Wassup Hollywoods?

Star Treks
TOUCHED BY GREAT WALL.
Globe-trotting celebs share their holiday snaps and stories
By Tan Kee Yun
July 31, 2010
 
 

SINGER Darren Chiu of Taiwanese Mandopop duo The Drifters had no idea that his maiden trip to the Great Wall of China in Beijing would turn out to be such an emotional affair.

PICTURE: SONY MUSIC

Witnessing first-hand the grandeur of the historical stonefortifications almost reduced the tanned, muscled dude to tears.

“I was so touched looking at the awe-inspiring, intricate structures before me that I nearly cried,” Chiu, who is in his late 20s, told The New Paper.

“It was kind of surreal, like we were suddenly transported backin time to the Warring States Period (475 to 221BC).”

The period was a time of small feuding Chinese kingdoms butalso rise of great philosophers such as Confucian thinker Mencius.

“Back then, the poor common folk were ordered to manuallycarry bricks and stones up the mountains in order to build theGreat Wall. Somehow, all these images started appearing in mymind.”

The Drifters

I’ve never done SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE
Poster for actress Zoe Tay’s latest movie appears to have co-star cupping her breast
By Kwok Kar Peng
July 31, 2010
 
 

IT WAS the most suggestive photo shoot Zoe Tay has ever done.

TNP DESIGN: PRADIP KUMAR SIKDAR
TNP PICTURE: CHOO CHWEE HUA

For someone who has done countless photo shoots in her more than 20 years as a model and actress, that’s saying a lot.

But this revealing session wasn’t like the previous ones, where she posed in skimpy bikinis.

Or even the one she posed for a women’s magazine more than 10 years ago where she appeared to be nude, with her arms and legs covering herself. (She was actually wearing a tube top that was later digitally removed.)

In the shoot for the poster of her new movie, Love Cuts, Tay, 42, appeared to be nude with just a man’s arm covering her chest, even cupping her breast in his hand.

The Queen of Caldecott told The New Paper: ‘I was hesitant because I’ve never taken photos like this (which gives the illusion that a man is touching her breast) before.

‘The poster also gives an intimate feel but the movie doesn’t have any intimate scenes. I didn’t want the audience to have the wrong idea.’

Nevertheless, she went ahead with the proposed idea because ‘breast cancer is an illness very close to a woman’s heart and the poster sends that message across’.

She was quick to stress that the man in the poster, veteran Hong Kong actor Kenny Ho, didn’t touch her at all during the photo shoot.

She also wore a tube top that was later digitally removed.

In Love Cuts, she plays a mother whose life goes on a downward spiral when she discovers she has breast cancer.

The movie, to be released here on Sept 9, also stars Malaysian actress Christy Yow as an up-and-coming model with breast cancer.

Tay told The New Paper that she had only one day to decide whether or not to go ahead with the photo shoot.

This was because co-star Ho was scheduled to leave town in a few days’ time, so the shoot had to be done before then.

The actress was at the launch of the movie’s trailer and theme song wearing three-inch heels despite being 61/2 months pregnant.

When The New Paper photographer Choo Chwee Hua asked Tay to be careful, she casually waved our worries aside and assured us she was okay.

MediaCorp’s Ah Jie (Mandarin for older sister) said of the photo shoot: ‘I wasn’t worried because Kenny and I had a mutual understanding. I told my manager my boundaries and she told him.

‘He’s very professional. After all, he has been in showbiz for so long and knows what he’s doing.’

Bath scene

Tay clocked another first in the movie.

She had her first bath scene, and with a man.

In it, Ho scrubbed her back, which is probably all the audience will get to see.

But she went to great lengths to cover up anyway.

‘I wore a tube dress and I took sticky tape and just stick, stick, stick everywhere,’ she told us animatedly, her hands pointing to different parts of her body.

It was during the filming of Love Cuts that she also found out that she’s pregnant with her third boy.

She has two sons – Brayden, 5, and Ashton, 3.

She tried to keep her pregnancy under wraps so filming wouldn’t be affected.

