• 'All For You'hits top
• 'Fire' catches Palm Bay
• "Stars of 20th Century"
• Golden Chimes in action in Bahrain
• Lanka touches new heights in Dubai
• 'Derana' touches on human life
• 'Kaluwara' finally wins

'All For You'hits top

By Sanath Weerasuriya

Janet Damita Jo Jackson, born May 16, 1966 in the Jackson family hometown of Gary, Indiana, USA. "My parents taught us that you never give up," once she said, and it's been a personal code since she made her stage debut at seven.

Janet Jackson is a popular icon who has placed her own undeniable imprint upon the musical landscape of the past two decades. She has nearly sold 50 million records across the world, firmly establish her as one of the true superstar elite. 

Now Janet is back and ready to add yet another chapter to her career. Her brand new album 'All For You' and new title track single, which released in April, is a follow-up to 1997s multi-platinum selling The Velvet Rope. 

This album 'All For You', a tip of the hat to timeless soul and dance grooves and a glorious celebration of her roots. The set was recorded at Flight Time Studios in Minneapolis, with co-production by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, her longtime song writing and studio collaborators, with additional production by Rockwilder. 

The new single, album and tour follow Janet's worldwide smash last summer with "Doesn't Really Matter" from the soundtrack of the "Nutty Processor 2", in which she starred alongside Eddie Murphy.The song was an instant global hit, spending 3 weeks at no.1 on Billboard Hot 100 Chart in August and September to take her total of US chart-toppers to nine, a run stretching back to "When I think Of You" in 1986.

"Doesn't Really Matter" is included on 'All For You', along with music that overflows with pure Janet joie de vivre that include "Someone To Call My Lover", "New Beginning", "Come On Get Up", "Trust A Try" and 'When We Ooo".

Janet went on to star in the CBS-TV sitcom "Good Times", and more high-profile television work soon followed in "Different Strokes" and "Fame". 

1989 brought the watershed album Rhythm Nation 1814, a record "reflecting real life and my real concerns," as she put it, wrapped up in a high-voltage funk-dance sound. It spent 4 weeks at no. 1 in America and, a few months later led to the Rhythm Nation World Tour 1990, which became the most successful debut tour in history, seen by more then two million fans.

In 1995, Jane joined her brother Michael for a massive hit single "Scream", featuring a stunning glam sci-fi video clip. The following year brought Janet's first retrospective, Janet Jackson 1986-1996 Design Of A Decade. It offered "Runaway", the 16th if her 21 gold certified singles and another memorable video in which she danced her way around the globe. In 1997, The Velvet Rope took her audience closer to Janet then ever before, as she bared her soul on the most intimate record of her career. 

In 2001, another chapter will be written and it's sure to be fueled by the same ingredients that have sustained Janet throughout her career - her undeniable passion, her determination and damn good music.

To enter this contest, all you have to do is to answer the question on the coupon and send it to the address given below.

The address is "Listen to Original Music Contest, No. 55, C/o Maharaja Entertainments (Pvt.) Ltd., 330, T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10.

Tel: + 941672425-8, Fax + 941699070. E Mail: me@lgo.lk

All the entries must be originals from the TV Times and no photocopies or faxes will be entertained. All correct entries will be drawn by a panel of judges. 

The entries should reach the above address by October23, the latest. The decision of the judges will be final and the names of the winners will be announced in The Sunday TV Times accordingly.Here are the winners of contest no. 51. The winners of two Sony Original CDs are Shazameen Razeek of Dehiwela and Mr.Gamage of Battaramulla. The two audio cassette winners are Heshan Mudannayake of Borelasgamuwa and Ms. Manisha Packeer of Battaramulla.

The 10% off gift vouchers go to Nicloe De Niese of Kohuwela, Amila de Silva of Moratuwa, Umanga Settinayake of Wattala, Inam Cader of Dehiwela, Mahesh Lilaram of Bambalapitiya and Janaka Pushpakumara of Matale.

The Poster winners are Sheridan Fernando of Ethul Kotte, C.M. Rosayro of Nittambuwa, Aresha de Croos of Kochchikade, Tania Silva of Moratuwa and Dinesh Cooray of Panadura.

