Air Supply is to visit KK in their From the Heart World Tour 2008.

To be fair, Kota Kinabalu and Sabah doesn’t see its fair share of international artist. But the landscape is changing and with KK’s permanent population and temporary tourist population growing year on year, that might all be changing.

The first flicker in the forest will happen on 23 June when Air Supply stages a concert as part of their 2008 World Tour at The Magellan Sutera Grand Ballroom at Sutera Harbour Resort.

Air Supply, as some of us may remember and the rest of probably have read, is the core of Gramah Russel and Russel Hitchcock. They’ve been together ever since 1975 when Air Supply was formed after they met in the Australian production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Ever since they’ve been together in some or form and have produced hits and karaoke legends such
All out of Love, Making love out of nothing at all and Lost in Love. These three often-sung karaoke hits are also prime examples of exactly why a world tour of a band most popular during the 70’s and early 80’s can still be successful in Asia in 2008.

Presented by concert organisers HTC, Air Supply will be performing to the people of KK when they appear at The Magellan Sutera later this month. The Magellan Grand Ballroom at Sutera Harbour Resort is Kota Kinabalu and Sabah’s biggest indoor conference and hosting space and was thus the logical choice as venue for a concert of this magnitude.

Tickets for the Air Supply concert are available through Star Planet and Ticket Pro, or through a selected few outlets in Kota Kinabalu. Phone Sutera Harbour Resort on +60 88 318 888 for more information about where to obtain tickets for the show.

There are three categories of tickets for the Air Supply concert in KK, namely Platinum, Gold & Silver. The costs of each is advertised as RM260, RM180 and RM120 respectively.

Quality acts like Air Supply breezes through Kota Kinabalu and Sabah only once in a while, so take this opportunity and book your ticket for the Kota Kinabalu leg of Air Supply From the Heart World Tour 2008.

In search of experiencing the new cinemas for the first time, Sabahbah stumbled across the official launching of Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) in 1 Borneo.

With every visit the largest hyper mall in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah and East Malaysia is looking more and more like one. Tonight 1 Borneo was actually busy with a host of people, locals and tourists alike.

Our main aim on this visit was dinner and a movie, the former which took place at Sushi King on the lower ground floor. Sushi plates lined the conveyor belt and it was alive with a buzz of eager sushi eaters.

GSC, as you may know by now, is located on the 2nd floor of 1 Borneo and it’s safe to say that it’s one of the major attractions at the moment. There are some other shops, which are completed and open, but none draw in the crowds like Golden Screen Cinemas do.

Although GSC in 1 Borneo has been trading since about 30 May, tonight was the official launch. A small, formal ceremony attended by GSC Chairman, General Tan Sri Dato Mohd Ghazali Seth, announced the fact and a short tour of the facilities declared it to be officially open.

The Sabahbah Test Panel sampled Superhero Movie. Although the movie itself was nothing to write about, it was a pleasure to experience it from new, comfortable seats in an international standard movie hall.

Let’s run you through the GSC 1 Borneo experience.

Ticket Collection

Our pre-booked tickets were quickly secured from the ticket box office, which are staffed with a generous number of staff. This means that even when it gets busy the queues should move along quickly, and with 8 screens you know it will get busy.

The skinny on movie prices at GSC 1 Borneo: Our movie tonight was RM8, as are all shows Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday after 6pm. Before 6pm they’re RM7 and before 12pm RM6, great for school holidays.

On Saturdays (this includes after midnight Friday night), Sundays, Public Holidays and the eve of a public holiday after 6pm, the shows are RM9.

On Wednesdays, all shows are RM6.

Students, Senior Citizens and handicapped movie goers pay RM6 for all shows before 6pm, except for weekends and public holidays. Children pay RM5 for all U-rated movies.

Confectionery

What’s a movie without popcorn? Just not the same.

GSC 1 Borneo offers the usual line-up of confectionary including the ever popular caramalised pop-corn, from very hi-tech pop-corn makers might we add, and a selection of F&N softdrinks, including ice lemon tea.

The pop-corn was fresh and crunchy and was neither too sweet nor too plain. The Sabahbah Test Panel Sprite tasted like it might have had just a bit more soda water in it than what the formula require. But we’re pedantic.

Cinemas

GSC in 1 Borneo brings 1,500 additional seats across 8 screens to KK’s movie circuit.

Cinema 1 is the biggest with 330 seats (plus 2 for wheelchair spaces), Cinema 2 has 274 (plus 2 for wheelchairs), Cinema 3 has 196 seats, Cinema 4 has 210 seats, Cinema 5 has 160 seats, and Cinemas 6 to 8 have 110 seats each.

All cinemas have stadium seating, which means no tall heads will spoil your show, ever. The seats flip up and the backs are high, providing ample support. They are also molded and at a fixed angle.

The mould of the seat-backs are very comfortable, although the angle might tire the body during one of those two or three hour epic movies. Will report back after we sit through one of those two to three hour epic movies.

The lighting in the cinema hall is appropriately subdued and faded out when the trailers started. The quality of the screen is superb and the sound is impecably balanced and at the perfect volume.

Something to commend GSC at 1 Borneo on is the temperature of the movie hall. It was perfect. The tendency in the down-town cinemas (they’re all guilty), is to chill the movie hall to a point where patrons start to shiver. No such issues at GSC 1 Borneo.

After the movie, patrons exit through the front and are channeled through a series of tunnels which exits to the back of the box office. You walk right into the bowling alley, or you will, once it’s finished.

The movie experience at GSC 1 Borneo was virtually flawless and it’s certain that the bar for movie night has been sufficiently raised.

Watch out for upcoming promotions and specials, although the experience in itself will see you returning again and again to Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC) in 1 Borneo.

August revs it up when the boys’ fun continue during the Big Boys Toys Fiesta hosted by 1 Borneo in Kota Kinabalu.

Gadget Geeks, Engine Jocks, Posers and Players, don’t miss this fiesta, which shamelessly drops names such as Porche, Ferrari and Lamborghini.

But hot curves aren’t all to be had at this KK fiesta, because there’s gadgets, sound systems, game consoles and everything in between at the Big Boys Toys Fiesta taking place at 1Borneo.

Big Boys Toys Fiesta: 1 August - 10 August

Starting off a string of auto related activities, 1Borneo hosts the Borneo Auto Challenge, which takes place at Gourmet Lane and Autocity.

An industry showcase, Borneo Auto Challenge provides a single venue for industry players to show of modified sports car and serious car audio systems.

Over 100 cars from East Malaysia and Burnei are expected at the event, vying for supremacy in 5 categories for a total of RM 200,000 in cash and prizes.

Borneo Auto Challenge: 28 June - 29 June

With the Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival choosing 1Borneo as it’s venue this year, 1Borneo is already defining itself as KK’s choice venue.

Taking place along the Gourmet Lane (which is now enclosed for added comfort), the Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival sees more than 20 local & international artist strutting jazzing up 1Borneo.

Watch out for your favourite musicians such as Greg Lyons, Xion Gi, Paul Ponnudurai and the Asean Percussion Unit. They’re all at 1Borneo on 21 June.

Kota Kinabalu Jazz Festival: 21 June