Memories built on a hill

SINGAPORE — Now that Mediacorp’s move to our new campus is finally almost complete, I have been working on a video project in which I’ve invited six artistes to take me on a tour of the places in Caldecott Hill they will miss the most.

Over the past few months, Xiang Yun, Desmond Tan, Priscelia Chan, Shane Pow, Dennis Chew and Zheng Geping have recounted their memories associated with areas including the studios, the makeup room and the gym. They have been such excellent tour guides that after I tipped them handsomely and exited through the gift shop, I recalled some memories of my own.

You see, as TODAY’s television reporter, I don’t just bump into Shaun Chen buying chicken rice at the canteen, or Paige Chua sans makeup at the taxi stand, like any other Mediacorp staff member does now and then. In the innermost recesses of Caldecott, I’ve spent lots of time on sets, popped in and out of the wardrobe and makeup rooms and have been privy to the celebrities’ most intimate moments. And by “intimate”, I mean I’ve seen a significant number of them in their underwear.

In our photo studio, which is one of the places that holds the most memories for me, it has often fallen to me to help artistes dress for our cover shoots. Hollywood tape, bulldog clips, safety pins — I have them all in my back pocket.

On their part, the artistes are such pros that they aren’t in the least shy or prudish about getting changed in front of another person — here in particular, I’m looking at you, ex-male model Oli Pettigrew. So, let’s just say that stuffing actresses into couture gowns is a complex and intricate procedure that should not be attempted unless you are prepared to see things you cannot unsee.

Don’t even get me started on all the topless shoots we have done. If you want to see Romeo Tan, Andie Chen and Darryl Yong doing three-way push-ups, well, I still have that video around somewhere.

Our studio is small and shabby, but we’ve made magic there, and the valiant artistes have never complained or turned their nose up at it. It has hosted and underwhelmed international stars such as Joan Chen, Olivia Munn and Russell Wong. It is the place where we have dumped water on Qi Yuwu, mee pok on Jade Seah, stacks of cash on George Young, and baby oil on Jason Godfrey, all for the sake of a good photo.

It is also where Ian Fang jokingly asked if he could be my boyfriend and I jokingly invited him to get in line (don’t worry, Rebecca, this was way before he met you), and Yvonne Lim tried to pimp me out to Zhang Zhen Huan (when she asked him how his love life was going and he shook his head, she pointed to me and said, ‘I’ve always liked her’, causing awkwardness all around. Thanks, Yvonne).

Another place I’ll always remember is the TV Theatre’s backstage area, where I have covered nearly every big charity show and awards ceremony. While the proceedings were going on inside the theatre, we reporters watched them backstage on a TV that would invariably run into technical difficulties — ironic, since the satellite dishes are, like, right outside.

And, because people in the theatre have to pass the backstage area to get to the restrooms during long shows like the Star Awards, you soon come to know which artistes have the smallest bladders.

Then there’s the canteen, where Dai Yang Tian once bought me lunch, Desmond Tan caught me just after someone had cut my queue and told me I should smile more, and Tay Ping Hui gave me unsolicited advice on buying property over Oldenlandia water.

Even the carpark is kind of a sentimental place for me — it is where I have played lookout for an illegally-parked Michelle Chong (in the days of the yellow Porsche); been high-beamed in greeting by Aloysius Pang (possibly the most forward thing he’s ever done to a girl), picked up by Shane Pow and dropped off by Ping Hui (but not in the same breath, don’t worry).

These, of course, are the memories that are fit to publish. Those that are not — well, wild horses couldn’t drag them out of me. But one too many glasses of Oldenlandia water might.

To learn about the artistes’ most memorable places in Mediacorp, head over to our http://www.todayonline.com/caldecott-memories.