Now Showing: YANGTZE
Now showing: YANGTZE
Chinatown cinema known for its R21 films reopens after renovations, hoping to draw new crowds
By Crystal Chan
October 02, 2010
YANGTZE Cinema in Chinatown has reopened, with a brand new look.
Gone are the old ticket booths and musty-smelling cinema halls.
In their place is a new box office with show times flashing across slick plasma TV screens, complete with a snazzy snack counter.
Yangtze’s two halls also boast new seats and screens, and newly carpeted floors.
On May 29, The New Paper had reported that the 41-year-old cinema in Pearl’s Centre had closed.
Movie posters were taken down, the doors were locked and barricades were erected around the escalator leading to the cinema halls.
The New Paper had quoted a staff member as saying that the place was closed for renovations.
The cinema is now back in business, and hoping to draw in new crowds.
For a start, Yangtze’s owner, Mr Mono Chong, 58, told The New Paper he plans to screen Hollywood blockbusters and Tamil movies during the school holidays.
He confirmed that the cinema closed in April this year for renovations.
It’s a bit of a turnaround for a place that has been synonymous with R21 films and drew a devoted clientele of elderly men.
As to whether the changes would alienate his main customer base, Mr Chong said no.
He added in Mandarin: ‘I understand many young people don’t enjoy hanging out in Chinatown but Yangtze enjoys good human traffic from retirees, new migrants from China as well as tourists.
‘If Yangtze can keep up with the times, it can retain existing customers and attract new clientele.’
He said time would tell if business has improved as Yangtze reopened only three weeks ago.
Yet, for Yangtze to go mainstream is not such a stretch, pointed out Mr Chong.
When the theatre opened in 1969, it screened all types of films.
In September 1991, the Government introduced the Restricted (Artistic) or R(A) category. Movies with this rating were deemed unsuitable for those under 21 years of age.
In October 1992, the Government accepted the Censorship Review Committee’s recommendation to keep R21 (then known as R(A)) films out of cinemas in the heartlands, and Yangtze’s target market began to change.
Niche
Mr Chong said it was given the cinema licence to be one of the few to screen mostly R21 films.
He said: ‘Around that time, there was an influx of award-winning R21 movies that boasted artistic value, such as Don’t Cry, Nanking (1995) and Pulp Fiction (1994).
‘So it was viable for Yangtze to carve out a niche in screening these films, alongside cinemas like Picturehouse and Golden Theatre.’
And it looks like that niche will stay.
On Wednesday, the Government announced that it would not accept the Censorship Review Committee’s recommendation to allow R21 films to be screened in the HDB heartland cinemas.
Mr Chong said he welcomed the Government’s decision as ‘we also don’t wish for heartland cinemas to compete with us in this aspect’.
As for ticket prices, Yangtze plans to keep them unchanged – $7 during off-peak periods, compared to $7.50 in the other heartland and downtown cinemas. During peak periods, it is $9, compared to $10 in the other cinemas.
Competition
Mr Chong, who also runs the adjoining Yangtze karaoke lounge and coffee shop, said the renovations were meant to keep up with the competition.
The renovations include sprucing up the coffee shop and the karaoke lounge.
Mr Chong said that the renovation, which is expected to cost at least $600,000, will be completed in November.
But the refurbished box office and theatre halls still appear dated, compared to the plush seats, range of cinema snacks or eye-catching box office stalls that the major players such as Golden Village, Shaw and Cathay have.
Furthermore, the rest of Pearl’s Centre has not been renovated for more than 10 years.
But Mr Chong hopes the cinema will survive on sheer reputation alone.
Mr Chong, who has been running the business since 1989, also pointed out that Yangtze is ‘the only surviving cinema in Chinatown’.
The Majestic, just down the road from Yangtze at Eu Tong Sen Street, closed in a dilapidated state in 1998 and reopened as a mall in 2002.
Metropole Cinema at the corner of Maxwell Road and Tanjong Pagar Road is now occupied by the Fairfield Methodist Church.
Oriental Cinema in Oriental Plaza and Chinatown Cinema in Chinatown Point ceased operations around 2000.
The closest cinemas to Yangtze are Golden Village’s theatres in VivoCity and Plaza Singapura.
A mixture of young male executives and middle-aged men were seen buying tickets when The New Paper visited the place.
Mr Danny Yeo, 32, an accountant, said: ‘I come here as the tickets are cheaper than those in the city. The only thing I dislike is that the other parts of the mall are dingy.’
Regular patron KS Tan, 63, a retiree, agreed.
He said: ‘I think there’s only so much that can be done. The cinema and karaoke lounge may look new after the renovations but what is the point if the rest of the shopping centre looks rundown?’
Younger patrons, like Pete Toh, 19, a trainee hairstylist, said he would not hang out at Yangtze regularly.
He said: ‘No doubt the cinema has been renovated but the surrounding area is still dingy. It’s not a place where teenagers will hang out.’
