OMG's First "Scandal"!

Looks like a storm is brewing....I got a call from The New Paper today, a really sweet-sounding reporter named Charlene. She was writing a piece on OMG! and the possibility of biasness towards/against contestants. Apparently a contestant had called the paper with allegations (scary word, but not mine) that all wasn't a level playing field behind-the-scenes at OMG! And in a way, I guess the allegator (that isn't a real word haha), the person who called to complain, included the blog too - apparently I favour Jill-Marie over everyone else. 


Ok, so now you know who 'they' think has an advantage. 


Drama! Drama! Drama!
Apparently the person who called The New Paper is/was a contestant - dayum I should have asked her properly whether this person was still in or ousted. I was trying to get her to tell me who it was but of course the sweet (she really does sound really nice and sweet - although very stressed) Charlene wouldn't say la. Journalistic integrity and all - can't divulge your sources mah!


I can't think who it could be. Seriously, the Contenders on the show right now are all friends with each other. Yes they compete onstage, but offstage its really like 'family'. They hang out together outside the show. Need proof? When David was leaving for Taiwan - the gang went down to Haji Lane just to hang one last time with him. I even asked Danny what he thought of this and he reckons it could be an outsider, pretending to be a contestant. If that were true, wah, so free hor!

As for complaining about the blog, well, like I said to Charlene when she asked me, like in Idol days, I write what I see and record whoever's around me. If you 'camwhore' a bit more, you're bound to turn up a little bit more in pics - case in point Luminiq's Azmi who's head always seems to appear in every other photo - but we love ya Azmiiiii! (Sorry ah dude, I've had to crop you out once or twice, ...once or twice only k!) 


As for favouring Jill, well, I think she sings well, and I stand by my opinion. If her performance moved me, I'll say it did, and if she sucked, I'll say so too - that Kings of Leon song really was horrible. (Btw, if you're still a contestant on the show and reading this and have issues, please come talk to me k - I don't bite!)


Jill was ranked bottom 2 that week, and it was the viewers votes that saved her - not the judges. If it were up to the judges, she'd be out with the Capoeristas instead of Rhythm 'N' Moves.


Pointing Fingers!
Ok so here's the even more scandalous part ....
The Allegator (I'm beginning to like this 'new' word) is saying that Jill-Marie is everyone's favourite not because she's good but because of her connections. Apparently she's buddies with a Fly Entertainment artiste and that artiste is supposedly a very influential woman.


Here's the breakdown :
Said 'artiste' roots for her buddy Jill by influencing her big boss Irene to vote for her. (Wah, employee so steady can tell boss what to do ah, steady lah!) 
Said artiste's influence is so great that after she convinces Boss Irene to vote for her buddy Jill, Boss Irene, will automatically influence her 'kaki', Beatrice to also vote Jill through. This is because, apparently in a way, Irene is Beatrice's 'boss' too. Beatrice's production company Running Into The Sun is a subsidiary of Fly Entertainment. And who is the head honcho of Fly again?


Said artiste is muy powderful.


Seriously? I mean, seriously? Do you really buy this? 


Pause & reflect. 
All this 'scandal' aside, remember its your votes that count. The judges' ranking is transparent, its up on the big screen for all to see before voting lines are opened, so you have every opportunity to change where the contestants stand. And remember, it was the viewers who saved Jill-Marie from being voted out last week, not the judges.


summerr says :
I love drama as much as the next person. Scandal even better - it spices up the show right? Woo hoo! I just wonder if the motivation behind the drama was sour grapes or a sincere wish to seek 'justice'. If it is the latter, I doubt there is any to be sought because I believe the OMG! producers are on the level. 



I'm also pretty sure Irene and Beatrice wouldn't put their reps or their jobs on the line to 'favour' a contestant and think they can get away with it on a public show. They're both super successful women with strong principals and character, I seriously doubt they would ever condone 'cheating' of any kind. 


As for the artiste-in-question, guess it must now be a crime to have a friend who's a 'celebrity'. Die la, guess I can't be friends with Taufik anymore, dayum, he's a good friend to have - he bakes awesome brownies! (Seriously good man!) 


Anyway, check out The New Paper today to see what Charlene's written - it'll probably be an interesting read ala New Paper style. She was saying she hoped to convince the contestant to reveal their identity, fingers crossed they do cos I'm curious as hell to know who it is! Aren't you?
xoxo, s.


ps. Scandal aside, eyes on the prize folks, tonight's theme is Lights, Camera, Action! + we have a new Challenger! Watch OMG! Live @ 8pm on Channel 5!

Meet OMG Judge : Irene Ang

Judge Irene says "Its Okay To Make Mistakes!"

Minus the Rosie Phua's polyester wig, garish tops and stretchy pants, the woman behind that Ah Lian is far from obsessed with just mahjong, slim wrap and Kang Kang. Dressed in top-to-toe BCBG, I thought Irene looked formidable - like someone to be respected - ie, a Judge.

At last Thursday's press conference, I decided to bide my time and wait for the mainstream press to finish their rounds with her and just managed to catch her right at the end, over her last cup of iced lemon tea.

What I enjoyed most about talking to Irene was her energy. She truly has a lot of it, and it shows. Make that ‘passion’. She has a lot of that, for every single pie that she has her finger stuck in. Its no wonder she’s a motivational speaker!

When producers called Irene and invited her to be a judge on OMG!, she jumped at the chance. For her, it was one of the many things she has always wanted to do, and this would be another tick on her already long list of accomplishments.

