Star Gazing

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista. Today, TODAY ran a story about the wonderfully enigmatic Rui En. Here, thanks to Showbiz Sista’s new little helper, Kat, we provide you with undisputable video footage that the Rui En does, indeed, exist.

Okay, that was a funny (”That’s a matter of opinion!” cry dozens of humourless Showbiz Sista followers). Rui En shares with us what she thinks is funny; her thoughts on her role in Happy Family, in which she plays a cute lil’ Chinatown girl who lives with her adoptive grandfather; about her fans; and about being a serious actress.

Catch Happy Family on weeknights at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.

Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista. Are you an aspiring actor? Do you have dreams of making it big in showbiz? Maybe the people around you are telling you it’s a rotten idea. Maybe you’re simply trudging along on the highways and byways of life. Well, some of our successful local actors have words of advice for you.

Recently, in an interview for The Pupil, in which he currently stars, veteran actor Lim Kay Tong told TODAY that when he was a young laddie making a career choice, his father wanted him to study law. But Kay Tong followed his heart and applied to study drama and English Literature at a local university instead. That’s not the end of the story, though.

“I got a place at our university, so I told my father, ‘I hope you don’t get angry’”, Kay Tong told Showbiz Sista. “And he wasn’t. He just said, ‘Well, if you have a passion for it, you should do it, but my advice is not to be ever disappointed in your choice.’ Because he said from what he’d read over the years, actors can become very bitter people. So he said, ‘Don’t ever be bitter.’ And I think it’s the wisest thing he ever said to me, because I’ve worked with a lot of well-known character actors over the years in England and America and Australia, and one thing that did strike me, especially with the better-known ones, was that there was something naggingly unhappy about them. They had been in the business for many years; they’d worked with many famous people. It was a very prescient thing for my father to say… I think in retrospect it’s fortunate I didn’t become a lawyer, because I’m enjoying what I’m doing.”

Andrea De Cruz, who will star in the upcoming second season of Unexpected Access on Channel 5, shared that she received some really good advice, too. “You have to be hardworking,” she said simply. “You basically have to put everything you’ve got into it, because it takes a whole lot of hard work. And probably that’s the best advice I’ve ever received. One more thing is to go at it when you are young. Then you have many years to hone your skills!”

So there you have it: Do that thing that you’re good at and do it with gusto! Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn! 

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista. So, the news is out that Adrian Pang, one of our favourite actors, is officially leaving MediaCorp. He’s decided not to renew his contract, which ends in March, in favour of running his new theatre company, Pangdemonium!, which he recently set up with his wife, theatre director Tracie.

It’s bad news for us television stargazers, because it means we’ll be seeing less of Adrian. He’s headlined many Channel 5 shows, and added comedy to many Channel 8 shows. But the good news is, we will still be seeing him. He told TODAY that he is still open to working with MediaCorp in the future. And he’ll be in the upcoming Channel 8 drama I’m With You. In the meantime, Showbiz Sista suggests you enjoy all the Adrian you can while he’s still on air in The Pupil on Channel 5 and New City Beat on Channel 8.

“I wish him all the best in his future plans,” said Gurmit, Adrian’s City Beat co-star. “Given his ginormous talents, I’m sure his plans will succeed. I’m sure he and I will cross paths and have a chance to work together again.”

Michelle Chia, who co-starred with Adrian in the recently concluded Channel 5 series Polo Boys, told Showbiz Sista, “I’m actually not so surprised that he decided to put more time into theatre, because that’s his passion. Although I’ll really miss working with him—he’s one of the best hosting buddies, we’ve come a looooong way—I’m still very happy for him that he can pursue what he enjoys so much and is so good at. All the best to him, and hopefully we’ll still get the chance to be put together for future hosting jobs.”

Let’s take an Adrian retrospective through our blog and Adrian’s MediaCorp Career. It’s Adrian: The Best Bits.

Some of Adrian’s best bits are his biceps, which we got to ogle in Polo Boys.

Adrian cut a stunning figure in a brassiere in Nanny Daddy.