Other cinema operators say Yangtze’s re-branding will pose little competition.
Mr David Glass, Golden Village’s managing director, told the New Paper that the chain has no issues with Yangtze’s renovation as the playing field in entertainment is large.
He said: ‘Each cinema operator brings along with it different offerings for the benefit of its audience. This is good news for Singaporeans who are avid movie-goers as it offers variety.’
Mr Senthil Kumaran, 26, director of KPI Cinemas which runs the Rex Cinemas, believes Yangtze’s refurbishment will give movie-goers more choices.
He said: ‘People living and working in Chinatown will find it more convenient to watch movies. We don’t see Yangtze as competition because we screen mostly Indian movies so we cater to different markets.’
The NewPaper
Jessica Szohr
FIRST FACE
Jessica Szohr
October 01, 2010
WHO’S THAT GIRL?
This dark-haired lass credits her exotic good looks to her Hungarian and African-American heritage.
WHERE YOU’VE SEEN HER
On the small screeen, where she plays the quirky budding film- maker Vanessa Abrams in the hit TV series Gossip Girl.
WHY HER
The 25-year-old US starlet may not have attained marque status like her Gossip Girl castmates Blake Lively, Leighton Meester or
Ed Westwick – whom Szohr is dating in real life – but she certainly made a lasting impression on the series’ producers and viewers.
Szohr was originally booked for only a three-episode stint on Gossip Girl.
Three seasons later, her character Vanessa is still around.
WHAT’S NEW
She’s moving on to the big screen as Kelly, a hot young babe whose life is threatened by a group of marauding prehistoric man-eating fish in Piranha 3-D, which opens here on Oct 14.
She was awarded the Breakthrough Actress in Film award at the 2010 Breakthrough of the Year Awards for her work on it.
Directed by Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes), this horror-comedy is a remake of the 1978 classic.
QUOTED
On her first thoughts of Piranha 3-D
‘At first, I was like, ‘Oh Piranha, they did it years ago.’
But when I found out who else was attached and watched some of the director’s other movies, I was quite intrigued by his cool vision.
Also, Kelly is a very different character than Vanessa, who I’ve been playing for three years now, so with all of those things, I thought, ‘Why not – let’s go have fun, get scared, be in the water and ride on a boat for two months.’
On real-life moments of fear while shooting Piranha 3-D
‘I’m not the best swimmer. I love snowboarding, hiking, yoga and soccer. Lakes are very eerie because you can’t see what’s underneath the water, especially when you’re filming at two in the morning.
There were times when I was really scared. I didn’t know what was going on and it was dark and cold.’
On what she looks for in a guy
‘A big thing for me is a sense of humour. And he has to have a really cool sense of style.
The sexiest thing about style is if you kind of just take your personality and put it in what you wear. That’s what I think is cool. I like a little grunge, a little funky, but that’s less important than making me laugh.’
On whether she’d choose movies over TV
‘It doesn’t matter which medium. I’d be happy to switch to movies or stay on TV.
For me, it’s just about telling a story. I want to entertain.’
Joanne Soh
The NewPaper
SWEDE TALKER
FIRST FEATURE
SWEDE TALKER
September 17, 2010
Noomi Rapace deserves a Best Actress Oscar.
So says Swedish filmmaker Daniel Alfredson, who directed her in The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest.
He told FiRST over the phone from Stockholm: ‘She’s worth it. I’ll be very glad (if she wins) – she’s done a tremendous job.’
Alfredson, 51, has such admiration for his leading lady that he pays her US successor Rooney Mara – who will play Lisbeth Salander in David Fincher’s Hollywood version of the Millennium trilogy – a backhanded compliment.
‘I’ve never seen (Mara) and I don’t know of her but she’s probably a very good actress.
‘But Noomi Rapace IS Lisbeth Salander, she’s the real deal. For me, the story is already told.’
He added: ‘I’m very happy they chose to shoot five to six weeks in Sweden because it’s a Swedish story after all.’
Incidentally, he’s the elder brother of Tomas Alfredson, who helmed the Swedish vampire drama. Let The Right One In, which has also been remade by Hollywood.
Although nothing beats the harrowing rape scene from The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (which was helmed by Danish director Niels Arden Oplev), Rapace faced other challenges while filming The Girl Who Played With Fire.
Like when a seriously wounded Lisbeth is buried alive in a shallow grave.
Alfredson had a body double lined up, but Rapace insisted it had to be her hand coming out of the mud and dirt.
So she ended up crawling into a tunnel at five in the morning at a faraway location to make that shot.
Still, Alfredson insists the toughest thing for Rapace in The Girl Who Played With Fire and The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets’ Nest was to act in isolation without much dialogue.
He added: ‘Lisbeth ends up being alone – locked up in her apartment, in hospital and in jail. So Noomi’s acting opposite mobile phones, computer screens and TV screens instead of a living person.’
