Singapore, Oct 22 – 100 aspiring K-Pop superstars showcased their vocal prowess and slickest dance moves in front of the tvN K-POP Star Hunt’s panel of judges, Mr. Eddy Tan, Vice President, Programming of tvN, [V] and Star World, Fox International Channels (FIC); Mr. Park Jae-Hyun, General Department Head of Rookie Development Division, CUBE Entertainment; and Singapore guest judge, television personality and actress, Ms. Irene Ang.
Based on their personal style, soulful croons, polished choreography and the
‘superstar’ factor, the top 20 contestants will move on to the final round
of competition tomorrow, where the top two will be selected for
professional training with CUBE Entertainment and compete in the finals for K-Pop  superstardom!

The atmosphere at StarHub Green was tense as each contestant took their
spots in the holding area, warming their vocal chords, or further perfecting
their dance moves. There were others who huddled together with their
family members and friends for additional emotional support, as they nervously  awaited their turn to perform.

Ranging from ages as young as 12 to 28-year olds, the superstar hopefuls
shared their dreams and aspirations with organisers, gushing over the
opportunity to train with CUBE Entertainment, the entertainment
management company which has churned out Korean powerhouses such as BEAST, 4 Minute and G-NA. Many passionate fans even chose to pick up the Korean language to better articulate their singing and to understand the conversations and  chatter on Korean variety shows as well as in their favourite Korean drama series.

Said one such fan, Ms. Fu Qiaohan, 16, a student at Zhonghua Secondary
School, “I picked up the Korean language two years ago so that I could
reduce my dependency on subtitles whenever I watch Korean programmes. It
has also helped me to relate to some of the puns and play on words that are
spoken in these programmes. This way, nothing gets lost in translation.”

Eddy Tan, who sat amongst the esteemed panel of judges, was awestruck by
the quality of performances. He remarked, “I’m really amazed by the quality
of the contestants! Some of the performances really blew me away. Not only
did the contestants’ ability to sing and dance impress me but many of them
were also effectively multi-lingual with a handful able to speak Korean
proficiently.”

Singapore guest judge Irene Ang, who is also the CEO and founder of
Singapore’s pioneer artiste management company FLY Entertainment Pte
Ltd, was especially specific in her selection with only the most outstanding
and well-rounded contestants receiving the top marks. She explained, “We are
looking for contestants that we feel best represent Singapore and are
able to perform well even on an international platform. We look beyond the
performance and also take into consideration the potential of each
contestant. Talent is also key.”

“We are looking forward to the finals tomorrow where competition will be
even tighter,” Ang added.

The top 20 contestants will gear themselves up for the final round of
auditions which will be held tomorrow, Sunday, 23 October at Square 2,
from 2pm onwards, where the judges will be called on once again to select
their final two. The two contestants will represent Singapore in Seoul, joined
by eight other representatives from Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the
Philippines. In Seoul, the ten finalists will undergo a boot camp mentored
by CUBE Entertainment and star in a reality series which will air on 31st
December, Saturday, 8pm on tvN (StarHub channel 824) where the next K
Pop Star will be crowned.

Source: www.sprg.com.sg

There are four weeks remaining in which votes can be cast online at www.theworldchallenge.co.uk until voting closes at midnight on 11 November 2011. Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in The Netherlands, which will air on BBC World News on 3 December 2011. The winning project will receive a US$20,000 grant from Shell, while two runners up will each receive US$10,000 to help develop their initiatives.

This years 12 finalists are being profiled in six programmes on BBC World News television and a series of six advertorials in Newsweek.

The remaining episodes are:

Programme 3 – Egypt: A New Leaf and Cambodia: In the Bag (TX 22 October)
El Nafeza was established in 2007 to revive traditional papermaking in Egypt – partly as a way of getting rid of agricultural wastes that are typically burned, resulting in choking black clouds. El Nafeza organises workshops in papermaking for disadvantaged young people (80 to 90 percent of its employees are deaf and mute).

The first plastic bag recycling facility in Cambodia, Funky Junk makes fashion accessories and home goods out of woven plastic bags, in the process earning a decent income for poor rural communities.

Programme 4 – Chile: Tech Crunch and Nepal: Herbal Remedy (TX 29 October)
Recycla is the first and only electronic waste recycling social enterprise in Latin America. The company aims to tackle the problem of the eight million mobile phones and one million computers that are discarded in Chile annually. They are dismantled and separated into recyclable materials and toxic waste that can be safely disposed of.

The protected area of Shiva Community Forest is home to endangered species including tigers, Asian elephants and the Indian rhino. Local people have to contend with crop destruction by these wild species. Now, Shiv Forestry has found a non-lethal way to keep rhinos away from farms by planting chamomile and mint. Rhinos hate the smell of these pungent plants, which are also good cash crops for rural communities, especially when marketed by Shiv Forestry as wildlife saving products.

Programme 5 – India: Trash to Gas and Paraguay: Jungle Brew (TX 5 November)
NGO Hand in Hand set up a project with local people to collect food waste from households, hotels and restaurants, which is turned into biogas and used to generate electricity via a 10kW power station. The project now consumes about a ton of food waste every day – waste that would once have found its way into landfill.

Guayaki Yerba Mate is a Fair Trade organic company producing the traditional South American Mate tea drink made from a subspecies of holly plant. Consumed across the continent the plant has a high caffeine content. Using an innovative business model that directly links customers’ purchases to farming communities, Guayaki Yerba Mate believes they have all the ingredients for their own brand of market-driven conservation.

