• 'An Evening with "The Revelations"
• 'Golden Chimes': 30 years of music
• Glimpse of Korean culture
• 'Sankuru Maruthaya' : a rural tragic story nears completion
• Bonsoir is 15 yrs. young
• Country & Western Night at JAIC Hilton
• Korean Food & Dance Festival
• Bold, Beautiful Gallery

'An Evening with "The Revelations"

After a long break from doing a full length concert "The Revelations" will be presenting a concert titled 'An evening with the Revelations' at the Russian Cultural Centre on July 21 and 22.

'The Revelations' are a group of male vocal singers, who have been singing together for the last six years. Their last performance titled 'Kaleidoscope' and was held in 1994 at the Lionel Wendt with much success.

Members of 'The Revelations' include well-known names in the western choral music arena such as Srimanthaka Senanayake, Mahen Peiris, Rohan and Ishan de Lanerolle, Niraj Vethanayagam, Sanjeeve Jayaratnam, Enaksha Fernando and Prasanna de Mel.

The audience could expect a very entertaining performance, which would include popular favourites from Broadway, Negro Spirituals, Classical, Semi and Light Classical to contemporary pop music done in their own immaculate style. 'The Revelations' have arranged their own harmonies for several of the songs, which will be performed for the first time at this concert. These include "You'll never wake alone", "Peanut Vendor", "Love changes everyone", and the "Vaults of Heaven" to name a few.

Keyboard maestro Niranjan de Silva and Christo Prins on percussion will accompany 'The Revelations' which no doubt will add value to this memorable performance.

The box plan is open at the KVG De Silva bookshop, Liberty Plaza. The radio sponsor of the evening is 'TNL Lite'.

'Golden Chimes': 30 years of music

'The Golden Chimes in Concert', a grand musical extravaganza to celebrate the thirty years of music by 'Golden Chimes' will be held at the Buddhist Hall in Moratuwa on July 22.

The members of the band Golden Chimes who are organising this show have made elaborate arrangements to make this different from the normal musical shows.

"Golden Chimes in Concert" would provide their many fans an opportunity of listening to their popular hits they had composed and sung during the past three decades and also bring on stage a variety of entertainment by way of Oriental, Western and Latin American dance sequences which would synchronise with the singing. The show would take the form of a recollection of events depicting the story of the Golden Chimes. Many music lovers would recall that the Golden Chimes emerged as the 'Most Popular Band '86' at the all island competition titled Musical Stars.

"There are many heart-warming anecdotes that would be related during the course of the show," said Lankika, the lead singer of the band.

'The sing-a-long session with the audience including past members of the band would be one of the many highlights lined-up," she said. Adding glamour to the progra-mme would be many contemporary musicians such as Annesley Malewana, Anil Bharati, Indrani Perera, Mariazelle Goonetilleke, Sunil and Piyal of Gypsies, Sureshni Wanigasuriya of X'periments and La Bambas will also be there to grace the occasion.

The show would be compered by the popular duo Bevil Palihawadana and Lanka Perera. Tickets priced at Rs. 300/- (Box Plan reserved), Rs. 200/- and Rs. 150/-.

The present line-up of Golden Chimes consists of Chanaka Perera - Leader/Bassist/Vocals (Pioneer Member), Lankika Perera - Female Vocalist (Pioneer Member), Jagath Peiris - Lead Guitar/Vocals (being with the Band for the past 18 years), Shiraz Sudar - Drummer/Vocals (being with the Band for the past 14 years), Lucky Deva - Vocals (being with the Band for the past 15 years) and Disnaka Dhanasekera - Keyboardist/Vocals (being with the Band for the past 1 1/2 years).

The Show is sponsored by the Bank of Ceylon.

Glimpse of Korean culture

Dong-Hyeon, a producer of a radio programme, is a cynical man who can't forget his former love. While Su-Hyeon, a home shopping channel's shopping guide of a TV channel, is one-sided in her love towards Ki-Cheol, the boyfriend of her room mate Hee-Jin. With music of Vaelvet Underground as the meditation, these two came to talk to each other in anonymous cyberspace.... is the synopsis of the film "Contact" one of five films that would be show in Colombo at the 'Korean film festival'.

The event will have five films 'The Letter' (102 mint) directed by Lee Jeong-Kok, 'The Contact' (106 mint) directed by Park Dae-Young, Lee Young- Eun and Lim Wu-Seok, 'White Valentine' directed by Yang Yoon-Ho, 'Christmas in August' (96 mint) directed by Heo Jin-Ho and 'Scent of Love' directed by Kim Soo-Yong.

The films will be shown at the BMICH from July 19 to 23. The film 'Letter' on July 19 at 10.30 am, 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm, "the Contact" on July 20 at 6.30 pm, "White Valentine" on July 21 at 10.30 am, 3.30 pm and 6.30 pm, "Christmas in August" on July 22 at 10.30 am, 1.30 pm, and 4.30 pm and the last film "Scent of Love" on July 23 at 10.30 am, 1.30 pm and 4.30 pm.