Mr Lim Teck, 35, the executive producer of the movie and managing director of Clover Films, told The New Paper that Tay never once complained, though the bath scene was shot late at night.

It was scheduled for earlier in the day, but by the time they got it right, it was almost midnight.

‘Love Cuts may not be an action movie where she’ll need to run or jump, but there are (pregnant) women who won’t accept taking baths at midnight. I’m very proud of her,’ he said.

With the movie and her pregnancy, all eyes are now again on Tay’s famous assets.

Her twin peaks were the talk of the town in 2005 when they jumped two sizes to a D-cup due to Tay’s first pregnancy and threatened to spill out of her designer togs even after she gave birth.

Last year, her chest had to be digitally reduced for the poster of her Channel 8 drama The Ultimatum after concerns were raised that it might distract from the other stars – Fann Wong, Li Nanxing and Tay Ping Hui – on the poster.

Is Tay worried that her bosom will be grabbing headlines again?

Thinking briefly, she replied: ‘No, because it’s natural for a woman’s breasts to be bigger and her body to change during pregnancy. It’s a package.’

The yummy mummy also admitted that her chest is now, once again, bigger than before her pregnancy.

This reporter couldn’t spot the difference under her black flowing dress, but Tay laughed and replied it was because she could conceal it well.

Despite looking every bit her svelte self, she told us that she has put on an extra 2kg over her recommended pregnancy weight because she has been stuffing herself with durians and bak kwa (barbecued meat).

‘I can’t resist food,’ said the star excitedly.

‘I still have the Love Cuts press conference to attend next month, so I have to preserve and maintain my looks. I don’t want to scare the media away.’

Baby brother

Her sons are also divided on the impending arrival of their new brother.

She rattled on like a proud mother: ‘A friend asked Brayden how he feels and he said he’ll be very tired looking after the baby. That’s because I’ve always told him to help take care of and be responsible for his younger siblings.

‘He asked if we could exchange the newborn with my sister’s daughter, who was born last year. Brayden probably thought there would be less hassle if we did.’

Ashton, on the other hand, isn’t fully aware of what it means to have a younger brother and knows only that the baby will arrive after his birthday.

‘I told him that mummy wouldn’t be able to sleep with him for the first month because I’ll be in a non-air-conditioned room alone.

‘He told me he would come to sleep with me. I tell you, he wouldn’t last one night without the air-con,’ she said with a laugh.

The NewPaper

OMG, it’s the same faces.
New reality TV show discovers new S’porean talent, yet revisits usual stars for hosts, judges
By Germaine Lim
July 31, 2010
 
 

EXPECT the unexpected, so One Moment Of Glory (OMG)claims.

TNP PICTURE: KELVIN CHNG

The new local reality talent TV show

A Sunday newspaper love story
Sunday Times editor marries her JC crush in lunch ceremony
By Sylvia Toh Paik Choo
July 29, 2010
 
 

A WHIRLWIND romance and Sumiko Tan married her Hurricane.

PICTURE: THE STRAITS TIMES

The Sunday Times editor and columnist, effectively one of the first bloggers with her Sunday Times column on life and loves, tied the knot with her junior college crush (nicknamed Hurricane after a Korean TV hero) last Sunday.

In a wedding friends described as ‘nice, simple and classy’, the nice and classy Tan became Mrs Quek Suan Shiau before 200 family and friends at the Four Seasons Hotel.

The pair of JC mates went their separate ways after one date – she broke his heart according to him – and reconnected only last year.

You would have read all about it (the long poem he wrote and read her, the second date in Mexican cantina in Dempsey) – the not-so-much storybook romance, more a Sunday newspaper love story.

The couple, both in their mid-40s, pledged their troth in a lunch ceremony which left not a few colleagues teary-eyed.

As a wedding guest retold it to The New Paper: ‘The common refrain was, we were all so happy to see how happy she was!’

The bride wore a lovely ivory gown with short train and the groom, a dark suit with a silver-buckled belt.