Programme 6 – Japan: Senior Service and Mongolia: Changing Spots (TX 1 November)
Shunran-no-Sato was set up by a group of elderly people to help keep their village alive. The project offers ecotourism with guestrooms in the villagers’ own homes and an opportunity to take part in traditional agricultural activities. It now caters for nearly 5,000 visitors a year as young urbanites come back to the country to rediscover their traditional culture and reconnect with the land outside the megacities.

Mongolia’s Snow Leopard Enterprises is an income-generation project that helps people living in poverty increase their standard of living, and at the same time protect their local ecosystems. They provide women across Central Asia with the training and equipment necessary to produce hand-made felt and other wool products, which are sold internationally through the Snow Leopard Trust and other venues. This provides the herding communities with an alternative income and helps prevent the poaching of endangered snow leopards.

The episodes to have already broadcast are:

Programme 1 – UK: Bangers and Cash and USA: Vertigo Farming (TX 8 October)
Giveacar is a social enterprise that raises money for charity by scrapping or selling unwanted cars. The company picks up the vehicles for free and uses eco-friendly recycling facilities to break them down into raw materials. Cars worth more than their scrap value are sold at auction. The car owner then chooses which charity the money should go to.

Brooklyn Grange Garden is at the forefront of urban agriculture in the United States. Set up by four friends on an half hectare of rooftop in Brooklyn, New York, the garden grows organic produce that is sold to local restaurants and delis foodies across Manhattan.

Programme 2 – Kenya: Cafe Society and Uganda: A Burning Concern (TX 15 October)
Vava Coffee produces coffee in a way that is both ethical and environmentally friendly. The company works with small farmers in Kenya to boost yield and income. It also employs street kids and people suffering from AIDS in the slums of Nairobi to make packaging from recycled waste.

Designed by a Ugandan entrepreneur, UgaStoves have a layer of clay insulation that greatly improves fuel efficiency. By mass-producing the stoves for domestic and commercial use, the company is reducing both deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions, with a claimed annual saving of one ton of carbon emissions for every stove.

Business is growing quickly, with a new space already under construction and a booming demand for rooftop vegetables, honey and eggs.

The programmes broadcast on BBC World News at the following times (Singapore Time):

Saturday: 22 October – 5 November at 0930hrs and 1630hrs

Sunday: 23 October – 6 November at 2230hrs

Fans can comment and find exclusive content on the Facebook page via http://www.facebook.com/bbcworldchallenge and the You Tube channel www.youtube.com/bbcworldchallenge and/or follow the latest competition news on Twitter via @WorldChallenge.

Show your groovy moves at the Dance Fiesta 2011!

Co-organised by SAFRA and presented by Youth Network, this event will bring together passionate dancers of all genres to battle it out for the coveted $10,000 worth of cash and attractive prizes.

With the support of Singapore’s largest dance schools such as Danz People, jitterbugs Singapore, O School and Studio Wu, you can expect tough competitors at this event. Dance categories include Celebrity Dance Impersonation (Solo/Team) and Street/Open category (Solo/Team). Teams are to gather a maximum of 8 members.

Registration opens on 8 Jan 2011. Sign up by 21 Jan to enjoy 25% off! Log on to www.in2it.sg/dancefiesta or come on down to our Dance Fiesta 2011 launch happening at Orchard Cineleisure on 8 Jan 2011 to sign up.

You can expect a host of hip dance performances and join in the Burlesque Lip Synch Video Competition at the launch too!

Competition Details
Venue: Marina Square, Central Atrium (Preliminaries) & St James Power Station, Powerhouse (Semis and Finals)
Date: 19 & 20 Feb (Preliminaries), 5 Mar (Semi-Finals) & 19 Mar (Grand Finals)
Registration Fees: $60 (Team), $20 (Individual)

Log on to www.in2it.sg/dancefiesta for details!

What’s your formula to having a great time at the beach? Let SAFRA define it for you at Hot & Breathless! Watch out for hot babes & hunks, grooving music, sultry dance performances, beach soccer & volleyball, contests and more!

Organised by SAFRA Youth Network Community (SYNC), you will also be treated to a dance-off, fashion show and special deals sold at the merchandise booths. This carnival will be held at Siloso Beach and Wavehouse Sentosa.

Flaunt your hot bod at SAFRA Beach Babes & Hunks contest! Not only will you stand a chance to win the impressive title as a good-looker, you will also get your hands on attractive prizes and goodies.

Complete the day by joining us for an after party concert at Wavehouse, featuring LMFAO, at a discounted price for Hot & Breathless participants! Find out more at www.in2it.sg/hotandbreathless.

So, get your board shorts and bikinis out the closet and join us for a day of fun filled activities under the sun!

Sentosa admission charges apply.
Admission to carnival is FREE.
Fees for 4-on-4 Beach Soccer / 4-on-4 Beach Volleyball:
$80.25 (SAFRA Member)
$96.30 (Public)

Whether you are a youth at 15 or a veteran at 40, join Singapore Biathlon and challenge the limits of your endurance with a new and exciting race route!

Known as the largest and most competitive biathlon in Southeast Asia, this swim-run event, organised by SAFRA and Republic of Singapore Navy, comprises an Olympic-standard 1.5km swim followed by a 10km run. There are various categories available for you to choose from, depending your experience.

Registration will open on 14 Nov! Look out for more details at www.safra.sg/singaporebiathlon.