TVB 41st Anniversary Awards 2008

The Beginning

The beginning shows various stars showing up on the red carpet in antique cars. Then the stars were introduced by pairs or groups and came out onto the stage to give a little comment. I particularly like the actresses and actors that said their comments while being in character or referring to it. My favorite comments were Wayne’s and Michelle Yim’s. Wayne was saying that every year he gets nominated, every year he eats “white fruit” (kind of like canto slang meaning he gets nothing), so everyone, remember that he is “white fruit king” and Michelle Yim saying “Husband, I don’t mind sharing, but talking about Best Actress...”and doing her Hung Yee’s hand gesture, finishes by saying “it must not be shared”. The introduction was a nice ice-breaker and kind of funny at times, while the artistes got to stand out a little bit and distinguish themselves so I enjoyed it.

Most Modern, Stylish Award

The first award to be passed out was the most stylish award. Magazine covers of all the nominated artistes were flashed out one by one, and the way it was done was pretty cool and the magazine covers were nice to look at…very starry lol. I thought Bernice would be the best candidate to win because her tastes in clothes are always very on target and always very elegant or sexy. However, I think Myolie may have been in more of a variety of outfits from daring to bold this year, so perhaps she does deserve it. I never think Myolie is pretty when she is on-screen, but she does look very nice in magazine covers or at awards though. Anyway, she looks ‘handsome’ in the suit! At least Bernice didn’t come, or else she would’ve been a little embarrassed since she is always well known for her style and look.

The cameraman is so off guard at times. After this award, Amigo Chui was asking Chau Chung ( the Grandpa from Moonlight Resonance) who he thinks would win Most Improved female, and he said Tavia Yeung, but the camera focused on Toby instead, but then he later he did say Toby…so I guess the cameramen could read minds.

Athena Chu & Francis Ng – Presenters

I was so shocked that Francis came as a presenter. Partly because I thought that after Triumph in the Skies, he and TVB were not on friendly terms, and partly because I just finished watching On the Edge, and he was all kinds of awesome in that serie, so I was like..ah…it’s Francis!! It’s funny when Athena asked Francis at what part in time he thinks he would win for the Most improved, and he said of course, after he left TVB, and then he was referencing how a bird can get tired so once in a while, he comes back to film some series like Old Time Buddy and how TVB let him fly up to the highest, letting him Triumph in the Skies….and everyone was clapping afterwards lol….and Athena also says briefly, “then I will see when I will triumph in the skies.” Last year, Ray and Kathy Chow came back as presenters, and Kathy has already acted for E.N.I (or whatever they call the third part of The Academy) with Ron and Sammul, and now Ray Lui is going to film the grand serie with Gallen. It seems that Athena and Francis are expressing some interest in filming for TVB again, so I REALLY, REALLY hope to see Francis jump on board again and film a new modern drama. Come on TVB, ask Francis to come on board again!

Most Improved Male

Wong Jo Lam won this. I think this is the only award that I am kind of disappointed with even though I haven’t watch his performance that much. I thought Derek Kwok did a great job in D.I.E. , and he also seem to have a different role in War-of-in-Laws too and along with Joyce Tang, he has made some headlines, so I was kind of expecting him to win. I was rooting for Johnson Lee personally since I think he’s such a funny guy, but yet he can be very convincing when serious in Catch Me Now. As for Wong Jo Lam, I personally think he kind of tries a little too hard to be funny, and at times, it can buy a chuckle or two, so I don’t really get all this hype about him.

Most Improved Female

Personally, I was rooting for Selena Li because she is one of my favorite younger actresses and I like her characters in most of her series, but Nancy Wu has always been a capable actress to me, so I think it was well-deserved. Her performance as the Fourth wife in The Silver Chamber of Sorrows was well-performed indeed. I especially like how Nancy mentioned Triumph in the Skies and her role in Silver Chambers of Sorrow. It’s always nice to hear when stars mention about when they first started in their acceptance speech because it shows how hard and long they have worked. In Nancy’s case, she really had to ride it out a couple of years. The dance competition really help propelled her up into the spotlight. However, does anyone feel like she’s not really surprise of winning? Her speech seems really good but a little rehearsed.

Best Blog

Raymond Lam wins this award. Considering he is so popular, of course it would rest safely in his hands. ^_^ His speech was a little brief, but I guess with the blog, maybe he didn’t feel like he should take too much credit for it? I think I only visited his blog like once…I will definitely visit again.

I’m gonna skip the variety shows awards. I’m not really into those shows.

Eric Tsang, Wong Jo Lam, and Louis Yuen -Presenters

First thing Eric says when he comes out, he tells Carol Cheng that his English is very good, don’t say his English is poor. And Carol was like “So?” Eric is hilarious, he was saying how it has been 11 years, and Super Trio has won every year, but since Louis and Wong Cho Lo became elders, there is no winning of an award. He even mentions how TVB has one award rule so that Wong Cho Lam won the Most Improved award so that’s why they can’t win it. Oh Eric Tsang, gotta hand it to him to make people laugh. I also love the bit he said about Charmaine, about how she is “great” (that it’s apparent that she was seen by [paparazzi], but she would say no, no and still wouldn’t admit it (her being seen with Ron or Kevin I guess lol) I hope I would be able to meet him one day or at least get an autograph lol. Anyone know where I can get his autograph??

My Favorite Female Character

Louise Li Si Kei won this award. She mentions a disappointment….that it’s a bit stressful to be nominated, so she asked the higher management if she could step out the race this year, but they said no. It was sort of a what the heck, why did she say that moment, but I think Louise is just being very honest and straight to the point about how she feels since she probably wants to get out of the competition so that others can have a chance. I think she’s just a humble lady that doesn’t really want to hog the spotlight, but it came out awkward.

Carol Cheng briefly interviews the nominees. I like the part in which she goes and tells Liza that not many people are rooting for her this year and what does she think? And Lisa’s response was “it’s not only me, I think everyone at the company thinks I’m not here” (which can mean exactly as it is said, but in this case, it can means she’s everyone is treating her like she’s not important” Carol then asks everyone if they think Liza Wang is “not here”, and everyone says no.

Dicky Cheung -Presenter

If I’m not wrong, Dicky was referring to ATV and TVB’s rivalry during his opening presentation since ATV is “Yau Han” company vs. TVB is “Mo Sin” company so he put it in a clever way saying to have (Cantonese =”Yau”) and not to have (Cantonese = “Mo”)so there is no need to be so stubborn. I think it’s not really a good time to talk about rivalry on an awards show because it is after all TVB’s moment to shine. Anyway, I don’t think Dicky meant to be rude, but I didn’t really appreciate it, it wasn’t the right timing. What does everyone think?

My Favorite Male Character

Raymond won this award, but Dicky was not there when Raymond was on stage. I thought he just left like that because he was having an attitude, but it turns out he was heading straight to Stephen Chan in the audience section. There was a brief moment showing Dicky going over to Stephen Chan, and Stephen Chan seems excited when he saw Dicky but yet his expression was like “oh no….get off the screen”.

Anyway, Raymond seems to be putting the focus back on TVB in his acceptance speech by saying he hopes HK audience continue to support TVB’s programs and even more television series , so that every year there can be more improvements. (Isn’t he so clever!) I like how he refers to his colleagues as his ‘brothers and sisters’….gives a very close feeling….but also not forgetting the veterans by saying he hopes to cooperate with more and learn more from them. Raymond just always knows what to say. Every year that he wins, I always enjoy his acceptance speeches. He’s a darling! I wonder what he would say when he wins Best Actor….and I just know that day would come soon! Keep working hard, Ray!

Carol & Amigo interviews the nominees a bit, and one part deserving a mention was that both Sharon and Nancy Wu had confidence in Tavia! That was a nice moment! The younger generation does seem very close with each other!

Anthony Wong – Presenter

Anthony Wong was joking about Eric Tsang, which caused Eric to be onscreen a bit in his casual clothing lol. I thought it was funny how he says the supporting artist should have good acting, but good enough acting that the main leads do not feel that you are a threat to them.

Best Supporting Actress

It is very sweet how before Tavia gives her acceptance speech, she asks everyone to give a great applause for Lee Heung Kum, who Tavia says is considered the best supporting actress to her. I like how she thanked all the producers that used her in their series, and that she would continue to do her best, and not be proud!

Tavia made ah Yuet a very real and likeable character. If it was played by someone else, perhaps ah Yuet wouldn’t be so real and likeable. Tavia totally deserves the award! Although, I would also give props to Fala. If Tavia’s character does not exist, Fala’s chance would be the highest as her character was also very likeable, and Fala did a nice job. Lee Heung Kam also did a great job too, but popularity-wise may not win that much points.