The guest added: ‘They had to kiss three or four times for the photographer.’

Every shot of the lovely couple radiated delirious bliss.

‘She was a little giggly, probably nervy and ecstatic.’

The best man interviewed the couple about their love story. The groom’s brother baked the traditional wedding cake and the bride’s young niece ‘helped me out with the informal wedding,’ said Ms Tan.

A bunch of colleagues had prepared a video for the bride-to-be’s hen night the Sunday before – she so loved it, she showed it at the wedding.

‘No, no, no baby photos of their growing-up years. There was a shot of Suan Shiau when he had a full head of hair, though,’ said one of Ms Tan’s colleagues.

Do not back out

Another office friend had good-naturedly formed a Do Not Back Out Of Wedding support group for Ms Tan. No cold feet, just the warmest of wishes from everyone.

There were cocktails at 11am. The couple appeared half an hour later to mingle with friends, guests and family, followed by the solemnisation in the ballroom and then a ‘scrumptious’ buffet lunch.

‘It was intimate and beautiful. One of our artists was the wedding planner, right down to the flowers which had a little note, ‘take me home’,’ said a colleague.

‘She couldn’t invite everyone, but remembered the people she ‘grew up’ with, worked with in her early days at The Straits Times.’

Ms Tan thanked her newly extended family – hubby’s from a large family compared to hers (mother and sister and niece and nephew and brother-in-law) – all by name, and the groom said he ‘always knew she was the one for me’.

Final word from Ms Tan when we called her up for a quote?

‘The wedding was everything we’d hoped for and thanks to our family and friends for their support.’

The NewPaper

Clubbing in the SUN
Bars lining Sentosa’s beaches hope to get partygoers to play long before the sun sets but some detractors say that requires a mindset change
By Germaine Lim
July 29, 2010
 
 

THE formula seems foolproof.

TNP DESIGN: PRADIP KUMAR SIKDAR
TNP PICTURES: BENJAMIN SEETOR

Sand, sea, sun and – perhaps the most important part of the equation – sizzling bods and bikini babes. They are the stuff of Sentosa’s beach clubs.

But five years since beach bar pioneer Km8 opened on Tanjong Beach, Singapore’s beach club culture still appears to be languishing. Km8 itself pulled down the shutters last year.

Although they insist there is a growing market for beach clubs, operators whom The New Paper spoke to acknowledged the difficulty of encouraging patrons to adopt a beach lifestyle.

There are 15 beach bars and restaurants jostling for what operators admit is a selective demographic along Sentosa’s 3.2km stretch that includes Siloso, Tanjong and Palawan beaches.

The absence of an active beach culture is ironic, considering that we are an island state, pointed out Ms Cheryl Ho, spokesman for The Lo & Behold Group.

Its $3 million restaurant-bar Tanjong Beach Club opened two months ago on the premises of Km8, which closed in March last year.

Wave House Sentosa’s sales manager, MsMonette Evangelista, said the most challenging part about setting up a beach club is shifting people’s mindset that having fun with friends over drinks need not mean a late night out and getting dressed up.

‘Fun can be had on a lazy afternoon, wearing board shorts and bikinis and lounging under the sun, by the surf and the sea,’ she said.

Wave House, a restaurant-bar which opened last October and boasts two pools with artificial waves on which patrons can surf, cost $18 million to set up.

Breaking even for a beach club takes longer, LifeBrandz chief executive officer Bernard Lim admitted.

Cafe del Mar, which opened in 2007 and is owned by LifeBrandz, unveiled its revamped premises on Silosa Beach last month.

He said: ‘Cafe del Mar (which cost $3 million to set up) broke even in the first 15 months of operation. A typical club takes nine months to do the same because there is greater sales volume. The growth of beach clubs tends to depend on word of mouth and hence, is slower.

‘To be fair, Cafe del Mar is not a typical model. It is one of the first beach clubs here.’

When asked if its recent fix, which cost about $200,000, was an attempt to rejuvenate an ailing business model, Mr Lim denied it and explained it was ‘time for maintenance’.

