BOO-BOOS: Hye Kyo (above)
at the media conference
KOREAN beauty Song Hye Kyo sauntered into the room and gasped.
'Oh, so cold!' she exclaimed in Korean. Then began a press conference filled with cold, awkward moments.
Hye Kyo, 27, has been in town since 1Sep with actor Hyun Bin to film their new drama, Worlds Within. But the media gathering that marked the end of their trip here on Thursday evening was marred by boo-boos.
First, the two stars and director Pyo Min Soo (Full House) turned up one hour and 25minutes late at 7.55pm, supposedly due to a delay in their boat ride from Bintan to Singapore that day.
Fans who were following them claimed they reached Singapore around 4pm, but then, Hye Kyo had to attend an advertiser's event at Wisma Atria at 5pm first.
So reporters waited, patiently. But, none of the apologies we heard later were about the excessive waiting time.
Surprised
Director Min Soo apologised for his casual dressing - leather jacket over pants - adding that he had no chance to change as he had come straight from filming.
Actor Hyun Bin, who exuded coolness in a black suit, uttered in English: 'I'm sorry'.
Never mind it was not his fault that he walked in without introduction, took a seat at the panel's table, and was then told, to his surprise, to move to the seats in front of the table.
The emcee, pan-Asian actress Angela May, just stood there. She did not introduce the three stars as they came in, and then, as if reacting to a cue, she 'chased' them to the side after they had taken their seats.
Definitely an embarrassing start. After two short speeches, the Q&A session began with the usual questions.
What obstacles did they face?
Min Soo said: 'None, except that permits took longer to be approved here.'
Did they try the durians here?
Hye Kyo said: 'No, but fans gave me dumplings to try.'
IN TOWN: Hye Kyo (left, with Hyun Bin in a drama still)
has been in Singapore to film Worlds Within --PICTURE: LIANHE WANBAO
Which location shoot left the deepest impression? Hye Kyo recalled a romantic scene shot at 3am outside the Asian Civilisation Museum along the Singapore River, while Hyun Bin enjoyed going out to sea in a yacht from Sentosa Cove.
Min Soo also revealed that he picked Singapore as he has been here three times on holiday and he loves our 'unique combination of city and nature'. He added that the 'bench scene' outside the museum will be a crucial turning point in the drama's story line. Hye Kyo and Hyun Bin play TV producers who come to Singapore for work and develop feelings for each other here.
Then Lianhe Wanbao asked something, and was rudely halted by emcee Angela.
How was it for Hye Kyo and Hyun Bin to work with each other on their first-ever TV collaboration, and was there an onscreen kiss for them filmed in Singapore? Before the question could be translated, Angela curtly announced that 'we'll be dealing with other areas of filming in Singapore'.
When The New Paper and another reporter tried to protest, she added unapologetically: 'We'll just be moving on.' Imagine the awkward silence that ensued.
Equally abrupt was how the session ended, with no signal of the usual, 'Last question, please'.
When quizzed by reporters later, Angela said she cut the question off on a cue from the Korean producers, and then declined to speak further.
The man responsible was Mr Johnny Park from Vimfilm, which helped to facilitate the filming here. He later explained that he was given strict instructions to limit the Q&A session to questions about filming in Singapore, and he blocked the question upon hearing the word 'kiss'.
He apologised for causing a mini media uproar as he did not hear the first half of the question. By the way, Worlds Within is partly subsidised by the Singapore Tourism Board's Film In Singapore Scheme.
The emcee had repeated the words 'filming in Singapore' tirelessly during the press conference. Hello, we are not deaf.
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WHAT WENT WRONG
1 The two stars and director turn up 85 minutes late
2 Our reporter didn't hear any apologies forthe waiting time
3 A question from Lianhe Wanbao was cut off by the emcee
Source: The Electric New Paper, Singapore
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story/0,4136,176615,00.html
