From Nairobi to Hong Kong and Dubai to Los Angeles, the world is mourning the sudden demise of the 'King of Pop', 'Wacko Jacko', 'Moonwalker'

Michael Jackson who was due to perform 50 farewell concerts in London beginning next month had suddenly passed away in Los Angeles due to what many believed as heart attack.

He was 50.

1958 - 2009

News of Michael Jackson's death exploded the Internet last night (5.00am Malaysian time), crashing websites and causing Twitter to grind to a halt.

Quotes:

• Actress Elizabeth Taylor, one of Jackson's closest and longstanding friends, was “too devastated” to issue a statement, her spokesperson said to People.Com.
• Michael's first wife Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, told MTV News that his death had left her speechless.
• Pop star Justin Timberlake said in a statement that the world had “lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only pop music, but of all music”.
• “His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him a legend.” director Steven Spielberg told Entertainment Weekly.

• "This is such a tragic loss and a terrible day," said Beyonce.
• Madonna said in a statement: "I can't stop crying over the sad news. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever!"
• Britney Spears said in a statement: "I was so excited to see his show in London. We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I'm devastated he's gone!"
• Lindsay Lohan: "I'm so sad about this news...people need to respect the Jackson family's privacy..."
• John Mayer said: "I think we'll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player. Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ."

A Tribute to Michael Jackson by Patchay.Com.

-

Malaysia’s first and Southeast Asia's third KidZania indoor theme park will open in a "yet again new mall" in Mutiara Damansara in 2012

*** *** ***

It has been confirmed that the developer of Mutiara Damansara, Boustead Holdings and Khazanah Nasional Bhd will be bringing the increasingly popular Kidzania international indoor theme park to Malaysia.

The indoor theme park will be housed in a RM80 million spanking new 7-storey mall, to be called Curve NX, also to be developed by Khazanah and Boustead. The location of the new mall is believed to be next to McDonald's drive-thru, opposite IKEA and near Tesco hypermarket.

"Kidzania Kuala Lumpur" will be a family entertainment centre, typically comprising a child-sized replica of a real city. The city is managed by children and has buildings, shops, streets and vehicles. The park is to allow children to learn about the adult world by actually engaging themselves in various professions within the 'city'. *Sounds cool?

The theme park was first created by theme park innovator, Luis Javier Laresgoiti and is the idea of Mexican businessman Xavier Lopez Ancona.

There are now an increasing number of Kidzania parks around the world, including in Mexico City, Monterrey, Tokyo, Jakarta while others are being planned for Dubai, Bangkok, Lisbon, Barcelona, Santiago and Seoul.

Last year, Khazanah Nasional roped in Danish toymaker to open its first Legoland theme park in the southern Malaysian state of Johor, neighbouring Singapore.

Japanese discount chain Daiso and British departmental store Debenhams were recent major openings in Mutiara Damansara. Major local corporations such as Nestle Malaysia, Dialog Group, TSR Bina, UAC, Batu Kawan and Mudajaya will soon move their offices to Mutiara Damansara and a new 5-star hotel will be built next to the Cineleisure complex.

www.kidzania.com

Canadian-born Hong Kong celebrity Edison Chen will be in Kuala Lumpur June 19-20.

To my surprise, Edison will be in KL to open his 2nd boutique Juice in Bangsar.

The "highly anticipated" opening ceremony will take place on June 20th at 3pm, where the boutique brand owners Edison Chen, Kevin Poon and special guest Sam Lee will join Juice KL local partner Edwin Choong to usher in prosperity with a traditional Chinese lion dance performance.

The goods will be available for purchase after 5pm, where the general public will be allowed into the store. After that, the celebrations will continue with an afterparty at Zouk Club KL.

Edison, whose showbiz career was destroyed following a sex scandal with several Hong Kong female celebrities, will be focusing on his fashion business.

Source: hypebeast

The prestigious Raffles Hotels & Resorts s expected to be the most expensive hotel in Kuala Lumpur when it opens at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur in 2011

*** *** ***

The luxury hotel brand Raffles will have its first hotel in Malaysia - The Raffles Kuala Lumpur - which is expected to open its doors in 2011.

The Raffles Kuala Lumpur will be at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, along Jalan Bukit Bintang. Featuring 200 rooms and suites, each with a minimum of 50 sq m (about 538 sq ft), it will offer the most spacious hotel in the city.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts' signed an agreement on May 28 with Harmoni Perkasa Sdn Bhd. Harmoni Perkasa is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Urusharta Cermerlang Sdn Bhd.

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur is 51 per cent owned by Urusharta and 49 per cent by the Qatar Investment Authority.

"The name Raffles is associated with exceptional standards of service, hospitality and cuisine. We look forward to working with Raffles Hotels and Resorts to bring a luxurious lifestyle experience to Kuala Lumpur," said Harmoni Perkasa chairman Tan Sri Zainol Mahmood.

Owned by Fairmont Raffles Hotel International (FRHI), Raffles Hotels & Resorts is expected to expand from seven Raffles hotels now to 23 hotels worldwide by 2012.

When opened, the Raffles hotel will compliment the luxurious Pavilion mall.