The outlet revamped its menu and added new club features such as a retractable roof so patrons can ‘dine under the stars’, Mr Lim said.

The once-elevated DJ console has been lowered for ‘closer interaction and engagement with the crowd’.

Renovations lasted two weeks, during which Cafe del Mar, a franchise of the original Ibiza hot spot, remained open.

Km8 closed after four years when Sentosa Leisure Group, which runs the island, did not renew its lease, The Straits Times reported last year.

While operators say patron numbers are healthy, it seems some partygoers are not sold.

Inconvenient location

The concept is great, said Mr Joey Tham, who is self-employed, but Sentosa is simply inconvenient.

That’s why he visits the island’s beach clubs just twice a year on average.

The 26-year-old said: ‘I went to Cafe del Mar out of curiosity, since it is an internationally known beach bar. The interior is nice and the music is good. The idea of bikini-clad servers is also quite fun.

‘But to me, the location is just bad. Plus we have to fork out additional money just to enter Sentosa to party. It doesn’t make sense to me.’

Singapore’s heat and humidity are also deterring factors, said 26-year-old creative director Collette Chan.

She prefers an air-conditioned venue, where she doesn’t have to ‘sweat it out with the crowd’.

Besides, a beach is where people enjoy the sun and sea, she added. ‘It’s weird to go to a beach at night, specially since I feel partying should be left to nightfall.’

Mr Lim said Cafe del Mar attracts about 600 patrons every week, while Wave House Sentosa’s Ms Evangelista said the outlet sees between 300 and 500 people on average.

Visitorship goes up to 700 to 1,000 on Wednesdays when Wave House patrons enjoy one-for-one deals on food, drinks and wave rides.

More visitors

Operators are optimistic that numbers can only increase from here. Island visitorship grew 30 per cent from February to April, compared to the same period last year, Channel NewsAsia reported in May.

Singaporeans are more receptive to heading off the mainland for recreation, The Lo & Behold Group’s MsHo said.

‘Patrons are becoming more discerning these days and keen to seek out alternatives to what they have grown accustomed to.’

Urbanites like sales executive Shannon Wee and graphic designer Alvin Tay find respite in beach clubs.

For 30-year-old Ms Wee, Sentosa represents a form of escape from the concrete jungle.

She said: ‘I feel as if my state of mind is being transposed during my journey there. The scene is refreshingly different yet familiar at the same time.’

Mr Tay, 33, said: ‘The mainland bars have the same ambience and scene week after week.

‘With beach bars, you literally lounge the day away. The atmosphere makes you forget you’re in concrete jungle Singapore. Plus the babes in bikinis are a sight for sore eyes.’

Still, the pool of customers remains smaller than that of the mainland’s, LifeBrandz’s Mr Lim admits. But he pointed out that there are also fewer options to choose from.

He said: ‘It’s a captive crowd – you have a group of people who like going to the beach to play. We have enough people to fill up these places, compared to the mainland’s nightclub scene, where there are a lot more competitors.’

Each outlet is conceptually different and caters to a different niche, Ms Ho pointed out – like Wave House’s pools for surf enthusiasts and Cafe del Mar’s laid-back environment with full restaurant service.

Tanjong Beach Club is the only such facility on Tanjong Beach.

Ms Evangelista said: ‘Beach bars give a different twist to Singapore’s night life. The birth of the local beach bar lifestyle infuses the style of partying not dissimilar to that of California, Miami and Ibiza. This was not so accessible in the past for those of us who are living in Singapore.

‘In any place, not just Sentosa, the number of visitors doesn’t depend on its natural supply but on how one creates the demand for one’s venue.

‘It is up to us and to the other Sentosa partners to create that draw to the island so as to sustain the existence of the attractions and beach bars.’

The NewPaper

Mrs Korea, but S’pore is her home
By Syahirah Anwar
July 29, 2010
 
 

SHE is the reigning Mrs Korea World 2010.

