Text: Dang Hui Ling
Photos: Dang Hui Ling & Joanna Goh
Videos: Ling Pak Wei & Fiona Lin

Top local actresses such as Zoe Tay, Chen Liping, Jeanette Aw and Rui En are raring to cross swords in Ch8’s upcoming drama The Dream Makers

Local actresses Rui En and Jeanette Aw will finally have the chance to collaborate on a same drama in Ch8’s upcoming production The Dream Makers. Though the two highly rated artistes are both managed by HYPE Records, this is the first time they will act alongside each other.

While speaking to xinmsn at the drama’s imaging session, Rui En shared her excitement about the opportunity and beamed, “I’ve been waiting so long to work with Jeanette!”

The Dream Makers stages itself as a spiced-up version of the local showbiz, with the story revolving around the people working in a television station. Rui En takes on the role of a producer in the Variety Unit, while Jeanette plays a hardworking second-tier artiste who is waiting for her big break.

Rui En said that she was relieved to be able to wear “comfortable clothes” for her character this time round, after having to don restrictive “officer’s clothes” for her previous roles in Unriddle and C.LI.F. 2.

She described her character Fang Tong Lin as a “quirky and imaginative girl who will inspire several comedic scenes”, which is a refreshing change from her recent “serious roles”.

To portray a natural image of a director, the actress has been observing her colleagues at work, even taking notes of details such as their clothing styles, behaviour, and habits.

“I put a little of myself into each of the character that I play,” said Rui En, who is satisfied with the space to develop her role in the new drama.

The star-studded cast of The Dream Makers also features Zoe Tay, who stars as Zhou Wei Yun, the Executive Director of the Variety Unit in the TV station. The Queen of Caldecott Hill shares a superior-subordinate relationship with Rui En in the drama, making it the third collaboration between the two actresses.

Impressed by the strong line-up, Zoe is eager to pit her acting skills with the other actors, especially from the younger stars, whom she has watched mature. “It will be interesting to see how they have grown from their experiences and how the chemistry between us will evolve,” she added.

And while The Dream Makers illustrates the complications within the show business on the small screen, both Zoe and Rui En have emphasized that Singapore’s entertainment industry is “not as exciting”.

The Dream Makers 志在四方 debuts 24 June 2013 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: Xinmsn

Categorised in 50th TV Anniversary, C.L.I.F. 2 警徽天职 2, EN, The Dream Makers 志在四方, xinmsn.

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邻里警局队长廖心怡（白薇秀）巡逻时，成了被袭击的目标。特别罪案调查队队长黄芷婕（瑞恩）从国外办案回来，也卷入这一场在热闹商场持枪挟持人质的危机当中，身历险境。两名女警在枪嘴下，面对失控的枪手，必须保护人质，保护自己，大队警员出动，尽全力化解这个对峙的局面。

警署高级调查官唐耀佳（戚玉武）扫荡非法赌档时，在树林发现高度腐烂的女尸。法证管理组队长魏蓝天（李南星）和黄芷婕到现场搜查凶手散落在树林里的罪证。证物处处指向刘震伟，震伟是蓝天前妻陈玉琪的丈夫。蓝天为了帮助玉琪，却使芷婕和国煌产生了队长和队员之间的摩擦。

赵国煌（陈邦鋆）查案时，过于遵守条规，国煌的未婚妻在雨夜里惨遭蒙面人用利刃杀害,他因破案心切，反而违反了警察条规,私自进行调查，与芷婕的关系变得更尖锐…

黄芷婕 （瑞恩 饰演）

女，30岁

职业/身份：特别罪案调查组—OC Team C 组长

简介：

芷婕7岁的时候，一次和大她两岁的姐姐黄芷清玩捉迷藏时，目睹姐姐被歹徒掳走，后遭到性侵犯并被杀害，歹徒则因证据不足，逍遥法外。这件事对稚龄的她，造成了心灵上的冲击。

虽然时过境迁，不过立志要成为警察的理想，一直深埋在芷婕心底。大学毕业后加入警校， 正式当上警员后, 优秀的领导能力最终让她成为OC Team C组长。一直让她能坚持下去的原动力，就是她对警察这份职业抱着一份使命感。

