07 March 2010

Jack Neo Admits Affair With Model



I was shocked to read about Jack Neo having an extra-marital affair with a 22-year-old girl by the name of Wendy Chong - read articles here and here.

Jack made a name for himself as Singapore most successful film-maker with his first film Money No Enough in 1998. He even earned a mention by the then Prime Minister Mr Goh Chok Tong in his National Day Rally Speech on 18 August 2002:

Why not be like Jack Neo? He has applied his creative energy to produce three movies. Two of them were highly successful ? "Money No Enough" and "I Not Stupid". I watched "I Not Stupid". I can understand why it touched many parents' heart. My wife liked it so much that she watched it three times. She felt that Jack Neo deserved a National Day award. But I told her, "Two No Enough"!
Indeed, in 2004 he became the first local filmmaker to be honoured with a National Day Award. In the following year, he won the Cultural Medallion by the National Arts Council (NAC), the highest art and cultural award in the nation.

All these years, the public's impression of Jack is that he is a model husband who will not stray in marriage. In fact, Jack himself told The New Paper in a 1996 interview that it was too difficult to have a secret affair:

My philosophy on an affair: I have no time for it. If you want to look for a secret lover, you got to pay for it, not in terms of money but something more valuable - time. You got to make lovey-dovey phone calls, go pak-tor (dating), spend time making yourself look good for the woman. (Sigh) Too difficult for me, lah.
Now let me try to interprete the real meaning behind the sentences in the preceding paragraph:
Jack: I have no time for it.
Meaning: You will find time if you take her along on overseas working trips.
Jack: You got to make lovey-dovey phone calls
Meaning: SMS also can
Jack: Go pak-tor
Meaning: See movie Lucky Star also same same
Jack: Spend time making yourself look good for the woman.
Meaning: Actually, I look quite good already. With or without the clothes. Maybe better without.
I remember the dialogue in one of Jack Neo's movie (can't remember which one) said something like this:

偷吃要记得擦嘴巴
Translated, it means "when you steal a bite (=stray), remember to wipe your mouth clean (=remove all incriminating evidence)". Tsk, tsk, tsk, talk about dishing out advice which you don't follow yourself. Seems like Jack forgot to follow that golden rule.

They say that marriages go through the seven year itch. Wah, Jack is 20 years late - he is married for 27 years already. Maybe it is because his name Liang Zhi Qiang 梁智强 has the same hanyu pinyin as 两支枪 which means "have 2 guns". No wonder for him "that one no enough".

And I am not withholding any admonition for the woman in the story either. No, not Madam Irene Kng (Jack's wife) who is the real victim but Wendy Chong. The latter said that she just wanted people to know that "(Jack Neo) may say that he loves me, but the next moment, he lies to me".

Hello young woman, is lying more severe a crime than being a third party to a marriage? I certainly don't think so. And whoever invited reporters and photographers to come along for the meeting in Crowne Plaza hotel definitely had an ulterior motive.

Why not be like Jack Neo? Do be careful where you apply your creative energy though.

But alas, Jack seems to be playing Tiger Woods too. Aw come on, that girl is young enough to be your daughter, okay? What do you have to say? That you are human too and are prone to making mistakes just like all of us? Sigh, I just hope that this whole episode didn't actually happen but is only a publicity stunt for your current movie, aptly titled Being Human. But then, it is too early for an April Fool's joke, isn't it? Aiyah never mind lah, you can always make good use of this third-party first-hand experience to make your next "social issue" movie.

Who knows? You could even earn another mention in this year's National Day Rally Speech. If this happens, I hope it is for the right reason. I wish you well.

15 comments:

yg said...

tiger woods must have (a) drawers full of guns. me, i have a pipe...for discharging waste water.

peter said...

If this was done not to generate publicity for a new movie, then I wonder what makes a young girl so couragous to declare she had sex with some celebrity? I find the whole thing very puzzling. This is Singapore and not America.

If it was true, do you think her father got face to face people. So "malu" as the parent. Look, the whole Singapore knows this girl and would I want to be her bf? Also "malu".

Was this a blackmail attempt? If true, this young girl really thinks very big.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Hey, Victor, I like this posting. You've gone out of your usual safe comments and made your statement. It's the best one I've read.

About Jack Neo and girl friend:
1) It could be a ruse.
2) It could be true but whatever it is, I admire the wife who seems to support him.

There is really nothing more to say is there?

Have more postings like this. You bitten the chilli padi.
Cheers.

fr said...

When such a thing happened, I feel it is the man who has to bear the greater part of blame. If he had put his wife and family as top priority, he wouldn't have started an affair in the first place. Surely he didn't expect the young woman to really love him.

And I'm definite the woman didn't attach herself to him because of love.

Actually I am not surprised as generally I don't have high esteem for people in the entertainment line.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

I can agree with the first two paragraphs. I don't know about not having "high esteem for people in the entertainment line..."

Isn't that generalising? And what does, "people in the entertainment line" refer to? There are many nice and wonderful people in this line for sure!

peter said...

I take back my words: This whole thing is for real.

I rather not comment further because this kind of thing can happen to anyone of us. Of course celebrities, sportsmen and politicans will be under close scrutiny by media and people.

fr said...

Hello Andy, sorry to have upset you. It is just a personal perception, nothing absolute.

Similar to what you hear some people say, like I don't trust politicians or I have high regards for doctors, although they know there are good politicians and there are mercenary doctors.

ANDY: Pop Music Not Pills. © said...

Hi fr,
Thanks for replying. I am definitely not upset, far from it. You are right about interpretation though.

Like they always say, "The world is round so be careful because it's easy to slip and fall!"

We slip and fall sometimes. And we get up, brush our knees and start again. Life.
Cheers.

Meow said...

I like and agree with someone's comment and i quote:

"Do not judge. Give the persons space just as how we would like for ourselves and family when we get into some deep shit some point in our lives."

Laokokok said...

Another Changing Landscape of Singapore?

Anonymous said...

Good post, altho I hesitate to judge, one can never really see the true picture of another person's life. What we show the world and what truly is can be as different as night and day...

Kopi Soh

Anonymous said...

I don't know why.. he can have an affair with such as ugly girl.. I think his wife is more beautiful and elegant than that ugly model.. omg!!

Roger said...

When you play with fire, even in great secret, expect to get burned. It's as simple as that but Jack Neo, for all his homilies, forgot. Perhaps something between his legs interfered with his rationality.

Icemoon said...

I think he is open to the idea of making the affair into a movie.

Waiting for that :P

pulmonary disease said...

There are many nice and wonderful people in this line for sure!