If Mr Donald Trump's former long-running reality TV show The Apprentice was meant to showcase the real estate tycoon's business acumen, his latest blockbuster, set on the sunny shores of Sentosa, was surely the American President's ambitious attempt at brandishing his newly honed political chops.
He enlisted the North Koreans, specifically the most vilified villain on earth - a nuclear-testing-trigger-happy "Rocket Man" - to be his co-stars.
He exploited that storytelling device of contrast - impoverished, isolated East Asian nation versus the world's most powerful country; precocious youthful dictator versus savvy businessman-turned-president - to excellent effect.
And so, the curtain went up yesterday on the finale of this greatest show on earth. A select group of no more than 30 journalists, photographers and cameramen from the United States, North Korea and Singapore found themselves herded from one scene to another in a compact, highly controlled set (Capella Singapore hotel).
Seamlessly, a narrative unrolled, of two political foes from two corners of the world who buried their hatchet, averted a nuclear war and pledged to strive for world peace.
SCENE ONE: THE HANDSHAKE
We were escorted to our positions in front of the heritage steps of a beautifully restored colonial bungalow that was the centrepiece of the luxury hotel. The red carpet had been laid. The flags of the two countries, six apiece, perfectly displayed. The verdant lawn immaculately pruned. We were strictly warned we could not go anywhere unaccompanied.
As we primed our cameras to capture a piece of history, the two once-bickering rivals emerged - in perfect synchronisation - from opposite doors to meet each other in the middle for a 12-second hand pump. The 71-year-old American President reassuringly patted his young counterpart Kim Jong Un on the arm, leading him down the colonnade to the library for their getting-to-know-you huddle.
SCENE TWO: THE TETE-A-TETE
We jostled and tried to stay close behind the two men, but were held back by aides and special agents from the US side who were mostly in control of the situation. In this room upstairs was another photo opportunity, with the two men now sitting down for a chat with just their interpreters.
"It is my honour. And we will have a terrific relationship, I have no doubt," said the President.
Another round of handshaking for the cameras and we were bundled out of the room and back into our pens downstairs. We had been told Mr Trump and Mr Kim will, after their bonding session, walk across the second-floor balcony to Cassia, Capella's elegant Cantonese restaurant that had been turned into a bilateral meeting space for the serious discussion. We waited.
SCENE THREE: THE CORRIDOR WALK
The tete-a-tete took about 45 minutes, and we were once again prepped to take our spots for the pan across the balcony. The two men appeared, trailed by their interpreters. Mr Trump stopped near us to offer a wave. Mr Kim followed suit. "How is it going so far, sir?" asked one journalist. "Very good, very, very good, excellent relationship," said Mr Trump. They ignored a more sober question about whether Mr Kim will give up his nuclear weapons. Clearly, it wasn't time to give the plot away.
SCENE FOUR: THE BILAT AND THE TABLE
Mr Trump's press person gave the signal and the pack of journalists rushed for Cassia.
Upstairs, officials from both sides had already taken their places. The key prop for this scene: An 80-year-old teak table once used by chief justices at the Supreme Court. The US Embassy had borrowed it from the National Gallery Singapore for the occasion.
The two men talked about peace. Opening remarks over, we were shooed out and corralled into our well-guarded holding area. Attempts to veer away from these three rooms - one to hold the North Korean media, one for the American contingent and one for Singapore journalists - were met with stern warnings.
SCENE FIVE: THE WORKING LUNCH
This backdrop was not scheduled as a photo opportunity originally, but officials decided to open it up to certain media outlets. Mr Trump once again acknowledged the cameras by asking, at the start of the meal: "Getting a good picture, everybody, so we look nice and handsome and thin? Perfect."
The menu included prawn cocktail with avocado salad, beef short rib confit and sweet-and-sour crispy pork.
SCENE SIX: THE STROLL
This was planned right from the start. The men would, at some point, stroll across the courtyard of the Capella, perhaps a much truncated version of the now-famous stroll Mr Kim took with his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae In across Panmunjom's pedestrian bridge during their equally historic meeting in April.
As we once again angled for space at the end of the path, Mr Trump and Mr Kim emerged at the other end. They paused, as if to get ready for the cameras just around the corner. Mr Kim's sister Yo Jong dabbed her brother's forehead with a towel and the two men launched onto the path. With no interpreters with them, they walked and attempted a conversation.
As they came up to the pool of cameras, Mr Trump surprised the lot by teasing: "We are going now for a signing." Reporters were left wondering about the deal that could have been struck.
SCENE SEVEN: THE SIGNING
Within half an hour, journalists were whisked from their holding rooms into Cassia, where, in a rush up the stairs, an argument broke out between American and North Korean cameramen. Amid frayed nerves and some raised voices, photographers gathered in front of the table set up for the signing.
And just as ceremonious as the first scene was, the signing of an agreement where North Korea vows to rid itself of its nuclear arsenal - Mr Trump later holds up the document triumphantly - brought the curtain down on what will probably be remembered as one of the best choreographed, theatrical pieces made for prime-time TV all over the world.
