Fans willing to pay to get up close to their local TV idols.

By Kwok Kar Peng

It has become the norm in recent years to pay at least $100 for a ticket to attend the fan meet of a visiting Korean celebrity.

Now, fans of local TV stars are also willing to pay to get up close to their idols.

Last friday, more than 200 people paid $38 each to attend an event.

The event, held at iFly Singapore, was to promote their upcoming Channel 8 20-episode drama about journalism titled Poetic Justice, which debuts on Sept 11 at 9pm.

Rui En and Rebecca Lim play investigative journalists who team up with businessman (Dai Yang Tian) ane lawyer (Desmond Tan) to solve cases.

In june, a free event was held at concert venue TAB to promote drama Joys of Life.

Autographs

Participants registered online for a spot and received autographs from Taiwanese artistes Alien Huang and Cynthia Wang, and local stars Rui En, Chen Liping, Andie Chen and Kate Pang.

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: The New Paper

Categorised in EN, Joys of Life 花样人间, Poetic Justice 微笑正义, The New Paper.

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We get the reserved actress talking about her new role as a budding reporter who harbours big dreams and ideals

Text: Joanna Goh

When we first spoke to Rui En about taking on the role of Yan Zhi, a reporter in the upcoming Ch8 drama series Poetic Justice, the actress admitted that she was caught in a ‘Catch-22’ situation. She has a love-hate relationship with the media and you can’t blame her for it. After all, she’s constantly bogged by labels and bad press over the most miniscule things – remember the whole smiling-or-not-smiling fiasco she had during the Star Awards this year?

Post-filming three months later, when we sat Rui En down for an interview at iFly Singapore last Friday, the actress shared that her opinions and afterthoughts on the role are more or less still the same. ‘I wouldn’t say there is a huge change. I just feel a bit more aware that we’re all here to make ends meet and work for a living. That’s all we’re doing.’

As if she read minds and saw where this topic was heading to, she adds with a tinge of resignedness, ‘Unfortunately, for celebs and the press, there are times when you’re at loggerheads with each other…’

Luckily, as the topic of our interview veered towards her role and her co-cast in the show, the actress loosens up and let out a couple of grimaces and chuckles when we touched on the hot weather in Macau and her state of ‘maturity’ in showbiz today.

So, what kind of interview questions unnerves Rui En and who would she pick if she had to choose between Dai Yang Tian and Desmond Tan in the show? We find out more below!

xinmsn: Were there any personal experiences that helped you ease into this role easily?
Rui En: I guess it helps that we’re always facing reporters (laughs). Just generally being interviewed on a regular basis by reporters. We’re talking about entertainment news, and for us [in the show], we’re doing society news. It’s kind of different but just generally being surrounded by reporters all the time is something that makes it familiar.

How was the on-set chemistry with Yang Tian?
We can be quiet at times but when it comes to communicating about the role, we’re really open and he’s also open to suggestions like playing a role in a different way. We’re actually flexible. The lines of communications have always been very open, but there are times we’d rather be quiet and in our little quiet corners.

And how was the atmosphere on-set with such a young cast?
It was really comfortable, some of them – especially the ringleader, Sora – tend to have a lot of fun. Most of the time I do my own thing lah, but it can get quite infectious. It was a light-hearted set.

Your character gets caught in a love triangle between Yang Tian and Desmond’s characters. So if you had to pick between the two guys, who would it be?
I would pick… Rebecca! (chuckles) I can’t, they’re two really different [guys]. Their roles are also really different. But I like the fact that there’s a story development between Desmond and me. It isn’t your typical fall-in-love-and-happy ever-after type.

You guys traveled to Macau to film parts of the show. Anything interesting that happened?
Just unbearably hot. You can’t even imagine, it’s like going to Cambodia. I wasn’t prepared for that kind of heat at all and it was quite a nightmare to film ‘cos basically, you’d be soaked and you still have to strike a lovely pose.

