Riding With The Kings...

M.A.C.C. (Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians) 1st Easy Going Meeting

2009-10-05T12:46:00.004+08:00

Hi all,

Long time no blog!

This time, one of the Kings return baring great tidings! Below is the missive delivered by the Kings' royal mail man!

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Douglas Lim had a dream. A dream to bring laughter to the world. A dream to spread joy across the land. Unfortunately, fate conspired against him. He was born Chinese and was not eligible for Raja Lawak.

But Douglas Lim never gave up. Convinced that the Chinese can be funny, he scoured the country for like-minded (and like-coloured) people. He searched high and low, far and wide and upside down. After 3 years, the search has ended. For behold, he is tired AND he has found 2 other jokers.

Together they are M.A.C.C. – the Malaysian Association of Chinese Comedians and this is their first E.G.M. (Easy Going Meeting). On the agenda are funny observations, song parodies, impersonations and witty revelations from the founding members of M.A.C.C – Douglas Lim, Jenhan and Chi Ho.

No stone is left unturned. Nothing is sacred – well except for sacred things which MUST NEVER be questioned by ALL Malaysians. M.A.C.C.’s first E.G.M. promises to be a laugh-out-loud affair for the whole family providing that your family is:

- English speaking

- easily amused

- at the show

M.A.C.C.’s first E.G.M. will commence at the PJ Live Arts Centre, Jaya ONE, on the following days:-

Saturday, 17 October @ 9pm

Sunday, 18 October @ 3pm - Matinee

Sunday, 18 October @ 9pm

Saturday, 24 October @ 9pm

Sunday, 25 October @ 3pm - Matinee

Sunday, 25 October @ 9pm

ALL SHOWS AT ONLY RM 33.88

Tickets available at TICKETCHARGE (603) 2241 9999 OR visit www.ticketcharge.com.my

This Performance Is Brought To You By Principal Connection (M) Sdn Bhd

Supported By Young Comedians of Malaysia

Catholic Prison Ministry (25th Anniversary) @ The Royal Selangor Club, KL, 9 November 2008

2008-11-14T01:16:00.008+08:00

The fan base is one aspect The ComeBackKings have not the luxury or time to pay more attention to, given their daily tussle with their professional and personal lives. The Kings often wonder if there is such thing as a 'fan base', especially theirs.

But if The Kings would have the honour to name one of their loyal fan(s), it would be Cheryl Marie Bastian and her family.

Back in 2005, Cheryl is one of the many who witnessed The Kings' first win in a Talent Competition courtesy of IACT College. Cheryl and her family were at The Actors' Studio (TAS) when The Kings hosted and starred in TAS's Free Flow 2006. A year later, she gave The Kings their opportunity of their lifetime - to star in their own Internet-TV programme in www.gua.com.my. And when The Kings held their first public performance of 2008, the Bastian family came by the bus load!

More recently, Cheryl popped up again and asked whether The Kings can perform for her dad's function, The Kings were in no position to say NO. The function was not what The Kings expected though. Criminals and full-uniform wardens crossed their minds but 20-odd comedy-appreciating families did not. Nevertheless, it was the perfect setting for a silent celebration of The Kings' 70th show -the people were friendly, the crowd was ever responsive, the beer was free-flowing and food was ample.

A blurp and contact details of The Kings were in the function's programme book as well. After yet another 'Dance History 101' performance, the many attendees showered The Kings with praise and offered to pass on their contacts. And they were true to their word; the next morning King Ronnie received a call for The Kings to perform for the Kajang Prison inmates!

At the closure of the event, despite The Kings' generous answer to a charity call, the event organizers were even more generous with a token in return. Once again, The Kings would like to raise their wine glasses and say another big THANK YOU to Cheryl and her family!

The ComeBackKings' Vital Statistics!

2008-07-23T23:46:00.004+08:00

Do you know that ...

1) More than 68% of all CBK shows involved 'Dance History 101' aka 'The Cockroach Dance'!

2) The CBKs have a clean record of 2 wins out 2 talent competitions! They bailed out on the 3rd - A singing competition!

3) The CBKs currently have 5 members but they had a 6th member for some time and previously had as many as 3 stand-ins! Originally, The CBKs were a group of 4!

4) The first ever CBK performance, Dance History 101 back in 2004, is also their first full rehearsal!

5) In grand total, inclusive of live performances and internet TV scripts, The CBKs have written close to 40 scripts!

6) In The CBKs' first non-comedic performance, The Kings acted as police detectives and CSIs!

7) The CBKs have performed in 3 other states outside the KV, namely Penang, Perak (TWICE!) & Pahang!

8) Did you know that the oldest CBK is also the only pure Chinese in the group?

9) The CBKs have never deployed 'push' or 'pull' strategies to market themselves! In a sense, all their clients 'found' them!

Be back soon for more updates and reports of previous performances PLUS pictures!

RATS! Forgot to update!

2008-07-18T23:35:00.002+08:00

In the event of the risen (and still rising) oil prices, drastic measures were taken by people from all walks of life to curb their own oil-induced sufferings.

So for our next show, which is tomorrow (July 19, 8.30pm onwards), tickets will be priced at RM85 and RM95 (plus dinner). yes, start cursing in Hokkien!

The show will be held at:

La Cocina Restaurant
38, Jalan USJ 9/5P,
Subang Central, UEP 47620
Subang Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan Malaysia.

For more information, please call:
Tel: 03-8023 2395
Mobile: 012-2096573

THIS IS NO JOKE OKAY! and we are the hired performers but really the ticket prices shocked us and the Harith Iskanders and Jit Murads are going through an identity crisis! But sorry for the 11th hour update.

(Un)Happy Post-Fuel Price Hike Day!

2008-06-06T03:12:00.005+08:00

Hours before the dreaded fuel price hike, King Chi Ho and King Matthew sat in some mamak, enjoying some simple luxuries (teh tarik) before they decided to evaluate what would can be expected due to the fuel price hike.

Below is what they had both observed.

8 possible changes in Malaysia (and maybe the world) after the 5/6 fuel price hike.

1) Production of popular Malay drama 'Impak Maksima', will stop in immediate effect.

2) Guys will start dating girls that stay nearby. "Hi, I'm Matthew. Err, where do you stay? Wah! KEPONG arhh!?!? Sorry, but you're not my type!"

3) All vehicle's RPM metre will be changed to the RM metre.

4) The Ah Longs will stop dousing their victims with petrol.

5) Forget fame and fortune. Start looking for fame and fuel!

6) Malaysians will finally carpool.

7) BMW says SHIT while BMX says YES!

8) F1 racing teams will deploy the zero stop strategy.

Anyone who would like to add to the list?

(OK, the list was supposed to be part of King Chi Ho's stand up at the Heritage Mansion on Post-Fuel Price Hike Day but he forgot most of it. So, instead of letting it go stale, might as well post it up here = ) )

Our fellow King survives jelly fish attack!

2008-06-04T00:55:00.011+08:00

PORT DICKSON, 31 May: One of our fellow ComeBackKings (identity withheld due to the overwhelming dignity within the royal ranks) survived a jellyfish attack when skinny dipping near the least polluted stretch of beach in Port Dickson last week. The Kings were on an outstation event trip when they decided to stop and get in touch with Malaysia's beauty.

And one of our country's beauty is that all Malaysians share their space with other inhabitants of different species such as the jellyfish. The King fell unconscious soon after the attack and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The extent of the sting had left streaks of 'burnt' marks along The King's inner thighs and groin area.

Upon regaining consciousness after almost 12 hours drifting in and out of coma, the rejuvenated King was quick to realize that all this was just utter bullshit la.

Sorry for all that but its nice to be writing again after a month. Many things have happened within that period and a jellyfish attack was not one of them! But first, let's revisit some previous performances.

Show 60: SMK Assunta Prom @ Sheraton Imperial, KL, 18 Dec 2007

Frankly, I never thought this was so far back. 18 Dec 2007! Well, all our Kings could remember was a really nice banner and the pastries The Kings curik while they were heading out of the ballroom.

The banner had genius written all over it. WELL DONE! It was huge and was made as though it was the front cover of a magazine - short teasers of various colour splashed on the banner to let one know what to expect at the prom and so on. Unfortunately, the troupe's name was spelt wrongly again! Can anyone out there what The Kings can do? Or do The Kings point an accusing to the widespread dyslexia across our beloved Malaysia? SIGH

The event was OK. The ballroom was (too) well lit making cumbu-cumbuan sessions a bit uneasy. The Kings did "Dance History 101" again to a very responsive crowd (Thank you, Assunta!). But the one who really caught the eye was King Ronnie who was in his best dressed for years! Really Indian!

And lastly, the pastries. MMMMMMM. The Kings weren't offered F&B as part of the package but who could say no to chocolate éclairs? So, on their way out after the performance, The King's lifted some cakes and other goodies in gentile fashion, with mouths drooling and pinkies protruding proudly.

Show No.60 in the bag!

What you've been missing...

2008-05-06T02:14:00.007+08:00

Dear friends, fans and family,

The past 10 days were truly memorable for The Kings. They can't really express their appreciation and satisfaction in full length (for the time being) but here is a brief update...

29 April - Halo Cafe, Sunway Pyramid
Three Kings - King Chi Ho, King Nigesh and King Ronnie - along with their close friend Kavin, performed in front of a sell out crowd, with most of attendees coming from Klang. Am pretty sure cheap booze and bak kut teh are not talk of the town any more...

2 - 3 May - Jaya One, Petaling Jaya
The Kings' first public show of 2008 and a golden chance for the masses to watch them for free. Unfortunately, only close family members, close friends and some hardcore fans came to watch, marred by 'those involved in exporting Malaysia's human capital to foreign countries'...

5 May - Luna Bar, Kuala Lumpur
Performed on the rooftop of one of KL's most talked about hang outs, The Kings can't help but to tell you all what you've been missing...

Next stop, The Kings are just somewhat involved in an 'invite only' show in this small place called... what was it again? Oh yeah, Heritage Mansion. Oh well, nothing surprises The ComeBackKings any more.

Will be back with more pictures on a less busy day (sigh) When will that day be...?

The ComeBackKings @ Jaya One, 2 & 3 May, 8pm to 11pm

2008-04-20T21:18:00.008+08:00

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Our first public performance of the year! And to add icing on the cake, ITS FREE! So come and show your support!

No more saying things like "Oi, where y'll perform lah. Haven't see your performance leh..."

The performances will be held at the 'mezzanine' area on Level 1, tucked next to Secret Recipe, Duck King Restaurant and StarBucks. Already, Jaya One has hosted 'Acoustic Jaya', where 'stars' like Azmyl Yunor, Estralla, Jerome Kugan & Tan Sei Hon converged on 18 & 19 April 2008.

