The battle for the title of best new television kicked off at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, with titans in the field offering new, slim, smart, ultra high definition models.
LG Electronics organic light-emitting diode (Oled) television is thinner than four stacked credit cards.
The television is an unprecedented 2.57mm thick, LG Electronics USA marketing vice-president David VanderWaal said during an on-stage presentation.
Oled displays have pixels that emit their own light, whereas the pixels in LCD TVs are illuminated by backlights.
Oled screens boast deeper blacks, allowing for a wider range of colour than LCD displays. They also tend to come with higher price tags.
Samsung unveiled a new line of ultra high definition LCD televisions capable not only of streaming games or shows from the Internet, but also able to serve as command centres for smart home devices such as locks, lights, thermostats and appliances.
TVs are not the only gadgets at the show, which ends tomorrow, AFP reported.
SMARTER TECH
There are also drones, cars, robots, jewellery and appliances, and the new technology on display promises to be even smarter and friendlier.
The annual tech extravaganza has more than 3,600 exhibitors.
Mr Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner, a US-based information technology research and advisory company, told AFP: "There are always a couple of winners at CES and sometimes, there are the sleepers that turn out to be the cool thing."
Mr Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, said: "The CES is the centre stage for amazing innovations that will drive our industry to US$287 billion (S$412 billion) in sales (for the US) this year.
"I'm like a kid in a candy store this week, surrounded by mind-blowing innovation that is truly improving the human experience.
"Our world is changing as technology connects us all and works to solve the impossible."
Intel also announced a number of innovations that incorporate Intel's technologies, Xinhua reported.
One product is the Oakley Radar Pace smart eyewear, which has a real-time, voice-activated coaching system designed to improve athletes' training and performance.
Another example is the Yuneec Typhoon H Drone, which uses Intel's RealSense technology to avoid collisions in real time.
This year's event is expected to attract more than 150,000 visitors.
This article was first published on January 8, 2016. Get The New Paper for more stories.
One was in Singapore, the other in Mumbai but brothers Sudhanshu and Saurabh Tewari were facing the same dilemma - their careers had reached a plateau, they were no longer excited about their corporate jobs and they wanted to strike out on their own.
Mr Sudhanshu, 34, came to Singapore from Lucknow in 2000 to do a degree in computer engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He then worked as a technology programme manager at Credit Suisse before moving to JP Morgan, retaining the same position.
His elder brother Mr Saurabh, 40, who has a bachelor of arts from Lucknow University, has worked with a variety of TV channels in Mumbai, including Zee TV and Colors. As associate vice-president and head of content for fiction programming, he played a key role in the launch of the channel Colors and was involved in creating the full line-up of fiction shows for it.
Since they were not keen on continuing with their jobs, the brothers decided to start a company focusing on television, where Mr Saurabh's expertise lies. Said Mr Sudhanshu, who is now a Singapore citizen: "I wanted to explore something other than the banking technology sector because I was getting bored with it. Furthermore, we saw room for improvement in television. There are many similar shows focusing on family melodrama catering to the female audience. We wanted to introduce new content." He also roped in Mr Deepak Gurnani, 55, who he met through a mutual friend at NUS, for the start-up.
In 2014, Mr Sudhanshu, who is married with a 2½-year-old daughter, set up Tequila Shot Entertainment (TSE) in Singapore while his brother started Parin Multimedia in Mumbai at the same time. Mr Saurabh is in charge of the drama content shot and produced at Parin Multimedia, while Mr Sudhanshu and Mr Gurnani helm operations at TSE and raise funds for the start-up's productions.
Mr Saurabh leads a team of 10 employees in the operations, finance and creative departments in Mumbai. Every alternate month, Mr Sudhanshu and Mr Gurnani take turns to fly to Mumbai to keep track of the finances and discuss the progress of dramas with Mr Saurabh and the team. For every drama, the team hires about 150 people in roles such as creative artists, directors, actors and production staff.
Their first drama Rangrasiya was aired on Colors in January to November 2014 and their second drama Phir Bhi Na Maane… Badtameez Dil was shown on Star Plus from July to December last year.
But it wasn't a smooth ride for them initially as investors were apprehensive. "We were starting a company, so creating the credibility to raise funding here was a challenge," shared Mr Sudhanshu.
Still, they have managed to overcome that, raising close to $1 million from investors in Singapore for the first two dramas. They're expecting about $500,000 to $800,000 in funding for their upcoming productions this year.
The start-up's most recent production is a web drama series that was launched on March 29 on a platform called Voot by Viacom 18 Digital Ventures. The platform enables viewers to watch the drama via the Internet on their smart gadgets, without requiring them to subscribe to a traditional cable or satellite pay-TV service.
The drama titled Chinese Bhasad is an Indian-Chinese love story shot in Lucknow and Mumbai. It will be aired on Voot around the first week of this month. Initially, the team wanted to hire a Chinese actress from Singapore to play the lead female character but they managed to find one in Mumbai who has had roles in dramas in India. The Chinese character's family members are also played by Chinese actors from India.
Now, the start-up is facing another challenge, said Mr Sudhanshu, and that is "transitioning from TV to digital content on-the-go where people can easily access web dramas from their smart gadgets while waiting for the bus or train".
He added: "We want to offer drama content for viewers on the go. We shouldn't just be known as a TV show producer. If Netflix is coming to India and is looking for original Indian content, it should look for us."
Currently there are many online channels in India such as TVF and AIB, which focus on making dramas on-the-go for audiences. But Mr Sudhanshu shared that their content is targeted at the 20 to 30-year-old age group. "The shows might not cater to someone who lives in rural India. So there's a huge demand to cater to a different audience. We want to get onto online channels and produce shows that will appeal to a person living in a small town - something different and unique."
What's next Aside from breaking into that market, the team is also continually working on their next TV drama, which will start shooting in mid-April. It revolves around a girl who thinks she can solve problems by cooking. It will be launched in June and aired on one of the global Indian channels.
The start-up earns its revenue through each TV contract with the channels that air its dramas.
Mr Sudhanshu feels that seeing the content come alive on the TV screen is the most rewarding experience. "From thinking of the idea, getting the show approved, delivering it and then seeing it on the TV screen - it's a big achievement."
The team plans to scale new heights and produce content for the silver screen next year, releasing one Hindi film each year. It also plans to set up an acting school in the near future. This will not exclusively be for actors with Parin Multimedia but also for other production houses in India. "In five to 10 years, we see ourselves as a premium content-making production house," said Mr Sudhanshu.
