys)
• I don't hate that the episodes kinda end with LaCroix at home with the fam. 

In a way, Most Wanted is kind of the typical CBS procedural show - Julian McMahon as senior team leader, Kellan Lutz as the young male muscle, Castle-Hughes as the tech genius, yada yada yada. 

I used to think that SVU and Criminal Minds was pretty dark, until holy shheeeettttt, this show get SO DARK (for a CBS show). Dunno if it's that, or just me getting older. 

I don't know if the show got picked up for more episodes or is even getting a second season, but it wouldn't be the first time a star-studded spinoff show not make it far.

But yeah, will keep watching.

Alas Agent X, it's been fun

With news of its cancellation, Agent X is cut short in its tracks. Based on how widely panned it was (both from viewers AND people who get paid to watch and write about TV), I can't say I was terribly surprised - even with Sharon Stone (her first TV role since SVU) and James Earl Jones's combined star power (depending on how old you are, I suppose), this show still got canned. 

For what it's worth, Agent X is one of those shows where you just strap in and enjoy the ride. The premise alone is already a bit the 3 8..

In times of extreme crisis, when traditional law and government aren't in a position to help, there is an unseen hand that works to protect this country and its citizens from all manner of threats by any means necessary. Hidden from the view of the public -- and even from the President -- there is a top secret agent who is trained and ready to serve, deployed only at the careful discretion of the Vice President. This is Agent X.

Basically in this show's mythology, there are two versions of the US Constitution - the one that most people know about, and the other containing an additional section that says that the VP gets their own agent who's work not even the President can be privy to (plausible deniability) for cases that the other agencies can't handle. (I laughed when someone mentioned that's why the VP doesn't seem to do much else otherwise)

For how shoddily shot the pilot was (everyone who saw it noticed the noticeably bad continuity goof with the bad guy's shoulder wound that moved from one side to the other), it was also the most informative. 

They've taken bits from so many other shows and movies I pretty much lost count: the National Treasure movies (the "secret" Constitution), the Bond movies, Batman (the VP's chief steward who is also Agent X's nurse/tech support/handler/transport, the subterranean ops centre)... 

According to the Wikipedia page, there's 10 planned episodes, but I don't know if they managed to tie up the loose ends by the end of the 10 episodes, or if they'll even air the remaining episodes (three left as of last week). Guess we'll have to wait and see. 

Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia Season 2 Finale

The only thing you can do in this haze is (for the most part) to stay home.... and watch some TV, among other things.

After weeks of competition, we've finally reached the second season finale of Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia, the showdown between Syura and Celina after Rozita Che Wan got eliminated just before the finale. I was hoping she'd be in the finale only because she seems to be a competant home cook. Also, I can only imagine how upset her die-hard fanbase must be about that :P I have no idea why other people are hating on her so bad on the interwebs (especially on the Facebook page), either. If she didn't cave under the stress of the competition and from the online bitchery, I wouldn't be that upset if she won.

When it comes to the Masterchef franchise (of the ones that I watch, anyway), ladies always seem to survive to the end and come out on top, except for the previous season where Dato' Fazley won over the other male finalist in the finale. 

I personally am rooting for Celina to win, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it was rigged for the other to win. I'm just saying.

Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia... again

Second season of Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia started this last weekend with 19 local celebs competing for their various charities. NINETEEN people?! What the fish?! I'm sure these people are famous in their own way, I'm just not their target demographic. This is just me. 

Let's see how many of these people I recognised/know (by reputation or otherwise)...