He was a very convincing blind lawyer in Red Thread. Now, he plays a sighted lawyer in The Pupil.

Adrian makes a commendable attempt to be “zany” and “wacky” in New City Beat.

Commented 50-year-old housewife Violet Chen, “He’s a good actor. Even though his Mandarin isn’t very good, he’s very funny. He was great in that show where he had a secret crush on Xiang Yun (Portrait of Home). I’d rather watch him than any of the young actors that dominate Channel 8 these days.”

It was all fishballs, weirdness and a challenging Mandarin script in Portrait of Home.

What are your favourite Adrian moments? Leave a comment and let us know! Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!

Tags: Adrian Pang, Gurmit Singh, MediaCorp, Michelle Chia, Showbiz Sista

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, partaking of a splendiferous luncheon hosted by the very masterful Guo Liang.

No, the Channel 8 veteran didn’t make the lunch himself—“I’ve never found cooking interesting,” he said—it was held at Crystal Jade Golden Palace. But it was meant to give us a taste of some of the legendary dishes that Guo Liang went to China, Korea and Taiwan in search of.

Legendary Cuisines, coming to your screen next Wednesday, is no ordinary food-and-travel show. “Through the personal discovery of the host, Legendary Cuisines will unearth the various types of cuisines described in famous Chinese literary masterpieces,” said the press release. Wowee! These aren’t just any famous dishes. These are made-up famous dishes!

In the show, Guo Liang seeks the answers to questions such as, “In Return of the Condor Heroes, why did Hong Qigong agree to pass on his unequalled kungfu skills to Guo Jing just so he could dig into Huang Rong’s ‘Beggar’s Chicken’?” and “In Dream of the Red Chamber, what was unique about the delicacies Grand Dame Liu found in the Grand View Garden?” In other words, what’s so darn good about all this food that we’ve only read about but never tasted? Could we make it with real ingredients?

The answer’s yes of course. Guo Liang finds classic dishes that are no longer widespread, only found in remote little eateries, or have evolved through the ages. Why have some of these dishes fallen into obscurity? “It was too decadent,” said Guo Liang. “Some of the dishes described in Dream of the Red Chamber are too expensive to produce and to consume.”

Showbiz Sista wasn’t really paying attention, though, because the distracting scent of sesame oil had started to waft into the room. It was Beggar’s Chicken.

“Dream of the Red Chamber and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are some of my favourite books,” Guo Liang said. “When I was in school, all the boys were always drawing pictures of the generals in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It wasn’t until I was in university that I read Dream of the Red Chamber, because I thought it was too slow and complicated. As a child, you skipped over a lot of the descriptions and tried to read it for the story—but the story was boring! This time, the producers made copies for me so I could refresh my memory.”

The next course was a braised duck stuffed with glutinous rice, mushrooms, chestnuts, and lotus seeds.

“I love to eat. What’s worse, I love noodles and sweets. It’s very painful,” said Guo Liang with a laugh. Well, he still manages to keep his figure, so what’s he complaining about? Certainly not this very lovely piece of Dongpo pork belly.

Or this tiny pan-fried Shanghai minced meat bun, known to the initiated as the very delicious shengjian bao.

“The difficult thing about hosting a food programme is describing the food,” said Guo Liang. “How do you bring out the differences between two steamed fish? You can’t say it doesn’t taste fresh! You can ‘Mmm’ and ‘Wow’, but the audience won’t know what you’re talking about. When food hosts try to describe the taste, it’s always very general, and 90 percent of it is about the dish’s appearance. It’s been done too many times! It’s a pity there’s no specific, rich language for describing food. I’d like to invent one.” How true—Showbiz Sista looks forward to the publication of the Oxford Guo Liang Food Dictionary.

In the meantime, catch Legendary Cusines starting next Wednesday (Jan 20) at 8pm on MediaCorp TV Channel U. Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!

Tags: Channel U, Guo Liang, Legendary Cuisines, Showbiz Sista

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, telling you what’s cooking. It’s Ann Kok in a Channel U Feature Film, Cooking Without Clothes.

