April 1, 2010
Two integrated resorts – Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa – promise to bring a smorgasbord of sights and delights to Singapore shores when they open this year. From entertainment offerings to a theme park, theatrical acts and big names in fine dining, here’s a peek at what’s on the cards. BY JOAQUIN TEO
DUAL DELIGHTS
One evokes Las Vegas-style glitz, while the other is modeled after the famous Genting Highlands resort in Malaysia. Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa, respectively, will bring a string of attractions for all tastes. Resorts World Sentosa, the first of the two integrated resorts (IRs) to open, boasts a total of six hotels, more than 10 food and beverage outlets, an oceanarium and a theme park. Adding to the Singapore skyline on the mainland, Marina Bay Sands will be the centerpiece in a ‘necklace of attractions’ around the Marina Bay that includes the Singapore Flyer, Gardens by the Bay, the Esplanade and – by 2013 – the National Art Gallery and the City Hall heritage buildings. (more…)
January 1, 2010
Strip away the generous production budgets and
marketing from mainstream hits such as Money No
Enough or The Eye – and what you’ll discover is a
quirkier and more surprising side of the Singapore filmmaking
scene. BY REDZMAN RAHMAT
Eschewing convention, independent filmmakers – many on a shoestring budget – expose a side of life you wouldn’t normally see in cinemas. Content to exist at the periphery of the popularity sphere, independent works are seldom made for commercial value, but simply because their creators have something to say. And going by the range of works – from award-winning documentaries by Tan Pin Pin (Invisible City and Singapore GaGa) and cult hit Tak Giu (Hokkien for ‘kick ball’), an indie film about local soccer culture, to the productions from students and enthusiasts that populate YouTube – it appears that local indie filmmakers indeed have a lot on their mind. (more…)
October 1, 2009
Born in the streets of New York in the 1970s, breakdancing or ‘b-boying’, was a symbol of urban expression and energy. More than thirty years on, the beat is back and kicking in Singapore. BY LIM WEIWEN
CLOCKWISE: Selva Kumar, Li De Hui, Amanda Wong, Matthias Fong
Selva Kumar was in his bedroom, his shoulders pressed on the floor, his head bent awkwardly, his legs lifted up in mid-air in the perfect ‘baby freeze’ – when his dad walked in, bewildered. And no wonder, said the 16-year-old student to the empathetic laughter from this peers, “I hadn’t told my parents about my breakdancing then!” When his folks asked what he was up to, Selva showed them, much to their initial concern which gradually grew to become an appreciation.
(more…)
July 1, 2009
Local theatre heavyweights Kenneth Lyen, Stella Kon and Desmond Moey have big dreams for made-in-Singapore musicals. The team has spent the last four years nurturing musical theatre talent in Singaporeans from all walks of life and have done it with passion, drama and fl air – all the makings of a great musical. BY SHERALYN TAY
From left: Desmond Moey, Stella Kon and Dr Kenneth Lyen.
It starts as mere whimsy or a vision to take a story beyond mere words – and when brought to life on stage complete with music and dramatic props, nothing quite compares to the immersive allure of musicals. At least not for Dr Kenneth Lyen, a renowned paediatrician and veteran musical writer. “There is no art form that has the great emotional power of a musical to touch people,” he told Singapore. “It has everything – music, songs and great stories.”
(more…)
