Greetings and salutations, fellow stargazers! Since you all asked so very nicely, May Seah, your Showbiz Sista, is bringing you the latest on The Ultimatum. It’s the long-awaited blockbuster starring the two Queens of Caldecott, Zoe and Fann, together with leading manly-men Li Nanxing and Tay Ping Hui. And it’s on the telly now!
The legendary pair of Zoe and Nanxing still have great chemistry, as you can tell from this exchange between them:
Nanxing: Working with Zoe again was great. It felt like The Unbeatables all over again. And she looked great in that outfit. She was wearing …
Zoe: The bikini?
Nanxing: The cheongsam.
Zoe: What? I was never in a cheongsam.
Nanxing: Oh, sorry, that must have been an extra then …
Zoe: What! You confused me with an extra?
Careful, Nanxing. That’s our Ah Jie you’re talking about. Finally, Li Nanxing comes back onscreen after a long hiatus, to play Zoe’s love interest. He’s not the only former star to come out of retirement for The Ultimatum. Check out the picture below.
Who’s that on the extreme right? Could it be? Yes, it is! Mr Pyramid Game, Benedict Goh! Long live nostalgia!
The Ultimatum is a classic swapped-at-birth story. Zoe Tay grows up in a wealthy household, while Fann Wong is raised in a poor one by an unloving pretend-mother who knows the truth but is forced to keep the secret of the swapped babies. If ever there was a tried-and-true recipe for drama, this is it.
Showbiz Sista thinks there’s been rather enough of Fann and Zoe saying how refreshing it is to be working together again, so we’re going to focus on the host of other big names in The Ultimatum. Get over their “rivalry” already, stargazers — there’s room enough for two thrones on The Hill!
Tay Ping Hui plays Zoe’s adopted brother, who also has a criminal history of thieving. Hot on his naughty heels is Interpol agent Terence Cao. Both vie for Fann’s affections, but also gain respect for each other. “Getting to work with Terence was the best thing about this show,” said Ping Hui. “It gave us the opportunity to explore relationships between two men. I really like that kind of show.”
Well, he told Showbiz Sista he would like to take on a project about male platonic relationships in an interview last year, so it looks like his wish came true.
Felicia Chin gets her cross-dressing groove on for her role as Ping Hui’s sister, who pretends to be a guy so that she can be a disciple of the God of Gamblers (Li Nanxing). Yes, of course he’s a male chauvinist pig — how else does one become a gambling god? “I did bind my chest,” she confessed. “It was quite flat!”
If you need proof that her getup was convincing, see the following amusing anecdote: “We were filming at a Zion Road hawker centre, and I scared an auntie when I went to the loo. She was coming out as I was going in. She said, ‘Hey, this is the ladies!’ I said, ‘Auntie, I’m a girl.’ But she continued to stare after me.” LOL.
Dressed as a boy, Felicia gets a day job at a bakery, where the head pastry chef develops a crush on her that makes him question his sexuality. Zhang Zhen Huan, who plays the Prince of Cakes, told Showbiz Sista: “When I go past Bread Talk, all the cakes look very pretty.” He had to pick up some baking skills in order to look convincing on screen, though. “Previously, I couldn’t even cook an egg. Now, I think, if I had a recipe and all the equipment I needed, I might, perhaps, maybe, just possibly, be able to make a somewhat-edible cake.”
Elvin Ng plays Zoe’s brother — but there’ll be no wide-eyed innocence from him this time. Thank goodness, Showbiz Sista says! “It’s the first time I’m playing a bad guy,” announced Elvin. “Zoe gave me tips on how to be bad-er. I needed them because, after all, I am quite naïve and simple.”
At least the guy has a sense of humour about himself. Showbiz Sista, signing out. Live long and pop corn!
Catch The Ultimatum, weeknights at 9pm on MediaCorp TV Channel 8.
Tags: Elvin Ng, Fann Wong, Felicia Chin, Li Nanxing, May Seah, Showbiz Sista, Tay Ping Hui, The Ultimatum, Today newspaper, Zhang Zhen Huan, Zoe Tay