Karena Lam – Presenter

It’s interesting how Karena Lam relates best supporting to stealing or being a big thief. I don’t really get the concept. I think I agree more with Anthony Wong’s comment lol.

Best Supporting Male

Wayne got this one! Everyone stood up for him and cheered too! Truly wonderful to hear him thanked someone through all the wonderful characters he got to act such as the pig in Journey to The West (nice that Dicky was there too) and Hon Shun in The Conqueror’s Story (which was also one of his best acting). I actually have not watched The Gentle Crackdown II, so I don’t know how his performance is, but he probably did an exceptional job anyway as usual. It was a great moment to see that he finally got the award he deserves years ago.

Best Serie

Moonlight Resonance wins. It’s really a no-brainer. The serie has great characters, not in the sense that it has a great plot, nor great development, but in the sense that these characters add to the family element when put together and most characters were able to stand out in this serie through their ups and downs as they continue to touch or amaze the audience. There is the annoying and money-crazed auntie, the mute daughter and sister, the sort of rebellious adopted daughter, the somewhat wacky son, the filial and sweet son, the second wife villain, etc. And it does help that a majority of the actors and actresses playing them gave a convincing performance. And I actually liked the other phrases by Auntie Sa and Hung Yi more than “Do not be scared, Hor Ma is in the living room” like…. (in Mandarin) “I say you can [make it], then you can [make it]. I say you can not [make it], then you can not [make it]. I say you can [make it], and you can not [make it], you will still [make it]” or Michelle Yim’s phrase “[My] person is in heaven, the cash is in the bank, why do I need so much money”?

On a side note, it was kind of sad to see that Shirley Yeung didn’t get to stand up with the cast when all of them went up there. It’s understandable that she would not be included since she only has one or two scenes as guest star, but it can be disheartening in a way. I don’t think there would be a sequel though. It broke the 50 pts ratings, so if the next one doesn’t make it, it would bring the name down. They probably don’t want to risk it.

I think Catch Me Now deserves an honorable mention. If there was no Moonlight Resonance, this would be the next best serie. It was fast-paced and it was a fun storyline to watch which side would win….the cops or the robin - hood team. Characters are also engaging, but I guess there was some chemistry lacking between leads.

Moving on…getting tired lol…

Best Actress

My favorite win of the whole awards show is Michelle Yim’s Best Actress Award! Not only is it the most well-deserved Best Actress award in a LONG time, but she also broke the record for having a villain character won Best Actress (Gigi Lai doesn’t count from War & Beauty to me)! Michelle’s speech was very touching, especially how she talked briefly about her career and how she does her best in every role. That made me think about her character in “The Brink of Law” which was another great villain portrayal by her, but in that one, she was more reserved and calm, while in this one she was more loud and angered. Two villain roles, but yet clearly different portrayals. Simply a great, great actress! And it also sweet of her to remember her three assistants….which very few winners would thanked when they win. By the way, she looks so beautiful too. I bet that wig in Moonlight Resonance is to make her look older haha.

Best Actor

Ha Yu’s name is announced, and everyone stood up and gave a big applause. It was funny how Louise Li brought tissues up for him lol. He waited for 40 years for these two series. Ha Yu did do a great job in Moonlight Resonance, and he really touched me whenever he cried and went back to his children and Hor Ma. I’m glad he won because he totally deserves it out of all the male actors in Moonlight Resonance. It was inspiring how he mentioned how he was so depressed last year since whole the whole of Heart of Greed won awards, but he listened to Johnny To saying that as long as he continues on without leaving the entertainment circle, he will have a chance, so he didn’t leave, and now his opportunity for the award came. His ending remarks tied Moonlight Resonance and Heart of Greed together so I thought it was a good final note for his speech and a good representative of the end of the Heart of Greed series.

Have to say Roger also did a great job in Last One Standing, but it was too bad the serie did not do so well, which is as I think it should be. I think Last One Standing was good at times, but it failed to keep me interested as much as Moonlight Resonance.

Ending with Lifetime Achievement Award

Paul Chun wins this award. He mentioned that it is kind of afraid to win this award because he’s afraid having to be retired, but he emphasized that acting plays a big part to him, and that he will continue to act. He is certainly a consistent actor, and being a TVB actor for SO many years, any TVB fan would be familiar with his face. I am glad to see him win this award!


Final Thoughts

I believe the results were widely supported by many TVB fans, and those who knew the results were most likely satisfied. However, I think some things can be improved such as that every artiste that participated should be invited and come also, such as it was in the past. Although the awards were well-deserved this year, it just seems kind of empty without the familiar middle generation Siu Sung and Fa Dans? Where is Joe Ma, Bowie, Ada, Gigi Lai, Jessica, etc.? Another thing would be leaving us some suspense, don't narrow down the winners. In 2003, it was like Bobby, Kong Wong, Chilam, Roger, Francis Ng, and Bowie all together, and it was until the final moments when we know the real winner. The excitement was there, the competition was healthy. It should be like that. Hope that the 42nd anniversary would be more improved.

Seeing Ha Yu, Michelle Yim, Wayne, Tavia, and Nancy winning is like seeing hard work getting noticed since they have been in so many series, so many roles, and have never gotten popular and noticed and awarded until now. Hope that these winners are signs that TVB is beginning to cherish and appreciate the talented and strong great actors and actresses that they have, to promote potential when it is there, and to stop playing favoritism.

TVB Best Actress 2008 - My Top 3 Picks

3. Susanna Kwan – in Moonlight Resonance - BRONZE

For playing such an annoying character, but yet was comedic and entertaining. Moonlight will definitely be missing something without her crazy remarks and hilarious jokes. Being so bratty and being into everyone else’s business, but also standing out, it’s definitely a job well done.

2. Louise Li – in Moonlight Resonance - SILVER

Her character is supposedly very housewife-like, and she does appears very gentle and homely, but when faced with obstacles, she becomes particularly strong, and Louise was able to convince me that how strong her character can be although her outer appearance is more soft. I also enjoyed her golden quotes and speeches as she presented them very well also. There’s a certain way she says them that reinforces the statement. Anyway, great performance, but someone else was able to stand out more.

1. Michelle Yim – in Moonlight Resonance - GOLD

She has a villain presence in this serie and of course that stands out, but what amazes me the most was her expressions – her facial expressions and body language. Remembering her character in this serie, she had two particular scenes that wowed me. One was when she was sitting with Jo Bau at the park, and Jo Bao couldn’t see, and towards the end, ah Hung was crying and saying that she should find a way to repay Hor Ma, but her eyes all of sudden became vengeful when she looked at Jo Bau. And then the second scene was she was telling Linda why she explained why she is lowering the amount of shares to give to Jo Bau every time she thought about ah Sum and ah Ho being together and when she was counting down with her fingers, it was intense. And then there was one scene, and I don’t remember who it was she was interacting with, but she was using her sunglasses and just putting it towards the guy’s chest as she was talking to him, which I think also made an impact that she’s making her point and you better listen. And she also cried so beautifully heartbroken but became angry in a flash when she knew that Jo Bao went to celebrate ah Hing’s birthday, which shows how volatile her character is. As a character, ah Hung isn’t really that memorable to me, but since it was Michelle who portrayed her, she really stood out. I don’t think there are many actresses that can portray her role so effectively without worrying about image and all because it requires an air of superiority, lots of guts, much bitchiness, and also a dash of elegance while at it. Anyway, I think Michelle simply displayed what great acting is all about in Moonlight Resonance. Best Actress belongs to Michelle Yim hands down- no doubts, no questions, no complaints!!

TVB Best Actor 2008 - My Top 3 Picks

My top 3 goes to...




3. Kevin Cheng – Last One Standing : Bronze

A very different performance from Kevin portraying an angry and extremely aggravated character. Whenever he was mad, he was scary to watch! One of his best scenes was when he was with Roger in the alley when he was kicking and punching things! On a side note, I think Kevin did a great job in last year’s The Ultimate Crime Fighters as the gay villain.

And then now….I feel like it’s a tie between two actors.....between Damian Lau – Catch me Now and Ha Yu- Moonlight Resonance

For Damian Lau, the portrayal of a modern Robin Hood hero is believable and indeed, he was very suave, intelligent, and charming also. Damian is just a superb actor. He never fails being the antagonist or protagonist who can emote any type of feeling the character at the moment is like.

For Ha Yu, his character gave him a lot of ups and downs to portray many types of expressions from semi-bad, to happy, to silly, to angry, to sad, to you name it. There were many scenes in which he broke down and got downright dejected to the point that it touches your heart.