With the intention of providing a glimpse of the Korean culture to the Sri Lankans the festival was organised by the Korean Embassy in collaboration with the National Film Corporation.

The story in the film "Letter" is woven around Jeong-In, a grad student, whose major is Korean Literature, drops her purse in a great hurry not to be late for the train while Hwan-Yu, who witnesses this, gives the purse back to her after following the train by taking a taxi. Having started this way, their love bears a fruit and they set up a lovely nest together. Their happiness is short, though Hwan-Yu departs from this world leaving Jeong-In alone. And one day her husband's letter reaches Jeong-In and leaves her in sadness.

Teenage Jung-min and Hyun-Jin in the film 'White Valentine' are not aware of their previous ties nor their present literary communication until one day. Jung-min begins a long-distance relationship with Hyun-jin, a military cadet, through letters. During his break, Hyun-jun suggests their first get together. This does not materialise as she had been pretending to be a school teacher in her twenties. Jung-min decides not to show up. 

Years passby and Jung-Min, now twenty years old, runs a bookshop with her grandmother. By sheer chance she runs into Hyun-Jun, now in his 30s and the owner of a neighborhood pet shop specializing in birds. Hyun-jin's daily routine of releasing a dove with a love letter attached to its leg accidentally reaches Jung-min, which in turn launches regular correspondence between the two. The two run into each other from time to time, yet they are not aware of their previous ties nor their present literary communication until one day, Jung-min discovers that Hyun-jin is the cadet from her past. 

The last film of the festival "Scent of Love" is the story of Chain-Woo who is dicharged from the army and who goes to fulfil a will of his dead lover and Jin-Kyung, concubine of a brutish local truck driver, who sense the birth of a genuine, humane love that transcends sensual attraction as the two share their feelings.

'Sankuru Maruthaya' : a rural tragic story nears completion

By. Susitha R. Fernando

The final touches to the teledrama "Sankuru Maruthaya" are being done on location at Mahawa in Anuradhapura and will be over within the next few days.

This is the latest production of G. Mampitiya who had produced over twenty teledramas some of which are being screened at the moment on different channels.

It took over one month to complete the work on this production having 16 episodes.

'Sankuru Maruthaya' revolves around a tragic story of a wood cutter played by G.R. Perera. A severe drought affected the rural village, where he lived destroying his cultivation and all the greenery. Thus the entire village became desolate and people were compelled to change their life styles. So was it with the woodcutter.

He had no other option but to keep on chopping the forest to make a living . 

The cast includes G.R. Perera, Samantha Epasinghe, Ananda Wickrama, Vini Wettasinghe, Susil Wickramasinghe, Priyantha Lalith, Berty Nihal Susiripala and Kumari Dasanayake.

Ananda Athukorala was assisted by Ranjith Mayuranga in direction. The script of the teledrama was written by Rajasinghe Loluwagoda, while Sisirachandra Wijesinghe was the art director. P.K. Leonard was behind the camera. Sarath Owitigala directed the music. 

The producer G. Mampitiya who had made the highest number of teledramas speaking on his latest work said " The story is about the tragic side of the rural life, while touching its humorous side too".

'Mahagedara', 'Maya Agni' and 'Pinthaliya Siddhi' are three other productions by the same director that are being telecast at the moment. In addition to the latest teledrama 'Sankuru Maruthaya' two teledramas namely "Divyanganawo" and "Nethra Mangallaya" is to be telecast soon on the small screen.

Bonsoir is 15 yrs. young

In July 1985, merely six years after television was introduced in Sri Lanka, one of the pioneering Sri Lankan television channels decided to telecast a program with a novel approach. A few heads sweated it out to make this a programme of its kind. And there at last, "Bonsoir", the educational, cultural and scientific magazine was born.

Now at 15, with many 'firsts' under its belt "Bonsoir' still goes on, perhaps with greater strides into the future.

'Bonsoir' is on ITN at 8.00 pm every Monday.

The programme was, until December 1999, produced by Cultural Service of the Embassy of France in Sri Lanka. Since January 2000, it comes under the purview of the Delegation of the Alliance Francaise in Sri Lanka.

This programme was the brainchild of Josiane Thureau of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On a visit to Sri Lanka in early 1985, she discussed the possibility of such a programme with the French Embassy's then Cultural Counsellor Bernard Prunieres and ITN's then Chairman, the late Thevis Guruge.

The programme was to take the form of a "Showcase of France and the French". The idea seemed an interesting one and that's how "Bonsoir" first hit Sri Lankan television screens in July 1985.

'Bonsoir's first producer/presenter was Aruni Devaraja. Six months later, in January 1986, Kumar de Silva and Yasmin Rajapakse joined the team and still continue to produce and present the programme even to this day.

The current team comprises Sulani Balasooriya and Krishantha Dayananda who present the two Bonsoir programmes in Sinhala and also Himali Gunasekera who produces these two programmes.

The programme's technical areas, earlier handled by Chintananda Abeysekera, are now coordinated and handled by Manjula Dharmakeerthi.