Rapace also had no qualms appearing topless for a lesbian sex scene.
Alfredson said: ‘She would do anything if it’s important for the character. She’s that professional.
‘For once you see another side of Lisbeth that’s not hard, a loving character, so it was very important to do (the sex scene) for real.’
Rapace wanted to be so authentic that she even did away with personal grooming for a seemingly gratuitous shot that focused on her unshaven armpits.
Alfredson said: ‘It’s a small thing but yet Lisbeth wouldn’t care about shaving under her arms. Noomi worked for a year on the films, getting a bike licence and taking up kickboxing, so (growing out her armpit hair during that time) was not a big deal.’
He also let on that Rapace’s actor-husband Ola Rapace – who plays the lead in Alfredson’s new film The Beast – and their child had everything to do with her powerful performance.
‘About 80 per cent of the movie was shot in Stockholm, so she went home after work. She wouldn’t have survived without her family.’
The NewPaper
SHOWDOWN (But Not Really)
SHOWDOWN (but not really)
Taylor Swift extends olive branch to rueful Kanye West at MTV VMA
September 15, 2010
THE host had implored the all-star audience to go wild from the get-go.
‘I want to encourage everybody to be on their worst behaviour,’ Chelsea Handler had said at the start of the MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) in Los Angeles on Sunday.
But in the end, everyone behaved – even Kanye West, the egotistical rapper who snatched away the Best Female Video trophy at last year’s awards, proclaiming that Beyonce deserved it more.
Perhaps the writing was already on the wall.
Prior to the event, the rapper had tweeted a series of apologies to Taylor Swift.
‘I wrote a song for Taylor Swift that’s so beautiful and I want her to have it.
‘If she won’t take it then I’ll perform it for her. She had nothing to do with my issues with award shows,’ West had written.
So the stage was set and anticipation heightened.
On Saturday, it became known that Swift, too, would be singing a song about last year’s most talked-about moment.
It increased the sense of anticipation even more: Both West and Swift were nominated for awards (which they lost).
Both were also expected to perform and each has an album coming out later this year.
But instead of skewering West in song as Swift has done to others, the pop and country star walked on stage on Sunday and offered what appeared to be an olive branch with her song, Innocent.
She sang: ‘Everyone of us has messed up, too… I hope you remember today is never too late to be brand new.’
The 20-year-old’s poignant ode – which was introduced with a video montage that referenced last year’s ceremony – appeared to sympathise with West’s difficult time and his own admissions that his ego has often got in the way.
‘Thirty-two and still growing up now; who you are is not what you did,’ she sang, adding: ‘You’re still an innocent.’
Was it meant to be sarcastic?
SHOWOFF (what did you expect?)
Diva Lady Gaga’s ‘raw beef’ ensemble looks set to anger Peta
Perhaps not.
Swift’s demeanour was, as always, sweet and she appeared to mean what she said.
West’s equally subdued song, Runaway, which was preceded by scattered boos from the audience and which closed the event, was clearer in intent.
Although it didn’t seem to address last year’s incident, it talked about the obnoxious behaviour that has too often overshadowed his musical talent.
‘I always find something wrong; you’ve been putting up with my (expletive) for too long,’ he sang, before launching into an unprintable chorus, which included the line: ‘Let’s have a toast to scumbags.’
With all that pathos, no other celebrity could compete – not even Lady Gaga with her eight VMA wins.
That said, she was the most outrageously dressed – Katy Perry’s barely there outfit and Ke$ha’s garbage bag dress, notwithstanding.
Gaga accepted her Video Of The Year award in an outfit sure to anger the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta): A dress and hat made of what seemed to be cuts of raw beef.
It was one of her three zany outfits of the evening.
One outfit was by the late Alexander McQueen: A Victorian-inspired gown and a Mohawk feather headdress atop a long white wig, with monstrous stilettos that made her look like she was on stilts to match.
Cher – an over-the-top diva from another era – gave Gaga her best-video award and noted she had been raising eyebrows when the latter ‘was still Baby Gaga’.
Gaga was teary-eyed during her victories and sang the title of her new album, Born This Way, as she accepted the last award.
Few other highlights
There were few other highlights despite performances by the likes of Usher, Rihanna and Linkin Park and appearances by cast of MTV’s reality TV series, Jersey Shore.
Host Handler gave the show its traditional bawdiness, though her jokes often fell flat or were vulgar.
A pre-taped portion of her opening showed her getting her buttocks spanked multiple times by show participants in a backstage hallway.
She even ran into Lindsay Lohan, who was recently released from her court-ordered rehabilitation, who also gave her a swat.
‘Have you been drinking?’ Lohan demanded from Handler. ‘Do you think anyone wants to work with a drunk? Take it from me! They don’t!’
Despite that, it was a rather tame night.
Perhaps, given West’s antics last year, the stars had learnt a lesson.