'Fire' catches Palm Bay

The popular band 'Wild Fire' will come alive at the Club Palm Bay in Marawila on October 20 at 9.00pm.

The entrance tickets are prized at Rs. 500/= per head including a sizzling B-B-Q dinner. Club Palm Bay is just ninety minutes drive away from Colombo towards Puttalam Road and the hotel is situated in between the sea and the lagoon.

The hotel offers special package to 'Wild Fire' fans, who want to stay overnight. Saturday dinner to Sunday lunch with 'Wild Fire Show' costs Rs 3750/= per double on full board basis.

According to Shiran Gunawardena, the Manager Marketing, the package will include swimming pool facilities, array of indoor sports, kids play ground and/or boating in the lagoon.

"Stars of 20th Century"

The Singers include Annesley Malawana, Indrani Perera, Errol Fernando, his daughter Sharon Marie, Ronnie Leitch, Corrine de Almeida, Ranil Mallawarachchi, Rajiv Sebastian and the Calypso Band Earnest and Evergreen.

Musical backing for the artistes will be provided by Rajiv and the Clan and dance items by Channa Wijewardene's troupe 

Compere for the evening is Dayan Candappa. The show is organized by Communications & Business Equipment (Pvt.) Ltd. Recreation and Welfare Club.

Golden Chimes in action in Bahrain

Golden Chimes have been invited to perform for the 23rd Annual Dance of Sri Lanka Club at Diplomat Hotel in Bahrain. The Band had been in the field of music for the past 31 years under the leadership of Chanaka Perera and has very wide repertoire. They have been performing in the resort hotels in Beruwala for the past 22 years. They had their top hits during the 60's 70's, 80's era, presently performing every week at Neptune Hotel.

Their latest C.D titled 'Kimada Nave' which hit the shelves of local market a few months ago, is very popular among their fans.

Golden Chimes say they are grateful to S.B.Ekanayake (President), Gamini Elvitigala (Secretary) and the Sri Lankans in Bahrain for inviting them for their annual dance.

Golden Chimes comprises Chanaka Perera (Bass), Jagath Peiris (Lead guitar), Disnaka Dhanasekera (Key Boards), Shiraz Sudar (Drums), Lucky Deva (Vocals) and Lankika Perera (Female Vocalist).

Lanka touches new heights in Dubai

When you are an expatriate living overseas amidst a multitude of cultures, you could easily blend and become part of the cosmopolitan environment. However, if you have strong feelings about your culture and take pride in your heritage and have an extraordinary ability to make things happen, you go about creating a unique identity for your culture and tradition. That is what really happened to Chulaka Gunawardena in Dubai.

Chulaka, an entrepreneur having established businesses in the IT sector in Dubai and Oman, turned to realizing one of his passions by opening this restaurant.

The opening ceremony of 'Thambapani', the latest idea of Chulaka, was held on September 27 at the Four Points Sheraton Grand Ballroom in Dubai. The chief guest was the Sri Lankan Ambassador Janaka Nakkawita and the guest of honour, and the Consul General for Dubai Asoka Godawita. There were several Ambassadors from India, Pakistan, Netherlands, Thailand, Hungary, Philippines, Norway, Czech. Republic were there to grace the occasion. Richard De Silva, the Tea Commissioner for Dubai also attended the opening ceremony.

The popular band Dream Team, who now performs in Dubai and Channa's famous Dancing Troupe kept the audience entertained. 

Chulaka started his passion by managing a continental fine dining restaurant 'Tamarind.' Styled with an African ambience, he set about designing a state-of-the art sophisticated restaurant where simple elegance combined with tropical charm. A stylish restaurant serving choice continental menu, Tamarind offers Five Star services without the stiffness of a Five Star hotel. He added Teanyaki to the menu and made Tamarind one of the most popular fine dining restaurants in Dubai.

Inspired by the success of Tamarind, he carried his experience further by designing and creating a theme restaurant and entertainment place called 'Copacabana' and wanted 'it to be like no other restaurant or nightclub in Dubai.

