The Prime of Piper Perabo

Blazing dances on the Bar Top

Coyote Ugly was about the first show that Piper Perabo took a center stage role

Prime Days of Piper

You can see a youthful and sleek looking Piper as she danced on a  bar top in wanton frenzy.

Sexy and Jazzy

Watching the show again 13 years later proves nostalgic and the fast pace action at the Coyote Ugly Bar is still incomparable.

Effuses charm

John Adam, Tara Reid, Andy Garcia and Maria Bello together make this a wonderful personal journey for me down memory lane.

Charming Maria

Hope Springs and Re-blossoms

Love's Second Chance!

This movie, " Hope Springs" documents a dysfunctional marriage between Arnold and Kay Soames.

Trying to bring  the zing back into their love and sex life, Kay challenged Arnold to leave for Maine for a  consultation with a marriage counselor in the small ocean town of Grand Hope Springs.

After more than 30 years and living their lives in a rut from day to day, through these consultations, they fumbled but managed to rekindle romance and took baby steps to renew their love for each other.

Though difficult to reconcile where their love have gone, open communication through the sessions would eventually bring the essence of true love back into the life of this elderly couple.

There is so many lessons to learn from this one film.

Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep and Steve Carrel steered the film to a most satisficing ending.

Do not miss it!

Najib Razak-The Final Outing?

The Devils Within; the Enemy Without

It does not matter what dates are being speculated or set finally for the dissolution of Parliament or when will the 13th GE be held.

The writings could possibly be on the wall in plain sight for all to see.

So, with all the negative vibes surrounding BN's chances of coming in better than 2008 dissipating, what would you think Premier Najib would do?

Let us assume you are in Najib's shoes- what is your best strategy out?

There is that huge opposition out there showing more resilience despite some fall-outs. They have mended fences and are showing solidarity 60 days before the impending elections.

Then there is that 'potential cloak and dagger agenda ' within UMNO particularly as factions jockey to get  ahead of each other. The Premier, is very much aware of these people- his Brutuses and Nemesis-though the public can only speculate.

The best strategy is to go all out on a personal basis-a one man army driving the BN. So, we see Najib-- Obama-like-- moving like a whirlwind to touch base with the people almost everywhere his energy can bring him.

The goodies have been announced and some have been disbursed.

Next, choose only the candidates who are above board and have shown loyalty. The more new faces especially professionals would be better.

The MACC would be seen as an independent filter. Second and third-echelon leaders  will possibly be decimated from candidature; thus depriving  anti-Najib faction national leaders who will be given seats but with the ground being cut away from them.

By doing this, perhaps the sitting Premier can have a better chance of retaining the Federal Government and yet keep " the wolves at bay' in his party until the next UMNO elections.

The 13th GE-Optics, Optimism and Damage Control

Re-balancing act?

As the 13th GE looms on the horizon, the two opposing fronts are quick to promote optics and optimism about their success in the polls scheduled to be held by the end of March or early April.

Let us look at the BN side.

The goodies are being distributed until March. School vouchers for students have started and BRIM pay-outs are scheduled in February possibly just after the Chinese New Year. Somewhere in mid-March Form 6 and college students will receive their book vouchers.

Timing is everything now for BN until the dissolution of Parliament. The legal declaration of Hindraf  has also been so well timed just before the holy observance of Taipusam. 

Solidarity may win the Day!

On the obverse, the PKR is doing their best at damage control. The Allah issue with PAS changing their hues recently is thorny and pow-wow behind close door must have already taken place. The Kedah government debacle of  trying to restrict Chinese New Year lady performers from singing and dancing  at shopping complexes is a bugbear which  like a red herring,was silently shoved under the carpet. The sudden removal of  loose canon Nasaruddin from the Syura Council may appease some quarters in PKR particularly Anwar and the DAP.

While BN apparently is showing optimism through DPM Muhyiddin and Ahmad Maslan  in taking over Selangor and winning back 2/3 of Parliament easily which as usual is highlighted in the mainstream media, unforeseen incidents involving the police as well as the fall-out of the RCI in Sabah is causing some nervousness among BN component parties. The silence of the component parties on the Arabic word for God as well as the Bible Burning fete is not going well among the middle ground.

