Are You Singaporean?

Confirm? Double Confirm?
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, watch this trailer....



It is one of a set of trailers launched by Channel 5 to promote its brand new local gameshow called 'We Are Singaporean'. Hossan plays almost all the characters in the trailers - see the one below where he's the kopitiam towkay and worker. There's meant to be one more featuring parents gunning for spaces at a school during P1 registration.





If the show is as good as the trailers (and as funny), I think we may just have a hit on our hands.


Hossan Leong is the host of the show. And I say...ABOUT TIME LOR. Can't wait to see what he'll do on the show - will he unleash his trademark sarcasm and whip his slanty-eyed look at less-than-worthy contestants/celebrities/guests? I certainly hope so. I hear Kumar's on an upcoming ep - I want sparring...please :)


Anyway, the show is a gameshow where contestants have to answer questions about Singapore. I can only imagine the questions to be like, "Where is the best roti prata in the east?" or "Name Dick Lee first hit!" or "What is Taufik Batisah's middle name" <-- trick question - he doesn't have one.


SO, Are You Singaporean Enough To Be In The Audience?
Now that they've got the set ready, host selected and I believe contestants too, producers are ready to fill up the place with audience members. This show's actually gonna give audience members a chance to win moolah too! Check out the flyer below.

Next week's recording will feature OMG winner Jill-Marie Thomas and the talented Danny Koh. Fans of the two, quick- send email to singaporeans@mediacorp.com.sg and get your tickets to go down and support them!


By the way peeps, Ch5 has launched their own blog (about time right?), and the hardworking peeps from the promo team will be posting tons of juicy behind-the-scenes pics/stories/gossip that only THEY have access to, so its a great place to go kaypoh. Check it out here and then add it to your bookmark list!


xoxo, s.


ps. @WRSproducer  - I chope 2 tickets please! *see, I used "chope" - I am v Singaporean liao!

Quickie Post : 3 More OMG BTS Vids

Quickie Post : Last 3 Vids
I've got three more behind-the-scenes videos to share with you guys - OMG its almost 6am!
Anyway, here you go ...


This first vid is of Luminiq Crew rehearsing their second item. Notice that the starting pose of the second item, is the same as the end pose of the first item they did? I likey. This was recorded at Tuesday night's full dress rehearsal.



This is a vid of Jill-Marie singing True Colours for Desert Roses Jessy and Sophia and their friend Lily. They requested she sing it for them and I happened to be there to record too :) 



This last vid is of the night's guest performer Quick Quick Danger during the full dress rehearsals, also on Tuesday night.

xoxo, s.

OMG Winner : Jill-Marie Thomas

Congratulations Jill!

Jill gets a boost from the IFLY boys!

After 14 weeks of competition, the winner of Channel 5's One Moment of Glory is Jill-Marie Thomas!



Tonight during the Grand Finals, Jill-Marie performed two songs, an Alanis Morisette mash-up of "You Live" and "You Oughta Know" and Cyndi Lauper's "True Colours". She performed both songs with ease and sincerity and came out tops on the Judges' ranking tonight.



Apparently, Jill-Marie beat out Luminiq Crew by just a hare's breath to clinch the $50,000. Both Finalists did awesome. Imo, Luminiq's second routine totally blew everyone out of the water. It was tight, it was sharp and it was powerful. More on everyone's performances in the review later.


In the meantime, check out these pics. The minute the announcement was made, the Luminiq boys ran over to hug their 'kakak'. To me this picture says it all about the bond they have formed during the show. Its so touching to see how supportive they are of each other, and despite missing out on the prize money, are able to be genuinely happy for Jill.





For now, here's a quick word from Jill-Marie, I managed to catch her before she got whisked away by the media for interviews....



Congratulations one more time Jill, you've made the OMG family real proud! And to the Luminiq boys, I just want to say you guys were just awesome tonight, don't believe for a second that you 'lost' anything. Keep believing in yourself and you'll have that one moment of glory soon enough :)




xoxo, s.


ps. Let us know what you've done with the prize money ok? Jill's mum is over the moon, she just won $25,000 :) (and of course she must be uber proud of her lil girl!)



pps. A little birdie told me that The New Paper has dug up 'another scandal'. Apparently someone's now called in to say that Jill-Marie is related to Judge Swoon a.k.a. Tay Ping Hui.Geez when will this sour grapes thing stop right? The girl won the show fair and square, leave her alone. I don't think anyone cares if Jill is related to Ping Hui - show's over, so deal.

OMG Grand Finalist : Jill-Marie Thomas

Kakaaaaak!

