The Joys Of Life cast take the plunge

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is your Showbiz Sista on the set of what’s set to be the most fun variety gameshow on Channel 8 in a while: Battle @ Water Margin!

A colourful obstacle course has been built over a pool at the closed-for-renovations Jurong East Sports and Recreation Complex, and today, some of the cast members from upcoming drama Joys Of Life put their wetsuits to the test.

Will tiny Adeline Lim make it through? Will Zheng Geping recover from the experience?

See for yourself in this sneak peek, specially brought to you by your ever-lovin’ Showbiz Sista!

Battle @ Water Margin premieres June 12 at 8pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8. Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!


George Young and Kiehl’s raise awareness for autism

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is your Showbiz Sista stargazing for a good cause today.

George Young was the star of a Kiehl’s event held on Tuesday afternoon at ION Sky, where he spoke about working with the brand to raise awareness in support of children from The Autism Association (Singapore).

George is the oldest of four boys, and his two youngest brothers, Andrew and Paul, are both autistic, so this is something George feels strongly about. “I was looking for opportunities to support causes for autism,” he said. “At the same time, Kiehl’s was doing the exact same thing, so the synchronicity was there. It all happened very naturally.”

About growing up with autistic brothers, George recalled: “When were younger, we had to do our bit looking after them and caring for them. And that was kind of our summer job, doing that. It’s quite stressful when you can see them getting upset – they want to get through to you and communicate but they can’t, they get frustrated – and when we try to get through to them as well.”

But George was glad for this opportunity to speak about a cause close to his heart.

“People with autism are just that – people first and foremost, with a condition that is autism,” he said. “They have hobbies, they have loves, they have passions, but all of it is locked within this condition that is autism. There’s no cure for autism at the moment, but with treatments at an early age, their thought potential can be unlocked.”

FLY artistes Mindee Ong, Bobby Tonelli and Henry Golding also turned out to lend their support

Grab a limited edition Kiehl’s Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque, which comes in a colourful package designed by Singapore-based British Indian pop artist Ketna Patel. 100% of the nett proceeds will be donated to The Autism Association (Singapore). Get a Limited Edition ‘Children of Our Rare Earth’ tote bag when you spend $120 nett, including the Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque. For more information, visit www.kiehlstimes.com

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


Jump for joy with Jeanette and Zhen Huan

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is your Showbiz Sista getting jumpy with the cast of Channel U’s latest drama, Jump! It stars Jeanette Aw and Zhang Zhen Huan in what they hope will be breakout roles: They play wacky teachers to a bunch of students who train to enter a national jump rope competition. Along with a young cast including Edwin Goh, Phua Yida, Justin Peng and Jayley Woo, Jeanette and Zhen Huan are getting hopped up on jumping rope!

Jump stars Zhang Zhen Huan, Jeanette Aw and Ng Hui.

This one’s for the young ‘uns, and yes, not forgetting you, the “young at heart”

Jayley and Edwin

“I’m happy that people will get to see me differently,” Jeanette said. ”I think it’s good that people can see that I can be happy too, and that I can be funny too. This character is quite similar to what I am. On my own, on a personal level with friends and all that, I like to play. I like to joke around. I like to do funny things with my friends. Even when we’re outside at cafes and all that, I can laugh really loudly. Everyone will be looking at me but I don’t care. I think that’s something that nobody has really seen. I think all along they’ve always seen me as someone very serious, very prim and proper, and like, she’s someone very tragic. (Actually) I’m fine with anything, even if it means that when I’m acting I have no image at all. If I look really silly or if I have to embarrass myself – I’m okay with that.”

Zhen Huan, who  used to jump rope for the sake of losing weight but never took it up in earnest until this show, is now a bona fide convert. “I don’t think there’s any reason why such an exercise shouldn’t be more widespread,” he enthused. “All you need is a jump rope and an open space. You can even jump rope in your home. Sometimes I jump rope at home when I’ve made sure my downstairs neighbours have gone out. I will continue to jump rope even after this show has ended its run.”

And all those hours he spent practising have given him a new edge. Zhen Huan told Showbiz Sista: “At first my housemates didn’t quite understand it because I was just starting to learn how to jump rope and I kept tripping up. Later, when I got better at it, they decided they wanted to learn it too so that they could pick up girls.”

So, when is Zhen Huan going to start using his trusty jump rope to pick up girls, too? “I think I should upgrade my skills a little more. I need a little more practice,” he demurred.

Catch Jump starting May 16, weekdays at 10pm on MediaCorp TV Channel U. Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!


More pix from Star Awards 2012 Show 2!

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! Better late than never — here’s our photo album from the Star Awards 2012 Show 2 held at Marina Bay Sands last Sunday!

The action begins backstage… Hello BFFs Hanwei and Zoe!

Vivian Lai brought her daughter, Vera, for the first time.

What’s better than a hot babe? Two hot babes! Priscelia Chan and Belinda Lee pose off

Andie Chen, Pan Lingling and Taiwan’s Cynthia Wang get ready to board their cars

Joanne Peh is not afraid to accept a little help when wearing sky high heels

And Francis Ng’s son isn’t afraid to show what he really thinks

Oh and here comes a boat, bearing the likes of Jin Yin Ji, Sora Ma, Romeo Tan, Jeffrey Xu and May Phua!

Our dashing young stars including James Seah, Darryl Yong, Elizabeth Lee, Edwin Goh and Ian Fang

Isn’t St Paddy’s Day over? Pornsak walks Kym Ng down the aisle

Seeds Of Life stars Eelyn Kok and Shaun Chen working the crowd

Jay Park is too cool for school

What, no cookies? The still-adorable Qi Yuwu

Award winners Chen Shucheng, Vivian Lai and Mark Lee

And the big man of the night, Tay Ping Hui

Who says three Ah Jies can’t share a stage?

DYT is a little discouraged…

But we think he’ll recover.

Glamorous Rui En

Someone walks right into our photographer’s camera and Zoe laughs loudly (but not unkindly). We love this woman!

Catch the repeat telecast of Star Awards 2012 Show 1 on May 6 at 3.30pm and the repeat telecast of Show 2 on May 13 at 2pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.

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

Photos by Alvin Chong and Weifang Zhang.


Blast from the past!

Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! This is your Showbiz Sista asking: Are you ready for ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITIVELY, REDONKULOUSLY the coolest, awesomest Stargazing picture you’ll ever see?

It was not easy, but just because Showbiz Sista loves all of her Stargazers so much, I managed to procure, with infinite difficulty (okay, so I just asked nicely), this gem of a photo, which is so cool, it will make you… er… well, just take a look for yourself:

Yes! It’s that blast-from-the-past photo from that photo album in Pillow Talk! Get a load of yesteryear’s — and today’s — hotties Xiang Yun and Zhu Hou Ren!!!!!!

Told you it was gold.

Don’t miss the last episode of Pillow Talk tonight at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8! Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!