By Han Wei Chou
Cooking, cleaning and acting, oh my!: Rui En is a little nervous about her role in “Joys of Life”.
On the outside, she was calm, relaxed and all smiles, during the commencement ceremony for the upcoming 60s period drama “Joys of Life” on Monday.
On the inside, Singapore actress Rui En said she is “really nervous” about playing Han Yong Yong in the show, a woman resigned to being mistreated by her foster father Han Jian Ren (Huang Wen Yong), and made to do all the cooking and housework in the household.
“This role is very not me, very unfamiliar and very strange,” said Rui En of her character.
“I have done some research. I have asked my grandma and my dad.
“The women of previous eras were actually very accepting of whatever life throws at them, not like now, where we try to change whatever we can change,” observed the actress.
“It’s so interesting, the way women then and women now are so different. It’s been a huge leap.”
“I feel it is very refreshing, but I am also quite nervous to do it because she is a character who is very good at housework and cooking, which are the two things that I am like the worst at! ”
“I am actually very stressed out!”
Cooking, cleaning and acting
Calling Rui En a kitchen novice would be an understatement.
“I can do instant noodles. I can add a fried egg. That’s it. I don’t even know how to cook rice!” she continued.
“When the EP (executive producer) was explaining [the character], I went ‘You have to know that I can’t cook’, then she just stared at me. She was quite shocked you know.”
“I said ‘I can’t even cook white rice’. She was like ‘You can at least boil water right?’ Then I said, ‘Ya, ya, I can boil water.’,” said Rui En with a chuckle.
“It was quite funny actually!”
Though she is not very handy around the kitchen, Rui En declared that she is doing everything in her power, to make sure she looks convincing as Han Yong Yong.
“I have been spending the last few weeks doing cooking crash courses, housework crash courses.
“I’ve had people teach me how people of the 60s would do the housework.
“It’s not like mop and broom you know, it’s like get down on your knees with a towel and wipe the floor that kind of thing,” said Rui En with a grimace.
“Housework is foreign to me. Housework of the 60s is even more foreign to me!”
Just who has been doing all the housework around her house all this time? And who cooks for her?
“So far, it has been taken care of. My whole life, I have been lucky enough to have it taken care of.
“I think I am quite representative of my generation,” said Rui En sheepishly, before revealing that she has a hired helper who does most of the housework for her nowadays.
“I think I will be a lot more ‘advanced’ in doing housework and cooking after this!”
Rui En (left) all dressed up for the 60s, at the commencement ceremony for “Joys of Life”.
Rui En (right) poses for a photo with her co-stars.
Joys of Life 花样人间 debuts 25 June 2012 9pm on Channel 8.
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, Joys of Life 花样人间.
By Han Wei Chou
Can Rui En win Best Actress again?
The annual Star Awards has officially arrived once more, with the release of the Star Awards 2012 nominee list on Thursday.
Singapore actress Rui En, who was named Best Actress at last year’s Star Awards, has received her second Star Awards Best Actress nomination this year, for playing a spoilt ‘princess’ in the popular drama “A Tale of 2 Cities”.
However, she will have to beat some really tough competition to bring home the trophy this time round – MediaCorp veterans Zoe Tay (“Devotion), Fann Wong (“On The Fringe”) and Ann Kok (“Bountiful Blessings) have also been nominated for the award, along with Rui En’s “A Tale of 2 Cities” co-star Joanne Peh, who was nominated for her performance as a materialistic maneater in the show.
Best Actress
Rui En – A Tale of 2 Cities
Joanne Peh – A Tale of 2 Cities
Ann Kok – Bountiful Blessings
Fann Wong – On The Fringe
Zoe Tay – Devotion
Best Drama Serial
A Song to Remember
On the Fringe
Kampong Ties
Secrets for Sale
C.L.I.F.
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in A Tale of 2 Cities 乐在双城, channelnewsasia.com, EN, On The Fringe 边缘父子, Star Awards 2012.
by May Seah
The year local TV played the multi-national game with gusto
No alert viewer would have failed to realise the cross-culturalisation that went on in the world of local television, not just with local and overseas co-productions taking place but also when it came to global representation within shows.
Take, for example, the MediaCorp TV Channel 5 sitcom “Payday”, which brought together actors from different countries including China, India and the Philippines to play their respective nationalities. While the show may not have been a runaway hit, that in itself was an interesting move that reflected the current social climate.
