The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio
The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio |
- Drama king, Michael Wong makes his debut in radio drama
- Cesar Millan’s The Dog Whisperer is back
- No more bad news from Curtis Stone
| Drama king, Michael Wong makes his debut in radio drama Posted: 16 Apr 2013 04:33 PM PDT Michael Wong makes his debut in 988's radio drama. We hear Michael Wong's voice over the airwaves often enough, but he is usually serenading listeners with his Mandopop hits. Now, the boyish-looking singer/actor is making his debut in a brand new Cantonese radio drama on local Chinese radio station 988 titled Huge Wave 2013. Cantonese radio dramas, one of 988's signature programmes which have a big following, has come a long way since its Rediffusion days. In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of 988's radio dramas, the station decided to record an updated version of Huge Wave which was released some 10 years ago. Ipoh-born Wong, 42, admitted that although it was not the first time his voice was used in a radio programme, Huge Wave 2013 marked his first genuine involvement in radio drama. "When I was first asked to voice a role for a radio drama in Hong Kong, all I did was record my lines in the studio on my own. Then, someone else was tasked to splice together all the other pieces of dialogue to complete the radio play. There was absolutely no interaction between me and the other voice actors. So, I never realised it could be so much fun and such a delightful learning process," Wong shared during an interview held in the 988 recording studio at Tropicana Office Tower. Wong found the whole project thoroughly fascinating. "We would read our lines and make notes to help with the recording. I was quite nervous but found it great being able to observe experienced professional radio actors project emotions using only their voices," quipped Wong. Active in the Chinese music scene since 1995, the much-loved singer-songwriter has a dozen albums to his name. More popularly known as Guang Liang in the music industry, Wong is one of Malaysia's best known Mandopop crooners. "Since I've mostly sung in Mandarin, I also discovered how different it is to record in Cantonese - I learned that the voice is supposed to come from the throat, instead," shared Wong who has also dabbled in acting and has been featured in five films and half a dozen television dramas as well as a stage musical. Huge Wave 2013 beginsApril 17 at noon. 988's radio play airs from Monday to Friday at noon. For details about the radio drama, log on to http://988.com.my/drama/hugewave2013. Check out the trailer on YouTube http://youtu.be/HM4_R3qGgzw. 988 is owned and operated by The Star. |
| Cesar Millan’s The Dog Whisperer is back Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:10 AM PDT The 'dog whisperer' is back with a new show that takes on the global issue of abandoned canines. IT would be near impossible for any dog owner to watch Cesar Millan interact with his beloved canines without feeling a sense of awe (and perhaps a touch of envy – who wouldn't want to calm a rambunctious dog with a mere touch?). The renowned dog behaviour expert and bestselling author, with over 20 years' experience with canines, hails from Culiacan, Mexico, and began his climb to fame when he started working with celebrity clients in Hollywood. He first showed off his magic to the world in 2004, with his television show The Dog Whisperer, where he rehabilitated aggressive, scared, lazy, compulsive and jealous dogs while educating their families on how their own behaviour influenced the dogs' misdeeds. The show was an instant hit and went on for a whopping nine seasons, thanks both to Millan's amazing ability to understand and communicate with our four-legged friends, as well as his affable personality. Most of all, what came through abundantly was his undying love for dogs and a real commitment to building a better relationship between humans and canines. The 43-year-old Millan is now eager to extend that attitude to a group of dogs that is desperately in need of our understanding: the abandoned. With his new series, Cesar Millan's Leader Of The Pack, he takes on the global issue of canine abandonment, by training and assessing potential families who are in the running to take in an "unadoptable" dog. Contrary to the regular practice of a family choosing from a selection of potential pets, three families are put through challenges each week to prove themselves capable of adopting an abandoned one. In a telephone interview, Millan stresses that the show aims to highlight the worldwide issue of dogs being abandoned in shelters and eventually being put down. "The show is about saving lives. There are about 600 million stray dogs around the world, with about 100 million dying every year. By doing a show like this, I hope to not only save these dogs, but also educate people, which is something my viewers want from me," he says. The idea for Leader Of The Pack came from a very personal place in Millan's life. "It all started two years ago, when I was going through a very hard time in my life," he shares. According to media reports, he went through several personal tragedies in 2010 – his wife of 16 years filed for divorce, and his beloved pit bull Daddy passed away after a struggle with cancer after being with him for 16 years. This culminated in a suicide attempt, which he later bravely spoke out about, calling it "the lowest level (he) had ever been emotionally and psychologically". The resilient Millan then put his life back together through his pack dog wisdom, using