1. Datuk Aznil Haji Nawawi - Practically the local Ryan Seacrest; I remember him from when he co-hosted a game show way back when
2. Sharifah Shahora - I remember her...
3. Syanie Hisham - Bitch, please... who DIDN'T know Syanie?
4. Rozita Che Wan (Che Ta) - The MILF who's in the local gossip rags for (currently) dating a younger man, NAMELY...
5. Zain Saidin - According to Wikipedia, he's related to Sasha (her Twitter profile confirms this), who was a member of Elite, the Malaysian Spice Girls. Explains the strong resemblance :P 
6. Micheal Ang - Don't know who he is, but he seems bitchy entertaining on screen. Hope he sticks around long enough.. From all appearances, seem to be this season's Azwan Ali and token Chinese dude of the season.
7. Norish Karman - Nope. I think I'm confusing her with some other people... Like the green in the hair.
8. Radhi OAG - Leave a comment if you still remember this song. Don't think they even do English songs anymore these days...
9. Sathiya - I remember.
10. Kenchana Devi - I don't know who she is, but she's freaking hilarious. I hope she sticks around.
11. Celina Khor - I have to give props to any Chinese person who can speak fluent Malay. Her, and Janet Khoo. Seems pretty competant around food and kitchen equipment. Token Chinese lady of the bunch.
12. Afiq Muiz - Dunno who. After my time. 
13. Cat Farish - Ehh?! 
14. Yassin Yahya - Wasn't he one of the Senario guys? Correct me if I'm wrong :P
15. Aliza Abdullah (Enot) - The other plus sized lady this season besides Syanie. 
16. Sabhi Sadhi - I don't know who this is. 
17. Lydiawati - It's been awhile... 
18. Keroz Nazri - Entah. 
19. Syura - Nope.

I thought I would only recognise/know of a handful of these people, but less than two handsful also not too bad lah. At least this season's cast is more diverse than the first season where they several more token non-Malay celebs to fill some implied quota. 

I've only seen two of the week's episodes - the first Mystery Box challenge was a new one (to me): the boxes had no ingredients except for pictures of a fellow cast member, randomly chosen. They must cook a dish they think the other person (who's picture they got in the box) would like/eat. At least the producers didn't give Che Ta and Zain pictures of each other, which would've been too easy and way too obvious.

This is one of those shows that families of different generations can sit and watch together. I know my mother's entertained by the Indian lady and her talking heads.

Here's hoping for an entertaining season. 

Masterchef Malaysia is back...

It feels like it's been barely a week since Gordon Ramsey and co has crowned the third Masterchef winner (if you're not watching it on Astro) in America, and now Masterchef Malaysia is back on (pay) TV screens.

I haven't been watching it all that much (not out of choice), but because... 

• the 'rents now have Chinese dramas to watch on weeknights, 
• people would rather not waste their time uploading on YouTube, and
• I have no idea when the weekend repeats are... yet

What little I've seen of the first two weeks is the audition and bootcamp stage - culling 40 people to get their Top 24 at Taylor's lakeside campus and at some lovely resort (I'm just guessing, because the audience only sees one part of the place) in Pahang. I feel no need to watch the auditions because they're not terribly exciting. Nope, I don't recall seeing any Singaporeans in the bunch (even though they were welcomed to audition), but there more people from the other side of the South China Sea following the success of the runner up (who's from Sabah) in the first season.

I guess following the "scandal" of the first season, Chef Adu Amran is now a permanent third judge? Just as well - I couldn't take a guy that's dressed like a Bond villain half the time seriously.

Here are the Top 24, revealed..

 

At least you don't see anyone doing the Fruit Ninja this round, like last season's opening montage, which cracked me up every time I saw it. But I do give them props for using an original composition and not using an already famous pop song like in Australian Masterchef (Katy Perry's Hot and Cold, guys? Really?). 

There are some loudmouth makciks in the bunch - I can't wait to see what happens.

Who will be Malaysia's first Celebrity Masterchef?

If you're reading this now, we are a few hours away from finding out who will be Malaysia's first Celebrity Masterchef. I just wish it wasn't so obvious on Astro's part - the finalists are funnyman Angah (whom I don't know, never having seen Raja Lawak) vs motivational speaker/jack-of-all-trades Dato' Fazley. I'm sorry, but unless the former pulled something out of his rear end for a surprise victory, it's a no-brainer as to who'll win this.