Ooh, what a suggestive title. The film, directed by Growing Up’s scriptwriter, is about Jeff (played by Taiwanese actor Joseph Chang Hsiao Chuan), who quits his job as an engineer in pursuit of his dream to be a professional chef in the face of his father’s violent objection. He’s discovered by a TV producer (here’s where Ann comes in), who turns him into an up-and-coming celebrity chef. They hate each other at first, but then the requisite sparks fly. Steamy.

How do you know that this is going to be a top-notch film? Said Ann about her attitude to the project, “I thought it was something that might take me to other countries and international film fests. So I think this is a very good opportunity.”

Yes, chefs are all the rage at the moment—and naked chefs are even better, as Jamie Oliver has shown us. “I think men who cook have charm,” said Ann. Are you listening, Dai Yang Tian? You’d better watch out, because Joseph, Ann’s co-star, does cook. “I help my mother with the cooking,” he said humbly. And a filial son, too! “He’s like an overgrown boy,” said Joseph of his character, “Quite similar to me.”

So, does Ann herself cook? “I can cook simple dishes. I can do ABC soup and braised meat,” she said with a smile, also revealing that she’s cooked for a boyfriend. All right, but has she ever cooked without clothes on? “No! I think it’s an offense if somebody in the block opposite sees you!”

What a law-abiding citizen Ann is. What cooking advice can she give us, then? “You can’t just follow the recipe step by step,” she said. “You have to put a little love into whatever you do.” Again, Dai Yang Tian, look sharp!

Catch Cooking Without Clothes on Sunday (Jan 3) at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel U.

Tags: Ann Kok, Channel U, Cooking Without Clothes, Dai Yang Tian, Joseph Chang, Showbiz Sista

Season’s Greetings and Santa’s Salutations! It’s not Phin Wong (I just had to use his password to log in!). Nope, Denise Tan (host of The Gold Breakfast Show on Gold 90.5FM) here with a guest post on Showbiz Sista’s little blog.

What a year it has been! I don’t know about you, but I have been thoroughly entertained by the antics of Hollywood’s hooligans and Tinseltown’s tyrants. Singapore even had her fair share of shenanigans, so much so that I feel a song coming on!

And in the spirit of the holiday season, here’s a very special Christmas sing-a-long!  Let’s make beautiful music together as we look back on a year full of bills, thrills and entertaining spills!

Celebrity, Celebrity
(Sung to the tune of Oh, Christmas Tree)

Celebrity, Celebrity
I’d really like to thank thee
Celebrity, Celebrity
This year’s been fun, you would agree
Let’s look back with much fond regard
And give the stars their report card
Celebrity, Celebrity
You fill us all with utter glee!

Celebrity, Celebrity
You really entertain me
Celebrity, Celebrity
Playground for paparazzi
From Britney’s lip-synched Circus tour
To Paris Hilton’s man du jour
Celebrity, Celebrity
There’s still so much more we can see

Celebrity, Celebrity
These people behaved badly
Celebrity, Celebrity
Fame sure can get real ugly
From Christian Bale’s crazed on-set rants
To Kanye’s anti-Taylor stance
Celebrity, Celebrity
Your name rhymes with insanity!

Celebrity, Celebrity
These couples needed therapy
Celebrity, Celebrity
They aired their dirty laundry
Jon & Kate’s love turned to hate
The Rihanna-Chris Brown great debate
Celebrity, Celebrity
Oh, how we love skullduggery!

Celebrity, Celebrity
Folks dressed up like it’s Halloween
Celebrity, Celebrity
Have they had way too much caffeine?
From Katy Perry’s fashion sense
To Lady Gaga with no pants
Celebrity, Celebrity
Clothes bordering on the obscene

Celebrity, Celebrity
Before Hollywood starts to bore
Celebrity, Celebrity
Let’s take a look at Singapore
From leopard preentz (eh, why not cow?)
Who can forget that boomz Ris Low?
Celebrity, Celebrity
Tabloid-tasty to the core!