And a few reminders or tips to get to Jaya One:

1) Jaya One is not Jaya 33 (the one with True Fitness and 'that' pedestrian bridge).

2) Nor is it 'the one opposite the Toyota showroom' (qouted from King Jon, 2008).

3) The original Jaya Supermarket is now empty (in case you're wondering and still lost).

4) Jaya One is the one opposite the Section 17 Pasar Tani, just a few blocks from the International Islamic University. If you can spot a huge-ass 'Old Town Coffee House', you've arrived at your destination.

5) Unless you know how to get there, do not attempt to drive there alone, King Ronnie!

6) Or you can click on this link to reveal the map.

NEW CBK MUSIC VIDEO - Hey Lady Driver

2008-04-03T13:16:00.003+08:00

There were some complaints about the sound and quality of the Samy Vellu Song but hey... what can I do in the comfort of my own home and with basic home appliances. Will try to improve on our technicalities if time and fortunes permit.

But I hope there's less complaints on this new one... although I feel that the topic and content would certainly rattle the cage of some.

Wish to inform all who watch this video that not all Kings endorse its content. It was never meant to hurt unless you fall off your chair laughing...

Enjoy...

A Tale of Two Events

2008-03-28T23:38:00.008+08:00

Spot the decent

Sigh. There are some things in life you can't let go. So, as an informant for/of the group, I find that I should return (for the time being while King Ron, King Matt and King Jon ponder over what to write). And I'll start with a rather distant flashback...

It's no joke that comedy improves one's well being medically! That's why laughter is 'infectious' and 'the best medicine'! Why we all have 'funny bones' and find humour 'contagious'! Despite that, mental health is a subjective thing - you either get a joke or don't know shit!

Such is a tale of two events. The setting was quite similar; same amount of people attended, same performers and same performance. The only difference is, in one event, the attendees were mostly from the media industry whereas the other, the attendees enjoy kara... OOOOKKKAAAAAYYYY...

At the BRDB Media Appreciation Night in 'Work In Progress', Bangsar Shopping Centre, KL, on 13 December 2007, The Kings dazzled with their 'you-know-what' skit that sent the crowd into rapturous fits of laughter. Later, The Kings found themselves mingling with the crowd, exchanging business cards and indecent glances before ending the night in a drunken haze. Clearly a good night. And if that's not enough, weeks later, The Kings earned themselves a mention in The Sun newspaper. SEE! >>>

Tetapi, two nights later, The Kings found themselves clawing for response when they confronted a rather 'tough' crowd courtesy of RK Group's annual dinner @ JW Marriott, KL. For one, karaoke was on the menu and each of The Kings have their own dreaded experience with Japan's most influential cultural import after sushi and schoolgirl nymphos. However, this time its a joint experience. On stage, The Kings saw droopy-eyed-jaw-jagged-tilted-heads looking back at them like a remake of MJ's Thriller.

Plus, the event was our first under a man named Andy, a man high on our 'manager wish list'. WHAT AN INTRODUCTION! Sigh.

Well, as the saying goes, one man's teh tarik is another man's susu basi.

To our dear Samy...

2008-03-12T22:54:00.004+08:00

The recent elections presented more shocks than surprises. And nothing was more shocking and unsurprising than SV's lost in Sg. Siput. The news threw the whole Malaysian comedy scene in utter disarray. So much so that the first people who voiced their disapprovals toward SV's impending departure from the political scene were comedians who want SV in power to prolong their comedic careers, and, not to mention, to ensure they're guaranteed of new materials.

However, as budding comedian with a long future ahead, The ComeBackKings say...

"HE IS STILL ALIVE WERT!"

The following music video is how we will always remember him. Hope you ppl like it!

Choose your fave ComeBackKing! And help us save cheerleaders!

2008-02-25T00:12:00.003+08:00

We have sources saying that The ComeBackKings' blog is slow to update and boring... so we love to hear from you on which ComeBackKing you want to hear from. The list short profiles below will guide through the quintet.

King Chi Ho - Fat, stump and Chinese. Not good looking and not the sharpest chopstick in the drawer. He is the main cause of boredom on this blog and even Jaring.net has quicker updates.

King Jon - The only CBK with a profession; King Jon is professional clown! He is the ultimate girl magnet. The phrase 'tall, dark and handsome' was coined to epitomize him. And, some believe, so is the word 'mandingo'.

King Matt - He writes well and is funny as hell, whenever he winks, a girl's heart sinks; King Matt is a hybrid of a Casanova and the 'boy who cried wolf'.

King Nigesh - Comedian, stand-up, dancer, actor, rapper... this guy does it all! But you know what they say about a Jack of all trades...

King Ronnie - Big nose, big mouth, big eyes and big potential - the only difference between him and Prince Charles is that King Ronnie looks good. You see, a cat is this man's best friend but the man is too shy to admit it.

OK. Now that you all know a bit about the Kings so send in your comments and vote who gets to post the next blog update. Oh, did I mention you can't vote for King Chi Ho to extend is regime?

Show 57: GHL Systems & Technology Annual Dinner

2008-01-28T13:45:00.000+08:00

THE COMEBACK TIMES FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2006 ENTERTAINMENT

PETALING JAYA: The ComeBackKings recorded their first performance that featured them as the main and only performers.

The event, held in The One World Hotel, was attended by 200 workers and partners of the host who witnessed The Kings' on-demand comical introduction to the evolution of dance as an appetiser to a delayed dinner schedule.

After a few rounds of lucky draws, The Kings strutted their most popular dance-comedy skit "Dance History 101" and were greeted with gales of laughter. They then wrapped up their night by giving the crowd a "dance lesson". The loudest cheer, however, was reserved for a ballroom door detaching and falling from its huge frame. Although the event was not all smooth sailing, it nevertheless was a worthwhile treat for the crowd.

Meanwhile, backstage in The Kings' makeshift changing space, rumour has it that The Kings' on-stage antiques were met by criticisms for failing to adhere to the status quo of malnutritioned and skinny bodies.

The sole target of the criticisms, Chi Ho, expressed his honest regret and promised a change. "I know my bulging stomach doesn't look good in a semi-transparent, body fitting, white T," he said, "and I promise to lose weight. From now on, I will stop taking snacks between breakfast and brunch."

Besides appearance, The Kings have a lot to change and a lot to improve before confronting any more criticisms in the future. Nevertheless, The Kings live by a motto that states; "the harshest critics are from those that you're close to and which is usually unsaid."

Show 56: Shell's “Groovy 60's , Funky 70's , Hippy 80's” Dinner

2008-01-22T02:23:00.000+08:00

Date: December 1, 2007
Venue: Grand Premiere Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala Lumpur (**phew!**)

Never in The Kings' performing experience have they seen so many impersonators. From Elvis to MJ, from Tina Turner to Tina Turner in a different dress, this event has it all. And what better event to have The Kings' "Dance 101". (I hate to mentioned it again but its the funniest way to find out how so many famous dances came to be.)

With the crowd all out to party and a theme that tributes the 3 most memorable decades in our lifetime, The Kings' on demand skit fitted in better that O.J. Simpson's bloodied gloves. The timing of their slot was excellent; just before the dance floor opened!

However, once again the stage was a bit tight but nevertheless, there is always room to improvise.

SAWADEE KAAAAAP!

2008-01-17T20:59:00.000+08:00

Hey ppl! Happy belated 2008! Happy belated (that perayaan on Jan 10th)!

Sorry for the long layoff but I'm glad to inform you all that I've found my writing mojo!

Its been a long hard search but who knew that by brainlessly replying some photo comments on Facebook, I was able to remember that The ComeBackKings have a blog!

Hmm, let's see what we've missed. Erm, shows 58 to 61 (oops, Happy Belated 60th Show Milestone to us!). Media Prima holding 6 of our videos back due to unforeseen delays and (oh, here is a good one) an overloaded server! King Matt, King Jon, me and Queen Mun Mun went to Thailand to meet Queen Dora and to 'broaden our horizons'.

Full updates on our last few shows soon. Stay tuned on www.gua.com.my. Stay safe, stay happy and stay close to your parents you 5yos!

He who found his writing mojo,
King Chi Ho

Blessed Christmas to all...

2007-12-26T17:09:00.001+08:00

Want to be funnier?

2007-12-26T16:22:00.000+08:00

For these past years, we are fortunate to have audience members, media partners and clients complimenting our shows. Many say that the comebackkings most demanded sketch, Dance History 101 is a show rich in creativity and smart in humor. And right after that, the next question pops up..."How do you guys get to be so funny?" or "What is your recipe for laughter?" and sometimes, "who brings out the creative side to your sketches?"

Ill be honest here..i have no idea how i got to make people laugh. Heck, i still have no idea if im funny at all. all i know is that i grew up watchin tv and a loved comedy shows. sometimes we would talk about an old comedy show and just laugh at each other as we imitate the characters in the show. Anyways, i believe that one does not have to be a comedian to be funny. Ill show you how.

As i was surfing the internet for articles to improvise my observational stand-up comedy i came across this speaker who is a Humor Specialist (yeah,i didnt know there was such a profession too). John Kinde a well known "Humorist" shares with us how anyone at all can be funny just by following simple guidelines.

Okay, so you're interested in lifting your laugh ability factor, or maybe finding your inner funny. Here are a few tips on how to do this at work.

Suffocate sarcasm - It has too much potential to be taken the wrong way in a work environment.
Justify your jokes - Don't just memorize the latest joke making the rounds on email. Tailor your jokes to the individual and keep them clean.
Be frugally funny - Making a funny comment to diffuse tension during a meeting is a great idea, but don't overdo it.
Join a friendly neighbourhood - Hang around funny friends. Spend time with those who are upbeat and avoid negative people whenever possible.
Giggle with the gang - You can be seen as having a great sense of humour without ever telling a joke. Just listen to those around you and share in their laughter.
Get with it - Remind yourself to have fun everyday. Place humourous cartoons and quotes in your personal workspace.
Partake in periodic personal putdowns - This can put others at ease and you don't risk offending anyone. Be sure to keep a light mood and don't make it a habit.

"The ultimate test of whether you posses a sense of humour is your reaction when someone tells you you don't."
- Frank Tyger.

Read the rest of his work here

Are you desperate for some Christmas cheer?

2007-12-25T15:36:00.000+08:00

'Where's all mah dingling ding?'

Tired of Christmas shopping? Wish you don't have so many relatives to buy Christmas presents for? In need of some Christmas bee... cheer? Well visiting this blog won't do you any good either!

