Last Sunday I attended the President Star Charity with Singapore Polytechnic Bloggers, Siti and Sandy. It was the first time that we attended this event ‘live’.
It was an amazing experience.
In previous years, Mediacorp has experimented with different acts to various degrees of success. This year’s show was phenomenal because of the high quality of the all-music programme.
To be honest, I don’t watch charity shows. In fact, this was the first charity show I’ve seen start-to-finish. Watching the event ‘live’ caused the 2.5 hours to fly by quickly. Nothing beats watching it live.
The young and lovely Julia Abueva opened the show with a wonderful rendition of “When You Believe”.
This was followed by a duet of “Rose Rose I Love You” by Xiang Yun and Huang Wenyong.
These 2 artistes have a long on-screen history. It was quite cool to see these veterans perform a Chinese oldie. Kym Ng closed the Chinese pop medly with “Ding Dong”.
Mediacorp artistes Patricia Mok, Zhang Yaodong, Adeline Lim, Adam Chen, Sora Ma, Pierre Png, Belinda Lee, Alaric Tay, Stephanie Carrington and Paul Foster served as background dancers.
I should mention that Pierre Png and Stephanie Carrington are outrageously good-looking in real life.
The teenie boppers in the crowd probably came to see American Idol contestant Chris Medina, Il Volo or Singapore Idols Taufik Batisah and Hardy Mirza.
But I’m not a teenie bopper. There was only 1 act I was interested in. That was Kevin Loh.
He went on stage next and he delivered an outstanding performance of Roland Dyens’ Fuoco. His technique and interpretation were amazing. I was very excited to see this up-and-coming young classical guitarist bring the classical guitar back to television, on a ‘live’ performance no less.
Watching him perform was a special moment for me. In my opinion, Kevin is the best guitarist of his generation, not just in Singapore, but possibly the world. He has a great future in the guitar world waiting for him if the situation permits. He’s a king in waiting and he’ll carry the Singapore flag well on the international stage.
He’s a good kid with no airs about him. A nice guy who has a great bond with his father Marcus. I had an interesting interview with him after his performance.
I was running around the studio after that, conducting interviews or helping my fellow bloggers. I managed to catch the 4 chord medley by Gurmit Singh, Hossan Leong, Sheikh Haikel and Daren Tan.
On paper, trying to sing 35 songs in 5 minutes seemed pretty gimmicky. But the actual item was surprisingly good. It was also great to see Sheikh Haikel on television again. He’s a funny guy and he deserves more exposure.
The last act I saw, before I got swept up with work, was Chris Medina’s performance. I don’t watch American Idol, but I was very impressed with his performance. He’s an excellent singer and it was an unreal experience to hear him perform live.
My fellow blogger Sandy is a huge Chris Medina fan. She was very excited and nervous about getting the opportunity to interview him.
As we walked down the stairwell, I reminded her of one of my former classmates who got to interview her idol. “Don’t vomit on him,” I cautioned, remembering what happened to my friend.
After the show, my colleague Audrey was telling me how moved she was by stories of the beneficiaries. Personally, I was struck by 2 stories, one of a Malay man with a mental impairment, and one of a repentant father looking for a second chance.
The grandparents of the Malay man were worried about what would become of him once they pass on. “If anything happens to us, run away,” the grandfather said, “your mother won’t be able to take proper care of you.”
The story of a repentant father was equally touching. He was a lousy father in the past. But he has changed. His public appeal to his son for another chance was heart-wrenching.
Honestly, I’m quite cynical with charity shows. But working behind the scenes on PC has lifted that veil of cynicism somewhat. I know that all money donated to PC goes directly to beneficiaries.
All cost are paid for by Challenge Sponsors Singapore Pools and the Toteboard.
That way donors can rest assured that their 100% of their donations go directly to the people who need it.
I’m not a fan of pop music, but I’m a minority. PSC gives viewers a chance to see their favorite pop acts perform in Singapore. After all, how often does Chris Medina and Il Volo come here?
Television is also a powerful and impactful way of educating Singaporeans about the less fortunate and what needs to be done to help them. Volunteerism isn’t sexy. If we don’t educate youths on platforms like these you’ll never spread the spirit of volunteerism.
It is a populist way to do things. Some may say it’s even pandering. But like it or not, it’s what the masses want.
If anyone has other ideas, I’d love to hear them though.
Overall, I had a surprisingly enjoyable time. To me, the star of the show was Kevin Loh. The hordes of screaming teenage girls in the audience will disagree with me.
But regardless of who you cheered for, it was great to see celebrities doing what they can to help the less fortunate. It is commendable that they use their positions as role models to set an example for their fans. All the time and effort invested is greatly appreciated by the beneficiaries.
Attending the show is also a great experience for the beneficiaries. They get to dress up and enjoy a wonderful live performance.
Regardless of whoever becomes the next President, I hope that Mediacorp will continue this fantastic programme.
Members of the public can pledge donations by dialling the following numbers:
1900 112-8821 (S$5)
1900 112-8822 (S$20)
1900 112-8823 (S$100)
This telepoll service is sponsored by SingTel and its lines will be opened till midnight on 7 August 2011. All proceeds raised by the President’s Star Charity will go towards the 28 beneficiaries under the President’s Challenge 2011.
Please log on to the President’s Challenge 2011 website for more information. The encore telecast of the President’s Star Charity will be on Sunday, August 7, Ch 5, 7.30pm.
(Photos courtesy of Sandy Lai. Special thanks to the friendly staff at Mediacorp’s Corporate Communications team for their hospitality and assistance).
