Mark Lee is Willing to Sign on Shane Pow Who’s Just Been “Fired” from Mediacorp

With all the news blowing up, I’m sure you’ve all heard of Shane Pow. 

Yes, Shane Pow, also known as one of the 8 Dukes of Caldecott Hill. 

Wait, what?

No, you read that correctly.

Shane Pow was once referred to as part of the 8 Dukes of Mediacorp, known for his promising talent and rising popularity. 

Well. Not so dukely now, after his fall from grace huh?

Mark Lee Willing to Sign on Shane Pow 

Just two days ago (26 Apr), Shane Pow was fired by Mediacorp after having been charged for drink driving for the second time.  

Despite this, it seems like there are still some who are willing to give the 29-year-old actor a second chance. According to Shin Min Daily News, veteran actor, comedian, and TV host Mark Lee has said that he is willing to sign on Shane Pow.  

He acknowledged that while a repeated offence of drink driving is a “serious matter”, and that he is not surprised by Mediacorp’s decision to fire Shane Pow, he would have handled the situation in a different manner.  

Lee’s production company, King Kong Media Production, was opened by Lee in 2017 in partnership with Yinson Marine Services, a Malaysian oil and gas company.

Currently, the production company has several local artistes signed on, including well-known ones such as Henry Thia and Marcus Chin, who not too long ago just won his first top 10 award in the Singapore Star Awards.  

(Speaking of the Star Awards, if you’re interested in knowing what went down at this year’s awards, click here.)

Why is Shane Pow in Trouble?

On 22 April, Shane Pow was charged in court for drunk driving in an incident on 17 September last year. He was found to have at least 49 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, which exceeded the Singapore limit of 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath. 

According to Mediacorp, the actor failed to inform his artiste management team of the incident and instead kept quiet about it. 

Not His First Time Breaking the Law

Even worse, this is the second time that Shane Pow has been charged for drink driving. 

According to The Straits Times, court documents reflect that he was also charged with the same offence on 30 July 2014. 

As a repeated offender, the actor could be jailed for up to 2 years and banned from driving for at least 5 years. He could also be fined S$5,000 to S$20,000. 

Seems like Mr Pow here just has trouble following some laws, because guess what? 

He was also one of the 13 people who were caught attending the birthday party of Mediacorp artist Jeffrey Xu on 3 October last year, breaching COVID-19 safe management measures in the process. 

Mediacorp’s Response 

In lieu of his repeated mistakes, Mediacorp has issued a statement announcing that they will be terminating their contract with Shane Pow. 

However, he is still required to stay with Mediacorp till 4 May and complete his current works-in-progress, such as drama series “The Heartland Hero” in which Shane Pow plays the second male lead. This series will have 130 episodes and is in the midst of production, with the script for the first 100 episodes having been written and filming already in progress.  

Similar Cases in the Past 

Of course, Shane Pow is not the first Mediacorp artist to have flouted traffic regulations. 

In 2016, Mediacorp actress Rui En, known as one of the “Seven Princesses of Mediacorp”, was fined $700 after knocking down a stationary motorbike with her car in a carpark. She was also involved in an alleged hit-and-run incident earlier that year, when she hit another car with her car and reportedly drove off. 

But perhaps the most infamous case of drink driving is the one that high-profile actor Christopher Lee was involved in in 2006, where he had knocked down a motorcyclist and their pillion rider under the influence of alcohol, before fleeing the scene. He was jailed for 4 weeks, banned from driving for 3 years, and fined $4,500. 

Despite the big hoo-ha created after Christopher Lee’s incident made the news, he still managed to win a place in the Star Awards’ Top 10 Popular Male Artiste that same year. As Mark Lee had pointed out, his career is still “doing very well now” despite the controversy Christopher Lee was involved in. 

So even though several netizens have commented that Shane Pow’s career is over, that might not necessarily be the case.

Feature Image: Instagram (@shanepowxp / @marklee4444)