Caught the midnight repeat of the penultimate episode - the final (on site) Pressure Test, where the five finalists travelled to Cyberview Lodge Resort and Spa and had to replicate the signature dishes of  it's executive chef Chef Mozart Muhamad - a crab cake dish and a wagyu beef dish. Conveniently enough, right after Soo Wincci mentioned never having consumed/cooked beef (she's one of those), the contestants are given the option of cooking lamb rack over the beef. Hmm. 

Long story short, the judges kicked out Wincci, Farouk Hussein (hilarious - but oh well), and (this I was surprised by) Juliza Adzlizan. I thought she would be a shoo-in to go up against Dato'. They each got RM6500 for their charities.

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• Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia - Week 1 Thoughts

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Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia - Week 1 Thoughts

Week 1 of Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia (MSM) is behind us. While I saw most the week's episodes, I missed most of the elimination challenge episode, even during the repeat for reasons beyond my control. Thanks to the Masterchef Malaysia Facebook page, I already knew who got the boot (the other Malaysian astronaut, Dr Faiz). 

One of the things I like about MSM is that it's only from Saturdays to Tuesdays, which is not bad if you follow the other Masterchef shows, which go on for 6 day-weeks, Masterclass included. It's infinitely more enjoyable than the hoi polloi one, not to mention more dramatic as well.. More so (I feel) because everyone on there are already (in)famous to a degree and are playing for their charity of choice, and not for themselves. Like celeb versions of other shows. 

1. I definitely did not expect half these guys to know how to cook, let alone be offered to do the show.
2. Even with the kitchen and pantry tour given to them early in the first episode before anything fun happens, some of the celebrities still seemed lost around the Masterchef kitchen. Sigh.
3. Having the first season contestants of Masterchef Malaysia do a plating demo? It's that the best you can do with them?
4. A FIFTEEN MINUTE PLATING CHALLENGE? Are you kidding me?! That's way too much time.
5. I'm not sure cooking ostrich meat on an ostrich farm nearby live ostriches is a really good idea. It's like cooking dead animals outside on a farm where the farm animals can see, hear and smell what's going on. Waitaminit...
6. I dunno whether Azwan Ali and Farouk Hussein really are real-life frenemies or are just playing it up for the cameras, but one thing's for sure - they both make for great TV. They'll be around for a little while, unless they royally screw up a dish somewhere...
7. At least one person has threatened to quit the show and it's only the first week.
8. They feature so much of the interpersonal drama that the judging is cut short on TV. To be fair, I've seen it done on other Masterchef shows too. 

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• Celebrity Masterchef Malaysia

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Celebrity Masterchef Malaysia

I don't know whether the first season of Masterchef Malaysia was a mindblowing success or not offhand (probably was), but I had only just found out there will be a local version of Celebrity Masterchef, called Masterchef Selebriti Malaysia, starting 26 May on Astro RIA (104). 

I know a few countries that have their celebrity versions, but I don't go out of my way to watch those. So I wouldn't know whether the format would be any different from the normal civilian Masterchef. But based on who's in it this, it should be interesting, provided you know who any of these people are.

1. Serina Redzuawan - youngest child and only daughter of Chef Wan, sister of Chef Riz
2. Siti Sarah - eh??
3. Jehan Miskin - I know who this is. Not a fan of the soul patch.
4. Tomok - heard the name, dunno who he is
5. Karl Shafek - ??
6. Datuk Fazley Yaakob - Used to go by Dr Fazley, but has been exposed as a fraud (allegedly) awhile ago. Then he got a Datukship. I suppose "Datuk" has a better ring to it.
7. Farouk Hussein - I remember who this is
8. Major Dr. Faiz - the other Malaysian astronaut
9. Angah Raja Lawak - Don't watch Raja Lawak, so I wouldn't know..
10. Raja Azmi - Wife of one of the Sidek brothers, also well known in her own right if you Google her.
11. Soo Wincci - beauty queen 
12. Julizan Adzlizan - Name sounds familiar, but I don't remember her face... 
13. Thanuja - pageant winner, right? 
14. Salamiah Hassan - ??
15. Louisa Chong - I remember her from Jangan Ketawa
16. Azwan Ali - ditto

Obviously with Serina in the competition, her brother (Chef Riz) can't serve as judge - according to this, he'll be replaced by Chef Adu Amran, the restaurateur with the hybrid accent :p

I'll give this a go.