TNP PICTURE: KELVIN CHNG

But according to this beauty queen, Singapore is her home.

For the past four years, Mrs Ayesha Lee, a Singaporean permanent resident, has built a life for herself here following her marriage to Singaporean Zaidi Abdul Latip. They have a 21-month-old son, Aidan.

But being in Singapore didn’t stop her from being crowned Mrs Korea World 2010.

‘The competition was open to Koreans all over the world. I decided to give it a try so I flew back to Korea, with my husband’s blessing, to take part in the competition last month,’ the 28-year-old who works with Microsoft told The New Paper.

Mrs Lee will compete in the Mrs World 2010 pageant to be held in Korea in October.

Host countries are allowed two contestants, she said. So, Mrs Lee will be representing Korea alongside fellow Korean Han Gi-Hye.

How will she differentiate herself?

Mrs Lee said: ‘I intend to portray a bi-cultural perspective and show the judges something different.

‘Having lived (in Singapore) for four years, I feel that I am also part Singaporean now. The Singaporean culture, especially the Malay culture, has become part of me now.’

The yummy mummy will be donning dresses designed by both Korean and local designers.

She has also taken up Malay dance as she finds it ‘interesting and graceful’.

‘I did a bit of the Malay dance at the Mrs Korea World competition and the judges were amazed by it as it was something different to them,’ she said.

Malay dishes

The slender beauty, who maintains her figure by climbing 22 flights of stairs almost daily, has also mastered cooking traditional Malay dishes like nasi lemak, ayam lemak chilli padi and sambal sotong.

‘I love Malay food because it is spicy and I especially love sambal sotong,’ she gushed.

She has also picked up some Malay from her mother-in-law.

Mrs Lee and Mr Zaidi, a 35-year-old architectural designer, first met in Beijing in 2005 when they were posted there for work. The couple dated for about two years before deciding to tie the knot.

While all may seem to be going well for her now, that was not the case when she moved here in 2007.

Mrs Lee, who embraced Islam prior to marrying Mr Zaidi, recalled: ‘We could not get a house because I was not a PR…(Also), we were two individuals who did not really know what married life was like and I had to get used to a new culture so it was pretty hard.’

Now that we both have matured, ‘managing a family and understanding each other’s culture’ is better.

That is not to say that their family life is conflict-free.

She said with a laugh: ‘In my culture, a child has to be strictly disciplined from young. But my husband is more laidback when it comes to Aidan’s mischief. So sometimes he will tell me that I am too strict with Aidan.’

S’porean PR is Mrs S’pore World 2010

THE other beauty queen who resides in Singapore and will be going up against Mrs Ayesha Lee is none other than Mrs Singapore World 2010, Mrs Kenny Santika Lau.

Mrs Lau

From void decks to Las Vegas
Hip-hop dance group to represent S’pore at world championship
By Tan Kee Yun
July 28, 2010
 
 

PURSUING one’s passion takes sacrifice.

TNP PICTURE: DAMIAN TAN

Not only did the boys of local hip-hop dance sextet Freekzy Nutz devote time and energy to perfecting their footwork, they had countless near-brushes with the law while chasing their dreams.

Freekzy Nutz, the only outfit to represent Singapore at the upcoming World Hip Hop Dance Championship in Las Vegas, emerged from humble beginnings.

With no money to book swanky dance studios for practice, the group of six – Mr Mohammad Faliq Rais, 24, Mr Iskandar Appandi and Mr Mohammad Adam Abdul Halid, both 20, Mr Mohammad Fauzi Abdul Rashid, 19, Mr Azlan Shah and Mr Mohammad Alif Rais, both 18 – danced wherever they could find an empty space.

With just an MP3 player (to play their dance tracks) and two egg-size portable speakers, they trained mostly at HDB void decks and open-air carparks, said Mr Faliq, the group’s leader and a second-year student at Nanyang Technological University’s (NTU) School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

‘We knew those were residential areas, so we tried to keep our noise level down and if possible, wrap up by 11pm,’ he told The New Paper.

