Heeding the Call: Ghostbusters Singapore red carpet

For F*** Magazine

HEEDING THE CALL

Ghostbusters star Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig grace the red carpet as fans set a world record
By Jedd Jong

Inclement weather threatened the Ghostbusters red carpet and fan event at the Event Plaza at Marina Bay Sands on Sunday night, but the skies cleared up just in time and fans’ spirits remained undampened. A group of 263 people clad in white hoodies, trousers and masks set a new Guinness World Records title for the Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Ghosts in a Single Venue. Radio deejays Justin Ang, Vernon A, Joakim Gomez and Gerald Koh served as emcees, dressed in Ghostbusters uniforms with inflatable proton packs.

The event was organized by Sony Pictures Entertainment to promote the new Ghostbusters reboot film starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon and Chris Hemsworth, and directed by Paul Feig. Both McCarthy and Feig were in attendance, greeting fans and signing autographs on the red carpet. The female-led reboot has been met with harsh criticism from long-time Ghostbusters fans, but one wouldn’t be able to tell based on the warm reception McCarthy and Feig received.

Commenting on this record, Feig said, “Seeing this many people get their ghost on and set a Guinness World Records title is a true testament to this amazing franchise that Dan [Aykroyd], Harold [Ramis] and Ivan [Reitman] created 32 years ago.  Fortunately, I ain’t afraid of no ghosts because we were up to our armpits in them.  Ghostbusters of the world, gear up!” Feig was accompanied by his wife Laurie on the red carpet.

Rishi Nath, the Guinness World Records Adjudicator who presented McCarthy and Feig with an official certificate, added, “We are incredibly impressed the fans’ dedication to Ghostbusters as well as their sense of adventure and fun.  It’s official – this is a fantastic achievement!”

The event kicks off several days of Hollywood glamour as the Sony Summit continues apace in Singapore, with Inferno stars Tom Hanks and Irrfan Khan and director Ron Howard as well as The Magnificent Seven director Antoine Fuqua set to grace the red carpet this week.

Ghostbusters opens July 14 2016.

Painting the Town Blue - Captain America: Civil War Blue Carpet

For F*** Magazine

PAINTING THE TOWN BLUE

Team Cap takes Marina Bay Sands by storm
By Jedd Jong

To call it a ‘crowd’ would be a gross understatement. On the evening of Thursday 22^nd April, throngs of fans showed up to try to catch a glimpse or, better yet, a coveted selfie with or autograph from the stars of Captain America: Civil War. The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) were overrun with eager folks armed with homemade signs and cheering at the top of their lungs, some of whom had arrived as early as 10 hours before the scheduled start of the event.

That glorious Scott Pilgrim reference though.

In what must have been a heart-breaking move for any DC fan, a black curtain was set up in front of the DC Super Heroes café that overlooked the Blue Carpet area, out of deference to Marvel. It is perhaps an apt metaphor for how Marvel is pummelling the Distinguished Competition at the Multiplex.

A highlight of Team Cap’s visit to Singapore, stars Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier) with co-director Joe Russo walked the Blue Carpet. Deejay Glenn Ong and model/actress Stephanie Carrington were the evening’s hosts, with actor Paul Foster providing back-up on the Blue Carpet. The event was kicked off with the finals of a cosplay competition, with an enthusiastic Indonesian gentleman sporting accurate Tony Stark-esque facial hair drawn on and eyewear beneath his Iron Man helmet taking the top prize.

Stan looked more comfortable than he did at the press conference that morning, rocking a striking turquoise suit, with Mackie going for a more classic option. Evans looked like he rolled out of bed, wearing the same shirt and trousers he wore to the press conference – but one could stand to be a little sloppy if one possessed even a fraction of Evans’ pulchritude.

The sale of packages priced at $688 and $1288, including access to the Blue Carpet, had become the talk of the town. It was later clarified that the majority of Blue Carpet passes were being distributed to invited children and teenagers as part of Disney and MBS’ corporate social responsibility initiatives; these children would be invited on stage later. Other recipients included contest winners and VIPs. A limited number of Blue Carpet passes were then bundled together with products like collectible t-shirts, figurines and a one-night stay at the MBS hotel.

A considerable number of lucky fans who had arrived early enough to stake out a good spot lining the Blue Carpet were able to get the attention of the stars, who made every effort to sign as many autographs and take as many selfies as time would allow. Mackie even leapt over the barricades to reach fans standing several rows back, with Russo following suit. Even though the measures to prevent the average fan from attending weren’t as extreme as previously thought, the layout of the Blue Carpet did make it difficult for those who weren’t journalists or pass-holders to get very close to the stars.

