We’re still reeling in from Oscar fever, with Leo finally bagging himself the coveted Oscar award for best actor (about damn time!). Souring the event just a little bit, however, was Chris Rock and his completely off-colour joke about Asians, but we’re not going to let that drag us down! After all, we’ve got a Copeland concert, bespoke cocktails to swig, and St. Paddy’s Day to look forward to! Here’s what’s hot and what’s not this week.
HOT
Free pints for Saint Paddy’s Day
The year’s booziest festival is a bit more than a week away, but that’s no reason why you can’t enjoy a free pint of Guinness right now. Guiness Singapore will be giving out 20,000 pints of Guiness to get revellers in the mood for Saint Patrick’s Day! If that doesn’t get you into the mood for Saint Paddy’s, tuck into good ol’ Irish feed and a couple of pints of the black stuff with our list of Singapore’s best Irish bars.
Saint Patrick’s Day 2016, Singapore River, 9-20 March 2016
Scale The Wall at the Game of Thrones augmented reality event
If you’re like us, you’re eagerly awaiting Season Six of the critically-acclaimed TV series, Game of Thrones. With the premiere just over a month away, we’ve been searching for anything that’ll give us a taste of the vibrant yet violent world of Westeros. Thanks to the wonders of virtual reality technology and the Oculus Rift, the new Game of Thrones augmented reality event at ION Orchard will do just that. Visitors will be taken on a virtual ride up the Castle Black lift to the top of The Wall, where they’ll get to survey the entirety of Westeros in all its cinematic glory. Just keep an eye out for those nasty White Walkers!
The Game of Thrones Experience: World of Westeros, ION Orchard, 2-7 April 2016, 10am-10pm.
The new Ghostbusters movie – Who Ya Gonna Call?
Sequels, reboots and remakes of popular classics are rarely well-received. Just look at the slew of cash-grabbing sequels for Scary Movie. The original Ghostbusters already suffered a terrible sequel, so it’s not surprising that some fans are sceptical about a third installation to the franchise, especially after the release of its very slapstick trailer. The new Ghostbusters movie will feature a brand new all-female team of ghost-vanquishing comic badasses and will be directed by Paul Feig, who’s proven his penchant for comedy in Bridesmaids. So let’s not completely dismiss this movie based on a mediocre trailer, shall we?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncgFQAISaGo
Leo finally wins an Oscar
From charming painter in Titanic to what is essentially the 1940s equivalent of Elon Musk in The Aviator, DiCaprio has finally proven the versatility and quality of his acting – albeit, in The Academy’s eyes. While these movies achieved critical acclaim, DiCaprio himself has time and time again failed to bag the coveted Oscar award for best actor. Finally, after braving the frigid, inhospitable wilds of Canada and Argentina and filming some of the toughest scenes in his career, Leo finally bagged his first Oscar. Good on you mate, it’s been a long time coming!
Emo icons, Copeland, come to town
The influential quartet is returning to Singapore to play a raucous set at TAB along Orchard Road, following up from their memorable 2010 show. “But wait, wasn’t that Copeland’s farewell tour where I wept like a baby and begged them not to break up,” you ask? You’re absolutely right, which is why this concert is an even bigger deal… Copeland is back and on the road! After an abysmal six-year hiatus, Aaron Marsh and his crew are back to spark off old memories and prove that they’ve still got it.
Copeland Live in Singapore, 3 May, 7.30pm, TAB Singapore, #02-29 Orchard Hotel, 442 Orchard Road, Singapore 238879, p. 6493 6952. Tickets priced at $78 (GA), $98 (door), and $128 (VIP including meet-and-greet), available at this website.
A slider with the ID of 503 doesn't exist.Get tipsy at Singapore Cocktail Week
We love ourselves a perfectly mixed bespoke cocktail so it’s no surprise that we’re absolutely thrilled for this year’s edition of Singapore Cocktail week. In addition to featuring some of Singapore’s hottest watering holes and the region’s finest bartenders, the second edition will also showcase the thriving dining scene in Singapore, presenting restaurant bar takeovers, supper clubs and even cocktail brunches. But that’s not all. There’ll also be more than 50 cocktail-related events for you to partake in, from cocktail workshops to bar tours around town, to downing signature concoctions crafted by celebrity bartenders.
Singapore Cocktail Week 2016, March 12-19, 2016. For tickets and further updates, visit their official website or check out their Facebook page.
NOT
Local acts cut from SingJazz
Objectively speaking: yes, names like Joss Stone, Incognito and Hiatus Kaiyote were considered the big-name highlights of the third instalment of the Singapore International Jazz Festival that took place over the weekend. However, that doesn’t mean that local high-fliers like Weish and Tim De Cotta should be treated with any less respect. Though the festival apologised, we’re still bummed how these acts were cut from the schedule due to timing and licensing issues. Thankfully, not all local musicians were culled from the line-up; at least we still had other homegrown musos like Charlie Lim, The Good Life Project and Dru Chen – they owned it.
The Tanjong Pagar fire
If you were in the vicinity of Tanjong Pagar on Thursday, you might have noticed the alarming plume of black smoke rising from a construction side adjacent to the MRT station. The fire, which broke out at 5.55pm, was put out within ten minutes of the SCDF’s arrival and, thankfully, nobody was hurt. So the next time you’re butting out a cigarette or frying up a hearty English breakfast at home, let’s just remind ourselves to be a little more aware of fire safety. And take those fire drills seriously!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdtNu9UFrDM
Chris Rock on Asians
Great comedians excel in pushing the boundaries through humour, often using social commentary to drive their jokes forward.But we would’ve liked to imagine Chris Rock, when given the opportunity to host the Oscars, come up with something a little less crass than a joke about Asians being good at math, followed up by one about child labour. Come on Chris, you’re better than that!
Cybercrime is on the rise!
Cybercrime has gotten a little more intimate than the much-ridiculed “Nigerian Royalty” scams of old. Commercial crime in Singapore has risen almost 47%, including credit-for-sex, e-commerce and Internet love scams that prey on the lonely. With the ubiquity of dating apps like Tinder and Okcupid, we think it’s important to stay sensible and remember that some people out there are more interested in getting into your bank account than your pants.