Archive for the ‘Felicia Chin’ Category
SingTel Grid Girls Vie To Be The Face Of The Singapore F1 Race
SINGAPORE : We’re just two weeks away from the first-ever Formula 1 night race in Singapore, and everything’s going according to plan, including the recruitment of the glamorous Grid Girls.
From over 300 hopefuls, 44 finalists were selected not only based on their looks, but also deportment, personality and F1 knowledge. On race day, the girls, dressed in their cute “red two-piece uniform”, will be on the track to guide the drivers their grid positions as well as add glamour to the event.
From the 44 ladies, 20 were picked to vie for the top spot in a four-part reality TV series entitled “SingTel Grid Girls” on MediaCorp’s Channel 5, where the winner walks away with S$20,000 cash and becomes the face of the SingTel F1 race from September 26-28.
All is not lost for the runners-up. Together with the winner, the first and second runners-up will lead the rest of the Grid Girls to the starting line and flag off the race.
With just four contestants remaining - Alexandra Hui, Cheryl Tay, Fadilah Amir and Casey Fan - the competition reaches its climax on Thursday when the winner is unveiled.
The Grid Girls who will be in the thick of the action are the envy of many F1 fans, including “SingTel Grid Girls” host and Class 95 DJ Glenn Ong who has gamely volunteered to be their ‘papa-san’ that evening!
“But seriously, these girls deserve it, they’ve worked very, very hard,” said Ong.
To earn their spot as a Grid Girl, the girls had to equip themselves with the knowledge of the sport.
“We did have quite a bit of reading (to do) - background knowledge, what F1 is about, what do we have to do. We’re definitely not experts but we definitely have that kind of high level of interest for the sport… but we’re going to be there and be as glamorous as we can,” said Fadilah.
And to snag the top prize, the ladies are put through a series of challenges that incorporate fun and entertaining elements that test their wit and intelligence. MediaCorp celebrities like Jade Seah, Michelle Chia, Felicia Chin and Elvin Ng are also roped in to lend a helping hand.
“These challenges bring out their communication skills, F1 knowledge, patience, perseverance, stamina and sex factor… erm I mean X-factor!” said Ong. “Celebs come on the show to spur them on and should the need arise, help garner contestants off the streets cos these tasks can be tough and a little humiliating.”
In the first episode, the Grid Girls had to persuade men along Orchard Road to bare their bodies for the camera. “A lot of us get really desperate and flustered when you know time is running out… so it’s really difficult especially towards the end when the challenges get more and more straining,” said Tay who is a fan of Lewis Hamilton.
“The winner, in my opinion, must be able to communicate fluently, must be great to look at, have a yummy smile and be cool but not intimidating,” said Ong.
Looks like it’s going to be a close fight to the end. Catch the finale of “SingTel Grid Girls” on Thursday, September 18 at 9pm on Channel 5.
- CNA/il
Channel News Asia
Girls Just Cannot Have Fun
SINGAPORE : Gosh, it must really suck to be a girl. You people just can’t do anything, can you?
Last weekend, Transformers star Shia LaBeouf got into an early morning car crash, after reportedly doing whiskey shots at a bar and, as Us magazine quoted a source, “dancing around and acting really crazy”.
At about 3am, his pickup truck collided with another vehicle, flipping the actor’s truck. He was arrested because, according to a statement from the police, it was immediately apparent to officers at the scene that LaBeouf was intoxicated. He was then released for misdemeanour DUI (driving under the influence).
The 22-year-old is now recovering from hand surgery and is expected to miss a whole month of work on the “Transformers” sequel. And the only shocking thing about this? The fact that no one batted an eye.
When Paris Hilton was arrested on her DUI charge, there was plenty of public outrage. When Lindsay Lohan was arrested (twice) on DUI charges, bloggers called for her to be shipped off to rehab. She even almost missed out on shooting her latest film “Labor Pains” because insurance companies refused to cover the party-prone starlet. And she didn’t even hit anyone.
Even relative (this is Hollywood we’re talking about) good-girl Mischa Barton was shamed into admitting to Nylon magazine that her DUI arrest was “a low point”, and that she was “disappointed because it associated me with a group of girls that I would rather not be associated with.”
Yup, a group of girls.
LaBeouf, in the meantime, can be seen on the cover of the upcoming September issue of Details openly talking about how he’s a big fan of booze: “I don’t know how to have one drink,” he reportedly told the magazine. “I don’t know how to do it like a gentleman.” He then added that he and his dad would smoke and drink together.
It seems the general sentiment is one of, “Oh, well. Boys will be boys.” It’s a blatant double-standard that makes a boy like me happy to own a pair.
Colin Farrell hit Hollywood as anotorious, boozing womaniser, rarely seen on a red carpet without a cigarette and a plastic cup of beer in hand. “Oh, he’s just Irish,” people would say, swooning just a tad. “You know these Europeans.”
Right. Eva Green is European and she can hardly get away with wearing too much eye-liner.
Even old Hollywood legends aren’t exempted from the sexist curb on female fun. Peter O’Toole, a hell-raiser in his day with fellow boozers Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Oliver Reed, has “amusing anecdotes of debauchery”.
“Booze is the most outrageous of drugs, which is why I chose it,” he famously said.
Elizabeth Taylor, however, is just “plagued by problems with alcohol”.
The double-standard doesn’t just apply to Hollywood. Christopher Lee served some time in jail for his DUI hit-and-run, and the incident has blown over with considerably little drama. Can you imagine if it had been Fann Wong instead? This is not a case of popularity being a factor. Benedict Goh and Terence Cao - now that’s running the gamut from C-list to A-list - were also caught drink-driving, and while there was a certain amount of scandal involved, it was nothing compared to the apocalypse the four tabloid horsemen would bring if it had been Felicia Chin or Zoe Tay.
Neither is that double-standard restricted to just misadventures in inebriation. Good golly, no - it applies to just about everything.
Let’s talk celebrity sex tapes. Pamela Anderson made Tommy Lee a legend, Paris Hilton made Rick Salomon an instant celebrity and Kim Kardashian gave Ray J a boost from “Brandy’s little brother” to “hip-hop star”. The girls, however, were called a variety of very unkind names.
George Clooney matured into a “silver fox” regularly voted one of the sexiest men around. The “Sex and the City” girls are the new Golden Girls.
David Bowie’s a genius. Bjork is crazy. Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones are legends. Madonna’s a grandma. RuPaul’s an entertainer. Cher is a drag queen.
What’s that, ladies? It’s not fair? You bet it isn’t. Gosh, it sucks to be you. -
Channel News Asia