Rabu, 30 Maret 2011

Three Great Events that You Should Attend At Least Once in a Lifetime


Especially if you live in Indonesia and more specifically, Jakarta.

I admit that I may sound very biased because I'm part of the committee of those events, so let me use more subtle approach: providing you several benefits that you could get by applying to be the participant.

1) E-Youth 2011



E-Youth 2011 is a series of seminar, workshop, real business competition, and book discussion held by Universitas Bakrie. As it stands for Entrepreneurial Youth, E-Youth has a general objective of encouraging young generation to pursue entrepreneurship career with the hope of building Indonesia into a prosper country. E-Youth 2011 selects "Creative Industry" for its special topic featuring Mochammad Ridwan Kamil, Elitua Simarmata, Hiramsyah S. Thaib, Sam Udjo, Iiim Fahima, Muhammad Lukman, Wahyu Aditya, and Diana Rikasari as the speakers for seminar; M. Arif Budiman, the author of "Jualan Ide Segar" as the speaker of book discussion; and the last but not least Aidil Akbar and Jalu P. Priambodo as the speakers for workshop. In real business competition, the committee challenge the participants to create a business plan with creative industry or culinary as its theme and only 10 million rupiahs as its capital, no more, no less. In exchange, the first winner will get the exact 10 million rupiahs whereas the second and third winner will receive 7.5 million and 5 million rupiahs respectively.

What'll You Get by Attending:
Countless inspirations from great speakers and entrepreneurs. Great book discussion. Educating workshop. A chance to win 22.5 million rupiahs if you participate in Real Business Competition. Certificate.

How to Apply:
Visit www.eyouth-ub.com for more information or follow its twitter account: @eyouth_ub.

2) Indonesia International Week 2011


Indonesia International Week (IIW) is an annual special project from Indonesian Students Association for International Studies that has been going on for 9 years (this year will be the tenth time). IIW's concept is actually quite similar to a summer class abroad where youth coming from different country meet together and do a cultural exchange for a short time. However, IIW is held in Indonesia and this year's IIW will be held in exactly three big cities: Jakarta, Jogjakarta, and Bali with the theme "Living in Multicultural Society" from July 2-13, 2011. Past participants of IIW are all natives, some of them are Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, and so on. However, starting from this year the committee gives a chance for locals to join this program by submitting an application.

What'll You Get by Attending:
Memorable experience. Exotic journey into the 'jungle' of Indonesian Culture for two weeks. Refreshing discussion. New circle of friends, both locals and natives. Certificate.

How to Apply:
Visit www.indonesiaiw.org or click the tab 'IIW 2011' under the headline.
Registration Fee: IDR 2,000,000 for locals and 325 Euro for natives (includes transportation and hotel costs for two weeks).

Indonesia International Week 2011 only accepts 50 participants (20 locals and 30 natives), so make sure your application (CV and essay) is presentable and persuasive enough to convince us that you deserve a seat. Indonesia International Week is the second best International Week in the world, so what are you waiting for?

3) Jakarta Model of United Nations 2011

Jakarta Model of United Nations (JMUN) 2011 is the first international diplomatic simulation program held by Indonesian Students Association for International Studies. JMUN is hoped to be a great place to gather young and enthusiastic youth to debate, negotiate, and also making friends. JMUN provides a unique and distinctive atmosphere and broad topic areas to meet the needs of its participants better. Three councils are available in JMUN: General Assembly, WTO, and UNHCR. These councils are each directed by a brilliant director with notable achievements in local and international context.

What'll You Get by Attending:
Intense debate and diplomatic session. Interaction with other brilliant minds. Chance to improve your speaking skills and confidence. An insight of how United Nation works. Certificate.

How to Apply:
Visit www.jakartamun.org or click the tab 'JMUN 2011' under the headline.
Registration Fee: IDR 400,000 (doesn't include transportation and hotel costs).



If you're interested to join or sponsor these events, don't hesitate to contact me for I'm working as the staff of sponsorship for E-Youth 2011 and Jakarta Model of United Nations 2011 and treasurer for Indonesia International Week 2011. I'll address your inquiry as soon as possible.


Senin, 28 Maret 2011

Repost from a Mailing List: Tips Belajar Bahasa Inggris

Sore ini gue sempat meratapi kemampuan gue yang pas-pasan dalam memahami bahasa Inggris, apalagi untuk masalah speaking dan listening. I lack practice and I don't have anyone agreeing to become partner in a daily English conversation. Thankfully, God still loves me. Ga sampai sejam kemudian, sebuah e-mail dari mailing list ASIRPA membahas tips-tips belajar bahasa Inggris, and it's so damn efficient and effective that I decided to repost it here and add my personal experience a bit just to make it longer. Stay tuned.

TIPS BELAJAR BAHASA INGGRIS ALA ASIRPA DAN GUE

Dear all,
Pertanyaan tentang cara belajar Bahasa Inggris adalah sebuah pertanyaan yang paling klasik dan usang. Meski demikian, tetap saja tidak mudah menjawabnya. Menariknya, orang yang IELTS-nya sudah melebihi skor untuk masuk Harvard Law School, sekolahnya para presiden Amerika, pun belum tentu bisa dengan gamblang menjelaskan cara belajar Bahasa Inggris.

Sebelum melangkah lebih jauh, yuk kita simak kutipan petuah Lintang, di Novel Laskar Pelangi, kepada Ikal, tentang belajar Bahasa Inggris:

"Memikirkan struktur atau dimensi waktu dalam sebuah bahasa asing yang baru saja kita kenal tidak lebih dari hanya akan merepotkan diri sendiri. Sadarkah kau bahasa apapun di dunia ini, dimana pun, mulai dari Bahasa Navajo yang dipakai sebagai sandi tak terpecahkan di perang dunia ke dua, Bahasa Gaelic yang amat langka, Bahasa Melayu pesisir yang berayun-ayun, sampai Bahasa Mohican yang telah punah, semuanya adalah kumpulan kalimat, dan kalimat tak lain adalah kumpulan kata-kata.
Nah, kata apapun, pada dasarnya adalah kata benda, kata kerja, kata sifat dan kata keterangan, paham? Ini bukan masalah bahasa yang sulit tapi masalah cara berpikir. Berangkatlah dari sana, pelajari bagaimana menggunakan kata benda, kata kerja, kata sifat dan kata keterangan dalam sebuah kalimat Inggris."

Petuah Lintang ini layak direnungkan bahwa bahasa pada dasarnya adalah kata. Sebelum belajar bahasa dan kalimat yang menyeramkan, belajarlah kata. Meskipun ini pasti bukanlah petuah yang paling sempurna tetapi setidaknya akan mudah disetujui bahwa tidak akan ada manfaatnya kita mengetahui aturan dan trik berbahasa kalau kita miskin kosakata? Yes, I do agree. Vocabulary helps you to understand the core content of a story, then grammar helps you to understand its time of order.

Meski demikian, perlu disederhanakan tujuan kita, bahwa saat ini kita sedang membahas sebuah ujian/test yang bernama TOEIC. Meskipun pada dasarnya sebuh ujian disusun untuk mengetahui kemampuan seseorang, tetap saja ujian apapun memiliki kelemahan. Banyak orang yang kalau diajak bercakap-cakap Bahasa Inggris terdengar sangat bagus tetapi selalu gagal memperoleh skor TOEFL tinggi. Sebaliknya, ada seorang kawan yang kalau bicara sangat mengenaskan tetapi skore TOEFLnya di atas 500. Adakah yang salah dengan ujian, termasuk TOEFL dan TOEIC? Bisa ya, bisa tidak. Setidaknya kita harus paham bahwa sebuah ujian bisa dipelajari.