With FGV shares falling to be supported by pension funds from time to time, the government will certainly feel  the difficulty  of convincing the younger Felda  generation to vote for it en-bloc as in the past.

Today, the most classic optic is Tok Guru Nik Aziz spending his birthday with Karpal Singh in Penang. This is a message that things are now going to be better where PAS extremists and loose canons will be put to pasture. Also there is a possibility that there could be last minute seat talks between PAS and DAP before the all-out A-OK sign is given by Anwar.

Up to now, the component parties of BN have yet to salvage their position. Precious time has been lost and the last nail would have already being hammered deeply into their political coffins.  I think all of them have painted themselves politically into a corner. It is a cul-de-sac for them and a permanent sayonara at that!

Also, will Bersih storm into KL once more when the elections are call? Very unpredictable.

As the scales of the BN is seeking for a strong re-balance, the Sabah vote bank continues to be the RM 64,000 question.

Will it tip the scales for PKR with the slimmest minority to take Putrajaya?

We should know within 60 days.

Greed, Misfortune and Arbitrage

It may appear as a regular movie depicting greed and fraud but Arbitrage has its fair share of twists and excitement.

Over-tired arbitrageur

As usual it tells us about billionaires, big deals, fraud, crooked law enforcement and loopholes in the judicial system.

Wronged wife

I think Richard Gere really played the role of the arbitrageur to the hilt while Susan appears, as usual, as the dull, cheated wife; while Brit Marling played the role of a professional caught up in a fraud.

Professional Entrapped in Fraud

Good movie if you can find the time to watch it.

Argo Way or No Way!

From the dragon's teeth

This is based on a true event in the early days of the Iranian Revolution. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, aggressive militants stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage.  This attack on the US Embassy saw 6 employees escaping to see refuge in the nearby Canadian embassy.

Throes of Revolution

Ben Affleck's telling of this true harrowing experience of the six refugees and an almost hare-brained ploy to take them out of Iran made the movie almost unreal yet chillingly exciting.

The Sook Acid Test

Imagine getting onto an airline which took off moments before the army took notice that they have been duped due to poor intelligence.

A Flight  to Remember

A great movie to come our way in 2013. Great movie-making.

BJFoods-A Wider Horizon and Better Future?

If you are sniffling around the board to look out for some worthy food-based stocks, there is the ubiquitous Old Town Coffee and the healthy Kenny Rogers franchise under Berjaya Foods Berhad (BJ Foods). Then there is the Sushi King outlets under Texchem and A and W under KUB. As for foods for the home, there is the heftily priced Nestle,Dutch Lady and F & N.

The food stocks that have disappeared are the food and beverage division of CI Holdings which is sold to Asahi Foods of Japan. KFC and QSR has just been privatised.

Quick  cash, quick food dispensing

Of those that remains, only BJFoods is a smorgasbord of fast food outlets. Currently, two feature well in its portfolio namely KRR and Starbucks. Coming on board soon is Jollibean, which BJ Foods swallowed whole-100% from Singapore.

Then we have Wendy's, Papa Joe's pizza  as well as Krispy Kreme Doughnuts which may be pumped into BJ Foods when the time is right.

Let us look at what BJ Foods just swallowed hook, line and sinker- Jolibean.

Bought with cash of RM18.77 million, Jollibean has 35 outlets, 14 Sushi Deli,  4 Kopi Alley and 2 Django outlets in Singapore. By March, BJ Foods will set up outlets in Berjaya Time Square, the Curve and at Sunway Pyramid.

Jollibean outlets will dispense food from a 200 to 250 square feet kiosk. Each will cost an investment of RM 200,000-300,000.

BJ Foods plans to open outlets in China, Indonesia and the Philippines. for China the target cities to start with are Shanghai and Guangdong.

The acquisition will not have any impact  on revenue and profits in FY2013 but will do so in F1Q2014.

BJ Foods have forecasted that for the next 3 years it will chalk up a robust  compound annual growth of 46%  in FY2015.

In Singapore, Jollibean will open 5 new outlets and are currently closing down 3 unprofitable ones.

AmResearch is confident that BJ Foods will go far with its regional presnce in the fast food franchise business.

So, would you invest in this counter or even accumulate them when the prices are attractive?