Disney+ Singapore's Super Fun Star Wars Lightsaber Workshop With Fightsaber (23 September 2023)

Last Saturday (23 September 2023), Red Dot Diva and her geek pal Leo Cheong had a chance to be part of Disney+ Singapore's special event for a bunch of subscribers. The streaming company hosted a Star Wars Lightsaber Workshop and it was a blast! 

It was the first time Leo attended a Disney event at their premises, and here is his short write-up about the fan huddle!

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Masks haven't been trendy or ubiquitous since the heydays of the Covid pandemic, but I happily donned my Darth Vader mask for this special occasion. Hosting winners of the latest Subscribers Perks Programme competition at their swanky HQ, Disney+ Singapore put on a literal light show that will not be forgotten anytime soon.

No party is complete without epic loot and it doesn’t get more epic than an Ahsoka Tano Legacy Lightsaber Set worth a cool S$529.90 (US$387.95). Reminds me of Shinomori Aoshi’s double kodachis from Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X.

Enter The Upside Down At The Stranger Things - The Encounter At Bugis+ Mall (30 June to 1 August 2023)

The supernatural world of Stranger Things, Netflix's popular horror series with an 80's vibe, will manifest on the 7th floor of Bugis+ from 30 June to 1 August 2023. The immersive retail experience called STRANGER THINGS - THE ENCOUNTER is a partnership between Netflix and designer toys and collectibles studio Mighty Jaxx.

Get your 80s' gear ready, and pretend you are Eleven or Mike. Then, gather your gang to take down the dangerous creatures all set to destroy your entire world. You might even want to call upon the Hellfire Club (Red Dot Diva salutes to her fave character, Eddie *sob*) as backup. You will need help, especially when the evil Vecna has plans for world domination.

What you can expect at STRANGER THINGS - THE ENCOUNTER? Check out the list below:

Top Gun: Maverick – A Light, Water & Pyrotechnic Extravaganza At Marina Bay Sands - What A Blast!

After 36 years, the long awaited sequel TOP GUN: MAVERICK starring Tom Cruise, is now showing at theatres all over the world. The follow-up movie is set 30 years after the original action blockbuster film TOP GUN, and sees the return of Tom Cruise' character Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell and Val Kilmer as Admiral Tom "Iceman" Kazansky.

In tune with the TOP GUN movies stories about US Navy fighter pilots, TOP GUN: MAVERICK had a world premiere on board the aircraft carrier USS Midway, where Tom Cruise made a heckuva entrance by flying and landing a helicopter on the ship deck. To add on to the spectacle, there were also jet flyovers and the presence of uniformed servicemen accompanying the cast members on the red carpet.

Red Dot Island has seen her share of flashy red carpet premieres in recent years before the pandemic struck. Ever since a series of lockdowns and limited social restrictions in 2019, big scale events such as these have yet to return to our shores. In a way, Red Dot Diva misses these grand affairs, even though the messy and sweaty hours of standing in the public fans' area does suck the energy of from her for a couple of days or so. She has also suffered a few minor bruises and scrapes from being right in the fray of things. Still, the possibility of getting close to your favourite celebrity was real, and if you managed to get that rare selfie with the actor, well... then you are probably set for your entire geek life.

Hopefully, movie premieres will return in a big way in Red Dot Island again soon. Meanwhile, less flashy movie premieres at cinemas are still held by the local distributors. UIP Singapore's premiere event for TOP GUN: MAVERICK held at Shaw Theatres Lido saw some well-known celebrities in attendance, as well as a few US Navy aviators based here.

May The 4th SG 2022 at Suntec City - We're One With The Force

This year's May the 4th activities landed for 10 days from 7 to 16 May 2022 at the prime trade planet of Planet SuntecVIII.

After a lengthy blockade on trade and travel between certain sectors of the galaxy, it was really good to be able to meet up with various interplanetary allies again. On the 1st day of the Star Wars Day celebration, Red Dot Diva was happily reunited with her geek bro, Jedd and fellow geekstresses Jas and Gwen.

Together, they explored the sights in the various sections of the planet's city, like the impressive display of Star Wars Black Series action figures and LEGO builds at the West Wing. Over in the East Wing, the bustling marketplace offered creative toy photography prints by Plastic SG & Friends, and vibrant paintings by art collective DPLMT. Most of the items were available for sale, with net proceeds going to charity (KHH Health Fund).

It's A Trap! May The 4th Star Wars Day Lands on Suntec City - 7 to 16 May 2022!

On May the 4th, the entire galaxy will be celebrating Star Wars Day. This year, local fans will be eagerly gathering at Suntec City of Planet SuntecVIII, from 7 to 16 May 2022.