So who should win?? Kind of a tough choice right? I personally like both actors, but there needs to be a winner, so how else to judge? Well, I think it’s safe to say that we can judge by the opposite pairing and cast chemistry.

Who can say those who won Best Actor or Best Actress in the past did it alone without the interactions with their opposite partner and the other people in the cast? Probably 99% of the time those who won had a very compatible partner (Gallen Wang, Ada Choi, Louis & Jess, Bowie & Gigi, Kevin, Moses, etc.) or at least a very compatible cast (as in the case with Liza Wang and War of In Laws). One person can be an excellent actor or actress, but with a not so good partner or screwy cast, the hopes of a best actor or actress is brought down.

So if we use chemistry interactions with opposite pairing and other members of the cast, then I have to say Ha Yu wins over Damian.

2. Damian Lau - Catch Me Now : Silver

For Damian Lau, he has wonderful chemistry with his group of partners in crime in Catch Me Now, but lesser so with Idy Chan, so his romantic moments with her didn’t really bring out his best moments.

1. Ha Yu – Moonlight Resonance: Gold

Ha Yu would reign supreme as he has chemistry with almost everyone in Moonlight Resonance, especially his opposite pairings, Michelle Yim and Louise Li. I also like his interactions with Fala. When he wiped away her tears, it was a very sweet father-daughter moment!

So those are my Top 3 picks! What are yours?

And why not Raymond Lam for Moonlight Resonance?
In all honesty, between Raymond Lam and all the other nominees for Best Actor, he is my favorite actor and idol out of them all. So why didn't I choose him? Because his character in Moonlight Resonance did not get the plot or scenes that shows how strong he really is as an actor. So because I am his fan, I would rather he win for a character that is WORTH it, and not this simple character in Moonlight Resonance because if you ask me whether he stood out from everyone else in terms of acting or character from Moonlight, I can definitely say no.

To see some others' opinions on whether Raymond should win for his character in Moonlight Resonance, you can visit: Asianfanatics: Does Ray deserve the Best Actor award with his acting? [in Moonlight Resonance]

Stay tune on my choices for the other picks!

43rd Golden Bell Awards - Best Female Actress

Ariel Lin has won Best Female Actress award for They Kiss Again! She has had tough competition with Chen Qiao En and Rainie Yang as nominees! Personally I was rooting for Chen Qiao En the most, but I am glad to see Ariel won as I have seen her past works and knows that she is a wonderful actress.

As for Chen Qiao En, I think she already has gained a lot of attention and popularity from Fated to Love You, so even though she did not win, to be nominated is also another achievement! I believe that she will continue to improve and act out wonderful characters in the future!

To see other winners, you can visit: Asianfanatics: 43rd Golden Bell Award Winners

劉三好/宮心計 “Palace Schemes”

Pictures fromYule.baidu.com

Genre – Ancient series revolving around the palace

Rumored Cast – Moses Chan, Kevin Cheng, Charmaine Sheh, Tavia Yeung, Fala Chen, Michelle Yim (Mai Suet), Selena Li, Susanna Kwan, Christine Ng, Nancy Sit, etc.

Plot – Its going to be about revolving around the fights and struggles within the Sheung Goong (which from my understanding seems to be a group of court ladies and servants that prepare the extravagant clothing and fashion accessories for the imperial family) during the Tang Dynasty. Wiki Source* shows that Charmaine would be playing the character, Lau Sam Ho, whom is the main character of the serie. Moses Chan would be playing the emperor, and he will have a crush on Lau Sam Ho. Kevin Cheng would be a guard, who pursues Lau Sam Ho romantically. Tavia Yeung would play a concubine who would harm Lau Sam Ho. Susanna Kwan’s character killed Lau Sam Ho’s mom. Fala Chen would be the palace maid. Michelle Mai, Susanna Kwan, Kara Hui, and Christine Ng are all listed as part of Sheung Gung.
*Wikipedia information are tentative and may not be accurate.

My thoughts: I am very excited about this serie, and I hope most of the cast can stay the same! I love series revolving around the imperial palace. There’s so much drama, mystery, and romance that can be stirred up into a great serie as seen with War & Beauty! I think the cast is just simply TOO grand, and it’s definitely going to be a flexing of muscles for the ladies if the above rumored cast holds. I extremely love the whole cast although I wouldn’t mind if Moses and Charmaine are not included. I like them as actors and actresses respectively, and I think they are capable in most of their scenes, but as they were involved before in War & Beauty, I kinda want the whole cast to be fresh. I think it would be interesting to replace Moses and put Raymond as emperor instead. Anyhow, I am very excited that Tavia would be playing a villain role. It would definitely be a new role for her to try. I have a lot of hope that she would excel in her role as a villain, and I can’t wait to see her shine again! Also glad to see Selena in here as she would get a lot of experience from the veterans. With such a big female cast, I'm guessing the focus would be on the gals, but I hope it would give the guys some good stuff to work with also.

For more information:
Wiki Source
Spcnet thread for this serie

Similarities with Price of Greed & Moonlight Resonance

A few similarities with The Price of Greed and Moonlight Resonance can be seen! Wonder if the producer of MR took some inspiration from The Price of Greed eh??

-Bosco, Shirley, and Kate are casted in both series
(Lui To, Mui Mui, Lam Ping; Dr. Ling, young Hor Ma, Ka Mei)

-Adopted Children
(Louise Li and Tavia; Kingdom Yuen and Bosco & Shirley)

-Adopted sister crushing on adopted brother
(Shirley crushing on Bosco; Tavia crushing on Moses)

-A mute sister
(Shirley; Fala)

-“Goon Ga Jai”
(Kingdom Yuen refers to Bosco’s character in TPOG as that nickname; Raymond’s nickname is that)

-Deception
(Sammul & his brotherhood of con artists; To a lesser extent, Kate being conniving and lying about her past and intentions)

-Guy really likes the girl, but girl really likes another guy
(Bosco likes Kate who really likes Sammul ; Raymond likes Linda who really likes Bosco)

-One foot stepping on two boats (Sammul with Kate, Vivien, other women lol; to lesser extent, Bosco with Linda and Claire)

What do you think? Of course it could be inspiration or it could just be coincidence, but nonetheless, it's a little fun trivia.

TVB 41st Lighting Ceremony

*Above picture from TVB Weekly, pg 32, found from lovebosco.net

Another year seems to be coming to an end, but before it does, it's another controversial, although still the-talk-of-the-town, TVB 41st anniversary coming up! Actors and actresses in glamorous outfits will be paired up, awards will be passed out, and lots of stage performances by various TVB actors and actresses, not to mention the new presentation clips for new series that are in store for us in 2009.

However, it all starts with the lighting ceremony. Joyce Cheng starts the show singing the themesong of 畢打自己人, which is a new drama sitcom that she will also star in. Joyce is a decent singer, and her themesong for TVB serie, Speech of Silence, was a very pleasant song. However, her performance for this themesong is a little off, like she has something stuck in her throat. She is still able to reach those higher notes ok, but I felt like she couldn’t sing the song very smoothly.

Then there is a drama skit with the cast of 畢打自己人, which gave out a couple of jokes and chuckles. I like Teresa Mo, so I’m glad to see her acting for TVB again. I think she is a great comedian- actress. I feel bad for the people that has to drink the milk. With the given milk conditions in China, they are indeed very brave lol.

Then we have the cast of The Gem of Life talking about their characters. I haven’t paid attention to the news of this serie, so it’s actually pretty interesting to hear the older veterans talking about their characters. The clips they showed of the serie is very dramatic and exciting, not to mention very, very beautiful with the scenery. Still having a bit of gripe that Linda Chung is in the serie, but oh well, hopefully she will make something out of it. The younger cast from TGOL goes on a catwalk with their diamonds. I think the cast looks very cool and dazzling in black accompanied by their diamonds, and the themesong by Shirley Kwan playing in the background is very catchy and fitting for the serie.

We move on to Lisa, Charmaine, Joe Ma, and Raymond Wong’s serie “Turbulence of East and West”. I didn’t know much about this serie before, but seeing the clips and Lisa talking about her character, it seems like a pretty interesting serie. Lisa’s character in this serie is different and complex, being an unwed pregnant woman who went ahead and got married to another man. Charmaine’s character seems a little like her character in Point of No Return, while Lisa’s character seems a little like a serious version of her character in the War of In Law series lol.

The nominations are then revealed. Various actors and actresses were asked who they support or think would win. I listed who each of them support below. A lot of people are rooting for Michelle Yim, Ha Yu, and Moonlight Resonance!

