Five career highlights: 

1. Auditioning for the title role in Peter Jackson’s latest movie. Have you seen Pete lately .. he’s lost tonnes of weight.  

2. Visiting the Empire State Building in New York and the State Cinema in Petaling Jaya.  

3. Executing a smackdown on a T-Rex. I won, by the way. 

4. Watching the sunset on Skull Island with my sexy co-star, Naomi Watts. She’s so nice. You guys must meet her. Tiny gal though.  

5. When Andy Serkis thought I was the abominable snowman. Oh boy, how I laughed! 

Five most interesting interviews: 

1. Jericho Rosales in Manila – he was such a dish? yummy boy? too young for me, oh never mind. 

2. Jessica Alba in Sydney, and  

3. Michael Chiklis in Sydney for Fantastic Four – such wonderful, wonderful people. 

4. Halle Berry in Los Angeles for Robots – she’s more beautiful in person. 

Joey G and Paula Malai Ali.

5. Harry Connick Jr – he was gorgeous, what a nice guy – he wanted to know about our country, our people. 

Five most interesting events he attended: 

1. Youth2’s annual cheerleading competition Cheer 2005 – it was great. Jien forewarned me it was gonna be mad! 

2. FHM anniversary party – 100 of the most beautiful women were there ... 

3. Zouk KL’s first outdoor dance and music festival at Genting Highlands in March – local deejays in Kuala Lumpur all pooled together; it was great.  

4. Dunhill extravagant bash at the KL Convention Centre in July – it was my first experience being a deejay and being able to mingle with the crowd. 

5. Wrigley’s College Icon 2005, which is a singing competition for college students held in September – it was just amazing; they are so talented. 

Five scariest moments: 

1. Two days before the Pontianak (Harum Sundal Malam 2) shoot began, I was nervous. It was simply the pressure of not wanting to disappoint the fans and (director) Shuhaimi Baba.  

Maya Karin.

2. The night before we shot the scene when Maria meets Meriam (both played by Maya). Trying to go to bed the night before was nerve racking. The shoot was scheduled for 4.30am, and there was a lot of pressure. 

3. I’m so scared of planes and this year, I’ve been flying like nobody’s business. This fear began when we were flying to Kuantan and there was a lot of turbulence, and there was just no way to land, so the pilot flew us back to KL.  

Another time, we took a plane from Koh Samui (Thailand) to KL and the pilot announced we were landing in two minutes and he nose-dived at 45 degrees to land! 

4. Another time was when we were at Bangsar and everyone was telling ghost stories. It was funny at that time but when I got home, my over-active imagination got to me.  

5. While driving up to Genting Highlands one day, my car brakes failed, like, for a moment. I am a pretty good driver, so I kept cruising. But it was scary.  

Five favourite movies: 

1. The Brotherhood – an obscure Korean movie that I was pleasantly surprised with.  

Fly Guy.

2. Dawn of the Dead – I love a good zombie flick and this was certainly one of the best that I have seen. 

3. Shaun of the Dead – I loved this film because I’m basically a sucker for brain-eating undead zombie flicks. Plus, it had a lot of good gags too. 

4. Sin City – a visually stunning and gritty noir flick that totally blew me away. 

5. Ray– got to give this movie my thumbs up for Jamie Foxx’s stunning portrayal of the late, great Ray Charles.It’s a great tale of man’s triumph over adversity. 

Five favourite looks: 

1. At the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival.  

Datin Seri Tiara Jacquelina.

2. Performing at 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival. 

3. With the Best Producer award at the 1st Asian Film Festival. 

4. At the launch of Montblanc’s Greta Garbo limited edition pens in Shanghai (pic). 

5. Launching Puteri Gunung Ledang – The Musical. 

Elaine Daly, model and actress 

Elaine Daly.

Five favourite designers/dresses: 

1. Khooi Hooi dress worn at the Malaysian Film Festival. 

2. Carven Ong worn at the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival (pic). 

3. Tom Abang Saufi worn at the Force of Nature concert. 

4. BCBG worn at the Miss Malaysia/Universe 2005 finals. 

5. Dress bought in Thailand worn at Malaysia’s Beautiful Women by Olay Total Effects – it’s very glam. 

Five favourite heroes: 

1. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad – I love his working style. Tun Mahathir represents a new way of thinking among the Malays of which he always strives to find something new. He’s always on the go in creating new things. 

Rosyam Nor.

2. Tan Sri P. Ramlee – There’s only one Tan Sri P. Ramlee in our history of movie making. He was such a talented guy as he dabbled in acting, scriptwriting, producing, directing and comedy as well. He’s just so versatile in everything he did and he’s my idol. 