AP
Some winners
1.Video Of The Year:
Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
2. Best New Artist:
Justin Bieber
3.Best Hip-Hop Video:
Eminem, Not Afraid
4.Best Pop Video:
Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
5. Best Male Video:
Eminem, Not Afraid
6. Best Rock Video:
30 Seconds To Mars, Kings And Queens
7.Best Female Video:
Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
8.Best Collaboration:
Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce, Video Phone (Extended Remix)
9.Best Dance Music Video:
Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
10.Best Choreography:
Lady Gaga, Bad Romance
The NewPaper
Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, Oh Yeah, ABS?
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, ABS?
New beefcake look for singer JJLin divides fans
By Tan Kee Yun
September 11, 2010
POOR JJ Lin.
The Singaporean singer who was criticised for his Youth Olympic Games (YOG) cheer, You Are The One, Singapore has come under fire again.
This time, it involves a set of publicity posters featuring a very macho-looking 29-year-old Mandopop star.
The posters, which were released last month, showed off his super-toned and oiled body, boasting a well-defined six-pack.
These reportedly surprised even his most ardent fans, including those in China, where over 800,000 diehards follow him on the microblogging service Sina Weibo (China’s equivalent of Twitter).
Lin is an active user of the service.
While most of them praised his new look as ‘suave’, ‘dashing’ and ‘cool’, some netizens didn’t take to his bulked-up body.
Some wondered if the pictures were fake, claiming they ‘must be Photoshopped’, as Lin’s ‘chest looks too huge and disproportionate to his face’.
One of them wrote on Sina Weibo addressing Lin directly: ‘I cannot believe that is your real body.’
Another said: ‘JJ is naturally very cute, why did he have to deliberately attempt to be sexy?’
Yet others left messages on his Facebook fan page, JJFederation, with one of them saying: ‘JJ, I won’t be able to recognise you if you become too muscular!’
According to Taiwanese daily Liberty Times, even some members of his entourage teased him.
To be fair, Lin hasn’t particularly shied away from showing skin in the past.
In previous concerts, he has donned tight, sleeveless T-shirts and chest-revealing vests.
He is also known for being a gym bunny and bulking up whenever he has a performance around the corner.
JJ not shy of controversy
But this is the first time he is appearing shirtless in his promotional pictures.
The new pictures were released in line with his current world tour, which began in Beijing on Aug 21.
Lin will make stops in several cities in China before returning to perform in a ticketed gig in Singapore next year.
To be sure, Lin has often courted controversy throughout his eight-year career for one reason or another.
He made headlines in July for penning the melody to the much-reviled YOG cheer, You Are The One, Singapore.
As early as December 2006, he created a stir when he and fellow Singaporean male singer, A-Do, kissed on the mouth on stage during his Taipei concert.
In that same year, he had published a pictorial book, Evolution, which included a picture of him sitting on a toilet bowl with his pants down.
Three years ago, in his music video Killer, he played a psychotic assassin who dismembered his victim’s corpse.
Lin’s last few incarnations have also come under much scrutiny.
On the album cover of his 2008 album Sixology, he wore a multi-coloured checkered outfit that was slammed by a local fashion stylist for being ‘clownish-looking’.
However, at the Golden Melody Awards in June, he turned up looking dapper in a black suit.
Attempts by The New Paper to contact Lin were unsuccessful.
Likes his look
His manager explained that he would be tied up with his China concerts till the end of the year.
But Lin seems proud of his fitter-than-ever look.
In an interview with Chinese paper Shanghai Daily, he explained that the beefcake image is part of the theme for his world tour.
He hopes that his tour, titled ‘I Am’, can inspire folks to ‘stay true to who they are’ and fulfill their dreams.
‘Everyone encounters difficulties at some point in life and it’s easy to lose direction when you are vulnerable…it is only through understanding who you are that you can face your fate and accomplish your goal,’ he said.
This time round, in order to ‘achieve a personal breakthrough’, Lin ‘worked very hard’ to build up his muscled appearance.
Liberty Times reported that he spent up to four days a week in the gym, on a few occasions accompanied by his good friend Harry Zhang, a vocalist from Taiwanese hip-hop group Da Mouth.
In a May 2006 interview with The New Paper, Lin admitted that he became a gym nut only after entering the entertainment scene.
‘I’m not a gym person. I prefer to play basketball and go running,’ he had said then, adding that he was in the Chinese Society and Art Club when he was at St Andrew’s Junior College.
‘I didn’t really work on my body at all. I would just do repetitions of various moves until I felt tired. Then I’d be very happy that I was developing muscles.’
As a celebrity, he decided he needed to bulk up for his energetic routines on stage.
‘My music has become grittier and edgier and I think my image needs to change as well,’ he explained.
‘You can’t expect me to just move around lamely while I’m singing an energetic song, right?’
