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Twin Shadow in L.A.

While in L.A., I dropped by Bedrock in Silverlake to chat with Twin Shadow about life in the west coast and his forthcoming sophomore album, Confess (release date: July 10). Here's part 1 of our interview:

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L.A. Times

Lunch with Yuck at So Hyang in Koreatown. The spicy squid bibimbap is out of control.

Caught up with Twin Shadow at Bedrock Studios and got the Silverlake tour including a stop at Local.

Super fun interview with Sophia Rossi from HelloGiggles over pedi's at the Beverly Wilshire. It's a tough job, folks.

Sophia and Tatti from HelloGiggles introduced us to their talented friend, singer-songwriter, Rozzi Crane

Later, Daddy Kev showed us around the legendary Low End Theory night at the Airliner.

Nasty Gal held an insanely packed Pre-Coachella party at the Roosevelt. S/O to this super crisp blackberry pic.

...And look who showed up. Classic.

 Watch out for these pieces on MTV News! Monday to Wednesday at 6:30pmET on MTV.

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Coachella in a Day

I've covered a hella amount of festivals for MTV in the last 6 years but one that I hadn't hit yet but still had a curiosity to check out was Coachella. It worked out that I was heading to L.A. to shoot some interviews on the Monday after the fest, so we flew down a day early, drove to the desert, and caught the last day of the first weekend.

Here's how "Coachella in a Day" went down:

Massive brunch treat from Ace Hotel to start the day: RICOTTA HOT CAKES with maple crunch butter, and banana, and CHILAQUILES with scrambled eggs, chiles, ranchero, and homemade corn tortilla chips.

Interview reunion with Girl Talk in Indian Wells.

Walking to the Lacoste pool party. 

With my awesome camera gal Nancy. 

People here looove their pool parties...

...with trunks riding low.

Obviously, after being around hot bods, we head straight for tacos. 

Horchata for a necessary cool-down.

Tacos Gonzalez: Al Pastor, Chorizo, and Chicken. 

Florence and the Machine riding on the happy train all set long. Such a delight to watch.

Girl Talk bringing it to an insane crowd. Still finding confetti in my hair.

Wiz Khalifa and Snoop. 'Nough said.

Got an early jump start and headed straight to Radiohead the night before.

Bumped into Danny Brown and got some cool stop-motion photos for our wrap-up piece.

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The Desert Ride

Driving from L.A. to Indio for Coachella is an incredible sight. Washed out skies, windmills on the horizon, and gigantic palm trees for days. Here are some snaps along the way to the fest:



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Eating in Hong Kong

Like the shopping, there is no shortage of affordable out-of-this-world amazing eats in Hong Kong. Eating good food is a huge deal for me, so prior to leaving for Hong Kong, I asked everyone I know to connect me to friends living in HK and I proceeded to pick their brains on the best local spots to eat. After gathering a rather large list, and indulging in almost all of them upon arrival, here were some of my faves:

Lei Garden is a renowned culinary institution. Make sure to order the Peking duck (which includes the unbelievably tasty fried rice Peking duck soup):

Spicy Crab at Temple Street in Yau Ma Tei. Grab a table out on the street, order some fresh crab, deep fried spicy oysters, and super cheap beer and the night is off to a pretty sweet start.

Tim Ho Wan for dim sum. It's the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world and for just a few bucks you'll eat like a King. It gets super packed at all hours though, so be prepared to wait but it's damn well-worth it.

Yunyan Sichuan Restaurant is the place to hit for a heat craving.

Tai Ping Koon Restaurant has a rich history of introducing the concept of Western Chinese food. For me, I was most impressed by the soufflé dessert.

Honorable fancy-schmancy mention:

Afternoon Tea at the Peninsula is one of those treats you have to give yourself at least once in a lifetime. Isn't nice to feel spoiled??

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:
TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND
TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND
SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR
SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR
NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO
NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO

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Transportation in Hong Kong

NGONG PING 360

NGONG PING 360

There’s a lot going on in Hong Kong, but there’s an orderly hustle to the millions making it through the bustle thanks in large part to the super organized transportation system.

