Black Eyed Peas' 'Where is the Love?' aptly became the number
1 song on Perfect 10's chart for 2003. It was indeed, a year of zilch love,
from George W Bush's missiles in Iraq to Justin Timberlake's lashing at his
ex, Britney Spears.
At UrbanWire, we're glad to say good riddance to Sars, paedophilic singers,
perverted sportsmen, celebrity deaths and that darn Carlsberg jingle. Let's
bid adieu to 2003, the Year of Missing Weapons of Mass Destruction and welcome
2004, the Year of $2 million Singapore Sweep prize money.
We need more cheers in 2004, and what better than to come up with a list of 20 fun and frivolous things to look forward to! Kindly note that these 20 things are real events that will happen in 2004 and not stuff that are bogus, like…Michael Jackson's face.
Oscar Wild!
We see with our flaming red eye that at the 76th Annual Academy Awards on Feb
29, the hobbits and elves will rule them all. In fact, it's high time Peter
Jackson takes home the elusive Oscar statuette for his brilliant vision and
direction in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Which means, the Academy
owes him 3 trophies, not just 1. And if Jackson doesn't win, we assure you that
millions of displeased fans will unleash more evil than the dark lord Sauron.
MTV Asia Awards
On Valentine's Day, a parade of international music artistes is set to paint
the town red at the MTV Asia Awards. The Love Brigade includes Black Eyed Peas,
Blue, Simple Plan, Liberty X, Stacie Orrico, 5566 and Gareth Gates. Michelle
Branch will be 'Everywhere' as the host and we hope no love is lost if the sound
system screws up again at the Indoor Stadium.
Sequels
Our favourite heroes - A spider-man (Spider-man 2), a green cartoon ogre
(Shrek 2) and a woman killer in yellow tracksuit (Kill Bill Vol. 2)
- return to our silver screen, much to the delight of fans. And we pray the
sequels will not disappoint us this year, unlike duds last year like the confused
Neo and the rambling architect.
S-League
The local professional soccer league is looking to the land of the rising sun
to add more bite and excitement with the introduction of a 2nd foreign club
- Japanese club Albirex Niigata after Chinese side Sinchi FC's debut last season.
The S-League has another new look after the exit of Jurong FC, Sengkang Marine
FC and Sembawang Rangers FC.
Sex and the City
Take out your Hermes hanky and have a good cry as the girls from 1 of the most
favourite sitcoms in television history call it a day. We say goodbye to Carrie,
the sweet yet narcissistic columnist; Samantha, the sex goddess; Miranda, the
mother hen and Charlotte, the dreamy Jewish girl. Although the series isn't
showing in Singapore (yet), it's already showing its last season in the States.
Sniff.
Norah Jones
The jazz songbird will release her sophomore album, Feels Like Home, on Feb
9. All eyes will be on her after the phenomenal success of her debut album Come
Away With Me and who can forget her clean sweep at the Grammys last year?
No matter, we're pretty sure Norah will do it her way, just like blue eyes Sinatra.
Suddenly Rich
After scoring a home run regionally, Jack is about to offer another heart-lander
movie to please the aunties, uncles and kids playing under the void deck. The
movie's tentatively called Suddenly Rich and stars Star Awards supporting
actress winner Patricia Mok and Golden Horse Best Newcomer Megan Zheng. When
Jack starts selling shares to his company, count me in for sudden riches too…
Howard Dean
Everyone's asking who else is taking on the most powerful man in the world (yes,
we're talking about George W. Bush, not Bill Gates) besides Osama bin Laden
and Saddam Hussein in a spider hole. We say, watch out for Democrat Howard Dean,
former Vermont governor who will most likely take on Junior Bush in the coming
presidential elections. An advice for Mr Dean: Be careful of Florida.
All Jazzed Up
Aren't we all getting a little sick of the "bling bling", "flava"
and "freak" hip-hop lingo? We aren't saying hip-hop is bad music,
but it's been a pain to see its artistes recycling their music to occupy the
charts. Perhaps we should give more space to lite-jazz singers like Michael
Buble, Norah Jones and even Rod Stewart in his sincere attempt to sing swinging
old standards.
Euro 2004
More late nights for soccer fans as the European countries slug it out in Portugal
for the European Championship. From Thiery Henry of France to David Beckham
of England, girls will have a great time watching the men while the guys will
enjoy watching the men play. See the difference?
Harry Potter
Muggles who happen to be Potter fans can have their third dose of wizardry and
adventure come June. In the third installment of the Harry Potter movies, we
see the same team of young actors Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson
reprising their roles as Harry, Ron and Hermione respectively. Gary Oldman plays
Sirius Black, and Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as Headmaster
Albus Dumbledore. Be prepared for some more fascinating visuals as Potter battles
evil as usual, and faces enemies like Lord Voldemort with undying bravery.
Singapore Idol
Since when has it been entertaining seeing wannabes croon and croak on national
television? After all, it does take guts to try imitating Enrique when in reality;
you're much closer to being Mr Tone-deaf. Blame it on the creators of American
Idol for causing such an 'idol-istic' phenomenon worldwide. Over 7 countries,
including the UK, Canada and Australia have taken up the Idol format and boosted
their own television ratings sky high. It seems people just can't get enough
of watching others sweat it out and stretch those vocal cords to face judges
whose sharp tongues promise a good whip - we mean to their egos of course. Fancy
having yet another new local singing sensation that will perhaps outdo even
those Talentime winners? Then you should be happy to know that Singapore Idol
is going to be on our local tv soon. We're the first in Asia to produce the
famous idol-format show. Are you proud or what? But we wonder more importantly,
who're going to be the judges on our local version. Hopefully they get an acid-tongued
bloke like Simon Cowell or it won't be much fun watching, will it?