The theme for the restaurant was set in South American wilderness. Every aspect of the interior has been carefully thought, elaborately styled and personally procured by him from many countries in the Far-east. A rustic ambience was created with circular hardwood tables laid on a sandy floor. Bamboo railings and a winding staircase lead to the loft with wooden stools and a view of the band playing beside a stream, enchanting lighting gear and music pulsating out of state-of-the-art sound equipment. Cabanas and more exotic tables line an ample poolside.

Copacabana became an instant hit that has gained appreciation across nationalities. Copacabana continues to be a resounding success and the stage was now set to realize a true passion.

Amidst all the success and activity, one thought has always been lingering in his mind the desire to commit himself to the betterment of his nation and his culture. He felt that the Sri Lankan community in the UAE though sizeable has been largely overshadowed by others culturally. He believed in creating a unique Sri Lankan restaurant that would not only serve authentic Sri Lankan cuisine but would also display and promote Sri Lankan culture. That was the begining of 'Tambapani'

The aim is to create a place that will be the pinnacle in taste and culture, one that will represent the essence and greatness of Sri Lankan culture. By projecting a rich and positive image of the country he believed that it would also serve to promote trade and investment into the country. He could also utilize the profits from the restaurant towards the betterment of homeless children in Sri Lanka.

The theme of the restaurant will be a glorification of Sri Lankan tradition and culture, by recreating artifacts and historical material, in an atmosphere of friendliness and hospitality. The restaurant will function as a mini museum and art gallery in addition to offering the finest Sri Lankan cuisine.

Replicas of various cultural assets from across the country will be recreated and authentic Sri Lankan cuisine served by the courteous and congenial staff in a traditional ambience. 

Several artifacts will decorate and provide an interior that will highlight various aspects of Sri Lankan culture. Original hand written scripts from famous writers and poets will adorn the walls. The interior will be richly decorated with aspects typical to various provinces of Sri Lanka.

Masks from Ambalangoda with a write up of their history and cultural significance and many such artifacts will enrich the atmosphere. Pictures of national heroes and revolutionaries and written text and audiovisual material will depict the country's history and traditions.

Every place in the restaurant will remind the visitor of life in Sri Lanka, complete with flowing streams alongside rocks and shrubs. A visitor will not only be transported to the environment of his homeland but experience the visual splendor and intricacies of various cultural artifacts.

Live Sri Lankan radio, documentaries of Sri Lankan culture and tourist destinations will serve to promote the country as a premier tourist destination. 

A Sri Lankan Calypso band will not only perform traditional Sri Lankan music table to table but also entertain visitors in no less than fifteen languages.

In addition to portraying the glory of our culture to the visitors the restaurant will also provide an ideal setting for dignitaries of the Tourist and Investment boards and Banks to have business lunches and dinners. It will provide a rich cultural setting to forge, assist and execute investment and trading partnerships.

The restaurant is conceived to promote the finest in Sri Lankan culture to the world and to offer overseas Sri Lankans an authentic depiction of images of their culture and homeland. This is the start of a vision which will be carried on to countries in Europe, Canada, America and Australia ensuring that each creation will maintain its original purpose and purity.

The profits from this restaurant and the future ones to come will be utilized for the betterment of homeless children in Sri Lanka and donated to voluntary agencies who impart education to deprived children in Sri Lanka.,Chulaka said.

It is his strong desire and hope that every Sri Lankan expatriate will in some small way come forward towards assisting the development of the homeland either economically or culturally. He is determined to motivate as many as possible towards this goal and hopes that a combined effort will contribute to the progress of his motherland.

The representatives from Russel's (Pvt) Ltd, who are the local agents, welcomed each guest at the opening ceremony with a glass of iced tea and demonstrated Sri Lankan Tea at the entrance with the guidance of the Tea Board. 

Janaka Nakkawita, in his welcome speech thanked Chulaka Gunawardena for the tremendous work he has done to promote Sri Lanka and also paid him a compliment for giving job opportunities to Sri Lankans.