‘However, there were times when we were so engrossed in dancing that it slipped our minds that we might have been a little too loud.

‘Some residents would lodge complaints that we are disturbing them. The police would then come over to reprimand us, or give us a verbal warning.’

Shooed away

It’s not just the cops who have shooed them away.

Mr Faliq recalled a recent incident when he and his buddies were honing their moves on the NTU campus.

‘We thought since it was the school holidays, no one would be around,’ he said.

‘But all of a sudden, a lecturer marched out from one of the lecture halls to scold us for creating a din.’

Despite these venue woes, the sweat and toil have paid off.

In April, Freekzy Nutz beat more than 400 aspiring local dancers to win Singapore’s Best Dance Crew Competition – and the chance to fly the Singapore flag in Las Vegas.

Come Thursday, at the 2010 World Hip Hop Dance Championship, the young men will face 50 teams from around the world, including those from France, Mexico and the Philippines.

Among the six, no one is more excited than MrFauzi. The trip to Las Vegas is the first time he is flying.

‘We are looking forward to it,’ said the ITE Balestier student with a wide grin, adding, ‘After the competition, we have a free day to go sightseeing.’

Freezky Nutz, formed in 2006, hopes to equal the achievements of its predecessor, Joyce & The Boys.

A hip-hop quintet, Joyce & The Boys came in third at last year’s championship.

‘The pressure is definitely on us to perform as well, if not better,’ said Mr Alif, a first-year student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

They have been training four days a week since May, with each practice session lasting more than three hours. Training intensified to six days a week from this month.

‘There are days when it gets so tough we just want to give up,’ admitted Mr Alif.

‘But we’d remind ourselves that we are inching one step closer to our goal of getting a spot in the top three.

‘It motivates us to persevere.’

The NewPaper

Big BAND makes big BANG
Republic Polytechnic’s 53-man band invited to play at YOG
By Syahirah Anwar
July 28, 2010
 
 

IF YOU think that Korean pop group Super Junior is overstaffed with 13 members, check out our own home-grown mega-band with 53 members.

TNP DESIGN: PRADIP KUMAR SIKDAR
TNP PICTURE: GAVIN FOO

That’s just how big Replug from Republic Polytechnic is. Five years old, the band consists of 17 vocalists, 16 guitarists, four bassists, eight percussionists, seven keyboardists and one saxophonist.

And when they get together to jam as a collective twice a month, the sound they produce is awesome.

Made up of first-year to third-year students they are, in fact, an interest group in the polytechnic which focuses solely on playing acoustic music.

According to its president Danny Yee, 22, who is also one of the vocalists, Replug is a ‘collection of versatile musicians ranging from those with a jazz background to those who are hardcore rockers’.

With a myriad of talent, the group breaks into smaller bands when it comes to performing gigs.

‘Depending on the nature of the performances, we will form a band that best fits the ambience of the gig,’ said Mr Yee.

Members have performed at numerous events on campus such as the recent Ignite Music Festival and the arts festival, Reflections. The band has also been roped in to perform at the upcoming Youth Olympic Games as well.

Members are mixed and matched like ‘mahjong tiles’

You could say that with no fixed members, the mini-bands are in a state of flux.

Replug’s vice-president Su Ao Cheng, who’s also one of the guitarists, said: ‘We switch our musicians around for each different performance. The new band will then come up with a brand new band name and practise for the gig.’

Su, 19, likens Replug’s mix-and-match concept to a game of mahjong.

He said: ‘The band set-up is never specific. The musicians are like mahjong tiles being moved around until you get the perfect combination for a win.’

Working out a winning hand falls on

Mr Yee.

He said: ‘I discuss with the vice-president before deciding which members to put together for gigs.’

It was a tedious process initially because of the ‘vast’ range of vocalists and musicians. But the sorting out is now much easier ‘because we are familiar with the capabilities of each individual’.

Favouritism is not condoned.

‘I will ensure everyone gets a chance to play no matter what,’ he said.

