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Phnom
Penh (Ah!)
EXTRA - SABAY
CONTESTANTS FLEEING ADDS TO PROPOSED EVENTS MYSTERY
D. J. Ken - National Radio Text Service
Sabay mystery - Within two months of the announcement of Sabay wanting to create the Grammy Awards of Cambodia 10 contestants (5 females and 5 males) in the singers segment of the event requested that their photos be eliminated from the competition - OUR CITY FESTIVAL - TOP 5 PHNOM PENH COLUMNS + produces big movers
Phnom Penh, Cambodia Monday, September 12, 2011 WHERE'S THE BEEF? Back in the day in the USA there was a fast food commercial selling hamburgers with an old lady biting into the burger and then exclaiming….Where's THE BEEF as in there was very little of it. In Cambodia September 2nd came and went. What didn't come was the Sabay announcement of the Top 10 winners in three categories, singer, actor and TV presenters of their contest. It raises the question WHAT'S UP with the integrity of the event. Talk is cheap but will or can they deliver? Within two months of the announcement of Sabay wanting to create the Grammy Awards of Cambodia 10 contestants (5 females and 5 males) in the singers segment of the event requested that their photos be eliminated from the competition. One of the dropouts is a long time favorite in the nation who has plenty of fans. From our interviews over the past decade he is the number one male vocalist of choice in Cambodia. The irony is that we don't understand why. As of September 7th the Top 10 results had yet to be posted on their website. The winners were scheduled to be announced December 1st. The questions are why would contestants want to be involved in the contest? What's in it for them? In requesting that their photos be removed from the Sabay website presents the possibility that they didn't give their permission to be involved. In America the real Grammy Awards would never have anyone quit the contest which is voted on by fellow industry professionals. Sabay relies on the SMS votes from fans. Since we reported about the artist requesting their photo's being taken down tall of the nearly 200 photos have been removed. Sabay's event manager B.C. Achaya who holds the title of Sabay's Chief Commercial Officer claimed that the contestants were chosen by employees of Sabay who are supposed to be in the know of who is who in the entertainment and media industries. Some of the photos that were on the site are not of professional quality and appear to have been slapped together to thrown up on the site to have a photo of whom these supposedly industry insiders wanted to be in the contest. Sabay was created by non music industry professionals. The Grammy Awards was created by those in the music industry including Quincy Jones. The individuals behind the Sabay project include Sila Chy Thmor who has a background in the fast food business and Achaya who has a background in advertising and has appeared on the Phnom Penh's socialite page (?) as a DJ at the Pontoon club. Sabay appears to be about EGO and self promotion of its products that largely sponsor the show more than it being a qualified credible contest to find the best talent in Cambodia? The question remains… are there any Top 10 winners to go on to what is supposed to be the second stage of the contest with the final winners previously scheduled to be announced December 1st? Stay tuned… OUR CITY FESTIVAL Were you aware that there is an OUR CITY FESTIVAL going on? It's been happening since September 8th and will continue to Sep. 18th. Various events are presented throughout the city and will commence with Urban Forum and Festival Closing Event on the 18th at the Meta House with a 6 PM planned start time. A list of scheduled speakers include Sin Socheat (Cambodia Urban Planner/Architect, Pannasastra University, Anne Lemaistre (Head of Office UNESCO), Paul Robinson, Karno Chhay (Urban planner/Architects, RUFA) Kate O'Hara and Natalie Pace (OCF Curators) The event is designed to exchange ideas about Phnom Penh's urban evolution. The forum will include short movies and a debate about projecting Phnom Penh's development through 2020. Additional information can be obtained on the events web site: www.ourcityfestival.org TOP 5 PHNOM PENH COLUMNS + Our top 5 Phnom Penh columns chart has changed radically. Two things stand out one being the reports on Rupert Murdoch the tyrannical boss of the Fox channels which have a tremendous influence in Phnom Penh. To name a few his imprint on the minds of those in the region includes channels Fox Sports; Fox Movies, Star World, Fox Crime and several others. His name jumped into the Phnom Penh pile due to a thing to do in the city via screening documentary Outfoxed at the Meta House presented by the Overseas Press Club of Cambodia. Of the Top 5 PP columns interest in the man well know for sensationalism and wire tapping notched two spots. Our REVIEW of "Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism bolted up the charts within five days to the number one position. The column was uploaded Wednesday Sep 7th. The other stand out was interest in the mysterious Sabay contest that claimed it intended to be the Grammy Awards of Cambodia. That subject also notched two spots. Facing Genocide with the protagonist Theary Seng took the remaining spot. ARCHIVE A surprise column worth mentioning was stimulated from the amount of interest in the man noted for brining the Internet to Cambodia Bill Herod. The column of interest was from 2003 regarding his involvement in RAP and repatriating Cambodian inmates in the USA that were released deported.
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