you really can't compare the entertainment industries between
Singapore and HK, Taiwan or even China. HK and Taiwan movie
industries started even before WW2, if I am not wrong. and they
have millions of Chinese, speaking mandarin or cantonese, to choose
from to act. Singapore had our own TV programs only in the 70s,
when music was provided by ahmat jaffar and his orchestra, which
was at best a band, and later they made the 雾锁南洋, even then the
actor 黄文永，was from malaysia.
We have 70% of our population Chinese out of 3.5 million when we
started, when more than half jia kangtang cannot speak mandarin,
where to find actors actresses. until now they still can't make a
proper drama in english. I don't see our english entertainment
programs anywhere outside Singapore. I hope our malay programs are
sold to Malaysia and Indonesia.
in Taiwan, guys like 九孔 can survive just acting like a clown. We
need another 王沙野峰。
The other problem we have is that we don't have ideas for good
scripts. Singapore history too short. for variety shows we don't
have sense of humour. no gossip no dirty jokes. We also cannot show
much about our government or civil service. Their face skin so thin
and if we have shows like 全民乱讲，next day sure kena called for
coffee.for this I have great respect for jack neo.
I think by and large we are alright when you see 雾锁南洋,and
小娘惹shown in mainland china. we have 孙燕姿，蔡健雅，JJ， 阿杜 very well known
in China. For a little red dot with a small population speaking
mandarin, we are not bad.