The general coordination of the programme is now handled by Passanna Gunasekera.

Since its inception, "Bonsoir" was presented in English. Following requests by several hundreds of the programme's viewers, the producers decided to telecast one programme a month entirely in Sinhala. The first "Sinhala Bonsoir" produced by Chintananda Abeysekera was telecast in June 1994.

'Bonsoir' is the only programme of its kind which still continues to be telecast without a break for one and half decades even to this day.

Kumar de Silva and Yasmin Rajapakse are the longest running "television co-presenters" of an English language programme (having begun co-presenting "Bonsoir" together in 1986).

"Bonsoir" is the first programme of its kind on Sri Lankan television to start telecasting in English and Sinhala.

While proving to be a showcase of France and the French, another contributory factor to the popularity of "Bonsoir" on Sri Lankan television is its successful twining of events and happenings French and Sri Lankan.

"Bonsoir" was once presented on board the French ship 'Jules Verne' which docked in at the port of Colombo. The programme was a special one on the writer Jules Verne, his novel "Around the World in 80 Days" and the breaking of the record by the modern day navigator Bruno Peron.

"Bonsoir" joined the French crew of the film 'Le Prix d'une Femme' in Colombo few years ago and did an entire programme on the production of a film, presenting to viewers much of the action 'behind the scenes' which they normally do not get to see.

"Bonsoir' is essentially a non-profit making, educational, cultural and scientific magazine, now firmly ensconsed in the vibrant and fast moving Sri Lankan audio visual landscape. These past fifteen years have been those of steady growth and determined commitment by every member of the "Bonsoir' team, which have made 'Bonsoir" one of the more popular programmes on Sri Lankan television today.

'On this occasion we wish to say a big thank you to all our viewers. We owe a large piece of our success to you. Since we've always had surprises a galore for you the fifteenth birthday programme is no exeption. Watch us on July 17 to find out what "Bonsoir" has in store for you,' said Passanna Gunasekera of 'Bonsoir'.

Country & Western Night at JAIC Hilton 

Welcome to the WILD...WILD...WEST!! Get your cowboy boots on and come on over to the Country & Western Night on Friday, July 21 from 9.00 pm onwards at the Union Bar & Grill Room of JAIC Hilton.

Experience the "Western" snack menu and listen to live music by "Cosmic Rays".

Sip your favourite draught beer at 50 % off all throughout the night. Show your skills at our Wild Western games and win loads of horsey prizes.

Korean Food & Dance Festival

'Korean Food Festival' and the 'Korean Week 2000' will be held from July 18-22 at the 'Coffee Shop' of Galadari Hotel.

The 'Korea Week' is a Korean culture festival organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Residents Association. The events comprising the 'Korea Week 2000' are comprehensive enough to introduce to Sri Lankans the cultural, economical, historical and social aspects of the Korean society.

Food is an essential ingredient of a culture, the Galadari Hotel will host the Korean Food festival in collaboration with the 'Han Gook Gwan' - Korean Restaurant. Authentic Korean culinary specialties consisting of 80 typical Korean dishes, will be prepared by the Korean Chef, together with the fine tunes of Korean traditional song and dance performed by a Korean traditional music troupe, entertaining the participants at this food festival during Dinner from July 18 - 22.

The atmosphere of the food festival will be enhanced by the performance of a well acclaimed Korean traditional music troupe consisting of seven members.

They will perform traditional Korean music and dance items, every evening during the Korean Food Festival. The items will feature: Performance on 'Kaya-gum' (traditional 12 stringed zither), Dancing and drumming 'Jung-ku' (Barrel drum), Shaman dance - a ritual dance performed to console the spirits of the dead and folk songs and music.

Bold, Beautiful Gallery

'The Bold and The Beautiful' Gallery the very first of its kind, was launched by ETV at the Majestic City last week.

'Bold and The Beautiful' is one of the top soap operas in the world and ETV telecasts this programme every Monday and Tuesday at 9.00 p.m. This is the very first B&B Gallery to be opened anywhere in the world.

The B&B Gallery has been designed to reflect the sophistication and glamour of the world's most popular soap opera the Bold & the Beautiful. Its tasteful decor and modern ambiance truly recreates the mood of the Bold & the Beautiful drama. The Gallery will be a place where B&B fans can interact with each other and the programme, it will be a place where B&B fans can experience the culture of their favourite TV show and locate essential information on the programme and its stars. The Gallery will provide valuable literature on the programme and its cast members; it will feature merchandising and videos of past shows and include weekly events for the benefit of B&B fan members. Also fans can buy B&B T-shirts, caps, bags and a range of B&B souvenirs.

ETV is one of the popular English language TV stations in Sri Lanka with an impressive line up of programmes including, Sunset Beach, Bold & the Beautiful, Nanny, Jag, Hollywood Movies, Lanka Business Report, 3rd Rock, Suddenly Susan and much more. Its initiative with the launch of the first B&B Gallery is a fine example of ETV's dedication to bringing the world's best entertainment values closer to the hearts of Sri Lankan audiences.

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