Getting into a high-concept outfit like Replug is not a breeze.

The interest group, which is one of the most sought-after ones in Republic Polytechnic, has pretty strict standards of entry.

During last year’s recruitment drive, Replug attracted between 350 and 400 students who wanted to audition for a spot in the band.

But only 26 were selected.

Aside from being proficient in their instruments of choice, the musicians go through a gruelling selection process.

Mr Yee said that a panel of six judges made up of former and current Replug members, ‘who are all familiar with the different instruments assess potential members.

Singapore Idol

And like the local reality series Singapore Idol, the judges face their fair share of the quirky ones.

‘There are definitely those who really cannot sing but insist they can and those who will beg to be given a second chance,’ said MrYee.

For the first-year students who have just been accepted into the band, the memories of the auditions are still fresh in their heads.

Said vocalist Rachael Gan, 18: ‘I was so nervous! I kept refreshing my e-mail after the auditions to see if I made it through to the group!’

With such a large number of musicians, the range of talent – and possibly, egos – how does Replug manage to keep the peace in the group?

‘Lots and lots of patience!’ exclaimed Mr Yee, affectionately known as the ‘father’ of the group, with a laugh.

‘It is definitely not easy managing such a large group of musicians. There are times when there will be conflicts among the members because of creative differences.

‘When that happens, both me and Ao Cheng will step in and try to resolve the issue before it reaches a critical point.’

To build up the camaraderie, Replug holds activities like camping trips and outings to places like Sentosa.

‘The fact that we know each other on a personal level allows for these musicians to gel easily when they are put together to perform,’ said Su.

Vocalist Muhammad Adam, 22, agreed.

‘Initially it was a bit tough…but after a while, we began to familiarise ourselves with (our) different styles and work together.’

53 MUSICIANS IN A BAND

17 Vocalists

16 Guitarists

4 Bassists

8 Percussionists

7 Keyboardists

1 Saxophonist
 

The NewPaper

Star Bucks

Big spender or penny-pincher? Stars speak their mind on money matters
He invests in inspiration
By Kwok Kar Peng
July 27, 2010
 
 

MEDIACORP actor Nick Shen believes in putting his money to work, but not just in traditional properties or shares.

PICTURE COURTESY OF NICK SHEN

Since 2008, he has spent around $12,000 on 12 motivational workshops.

‘I find them an awakening experience and very life-enriching,’ he told The New Paper.

The workshops the Star Search alumnus attends cover topics include developing the subconscious mind, reprogramming the mind, money management and acting in Chinese opera.

The speakers include former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, US author Denis Waitley and Taiwanese actor/author Guo Teng Yi.

The price for each workshop ranges from $1,000 to $2,000, and they run for one to three days.

He has even travelled to Kuala Lumpur twice to attend the workshops.

Shen, who is in his early 30s, said he attends the workshops to improve himself and balance his life.

He said: ‘It helps me be more aware of what’s happening in the world and adds value not just to my life but also my friends’ lives, because I can chat about more than just movies and the World Cup.’

Motivated

He added that he now feels motivated and excited at the beginning of the day and satisfied at the end of it.

Why not just buy motivational CDs and books, which would save him from spending thousands of dollars on the pricy courses?

Shen, who also listens to such CDs when he’s driving, replied: ‘It’s because I get to meet like-minded people at the workshops who are entrepreneurs and from other professions.

‘I can learn from the questions they ask and also communicate with the speakers.’

He added that most of the speakers are prominent in their fields, so he feels it’s more credible listening to them share their success stories and failures.

The actor, who is also an occasional Teochew opera performer, said he is seeing results from the workshops.

He will soon be the new troupe leader of the 120-year-old Teochew opera troupe Lao Sai Tao Yuan.

It was, however, not a decision he made easily.

Shen said: ‘When the current troupe leader approached me, I was resistant to the idea because I didn’t want the commitment of making sure the performers get their salary.

‘But I spoke to some of my entrepreneur friends who gave me interesting insight.

