Robert Knepper. Not a Bad T(EA) BAG

I dip the tea bag in the hot water and return to my laptop screen. Crossing the field in front of me is Wentworth Miller. I am at the set of Prison Break at Joliet Prison, Chicago.

The prison was built in 1858 to house criminals and POWs during the American Civil War. It was closed down in 2002. When Fox TV production crew set its foot at the location in 2005, the prison became alive on screen as Fox River State Penitentiary.

"Hey, pretty!" The familiar salutation in Alabama accent breaks my reminiscence of the Prison Break scenes.

An athletic guy clad in a tight white T-shirt slithers towards me. The pockets of his pant are out. I get up to greet him.

"Where's your lover, Teddy?"

He thrusts his face close to mine and stares menacingly at me like he is going to slit my throat with a hidden blade.

"So you wanna be my lover, pretty?"

I stare blankly into his piercing eyes which appear to be sizing me up.

"Did I frighten you?" He retreates to his position and breaks into a smile.

His animalism fades into oblivion as he nudges my shoulder like a caring big brother.

"So you are Anthony from Bananation. It must be a long flight from Singapore, huh?"
He is quick to break me away from my embarrassment. That is how briliant an actor, Robert Knepper is. He can be bad and good in a snap of the fingers. I take a sip of my green tea to calm my adrenalin.

"What's that in your paper cup?" he asks an obvious question but I know he means well.

"Tea bag?" I am kind of losing my sense of humor.

"That's me, pretty!" He plays with his pant's pockets which T-Bag's milquetoast lover holds onto while following him around.

OMG. This guy is reverting to his screen character, Theodore Bagwell a.k.a T-Bag, and I am not letting him.

"Tell us do you sympathise with T-Bag, the paedophile you played in Prison Break?"

"People who watch the show have been very attune to understanding the life of T-Bag. That is, he’s not a one-dimensional character. He’s not just the bad guy. Let’s not kid ourselves, though, he is a bad guy. He can be pure evil, but he’s not crazy. He’s had a lot of problems in his childhood, not the least of which is what Bellick [played by Wade Williams] brought up to everyone’s attention in the episode when we rioted against the guards. He said in front of everybody, "Your Daddy did his mongoloid sister and out came Teddy nine months later.” Not only is that horrific to bring up in front of other people, but it’s horrific to live with your whole life knowing that your dad is such a screw- up. I never want to dismiss this guy and convince the viewing public that he’s an angel. There is no way! What’s fascinating about him is that he’s that train wreck that you love to watch that is about to happen and he is somebody you know. He’s a real person! There is not a person alive that does not have many different sides to them. That’s called being a human being (which is what I realized about getting older.)

Robert is not alone in his empathy for T-Bag; his fans wrote this to him: "When I first started watching the show, I hated you. Now, I still hate you, but I feel for you somehow.”
Upon hearing the mention of that letter, Robert cracks a smile.
"That’s exactly where the writers went with it and I went with it."

It is not surprising that Robert values his performance in Prison Break. After 21 years in his acting career, this is his biggest break so far with more people recognising him on the street. To the Singaporean viewers at large, he remains the dangerous prisoner, T-Bag. A minority may recall seeing him in the 80's famous late night show, The Twilight Zone. (Inset left) as Alonzo in the 1987 show. Don't you think that he resembles Orlando Bloom in this photo? If Prison Break was produced then, Wentworth Miller might lose his role as Michael Scotfield to him during the audition. Speaking of the devil, Wentworth Miller just strolls pass the field. Again.

"What is a day like at the set of Prison Break?"

"There is a lot of joking around and trying to break out of prison. There is one beautiful thing about it was the entire day while I was in Chicago this past year...my wife and I had a dilemma on our hands because we wanted to keep our child here in LA in preschool (so that's why they didn't come to Chicago.) Someone I talked to suggested I keep some kind of ritual for him, which would be something I should do routinely. I came up with this idea of coming up with a cartoon drawing every day. So, in one moment, I am slitting an actor's throat, another I'm slitting black actors with a razor blade, another moment I am getting up behind a young innocent boy and figuring out how I am going to seduce him or another moment I am thinking about having to sleep with the transsexual guy, but meanwhile anytime I have a break I am sketching out a sweet little cartoon for my boy (he is 5 years old.) It was kind of a fun routine to have. There is nothing like driving home and thinking about calling your little boy because it helps you knock out those feelings of T-Bag and it's very therapeutic."

"Would you chose to play more bad or good guy?"

I expect Robert to ponder for a while on this question but he is as fast as T-Bag slitting John Aburzzi's throat in the show.