Pintar Bahasa Inggris dalam konteks yang sesungguhnya dan komprehensif pasti akan membuat nilai kita bagus, tetapi ini tidak untuk mengatakan bahwa untuk memperoleh nilai bagus kita harus pintar Bahasa Inggris secara komprehensif. Orang bisa saja menerapkan strategi tertentu, bukan untuk pintar berbahasa Inggris tetapi sekedar untuk mendapatkan nilai bagus dalam ujian TOEFL atau TOEIC.

Seperti halnya TOEFL atau IELTS, TOEIC memuat empat kemampuan dasar bahasa Inggris: Mendengarkan (Listening/L), Membaca (Reading/R) , Menulis (Writing/W) dan Berbicara (Speaking/S). Berikut beberapa tips untuk mendapatkan nilai yang baik.
Kenali model tes TOEIC. Jangan pernah ikut test jika belum hafal di luar kepala struktur test TOEIC. Seseorang harus bisa menjelaskan dengan mata terpejam berapa soal yang harus dijawab dan berapa waktu yang tersedia untuk masing-masing bagian. Pelajari TOEIC dari sumber resmi yaitu Educational Testing Service (ETS) www.ets.org kemudian klik TOEIC.

Lakukan latihan dengan model yang sama dengan aslinya, biasakan melakukan latihan dengan pewaktuan yang persis sama dengan keadaan sebenarnya. Jangan melakukan latihan sambil lalu yang mudah terhenti oleh rengekan anak, gangguan murid, permintaan suami/istri untuk bikin teh dll. Alokasikan tempat dan waktu yang khusus. Ingat, ini memerlukan komitmen. Dalam menjawab soal, tandai yang ragu-ragu atau sekedar tebak.
Setelah latihan, periksa yang salah dan yang ragu-ragu atau sekedar tebak. Bisa jadi yang ragu-ragu atau sekedar tebak tadi juga benar, tetapi kita perlu mengetahui alasan yang sesungguhnya.

Kalau memiliki buku TOEIC baru, jangan menjawab di buku tersebut, fotokopi bukunya dan coretlah pada lembar fotokopian. Jika ujiannya mengharapkan kita mengisi formulir yang akan dibaca komputer (dengan pensil 2B) lakukan hal yang sama pada latihan. Simulasikan persis seperti ketika ujian yang sebenarnya.

Catat skor dari waktu ke waktu dan lihatlah perkembangannya. Perhatikan di mana kekuatan dan kelemahan kita dari keempat bagian yang diujikan. Berikan perhatian yang khusus pada bagian tersebut.

Tips untuk Listening:

Yang paling penting adalah kebiasaan mendengar. Hal ini tidak mudah dilakukan dan hanya bisa ditingkatkan dengan latihan. Mulai sekarang, tutuplah bagian bawah layar TV kalau menonton film barat agar tidak terbiasa membaca terjemahannya. Atau kalau punya DVD, biasakan menonton DVD film barat dengan subtitle (terjemahan) Bahasa Inggris, bukan bahasa Indonesia sehingga kita akan mendengar sambil membaca sebuah kalimat dalam Bahasa Aslinya. Ini sangat membantu. I do that, and trust me it works. My pronunciation isn't perfect but at least it's not as thick as before for I'm a Javanese. Another method that you can also try: listen to lots of western songs using a headphone at least an hour a day. Wanna learn how to speak with a British accent, then listen to lots of British albums.

Satu hal yang sangat penting, mendengar adalah persoalan kemampuan dan empati. Banyak orang yang tidak bisa mendengar, bahkan dalam bahasa ibunya. Jika kita apriori atau tidak berempati kepada topik yang dibicarakan, kita tidak akan mendengarkan dengan baik. Mendengar adalah juga persoalan mengendalikan ego.

Tips untuk Reading:

Tidak ada tips yang lebih ampuh untuk ini selain rajin membaca. This is what I do everyday, reading English literatures up to three hours a day before I go to sleep and whenever I have a spare time. Don't rush yourself to read a heavy materials like textbook or newspaper, keep it slow but consistent by reading novel or even fanfiction. People are more eager to read everything that they enjoy immensely and fanfiction is my joy. By only reading such light literature, I got 527 for my TOEFL Prediction Test held two years ago. I'm sure the score will keep going up since now I also start burying myself into a den of management textbooks. It's a wonderful feat since I haven't got any outside English lesson or private tutoring aside from what I got in secondary school and my parents are suck in English. I learn English by myself.

Tips untuk Speaking

Sampai kini saya meyakini bahwa berbahasa asing, terutama berbahasa Inggris adalah persoalan ‘gaya’ dan ‘ajum‘. Jika seseorang memiliki tingkat ke-gaya-an yang sangat rendah atau dengan kata lain dia adalah penganut pepatah lama “de ngaden awak bisa depang anake ngadanin” (jangan merasa bisa, biarlah orang lain yang menilai), saya khawatir orang tersebut tidak akan bisa berbicara Bahasa Inggris dengan baik. Kita perlu sedikit ajum dan gaya untuk bisa berbicara Bahasa Inggris. Percayalah bahwa kita harus memaknai pepatah lama nenek moyang kita dengan sangat proporsional. Jangan telan mentah-mentah dan berkreasilah.
Jika kita merasa tidak lancar berbicara, ngomonglah dengan pelan. Tidak terburu-buru untuk menyembunyikan kelemahan pengucapan kita. Banyak orang melakukan ini. Untuk bisa berbicara yang baik, kita harus menjadi pendengar yang baik. Belajarlah dengan serius soal pronounciation karena ini memang perlu dipelajari. Jangan terlalu percaya bakat, semua ada caranya. Dengarkan film bahasa Inggris dan perhatikan bagaimana penutur asli berucap. Ini tidak mudah dan sayapun yang sudah belajar bahasa Inggris lama dan tinggal di LN bertahun2 tetap mengalami kesulitan soal ini. Hal ini akan lebih bermasalah lagi kalau kita merasa malu berbicara.

Lakukan latihan. Buatlah pasangan yang menjadi penanya dan kita menjawab. Ini memang tidak mudah dilakukan oleh orang yang sudah senior terutama di Bali. Selalu ada keengganan belajar sesuatu, dan ada perasaan koh (enggan) melakukan sesuatu sesuai petunjuk. Kita terlalu mudah berucap “nah de je bes serem” (sudahlah, jangan terlalu dibuat rumit). Kalau kita ingin bisa, lakukan sekarang. Tinggalkan rasa enggan, lupakan kecanggungan. Semua orang perlu belajar, biarpun dari orang orang yang lebih muda sekalipun. Guys, are you interested in having an English conversation with me? I really need this kind of partnership. Please inform me if you do :)

Tips untuk Writing:

Ada orang pintar mengatakan, jangan bermimpi bisa menulis dengan baik dalam bahasa asing jika belum bisa menulis dalam bahasa ibu. Pernyataan ini kelihatan menakut-nakuti tapi benar adanya. Menulis adalah persoalan kemauan mengekspresikan diri, dalam bahasa apapun itu. Ada orang yang begitu di depan komputer atau buku akan berdiam diri berjam-jam tanpa bisa memulai. Memulai selalu sulit. Kalau menurut saya, menulis adalah persoalan kebiasaan dan latihan. Sebelum bertanya apakah kita bisa mendapatkan skor TOEIC yang tinggi untuk writing, tanyakanlah seberapa sering kita menulis dalam hidup? Kita menjumpai hal-hal menarik dalam hidup setiap detiknya tetapi jarang sekali tergerak untuk menuliskannya. Ini masalah kebiasaan.
Yes, writing is about a matter of habit. I love writing, but sometimes I hesitate to write things full in English because my grammar is a little over the place. I can detect any grammatical errors on people's work, thanks to my reading habit, but never in my own writing. What I do to improve it is reading a grammar dictionary, try to use more big words to make it more educated, and also use more active form because I want to persuade people not just give information through my writing.