Your character in the show is idealistic and a girl with big dreams, any similarities to when you first started out in showbiz?
Yes of course, when you first leave school, you think you can conquer the world and you actually believed it. You have all these profound ideas; it’s just so typical at that age where you just feel like Gandhi and all those people combined into one and then life hits you and you realise… I definitely can relate to her zest and ideals ‘cos coming out of school was exactly the same, except I think she’s more worthy of admiration ‘cos she wants to help people.

Does that mean you’re jaded with showbiz now?
Jaded? No no no no. Its called maturity (laughs). That’s a big difference. It’s not about being jaded. It’s just that when you come out to work, you start to realise things are not the way you had imagined them to be. Things are a lot more complicated.

Is there anything today that gives you that burst of excitement or adrenalin rush?
Very rarely. In the first place, I don’t really react to most things with excitement, the most happiness, but not really giddy with excitement.

What about drama ratings?
Of course you’d be happy, because after all it’s two to three months of hard work, but it’s not everything lah.

So what kind of interview questions gets on your nerves? Any particular questions, for example?
I guess open-ended questions tend to leave me a little bit [unnerved]. Yah, as a person I don’t really like open-ended questions or the ‘what if’ questions. What’s the point [of asking them]? You can imagine what it’s like but when the situation is in front of you, it could be a world away.

WATCH Rui En’s video interview below!

Vote for Yanzhi as your Favourite Female Character now!

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: Xinmsn

Categorised in EN, Poetic Justice 微笑正义, xinmsn.

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By Han Wei Chou

Shot in Singapore and Macau, “Poetic Justice” traces the lives of two reporters with very different views on journalism, the principled Liu Yan Zhi (Rui En) and aggressive Feng Luo Ling (Lim), as well as the men who love them – the wealthy playboy Fang Zheng Ye (Dai) and his lawyer friend Tang Zhi Sheng (Tan).

It is the first drama to experiment with new production techniques designed to impart a more dramatic, film-like feel to the show.

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: Channelnewsasia

Categorised in channelnewsasia.com, EN, Poetic Justice 微笑正义.

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1. TV Page 109

Poetic Justice

New Serial!
Tue, Ch 8, 9 PM

More Dirt than The Newsroom, this new 20-part serial stars Rui En as a reality TV show producer searching for her missing boyfriend and Dai Yangtian as a colleague she constantly lock horns with but eventually hooks up with. Their volatile personal and professional relationship is made more complicated when it also involves Rebecca Lim’s ambitious anchorwoman and Desmond Tan’s money-obsessed lawyer. – Douglas Tseng

2. TV Synopses Pages 122 – 123

Poetic Justice

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

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

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By Rachael Boon

Shanghai-born actor Dai Yangtian returns to Channel 8 after a hiatus with two new shows.

He returns to the 9pm time slot in Poetic Justice, a drama about the lives of investigative journalists. He takes on the role of wealthy Fang Zhengye, who is at loggerheads with producer Liu Yanzhi (Rui En), but later falls in love with her.

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: The Straits Times

Categorised in EN, Poetic Justice 微笑正义, The Straits Times.

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刘言之在《真电视》负责主持兼制作时尚生活节目，低调地过着生活。言之的父母在她很小的时候就过世了，是哥哥把言之带大。言之的兄嫂在言之大学毕业后不久就过世了，留下了一个女儿-晴子。从此，言之带着晴子生活。

言之原本有一男友-林仲伦；两人自大学时期就开始交往。但是，仲伦于3年前失踪。言之坚信仲伦会回来，一直等着仲伦回来，解开失踪的秘密。

“Poetic Justice 微笑正义” is a modern day drama about a group of young people involved in investigative journalism. Two journalists team up with a wealthy businessman and a lawyer to help solve cases for those in need. As they investigate further, they uncover more secrets and dark truths behind some of the crimes…

Liu Yanzhi, a TV host cum producer of “Reality TV”, lives a nondescript life. Orphaned at a young age, she was raised by her elder brother. Her sister-in-law passed away shortly after Yanzhi graduated from university, leaving behind her daughter Qingzi. Henceforth, Yanzhi takes Qingzi under her wings. Yanzhi had been going steady with her boyfriend Lin Zhonglun, but he went missing three years ago. Firmly believing that Zhonglun will return, she waits faithfully for him to come back and explain his disappearance.

