[Leongsam not allowed to post here] Sun Whore's China Wine on trial

[Rogue Trader]

City Harvest trial: 5 things about controversial China Wine song
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Sun Ho raised eyebrows when she appeared scantily-clad in the music video for her single China Wine

Monday, August 18, 2014 - 11:06
</small>Lyn Chan
The Straits Times

China Wine has resurfaced. Not the alcoholic beverage but the English single by Ms Ho Yeow Sun. You know the one: The video has images of her gyrating furiously to the music in a low-cut, midriff-baring top and nothing shorts.

When the video made its rounds on social media in 2012 after news of the fund-misuse charges against City Harvest Church founder Kong Hee - Ho's husband - and five other church leaders broke, the local netizen community went wild. But not in a good way. Horror, scorn and disdain were the primary reactions; at their mildest, puzzlement and scepticism at how such a song could help spread the gospel.

On Aug 12, Kong, who faces three charges of criminal breach of trust for allegedly misusing church funds, took the stand. While outlining the plan to break Ms Ho into the US music market as part of a church effort to evangelise using her pop music, revelations about the provocative China Wine single surfaced:

1. In 2006, Wyclef Jean, a Haitian hip-hop recording artiste, was roped in to help Ms Ho. He suggested doing away with the songs that had already been recorded for her debut English album. The reason? They sounded "too white, Caucasian", and she would not stand out from other singers also trying to make a mark in the United States.

2. Jean recommended that Ms Ho go for a new Asian-Reggae fusion sound. This eventually led to the making of China Wine. The noted music producer had earlier created a similar Latino-Reggae sound with pop star Shakira. The explosive hit Hips Don't Lie was the result of the collaboration.

3. China Wine was not the only song Jean recorded with Ms Ho. It was just one in a series of 12 to 13 songs.

4. According to Kong, both he and Ms Ho were both "uncomfortable" with China Wine, even though it was deemed a success and the brainchild of Wyclef Jean, as it did not fit the image Ms Ho wanted as a pop artiste. Jean left the project in 2008 after negotiations over his asking price broke down.

5. The album which featured China Wine was supposed to have been publicised on popular TV shows such as Gossip Girl, CSI and Dancing With The Stars if its big launch had taken place as originally planned.

This article was first published on August 15, 2014.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Sun Ho sounded 'too white' so Wyclef Jean suggested an Asian-Reggae fusion: Kong

From left: Sun Ho, wife of City Harvest founder Kong Hee, in her music video for China Wine. Ho is seen pictured with noted music producer Wyclef Jean (next to Ho on her right).

<small class="clear">Tuesday, August 12, 2014 - 14:19
</small>Feng Zengkun
The Straits Times

SINGAPORE - City Harvest founder Kong Hee and his wife Ho Yeow Sun were both "uncomfortable" with her English single China Wine, even though it was a success and the brainchild of noted music producer Wyclef Jean. It did not fit the image Ms Ho wanted to have as a pop artiste, Kong said as he took the stand for the second day on Tuesday.

Get the full story from The Straits Times.

'She hit double platinum figures'

Ronald Loh
The New Paper
Monday, Aug 11, 2014

SINGAPORE - She had many unsold albums and City Harvest Church (CHC) had to spend nearly half a million dollars to buy them off the shelves.

But that did not mean that Ms Sun Ho's album sales were unsuccessful, former CHC board member John Lam maintained during his defence's re-examination yesterday.

Lam, CHC founder Kong Hee, who is married to Ms Ho, and four others are on trial for allegedly misusing more than $50 million of church money through sham bonds.

Some of this money was allegedly used to fund the music career of Ms Ho through two companies: Music production firm Xtron and glass manufacturer Firna.

On Monday, the court heard that CHC had spent about $447,000 in 2004 to buy back 32,500 of Ms Ho's Mandarin albums that were languishing on shelves in Taiwan, Indonesia and the US.

This was revealed in an e-mail chain and presented by the prosecution during Lam's cross-examination.

Yesterday, Lam, 46, the first to take the stand for the defence, said CHC had planned to distribute the purchased CDs to visiting ministries and overseas churches.

And that would propagate the "awareness of the success" of the Crossover Project, which is the church's mission to reach out to non-churchgoers and fronted by Ms Ho.

Lam also said that Kong had announced at an extraordinary general meeting in 2002 that one of Ms Ho's albums had hit "double platinum", which he clarified to mean 150,000 copies sold.

"When you hear (the word) 'platinum', (it) means you (have) hit a certain amount of sales and it's a measure of being successful. Double platinum means it's twice as successful," he said.

Lam added that he was in control of Xtron's decisions when he served as a director of the firm from June to August 2003.

Previously, during the course of proceedings, Lam had also claimed that Xtron, which was Ms Ho's artist manager from 2003 to 2008, was independent from the megachurch.

Yesterday, Lam claimed that he was in control even if Kong, who he said was the driving force for the Crossover Project, had asked him to sign documents that he did not believe in.

"I wouldn't sign. I would ask questions," Lam claimed.

This was despite the prosecution presenting an e-mail on Monday which revealed that Lam had allowed rubber stamps of his signature to be made.

Approval

The e-mail, dated 2003 from the church's human resource (HR) and administrative manager, had sought approval from Lam so that the stamps could be used on Xtron invoices "instead of running to get you (Lam) to sign".

Said Chief Prosecutor Mavis Chionh: "The reality is you were quite happy to rubber stamp decisions for Xtron because you knew they were made by Pastor Kong Hee and the church."