Be sure to hit these:

  • Skytain subway system is the most efficient way to get to where you need to be
  • Ngong Ping 360 to the Tian Tan Buddha and the Po Lin Monastery in Lantau is probably the most fun way to get around
  • Tramway from Wan Chai to Central is a fun old-school way to see the city
  • Star Ferry will take you right through the iconic Victoria Harbour
  • Mid-Level Escalator is the longest outdoor escalator in the world and zips you through SoHo and passes through rad shops like G.O.D. Central, Cheong Bakery (EGG TARTS, Y'ALL), and the photo-friendly Graham Street Wet Market
MID-LEVEL ESCALATOR

MID-LEVEL ESCALATOR

STAR FERRY TO VICTORIA HARBOUR

STAR FERRY TO VICTORIA HARBOUR

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:
TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND
TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND
SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR
SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR
NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO
NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO


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Shopping in Hong Kong

SHAM SHUI PO

SHAM SHUI PO

You can seriously spend a lifetime in Hong Kong and not hit every shopping space available. Trust. Every single corner in HK is a shopping opportunity for anything and everything you need or don’t think you need yet. When you’ve exhausted the gigantic malls (Harbour City is truly a fashion and beauty mecca) and highstreet brands, here are some of my favorite stops for affordable independent designs (p.s. if you’re not one size fits all like the majority of us, keep your focus on the amazing accessories):

  • Rise Mall (5-11 Granville Circuit, Tsim Sha Tsui)
  • Island Beverly Mall (1 Great George Street, Causeway Bay)
  • Mee & Gee Vintage in the Ladies Market (Nathan Rd / 64 Tung Choi St., Mong Kok) 
  • Streets like Granville by the Beverly Centre is lined with super cute boutiques and if you’re looking for wholesale steals, hit Cheung Sha Wan Road in Sham Shui Po
  • Honorable smartie mention: Kubrick (3 Public Square Street, Yau Ma Tei)
MORE HONG KONG POSTS:
TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND
TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND
SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR
SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR
NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO
NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO

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The Teases Keep Comin'

Here's another sneak peek, y'all! We're getting real close to the premiere of Sharlene VS Hong Kong, so here's a tiny clip of me prepping for my night of co-hosting duties at ATM GAME SHOW!!!


Sharlene VS Hong Kong premieres on MTV Canada at 8pmET on Monday April 16th!

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Taste of Thailand: Koh Chang (Part 2)

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Taste of Thailand: Koh Chang (Part 2)

An afternoon at Blue Lagoon Cooking School:

INGREDIENTS FOR RED, GREEN, AND MASSAMAN CURRIES

CRUSHING RED CHILLIES TO A PASTE

PREPARING MASSAMAN CURRY

MASSAMAN CURRY

SHRIMP HEAD BROTH FOR TOM YUM AND TOM KHA GAI SOUP

TOM KHA GAI

PAD THAI

RED BEAN AND COCONUT STICKY RICE DESSERT

BABY COCONUT AND MANGO BLACK STICKY RICE DESSERT WITH CRISPY MUNG BEANS

BACK AT GAJAPURI RESORT

SUNRISE

KOH CHANG PLANE BACK TO BANGKOK

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Bangkok in a Day

THE GRAND PALACE AND WAT PHO TEMPLE




BOATING BACK TO THE CITY
PHROM PHONG SKYTRAIN STOP BY OUR HOTEL
THAI BOOTS SPECIALTY
IDEAL TOILET FOR THE FELLOW GERM-PHOBES @ TERMINAL 21 MALL
BANGKOK DIRT HOLES FROM WALKING IN MY CON'S ALL DAY
6AM WAKE-UP CALL. VIEW FROM MARRIOTT EXECUTIVE APARTMENTS.

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The Tease Continues...

Seems about right for another Sharlene VS Hong Kong teaser. Here's a clip from our trek to Lamma Island with Natalie and Art from Tigerbombers.


Sharlene VS Hong Kong premieres on MTV Canada at 8pmET on Monday April 16th!

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Tease Me

Here's another sneak peak from Sharlene VS Hong Kong which premieres Monday April 16 at 8pm! This one's with Milkteeth in the industrial area of Kwun Tong:

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Hong Kong: Nightlife with Josie & the Uni Boys

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Hong Kong: Nightlife with Josie & the Uni Boys

HONG KONG NIGHTLIFE GUIDE WITH JOSIE & THE UNI BOYS

HONG KONG NIGHTLIFE GUIDE WITH JOSIE & THE UNI BOYS

Of course, by our 6th and last night in Hong Kong, my vicious jetlag had almost dissipated and it was time to go home. To close out the show, I meet Josie & the Uni Boys at Man Sing Restaurant in Tai Han, an up and coming neighborhood at its very start of gentrification, similar to the early days of buzzy East London in the UK and Williamsburg in Brooklyn. Fronted by Josie Ho, who’s also a film actor and producer, Josie & the Uni Boys knocks out angsty rock for the dancefloor. Their single Watch You Going Down is an English track off their latest EP and was also featured in the satirical Hong Kong horror film that Josie also produced and acted in called Dream House. In the film, Josie kills her victims with a variety of "creative" tools such as a bong and a vacuum-packed bag. If you want to catch Josie in a North American release, she’s in the Hong Kong storyline in Contagion as well as in the upcoming film The Courier with Mickey Rourke.