“I’m very happy to do this. I’ve already done so many things, but I have always wanted to be a judge. You know how people are, when you're watching tv at home and we're all “couch judges”, even my mother loves to judge!”

Irene’s the wearer of many hats. She’s the head honcho of Fly Entertainment, and when she’s not wearing her management hat, she's a motivational speaker and of course she’s an artiste - performing stand-up, hosting events and last but not least, acting.

She has just finished filming ‘Phua Chu Kang The Movie’ with fellow OMG-er Gurmit Singh, they’re out doing publicity for the movie right now. Next on the list of acting engagements is Fly Entertainment’s own baby, a movie called ‘Get Meaty – The Bak Kwa Story’. (With a title like that, I wonder if they'll give out Bak Kwa in the press packs! Halal ones for the Malaysian release!) Anyway, the title definitely sounds interesting, I'm already curious. When filming starts, Irene will have to commute between Singapore and Malaysia every week for her OMG! judging duties. Oh and btw, have I mentioned she's also Executive Producer for the movie? Like I said, she is the wearer of many hats.

About Judging, Irene’s philosophy is, “If you wanna be a Judge, you gotta be prepared to be judged. The Bible says ‘Judge not lest you be judged’."

“FD and I have been judged so much over the years, we qualify to be judged based on our longevity!" *cue Irene's very loud and distinct laughter*

Irene’s not kidding about being judged. “I’ve been judged as a host, an actress, a stand-up comedienne, a singer. I get judged all the time.”

How are you going to judge the talents, considering that its like apples vs oranges?

I will look at the talent and see if they have potential to be an entertainer. Looking at it from an events manager’s perspective also, whether they will bring something different and unique to the stage when there’s a show.

What do you bring to the table as a judge?

I’m an entertainer. I know how difficult some acts are. There’s a lot of technique involved that the audience doesn’t see. For instance, those belly dancers (Desert Roses performed at the press conference), they have to make all their body parts move at different speeds from each other, they have to isolate their torso from their limbs, and from their chest. Not easy.

What do you think is the best part of OMG!’s format?

Best part is that you can be GONE any time! People can come and challenge you and you can be gone.

Don’t you think that’s a little unfair especially those who have managed to defend their spot and stay on til the final few episodes?

I think that’s fair. That’s life. You have to up your game to keep in the race.

What kind of judge will you be?

I can choose to be fake or real. I choose to be honest and real. So far we’ve all been real and constructive. We are in the business, we don’t want to kill people’s dreams. I see myself more like a mentor. I’ve made so many mistakes as a performer. I just want to share my experience with them.

My first stand-up was 10 years ago. I was thrown on stage in a show with Selena (Tan) and Hossan (Leong), both veterans in the field, and I didn’t know anything. Next day, Straits Times published a half page story with the headline “Fanny Wong Is Not Funny”, and that completely stopped me from doing any more stand-up. (Irene’s routine were Fann Wong jokes.)

4 years ago, my good friend Beatrice got me to get up and give it another try. The more I do stand up now, the more material I develop.

To date, stand-up still makes me nervous, so I must have some wine before, and I’ll always run through my pointers with a point man (she means her PA Harry). But at least now, even if I blank, I can fall back on the vast amount of material I already have in my head. I can improvise too, I can talk about the flowers on the table, or someone's shoe, and I'll just talk and talk until I come back to where I left off. It comes with experience.

Any advice for the contestants?

Its really about making mistakes. Don’t be afraid to fail. This is not the end. Keep trying and you will get better. Your career is only over if you stop trying.

Beatrice forced me to come out of my shell. Its important to fall and get up again.

In my earlier days, I had people telling me that I was such a bad host. But luckily I was self-motivated about it, so I decided to halve all my hosting prices and got as many bookings as possible, so I practiced a lot. I hosted something every week, and after one year of non-stop hosting experience, I became a better host. So keep trying!

Any hidden talents that we don’t know about?

I can make pretty good Ha Cheong Kai (prawn paste fried chicken – yumm!!!) and prawn noodles (double yumm!!).

Harry the P.A. jumps in here : "She makes the soup from scratch k!"

Irene : "Yea, I boil the prawn head to make the broth and the bak kut (pork rib) has to be marinated separately – that’s all I’m telling you! Ok, but my true hidden talent I think, is my ability to multitask well."

One Moment Of Glory premieres on National Day, right after the parade on Channel 5. Usual timeslot will be Wednesdays, 8pm from 18th August.

If you wanna catch Irene in all her stand-up glory, check her out in her upcoming comedy sketch show called the Vlee Conference. Looks like they're parodying Glee somehow, so I'm definitely gonna go check it out (ahem Hi Harry, got tickets ah? <-- I am shameless! LOL!). The other reason to check it out would be Chua En Lai, I'm a big fan of his characters on the Noose, so would be great to see him and Irene ham it up. Since its satire about the major things we went through in the past year, everyone should be able to relate - I wonder how they'll address the crazy floods, the IR openings and maybe even Ris Low - or is she TOO last year? Follow the jump here for more info on the show, show times and tickets!

xoxo, s.

ps. When she started talking, it dawned on me that dayum, I shoulda used a tape recorder! She’s like a freight train of enthusiasm and experience running at full speed, which for someone scribbling on a notebook = hand cramp! (ok, I’m being a tad dramatic, my hand did not cramp up, hey, I’ve been interviewing people for a long time, I have developed my own short hand, but i did have a small finger mini cramp!)

:: Pics courtesy of the Ch5 Promo team, Shawn Pang, Fly Entertainment and my lil Nokia e71 :) ::