3. Armand Assante – Assante is very good in body language. He’s excellent even when his role requires very little dialogue. 

4. Robert DeNiro – DeNiro is another actor who doesn’t need much dialogue to reach out to his audiences. He has that presence about him that instantaneously commands attention and he looks good even at his age now. 

5. Al Pacino – He is very unique and the way he presents himself is just awesome.  

Five favourite entertainers: 

1. M. Nasir – He has that charismatic appeal that I can’t even describe properly. I love watching his concerts and I love his compositions. 

Asmawi Ani.

2. Yassin – I like his compositions and how he carries himself in public. I love his low profile attitude. 

3. Siti Nurhaliza – I like her style, her voice? basically I respect everything about her. 

4. Nash of Lefthanded – I grew up with his songs and he has such a powerful voice. 

5. Jamal Abdillah – Who could ever beat his powerful vocals? His vocals are just incredible. 

Five favourite local films and short films for 2005: 

Amir Muhammad.

1. Chemman Chaalai (directed by Deepak Kumaran Menon, 90 min) – Malaysia’s first homegrown Tamil movie in ages is not really a sweet coming-of-age story, but a witty and heartfelt treatise on race, class and nostalgia.  

2. Company of Mushrooms (directed by Tan Chui Mui, 32 min) – Malaysia’s most promising young female director turns her gaze squarely at men in this story of a boozy gathering of friends; the results aren’t pretty but scabrous and hilarious amidst unexpected melancholy.  

3. Majidee (Directed by Azharr Rudin, 15 min) – a one-take wonder from Puduraya to Central Market as we follow two men, one of whom might be a con artist. Simple and somehow profound. There are no false notes in its writing, directing, acting and photography (by the ubiquitous James Lee).  

4. Senario XX (Directed by Aziz M Osman, 100 min) – Oddball slapstick fun that’s also a more astringent critique of celebrity culture than the same director’s Gila-Gila Pengantin Popular (2005).  

5. Wicked (Directed by Aaron Chung, 3 min) – a more polished version of Chung’s earlier student short Crook (2003), but it’s still nasty and brutish enough to merit mention. Does TV cause violence? The eye-popping answer is not for the squeamish.  

Top five (international) headlines: 

1. Terrorism – London Subway Bombing (July), former Lebanese PM Rafiq Al Hariri killed in bomb explosion in Beirut (Feb), Asian most wanted terrorist Dr Azahari Husin killed in police raid in Java (Nov). 

2. Israel Left Gaza 

3. Bird Flu Alarm 

4. China Anti-Japan Rallies Spread 

5. The Death of Pope John Paul II 

Five favourite TV hosts: 

1. Globe Trekker host Megan McCormick – she adds humour to the show and adapts herself well in any situation. 

Cheryl Samad.

2. MTV Indonesia presenter Sarah Sechan – she is completely unpretentious and funny. 

3. American Idol host Ryan Seacrest – he is a superb host. He has stage presence and is dedicated in hosting. 

4. TV host Oprah Winfrey – she has always been one of my top favourites. I grew up with Oprah and have broadened my knowledge by watching her show. She’s genuine and knows how to make any topic interesting. 

5. NBC’s Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson – he has enlightened me about the wonderful world of cars. Before watching his show, I had minimal knowledge of cars and had no interest in automobiles. But now, I have started to appreciate cars more.  

Top five music or stage moments: 

1. New York premiere of the American Ballet Theatre ballet production of Othello (1997) – the original score for this was written by Elliot Goldenthall. 

Saidah Rastam.

2. Kronos Quartet DVD recording of a live performance of George Crumbs’s Black Angel.  

3. Chong Kee Yong’s composition A Starry Night’s Ripple performed for the inaugural MPO Forum for Malaysian Composers (2003) – This guy combines the best contemporary sounds. It was a bonus that it is a Malaysian who wrote it. 

4. Prince – Musicology (2004) – amazing production – and he plays everything himself. The first track with voice and one instrument only, and soundscaping is great. 

5. Reshmonu live at Actors Studio Bangsar (2003) – it was from the heart, seeing him bouncing on the stage, a fuel of positive energy. 

Five favourite role models: 

1. Singer Jay Chou – he is not just musically talented but also gifted in composing superb music.  

Daniel Lee.

2. The late Tan Sri P. Ramlee – he is a legend that helped to build our nation in various entertainment fields including music and films. 

3. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – he was an excellent leader who made significant changes to our country. He has led us to a great future. 

4 & 5. My parents, Lee Chong Kuang and Tan Suan Lee – my parents are actually the tops on my list. They are superb people and have guided me throughout my life. 

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