That's all folks. How's it, cat got your tongue? :D

Jakarta, 28 Maret 2011

Riska Kusuma Wardhani

Thanks People for Inspiring Me!

I should've posted this thank-you note days ago, but I only get the opportunity to do it today, so here we go.

1) Thanks Allah for giving me a chance to live and breath until now. Pampering me with health and plenty of love. You're the Power that Be who always cares about me no matter how dense I am in repaying You. Please grant me long years to live for I still have lots to do and achieve.

2) Thanks Mum and Dad for bringing me to this beautiful, diverse world. Helping me to grow up into what I am today. Showering me with attention and familial love until this very day, this very minute, this very second. I may not always agree with your decisions, but do know that I never stop loving you, unconditionally.

3) Thanks my little sister for teaching me how to be a tolerant, unselfish person. For keeping me on track because I know that you look up to me. My success will be yours, sis, I'll work hard to reach the top of my education and career to inspire you back.

4) Thanks my friends for brightening up my days. You teach me how to communicate and become a part of an integrated community. You teach me how each human being is born different and unique. Some of our friendships may be short-lived and quite erratic, but I'll always remember your faces. You get my back :)

5) Thanks my organizations for teaching me how to work with others. How to coordinate an event in a team. Special thanks for E-Youth and MagStorm 2011 for introducing the joy of sponsorship to me. Komunitas Jendela for sating my hunger of literatures and communications. ISAFIS for appeasing my thirst of English language and diplomatic skills (although I'm still on the learning stage, I'm suck at speaking) and the last but not least, TEDxJakarta for showing me that Indonesia still has hope. That Indonesia is full of countless great thinkers ready to contribute some of their innovation back to community. Hopefully in 5 years or so I can do the same. Money, fame, and top career are meaningless until you donate some of them to your surrounding environment.

An Amazing Concert with Extraordinary Performers... That's Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik!

Yep, itu opini pertama gue tentang Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik yang diadakan di Epicentrum Walk tanggal 19 Maret kemarin, dan opini ini ga mengalami perubahan sama sekali hingga akhir acara. Bahkan berkat konser ini, pandangan gue ke dunia musik Indonesia berubah total ke arah yang lebih baik.

Jujur sebelumnya gue rada malas untuk menonton konser ini. Gue lebih tertarik untuk nonton BB Live Concert yang diadakan Ismaya Group di hari yang sama, karena Shontelle manggung di sana. Sayang gue ga kebagian tiket. Ga mau melewatkan malam Minggu yang kabarnya bakal diterangin supermoon dengan percuma, gue pun cari alternatif lain. Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik.

Gue pun dengan semangat mendaftarkan diri untuk dapat access card-nya, tapi di sini malah muncul yang namanya kebodohan: gue daftar pas udah lewat masa pendaftaran. Dongkol banget perasaan gue hari itu (16/3), sampai malemnya pas gue lagi asyik nyampah di Twitter (as usual), ada twit dari Kak Rara yang intinya ngajak para bloggers buat ngeliput Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik plus wawancara para pengisi acaranya. Baca twit itu, gue langsung komentar dalam hati, "Wah, seru juga nih." Ga sampai semenit kemudian, e-mail buat nanya-nanya syarat dan ketentuan buat ikutan meluncur ke inbox e-mail Kak Rara.

And yay, I got it! Secara syaratnya cukup simpel, gue cuma butuh bikin postingan blog tentang Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik sebelum dan sesudah diselenggarakan. Cincai lah. Dengan semangat 45 ga sampai satu jam tulisan pre-event selesai dan langsung disetor ke Kak Rara buat diteruskan ke panitia. Habis itu gue langsung cabut tidur deh, simpan energi buat semaleman nonton konser :)

Pas tanggal 19 Maret, gue udah standby di Epicentrum Walk dari pas jam 3 sore. Sayang gue ga bisa langsung masuk venue karena access card untuk para bloggers masih diurus sama Kak Rara. Ya sudah gue berkeliaran keliling Epicentrum Walk dulu, sekalian liat-liat pengunjung yang juga sudah hadir untuk meramaikan acara. Banyak dari mereka yang dandan penuh cui, sampai bikin gue sempat minder karena pakaian gue biasa-biasa aja. Mana waktu itu gue juga melakukan kebodohan kedua: bawa laptop karena sempat ngira kalau pas acara berlangsung kita para bloggers mesti setor postingan juga. Ternyata ga ada aturan semacam itu. Akhirnya gue memutuskan dalam hati buat pulang bentar di tengah konser buat naruh laptop. Secara berat dan mati gaya banget deh nonton konser pake ribet nenteng laptop segala.

Mendekati jam 4 sore, access card untuk bloggers selesai diurus dan kita semua disuruh ngumpul di Starbuck Epicentrum Walk. Gue pun langsung beranjak ke sana, dan whoa! I met again with volunteers from Pesta Blogger+ 2010! Berasa reuni kecil-kecilan dah, mana dulu pas acara Pesta Blogger+ 2010 kita juga ngumpul di Starbucks. Di tengah cipika cipiki, ngobrol ke sana-sini dan nanya-nanya soal teknis wawancara para pengisi acaranya, tiba-tiba Kak Rara membuka sebuah kardus coklat besar dan kemudian membagikan satu per satu goodie bags di dalamnya ke para bloggers. Seneng banget gue waktu itu, secara waktu masih ngekos begini finansial rada kacau. Apalagi setelah gue liat isi goodie bag itu: flashdisk 4 GB, dua kaos unik, dan dua promotional CDs dari Di-da dan RAN. Kalau saja ga ada orang waktu itu kayanya gue bakal langsung teriak histeris saking senengnya.

Goodie bag sudah aman terjinjing, sekarang saatnya kita buat masuk venue. Teknis masuknya canggih juga, panitia mesti men-scan barcode yang ada di access card masing-masing. Dan sebelumnya juga ada satpam yang dengan teliti meriksa barang bawaan kita satu per satu, maksudnya biar ga ada makanan, minuman, atau bahkan senjata tajam dari luar yang ikutan masuk. Pemeriksaan selesai, kita pun langsung melenggang ke dalam venue dengan ceria. Tapi sempat ada kekecewaan waktu itu: kita bloggers ga dapet voucher welcome drink dan bahkan gue sempet ga dapet gelang Langit Musik-nya. Yah, toh kita juga daftarnya dadakan dan udah dapet goodie bag secara cuma-cuma, jadi kekecewaan itu juga ga berlangsung lama kok.

Sesampainya di venue, gue dan para bloggers yang lain ga langsung stuck di satu panggung aja. Kita keliling dulu dari panggung satu ke panggung lainnya sampai ada pengumuman kalau di panggung 1 bakal tampil Bottle Smoker yang abis tur keliling Eropa. Penasaran karena tiba-tiba aja itu panggung ramai dikerubuti kerumunan orang, gue yang super duper awam soal band indie, musik Indonesia, dan ga pernah ngeh dengan yang namanya Bottle Smoker pun ikut merapat ke sana. Performance mereka seperti apa sih hingga banyak orang yang doyan?

Ga sampai lagu pertama selesai dibawakan, gue udah terpesona aja sama performance mereka. Wah, ternyata di Indonesia ada nih band indie yang ngebawain musik electropop! Pakai berbagai macam toy instruments lagi, mana jumlah personilnya cuma dua orang. Memang mereka ga ada vokalnya, tapi kualitas mereka di mata gue udah bisa menyamai Owl City. Waktu manggung ada efek bubbles segala lagi. Ditunjang dengan sound system dan pencahayaan yang oke serta penampilan yang unik (personilnya pakai topi berkuping yang sooo fluffy! Pengen punya sebiji deh), gue bener-bener ga beranjak dari tempat gue berdiri sampai mereka selesai manggung.

