tnppostwoman.com archives

Charlene Says: Whether it’s sex scandals or legal tangles or just being plain diva, female celebrities - both locally and overseas - have dominated the headlines in 2008.

Take Britney Spears and her almost 360 degree turnabout and comeback, or Miley Cyrus and her semi-nude Vanity Fair pictures.

Even locally, you had Patricia Mok who was labelled a diva after a tantrum at a film set. Or Caldecott darling Fann Wong who surprisingly pulled in a Best Actress win at an LA film festival. And even if you didn’t remember the whole debate over whether Miss Singapore Universe should go on, you definitely would’ve remembered Shenise Wong’s scary, oops I mean scaly, merlion dress.

And of course, how do you not talk about the year’s celebrity events without a nod to Edison Chen’s bevy of girls - Gillian Chung, Cecilia Cheung, Bobo Chan, etc - who became hot property online, and in not a good way.

Of course, I could hope these women celebrities would just get their act together next year but who wants them boring, serious and drab. What would we have to talk about in 2009?

Tell Us: Who are the female celebrities - Singaporean, from the region or Hollywood - who caught your eye this year?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg. Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

Germaine Says: Buying Christmas presents has never been my forte. I never know what to get friends and family.

Besides, I prefer to splurge on more indulgent presents on birthdays. And even then, I sometimes ask the recipients what they’d like. After all, what’s a present when someone doesn’t like it and won’t ever come close to using it? 

This year, however, marks a departure. I want to get everyone around me a little something. Maybe the gloom of the prevailing economic downturn has inspired this change and wanting to spread a little Christmas cheer has driven this ‘mission’. Suffice to say, the shopping bit hasn’t been wallet-friendly. Little amounts added up rather substantially.

So now that I’ve busted the budget and can’t afford to buy anything anymore, I’ve turned to the next best option: handmade gifts. A friend warned me, “Don’t even bother. They won’t appreciate it.” But I have no choice and time is running out. Besides, the overly crowded streets of Orchard Road scare me.

While I have never been an arts and craft person (I never did well in the subject at school), I’ve been in a baking frenzy. Why not put my trusty mixer and oven to good use and treat my friends, I thought. Hopefully, my friends will appreciate the effort. It doesn’t take much to spread a little Christmas cheer in such gloomy recessionary times.

After all, it’s the thought that counts.

Tell Us: How are you keeping costs low during this festive, gift-giving period? What do you think of handmade gifts?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg. Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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Since the season to be merry has been somewhat tainted by the economic crisis,people are increasingly frugal and gone are the days most of us can expect extravagant presents.That does not mean the Christmas spirit is purged, as if they are the number of digits on the bank account balances. Here are a number of ways to keep costs low while engaging in the festivities.

.Be selective about where we shop, lots of bargain stores such as Daiso carry little ornaments which will fit snugly at homes anywhere for the price of two dollars. It’s probably made from the same factory as those nine dollar ornaments at upmarket stores anyway,why pay more?

.A festival meal does not have to cost an arm and a leg.With merchants comprehending the depths of the the economic crisis,the likes of Waruku are presenting bigger portions and better valued set meals. A conversation over a meal can make a great gift.

.Buying things in bulk can help.A gifts store had a little fair at Suntec Atrium featuring impeccably packaged sweets at just over a dollar per pack.That can be a nice heart warmer for casual friends.

.Drinks tend to be cheaper by the carton behind close doors, as compared to those found within mugs in clubs. A house party tends to be messier but easier on the pocket. It helps in avoiding hefty taxi bills as well. Just sleep in and hit the first train/bus the next morning.

Home made gifts are a real option.True friends will not sulk at such presents because they can be straight from the heart and easier on the pocket.One should not look at the gift horse in the mouth and for most cases, the value of the presents should be secondary to the emotions invested. Whether it’s little knick knacks or home made butterscotch cookies, they can all make a real friend smile. The time invested is just as valuable as thick wads of cash spent making hefty purchases. At least true friends will appreciate it, as for the rest of the folks who may be less sincere, the less we talk about them, the better!

Peng Tie Lun

Jeanmarie Says: So have you caught Twilight fever yet? If not, what are you waiting for? This week, prepare to be inundated with media coverage on the popular book series-turned-movie that has captured the imagination of millions around the world.

I picked up Twilight, the first of four novels, out of curiosity and it was love at first bite. Definitely darker and sexier than Harry Potter, the other page-to-screen juggernaut that Twilight is often compared to.

Having recently seen director Catherine Hardwicke’s film version, I’m glad to report Twilighters won’t be disappointed. Especially since Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Kristen Stewart as Bella Swan are perfectly cast, have such sizzling chemistry and hold court from start to finish.