That's what the Luminiq Crew boys call her - it means 'big sister' in Malay. And that pretty much sums up the way the rest of the Contenders see Jill, especially the original Top 8. Always ready with a big smile and boundless energy, Jill-Marie has survived the ups and downs of the competition, plus a mini-scandal thrown in, and has come out on top - she's at the Grand Finals baby, and has a 20% chance of winning that prize money that she's gonna share with her Mum. 

Jill's OMG journey
Jillian-Marie Thomas joined the show on Episode 3. That's 10 weeks/episodes of competition and 1 competition-free Charity episode. On Ep 3, she was one of four Challengers, and was last to go on. With limited choices, she decided to challenge a fellow Challenger who had just made it through earlier in the show - Dan Thompson. Judges favoured Jill over the Aussie crooner for her passion and sincere delivery of an accoustic version of the Wondergirls hit "Nobody". After that, week after week, Jill's been rearranging songs her own way and putting the JMT stamp on it, whether its on the OMG! stage in studio, at a roadshow or during a radio interview. 


I caught up with her amidst the crazy rehearsals this week...
We're at the Grand Finals now, competition's really heating up. Everyone's gonna ask you who you think your biggest competition is, I'll ask you the reverse, who do you think you're least in competition with?
Well, for me, I would say, without the voting element, maybe IFLY. They came in at a later stage, so there's an advantage there cos they're a big group, 11 people isn't easy to coordinate. Had they come in at the earlier stages of the competition, it would think it would be really tough to keep coming up with something fresh every week for 8 to 10 weeks straight. 
But that said, there is the voting element. And they're at an advantage, there are 11 of them, that's a numerical advantage. Plus, they're also young, they're all at that stage in life when you've got the most friends - when you're in uni or just out of  the army. 


What's been the best part of your OMG! journey?

I guess the best part for me would have to be going out there and performing in front of a big live audience, and on national tv. Also, its the recognition and the appreciation I've gotten for my music and my singing, not just from family, cos my family is super supportive, but also from friends, people in the industry and just total strangers. It's amazing to know that your music is appreciated. I mean, how many people can say they get critique and appreciation from FD and ohmygawd, Debbie Gibson right?
When you go for gigs, its a smaller target audience. Whereas being on a show like this, its a much larger scale, so the 'love' you get is on a larger scale too. I get total strangers posting messages on my facebook or sending me emails to show their support. They come for shows and make posters and banners and scream and shout for me. All that love and support, its a really special feeling that I think not many people get to experience.

So I guess the best part of the show is getting to go out there, on the live show, doing the charity episode, out to the roadshows, getting out there and giving my all, and getting all that support in return.


What was the lowest point in the whole journey? Was it when Danny left, you guys were pretty close?
Actually no. I was really really sad when Danny left you know, it was a low point, but there was a lower point. When Danny left it was a little earlier in the competition and there was still some way to go. 
The lowest point came when the Baos! were eliminated. We really bonded and had gotten so close over the last few months. Ruby and I would go everywhere together - toilet, get lunch, whatever. And Jason would always help me out with my guitar and my music. We always hung out together. I had really hoped we would be going to the Finals together you know?
That night, when they were about to announce the results, it was down to me, them and CJ Crew. I remember looking down at the floor and the lights were flashing back and forth and then I saw "green light". I thought, "Ok, phew!" and then I looked over and I saw "red" and my heart just sank. I mean, I like the CJ Crew girls and all, but I had hoped it would be me and the Baos! going through. I couldn't stop crying, even FD had to like come and tell me to calm down and breathe. I was just really really sad. 
But I'm so glad now that even though the Baos! are out, they're still gonna be on the show this week, so we still get to hang. It was just the initial shock that night and the enormity of the fact that they were eliminated.


What will you take away from the OMG! experience, what have you learned about yourself?
My mom always says, "I've never seen you so tired or fall sick so often." Every week, its exhausting, preparing for the show, juggling work etc. But why focus on the negative? That 90 seconds that we get to perform makes it all worth it. For me at least, that adrenaline rush is all it takes to make the whole week of hard work worth it. I've learned not to focus on the bad and not let it affect me. 
The whole thing with the newspaper hit me hard, I still get flak for it now sometimes. But it was really heartwarming to see the OMG family come together to support me. Before the article came out, I actually went to the contestants I was closer with to prep them that these things were gonna be said about me, and I just wanted them to hear it from me first. I wanted to assure them that I worked as hard as everyone else and I didn't cheat. And when I told them, they were like 100% supportive and totally did not buy into all the things that was being said. Luminiq were like, "Of course kakak we know you would never cheat and we know you work hard" and Danny believed in me too. And David sent that message (to see David's message, click here), that was so sweet. 