The Banery langsung manggung ga lama setelah Bottle Smoker selesai. Saat itu gue pengen juga ngikutin konsernya dari awal sampai akhir, sayang bahu gue udah keburu pegel kelamaan nenteng laptop. Akhirnya gue pun cabut bentar untuk naruh laptop di kosan yang letaknya cuma setengah kilometer dari Epicentrum Walk. Selesai naruh, makan dulu dong. Alhasil baru sekitar jam 7an gue balik lagi ke venue.

Pas gue sampai, di panggung 1 lagi ada DJ Tiara. Para pengunjung pada duduk-duduk buat ndengerin tapi ada juga yang semangat 'pogo-pogo' di depan panggung (mostly laki-laki... ehem). Ga lama kemudian ada band yang manggung lagi dan pengunjung pun kembali berdiri buat merapat ke panggung. Gue yang rada bosen akhirnya ngacir ke panggung 2 buat kumpul-kumpul kembali dengan para bloggers. Kebetulan waktu itu Kak Rara juga SMS kalau jam 9 gue udah bisa wawancara salah satu pengisi acaranya... White Shoes and The Couples Company! Yippieeee!!!

Teng jam 9, gue langsung jalan ngikutin panitia yang tahu di mana White Shoes and The Couples Company 'bermarkas' sebelum tampil. Begitu ketemu mereka, jeder! Materi wawancara yang udah gue siapin di otak hangus begitu aja. Nervous booook. Gue udah sering liat konser mereka tapi baru kali ini bisa liat personilnya dari dekat. Alhasil wawancara jadi berlangsung alot, kaku, dan rada ga meaning. Huaaaa padahal sebenarnya banyak banget yang pengen gue tanyain ke mereka! Saking nervous-nya, ga sampai 15 menit gue langsung pamit aja, dan begonya ga take foto bareng mereka! Kebodohan tingkat tinggi ga sih!

Udah pegel sama kebodohan terbesar gue malem itu, gue akhirnya ngacir ke tempat jual makanan dan minuman. Saat itu pengen banget deh beli hotdog-nya, apa daya duit terbatas hingga akhirnya gue cuma beli teh botol aja. Selesai minum, wedew, kebelet buang air kecil. Terpaksa deh keluar venue bentar buat ke kamar mandi.

Nah begitu gue mau masuk lagi, eh si satpam nemuin botol minuman yang gue beli di dalam venue dan ga memperbolehkan gue masuk. Damn, gue kan belinya di dalam venue bukan di luar! Sayang itu satpam ga mau ngerti. Akhirnya karena minuman itu masih banyak dan gue sayang buat buang, gue pun memutuskan buat ga masuk ke venue dan malah nangkring di koridor dekat kamar mandi buat ngeliat konser di panggung 2.

Saat itu, Endah n Rhesa baru mau manggung. Gue sempet heran karena di tengah hujan yang cukup deras mengguyur venue, masih ada aja pengunjung yang bela-belain nongkrong di depan panggung dan bahkan ada yang pakai payung segala! Tapi pas si Endah n Rhesa mulai bawain lagu-lagu mereka, gue langsung ngeh kenapa pengunjung-pengunjung itu sampai sebegitu loyalnya. Permainan mereka keren banget dan full of love! Kekuatan vokal si Endah, permainan gitar duo mereka, sama interaksi antar keduanya dan interaksi ke penonton... semuanya patut diacungin jempol. Definitely masuk ke list musisi favorit gue nih.

Nah, di tengah-tengah mereka manggung ini, tepat jam 10 malem semuanya berhenti buat hening barang semenit aja. It's time for Expression for My Music! Bener-bener ga ada suara sedikit pun waktu itu, yang Endah n Rhesa bener-bener ga bergerak bak manekin dan pengunjung lain juga pada diam. Semuanya mengheningkan cipta buat kemajuan dunia musik Indonesia, termasuk gue sendiri tentunya.

Done with Endah n Rhesa, tadinya gue mau langsung cabut ke panggung 1 buat liat konser White Shoes and The Couples Company dan RAN. Aih, sayang saat itu entah salah teknis atau bagaimana, salah satu bass ga keluar bunyinya. Alhasil permainan mereka rada kacau. Para bloggers yang lebih senior akhirnya ngeracunin gue buat nonton konsernya Pure Saturday yang doyan ngebawain lagu-lagu klasik. Meski gue ga begitu kenal sama lagu-lagu mereka, gue tetep ikutan sok-sok nyanyi nge-lip sync pada akhirnya. Seru sih, banyak orang juga waktu itu. Dan hey, supermoon juga ada tepat di atas panggung 2!

Konser Pure Saturday selesai, gue melenggok bentar ke konsernya RAN. Yah, cuma kebagian ndengerin lagu Pandangan Pertama terus konser udah buyar. Udah selesai. Balik lagi deh gue ke tempat para bloggers yang lain ngumpul, ngobrol-ngobrol sebentar terus pulang bareng :)

Nah, yang bisa disimpulkan dari celotehan gue di atas adalah Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik itu cool abis. Top notch. Two-thumbs up and salute buat panitia, penyelenggara, dan juga pengisi acara yang sudah ngehibur gue semaleman di acara itu. Konser kalian ga kalah, dan bahkan menurut gue pribadi jauh lebih seru dibanding konser BB Live. Dan ya, berkat kalian juga pandangan gue ke dunia musik Indonesia jelas-jelas berubah. Gue yang dulu rada anti sama musisi Indonesia gara-gara infotainment yang kerap nampilin sisi gelap para musisi serta adanya artis-artis dadakan yang bisa manggung begitu aja tanpa kemampuan mumpuni hingga mencoreng dunia musik Indonesia, kini mulai welcome bahkan nge-fans sama beberapa band indie yang manggung di Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik. Bahkan sekarang playlist gue ga lagi muter lagu barat dan bahkan korea tapi ada juga lagu musisi Indonesia di situ. Thanks Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik, please invite me again in your second birthday concert! I'll gladly come!

Jakarta, 28 Maret 2011

Riska Kusuma Wardhani


Rabu, 23 Maret 2011

ADA "HIK" ADA "SEGO KUCING"

Tags
Makan malam sudah, tapi perut masih minta diisi. Selain itu mata juga belum mau merem. Malam-malam begini memang enaknya cari kudapan yang ringan tapi mengenyangkan. Keluar ah..cari sesuatu buat memenuhi keinginan si mulut.... Bakso, mie ayam, capjay, tahu kupat terlalu mengenyangkan. Ya sudah pilihan akhirnya tetap satu, nongkrong di angkringan. Istilah angkringan yang populer di sekitar wilayah kota Solo adalah "hik". Gak tahu sebenarnya apa arti dan asal muasal kata "hik" tersebut.

Suasananya memang temaram

Makan di hik akan memberikan suasana yang berbeda bila dibandingkan makan di warung makan atau restoran. Di hik, penikmat kuliner ( waalah istilahe kok duwurmen he.he..) bisa duduk di bangku panjang tanpa sandaran di depan atau samping dari gerobak yang dipakai untuk memajang korban dari para manusia yang kalo malam pada kelaparan ( korban yang dimaksud adalah makanan dan minuman ha.ha.ha..ha ). atau bisa juga duduk lesehan dengan tikar di kanan kiri gerobak. Pencahayaan yang diberikan di hik memang dibuat temaram sehingga berkesan hangat, dekat dan akrab. Kalau tidak percaya monggo dicoba sekali-kali makan di hik tapi lampunya dibuat terang pakai lampu 200 Watt, dijamin gak betah nongkrong apalagi makan. Pencahayaan yang dipakai biasanya lampu minyak atau istilah kerennya "lampu teplok". Namun sekarang berhubung pemerintah gak mendukung rakyat kecil ( minyak tanah mahal ) maka diganti dengan lampu listrik dengan daya terang 2,5 watt atau 5 watt.

