The Melting Pot Festival is an annual art and music festival held in Saigon that aims to raise funds for charities supporting underprivileged children. This year's festival will feature both professional and amateur local Vietnamese talent from various art forms including music, dance, poetry, art and cooking. It will be held over two days at Saigon Outcast and provide entertainment for attendees while also discovering emerging local artistic talent. The proceeds will go to charities such as Saigon Children's Charity.

1. THE SAIGON TIMES DAILY PAGE 7
Life
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2015
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
Eclectic mix of art styles at
Melting Pot
Saigon’s artistic community is step-
pingupforunderprivilegedchildren
in the city as the holidays approach.
Melting Pot is an Art and Music
Festival held annually at Saigon
Outcast that aims to raise funds for
charities such as Saigon Children’s
Charity and other projects for local
children in District 2. Local talent,
includingprofessionalandamateur
artists,willbeexhibitingtheirworks
inmusic,dance,poetry,art,cooking
and more, with this year’s lineup
focused on local Vietnamese talent.
“This is the most fun and diverse
fundraisereventinSaigon,”saidJus-
tinHurst,knowninSaigon’smusical
circles as DJ Starchild. “This edition
of the festival though is a stepping
stone to creating a solid non-com-
mercial local festival.”
Starchild said Melting Pot gives
those in attendance a chance to
discover the variety of talent that is
emerging in the local art and music
scene in Vietnam. People can also
participate in a number of creative
activities, fun games for youngsters
and adults, including painting the
walls of Outcast. For more informa-
tion,visitSaigonOutcast’sFacebook
and Twitter pages.
Dec 5
Quy | Live Solo Ngan Tieu | Live Solo Wild Card
| Live Duo Datmaniac | Live Rap Jase | DJ Set XOI |
Live Band | Hardcore Vietnam Knife Sticking Head
| Live Band | Hardcore Vietnam 9th Dimension |
Live Band | Young Guns Records Bui Gio | Live Band
| Young Guns Records Suboi | Live Performance
Duy Tuan | DJ Set Maraphoria & Starchild | DJ Set
Dec 6
Ngu Nam | Poetry Reading Lang Kinh | Live Drama
SaigonChildren’sCharity|PresentationTungTim|DJ
SetSaigonlag|DJ&MC#HappiZoo|LiveBandHouse
of Skarlet | Live Dance Emily Navarra | Live Dance
X-CLOWN | Live Dance Javana | Live Band Hazard
Clique | Live Performance Slo-Lo | DJ Set Maraphoria
& Starchild | DJ Set
Prices: one-day pass: VND80,000 at the door
Promo pre-sale: VND100,000 for two-day pass
Youcanbuypre-salepassesatSaigonOutcastorSMS
0907600897 to pick up in District 3.
For more information, visit Saigon Outcast’s
Facebook and Twitter pages. Saigon Outcast is
located at 188/1 Nguyen Van Huong Street, Thao
Dien, District 2.
Korea study center goes up in Can Tho
TheSouthKoreanConsulateGeneral
inHCMCandSejongHakdangViet-
nam foundation have inaugurated
the Center of Korean Studies and
King Sejong Institute at Can Tho
University, Can Tho City, according
to the Vietnam News Agency.
Le Viet Dung, vice president of
Can Tho University and director of
the center, said the new facility will
help promote cultural exchanges
between Vietnam and Korea.
It will also allow South Korean
students to come for study at Can
ThoUniversity,facilitatecooperation
between the university and Korean
colleges and firms, and develop
highqualityhumanresourcesinthe
Mekong Delta.
Korean Deputy Consul Gen-
eral in HCMC Hong Soon-chang
said the opening of the Center of
Korean Studies and King Sejong
Institute in Can Tho City marks
a new development of Vietnam-
ese-Korean ties, especially in the
field of education.
Hong said it would lay a firm
foundation for stronger economic,
cultural and tourism cooperation
between the two countries in the
future.
As of late 2014, King Sejong Insti-
tutehadbeenopenedin54countries
with over 40,000 students learning
the Korean language.
By Harry Hodge
The Saigon Times Daily
TV drama making contest launched
HCMC-based View TV has an-
nouncedaneight-episodeTVdrama
making contest called EVO8-Hack
the TV to search for talent in the
film industry.
EVO8 is an abbreviation of
“Let’s make an evolution by your
own 8-episodes miniseries.” The
contest is open to amateur and
professional filmmakers nation-
wide.Thewinningteamwillpocket
total prize money of VND2 billion,
with VND100 million of it in cash
andtheremainderforfundingaTV
drama production.
It is jointly held by View TV,
a channel for young families in
Vietnam, and Vindie, formerly
known as CLOUD 9 which has
been known for hosting some
popular film making contests
like the 48 Hour Film Project
Vietnam, Sci-Fi and Take 5
with the presence of hundreds
of local and foreign film crews
nationwide and overseas.
Huynh Nguyen Huy Hoang, gen-
eral director of View TV, said, “This
is not only a platform to search for
movie talent but also a good chance
to connect local film producers and
distributors to turn striking ideas
By Kieu Giang
The Saigon Times Daily
intoreality.Thus,EV08isnotsimply
a contest but a long-term project
with lots of challenges and poten-
tials ahead.
“Currently,therehavebeenlotsof
contestsforshortfilmsandadvertis-
ing projects while TV drama is still a
potential field to be promoted.”
The contest, which is expected
to take place until the end of 2016,
will be divided into three phases.
The first phase from November
2015 to January 2016 will search
for film ideas. In the second phase
from February to October 2016,
the winning team will make their
project and the last phase from
November to December 2016 will
broadcast the movie on View TV’s
channel VTC8.
