SINGAPORE DRAMA SERIES "TOMORROW" 当我们同在一起 . RELIVING MEMORIES OF THE 60s.

DRAMA REVIEW

"TOGETHER" is touted as SINGAPORE MEDIACORP's YEAR END-CUM-ANNIVERSARY PRODUCTION FOR 2009.

You will be more than pleasantly amazed.

We are treated to a heartwarming tale of male bonding and female camaraderie,

the trials and tribulations of 3 girls falling in love with the same guy, and yet remain as close chums,

plus a 30-year roller coaster ride of memorable events taking you through the economic and political storms of the 60s where SINGAPORE was going through a period of radical changes.

For the better.

If you are a baby boomer, it's a definite stroll down memory lane laces with memories of this thing called national service that was imposed on the guys way back then,

You also learn that SINGAPORE started printing its own currency in the 60s, the horrific oil crisis that hit the doldrums in the 70s, the horror when the stock market crashed in the 70s and more ......

The story centers on 3 young guys and 3 nubile gals and their different families residing in NORTH BRIDGE ROAD which over the years,had lost the "old feel" of the 60s due to modernization .....

so the principal cast and crew all left by coaches across the Singapore-Johor Causeway for location shooting in MALACCA and IPOH to authenticate that "old world charm".

And did this move measure up?

YES, special mention must be accorded to the excellent work put in by the LOCATION MANAGERS, WARDROBE PEOPLE,HAIR and MAKE-UP STYLISTS who were responsible for creating the retro "feel" of the 60s. They did a meticulous job to bring us the old forgotten shop houses and streets, the go-go attire with bell bottoms, the beehive hairdos for the ladies and the Brylcreem slicked hairstyles for the guys.

So there!

It's a job well done.

Notwithstanding the superb cast that lends credence to the entire story.

Here's what I feel, from the other side of the fence as a fellow writer/producer, far away from SINGAPORE:

KUDOS to the CASTING PEOPLE for assembling a personable cast where each and everyone did his or her best to weave heart-wrenching scenes that evoke indelible memories of a long gone era.

Let me pay tribute to some of the cast who had put in painstaking performances:

ELVIN NG, who, in his previous roles had been dubiously criticized for stiff acting has made a 360 degree roundabout turn and delivers a BEST ACTOR performance as a bumbling nitwit with a strong sense of friendship who would do anything for the girl he loves.

And love he did ..... not only buffing himself in the acting department, but the fight sequences as well.

Watch ELVIN NG as he takes us to the boxing ring where he delivers death-defying kicks and blows a la ONG BAK style that would have made TONY JAA sit up and take notice.

I cannot recall any actor in the Singapore MediaCorp stable who can display his prowess as a perilous fighter. Here's one action star in the making.

Well done, ELVIN!

On the female side, there is this lovely young beautiful thing called EELYN KOK, whom we'd love to hate as she is the pivotal focus in the story that shapes the lives of her friends around her.

But hate we cannot as she delivers a flawless performance as a spoilt, simple-minded damsel with her bimbo head in the clouds who "dares" to love and hate the person she adores.

Why wasn't one of the 7 princesses anyway?

She has definitely come a long way, holding her fort now as leading actress status and is a lot better than some of them, go guess who!

JEANETTE AW has always been good and may garner an award, but she's pretty much the same selfless maiden that she was, in THE LITTLE NONYA.

Watch another rising star ZHANG ZHEN HUAN who played JEANETTE's younger brother, a timid mouse who's forever afraid, an introvert who loves quietly and is a sad victim of circumstances.

He provides squealish relief when he cross-dresses as an "ah qua" (transvestite) to help pay off his father's gambling debts.

Veteran actor WANG YUQING puts in a memorable performance as the wimpish father, the street performer who peddles medicine for a living, who whiles his time gambling away his life, who suddenly has this glimmer of pride for his dimwit son to marry into a wealthy family, only to have all hopes dashed when his son and his in-laws shun him. He dies, sadly, admonishing us what filial piety should all be about.

And HONG HUI FANG as the demeaning, bitchy landlady .... Nothing escapes her, and this is what we call real acting.

There's also ZHENG GER PING, who have us in stitches when he adorns an effeminate Elvis Presely persona to play this comely role.

Old wine mellows with age, hah.

One significant flaw though.

Is it funny at all to have EELYN KOK in one stinking scene taking a dump and uses newspaper to wipe her butt?

Or having DAI YANG TIAN and ELVIN NG spicing their dialogue using words splattering with SHIT and FART?

We are not prudish, but there're more savory ways to inject humor.

Too much is an overkill.

Other than those, "TOGETHER" is a drama series that has a rare fascination and power, thanks to the content development writers at the station.

It is designed to startle and entertain.

And that for sure, IT DOES!

Now hear the THEME SONG and watch THE TRAILER of "TOGETHER".

ACTORS. A TIME FOR REFLECTION. A TIME FOR THE GREAT CALM.

So you are an ACTOR and you have your set of problems too?

Don’t we all?

LIFE HAS IT HARD KNOCKS,

We face these from time to time.

What would you do when you find that your entire emotional world collapses around you, and that you are left alone to fend for yourself ….

that you have fallen from your pedestal ….

that producers and directors are eluding you ….

and that fortune and fans are out of your grasp?

You cannot hang on to glory and fame forever,

Every dog has its day,

you have come to realize this now …

Where’s your “icy cool facade” you once adopted?

It’s not going to be easy, but you are this ACTOR, and you must play your card well.

Pride and anguish, you must embrace in one stride.

You are in the acting profession, all the world is a stage and all men and women are merely players.

Everyone has his own exits and entrances.

Whatever it is, you must find always, a time for the great “calm”, a time to reinvent, maybe to improve your acting skills.