Is it MasterChef Malaysia final already?

By the time you read this, it's probably about 24 hours before the MasterChef Malaysia final showdown between Ezani the dentist and Wahidan the farmer on Sunday night. I will honestly say I did not anticipate these two to be in the finals, ever. So bravo to them.

Some thoughts about this season of MasterChef Malaysia...

1. The use of the contestants' nama glamour in the opening credits was redundant, given that they've been addressed by their names proper throughout the competition.
2. Boot camp where they had to do coconut milk from scratch with actual halved coconuts and scraper? Very Malaysian (at least). At least they didn't have to crack their own coconuts open as well..
3. I was watching to see how far Ary Malik would go... And yes, I actually know her from TV way back when. She did quite okay considering.
4. Chef Riz looking like a cross between MasterChef Australia judge Matt Preston and Bond villain at some point. Couldn't quite put my finger on the close resemblance to Preston until just now.
5. Maggi? Really, MasterChef Malaysia, MAGGI? I know they're a sponsor, but still..whole challenges where they had to use the noodle and/or the flavouring? Really? At least it's quintessentially Malaysian...
6. Felix - the guy who won a challenge with a plate of maggi mee goreng. D'OH!
7. I say Felix and Imelda should've gotten the boot long before they got to Top 6. I know she makes for great TV with her crying and fanning herself; Felix... not so much. Brian the vegetarian auditor is not-too-bad TV fodder.
8. I can't be the only one that doesn't know who half (at least) the so-called "celebrity chefs" are everytime they're brought on for the Celebrity Chef Challenge.
9. I have to give the non-Malay contestants props for speaking as much Malay as they could and not sounding too pelat doing so.
10. Don't quite understand why only the Masterclass episodes were on STARWORLD to begin with. But I understood why they had to switch the speaking language to English about half way in. Was a little awkward hearing the older judges/mentors speak English as a second language - I was fine with subtitles.
11. Glad I can't remember the Jaya Grocer jingle at the moment.
12. Wasn't really expecting Adam Liaw (MasterChef Australia Season 2 winner) to show up to judge in the penultimate episode. But the timing might be coincidental as he was also in town to promote his holiday Guinness-infused menu, so..

I can't say it was good, but it wasn't all that crappy, either. I'd say it was craptastic at best.

PS. You can catch up on whole episodes on YouTube, though I'm not sure who would actually do that.

E&O Search for AFC's Next Celebrity Chef finale (SPOILER :P)

[If you don't know what I'm rambling about, please skip this entry. Thank you.]

Okay, so I didn't watch the first half hour of AFC's Next Celebrity Chef two hour finale (as Masterchef Malaysia was also trimming their own fat on Astro RIA), but I did saw the rest of it. 

Last 30 minutes of Hour 1 - the final four cheftestants are supposed to cater to the very different dining needs of different groups of people scattered around the hotel: Dino got a mother and daughter pair, Diane got an old married couple, Stanley got a young dating couple and Shinith got a three top in a business meal. They were supposedly making "dinner" but it was so bright outside, I found it hard to believe. Long story short, Shinith and Stanley got the boot, leaving Diane and Dino to compete in the finale. 

To be fair, I didn't really see Shinith and Stanley making it to the end, based on their screen test challenge in the previous episode - Shinith was a little ridiculous (to put it mildly), and Stanley was droning on, even though his technical skills are above par. My mother thought Stanley would win based on his skill, but it's a celebrity chef search, not a chef chef search - you need to be a bit personable on screen, and the dude didn't really have it.