Although many people in Hong Kong know Josie as the rebel daughter of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho (last checked, he had an estimated worth of $7 billion US), she’s also a huge force in the indie film scene when she’s not yelping and jumping all over the stage. 852 Films is a production company that she formed with her manager Andrew Ooi and husband Conroy Chan (who also co-created Alive Not Dead with some of the Rotten Tomatoes guys), and is completely dedicated to pushing the boundaries in HK with younger, edgier films.

PHOTO OP WITH THE MAN SING FAMILY

PHOTO OP WITH THE MAN SING FAMILY

After chatting about the band’s DIY approach and opting for an indie vs major label deal, we full-on indulged in Man Sing’s signature home comfort food, like the meat tower, sweet 'n sticky pork chops, and spicy tofu & crab.

THE MAN SING MEAT TOWER

THE MAN SING MEAT TOWER

For dessert, we hit Josie’s fellow actor-friend’s shop, Siu Tan Ku. Here, classic desserts are given a delicious modern twist like my favorite of the night, the lychee panna cotta. Listen, I’m lactose intolerant and didn’t have my Lactaid on me but I finished the whole damn thing. Worth it.

THE LYCHEE PANNA COTTA AT SIU TAN KU

THE LYCHEE PANNA COTTA AT SIU TAN KU

To cap off our night, we headed to the epicenter of HK nightlife, the Lan Kwai Fong district, and dodged past all the bright lights and pumping fists through to an abandoned square where we walked up and over to get to this really rad bar, a Josie & the Uni Boys’ fave, called Yumla (which has since been shut down, and nothing to do with us, I swear). 

DODGING THE TRAFFIF IN LKF

DODGING THE TRAFFIF IN LKF

Much love to Josie & the Uni Boys for closing out the Hong Kong episode of VS. with me and showing off the HK night guide you would no doubt NOT find in any other travel show. 

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:

MILKTEETH IN KWUN TONG

MILKTEETH IN KWUN TONG

SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR

SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND

TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND

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Hong Kong: ATM Game Show!

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Hong Kong: ATM Game Show!

NOW TV'S ATM GAME SHOW!

So not only did I get to live out the unreal of appearing on a crazy Asian game show but I also got to guest co-host one while in Hong Kong. The show's called ATM and no, I did not miraculously learn how to speak Cantonese in 5 days but I did memorize one line in the dialect (“I’m very happy to be here today”) which, surprise, doesn’t actually get you too far, so I was allowed to speak English for the rest of the show with the other hosts translating while enthusiastically waving around different colored plastic hands. Confused yet?

ATM is like Who Wants to be a Millionaire except viewers at home who subscribe to the show actually play along with special remote controls in real time and get the chance to win the huge money prize that can vary from $25,000 to $100,000 depending on the amount of correct answers. The show airs live Monday to Thursday at 10:30pm with a rotating cast of hilarious hosts who present the questions and answers. The choice of answers corresponds to a color- red, yellow, green, or blue. Hence, the colored plastic hands we waved around like mad. Silly? Yes. Fun? Hell yeah.

SCRIPT MEETING WITH THE PRODUCERS AND HOSTS

GETTING BIG HAIR FOR THE SHOW

READY TO WALK-ON

THE LIVE SHOW BEGINS!

Thanks so much to Now TV and the awesome staff at ATM!

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Hong Kong: Kary Ng

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Hong Kong: Kary Ng

CANTOPOP STAR KARY NG AT OZONE

The mainstream music scene in Hong Kong is still very much dominated by Cantopop, a genre of music that mainly focuses on dramatic love songs sung by pretty young things. Not exactly my kind of thing but so deeply ingrained into the pop culture here. The huge stars in the game include Edison Chen and Joey Yung, but the scene is changing. TimeOut Hong Kong recently did an interesting feature on the changing face of Cantopop and how it’s starting to delve into the folk and rock territories. The love songs are still there but the sound is starting to evolve with new artists like singer-songwriter Luke Chow and rapper MC Jin breaking new ground.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Kary Ng was apart of a girl group called Cookies when she was 15, then joined a rock band called Ping Pung, and now barely in her twenties, she’s a huge Hong Kong star who can be seen plastered on billboards around the city, selling out arenas, and taking Cantopop to its next level. I invited Kary to come meet me at Ozone, also known as the highest bar in the world located in the highest hotel in the world, to teach me the ways of Cantopop while taking in some delicious cocktails and tapas. You know me, I always gotta get food in there!

PICKLED PEAR AND SERRANO JAMON

Being a huge beauty junkie, I wanted to know Kary’s favorite place to buy all those special cosmetic brands that are exclusive to Asia, so she took me to Harbour City to shop around their Faces department (cue ultra-girlie moment) and yes, I just about died. And between us, I also just really wanted to see what going around Hong Kong with one of their own pop stars would be like- basically, lots of giggling young girls gathering around with their iPhones is what happens.