Of course, another show that tried to address the hot topic of foreign immigration stirred up a lot more controversy. Who could forget the flak that Channel 8′s “Love Thy Neighbour” drew for emphasising conflict between Singaporeans and foreigners? Yet, in spite of that – or perhaps because of that – the drama attracted more than a million viewers.
And we were recently treated to the Japan-Singapore co-production “Mooncake” on Channel U. Each collaboration is a valuable opportunity for the local TV industry to share, learn and develop.
“The show has a Japanese feel and Singaporean filming techniques, all mixed up and influencing one another,” said “Mooncake” star Qi Yuwu, adding he occasionally witnessed the Singapore and Japanese crews exchanging tips on set.
“It’s good for both parties. And it’s visionary. I hope that this lays a good foundation for more opportunities that other artistes can participate in.”
That, however, is easy for Qi to say – he didn’t have to uproot himself to spend several months in a rural backwater community like the stars of “Code Of Honour” and “Kampong Ties” did.
Both period dramas were filmed entirely in Malaysia. (Taking the collaborative trend into the new year, more made-in-Malaysia projects are on the way, including “The Quarters”, which is currently in production and will air in April.)
While he was excited to be part of the show, “Code Of Honour” star Andie Chen lamented that working abroad is no walk in the park. “I don’t know how our Taiwanese and Hong Kong and Malaysian artistes do it – it’s a tough job,” he said.
“You just want to get home and be comfortable, (but) you open the door and it’s an empty room. I miss my parents; I miss my dogs; I miss my support system.”
Now, that’s a hardcore foreign exchange programme.
“Code of Honour” stars Rui En (left) and Zheng Geping (right).
Code of Honour 正义武馆 debuts 5 December 2011 7pm on Channel 8.
Source: Today, Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, Code of Honour 正义武馆, EN, TODAY.
Elvin Ng, Joanne Peh and Rui En were among the many stars who lent some glitz and glamour to a press conference on Thursday, to announce the launch of MediaCorp’s new channel, 8 International (8i) in Indonesia.
The 24-hour Mandarin channel, which will be available on Indonesia’s main pay television operator Indovision’s Channel 151 from Saturday, will draw from MediaCorp’s extensive library to provide subscribers with quality drama content.
“With an increasing popularity of our Chinese dramas in the region, we see this as an opportune time to start an aggregated channel.
“The inauguration of 8i represents a new milestone for MediaCorp. This channel penetration helps us further extend the reach of our Chinese dramas overseas and at the same time, generates new revenue stream for the company.” said Mr Chang Long Jong, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MediaCorp.
“We are looking to launch 8i in more territories and deliver the channels via other platforms. We hope to move beyond dramas and aggregate other MediaCorp genres in the near future.”
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, MediaCorp.
By Han Wei Chou
SINGAPORE: MediaCorp Channel 8 will be holding a massive two-day road show from November 19 at NEX Mall, to give audiences a sneak peek at its 2012 drama line-up.
Top Singapore celebrities like Zoe Tay, Tay Ping Hui, Dai Yang Tian, Joanne Peh, Jeanette Aw, Rui En and Zhou Ying will be among the galaxy of stars that will grace the opening day of the event – titled Dramatasy – to introduce their new drama projects.
Described as a “carnival of fun and excitement”, the event’s opening day will also feature stilt walkers, face painters and balloon artists.
A giant prop train with video screens showing snippets of Channel 8′s 2012 drama line-up will be the centrepiece of the festivities.
A total of 38 MediaCorp artistes are expected to turn up over the course of Dramatasy.
According to a Channel 8 spokesperson, Dramatasy is the broadcaster’s biggest road show in recent years, and took weeks to conceptualise and prepare for.
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, Code of Honour 正义武馆, EN, Joys of Life 花样人间, Unriddle 2 最火搭档 2.
By Han Wei Chou
The charity show, held at the Marina Bay Sands’ Event Plaza, will feature performances by a galaxy of stars such as Rui En, Aska Yang, Alien Huang, Xia Yu and Michelle Yim, as well as “The Noose” stars Michelle Chong and Alaric Tay.
“ComChest TrueHearts 2011″ airs on November 27, 7pm on Channel 8.
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, TrueHearts 2011.