Home-grown fans The New Paper spoke to were divided over Lin’s shirtless pictures.
Secondary school student Lim Xin Ran, 15, likes Lin’s new look.
‘JJ looks so manly and more handsome than before,’ she said. ‘While he is very fit now, he still looks gentle…he is like a 22-year-old big boy.’
But Miss Jaslyn Koh, 23, a pharmaceutical technician, disagreed: ‘I don’t like his muscular look.’
She feels that Lin, being an accomplished musician, need not ‘resort’ to baring his body.
‘I like him because of his (work), definitely not because of his body,’ she added, referring to the accolades Lin has received.
He has several awards in the bag, including Best Local Male Artiste at the 2005 Singapore Hit Awards and Best Producer at the 2006 Beijing Music Awards.
He has also written songs for A-list artistes such as A-mei, Harlem Yu and Cyndi Wang.
Then again, some fans simply say not to over-analyse Lin’s new look.
Like Koh Bin Yong, who is currently unemployed.
Said the 19-year-old: ‘His muscular image is part of his concert theme, it suits him, that’s for sure.’
The NewPaper
A $1.5 Million Show?
A $1.5 million show?
Concert organiser says tickets for Super Junior’s first S’pore concert will not be more than $300
By Kwok Kar Peng
August 31, 2010
KOREAN boy band Super Junior will hold a concert for the first time in Singapore in January.
PICTURE: SM ENTERTAINMENT
And fans can expect an extravagant show along the likes of Aaron Kwok and Jay Chou as it’s touted to be one of the most expensive concerts to be held here. (See report on facing page.)
Concert organiser Running Into The Sun, an affiliate of Fly Entertainment, told The New Paper it believes the concert production cost will exceed its initial budget of $1.5 million.
Mr Terence Ang, 45, chief marketing officer for Fly Entertainment, said the Super Junior Super Show 3 here will follow the recent one held in Seoul as closely as possible, down to the stage design.
The popular group is known for its hit songs like Sorry, Sorry and Bonamana.
The group currently has 13 members but only 10 will perform at the concert. The other three are currently out of action as one is in national service, one is pursuing an acting career, and one is considering leaving the group.
But despite its high production cost, the concert, which will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Jan 29, will not mean sky-high ticket prices for fans.
Tickets, which will be on sale via Sistic from November, will not exceed $300, said Mr Ang.
A major highlight of the concert is the huge stage, which The New Paper understands will cost more than US$500,000 (S$679,000) to set up.
Mr Mac Chan, 40, project director for the concert, said the stage will have a unique design.
He was in Seoul to view the Super Show 3 on Aug 15.
‘The usual concert stage allows only the audience in front to get close to the performers,’ he said.
‘But with Super Show 3, the stage will have runways leading out to form a circle.’
He added that there will be four standing mosh pits within the circle, a second stage in the centre and three raised platforms.
Mr Chan, who was the lighting director for the last two National Day Parades, said that the huge stage set-up will allow the 10 band members to appear at different locations during the show.
So far yet so close
This means even those seated at the back will be able to get up close and personal with their idols.
Miss Cheryl Han, in her 20s, a publicist for Fly Entertainment, agreed. She was at the Seoul concert too and sat in the upper section.
‘In some concerts, you see only a small shadow of the performer but not with Super Junior. No matter where you sit, the boys come very close to you,’ she said.
‘They even ‘flew’ to (the audience sitting at the back) while wearing wire harnesses and threw confetti at the audience.
‘If you are seated at the right spot, you can probably even touch them if you jump up.’
Miss Han added that the band members also appeared on raised wheeled platforms and were pushed along the aisles to get closer to the fans.
But whether the group will do the same stunts during its Singapore concert depends on whether it will be approved by the authorities here, said Mr Chan.
While the production team wants the stage in Singapore to be exactly the same as the one in Seoul, they have met with an obstacle.
The Singapore Indoor Stadium is rectangular while the Seoul concert venue is a perfect circle.
The former is also slightly smaller.
Mr Chan added: ‘The Korean venue allowed the concert organisers to remove some of the seats to create the stage extensions, but we are not sure yet if this is possible with the Singapore Indoor Stadium.’
Super Junior supporter Miss Nor Hidayah Mohd Idris, 23, an editorial assistant, told The New Paper that she’s very excited about the impending concert.
A fan for slightly more than a year, Miss Nor Hidayah has even travelled to Kuala Lumpur to watch the group’s Super Show 2 in March. She spent about $500 in total.
When she was in Korea for a holiday in May, she made a trip to a radio station in Seoul to watch two Super Junior members record their radio show.
She also went to the group’s music showcase here in June.
For the concert in January, she said she’s willing to pay up to $250 for a ticket.
‘I went on fan forums and blogs to view photos taken at the Super Show 3 (in Korea),’ she said.
‘It seems fun because it’s interactive. The large stage is very good because they can interact with fans seated in different areas.