I've come out a stronger person. There's so much emotions tied to the show, especially when you're on it. And actually, I'm a very emotional person. And I'm quite insecure. I just want to be liked. But I realise now that you can't please everybody and that there will always be haters. So you just have to be happy with who you are and not let what people say bring you down. 
I'm more confident and secure with myself and I believe in myself more now. I thought, why let that scandal bring me down? I should use it to prove that I do have what it takes to be on the show.
Smaller things that I've learned ...
Prior to this, I could never remember lyrics. I am so proud of myself for this, I can now perform without my music stand and lyric sheet, sometimes more than one song! (summerr says : I also point out that she not only can remember lyrics, but she can remember simple choreography and blocking while singing...that's an achievement!)
I've also learned to how to put on makeup. I've now gotten a little vain - I actually bother to put on foundation and powder and blusher, do my eyes, add some lip gloss ;) 
You take so many little things from an experience like this. I've also learned what goes on behind-the-scenes of a tv production. I mean, how many people get a chance to experience all  this? Its great!


Here's a vid of Jill performing with Sean and the Baos! on the only pressure-free night of the season, Episode 13 OMG Cares. 




Quick stats for Jill on OMG!
1. Jill joined OMG! on Episode 3 as a Challenger. It was the first time a Challenger had chosen to challenge another Challenger (who had just gotten through on the same night). Jill challenged Dan Thompson and impressed the judges enough to oust him. 


2. Jill has been on the show for 12 weeks (that's roughly 3 months!) and she has performed :
Episode 3 : "Nobody" by the Wondergirls


Episode 5 : "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga


Episode 7 : Performed Jet's "Are You Gonna Be My Girl" in collaboration with Sylvester Sim


Episode 8 : Performed Kings of Leon's "Your Sex Is On Fire" for the theme "Come On Baby Light My Fire"


Episode 9 : Performed "We Are Singapore/Home/Stand Up For Singapore" for the theme "My Singapore Dream"


Episode 10 : Performed "Paparazzi" by Lady Gaga for the theme "Lights, Camera, Action!"


Episode 11 : Performed "Kung Fu Fighting/Dynamite" for the theme "School's Out!"


Episode 12 : Performed accoustic version of "Thriller" for the theme "Fright Night!"


3. Jill's Rankings 
Episode 7 : Judges ranking - 1 ; Not in bottom 3
Episiode 8 : Judges ranking - 7 ; Not in bottom 3
Episode 9 : Judges ranking - 1 ; Not in bottom 3
Episode 10 : Judges ranking - 3 ; Not in bottom 3
Episode 11 : Judges ranking - 3 ; Public vote - Bottom 3
Episode 12 : Judges ranking - 1 ; Public vote - Bottom 3 


Looks like Jill was running mid-pack when there were a lot more contestants, but as the numbers got smaller, she ended up in the bottom. Will Jill get enough votes to win OMG!?


Catch Jill-Marie Thomas this tomorrow on the One Moment of Glory Grand Finals where they will battle it out against the other four to win the $50,000 grand prize. 


Voting lines will open at the start of the show at 8pm. The Results will come to you LIVE the same night at 10pm. 

To vote for Jill-Marie Thomas :
Call 1900 112 1202 or sms '2' to 71199.

Good luck Jill, all the best for tomorrow!

xoxo, s.

OMG Saturday Imaging + Mediacorp's Family Day

Just 2 More Days to OMG Grand Finals!

Happy Monday morning all.... we're just two days away from the OMG! Grand Finals on 17 November. The Grand Finalists have been keeping busy and tonight, they'll be at rehearsals all night at Mediacorp. In fact, all weekend they've been in and about Caldecott Hill.

On Saturday it was wardrobe time for Luminiq Crew and Jill-Marie Thomas. Each of the boys and Jill had to try on numerous outfit combinations until they found the ones that were just right for their individual performances as well as all the group numbers. Imagine changing clothes like a gazillion times in the space of an hour. 

   

Check it out, they the Green Team!

When they were done at wardrobe, Jill and the boys got roped in to participate in Mediacorp's Family Day festivities. While they were busy trying on clothes, the rest of Caldecott Hill was buzzing with staff members and their families. One of the 'sites' set up was a mock up of the OMG set in Studio 1, where people got to perform on the OMG stage and show off their talents. Guest performers that day included Desert Roses Sophia and Jessy (Susan was away in Egypt), and now Luminiq Crew and Jill-Marie Thomas.

'Stealing from craft services LOL!'

 

Pretend OMG judges for the day were Darren Tan and Jade Seah. And 'pretend hosts' were Andie Chen and Michelle Chia. (Danial obviously thinks Jade Seah is super hawt - and she is! And tall!)