Hour 2 was the final showdown between Dino and Diane, who were summoned to the kitchens of the E&O Hotel in Penang. They were told to make their signature dish. Dino makes a salmon dish with white chocolate and wasabi sauce, which looked more complicated than how I'm describing it (trust me). Diane does her own version of that classic dish, Beef Wellington. Instead of the usual judges (Saxon and Chef Bruce) tucking into the food, they're brought out of the kitchen, leaving the finalists confused. We then see 10 other chefs (with their very tall and impressive white chef hats and decorated chef jackets), who are actually Penang's big wig chefs for a blind taste test. They tasted both dishes (how do you split four dishes between 10 people?) and after giving their opinions on both dishes, proceeded to guess whether a lady or a man cooked which dish. They were eerily accurate; if bets were made, some money would be made. 

Post feedback, the finalists go back to the kitchens to see that it's getting ready for a big event. They then get the bombshell from the judges (which includes the Chef in Black, who's back) that they will be making food for 300 people in a charity gala dinner for the Performing Arts Centre of Penang, where their signature dish would be the main course of the meal. I'm sure Dino might've wished he came up with something simpler had they known they were going to cater to 300 people right after that. 

The drama before and during the service was nothing compared to how the winner was announced - they both got into different cars, heading off to different locations (I'm pretty sure this is done on at least one other show, but it eludes me now). Diane was dropped off at Straits Quay only to meet the Chef in Black (whom I thought should at least have someone else with him as a red herring) while Dino got dropped off at the bungalow where they did a previous challenge (methinks) to meet Saxon and Chef Bruce. At this point the home viewers are in the dark about the outcome and so are they, but one would already have that sinking feeling... Cutting back and forth between the two scenes and perhaps a split screen was necessary at this point, the judges started their "Your dream of becoming..." speech and the unnecessary dramatic pause just about killed me. I was screaming, "JUST SAY IT, ALREADY!" at the TV screen.

Dino is declared the winner of the E&O Search for AFC's Next Celebrity Chef, which I was fine with - he looked like he'll fit in nicely. Whether I'll actually watch whatever show he's in down the road is another story.

Related articles

• E&O Search for AFC's Next Celebrity Chef.. so far (lifeasacynic.blogspot.com)

E&O Search for AFC's Next Celebrity Chef.. so far

I'm a sucker for food shows, particularly of the reality competitive variety. I watch Top Chef, Iron Chef, Iron Chef America... well, most of the biggie ones, anyway - there's only 24 hours in a day. I watch Masterchef too, but that's another blog post. 

Along with those shows, I've been watching the E&O Search for AFC's Next Celebrity Chef on the Asian Food Channel with the 'rents, but I haven't been following it all that closely.

Watching it so far, while I can see a frontrunner or two, but I'm not sure if I want to watch any of the other cheftestants left (if they won) on TV personally. So far they've only been tested on their cooking skills, so I expect to see if they have what it takes to be on camera and as a celebrity chef in coming episodes. The challenges are also pretty reasonable, not terribly ridiculous. 

They already had Chef Anis (the channel's youngest personality, I think) for a teach and the Chef in Black as a judge. Still no sign of the Canadian personalities, but to fly them in for something like this... 

What I like about the show:

1. I am not sure how many episodes this is running for, but kicking out two cheftestants each episode? Harsh, but at least it's not too draggy. I like.
2. White-haired Chef Wan as a judge here. Perhaps it's why he's not on Masterchef Malaysia?
3. Chef Bruce Lim channelling his inner d-bag.. or Hell's Kitchen Gordon Ramsay, take your pick. Number of plates he's broken so far (that I know of): 3 - 4. Feel free to correct me on this. 
4. Everyone is out for themselves, which makes for good TV.

