March Part 2

 

I'm 5 episodes into this series and love it a lot.

Without revealing spoilers, I'll just say that it's extremely well written, acted and directed, with a layered, compelling plot, a nice sprinkling of twists, and a female character that's really toxic.

Some tales revolve around the rich and famous. This one is set in a small town with what seem to be ordinary people, but there're enough true crime cases all over the world - including Singapore - to illustrate that evil is mostly concentrated in smaller, more modest communities, hidden in plain sight.

This is also on HBO and the opposite of DTF, i.e. a light tragicomedy.

But it shares common traits with the former - great writing and a stellar cast.

I've been a huge Steve Carell fan since his 40-Year-Old Virgin days. He continues to age beautifully and effortlessly charms with his trademark awkwardness.

The jokes make me chuckle heartily, which is always a welcome respite from my Monday work shifts ( that's when new episodes are released, together with DTF - double bonus! 😁 ).

I will rewatch the whole series after all the episodes come out, 'cos I'm sure I've forgotten a lot of the one-liners.

Just completed this on Disney+.

I knew a lot about the Kennedys because my mum followed their lives very closely ( she did the same with the British royal family ).

I'm not entirely sure how factually accurate this depiction is, but the 2 leads are spot on in terms of casting, and the script is excellent.

Still making my way through this and am currently on the fence.

It has some Ready Or Not vibes ( new bride joining a sinister rich family ), but the premise seems a bit too implausible for me.

Keep an eye out for the character Portia, played by Gus Birney.

There's an early scene where she tells a story about The Sorry Man, and you can see her slowly losing her mind.

At the end, a single tear trickles from one eye.

I literally went "Wow".

I'll give my verdict if / when I finish all 8 episodes.

I watched this mostly for Glen Powell, whom I adore. 😍

The movie's pretty good, though the plot holes got to me after a while.

The cast alone is worth the time investment, with Glen looking gorgeous and playing his role with oodles of charisma and terrific comedic timing.

Margaret Qualley is one of the most unbelievably beautiful and talented young actresses out there right now, but I worry she's pigeonholing herself into a femme fatale stereotype post The Substance.

I'd like to see her as a prudish / mousy character for a change.

Music-wise, there were recent new album releases from Bruno Mars and Charlie Puth, both of whom I've been a fan of for more than a decade, and seen on stage multiple times.

Bruno's latest offering is a mind-blowing return to his classic pop / doo-wop roots.

Though the tracklist is short with only 9 songs, every single one is a gem. My current favourite is Dance With Me - a slow ballad reminiscent of the '60s era. Goosebumps! 💗

Charlie also went the old school route, channeling a retro '80s vibe.

There are quite a few great ones, but a couple of them didn't gel with me ( e.g. the track that features Jeff Goldblum ). 

I love Cry, New Jersey and Sideways though.

And when Charlie returns to Singapore for another concert ( trust me, he will! ), I'll be there. 😊

Will also be listening to this soon - an album released last year which somehow completely flew under my radar.

Every song sounds spectacular, based on a quick sampling.

Looking forward to his next album, Cinematic, in early May!

3 months have flown by in the blink of an eye.

There's a lot of international turmoil at the moment, and I have an upcoming long tour in a country that's close to the Middle East conflict, but no word of any cancellation so far.

I'm going to be extreeeemely busy until mid-May, so my blog may be quiet for a while. 

Just hope the war won't escalate. We have enough problems already yeesh!

March Part 1 - OneRepublic!!!

 

The 3 exclamation points are warranted. 😊

( FYI: There are 5 original members - Ryan Tedder, Drew Brown, Zach Filkins, Eddie Fisher and Brent Kutzle.

Brian Willett has toured with them since 2012, but became the official 6th member in 2019. )

I first heard of 1R in early 2008, and still vividly recall their maiden performance in Singapore at Fort Canning Park, as part of the SingFest lineup on 3 August 2008.

Ryan was only 29 years old at the time.

Since the band was new and still relatively unknown, they were given a late afternoon time slot. Unfortunately, the event was completely outdoors, and the sun blazed down upon the stage.

Ryan was literally dripping sweat but sang his guts out, note perfect.

That's how they got my attention. I remember thinking "Wow, I can't believe he still sounds amazing even though he's suffering so much!"

Fast forward to 18 years later - 1R has performed 7 times in Singapore, and I've been to 6 of their shows, including 2 Grand Prix concerts which are really no joke ( standing at the Padang with 60,000 people, also getting caught in a storm at the end of their 2024 gig ).

They became my favourite band in 2013, after the release of Native, which spawned global hits like Counting Stars, If I Lose Myself and I Lived.

