Overlapping Cultures & The Influence of The Mass Media

Ion Orchard

For my previous posts, I have chosen films, a media article, a variety competition show, a reality television series and an educational video to discuss. This being my final post, I would like to talk about something that has happened very recently and close to home. I would also like to state that all photos in this post are taken by myself, with the exception of the article below.

Carrie Underwood to perform at ION Orchard official opening

Carrie Underwood to perform at ION Orchard official opening

SINGAPORE: It’s been four years since she won American Idol.

But according to a recent Forbes report, she is the top earner amongst the contest winners from June 2008 to May 17, 2009.

Singer Carrie Underwood, who has gone on to win four Grammys since her Idol win plus other country music awards, is in town for a performance at the official opening of ION Orchard on Friday night.

She tells Channel NewsAsia she’s coping quite well with her fame.

“I mean every career comes with its little problems and snags here and there but it’s so much fun. I get to sing. This is my job. I get paid to sing. I did that in my shower every single day growing up so it’s really amazing to just get to do what I love and hopefully, I can do do that for a long time,” she said.

For the full interview with Carrie, tune in to The Big Picture this Saturday at 10.20 pm on Singapore Tonight. — CNA/de

http://ph.news.yahoo.com/cna/20091015/tap-665-carrie-underwood-perform-ion-orc-231650b.html

Carrie Underwood is the 4th winner of the widely popular American talent show American Idol, which has spawned many versions of it all around the world. This reality show epitomises the dominance of US media products, with Fox Broadcasting Company, the sister of 20th Century Fox, as the distributor. Singapore, being a cosmopolitan city of multifaceted cultures, is no exception. For the opening ceremony of Ion Orchard on 16 October, the organisers invited Carrie Underwood to perform in front of the building, drawing such a huge crowd that even people swarmed the streets opposite of Ion Orchard.

The Huge Crowd At Ion Ochard

Watching Carrie Underwood perform made me realise the extent of influence mass media has achieved, as we would not even know such a person existed without the invention of reality competitions, which in turn would not be created if there was no electronic broadcasting to gain the attention of millions of people around the world. I also wonder if there would be such a huge crowd if the performer was not Carrie Underwood, but a local band or some other Asian artiste performing. It is a fact that we have been accustomed to watching so many foreign media products, especially from US, that we tend to neglect whatever talent there may be in our own Asian context.

Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood In Singapore

Moving on to another note, Asian musician Wang Lee Hom was invited to perform for the official opening ceremony of Ion Orchard in front of President Nathan on 23 October. Being a fan, I was there at Ion Orchard for the second time in the space of a week. True enough to what I predicted, the crowd around Ion Orchard was smaller as compared to the one on the previous week when Carrie Underwood performed. Observing the buildings around me, it is interesting to see how much our country has developed to the modern city it is today. One cannot deny the fact that Singapore has been largely influenced by the Western culture, I wonder whether there will ever be a building designed in a way that at least retains a part of our own culture.

Ion Orchard - Daytime

The Orchard View

Wheelock Place

The official opening ceremony involved a Chinese traditional dragon dance performance to mark the official opening by inviting two distinguished guests to draw a small dot on the two dragons, which i suppose it’s called 画龙点晴 in Chinese, meaning the dragons have come to life and will bring prosperity to the businesses in Ion Orchard. It is rather amusing witnessing this as the bright pink dragons and performers were juxtaposed against shining silver window panes of the building behind them. In a way, it is like witnessing two clashing cultures put together in an awkward space. Nevertheless, this shows that Singapore is country of various cultures that have overlapped over one another in certain ways.