Based on intel gathered by her informants, Red Dot Diva found out that the Empire is eager to expand and set up a new base. She spotted a team of intimidating Imperial officers, stormtroopers and Mandalorians scouting Planet SuntecVIII a few weeks ago.

The planet is located at a popular trade route, making it home to several equipment yards and food markets. It also has a constant water supply, which, based on local custom, is a symbol of good fortune. And if one decides to let loose for awhile, there is a number of very alien-friendly cantinas to choose from. No wonder the Imperial officers seemed pleased with their scouting mission.

Experience The Batman "Unmask The Truth" Pop-up at Shaw House

One of DC's most enduring and iconic superhero is back to the big screen. Matt Reeves' THE BATMAN, starring Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, premiered in local theatres on 3 March 2022. To ramp up the hype and excitement for the new Batman movie, WarnerMedia has turned Orchard Road into an interactive experience for the fans with The Batman “Unmask The Truth" pop-up event.

Its main "Gotham City" is located at Shaw House's ground level. Enter into Gotham's shadowy world to check out the Bat-signal, a life-sized figure of Batman the "Battinson" version, and a cool toy display that includes XM Studios' intricately sculpted collectible "The Batman’s Greatest Battles". Against a replica of the Batcave console, Secretlab has also unveiled their The Batman chair, with a special magnetically detachable bat emblem.

Don't forget about taking your selfies! The movie backdrops provided Red Dot Diva with lots of fun and wacky photo opportunities.

DC Fandome 2021 Returns On 17 October With Sneak Peeks of The Batman and Black Adam

DC Fandome is back again this year! The live global fan extravaganza will happen for one day only on 17 October, Sunday in the Asian region (i.e. 16 October, Sat, USA time). Just like last year, the streaming event is free for all fans to attend.

All you need to do is to suit up and enter into the DC multiverse at DCFanDome.com. The landing page for the event is already up, so you can sign up for a login right now to receive the latest news and updates. DC fans who will be entering DC FanDome for the first time this year can also check out the wonderful video highlights of last year's event on the website.

What will be in store for this year's DC FanDome?

Artscience Museum Hosts May The 4th 2021 Celebration on 1 & 2 May

Missed celebrating with your fellow Star Wars geeks on May the 4th last year because of the pandemic? Here's your chance to make up for all that pent-up energy and get ready to nab tickets for STAR WAS DAY at ArtScience Museum on 1 and 2 May (Sat and Sun).

Admission for the event is free or charge. However, as social distancing measures are still in force, limited tickets will be available. Fans would have to pre-book their slots to visit the museum. The booking link will be available on 26 April morning.

This year's May the 4th celebration is organised by #MAYTHE4THSG & Friends and supported by Pico Pro. The team has planned out a fun-filled schedule for the weekend, with family-friend activities like film screenings, photo opportunities, toy displays and more!

Check out the summary of the programme lineup below. The program schedule is essentially the same for both days except for the film screenings:

Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2020 CANCELLED - So What Now?

Even as cases of Covid-19 has been decreasing recently, Red Dot Island is still at DORSCON Orange. The local government has been very cautious about re-opening businesses and social activities, so it is not a surprise at all to see ReedPop's announcement that the local pop-culture event of the year Singapore Comic Con (SGCC) 2020 has been cancelled.

Going Absolutely Bat-ty on Batman Day 2020

Nanananananana... It's Batman Day!!

Fans of Batman usually gather at local comic book shops to celebrate the superhero's birthday. He made his very first appearance ever in ‘‘Detective Comic’’ back in 1939. Since 2015, DC Comics has dedicated the third September of the year to be Batman Day.

Since many of us are still on lockdown, DC Comics has turned on the Bat-Signal on 19 September for an online celebration with the Dark Knight's international fans. There was a call for fans to build and share their own interpretation of the Bat-Signal, a DC Batman Virtual Run, a Batman Activity Kit for the family, and the best of all - free comics to read on DC's website!

No prizes for guessing who's Red Dot Diva's #1 favourite superhero either. Of course it is Mr Broody Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist before Iron Man was Genius Billionaire Playboy Philanthropist, Caped Crusader ‘‘I'm Batman’’ himself.

She had a field day spotting some Bat-gems on social media, while happily fantasizing she was part of the Bat-family. Here are some of them:

Star Trek Day Beams Down on 8 September 2020 (Pacific Time)

STAR TREK fans, get ready to engage!

After the huge success of DC FanDome, other content owners are beginning to follow suit and organising virtual events to keep their fans engaged during this coronavirus pandemic. To celebrate the 54th Anniversary of the original STAR TREK show's premiere, CBS All Access has put together an all-day online streaming event where the pilots of every STAR TREK series and specially curated episodes from the different shows, will be made available on CBS All Access starting from 8 September, midnight Pacific Time. This viewing marathon is for USA fans only.