LOS ANGELES - "House of Cards" star Michael Kelly revealed Thursday he binge-watches the show with his wife when he isn't filming - but complained that she had cheated on him by getting ahead.
Kelly was nominated for an Emmy last year for his role as Doug Stamper, the ruthless chief-of-staff to Kevin Spacey's machiavellian US president Frank Underwood in the hit Netflix series.
"You can see rough cuts and whatnot when we're filming but I tend to not watch it until it comes out," the 47-year-old told reporters in Los Angeles, adding that he preferred not to incur the wrath of wife Karyn.
"But she cheated on me this year - not literally, for the show," he complained.
"I was in London working and I was only gone for like a week, and she was, like, 'I've gone and watched a few without you.' And I'd waited for her." Kelly, who can also be seen on the big screen in "Everest" and "Man of Steel," confirmed that his villainous henchman in "House of Cards" would be returning for the fifth season.
"We start up in July and I can't wait to get back, and I don't know anything unfortunately. I'm being honest this year - I really don't know anything," he said.
The Irish-Italian American, who grew up in Georgia, said he was next appearing in eight-episode FX/BBC period drama "Taboo" and described filming in England with British actor Tom Hardy as "a real treat." Kelly was among around 70 stars of television past and present at a glittering gala in LA's NoHo Arts District to celebrate the Television Academy's 70th anniversary.
"Netflix really did change the landscape for the better, in my opinion, by doing what they're doing with streaming television," the actor said.
"It just broadened the scope of what we can do, and how many more jobs there are for actors and crews... directors and writers. This is another chapter in television."
Among the guests were Hollywood A-lister Christian Slater, "Cheers" star Ted Danson, "Rocky" actor Carl Weathers and housewives' favourite David Hasselhoff, who is next due to appear in SyFy's "Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens."
Danson, 68, confirmed that he was aware of discussions for a three-quel to comedy films "Three Men and a Baby" and "Three Men and a Little Lady" - possibly with the title "Three Grandfathers and Baby."
The 1987 and 1990 releases were box office hits and rumours have swirled ever since of a remake reuniting Danson with Tom Selleck and Steve Guttenberg.
"I heard they were going to do a remake or they're floating that idea. I would never say no to anything like that. I had a great time," Danson said.
The actors posed for a "class photo" at the academy's new home, a $40 million media centre featuring the most advanced Dolby sight and sound system of any non-commercial theatre in the US.
Weathers, who played Apollo Creed in four of the "Rocky" movies, named 1960s sci-fi series "The Twilight Zone" and 1980s show "The Dukes of Hazzard" among his "TV moments" of the last 70 years.
"Television is with us and, in some form, will always be with us," the 68-year-old said.
"Many of us are entertained by it, some of us have been babysat by it, and some of us are going to sleep at night with it. It's just a part of our lives."
Roots was the most-watched miniseries in the US when it aired in 1977. Can the remake match it? Jennifer Keishin Armstrong takes a look.
When ABC network executives decided to air a miniseries based on Alex Haley's novel Roots in 1977, they took every possible precaution to cut their losses.
Even though black characters were more prominent than ever on primetime US television - Good Times and The Jeffersons were hits - the network's entertainment president, Fred Silverman, was nervous about airing a drama about an African family as it endures American enslavement and eventually achieves freedom.
To hedge their bets, Silverman and his executives filled the cast with familiar names such as John Amos (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Good Times), poet Maya Angelou, football star OJ Simpson, and Robert Reed (The Brady Bunch). They added a character, a morally conflicted white slave ship captain played by Edward Asner - his conscience was meant to make white audiences feel better about their ancestors' role in slavery.
The white actors featured prominently in promotional spots, and the series was set to run for eight consecutive nights, essentially to get it over with quickly.
At least if it bombed, the failure would be over in little more than a week.
When it first went out on 23 January 1977, something entirely different happened: an incredible 29 million households tuned in.
The audience grew as the week progressed.
The eight-night run culminated in a finale that drew an audience of 36 million households, or about 100 million people.
It was, at the time, the most-watched single episode of US television in history (a record broken by the M*A*S*H finale in 1983).
It became a worldwide sensation, the first TV miniseries to do so.
Many who watched took the series' lessons to heart and were inspired to investigate their own family histories.
Television audiences for individual series have shrunk dramatically since then, with the fragmentation caused by cable and streaming options.
SEOUL - The Indian arm of South Korea's LG Electronics Inc has begun selling a TV with a feature that it says repels mosquitoes, which can spread diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue.
The TV's "Mosquito Away Technology" uses ultrasonic waves that are inaudible to humans but cause mosquitoes to fly away, according to the company. It was released in the country on Thursday, LG said.
The same technology, which was certified as effective by an independent laboratory near Chennai, India, has been used by LG in air conditioners and washing machines, the company said.
The technology, which also functions when the TV is switched off, is available in two models, priced at 26,500 rupees and 47,500 rupees ($394 and $706).
The TV is targeted at lower-income consumers living in conditions that would make them vulnerable to mosquitoes.
It will go on sale next month in the Philippines and Sri Lanka. Kim Sang-yeol, an LG Electronics official, said there are no plans for now to market it elsewhere.
The company began developing the set before the outbreak of the Zika virus in Latin America, which has fuelled concern over safety at the Olympic Games set to begin in August in Rio de Janeiro.
LG said on its website that the TV is not intended to replace other mosquito-deterrent devices.
SAN FRANCISCO - A media revolution is taking place, and most people over 35 years of age aren't tuned in.
Millennials and their successors are shunning old-school television in favour of watching what they want whenever they wish on Google-owned YouTube or other video platforms like Dailymotion or Facebook.
"Young people don't really watch TV any more; they watch online videos that are shorter and more talent-driven," says Fabienne Fourquet, a former executive at A&E Television and France's Canal+ who now heads the multichannel network 2btube.
"They don't want to be Hollywood stars when they grow up, they want to be YouTubers. There is this whole other world." The new multichannel networks, or MCNs, are talent agents of sorts for creators of videos shared at online venues.
They help creators, often referred to as YouTubers, with video production and promotion along with finding partners or sponsors in return for a percentage of revenue.
Fourquet said popular subjects include music, comedy, sports, video games, fashion and beauty.
She noted that three-quarters of her viewers were younger than 34 years of age, and half were under 25.
"There are very few of us old people," Fourquet quipped.