Our popular Internet TV website, www.gua.com.my, has now almost 7-8 of our videos still in, either pre production, production or post production, including an auspicious video about Hari Raya, which of course, wasn't auspiciously broadcast-ed lah! So don't expect anything till 2008!

Hope we'll be having much better things to say in the next Christmas,!

All in all, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2008!

p/s: The ComeBackKings is now venturing into a new business that provides FREE services for finishing left-overs.

p/p/s: Also, we provide FREE services such as food testing, beer testing & tasting, personal fashion consultancy (for females only) , etc.

p/p/p/s: If you're a client, pls consider us, still.

"...do you get sick of each other?"

2007-12-04T04:13:00.000+08:00

During one of our recent press conferences, a cheeky reporter asked us this:
“You guys spend so much time together; do y’ll get sick of each other?”

Even though she was kidding, but it got us thinking, an act we’re not too familiar with but thinking nevertheless.

After much alcohol and cancer-induced products were burnt, we concluded that:

1. Yes, at times we do get on each others nerves but that’s only because we love each other like brothers and being brothers… sibling rivalry get the better of us.

2. We sometimes take each other for granted but that’s only because we’ve seen the best from each other and when that level isn’t reached/given we feel that the group’s talents is not being utilised to the fullest.

3. We sometimes push each other to the limit because we want the group to grow as a family and if one member is falling behind, we have to push.

So to answer the question, yes we do get sick of each other sometimes but at the end of the day we’re still a family…

But on the contrary, being a little too close isn’t such a good thing after all…

maybe some time away could be a good idea after all...

Too much time together can have its effects on some of us...

Sometimes confusion sets in...

But at the end of the day, we still love each other... (ok maybe love is such a strong word)

SAVE MALAYSIAN COMEDY!: Is pop culture killing comedy?

2007-11-30T22:25:00.000+08:00

After months of writing and shooting for www.gua.com.my, our producers are beginning to take over our reins and gradually manoeuvring our bandwagon towards pop culture, for the sake of ratings. Its easy to understand pop culture; its anything that makes money.

In comedy, pranks, spoofs, impersonations and sitcoms now pave the way. Stand up comedy, although not very well-received or understood amongst the older generation, is getting more popular with ever-increasing stand-up impersonators, imitators, and wannabes taking opportunity on audiences' shallow knowledge on comedy.

Jokes and one-liners, what used to go stale quickly and not reused back in the pre-Internet and pop media days, are now hard to come by with myriad comedians recycling them so much so that audiences are confused of who and where 'the originals' were. The Internet and YouTube these days only made things worse by helping the more popular comedians get instant recognition for their work without us even asking the question, "Hey, is that material really his/hers? I received that from an SMS before..."

In an era when comedians are taken more seriously and our politicians are taken as a joke, quality comedy is going extinct with pop culture on top of the entertainment food chain.

Take the music industry for instance. Songs used to make us cry. Rappers used to have roots. Singers used to have voices. Lyrics were written as if a writer's heart and soul melted and froze into long lines of melodic words. Thanks to pop culture, the music industry has lost its rhythm and is hijacked by those who do no justice to the industry's history and meaning. Songs are now less memorable even though popular music stations play them more frequently. Popularity of songs are now not judged by voice and sound quality but by effeminate-looking males and Barbie-bodied bimbos. And comedy seems to be heading this way... except, maybe, the last sentence.

But there is something about originality and its all about taking risks. Now, everything and everyone are so blinded by $, they would rather stick with those that can promise $ even though they have the resources to buy the world several times over. Unfortunately, risks is something to risky to buy, it seems. Perhaps they have forgotten that what is now considered popular were once original before.

Save Malaysian comedy. Save Malaysian polit ... I mean, comedians.

-chi ho-

Synovate Media Atlas Event @ No Black Tie, KL, 25 October 2007

2007-11-21T23:23:00.000+08:00

As a tribute of our own success in this event, we decided not to blog about this event until now.

WHY?

As you might've noticed from the title, the event date is on 25 October but heck, our very first contact with our client dates back to 26 April (THAT'S A WHOPPING 6 MONTHS IN BETWEEN!). This is arguably the longest project we've taken on, so, to commemorate this memorable feat, we decided to take a longer time to blog this.
OK, the 'we decided to take a longer time to blog this' bit was pure bullshit. We are just busy with our JOKE AJE shoots and coming out with believable excuses.

This Synovate (pronounced See-NO-V-8. We only learnt about this in the llth hour. Previously, we kept saying 'saino', saino', 'saino'...) project was by far the most difficult; difficult in a sense that we're so 'dry' on ideas specifically for this project. For a start, maybe I should've explained the reasons for this but doing now same difference right? Basically, our client wanted to move away from the traditional MS Power Point presentation and give their facts and figures 'some life'. Those facts and figures evolve around stereotypical groups in Malaysians and supposedly, we have 9 main groups. So, for this arduous task, who better to call than The ComeBackKings lah (che wah! bangge siut!).

Our priority was to portray these 9 groups 'comedically' and 'entertainingly' possible without moving away from the facts and figures. As easy as it sounds, comedy is never easy. We practically utilized the whole 6 months that we're given. The 9 groups were mashed into 6 two-minute skits with each King playing multiple roles, except King Ronnie, who played the main character, a census surveyor.

The stage was tiny and no breaks for costume changes mean that everything must be done on stage. Luckily, the crowd treated cross-dressing, cross-dressers and, most of all, cross-dressers cross-dressing, very well.

Along the way, we came out with countless storylines, suffered through countless nights without sleep, cracked countless jokes (some lifelessly lame), made countless trips to our client's office but during the show night, drank countless bottles for beer in return.The fee wasn't that rewarding but nevertheless, we had the most fun. At the end of the day, applause is all we want to hear and what great applause we received that night!

Since you readers missed this private event, here is a random line from our script that day:

Census Surveyor

'He he, err. No, its just a question. Next,

do you have internet connection?'

Old chap from kampung

'I don’t need internet. I have connections!'

Hope you enjoyed that bit. If you didn't, you should've been there. He he.

DISCLAIMER - To all Malaysian government officials

2007-11-11T23:03:00.000+08:00

Following the 'rallies' or 'demonstrations' that took place in Kuala Lumpur on 10 November 2007, The ComeBackKings wish to clarify that the striking royal yellow designs on our blog have no relations to the colour donned by those involved in the 'rallies' or 'demonstrations'.

This disclaimer was born out of the notion that parameters of our laws are somewhat non-existent.

We hope we have made this explanation as CLEAN and BERSIH as possible.

In search of new tagline...

2007-11-11T22:51:00.000+08:00

Its all our fault. We should've formalize our original tagline rather than just treating it like a party topic. We had 3 years to do so and now, our original tagline have been hijacked by Hitz.FM (their tagline is 'We take comedy seriously' ours is 'We take our comedy seriously').

So now, we are in search of a new tagline to replace a great one ... much like replacing 'Dance 101' with another skit of similar stature.

So far, all we have are these;

1) We work so hard for comedy, its not funny anymore.

2) Our 2-liners are just as good!

3) We put the 'FUN' in please give us more funds

That's all. We believe we need some outsourced help if want to figure out a good tagline before next year. PLEASE HELP! Drop us a few suggestions or comments.

SPANKING NEW CBK BLOG!

2007-11-05T00:32:00.000+08:00

Hey ppl, as you've already known, we have a spanking new makeover for our blog, courtesy of our 'futsal kaki' Reza (click here to find our more about the bloke).

So here is the 'least' but not 'last' open thank you from all us Kings.... teeeriiimaaa kaaasih Rezaaa.

And see you on the pitch Rez! We'll set you up with some jaw-dropping goal-gapping sitters to beef up your goal scoring account. Haha!

Oh, and have a look at our logo. Can any of you guess what it resembles and what it spells?

Hint: King Ronnie is petrified of...

Who are we really again? Please remind us...

2007-11-02T00:11:00.000+08:00

A lot has been going on The Kings' minds lately. A mental tug-of-war is brewing right beneath their crowns over which side of the rope they should cling on; POPULARITY or EXCLUSIVITY.

Why so? As the Kings venture into the endless prospects of cyberspace (meaning www.gua.com.my) , they are exposed to its endless demands as well. And when these demands come from a majority of the lowest common denominators, The Kings must adapt to their limitations, thus moving away from The Kings' endless potentials and, unfortunately 'who they really are'.

I ask again' "Who The ComeBackKings really are?"

Do we watch 'Scenario' and laugh and follow their lead or do we stay as Kings and make people earn their laughter through thought.

If you understand this entry, be the judge of which 'end of the rope' The Kings should tug; POPULARITY or EXCLUSIVITY.

Such is the fate of this world now... swallowed by popularity, and it is not necessarily quality.

Some writer who's book didn't sell.

Not being hacked... don't worry.

2007-10-28T22:08:00.000+08:00

Yes, we are not being hacked, although our site might look it. Reza is our good friend and our 'futsal kaki' (we rather him be our good friend only. He he) and he is raping our site to give us a face lift.

So sit back and wait for a more stylish new-look CBK blog! Stay tuned!

Chi Ho
The ComeBackKings

Can you Nig it?!?

2007-10-21T21:38:00.000+08:00

King Niggy's strange pants: A scene unseen since his primary school days.

All hail King Niggy! Versatile and agile, strong but tender, a talented rapper but not a good speller (he he. Insider joke ... (shadow high 5s all around)) catch King Niggy in action with the latest of our videos on Gua. com.my.

Click on the links and be ready to wait due to slow buffering.

King Niggy as a doctor (Thus, fulfilling his parent's wildest dreams!)

King Niggy as a wheelchair driver!

King Niggy as a newspaper vendor ... trainer!

And our sincerest apologies to our readers for leaving our blog unattended and our sincerest 'thank you' for dropping by and almost giving us our '5000'th view.

Our new videos are up @ www.gua.com.my

2007-09-27T12:42:00.000+08:00

OK. This time The Kings are saving up on words and cutting straight to the point. Our new videos for The Kings' internet TV show 'Joke Aje' is up on www.gua.com.my.

Just click on the following links to watch the videos and if you like it, don't tell us but drop us a comment or two for all the read.

Kidnapped 2 (featuring King Matt as 'sexy momma')

Rajini Ramakrishnan 1 (featuring King Ronnie as 'the funniest reporter you've ever seen')

Rajini Ramakrishnan 2 (featuring King Ronnie as 'the funniest reporter you've just seen')

Rajini Ramakrishnan 3 & Rajini Ramakrishnan 4 (featuring King Ronnie as 'the funniest reporter you can't get enough of!')

Oh yea, vote generously too.

If you vote:

1 star = you will, either live the rest of your life in torment or you can tell everyone you know about us.

2 stars = you will, either live the rest of your in loneliness or you can tell everyone you know about us.