The under-privileged children who were beneficiaries of MBS’ social outreach programs were welcomed onstage, and some got to ask the stars and director their questions. It’s difficult not to be a cynic in the face of such a blithely manipulative display on the part of a big corporation, but the children did seem to be genuinely enjoying themselves and a boy was overwhelmed with joy when Stan carried him up and swung him around.

Team Cap was presented with artwork by artists Elvin Ching, Guo Junwei, Noval N. Hernawen and Soefara Jafney which incorporated characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into prominent Singapore landmarks.

The Team Cap festivities culminate on the night of 22^nd April, which will see MBS lit up in red, white and blue, with an accompanying fireworks display as an act of one-upmanship aimed at Team Iron Man, who set a tough act to follow by lighting up the Eiffel Tower in red and gold with glowing blue ‘eye’s during their Paris tour.

Photos by Tedd Jong 

Winter is Coming - The Huntsman: Winter's War Singapore red carpet premiere

For F*** Magazine

WINTER IS COMING
F*** is on the red carpet to catch the stars of The Huntsman: Winter’s War
By Jedd Jong

It was a particularly muggy Sunday night, but everyone had winter on the brain. Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa played host to the stars and director of the fantasy action film The Huntsman: Winter’s War, the sequel/prequel/spin-off of 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman. Chris Hemsworth, Oscar winner Charlize Theron, Jessica Chastain and director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan graced the red carpet and fan premiere on April 3.

Thousands of fans and guests lined the red carpet to catch a glimpse of the cast, bearing witness to the first ever movie premiere held in the theme park. Theron looked exquisite in white, while Chastain was radiant in a sequinned black gown. Hemsworth cut a dashing figure in a navy blue suit. The stars took their time to pose for selfies with and sign autographs for lucky fans. This writer was thrilled when Theron deigned to pose with his custom action figure of Furiosa, her character from Mad Max: Fury Road.

Hemsworth, Theron, Chastain and Nicolas-Troyan had their handprints preserved in concrete for posterity before entering the Pantages Theatre for the screening.

The Pantages Hollywood Theatre, normally home to the Sesame Street stage show When I Grow Up, received a makeover for the premiere. The façade of the theatre was completely transformed to resemble the ice castle in The Huntsman, which the Snow Queen Freya (Emily Blunt) calls home in the film. The 20-metre-tall structure features hand-carved and hand-painted designs, taking one month to fabricate. It was installed over a period of 10 nights. It will remain in place at Universal Studios Singapore until May 2.

The Huntsman: Winter’s War opens island-wide on 14 April 2016.

Photos by Tedd and Jedd Jong

Director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, who was the visual effects supervisor on Snow White: and the Huntsman and was nominated for an Oscar for his work on that film.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Singapore Red Carpet and Press Conference

For F*** Magazine

The stars, director and producers of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 swept into Singapore on 27th March, greeting a throng of excited webheads at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands (MBS). Actors Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx were joined by director Marc Webb and producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach. Bringing a little slice of Hollywood hype and glamour to our shores, the celebrities will participate in the Earth Hour "lights out" ceremony to be held this Saturday.

By Jedd Jong
Photos by Tedd and Jedd Jong

At MBS, they graciously posed for photographs, signed autographs and took lots and lots of selfies with some lucky fans. There was also an appearance made by Spider-Man himself, leaping through the red carpet area, in addition to some fans who turned up in costume as Spider-Man, Electro and Gwen Stacy as radio deejays Justin Ang and Vernon A hosted the proceedings.

Speaking briefly to F*** on the red carpet, producer Avi Arad promised a big action film that will also include Spider-Man's trademark wise-cracking humour.

Director Webb described building a replica of Times Square on Long Island to stage the film's central set-piece in which the villainous Electro, played by Foxx, causes a violent power outage in the middle of New York City.

Emma Stone revealed that she enjoyed performing the high-flying wire work stunts for when Gwen Stacy gets to swing on Spider-Man's arm.

Andrew Garfield said that the group was taken to Maxwell Food Centre (he called it "Maxwell Courtyard") to partake in some famous chicken rice, and that they had been chilling in the Infinity Pool atop the MBS hotel earlier that day.

Jamie Foxx also entertained the crowd with a spot of beatboxing.

Once in the MasterCard theatre for the press conference, we were treated to a small, sweet display of affection when Garfield playfully stroked Stone's cheek.

When asked by a reporter about playing a character who is white in the comics, Jamie Foxx emphasized the craft of acting and how today's world should look beyond race as a boundary. Garfield jokingly added that in his next project, he will play Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

F***'s coverage of Spidey's trip to the Lion City will continue, so stay tuned. Enjoy a bunch of photos from the red carpet and the press conference (showcasing many adorable Emma Stone expressions) below!

Shout-out to my brother Tedd, who was the photographer for the day. Off to do some heavy-duty interview transcription and will be headed to the Floating Platform tonight!