By Joy Fang

DREAMS are such an interesting subject, aren't they?

Many an artist has turned to them for inspiration, and graphic novelist Neil Gaiman even made his name on the comic-book series The Sandman, which explored the line separating dreams, nightmares, and the waking world.

This week's TV offerings show that that line is very thin, indeed.

First up is eight-part Korean drama series Hometown Legends, a collection of ghost stories whose first episode simply has 'nightmare' written all over it.

The established Lee family is under a curse which turns some of i t s womenfolk into nine-tailed foxes. These are demons that, according to folklore, can raise tsunamis with a swipe of one of the deadly tails. To avoid that, the family must identify the girls that will turn into demons before reaching puberty, kill them, and eat their livers.

After her elder sister is wrongly killed, Lee Myung Ok (played by sweet-faced Park Min Young) turns out to be a demon and begins to exact bloody revenge on her family. Yikes, I wouldn't want to encounter that in the waking world.

Now, in British talent show Any Dream Will Do, musical- theatre wannabes get a real shot at their dreams of stardom, as composer Andrew Lloyd Webber searches for the next candidate to fill the eponymous role in his famous musical, Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Based on the biblical character of Joseph, who had the ability to interpret dreams, the musical was first presented in 1972, and has seen American musician Donny Osmond and Boyzone member Stephen Gately in the title role.

This reality-TV series sees, as usual, a mixture of goosebump- inducing talent thrown in with nauseatingly-delusional hopefuls.

The eccentric Lloyd Webber - writer of smash musicals like Phantom Of The Opera - dashes hopes with the brutal catchphrase: "You're not Joseph."

Variety talk show CelebriTea Break proves that actually achieving your dreams of fame isn't always a good thing, particularly if you're a celebrity.

In the talk show, now in its second season, local and overseas celebrities are interrogated by hosts Guo Liang and Quan Yifeng. In episode four, home-grown veteran actor and director Huang Yiliang is confronted by Quan to explain his notorious reputation of being a 'problem celebrity'.

He puts up with jibes but breaks down when the hosts show a clip of his infamous 2003 Star Awards speech. Then, he referred to his former wife, actress Lin Meijiao, as having 'grown' a long neck 'from yearning to win an award'.

Huang covers his face with his hands before tearfully saying: "This is the biggest fall I've had in my life."

So, what's the biggest lesson from this week's shows? I guess it could be this: Dare to live your dream.

But it can go frighteningly awry at any time. Be prepared.

joyfang@sph.com.sg

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