What I don't really care for:

1. The elimination bit (particularly the speech delivery) needs some work.
2. Whenever Chef Wan is around (particularly in the KL legs), means that any pork dish is already out of the question... how to judge the dish fairly like that? 
3. Those wasted plates. If it was me, I'd scoop the food out with my bare hands and throw it back at the cheftestant, which would be a bit more demeaning but would make for better TV.
4. The guy that took his shirt off for no discernible reason. More people would be outraged if he was fat and flabby, but he wasn't.

I can't wait to see how it goes.

Masterchef Malaysia

Masterchef Malaysia (MCM) is finally underway on Astro Ria (Astro channel 104). Because it is on Astro Ria (a channel that caters to the Malay crowd), the show is (naturally) conducted in Malay. If you're not a fluent Malay speaker, no problem - just press the subtitle button on your Astro remote to get either Malay (really? I should try to see if it pops out) or English subtitles (or closed captioning, if you're familiar with that phraseology instead). 

It started last week, but I missed the first two episodes because...

1. I plain forgot.
2. I don't usually watch Astro Ria when I channel surf and,
3. MCM format is the same as Masterchef Australia, which I personally find to be a little long and drawn out. I haven't seen the Masterclass episode yet as it's still pretty early on (it's currently the bootcamp/basic skills stage at the moment). 

When they announced who the MCM host/judges are way back when, I was like, "who?" But it's just me and my ignorance. If they were selected based on their fluency in the Malay language, I say the producers did an outstanding job there. These people are professional chefs - they're not all like media savvy chefs on TV like Chef Wan or Chef Ismail, okay..

• Is it just me, or is the MCM kitchen a little smaller than its foreign counterparts?
• The way some of the contestants reacted to the dishes they have to make in the Pressure Test makes me think they probably have never seen the other Masterchef shows or something before they went to audition.
• Speaking of Pressure Test, I don't know how one can screw up Chef Riz (progeny of Chef Wan)'s tiramisu recipe so badly. Yes, they were given recipes.
• Skills test so far (that I've seen, anyway) - onion dicing (a Masterchef favourite), making santan (coconut milk) from scratch, and separating egg whites.
• Sorry to say this, but the kid contestants of Junior Masterchef could probably beat some of these adults with one hand behind their back. Maybe.
• I have to give the non-Malay contestants props for speaking as much Malay as they possibly could even if some of them sounded pretty pelat on national (pay) TV.
• If most of the competition is on Astro Ria, why are the Masterclass episodes on STARWORLD?
• Check out this MCM contestant's insight into the first episode here.
• Preview for Episode 4 teased the departure of one of the judges? 

I'll keep watching (if I remember) to see what happens.

Masterchef Malaysia is on at 9 p.m. (GMT+8), Saturdays to Wednesdays on Astro RIA (Channel 104).

Why I don't give a crap about GLEE

I get that people like it and find the show entertaining, but it's also literally not my cup of tea. Besides, I already have a buttload of shows I would rather catch up on if I am not already following diligently on a weekly basis. I don't have the time and the energy. I also notice that people who watch and like GLEE don't really have much else to watch. 'Nuff said. :P

While I like my TV, but I have my limits - one of them being that I refuse to watch young 20 to 30-something adults play teenagers on the screen. That's just not realistic, even though most white people look older than they actually are. Or any show about high school or high school students. I just don't have the patience to sit through it - my own adolescence was more than enough, thank you very much. I don't need watch other people's fake on-screen high school experience for the sake of entertainment.

I get Ryan Murphy wanting to do a light, cheery show after nip/tuck, which was the polar opposite of GLEE, but STILL..

And I don't do well with anything where people spontaneously burst into song, either. It just annoys the shit out of me after awhile.

Glancing through the LONG list of songs they've covered on the show so far, I don't recognise them, at least not until I hear them. I'm sort of dreading the episode when they do Coldplay ever since Coldplay finally gave them permission to the rights, but I'm also pretty damn curious at the same time. That's the extent of my interest in GLEE.