exercise, discipline and affection to heal himself. "(Having gone through these experiences), I wanted to do a show with a mission, to save relationships," he says. With Leader Of The Pack, Millan hopes to highlight the importance of compatibility when it comes to taking home a dog from a shelter. "Most people are very excited initially about adopting a dog, but not everyone is compatible with the dog. Six out of 10 dogs adopted from shelters come back, which is very sad. "In this show, people will see that a dog is given to a family when we can see compatibility, when the dog and humans give respect to each other." An abandoned dog, he stresses, requires its family to be understanding of what it is going through, and behave accordingly. "The last thing you should do is feel sorry for the dog. The dog is already going to be fearful, anxious and confused, and your job is not to feel bad, but to feel positive. "You need to be calm and assertive, free from doubt. You need to give the feeling of, 'You're going to make it'. Once the dog is put in that environment, he will feel safe," he explains. Filmed in Miraflores, Spain, at Millan's newest Dog Psychology Centre, Leader Of The Pack features canines from all over world. Millan only has one criterion when selecting dogs from shelters in countries as varied as Poland and Italy: "I ask the shelter, which dog is the hardest to place?" He says: "Some dogs have been at the shelter for two or three years, and I always like working with the worst-case scenario. Also, this way, the dog rescuers can see that I can assess what the dog needs within a few minutes, which helps when it comes to placing it with a family." Setting the show outside of the United States is also Millan's nod to his fans worldwide. "The world sees The Dog Whisperer as being set in the United States. But people love me everywhere, and I really wanted the world to participate in my effort. We chose Spain because it is a strategic location and the weather is great. "I want people to know that Cesar is moving around, he is coming to the world!" he announces enthusiastically. Millan further shares that he is very excited about the possibilities for Leader Of The Pack, and is keen to continue the show with new ideas that can make it even more informative to viewers (the show ended its first season in the United States last month). "This show is a call to arms. I'm not saying everyone should adopt a dog, but I'm saying everyone can participate in the process of making sure these dogs are not forgotten." ● Cesar Millan's Leader Of The Pack premieres tonight at 10pm on the National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553). |
| No more bad news from Curtis Stone Posted: 17 Apr 2013 08:14 AM PDT AUSTRALIAN TV chef Curtis Stone does not have to play bad cop, for once, on his new show Around The World In 80 Plates. On the new reality cooking competition, 12 chefs travel the world while tackling various kitchen challenges, then vote one another off. Says its co-host Stone, 37, with a chuckle: "I don't have to give the bad news. "In other shows that I've been a part of, when I have to tell the contestant, 'I'm sorry but your food wasn't the best today', I'm sure all they are thinking is, 'I hate that Curtis Stone'." The Melbourne native started cooking at age five, and later trained under Michelin-starred chef Marco Pierre White in London. Having shot to fame on food shows such as Take Home Chef and Top Chef Master, he is known to fans as "The Quiet Terminator", for his good performance and scathing critique of fellow contestants on reality show The Celebrity Apprentice 3 in 2010. But Stone has no beef with his 80 Plates co-host, American Iron Chef Cat Cora, 45. "Cat is an amazing chef who has achieved a lot in her career," he says. "She's such a lovely person. She's very motivated and inspirational when it comes to food." While shooting the show, the pair snuck off for some extra-curricular eating on their own. "Every time, no matter how tired we are, the second our plane would stop, we'd say to the driver, 'Take us to the best local place. Where do you have lunch?' And we'd be on our own little adventure," reveals the celebrity chef, who is engaged to American actress Lindsay Price, 36. The couple have a year-old son. Asked how this series is different from other reality shows, and his excited reply is: "This combines my two loves: both the cooking and culinary competition, as well as travel. "You get to see a whole different side and personality of the chefs, because they need to be great cooks and resourceful," he adds. "But you also need to think on your feet and really react to a situation, which is very important as a traveller." The show's 12 contestants, all American, include Sai Pituk, who owns classy Thai restaurant Tara Thai in El Paso, Texas; and Chaz Brown, chef de cuisine at New York City's Fatty Crab restaurant, which serves Malaysian-inspired dishes. Travelling to 10 different countries – including Spain, Thailand and Morocco – they learn local cuisine, customs and culture, and compete in recreating and reinventing food of the region. Asked if he has learnt anything on his travels, Stone says: "As a chef, you really never stop learning. I learnt about different styles of cooking that I hadn't spent a lot of time understanding before. Different ingredients in different countries. Different customs and different attitudes." –The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network ● Around The World In 80 Plates airs on TLC (Astro Ch 707) at 10.03pm on Wednesdays. |
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