-Dodo thinks Michelle Yim because she did a good job and is still so beautiful after many years.
-Roger supports Moonlight Resonance, but also supports Lisa Wang since her character is fresh and is able to display different acting. Somehow Roger seems a little bit down? It seems like he is forcing the smiles and excitement.
-Christine Ng thinks Louise Li because she portrayed different characters for both MR and HOG and still did a great job.
-Kevin supports Susanna Guk and Michelle Yim from MR
-Ron says he would support Michelle because he likes watching her act, and they cooperated a few times, and she also adores him, so with business or personal, with “tung ching fun” (sympathetic points) or “gum ching fun” (feelings points), he’s got to vote for her.
-Bowie for Michelle Yim
-Louise Li favors Susanna, Michelle and of course, herself
-Nancy sit supports herself because one she always have confidence
-Lisa Wang is confident of War of In Laws II despite tough competition.
-Lau Dan thinks Ha Yu and two, Kevin Cheng
-Dodo, Carol Cheng, hopes Ha Yu or jokes that he’ll have a temper
-Charmaine favors Jo Bau and felt it’s unfair that he didn’t get it last year
-Sharon votes for Raymond because she knew him for a while and says he worked hard and he did a good job with Goon Ga Jai.
-Kiki Sheung votes for her "son" in Last One Standing, Kevin cheng and Bobby Au
-A girl votes for Bobby (I don't know her name)
-Bobby is for Ha Yu
-Nancy for Ha Yu and Raymond Lam
-Wong Jo Lam for Ha Yu
-Lisa votes for Ha Yu because his character is able to let him demonstrate his acting and is a hot serie
-Micheal Tse says literally says HOG’s Chinese title (while everyone else says Ga Ho Yuet Yuen), World's Twister Adventure, and D.I.E
-Ron likes MR and places his bet on this
-Kevin thinks MR and reminds audience about Last One Standing too
-Kate Tsui for MR and feels proud to be part of the serie that is the talk of town
-Roger mentions MR and reminds audience about Last One Standing also.

If you don’t want to get spoiled, don’t watch the part where it shows the clips of the finale for The Four and Last Man Standing. I’m so looking forward to the ending of both series, very exciting! But also, they kinda ruined it for me, but still, very exciting!!

Then Kelly performs two of her songs for the concluding performance of the show.

The clips of the upcoming anniversary series and TGOL Catwalk are the best highlights in the ceremony! Of course for me, I’m also happy Shirley was behind Bosco and Ron in the group picture haha!

43rd Taiwan Golden Bell Nomination for Best Actress

Read news on AF

The nominations for the 43rd Taiwan Golden Bell Best Actress Awards includes 4 major popular Taiwanese idol actresses: Angela Chang, Ariel Lin, Chen Qiao En, and Rainie Yang.

Personally, I am rooting for Chen Qiao En although I have not seen the other three’s works in the running. I think she did a great job in Fated to Love You, and her character in the serie has experienced a lot of events which gave her the opportunity to display different acting throughout the serie. I’ve seen Ariel Lin and Rainie Yang’s previous works before though, and Ariel Lin is a stronger contender between the two in my opinion. As for Chen Qiao En and Ariel Lin, it’s hard to say. Both of them are my favorite Taiwanese idol actresses, so I hope the best for both of them.

Kelly Chen becomes Mrs. Lau

Above Pic found from: Apple

Miss. Kelly Chen becomes Mrs. Kelly Lau on October 3, 2008. Her marriage announcement was made during her last concert earlier this year. I actually do not know much about Alex Lau, but I knew that Kelly dated him for many, many years. However, they look like a very matching couple! I especially love the above picture of him just touching Kelly’s chin…a very touching moment!

When I first saw her wedding dress in the pics , I thought it was kind of simple since Kelly’s outfits usually stand out more, but of course Kelly still looks very beautiful. Possibly with all the wedding attire she has worn for modeling and acting, simple is considered sweet. Congrats to Kelly and Alex for becoming officially husband and wife!

Niki-Kevin-Charmaine Rumored Triangle

The recent rumor that is most interesting is the Niki-Kevin-Charmaine triangle! It seems to come out of nowhere for me, but then the HK media seems to get these things right at times. If it were true, I think Niki and Kevin are cute, but then I think Charmaine and Kevin seems to match more with TVB as a common background, which brings same interests, events, in career and same friends also. The rumors seem to die down now probably due the TVB anniversary coming up.

To read more:
Kevin Cheng admits break up, Charmaine Sheh expressed her view

Kevin Cheng Becomes Charmaine Sheh's Tenth Boyfriend

Speculation and Gossip

I wonder how many believe this rumors, so please take the poll!

What a September!

It turns out I didn't get to go on vacation because a hurricane came into town the same weekend I planned to go. So I stayed home and survived my first hurricane! About three weeks ago, Houston was hit by Hurricane Ike!. I didn't imagine it would be so bad. A lot of people didn't have any electricity and water for weeks. I was lucky because I only have to endured no electricity for one week. Lots of trees on houses, and roofs leaking for many others. Of course, with no traffic lights, people have to stop and go, and there are some crazy drivers. I went to a supermarket that was open because they running on generators, and it's kind of like mass hysteria when people are getting ice. You would think it's like the end of the world when you see people run to get the ice and grabbing it, and of course, LONG lines to the cashier. Gas stations were pretty crazy too because only a few opened at a time, so cars would be lining up for streets. I have to say the worst experience is not having real "hot" food to eat afterwards. Can't really cook at home, and going out, no restaurants would be opened because there is no electricity and water. It was a very difficult and different experience, and really makes me appreciate the things that I take for granted like food, electricity, and water. I mean without electricity, I spent two days either sleeping or staring out the window (no, i'm not joking). I was bored out of my mind. Anyhow, that's my little rant and update for anyone interested. I think next time, I'm not staying when another one comes. Then now, there are worries about the US economy with bank failures and stock market falling. It's a very busy and interesting 2008 for people in the US, I know it is for me.

So back to Asian entertainment, so many entertainment news! What is the hot topic now?? If you're still reading, look forward to more of my thoughts on various old news and Moonlight Resonance in the upcoming days.

Updates

If you visit this blog regularly, you would know I usually update on the weekends because sometimes I don't have much time, or I get lazy and don't update haha.

Anyhow, I have added other blogs to my list of long TVB related blogs, except for 2 or 3 sites which aren't exactly blogs, so the list is about like 37 blog sites related to TVB by TVB fans. If you know of any TVB blog sites that I haven't put on my TVB Links, please let me know so I can add to my grand list of TVB-related blogs!

As if having this blog is not enough, there is also my blog on Bosco Wong & Shirley (which by the way I haven't updated for a while), I created another one!

If you have read the Christian the Lion post I have originally posted on this blog, you might be wondering, why is it gone? Well, after looking at the post for a while, it just didn't fit, and so I decided to make a new blog about lions! The blog is named Handsome Lions, and I will be putting up posts about lions.

On top of the blogs, I have my full time job, and my course on Healthcare Policy, and I'm going on a trip this upcoming weekend so I will not be updating this upcoming weekend.

In the meantime, please take the polls on the left, and enjoy the updates I have made today for this blog, and let me know what you think!

TVB Triangles: Chilam-Jessica-Gallen MV's

Triangle relationships are always interesting to watch because viewers get to pick between two couples. To me, good triangle relationships are the ones who keeps you guessing until the end. For example, Tavia/Raymond/LiQian and Leila/Ron/Nancy in TOB. It is until the very end, we knew who the guys loved the most. I suspect that is one of the reasons TOB was enjoyable...the triangles. The more repetitive triangles are the ones that you know the girl will pick the better guy or the main lead over the supporting or third supporting characters (ie Bosco/Linda/Raymond in MR). In future posts, I will try to post more on TVB triangles in various series.

If you read my previous posts, you know I am a big Chilam and Jessica fan. Being that they did not ended up together in Cold Blood Warm Heart, really puts them in a special position in my heart when I think of my favorite TVB couples. I came across two MV's on Youtube that I thought was especially matching with Jessica's point of view with Chilam and Gallen in CBWH.

Both songs talk about how the girl has been in a relationship with a great guy, but the great guy is not the one who she ends up with at the end. In Jessica's case with Chilam, their relationship was sort of unexpected but yet natural at the same time since they started off as friends. They had a great relationship, but yet at the bottom of her heart, Gallen will always be the one she loves. Personally, although I root for Chilam-Jessica deeply, in reality, I would go with who my heart and most happiness lies with and not just settle.

Anyhow, check out the MV's. The people who made the MV's have picked truly representative songs for Chilam-Jessica-Gallen in CBWH. I did the translations of the lyrics based on my interpretations/translation, so if you use, please credit me.