SHOPPING AROUND HARBOUR CITY

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Hong Kong: Milkteeth in Kwun Tong

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Hong Kong: Milkteeth in Kwun Tong

JOEY BASHA, MILKTEETH

JOEY BASHA, MILKTEETH

From the second of meeting Milkteeth, a self-professed freak-folk group, I was absolutely captivated by frontman Joey Basha, a charming 25 year old former sex writer from St. John’s, Newfoundland, who originally moved to Hong Kong for a boy. The romance didn’t last but Joey’s love affair with Hong Kong was serious and he decided to stay to finish university and start Milkteeth with friends Jeroen Brulez, Theo Chan, Dixon Chan, and Paul Yip. 8 days after shooting with us, Joey was found dead in a public toilet near his home in HK. It’s not the type of news you expect to find out over the holidays and needless to say, it was beyond shocking and saddening to hear about the tragic end to such a bright young talent. I’m incredibly thankful that I got the chance to know Joey during his last few days and happy that he got to meet his goal of being on MTV one day.

I met Milkteeth in the Kwun Tong district on top of the Jumbo Industrial building where they had set-up for a special rooftop performance. There are tons of abandoned factories that are made into rehearsal spaces by artists in this area. Milkteeth usually find themselves grabbing some beer at the nearby 7-11 and lugging whatever instruments they can carry up the twenty-odd story buildings and just chill and play music as loud as they want, for as long as they want. Joey tells me this is the essence of “dirty-pretty” in Hong Kong. 

After playing a few songs for me, I chatted with the guys about their racy band name (Milkteeth is Asian porn slang meaning ‘barely legal’) and how their honest and at times downright dirty subject matter fits into popular music in Hong Kong, which is dominated by the usually squeaky clean Cantopop. Joey explained that just choosing to play music as a living opposed to more money-making careers like banking or engineering, let alone being openly gay, is seen as rebellious here; but at the same time, he said that Hong Kong can be an encouraging environment for artists like Milkteeth to continue to push the boundaries. It’s a world of contrasts and contradictions… it’s dirty-pretty.

To cap off our day, the boys took me to Senses 99 in Soho for a few celebratory drinks. Senses 99 is a two-story bar that is supposedly someone’s house in an old run-down building with a kitchen-bar/serving area and a stage on the second floor that looks like a rehearsal space. Once you buzz in and walk up the stairs, you'll see pieces of art on the walls that have been donated by its artist-patrons, a TV fish tank, and the young (like kid-young) bartender will do a Jedi mind-trick to ask what you want to drink. Weird but cool, right? Senses 99 is such a rad space and the perfect spot to wrap our shoot and time together.

My love and thoughts go out to Milkteeth and Joey’s friends and family, Joey was indeed an incredibly special soul.

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF HONG KONG

FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF HONG KONG

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR

SIMON YIN AT VICTORIA HARBOUR

NIGHLIFE WITH JOSIE HO

NIGHLIFE WITH JOSIE HO

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Hong Kong: Simon Yin at Victoria Harbour

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Hong Kong: Simon Yin at Victoria Harbour

Simon Yin is a writer/director/producer/actor from Atlanta, Georgia, who has called New York, L.A., and now Hong Kong home. We met at the old Clock Tower near the Star Ferry concourse that overlooks the iconic Victoria Harbour. One of Simon’s films, Supercapitalist, a financial thriller that was picked up at Cannes last year, was shot in this same spot.

Since moving to Hong Kong, Simon’s also created CB FRESH, a sketch comedy show that blurs the line between reality and fantasy, directed music videos for huge Cantopop star Edison Chen and rapper MC Jin, started a production company called Bamboo Star Productions (meaning overseas Chinese, just like him) and directed Zombasians, a horror film in "3DD" starring, you guessed it, sexy Asian zombies.

I was curious as to why Simon (and a slew of other young talent like him) would leave the country that his parents worked so hard to emigrate to "for a better life with more opportunities," to only go back to the very country they had left to do so, decades ago. Simon joked that his mom cried for 10 days when he told her he was going to move to Hong Kong to jump into the lucrative world of filmmaking. His internal pull-back to Hong Kong pays a great deal to the fact that because the city is so small, everyone’s like 2 degrees separated, which makes for a super tight-knit community that harbours creativity. For example, Simon’s friend in New York from his MTV Chi VJ days, knew someone from the online artist community Alive Not Dead (founded in part by the same people behind Rotten Tomatoes) and from there, he got to meet other likeminded talent and just started creating… and hasn’t stopped since.

MORE HONG KONG POSTS:

MILKTEETH IN KWUN TONG

MILKTEETH IN KWUN TONG

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

EATING AND SHOPPING WITH PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART

TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND

TIGERBOMBERS IN LAMMA ISLAND

NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO

NIGHTLIFE WITH JOSIE HO

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