Here are the vids from Saturday...

Sorry I missed out a vid of Sophia and Jessy performing together, I didn't have a clear enough shot of the stage during that performance - the ushers were not too friendly, guess we were 'in the way' a lot.


Here's the vid of Luminiq doing their thang. Spyro wasn't around on Saturday cos he works Saturdays - he's in NS.



And last but not least, the vid of Jill singing 'Nobody' with Danial providing beatbox back up. 



Just two more days folks, coming soon are - updates from Sunday's rehearsals plus CJ Crew, Jill-Marie Thomas and IFLY prodigy's profiles. 


Don't forget to tune into 987fm today at 4.15pm to catch CJ Crew live with The Muttons in studio. Or drop by *scape to say hi to the girls and The Muttons :) Have a great Monday ahead!


xoxo, s.

OMG! Wednesday Night Rehearsals - Vids

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!

Last Wednesday night, there was no show, but the OMGers were hard at work rehearsing for the upcoming Grand Finals. On the rehearsal menu that night was group items. At Training School, the singers sat with Indra while the dancers were with Zaki.

Jamming along the corridor....

I was told to meet them at Film Studio which is that huge-ass warehouse way at the back - I recorded the 'walk' there as promised - here's the vid. @siproducer Jolene walked with me and we took the 'shorter' route. Its creepier in person. By the way, when we got there the door was locked. That was a bit of a fright, but anyway turns out everyone got relocated to Training School. 

That was such a nonsense vid right? 

Anyway, back to business, here are the vids of the rehearsals.
This vid was recorded outside training school while the singers waited for their music director Indra Ismail to arrive. They'd just been assigned the Travie McCoy song "Billionnaire" and were singing it together as a group, for the first time. 

In this next vid, you'll see the singers have moved to the Ping Pong Room, where the echo is just fab for recording singing. Indra is assigning parts to the various singers.



While the singers are sorting themselves out, across the hall in the Dance Studio, the OMG dancers have gathered to rehearse their segment of the opening number for Zaki to see. In this vid, you'll just see Luminiq Crew, CJ Crew's Joanna and Jun, and IFLY kinda warming up...

IFLY's two Vincents (Yeo and Fok), Yvonne and Nellie sit and wait to get started...

While they warm up, I head back to the singers to see how they're doing and looks like they've made progress. Parts are assigned and everything's slowly comin' together...

Indra giving the singers a few tips...

Back at the Dance Studio, here's the rehearsal for the opening number - looks pretty exciting - I love seeing everyone come together to do group numbers, plus its great to see Rhythm 'N' Moves again.Vertical Dancers are not here for the rehearsals, but they'll also be part of this routine and so will Danny Koh.

Thank goodness the ceiling is high enough for IFLY....

After Zaki is done with the dancers and they've been dismissed, its time for the OMG singers to learn their blocking for the opening number. Very unglam, but here's a peek at how its done...



Zaki once told me he loves to do blocking cos its like moving life sized chess pieces here and there, sometimes like a jigsaw puzzle ahahha. Okay, and now to put the whole thing to music. The singers just got the song assignment just before this, so they're still reading lyrics off the sheet.



Well, that was a very long Wednesday night. Call time was 7pm. We all left Mediacorp around 12.30am.


Next up, weekend rehearsals!


xoxo, s.


ps. Here's the last time we'll see Sean Harrison with a full head of hair - he enlisted for NS the very next day. 

It's OMG Roadshow Day/Weekend!

Two OMG Roadshows this weekend!

Our grand finalists are out to meet and greet (and perform) to the roadshow crowds not once but twice this weekend! In about 2 hours, catch CJ Crew, Luminiq Crew, IFLY prodigy and Sean Harrison at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. And tomorrow, head down to the OMG! Roadshow at Plaza Singapura at 5pm. 

Unfortunately, Jill-Marie Thomas won't be at this weekend's roadshows, she's in the Philippines for a gig that was booked ages ago. Here's a message Jill recorded especially for the fans and the OMG family, all the way from Boracay, I just got it in the mail this morning :)

Okay peeps, see y'all at the roadshows - come on down and support your OMG Grand Finalists and show 'em lotsa love! 

Just wanted to put up a pic of the OMG backdrop ... Hi Sean!

Here are the deets again : 

TODAY, 2pm

Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza 
(thats the huge space out in the front of Ngee Ann City)

TOMORROW, 5pm

Plaza Singapura, Open Plaza 
(that's the space right out front on Level 1)

Jean Danker will be hosting this roadshow, so come show her some love too!

xoxo, s.