Local Trek fans will not be able to watch the marathon on CBS All Access. However, but there will be 8 key panels hosted by Wil Wheaton and Mica Burton available globally for free, starting at 12 PM (PT). The cast and writers are expected to appear in their respective panels, with Rod Roddenberry logging in for the session dedicated to the original Trek series. Details of the panels are as follows:

We Bare Bears: The Movie Premieres on Cartoon Network and Warner Media Channels on 12 September 2020

Life is going to get better again on 12 September (Saturday) at 11 AM when WE BARE BEARS: THE MOVIE premieres simultaneously on Cartoon Network (Starhub TV 316, Singtel TV 226) and other WarnerMedia channels like Boomerang, HBO, HBO Family, Warner TV, Korean entertainment channel Oh!K, as well as streaming service HBO GO.

As most of us are still in some form of lockdown or social distancing measures during this coronavirus pandemic, a beary big dose of pawsitivity is exactly what we need! Fans of WE BARE BEARS will have a chance to give a proper farewell to Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear, as the 70-minute TV movie wraps up the beloved Cartoon Network animated series after four memorable seasons.

DC FanDome Part 2 Held on 13 September; HBO Asia and Warner TV Asia Go Into DC Superhero Mode

It's only a few hours to the launch of DC FanDome, the global virtual event entirely about DC Comics and characters from the DC Universe, put together just for the fans. Red Dot Diva is definitely camping out on her iMac, lapping up the exclusive reveals while trying to stay awake via caffeine pumping.

Because the initial schedule had so many panels and sessions which will be running simultaneously, fans had found it hard to choose which ones they wanted to attend. So, to cater to the fans' needs, DC FanDome is now expanded to two separate events. The panels previously announced in the other “Verses” like WatchVerse and KidsVerse, have now been postponed to the second event.

The original event on 23 August (Sunday) has been renamed as DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes with a more streamlined schedule. The live segment will begin at 1 AM (Singapore Time) for 8 hours, kicking off with its first panel on WONDER WOMAN 1984, followed by others for The Sandman Universe, THE BATMAN, THE SUICIDE SQUAD and THE SNYDER CUT of JUSTICE LEAGUE, alongside exclusive programming on comics, games, cartoons, TV series and more. The show will air two more times during the 24-hour period, so that fans from different countries will be able to enjoy the different sessions and announcements.

A second round of the mega fan event called DC FanDome: Explore The Multiverse will be held for 24-hours only on 13 September, 1 AM (Singapore Time). A kids-friendly event called DC Kids FanDome will also launch at the same time, and can be accessed separately as DCKidsFanDome.com.

At this event, fans will have full access to over 100 hours of on-demand programming spanning the vast DC Multiverse of TV series, movies, comics, cartoons, games and more. They can then customise their own schedule, and enjoy as many exclusive panel sessions, screenings and never-before-seen content as they wish within the 24-hour window.

It costs nothing to enter in DC FanDome, so don't miss the great lineup in store on both dates. The event can be accessed on all mobile devices as well as on your desktop and laptop computers. All you have to do is go to this link: https://www.dccomics.com/dcfandome

DC FanDome's Guest Lineup Is Like WHOA... But So Were the Layoffs in WarnerMedia

The global 24-hour virtual fan experience called DC FanDome is set to roll out on August 22 (Sunday August 23, starting at 1 AM Singapore time) with a list of guests like WHOA.

The teaser reel that announced the talent roster was super long and varied, consisting of comic book creators, celebrities from the movies and TV series, those working behind the scenes, the people from WB Games, as well as the presenters and hosts.

Take a look at the guest announcement video here as the over 300 names scroll on and on.. and on...

Diva Goes Behind the Scenes with LukeForever, the Producer of Legend of Hope - A Star Wars Fan Film

“LEGEND OF HOPE - A STAR WARS FAN FILM”, which was released during this year's May the 4th celebration, is one of the best local fan-made creation that Red Dot Diva has seen this year. Considering that 2020 is mostly cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic,  “LEGEND OF HOPE” was such a joy to watch. It is a timely gift, for an unusual era when people around the world are feeling discombobulated with lockdowns and restrictions.

Set in the forests of Kashyyyk after the execution of Order 66, the short 20-minute drama featured scowling villains, cheeky humour, intense light-saber duels, a fearless female resistance fighter, and more importantly, that stirring promise of Hope to fight for another day. And when it expands the Star Wars Universe to include Singlish-speaking Jedi -- lagi best.