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

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

Categorised in CH, EN, Poetic Justice 微笑正义.

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By: Rebecca Liew

Can Singapore’s most well known directors Jack Neo, Eric Khoo and Kelvin Tong agree with 8 Days magazine Editor-in-chief Lau Kuan Wei and MediaCorp’s Vice President of Branding and Promotions Serene Choo on who Singapore’s Most Deserving A-Lister is?

The answer to this question would win 1 of the 4 awards UrbanWire gave out at Zouk to celebrate our e-zine’s 10th birthday.

The award presented on Aug 18, nearly fell into the hands of familiar names like Christopher Lee and Rui En but comfortably went to veteran actor, comedian, host and sometimes interior decorator to home viewers, Mark Lee.

Source: UrbanWire

Categorised in EN, UrbanWire.

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1. Scene & Heard Page 21

Story: Tan Yi Hui

Ratings JOY

The recently-concluded Joys of Life is, for now, this year’s highest-rated show with 993,000 viewers tuning in to the final ep.

Somewhere out there, ice queen Rui En could be beaming. The star of Joys of Life was unreachable for comment at press time, but co-star Zheng Geping, who plays Rui En’s father, was more than happy to rave about the stellar performance: “To be honest, some of us were confident it’d do well.” The nostalgic serial’s first episode in June attracted 971,000 viewers, putting it ahead of popular police thriller Unriddle 2 (921,000 viewers) and family drama Double Bonus (862,000 viewers). Joys still lag behind 2008’s The Little Nyonya, whose last ep attracted 1.67 million viewers, compared to Joys’ 993,000. Still, with an average viewership of 875,000, the 35-ep show is currently No.1 drama this year.

2. Cover Story Pages 32-45

Young Caldecott and the Restless City

Story by Jonathan Fam

Direct from Macau!

Besides battling heat exhaustion, we have to engage a shy shirtless hunk and witness how Rui En and Dai Yangtian fell in love. The latter not literally, of course – it would take a miracle on the Macau’s famous San Ma Lo Street for that to happen.

In Poetic Justice, DYT and Rui En play intrepid reporters who work for an online news agency. Poetic Justice isn’t your usual Ch 8 fare. We say that not ‘cos it’s the first drama since 2009’s Dreamcatchers to be partially filmed in an overseas location that’s not Malaysia, but because it’s the first time the world of journalism is used as a backdrop.

Put another way, Poetic Justice is a Cliff Notes version of Aaron Sorkin’s edgy The Newsroom cross-referenced with the marshmallow passion of Up Close and Personal and the gusto of Erin Brokovich. But ask the fiercely private Rui En if her feelings towards journos have changed since playing a, in her own words, “responsible reporter”, she chuckles, covers her mouth, and chuckles again. Um, we’ll take that as a yes.

Rui En is smiling. She seems genuinely happy.

She even initiates conversations, which is truly surprising. It’s not just because Rui En is notoriously reticent, but ‘cos her schedule here is so packed, she barely has time to catch her breath, let alone make small talk with pesky reporters.

“So how’s your holiday?” she deadpans when she catches us idling. “Do you need an umbrella? You don’t look like you want to be tanned,” she muses when she sees us melting under the scorching midday sun. “You eat carbs? You don’t look like you eat carbs,” she mock-interrogates us during dinner. Er, is the 31-year-old actres confusing us with Fann Wong? (Fact: this writer is the only one eating rice at the dinner table with the four leads. None of them touch carbs.)