‘But it also means that the members will be scattered and you won’t get to see some members as often than if the stage is smaller.’
Superstars, super expensive
FORKING out at least $1.5 million to stage the Super Junior concert here seems like a huge risk.
Especially since concert organiser Running Into The Sun is a new kid on the block. The company, which has its beginnings as a special projects unit in Irene Ang’s Fly Entertainment, was formed officially in July last year .
But Fly’s chief marketing officer Terence Ang said they wanted to show that the company was able to handle a big-scale concert.
He added: ‘There were initial concerns about the cost. But after we did the Super Junior showcase in June, we knew what kind of fans the group has and we are assured that we can bring in the concert.’
The Super Junior Galaxy Showcase, presented by Samsung and SingTel in June, gave away tickets with every purchase of a mobile phone. All 2,000 tickets were snapped up within hours, Mr Ang said.
He added that ticket-holders also queued 37 hours at the showcase venue so they could get the best spot at the free-standing event.
This is not the first concert organised by Running Into The Sun. It had previously organised the Swing Out Sister concert at East Coast Park last December, attended by about 1,000 people.
And as the special project unit in Fly, it had also organised shows such as the annual Vlee Conference, a stand-up comedy show which has been running since 2007.
Mr Ang said the Super Show 3 has already attracted more than five ‘big sponsors’, including a telecommunications company, a beverage company and a bank.
The $1.5 million bill does not include accommodation and food for the Korean entourage of 80, made up of artistes, dancers, designers, engineers, production crew, administrative staff, producers and security.
The hefty price tag has put Super Junior in the same league as big names like Hong Kong’s Aaron Kwok, Taiwan’s Jay Chou, Korea’s Rain and British band Muse.
Director of Scorpio East Productions Adeline Low, in her late 30s, told The New Paper that Chou’s recent The Era 2010 World Tour in July had cost more than $2 million.
The sum included concert production costs, advertising and promotions, air tickets, accommodation and food.
Aaron Kwok’s De Show Reel concert in May last year cost more than $1 million, she added.
Scorpio East Productions had organised both concerts.
When Rain came
Another concert that chalked up a bill of $2million was Rain’s Coming World Tour brought here by Unusual Entertainment in January 2007. Ms Koh San Chin, 32, marketing manager of Unusual Entertainment, said it was one of the most expensive concerts the company has organised.
She added: ‘It was mainly because production costs were high. There were six cargo containers of props, lots of pyrotechnics and special effects.
‘For example, it ‘rained’ for the first time in the Singapore Indoor Stadium, and there was a conveyor belt.
‘There was also a 110-member crew who all stayed in the same six-star hotel.’
The founder of LAMC Productions Lauretta Alabons, who declined to reveal her age, told us that the Muse concert which her company had organised in February this year had cost more than $1.5 million.
But she declined to reveal more details.
The NewPaper
SEX SCENES TOO DISTRACTING?
SEX SCENES TOO DISTRACTING?
S’pore’s ‘most erotic movie’ premieres to mixed reception
By Tan Kee Yun
August 28, 2010
AFTER two months of hype and fuss, selected members of the public finally got to watch Hush in its entirety.
PREMIERE: Director Jeremiah Oh (with cap) with guests at the gala premier of his short film Hush on Tuesday night. A still from the movie.
PICTURE: TIER PRODUCTIONS
Touted by its film-makers as “the most erotic movie ever made in Singapore”, the 20-minute local short film was screened for the first time on Tuesday night at Filmgarde Bugis Illuma.
The 248-seat theatre was packed. The premiere was an invitation- only event and the audience was made up mainly of film industry types, celebrities as well as journalists.
Hush, directed by Singaporean Jeremiah Oh, created waves in June when a Facebook page was set up to publicise the film.
Oh had highlighted that the movie features several scenes of sexual activity, including a brief full-frontal shot of one of its actresses.
It also appeared to break new ground by being promoted as the first local film to depict group sex.
Hush, which passed uncut with a R21 rating in July, is about a dysfunctional family whose members hide dark secrets from one another.
It stars local actresses Evelyn Maria Ng, Natalie Faye and Canadian-Chinese actor Darren E Scott.
Trailer
After the gala premiere, Hush will be screened in September at Sinema Old School.
Before that, a minute-long trailer was available on YouTube, although it had been edited such that all the nude scenes were cut.
So did Hush live up to its hype? The overall reception seemed to be mixed.
Some, like Mr Richard Ho, a music production manager in his 40s, did not bother to hide his disappointment.
“It certainly lived up to its marketing tagline (“the most erotic local film”), but aside from that, I feel that it lacks substance,” he said.
“The storyline wasn’t very clear, I don’t get the message the director was trying to convey with the nudity and bed scenes.
“Personally, I feel the film’s just trying to be provocative.
Well, it did succeed in provoking our senses.”
