Heart beat rock.
30 August 2008 @ 08:12 ; 0 CommentsGood morning, readers! It's a lovely Saturday morning so far, is it not? Don't mind me, I am possibly high on chocolates (I have had six little bars so far :). So what's shaking? The prospects of me getting a job is just so-so. I have had two interviews back-to-back just recently with the same company. Pending the managing director, I may get it if all goes well. Fingers crossed. Hmmm.
Aside from that of course I have been busy occupying my days with random stuff. Ermmm sleep, eat (the return of instant noodles again- tsk. Not good not good) and Wonder Girls nyahaha. Some interesting things to share with everyone now...
Let's start with this, shall we?
Yesterday was the penultimate episode of The Defining Moment, a twenty-episode family drama with Fann Wong leading a cast that includes Jeanette Aw, Pierre Png, Xiang Yun, Darren Lim, Ng Hui, Rebecca Lim and reality television winners Andie Chen and Daren Tan. It follows the rise and fall of Lin Kexin (Fann) and her family as they struggle upon learning that Kexin has inherited her grandmother's mental illness while struggling with various backstabbing plots cooked up by Tang Weiye (Zhu Houren, Fann's maternal uncle in the show) and daughter-in-law Wanyu (Ng Hui).
The greatest comparison (and perhaps biggest compliment) that I can bestow upon the show is that it is fashioned like a typical HK drama. Full of suspense, melodrama, misunderstandings. (There are moments when I felt like throwing my television out the window in frustration.) The touch of mental illness brings an interesting depth to the show as well. The cast members are really competent in their roles, particularly Ng Hui who is utterly convincing as the conniving, greedy wife of Darren Lim, the only good guy amongst his family. Her somewhat HK drama-esque delivery is commendable and is rightfully deserving of at least a Best Supporting Actress nomination in the upcoming Star Awards.
Of course, there are a few misses. Andie Chen still has a lot to prove. Granted, this is his first drama serial but there are moments where it felt like he is overwringing his character's actions and reactions. It's a little too exaggerated. Xiang Yun is also a weak link here; her character is severely stunted, given no proper chance for growth unlike the others. The storyline also proved to be too stretched out at the beginning, and as it runs its course, things are easily cleared up, loose ends tied up a little too neatly. It's too thought out, too clean.
Overall a commendable job, going by the ratings alone it proves to be quite a modest hit.
(As I was keeping up with the series, I remembered rumblings about how and why Rui En rejected the role that Fann Wong gallantly took up. Initially I felt like it was a wasted opportunity on the former's part to pass this role over, but subsequently, it just feels right to have Fann as the protagonist instead. And no matter, Rui En has a telemovie and an upcoming drama serial so I'm looking forward to them. Hee.)
Yesterday I also managed to finish A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore, and dare I say it is perhaps his greatest literary work to date. Absurd, humourous and a joy to read from start to finish, I didn't have the heart to put it down when I had to and couldn't really wait to pick it up again and continue where I left off. A really great book to pick up be it when you're down in the dumps, needing time to kill or waiting to be killed off (okay bad joke). The ending left me thirsting for more, although I doubt there should be a sequel though you can never be too sure these days when it comes to anything. (This book has been awarded the superyan! stamp of approval.)
K-Y-L-I-E! Kylie! You rock!
Lately I have also been listening to tons of Miss Minogue after watching the recently televised KylieX2008 tour. Taking a few pages off the Showgirl tour and blending it with the mechanics of the Fever 2002 tour, I have to say this is perhaps her most ambitious, her most experimental tour to date. Never have I seen Kylie at her grandest yet. Everything seemed to explode larger than life, and Kylie was, undoubtedly, at her peak as a performer. Perhaps it's a second gust of wind after her treatment? Perhaps.
What I really enjoyed the most about this was the stage. With a large backdrop and an open field-type stage with no props whatsoever, it leaves with great space and room for Kylie to perform her various magic acts, with everything ranging from a futuristic superheroine to a traditional American pep rally, the Russian ages to a modern geisha. Willy (Kylie's stylist, creative director and "gay husband") expended his visionary powers to full effect here, despite a couple of them being a little tiresome and overdone (the Beach Party act of the tour in particular was a little too over the top, too kitschy, too campy; just a little out of sync as compared to the others).
The music, meanwhile, never fails to deliver. With great musical direction from Steve Anderson and keyboardist Sarah DeCourcy and not forgetting the showgirl herself at the helm, the songs were magically brought to life, insatiably whetting the appetites of the audience as Kylie delivers hit after hit after hit, with a few album tracks, cover versions and unreleased songs in between. What I liked in terms of the music were the wind instruments- the trumpets being introduced along the usual music performed by the tour band. It brought about a more organic, a more sing along, shout along, pep rally feel to the music as partnered with the generic thumping beats that Kylie often utilizes. The KylieX2008 is definitely something that should be enjoyed in real life. It's too bad she won't be coming down to Singapore soon, so I'll just have to make do on the screens here. And the DVD, akan datang.
Heart beat rock!
