The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| BBC rebukes ‘Top Gear’ presenter Clarkson over racist language Posted: 02 May 2014 07:25 AM PDT Clarkson, 54, apologised after a newspaper report earlier this week revealed he used an epithet for blacks while reciting the rhyme "Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe" to choose between cars while filming two years ago. The presenter, known for his humorous but brash, blunt style, released a video on Twitter yesterday apologising and saying he had tried to avoid the racist expression used in a well-known older version of the rhyme. "I was mortified by this, horrified. It is a word that I loathe and I did everything in my power to make sure that version did not appear in the programme," said Clarkson, seen in the video brandishing a note to this effect sent to producers. "As I am sitting here begging your forgiveness for the fact... obviously my efforts weren't quite good enough." The version did not appear on the show and it was not clear how the Mirror newspaper, which first published the story, got a copy of the take. The revelation prompted calls for Clarkson to resign or be sacked by the BBC, which is publicly funded by an annual licence fee of 145.50 pounds (RM812.50) that must be paid by all UK households with a television. "I don't think the taxpayer should be subjected to people like Jeremy Clarkson who uses and insults people by his comments. It is time for him to go," opposition Labour MP Jim Sheridan from parliament's Culture, Media and Sports Committee said today. Top Gear is one of the BBC's best-selling shows globally, broadcast in 214 countries. The show have made Clarkson, a journalist who writes newspaper columns as well as a presenter, into a global celebrity. His strong views have pitched him up against politicians, national governments, green groups, car companies and communities across Britain over the years. Facebook has an "I Hate Jeremy Clarkson" page. But the BBC has regularly downplayed any controversies about his comments and trod carefully this week. A spokeswoman said in a statement issued late on Thursday the corporation had spoken to Clarkson. "We have made it absolutely clear to him, the standards the BBC expects on air and off. We have left him in no doubt about how seriously we view this," she said. She declined to comment further on Friday and a spokesman for Clarkson told Reuters that the presenter was not expected to make any further comment. The annual report of BBC Worldwide – the broadcaster's overseas sales branch – says Top Gear notched up the corporation's third title in the Guinness World Records, where it was named the world's most widely watched factual TV programme in 2013. The show, which started in 1988, has sparked various spin-offs including video games, a game app and Top Gear magazine. During 2012/13, the BBC said it had agreed new commercial deals with UK presenters Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond to ensure the show's future for the next three years. The BBC declined to say how much Clarkson makes or how much "Top Gear" and its spin-offs earn for the company. – Reuters, May 2, 2014. |
| An evening of traditional Malaysian performing arts Posted: 01 May 2014 11:54 PM PDT Founder Eddin Khoo will explore the contemporary social context and cultural politics that surround the traditional performing arts in Malaysia, in an effort to nurture a deeper appreciation for the country's heritage. The talk is open to the public and admission is free. Session begins at 4.00pm The same evening will also see Pusaka presenting a Main Puteri performance from Kelantan for the public, featuring the renowned Tok Puteri, Che Mohd Zailani bin Che Moh, better known as Tok Mamat. Pusaka's Main Puteri will be held at the Black Box, Publika, as part of the monthly Pusaka Evenings at Publika. Main Puteri is a healing performance tradition found mainly in the northeastern Malaysian state of Kelantan. It incorporates elements of dance, music, trance and ritual to cure patients suffering from emotional or spiritual illness. In the Kelantanese worldview, such illnesses are due either to an attack by malign or unsettled spirits, a loss of semangat (soul or life-essence) or an imbalance of angin (inner wind) within a patient's body. The principal figure in a Main Puteri performance is the tok puteri (medium) who serves as both spirit-medium and healer. He is assisted by a tok minduk who acts as a spirit-interrogator and is also the lead musician. As the tok puteri summons, into his own body, the spirit responsible for causing the patient's illness, the tok minduk questions the spirit to ascertain its identity and determine why the spirit is unsettled. As the spirit takes possession of him, the tok puteri dances in a state of trance. Negotiations and offerings take place to appease the spirit to ensure that it will cease disturbing the patient. If the illness is due to loss of semangat or an imbalance of angin, the patient is encouraged to physically participate in the performance to bring about his or her emotional and spiritual release. For more information on the talk and show, please contact: info@senipusaka.com. – May 2, 2014. |
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