Menu yang tersedia di hik sangat banyak dan merupakan menu makanan sederhana. Dari minuman seperti es teh, es jeruk, susu jahe, STMJ ( susu telur madu jahe ), kopi dan soda gembira. Harga minuman mulai dari Rp.1000 sampai dengan Rp.6000 . Berbagai macam camilan yang biasa seperti goreng-gorengan ( bakwan, tahu, tempe, pisang goreng, tape goreng, timus ), bacem-baceman ( tahu/tempe/ceker/kepala ayam ), sate-satenan ( sate telur gemak, ati ampela, usus, sosis ). Gorengan perpotong dihargai Rp.500, sate harganya mulai dari Rp.1000 sampai Rp.2000. Dan untuk yang mengenyangkan tersedia dalam bentuk bungkusan, ( harga perbungkus Rp.1000) ada capjay, bihun goreng, nasi goreng dan yang cukup terkenal, unik dan menjadi identitas dari hik itu sendiri adalah SEGO KUCING.

Inilah rupa dari sego kucing

Bagi yang baru coba makan di hik pasti rada aneh mendengar menu terakhir di atas. Ya..SEGO KUCING..Sego kucing yang bahasa indonesianya nasi kucing dan bahasa Inggrisnya cat rice hanyalah sebuah sebutan saja. Bukan berarti nasi berlaukkan daging kucing. Sebutan itu disebabkan oleh porsi atau ukuran pengemasannya sama dengan porsi yang dimakan oleh kucing. Pada awalnya, sego kucing muncul pertama kali di wilayah kota Klaten, sehingga masyarakat Klaten bolehlah berbangga oleh karena kuliner mereka kini sudah melegenda. Karena kemasannya yang cukup kecil, biasanya seorang tidak cukup bila cuma melahap satu bungkus sego kucing. Ia minimal akan menghabiskan dua atau tiga bungkus sego kucing. Lauk yang terdapat dalam sego kucing sebenarnya juga SSS ( sangat sederhana sekali, atau bahkan kesannnya "ndeso banget" ) berupa beberapa ikan teri goreng atau sepotong daging ikan bandeng seukuran jari plus sambal terapi. Terkadang ada juga sepotong timun sebagai pelengkap. Bagi yang tidak suka ikan teri atau bandeng, penjual biasanya juga menyediakan sego kucing yang berlaukkan oseng-oseng tempe.

Apakah keunikan dari hik sebatas kedua hal di atas ? Tidak...masih ada satu lagi keunikannya. Di hik, konsumennya berasal dari berbagai kalangan. Mulai dari mahasiswa sampai eksekutif, dari anak-anak sampai orang tua dan yang pasti muda-mudi. Jadi tidak heran, hik bisa dipakai sebagai tempat untuk berpacaran, tempat untuk membahas isu-isu terbaru, sampai juga masalah lobi-melobi dalam bisnis.

Bagi yang sudah biasa jajan di hik, monggo teruskan kebiasaan itu sebagai bentuk pelestarian kuliner asli Indonesia. Bagi yang belum, silahkan mencoba keunikannya. Dan harapan ke depan, semoga saja hik bisa menjadi sarana wisata kuliner khas dari Indonesia. Hidup hik...hidup sego kucing.....

Senin, 21 Maret 2011

BUAHNYA BISA MELEDAK



Pernah melihat tanaman di atas ?...Yakin belum pernah melihatnya ?...Mungkin juga sudah sering menjumpainya. Ya..tanaman ini banyak kita jumpai di tepi jalan, di kebun di tepi sawah atau sungai. Daerah sebarannya tidak hanya di desa, bahkan di kota kita akan sering menjumpainya.

Tanaman ini termasuk dalam jenis tanaman semak dengan buah kecil berbentuk bulat panjang kecil dan ujungnya meruncing. Saat masih muda buahnya berwarna hijau dengan tengah berwarna kuning, saat tua buah berwarna coklat. Tanaman ini di setiap tempat memiliki nama berbeda-beda dan sampai saat ini penulis belum menemukan nama yang baku dan nama ilmiahnya ( bagi yang tahu nama baku dan ilmiahnya boleh menulisnya di komentar he..he..he..).

Sebenarnya tanaman ini biasa saja. Namun ada satu hal yang menarik perhatian penulis untuk mengunggahnya di blog ini. Penulis teringat pada masa kecil dulu suka bermain tanaman ini. Bagaimana cara mainnya ? Begini..! Anda melihat buahnya yang panjang runcing berwarna coklat ? Ya...buah dari tanaman inilah yang menarik dan unik, dan akhirnya bisa untuk menjadi mainan. Coba petik buahnya yang sudah coklat, lalu celupkan ujung buah yang runcing ke air. Tunggu beberapa detik...dan..."ppleetakkk.." Buah tersebut akan pecah mulai dari ujung yang runcing sampai pangkal dan menimbulkan suara yang cukup keras. Oleh karena itu penulis menamainya "Pletekan" seperti suara buahnya saat pecah. Yang lebih unik lagi, dengan buahnya seseorang bisa iseng dengan tujuan mengagetkan orang lain. Caranya ialah dengan mencelupkan buah tersebut ke air lalu meletakkannya di bahu atau di atas kepala teman yang mau diisengi. Tunggu beberapa detik...lalu akan "ppleetakk.." Bagi mereka yang menjadi korban akan cukup terkejut dengan bunyi dan getaran dari buah yang pecah tadi.

Dulu penulis sering melakukannya, namun maaf..agak sedikit jorok. Soalnya sebagai pengganti air untuk membasahi buah tadi, menggunakan air ludah ( he..he..he ). Soalnya kalau harus bawa air repot. Namun tidak apa-apalah sedikit iseng ...hehe..he

Rabu, 16 Maret 2011

Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik: Ekspresikan Cintamu pada Dunia Musik Indonesia!

Seberapa besarkan kecintaanmu kepada dunia musik Indonesia? Lontarkan pertanyaan sederhana ini pada diri kamu atau teman-temanmu dan nantinya kamu akan kebingungan dalam menjawabnya. Apa sebenarnya parameter yang bisa digunakan untuk mengukur dan membuktikan rasa cinta tersebut? Frekuensi kamu mendengarkan musik Indonesia sehari-hari? Frekuensi kamu mengikuti berita terbaru akan para musisi Indonesia? Atau, dari total jumlah playlist lagu Indonesia yang ada di gadget kamu?

Adalah kalangan masyarakat yang masih setia mengikuti perkembangan musik Indonesia, mendengarkan musik dari musisi Indonesia untuk kemudian membeli CD original atau mengunduh musik tersebut dari jalur yang legal yang pantas disebut sebagai pecinta sejati musik Indonesia. Dibandingkan dengan jumlah penduduk Indonesia secara keseluruhan yang mencapai angka ratusan juta jiwa, jumlah pecinta sejati ini sungguh tidak seberapa, hanya ribuan bahkan mungkin ratusan dalam suatu wilayah tertentu. Mereka ini merupakan kalangan yang tidak bergeming akan tawaran unduh musik secara gratis dari beberapa situs sharing karena mereka sangat menghargai perjuangan para musisi Indonesia dalam menggarap suatu album rekaman.