Here in Singapore, I’ve discovered fans from surprisingly myriad groups: Parents and their teenage kids, single and married adults, straight and gay. Yep, Twilight isn’t just for adolescent girls. The forbidden love story between a human teenage girl and her vampire paramour apparently came to author Stephenie Meyer - a Mormon mother of three hoping to earn enough money to pay off her minivan - in a dream. Appropriately, her hero Edward has now become the stuff of every woman’s dream.

I can’t wait to start devouring the next three books, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn - just as I’m already counting down to the movie sequel.

Tell Us: Are you a fan of the book series upon which the movie is based? Do you think the film will live up to all the hype and expectations?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg. Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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I am an avid fan of the Twilight saga who looks forward to watching the movie very much. But the trailer shows wrong quotes at wrong scenes, and I personally feel that the movie might not turn out to be so great after all. Most avid Twilight fans who had higher expectations might not be satisfied with this movie.

Vicky Ng

as a fan of the twilight book , i agree that the movie will live up to its book popularity.
even for those youngsters out there who never read the book ,they will be attracted by the looks of the actors

twiguy wannabe

Twilighters

Fan-pires

Obsessive Cullen Disorder

Hate it, love it, call it whatever you like, the Twilight series has garnered thousands of Twi-hards worldwide and even the odd celebrity (Ryan Seacrest). Everyone would , of course, have Emmett-sized expectations of the movie Twilight.

Make one wrong scene and the producers would be receiving hate mail for a decade.

In the beginning, I had my doubt, just like any other fan. (even if the book came with a picture of our beloved vampires, our imagination would conjure up a totally different Cullen Family).
However, after the cast had been vampified, they had no problems winning Twilighters over. Team Peter/Carlisle, anyone?

The cast aside, the movie packs enough punch to bruise even Edward (not that we would want to do that). The fighting cenes were fantastic, i mean vamp-tastic, with enough special effects to keep the guys spellbound. the love scenes were so emotionally charged that every girl was “dazzled”.
Watching the movie was like watching Twilight the book unravel from our imagination to onscreen. It has lived up to our impossible expectations.

How about a round of applause for our favourite vampires?

Gill

i am so totally obsessed with twilight ive seen it 23 times now and that’s nojoke! im serious. the book s will live up to the expectation to the movies because they r really good! ive read them all cant wait till midnight sun comes out! i am obsesseed of robert pattinson i go to hot topic just to get stuff that has him on it i have a t- shirt book mark and also a life size poster he is sooooooooooooooooo hot!!!!!!!!!

jobrolover

I watched the movie twice in two consecutive days. It was an awesome movie, definitely. I heard about Twilight from a friend who was reading the book. We were unaware that there was going to be a movie about it. But she told me it was a good book.

And being a youngster myself, the book will definitely be up to standard with the book. After watching the movie, I could not wait to get the books for myself.

The movie was definitely a 5-stars movie. One word to describe Twilight, AWESOME!

Nurul Jannah Abdul Aziz

THIS IS WORST LOUSIEST UNREALISTIC SLOW AND BORING MOVIE! HOW CAN A VAMPIRE COME OUT DURING DAY TIME! VAMPIRE PLAYING OUTDOOR SPORTS IS VERY STUPID AND RIDICULOUS! THE MOST SICKENING PART IS THE LEADING ACTRESS SHE IS SO STIFF AND DUMB - FEEL LIKE KICKING OFF THE SCREED! WASTE OF MONEY AND TIME WATCHING IT AND GOT PART TWO? WANT TO CHEAT MORE MONEY FROM US? TELL THE DIRECTOR TO STOP THIS PRODUCTION !

Connie Pauline Chan

I’m a late Twilighter, as I only started in October this year, however I fell in love quickly with the books, and have already read all of them numerous times!

I was really lucky you know, I didn’t have to wait too long but just a 3 - 2 months, and as a Harry Potter fan too, seeing how they produced the movie so much like the book, I was really excited to see how Twilight would be.

I definitely swoon over Edward Cullen, who doesn’t! And of course seeing Robert Pattinson in his ‘Edward’ self, he just totally fits the whole role, his crooked smile, simple, yet beautiful, and his hair, and his face, and his built, I couldn’t think of a better Edward, and it surprises me how well he could take this role seeing to his performance as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter & GoF.

I first saw the trailer, and I nearly peed in my pants, that scene where he swoops down and save her, and that part, between them both, “Say it, say out loud. Say it.” “Vampire.”

I simply couldn’t wait to watch it!
But as leaks slowly gets out, I happen to see that very 8 minute preview of when Bella visited his house. That’s when I really got disappointed.