3 stars = you will, either live a boring life that you don't deserve or you can tell everyone you know about us.

4 stars = you will, either live a life that you'll need to struggle immensely to reach your goals or you can tell everyone you know about us.

5 stars = Macha! Machi! Let's go out for some drinks shall we? = )

Been around the clock . . .

2007-09-24T11:09:00.000+08:00

Showbiz isn't easy. All the hours and days, preparing and scheduling, coupled with natural and human interferences, can make or a break your day. Don't get The Kings wrong. They ain't complaining. Just ask King Jon.

On 23 August, King Jon stayed up one whole night under the watchful eyes of King Matt, who helped him get into 'character'. That's because King Jon was casted as the lead role in King Chi Ho's latest script, a parody of those Japanese horror films featuring household items. Basically, what King Jon needed to do is sleep. His ability to sleep in virtually every terrain puts a crown on his head.

At around tea time on 24 August, The Kings assembled in King Niggy's castle, awaiting the crew of Michael and Aidil (our new 'Joke Aje' director) for The Kings second shoot. Upon arrival, the two-man crew from MediaPrima expertly deployed their equipments and with a quick recee of the area, The Kings were good to shoot.

The setting was simple, King Jon (who was duely encouraged to sleep on his job) in a sarong and singlet, a bed and an old school alarm clock. Aidil's array of dynamic shots and creative visualization in the shoot were merely subtle hints of what a great asset he was for our future episodes. After only an hour, it was a wrap. Again, it all boiled down to the editing team and in just a few days, The Kings have a masterpiece courtesy of the MediaPrima team - The Alarm Clock.

Enjoy and please do let us know of your thoughts about the video.

Getting caught on the Net...

2007-09-19T14:22:00.000+08:00

Don't they make a matching couple?

It all started with an sms. And a little bit of luck. Cheryl Bastian, a good friend of The Kings from the time they first won a talent competition, IACT Talent Search back in 2004, sent King Matt an sms, roughly stating that she can make The Kings ‘famous’. King Matt promptly gave Cheryl a call and a meeting was set at Sri Pentas (TV3 Head Office).

Fast forward to the meeting, The Kings met a Mr. Michael D’Oliveiro and passed him a copy of The Kings Dance 101 preview VCD. He liked it. Michael explained how MediaPrima have huge plans to venture online. The Kings like it. The Kings, then, pitched a few more ideas, he liked them too, particularly an idea of a kidnapping scene gone wrong.

He is human after all: King Niggy fails to
strike a pose with Cheryl and King Matt.

So, The Kings’ first Internet TV debut video, ‘Kidnapped’, came to be. As Michael was keen to shoot within a few days, the date and venue (classified location) was quickly set. With everything set in place by both parties, the shoot became more imminent. The Kings, oblivious of the prospects that await them on the Net, appeared somewhat jittery on the set but nevertheless, utmost enthusiastic and optimistic.

On the set were four crew members from Media Prima including Michael himself and on The Kings’ end, King Matt and King Niggy played police agents, King Chi Ho donned the pink dress of a worried mother and King Ronnie was the kidnapper. After a few hours King Ronnie staring at King Chi Ho's fake boobs, the shoot was over and from then on, all of the Kings footages were in the hands of the post production.

And now, fast forward again about 2 months since Cheryl’s sms, you can all enjoy our videos by simply following these steps:

www.gua.com.my – Gua TV – page 2 – (start searching for The ComeBackKings)

Or if you’re lazy, just click on this link: http://www.gua.com.my/Video/VideoDetails.aspx?VideoID=33

Hope y’all like it and do let us know your honest feedback.

NOW WE'RE ON TV3!

2007-09-14T20:25:00.000+08:00

www.gua.com.my Launch - 2 Kings; one better in cam hogging.

Okay, maybe not that great lah. But we ARE under an umbrella company that controls TV3, 8TV, TV9, NTV7, fly.fm, & hot.fm - MEDIA PRIMA.

However, we are not bound to them completely. We are still on the road and ready to accept request from all comers! So do drop us an email and lets us hear your requests - come_back_kings@yahoo.com.

The website we are featured in, www.gua.com.my is rojak website where you can find a lot of other fun-stuff besides our videos. Be sure to bookmark the website and our blogsite to get all the updates!

Cheerios!

p/s: Check out some pics (partially) featuring King Niggy and King Chi Ho in www.gua.com.my

The Kings new Internet TV show @ www.gua.com.my

2007-09-12T13:10:00.000+08:00

Yes, we are on TV! Internet TV that is.

Kings Chi Ho & Niggy were at Maison's for launch of Media Prima's new online experience, www.gua.com.my. They snapped quite a few pictures but the only piece of hard cheese was. . . King Chi Ho lost his camera! King Chi Ho is rather shackled by this lost and promises a kingly gift to those who've accidentally taken his Majesty's camera to return it safely to him.

And back to the launch. As King Matt Ho and Jon were still busy dodging responsibility in Bangkok, King Joonie and Ronnie were also busy with their own professional commitments, this means that King Chi Ho & Niggy were the only representatives of the troupe.

Surrounded by celebrities and prominent contributors of the media industry, Kings Chi Ho & Niggy learnt the downside of not-so-famous performers like themselves; people stare and never approach you. So, the two Kings found themselves admiring the interiors of Maison's, which they don't often do, as the event started at late noon! Seeing sunlight beaming through the club's many windows was rather uneasy, apart from the free-flowing flat beers.

But nevertheless, the two Kings had a few bar-side banters, some food, some contacts, some beers and some fun for a short and sweet launch. '

And oh, let's get straight to The ComeBackKings videos! As a handful might already know, The Kings were committed to shooting 20 short videos for a segment called 'Joke Aje' in the website.

The Kings' debut video, Kidnapped, was rather amateurish and mistake prone but its the script that The Kings would like you to like. But still, its okay lar, first time mah!

The Kings' second video, The Alarm Clock, is much more enjoyable though. Sadly, some mistakes were made on the editing side that prevented King Chi Ho a kingly mention as the royal behind the script and video concept. Sigh, another lesson learnt by a not-so-famous performer.

Oh well. As The Kings move slightly ahead on professional progress, it is still a long road to walk. So do help us monitor our progress and walk along with us as there are 18 more videos waiting for you!

Thank you for your support. . . really!

Public Bank (Northern Region) 41st Anniversary Dinner (Let's Celebrate) @ Hotel Equatorial, Penang, 25 August 2007

2007-09-09T17:39:00.000+08:00

After 16 scripts in its many weeks, King Chi Ho is losing his, once ever-flowing, writing juices but nevertheless new juices will eventually gradually sip in to fill the void.

For instance, a certain type of juice that we all know too well, a juice that starts with the letter 'M', a juice that has thrived along with triumphs of mankind, a juice we all need for survival; mathematics. (I'm sorry you ppl had to read that. It sounded hornier in my head.)

And so, allow me to describe The King's first assignment in an island our former colonizers call The-Pearl-of-the-Orient-after-years-of-failure-to-learn-our-native-tongue numerologically chronological.

6 members of The ComeBackKings

1 driving

5 sleeping

1 van

1 carton of beer

24 cans Tiger beer

600++ kilometres to and fro

10 toll booths

3 within the Guthrie Corridor

6 Kings making jokes of a minister of 30 years in his post

3 state borders traversed

1 friend met en route (Hi, Kavin!)

1 friend convinced into helping the Kings take pictures during the event (Hi again!)

4 hours of driving

5 hours of waiting in Hotel

5 Kings went swimming

1 King tried to sleep

1 event

1000 over attended

1 performance

20++ minutes on stage

>1000 a) clapped

b) knew what was happening

c) heard what was happening

d) saw what was happening

e) attendees used their whistles is pure bull shit

100% a) commitment by The Kings

b) agreement that the insane whistling from the crowd was very annoying

6 hungry and exhausted Kings

1 helpful tour guide

COUNTLESS crazy drivers!

1 dinner table shared in Batu Ferringhi

RM220 spent = 55 DVDs bought!

1 night

2 rooms booked (includes holding room in Equatorial)

24 cans of beer opened and emptied

1 long night

1 shiny morning

6 plates of Original Nasi Kandar walloped!

Another 4 hours drive

6 happy/sleepy comedians

1 more blog entry completed

HP's 'Torture Chamber' Product Launch @ Hotel Shangri-La, 17 July 2007

2007-09-02T13:44:00.000+08:00

'Now tell us... where did you put the microchips?'

This one was a bit fun-ner than the rest. The Kings were supposed to play a bunch of crime detectives and crime lab investigators. But here is the catch; there was no comedy whatsoever! It was a bit difficult to land the job though.

Again it was our boyish features that got us into some complications with the client. Well, here is what I have to say; people mature not through age but by maturity. You don't expect only a 30yo veteran can kick ass like Nicol David. Obviously, more than 90% of the world have not the maturity to comprehend that short statement. And so, The Kings will be forever living under the shadow their own chiselled looks for as long as their hair haven't grow grey.

Oh well, in the end The Kings got what they wanted; the assignment. But getting the assignment done was another complication. As some would know, The Kings charge an amount of fee for writing scripts but since our client had 'some' vocabulary shortcomings and the deal was done and dusted, let's just say that The Kings skipped William's on pay day.

The only time The Kings had for practice is on the way back from Lumut! Man, was it fun. Plus, it was a serious script but funny in a different context. Picture this, investigators found some 'abused' laptops (No, not Ms. Lewinsky. She is sadomasochist.) but there's one 'survivor', so how did this laptop 'survived'. (This is the part where King Joonie's character says, "Mahai! Got survivors wei!" but that was our version of the skit!)

Yes, so The Kings did there roles, posed for some pictures and they were off again, hoping for more assignments such as these would come to their way.

Our country turning 50...

2007-08-31T12:21:00.000+08:00

Happy 50th Merdeka!
Selamat Hari Kemerdekaan ke-50!
Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia!
Happy 50 Malaysia!
Selamat Hari Jadi ke-50 Malaysia!
Happy 50th Anniversary of Independence Malaysia!

What ever we may want to call it, we all share the same love for our country.

Thank you and we love you Malaysia!

CBK updates!

2007-08-28T18:29:00.000+08:00

Hey readers! This is a short one. Over the past weekend, The Kings have added another state into their list of states The Kings have performed in. Currently, the list is Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Pahang, Perak and now, Penang!

And The Kings' script archive has been bulging lately. Hmm. Must be a huge project at hand. Be sure to find out why. Stay tuned and thank you for reading!