"I don't choose a part because it's a "bad" or "good" guy. Sometimes I turn down bad guy parts out of boredom from doing the same type of role, sometimes because I'll have a momentary fear of being typecast....then a juicy part like T- Bag in PRISON BREAK comes along and I have to jump at it. (I always try with him to be charming and primal, at the same time...) these kind of characters tend to make choices in their lives that are more interesting to play and watch, than those of the typical "good guys."

"Is there a particular ..."

My question is curtailed by a sudden strong wind which topples my paper cup and wets my Crumpler bag. "Damn it!"

Robert's hair remains in place but mine was quite mess up. I continue my interview without bothering where my fringes fall. I am not the star.

"Sorry about that. I was asking is there a particular role that you would love to play?"

"I'd love to play a mentally or physically challenged guy who is not a victim....also a comedic role like Buster Keaton used to do so well: funny without trying."

From a distance, someone yells 'Robert!' and he turns around to see a guy beckoning him to come over. It is the director he says. "I got to go"

"Just a quick last question. It is true that you like to cook and what are your favorite dishes?"

"I love taking all the recipes of my mother's dishes.. Ohio rural, country style...getting rid of all the artificial or frozen crap, and substituting the real thing....meat and potatoes or casseroles that are healthy and taste like they're from France, Italy, or Spain."

"Thank you so much for your time, Robert. It's a pleasure to meet you."

He acknowledges with a grin and gives me a brotherly hug before he slithers back to the set. OMG! T-Bag is back!

Local audience will probably not know who this guy is. Try guessing what he does to qualify him to pose at the MTV event. Here are the 10 choices:

1) Hollywood actor
2) Singer
3) Heir to business empire
4) Famous author
5) Celebrity status chef
6) GQ Magazine Editor
7) Model
8) Fashion photographer
9) Composer
10) Celebrity status hairstylist

Scroll down for the answer.



















Rocco Dispirito is a charming New Yorker chef who rises to fame after the NBC's reality show 'The Restaurant'. I have only watched him cooked on TV once in the talk show 'Isaac'. He may not be in the league of the super goodlookers, but his charisma and presence on the camera are intoxicating. However, not everyone likes Rocco. Some media think that he is a flop who makes use of his fabulous flirting skills to market himself on TV, and it doesn't matter whether his targets are women or gay men. This possibly explains his association with many actresses and stirs a few gay rumours. His orientation doesn't concern me. He may be a jerk who knows how to toy with peoples' liking for him, but I like him on TV. He flirts so well with Isaac on the latter's show that I love the show more and start to like the Don Juan too.

Issac is an openly gay fashion designer and host of the self-titled talk show. In one of the epsiodes, his guest star was Rocco. Isaac was fatally attracted to Rocco from the way he looked at him. Here are the evidences: The first sizzling exchange of words began at backstage before the onset of his segment. After a tight hug, Isaac pinched Rocco's cheek and said:

"I want so much to make out with you." (Evidence #1)

Spontanteously, Rocco replied something like "ok, we will do it here."

Then they head off to the actual shooting at a store where Rocco gave Isaac a few tips on choosing kitchenware, followed by a trip to the supermarket to get ingredients for his cooking show. When they were driving back to the studio in Rocco's motorbike, Isaac was quick to cup Rocco's chest with both his hands while he hopped onto the seat. (Evidence #2). I was pillion before and I didn't grope my driver's chest even if the ride got bumpy. Anyway, back in the studio, Isaac continued to be smitten by Rocco. When Rocco took off his sweater in the mid of his cooking, Issac got excited:

"Wow, you took off your sweater." (Evidence #3)

Issac stared at the sweater-less Rocco. To the audience he said:

"He's so cute."

Later, I can't recall what caused a ripple in the audience and he reacted with these words:

"What?" (in a bitchy tone)
"Try standing next to him and see....." (Evidence #4)

He acted totally like a kid lost in the playground. His surprise move came when he embraced Rocco and attempted to kiss him! (Evidence #5) The kiss did not happen of course and neither was Rocco shocked. They are friends and this helps to build up an extraordinary chemistry between them on TV. In the show, Rocco said to Isaac "I love you" and in a radio talk show, he made a similiar profession:

"I love him like a brother, he is so great! To see Isaac Mizrahi stuttering is too much!"

And the radio host replied:

"Yeah you had him speechless!"

It is not hard to fall in love with these 2 men by the way they entertained viewers. I will definitely ride the Roccomotive.



PS : Can you tell that Rocco Dispirito is 41 this year? (photo seen here with fashion designer Dennis Basso.)