But Lam said yesterday that key management such as the chief executive officer and chief financial officer are not usually the ones who are best placed to verify the details of these invoices.

He said: "Operation staff would verify operation invoices. Admin matters may be authorised by... the HR department.

"After that, then only when the payments are made, the bank signatories, who are the senior management, would rely that someone has verified it and ... signed."

Lam's lawyer, Mr Kenneth Tan, wrapped up the re-examination yesterday. CHC founder Kong is expected to take the stand on Monday, when the trial resumes.




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This article was first published on August 9, 2014.
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[Rogue Trader]

Sun Ho could have been in CSI

<small class="clear">Sunday, August 17, 2014 - 08:00
</small>Ronald Loh
The New Paper

Church founder says it was part of 'comprehensive plan' to launch her album

Gossip Girl. CSI. Dancing With The Stars.

These are major TV shows associated with big names in the American entertainment industry.

And Sun Ho was set to appear in these programmes as part of her publicity plan in the US, ahead of the release of her English album in 2010.

But she was summoned back to Singapore for investigations into the alleged misuse of City Harvest Church (CHC) funds, said her husband and CHC founder Kong Hee.

As a result, the plans for the album release were scuppered, he said, as he continued to take the stand for the defence yesterday.

"All the work we have put in, the money we have put in all these years, they have just gone down the drain," he said.

Kong and five other CHC leaders are accused of misusing more than $50 million of church money through sham bonds.

Some of this money was allegedly used to fund the music career of singer Sun Ho through two companies - music production firm Xtron and glass manufacturer Firna.

Kong, 49, is the second accused to take the stand after former board member John Lam.

Kong told the court yesterday that Ho's English album, which was never released, was originally slated to be rolled out in 2009.

But in March that year, Ho was hospitalised for six weeks after suffering from an abdominal adhesion, which is an intestinal blockage.

She underwent two major operations and was in "critical condition" at one point, he added. This delayed the release, Kong said.

Ho, however, recovered "very quickly" and a large-scale marketing proposal was pitched to drum up publicity ahead of the Aug 17 album launch in 2010, he said.

'STARTING POINT'

Kong said Ho was to go for a radio tour of New York City, which was "usually the starting point for every major album", on June 15, 2010.

She was also slated to appear in major US TV series and entertainment programmes, such as Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood and E! News.

Ho was also supposed to be featured in high-profile magazines - such as Vogue, Glamour, Marie Claire - and major newspapers.

"It's quite a comprehensive plan. They were really going to plan for a very major launch," he said.

He added that her then-latest single, Fancy Free, topped the US Billboard Dance Chart and the UK Music Week Dance Chart in March 2010.

 

[Jah_rastafar_I]

wycleff is a big reggae/dancehall fan. He loves to go for sound clash playing dubs which are what sound systems do by playing intros from various artists supporting that sound.


China wine is based on dutty wine the hit by tony matterhorn a selector and mc turned artist.

 

[Timerty]

This woman and her husband tried to get the 10% donation money from christians just so she can become "hong". Nothing more about spreading gospel. Spread her CB fame all over more likely.

 

[Flozzy]

Sun Ho is god sent...super chio...

 

[frenchbriefs]

Kong Hee and CHC thought they could pull off a PAP,but nothing could be closer to the truth......PAP and Con Yew are the biggest con artists in the world.Kong Hee u can sing the gospel of God,but Con Yew Is the God's gospel himself!!!!!!!!!

Lee Kuan Yew should write a book called "to Con a Mockingbird"

 

[halsey02]

Kong Hee and CHC thought they could pull off a PAP,but nothing could be closer to the truth......PAP and Con Yew are the biggest con artists in the world.Kong Hee u can sing the gospel of God,but Con Yew Is the God's gospel himself!!!!!!!!!

Lee Kuan Yew should write a book called "to Con a Mockingbird"

No lah!.....he will write a book on " how I can a kookaburra (CON HE) he can only allow one CON...CON U!!

 

[rushifa666]

CSI? You mean China Slut Inc? The one all the SPGs are in?

 

[laksaboy]

You all are too harsh on Sun Ho. Think of the number of souls she had saved through China Wine, converting them to Christianity and thus saving them from hellfire and eternal damnation. 功德无量！

 

[Yingge]

How can you not allow Sam to shit in his toilet???

 

[duluxe]

You all are too harsh on Sun Ho. Think of the number of souls she had saved through China Wine, converting them to Christianity and thus saving them from hellfire and eternal damnation. 功德无量！

Sometimes better to live in fake hope than harsh reality. The obnoxious part is some of those dafts feel they are privileged and special. Their heads swelled larger than their illusion hats.

 

[Sinkie]

Those who need saving has no faith in themselves and if they have no faith in themselves, then they do not understand the notion
that God made man in his own image, hence not having faith in themselves is not having faith in God who created man.

When will these stupid dolts understand this?

 

[winnipegjets]

You all are too harsh on Sun Ho. Think of the number of souls she had saved through China Wine, converting them to Christianity and thus saving them from hellfire and eternal damnation. 功德无量！

How do we know the number?

 

[rushifa666]

666 of course.

 

[frenchbriefs]

You all are too harsh on Sun Ho. Think of the number of souls she had saved through China Wine, converting them to Christianity and thus saving them from hellfire and eternal damnation. 功德无量！

are u sure it did not convert them to islam instead?

 

[greedy and cunning]

How do we know the number?

veri beri very ease.
just one.
and thats is samleong.

 

[po2wq]

[Leongsam not allowed to post here] ...

u r probably ze 1st forumer 2 ban dat burger ...

n he guai-guai complies ...