The Art of the Brick Exhibition – Where LEGO Is More Than Mere Child’s Play

Recently, Red Dot Diva received a text message from a friend one rainy afternoon, “Have you been to 'The Art of the Brick'? Is it worth going?”

A loud and emphatic “YES!!!” was her reply.

Like most children, Red Dot Diva owned a box or two of LEGO blocks when she was an ankle-biter. And she probably did build a decent thingamajig or two, but Red Dot Diva has always been more a thinker and writer than an architect or builder.

Since then, she’s always been intrigued by people and even children, who are able to construct their own creations or recognizable pop-culture models, like the Death Star or a Batmobile.

So, when famous artist Nathan Sawaya’s talked-about “The Art of the Brick” exhibition opened at the Art and Science Museum late last year, Red Dot Diva and her Evil Twin (also a LEGO-collector herself), couldn’t resist going to the show.

NY-based Sawaya has acquired quite an ardent following with his various art pieces built from LEGO bricks. This was the first time that the exhibition was being displayed in South-East Asia. And what a totally mind-blowing amazing show of LEGO art that was!

Nathan Sawaya’s vision and passion for the LEGO bricks were evident in all his showpieces – in fact, masterpieces would be a more suitable term for them. Many were made in astounding 3D and several were almost life-sized.

Go Visit Honnie's Hive! - Mashi's Mini Art Show On December 14th 2012

In the last couple of years that Red Dot Diva got to know Mashi aka Wendy Chew, she has seen the local chibi artist and illustrator's fandom increase from strength to strength. 

Her sexy-cute artwork now exhibits a growing sense of mischievous confidence and during the recent STGCC, she knew of many collectors who sought her out at the Invasion / 8-Bit Media booth for sketches. Mashi also had her own signing schedule at the Wall of Fame, which says a lot for the profile of a local artist.

Not contented with just drawings, Mashi had also showcased a sample of her very first vinyl toy produced by Vinyl-on-Vinyl at STGCC 2012. If you were at STGCC that weekend, you might probably have been one of those who fell in love with the cute voluptuous bee-lady called Honnie (see pic above).

Special Report from Wellington, NZ: Ground Zero at "The Hobbit" World Premiere

Elven statues guarding the red carpet area

Maybe one day Red Dot Diva will get to attend a Hollywood red carpet premiere.

For now, she has only been to very few glitzy ones held here, and those were mainly because she was working the media beat during Screen Singapore last year.

Until the time when international media marketing folks warm up to the idea that Red Dot Island may be a suitable stage for such glamourous premieres (in reality, the tropical humidity and heat doesn't quite help!), she will probably keep on dreaming of such large-scale star-gazing opportunities.

Wellington native Elizabeth E. Scrivener though, is a lucky gal to be living right where fantasy movie-style Middle-Earth is being created.

Naturally, she was at the sidelines of the exciting red carpet premiere for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" this past week. Here's her report:

Special Report from Wellington, NZ: The Run-Up to An Expected Premiere for "The Hobbit"

Red Dot Diva is envious. Super envious, actually.

Native kiwis seem to have it all with regards to fictional Middle-Earth. After all, most of the sets seen in the "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) trilogy and the upcoming movies for "The Hobbit" are based on New Zealand landscapes and landmarks.

With "The Hobbit" movies (there will be three parts!), Peter Jackson has returned as director, together with a host of very familiar faces from the LOTR trilogy, like Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Andy Serkis as Gollum. Ok, well.... we don't get to see Andy Serkis' face in the movies, but his remarkable contribution to that precioussssss role is undeniably recognizable.

A fresh bunch of actors who have assumed roles in "The Hobbit" movies will soon join the long list of memorable Lord of the Rings cast members. Martin Freeman heads the cast as the younger Bilbo Baggins who will be going on the adventure of his lifetime. The accompanying dwarves on this journey include actors like the very nommy Richard Armitage (Thorin Oakenshield), James Nesbitt (Nofur) and Aidan Turner of "Being Human" fame (Kili). Plus, Red Dot Diva knows that many BBC Sherlock fans are still squeeing over the fact that Benedict Cumberbatch has lent his voice for Smaug the dragon.

Screen Singapore 2012: Chow Yun-Fat and Sophie Marceau To Attend Movie Premieres!

ScreenSingapore is back this year but with a new organizer helming the affair.

The hard work of conceptualizing and bringing the difference pieces together now falls in the capable hands of Reed Exhibitions, the same outfit who, for the last 3 years, has brought local geekdom the Singapore Toy Games and Comics Convention (STGCC).

Wisely enough, this year's ScreenSingapore will be held in conjunction with the more established trade-based Asian Television Forum (ATF) from 4 to 7 December at Marina Bay Sands.

And from the looks of it, ScreenSingapore 2012 seems to be a moderately planned but better organized event compared to last year's. Changing the location to Marina Bay Sands already makes the event seem less logistically-challenged. (Last year's ScreenSingapore was held at Capella Singapore at Sentosa.) The schedule also appears to be sleeker and more compact.

Interview with Gilamon Studio's Lefty - Different Recipes of Horror in "Jimi Germ" and "Zero Hero"

3/4 of Gilamon Studio with Sonny Liew (far left)

One of the nicest things that could happen in the geek world is getting acquainted with the guys from Gilamon Studio.

If you are not familiar with Gilamon Studio already, it is an inspiring Malaysian creative outfit consisting of four talented and very affable creators - Julian "Lefty" Kam, Tan Eng Huat, Michael Chuah and Chin Sau Lim.

Marvel comic readers would be most familiar with artist Tan Eng Huat, whose works have graced titles like "X-Men: Legacy", "The Punisher" and "Thor: First Thunder". But, let it be known, that the other three creators are just as talented in their own right.

While Red Dot Diva has not personally met Michael Chuah yet, she has bumped into the rest of the team on several different occasions. In fact, she spent some time with Lefty and Eng Huat at their little space at the "Heavy Metal" booth during Comic-Con earlier this year. The guys were promoting their latest releases - a charming little gem called "Jimi Germ" that also has its own iTunes app, and a preview edition of "Zero Hero". It was definitely a comforting slice of home exchanging the familiar Singaporean-Malaysian accents and lingo with the two while in a far away land.

Diva's 2012 New TV Series Recap Part 2 - Still Trying to Fall In Love With "Arrow"

The CW is well known for shows that target the younger audiences, with many of them focusing primarily on adolescence and young adulthood - like "The Vampire Diaries", "Gossip Girl", "Veronica Mars", "One Tree Hill", "Smallville", "Supernatural" and more.

Some of these shows get cancelled after a number of episodes, several of them continue on for multiple seasons, and a few become cult hits.

Naturally, with the kind of target audience that the CW is able to capture, the network seems best-suited for comic-based stories. "Smallville" lingered for a good 10 seasons and with that gone, the CW and comic fans were twitching for something new to fill that space.

In comes "Arrow", with the promise to please those who were looking forward to a series based on the DC Comics vigilante superhero, Green Arrow aka playboy millionaire by day, Oliver Queen.