Celebrity, Celebrity
Our little red dot fame it found
Celebrity, Celebrity
The APEC Summit came to town
But some were not quite as happy
Like empty shops in Suntec City
Celebrity, Celebrity
Some big events can bring us down

Celebrity, Celebrity
Politicians are so sexy
Celebrity, Celebrity
In Wykidd Song’s designery
Barack Obama, Hu Jin Tao
Made all the rest of us go, “Wow!”
Celebrity, Celebrity
Delegates’ fashion finery

Celebrity, Celebrity
The world’s very first night race
Celebrity, Celebrity
Gave Singapore a lot of face
Beyonce and the Black Eyed Peas
Brought our nation to its knees
Celebrity, Celebrity
But ticket prices were a disgrace

Celebrity, Celebrity
I think our singing’s done now
Celebrity, Celebrity
Let’s finish with a great big “Pow!”
So through the hols away we plough
And toast to Susan Boyle’s monobrow
Celebrity, Celebrity
Well done, go on, do take a bow!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Here’s to waking up hangover-free to a New Year just as eventful and entertaining as 2009 has been! Oh, and happy singing, you lovely Star Gazers!

Tags: 2009 wrap up, celebrity, Stargazing

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, bringing you the music and lyrics to accompany the Beat. The New City Beat, that is. The popular variety show from the ‘90’s starring Bryan Wong, Kym Ng, Sharon Au, and Lina Ng has been brought back from the dead, and its new incarnation stars Bryan, Kym, and—surprise, surprise—Adrian Pang and Gurmit Singh.

The four play a motley crew of “A-Class Calefares”—the best extras in the business—hoping to make it big in the entertainment industry. Adrian plays a dude who thinks he looks good blinged up in hip hop gear; Gurmit plays an action specialist who has no speaking roles (yes, that’s how Gurmit gets away with being in a Chinese-language show); Bryan plays an effeminate Beng; and Kym plays mutton dressed as lamb.

“I’m a 40-something-year-old woman trying to act 16. I’m an extra hoping I can have a kissing scene with Elvin Ng or Nat Ho,” Kym said. “It’s exciting that Gurmit and Adrian are joining us, because they’re great actors. I’m looking forward to seeing the new ideas, the new chemistry.”

“There were rumours, they were unconfirmed for a long time, and now here I am!” said Adrian, who’s never seen the original City Beat and is pretty much wandering into this with his eyes shut. “I have no clue!” he told Showbiz Sista. “I’m just plunging into it fresh.” So, how confident is he? “Not at all! Not in Chinese! It’s quite dangerous. I don’t know what might come out of my mouth!”

Yes, it’s not a job for the faint of heart and the weak in Chinese, especially next to motormouths Bryan and Kym. “I wish they’d give me the strong silent type,” Adrian lamented. “Gurmit, the @#%^*$#, is getting away with being the action man. He doesn’t need to talk very much. Whereas I am supposed to be the leader of the gang. I’ll try and get away with as many hand gestures and as little talking as possible. But we shall see!”

How does he feel about his getup? “I have to admit I quite like my accessories, personally, but this is a bit garish even for me. I haven’t worn this kind of pants for a long, long time. MC Hammer pants. I don’t even know if the kids these days are even wearing these any more, with the advent of skinny jeans. Even hip hop culture, I think, has evolved into more of a streamlined look. You don’t see Kanye West wearing this any more!”

Bryan feels rather the same. “This is so shingz!” he exclaimed the moment he stepped out in costume, revealing an apparent obsession with Ris Low. “This character is a campy beng. Lots of tossing of the hair. Once upon a time I did go for watches that were white with loud faces, but not now—definitely not sleeveless tops like these,” he told Showbiz Sista. “Fortunately it’s not in an animal preens.”