Making A Mark On The Dragon

Dragon Dance

After the whole event was over, I was about to make my way to the MRT station inside Ion Orchard when I heard ear-piercing screams from the level below. Following the direction of the screams, I discovered that Wang Lee Hom was involved in some publicity stunt and there was a monstrous crowd that surrounded him with camera flashes everywhere. One of the things that struck me was the amount of tiredness I saw in his eyes, and looking at the chaotic situation around me, I wondered how many of these people were really genuine supporters. It seemed to me that most of them were there just for the sake of catching a public figure in person, not knowing who that figure really is. Like many other famous musicians, Wang Lee Hom is treated as a commodity to feed the insatiable greed of the masses. Once again, the mass media is playing a big part in amplifying the celebrity culture that has infiltrated into the depths of society. Like what I discussed in my 2nd post on Andy Lau, the influence of the mass media has altered the way society treats public figures.

The Closest Shot I Could Get Of Wang Lee Hom

BEST LEE HOM SHOT

Bridging Across Cultures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhkYNpwTKIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhkYNpwTKIQ

RAKUGO

Rakugo is a Japanese form of entertainment where the performer delivers a long, complicated but comical story with a paper fan and a piece of cloth. In a way, it is similar to what we know as a stand-up comedy, just that this one is the opposite by having the performer kneeling on the stage in a certain position without being allowed to stand. Originated about 400 years ago, Rakugo requires improvisation and the performer stimulates laughter using exaggerated body movements. The performer can only use a traditional Japanese fan and a hand cloth to help him illustrate his actions.

Using The Fan As Chopsticks

http://ieas.berkeley.edu/include/show_image.php?id=108

Most of us would have never heard of Rakugo, as it has been mainly performed within Japan and there are just a handful Rakugo performers. However, this form of art has been extended beyond Japan in the past decade and became very popular in Western countries such as America. One of the performers who has been instrumental in this cultural development is Katsura Kaishi, who decided to learn English and started giving Rakugo shows in the US. This move turned out to be a masterstroke as his performances were highly successful and he was awarded the Ministry of Culture award for cultural exchange.

Rakugo

http://www.chicago.us.emb-japan.go.jp/JIC/Weblettr/2008/april/images/rakugo_lg.jpg

From this example, one can see that it is possible to break down barriers between different cultures even if the various cultures have vast contrast between them. It is surprising that American citizens, who subscribe to a low-context culture, would appreciate the nuances of the Japanese culture, which is well known for having a high-context culture. In this video, it is amusing to see that even goth people appreciate the qualities of Rakugo and thoroughly enjoyed themselves during the performance. One would never imagine that people of such culture would admire the beauty of a traditional culture that is almost poles apart from their own culture. The extent of how the arts can transcend cultural constrictions is Bill Crowley, who is the first non-Japanese professional to perform Rakugo in both Japan and America.

Bill Crowley, the first non-Japanese Rakugo performer

http://clarkcenter.culturalnews.net/myPictures/2007314%20Clark%20Center%20Spring%20Festival%20Rakugo.jpg

It is heartwarming to see people of different cultures coming together to learn about a foreign culture and increase their tolerance of other people’s culture. Being a person who is involved in the arts, I feel gratified knowing that the arts can go past cultural boundaries and unite people of various cultures together. Living in a world torn with wars that arise because of misunderstandings and cultural differences, it is encouraging to know that it is still possible to connect people of different races despite living in completely different environments. Culture is dynamic and can be learned, as long as we step out of our comfort zones and experience new things, we can discover a lot about other cultures that we would never imagine before.

Outplay, Outwit, Outlast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aREXUcHZoL4&feature=PlayList&p=AD19841CD66A44B3&index=0&playnext=1

Survivor Samoa – Season 19

This video clip is an extract of the controversial American reality television show, Survivor. Survivor is a game whereby contestants are stranded on an island and have to find food, water, fire, and shelter for themselves, either by searching for resources or competing in challenges to earn rewards. They are subjected to harsh conditions and are totally shut off from the rest of the world. The last two or three contestants face a jury comprising the other players that have been eliminated from the game. The jury then interrogates the finalists and votes for the winner who will win a prize of 1 US million dollars.

Galu Fighting For The Immunity

http://cdn.sheknows.com/realitytvmagazine/2009/10/galu-in-challenge.jpg

From this show, one witnesses the ugly side of human nature as contestants resort to all kinds of methods to ensure survival in this game. It is not uncommon to see contestants double-crossing each other by forming alliances for their personal benefits, and break the union afterwards to progress in the competition. The contestants are broken up into two tribes and the two have a great contrast between them. The purple tribe, Galu, is rather united as a whole and everyone tries their best to give their all for the tribe, which is to win challenges so that they can enjoy more benefits. On the other hand, the yellow tribe, Foa Foa, is in a bad state as there are different kinds of dissenters in the group. Firstly, there is Ben, who simply irritates others with his actions. He does not even bother to contribute anything to the group and only goes around complaining and winding others up with offensive statements or insensitive remarks.

Russell Hantz - Oil Company Owner

http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Galleries/Shows/S_Z/Suj_Sz/Survivor_Samoa/crops/survivor-samoa-natalie-russell-hantz19.jpg

Ben Browning - Mixologist

http://samoa.survivor.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/EABEBFF1-C44C-4B0C-A63D-A74B3F83211F.jpg

Ashley Trainer - Spa Sales

http://content2.catalog.photos.msn.com/ft/share0/f5b4/0/84aa322e-e9f3-4fe1-8710-302088582d1d_Main_ashley1.JPG

Then there is Russel Hantz, who is the most complex character amongst everyone in that tribe as he plots every single move his makes, earning the trust of those whom he feels will help him achieve his goals, and using the power he has gained to oust those who he feels will hinder his chances of winning this game. As a result, the whole tribe is thrown into disarray, as everyone is trying to find out who to side with and are cautious of one another. Secondary tension is seen in this group communication between the members is often marked by arguments or hostile remarks. Russel is the one who gains the most from all these conflicts, as he uses the dissatisfaction the group has towards Ben to sow more discord between Ashely and Ben, so that he can prevent Ben from being kicked out and further strengthen his position within the tribe. The relationships between the tribe members are marked with ambiguity as every member has his own hidden agendas, hence decreasing the group’s productivity. It is not surprising that the in-fighting within this tribe has led to them losing out on challenges, which worsens the atmosphere of their camp.

Shannon Waters aka "Shambo" - Sales Rep

http://i4.fc-img.com/fc03img/Comcast_CIM_Prod_Fancast_Image/7/76 /1251319542831_20_SurvivorSamoa_mif_640_320.jpg

The other tribe, Galu, has its own problems too as Shambo feels alienated from the rest of the group. Her headstrong personality and judgmental attitude prevents her from accepting others and shuts herself out in the process. As a result, her individualistic character leads to her refusal to conform to the ways of the tribe. However, the tribe’s problems are not as serious as Foa Foa’s as there is still a general sense of team spirit within Galu.

Foa Foa Members Discussing Their Plans

http://img1.sidereel.com/_episodeimage/8a75.19.3.jpg

It is interesting to see how people communicate in this reality show, as their communication is often filled with second-guessing the other person’s thoughts or putting on facades to mask their own feelings. One thought that struck me was that the tribe members of Foa Foa have trusted Russel so much that their perception of reality is warped because of his manipulation. Funnily, it has never occurred to anyone of them that Russel has been the one causing most of the problems. One can learn that honest group communication is very important in helping a group maximise its potential and achieving its goals, scheming against one another will only cause the group to self-destruct and cause harm to relationships.

 

 

The Harsh Reality Of Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsD0NpFSADM

*This film was previewed in Singapore on 17 September 2009.

500 Days Of Summer

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel star in director Mark Weber’s wry, non-linear romantic comedy about a man who falls head over heels for a woman who doesn’t believe in love. Mark (Gordon Levitt) is an aspiring architect who currently earns his living as a greeting card writer. Upon encountering his boss’ beautiful new secretary Summer (Deschanel), Mark discovers that the pair have plenty in common despite the fact that she’s seemingly out of his league; for starters, they both love The Smiths, and they’re both fans of surrealist artist Magritte. Before long Mark is smitten. All he can think about is Summer. Mark believes deeply in the concept of soul mates, and he’s finally found his. Unfortunately for Mark, Summer sees true love as the stuff of fairy tales, and isn’t looking for romance. Undaunted and undeterred by his breezy lover’s casual stance on relationships, Mark summons all of his might and courage to pursue Summer and convince her that their love is real. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide http://www.fandango.com/500daysofsummer_v451495/summary

This film depicts a romantic relationship that strikes a chord with many people, showing a couple that went through many ups and downs during the course of their relationship. However, the director presents the various stages of a relationship atypically, jumping between scenes that describe the kind of relationship Mark and Summer were having at that point of time.

The "Initiating" Stage

http://i.clevver.com/fullphoto/176982/500/950/500-days-of-summer-screenshots-of-movie-trailer-6.jpg

Summer caught Mark’s attention immediately the first time he set his eyes on her, but after hearing stories from his friends that she was aloof and arrogant, he decided to drop the idea of trying to date her. However, Summer chatted a little with him in the lift one day, which dissipated his misconceptions about her. After finding out that both of them shared a common interest in the band “The Smiths”, Tom renewed his interest in her. He started trying to test whether Summer was interested in him by creating situations that allowed him to interact with her and read her body language. According to Knapp’s Model of Relationship Development, this is the “Initiating” stage, where one filters and screens his potential partner and is very conscious of his own image.

The "Experimenting" Stage

http://blog.cleveland.com/sun/intermission_impact/2009/07/large_500-days-of-summer-2.jpg

The “Experimenting” stage is seen at the company’s karaoke session, where Tom and Summer discussed over topics on love and relationship, with them having conflicting views as Tom believed in the idea of true love whereas Summer did not. This is the stage where the two parties divulged cultural, social and psychological information about themselves. Tom and Summer then moved on to the “Intensifying” stage when Summer suddenly kissed Tom in the photocopying room and the two of them started going out doing activities together. They disclosed more information about each other’s past and became more intimate. Even though Tom knew that Summer did not want to commit herself to their relationship, he continued to cling on to this relationship, holding on to the hope that one day Summer might change her views on love.

One day, Tom got into a fight with a man who tried to hit on Summer in a bar. Just when Tom thought that he was doing something “noble” by standing up for Summer, she scolded Tom for behaving in such a manner and she did not need him to do that for her. This angered Tom as he could no longer stand the fact that Summer treated their relationship so casually; the couple quarreled and Tom stormed out of the house. This depicts the stage of “Differentiating”, where there is a reaffirmation of individuality and interaction is marked by overt conflict. Although the couple reconciled later on, their relationship had moved on to the stage of “Circumscribing”, where Summer displayed signs of shrinking relational interest and commitment, giving the usual “I don’t want to talk about it” excuse. Unfortunately, Tom did not notice these signs and thought that everything was fine between them.

The Break-Up

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__RpFav124wI/SnJLQAAoqMI/AAAAAAAAAd4/CGkqX8dmP64/s400/summer.jpg

Summer blurted out that they should break up out of the blue one day, shocking Tom and her final statement “You’re still my best friend.” to Tom did not help to clarify matters. Tom was unable to get over Summer and when she invited him for her party, Tom saw it as a chance to win her back. However, he noticed Summer showing off her engagement ring and his hopes were finally dashed. After a period of time has passed, Tom met Summer out of coincidence and found out that she was happily married, which puzzled him as Summer hated committing herself to relationships. Summer told Tom that she realised his views on love were right, but she felt unsure of their relationship when she was with him, whereas she knew that she is in love with her husband and wants to spend the rest of her life with him. She then squeezed his hand and walked away, leaving Tom to ponder on what she said to him. This is the “Terminating” stage, where the relationship has ceased to exist and both parties move on from the relationship.

The "Terminating" Stage

http://cache0.techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/500-days-of-summer-bench-tom.jpg

The non-linear way of projecting the various scenes describe the way Tom felt during the course of his relationship with Summer, often alternating between pleasure and frustration, as Summer constantly gave him confusing signals. It was only after when Tom reflected on their relationship when he realised that it was constantly fleeting from one stage to another, such as Tom making Summer laugh with a joke but failed to do so with the same joke in another moment. He could never read Summer’s mind and this relationship was never stable. The wonderful thing about this film is that it is so real and sincere, unlike other cheesy romantic movies, one can truly identify with the characters and understand what they were going through.

Perception Matters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w-ocLJuHRA

Daryl Markham – Auditions 2 – X Factor 2009

This video features a contestant, Daryl Markham, who took part in the auditions for the recent Britain’s X Factor competition. Before he started to sing, the judges asked him about his background in order to know him better. Daryl spoke about his brother who passed away 6 weeks after Daryl sang at his wedding, causing him to recall the sad memories and choked up in tears. Everyone was touched by his story and rooted for him to get through to the next round. In the end, Daryl gave an emotional performance and received positive votes from all four judges, rendering his audition successful.

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/08/30/article-1209912-063A1E0D000005DC-902_468x286.jpg

One can watch this video clip in different perspectives and draw varied responses from it. The most common response is feeling sorry for Daryl’s situation and get emotional while watching this video. Daryl is introduced as a cabinet maker and reveals some information about himself, which struck a chord with the audience because of his close bond with his brother and his wish to do his nephew proud. The use of paralinguistics is seen here as the tone of Daryl’s voice brings out the hurt he experienced because of his brother’s sudden death and the pauses in his speech show that he was struggling to control his emotions. The expressions on the judges’ faces also plays a part in invoking feelings of sympathy from the audience. Cheryl Cole’s serious face at 1:07 and Simon Cowell’s surprised look at 1:11 tells us that the judges are not cold, unfeeling robots, which is the typical stereotype of a judge. The heart-rending performance by Daryl left the judges teary-eyed and the rousing reception given by the audience makes the viewer want to support Daryl and hope that he will go through to the next round.

An Emotionally-Charged Performance

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/2w-ocLJuHRA/0.jpg

On the other hand, one can be put off by the overdramatic tactics employed by the producers of this show to invoke reactions from the audience. One can argue that the producers have dialogue sessions with contestants and intentionally screen them before the contestants come onstage to perform. This alters the viewer’s perception of the contestant by inserting melancholic music in the background. The use of close-ups on Daryl’s grief-stricken face and sympathetic looks on the judges such as Louis Walsh’s at 3:46 causes one to be affected by the sombre mood in the recording studio. Simon’s nod of approval at 2:33 and Cheryl’s smile at 2:47 are captured to influence the viewer to give Daryl support. Additionally, the shot of hundreds of waving hands from the live audience while Daryl sang his song is shown to compel the viewer to think that everyone is rooting for Daryl to progress to the next round. When Daryl’s performance ended, sentimental music is played in the background again at 3:38; the volume of the music is increased at 4:41 and footage of the live audience applauding for Daryl is screened. Lastly, the music changes to a more emotive one when Simon gave the final vote at 5:00 to stir up powerful emotions within the viewer.

http://www.darylmarkham.org/daryl_intro_pic1.jpg

However, one cannot deny the sincerity of Daryl and the sad reality of the unfortunate event that happened to him and his nephew. It is blasphemous to disregard the real emotions Daryl displayed while singing his song and the truth of his words. Daryl’s eyes looking up towards the sky before he started singing at 2:25 illustrates his desire to do well in this competition for his deceased brother and his son, Kian. The image of Kian greeting the audience at 5:14 in a way that depicts his vulnerability is extremely moving. Another example is the eye contact between Daryl and Cheryl at 5:19, describing the non-spoken display of support Cheryl showed for Daryl. These nonverbal cues are definitely not exaggerated and the viewer must know how to discern between reality and distortion. It is a shame if a contestant does not receive the recognition he deserves due to one’s biased perception.

Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t

HK Actor Andy Lau Announces His Marriage

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/celebrity-news/2009/09/01/222864/HK-actor.htm

Updated Tuesday, September 1, 2009 10:13 am TWN, By Min Lee, AP

HK actor Andy Lau announces his marriage

HONG KONG — Hong Kong actor-singer Andy Lau says he quietly got married but did not announce it because he wanted to protect his wife while they tried to have a baby.

Lau said in a brief message on his official Web site late Saturday that he and his girlfriend married in the U.S. because they want to have a child by artificial insemination — a procedure authorized only for married couples in Hong Kong.

“I was afraid that if I announced the marriage, she would be stalked by reporters, so I made a selfish decision. I thought if things go well, I would tell everyone when the baby is stable, but instead I made things more complicated,” he said.

He did not give more details on their efforts to have a child.

Lau did not identify his girlfriend, but public marriage records made available online by the Clark County Recorder’s Office in Nevada show that Lau and Carol Chu wed on June 24, 2008. The records were first reported Saturday by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily newspaper.

Calls to Lau’s publicists Sunday went unanswered.

Speculation about Lau’s personal life has dominated the entertainment pages in Chinese-language newspapers after he was spotted in Hong Kong’s international airport Tuesday with Chu, a former beauty pageant contestant from Malaysia.

Entertainment reporters had staked out the funeral of Chu’s father in Kuala Lumpur and mobbed Lau and Chu when they returned to Hong Kong.

The 47-year-old star of films like “Infernal Affairs” and “House of Flying Daggers” has appeared in more than 100 movies since his debut in 1982 and is one of Asia’s biggest celebrities.

http://english.cri.cn/6666/2009/08/29/1321s512207.htm

For many years, HK superstar Andy Lau was portrayed by the media as a bachelor, until the extent where doubts have been raised about his sexuality. It was only recently reported that Andy has been dating Malaysian Carol Chu for almost two decades, but the rumours were adamantly denied by the superstar. Now the “cat is out of the bag” and Andy Lau is revealed to have registered his marriage with the Malaysian, quashing all theories about him being a bachelor or gay. This has caused a hoo-ha in the media, with news on Andy Lau dominating the cover page on many entertainment magazines for weeks. Reactions to his marriage were mixed, some fans slamming him for ‘lying to them’ while others supporting his decision to to keep his love life under wraps.

Here are some examples on the different reactions to this saga:

http://www.andylausounds.com/?p=1736

It was reported in China Daily News that a fan named KiKi was depressed when her idol has “the other half” and left comments on her idol official website: “I’m not that strong, the only way to talk myself into this is death. You will not forget me! I hate you! Hate you for cheating me! Go get married! Bliss! My life will be the present for you!”

spiderman: After being criticize in all major forums, how would he not put up a show!

pj1101hk: Take Jacky Cheung for example, he’s still popular after getting married, not sure what’s he’s scared of what.

KINLUNG25: It’s better than admitting later than never, he does not have any love allegation all these years, he just wanted to concentrate on his career.

female lead in qiong yao: Poor woman. Until this stage. Many years of daughter-in-law become granny. Sigh. (personal favourite quote)

7th Malacca: I don’t think Carol lost anything, she contributed 20 years, Andy also contributed 20 years. He’s by the side of one woman for 20 years, ask around how many man can do that?

AWCALB0845: Seeing both of you holding hands, protecting her, really very man!

AWCCN00579: Really suffer a big shock today, need time to fine tune.

It is interesting to note the various reactions from netizens, showing that our commnication and behaviour are based on our perception and interpret messages differently from one another. From my personal point of view, I feel that there is nothing wrong with Andy Lau hiding his personal life from the public. Celebrities are always exposed to the scrutiny of the public’s eyes because of the wide influence of the media on the society. The smallest of details can be brought out by the paparazzi to the attention of everyone, the paparazzi then play on the fact that humans are bound to omit or oversimplify information to use the information to their advantage.

http://www.andylausounds.com/?p=1736

Unfortunately, tabloids use the linear model to communicate to the readers, meaning that the readers are depicted as passive targets and there is only a one-way communication between the tabloids and readers. This allows the paparazzi to twist the words of someone and portray photos in a way that distort the actual message and manipulate it to the meaning the paparazzi want to show.

Here is another article which shows the later part of this whole saga.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/ap/20090902/ten-as-hong-kong-people-andy-lau-5e343d7.html

Andy Lau apologizes for lying about marriage

By MIN LEE,AP Entertainment Writer – Wednesday, September 2

HONG KONG – Veteran Hong Kong actor-singer Andy Lau has apologized for lying about his marriage, saying he behaved inappropriately for a public figure.

Lau denied that he was married in an interview with Hong Kong’s Cable TV in February, but Hong Kong journalists last week discovered marriage records from the Clark County Recorder’s Office in the U.S. state of Nevada that showed the 47-year-old star had wed Malaysian girlfriend Carol Chu in June 2008. Lau confirmed the nuptials in a brief message on his Web site late Saturday, saying he did not announce the marriage because he wanted to shield Chu from the press.

Speaking publicly about the issue for the first time Tuesday afternoon, Lau said he was sorry he deceived the press and the public.

“My recent behavior amounts to a lie. It disappointed many people. Because I’m a public figure, I think I should publicly apologize to everyone who believed me. I hope everyone will forgive me,” Lau told reporters at Hong Kong’s international airport after returning from Beijing, where he was filming a music video.

Critics say Lau lied about his marriage to protect his image as an idol. One of Asia’s biggest celebrities, the star of “Infernal Affairs” and “House of Flying Daggers” has appeared in more than 100 movies since his debut in 1982. Dubbed one of Chinese pop’s “Four Heavenly Kings” in the 1990s, he also enjoys a successful recording career.

Lau denied Tuesday that he and his wife have any children.

He said on his Web site Saturday he and Chu had married so they could try to have children through artificial insemination, which is only authorized for married couples in Hong Kong.

“I don’t have any children. I don’t have any sons or daughters. The children you have photographed are the children of my relatives or friends,” he said.

It does not help that humans have the tendency to jump to conclusions and interpret information in the way we want it to be. Hence, when something that is different from our ideal perception happens, we end up feeling disappointed or betrayed. The negative feedback from the fans is therefore explainable, as the impression of their idol was someone who is single and they believed whatever he told them. Another factor is our self-serving bias causes us to judge ourselves more tolerantly as compared to others. We often blow up situations and tend to favour dispositional attributes over situational ones, assuming that the cause for behaviour is the person, not the situation. This is exactly what the paparazzi has been doing to influence the way the we think in order to achieve their agenda by speculating all kinds of scenarios to position Andy Lau in a negative light.

http://www.andylausounds.com/?p=1724

*Translation: Carol – “After hiding for so many years, I can meet people finally!”

Andy – “…It’s time to come out to take a breather.”

However, it does not justify the behaviour of not supporting Andy Lau for getting married, or worse, criticizing him for lying to the public. It is understandable that he chose to cover up this truth from the public as he wanted to protect Carol Chu from having her life exposed by the paparazzi for all to see and risk having her reputation ruined. Furthermore, Marriage is something to be joyful about, not to be scorned at. Whether a person chooses to be involved in a relationship is entirely up to him, no one else has the right to have a say on his decision. It is rather pathetic to see Andy Lau apologising to the public for his actions, as nobody has the right to judge him. Sadly, Andy Lau is just one example of being a ‘victim’ to the wide media coverage technology has given us today, countless of other public figures such as Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and Leslie Cheung had also fallen prey to our greed of always wanting to know more about other people’s affairs. We as members of the public should give our support to these people, not because they are superstars, but simply because they are humans too, and like everyone else, they deserve to have their own privacy.

Sometimes It’s Better To Let Go

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0mq4_bgyPs

* This movie was released during August 2009 in Singapore.

UP – Pixar’s newly released film is definitely not the typical run-of-the-mill ‘cartoon’ one might expect. Surprisingly, Up contains so many different layers of emotions it is difficult to believe that this is actually a Disney production. Using sensual colours and themes that strike a chord with many – aging, death, chasing of one’s dreams, coupled with a tinge of irony and humour, Up appeals to children and adults alike.

Carl Goes Up

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/P/T/T/uppic17.jpg

The beauty of Up lies within the vivid colours used to portray a dream-like world where anything you wish for can happen. One example is the colourful balloons used to bring the old man Carl to the place where he badly wanted to go to – the imaginary Paradise Falls in South America. One experiences the sensation of excitement and trill of being transported to another world away from reality while watching the movie, thanks to the excellent 3-D animation by Pixar which included so many minute details it is difficult for the viewer not to feel that he is embarking on the adventure together with the characters in the story.

Up Soundtrack – Married Life

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjAWAUc_33k&feature=PlayList&p=0EFC066C6308B168&index=11]

The music composed by Michael Giacchino is intricately woven into the film and plays a very important part in setting the mood of each scene, being essential in taking the viewer through the journey experienced by the protagonist in the movie. The music is centered around one main melody that is introduced in the beginning of the movie, which is then filtered through the whole movie in different variations, representing the various stages of life Carl experienced, bringing the viewer into the world of Carl and experience the feelings he was going through at that point of time.

The Contrast Between Carl and Russell

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/x/r/S/uppic4.jpg

Metaphors are scattered across the entire film such as the one above with Carl struggling to drag the house through the tough terrains while Russell enjoying himself in the quest to reach Paradise Falls. The house represents the grief and memories of the times spent together with his late wife, and the act of dragging the house despite encountering countless obstacles along the way represents Carl’s strong desire to preserve the memories and ideals he has. Contrastingly, Russell seems to be carefree and joyful, illustrating the difference between one with burdens and one without. The vast array of colourful balloons are symbolic of Carl’s dreams he and Elie shared since they were young – to become adventurers like their hero, Charles Muntz. Hence, the action of the balloons pulling the house up to the sky shows that Carl is finally living out his dream for the sake of Elie. Ironically, Charles turned out to be the antagonist in the movie and tried ruining Carl’s childhood dream which was inspired by Charles himself, telling us that one must not be too preoccupied with one’s ideals until his perception of reality is affected. Charles’ appearance in the movie also signaled the start of the end of Carl’s idealistic goal that by reaching Paradise Falls, he would be finally fulfilling Elie’s last wish.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EkCdK6bUls&feature=related

Pixar has made a further step in animation by communicating the thoughts of dogs in the exact way you would imagine a dog speaking, instead of the typical talking dog which speaks like how a human would communicate. This is an ingenious idea as it is interesting to see how a non-human communicates in the real world and not watching a ‘humanized’ creature speak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuJwfCjc628

Social prejudice is presented in this film when Dug was forced to wear ‘the cone of shame’ just because he always strayed away from the rules set by his master, Charles. By not acting according to the social context he was in, Dug was looked down upon by the other dogs and developed an inferiority complex as a result.

Young Carl And Elie

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/M/T/T/uppic14.jpg

The viewer experiences the anticipation while chasing one’s ideals, the process of growing old and losing motivation as a result, going through the death of a loved one, then trying to deal with it and finally overcoming the grief in this heartwarming movie. Carl did not feel as satisfied as he thought he would after accomplishing his goal of reaching Paradise Falls, it was then that he realised what Elie really wanted was for Carl to move on and carrying on living life in a meaningful manner, significantly portrayed with the book left by Elie before she passed away, which had words scribbled on the last page, “Thanks for the adventure – now go have a new one! Love, Ellie.” This is the main message of this film, that life is an adventure itself with all the ups and downs, and that sometimes you need to free yourself of your burdens in order to live life to the fullest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njtzCE8aqyM&feature=related – a video clip made by a fan which summarizes how I feel about this film.