Ian On The Red Dot

Apparently some folks are getting their knickers in a tangle over the latest kerfuffle started by MediaCorp’s super fail ‘Just For Laughs’ gag. If I was ever put in such a position as these actors, I would be pissed. Some online folks seem to show little sympathy for our thespians, saying that they should take things easy – like the celebrities who get Punk’d by Ashton Kutcher.

Seriously?

Singapore isn’t some place where there is a whole row of roles queuing, waiting for the right actor (or actress) to come along. It is, in fact, the other way around – a lot of people (who, in my awfully stereotypical-programmed mind) probably do not have regularly acting gigs struggling to make a career in show biz.

Let’s put it this way. If you were unemployed, have bills to pay, and time is precious, and you are given hope there might be a chance to score a role for a gig that will increment your bank account, and you find out that you wasted your whole day for a gag, being pissed is probably too nice a reaction from anyone.

Those who got ‘tricked’ should have gone all ‘Carrie’ on the people responsible.

The difference between the celebrities being Punk’d and MediaCorp’s victims is that those celebrities who Ashton Kutcher targets can afford losing 1 day of their life.

Haha, yeah, ok… you got me and I look like an idiot and everyone is going to laugh when they see me on TV, but guess what, I still got a couple of millions in my bank account, I’m still going to bang all the hot chicks, so yeah, haha, good one. I’m DEFINITELY THE LOSER here.

The poor people who got targeted by MediaCorp probably do not have that luxury.

Also, I have this feeling that Ashton Kutcher expends a significant amount of his social currency after each gag. Do you think anyone at MediaCorp cares? Do you think any of them have to care? They are anonymous behind a corporate project.

Job done. Move along now people, nothing to see here.

You know how this gag could have been done? Go to a school, tell the teachers there MediaCorp is auditioning for the role of a teacher in some new drama series. Tell the teachers that MediaCorp is scouting for raw talent and want some authenticity. Plan some elaborate gag which involves the teacher trying to be a ‘teacher’ but failing terribly. Or something.

The best gags help people break out of the monotony of daily life and gives the victim something to laugh about when confounded by the sheer surreality, incredulity and absurdity of the improbable situation that unfolded. The aforementioned gag by MediaCorp fails because all it does is inconveniences.

The story on asiaone:

A PRANK meant “Just For Laughs” by MediaCorp has provoked an online furore, with actors aghast at the broadcaster’s “disrespect” for them.

The incident started when they turned up for an audition at MediaCorp’s premises on Monday, only to become victims of a prank.

Actress Daphne Ong posted an account on her blog and Facebook profile.

According to her, a man repeatedly tried to give her a scare in a room she was taken to, but failed.

“He said, ‘Surprise! You’re on Just For Laughs!’ and pointed to a camera in one of the two-way mirrors (in the room),” she said.

As she had reacted calmly, the man asked her to “pretend” to be “really scared” in a second take and, in return for doing so, she would appear on “national TV”.

Worse, when she asked if she would be paid, the man promised her compensation of a “whopping $20″, she said.

In response to queries yesterday, MediaCorp told my paper that “all participants who are filmed must sign release forms giving consent. Otherwise, we will not use the footage”.

The gags were part of a collaboration with the Canadian award-winning comedy show, Just For Laughs, with an Asian take on the series.

The spokesman added: “Given the nature of the gag, this involves putting the participants through situations to gauge their reactions and evaluate their spontaneity.”

But it was not in good taste, actors said.

Actor Brendon Fernandez, whose friend was a victim, wrote on Facebook: “This was a deliberately concocted scheme to lure professional actors into a humiliating trap. The people who attended devoted their time and their skills in preparation for what they believed to be an audition for a role in a professional TV series.”

Mr Randall Tan, 35, an Artiste Management celebrity, said he was split “down the middle”, but added that he thought the gag was “uncalled for”.

“Auditions mean work and, if there is an opportunity, we will take it,” he said.

However, Mr Rabil Lian, 37, a production manager, felt differently.

“To be fair, this could be seen as a prank that fell flat. Celebrities overseas are also Punk’d and humiliated, but they know how to laugh it off,” he said.

Home-grown singer-actress Asha Edmund said that while the incident was a prank, the actors were “angry about something else”.

“Maybe (it is because) MediaCorp does treat actors with disrespect,” she said.

“Maybe it does tend to be a little obnoxious, and maybe its programmes are mediocre.”

But there are many opportunities for actors to voice their unhappiness over those issues, so they shouldn’t overreact to this prank, she said.