由于童年的不愉快事件，曾经令芷婕对人性感到失望。大学时她主修心理学，就是希望让自己能够深入了解人性，探讨人性的心理。也因为曾经感同身受，所以她更能够深切的体会到受害者家属的悲痛，并给予他们适当的辅导和关怀。

芷婕和法政管理组队长魏蓝天是警校同期毕业的学员，是感情深厚的好友。此外，两人在生活上亦是可以交心的知己。她经常取笑蓝天因为婚姻失败恐惧症，所以交不到女朋友。殊不知两人的感情已然升华。

后来，发生了一起女童被性侵犯后杀害的案件，干案手法类似当年芷婕姐姐遇害的情况。就在芷婕在查案的过程，赫然发现案中有案，她必须学会“放下”，用不同的角度去看清楚事情的真相。在和凶手的斗智斗力中，却也让自己和蓝天陷入了危机当中……

Huang Zhi Jie (portrayed by Rui En)
Female, 30 years old
Occupation: Specialised Crimes Branch – Senior Investigation Officer

Huang Zhi Jie went through a troubling childhood when she saw her elder sister get kidnapped and eventually murdered after being sexually assaulted. The culprits got away scot-free due to insufficient evidence, which scarred the then-seven-year-old her.

Wanting to join the police force, Zhi Jie enters the police academy after graduating from university and does well in the force, quickly becoming a Senior Investigation Officer. What spurs her on is her calling to uphold justice.

Due to her experience when she was a child, Zhi Jie once lost faith in humanity. Choosing to study psychology in university, she wanted to understand human behaviour. This later pays off as she can emphatise with victims and communicate with them on a deeper level.

Zhi Jie is close friends with police academy buddy Wei Lan Tian, whom she always teases about his lack of girlfriends after his divorce. The two develop a deeper relationship subconsciously.

She later meets a stumbling block when investigating a sexual assault and murder case, and has to learn to let go of things she cannot control. She leads Lan Tian and herself into trouble when she enters a battle of wits with the suspect.

C.L.I.F 2 警徽天职 2 debuts 18 February 2013 9pm on Channel 8.

For more information, click to access the drama page: Chinese | English

Categorised in C.L.I.F. 2 警徽天职 2, CH, EN.

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Local showbiz ain’t as boring as it seems – at least not on upcoming Ch8 drama series, The Dream Makers

Text: Joanna Goh

For those of you who have always wondered what it is like to be a struggling actress, or how your local TV station functions – you’re in for a treat. This June, things are going to get real catty in showbiz (a fictional showbiz, that is) in the upcoming Ch8 production, The Dream Makers.

Think of it as Korea’s On Air or the currently-airing Drama King, and expect plenty of meta references as some of these actors play exaggerated versions of their real-life personalities.

As real-to-reel take on the life of producers, directors, and actors from Caldecott Hill, the drama will let audiences watch Rui En (Fang Tong Lin) and Jeanette Aw (Zhao Fei Er) duke it out for real and for the first time.

After much talk and debate over the rivalry between the now-defunct “seven princesses”, the duo will play hot favourite actresses vying to become the TV station’s number one star. Zoe Tay (Zhou Wei Yun) and Chen Liping (Yao Zhu Kang Li) will also feature as sparring executive producers from opposite camps.

So are things really that aggressive and catty in local showbiz?

Well, not really – at least not by MediaCorp Ah Jie’s standards. In her interview with xinmsn at the drama’s imaging session yesterday, Zoe called TheDream Makers “a dramatised and magnified take on local showbiz”.

“The story plot and characters are fictitious and purely done for the sake of entertaining TV viewers,” she quipped with a chuckle.

Zoe’s sentiments are echoed by Rui En, who will play the former’s subordinate in the show. “Let me assure you, the real TV station is not that exciting. (Laughs) They might be writing on a scenario that took place 20 years ago. It’s more normal now and less exciting.”

Zoe Tay

Her third collaboration and first time working closely with Rui En, Zoe is eager to see sparks fly in their superior-subordinate relationship. “After so many years of practice and acting, all actors grow and mature from their experiences. It will be interesting to see – when you put a cast of good actors together – how their chemistry will pan out from this show.”