The organizer will select the top
15 teams to an interview to search
for the top three in mid-January
2016. The three winning teams will
respectivelygetcashprizeofVND50
million, VND20 million and VND10
million.
Registrations and further infor-
mation are available at http://evo8.
vindie.org/dangky/
Local popular rapper Suboi will join the first day of the Melting Pot
Festival on Saturday
PHOTO: COURTESY OF ORGANIZERS
Swatch,
Visa launch
pay-by-
wrist
watch
venture
ZURICH(REUTERS)-Swisswatch-
maker Swatch SA, Visa Inc and
Visa Europe have launched a
project that lets Visa cardholders
in the United States, Switzerland
and Brazil make payments with
Swatch’s new “pay-by-the-wrist”
Swatch Bellamy watch.
Settolaunchinearly2016,Swatch
Bellamy can be used around the
world wherever contactless near-
field communications (NFC) Visa
paymentsareaccepted,thepartners
said in a joint statement. Swatch watches are displayed in front of a shop at the central station in Zurich in this February 4, 2013 file photo
PHOTO: REUTERS
Beloved Japanese artist
who depicted horrors of
war dies at 93
TOKYO(REUTERS)-Anaward-winningJapanesemangaartist,whose
retellings of traditional ghost stories and depictions of the horrors of
World War Two helped propel anime to global popularity, died on
Monday at the age of 93.
Shigeru Mizuki, a beloved household name in Japan, was an art
studentwhenhewasdraftedin1942andsenttofightinNewGuinea,
where he lost his left arm and witnessed scenes that haunted him for
the rest of his life.
Debuting in 1957, Mizuki went on to write manga dealing with the
U.S. wartime bombing, the abuse he and other military recruits suf-
fered under their emperor-worshipping commanders during World
War Two, and a biography of Adolf Hitler.
In1979,heillustrated“TheDarknessoftheFukushimaNuclear
Reactor” about the lives of workers at the Fukushima nuclear
plant that was crippled by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and
tsunami.
A1991pieceinaneducationalmagazinedepictedwartimeabuses
committed by Japanese soldiers in China and Korea, including one
scene where a soldier boasts of testing his new sword on “five or six”
civilians.
But he was probably best known for “Ge-ge-ge no Kitaro,” a manga
series about a young ghost boy fighting offa series of monsters based
on Japanese folklore that was subsequently made into an animated
series that ran for several years.
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor safe after
overdose post - report
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor performs on stage during the Carthage Jazz Festival in Tunis April 4, 2013.
The festival runs till April 14
DUBLIN(REUTERS)-SineadO’Connor
issafeandreceivingmedicaltreatment,
Irish media reported on Monday, after
a message about her taking an over-
dose was posted on the Irish singer’s
Facebook page.
O’Connor, who topped the charts
aroundtheworld25yearsagowithacov-
erofPrince’ssong“NothingCompares2
U”, posted the message on her officially
verified Facebook account while she
said she was in a hotel in Ireland under
another name.
“I have taken an overdose. There is no
other way to get respect,” the post read.
“If I wasn’t posting this, my kids and
family wouldn’t even find out. I’m such
a rotten horrible mother and Person,
that I’ve been alone. Howling crying
for weeks. I’m invisible. I don’t matter a
shred to anyone.”
A spokeswoman for O’Connor said
they had no comment to make at the
moment. Quoting Irish police, the Irish
Examiner newspapers said O’Connor
had been located “safe and sound” and
is receiving medical assistance.
A spokesman for the Irish police
said they cannot comment on indi-
vidual cases.
O’Connor, who once famously tore
up a picture of Pope John Paul II on the
“Saturday Night Live” television show,
declaring “Fight the real enemy!”, can-
celled her most recent tour in July due
to illness.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Adele smashes
records with 3.38
million first-week U.S
sales of ‘25’
NEW YORK (REUTERS) - British singer Adele’s new album sold a
record 3.38 million U.S. copies in its first full week, Nielsen Music
said,becomingthebiggest-sellingalbumof2015inanastonishing
feat for an era when artists rarely top 1 million.
In just seven days on sale, “25”, the first album in four years by the
Grammy-winning singer, easily outsold the entire year’s figures for
country-pop superstar Taylor Swift’s hit album “1989”, according to
official figures released by Nielsen on Saturday. Swift’s album has
sold some 1.76 million U.S. copies in 2015.
The figures for “25” were the biggest single-week sales tally for an
album since Nielsen began tracking sales in 1991.
The first week numbers for “25” put the sultry singer at the head of
an elite club of artists, including Britney Spears, Whitney Houston,
EminemandLadyGaga,whosealbumshavedebutedwithmorethan
1 million U.S. copies.
Last week, it took just four days for the album to break the 15 year-
old first-week sales record held by NSync’s 2000 album “No Strings
Attached.”
“25” also broke records in Canada and Britain, where its 800,307
copies sold were more than the last 19 No. 1 albums in Britain com-
bined,theOfficialChartsCompanysaidlastweek..Worldwidefigures
were not available.
The sales numbers reflect the wide appeal of the emotional and
personal ballads by the 27 year-old British singer, as well as the
decision by her independent record company XL Recordings not to
make the album available for streaming services including Spotify,
AppleMusic,DeezerandGooglePlay.Fanswerethereforeobligedto
pay for the physical CD or to download it from services like iTunes.
However,itisavailableonU.S.onlineradioservicePandoraalthough
fans cannot choose what tracks or times they can listen.
Adele last week announced a stadium tour of Britain, Ireland
and continental Europe, starting in February 2016. No plans have
yet been announced for North America or Asia.
Foreign and local filmmakers are seen at a meeting with the orga-
nizers of EVO8-Hack the TV contest
PHOTOL: BAO HOANG