Echoing Mr Ho’s sentiments was Mr Zac Koh, 23, a movie buff who had recently completed his national service.
He found “some of the sex scenes too distracting”.
“I think the director tried to say too much in 20 minutes. As a result, the sex scenes failed to add much (value) to the film,” said Mr Koh.
Local TV actor Paul Foster, 29, one of a handful of entertainers spotted at the gala premiere, disagreed.
He said he felt it “conveyed a good story” and “took the level of local film-making up a notch”.
“It’s extremely raunchy, more so than anything we’ve seen so far in Singapore,” he said.
“I must say that the cast did a great job with the bed scenes.
“It must have been difficult to shoot those at first, what with the camera crew around. They were really convincing.
“Given the chance, I might consider doing a film like that, as it’s challenging and pushes you as an actor.”
Cinematography
Freelance artiste Mr Jae Leung, 25, felt the cinematography deserved praise.
Former Singapore Idol finalist-turned-actress Maia Lee, 27, felt that while Hush was “definitely something new for the local film industry”, the risque factor fell a little short of her expectations.
At the premiere, director Oh also revealed the trailer of his debut feature film, the horror-themed Mea Culpa (latin for “My Mistake”), which is currently in the midst of production and slated to go on screens in 2012.
He told The New Paper that he plans to package Hush together with Mea Culpa for commercial release then.
The NewPaper
Now Showing… AT THE DRIVE-IN
Now showing… AT THE DRIVE-IN
Drive-in cinema is making a small comeback, even if shows are screened in a cemetery
March 15, 2010
IT was a Saturday night movie date with a twist for Mr Praveen Thomas, 34, and his wife.
Without telling his 30-year-old wife Smitha Thomas, a software engineer, where they were going, Mr Thomas whisked her off to watch a horror movie.
In a cemetery, no less.
And the couple didn’t have to get out of their car the whole time.
Mr Thomas, a project manager in an investment bank, is among a growing number of Singaporeans who are falling in love with watching movies the old-school way – at a drive-in.
He said: ‘This is the first time I’m watching a movie at a drive-in, and I’m very impressed with the whole set-up.
‘The weather was very pleasant and windy.’
The one they attended last Saturday, organised by design and advertising agency Ape Communications, attracted over 140 cars.
Called Movie Mob, the fortnightly roving screenings can draw up to 200 cars each time, said Mr Mikhail Choo, director of Ape Communications.
He said: ‘We got the idea from watching American movies that featured drive-in movies, and we thought, if they can have it there, why not have it here in Singapore too?’
The concept for Movie Mob is simple.
Come by car or on foot to enjoy a movie out in the open.
All that is required is an FM radio to tune in to the movie’s audio.
Movie Mob, which has been held since July last year, happens every fortnight at different locations around Singapore.
Enjoy the flick in the breeze
The location of the screening remains secret until three days before the event.
One has to sign up on Movie Mob’s website or join its Facebook group to be notified on where the next movie will be screened.
Some of the venues for the drive-ins include Tanjong Rhu and Marina South.
The venues have to be accessible and situated away from residential areas, said organisers.
The movies are screened on an inflatable screen – 15m wide by 8m tall – sponsored by Epson.
A week before the screening, a theme will be chosen by the organisers.
But viewers get to vote which movie will ultimately be screened. They get to choose from four movies.
The theme for last Saturday’s drive-in was horror. The movie that received the most votes was the thriller Stay Alive.
To add to the spook factor, the drive-in was held at the now-defunct Bidadari cemetery along Upper Serangoon Road.
It was the second time Movie Mob had screened a movie there.
‘The last time we organised a screening here was during Halloween last year. But it was raining so heavily that we had to cancel the event and turn the cars away,’ said Mr Choo.
On Saturday, however,the clear skies made it perfect for an outdoor movie.
When The New Paper on Sunday arrived at the site at 6.30pm, the front row nearest to the screen was already fully occupied by cars.
In front of the inflatable screen, viewers were spreading out their mats.
Mr Wilson Chua, 40, who works in sales, his wife and two daughters were among those who were making themselves comfortable on the mats the organisers provided.
Regulars at the Movie Mob drive-ins, they arrived armed with pillows, snacks and drinks. To get a good view of the screen from their car, Mr Spencer Seah, 27, an IT advisor and his girlfriend, Miss Jolene Heng, in her 20s, drove in an hour earlier. It was their second time attending Movie Mob’s drive-in.
‘The voting system is good. It gives us a chance to vote for what we want to see instead of them just choosing a movie for us,’ said Miss Heng, an auditor.
Most said the idea of a drive-in was novel, and the fact that there was no entry fee was a bonus.
Indeed, the slogan for Movie Mob’s Facebook group was ‘The best things in life are (often) free’.
And its organisers are happy for it to stay that way.
‘We started it as a fun and casual thing to be enjoyed by everyone. We also would not want to charge a fee and be held liable if the event falls through,’ explained Mr Choo.