The Best of 2006

Merlion Times
December 30, 2006

After reading 'The Best of 2006' in the Life! section of The Straits Times which I find the recommendations are rather personal, I decided why not I write my version of what are the best in books, movies, music and television this year. If the readers think I'm the pot calling the kettle black, they can try writing their version. Get what I'm driving at?

>>>Let's start with movies first.
1) The Lake House - starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.



This movie requires a quick and focus mind as you need to tune your chronological clock back and fro between 2004 and 2006. Thanks goodness that I watched it on DVD which allows me to pause and rewind to understand the plot. I am a slow processor. It is a magical love story and naturally, you got to be rich in emotion to appreciate the pace of this movie. Its central theme is about waiting and faith. There is a book titled 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen mentioned in the movie which I am reading now. It's a good read about the heartache of missed opportunities between lovers. The photo above is when this book was spoken of by Sandra Bullock. While some will prefer its Korean version II Mare, I'm standing by Mr Constantine.

2) Munich - starring Eric Bana, directed by Steven Spielberg.
Real events always intrigue me. The massacre of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes in 1972 which took place a year before I was born, is a gruelsome page in history that saddens me. Instead of combing through the Internet for information, I bought the movie DVD and sat through more than 160 minutes of intense emotion. The pivotal scene when the terrorist stormed into the two apartments in Olympics Village was most disturbing. Everything that happened in the apartments was unimaginable. The weightlifters fought bravely to help their
fellow athletes escape but their muscles were no match for bullets. If non-fiction movie is not your type, try this on my account.

3) She's the Man - starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum.



With a bunch of bare-chested footballers and a cross-dressed roommate, Amanda (above jersey no. 13) with hunkalicious Channing (jersey no. 7), it's hard to dimiss the homosexual innuendo in this high school romance comedy. I got interested in this movie when I saw its trailer, particularly the locker-room scene where Amanda's hand was on Channing's butt. He freaked out, not knowing that 'he' was actually a 'she'. The 'he-she' identity mixed-up is what made Amanda a hilarious character. I'm starting to like her.

>>>When it comes to music, I make my confession on the dance floor. However, my recommendations for 2006 won't make you sway.

1) Album 'Safe in A Crazy World' - Corrine May.


When all the limelight shines on Stefanie Sun, this home-grown singer glows in her own way. Since her success with 'Journey' - a ballad with beautiful piano accompaniment, she has morphed into the female 'Jim Brickman' alike with her subsequent album 'Safe in a Crazy World' (above photo). Both albums skyrocketted her fame and her talent as singer-songwriter is finally recognised by the local fans. Corrine's songs send hope to a very unhopeful world today. You will find solace in tracks like 'LIttle SuperHero Girl', 'Free' and 'Angel in Disguise'.

2) 'In Between Dreams- Jack Johnson.


What kind of music do you think this album is about from its cover? I thought it was world music genre at first sight because of the tree. Actually, the man and his guitar say it all.

I sampled the first track 'Better Together' and knew right away that the album is going home with me. Because his diction is crystal clear, you wouldn't need lyrics to understand the first two verses of that song:

[There's no combination of words I could put on the back of a postcard
And no song that I could sing but I can try for your heart]
Imagine putting melody into those touching words.

When I listen to Jack, it feels like an old pal singing to me and strumming his guitar under the palm trees. All the 14 tracks are very aloha and if you put up a hammock in your apartment, you will probably feel like you are already in Hawaii.

PS: Jack is from Hawaii.

3) James Taylor at Christmas.


I was looking for an unique Christmas album and this cover caught my eyes. I find him cute in his beanie but my boss thinks otherwise. I didn't buy the album then but sampled a few tracks online. 'James Taylor" is new to me. From his voice, he sounds like those actor-turned-singer kind of calibre. However, it was exactly his non-decorative voice that I fall in love with. He strips away the techiques of a songbird and sings his heart out. Later, I found out that he has been singing long before I was born and have won the Best Pop Male Vocal Performance in 1971, 1977 and 2001.

There is no snow in Singapore but his voice brings winter to my doorstep. This is an euphemism commonly used locally to infer that someone sings badly. I, however, said it as a compliment: he puts you on a magic carpet ride and immerses you in his songs.

Although Christmas is over, I'm still listening to this album. 'James Taylor at Christmas' (photo above) is produced and arranged by the renowned Dave Grusin. If Jazz is your genre, you won't be disappointed. In your next visit to the record store, sample the track 'Baby, It's Cold Outside' feat Natalie Cole, and tell me if Natalie would stay in the house with you when it is nippy outside.

>>>Books are my favorite and I read alot every year. I only read two new releases this year; the rest are old titles.


1) The Devil Wears Prada - by Lauren Weisberger.

