A massive hit in East Asia, but not so much on our shores?

If initial numbers are an indicator, Chinese palace drama Scarlet Heart, which has garnered buzz for reviving the career of former pop idol Nick Wu and making stars out of unknowns such as Cecilia Liu Shishi, isn’t really local audiences’ cup of tea.

Figures from international market research firm Taylor Nelson Sofres show that the first nine episodes of the show attracted an average of just 349,000 viewers.

That figure is substantially lower than what the two MediaCorp series, Code of Honour and Kampong Ties – that preceded Scarlet Heart in the same timeslot – attracted in their respective first nine episodes.

Kampong Ties attracted an average of 566,000 viewers and Code of Honour snagged 469,000 viewers.

Source: The New Paper

Bette Midler did not recognise celeb couple US designer Michael Kors and his long-time partner Lance Lepere. So good were their Halloween costumes.

The duo were in Singapore for the launch of the Michael Kors label – brought in by Valiram the high-end retail group – at Scotts Square on Tuesday night.

Shoppers and socialites invited to the cocktail accosted Kors at every step for a snap, and the lovely guy obliged, flashing his pearlies like a real-life Smiley.

Kors later traipsed to the after party at Reflections at Keppel, where he was surrounded by local female stars like Joanne Peh, Michelle Chia and Rui En.

Source: The New Paper

Source: The New Paper

With local fans going gaga over foreign talent, have local stars lost their lustre?

Reported by: Maureen Koh

Has the sizzle gone out of local fanfare?

Definitely not, said those who spoke to The New Paper on Sunday.

Among the stars who have their own fan clubs are Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Dai Yang Tian and Elvin Ng.

RBKD, a fan club for actress Rui En, manages an official website, a blog, a forum and actively promotes gee shows across various platforms such as YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

The 105-member club is in the process of registering itself as a society.

The President of RBKD said: “I acknowledge that K-pop especially has overshadowed our local entertainment industry, but these (local) artistes are the ones unique to us.

“Sometimes if we give them a chance and keep an open mind, we would realize that the grass is not always greener on the other side.”

Mr Paul Chan said: “Whatever it is, we must recognize that fans are an integral part of a star’s success.

“But the absence of physical presence does not mean there is a lack of support.”

Source: The New Paper

Source: The New Paper