‘If I take over the troupe, I’ll be able to promote the culture of Teochew opera. The old can continue to enjoy it and the young can learn to appreciate the art.’

In line with this goal, he has also started an online business called Tok Tok Chiang!, selling Teochew opera costumes and Chinese opera puppets as art pieces.

However, he stressed that he will do all this only during his free time and that he’s still a full-time actor with MediaCorp.

‘The workshops have helped me to realise my potential,’ he said.

The NewPaper

Au Revoir Taipei, Bonjour S’pore!
Taiwanese actress-singer Amber Kuo in town to promote new movie, Au Revoir Taipei
By Tan Kee Yun
July 27, 2010
 
 

IF AU Revoir Taipei had turned out to be a heavy, depressing picture instead of the lightweight urban rom-com it is, actress-singer Amber Kuo might have had to leap over a giant emotional hurdle while shooting some of her outdoor scenes.

As part of the film’s storyline, the petite, porcelain-skinned 24-year-old Taiwanese spent hours criss-crossing a bustling street market with co-star Jack Yao.

The market, teeming with food stalls, used to be one of Kuo’s haunts before she entered showbusiness.

PICTURES: TAN KEE YUN, CATHAY KERIS FILMS

She and her ex-boyfriend, who stayed in the area, would often hang out there.

Unfortunately, he was caught two-timing and their relationship gradually soured.

One of their many heated arguments – described by Kuo in a previous interview as ‘soap opera-like’ – took place in the middle of that street market.

When The New Paper caught up with Kuo last Saturday, she good-naturedly acknowledged the incident.

‘In a way, I’m glad that Au Revoir Taipei is slightly campy and over-the-top,’ said Kuo in her trademark high-pitched voice.

‘Filming those scenes, Jack and I had to run all over the place. It was a lot of fun and didn’t give me time to think about the past.’

Looking for love

She was in town with co-star Yao and director Arvin Chen to promote their new movie, which opens here on Thursday.

Kuo plays optimistic, bubbly bookshop salesgirl Susie, who takes a liking to the geeky, love-struck Kai (played by Yao).

Kai comes by the shop every night to flip through French language textbooks and Kuo’s character boldly strikes up a conversation with him.

Currently single, Kuo also took the opportunity to refute any speculation about her and Malaysian singer-actor Nicholas Teo being an item.

Two years ago, she and Teo, 28, were rumoured to have hooked up.

They were photographed by the Taiwanese paparazzi wearing matching black spectacles as they queued to buy movie tickets.

With a grin, Kuo said: ‘Any celebrity pairing that’s exposed by the media is likely to be untrue.

‘Personally, if I were really in a relationship, I would have chosen to keep it private and not tell reporters.

‘I guess the gossip about Nicholas and me arose then, because not only were we record label mates (both are signed under Warner Music), we had acted together in the idol drama Invincible Shan Bao Mei.’

But she is unabashed about her desire for love.

‘I think most people in the creative arts would agree with me that love fuels our lives. With love, you gain more inspiration, be it to act or write better songs,’ said Kuo, who has released three Mandarin albums to date.

‘Also, as the days go by, it can get pretty lonely. It’ll be nice to have a person I cherish by my side.’

While real-life sparks did not fly between her and Yao on the set of Au Revoir Taipei, Yao – a newcomer in the film industry – had nothing but praises for his co-star.

‘Working with Amber shattered my initial impression of her,’ said Yao, who is in his mid-20s.

‘I remember her first album cover where she sported a ponytail; I thought she’d be just another fresh-faced little girl.

‘But as I got to know her better, I began to realise she’s someone who is very clear-minded. She knows exactly what she wants from her career and how she plans to take care of her family in the long run.’

Indeed, Kuo – feeling upbeat from her Best New Talent win at the Taipei Film Festival two weeks ago – has set her eyes on attaining longevity in entertainment.

‘I’m very happy that people have come to accept me as an actress,’ she said.

‘Fans of my music are mostly teenagers. Acting helps me to reach out to a broader, wider audience.’

The NewPaper