The band continues to soar with each new album, as Ryan's incredible songwriting skills show no signs of slowing down.

However, it's interesting that this year was the first time their show was held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium ( previous non-F1 concerts were at the much smaller Star Theatre ).

I'm happy to report that the SIS gig sold out. 😊

Setlist-wise, there were the usual favourites like Apologize, Stop and Stare, and Secrets.

But this round included less well-known songs such as Light It Up, Life In Color and Nobody.

We were also blessed with the very first stage performance of Choke, thanks to an Indonesian fan ( whom I know personally! ) whose placard was selected by Ryan.

She added a fun element in the form of 3 hidden options. When Ryan selected option B - Choke - he initially said he couldn't remember the lyrics and moved on to option A ( Can't Stop ).

But he eventually returned to Choke, doing a beautiful solo acoustic version with Brian on the piano. 😍

My personal faves from this show were Life In Color, Nobody and upcoming new single Need Your Love. 

The latter is another example of Ryan's genius. The track is an anthemic earworm!

A few of my friends were in the standing zone, while another friend and I were in the first row of the tiered seats close to the stage. 

Special mention goes to a boy just behind us, who looked about 11 or 12 years old.

He sang along for 2 whole hours, and knew every single lyric.

I approve! 😁

Next, the meet and greet!

Back in April 2018, I won 2 M&G passes through an online contest, and brought my mum along.

There were only 12 fans in total, and we met the band in groups of two, which made it very exclusive.

This year, 30 of us attended the M&G by using Krisflyer miles via Krisflyer Experience, so it was no longer free of charge, but at least it meant a guaranteed spot for the event if you redeemed it early.

The wait was long but the band's management team was very friendly.

As we lined up outside the M&G room, one American fellow joked, "Remember, no direct eye contact!" When I laughed, he glanced at me and winked. 😄

When 1R later strolled past us, Zach looked at me and said hi. 😊

We were then given the go-ahead to enter, and I have to say it was quite chaotic.

A major surprise was how warm all 6 of them were. They actually stretched out their hands to shake ours! ( This didn't happen in 2018. )

Brent reached out to a female fan next to me, but she was distracted by someone so he stood there looking a bit lost.

I quickly stepped forward and shook his hand, giving him a big smile and addressing him by name. He beamed at me and returned the greeting.

Next was Brian, whom I started liking immensely after seeing him in the 2022 music video for West Coast.

There's a moment where he does a little walk around his keyboard, which for some reason I find super cool haha.

Back in 2024, I also narrowly missed him at a coffee stand at Orchard Road - he posted an Instagram story with a photo of the location about 15 minutes before I got to the same spot. ( Total coincidence as I was in town for an appointment in the same building. ) I asked the guy at the stand if a Caucasian man was there a short while ago - he said yes, but sadly, Brian didn't hang around after buying his drink. Argh!

So you can imagine how elated I was when I finally came face to face with him 2.5 years later, and shook his hand! 😍

I also exchanged handshakes with Drew and Ryan, but the organizers rushed us to pose for the group pic, so I didn't get to say hi to Zach and Eddie.

Thankfully, the photo turned out great. A memory I will always treasure!

I brought gifts for the band - specially commissioned posters created by my friend's very talented daughter, incorporating the image and theme of their Asian tour ( altered to From Singapore, With Love ), with our country's famous landmarks in the background, and all 7 dates of their concerts here.

Hope they like them. 😊

A bonus from this event - I made a new friend ( and future concert kaki ) at the M&G.

We started talking after her friend ran late and missed the session, discovering how similar our musical tastes are. At the end of everything, we exchanged numbers and started following each other on social media.

It's really true that women can make new friends in any situation. 😄

I also found another new concert kaki - my junior college pal who recently became a fan of stage shows, who was at the 1R gig. We've known each other for 33 years but haven't hung out together after graduation. However, we've been meeting at our civics tutor's home during Chinese New Year for at least a decade, so we're definitely not strangers.

Looking forward to an opportunity to spend time with both of them one day soon!

FYI, 1R loves Singapore so much, they included an instrumental track named after our country in their 2024 album, Artificial Paradise.

In a recent Instagram story, Ryan showed off his new Merlion tattoo, with the caption "Singapore, you've been added." 😊

Since 2023, they've been coming here every 18 months, so let's hope they'll be back in September 2027. 

In the fan letter I enclosed with the posters, I mentioned they're my favourite band, that I've been a fan since 2008, and what a privilege it's been to join them on this 18-year journey.

It's always wonderful to find artistes whose music moves us so profoundly, but it's even more wonderful when they love us back. We consider it a huge honour. 💗

Thanks for reading! More entries coming later this month.