I swear, if I have to hear that damn Journey cover just ONE MORE TIME... *shake fist*

White Collar... WATCH IT!

Been watching way too much FOX (the international one, not the US one; Channel 710 on ASTRO) lately and I caught glimpses of the promos that White Collar is coming to FOX. It's exciting news... if I haven't already caught up on the first season over the last few months.

I did wonder why it was being shown on FOX as it's a USA show - found out from the wiki page that it's a FOX Television Studios production, which explains it.

Anyway, the gist of the show is taken from the official site...

“White Collar is about the unlikely partnership of a con artist and an FBI agent who have been playing cat and mouse for years. Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) a charming criminal mastermind, is finally caught by his nemesis, FBI Agent Peter Burke (Tim DeKay).

 When Neal escapes from a maximum-security prison to find his long-lost love, Peter nabs him once again. Rather than returning to jail, Neal suggests an alternate plan: He’ll provide his criminal expertise to assist the Feds in catching other elusive criminals in exchange for his eventual freedom. Initially wary, Peter quickly finds that Neal provides insight and intuition that can’t be found on the right side of the law.”

• I remember the pilot alone was fun... and a great one in every sense of the word: everyone's histories with each other are explained, etc etc.
• Like most shows nowadays, White Collar also has long-ish cold opens. Sometimes not, but rarely.
• I suppose what this show has in common with other shows on TV is the show's protagonist as a "consultant" to some branch of law enforcement, case in point - Psych, The Mentalist, Monk, Bones... you get the drift. List goes on.
• The opening credits only finalised in the second season, so you see them working through that this first season. 
• Anyone ever wondered what happened to Tiffani Thiessen after Saved By The Bell? :D
• Never seen Matt Bomer elsewhere before White Collar, but anyhow - very easy on the eyes.
• Tim DeKay's the guy you see on other TV shows who always plays the father/husband/whoever for years - I think this is the first time I've seen him as a member of a main cast of any show.

The first season is not that long, it's only 14 episodes. I think it's worth a watch.

So watch it.

FOX on Astro...

Image via Wikipedia

Astro's got a new channel in its roster this week - Channel 710, the FOX Channel. 

Yes, that FOX - home of The Simpsons, Family Guy, House, Lie to Me... those shows.

It started on Monday, and I've been tuning in on and off over the last few days; so far it's reruns of...

• The Simpsons (from a couple of seasons ago - okaylah)
• Family Guy (saw one from the third season, which was just as well cos I never saw the first few seasons anyway. I also never expected to see Family Guy on Malaysian TV since it's allegedly banned)
• Season five of NCIS (not sure why it's here since it's a CBS show - maybe it's the syndication deal?)
• First season of Lie to Me (which I've already seen on free TV, so I'm waiting for them to show the second season) 
• Second season of Bones (it's been awhile, and I don't remember watching it anyway)

As far as the ads in between goes - the NCIS-trumpeting ones are starting to get my goat. I know it's the world's No. 1 TV Drama and is popular all over the place, I GET IT. Sheesh. Anymore and I might go off NCIS :P But whoever is doing the reading for the ad that describes the cast members should note the way Ziva David's last name is pronounced on the show before butchering it on the FOX promos.

It's not even a week, so we'll see how this goes.

Anyone watching The Biggest Loser Asia?

In case anyone's forgotten, The Biggest Loser Asia (TBLA) started a couple of weeks ago - I know I nearly did. To be fair, I haven't been watching the US one since they started the 2 hour episodes and Hallmark only shows them an hour at a time here.

I missed out on the first portion of the show, which I guess must be the KL leg of the audition process, which I would've loved to watch, but I also forgot to watch the reruns (if any).

I have no problems with Sarimah Ibrahim as host; if it was Jojo Struys I'd be annoyed. I think they probably would've gotten Allan Wu if he already wasn't hosting TARA, but I have no idea if there's ever a male Biggest Loser host anywhere else on the planet.

