Thursday, May 8, 2014

"Resurrection" Time in Singapore - Party Of A Lifetime with Omar Eppsand Kurtwood Smith!

Gotta give it to cable channel Lifetime Asia.

They concocted such a clever name for the launch party for their new TV series "Resurrection", which will premiere in South-East Asia on May 12, 10 PM. Guess when people can't stay dead, they *are* having a Party of A Lifetime!

To celebrate the upcoming premiere, stars of the highest-rated new scripted show in the USA - Omar Epps and Kurtwood Smith - made their promotional rounds to South-East Asian cities this week. The actors made their first stop in Kuala Lumpur, followed by our little Red Dot Island, and are now currently in Manila.

Enroute to Singapore from KL, the season finale of "Resurrection" was aired back home. And Kurtwood tweeted to say that he missed being able to watch the last episode and tweet "live" with the show's fans.

Kurtwood tweets Diva! SQUEE!

At Club Kyo on the night of May 6, a group of invited advertisers, media and lucky contest winners got to mingle at the venue and take selfies in a bid to win an Instagram contest. While waiting for the special guests to arrive, Red Dot Diva and @_mriel were plied with ample canapes, drinks and a yummy buffet dinner. Too bad @_mriel had to leave early but 1/3 Here Be Geeks' Alvin arrived soon after with some much appreciated geek company.


There was also an exclusive 10-minute screening of snippets from the first episode of "Resurrection", which served to highlight the continuing intrigue and somewhat creepy moments that have made the show so popular with US audiences.

AS Neo, who was Red Dot Diva's contest winner, felt that "the premise of the show is interesting but I am unsure if the show is going to eventually turn out as a horror, a mystery, a conspiracy, a sci-fi, or a human drama." He also said that it reminded him of the 2002 Japanese movie "Yomigaeri" and hopes that "Resurrection" will continue to be interesting as the story unfolds.

In the midst of Lifetime Asia dishing out party gifts and more canapes, Omar Epps and Kurtwood Smith finally made it safely to the venue at about 8:30 PM.

Casually dressed for the tropical weather and looking very at ease, both actors were invited on stage for a quick Q&A with the host of the night's events.


When asked what he thought of the city, veteran actor Kurtwood Smith said in a slow drawl, "We only been here since morning but we had to go to the other side of town to do a radio interview. So we had a pretty good view of the city along the way. It's a beautiful, beautiful town. When we first came in, we had a view of the spectacular hotel and the Art Museum."

Omar said that he found the character of Agent Bellamy intriguing because he is complex and exists in a grey space. But generally, it was the main theme of "Resurrection" that made him interested in taking up the role. "Overall, I felt that this idea is so universal. The one thing that connects us all more than anything else is life and death."

Here's a vid clip of Kurtwood sharing what it is like to filming a pilot:




Unlike his more serious alter-egos in TV shows like "House" and "Resurrection", Red Dot Diva was quite surprised to note that Omar Epps was a livewire and oh-so-mischievous in person. Without hesitation, he jokingly declared that it was a "horrible" experience working with Kurtwood Smith, to the amusement of the audience.

"No, I have a great respect for Kurtwood and his work..." Omar said.
"Likewise," Kurtwood interrupted amiably.
"And Frances Fisher... these guys, they have done so much, and for me, I love to be constantly learning and evolving. And so to be able to 'dance with these guys, is an honour. Really," Omar continued with sincerity.
"We have a lot of fun," Kurtwood said. "Doing a scene with Omar is a bit like sitting down and having a chat. We talk to each other a little bit and the next thing we know, it's on television. And it looks pretty good."

So what if the tables are turned? How would each of them react if the "Resurrection" scenario happens for real?



To keep things light, both actors were asked what was their favourite roles to play. Ever the charmer, Omar said it was the current one - Agent Bellamy. The host then barred Kurtwood from mentioning his current role, so he solemnly revealed that the role which he thinks has the biggest influence in his life was Clarence Boddicker. The audience clapped to that answer. "And ... Red Forman from 'That 70's Show," Kurtwood added. *More whistles and claps!*

Then suddenly, just before the two were ushered backstage for a short while, Omar addressed the crowd.

"Wait....  I have a Surprise for you guys." He flashed a cheeky grin. "Kurtwood and I... We brought a truckload of gum..." The people gave a loud cheer. "We gonna throw it them down the street and we will all sit down and chew gum."

.SO HILAAAAARIOUS. Hahaha.
Oh, Omar! You sure made the night a memorable one.


Before they were scheduled to return on stage, Omar was given the arduous task of choosing the Instagram selfie contest winner. Turned out, the winning image was a pretty funny one of a guy standing cheek to cheek with the backdrop image of Agent Bellamy.

And once the prizes were all duly handed out, everyone was invited to take photos with Omar and Kurtwood. So long as there were no selfies or autographs! No biggie, since a professional camera guy was on site snapping those photos.... with lighting that would make even Shrek look gorgeous.

When it was her turn to get on stage to meet them, Omar turned around, looked straight into Diva's eyes with his round sultry brown ones and shook her hand warmly. "Nice to meet you," he said. *Swoon* Diva then mentioned to Kurtwood that she had tweeted him the day before, and he said in an absolutely friendly tone, "Well, how are you?"

The camera guy raised his hand, everyone posed... .Smile. *SNAP*
And here's Diva's proof of her timely "Resurrection":


She wished the two men an enjoyable stay on the island before slipping quickly off stage. For which they both replied, "Thank you!"

Then, after Alvin got his pic as well, they both decided to call it a night. There may be a need to reserve more lifetimes for saving our alternate futures!

Oh, and as part of the goodie bag, here's another gem from Lifetime Asia:


Now, Red Dot Diva's digital babies can be Resurrected too, when they die on her suddenly. So much Win.

If you love suspense and spooky mysteries, don't forget to tune in to "Resurrection" next Monday, May 12, 10 PM on Lifetime Asia. You might get quite hooked with wondering what each continuing episode will reveal about the mystery that is happening in Arcadia, Missouri!

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Big Thanks to Lifetime Asia for the media invite!

And thanks for Omar Epps and Kurtwood Smith for visiting us and making "Party of a Lifetime" a really fun one!

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