Some thoughts during Anniversary Gala

All I can say is that the Anniversary Gala was such a BLAST!! It's truly amazing to see how much Singapore media had developed from RTS in the 60s to SBC in the late 70s, then to TCS in the mid 90s and finally to MediaCorp in the 21st century. It was also a good time for the young and old to reminicse on the good old times. Indeed entertainment has come a very long way...

For "Development of Variety", It was kinda funny to see Guo Liang, Ben Yeo, Kym Ng and Michelle Chong impersonate different variety hosts within 15 mins or so, going through rapid costumes after each segment.

For the comdey skit, Guo Liang, Pat Mok, Henry Thia, Kym Ng and Mark Lee came together as various characters. Guo Liang's impersonation as Liang Ximei was so hilarious, that the moment he spoke in his normal voice, the audience couldn't resist laughing!! :-D

Let us also not forget about the celebrities (all comedians) who are no longer around... Ya Fong (d. 1995), Wang Sa (d. 1998), Hwa Liang (d. 1995), and yes Jimmy Nah aka MC King (who tragically passed away at the start of this year at only 39 yrs old). They may be gone, but their memories continue to live within our hearts. It's heart-breaking to know that MC King was taken from us before he could fully savor the new year... :-(

The funniest segment of all had gotta be "Development of Drama", a comedy skit where various artistes impersonated various TV characters... sending laughter everywhere!! :-D

• Mark Lee as Ah Shui from "The Awakening" (portrayed by Huang Wenyong)
• Michelle Tay as Ah Mei??? (I found this an insult to the recently slimmed down Xiang Yun who portrayed Ah Mei)
• Vivian Lai as Samsui Woman (portrayed by Zeng Huifen)
• Dennis Chew as Aiyoyo Laoshi from "Good Morning Teacher" (portrayed by Chen Liping)
• Quan Yifeng as Bobo the spoilt brat from "Pretty Faces" (portrayed by Zoe Tay)
• Henry Thia as Yan Fei from "The Unbeatables" (portrayed by Li Nanxing)
• Patricia Mok as Sai Wei, the crippled villain from "The Golden Pillow" (portrayed by Xie Shaoguang)
• Pornsak as Ah Bee aka Lobang King from "Don't Worry Be Happy" (portrayed by Chew Chor Meng)
• Cavin Soh as the Flying Fish (portrayed by Wang Yu Qing)
• Zheng Geping as Bao Ya Sao from "The Price of Peace" (ironically portrayed by his own wife Hong Hui Fang!!)

Geping's impersonation was truly the funniest one without a shadow of a doubt... who would have thought he would impersonate his wife's character here!! The other impersonations which I found worth the rib-hurting were Dennis Chew as Aiyoyo and Cavin Soh as the muscular, Speedo-lad Fei Yu. We all laughed nonstop til our throats went hoarse. But there's one thing I found rather distasteful and sensitive... did Cavin really need to mention on the fact that Wang Yuqing had been twice divorced?

Then came Lindy Hop... Nat Ho dancing with Dawn, Andie Chen with Paige, Zzen with Belinda and Dai Ying Tian with Ya Hui. The more adventurous couples will try the challenging moves like flipping and tossing, and this is a showcase of their vibrancy. Nat and Dawn looked most compatible I feel... their stunt being the most challenging imo.

The Four Elemental Performance aimed to wow the audiencee with sight and sound. Each artiste is a representation of the elements of the earth: 风 (WIND), 火 (FIRE), 雷(THUNDER), 雨 (RAIN). These elements are re-created on stage through dance, music and effects.

Zoe represented rain, dressed in a light blue dress and looking like a nymph, with svelte dancers dancing to the ripples of water.

Hanwei represented thunder, dressed in warrior armor and leading a troupe in clanging on the metal plates to symbolize the sound of thunder.

Yvonne represented wind, flying around the place and looking like an angel in white dress, with the dancers dancing gracefully and white confetti being blown across the lower gallery.

Ping Hui represented fire, leading a troup of warriors into twirling batons and metal spocks with tips filled with fire, and culmilating to an awesome twirl of sparkles via a mega-sized spock. The place was literally filled with slight tinges of smoke for the next few minutes.

The Grand Finale featured all the artistes from the past to the present gathered at the stage and wishing the 4 main genres of entertainment Happy 45th Birthday. Truly a moment worth remembering... :-)