Self-described YouTuber Caroline Artiss has been a chef for 20 years, but opted out of restaurants and went to work for herself in catering in 2008.
Then, a friend showed her how simple it was to make videos for YouTube.
"It was just me and a tripod in my kitchen," Artiss told AFP.
"Then people starting tuning in from all over the world." She recounted cooking her way across the United States for a multi-episode show after catching eyes at BBC America and a television network in Malaysia.
Artiss said she approaches her cooking videos from the perspective of a single mom - short on money and time but needing to feed a family.
She was signed on by a video network that describes itself as being tailored for a mobile generation and focused on "tastemakers" sharing passion for food and travel.
"It still blows my mind," Artiss said.
"I am coming from a single mom, living in London, struggling to pay my bills to having an opportunity to start my own TV channel in a way." Artiss teamed with other chefs to open Gorgeous Kitchen restaurant at London Heathrow airport.
She has a cookbook due out later this year and works with Youth Policy Institute to raise money to get fresh produce to low-income families.
Naturally, she did a video. It can be seen online at app.mobilecause.com/vf/YPIFRESH.
An annual Vidcon gathering in Southern California has become a hot venue for YouTubers to connect with business opportunities and ecstatic fans.
Some 25,000 people were reported to have attended this year's Vidcon, which took place in June.
"With the onset of digital video platforms and the fact that everyone has a smartphone in their pockets, we have democratized being a creator," said Paladin co-founder James Creech, whose California company specializes in technology for finding budding stars in a vast universe where anyone can post content online.
"A 17-year-old in his or her own bedroom can compete with the likes of CBS and build an audience that would rival a major media company." Keys to hit online videos include being creative and regularly posting content, according to Creech.
Amateurs can outshine polished professional content with authentic connections that make viewers think of them as friends, he said.
"Regular TV is about cartoons and YouTube is about real people and the games I like," 11-year-old California boy and online video fan Henry Crawford told AFP.
"Television is tomfoolery." Paladin indexes millions of channels, providing analytics that can narrow down videos by popularity, topic, language and more.
The YouTube channel with the most subscribers is that of Swedish video maker and comedian PewDiePie, who provides captivating commentary while playing video games.
Hot online video trends include "unboxing," in which people film themselves or others opening packages with unknown contents.
A popular YouTube channel called Hydraulic Press features videos of things being crushed by just that piece of equipment.
Amazon-owned Twitch on Friday announced that it is experimenting with a new "Social Eating" category in which people streaming broadcasts on the service socialise with viewers over meals.
Traditional media companies would be wise to be worried by the trend, according to Creech.
"It's a huge disruption," Creech said. "We are in the midst of a revolution in media and it is very exciting."
The next time you are shopping for a new TV set, ask for a demonstration of the High Dynamic Range (HDR) feature found on the latest high-end models. If you have not seen this technology at work before, you might be wowed by the wider and richer range of colours produced by these TV sets.
"It gives film-makers a broader palette of light and dark to play with. Water in fountains really sparkle and the sky actually looks the brightest part of the image," explained Mr Paul Gray, principal analyst at market research firm IHS.
The term HDR is also used in still photography. But the implementation and, more importantly, the result are different with HDR in TV sets.
HDR photos can appear surreal and hyper-realistic because the camera uses multiple exposures to create the effect.
On the other hand, HDR TV sets display images that look closer to real life. This is because such TV sets support a wider range of colours and a higher contrast ratio.
At this year's CES trade show, the UHD Alliance, a consortium of TV industry players, defined a standard for HDR TV, called Ultra HD Premium. The standard covers a range of technical specifications such as having a minimum resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, peak brightness and colour gamut.
TV sets that meet the Ultra HD Premium standard carry the Ultra HD Premium label. Major TV brands such as LG, Samsung and Panasonic have already adopted this standard.
IHS expects global shipments of HDR TV sets to reach 4.2 million units this year, and up to 35.6 million in 2020.
These TV sets are already available in stores here. Mr Stan Kim, Country CEO of Courts Singapore, told The Straits Times that about 40 per cent of its current TV range support HDR. He said: "Since we started selling them in April, we have seen a steady month-on-month growth in units sold."
He believes that HDR TV sets will become increasingly popular, especially as non-HDR models are gradually discontinued.
HDR CONTENT
As is often the case with new technology, HDR TV is simply one part of the ecosystem.
Content has to be adapted to work with HDR TV sets. The good news is that most new content shot in Ultra HD (also known as 4K) are HDR-ready.
But a potential source of confusion for consumers is the two rival HDR content standard - the open-platform HDR10 backed by the UHD Alliance, and Dolby's proprietary Dolby Vision format.
Thankfully, chances of a full- scale format war are low because TV manufacturers such as LG have been hedging their bets by supporting both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
More importantly, the main sources of HDR content - streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Video - support both formats. So, depending on your TV set, you will get one of the two flavours of HDR.
Local audiences will probably get their HDR fix from Netflix, as Amazon Video is not available here. YouTube has announced it will support HDR, but it has not said when.
Netflix has a handful of HDR titles - the Marco Polo TV series, The Do-Over and The Ridiculous 6 are among them - available for those who subscribe to its Ultra HD (four screens at a time) price plan.
The streaming service says it is adding 100 hours of HDR programming by next month, with more than 150 slated by the end of the year. Upcoming HDR shows include Marvel TV series Iron Fist and Luke Cage.
Another source of HDR content is Ultra HD Blu-ray (also known as 4K Blu-ray) movies, which are available from online retailers such as Amazon. These movies use the HDR10 format as it is mandated in the Ultra HD Blu-ray specifications.
However, Ultra HD Blu-ray discs are not backwards-compatible with older Blu-ray players.
In addition, manufacturers have not started selling their new Ultra HD Blu-ray players here.
Audio-visual enthusiast Philip Wong does not plan to buy Ultra HD Blu-ray movies because he feels that the market is still immature.
"With streaming services offering HDR shows, Ultra HD Blu-ray will end up as a niche format," he said.
This article was first published on July 06, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
In July 1966, 50 years ago, The Beatles were giving concerts at the Nippon Budokan hall in Tokyo, rocking young people across Japan.
While rock concerts are a common occurrence at the venue today, some people at the time were opposed to the idea of holding such events at the site for traditional martial arts - especially when the music was for "improper youngsters." Plain clothes police officers were stationed both inside and outside the venue. Audience members weren't even allowed to stand up, much less go wild, during the Fab Four's performance.