網友自製MV-天地男兒立雪建戀(可惜不是你) -
Pity, it's not you by Fish Leong


Lyrics:
Song: 可惜不是你
Sang by: Fish Leong
Translation by Jadedreams

這一刻　突然覺得好熟悉
This moment, is suddenly feeling very familiar
像昨天　今天同時在放映
Like yesterday , at the same time it is repeating today
我這句語氣　原來好像你
This tone of mine, is really like you
不就是我們愛過的証據
It is only evidence of the love we had

差一點　騙了自己騙了你
Almost faltering, fooling myself, fooling you
愛與被愛　不一定成正比
Love and being loved, is not always a fair ratio
我知道被疼　是一種運氣
I know being doted on, is a type of fortune
但我無法完全交出自己
But I am unable to fully give out myself

＊努力為你改變　卻變不了　預留的伏線
Made efforts to change for you, yet can not change, the already-placed boundary defeat line
以為在你身邊　那也算永遠
Thought staying by your side, it can be forever
彷佛還是昨天　可是昨天　已非常遙遠
forgot that yesterday, but only yesterday, is already very far
但閉上我雙眼　我還看得見
But closing my pair of eyes, I can still see....

＃可惜不是你　陪我到最后
It is a pity it is not you , accompanying me to the end
曾一起走卻走失那路口
Once together getting lost into this route
感謝那是你　牽過我的手
Grateful for you, holding my hand
還能感受那溫柔
Still can feel the gentleness

那一段　我們曾心貼著心
That one part, we once put it close to the heart
我想我更有權力關心你
I think i have the ability to be concerned about you
可能你已走進別人風景
Possible that you already went in someone else's scenery
多希望也有星光的投影
Really hope there will also be stars' glow appearing
Repeat ＊,＃,＃

感謝那是你　牽過我的手
Grateful for you, once held my hand
還能溫暖我胸口
Still can warm my chest [heart]


Cold Blood Warm Heart Triangle -
Sorry, it's not you- Kelly Chen


歌手：陳慧琳
作詞：黃偉文
作曲：吳國敬 孫偉明
唱片公司：正東唱片
Interpretaion/Translation by Jadedreams

Lyrics：

大概真的不夠喜歡你
In general, am not able to like you enough
才讓你座上客机
that is why [I] let you sit on the passenger's seat
若我真的不要放走你
It seems that I did not need to let you go
誰又怕去擋飛机
Who wouldn’t be afraid of blocking airplanes?

但我真的想過嫁給你
But I really did think of marrying you
才沒有逐串愛起
without the ability to build up love
很假裝總會骗 到你
Really pretending [in hopes of] fooling you
無奈我似個卑鄙
Cannot help feeling like a jerk

＊曾怀疑共你很努力地扮談情便有轉机
Once thought that making efforts to act as romantic couple would turn for the better
然而時候都該禮貌地　　放手再拒絕你
Yet it is time to politely let go of your hands, and then reject you

誰當是玩游戲　　為你花過力气＊
Who think it's just a game? [I] Did put in a lot of effort for you
很可惜最多只好知己
It's a pity that at most it is only friendship
我試過在暗中配合你
I tried to attentively match with you in secret
我試過學放松接受你
I tried to loosen up, to accept you

小火花擦出了燒不起
Small fire can spark, but can not burn
我愛你未夠深對不起
I can not love you enough, sorry

是我真的不夠喜歡你
I am not able to like you enough
誰令愛一面涂地
Who lets love smeared to the ground on one side?
他意外使我有心跳
He unexpectedly made my heart beat
暪住你沒有惊喜
Being with you, there is no surprise

＊曾怀疑共你很努力地扮談情便有轉机
Once thought that making efforts to act as romantic couple would turn for the better
然而時候都該禮貌地　　放手再拒絕你
Yet it is time to politely let go of your hands, and then reject you

誰當是玩游戲　　為你花過力气＊
Who think it's just a game? [I] Did put in a lot of effort for you
很可惜最多只好知己
A pity that at most it is only friendship
我退后未夠早對不起
I did not back out fast enough, sorry
我顧累亦太多對不起
I worried too much, sorry
小火花擦出了燒不起
Small fire has sparked, but can not burn
我對你未夠狠對不起
I was not ruthless to you, sorry

Lyrics from: http://ent.163.com/ent_2003/editor/media/t...719_264537.html

Charlene Choi Manip. Pictures

The above pictures are manips of Charlene that I made before using Charmaine Sheh's pictures from War & Beauty. These are pretty old, but just wanna share again! The below are the original Charmaine Sheh pictures. I always wonder how Charlene would look in a more normal ancient clothing, since all her past ancient movies have fantasy-like clothings.



I know, I know, of course it's not realistic, but I did my best!

遇見, "Meeting" by Stephanie Sun

遇見 - 孫燕姿
曲︰林一峰
詞︰易家揚
編︰TERENCE TEO
Interpretation/Translation by Jadedreams


聽見　冬天的離開
Hearing, winter's departure
我在某年某月醒過來
I am at a certain year, certain month, waking up
我想　我等　我期待
I am thinking, I am waiting, I am look forward
未來卻不能因此安排
The future should not arrange this

＊陰天　傍晚　車窗外
Cloudy skies, nearing dusk, car window outside
未來有一個人在等待
in the future, there is a person waiting
向左　向右　向前看
Towards the left, towards the right, looking towards the front
愛要拐幾個彎才來
love would turn how many curves before coming?


＃我遇見誰　會有怎樣的對白
The person I meet, would have what phrase?
我等的人　他在多遠的未來
The person I am waiting for, how far is he in the future?
我聽見風　來自地鐵和人海
I hear the wind , coming from the subway in a huge crowd
我排著隊　拿著愛的號碼牌
I am standing in line, holding love's ticket number
重唱　＊,＃

我往前飛　飛過一片時間海
I go forward flying, flying over a spread of ocean time
我們也常在愛情裡受傷害
We are often in love suffering pain
我看著路　夢的入口有點窄
I am looking at the road, the road into the dream is narrow
我遇見你是最美麗的意外
Meeting you is the most beautiful unexpectedness

終有一天　我的謎底會解開
There will be one day, my riddle would be solved

//A very pleasant ballad to listen to, and I'm sure many people are thinking the same thing. When am I going to meet "the one" ? How would I know? What is the first dialogue between us?

Actresses who Escaped the Aging Process

After reading about Kathy Chow being praised as youthful in her latest Costumes Fitting Ceremony for her newest series 蔡鍔與小鳳仙(General Tsai O and Lady Balsam), I remember how there are a handful of actresses who people praised retain their youthfulness over the years. Out of the actresses I have picked, it is noted many praised their youthfulness. I know the actreses are not exactly the same age, although I think Gigi and Athena are the same ages, but who do you think has indeed aged the best out of this group?

(in order from left to right in above picture)

Noel Leung- always the cute girl, she also retain her cute looks as she aged too.

Athena Chu- always described as many men's dream girl, she is often described as a goddess.

Irene Wan- just releasing an album a couple of months ago, it looks like she has kept her figure and sexy looks as well!

Margie Tsang- even though she has a son, many have praised that Margie is still very youthful

Vivian Chow- The sweet and pretty 'jade' girl Vivian Chow is praised as still looking the same as she was a decade ago as well!

Gigi Lai- In War & Beauty, there were many people who says Gigi was able to portray a teenage girl pretty successfully because of her good looks.

Kathy Chow Hoi Mei - was recently praised that she looks like she did when she filmed Time Before Time in 1997, and that is a decade ago!

So who do you think aged the best from you recollection??

Tavia Yeung, 楊怡 turns 29 on August 30th

Tavia Yeung turned 29 years old on August 30th, 2008. Having graduated from TVB’s acting class in 1998, she is one of those rare gems of TVB actresses that didn’t come from Miss. HK or pageants. Looking back it has now been a decade of acting in TVB series for her. She first gained major attention playing Maggie Cheung Hor Yi’s sister because they look really like sisters in The Awakening Story. Later on, she even got to star in the grand production of the time, Golden Faith, with Gallen Lo, Jessica, Deric Wan, and Raymond Lam.

Winning Most Improved Actress in 2003, it seems that her path as one of TVB leading fa dans was all set. Tavia became a hot favorite for overseas fans, but does not seem to win HK audience’s hearts with her roles after the win. She got some attention from The Academy, but unfortunately there were more lesser-favored series following suit.

Starting in late 2006 with Dicey Business, Tavia's luck changed and she is more involved with TVB grand productions. Although most of her characters in the series are supporting or guest stars, nonetheless, she is able to gain more publicity and attention with her roles, and her acting skills are being recognized by the audience.