University of Technology Sydney Alumni @ Hotel Nikko, 7 July 2007

2007-08-20T22:49:00.000+08:00

Sigh. Managing a blog for such a 'happening' troupe can be quite difficult. Especially as the stats stand:

King Chi Ho - many entries

King Matt Ho - some

Kings Niggy, Ronnie, Jon & Joonie - negative something something.

Okay, I know what you guys are thinking now, the Chatbox entries, right? That can count lah but when one can sms one's 'girlfriend(s) more than one can type in the Chatbox PER DAY, I think that really shows something lor.

Btw, I'm just jabbing to blame others for causing me to forget one of our posts! ARGH! Madness! Mayhem! Memory! And its the rest of you Kings' fault!

Sorry UTS! We hope you got our comedy. We hope your sheepish grins were a sign of your acknowledgement... and those arched eyebrows too. But the stage was a tad too small and low though, but hey, is a 1/8 of our price and we needed some pocket money and also add Hotel Nikko to our profile!

This performance was a bit different though. We all took the LRT this time and taking trains are a burden lah; people looking and all that. I'm not complaining but try boarding an LRT with a bright red broom in your hands! On top of that, try looking like a guest as you enter a lavish hotel with a broom like that! Oh well, its not as bad as when King Matt dons a dress.

And again, the wait was unbearable. We were 'held' in this holding room, eating leftovers and sculpting art with ... sugar. Raw and fine. Then someone spilled something and the spill inspired Queen Dora gem designing. How I wish simple things like this can inspire us some new material! King Jon added to his Which-Hotel-I-Slept-In profile.But our changing room was a bit 'cooler' though. It was the hotel's poolside massage shack. (Wait, I remember someone has the pictures so pls send them to me!) So, we just drew the bamboo blinds and go into our costumes as King Ronnie starts his own Which-Hotel-I-Slept-In account.

And again ... Dance 101 ... all was good ... got paid ... hopped into LRT ... gone separate ways ...

THE END.

p/s: Sorry that it has to end like this. Really can't remember ... And oh, too lazy to put links so make use of our sidebar <<<<<

Have you ever had a Munn Joon Moment?

2007-08-16T18:50:00.000+08:00

There are stupid moments, 'Oh my God!' moments, 'You didn't just say that...' moments and there is Munn Joon aka King Joonie. Yet another instalment for the little less known Kings, King Joonie is a phenomenon. The original Kings found him even before their first ever show and later, took him under their wing as The CD Player Guy. But sometimes, King Joonie was used as a stand in, especially during King Chi Ho's absence. Although being the least famous of the Kings, King Joonie is indeed a firm favourite within the group for he possesses an encyclopaedic brain for lame jokes and, not forgetting, the tendency to make dumb-ass statements. And the Kings call these statements The Munn Joon Moments.

Here are some of our personal favourite Munn Joon Moments;

Scenario One: The Kings were chatting amongst themselves during the Cancerlink show just after meeting with the CancerChamps kids, whom the Kings were to perform to. Then, King Joonie taps King Chi Ho on the shoulder and said:

King Joonie: Chai Ho (King Joonie likes to call King Chi Ho this)! You mean, all those kids got cancer wan ar?

King Chi Ho: ............

Scenario Two: During the Free Flow 2006, the Kings were chatting with reknown Malaysian stand-up comedians, the veterans Indi Nadarajah and Allen Pereira. Then, up steps King Joonie to keep the conversation going:

King Joonie: (To Indi and Allen) So ... is this your first time performing on stage?
Indi: ............

Allen: *gulp*

Well, we hope all these give you people a better idea of our beloved King Joonie. Next, we hope to compile our Top Ten Favourite Munn Joon Lame Jokes for you but see first lah...

Seri Endon Victory Ventures 2007 @ Swiss Garden Golf Resort and Spa, Damai Laut, Lumut, Perak, 15 - 16 July 2007

2007-08-16T13:02:00.000+08:00

DAY ONE

Ahh … at last, King Niggy handed in the Lumut pictures after a long and arduous tussle with his evil computer that threatened to swallow the pictures into oblivion. Well, its not as dramatic as that but you people should’ve seen King Niggy’s face when his computer went a kapoop again. No, no … not tears or sobby shoulders but exploding arteries and hemorrhaging brain lobes. But that was last week.

Oh, before I begin my rant, this request to perform in Lumut came from Dato’ Faridah Merican. Poised to please all charities, the founder of The Actors Studio volunteered The ComeBackKings when Cancerlink, Malaysia’s reknown non-governmental organization, which primes itself on delivering the message about the risks and dangers of cancer to us Malaysian. Ok, the Kings only found out about this the first time we met with the Cancerlink people, which, echoes loudly their need for recognition, let alone tangible support.

To tell the truth, the Kings were quite pressurized at first. Somehow, our dear Faridah had lead Cancerlink to think that The ComeBackKings are a group of experienced professional theatre performers / comedians, which, echoes loudly their need for recognition, let alone tangible support.

After the meeting with the hosts, the Kings’ first charity performance of the year 2007 was set on 15 July, 8pm at the (see title) to an audience of youths between ages 17 and 26, who suffer(ed) from cancer, the CancerChamp. The Kings ‘planned’ their departure from the office at 6am on the day only to successfully execute their ‘plan’ one and a half hours later. Besides, it was just less than five hours after the Kings returned from their post-event supper. King Chi Ho was on the wheels as he lead the rest of the Kings and Queen Dora in his royal chariot, better known to the Kings as the ‘Airplane’ (Disclaimer: nothing to do with King Niggy’s shoes.)

Its close to a five-hour drive and first stop, its Teluk Intan to drop off some supplies to King Niggy’s sister, who was posted there on medical duties. And any stop outside of the Klang Valley could mean that there’s good food nearby. King Niggy’s sister led us to a dingy Chinese restaurant that served great toasts and cheap (but good) coffee. YUM!

We hit the road again shortly. The wet weather was slowing us down a bit and when the troupe was dozing off, the Kings indulged into a spate of ‘What would you do …’ questions and this is one of my personal favourites;

Queen Dora: What would you do if you woke up one morning only to realize that you’ve changed into the opposite sex?

(long and silent ponder)

King Joonie: …pray.

As The Kings cranked down the trunk road, the stress on the Airplane’s rear suspensions sounded more and more obvious. It was a worry for the troupe and dodgy roadside signboards with unreliable distance indicators didn’t help much. After a couple of hours, the King spotted a large wooden arch that read ‘Swiss Garden Golf Resort and Spa, Damai Laut’ and followed the arrows, convinced that they’re nearing their destination. However, to reach the promise land, the Kings trundled through a wavier road littered with speed bumps and dotted with muddy marshes of either side. But it was all worth it, as the view of the straits greeted the Kings at the lobby. The room was pre-booked so all the Kings needed to do was to claim the keys, find the room, settle down and very soon, they were off to lunch.

After lunch, the Kings visited their ‘audience’ in various activities to rebuild their social lives that was lost en route to recovery. One of the activities came under The Actors Studio banner, courtesy of KLPac Academy’s Nala. Once the Kings have completed the protocol – saying ‘Hellos’ to those that matter, they took a stroll around the resort before locking themselves in their room for an intensive rehearsal. Again, new King Jon was thrown into the deep end; having to remember the longest line in the ‘Meet the In-Laws’ script. As time seemed to be running out for King Jon, The Kings opted for him to read from a piece of paper, emulating Jit Murad’s latest stand-up.

Despite the lack of practice, The Kings still managed to take a dip and few rounds of water polo. Dinner was served at 7pm and despite being late, The Kings still managed to gobble up some ground and a few more minutes to get into their ‘In-Laws’ costumes before the curtain opens. The response for ‘Meet the In-Laws’ great each time it taps on the funny sides of Malaysia’s ‘primary’ races (Apologies to the ‘…dan lain-lain’.). The crowd didn’t realize King Jon read from the script dead-panned! But the night was about to get better with, again, as always, another dose of Dance 101.

It was a sweet end to the night though; the CancerChamps ripped out three ‘Hip-hip horrays’ to the Kings as a token of appreciation before the crowd huddled in for an informal photo taking session. I almost got a tan from the camera flashes! And what sweeter end to the night with some liquid gold and dodging new found acquaintances.

DAY TWO

Well, there was nothing much on Day Two. Woke up around 10am, went to have more fun in the pool, got packing, left at about half past noon, had lunch in the nearest town and on the way, The Kings took more photos of Kings doused in slumber.

Of Fibbers and Liars, Comedians with Desires...

2007-08-16T07:28:00.000+08:00

Being a comedian isn’t easy. There is always pressure to be funny. People around you expect you to be funny and entertaining 24/7!

To steal a line from Finding Nemo; “Hey u’re a clown fish aren’t ya… Tell us a joke!”.

Plus there’s always that voice at the back of your head saying

“What if they don’t get it? What if nobody laughs? Why do they call it stand-up comedy? Have you heard about the guy who got choked while playing charades? Are they staring at my fly? I'M staring at my fly!”. Not forgetting the fact that people find it hard to tell when you’re being serious…

Serious
Me: I’m sorry Ms. Roseline but my computer crashed last night so I couldn’t complete my assignment in time…

Ms. Roseline (one nostril flaring): You think your education is a joke is it! Do I look like Harith ‘Ah-Ha’ Iskandar to you!

Not Serious
Me: I’m sorry Ms. Roseline I could not complete my assignment in time because my dog deleted my files!

Ms. Roseline: Oh its ok… accidents happen… Pass it to me next week la…

Parents are also involved in this equation. Not many parents from the ‘old’ generation can accept their kids being absorbed in performing arts or comedy to be exact.

Scene: Dinner table
Mum: Matt I just want you to know how sorry I am! Its my fault that you have to act like a fool on stage and that people are laughing at you..

Me: Err.. how is it your fault?

Mum: All those years of calling you a clown must have some how seep into your subconscious. I read in the Readers Digest that its called the Self-Fulfilling Prophecy.. (conversation goes on for 1 hour and 25 mins until the opening track of Desperate Housewives comes on the TV)

Moral of the story: You cant please everybody but you can make them laugh. The ability to make one laugh is the ability to heal the world. Make it a better place. For you and for me and the entire human race… *breaks into song*

Of Clowns and Balloons, Tuak and Buffoons...

2007-08-16T06:00:00.000+08:00

Not much is known about our latest member, King Jon, so here is a brief introduction. Jon has been working as a professional clown for many years now. He does balloon sculpting, juggling, stilt-walking, sword swallowing and fire-eating! He brings all these physical comedy elements to the group thus creating a wealth of diverse talent.

Did i mention he's into ~~S&M~~ balloon sculpting?

King Jon teaching King Matt the art of sword swallowing
(not to be confused with any other swallowing)

But here is a very important fact that sets him apart from the rest of us...