Rui En

Unlike her usual tough chick onscreen persona, there will be plenty of laughs and cuteness from Rui En this time around as Fang Tong Lin. A rookie director who finds instant fame as an actress after guest-starring on a variety show, Rui En shared that her tomboyish character will be “quite different” from the ones she has played before.

The actress feels that her goofy and comedic character will be a refreshing change for her. “She’s quite quirky, very opinionated and is someone who has plenty of interesting ideas.”

“I’m quite sad that I won’t have as much screen time with my Unriddle partner,” the actress dejectedly let on, when asked about her onscreen collaboration with Zoe and Liping. “But I’ll have more scenes with Zoe, Jeanette and Yuwu. I’m excited as this is something new for me too.”

The Dream Makers 志在四方 debuts 24 June 2013 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: Xinmsn

Categorised in 50th TV Anniversary, EN, The Dream Makers 志在四方, xinmsn.

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1. The Feel Good Page, Page 69

Story: Sarah Chang

Categorised in 8 DAYS, EN, Poetic Justice 微笑正义.

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From: Sharon Lee

Missed Unriddle 2? The 2012 psycho-thriller is now back on television.

The gritty 20-part crime drama starring Rui En, Chen Liping, Rebecca Lim, Tay Ping Hui and Elvin Ng won plaudits from critics and snagged Rui En a Best Actress award at the recent Asian Television Awards.

Rui En, Chen, Tay and Ng star as CID officers out to solve a series of cases. As they delve deeper, they soon realise things aren’t as simple as they seem. Lim plays a psychiatrist and Rui En’s good friend but is she as innocent as she looks?

The nail-biting drama caught my attention when it first aired last year. It was also the only Channel 8 drama that I watched faithfully every night. Clearly, I wasn’t the only one as the finale attracted 1.047 million viewers.

Unlike most run-of-the-mill MediaCorp dramas featuring everyday characters centred around home affairs, Unriddle 2 stands out with its suspenseful storylines and high production values.

The characters, in particular Rui En’s Xiaoman and Chen Liping’s Zhengyi, also displayed good chemistry together.

Unriddle 2 airs on weekdays at midnight on MediaCorp’s Channel 8.

Source: Straits Times Communities

Categorised in Asian Television Awards, Asian Television Awards 2012, EN, Ratings 节目收视率, The Straits Times, The Straits Times Communities, Unriddle 2 最火搭档 2.

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Just for laughs: Here’s a recommended list of New Year’s resolutions for local celebs that (we think) are worth considering and keeping

Not all resolutions are about dieting, exercising, eating more greens and shedding that muffin top you acquired while merry-making last year. In the name of entertainment, we came up with a couple of New Year’s resolutions that (we think) will serve a couple of local stars well in their acting careers and personal lives.

(Disclaimer: Take these resolutions with a pinch of salt and have a jolly good laugh instead)

Rui En: Since it takes 43 muscles to frown and 17 to smile, it’s time to flash those pearlies.

Source: Xinmsn

Categorised in EN, xinmsn.

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Source: The New Paper, Diva Asia

Categorised in Diva Asia, EN, m:idea Youth Choice Awards, The New Paper.

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Babe, me?

She may have been calm and cool about her nomination, but her second Babe Of The Year win – with a record-breaking 6,405 votes – made actress Rui En “flabbergasted”.

In an email to The New Paper, the 31-year old said she was “bewildered” when she first heard the news about how many votes she had received this year.

She beat Jeanette Aw, who received 804 votes, and YouTube star Munah Bagharib, who received 183 votes.

“My fans… I have no words for how incredibly committed they are,” she said.

“Truly, any and all awards actually belong to RBKD, all my fans and them alone.”

RBKD, the moniker for Rui En’s fan club, was also responsible for her first Flame Awards trophy, also for Babe Of The Year, back in early 2009.

Then, she was up against this year’s nominee, Jeanette Aw, as well as Joanne Peh, both of whom had shined in blockbuster drama The Little Nyonya.

She had also been nonchalant about her chances then, saying it would be “The Little Nyonya year”.

Up against Aw again this year, as well as hot newcomer Munah Bagharib, Rui En declined to talk about her chances.

Now that she has won again, she is somewhat amused.