After not being female main lead for so many years, the last being Twins of Brother and some may say The Academy, she is given the lead role in a new TVB series revolving around the salt trade in 2008. Tavia’s character in Moonlight Resonance has also gotten a favorable response from the audience, so hopefully, Tavia will be able to lead more TVB series in the future!

Here's to Tavia's hard work and perseverance throughout the decade she has been at TVB. She represents hope that TVB do have actresses with talent and good acting skills that are not from pageants! Wish Tavia a successful year ahead (especially at this year’s anniversary awards!) and that she will continue to amaze the audience with her acting!

Hot Shots - Songs

Hot Shots is a Taiwanese idol series that is currently on air. It's getting alot of publicity because it stars three hot guys - Jerry Yan, Show Luo, and Wu Chun - playing basketball. I think it has about 15 episodes or less.

Well the point of this post is that I got to listen to the soundtrack, and I really the songs. Usually, it's the other way around, I watch the series and then like the soundtrack. I remember once when I like the soundtrack before watching, I ended up not liking the serie that much. The serie was Tokyo Juliet, and it has a very nice soundtrack, but after three episodes, it didn't keep my interest. And like Tokyo Juliet, it seems that Hot Shots befalls the same fate for me. I watched the first episode, and it didn't keep me interested. However, if I remember when the ending comes up, I may watch the ending. Anyhow, this post is more about how the soundtrack is pretty catchy, even the instrumentals - very hip hoppish.

Superman - 倪子岡(Nese)

This is like the first Chinese hip-hop song that I think is catchy [and not cheesy and exaggerated] and actually can be consider hip-hop lol. A lot of people says this song sounds similar to Crank That by Soulja Boy though, but I don't think it's that similar.


絕對無敵 - 倪子岡(Nese)

Another subtheme of Hot Shots by Nese. I think this song is also catchy, but not as much as the Superman one.


絕對無敵(all english version) - 倪子岡(Nese)

I actually like the English version more. It kinda reminds me of One Tree Hill a little though with Haley-Lucas-Nathan haha.


霹靂決鬥- instrumental

Really upbeat instrumental. Thought it was creative how they mimicked the scratching from the shoes on the court. If only there wasn't some guy that goes "uh" every now and then, it would've been perfect lol.


絕對無敵之 籃球夢- instrumental

Another instrumental. This one is the instrumental to 絕對無敵 by Nese.


隧道 - 林凡(Freya Lin)

Very nice ballad. Freya's vocals are very soothing.


If you want to watch the series, you can visit this blog: http://lanqiuhuo.blogspot.com/

Fala & Tavia as singers

So the other day, I came by some Youtube videos of Fala and Tavia singing live for various functions, and I thought they weren't too bad as singers either, especially Fala. I think she sounds even nicer than Linda! Tavia isn't too bad either.

Fala singing 遇见


Fala singing 我的驕傲


Tavia singing Sammi's song


Tavia singing Kelly & Sammi's songs


Maybe these "sisters" of Moonlight Resonance, ah Yuet, ah Chau, and ah Hing... can form some sort of band together....TVB's own S.H.E haha

Stephen Au : A talented actor

*picture found from AsianFanatics

Burning Flame II is the first series I’ve seen him in, and the second series I seen him in was Angels of Mission. These two characters he portrayed were also my favorite characters acted by him. I really enjoyed watching him and Annie Man as a couple in BFII, and he showed he could do comedy too. In Angels on Mission, I admire his character, Wallace, since he was so cool and calm, yet also very charming. He has acted out a variety of characters from these and other series and managed to do a good job. In the drama department, he could act out the brutish and loud-mouth type of guys (BFII), but also the calm and intelligent type (AOM), or even the villain type (WTAPII and Legend of Love). Because he knows martial arts, that makes him available for ancient fighting scenes or modern action scenes. And he’s got great comedy timing too. In the looks department, ok, he’s not drop dead gorgeous like Louis Koo, but he’s still good looking in my opinion. This guy is like a freaking walking talent at TVB, why isn’t he getting more leading and supporting roles already? Even Michael Tse is able to snag some roles opposite Sheren Teng (don’t get me wrong, I like Michael Tse and am glad he is getting more heavier roles), but just saying, Stephen Au is being very unrecognized!

I think TVB needs to promote more men that could be paired up with Gigi and Charmaine, and other older fa dans. TVB is now promoting Wayne Lai, which is a great decision on TVB’s part, but Stephen’s a pretty good candidate. He can be quite handsome in some angles, and also dashingly charming. Not to mention the chemistry he has with his past female co-stars. He has terrific chemistry with leading ladies like Charmaine Sheh a lot, and also works well supporting actresses like Joyce Tang and Fiona Yuen.

Anyway, Stephen probably looks good for his age. I say probably because his real age is undisclosed to the public. Whatever his age is, it doesn’t matter because he’s a good actor and a talented artiste. Looking at Wikipedia, it seems like he has been with ATV for 10 years (from 1990-2000), and TVB for 5-6 years (from 2002-current). Talk about loyalty, how many known ATV artistes have stayed that long at TVB eh?

What do you think about Stephen Au? Are you a fan?

More info from this AF post by meteorstar:
Asianfanatics: Stephen Au

http://www.stephenau.com/

Shirley Yeung, 楊思琦 turns 30 on August 7th

Although Shirley still looks younger than her age, Miss. Shirley Yeung turns the big 30 on August 7th, 2008! After winning Miss. HK in 2001, she has now been in the entertainment industry for almost 8 years! In over 15 TVB series, she has starred as guest stars, to supporting, to main lead.

Other than winning Miss. HK, she has won the Most Improved Award for Angels of Mission in 2004, and Best Supporting Actress for Always Ready in 2006, Most Outstanding Actress Award at the 42nd Chicago International TV Festival in 2006. Quite a load of achievements!

Even though she has gained a lot of awards, there have been many criticisms about her acting. Often typecasted in cute girl roles or disabled roles one after the other and also being heavily promoted didn’t help lower the criticisms. However, in 2007, her character, Ka Yee, as the manipulative villainess in The Brink of Law made heads turned and gained many praises as well as fans.

In 2008, she has managed to guest star in two grand productions, Forensics Heroes II and Moonlight Resonance, and the serie in which she plays supporting (The Silver Chambers of Sorrow) became one of TVB top rated series of this year. She is also in the remake of TVB’s serie The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, which will probably air sometime later this year or in 2009.

Turning 30 years old, I sincerely wish Shirley a great year ahead and that she will be able to give more mature and improved performances during the year ahead!

Fated to Love You (Ancient Version) and Possible Movie?

Read News here: Not fated to be a couple previous era; Ethan and Qiao En comes together on big screen

The news just talks about how the ancient version did not get to film, and how the serie may be able to put into film. I think it is too bad the ancient version will not be able to film. The plot is quite creative, and I would like to see how it would play out.

I thought this news was also interesting because I’ve wondered why TVB ancient series could be made into a modern serie, but there has yet to be a modern TVB serie put into ancient version (correct if I’m wrong). With the modern to ancient type of serie, I know some modern elements can’t be used in ancient, but plots with the family, friends, and lovers can still be used. It would be interesting to see the cast of Heart of Greed or Moonlight Resonance star in an ancient version. I could just see it with Ha Yu being Emperor, Louise Li, Susanna Kwan, Michelle Yim as the Empress and Concubines, while Raymond, Moses, Bosco are the princes, etc. etc.

Do you?? LOL Take the poll on the left!

Moonlight Resonance - What does ‘Resonance’ mean?

How in the world did TVB came out with this title? It sounds kind of awkward, but yet, after searching it up, the definition of resonance really does fit the theme of this serie. I have actually heard of the word resonance before, and I knew it had something to do with sound and two, I remember there was some sort of chart I had to draw from organic chemistry that had to do with resonance. But what does it mean for this serie? So in my geeky quest to gain an understanding of yet more unnecessary knowledge of TVB series, I looked the word up!

Looking it up at dictionary.com, here are the few definitions that seems fitting for this serie.

From American Heritage Dictionary:

1. Richness or significance, especially in evoking an association or strong emotion: "It is home and family that give resonance . . . to life" (George Gilder). "Israel, gateway to Mecca, is of course a land of religious resonance and geopolitical significance" (James Wolcott).

From WordNet:
2. a relationship of mutual understanding or trust and agreement between people

See how the word resonance matches the theme of the serie? As the theme of the serie is centered on the mooncake business, if we take the first definition, then moonlight or rather what it represents (Autumn’s festival) is a huge significance to the Gam & Hor family since their business revolves around mooncakes. As the moon glows above them that day, when the family gets together, the warmth and happiness with the whole family is the richness they get.