King Jon is actually THE most hard working member in the group!
Besides running a family business and clowning and performing with us, his full time job is; a qualified Medication Quality Control Officer under the Sleeping Disorder Department (SDD)!! His job is to test sleeping medicine so that it will be safe for millions around the world to consume! Truly a noble deed, befit for a King! Below you will see prove of his sacrifice for man/womankind! (he brings his work where ever he goes! his duty never stops!)

How does he do it? We'll never know! Till then, let there be no sleepless nights for rest assured, King Jon is on the job!

Of Friends and Foes, Brothers and Hoe's...

2007-08-13T07:56:00.000+08:00

Dearest

CBK,

I would like to take this opportunity to ~~ask for a raise~~ thank you guys for an awesome surprise birthday party! I think the best surprises are usually unplanned...just like my birth. In the spirit of being mushy and the constant demand for juicy soap-opera-like stories from our readers, I would also like to thank you for being my friends, brothers, fellow performers, car-poolers, money lenders/borrowers, alcoholics, perverts, footballers, pricks, Spartans, and so on!

It has been an honor to share the limelight/parcan/follow-spot/moving heads/Jiggee's cheap ass "lights" but however it would be nice to have personal changing rooms...

Turning 23 has made me realise ~~i need to start acting my age~~ how blessed I am to have wonderful people around me and this has made me cherish our friendship even more...

*pause for "Awww.."

So here's a toast to better things, less crappy shows, Asia Cafe meetings, William's Meatballs, late-night-attempts to practice, Niggy getting a bigger car, and more money.

Not forgetting Jesters Inc., ~~Mass Effect~~ Positive Calamity, Karla Spice, Jon's outstation roadshows, Chi Ho's expanding waistline and MJ's rims... I wish you all the best in your individual interests and careers for I know at the end of the day, we are still the CBKay!

And to Rishaad if you find it in your busy schedule to stumble upon this blog, you are still part of this family and will forever have a spot on stage (wages might vary).

And to Jon, a big welcome into the family and most importantly, always always always remember to place your hands on your hips for the linedance!

Not forgeting our ComeBack Queens, thank you for your patience, time, sweat and constant loving. You girls will be happy to know that part of the CBK fund will go into your future therapy sessions for we understand its not easy being our better halfs.

Since I'm in a thanking mood might as well thank Samy V for constantly supporting us by inspiring a lot of our materials.

Wow didn't expect to write so much, this is longer than Jac Victor's speech at Ikon! Oh congrats to her and OAG too! Support your local artists! (we might be them one day)

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed ~~crapping~~ writing it.

Lotsa love,hugs and brotherly-macho-masculine kisses,
Matthew Ho

p.s. - Special thanks to Armitage Shanks for giving me some of the best times in my life.

p.p.s - This is meant to be a serious emotionally driven post just in case some jism.com finds it not amusing.

FlashBack - 6 & 7 June 2007 @ Bojangles Pub, Sri Hartamas

2007-07-30T10:25:00.000+08:00

There is one thing good money can't buy in Malaysia- broadband Internet that doesn't give you problems. And for that, apologies for not updating our blog as we should, fellow readers ... (If you're out there, drop us a message on our Chatbox! Thanx!).

Oh, and another thing, King Niggy's computer ran into some trouble with the Lumut pictures locked inside sooo . . . here's are a couple of FlashBacks that deserve 'Kingly' mention.

An unknown arm stretches to butt out his cigarette on Kavin's face.

6 June 2007

9.30pm - Kings Niggy, Chi Ho and Ronnie arrived at Bojangles Pub for their 9pm stand-up show in typical Malaysian timing. However, its not until 10 (something) before they started their show with a few rounds of drinking games.

10.40pm - And when King Chi Ho started his show, it was all havoc after that. Waves of hecklers made their presence known but what could more worse than a female heckler hoping to instil some biological balance after a barrage of sexist jokes from the King. Kings Matt & Jon with Rachel and Leon had just arrived to stand as witnesses. But then again, its an open mic session.

11.30pm - The DJ crashed into the mood to counter the hecklers with his rendition of how a party should be. And that is when it come to Kings senses that if they'd partied longer, it would King Matt's birthday. So, a quick check in their wallets and the party is to go on.

June 7 2007

12.00am - We spilled the beans to King Matt and embraced in a typical 'brudders' fashion. King Matt was doing his very best trying to convince the rest how surprised he was. Now, what kind of a birthday party is this without a 'flaming lambo'?! So out pops one, courtesy of the Kings and King Matt sipped the sucker down as if he was born behind a bar. And what kind of a King Matt's birthday party is this without a 2nd 'flaming lambo'!!! So out pops another and King Matt downed it as if he was born drunk, eyes half open, with bottles of vodka tucked beneath his armpits. But HECK, no King has ever seen King Matt drunk as he gloriously sunk these buggers with the classic 'I Will Survive" on the background.

1.30am - With the DJ still spinning crowd favourites of the old and young, the King's troupe danced along with the 'Can Can', the 'Locomotive', even some 'Dondang Sayang' and broke our vocal cords replicating the pitch of Beyond's most famous song. The pub owner Skin was kind enough to offer a bottle, a sign that this party is not going to end this early. But this blog has to though, for I can't remember anything after that...

City - Link Annual Dinner: 14 July 2007 @ Tropicana Gold & Country Club

2007-07-20T22:38:00.000+08:00

Its funny how certain things can escape you when you're busy. The Kings were half way into their busiest week of the month and with the City - Link event on their schedule, the Kings can finally take a brief break as the event only calls for Dance 101 a.k.a The CockroachDance . But little did they know that the event signifies a special milestone: the half century milestone.

Instead of celebrating or cheering as they should, the Kings approached the event like any other. At first, things were going smoothly, with the soundcheck at 5pm and the performance at half past 10pm, things couldn't be any better.

Unfortunately, as the performance slot beckoned, the Kings was confronted by a scenario that they have never confronted before. A scenario so rare that it hardly graced any event in the country or even leave the slightest hint inside the Kings' minds that it would happen in this land of milk and honey, within their lifetime! But despite all the odds of it not happening, the prospects of this scenario unveiling itself in this very event triggered a distress call from one of the Kings to alert the others. And in that moment, as King Chi Ho held aloft his mobile phone and pressed the mouth piece against his cheek, his beaming voice echoed across the club house lobby, in which he stood, turning every head around him as passer bys stared at the sources of tension and stress that boomed aloud the phrase,"Carry forward, carry forward, we're on in 5 minutes, 5 minutes!"

The half past 10pm slot is now carried forward to half past 9pm. All in all, 1 hour in between. What happened? Did some performers turned Jew and did an Exodus? This is really unheard of but the Kings were on in 5 with Kings Ronnie and Nigesh still on their way to the venue. The rest of the Kings talked the organizers into buying them some time, in which they did for about 20 minutes.

From then on, the Kings (again) stole the spotlight with The Prof. getting most of the fake tan and hooking up with a revolting Miss City - Link that one wouldn't want to know more about, especially what's lodged above 'her' thighs and under that micro skirt. The crowd was a bit tough that night and my guess is most of them were from Government school. In the end, the Kings all had fun (and some more money) and it was all over by 10pm. If only the Kings knew that they hit the milestone, their night would have been longer. But then again, its early sunshine for the Kings the next day. Reason: they're gonna be off to Lumut.

Electrolux "Golden Club" Get Together: 12 July 2007 @ Hotel Maya, Kuala Lumpur

2007-07-18T11:28:00.000+08:00

"Guys, we have a product launch ...", announced Matt during one of our routine practices. "... but here's the catch ...", The Kings lowered their eyebrows everytime they hear Matt muttering those words, knowing all too well that they're in for some joyride or nothing at all. Niggy and Chi Ho were already clenching their fists. But then he said, "... they want us to launch a fridge..."

"A FRIDGE? WTF!?" We all looked at each other for a short moment but in our minds, we were all thinking of the same thing. And that is to show what we've got!

Coming out with a script for a fridge launch is hard enough but when you only get to hear the news 3 weeks before the event is much harder. It came to us as a surprise really. On 20 June, Niggy, Matt and Chi Ho were due to attend a meeting with the teams working on the launch where The Kings were supposed to see the script for the very first time. But Alas!, that was the time when The Kings found out that they had to conjure up their own script. And the three Kings left with a handful of brochures which the Electrolux team believed would "inspire" us but only enough to make our palms "perspire"!. Brochures that read "Where do you keep your market fresh goods in your home? In an Electrolux refrigerator of course." (And now, to know the Electrolux correspondence better, replace "market fresh goods in your home" with "brain".

If that wasn't hard enough, The Kings had to go through so many parties just to get an "OK" for our script. The Talent Factory, JDI, Krakatoa and worst of all Electrolux. Man, their mental capacity to understand a script is pretty much as square as a fridge and to stoop down to their level, The Kings had to revise (its more like a revamp) the script 4 times within the timeframe given and then only having less than 48 hours of practice. But let's do the math, 4 script in 3 weeks and less than 48 hours of practice... that sounds like ComeBackKings capability to me! But to top it all up, all the workload had forced The Kings to succumb to a bulk of virus attack that spread among all the Kings and Chi Ho being the last victim.

The final script was finished on the Monday before the big Thursday and we can't help but stress on the support and belief given to us by the organizing committee. And when the day finally came, The Kings was never been more confident. Maybe except Jon, whom The Kings threw into the deep end and gave him a character that delivered the most lines. Jon, as how The Kings knew him, is a professional mime/ clown. He was jittery in the first few practices but nevertheless perfect for the role. And so were the rest of guys; Matt donned THE dress and pulled off the naggiest Malay mom anyone has ever seen, Niggy as the loud and happy colleague that ... aww, you people should've been there lar, and Chi Ho looks as though we can sell 100 fridges a day in his protrayal of a hardcore Chinese Electrolux salesman.

And like every other show... the wait was gruelling (7.30am to 5pm!), especially to Chi Ho, who was literally struck down with viral fever.

Food was scarce, resting area was limited and boredom was as thick as a chopping block.

However, this time, The Kings had the previlege to share their dressing room with the girls from Funky Socks and what joy was to witness the girls gradually metomorphasize from ordinary city girls to gorgeous fruit bearers (eat your heart out guys of the world!).

And in the end, nothing could equal itself to the sheer sigh of relief in the all the Kings and their WAGs that all the "hardwork" was over ... at least for the time being.

What's the difference between a struggling performer and a pizza?

2007-07-09T23:48:00.000+08:00

"A pizza feeds a family of four...", answers King Matt and how right he is.