In the same month, two giant heroes made their debut on TV. The first one was the golden giant, Maguma Taishi (Ambassador Magma). He was followed by the silver giant, Ultraman, on July 17.
"Ultraman" became an instant hit among children and led the kaiju (monster creatures) boom throughout the country. Eiji Tsuburaya, aka the god of tokusatsu (sci-fi dramas and films with superheroes and special effects), led his Tsuburaya Productions to create the programme.
Fifty years later, the Ultraman franchise - which has been recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the TV show with most TV spin-offs - is sending out its 42nd hero.
He is Ultraman Orb. The new drama will start from July 9 at 9 a.m. on the TV Tokyo network.
The most recent drama in the series, "Ultraman X," aired last year and was full of old-fashioned episodes that made long-time fans reminisce. But Kiyotaka Taguchi, the director of "Ultraman Orb," is taking a different route this time.
"Our motto is to 'have fun if you're not sure which direction to go' and to 'do what you feel like doing,'" Taguchi said. "I want to go outside the box. Not straight forward."
Ultraman Orb is certainly a bizarre superhero. The protagonist who transforms into Ultraman Orb is Gai Kurenai (played by Hideo Ishiguro), an outlaw from the far side of the galaxy. He has an Orb Ring, which lends him the power of all the superheroes from the Ultraman series. Employing their power, Orb battles against his enemies.
I'm really impressed with the phrase he uses when he asks for the older Ultra heroes' power. He would say "[Ultraman] Taro-san, onegai shimasu" (Taro-san, please) or "[Ultraman] Zero-san, onegai shimasu" (Zero-san, please). Yes, he politely adds the honorific "san" to each superhero's name. What's more, he goes on to ask them specifically for what he wants in another interesting way, such as "Atsui yatsu tanomimasu" (I ask for the hot one) or "Kire no yoi yatsu tanomimasu" (Let me have the sharp one).
Doesn't he sound like the lead character in a yakuza film of the Showa era (1926-89)? You may think the dialogue calls too much attention to itself. But I found it quite amusing when I witnessed Ishiguro actually asking Ultraman for a favour at the press conference announcing the drama's production. I also thought it matched the world of Ultraman - a grand sci-fi illusion in a good way. I'm looking forward to seeing the actual programme.
Ultraman was born at a time when the Japanese economy was expanding rapidly. It was two years after the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964, when Japan declared its rise from the ashes of its defeat in World War II. The Tokaido Shinkansen bullet trains had only just begun operation and heralded the arrival of a new age. To people's eyes, Ultraman must have looked as if he was standing tall, facing a bright future.
Fifty years have passed since.
With four years left until the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan is in a totally different situation at the moment. Many people out there cannot really feel that the economy has recovered. Social media, which has spread so quickly, has brought us convenience but is also stifling society.
The overall mood today seems to take me nowhere. I hope the new Ultraman will rip open the door to our next set of dreams.
According to the streaming service Spotify, hip-hop is the most listened-to music genre today.
But few know the origin story of what has become a multi-billiondollar industry and global cultural phenomenon.
This lack of awareness has long troubled director Baz Luhrmann, who felt the tale of the birthplace of hip-hop - New York's impoverished South Bronx neighbourhood in the 1970s - was a missing page of cultural history begging to be told onscreen.
The Australian film-maker's latest music-and-dance extravaganza, The Get Down, finally tells it.
The ambitious Netflix drama premieres worldwide on Friday, having already generated headlines for its US$120-million (S$162-million) budget, which makes it one of the most expensive television shows produced.
"No one's really told this story," says Luhrmann, who spoke to The Straits Times in a one-on-one chat in Los Angeles recently.
"I'll tell you what has been done - the 1980s and the 1990s. A lot of people confuse the feel and the look (of this) with that, which is completely different," he says, referring to films such as last year's Oscarnominated drama Straight Outta Compton, which charts the rise of the hip-hop group N.W.A. in the 1980s and 1990s.
"By then, hip-hop was something, as opposed to being a thing in a borough that the city and the world had forgotten," says the 53-year-old, who became intrigued by this 10 years ago, when he saw a photo of a boy in a hip-hop stance and realised it was taken not in the 1980s, but in 1977, when disco still ruled the airwaves.
The curiosity this sparked led him to create The Get Down, a semibiographical musical drama that follows a group of Bronx boys - Ezekiel "Books" Figuero (Justice Smith), Shaolin Fantastic (Shameik Moore) and their graffiti-artist friends, the Kipling brothers - as they discover this electrifying new sound.
The show also features characters based on real hip-hop pioneers such as Grandmaster Flash (Mamoudou Athie), who teaches the boys how to become artists themselves. Shaolin Fantastic learns to manually mix beats from different tracks using two turntables and a stack of cheap vinyl records, and Books raps his poetry and rhymes over the music.
Luhrmann - who directed The Great Gatsby (2013) and Romeo + Juliet (1996) - seems both bemused and aggrieved that most hip-hop enthusiasts have no idea this is how it began.
"I'm in South-east Asia and China quite a bit and one of the things I am mindful of is that, in that part of the world, there is a perception that it was borne out of South Korea.
"Some Chinese friends of mine think it was a Korean thing... but, you know, South Bronx and South Korea are quite a distance apart," he says, chuckling.
As these stirrings have never been chronicled onscreen and little footage of those pioneering artists exists, most American fans are in the dark too.
"The truth is many people don't know about it. An African American woman got up at the Tribeca Film Festival and said, 'How come no one's told this bit of the story before?'"
Luhrmann was keenly aware that he did not live through this era and thus sought the help of those who did, including Grandmaster Flash himself and The Furious Five, who together formed a hip-hop group in 1970s.
"This is living history, so I started collaborating with the people whose story it was, like Flash and Raheem from The Furious Five, who contributed lyrics and helped our boys become their own characters."
The film-maker also worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis to co-create the series and engaged another iconic hip-hop artist, Nas, to write Books' rhymes.
Grandmaster Flash - whose real name is Joseph Saddler - did not take much convincing to get on board.
Speaking at a press conference for the show, the 58-year-old says: "If hip-hop were a cake, then I cannot tell you how many people took a slice off that cake, be it producers, fans, artists and the like.
"But I can tell you about the recipe - the flour, the milk, the eggs, the vanilla and the secret ingredients - because I am one of the bakers, along with Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa."
