If you are a junkie for local movies by Jack Neo, you’ll be pleased to know that his latest one, “Where Got Ghost?” isn’t another witty social satire wrapped in comedy, but serves up a generous plate of scare with laughs.

Seeing how hilarious the short clip of the new movie asking audiences to switch off their mobile phones in all Golden Village theatres was, one wonders what the entire movie will be like.

UrbanWire got a sneak peak into that at its official press conference for the movie was held on August 4, at the Hotel Inter-continental Singapore. The ballroom was lit with dim green lights and scary music hummed in the background to accentuate the horror theme of the movie.

The last Singaporean film that came close to the genre was Kelvin Tong’s Men in White, which was a huge disappointment among viewers. Much of that was due to the expectations set by The Maid, which made his mark in the industry as a bona-fide filmmaker. Executive producer, director and writer Jack Neo and co-director Borris Boo (I Not Stupid series) have taken on the same challenge and produced this horror-comedy hybrid.

Speaking entirely in Mandarin, Neo says, “The horror genre is something that I always wanted to venture into, but there are a lot of experts in this industry who make wonderful horror shows. Thus, I feel that if I tried to make a purely horror movie, the audience will be disappointed. So I came up with a special- a “hormedy”!”

This adopts the same concept as the Thai horror flick 4Bia, where instead of 4, 3 short thrilling tales are combined into one movie. The trio: Roadside Got Ghost, Forest Got Ghost, and finally, House Got Ghost.

He continues, “When I was a young boy, I used to watch shows that put together many stories from different countries into one movie. That interested me a lot and so I decided to apply this same concept but use 3 different Singaporean horror stories.”

Along with Jack Neo at the conference were the rest of the cast members from each of the 3 stories. Some familiar faces associated with Neo’s movies as well as his TV work include Mark Lee (Ah Long Pte Ltd), Henry Thia (Money No Enough), and Richard Low (I Not Stupid).

On stage, the chemistry among them was obvious and they often poked fun at each other’s expense. In an instance, Richard Low made a joke about how the old lady ghost in House Got Ghost is the cheapest character to maintain on set because she doesn’t need to put any make-up and can play her role just as she is.

One can see that this mix of local talent is the perfect combination to produce a comedy. As for the horror aspect, we will just have to wait until the movie comes out.

During the press conference, the cast also related tales of how they experienced real ghostly encounters while filming.

Marcus Chin, a character for Roadside Got Ghost revealed how they coped, saying “We wear red underwear and pray frequently to ward off spirits.”

In a particular Forest Got Ghost scene that was shot at a rural area in Buangkok, the cast also took special care not to ‘disturb the dead’.

Wang Lei, a character for Forest Got Ghost says, “We were joking before filming started and then the director suddenly asked us to stop. After filming I asked him why we couldn’t joke and found out that someone had actually been murdered at that scene we were shooting at before.”

“Where Got Ghost?” is jointly produced by Neo Studios, Malaysia’s biggest production company Primeworks Studios, veteran production company in Hong Kong Big Pictures, and lastly, Scorpio East Pictures.

As an ending note, cast member Mark Lee says, “When you watch this movie, either you will laugh till you cry, or be scared till you cry.”

Rating: To be advised

Release date: 13 August 2009

Rating: PG

Genre Horror-Comedy

Runtime: 106 minutes

Starring: Jack Neo, Mark Lee, Henry Thia, Marcus Chin, Richard Low

Director: Jack Neo, Borris Boo

One night of all-out partying, and you wake up with a crying baby in the closet, a tiger in the bathroom, and a missing friend. What exactly happened?

Describing The Hangover as funny would be an understatement. The comedy starring relatively new faces Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Hollywood’s next A-lister Bradley Cooper, packed a whole lot of laughs and suspense throughout, leaving the audience wanting more and exiting the theatre with face and stomach cramps from the perpetual laughing.

Starsky and Hutch director Todd Phillips brings us a film centered around 4 friends on a trip to sin city Las Vegas to celebrate Doug’s (Justin Bartha) bachelor party. The party takes a turn for the worst when they wake up the next morning with a massive hangover and absolutely no recollection of what happened the night before. Their swanky Caesar’s Palace suite is trashed beyond belief and Doug is no where to be found. The remaining 3 then embark on an adventure to trace what happened the night before and find Doug in time for the wedding.

Two thumbs up for the cast in the movie because each character complements the other. The most hilarious character goes to Alan (Zach Galifianakis), Doug’s future brother-in-law. He’s a dimwitted guy craving for friendship and attention, always attempting to impress the other 3 guys but failing ridiculously. He always refers to the guys as his best friends, only to receive sniggers and snide remarks from them.

Along with him is Stu (Ed Helms), the worrywart of the group. On an average day, he is extremely proper and always encourages the group to do the right thing. However, as they all uncover mysteries of what happened the night before, we find that Stu unleashing his dormant wild side and it kick-starts his journey of self-discovery for him, giving him courage to break away from his over-possessive girlfriend.

Each character’s acting is commendable, and you won’t expect it from these smaller-time Hollywood actors. Their facial expressions and actions enhance the comedic value of the story like when Alan found the tiger in the bathroom.

