Made in Singapore Pussycat Dolls?
By Christopher Toh, TODAY | Posted: 04 January 2008 1144 hrs

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What if someone told you there might just be a Pussycat Dolls Lounge right here in Singapore? Too hormonally good to be true? Well, it might just happen if the cards are played right.

"We're hoping to have one in Singapore. You were great to the Pussycat Dolls, the last time we were there," said Pussycat Dolls founder and manager Robin Antin in a phone interview from Los Angeles with TODAY. "So, if we have one in Asia, we want it to be here. We're working on that."

But before you get all excited, Antin said she still has a long "things to do" list. Firstly, there's the follow-up series to The Pussycat Dolls Presents: The Search For The Next Doll (whose run ended on MediaCorp TV Channel 5 on Wednesday).

It saw nine girls vying to become the newest member of the "don'cha wish your girlfriend was hot like me" posse. It also sparked some controversy after Antin and her co-judges, rapper Lil' Kim and producer Ron Fair, picked Asia Nitollano as the winner.

Detractors complained that she was picked only for her ethnicity (she's part Filipina, part Puerto Rican, part African-American) instead of her talent and that her "single mum" status was played up too much. They had a field day when Nitollano quit the group just weeks after the show ended to chase a solo career.

But to focus on such things is to miss the big picture, said Antin. "I was just happy the show did really well. And all the girls are doing really well. I'm actually working with Chelsea (Korka, one of the runners-up) right now, with a whole new group called the Paradiso Girls. And girls like Melissa Reyes (the other runner-up) I keep in touch with. I feel great because I feel like I'm helping all these girls."

Which brings her to the new series, The Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious. This time round, three girls get to form Girlicious, a sexy, urban group a la 1990s R&B trio, TLC.

"I wanted to create a new group that was inspired by the Pussycat Dolls. I must say they're the most incredible group of girls — they sing their butts off, they're amazing dancers. I think people are going to love it."

And she shrugs off any comparison between Girlicious and the Pussycat Dolls. "When you think back, the same guys who put Backstreet Boys together formed 'N Sync, and they're basically the same kind of idea.

It's the same with Girlicious. They're like sister acts! They dance, sing and they're super sexy. I can't do that different — I have to make them sexy."

Girlicious is currently airing in America and the winners are already in the midst of recording their album. Channel 5 could not confirm if the series will air in Singapore.

The Dolls themselves are busy recording their sophomore album, said Antin, which is due for release "sometime in the middle of the year". The Pussycat Doll Lounge at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas has also been "pretty successful". And while the actual Pussycat Dolls sometimes make appearances, different group of girls actually perform in most of the shows.

"The Las Vegas Pussycat Dolls are separate from the singing group," explained Antin. "They have the costumes and all, but they only perform in the Lounge. It's all about the quality."

Antin added gleefully: "I think 2008 is going to be a very big year for everything I'm doing … If I come to Singapore, I'll have the Singapore version of Pussycat Dolls there. We'll see what happens. You never know what I'll be cooking up." - TODAY/ar