Another collaborator was Nelson George, a former music journalist and hip-hop historian, who is one of the writers and producers on the show.
Understanding the genesis of the genre may help explain its continued success and why it has spread so far and wide, with fans and artists everywhere from Europe and Asia to the Arab world, he says.
The key is that hip-hop culture is "multi-faceted", says George, 58. "You can dance to it and the dance evolves, the music evolves, the language evolves - which is very important. So it's something that's constantly updating itself as soon as it gets old.
"I remember when I was covering it in the 1980s - I felt like it changed course every two years."
Youth and rebellion
Luhrmann agrees and says another factor is that this is music "born with no prejudice - you could take a German record and a Japanese beat and put them together and make something new".
"So by the very nature of what it is, it's always transforming for it to be good and fresh."
At its core, hip-hop is always about youthful rebellion too, says George. "It's like with trap music today. You have old-school hip-hop guys who say this is not hip-hop. And they sound just like the old people in our show.
"So it's about young people. Young people take it, it goes for five or six years, they grow up and another generation comes along and goes, 'I'm not doing that s**t.'"
The series will also explore the idea of the music as an avenue of protest and self-expression for young African Americans dealing with poverty and social injustice.
Luhrmann says: "When we get to 1977 to 1978, (the characters) are still kids, but you have a moment when a young man is being told to get an internship downtown at the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, essentially in the white world. And another young guy goes, 'No, let's be kings of this thing we invented in the streets.'
"That tension and those choices, that's a big drama as we head into the later episodes. Books has an awakening about who controls his world."
The film-maker - who has a daughter, 12, and son, 10, with wife Catherine Martin, the 51-year-old Oscar-winning costume and production designer of Moulin Rouge! (2001) and The Great Gatsby - believes this is a universal story that youth anywhere can relate to.
"I keep saying I'm an outsider because I didn't live in the South Bronx, but this show is no good unless you can relate to it no matter who you are. Any youth should be able to relate to it."
Even one who, like Luhrmann, grew up in a small Australian town in the middle of nowhere.
Asked how he managed to escape that and become a successful artist, he turns pensive for a moment, then jokes that talking to reporters about the show has been a "vast therapy session" that has helped him see the parallels with his own life.
"I've come to the conclusion that although my family was not poor - we had a gas station and a farm - we were very isolated and had very little access to the outside world, except through film and TV.
"So I was forced to use my imagination to build worlds and characters with my brother. I didn't come up with hip-hop, but we were certainly inventing (ways of) storytelling and film-making."
In his work and art, Luhrmann believes he is "really a child of the hip-hop generation" and that is why "I think I've tried to help get a musical made that celebrates the birth of this form".
"I'm probably at the older end of it, but the biggest, freshest and most astounding influence in my life would've been the whole thing of taking two records and putting a poem over it and being able to make mash-ups."
This is why his films, such as his breakout hit Strictly Ballroom (1992), have typically blended different music and visual styles.
"It's quite collage-y. Flash saw it and said, 'You're like a deejay when you make movies', and I think he meant I was taking two beats and making something different out of them.
"So I'm thankful that these young people, however it came about, lived their imaginations."
• The Get Down premieres worldwide on Friday on Netflix. The second half of the series debuts next year.
This article was first published on Aug 10, 2016. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
PETALING JAYA - Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah married television personality Norashikin Abdul Rahman on Aug 31.
The Sultan's private secretary, Datuk Mohamed Munir Bani, said in a statement today that Selangor Mufti Datuk Mohd Tamyes Abd Wahid performed the royal solemnisation ceremony at Masjid Istana Diraja in Istana Alam Shah, Klang.
The simple ceremony was witnessed by Selangor deputy mufti Dr Anhar Opir, Imam Mohd Rasid Mahful, former deputy mufti of Selangor Datuk Abdul Majid Omar and Selangor Islamic Religious Council (Mais) member Datuk Salehuddin Saidin.
Norashikin, 45, a former Malaysia Airlines stewardess, was married to Mustapha Kamal Halim, a pilot at Etihad Airlines. They have two children, Nur Amanda, 17 dan Adam Salleh, 14.
The Selangor Ruler has two daughters, Tengku Zerafina, and Tengku Zatashah, from his first marriage to Raja Zarina Raja Tan Sri Zainal which ended in divorce.
He also has a son, the Raja Muda of Selangor Tengku Amir Shah, from his marriage to American Cik Puan Nur Lisa Abdullah, which also ended in divorce.
This Friday evening, Nathan Hartono will sing in one of the most important performances of his life so far, in the final of the popular Chinese television singing contest Sing! China at the Beijing National Stadium.
Whether he wins or loses on the show, he has already won - the 25-year-old Singaporean looks set to develop a music career in the massive Chinese market, possibly with his coach on the show, Mandopop superstar Jay Chou.
He tells The Straits Times yesterday over the telephone from Beijing: "We have definitely discussed the possibility of working together on future projects, but the nature of which I probably won't say anything for now because I don't want people to get randomly excited over something that might not happen.
"We've definitely been discussing like how we can work together in the future and like where I intend to go after the show is over."
Hartono has also received offers from music companies there, but is putting them on hold for now.
"Yeah, there's been a bunch, but to be completely honest, I have been dodging a lot of those things because I really want to collect myself when this thing is over.
"I haven't been able to have time to do my own proper life admin. Once this whole thing is over, I want to settle down back home for a bit, weigh all my options, make sure everything is all clear, then I'll start thinking about what the next few months and years are going to be like."
Before all that, he will first release an EP through Warner Music Singapore, possibly featuring a mix of English and Chinese songs.
Photo Gallery
Local singer Nathan Hartono wows Sing! China judges
Photo sources: The Straits Times, The New Paper, YouTube screengrabs, HBO Asia, Music & Movement
Despite having the highest score among the six finalists, Hartono thinks that there is little chance that he will win.
Being in the final is already "a huge deal" for him and his focus is to put on a good show.
He cannot reveal what songs he will be singing, but unlike his Mandarin/English mash-ups in the previous episodes, all the songs, including a performance with Chou, will be in Mandarin.
"I've been working out the songs and different things with Jay and his team, and we've got a whole bunch of interesting things.
"From what I can tell, the vibe around what we're going for in this final is not so much 'shoot to win', or 'we have to outdo and strategise'. It's pretty much just have fun, push your own boundaries and push your own limits.
"It's crazy enough that I'm gonna be performing at the Beijing National Stadium."