DC FanDome Is A 24-Hour Global Virtual Event Specially For The Fans!

Set your calendars for DC FanDome!

This mega, immersive, 24-hour virtual global fan event by Warner Bros. is set to kick-off on August 22 (that is, Sunday August 23, starting at 1 AM Singapore time). It will cost nothing for the fans to step into the multiverse of DC's Super Heroes and Super-Villains from past, present and futures shows. There will be no queues, no badges required, and best of all, no heartattack-inducing hotelapocalypse!

Everything will happen at www.dcfandome.com, with exciting announcements on WB's game, film and TV properties, plus a chance to watch the cast, creators and those from behind the scenes who have worked in various comics, movies and TV series share about their experiences.

Some of the titles that will be featured at DC FanDome are:

MOVIES
Man of Steel
Aquaman
Shazam!
Birds of Prey

Celebrate Star Wars Day Online with Fightsaber Singapore on May the 4th

Sigh. Remember the pre-Covid-19 pandemic days??

Those were the days when local Star Wars fans here would gather physically to celebrate May the 4th Star Wars Day by interacting with costumers and cosplayers, ogling at wondrous toy collections, learning how to fight with a lightsaber, or simply enjoying each other's geeky company.

Earlier in March 2020, the organisers of May the 4th SG had wisely announced that due to safety reasons, there will not be a public event held this year. Then, Circuit Breaker happened, and no gatherings were allowed by law anyway.

However, it will be the school holidays next week, and the younglings will be off from HBL sessions. So, parents and their children can take part in a May the 4th celebration online with our favourite lightsaber performance and costume group, Fightsaber SG! 

View this post on Instagram

The school holidays are around the corner and so is May the 4th! This Circuit Breaker will not stop us from celebrating Star Wars Day and so we'd like to invite parents and children to participate in our exciting activities the next few weeks! We'll be organizing activities that you can take part in, all from the comfort and safety of your home! Watch this space the next few days as we announce more details on the activities and how you can also stand a chance to win prizes! #fightsabersingapore #fightsaber #starwars #starwarsday #maythe4th #maythe4thsg #sgunited #stayhomesg

A post shared by FightSaber Singapore (@fightsabersg) on Apr 29, 2020 at 7:20am PDT

Diva's Friend Booked Her A Video Message From Neal McDonough - Thank You SO MUCH!

It's DAY 3 of CIRCUIT BREAKER Mode in Red Dot Island, as us islanders try to curb the spread of the infectious disease, and attempt to “flatten the curve”. What other countries call a lockdown, the Red Dot Island government has decided to call “Circuit Breaker”. Red Dot Diva thinks the term used is both ingenious and funny at the same time.

Not being with friends or family for an extended period of time can be disconcerting. Even for most introverts. People are social creatures after all, regardless of the level of interaction one prefers.

So, it was such a LOVELY SURPRISE when Red Dot Diva was woken up by a familiar ping on WhatsApp this morning from fellow nerd bro Ryan. Within the message was a video from one of Red Dot Diva's favourite silver foxy actors, NEAL MCDONOUGH!

OMG. *introverted silent shrieks*

Ryan had booked for the special message from a video-sharing website called CAMEO, and it totally made Red Dot Diva's day.

Watch Neal McDonough say hello to Red Dot Diva:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Red Dot Diva (@reddotdiva) on Apr 8, 2020 at 11:11pm PDT

Adam Driver Thanks Star Wars Fans Who Raised Over USD 54,000 for Arts in the Armed Forces

Actor Adam Driver, the talented man behind Kylo Ren/ Ben Solo in the latest Star Wars trilogy, has thanked his fans for the GoFundMe fundraiser for Arts in the Armed Forces (AITAF). AITAF is a non-profit organisation founded by Adam Driver and his wife Joanne Tucker. The organisation aims to bring the experience of the arts to those who are serving or who have served in the military as well as to their family members.

Here's Adam Driver sending his thanks to fans.
Awwwwww....  He is just too precious.





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RDD Westeros Holiday Contest - Win A Pack of Game of Thrones Goodies!

The HBO series Game of Thrones may have ended, but there is no lack of gifts from Westeros!

As a year end holiday giveaway,  Red Dot Diva has a set of swag for Game of Thrones fans to enjoy. All they need to do is join this online contest by completing the following steps:

1. Follow Red Dot Diva on Twitter and/ or Facebook
2. In your answer, tag someone you know who is a Game of Thrones fan.
3. Answer the contest question below by posting in the Facebook post's comment box, or a tweet with a mention to @reddotdiva:

QUESTION -- What is Jon Snow's real name?

Good luck! And if you were not the chosen winner, there will be another round of giveaway this before December ends!