How does he feel to be reprising his role in City Beat? “Weird! It’s just like making a trip back towards the puberty stage. When I heard this was coming back, my initial reaction was fear. I wasn’t that enthusiastic because it’s really weird to go back and do something you did 13 years ago. But then, the theme song started replaying in my head. This morning I was still a little stiff, feeling like an outsider looking in, but when I put on this yellow thing, somehow or other, I started to adopt this other personality. When the wig was up, I was, like, ‘All right! I’m ready! I’m just gonna boomz!’ I think I’ll have to start conjuring up some catchphrases. But I’m not going to use boomz and shingz because that would really shingz.”

He does have a handy turn of phrase, doesn’t he? Catch New City Beat starting Dec 25, Fridays at 8pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.

Tags: Adrian Pang, Bryan Wong, Channel 8, City Beat, Gurmit Singh, Kym Ng, New City Beat, Showbiz Sista

OMG! We’re still reeling from the news on the ‘Net that Brittany Murphy, best known for her roles in movies like Clueless, Just Married, Sin City, 8 Mile, Happy Feet (she voiced Gloria ), Ramen Girl and TV’s King Of The Hill (she voiced Luanne), has passed on.

Yes, sadly, this actress is no more, she has ceased to be. She was found unconscious in the shower by her mum at her West Hollywood home on Sunday morning, reported TMZ. According to reports, a spokesperson for Cedars Sinai Medical Center said that Murphy died at 10.04am (1.04am Singapore time). Cause of death “appears to be natural”.

Murphy was married to British writer-director Simon Monjack, who apparently told hospital staff he did not want an autopsy performed on his deceased wife. See, this is where it gets interesting. Why not? It’s natural causes. Or is it? Perhaps being dead at 32 is not so natural. But perhaps there are many people aged 32 who have died naturally. What do I know?

However, the LA County Coroner’s will reportedly launch an investigation into her death. The actress’s rep, Nicole Perna, confirmed the news, releasing a statement that said: “In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy.”

OK, no more slagging from me. It’s sad to see someone go like that though. According to IMDB, she has three movies in post-production. So we’ll be looking forward to that.  

Meanwhile, on that popular site called Twitter, stars chimed in with their thoughts.

Ashton Kutcher: “see you on the other side kid … 2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon.”

Jessica Simpson: “Brittany Murphy was an incredible ray of Light to so many people. Her smile was contagious. My prayers are with her family and loved ones.”

Lindsay Lohan: “My deepest condonlences go out to all of Brittany Murphy’s loved ones& may she rest in peace….She was a great talent w/a beautiful soul xo”

Eliza Dushku: “My heart aches having just learned of Brittany Murphy’s death. We were friends time-to-time thru the yrs. I always admired her pure spirit.”

Simon Pegg: “Just heard about Brittany Murphy. How very sad. Met her briefly after Sin City. Seemed a great girl. My sympathy to her friends and family.

Kevin Smith: “Never met her, but sad to hear about Brittany Murhpy. G’night, Ms. Murphy; hope you’re rollin’ with the homies someplace nice.”"

Kat Dennings: “R.I.P Brittany Murphy…this is so awful”

Alyssa Milano: “Brittney Murphy and I did a USO Tour together in 2003. ? She was a sweet soul, with a lot of talent and heart.”

Brandy: “OMG!!!!!! I feel terrible about Britney Murphy  I really love her work… Whats up with 2009 man? R.I.P. -My prayers go out to her family.”

Melissa Joan Hart: “I’m so sad to hear of the passing of a peer of mine! RIP Brittany Murphy! We will miss you and all the talent you shared!

Josh Groban: “Hollywood loses another bright soul….how many more? A decade of decadence and devastation. Time to wake up.”

Fred Durst: “RIP Brittany Murphy. What a sweet human being. My prayers are with her friends and family.”

Tags: 8 Mile, Alyssa Milano, Ashton Kutcher, Brandy, Brittany Murphy, Clueless, Eliza Dushku, Fred Durst, Happy Feet, Jessica Simpson, Josh Groban, Just Married, Kat Dennings, Kevin Smith, King Of The Hill, Lindsay Lohan, Melissa Joan Hart, Ramen Girl, Simon Pegg, Sin City, TMZ

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, with some happy television news over the holiday season. Channel U will be airing a series of very promising-looking telemovies guaranteed to foster a spirit of family togetherness, tug at your heartstrings and motivate you to cherish the ones you love.