Formerly known as The Voice Of China, Sing! China airs on Zhejiang Television.
In July, Hartono, whose Chinese name is Xiang Yang, became the first Singaporean to make it through the initial blind auditions after he impressed all the coach-cum-judges - Chou, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Harlem Yu, China singer Na Ying and rocker Wang Feng - and they wanted him on their teams.
The initial 48 contestants hailed from countries all over the world, including China, Malaysia, United States and Brazil.
Hartono describes Chou as a "complementary" mentor, one who focuses and enhances his mentees' skill sets rather than imposes his own style or views on them.
"I really appreciate it because it just makes this whole process seem more like a collaboration as opposed to this is just his job, that he signed a contract to do and like he's obliged to help me or whatever.
"It's really nice to be able to collaborate with somebody at his level, but other than that, he's just like a chill guy."
Chou, he adds, understood the pressure the contestants were facing in the competition and he always made sure that his time with them was not all about work.
They went out for meals together ("Jay always ordered hotpot") and Chou even took Hartono and his other mentees to a gaming cafe where they played the multiplayer online game League Of Legends.
"The crazy thing is that he's sort of the face of the game over here, so when you open the game in China, the first face that you see is actually his. And it was kind of surreal to open the game, have his face there and then you look next to you and he's there playing. That was a very odd, dream-like thing going on," Hartono says.
While he has been alone whenever he travels to China to film the show, eight of his family members, including his parents and siblings, will fly to Beijing to root for him at the final.
He is also pleased that his earlier remark to The Straits Times about treating Singaporeans to iced Milo if he wins caught the attention of Nestle, the chocolate drink's company. It has promised to mobilise its Milo vans all around Singapore, regardless of the final result.
"It's the Milo van, man, everyone knows the Milo van. Every sports day, or like some national event, there will always be one. And like, they put something different in there, I don't know what it is, it's a lot better."
This article was first published on Oct 05, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
On stage at food festival Taste Busan in South Korea, facing a crowd of more than 100 adoring fans, Choi Hyun Seok sings a song and plays the guitar.
Later, he signs autographs and has his picture taken with fans who have formed a snaking queue in front of a food stall in order to meet their idol.
Occasionally, the photogenic star fiddles with his floppy fringe, making sure he looks photo-ready.
Choi may be mistaken for a K-pop star, but he is actually a TV chef with a huge following, and one of the most recognisable faces in the cooking show boom that has overtaken South Korea in the past two years.
Korean TV is obsessed with food at the moment and loyal female viewers with the shows' famous chef-hosts.
Dominating the airwaves in South Korea and regionally are shows with an ingenious combination of foodie culture and celebrity challenges.
Top-rated programmes include Please Take Care Of My Refrigerator, a weekly programme where chefs are tasked to rustle up a meal using ingredients from celebrities' fridges - a winning formula that combines idol voyeurism and mouthwatering recipes.
Idols whose fridges have been raided include rapper G-Dragon, rookie girl group Twice and actor Lee Jae Hoon.
Then there are the shows that appeal to viewers because they get to see celebrities doing something "normal" - such as whipping up a meal.
In Three Meals A Day, K-pop idol Ok Taecyeon and actor Lee Seo Jin are sent to a village to cook, well, three meals a day.
Home Food Rescue features another celebrity chef, Paik Jong Won, teaching four clueless celebrities - comedian Jang Dong Min, singer Jung Joon Young and actors Kim Guk Jin and Lee Jong Hyuk - how to cook in the second season.
Paik also has his own programme, Go Go With Mr Paik, where he whips up local delicacies while travelling through South-east Asia.
The popularity of such cooking shows has spread beyond Korean shores.
In Singapore, Korean cable channel tvN Asia reports that cooking travelogue Go Go With Mr Paik and cooking contest Masterchef Korea 4 earned the highest ratings out of 45 programmes aired here in the third quarter of this year.
Last year, Sony's Korean entertainment channel One expanded its offerings beyond K-drama and K-pop programmes to include K-cooking shows.
It added famed chef Paik's cook-off show Nation's Big Three last year, and recently premiered Chinese cuisine show The Great Chinese Food Battle last month.
Streaming service Viu's Korean catalogue includes cooking reality show Three Meals A Day and My Little Television, which features a cooking lesson segment that launched the TV career of chef Paik.
The proliferation of K-cooking shows are a natural continuation of the Korean wave, which has largely been driven by K-dramas and K-pop, says Ms Virginia Lim, senior vice-president and head of content, production and marketing, and networks for Asia at Sony Pictures Television.
She adds: "The love of Korean food, culture and lifestyle has spread through the popularity of South Korean dramas and entertainment shows."
Singaporean viewer Candy Tan, 25, agrees.
"I wouldn't have known about K-cooking shows if I didn't watch Korean variety shows," the advertising account executive says.
She watched Three Meals A Day because it was produced by Na Young Seok, who is the same person behind variety shows such as the popular celebrity travelogue programmes Grandpa Over Flowers and Youth Over Flowers.
For another viewer, hotel sales director Cynthia Koh, 49, watching actors eat Korean dishes in K-dramas got her into K-cooking shows.
"Every Korean drama will feature food - be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. The food looks really appetising. Watching the actors eat it, I felt that I could actually taste it."
She would satisfy her cravings by going to the Korean restaurant near her workplace for lunch.
But now she also turns to cooking shows such as Home Food Rescue.
She says: "In Home Food Rescue, the cooking methods are explained simply and clearly by chef Paik, who injects plenty of humour along the way.
"Watching celebrities learn how to cook is hilarious and relatable."
"Relatable" is the key word differentiating the new generation of cooking shows from their predecessors.
In the past, such programmes typically had viewers in awe of the professionals' fancy cooking techniques, says Korean cable channel tvN producer Paek Seung Lyong.
Now, the emphasis is on recipes that are simple and easy-to-follow.
Citing the amiable cooking guru Paik, he says: "Chef Paik gives confidence to beginners to try out his simple cooking methods.
"People posted their homemade dishes on social media and the recipes got popular."
In fact, Ms Tan was inspired to make kimchi and tuna stew after watching actors prepare the dish on Three Meals A Day in a fishing village.
She says: "I usually don't eat tuna because of its fishy smell, but I saw an episode where the stew made by the cast looked so good, I went and tried it out myself.
"Surprisingly, the flavours of tuna and kimchi go well together."
Perhaps the appeal of K-cooking shows simply lies in the universal language of food.