For female and male audiences alike, the show is generously laced with steaming hot characters like Phil (Bradley Cooper), who is rumoured to be dating the stunning Jennifer Aniston in real life. He appears half-naked in some scenes and it really is a feast for the eyes. For guys, Stu’s illegitimate wife, Jade (Heather Graham), is definitely a sight for sore eyes.

The cinematography boasts impressive shots of Las Vegas and its nightlights, as well as those during their road-trips. Even though the ending was a quick one, you don’t feel any dissatisfaction with the movie ending abruptly. Everything played out very smoothly and they eventually found Doug in the oddest of places. They return for the wedding, and viewers experience a heart-warming moment during then.

Also be prepared to see a lot of butt-naked guys in the movie. The movie is rated NC-16, as it contains sexual references and some coarse language.

All in all, the moral of the story is amplifying the theme on friendship and loyalty, how these 4 guys stick together no matter what obstacles they face, and their escapades in Vegas.

The movie opens in all theaters around Singapore this week.

“Get a better audience.”

You may be familiar with the phrase seen on Channel 5’s hilarious advertisements starring the pet pug and cockatoo, being put through their owners’ singing, to entice people into joining Singapore Idol.

Over the weekend, with the uproar over Susan Boyle’s not winning Britain’s Got Talent dying down, the hype over Singapore Idol is being revived again. After 3 long years of Idol absence, MediaCorp’s Channel 5 is bringing the talent/popularity show back to screens on National Day.

The official announcement was made on June 5, 2009, at the Singapore Idol press conference held at the Picturehouse, The Cathay. Local radio deejay, Jean Danker, clad in a tight, purple dress hosted the event. One by one, she introduced the producers, the judges and hosts.

The panel of judges comprises of faces familiar from the previous 2 seasons: singer-songwriter -fashionista Dick Lee, director of Hype Records Ken Lim, and senior vice-president of corporate communications & marketing for MediaCorp, Florence Lian. Singer Jacinta Abisheganaden, who drew attention for her less than understandable comments, isn’t going to be judging this time.

On the dynamics between the 3 judges, Dick Lee says, “Three of us are good, old friends. We’re going to just be us and have fun. We want to bring that little bit out.”

Wondering how differently the comments for and criticisms of contestants will be expressed? Dick Lee adds, “I’m not going to be a nice guy anymore. The last two seasons I still have to have people like me after the show, but now I don’t care.”

Ken Lim, who has been called Singapore’s version of Simon Cowell for his spare-no-feelings barbs and dour expression, says, “I don’t know, maybe [I’ll] just try to dress a little better.”

To some people’s disappointment, funnyman Gurmit Singh will also return as host this season, quelling rumours and speculation of a new host.

However, a new member has been added to the Idol family, the one of ‘big brother’ to the contestants. He’s Hady Mirza, winner of Singapore Idol Season 2, and Singapore’s very own Asian Idol.

The big brother’s role is to offer advice and encouragement to the host. The producers thought this was a good idea because Hady had gone through what the contestants will be going through, and is able to relate to them.

Hady says, “This is one way for me to give back to whoever is going to proceed to the top 12… and I’m just here to help the contestants along in any way I can.”

Although it seems like the Idol family has minimal changes, there are several new features to the show.

As the Idol franchise belongs to FremantleMedia Enterprises, naturally Singapore Idol will adopt the new elements of the recently concluded season of American Idol that saw Kris Allen crowned.

The new features are:

•    The judges’ veto- where the judges are allowed to ‘save’ contestants up till the top 5 remaining contestants.

•    The salvation song- where 2 contestants with the lowest votes battle it out.

•    Also, contestants will be allowed to bring music instruments on stage during performances.

•    Universal Music Group is coming on board as the official recording label of this season and will sign on the winner of this year’s Idol.

Rahmad, one of the producers of Singapore Idol says, “We want to add new elements to enhance reality TV. But we don’t want to give away too much, there will be many twists and turns and surprises along the way.”

On top of these, the Idol team is looking for new types of contestants this season. They are very heartened by the thousands of applicants. Due to the overwhelming response, the first round of auditions had to be extended a day. They have also noticed that younger people aged 16 to 18 are taking part this year, as compared to previous seasons where the contestants were aged 20 onwards.

Rahmad adds, “Music has evolved, music has changed, and these are the people that we want to tap on.”

Ken Lim also adds that, “Physical appearance is affecting, but what we’re looking for is not decent looking, but different looking.”

Check back for UrbanWire’s profile on Hady Mirza, coming soon.

The Singapore Idol saga has returned, featuring a new addition to the Idol family and refreshing changes that will spice up the competition.

Over the weekend, the hype over Singapore Idol has been revived once again. After 3 long years of Idol absence, MediaCorp’s Channel 5 is bringing back the reality TV show everyone can’t stop talking about.

The official announcement was made on June 5, 2009, at the Singapore Idol press conference held at the Picturehouse, The Cathay. Local radio deejay, Jean Danker, clad in a tight, purple dress hosted the event. One by one, she introduced the producers, the judges and hosts.

