Khmer Stars|Movie|Karaoke|Travel

LY Thirith learned from his father his coffee-roasting skills when aged just 18.  Twenty years on, Ly Thirith is the general manager for the Angkor Coffee Processing and Packaging factory, a business he started three years ago with a capital investment of US$60,000.

He told the Post that he started his Phnom Penh-based processing factory after realising that coffee had excellent potential in the Cambodian market.

“I wanted a Khmer product operating in the Cambodian market,” he said. “So I decided to use everthing that I had learned about coffee from my father.”

ACPP can produce up to 2 tonnes of roasted coffee per month, and sells the finished product for $5 to $10 a kilogram. That means gross sales of up to $20,000 a month - provided the orders are there.

“We don’t make coffee and store it,” he explained. “We just roast it when our clients place an order.” Read the rest of this entry »

The dance performance “Agangamasor,” a new show by the Cambodian Buddhist Society, played in Washington last week, adding a new dimension to a classic story.

The dance tells of a royal guard in Preah Eysor’s palace, Agangamasor, who becomes frustrated with the torments of visiting devadas and eventually turns on his royal patron.

Agangamasor uses a magical diamond finger given to him by Preah Eysor to banish the devadas to the end of the universe, and the king fears his royal guard is plotting to overthrow him. He flees, and the God of Justice, Preah Noreay, decides Agangamasor and his evil soul must be vanquished.

Preah Noreay transforms himself into a beautiful celestial dancer, a woman named Tepapsar, luring Agangamasor to fall in love with her. She tricks him out of the diamond finger, without which Agangamasor is no match for the god.

Before he is destroyed, however, Agangamasor wishes to be reborn with great power—with 100 heads and 1,000 arms—a wish Preah Noreay grants him. Preah Noreay brags that he himself will be reborn as a human with one head and two arms, able to destroy his foe.

It comes to pass, and Agangamasor reincarnates as the all-powerful demon Ravana, ruler of the Kingdom of Lanka. Preah Noreay comes back as Rama, and their battles continue in the Ramayana. Read the rest of this entry »

Popular and pretty Cambodian singer, Meas Soksophea, 26, will be going to get married at the end of this year to Cambodian-American man. Her brother, Meas Rattanak, told the local Khmer-language newspapers that his sister had plan to marry
this year, adding that the both families and relatives have understanding each other but they did not set the specific date of wedding ceremony yet.

Presently, Meas Soksophea quitted “M Production” by resuming her work with “Sunday Production.” Her songs have been supported by Cambodia fans, including in and out of the country.

She was born in Kean Svay district, Kandal province.
This year, her age reached 26 years old. Her lifestyle is now improving after she and her brother started from the difficult life.

Source: www.Khmerstar.info

Many of Michael Jackson’s Cambodian fans, including pop stars, comedians, and Hip Hop singers, were shocked by the news of the rock icon’s death.

Jackson died of heart complications in Los Angeles on June 25, at age 50, after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home.

Ou Bunarath, who is Cambodia’s best-known comedian and goes by the stage name of Krem, often impersonated Jackson in his routines. He heard the news of Jackson’s death on CNN Friday morning, as his children translated the English-language news for him.

Ou Bunarath said he was shocked, and he called other friends who had been fans of Michael Jackson.

“When he danced, he was good at using his hands of cover his nether region, and whenever I use his dancing style, people in Cambodia cheer,” he told VOA Khmer by phone. “When I went to the United States in 1992, I impersonated Michael Jackson at my performances, and all the children gave me great applause. His dancing style is unique, one that no one in the world can do.” Read the rest of this entry »

IT’S not that I think the music scene in Phnom Penh is bland. It’s just that if I hear the turgid caterwaul of yet another distorted electric guitar playing yet another appalling medley of middle-of-the-road American pap rock, I might just do something drastic. I might just defenestrate a Stratocaster.

OK. So I do think the music scene in Phnom Penh is bland.

Is it life in exile that makes Western expats hanker after the nostalgic sounds of The Eagles, Guns ‘n’ Roses, Santana, or Bon friggin’ Jovi?
These white-bread Southeast Asian cover bands are a guilty pleasure, the sonic equivalent of tucking into fast food. And they leave you feeling just as bloated and ill.

But last Thursday night, lovers of alternative, or at least original, music had a rare chance to burn off a few calories of rage to the post-punk, post-industrial sounds of Beijing-based outfit Rebuilding the Rights of Statues. Read the rest of this entry »

White-skin and slim girl, who is the member of new band for Rock Production, is Sous Sreythol, aged 19. It is the first time that she has started recording CDs for Rock production. Even though, her album has not yet been sold in the market, and she still is not invited to sing with local television channels yet.

Right now, she recorded two songs and her album will be sold in the market soon. She was awarded first winner of song contest for Rock Production. And now she is practicing her voice with production. Only two songs have been recorded for her album.

She was born in Phnom Penh. She said that she likes to art since childhood. Therefore, her parents sent her to attend art and, song and dancing school. And later, her group was invited to perform overseas such as France, and Russia. Source: www.khmerstar.info