Korean chef Lee Yeon Bok, 57, who makes regular TV appearances in South Korea, says: "Though not everyone cooks, everyone shares a love of eating.
"The appeal of a cooking show lies in watching all the ingredients coming together to form a beautiful plate of food. It's irresistible."
Lee Yeon Bok
Photo: One
Fans of Korean chef Lee Yeon Bok are known to go up to him on the streets and say: "Can you take care of my fridge too?"
The question is a reference to Please Take Care Of My Refrigerator, a popular cooking show in which he and other chefs raid celebrities' refrigerators and then use the ingredients found inside to whip up dishes in 15 minutes.
As one of the regulars on the hit TV programme since 2014, the 57-year-old Lee, who specialises in Chinese cuisine, is now a household name in South Korea.
He makes regular appearances on other shows, too, such as The Great Chinese Food Battle, where chefs are pitted against one another in a Chinese cuisine cook-off.
His soft-spoken demeanour belies the creativity of his fusion dishes, such as the fried sirloin beef drizzled with spicy sweet and sour sauce, which impressed the guests in the first episode.
His TV appearances have translated to a great following off-screen, too. His Chinese restaurant Mokran in Seoul, which he has been running since 1998, is often fully booked and attracts a star-studded clientele such as the members of the supergroup BigBang and Yoona of girl group Girls' Generation.
In an e-mail interview with The Straits Times, he says things can get "awkward" when he is approached while he is talking to his chefs in the restaurant or while he is out shopping and carrying bags of ingredients.
"I'm not used to the attention, but I understand that being on TV means becoming a public personality."
His TV ambitions remain rooted in his passion for food.
"I am on TV because I love what I do and I am able to share that joy and my interest with everyone out there."
His love affair with Chinese cuisine began in his teens when he worked as a delivery boy for a Chinese restaurant.
He says: "There was so much going on in the kitchen - the fiery wok, live seafood in the tank, the endless chatter and laughs. It was just fascinating."
He went on to work at a Chinese restaurant in a hotel at age 17 and then moved on at 22 to become a chef at the Taiwanese embassy in South Korea.
Even with his numerous TV appearances, he insists that his day job comes first.
For example, he still spends his daily lunch breaks wrapping 400 dumplings at Mokran.
He says: "A lot of young chefs find that it is hard work to make dumplings. Wrapping dumplings reminds me not to take the easy way out and never to take things in life for granted."
The Great Chinese Food Battle airs on Mondays at 8pm on One (StarHub TV Channels 124, 820 and 823; Singtel TV Channels 513 and 604)
Paik Jong Won
Photo: tvN Asia
He is the Jamie Oliver of the Korean culinary world.
Like the British chef-restaurateur, Paik Jong Won has multiple TV shows and runs a food and beverage empire with 28 brands and hundreds of outlets in Asia and the United States.
Singaporeans may be familiar with his eateries here, which include BBQ restaurant Bornga, Korean express food outlet Paik's Bibimbap and cafe chain Paik's Coffee.
What's the secret to his success?
Imperfection, he says.
Speaking through a translator, the 50-year-old tells The Straits Times that his first TV appearance was on My Little Television, a live cooking show.
"Chefs usually don't like to do live television because their mistakes will be broadcast. I took it as a challenge.
"I think people took to me because I made mistakes while cooking. It gave them confidence to learn how to cook."
My Little Television is a live Internet show comprising individual segments helmed by celebrity guests vying to attract the highest viewership for each episode.
Last year, Paik's cooking demonstration overtook other programmes such as a mixed martial arts match and fashion makeover segment to be the reigning ratings champion.
One of the reasons for his popularity was his, well, imperfection.
Once he added too much sugar while making steamed buns, and then told the viewers: "You can just dip the bun in less syrup when you eat it later."
Another time he was splattered by oil while stir-frying congealed blocks of leftover jajangmyeon or black bean paste noodles.
Mistakes aside, audiences love him for his deep knowledge of ingredients and cooking techniques.
So popular is he that he anchors three other shows on his own: Cooking 101 show Home Food Rescue, foodie programme The Nation's Big Three and cooking travelogue Go Go With Mr Paik.
He was in town earlier this week with K-pop idols Onew and Jung Chae Yeon to film the Singapore episodes of Go Go With Mr Paik.
He whipped up the Singapore delights of laksa and chicken rice using ingredients purchased from markets in Little India and Chinatown.
His lack of formal culinary training, to him, is an advantage.
Paik, who was a trader in building materials before establishing his food business The Born Korea in 1993, says: "I didn't get tied down to following specific know-how or sticking strictly to recipes. I try to remember the taste of the dish and recreate it in a simple and easy manner.
As a businessman, he is a stickler for detail, though, travelling to Singapore twice a year to check on his franchise outlets.
"Customers are discerning. Even if audiences visit my restaurants because of my shows, the quality of the food and drinks must be good for them to make repeat visits."
Food is not merely his means of living, it is his life.
Even on days off, the family man enjoys preparing meals for his family of three - actress So Yoo Jin, 35, and their two-year-old son and one-year-old daughter.
The meal duties are split 60-40 with his wife, with the doting husband taking on the majority because his wife is busy filming dramas.
He says: "I feel really fortunate to be able to cook for the people I love. I feel rejuvenated seeing the happy faces of people when they tuck into the meals I have prepared for them."
Go Go With Paik in Singapore airs on Dec 19 and 26 at 10.30pm on tvN (Singtel TV Channels 518 and 619 and StarHub TV Channel 824 )
My Little Television series is available on viu.com and the Viu app, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Food shows to savour
PLEASE TAKE CARE OF MY REFRIGERATOR
Photo: YouTube screengrab
Started in 2014, this programme features chefs competing against one another to cook the best meal using ingredients found in the refrigerator of a featured celebrity. Yes, the show is a 15-minute cooking contest, but it is also an excuse to peek into the private lives of stars.
For example, members of boyband GOT7 share a fridge with a huge supply of ice cream and with each member scribbling his name on his personal tub.
BigBang member Taeyang is revealed to be a Korean food fanatic, too, with his fridge stocked with kimchi and spicy pepper powder.
Each season, a celebrity cast is sent packing to either a rural village or a remote island, where he has to cook three meals a day from scratch.
The city slickers have to get used to a more primitive way of life, which in volves chopping firewood, cooking over a wood fire, harvesting crops or fishing.