Random Rui En facts: The first thing she does when she gets back to the hotel room is to turn on her TV. She finds the noise reassuring. She’s also a “closet NatGeo fan”, though she’d most likely be watching a Korean drama because “it’s important to know what’s popular now”. If she’s hungry, she snacks on potato chips.

These are just about the only things we managed to learn about Rui En during the week-long shoot. It’s near impossible to sit Rui En down for a private tête-à-tête. She is that busy. The 31-year old has been filming back-to-back dramas for three years now. The longest break she’s had were three weeks after Joys of Life wrapped and before lensing Poetic Justice began. Three precious weeks she spent “doing [her] own thing”. Has she thought about taking and extended break? “Of course,” she replies without missing a beat. “But I just decided not to.” So she intends to work until her body can no longer handle the stress? This time, there’s a pause. “Yeah, pretty much…” she says, her voice trailing off as she ponders the question. “Rui En, we need you!” a crew member suddenly calls out to her. And just like that, she snaps back to her reality and disappears.

Interlude: Rui En and DYT are more alike than you think.

Dai Yangtian: “Both of us don’t really like talking, but we communicate well with each other.”

Rui En: “Yes. I also prefer to stay in my room when I’m not filming. I like to keep work and my personal time very seperate.”

Dai Yangtian: “Same here. We don’t usually have meals with the rest of the crew.”

Rui En: “That’s just how it is.”

Dai Yangtian: “Both of us also have trouble sleeping in hotel rooms. That’s why I need to drink red wine before bed.”

Rui En: “I have difficulty sleeping on hotel beds.”

Behind the Scenes

My Fair Ladies: Fact: Actresses are deathly afraid of the sun. A totally-beat Rui En uses her umbrella as a tent in between takes.

Walk with me: DYT and Rui En take a casual stroll near the sacred ruins of St Paul’s Church.

Cold? Who’s cold? Rui En and DYT shares a light-hearted moment during a late night shoot.

Fight club: Rui En looks on helplessly while Desmond Tan and DYT fight in a scene.

Vote for Yanzhi as your Favourite Female Character now!

Poetic Justice 微笑正义 debuts 11 September 2012 9pm on Channel 8.

Source: Xinmsn

Categorised in 8 DAYS, EN, Joys of Life 花样人间, Poetic Justice 微笑正义, Ratings 节目收视率, The Dream-Catchers 未来不是梦, Unriddle 2 最火搭档 2, xinmsn.

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F01 韩咏咏

外号‘花木兰’。职业：打洋工。 朴实勤劳、温婉但个性坚韧，就算自己受委屈，也不会让家人受苦。 她知道自己是领养儿，而不受父母疼爱，但还是感激父母的养育之恩，孝敬父母、照顾三个妹妹。为了补贴家用，她不顾别人的嘲笑，去打洋工。由于没有受过教育，她积极进取，凭着一股傻劲与锲而不舍，遇到不明白的事物总是会问到底，搞到周遭的人都怕了她。她的这股精神，让她学得了一口流利的英语以及博学多才。 她与韩柔柔虽然不是亲生姐妹，但两人感情深厚。后来韩柔柔为了利益冲突与她反目，伤透了她的心。

Instructions to voting (ends 20 August 2012, 12 noon):

Option 1: Add webteam@RBKD-online.com as your friend in Facebook, we will send you a voting app request. After you accept & register, you get 10 votes & RBKD gets 10 votes too = total 20 votes. Vote for F01 韩咏咏!

Option 2: Go to https://apps.facebook.com/joys_of_life/ to register, you get 10 votes = total 10 votes. Vote for F01 韩咏咏!

After Option 1 or 2, refer your friends by clicking “earn”! You earn 10 more votes for each friend who registers via your referral!

Nomination ends 20 August (12noon). Top 5 most votes of the year will be nominated in Star Awards next year!!

Categorised in CH, EN, Joys of Life 花样人间, Star Awards, Star Awards 2013.

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