The panel of judges features singer-songwriter Dick Lee, director of Hype Records Ken Lim, and head of corporate communications & marketing for MediaCorp radio Florence Lian.

On the dynamics between the 3 judges, Dick Lee says, “Three of us are good, old friends. We’re going to just be us and have fun. We want to bring that little bit out.”

Wondering how differently the comments for and criticisms of contestants will be expressed? Dick Lee adds, “I’m not going to be a nice guy anymore. The last two seasons I still have to have people like me after the show, but now I don’t care.”

Ken Lim, who has been called Singapore’s version of Simon Cowell, says, “I don’t know, maybe [I’ll] just try to dress a little better.”

Due to the rumours of this year’s installment adopting a new host, everyone was keen and excited to find out who the he or she was. To some people’s disappointment, funnyman Gurmit Singh returns as host this season.
However, a new title has been added to the Idol family, the one of ‘big brother’ to the contestants. He is Hady Mirza, winner of Singapore Idol Season 2, and Singapore’s very own Asian Idol.

The big brother offers advice and encouragement to the participants. The producers thought this was a good idea because Hady had gone through what the contestants will be going through, and is able to relate to them.

Hady says, “This is one way for me to give back to whoever is going to proceed to the top 12… and I’m just here to help the contestants along in any way I can.”

Although it seems like the Idol family has minimal changes, there are many new features to the show.
As the Idol franchise belongs to FremantleMedia Enterprises, naturally Singapore Idol will adopt the new elements of the recently concluded season of American Idol that saw Kris Allen crowned.

The new features are:
• The judges’ veto- where the judges are allowed to ‘save’ contestants up till the top 5 remaining contestants.
• The salvation song- where 2 contestants with the lowest votes battle it out.
• Also, contestants will be allowed to bring music instruments on stage during performances.
• Universal Recording is coming on board as the official recording label of this season’s Singapore Idol.

One of the producers of Singapore Idol, Rahmad, says “We want to add new elements to enhance reality TV. But we don’t want to give away too much, there will be many twists and turns and surprises along the way.”

On top of these, the Idol team is looking for new types of contestants this season. They are very heartened by the thousands of applicants, whose overwhelming response prompted and extension of the auditions. One interesting fact is that younger people aged 16 to 18 are taking part this year.

Rahmad adds, “Music has evolved, music has changed, and these are the people that we want to tap on.”
Ken Lim also added that, “Looks (affect the decision), but what we’re looking for is not decent looking, but different looking.”

Check back for UrbanWire’s profile on Hady Mirza, coming soon.

The party at Hog’s Breath Café at CHIJMES marked the 9th week of Season 8 of the grueling competition, with only 4 contestants left.

The purpose of the event was to award the biggest American Idol fan in the audience a pair of tickets to Los Angeles for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be part of the finale. Ignoring the sweltering heat in the open-air foyer, 5 ‘contestants’ vied for the title of ‘the ultimate American Idol fanatic’. Any one who volunteered within the span of a minute could take part in the competition.

5 people eagerly hopped onto the stage the minute the host called for participants. The task was simple enough, each contender had to pick an envelope containing a list of 10 questions about American Idol seasons 1 to 8. The winner of the round would be the person who could answer the most questions correctly within 60 seconds.

Following that, a lucky draw was held to pick a ‘mystery competitor’ from the audience to participate in the last round against the winner of the previous challenge. Both of them had to piece together a jigsaw puzzle, and the person who completed it first would win the grand prize.

In the end, 24-year-old Loo Yi Hun won the tickets to the finals on this coming May 21. The grand prize consists of a four-day three-night stay at Holiday Inn LA City Centre, which is walking distance to the Nokia Centre where the finals will be held. On top of that, Yi Hun will receive spending allowance per diem.

The part-time tuition teacher said, “I just came tonight to watch the show and I never expected myself to win anything! I am very excited that I’ll get to see Adam [Lambert] perform live.”

Meanwhile, audience members watched the new episode of American Idol on large projector screens and enjoyed tasty roasted chicken skewers, mashed salmon dips and sausages provided by Hog’s Breath Café.
American Idol seems to be well received among Singaporeans.

Star World marketing and publicity executive and also organiser of the event, Heng Wei Wei, said, “Last year, prior to the finale, STAR WORLD’s three-day American Idol weekend marathon earned record ratings for the channel. The back-to-back telecast of Idol season seven eclipsed the competition and made STAR WORLD the No.1 English cable channel in Singapore for the three days among adult cable viewers 18+.”

The show airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 6pm, with a second telecast at 8pm on Star World cable channel 18.

This party is not held annually so it was an exceptional treat for those who attended this year’s.

Wei Wei adds, “There are no plans for next year’s party because season 8 hasn’t ended!”

Since American Idol has been running for 8 years, Star World wishes to remind viewers and fans that Star World airs it first.

This week, Allison Iraheta was ousted after performing a mediocre version of ‘Cry Baby’ in Rock week on Idol. The 3 remaining vying for the coveted title of Season 8’s American Idol are all men, Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey.