Mature content and themes on pay-TV channels from today

From today, programmes with more mature content and themes can be aired on local pay-TV channels such as HBO, Cinemax, Star Movies and Celestial Movies under new age classifications of 16 and 18. Sex and the City, previously banned here, will be aired on the HBO channel on Friday nights starting from 16 Jul 2004.

Source: Straits Times 1 Jul 2004 (H10)

Jack Neo's latest film, The Best Bet, debuts today

Local comedian and film director Jack Neo's sixth and latest film, The Best Bet, produced on a S$1.5 million budget, rolls out today in cinemas here. The movie stars Mark Lee, Christopher Lee, Richard Low, Chen Li Ping and Joanne Peh. Neo's five previous films struck gold at the local box office. 

Source: Straits Times 9 Jun 2004 (L4)

Media industry regulator Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) yesterday announced that UnionWorks had been fined S$15,000 for featuring explicit discussions on sex in a broadcast on 27 Jul 2003 on The Morning Show of its English radio station WKRZ 91.3FM. (Straits Times 26 Sep 2003 H5)

Nan Hua Primary's Perry Lam, 11, beat 11 contenders in the finals of a local television quiz show, for 11- and 12-year olds, to become Singapore's Brainiest Kid. Among the other contenders, all 12 years old, were Joween Chong from St Anthony's Canossian Primary; Jose Hong from Maris Stella Primary; Ian Ernst Chai from St Michael's Primary; Dwayne Kaan from Anglo-Chinese Junior School and Louise Chng from CHIJ Katong Primary. (Straits Times 21 Sep 2003 22)

Popular singer Sun Yanzi, 25, has announced she is taking a year's break from singing after she has fulfilled her remaining promotional obligations for her seventh album, The Moment - a compilation of her greatest hits and seven new tracks. She said, "I'm going to do simple things: Eat more, rest more, with no plans for anything. I'll just see what I feel like doing." (Straits Times 12 Sep 2003 L4)

MediaWork artists Darren Lim and Evelyn Tan will wed at Rasa Sentosa Resort on 27 Mar 2004. The couple has been dating for the past five years. Fellow artist Lina Ng, who has been married for three years to national bowler Mark Lim, is now three months' pregnant. (Straits Times 12 Sep 2003 L16)

Market reporter Jack Sung, 31, served his last day at Channel NewsAsia (CNA) last Thursday. Sung was responsible for both local and regional business news at CNA. (Straits Times 8 Aug 2003 L2)

  Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) has terminated the services of Mr LEE Cheok Yew, chief executive of its broadcasting arm, MediaWorks, with immediate effect after "some serious internal differences". Mr LEE joined the company in June 2000 and helped set up Channel I and Channel U. (Straits Times 1 Apr 2003)(H3)

  SPH MediaWorks is looking for an additional 12 employees to boost its current headcount of 300. Currently, it produces 350 hours' worth of local productions on a yearly basis, or an estimated 25 to 30 per cent of its total output. The balance is filled by acquired programmes. (Straits Times Wednesday 5 Feb 2003)(L12)

  MediaWorks' first televised fundraiser, Ren Ci Charity Show, on Sunday night netted over S$5.1 million, more than twice its targetted amount of S$2.5 million. According to Nielson Meida Research, the show attracted an average of 24.2 per cent of viewers aged 15 and above, compared to 14.3 per cent for Channel 8's PSC Nite Gala Special which was aired at the same time. (Straits Times 14 Jan 2003)(1)

  MediaCorp may not participate in or produce next year's Asian Television Awards, which is co-funded by MediaCorp and the Singapore Broadcasting Authority, because it says it is not profitable to do so. Its response comes after articles in newspapers like Streats and Lianhe Zaobao questioned why the broadcaster had not aired the awards on the day it had previously announced. On whether MediaWorks would pick up the gauntlet and produce the show, MediaWorks chief operating officer MAN Shu Sum told The Straits Times "We don't mind considering it at all." (Straits Times 18 Dec 2002) (H3)

  Channel U will air the closing episode of popular Chinese drama series A Kindred Spirit tonight at 7pm. The 590-parter premiered in July 2001 and became Singapore's most-watched 7pm drama. (Straits Times 9 Dec 2002) (L6)

  In MediaCorp's annual Star Awards yesterday night, LI Nanxing was named Best Actor for his role in Vagrant while the Best Actress award went to HUANG Biren, who starred in Beautiful Connection. (Straits Times 9 Dec 2002) (3)

  The total amount spent on advertisements here grew 5.3 per cent to S$1.2 billion in the first nine months of this year. Advertising expenditure (Adex) for the full year is expected to register single-digit growth, said Nielsen Media Research in a report released yesterday. It said newspapers accounted for some 41.7 per cent, or S$500 million, of total Adex in the first nine months. Total spending in television was S$490.4 million of which a third, or S$168.8 million, went to Channel 8, Nielsen said. Channel U surpassed Channel 5 as Singapore's second-most popular advertising destination on television by grabbing a quarter of total television Adex or S$126.1 million. (Straits Times 21 Nov 2002) (A18)

  Singaporean director Jack NEO begins filming today for his new S$1.2 million Mandarin movie - Home Run - set in Singapore but to be shot entirely in Malaysia. The film, produced by MediaCorp Studio's film production arm - Raintree Pictures, is inspired by the critically acclaimed movie Children of Heaven by Iranian director Majid Majidi. (Straits Times 14 Nov 2002) (1)

  Singapore actress Irin GAN has passed a blood test for drink driving. The police are still investigating her case to see if she has committed any offence. The MediaWorks artiste was driving along the Ayer Rajah Expressway towards Jurong on 11 Oct 2002 when her car skidded and overturned near the exit to Lower Delta Road. (Straits Times 7 Nov 2002) (H12)

  Local actress Irin GAN, 31, a television artiste with MediaWorks' Channel U, was detained by the police on the suspicion of drink driving after being involved in a traffic accident about two weeks ago. She has since been released on police bail of S$5,000 pending the outcome of a blood test. (Straits Times 23 Oct 2002) (H8)

  Hongkong singer Aaron KWOK, 36, arrives here on flight MH 615 at 5.40pm tomorrow. He will be performing at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday. More than 90 per cent of the 8,000 tickets for his show have been snapped up. (Straits Times 3 Sep 2002) (L14)

  Singer Stefanie SUN swept the Most Popular Female Artiste, Best-Selling Female Artiste and Best Local Artiste awards at the Y.E.S. 93.3 FM Singapore Hit Awards 2002 held at Suntec City Convention Hall 602 yesterday. Local boy A-Do won the Gold Award for Best Newcomer and the Most Promising New Local Act Award. (Straits Times 2 Sep 2002) (6)

  Hongkong Heavenly King Leon LAI's first webchat on the Straits Times Interactive (STI) yesterday attracted 927 fans who grilled the singer-actor on his love of coffee, his five cats and four dogs, and his career plans. Last September, Hongkong actress Maggie CHEUNG's STI online chat attracted about 900 fans. (Straits Times 20 Aug 2002) (4)

  MediaCorp artiste Andrea De Cruz yesterday singled out her colleague, actor Rayson TAN, as the person who sold her the Slim 10 pills that nearly cost her her life. She said of her colleague: "The bottom line is, he sold me the pills." (Straits Times 5 Aug 2002) (H1)

  A pub and karaoke lounge managed by MediaCorp actor LI Nanxing was yesterday fined S$25,000 for infringing the Copyright Act. Lavon Pub & KTV was hauled to court for playing karaoke videos for which it had not paid licence fees at its Katong Plaza premises. (Straits Times 26 Jul 2002) (H3)

  MediaCorp actor Rayson TAN Tai Ming, who is the husband of actress CHEN Liping - the poster girl in advertisements for the Slim 10 pill, has been named as the fifth defendant in the Slim 10 lawsuit brought by his colleague Andrea De Cruz. De Cruz's lawyers declined to say why TAN has been brought in as a defendant. (Straits Times 16 Jul 2002) (H4)

  Singapore Cable Vision (SCV) has been asked by Malaysian authorities and the TV3 broadcaster to stop supplying these two free channels on its network. SCV said yesterday that TV3 will stop airing on its network on July 22 and RTM TV2, on July 23. About 90 per cent of home here receive TV channel signals through SCV cable points. Before SCV came onto the scene in 1995, signals were received via rooftop antennas but SCV has progressively cabled up all HDB estates, condominiums and 60 per cent of private landed homes. (Straits Times 11 Jul 2002) (H7)

  Actress Andrea De Cruz's lawyers filed a writ of summons at the High Court on Monday against Chinese manufacturer Yuzhitang Health Products; importer Health Biz and its president and director Semon LIU, 32; and distributor TV Media in the first civil action over Slim 10. She wants damages for injuries and her liver transplant operation. (Straits Times 26 Jun 2002) (3)

  MediaCorp artiste CHEN Liping gave birth to a baby boy at 1am on Friday. The 37-year-old artiste is married to fellow MediaCorp artiste Rayson TAN, 37. (Straits Times 23 Jun 2002) (6)

  Mandarin radio station UFM 1003, owned by Union Works, has been fined S$15,000 for breaching a censorship code. One of its newsreaders, LIN Bao Bao, injected "personal remarks and observations" into news bulletins in the evening programme, None Of My Business, from March 14 to April 29 this year. Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), the broadcast industry regulator, said it had cautioned UFM on three previous occasions against the injection of personal remarks into news bulletins, but the advice went unheeded. (Straits Times 4 Jun 2002) (3)

  TV artistes Andrea De Cruz, 27, and Pierre PNG, 29, were discharged from Gleneagles Hospital yesterday, a fortnight after a historic 12-hour liver-transplant operation that saved Andrea's life. (Straits Times 22 May 2002) (1)

  The long-awaited merger between StarHub and Singapore Cable Vision (SCV) will be completed next month. The new enlarged StarHub will offer cable television, telecommunications and broadband interactive services. (Straits Times 16 May 2002) (4)

  About 10,000 people flocked to Ngee Ann City's Civic Plaza last night to catch their favourite stars in The Next Wave, MediaWorks' first anniversary concert celebration. Kit CHAN, Taiwanese boyband WeWe and Hongkong singer-actress Karen MOK were among those who performed. A second free concert featuring Hongkong singer-actress Miriam YEUNG, Celest CHONG and Hongkong boyband EO2 will be held tonight at 7.30pm. (Straits Times 11 May 2002) (1)

  TV Media, the company that marketed the now banned weight-loss capsules, Slim 10, is giving full refunds to customers. The product from China was pulled out of the market on April 15 by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) because it contains fenfluramine, which is banned here. Slim 10 is strongly suspected to have caused television artiste Andrea De Cruz's hepatitis and liver failure. In Singapore, at least 13 people who have been on the drug have come down with hepatitis, hypertyroidism, hypertension and heart palpitations. (Straits Times 10 May 2002) (H8)

  In Singapore's first liver transplant from a living, non-related donor, television artiste Andrea De Cruz, 27, received almost half of her boyfriend Pierre PNG's liver at Gleneagles Hospital yesterday night. (Straits Times 8 May 2002)

  MediaCorp artiste Andrea De Cruz, who is believed to have developed an allergy to a slimming pill, is seriously ill and needs a liver transplant urgently. The 27-year-old has acute liver failure. She could die if she does not get a transplant within days. (Straits Times 7 May 2002) (H7)

  The Advisory Committee on Chinese Programmes (Access), in its annual report released yesterday, recommended that broadcasters develop sex-education shows and more programmes for teens. It felt that the standard of free-to-air television programming had dipped, despite increased competition. It also found both Channel U and Channel 8 guilty of sensationalism at times, to boost ratings. (Straits Times 20 Apr 2002) (H4)

  Former television actress Michelle LOW Lin Lin received an 18-month jail sentence yesterday for possessing cocaine, the first such conviction in Singapore. Bail of S$25,000 was allowed pending her appeal. LOW, 27, received the top end of the 12- to 18-month benchmark sentence set in 1997 for first-time drug offenders. LOW, who in 1997 was second runner-up in a television talent quest called Star Search, was caught with 0.27 g of cocaine at the Underground Velvet club off Kim Seng Road on Sept 30, 2000. (Straits Times 12 Mar 2002) (3)

  Former Mandarin radio DJ LIN You Fa, 37,  who was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the Jia Tuo Jing She Temple-monastery in Geylang Lorong 31 on 14 Nov 2001, left the order barely three months later, on 2 Feb 2002..(Straits Times 3 Mar 2002) (7)

  SPH MediaWorks' TV Works will be renamed Channel i this Sunday. The name change heralds a new era of closer co-operation with its Mandarin counterpart, Channel U. "Channel i complements Channel U," said Mr Paul CHAN, vice-president of the station. "That completes the whole picture of you and I." (Straits Times 26 Feb 2002)(3) 

  MediaCorp TV has been fined S$10,000 for airing "sexually suggestive and offensive" footage from the sex-scandal video of Taiwanese legislator CHU Mei-feng. The Singapore Broadcasting Authority (SBA), which regulates the broadcasting industry here, said yesterday the footage of Miss CHU and her married lover in bed was shown on Channel 8's News 8 at Ten on Jan 3 this year. The footage was "highly sexually suggestive and offensive to good taste and decency", it said. (Straits Times 23 Feb 2002)(4)

  Former television actress Michelle LOW Lin Lin, 27, yesterday denied keeping any cocaine and said that the small packet of the drug that was found in her wallet during a check was not hers. LOW, who now works as a marketing executive, also denied taking the drug with a friend in a toilet near a pub in September 2000. She is accused of having the packet containing 0.27 g of cocaine at the Velvet Underground club in Jiak Kim Street on Sept 20, 2000. (Straits Times 21 Feb 2002)(H5) 

  The film, Zoolander, about a wacky male model who is brainwashed to kill the Prime Minister of Malaysia, has had its permit withdrawn by the Board of Film Censors, which said it was acting on feedback. (Straits Times 8 Feb 2002) (3) 

  The inaugural MTV Asia Awards was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 2 Feb 2002. About 7,000 people attended the ceremony. Spanish heartthrob Enrique Iglesias and Hongkong singer Karen MOK were among the 50 stars from Asia and around the world present. (Straits Times 3 Feb 2002)(29)

  MediaWorks' s Channel U now has a 45 per cent share of the Mandarin Prime Time TV audience against MediaCorp's Channel 8's 55 per cent, according to the latest ACNielsen Prime Time Ratings from 7pm to 12 midnight for audiences aged 15 and above. (Straits Times 22 Jan 2002)(H4)

  Veteran broadcaster Helen CHEUNG, 30, joins Channel U's news division as its fresh, glamorous face. An elegant stalwart of Channel 8's 10pm news, she is better known to viewers as ZHANG Haijie. She was s star newsreader with MediaCorp for three years until her last appearance on Channel 8 last Friday. (Straits Times 30 Nov 2001)(L28)

  In the annual Star Awards 2001 held last night, actress Aileen TAN, 34, took home the Best Actress award and actor CHEN Hanwei, 32, won the Best Actor Award. Sharon AU, 26, beat comedy giants Jack NEO and Mark LEE for the Best Variety Show Host award. (Straits Times 26 Nov 2001)(3)

  Former Mandarin radio DJ LIN You Fa, 37, was ordained as a Buddhist monk at the Jia Tuo Jing She Temple-monastery in Geylang Lorong 31 yesterday. LIN, a divorcee, now has a new Buddhist name - Zhen Shu.(Straits Times 15 Nov 2001) (L3)

  SPH MediaWork's first Mandarin radio arm started broadcasting on 3 Oct 2001. UFM 1003 will strive to breathe fresh air into the radio scene here. With a stable of radio seven DJs, which includes ex FM 93.3 DJs WANG Wen Hong, Danny YEO and LIN Bao Bao and actress-model Celest CHONG, it has a formula that it feels is in tune with the latest lifestyle trends. Straits Times 3 Oct 2001(L16)

  SBA National Scriptwriting Competition 2001. Closing date: 31 Aug 2001

  Perfect 10 DJ Glenn ONG's failed marriage was not about One Guy And Two Girls, says fellow DJ Jamie YEO, who was implied to be the "third party". YEO, 24, returned from a working trip to London just three days ago to find herself smack in the middle of the so-called scandal. ONG, 30, who hosts Perfect 10's Five Guys And A Girl breakfast show, married ex-DJ Kate Reyes, 27, less than two years ago. He confirmed two months ago that they had split. (Straits Times 24 Aug 2001)(L3)

  MediaCorp's wuxia drama series, Master Swordsman LU Xiao Feng II, is being taken off the air after the first ten of its 20 episodes are aired. The series, which stars Eric SUEN and Christopher LEE, began airing only last Tuesday but will be axed after next Tuesday, despite its healthy viewership ratings of more than 9 per cent. (Straits Times 16 Aug 2001)(L14)

  Paradise, the English-language beachside drama, was originally planned as a 13-parter, but a TV Works spokesman said yesterday that it will now end with a cliffhanger at the eight episode. The network has not decided if it will resurrect the serial at a later date. The final episode of Paradise will air on 30 Aug 2001 at 9.30pm. (Straits Times 11 Aug 2001)(L18)

  Now Boarding, the 13-episode Channel 5 sitcom by MediaCorp TV, has been grounded after just five episodes. The last one was aired on 29 Jul 2001. The show debuted on 1 Jul 2001 with  seasoned actors KOH Chieng Mun, Vernetta Lopez, Jamie Yeo and Steven LIM in the lead roles.

  Pop singer Anita Sarawak, 49, has married her business manager, Mr Martin Cox, in a Muslim ceremony at a mosque in Las Vegas. According to a report in Berita Harian, Mr Cox, 47, a Briton, adopted the Muslim name of Mohamad Mahathir Abdullah. This is Ms Sarawak's fourth marriage. (Straits Times 10 Aug 2001)(19)

  New starlet Jeanette AW, 22, won two awards - Most Popular Newcomer and Best Performer - in the last episode of Channel U's reality TV programme, the 13-part Route To Glamour. AW, who signed a five-year contract with MediaWorks last December, is now involved in dramas, such as Touched, Wonder Cafe and Cash Is King. (Straits Times 7 Aug 2001) (L14)

  A question in Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? quiz show telecast on 26 Jul 2001 gave four options as answers - all of which were incorrect. The Question: "What is the name of the Prisons Department's Special Task Force? gave Drill, Dart, Chain and Hammer as the options for the answer. According to both the Prisons Department and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Prisons Task Force is known as SPEAR, or the Singapore Prisons Emergency and Action Force. Dart is the Disaster Assistance and Rescur Team, a special task force of the SCDF. (Straits Times 29 Jul 2001)(31)

  SBA National Scriptwriting Competition 2001. Closing date: 31 Aug 2001.

A former television actress yesterday became the first person to be charged with cocaine possession in Singapore. No plea was taken from LOW Lin Lin, 27, who is better known as Michelle LOW. She allegedly had a packet containing 0.46 g of cocaine at the Velvet Underground discotheque at about 2.10am on 30 Sep 2000. No other details were revealed in court yesterday. LOW was released on S$10,000 bail and her passport was impounded. District Judge Victor YEO postponed the case to 15 Aug 2001. (1) (Straits Times 5 Jun 2001)

  TV Works first local drama, Paradise, takes to the air every Thursday at 9.30pm from 5 Jul 2001 onwards. The drama, from award-winning producer Andrea TEO (Phua Chu Kang & Under One Roof fame) stars Nadya Hutagalung, Michelle CHONG, LUM May Yee, Romnick Sarmenta & Rustom Padilla. 