I mean, how far off is that scene? I don’t know why did they have to add that scene, and Alice (Ashley Greene) also disappinted me, she was bubbly, and she was enthusiastic about Bella’s appearence, and in that scene, her face, it was so indifferent! She didn’t skip over like how Alice would, she didn’t squeal and have that excitement in her voice. I think Jasper did well in his “I must keep control” posture, though.

From than on, my expectations really dropped, I know it won’t meet any of it at all. I was really disappointed you know, seeing that scene. It just made me so sad to see that few add-ons, and the lack of enthusiasm in the film, where was supposed to be needed.

I happen to get the premiere tickets to the movie on 9 December. The show started.

Regardless of all those disappointments I’ve had, for every Twilight fan, the anticipation after waiting so long, that wait is over, and every single minute in there, every single detail, it just means so much, and you just appreciate everything. Who cares about the add-ons, you just want to admire at their beauty, at their lines, at that romance.

I’ve already seen the disappointing scenes, and I already expected them, so it didn’t hit me half that much as it did when I first saw it (which I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing :P), however I came out of the movie really pleased, to have finally watched it.

After some thinking, it is still rather disappointing though, for the wait, and it comes out this way.

Imagine this.
You are not even a Twilight fan, you don’t follow the saga at all, you just happen to catch it with your friends.
Look at the minimal amount of information they give there. I think for a non-Twilight person, they might actually be clueless, which leads to one of the reasons why they read the book, to find out more.

Why, for that scene, they add the whole ‘italiano craze’, when they could’ve used that scene to explain more things.
It’s just too fast, all the events, one minute he hates her, and the next, he loves her, and she loves him, and they confess, and you know, everything’s too fast paced. Too fast, too little things.

The main thing too, about the whole book, was the romance, was the sweetness between Edward and Bella, but I felt very little from there, only at that prom scene, but still, again, I felt just that much, and it’s not enough to satisfy the hunger of a person who’ve waited for this movie! And expected so much!

Sigh, yes it is fast, and yes it is actually you can say, very disappointing for a fan, and actually a headful of question marks possibly for a person who’ve not read the book, but than again, I appreciate for them to make this film, for them to have at least tried their best to put the contents of that book into the movie.

I just felt that they could’ve done it the ‘Harry Potter’ way, you know, they could fit one whole book (with that amount of page, and action!) into a 2 and a half hour show, and possibly 3, and see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow, a split into 2 movies! I’m sorry if I’m comparing here, but I’m sure you know too, how ’similar’ Harry Potter is to Twilight. If Twilight is as important, they ought to know how important it is, for a non-fan to know how to follow, without having to read a book.

If you’re going to base a movie on a storybook, following the storyline is very important. We know there are some scenes that cannot be followed, still, the least you could do is to try and meet up with how a fan would feel, would expect.

We don’t expect the exact following of every single chapter, you know, just not the events jumping from one to another. I have to admit though, they did a very good job jumping, as in to say, jumping at the right areas, so it does not clash in anyway, or seem weird.
Ah, still, even though I wish the movie could improve, I think it’s wonderful.

I hope the best for Chris Weitz for his new directing in New Moon than, I can’t wait!

Teresa Zhou Minghui

Yes, love the books. Yes, love the movie. Yes, Love Rob.

Joanna Maria

Jeanmarie Says: Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr are generally considered the creme de la creme of Hollywood heartthrobs. But if you’ve seen pictures of them recently, you’ll be thinking twice because those days may soon be over.

Of late, they’ve been sporting furry caterpillars, sorry, moustaches on their top lips for film roles and have sparked talk that this sort of follicular accessory will become a stylish trend because it supposedly makes its wearer that much more masculine, serious and gentlemanly.

I think it just makes them look hum sup (lecherous) - in a ’70s porn actor kind of way. And having to kiss a man with one is a total turn-off.

The trend emerged in the ’70s and I think it should stay dead and buried in that era. Maybe I’m such a hater because I associate moustaches with my dad, who is by no means a chee ko pek but had one ever since I was born and I could never figure out why. He finally got rid of it a few years ago.

It took him 30-odd years to come to his sartorial senses, and I certainly hope Brad and gang don’t take that long to get their razors out. Until then, I’m writing off these hairy ah pehs and going for more clean-shaven hunks.

Tell Us: What do you think of the Hollywood actors’ new look? Can Asian men pull off moustaches?

You can leave a comment here or e-mail us at tnpshow@sph.com.sg. Don’t forget to leave us your contact details: name, age, occupation and e-mail address or telephone number.

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I have to say that it all depends on the features of that guy. Facial hair on some men makes them look older while others looks sexier. However, I would prefer a guy without facial hair. He will look so much cleaner and neater. Ok, well, maybe a little bit of facial hair is alright. Too much of facial hair is utterly disgusting. It makes guys look like they have not been bathing for ages. Gross. Same goes for white men too.

Nurul Jannah Abdul Aziz