Courage My Love!

If I were to dabble in the entertainment scene, I would choose to be…A Comedian!

Well, well, well, that comes across as a surprise right? Considering my half-past-six jokes, corny one liners and lame celebrity impersonations. But I guess I do a decent job of cracking people up when my ice-queen persona thaw to reveal the funnybone in me.

Why comedy? Personally, it is one of the most challenging and interesting aspects of entertainment. It is easier to look picture perfect pretty and have the world in awe of your airbrushed magazine shots. It’s much easier to immerse in the role of a scripted drama character and win fans over.

But comedy? That’s tricky. Over-the-top attempts to win laughs will irk the audience, subtle and dry humour may bring out the yawns. Not to mention that people expect comedians to be funny all the time. If someone see Gurmit Singh without a smile and a ready joke to offer, they may think he is

a) arrogant

b) has issues or

c) in a bad mood.

Truth is, none of the above may apply, and he may well be just in his “NORMAL” mode.

Comedians are a magnet for harsh detractors and critically mean audiences alike. Since they are often in the most preposterous costumes and exaggerated make-up, they come across as eager to please ‘clowns’ cavorting around to amuse viewers. And yes, because they don’t look well-put together, people are inclined to magnify their flaws and pass unkind comments. Think Patricia Mok and Mark Lee and you kind of get the picture.

No one takes me seriously, even on my off days

Thing is, the art of making people laugh is serious business. In-your-face jokes may come across as too slapstick; stand-up comedy acts need a combination of timing, momentum and energy to capture interest and sustain the laughs; sophisticated wit has to be dispensed before the right audience (lest you look like an idiot who is the only one amused) and there is a call for sensitivity when touching on certain subject matter because not everyone ‘can take it’ and will be offended.

Anyway, one of local television’s best talent competitions for 2006 is MediaCorp’s Channel 8 “The Ultimate Comedian”.

It’s more original, not a spin-off of the Idol series and I feel that the contestants really deserve great credit. I didn’t follow the series initially but waited for the semi-finals rounds. That’s when the really bad has already been eliminated. It's down to four finalists now. 3 gals and a duo of guys.

The Female Finalists:

The very cute Ho Ailing

A very Versatile Janice Ang

A bubbly Tay Yin Yin (gungho and has a self deprecating sense of humor)

All 3 female contestants have their individual strengths. So, I can’t really choose a personal favourite. I am just hoping this time round, a lady would emerge the winner. Really respect them for their passion and courage to do comedy.

In the meantime, I will continue to perfect my repertoire of accented English (Thai, Hong Kong, Filipino, Indian, British accented English). Aileen and I love to amuse ourselves. We hope to become as good as Ruby Pan one day.