Greetings and salutations, fellow star gazers! This is May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, helping you gear up for the next brand new Channel 8 drama. It’s a ripe one all about two of the most significant events in a person’s life: Getting hitched and getting dead.
In New Beginnings, Jeanette Aw plays a funeral director who longs for love but has had lots of bad luck in it because of the stigma surrounding her profession. Elvin Ng plays a dude who joins her team with ulterior motives, but later they have the hots for each other. Hong Huifang plays Elvin’s mom and Richard Low plays Jeanette’s dad–the two have a secret history together, but it’s not what you think!
Tay Ping Hui plays the son of a matchmaker and a wedding planner of sorts. He and Jeanette cross paths, but he decides he fancies this other wedding dress designer played by Jesseca Liu instead. Jesseca, though, has set her sights on Zhang Zhen Huan’s playboy photographer.
Now, Showbiz Sista is no psychic, but I don’t have to be to tell that this show is going to end with a couple of weddings.
“This is definitely new material that has definitely not been touched upon before,” Jeanette said. “I think it was managing all those funerals along the way when we were filming that actually started me thinking. There are a lot of things we can’t control. We don’t know when our time will come. It is a time that will definitely come. Just take things easy; no need to be too stubborn about certain things; no need to think too much. And there’s also something I’ve always wanted to do, and it’s to go for a retreat–do meditation, do yoga, just back to basics and stuff like that. It’s like getting back in tune with yourself; with that voice inside. And that’s what I’m going to do. I’m leaving for India to remove lots of baggage and come back a lot lighter.”
While Jeanette cleanses her soul, Ping Hui will be dabbling in poultry. “I think there are a lot of educational values. It really takes a deeper look into the two industries. I think it gives an insight into traditional practices. For example, why do you have two live chickens at a wedding? It’s actually to lead the road. And an indication of whether your firstborn will be a boy or a girl. You make the two chickens walk under your bed and come out the other side–if the rooster comes out first, then it’ll be a son. I think people watching the show will be quite amazed at the details we went to; the intricacies of marriage. Which I find very interesting myself. Some of them I find a bit too traditional and orh-bit-cha-cha. But once you understand the rationale behind it is actually quite interesting and fun.”
Ping Hui remained tight-lipped when Showbiz Sista quizzed him about his own wedding that’s reportedly coming up this year–he’s been very hush-hush about the whole thing. He wouldn’t give any details, but Showbiz Sista ascertained that there would be no chickens involved. “Anyway, Singapore not allowed what. Live chickens. Because of the bird flu thing. You can only buy frozen chickens. It’d be a bit weird to have frozen chickens.” Can’t argue with that logic.
Zhang Zhen Huan liked playing a cool dude with a string of interchangeable women on his arm. The shy dude claims it’s something really different from his own personality in terms of coolness, Casanova-ness and romantic-ness. “He’s such a cool guy, but he’s still willing to wait unflappably for the girl he likes,” Zhen Huan revealed. “I’m moved by him. But in real life, if I loved a girl who wanted to pursue her own interests, I would let her go and find her own happiness. I might quietly wait for her to return… I’m quite quiet and I don’t know how to be romantic. My father told me the most important thing was to be sincere.” How sweet. All sigh.
Catch New Beginnings starting Wednesday (April 14) at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8. Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!