Untuk mengapresiasi pecinta sejati musik Indonesia yang jumlahnya terbatas tersebut dan memperingati ulang tahun-nya yang pertama, TELKOMSEL LANGIT MUSIK, sebuah portal musik digital yang legal di Indonesia, bekerja sama dengan para musisi Indonesia akan menyuguhkan sebuah konser akbar bernama KONSER ULANG TAHUN LANGIT MUSIK* pada:

hari, tanggal : Sabtu, 19 Maret 2011
pukul : 15.00 - selesai
tempat : Epicentrum Walk

Tidak tanggung-tanggung, ada 20 musisi Indonesia akan menghibur para pecinta sejati musik Indonesia dalam konser ini, yaitu:

MUSIC FOR SALE | CALVIN JEREMY | BOTTLE SMOKER | THE TREES AND THE WILD | TIKA AND THE DISSIDENTS | ANDRE AND SONIC PEOPLE | DREW | THE MILO | SELF | RAN | ENDAH N' RHESA | TOR | THE BANERY | WHITE SHOES AND THE COUPLES COMPANY | PURE SATURDAY | DIDA | RAY D' SKY | LAST CHILD | DJ TIARA | DJ JACQUELINE


Selain konser musik dari musisi yang telah disebutkan di atas, Konser Ulang Tahun Langit Musik juga menyuguhkan terobosan baru dengan mencanangkan sebuah gerakan bernama My Expression of Music yang didedikasikan kepada dunia musik Indonesia. Gerakan ini berupaya untuk mengajak semua pengunjung menjadi agent of change dengan terus menyebarkan semangat Apresiasi Musik Indonesia kepada seluruh penikmat dan pecinta musik yang dikenal. Ditandai oleh sebuah momen khusus bernama Moment for My Music, peluncuran gerakan ini akan dimulai tepat pada pukul 22.00.

Jika kalian merupakan salah satu dari kalangan masyarakat yang masuk dalam kategori pecinta sejati musik Indonesia, jangan ragu untuk datang di konser ini dan mengikuti acara dari awal sampai akhir untuk kemudian berpartisipasi dalam gerakan My Expression of Music. Sistem pendaftarannya cukup mudah di mana detailnya bisa kalian baca sendiri di link ini. Setiap pendaftar yang telah disetujui dan mendapat invitation nantinya akan mendapatkan welcome drink dan tentunya penampilan spesial dari para musisi Indonesia di dua panggung dalam sebuahvenue yang modern dan eksklusif. Jadi, tunggu apa lagi?

*) Untuk mengetahui perkembangan terbaru dari konser ini, silakan follow akun Twitter resmi penyelenggara: @langitmusik616 atau @2010NEWDAY











Sabtu, 05 Maret 2011

Pussycat In Boots: Nicole Scherzinger steps out in a pair of kinky over-the-knee boots

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Hot to trot: Nicole Scherzinger looks sexy in a nude mini dress and over-the-knee boots as she leaves Radio 2 yesterday


Promoting her new single on Radio 2 yesterday, pop star Nicole Scherzinger didn't need to make much of an effort.

But the former Pussycat Doll looked as immaculate as ever as she teamed a nude mini-dress with a pair of kinky over-the-knee boots.

The 32-year-old - who has been touted as a potential judge on The X Factor USA - is currently promoting her new single and album in London.

After heading to Radio 2 and Kiss 100 FM, she then joined some of the executives at her record label Polydor for an acoustic session.

Writing on her Twitter, the Dancing With The Stars champion enthused: 'Just got done at Kiss FM and BBC Radio 2. "Don't Hold Your Breath", here I come.

'Great afternoon at my UK label Polydor Records, saw some lovely people and did a great acoustic session.'

Scherzinger flew into London on Thursday and joined racing driver boyfriend Lewis Hamilton, 26, for a meal at Harry's Bar in East London.


On the promotional trail: Scherzinger is promoting her debut solo album Killer Love


Despite her racy costumes during her Pussycat Dolls days, Scherzinger insists she doesn't like to flash the flesh anymore.

In a recent interview with the Mail On Sunday's You magazine, she said: 'I think my style is a little edgier now. I don’t like showing my legs too much; they are not my favourite thing to reveal. I love dressing like a lady.'

Scherzinger is preparing to finally release her debut solo album Killer Love this month after years of delays.

During a break from the Pussycat Dolls in 2007, Scherzinger released two singles Whatever U Like and Baby Love.


Dinner date: Scherzinger found time for an evening out with boyfriend Lewis Hamilton at Harry's Bar on Thursday


The accompanying album Her Name Is Nicole was postponed until 2008, then 2009, until being shelved altogether.

Some of the tracks she recorded ended up on the Pussycat Dolls' second album Doll Domination.

However, last year she started a new album from scratch - releasing the first single Poison - last November, reaching No.3 in the UK singles chart.


Nicole Scherzinger At Katsuya, Hollywood 20/01/2011


Nicole Scherzinger talks about Lewis Hamilton family


source: dailymail

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes share an affectionate hug as Suri plays nearby

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Tender: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes enjoy a warm embrace on the set of his movie Mission Impossible in Vancouver, Canada yesterday


Katie Holmes did the Mission Impossible yesterday by showing some public affection to her husband Tom Cruise, giving him a huge hug on the set of his new movie.

The actress brought along their daughter Suri to visit her father on set as he continues to film Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol in Vancouver, Canada.

The couple embraced warmly and Katie later chatted with friends and checked out the set.

Four-year-old Suri played nearby and was bundled up to keep her warm in the cold weather in a large down jacket.

Katie and Suri have been in Canada for several weeks now, supporting Tom while he films the fourth instalment of the hit franchise and have been seen on numerous coffee runs.

The couple have appeared very distant in the past few months with even reports that they were heading for a split.


Peek-a-boo: Their four-year-old daughter Suri played nearby and was bundled up against the cold weather


But their warmness towards each other yesterday showed that they were very much still a happy couple.

Tom has already got his next film lined up and is set to star with Ryan Seacrest's girlfriend Julianne Hough in the film adaptation of the musical Rock of Ages.

Julianne will play Sherrie, the small-town Kansas girl who goes to Hollywood to become famous.

Tom will play the callous rock star who she fall in love with.


Supportive wife: Katie seemed relaxed as she checked out the set and chatted with friends


While Tom is filming movie after movie, Katie's acting career seems to have faltered and she is now turning her hand at modelling.

Pictures of Katie posing in what resembled a cheesy catalogue shoot were released this week.

She is the new face of Philippines based fashion company Kamiseta that has previously hired other high profile actresses such as Natalie Portman, Kate Hudson and Alicia Silverstone.


Cheesy shoot: Katie Holmes models for the Philippine fashion company Kamiseta, which prices its shirts at around $25


The company’s president and CEO Gonzalo Roque III said of Katie: ‘As an actress, she really transforms in front of the camera.

‘She can naturally change mood and respond to the photographer.’

But the photographs didn’t exactly resemble haute couture fashion shoots that we’re used to seeing the A-lister pose for.

And the tops Katie models are priced at only around £15, which is far cry cheaper than what the fashionista is usually snapped wearing.

source: dailymail

Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez and girlfriend back on track after affair allegations

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Happy together: Manchester City captain Carlos Tevez and singer/actress girlfriend Brenda Asnicar enjoyed a day out in Alderley Edge, Cheshire


Just a month ago, Carlos Tevez and Brenda Asnicar's short romance was rocked by allegations the footballer had cheated on her.

But it appears the couple have moved past the reports as they were spotted together looking happy in Alderley Edge, Cheshire yesterday.

Father-of-two Tevez, 27, and Argentine singer/actress Asnicar, 19, cosied up to each other as they visited a beauty salon near his rented mansion.

Despite the chilly temperatures, Asnicar appeared to be given mixed messages with her fashion choices - wearing a light sweater with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of furry knee-high boots.

The questionable footwear were incredibly similar to a pair worn by Katie Price at a booking signing last November.

Just eight months into their relationship, Argentine reality TV star Claudia Ciardone claimed she had been having an affair with the £150,000-a-week player before, during and after the World Cup last summer.


Comfortable: The couple enjoyed a stroll around the upmarket village of Alderley Edge - where Tevez rents a £20,000-a-week house


Familiar footwear: Brenda's white furry boots looked incredibly similar to ones worn by Katie Price last November


When asked about the claims last month, Tevez said: 'Look, I think they involved me in something which is nothing to do with me.