He said that organising the event costs between $20,000 and $30,000, and is sponsored by companies such as Nissan and Epson.
The organisers had to stop screening movies in November and December last year because of the monsoon season.
Drive-ins started again only in January this year.
Approximately 140 cars turned up for last Saturday’s session, but Mr Caine Teo, one of Movie Mob’s organisers, had expected more.
‘It might be because we are screening a horror movie which is not so audience friendly.’ he said.
‘We’ll probably stick to blockbusters next time.’
Woo Sian Boon, newsroom intern
Unfeasible, unprofitable
WHEN the Jurong Drive-In opened here in 1971, it was the first of its kind in Singapore and Malaysia.
Spread over an area the size of about eight football fields, it was equipped with 899 speaker stands and could accommodate up to 900 cars and 300 walk-in patrons.
Jurong Drive-In was closed in 1985 due to dwindling attendance.
Today, even though drive-in movies like the ones organised by Ape Communications have been seeing a revival in attendance, there are no plans for two local cinema exhibitors, Golden Village and Cathay Cineplexes, to set up another drive-in like the one in Jurong.
A spokesman for Cathay Cineplexes, which had managed the Jurong Drive-In, said the amount of logistics involved in such a set-up makes it an unfeasible project.
However, it may organise open-air movies as a one-time event during Cathay’s 75th Anniversary later this year.
While Mr David Glass, Managing Director of Golden Village Multiplex Singapore, thinks that drive-ins are ‘a fantastic idea’, they too have no plans to set up a drive-in cinema here.
‘We would enjoy far greater financial yields by building office blocks, apartments or shopping centres than we would from running a dedicated drive-in cinema. Due to high land costs, it just does not make financial sense,’ Mr Glass explained.
The NewPaper
3-D ON THE RED CARPET
Oscars 2010
3-D ON THE RED CARPET
Special eyeglasses not required
By Germaine Lim
March 10, 2010
WE DEFINITELY see them.
GOING GAGA: They wear similar gowns, but Amanda Seyfried is trumped by Jennifer Lopez.
Avatar may have lost Best Picture to The Hurt Locker.
But the 3-D sci-fi blockbuster evidently made an impact at the Oscars, the mother of all fashion runways.
Most actresses stuck with being pretty (read: unmemorable), choosing the usual frills, nudes, sparklies and slinky dresses.
But flat 2-D is so last year.
So you have to give it to these bold fashionistas for delivering drama in three-dimensional architectural gowns, whether it was an intentional homage to Avatar or not.
Leading the pack is none other than Avatar’s leading lady, Zoe Saldana. In a not-so-subtle nod to her film, the 32-year-old wore a frothy Givenchy lavender gown.
She told the Los Angeles Times: ‘The moment I saw it, I just thought it was so beautiful. I thought it was going to embody everything I’ve gone through, that I’ve experienced with this whole Avatar journey.’
GOING GAGA: They wear similar gowns, but Amanda Seyfried is trumped by Jennifer Lopez.
The gold-sequinned bodice provided the necessary glitz, and the ombre skirt with purple pom-poms added feminine oomph.
While Saldana said walking the red carpet was ‘easy breezy’, she was extremely careful as she walked down the steps on centre stage, where she presented two short film awards with Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan.
It was also refreshing to see Best Supporting Actress nominee Vera Farmiga, 37, in a dramatic burst of colour and ‘ginormous’ ruffles.
The Up In The Air star was stunning in an asymmetrical magenta Marchesa gown with an elaborate swirl of accordion-pleat detailing.
Farmiga, whom style watchers have already named best dressed for the night, said on the red carpet: ‘This dress reminded me of a pink peony in bloom. I’m so sick of winter.’
GOING NA’VI: Zoe Saldana takes her cue from her 3-D blockbuster, Avatar.
Presenters Jennifer Lopez and Amanda Seyfried channelled Lady Gaga at the Grammys red carpet with their celestial-inspired Armani Prive ball gowns.
Sorry Seyfried, but Lopez wins this round. The 41-year-old told MTV the key to a good Oscar dress is ‘you have to feel good in it’.
She glowed in her iridescent pink sculpted dress with a front slit, a crescent-shaped bustier and a cascading side train accented by Swarovski rock crystals.
Dear John actress Seyfried, 25, chose a less dramatic pale green version, which was also encrusted with Swarovski crystals.
SCULPTED BEAUTIES: Charlize Theron raises eyebrows with strategically placed rosettes.
PICTURES: REUTERS, AFP, AP
But backstage, both needed pit stops for hurried repairs to torn fabric, reported USA Today.
But presenter Charlize Theron, 35, risked the most with an amethyst gown from Dior by John Galliano.
We’re not sure about the pop-up rosettes strategically placed across her chest. Then again, she definitely wins the award for keeping, ahem, abreast with the 3-D trend.
The NewPaper