Olympics
The world's most prestigious sporting event is finally back; and this time in
the country that started it all - Greece, Athens. Sports has never looked better
since 1896 when the first Olympics were held. Right now, construction work for
the Olympian roads and stadium are on-going and will hopefully be ready by August.
This year's Olympics will be held from Aug 13 to 29 followed by the Paralympics
from Sep17 to 28. Athens 2004 is sure to dazzle especially at the logistics
involved in ensuring everything goes smoothly. Their budget is nearly 2 billion
euros (S$4.3 billion). About 5.3 million ticketed spectators are expected to
crowd the stadiums to watch and cheer 10,500 athletes from around the world.
There are about 35 venues for athletes to compete in the 28 sports. Let the
games begin!
Survivor All Stars
Survivor has practically made grit and sweat seem glamourous. After all, look
at the number of Survivor contestants who have made it big even without bagging
that coveted million. Look at Jerri Manthey, she's now a celebrity and has been
on the pages of Playboy. Soon, there will be a reunion for all past Survivors
in a new challenge - Survivor: All Stars that will unite the popular contestants
from the previous 7 Survivors and pit them against each other. Richard Hatch,
Tina Wesson and Ethan Zohn the beef-jerky man will be among the 'come-back'
contestants. We can expect more cat-fights and brawls coming our way. In the
mean time, keep a look out for your favourite Survivor and be thankful you can
watch them bitch-slap in the comfort of your own home.
The OC
The OC is Ch 5's latest imported television series, which promises to
be a hit. Yes, we know what you're thinking - What's OC? No, it's not 'officer-in-charge',
in case you were wondering. OC stands for Orange County. Yes, that's in California.
The plot surrounds 2 wealthy families; the Cohens and the Coopers. Ryan Atwood
(Benjamin McKenzie), a wayward teen soon discovers this new found lifestyle
after being kicked out of his house by his mum. He soon makes friends with his
neighbours and slips comfortably in this dazzling new way of life. The show's
creator Josh Schwartz has received a Writers Guild of America, East and West
nomination for "Outstanding Achievement in Television - Episodic Drama".
Sounds impressive eh? But we think that looking at these actors wink and pout
in their picturesque masks makes more than enough entertainment.
Indochine
Fans of IndoChine who said adieu to the Waterloo Street days last year can perk
up. Soon, to add to the new revamped glitzy image of Wisma Atria, IndoChine
will see itself having a spacious 16, 500 sq feet to please its customers old
and new. This alfresco restaurant cum bar is known for its uniquely authentic
Asian cuisine and good service. It's time they had a choice place to dine in
the middle of Orchard Road.
LOTR exhibition
Diehard fans of The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) Trilogy would be ecstatic
to know that come Mar 13, the Singapore Science Centre will be the only venue
in the whole of Asia to play host to the one and only LOTR exhibition. The Lord
of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy - The Exhibition will give visitors a close-up
look at the costumes and the different artifacts and armoury used in the movies.
Don't forget there will also be film footage and props. You can also watch the
extended versions of the first two installments of the trilogy at the Science
Centre 200-seater theatre. This is an experience that shouldn't be missed. Buy
your tickets at SISTIC Adult $21, Children, $13. Ends 4 June.
The Single Life
Why is everyone unhappy being Single? It's almost as if you'll be an outcast
and labelled as a dreadful and depressed individual if you don't have a companion.
Apparently we all want some love and my oh my, love is in the air in our local
version of The Bachelorette. 10 eligible bachelors will now have to fight
for the attention of a single lovely lass who then has to narrow down her choices
to only one. Duh. No bigamy here. This reality show will hopefully allow Ms
Single Girl to find her one and only. We wish her luck, really.
s.m.a.r.t.s
Do your bit for charity by playing s.m.a.r.t.s (Space Mission - A Reciprocal
Treasure Search) the ultimate online game show brought to you by us truly! Not
only will you be doing some good, but you will also be able to win some fantastic
prizes from our sponsors. Beneficiaries are the Straits Time Pocket Money Fund,
Teen Challenge and Children's Charities Association. Players will have to answer
10 questions and whoever wins, will also be indirectly doing their part for
charity. For every game played, $1 will be donated by corporate and individual
sponsors to the charities. Do continue checking The UrbanWire for more details.
Sports School
With term having just started at our first local sports school, we hope that
this pioneer batch of sporting young talent will one day do our nation proud
by bringing home more medals from international competitions. Currently badminton,
bowling, football, netball, track and field, swimming, table tennis and sailing
are the only sports available for students' choice. The school also has some
of the best coaches who have won medals in the past. They include former Singapore
national badminton coach Basri Yusuf. Yusuf has taught the likes of talented
Ronald Susilo. He has also represented Indonesia in the past. Hey, you think
we could perhaps win an Olympic medal in years to come? Let's hope the dream
isn't one big farce like Goal 2010.