MediaCorp Channel 8 revealed Thursday on their official blog that a sequel to the police thriller “Unriddle”, one of the channel’s top rated dramas of 2010, will air in March next year as part of Channel 8′s 2012 drama line-up.
Some members of the original cast, like Rui En, Chen Li Ping and Tay Ping Hui will return in “Unriddle 2″.
The drama will also feature some fresh faces like Elvin Ng, Romeo Tan and Zhou Ying.
Star-studded commemorative drama
Apart from other titles like the comedy “Double Bonus” which stars Zoe Tay and Joanne Peh’s “Pillow Talk”, a drama dealing with marriage issues, Channel 8′s 2012 lineup also features a massive star-studded drama to commemorate 30 years of Channel 8 drama productions.
The drama, titled “Joys of Life”, is touted as containing “more stars than you can ever count” and is scheduled to air in June.
Chew Chor Meng, Rui En along with a mystery Taiwan idol will star in the show, which will also feature a host of past and present celebrities as well as some aspiring stars.
“Joys of Life” will bring audiences on a journey to 60s and 70s, to experience what life was like when mobile getais were all the rage and when societal norms and values were very different from what they are today.
Unriddle 2 最火搭档 2 debuts 5 March 2012 9pm on Channel 8.
Joys of Life 花样人间 debuts June 2012 9pm on Channel 8.
Source: Channelnewasia
Categorised in 30th Drama Anniversary, channelnewsasia.com, EN, Joys of Life 花样人间, Unriddle 2 最火搭档 2.
Singapore actor-director Li Nanxing has a special bond with his upcoming Mandarin drama “On The Fringe”.
The 46-year-old actor had played Ah Yong, a rebellious, hot-blooded youth in the drama’s spiritual prequel “On The Fringe” way back in 1987.
The difference, of course, is that Tian Yi Bang, his character in the new “On The Fringe” is not a wayward youth, but a middle-aged former delinquent.
Tian seeks to prevent his son Yao Zhiyong (Edwin Goh) who has never seen Tian since his mother (Tian’s wife played by Pan Ling Ling) remarried, from following in his footsteps.
It was Tian’s struggle to get through to his son that Li found irresistible in the show, which also stars big names like Fann Wong and Rui En.
On The Fringe 边缘父子 debuts 2 August 2011 9pm on Channel 8.
Source: Channelnewsasia
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, On The Fringe 边缘父子.
SINGAPORE: Singapore actress Rui En beat contenders like Chen Li Ping and Jeanette Aw to win the Best Actress award for her performance in the drama “With You”, during the Star Awards 2011 Show 2 held at the Resorts World Convention Centre on Sunday night.
“When I was sitting there [in the audience], I kept telling myself I won’t have to go on stage, because I don’t really like speaking on stage, I feel very awkward and unsuitable for this.
“I didn’t think I would win!” said Rui En, who thanked her fans and her boss for sticking by her through the low points in her career.
“At that time (a low point in her career), my boss was very supportive of me. He kept encouraging me and never gave up on me. I am grateful.”
Although Rui En was pleasantly surprised to win the Best Actress award and Top 10 Favourite Female Artistes award on Sunday, the 30-year-old actress expressed that winning the awards would not affect her attitude towards work very much.
“Whether I win or not, tomorrow I will still have to go to work … it (her wins) just makes the pressure greater,” said Rui En earnestly, before revealing that she has an early day on Monday and will head to Malaysia for a shoot very soon.
Complete List of Winners
Best Info-ed Programme: “Tuesday Report – 3 Days 2 Nights”
Best Info-ed Programme Host: Joanne Peh
Best Current Affairs Presenter: Tung Soo Hua
Best News Presenter: Lin Chi Yuan
Best Supporting Actor: Terence Cao
Best Supporting Actress: Pan Ling Ling
Best Variety Show: Love on A Plate
Best Variety Show Host: Kym Ng
Best Variety Special:
Best Drama: “Breakout”
Best Actor: Qi Yu Wu
Best Actress: Rui En
Top 10 most popular female artistes:
Joanne Peh
Jeanette Aw
Rui EnMichelle Chia
Ann Kok
Yvonne Lim
Vivian Lai
Michelle Chong
Quan Yi Fong
Zhou Ying
Source: Channelnewsasia.com
Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, Star Awards 2011, With You 我在你左右.