The first season in 2014, starring the grumpy actor Lee Seo Jin and the ever-optimistic K-pop hunk Taecyeon (above), was a huge hit.
Since then, various other line-ups have been featured. The show is now in its sixth season, featuring Lee, actor Yoon Kyun Sang and Eric Mun of boyband Shinhwa.
Watch: Three Meals a Day - Fishing Village 3 airs on tvN on Saturdays at 9pm. The first season is available on Viu.
HOME FOOD RESCUE
In this weekly show, chef Paik Jong Won runs a cooking class for four clueless guys.
In the show's second season, the students are singer Jung Joon Young, comedian Jang Dong Min,and actors Kim Guk Jin and Lee Jong Hyuk.
Paik has a simple, step-by-step approach to cooking. In an episode on cubed radish kimchi, he had to teach his bumbling students how to wash a radish thoroughly.
Watch: Home Food Rescue 2 airs on tvN on Fridays at 11pm.
THE NATION'S BIG THREE
In this programme, Chef Paik Jong Won goes around South Korea sussing out the best restaurants and eateries, and then invites the cooks to the TV studio to whip up dishes for celebrity guests.
Watch: The series is available on Viu and airs on channel One on Wednesdays at 11pm.
This article was first published on Nov 05, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
<p>On stage at food festival Taste Busan in South Korea, facing a crowd of more than 100 adoring fans, Choi Hyun Seok sings a song and plays the guitar.</p>
Actor Mason Lee and director Derek Tsang were recently promoting their movies when attention inevitably turned instead to their famous fathers, Oscar- winning director Lee Ang and Hong Kong veteran actor Eric Tsang.
Apart from Mason, 26, who stars in Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, and Derek, 37, who helms Soul Mate, other Asian scion have also followed their parents into show business.
ALEX LAM, 31
Photo: Instagram
Famous relations: His father is veteran Hong Kong singer George Lam, 69, and stepmother is Taiwan-born singer Sally Yeh, 55.
What he does: With his strong jawline, floppy hair and dimpled smile, he looks a little like the Hong Kong version of Korean-American Walking Dead star Steven Yeun.
In 2012, he released his solo music album Alex Lam, whose singles such as Happy Newlyweds and Earth Protector made the Top 10 charts in Hong Kong.
Photo: Apple Daily
His father and stepmother have been supportive of his musical endeavours, featuring him as a guest singer in several of their concerts.
But they were reportedly wary of his acting roles, wondering if some of his films, such as the erotic drama Lan Kwai Fong 3 (2014), were soft porn.
Besides singing and acting, the chiselled Alex has also appeared in many commercials for electronics brands Canon and Philips, among others.
ZHANG MO, 33
Photo: Instagram
Famous relations: Her father is Chinese director Zhang Yimou, 65.
What she does:The New York University film school graduate has worked as an editor and assistant director on her father's films, including Under The Hawthorn Tree (2010) and The Flowers Of War (2011).
Photo: Reuters
She makes her directorial debut with the romance flick, Suddenly Seventeen, starring Talu Wang, Ni Ni and Wallace Huo, which will be released in China next month.
She is married to an American by the surname of Tovey, who is reportedly working in the finance industry.
Famous relations: Their father is Indian actor Anil Kapoor, 59.
What they do: Not only are all of Anil Kapoor's children good-looking, but they are also doing well in their careers. Sonam is a top film actress, having won critical acclaim for her movies such as Raanjhanaa (2013) and Neerja (2016).
Photo: AFP
Rhea is a producer who has made films such as Aisha (2010) and Khoobsurat (2014).
Harshvardhan, who made his debut in Mirzya earlier this year, has been noted by several media outlets as the next hot young actor to watch.
ANDREW CHAU, 26
Photo: The Straits Times
Famous relations: His father is Taiwanese singer Wakin Chau, 56.
What he does: With his wavy hair and sunshine-boy pan-Asian looks, courtesy of his American mother, he has what it takes to join a preppy boy band.
But it is acting that he is pursuing - he made his debut earlier this year in the comedy film, Welcome To The Happy Days, as a foreign backpacker in Taiwan who can speak Mandarin.
WESLEY WONG, 29
Photo: Golden Village Pictures
Famous relations: His parents are former Hong Kong actress Angie Chiu Nga Chi, 62, and former actor Melvin Wong, 70.
What he does: Jack Neo's hit movie Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen last year featured a hunky new recruit. That guy is rising Hong Kong actor Wesley Wong, who inherited the sharp nose and delicate features of his actress mother, who was a huge star in the 1980s after she appeared in the hit drama series, The Bund, opposite Chow Yun Fat.
Photo: Melvin Wong
In China, Wong is frequently referred to as "the most handsome second-generation star". He is spoken for - he has been dating a girl outside of show business named Denise for the past eight years.
SYAMSUL YUSOF, 32
Photo: Skop Productions
Famous relations: His father is Malaysian film-maker Yusof Haslam, 62.
What he does: Like his famous father, this dapper Malaysian, who is married to actress Puteri Sarah, is also a film-maker.
Photo: MStar
His films KL Gangster (2011) and its 2013 sequel, KL Gangster 2, both starring Aaron Aziz, are among the highest-grossing Malaysian-made films.
KL Gangster also earned him the Best Director award at the Malaysian Film Festival.
SHRUTI HASSAN, 30
Famous relations: Her father is Indian actor-director Kamal Hassan, 62, and mother is actress Sarika Thakur, 55.
What she does: This gorgeous Indian actress made her first film appearance in the period crime drama, Hey Ram (2000), which was directed by her father, one of the biggest stars working in the Tamil film industry.
But forget her strong familial connections - she has proven her acting chops, winning three Filmfare awards last year, including for Best Actress (Telugu) for the film Race Gurram (2014).
LEE YU BI, 25
Photo: Starhub
Famous relations: Her mother is South Korean actress Kyeon Mi Ri, 51.
What she does: Sweet-faced, doe-eyed but not yet A-list, she is quickly becoming an actress to watch as she collects a string of Best New Actress award nods for her recent work, such as the New Star Award at the SBS Drama Awards for her role in hit television drama, Pinocchio (2014).
Photo Gallery
Celeb kids stepping into showbiz
Photo sources: The Straits Times, The New Paper, Lianhe Wanbao
<p>Actor Mason Lee and director Derek Tsang were recently promoting their movies when attention inevitably turned instead to their famous fathers, Oscar- winning director Lee Ang and Hong Kong veteran actor Eric Tsang.</p>