“I really am the sort to head down to the kopi tiam in shorts and slippers. Highly un-babe-like…” she said.

She had a few stern words for The New Paper about the title, too.

“I…have to be honest. Babe is really not one of the most favourite words of mine. To me, ‘babe’ means swaddled in pastel blankets and also had a lot of very strong Christmas connotations,” she said.

All right, we hear you. A name change may be in order. Who are we to argue with someone who has had such a great year in showbiz?

Her Babe Of The Year win caps a year of trophies, including Favourite Female Character at the Star Awards for her role in A Tale of 2 Cities, and Best Actress at the recent Asian Television Awards for her role in Unriddle 2.

All, one must note, without seemingly overly eager and overexposed or the opposite of completely catty or cold.

It is her refreshing “real-ness” that endears her to her fans, who “stretched” themselves this year to make sure she took home the Babe Of The Year title again.

RBKD fan club president Peh Xin Yi, 25 told The New Paper that this year, they heeded Rui En’s advice to “vote within their means”, but they strategised to ensure their idol would emerge tops.

“Our fan club has more than 90 members, but we posted about the Babe Of The Year voting through Facebook (where Rui En has more than 116,000 fans) and Twitter,” said the club president.

“We had one member who wanted to set aside $100 to vote for her (each SMS costs 20 cents), but we stopped her as we don’t believe in having one person vote excessively.

“That’s why we promoted it online.

“Flame Awards was one of the first we got for her (RBKD was formed in Nov 2008).

“It’s a great way to end the year.”

Juliana June Rasul

Source: The New Paper, Asiaone

Categorised in A Tale of 2 Cities 乐在双城, Asian Television Awards, Asian Television Awards 2012, asiaone.com, EN, Flame Awards, Flame Awards 2009, Flame Awards 2012, RBKD, Star Awards, Star Awards 2012, The New Paper, Unriddle 2 最火搭档 2.

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Ladies and gentlemen, we hate to say this but it’s time to kick start another round of frenzied voting for the annual Star Awards ceremony

You have faithfully and consistently voted for your favourite idols and actors week after week, drama after drama, just to get their TV characters nominated — and in the running — for the annual Favourite TV characters awards at the annual Star Awards ceremony, since the start of 2012.

And this is the moment that you’ve all been waiting for. The first round of Facebook voting for ‘Favourite Male Character, ‘Favourite Female Character’ and ‘Favourite Onscreen Couple’ for 2012 dramas will soon conclude with the final episode of Ch8 drama series, It Takes Two.

The top five nominations in each category will then be announced before the next stage of voting for these five categories commences on Feb 21, 2013 – save the date in your calendars and diaries!

In all, there are a total of four awards that will be decided via online voting on xinmsn and they are for the Favourite Male Character, Favourite Female Character, Favourite Onscreen Couple and the Favourite Host award. Nominees in the final Favourite Host category will be selected by the nomination committee as no prior nominee voting was conducted on Facebook.

Stay tuned to xinmsn for more updates on the top five nominations in the Favourite TV Characters categories for Star Awards 2013.

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VOTE FOR RUI EN

1. Singapore Entertainment Awards 2013

a. Vote for Rui En as “Most Popular Local TV Artiste e乐人气本地电视演员” here:

i. Vote for Rui En for free daily at bit.ly/sge13RuiEn

ii. SMS “SGEAWARDS J2 NRIC NAME” to 146077877. (26c/sms)

Voting for Singapore e-Awards ends on 10 April 2013.

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2. Star Awards 2013 – Online

a. Favourite Female Character

i. Vote for Rui En for free daily at bit.ly/yanzhiSA2013

b. Favourite On-screen Couple

i. Vote for Rui En for free daily at bit.ly/voteSA13

Voting for Star Awards (Favourite Female/Couple) ends on 21 April 2013.

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3. Star Awards 2013 – Top 10

a. Vote for Rui En in “Top 10 Most Popular Female Artistes” here:

i. Dial 1900-112-2032 to vote. (86c per call)

ii. Vote for Rui En for free daily at bit.ly/19001122032

Voting for Star Awards (Top 10) ends on 28 April 2013.

Source: Xinmsn

Categorised in EN, Star Awards, Star Awards 2012, Star Awards 2013, xinmsn.

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