If we take the second definition, then we could interpret it as by the witness of the moonlight, there is an agreement or trust between the various characters. And throughout the serie (I’m assuming), there would be many agreements between Hor Ma’s family and Jo Bao & ah Hung, as well as many of the sibling relationships, and romantic relationships.

Personally, I am quite happy with this name for this serie now, and am glad that it is not Moonlight Greed or Greed of Mooncakes, or something extremely bizarre of that nature haha.

Will Chilam be back at TVB soon?

You know who I miss? I miss Chilam! If you are a fan of TVB, you cannot miss the cutie Julian Cheung Chi Lam! He’s been in quite a few memorable TVB series. It has been about 4 years since his last serie with TVB. Lets have a review of some of his series, shall we?

*Above Picture from Chi-Lamania

1. 2004 - Shades of Truth (with Gigi Lai, Wong Hei, Tavia) – I have only watched the first few episodes of this serie, but then I lost interest because I wasn’t into TVB at that time and it was a bit wacky for me. Anyone a fan of this serie that could tell me more about it?

2. 2003 - Point of No Return (with Charmaine Sheh, Damian Lau, Gigi Chiu) – It was a serie that was divided into two parts, the first part focused on Damian Lau & Gigi Chiu’s characters, and the second part was on Charmaine & Chilam’s romance. In my opinion, I think I enjoyed the first half more because it was well-rounded, but nonetheless Charmaine & Chilam were a cute pair though I didn’t like how her character broke up with Chilam, and how his character was so love-struck about her afterwards. His character was very cute in looks and personality, but not my favorite. Beautiful theme song though. This was also the serie that Chilam was adamant that Damian should’ve been nominated for the TVB Best Actor role.

3. 2002- Take My Word for it (Bobby Au Yeung, Kenix Kwok, Chilam, Annie) – This was actually quite a popular serie at that time, but I thought the plot was only ok, what was great was the chemistry between the cast. Annie & Chilam were adorable as a couple. Chilam’s character of Yeung Kwok is my version of the ideal boyfriend (Raymond Lam in Survivor’s Law I is my second ideal haha). He keeps talking and talking and talking like a freaking robot, and you will think it is annoying, but it is hilarious watching him talk. I also really liked his subtheme song for this serie.

4. 2000 – Return of the Cuckoo (Charmaine Sheh, Nancy Sit, Steven Ma) – This serie promoted the popularity of the Charmaine-Chilam pairing. Unfortunately, I have not watch this serie. I read that Chilam played a mute character, and it was sort of focused on the romance between the triangle of Chilam-Charmaine-Steven Ma.

5. 1996 – Cold Blood Warm Heart – (Adam Cheng, Gallen Lo, Nnadia Chan, Louis Koo, Jessica Hsuan) – One of TVB’s classic TVB serie, it is also my favorite out of Chilam’s series. The serie in itself was awesome to watch, and I adore Chilam’s role as the heroic and romantic ah Git in this serie. It still breaks my heart to this day that he and Jessica did not end up with each other because they had some of the best scenes as a couple. Some of Chilam’s best scenes were after he has found out about Jessica cheating on him behind his back…still breaks my heart to this day. I have read that it was originally intended to have them as the ending couple but because the ratings or the serie was such a hit, they had to extend it, and that changed the storyline. Bah humbug!! However, at least his character got to be with Nnadia at the end, I believe.

6. 1994 - The Legend of the Condor Hero (Athena Chu, Gallen Lo) – This serie is actually one of my first ancient TVB series. Chilam & Athena were very cute as the young Jin Yong characters, Kwok Jing and Wong Yung. Gallen also played the villain in here. I think Chilam did a very good job playing the confused Kwok Jing, and I love how his character is so devoted to Wong Yung, but it is too bad this serie was not as popular as the version with Felix Wong and Barbara Yung.

7. 1994 - Remembrance (Kenix Kwok, David Siu) – His only time pairing with Kenix Kwok in a TVB serie was in this serie. I don’t remember this serie very much, but I remember he looked very dashing in this serie hehe.


*****************************************
There were some news in February of this year that Chilam wanted to film for TVB in 2008. See here: Jaynestars: Chilam Cheung Wants to Film for TVB in 2008.

In the news bit above, it was reported ….Chilam mentioned that he was especially interested in filming for TVB again. "I desire to speak Cantonese on screen again! I wish to service television audiences!"

*****************************************

This is only my opinion, but I hope he will come back to TVB in time to cooperate again in the 40 episodes grand production drama with Gallen! It will be like Cold Blood Warm Heart again! Think of the possibilities of a grand cast!! I want to see Jessica Hsuan pair up with Chilam again! It will then easily be the most anticipated TVB serie in 2009, no doubt about it.

*Above Picture from Chi-Lamania
So this lead me to the polls: Favorite Chilam TVB serie, and which male actor you would like to see cooperate with Gallen again (it's not always about the ladies!).

Greed of Man (大時代) on DVD

One of TVB’s classic serie of all time, Greed of Man, starring Adam Cheng, Damian Lau, Sean Lau, David Siu, Vivian Chow, Loletta Li, and Amy Kwok will be released on DVD with uncut versions at YesAsia.com – expected release date August 8, 2008. You can purchase it for $50 at YesAsia.com

Greed of Man Themevideo


If you ask me, I wouldn’t say Greed of Man is at the top of my favorites list. Perhaps it is because I have not watched the whole thing, I think I only watched the second half of the serie. From where I started, Damian was already gone and it was focusing on the attraction between the characters of David Siu and Loletta Lee, and how the kids of the two families dislike each other very much...and then to the point of "hating to the bones" with no backing off. Nonetheless, from what I have watched, it is still no doubt a very memorable serie for me because it has a few traumatizing scenes that absolutely caught me off guard. I think from what I’ve seen so far with family feuds in TVB series, none has came to the point of mayhem and doom compared with the two families in this serie! If it were to be broadcast in today’s times, no doubt there would be an unlimited number of complaints. Anyhow, I’m sure many fans of this classic TVB serie will rejoice in the DVD’s release.

Gallen's new 40 episodes TVB Serie - to start filming in November?

Read news here: Asian Fanatics: Gallen Lo was paid $80,000 for every episode of TVB drama

This is only just a rumor now since Gallen did not confirm in the news above, but this is quite exciting if it were true! Gallen & TVB big productions generally equals QUALITY DRAMA & ENTERTAINMENT.

I wonder who the female lead would be. Personally I would love to have him cooperate with a couple of the original Fa Dans in the serie, especially Kenix and Maggie. I love the pairing of Jessica and him, but they've cooperated so many times already. Gigi Lai & Gallen would actually be fresh since I believe they have never really cooperated as a couple. For others, I actually wouldn't mind if Amy Kwok comes back to TVB to pair up again post-Secret of the Heart!

Please take poll on the left side: Who do you want to be the female Lead? You can pick more than one.

8/1 - Rea from Gallen Harbour says 40 episode series in November is actually confirmed!

Tony & Carina - Officially a Married Couple

Picture found from stars.udn.com

//Yes, this is old news, in fact, it happened this past Tuesday/Wednesday of this week, but this is huge! It's Carina & Tony! HK celebrity courtships are always so long, but it seems like in the recent years, many HK celebrity couples have been tying the knot (Ada and Max, Chilam and Anita, etc.) or in the process of (Kelly Chen & her bf), but many people have probably been waiting, in Cantonese phrase, "waiting until the neck becomes long" for Carina and Tony to finally tie the knot. And they finally did!

Carina looks gorgeous and Tony looks dashing as usual! I have watched 27 Dresses, and remember how the main character says her favorite part of any weddings is when the bride walks down the aisle because she gets to look at the groom's happy face. There are no aisle pictures for Tony & Carina, but looking at the pictures that are available, Tony looks so happy. I even read that he kissed Carina while cutting the cake. It is not surprising for a groom to do that, but Tony Leung just doesn't strike me as an affectionate person in public, so to me, that shows how happy he is that day. Admire how they are such a strong couple despite the ups and downs they have been through over the years in the entertainment business. Hope they will have a little bundle of joy to add to their family soon!

Moonlight Resonance Themevideo/song

*If you want to listen to the full DJ version (3:32), you can visit Crimsonrain.com , but it sounds kind of different to the themesong.



//So Moonlight Resonance will be airing today (in HK time)! Wonder how it will fare in ratings for the first day!

I like the themesong for Moonlight Resonance more than the themesong for Heart of Greed. MR's themesong reminds me a little of the old (and LONG!) family sagas in the 80s, which seems to be quite fitting for this serie. It starts off a little bit loud but gradually it gets softer, and the overall melody is pleasant to listen to. The themesong to Heart of Greed is way too loud and dramatic at the beginning that when it gets softer it's like a big jump. The lyrics to MR, however, seems to be talking about the viewpoint of Michelle's character, so don't know if it's a good representative of the whole serie though.