  TV Work's first local sitcom, Ah Girl, will air every Tuesday at 9.30am, starting from 10 Jul 2001. (Straits Times ad 2 Jul 2001)

  Malaysian Michelle LIOW Yin Yin, 24, and Shi Bin, 20, who is from Shanghai, managed to outdo 10 other budding artistes from Malaysia, Singapore and China to emerge as winners of Star Search 2001. Apart from three-year acting contracts with MediaCorp TV, each of them also won a Nissan Cefiro and S$10,000 cash. The event boasted a panel of eight judges, including Hongkong stars Andy LAU and Sandra NG, as well as MediaCorp's Zoe TAY. (Straits Times 25 Jun 2001)

  The finalists for Star Search 2001 were TEO Yeow Tong, Michelle LIOW, Paerin CHOA, LE Yao, Alan TERN, Joey NG, HU Wensui, LIM Chia Chia, SHI Bin, Jeslynn WONG, Gary YAP & SUN Li.

  Communications company SingTel will launch a new service, Interactive television (iTV) next year. It will be available via the Internet and will offer six new channels. It will also offer video on demand, an onscreen programme guide, home shopping, information services and interactive gaming, as well as access to the Internet and e-mail. The new service will be delivered through a broadband, or high-speed, Internet connection. SingTel will first carry out a six- to eight- month trial of the service. About 300 households in Ang Mo Kio, Thomson and Bishan will take part. (Straits Times 18 Jun 2001)

  Popular model Celest Chong, 26, has joined SPH MediaWorks' Chinese channel, Channel U, and has also signed a two-year contract with Universal Music. She inked a two-year exclusive contract with Channel U last Wednesday to star in its Mandarin drama serials. (Straits Times 12 Jun 2001) 

  In the first case of its kind, an electrician has been charged for illegally connecting a residence to the Singapore Cable Vision (SCV) network. On Wednesday, Richard ONG Wei Teong pleaded guilty in a magistrate's court to tampering with a telecommunications installation. He was fined S$4,000. (Straits Times 8 Jun 2001)

  The Economic Development Board (EDB) has joined forces with an Indian multimedia company to make an animated film about Buddha. The S$11-million 90-minute production entitled Buddha, due to be finished next year, will be the first full-length animated film to be co-produced here. (Straits Times 7 Jun 2001)

TV Works - new English TV channel goes on air on 20 May 2001

  Works Weekly is the latest TV and lifestyle magazine to hit the streets. It's maiden issue commenced circulation on 16 May 2001.

  Channel U - new Chinese TV channel - launched on 6 May 2001.

  Two new free TV channels will be coming our way in May 2001. Channel U (Mandarin channel) and TV Works (English channel) will be launched on 6 & 20 May 2001 respectively. Both are owned by SPH MediaWorks, the broadcasting arm of Singapore Press Holdings. More.....

  SPH MediaWorks was granted a licence to run two TV channels on 26 Apr 2001. Its Mandarin channel, called Channel U, will be launched on 6 May 2001 while the English one, TV Works, will go on air two weeks later on 20 May 2001. The broadcasting arm of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) applied for a licence last June after the Government announced that it would liberalise the media scene. (Straits Times 27 Apr 2001)

  Errant broadcasters who meddle in Singapore politics might find themselves slapped with a restriction on the number of households which receive their broadcast through Singapore cable Vision (SCV). Offending broadcasters may also be moved up to a more expensive tier, or be blanked out altogether in extreme cases. Information and the Arts Minister LEE Yock Suan said this during the debate on the Singapore Broadcasting Authority (Amendment) Bill, which was passed on 19 Apr 2001. (Straits Times 20 Apr 2001)

  MediaWorks, the broadcast arm of media giant Singapore Press Holdings, now holds a 50% stake in a newly-formed joint- venture company called UnionWorks. This will own and run the radio business currently operated by NTUC Media, which has the other 50% stake. The new organisation will operate the English-based FM 91.3 and the Mandarin-based FM 100.3, which NTUC Media runs currently. Both 24-hour music stations have been on the air since 1991. (Straits Times 15 Mar 2001)

  Radio stations Class 95 and Perfect 10 have come in for some flak from broadcasting watchdog Programme Advisory Committee for putting crude jokes on air during their morning shows. In a report released on 2 Mar 2001, the Committee said the stations "crossed the line of good taste" by including "many sexual innuendoes and off-colour jokes". (Straits Times 3 Mar 2001)