Raffles is now the rate leader in seven out of the eight markets it is in. In Dubai, the rate leader is the Burj Al Arab in Dubai. In Singapore, Raffles last year closed at an average room rate (ARR) of S$1,000 (RM2,420) per night.

FRHI executive vice-president David Roberts expects the KL hotel to have an ARR that is a fifth higher than the leader at that time.

Currently, the rate leader in the capital is Mandarin Oriental at over RM600 per night.

The "6-star" Pavilion KL Residences were completed recently.

Meanwhile, Chris Cahill, COO of FRHI said the group had always wanted to extend the Raffles portfolio to Kuala Lumpur.

"Now we have an ideal strategic partner and an unrivalled location."

The group also owns Fairmont and Swissotel brands of hotels and resorts.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts' public relations and communications manager Vivian Koh said Raffles Kuala Lumpur will offer six restaurants and bars including a specialty restaurant, an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge, a lobby bar, a pool bar and a Cafe Stelle located at the Couture Pavilion precinct.

The cafe which will be a showcase of Raffles' service prior to the opening of the hotel, opened its doors today. The Raffles Amrita Spa, a signature component of Raffles hotels and resorts worldwide, will feature 10 treatment rooms and an extensive range of massage and wellness treatments.

News report written by Rachael Lee (TheEdge) and Vasantha Ganesan (BTimes).

6 theme parks equal 6 thrills; 6 hotels equal 6 unique themes. It's like waking up to 6 totally different holidays.

Welcome to Resorts World @ Sentosa, Singapore.

*** *** ***

The region's most compelling integrated resort city is due for opening in early 2010, roughly 10 months from today. Here's a look at the upcoming hotels and attractions:

1. Universal Studios Singapore® is where your fantasy world begins. When completed, it will be Southeast Asia's most prominent theme park with a total of 24 new rides and attractions, including a pair of dueling coasters that brush past one another in several near misses in their aerial combat. Dinosaurs, lemurs, ogres and Egyptian mummies will add to your thrills and adventures in each of the 6 themed zones.

Universal Studios Singapore under construction [Source: Theme Park Guy]

2. The Marine Life Park will be the world’s largest oceanarium with 700,000 fishes in 20 million gallons of water. Admire the dolphins, feed some sharks or interact with reef fishes, there are certainly so much fun for the family.

A roller coaster under construction [Source: Theme Park Guy]

3. The Maritime Xperiential Museum is a large 360-degree innovative multi-sensory educational museum and theatre. At the theatre, visitors will "board" an Arabia-bound ship that docked in Singapore 1,100 years ago. The ship ran into an ocean storm, and eventually the ship and its crew sank to the ocean floor...

Photo May 2009_1 [Source: The big-dog]

4. The Equarius Water Park will be amongst the world's most exciting water theme parks. A thrilling water slide that takes you on a wet and wild ride through tree tops and jungle greenery; "Snakes and Ladders" where water cannons defy gravity; jungle pavilions beneath the verdant forest and a surf pool.

The Festive Walk, Resorts World @ Sentosa

5. The FestiveWalk will be home to roving shows of lights, lasers, fire, water and special effects. It is the greatest place to meet, shop, dine, or drink and party. Be entertained by some of the world’s most spectacular street shows such as the magnificent Crane Dance at the waterfront tip.

Photo May 2009_2 [Source: The big-dog]

6. Le Vie, a purpose-built resident theatre show, is an epic delivered through powerful music, dazzling stage sets and splendid costumes. The musical acrobatic is a story of one boy’s journey to manhood as he discovers morality, sacrifice, and love. It will be put together by Mark Fisher, Pink Floyd and U2.

Hotel Michael (left) and Maxims Tower Hotel Casino (right)

7. Ultra-deluxe of Crocksford Tower (formerly known as Maxims Tower), an all-suite hotel at Resorts World @ Sentosa that overlooks the Singapore harbour and the Southern Islands. It will be home to Singapore's second Casino and the city's finest hospitality establishments.

Photo May 2009_3 [Source: The big-dog]

8. Hotel Michael, a truly boutique hotel that carries Michael Graves' signature stamp from floor to ceiling – and everything in between.

9. The Hollywood mania extends to the glamourous Hard Rock Hotel Singapore. The resort-hotel will have one of Asia's largest ballrooms.

Maritime Xperiential Museum (top) and Spa Villas

10. Sitting above the musical extravaganza Le Vie is the Festive Hotel. Contemporary and chic.

11. Sited at the fringe of a tropical rain forest, Equarius Hotel makes an ideal getaway for nature lovers and families.

Resorts World @ Sentosa, opening in 2010

12. At Resorts World @ Sentosa's Spa Villas, wake-up calls come in the sounds of waves and the beckoning of dolphins. Your ideal honeymoon stay is incomplete without pampering yourselves in the award-winning ESPA Spa Sanctuary, while catching the sunset with open sea views with your loved ones.

Singapore's first integrated resort + casino, Marina Bay Sands is expected to open earlier - in December 2009.

As Singapore's economy recovers from the global financial crisis, the city-state is hoping that Resorts World @ Sentosa alone will attract 15 million visitors in the first year of opening.

www.rwsentosa.com