Choice of trainers - well, as long as they can speak English properly (even if it's Aussie and Kiwi accents), I'm fine with that. Odd, but it's either them or scrawny people that can't speak English - jatuh standard nanti. Though I can't help but think that they're trying too hard to be Bob and Jillian at this point: one hard ass trainer, the other the good cop trainer.

Episode 2 is the final fat trim from 30 to 16 contestants and it took them 90 minutes to do that. For me, I can't wait to see the actual competition and I'm just watching for the heck of it.

I've no idea if anyone's putting the show up online, but if you're on Astro, it's on 9 p.m. (GMT +8) on Tuesdays on the Hallmark Channel (Channel 702).

Some Shows I'm Actively Watching

• House, MD
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• CSI: NY
• CSI: Miami
• Project Runway
• America's Next Top Model
• Top Chef
  
• Dirty Jobs
• Mythbusters
  

and why I don't have time for other, newer shows. Really. Some of the shows I don't mind watching but don't have the time or the energy to watch religiously yet...

• The Closer
• Private Practice
  
• Warehouse 13
• Royal Pains
• Castle
• Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (which I've not been watching regularly)
  

Shows I watch on an actual TV screen (even if it's a season or two behind) that hasn't already been mentioned...

• Lie to Me
• The Mentalist
• The Amazing Race
• NUMB3RS
• The Tonight Show with Conan O' Brien
• The Late Show with David Letterman
  
• Bones

Stuff I track down on YouTube or online when I can...

• Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List
• The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
• Iron Chef America
  
• The Colbert Report
• The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
  

which explains why I don't leave the house too much...

Random thoughts about NCIS: LA

It's only been a few episodes of the NCIS spinoff, NCIS: LA so far, which has not gone down too well with existing NCIS fans. I'm just watching it to see if it gets any better and also out of habit (which is why I watch CSI spinoffs; also why I've never really bothered with Law & Order)

There's a piece at TV Squad about the subject which voices a lot of people's (silent) opinions about the show so far. All I have are stuff that randomly pop up in my head when I watch the show:

• The theme song is not very memorable - maybe it's some generic library music or something. I could barely recall it, and I'm a sucker for theme music. NPH has a point about the lack of good TV theme music this decade.
  
  
• Everytime I see Chris O' Donnell, I'm only gonna remember that he played Robin in that Batman movie. Don't even get me started on the Robin jokes.
  
  
• Speaking of O' Donnell, how can he not know what his character's first name is? Don't they have that kind of information in some government database somewhere?
  
  
• Furnishing in their new office (since moved to a "condemned" building) - a little er, different.
  
  
• What is Hetty (Linda Hunt)'s role on the show and in the office? Quartermaster? So far she's only given them car keys and clothes.
  
  
• Everytime I see Hetty, I think Edna Mode in The Incredibles.
  
  
• How can they introduce Macy (Louise Lombard) in the backdoor pilot, only to have her on for guest appearances?
  
  
• Like McGee in NCIS, they also have a token newbie in Dom (Adam Jamal Craig).

CSI Miami Season 8, Episode 1

I'm always glad the my favourite TV shows are back. First of the CSI franchise - CSI:Miami.

• Eric Delko in mortal peril (again) - what luck. Oh well, he's supposed to be on his way out; wonder how he'll be written out.
  
• It took them 8 years to finally do a genesis-type episode of how Horatio and most of his team got together - the episode will answer your question about his 'shades.
  
• Horatio in a tie - funny. Might have something to do with me used to seeing him without one all these years.
  
• Also never thought I'd see Horatio nearly cry.
  
• They introduced a new old character - Jesse Cardoza (played by Eddie Cibrian, who's now infamous for being in an affair with LeAnn Rimes), who was leaving in this episode. I supposed he'll be back soon enough.
• They closed the episode with the closing song in Season 6 finale.