There should be a time for reflection, to look back with few regrets, to change positively, and then move on.

FRANCIS BACON described it aptly when he wrote:

“Little do men perceive what solitude is,

and how far it extendeth.

For a crowd is not company,

and faces are but a gallery of pictures,

and talk but a tinkling cymbal,

where there is no love.”

Chill, but take note, chum.

"LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!" Part ONE. WHAT goes on BEHIND the SCENES? Will we see MORE than just this SMILING FACADE?

THE ASIAN CINEMA

In our line of work as PRODUCERS, we often come across all kinds of ACTORS

the BIG stars, the ASPIRING stars and the forgettable SMALL TIME nobodies.

Funnily enough, the top-of-line actors would have their feet planted on the ground.

As we all know, good wine needs no bush,

So the A-LISTERS are mostly down-to-earth and jolly nice .....

The LESSER actors?

Not even half the rung up the ladder, they are already preening like peacocks in anticipation of the super stardom they hope will come their way soon.

The well behaved ones have our blessings when they finally make it,

We laugh at the pretentious "icy cool" dudes and divas who are trying hard to be "different"

because when they fall flat on their faces

they deserve their just desserts.

Pride comes before a fall, right?

A VERY ESTABLISHED FILM DIRECTOR once lamented to me that most ASIAN ACTORS ARE A PRETENTIOUS LOT.

Going by traits developed from their “tools of the trade”, they are deemed to be.

After all, ACTORS are ACTORS.

Who can really blame them?

They are not as "innocent" as they seem.

They can be first-class manipulators with the survival instinct of a coyote, if they choose.

They are in the business of acting and we have to respect occupational hazards.

Their latent personas are “groomed” from environmental factors, just like each and everyone of us.

ACTORS can be all sugar whenever they are competing for a role.

Aside that, their demeanor can switch gear like a crafty chameleon.

This is how the industry “shape” them, when they are vying for a prime role pitching against scores of other contenders.

This industry is far too competitive and tinsel town is often flooded with fellow hypocrites, green eyed monsters and back-stabbers.

Vile gossip abounds, no less.

WELCOME TO ENTERTAINMENT POLITICS.

Never rely on an actor to recommend you to another actor or to his manager, should you be casting for your film projects.

He will nod his head in acquiescence

but there’s a 90% chance that he will deliberately ignore this favor once your head is turned.

Why should he help you?

It is an unwritten rule, and after all, he is unmistakably an actor in his own right - and to assist a fellow competitor to move ahead of him is really unthinkable.

In ASIAN tinsel town, you’ll be smart if you help yourself first before you help others.

Experience teacheth fools.

You have to be selfish in order to thrive in this dog-eat-dog arena of plastic people.

If you have a mentor or a sugar daddy who’s more than willing to help you, well and good. Stick to him or her.

Connections is about everything YOU NEED to get ahead, to secure you that endorsement deal or role.

But if you do not have a valid back up?

Fending for yourself in this complex entertainment industry is hardly easy.

In fact, far from it.

Right?

AN ACTOR’S LOT IS NEVER SIMPLE, much as you like to think so.

He has to be at the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time.

He must have a MENTOR or MANAGER for prestige and representation if he plans to move ahead.

It does not look good on the actor if he has to sell himself personally as artiste.

He must ALWAYS put on his best front to the PAPARAZZI and garner good MEDIA RELATIONS as press interviews and fashion spreads can put him one rung above the others in terms of publicity.

He must cultivate the RIGHT CONNECTIONS and CONNECTIVITY to rise above the occasion.

The CASTING COUCH SYNDROME?

Maybe, who knows? There are always sleazy people around everywhere, but this exists more in the FILM than the TELEVISION industry, going by industry reports. Skip this one.

When the film director shouts “ACTION!” the ACTOR flashes his mega-watt smile instantaneously.

THIS IS FOR "REEL",

When the film director wraps up the scene with “CUT!”, he continues his bewitching smile for his fans and paparazzi, even when he feels like shit with a thousand tons on his shoulders.

THIS IS FOR "REAL",

After all, acting is a profession and this guy is eking out a living.

THE ASIAN CELLULOID WORLD only recognizes YOUTH and EYE CANDIES.

As long as you possess the dashing looks, you can be positioned as the next PRETTY BOY/GIRL or HUNK/SEXPOT.

Once you pass 35 , you are a withered flower - considered middle aged, way over your prime and deemed too old or to put it rudely, passe.

Then you are relegated to secondary roles such as the uncle or auntie, much to your disdain.

You squirm with disbelief because you think you are STILL the gorgeous SUPERSTAR, but hey, this is ASIA and not HOLLYWOOD.

Everybody grows OLD and LOOKS wane.

Time and tide wait for no man, and no amount of hitting the gym regularly, nor faithfully applying tons of herbal facials or ointments daily, will your skin still retain that youthful glow or elasticity. Oh come on!

GRAVITY PULLS and REALITY BITES.

You cannot place a guarantee on fans’ adulation, and they’d readily switch camp whenever another new star shines in the horizon. We all love virgins, don’t we?

The following scenario best sums up an ACTOR’s lot:

“THE CROWD goes wild,

The FANS all cheer,

As the SHOW is done,

And the WORLD is focused

On YOU alone,

NOBODY else,

YOU alone are the soul of life,

YOU alone are the BEST,

YOU have everything they want,

Until the LIGHT goes DIM.”

This is the price every ACTOR has to pay for FAME.

A trite SAD, but very TRUE.

CHECK THIS OUT, MATE.

So you want to be in the acting profession?

TAKE A CUE .....

MYTH? TRUTH?

You decide .....

TO ALL ASPIRING ACTORS WHO ARE “NOT THERE” YET, GOOD LUCK!