Also Russel's launched their product " Russel's Tea" for the first time in Dubai with a campaign giving out free samples and displaying their products in a restaurant called " Kandy Restaurant" in Dubai. This location is a central point where most of the Sri Lankans and Asians gather.

'Derana' touches on human life

However powerful the people are there comes a time when everything has to end and that too at unexpected moments in unexpected situations is the theme of the play. 

Even in these situations, good qualities like love and affection could be seen in people's hearts.

The director, Nalin Mapitigama said the story conveys the idea that human qualities like kindness and honesty bring real happiness and not money and wealth as commonly believed.

Main roles in Derana are played by Buddadasa Withanarachchi, Daya Tennakoon, Grace Ariyawimal, Edward Gunawardena, Kanchana Mendis, Jayalal Rohana and Rebecca Nirmali.

The teledrama was written by Arawwala Nandimithra and the camera was directed by Ajith Balangoda and art direction was by is Hinatigala Premadasa.

The winner of this week's (No. 5) 'TV Times-Confifi Vacation Voucher Competition' is Mrs.E. S. Mohottala of Gangodawila, Nugegoda.

Congrats Mrs. Mohottala! You could collect your Confifi Vacation Gift Voucher from the Confifi head office at No.38 St Michael's Road, Colombo -3. You will be entitled for one night full-board stay at Hotel Confifi from any Saturday dinner to Sunday lunch. Do not forget to take your beloved partner along with you as your voucher entitles for two.

To enter this competition all you have to do is to answer three simple questions given below in the coupon and post it to the address given below. 

The address is Vacation Voucher Competition No. 7, C/o TV Times , Sunday Times, No.8, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colo-2. 

The winner of the competition No:6 will be announced next week. Senders are requested to send entries on post card only. 

All the entries must be originals from the Sunday TV Times and no photocopies or faxes will be entertained. The entries for No.7 should reach the above address by October 22 , the latest. 

'Kaluwara' finally wins

By Susitha R. Fernado

Prasanna Vithanage's much acclaimed film is built around a father who anxiously awaits the return of his son. The young man is duty bound to provide for his father and other dependents since they are unable to till the soil in face of the severe drought facing them. 

"Wannihamy", a blind old man played by veteran actor Joe Abeywickrema is not ready to accept his son's death even though even the soldier son's body had been returned in a sealed coffin. Majority of the family members believe in the death of the soldier. Hence they insist that the father sign the necessary papers and get the payment of compensation given by the Army. The customary alms-giving after the third month from Bandara's death was fast approaching and money has to be found to pay for the food. Despite all the pressure around him Wannihamy is not ready to accept his son's death until he sees with his own eyes by opening the sealed casket. But the film is to end giving this poor father the knowledge that is far beyond what the naked eye could see. 

The journey Prasanna had to make up to the release of the film was as dramatic as the film. First this talented director went to areas in Madawachchiya with a completed script that was quite different to "Purahanda Kaluwara" but he was amazed with what he saw there, half-built houses started by the young men who had joined the Army and killed in battle; the parents who were waiting the return of their sons and the Gramasevakas who were with lists of people who had joined the Army in the areas where there had been no rain for cultivation for three years, were much more dramatic and tragic. This gave him a different insight to the situation and the scripts in his hand had to be interlaced with the tragic and pathetic scenes he saw in real life. Working on a new script Prasanna started filming what he saw in exact locations in and around Anuradha-pura. 

Amidst the burning sun in the rural locations in the areas in Madawachchiya the crew had to go through a hectic period. 

The real success for the film director was when it started winning international fame at some of the world famous film festivals. 

But the tragedy broke out when the right to experience this misery through an exceptional piece of film work was prohibited by the authorities despite it being given the Certification of Performance by the Public Performances Board as suitable for public exhibition. The authorities claimed that the film would harm the morale of the forces as the country was on a war footing.

The determined film director claimed a denial of his fundamental rights to present his film for public view took legal recourse and was successful.

Vithanage's film career which started in1992 has been crowned with success for winners at regular intervals. The laurels that have accrued to him are both local and foreign.