This Sunday, catch The Will, a black comedy about two brothers fighting over the millions they are about to inherit from their recently deceased father’s will—only to discover that they have an unknown half-sibling. Greed and evil thoughts start to brew in the brothers’ heads—but then they discover a surprising fact about their sibling. Ah Bu and Johnny Lu star as the money-grubbing brothers, while Michelle Chong takes a turn as Ah Bu’s comically shrewish estranged wife—with very big hair.

“People say it looks like a poodle’s haircut, but I think I look like Rainie Yang!” quipped Michelle. It’s good that she’s upbeat, because the poor girl suffers a lot of abuse in the film. “I get scolded, splashed by water and slapped!” she complained.

“It’s black humour, so there are a lot of dream sequences,” said Ah Bu. “We imagine stuff like putting poison in our sibling’s soup!” As for Johnny, besides starring in Sayang Sayang, he’s also been in idol dramas in Taiwan, too. Betcha didn’t know that. “People don’t know if I can speak Chinese,” Johnny said. “Maybe they’ll get a shock seeing this!”

Next Sunday (Dec 27, 9.30pm), catch The Promise, which stars Lin Mei Jiao, Julie Tan, first runner-up of the 2009 New Paper New Face competition, and Lawrence Wong, the face of ads like McDonald’s commercials.

It’s about Shan Shan (played by Julie), a 19-year-old girl born with mild intellectual disability to a fiercely protective single mother (Mei Jiao, of course). To prevent her from getting taken advantage of, her mother devises a “sunflower pact”: Only a boy who can fulfil the conditions will be allowed to date Shan Shan with her mother’s blessing. Cue the appearance of Wen Yuan, a teenaged slacker who is drawn to Shan Shan. Could he be the one?

“I play a noble mother,” said Mei Jiao. “It’s a bit like playing myself! My daughter is about the same age as Judy, so I felt quite close to her. There was a mother-daughter kind of feeling.”

“It’s a very challenging role,” said Lawrence about playing Wen Yuan. “I’m 27 and this role is that of a 19-year-old. I had to rediscover those teen emotions.” “The film encourages society to give these people a chance,” added Mei Jiao.

On Jan 3, it’ll be Cooking Without Clothes—more on Ann Kok and her culinary skills later! Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!

Catch The Will on Sunday (Dec 20) at 9.30pm on MediaCorp TV Channel U.

AND so it has come to pass that Princess Fiona has gone off to distant lands with her prince charming. (Okay, not that distant, but you won’t see her hanging out at Upper Thomson all that often now.)

We’ll miss her, not only because she not unpleasant to look at, but also because she gives really interesting one liners (”I used to be a man,” she once joked) often with her tongue firmly planted in cheek. (Her own cheek, not ours – although admittedly, we won’t mind…)

So, in keeping with the “look back” wave of nostalgia we’re all feeling, here’s a look back at Fiona Xie, taken from the photo archives of Today. It’s a little retrospective we like to call Fiona: A Retrospective, Or Just Another Shameless Reason To Run Some Photos Of Fiona.

Taken in 2008 during the interview for Rule #1. When asked where she’d like to pose, she immediately suggested jumping into the fountain at Clarke Quay and proceeded to do so. We didn’t argue.

Who can forget this image of Fiona busting a move down Orchard Road?

Talk about a fairground attraction. Fiona in one of her early shoots with us in 2001.

One red hot chilli padi. From the same 2001 shoot.

Looking all sweet and winsome, sometime in 2006.

There’s something incredibly sexy about sweaters – especially if you’ve got Fiona in it. Circa 2002.

Sporty and spicy: Fiona prepping up for her stunt for a charity show in 2003.

Fiona at this year’s Star Awards presentation.

Tags: Fiona Xie, Today newspaper