'But I don't want to speak about anyone except Brenda - who's the person I'm with - and about my family.

'I'm not used to attacking or criticising people for the sake of it, I don't like getting into arguments.'


Split: Tevez and his estranged wife Vanesa

Although based in South America for her TV career, Asnicar has been spending increasingly amount of time in the UK.

The couple's relationship was first made public last July - just a few months after Tevez split from his now-estranged wife Vanesa Mansillo.

But having publicly spoken about how homesick he gets for Argentina and with his ex and two daughters Katie and Florencina living back in Buenos Aires, Tevez regularly goes home to visit.

Last year, Asnicar spoke publicly about their burgeoning romance on a Argentine TV show: 'He’s very handsome, but I am very careful about my private life.

'Furthermore, we must understand that he has a family and a small baby, even though he is not with his wife anymore.'


source: dailymail

Jumat, 04 Maret 2011

AMERICAN IDOL: Stefano Langone, Naima Adedapo, and Ashthon Jones all go through as dithering judges fail to pick final 12

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Emotional: Naima Adedapo finds out she has made it through to the American Idol final 13 as one of the wildcard choice


The nation spoke and 10 lucky hopefuls were chosen tonight as the most popular finalists on Season 10 of American Idol in the first live results show.

Out of the Top 12 Guys and Top 12 Girls, five were voted in from each group by the at home audience to chop it down to 10 in one fell swoop.

But then the judges had the wild card vote to allow another two to join the list, or so was the plan, but they actually sneaked in an extra contestant to make a total of 13 who will now proceed on in the live stage to vie for the coveted crown.


Indecisive: The judges found it difficult to choose, so decided to put through three wildcards instead of two, choosing Ashthon Jones and Stefano Langone as well


The show started with a moving montage of the journey of the final 24 from their home town auditions, to Hollywood group week, to this week's first live shows.

Jennifer wore a strapless green basque with a tail covering her ample derrière and black leggings.

An unprecedented 40million votes came in over the past two days to whittle the 24 down to 10.

The nervous contestants came out on the stage one by one to rapturous applause waiting to hear their fate.

After the ten were chosen - they then decided from the 14 that were left who they wanted to hear sing for the wild card spots.


Judgement day: Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler presided over tonight's live results show where 10 contestants were chosen by the public vote and three were picked by them as wild cards


Jubilant: The American Idol Top 13 contestants were chosen tonight in a nail-biting live results show- one extra than was previously expected


The first contestants walked the green mile to find out their fate.


Scotty McCreery and Robbie Rosen were called out on stage, and as expected Ryan Seacrest, drew out the process and kept the contestants and the audience on the edge of their seat.

'Scotty, the nation has decided that you... are in the top 10', Ryan shouted to rapturous applause.

'Robby, after the nationwide vote... you have not made it to the top 10, Ryan said. 'But he may get the wild card spot'.

Clint Jun Gamboa, Jordan Dorsey and Jovany Barreto were the next to be called up on stage.

Jordan Dorsey said he wished he had chosen a different song to better showcase his vocal ability and Clint was in tears and clutched his chest in obvious anxiety.
Ryan then broke the news: 'Clint and Jordan you have not made it into America's top 10.'

They headed off to the side of the stage leaving an anxious Jovany front and centre who was probably thinking, surely that means I'll be in if the other two have been voted out.

But no, Ryan then cruelly broke it to him that he too was heading home and told him: 'Jovany you have not made it into the top 10'.

The spotlight then switched to the ladies for them to start to hearing if they had really got the golden ticket.


Top 5 Girls: Haley Reinhart, Karen Rodriguez and Thia Megia were three of the chosen ones from the public vote


Top 5 Girls: Lauren Alaina and Pia Toscano are two of the judges favourites that made it through to the Top 13


Pia Toscano and Lauren Alaina were two of the judge's favourites and both had stellar performances last night.

Both ladies were put through and are stand outs to go far in the competition.
Ta-Tynisa Wilson and Julie Zorrilla both had mixed reviews from the judges about their performances.

Kendra Chantelle, Ashthon Jones and Karen Rodriguez held hands as Ryan went back over their critique from the judges.

Ashthon, who was described as a baby Diana Ross was not voted into the top 10. Neither was Kendra Chantelle.


Highs and lows: The Top 12 Girls had gathered in hope but only seven of them made it through sending five home


But Latin firecracker Karen Rodriguez was an at-home favourite and made it in to the final group.

Jacob Lusk, Casey Abrams and Tim Halperin were called out next.

It was not Tim's lucky day and his poor choice of song sent him home.
But Luther Vandross-esque Jacob Lusk made it into the top 10 and celebrated in his unique style.

Casey who had a flirtation with Jennifer Lopez on Tuesday when she called him 'sexy', made him an unlikely sex symbol.

Naima Adedapo, Thia Megia, and Lauren Turner were next.
Naima Adedapo was not chosen by the public and waited it out to see if the judges would choose her for the wild card.


Top 5 Boys: Scott McCreery, Jacob Lusk and Paul McDonald made it through to the Top 13


Top 5 Boys: Casey Abrams and James Durbin were chosen by the audience to sale through to the final 13


But Thia whose voice Randy Jackson compared to Michael Jackson was overcome with emotion when she was told she was joining the winning crew.

And Lauren who worked as a cleaner was sent home, unhappy about having to continue to scrub floors.

Brett Loewenstern who's shaking of his fiery red made Jennifer Lopez compare the big hair to hers and Beyonce's was sent home.

Smiley Paul McDonald on the other hand breathed a sigh of relief and Haley Reinhart and Rachel Zevita competed for the final spot availabe in the top 10 for the ladies and Haley walked away with the coveted space.


Winners and Losers: The Top 12 Boys had gathered in hope but only six of them made it through sending six home


Stefano Langone and James Durbin were room mates from Hollywood week and have become very close but they friendship was to be tested when with only one spot left - it was only going to be one of them going through.

And the space went to James Durbin who had wowed the judges on Tuesday night.
All 24 had earlier rehearsed with the band and could choose any song from the competition.

They decided to listen to just six of the 14 who did not win the popular vote from the at home audience to hear sing again.

Ashthon was chosen first and said she was going to sing And I Am Telling You by Jennifer Hudson because she's 'not going anywhere' as it says in the lyrics and put on an incredible vocal performance.


Awaiting their fate: Brett Loewenstern, who failed to make it through, gives finalist Paul McDonald a hug as they wait for the results


Steven told her: 'I thought you brought it'.

'I felt your passion and you deserve to be here', Jennifer told the confident firecracker.

Randy told her: 'I'm still loving the attitude'.

Stefano Langone was next up and sang a rousing rendition of I Need You Now by Smokie Norful.

'I love that you sang this song to anoint this moment', Randy told him.
'I don't get this nervous when I perform but when you needed to come through you came through', Jennifer Lopez.


Ambition: It has been a long journey for the contestants who made it past thousands of other hopefuls to get to this stage


Kendra Chantelle was thrilled to hear Steven Tyler call her name - she sang a sultry Georgia on My Mind.

'It started a little low and then you rocked it. Very nice', Randy critiqued.

Jennifer then called Jovany up on to the stage and he chose to sing a Spanish inspired version of John Secada's Angel.

'You did a good job baby you did all you could do', Jennifer said to him.


Perseverance: Some of the girls had tried out numerous years previously only to be turned away again at the final hurdle


Steven then chose Naima to sing for her supper and sent the remaining four women home.

She then made the clever choice of singing For All We Know by Donny Hathaway and broke down in tears at the end of her incredible performance.

'You came from way deep down inside again and you brought it to me', Steven told her who was obviously touched by her performance.

The last person being thrown a bone was Robbie Rosen who sang Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word by Elton John.