I saw the first four clips of MR, and I am surprised to see a fight scene with Tavia and Susanna. It's a very different character for Tavia, at least so far I've seen of her series, and I can't wait to see more of her, Susanna, and Michelle's characters. I'm looking forward to this serie, but man, hope I don't jinx the show. The series I look forward too often don't do well in ratings. Boo! lol

TVB Canteen

Ever wonder where people who work at TVB have lunch at? Well watch Patrick's little tour of the TVB cafeteria. It actually looks pretty spacious and nice! The food looks tasty but kind of oily lol. I want to try the TVB milk tea! I love milk tea - the HK style kind! I want a tour of TVB haha!

TVB Canteen from parkn123 on Youtube

The Carpenters-Yesterday Once More

The Carpenters-Yesterday Once More Lyrics
Lyrics Found here

When I was young
I’d listened to the radio
Waitin’ for my favorite songs
Waiting they played I’d sing along
It made me smile

Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they’d gone
But they’re back again
Just like a long lost friend

All the songs I loved so well
(*) every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Still shines

Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they’re starting to sing’s
So fine

When they get to the part
Where he’s breakin’ her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It’s yesterday once more

Lookin’ back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed

It was songs of love that
I would sing to then
And I’d memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away

Repeat (*)

All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It’s yesterday once more

Repeat (*)


//Tong Tong and OK jai's favorite song in Speech of Silence ^_^

New Layout

After such a LONG time, I finally changed the blog layout! I'm pretty happy with it except I would like to put music, but I am not able to figure that out how yet! If all his good, this is gonna be the layout for a LONG Time from now haha. Any suggestions or comments?

Please take the polls on the left side! One is about the new layout, and the other is a poll on whether Raymond would win Best Actor this year in November! It would definitely be a nice feeling to see Raymond win since I think a majority of us TVB fans watched his career started way back then in ASITP and some fans even earlier before that when he was hosting a programme for TVB8! I guess we will see how he fares in his role in Moonlight Resonance. For now, we can make predictions!

Other than that, hope you enjoy the new layout!

CURRENTLY BEST VIEWED IN MOZILLA FOX, not INTERNET EXPLORER!

No Frankie-Charmaine-Kevin in FH2? - Rumors

Read here: Asian Fanatics : Kevin, Charmaine and Frankie Are Done, Ron, Myolie and Bernice to Join in FH3

//My Thoughts: These are only rumors, but I actually did enjoy the triangle between Charmaine, Kevin, and Frankie. Although the chemistry between both couples wasn't through the roof, nonetheless, I think both couples were decent to watch. They absolutely can not do away with Frankie since Dr.Koo helps solves like half of most investigation cases. To replace him is unthinkable! Frankie has also done a great job portraying the role of medical examiner, Sam Koo, and Forensics Heroes just would not work without him.

As for Charmaine & Kevin, I would like to see them in FH3 because I really enjoyed watching them towards the end of FH2 and would like to see how they will fare in FH3. Though if Yoyo gets more screen time, it is probably not necessary for TVB to cast Charmaine again since both are female cops (Madams). Kevin's character as a bomb specialist is actually a profession that I wouldn't mind watching more about. They could focus on more bomb cases (which FH2 should've focused more on) if Kevin is back for FH3.

Myolie, Ron, and Bernice seems like a big addition to the cast. Ron & Bernice would be a fresh and beautiful pairing to look forward too, while Ron and Myolie have some chemistry as a couple. With Ron being mentioned in the above news that he would be a policemen, it makes the article seem more like a rumor instead to me. Since Ron is known for his role in The Academy I, II, and III, why would he be picked to play a cop in FH3 also? I know, it's possible of course, but wouldn't TVB consider the idea that it may be confusing for some viewers to see him as a cop in another serie, not to imagine how they would probably milk another sequel out of the third installment too?

The article also talks about focusing back on Bobby-Yoyo's relationship in FH3, but I think their relationship was actually written very well in FH2. I like how they were strong as a couple, and there were many scenes that show them as a loving couple. I never did like them as a couple in FH1 since they were rushed and seemed more one-sided to me. Also, the ratings weren't too bad for this serie. They weren't through the roof, but I think FH is the 4th highest rating serie of the year so far. I do agree with the article that the cases in FH2 were not very interesting and easy to solve though, so they should definitely focused on that.

What do you think? Keep the cast of FH2 or dump Frank-Charmaine-Kevin for younger blood Myolie-Ron-Bernice?

TVB8 Program will air 7/27

The TVB8 game show episode with both Shirley & Bosco will air on 7/27/08!
*credits to lovebosco.net

Clip about the show with two brief clips of Shirley & Bosco interviewing each other: Sina Video of TVB 8 Game Show Program

Not a very fun clip of them, but it was cute watching them interviewing each other. I wish they would star in another serie as a couple again!

For more on Bosco & Shirley: http://chakkei.blogspot.com/

Francis Ng says TVB Actors & Series gone downhill

Read news here: Asian Fanatics: Francis Ng states TVB Actors & Series have gone downhill

In the news article, it has says that Francis Ng has mentioned that a young female actress used to complain to him during filming of Triumph in the Skies that acting in television series is not about talent, but about connections. It is rumored that this is Myolie Wu. Raymond responded saying that he does not believe Myolie would say that and comments that is is more about grasping the opportunities.

//My thoughts: I give props to Francis for stating his opinion. Like Raymond, I do not think Myolie would say that as she was being heavily promoted during Triumph in the Skies time. Heck, she gets to pair with a veteran on his first come-back serie to TVB! It is more probable that it was Michelle Yip since TVB didn't really promote her after Triumph (she went from female lead to mostly supporting for the series she did before she left TVB) and her inevitable break from TVB makes her the most likely to complain about that situation.

I believe the audience can see that actors & actresses who are favored by the top execs are highly promoted, but that is reality. There are people who make it with connections in every field. It really sucks, but there's nothing that can be done. There's no rule that says you can't play the favoritism card. So I think if the actor or actress have potential and can prove it to the audience, then it doesn't matter if they are heavily promoted. To those who can not prove their potential but are vastly promoted, then they only draw criticisms upon themselves. Thus, they can be over-promoted at one point but gain nothing at the end.

As for the quality of series and actors & actresses' talent going down, I half-agree. Compared with actors & actresses in the 90s and earlier, I do feel that actors & actresses back then had more passion and charisma with acting, and series were more intriguing and addictive. However, it is a different era and while series in the past were more dramatic and characters were more complex and deep, ever since post- SARs, HK audience has been favoring family series moreso than drama.

Is it about TVB not taking the risks? TVB does try to have different plots and be creative here and there, but these series just do not do as well with ratings as compared to the familiar type of family series that HK audience seems to favor. It would be so as to say "throwing away the rice" if TVB does not produce series that are of the HK audience's taste.

And with the acting, with very few series that write complex characters, how would actors & actresses be able to demonstrate their abilities to act different characters, especially when actors & actresses often stay in the comfort zone too?

Anyhow, at the end of the day, TVB's job is to entertain and through complaints or applauses, their series as well as actors & actresses still manages to entertain TVB fans around the world. Until one day when there are no more discussions about their new series, then their series & actors and actresses have truly gone downhill.

On a side note, I have read a rumor that there would be a sequel to Triumph in the Skies. Anyone heard about it??



*Edit: part of the news from 星島日報 2008-07-12 that I have translated:
Credits to lovebosco.net

To expose Siu Sung, Fa Dan's Bad Attitude

Other than talking about TVB dramas' quality, Francis also expressed that he does not understand why TVB holds the TVB Anniversary Awards every year, and feels that this would only divide the Siu Sung and Fa Dans. He and Sandra Ng Kwan Yu both pointed out that TVB's system of promotion is to put them on news headlines, but do not train their acting skills. This is not a good image.

Regarding the repeat of the serie at night, having taken part in the TV series Triumph in the Skies, Francis exposed that during filming back then, there was a Fa Dan, whose acting was very disappointing. There was a phrase that could not be done well, and NG about 30 times. He wanted to comfort her, but she cried and said "Acting in series [do they not] nowadays rely on relationships? Still need acting skills?"

He also commented on one of the four top Siu Sungs during that time [consisting of]: Bosco, Ron, Sammul, and Kenneth. He remembered in one scene, one of the Siu Sungs said the wrong phrase, and Francis wanted to advise him, but the Siu Sung questioned him "What does it have to do with you?". Francis laughingly remarked that back then when he has acted in dramas, he does not dare to go against veterans.


//My thoughts: Interesting....wonder which Siu Sung it was?