Thursday, March 24, 2011

Spacey To Be In Singapore?

Wa... Wut? WUT!!?

The theatre geek in Red Dot Diva is positively Squee-ing.

Last year, it was announced that Oscar-award winning veteran actor Kevin Spacey will be starring in the titular role in William Shakespeare's "Richard III".

Mr Spacey - who was last seen hob-nobbing with his co-stars and director of indie movie "Margin Call" at the Sundance Festival - is the Artistic Director of The Old Vic. He is involved in the Bridge Project together with friend and well-known director, Sam Mendes. In fact, Sam will be the director for the Shakespearean play.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

RIP Knut: Tragic Star Polar Bear

Tragic endings seem to happen far too early for superstars. Especially those who were child stars.

Last Saturday, such a celebrity, Knut - known as the world's most famous polar bear - was found dead in his enclosure at the Berlin Zoo. He was only 4 years old.

His early demise is reminiscent of less furrier stars who leave this world way before their time. Marilyn Monroe. Kurt Cobain. Michael Jackson.

Friday, March 18, 2011

Ready Your Wands For "Deathly Hallows" Part 2!

It's time to whip out one's wands and practise those spells. Red Dot Diva says there simply ain't much time left.

The "Harry Potter" movie series will be coming to an end with an epic but expected showdown between the young wizard and the nasssstiesssssst nose-lesssss V-illain of all time.

The last movie "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" Part 2 (directed by David Yates) will premiere in UK/ USA on 15th July 2011. Red Dot Diva is sure that it may screen or sneak peak a day or two earlier in Singapore, as the cinema operators here need to combat piracy.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

GnB Comics' Charity Drive for Japan

The Land of the Rising Sun.

Home of Hello Kitty, Gundam, Totoro, Astro Boy, Godzilla, anime, manga, kimonos, ramen, kobe beef and wasabi And much more.

A country besieged by the 8.9 Ricter earthquake last week that caused an equally devastating tsunami, which in turn, triggered fires and explosions at their nuclear reactors.

Oh, Japan! :(

Red Dot Diva is sure that hearts are aching for the country and its people!

Local comics store, GnB Comics is doing their part to help the people of Japan in their time of need.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

"Emily Of Emerald Hill" - A Feistily Shiok Performance

Mention Peranakan and colourful images of brightly intricate sarong kebayas and fussily-prepared signature dishes come to mind.

Sadly, Red Dot Diva sighs, true-blue Peranakans are hard to find these days as the culture is becoming assimilated into the larger mainstream Chinese diaspora through-out South-East Asia.

Red Dot Diva grew up in a household with a strong Peranakan heritage. Even though her maternal grandmother did not wear the sarong kebayas nor belong to a filthy-rich family, one would not be able to mistake "Mama's" inherently feisty matriachal-bibik-ness. Where on earth does one think Red Dot Diva got that Diva attitude from? ;)

Emily of Emerald Hill”, written by Stella Kon, is an iconic Peranakan play. While highlighting the quirks of the Peranakan culture, it still offers the universal themes about womanhood, love, sacrifices, family and loss that anyone can appreciate.

Monday, March 7, 2011

SDCC and NYCC - Hotel Registrations

Already one of the lucky buggers who got a SDCC 2011 ticket?

Soon, it will be time to figure out where one will be staying during that weekend! And start gathering your choice roomies!

Comic Con's online hotel registration opens on March 9th at 9 am PST. One can read the information and instructions here at Comic Con's website. The organizer is also offering a sneak peak of the hotel list and the special room rates on the same link.

Unlike last year, Red Dot Diva noted that one can now attempt to reserve up to 20 hotels for the weekend. Also, once the reservation is confirmed, one has to foot a deposit for at least one night's room + tax for each room booked.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Journey Through Time – A Fantasy Tour: Time Travelling at the Civic District

Old historical buildings are one of Red Dot Diva's weaknesses.

So, when online friend @sarahcoldheart tweeted about a short historical fantasy-themed walk by The Preservation of Monuments Board (PMB), Red Dot Diva chose to sign up for it immediately. She also managed to convince her Mom to come along for the little jaunt.

The 1.5-hour walk - named "Journey Through Time - A Fantasy Tour" began at 9.45am at a bus-stop near the Raffles Hotel on Saturday, February 26th. There were about 20 aspiring time explorers, all eager to get started.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

"Shaolin" - A Kung Fu Movie About Redemption

If one thinks that "Shaolin" is a remake of the 1980 "Shaolin Temple" movie that launched Jet Li to international fame, then Red Dot Diva says -- think again.

The only similarity between the 1980's "Shaolin Temple" movie and the new movie is the use of the famous Shaolin temple in China. The temple was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in August 2010.

Instead of just a mere show of the kung fu moves that the Shaolin monks are reknown for, "Shaolin" (新少林寺 or "New Shaolin", if one takes the literal translation from the Chinese title) is more stately and quite fitting of current times.