Randy told him: 'Robbie very nice very tender'.

While Jennifer, Randy and Steven deliberated Jennifer's new video for her dance track On The Floor was debuted.


Feisty: Jennifer debuted her new video On The Floor on the show last night, after giving fans the chance to choose the ending for the video


Ultimately the judges made their choice after hearing the six and chose Naima Adedapo, Ashthon Jones and Stefano Langone as their wild cards.

Jennifer also treated viewers to the first look at her new music video On The Floor, after giving fans the chance to choose the ending to the video.

The singer filmed two different endings, and then gave fans the opportunity to vote for the one they liked the best - before debuting the finished version on American Idol last night.


'Those abs are looking good!' Ryan Seacrest commented on how good Jennifer looks in the new footage


In the video, the mother-of-two is seen baring her ever-toned stomach in several different oufits, causing host Ryan Seacrest to comment afterwards: 'Those abs are looking good!'

Talking about the video recently, Jennifer said: 'I play one character where she kind of runs this party, acts like she's kind of bored with it, but at the same time is really loving it and loves this underground party dance culture.

'So I got to be wild and crazy, and at the same time I got to be sexy and sweet too.'


AMERICAN IDOL 2011 SEASON 10 - WILD CARD PERFORMANCES & TOP 13


Exclusive American Idol 2011 - Top 13 Finalist Part 6



Exclusive American Idol 2011 - Top 13 Finalist (Jennifer Lopez Show ) Part 5



Exclusive American Idol 2011 - Top 13 Finalist Part 4



Jennifer Lopez performing On The Floor feat. Pitbull.



source: dailymail

Is that Kim Kardashian? Socialite takes inspiration from Nicki Minaj for Jam music video in black and red wig

By Daily Mail Reporter


New look: Kim Kardashian pulled on a scarlet red and jet black wig for her the video for her new single Jam


Her long glossy locks are almost as famous as her curvy figure.

And while Kim Kardashian may constantly change her wardrobe, she rarely changes her hair.

But the reality star completely transformed her look for her new Jam music video, seemingly taking inspiration from the unlikely source of rapper Nicki Minaj.

Pulling on a scarlet red and jet black wig, the 30-year-old mogul was almost unrecognisable if it wasn't for her trademark pouty lips.


Along with the synthetic strands she pressed on acrylic nails in similar colours.

She also poured her ample curves into a pink-laced corset making her bustier that ever.

The extreme look was finished off with stage make-up which achieved an almost doll-like effect.

Kim, as always, took to her blog to upload the photos from the video shoot and to express her excitement over the new look.

'This is one of the other fun looks I tried out for my music video. It's definitely a different look from anything I've tried before! How amazing are those nails!?' she wrote.

The pictures showed Kim being made-up for the shoot and posing and pouting with her make-up artist.

It also gave her fans a sneak peek of the new music video.

The excited star released her début single earlier this week on Ryan Seacrest's KISS FM breakfast show.

The poppy dance track, Jam (Turn It Up) was produced by hit record maker The Dream, who has worked with the likes of Rihanna, Beyonce and Kanye West.

'It's a fun dance song,' Kim told Ryan Seacrest, going on to describe the response it got in Las Vegas over New Year.

'We played it in Tao in Vegas and the whole crowd was singing along in the end.'
The singer revealed she was uneasy at first about trying something new.

'I think it's only normal for me to be nervous,' she told MTV of the chance to work alongside The Dream on a song.

'I'm human… this is definitely something that I don't do. I needed to step outside my comfort zone. This is a really big deal.'

Strike a pose: Kim and her make-up artist had a ball during the transformation process

Make-over: Kim's trademark pouty lips were painted scarlet red


'This was just a fun new experience.

'I am so glad I went for it. And the proceeds to Jam are being donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.'.

Reviews of the new song have already started streaming in and unfortunately for Kim they aren't so kind.

Strike a pose: Kim took to her blog to upload photos from the video shoot and to express her excitement over the new look


The New York Daily News especially gave the tune a particularly scathing evaluation.

'It's official: Atlanta Housewife Kim Zolciak is no longer the worst singer ever to slither out of a reality TV series and into a recording studio,' it said.

'It's a dead-brained piece of generic dance music, without a single distinguishing feature. As for Kim's singing, it's a bit of breathing that's been auto-tuned into something vaguely approximating a vocal.'

Meanwhile Kim has been enjoying some downtime.

Finished product: Kim also posted a sneak peek of her music video clip


Yesterday she treated herself to a pampering session as she headed to the Lancer Dermatology centre in Beverly Hills for some skin care.

Dressed in a long beige cardigan and some casual jeans, she looked ready for relaxation.

But for her day-off she still couldn't bare to be without a pair of platform stilettos.

She slipped on a cream and gold pair for the occasion.

Downtime: Kim spent some time pampering herself yesterday as she headed to the Lancer Dermatology centre in Beverly Hills for some skin care





Source:dailymail

Watch the belly! Glowing Emma Bunton looks swell at charity fundraiser

By Daily Mail Reporter


Watch the bump! Emma Bunton puts a protective hand on her belly as she arrives at the Global Radio Studioes in London


As an ex-Spice Girl and a judge on one of ITV's most popular TV shows, Emma Bunton is used to paparazzi attention.

But as the pregnant singer arrived at the London headquarters of Heart FM today, she put a protective hand on her burgeoning belly.

In the seventh month of her pregnancy, the 35-year-old looked glowing as she proudly showed off her bump in a fitted ruched dress and blazer.


The artist formerly known as Baby Spice was joining fellow Heart FM DJs at the radio station's annual fundraising day for their 'Have A Heart' campaign.

Celebrity guests such as X Factor contestants Matt Cardle, One Direction and Katie Waissel, actor Stephen Merchant and pop star Sophie Ellis Bextor joined the station's popular DJs for on-air appeals.

After appealing to listeners to donate to the campaign, the celebrities then manned the phones to take some pledges.

Baby on board: Bunton and fiance Jade Jones are expecting a baby boy in May


Writing on her Twitter at the end of the day, Bunton said: 'A day at Heart raising money for Have A Heart. Thanks you so much to everyone who has helped and supported today!'

Bunton has hosted a pre-recorded Saturday evening drivetime show for Heart FM since June 2009.

After originally announcing her pregnancy in November, the Dancing On Ice judge revealed last month she was expecting another boy.

Meet the boys: Bunton and fellow Heart FM DJ Jamie Theakston are joined by One Direction (L-R) Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Zayn Malik and Niall Horan


In January, the ex-pop star and long-term love Jade Jones revealed they were engaged after 11 years together.

The couple are also parents to son Beau Lee Jones, three.

Meanwhile, Bunton has laughed off reports she and her former bandmates were feuding over whether or not to release an album of unheard Spice Girls songs.

Doing their bit: X Factor finalist Katie Waissel (left) and pop star Sophie Ellis Bextor joined in the fundraising

Gimme your money! Comedian Stephen Merchant manned the photos during the appeal


A source claimed Melanie Brown and Melanie Chisholm wanted to release the album, while Bunton, Geri Halliwell and Victoria Beckham were against the idea.

However, both Bunton and Chisholm denied the reports on their Twitter pages.

Bunton wrote: 'The stories in the papers yesterday are absolute rubbish and I know our Spice fans don't believe a word of it!!!.'

Essex boys in da house! X Factor stars past and present Olly Murs (left) and Matt Cardle spoke to donaters


Chisholm said: 'Stories in UK papers today about a Spice Girls album are complete nonsense. Bore off!!

'I am very proud to be a Spice Girl and always will be. It's the false stories which are annoying.'

To find out more about the Have A Heart campaign, visit www.heart.co.uk/have-a-heart

Breakfast gang: Theakston and Harriet Scott show off the charity's T-shirt


Source:dailymail