Performing arts is perhaps the most demanding field but reaps the least rewards. Jokes can go stale, knees can grow old and opportunities can be scarce as beer and cigarrette prices keep soaring. But, have no fear, The Kings were always ever-ready to take on the harshness of this modern over-commercialized life with SIDE JOBS!

The blend of side jobs in the troupe is pretty unique since the CBKs were formed with three parts Mass Communications, two parts Engineering and one part Hotel Management.

And when it comes to side jobs, King Niggy is obviously ahead with, sometimes, too much on his plate. Singing for bands, rapping, stand-ups, emceeing, etc ... you name it and King Niggy will give it a good optimistic thought. To top it all up, Niggy is still pursuing his Honours and is about to receive a certificate from his gym for his remarkable attendance!

Very far behind, but of no chronological order, would be the rest and King Ronnie. This self-proclaimed Spartan (please do ask him WHY...) is King Niggy's favourite partner-in-crime on emceeing assignments and cohort in their 'other' comedy group prompting the other Kings to think that the CBKs might hold the same fate as N'SYNC. (Yes. Let's all finger our chins and give King Niggy and Ron our most suspicious look, shall we? 1, 2, 3, Hmmm...)

While the more (ahem!) loyals ones, namely King Matt, King Jon and King Chi Ho, usually remain guarded and when chance comes, they will depatch themselves as the F.R.U.** members of the events world. Heave, carry, setup, push, dismantle, sweat, smell - these are just some mere words to describe the magnitude of their part-time jobs. By the way, King Chi Ho also mans King Ronnie's chariot to ensure King Ronnie arrives back at his castle before bed-time. King Chi Ho regards this as a side job for he earns punchlines to black mail King Ronnie for no reason.

And finally, for a period of time, Kings Niggy, Ronnie and Chi Ho, were weekly stand-ups in Pampas (a South American bar/restaurant along Changkat Bukit Bintang) & Bojangles (Sri Hartamas). Now, the Kings are relishing a return and with their new materials, including King Chi Ho's current favourite opening joke - "Have you ever choked on something while playing Charades ..."

... its really that bad, huh?

**For Rough Use

30 June 2007 @ SM Aminuddin Baki, Kuala Lumpur

2007-07-05T11:36:00.000+08:00

To a few, waiting can be traumatic...

On 30th June 2007, a few hundred SM Aminuddin Baki students cramped into their stuffy school hall for an Interact Club event (some International Understanding thingmaghic about 'aeons' and 'ions', basically about old pop cultures lah), fully unaware that they were the lucky few who will be given a very rare performing arts treatment in the form of, both, The ComeBackKings and The Mustang Crew (see our Friendster Friends List to get a better idea who they are!).

And bloody lucky they are too! Niggy and Chi Ho had almost given up on finding this secluded school. At least the fuel was covered. After hours on the road and hoping that the school will offer enough trees for us to escape the scorching weather, we came across what would the stuffiest school hall on the planet! I mean, Spongebob will get dehydrated in no time! We have never seen so many sweaty people in dresses and formal wear. Heck, we thought we ran into a group of extras from Lost!

To top it all up, there was always the waiting, the search for water and food, the makeshift 'dressing rooms', so on and forth. The Mustang flers arrived slightly later than us but nevertheless, they ran into the same fate. Pity our photographer Mun Mun though, who, arguably, had her worst birthday experience ever, having forced to munch on extra salty egg sandwiches and overly diluted soft drinks for lunch!

But there is always the thrill; those few seconds before the curtain opens to look forward to. This time, however, the Prof. had to confront the event's emcee, who (also) tried to teach the crowd "how to dance" but you know what... there can be only one Professor!

The Professor: "This is the way you twist it and twist it..."

After dealing with the emcee and overwhelming the crowd, it was up to Chi Ho, Matt & Niggy to strut their stuff. (Only 4 CBKs this time since Jon can't make it due to professional commitments. We've done with 4 CBKs many times before and the only problem we had this time was splitting the dough between 4 instead of 5!).

Ronnie suddenly realizes that tight trousers don't necessarily bring out his sexiness...

Again, I don't like the boast, but let's just say that we brought down the hall eventhough not one joke was told (would you believe it, Jim?). And when the crowd were still recovering from stomach cramps, cheek spasms, painful palms and teary eyes, the Prof. made a complimentary intro the Mustang Crew. And as we expected, from the first time we saw them on stage, they blew the crowd over with their masterful Klumping choreography. All the best to the Crew!

Laughter and applause is what we live for...

18 June 2007 @ Taylor's College International Conference for Educators

2007-07-02T11:53:00.000+08:00

"WHAT!", shrieked Niggy. All heads turned at the lavish meeting table and stared at him with bulging eyes. Mrs. Jega, the women at the helm of Taylor's College Subang Jaya, still stiffed in her Bree van der Kamp grin, uneffected by Niggy's sudden change to pitch.

The Taylor's committee just quoted The Kings half their price. Surely, the sufferings we received from our former college is not over. Jon, however, was oblivious to this Taylorian treatment, as he was from a different institution. Still, the whole scenario was rather... fake.

All around the meeting room, there were signs that the college could easily fork out three grand. Teak wood, gold plated frames, double polished tiles and heavy doors show that three grand only worth a snot for them. And yet, they still tried to negotiate for a discount. And that Mrs. Jega grin is getting irritating!

The event we were supposed to perform in was, as expected, overly lavish. At Marriott Putrajaya's biggest (and most expensive) ballroom, a large backdrop read "Taylor's College International Conference for Educators Dinner". Looks like the Taylorian's pulled another good one again. The people around us were just Taylor's College staff and some Kelantanese, Kedahans and Terengganu-ans that make up the 'international' contingent. We know the 3 northern states are a world apart from Klang Valley but come on! (no pun intended so pls don't ideologically invade us!)

In the ballroom, we met some familiar faces. Hi-Volt Productions, Malaysia's best event management company (statement endorsed by the friends of H-Volt Productions) and our close friends were providing the machinery.

After soundcheck, which we were late to attend anyway, we were taken to Negeri Sembilan... room. All rooms there were named according to Malaysian states and Ronnie was left wondering why he can't find Sparta (Subang Jaya).

There in NS room, we waited.

Boredom started to kick in quickly as the guys busied themselves with countless rounds of card games but, much to our surprise, we were actually well fed this time!

In fact, too well fed, if not the best we've have had since we started performing professionally. A burger that Ronnie can't fit in his mouth, a burger patty so huge that Matt didn't ask for seconds and the amount of mayo smeared on Niggy's face suggest that its the best burger on the planet, just behind those Ramly burgers.

Then, after a 5-hour wait, we finally got the call and began our preparations. Ronnie was pulling up his pants, Jon was grooming, Matt was tightening his fake beared, Chi Ho was checking the alignment of his broom, and Niggy can't choose which pair of shades he should wear. Discussions about crowd response fill the room. One last practice for the Riverdance and we were good to go!

As the curtains ascend, much to our expectation, the crowd took quite awhile to realise that The Professor really is not a professor! Slowly, giggles and chuckles turned in to echoing laughter as the crowd slowly found their sixth sense... the sense of humour. However, crowd participation was poor and we forced to cut short our performance. Now, we face possible Taylorian treatment again.

The old become young become old...

2007-06-15T22:20:00.000+08:00

This was posted on our Friendster Blog on 12 January, 2007...

"Are you guys The ComeBackKings or The ComeBackKids ar? HAHAHAHA!", asked one of our previous client who tried to make his colleagues laugh but like many others, underestimated the complexities of comedy. The point iI'm making here is that we are still the 'kids' in the local comedy arena lah.

I remember an established local comedian telling us that we have "a long road, paved in gold" ahead of us because we are the ONLY local comedian group under 30 years old. BUMMER! The stink of the vintage sense of humour is revoltingly depressing in this country.

ONLY local comedian group under 30 years old??? Indi and Allan, Harith, Jit, Joanne Kam, Monti & Logi and not forgetting the youthful looking Douglas Lim are still the front runners in the harvest of laughter and there will come a time when these aging legends start hanging up their funny bones. Today, budding comedians have technology to thank, copying and reproducing expired and stale material with some ciplak spices of their own, dishonouring the benchmark set by our established comedians.

And there is also a question of self-censorship. Our former PM commented that his Vision 2020 must be built upon a foundation of 'matured citizens'. He said that almost a decade ago and how 'mature' is our citizens now? PTUIH! Sadly, in terms of citizen maturity, Vision 2020 seemed a stupid good idea from one who doesn't have a 20/20 vision. And this bunch of immature citizens clearly have a limited (I could have said 'no' but I'm pretty sure some of us laugh to Apek) sense of humour. I can't understand why racial, religious, and governmental issues are still a 'governmentally instilled taboo' on the stage, even if such topics is a 'must have' with our everyday teh tarik and roti canai.

Hmm. Seems like the future for Malaysian comedians seem bleak. BUT ONLY FOR THOSE WHO DON'T DARE!

Matt's first single...

2007-06-11T12:24:00.000+08:00

This was posted on our Friendster Blog on 7 July 2006....

Welcome to India where the cows say "Hey!",

with the CBKs need to get a lay.

We brainstorm sampai mati,

no freedom like Gandhi.

Matt wears a dress,

tries his best to impress.

Chi Ho's talent doesn't finish last,

now he wears a cast.

Nig likes dancing,

but most of the time he's prancing.

Ris needs a creative boost,

not a creative booze.

Ron's act seems calmer,

therapy from Mrs. Palmer.

We laugh at MJ whims,

not to mention his rims.

On stage people think we're queer,

wait till you see us high on beer.

YEA!

"Andainya Kalau Aku Pergi Sebelum Mu..."

2007-06-09T22:25:00.000+08:00

Here's a tribute to a musician, entertainer, performer, loving family man, and most importantly, a legend in the Malaysian music industry. So in true CBK tradition, we give respect in a form of a spoof;

"Sampaikan lah salam,

cekodok di bawah tilam.

Ronnie mandi kolam,

tak pakai baju dalam.. Terima ka-SAYY!!"

45 going on 50!

2007-06-02T16:07:00.000+08:00

Very soon the Kings will add another candle next to 2 other ones on the troupe's birthday cake! Right now, all we can say is that it is the fair share of hard work (Yes, I know, I can't stop myself from laughing!) and luck that allowed us to squirm through the thick and thin of the showbiz (No pun intended, Niggy!) world that keeps us going this long.

An even greater achievement, also with the same ingredients that handed us the first one, hard work (snorts) and luck (insert religious sentiments here for pious Kings) is the fact that our number of shows will hit 50 soon (Hopefully! Touchwood! Insya (insert preferred God)) Yay! The number now stands in a healthy 45 now and looking at our calendar this year, things are looking good.

