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NATION

THE STAR, FRIDAY 1 AUGUST 2008

Pussycat Dolls are back

US girl group returns to Malaysia for MTV Asia Awards performance

By NIKI CHEONG
niki@thestar.com.my
KUALA LUMPUR: American girl
group Pussycat Dolls has returned to
Malaysia for a second time, and is set
to raise temperatures at Genting
Highlands when it opens the MTV
Asia Awards 2008 tomorrow.
It has been two years since the
girls performed in Kuala Lumpur,
and besides their new music the
members also feature new looks.
Jessica Sutta, who used to be a
brunette, has reddish coloured locks,
while Kimberly Wyatt is now sporting short hair. They are also now a
quintet following the departure of
Carmit Bachar earlier this year.
When the Pussycat Dolls explosion took off, we put three years of
our lives into making sure we planted the seeds into the soil, said lead
Pussycat Nicole Scherzinger.
(Then), we were able to take

some time off, spend a bit of time

with the family, and do a bit of selfsearching. The time off was so
healthy for us because now its all of
us again and were coming back with
a fire stronger than before.
The group, made up of Scherzinger, Melody Thornton, Ashley
Roberts, Jessica Sutta and Kimberly
Wyatt, shot to fame in 2005 with
their debut single Dont Cha. They
girls previewed a number of songs
from their upcoming Doll Domination
to the media yesterday.
The album features their latest single When I Grow Up, which is making
waves on music charts worldwide.
Pussycat Dolls will join artistes
scheduled to perform at the MTV
Asia Awards, which will be held in
Malaysia for the first time.

See StarTwo

For more on the Pussycat Dolls

and the MTV Asia Awards.

Famous five: The Pussycat Dolls posing for photographers during

their press conference at KL Hilton yesterday.

Battered students mum wants culprits caught

MELBOURNE: The mother of a Malaysian student who was battered
senseless by a gang of thugs, made
an impassioned plea on national
television in Australia yesterday for
the culprits to be brought to book.
I don't want this to happen to any
other child, said a tearful Rohini

Devi, referring to her son Kevinra

Joseph, 19, who was attacked in
Melbourne's city centre in the early
hours of July 25.
He was a very timid kid who
never sought out trouble, she said.
Kevindra, who arrived here a
month ago to pursue a two-year

mechanical engineering course at

RMIT University, was attacked as he
wandered around lost in the city's
streets. He was found unconscious
on a footpath by a passer-by.
Kevindra then spent several days
in an induced coma at the Royal
Melbourne Hospital.

Rohini said her son was recovering, adding that she could not understand why her son was attacked.
Detectives said they did not believe
robbery was a motive for the attack as
the gang did not take anything from
Kevindra but said they were investigating a racial motive. Bernama

AirAsia
offers
cheap fares
at travel fair
KUALA LUMPUR: AirAsia Bhd will
offer fares as low as RM15 from
Johor Baru to Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with the 10th Malaysian
Association of Tour & Travel Agents
(Matta) Fair to be held in Johor Baru
from today to Sunday.
The company said fares would also
be priced as low as RM40 from Johor
Baru to Penang with two flights
available daily while the Johor BaruKota Kinabalu daily flights would be
priced as low as RM70.
AirAsia said it would also include
several regional destinations as an
added treat for travellers.
A one-way flight to Jakarta or
Surabaya is offered from as low as
RM50 from JB with three flights a
week for each route, the statement
added.
Daily flights to Macau would also
be offered with fares from as low as
RM100, it said.
The airline said it would also give
away free return flights from Johor
Baru to Macau, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta and from Kuala
Lumpur to the Gold Coast, Banda
Aceh and Vientiane.
Four free seats are allocated for
each destination. AirAsia regional
head of commercial Kathleen Tan
said the fair gave the company an
opportunity to reach out to the public. Bernama