The same-titled movie was screened in New York but I didn't catch it when I was there in August because tickets were sold out. I have no idea what this movie is about and hence, the sensation it has caused is bewildering to me. Maybe the world 'Devil' helps to sell. To find out, I bought the novel at the airport bookstore on my flight back to Singapore.

After reading a few chapters on the plane, I knew the rest of the story will be an office battle between the bitchy lady boss, Miranda, an Editor-in-Chief in a prestigous fashion magazine 'Runway' and her assistant, Andrea. If you are in the same shitty plight as the progatonist, this book will entertain you out of your misery. Or perhaps learn a few tricks to handle the 'beaches' in your office. Eventually, everyone learns to read our bosses' mind. So did Andrea.

The thing that glued me to the book was the estranged relationship between Andrea and her boyfriend, Alex. When she tried very hard not to give her boss any chance of belittlement, her action caused her to lose every chance of spending time with Alex. In her battle with Miranda, she has also inevitably burned her love life. This is a recommended read for beginner bitches.

2) Train Man - by Makano HItori.




This is the worst book I have ever read. I paid a price of SGD23.10 (USD15.00) for judging a book by its cover.

The book is lifted directly from a chat forum in Japan and translated into English. It tells of how a geek rescued a girl on a train from a drunk commuter and posted his story online. He developed a crush on her and sought dating tips in the forum.

What's sickening about this story is the geek. From the advices he asked for, he was plain idiotic to me and put a guy's ego to shame. If you are thinking of improving your English by reading this book, you can be assured of picking up junks.

Because it is translated directly from a chat style of language, there is hardly any decent English sentence throughout its 403 pages. Other than the creative emoticons used in the forum, this book deserves a place in the dustbin.

>>>After my favorite, 'Desperate Housewives' ended it first season, I abandoned TV shows totally. My return to the google-box was in mid year when these shows stole my heart:

1) Prison Break - starring Wentworth Miller & Dominic Purcell.



These two men caught my eyes while I was holidaying in New York. Their faces graced a huge poster in Times Square with the caption 'WANTED'. I thought they were real prisoners. I will not go into details to prove my stupidity here.

Pretty face structural engineer, Michael Scotfield staged a bank robbery in order to get himself into the same prison where his brother, Lincoln Burrows was charged for 1st degree murder. His motive? To rescue Lincoln from death row for a crime he didn't committ.

Coincidentally, the firm where he worked for was responsible for the retrofitting of that prison. With access to its blueprints, he had a tatooist transferred section of the prison onto his whole body, cleverly disguised under gothic images. The seemingly ridiculous act unfold into a series of well engineered escape plan.

Outside the prison, Lincoln's ex girfriend, Veronica, a lawyer was also risking her life to find evidence to prove his innocence. In the course, she slowly uncovered a political scandal instrumental to Lincoln's incarceration. Inside the prison, things got complicated when Michael's plan to escape with his brother was discovered by more and more inmates. Under duress, an escape plan for 2 became a team.

Every inmate is a colorful character, especially the paedophile, T-Bag, played brilliantly by Robert Knepper. With more team members, it aroused the suspicion of nasty warden officer, Bellick (Wade Williams) and the escape got more sticky. In a determined effort to find out whatever Michael and his team were doing, Bellick recruited a young, new inmate to spy on them.

Episodes after episodes, suspense, violence, corruption and sodomy infiltrated the prison. Except the overated Wentworth Miller, this show is gonna imprisoned me on every Thursday.

2) Isaac (stylenetwork.com)- hosted by Isaac Mizrahi



"Oh, that's cute!"

That statement got me hopelessly hooked to my TV on very Saturday or Sunday. I got so mad when the local TV station keeps changing the time belt of this programme.

"Excuse me," I'm beginning to talk like Isaac.

"A talk show shouldn't be less important than a documentary, especially on a Saturday night."

The current time slot of 6 on a Sunday evening just couldn't compare to its original time at 11pm on a Saturday night. I want a late night talk show that I can chill out and not having to think about the dreadful Monday.

Isaac talks like my American boyfriend (except that my boyfriend doesn't gesticulate). Do I need a stronger reason to fall in love with the show? He is naturaly funny and very honest with his emotion. When he meets handsome men on his show, he is confident to let them know that he thinks they are hot. These men, mostly straight and sometimes, a few gay men, are never reserved to reciprocate his teasings. The hottest flirt was so far with Chef, Rocco Dispirito.

Alarmingly, the local authority did not censor the naughty part before airing on public channel. Perhaps, they didn't know that the host of this talk show is an openly gay fashion designer. Anyway, it's best this way.

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Moto K