2004: First picture together
taken in LT2 toilet, Taylor's
College Subang Jaya.

What a great milestone and another excuse to celebrate. So, my dear Kings, come September 11 (nothing to do with Happy Osama Day) this year its a Happy Birthday to our group and come 5o shows, its a Happy Bingeday instead! All we need to do, is to find a client that offers a cocktail party in their event for our 5oth show!

2005; Nokia Starlight Cinema

- first "big" show

I can already hear the fizzle from the champagne as we thumb out the corks!

2006; Free Flow - going under
the banner of The Actors Studio

How to get good readership?

2007-05-29T21:50:00.000+08:00

This phrase is probably on every bloggers lips. Good readership can open doors to more possibilities - blog ads, better business, so on and so forth - but surely, there must be some basic ingredients to attain good readership. Here are some ideas the Kings thought of -

Matt: Blogs must feature hot chicks

CHECK!

Anymore ideas, guys?

FlashBack - 16 March, 2007 @ Celebrity Fitness Bangsar Village Launch

2007-05-29T21:33:00.000+08:00

Hi', said the man with his right arm extended. I greeted it with a firm shake as my eyebrows crumpled together as I looked at him from an angle. A natural technique deployed to remember things.

Oh no', I thought, 'not one of those awkward occasions when a person actually knows you and your usually dependable memory failed on your complacent-lazily-dependant self!'

'You came for the launch, right... in Bangsar Village?', said the man while pointing at me with his less busy hand, as I haven't allowed him to have his other hand back.

'Celebrity Fitness launch in Bangsar Village?', he added.

'Oooh,' I said in my head, 'one of those people who've watched our performance. Good. F@#* my memory, one can depend on the memory of others! HAH!'

Now, if only I can remember the gentlement's name and his designation for Celebrity Fitness, he went on about the CBKs.

Well, actually, it was mostly about me. =)

‘You guys are the best man. Especially you! I remember you coz’ you were in the middle. You were the funniest. You were so funny.’

While he went on, I thought, ‘Say, this is point when Ronnie will rub his slightly-protruding chest and say, ‘Oh welllllll…’ with an artificially wide smile on his face.’

‘So,’ I continued thinking, ‘this is how it feels like to be Ronnie. In the spotlight. In the limelight. In the middle … of the Old Intro Dance. HAH!’

(Sorry Ronnie. By the way, I told this to Nigesh and we both had a good laugh about it. Tee hee.)

Coming back to the subject, The Celebrity Fitness launch in Bangsar Villagewas quite a success. It was the first time we did a gig in a gym!

It also marks the debut of my sweety-sweet Mun Mun as our sound-cum-photographer girl! Besides us, it was a great performance from her as well – no mistakes, all cues on time, pictures and video taken during our performance! Girls ARE made for multi-tasking! HEAVEN SENT!

Initially, the Kings were supposed to represent The Actors Studio but somewhere along the way, the Celebrity Fitness people opted for us as The ComeBackKings only, under no particular banner.

The Kings clearly enjoyed themselves that night; mingled with the hot and the muscular, caught glimpses of Amber Chia and questioned how ‘bones’ can be ‘fit’, had unlimited beer from the tap, counted the amount of people with cleanly shaved armpits, fooled around with the gym hair blowers, etc. Also, the venue and all meant that our Nigesh never felt more at home!

Tamarind Springs - 24 May 2007

2007-05-25T23:24:00.001+08:00

Its funny how the government abandons you when you start moving away from the political & economical nexus of the Klang Valley. Coming to the end of Jalan Tun Razak is like coming to the end of where the government stop spending OUR money for communal development.

THERE ARE NO ROAD SIGNS! One wrong turn and before you know it, you're travelling down nameless jalans and lorongs, make oblivious turns into simpangans, forced to stop in the middle of nowhere because our trusty polis trafik has the power to alter two-way roads into one-way to ease periodic traffic congestions... slowly and slowly drifting deeper into the slums of Ampang. Hey, we can always stop and ask for directions. But no help there either; the residence there haven't the vocubulary or the knowledge of roads (of course lah, no road signs mah!) to point you in the right direction and, not to mention, their unwillingness to help.

But in the end, when you've finally found your way, it was all worth while. Tamarind Springs is an eden for those who wants to pop the question. It is styled and designed to capture the ambience to that of a romantic Thai restaurant where you and your loved one can 'YAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMM SENG!'. Yes, no one shatters the fabric of harmony and solitude any better than a drunk Chinese car parts supplier; especially when you have a few dozen of them converged for the Volvo's Suppliers Appreciation Night. GULP!

Cronic 'Yam Seng'-ers and potential hecklers are aplenty when The Professor took to the stage. Chants of 'Yam Seng' still blearing as The Professor was left clawing for attention.

And, to put a cherry on the cake, there was a noise curfew (another good samaritan gesture to impress our Datuks and Tan Sris that happen to live within the proximity. God knows whether their own snores could've drowned the echoes of 'Yam Seng' and whether or not they even knew about this apparent noise curfew imposed to their honour or even thought of appreciating such a gesture, or worse, even shed thought on whether such a gesture would somehow tarnish the reputation of this rather namely tourism spot especially this (supposed) Visit Malaysia Year 2007)

... Yes, a noise curfew. And constant meddling witht the volume of our music tracks forced both our opening dances to skip a beat. To add some icing on the cherry, the audience wasn't that bright. We were warned, though, of an audience that wouldn't know how to appreciate 'smart humour' so Dance 101 got the nod from The Kings. But after that night, it seems that Saiful Apek will get the nod the next time around.

However, the audience was put into place (the zoo) by The Professor and his little rhyme.

Honestly, I pity the audience though; they were out to have fun. At least, as entertainers, we should be professional enough to give them that ... although we have the last words, they have the last laugh - don't expect another generously-paying-Volvo-gig getting penned into our schedule again.

How it all started...

2007-05-10T20:57:00.000+08:00

11 Sept 2004 - It was day-2 of the staging of Hip-Hopera, a play production by the Society of Performing Arts of Taylor's College Subang Jaya. The first half of the play just ended. The ComeBackKings were still backstage, huddled and hunched together in a circle for a supposed prep. talk. Back then, The ComeBackKings, a figure of speech they had borrowed from their teacher advisor, Ms. Vijaya, after her remarks of their return to their 'old' college, was very much just a temporary stage name for their brief appearance.

"So whose contact lens are we looking for again?" cracked Matt Ho, sending a ripple of laughter among the other three original Kings, Chi Ho, Nigesh and Rishaad.

Each of them scanned each others' face. The lines of confidence clearly beaming. They pursed their lips and nodded to each other. "This is it", they thought. They stood up, lifted their arms from each others shoulders and waited near the link-entrance between Lecture Theatre 2 and Lecture Theatre 1 . Ronnie was already on stage, announcing the special half-time show.

First up was Chi Ho, the 'butler'. Firmly gripping a broom, he walked up the stage to greet the applause of a crowd eager to be entertained. And in the end, entertained was more than what they, and the Kings, got.

Only a day ago, the 4 original Kings was having a chat, reminiscing their college days together when Ms. Vijaya came over to them and asked whether they could pull off a half-time show for the second day of the play. Chi Ho and Rishaad quickly turned to each other, both having the same thoughts about their previous assignment - The Magic Show. Matt and Nigesh were somewhat expecting Ms. Vij to say something like that (Nigesh was supposed to perform with Durga from the Save the Last Dance production for the half-time slot). So from there, their conversation was solely about the half-time show, or rather, just a 'small' skit.

Chi Ho brought up something that he had seen on telly, about a how the late James Wong, a Hong Kong composer, demonstrated how Tango can be learnt by mopping the floor and how the Twist came out of how we dry our backs with a towel. And that was enough to get Rishaad's creative juices flowing.

His eyes brightened as he pushed himself up standing. "Yea", he boomed enthusiastically, "that's an idea!" From that moment, the rest of the Kings left Rishaad on his own as he stared into an empty space, silently working out in his head, the sequences, dances and sounds that would turn out to be the ComeBackKings' biggest hit - Dance 101, or to many, The Cockroach Dance.

When Rishaad returned to the Lecture Theatre the next day, with his enthusiasm very much like the day before, layed out to the other Kings about the his drop of genius. The group was impressed. Already they could imagine the crowd roaring and laughing to a standing ovation. Practice was brief as the phrase 'to have fun' was still embedded in the back of their heads.

And when the time came, the ComeBackKings struted what they have planned and little do they know, they have opened a door for greater things to come.

What they've previously imagined about the crowd became a reality.

What they thought was merely just "to have fun" became a career.

What they thought was just a 'small' skit became one of those 'small' things that many will regret not witnessing.

And so, The ComeBackKings was formed.

World Press Freedom Day 2007!

2007-05-07T21:48:00.000+08:00

What better way to start a new blog than with a major event like the World Press Freedom Day 2007!

On 5 May 2007, all The Kings rose (miraculously) on this Saturday morning, packed their bags and costumes and made their way for a 10am soundcheck at Pasar Seni, where The Kings were to open the event. Funny enough, at 10 past 10, the stage was sparkling empty. Not a speaker or mic stand in sight so some breakfast as well as a slow day ahead was on the cards.

Already, the prospects of performing in front of next to no one were in our breakfast banter. A venue where cars outnumber people shouldn't be a problem for us as we all remember that dingy club called Pampas. Despite that, we know our friends will be there for support (thanx Adel, Mike, Regina, Adam, Madana (our volunteer cameraman!), etc!), just like in Pampas.

After soundcheck, we paced in and out of complexes, retreating from the sun and feeding our skin with air-conditioning.

We loitered at the Annexe (the complex behind Pasar Seni) and killed time wasting precious SD Card bytes.

Chi Ho was hoping to quench the heat with some iced-coffee at the Bau Bau Café but nothing doing.

Its also where the children’s painting gallery was and there, we met some friends and took pictures to ease our memory.

Believe it or not, we never really started making our way to the main stage area for our 12 noon opener until it was 11.45am(!) and still, no one knew that the event was about to start!... so we took more pictures,

with friends,

with ourselves,

and with our wacky sides.

Soon, Sonia Randhawa, one of the organisers, summoned everyone involved on stage and chucked the mic at our faces demanding for words of wisdom when we really should be changing into our costumes. The backstage was funky though, the first dressing room - ala – gym shower we've ever been in! There were more toilet seats than there were mirrors!

And Dance 101 came and went as usual. No moshing crowds and teenage girls screaming out names this time, only chuckles and ‘tepuk kebajikans’ from the handful that were there and echoes we made stomping on a stage made of stone (Yes, stone! Explains a lot about the builders!) Well, that’s all from this time.

More materials migrating from our Friendster blog later…