Hi! This blog site would be on temporary hiatus starting:
December 1, 2007 - December 15, 2007.
In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you could give some feedback on what you would like to see on future posts when I come back. Thanks!
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Bosco Wong & Shirley Yeung - My Favorite Couple
Over the years watching TVB series, I have many favorite TVB couples, from classic ones to Louis Koo & Jessica and Michael Tao & Kenix Kwok to younger couple pairings of today such as Ron & Leila and Bosco & Tavia. However, I will have to focus on these other couples at a later date. Today, I'll like to focus on the couple that is at the top of my personal favorites as of this year.
Bosco & Shirley was not a very popular TVB couple and is still not a very popular couple nowadays, but they are at the top of my favorite young TVB couple list. Most of their series are either shelved (Au Revoir Shanghai, The Price of Greed) or raved as the Worst series made for that year (Au Revoir Shanghai, Devil's Disciple). And when I first heard they were casted to be in series together like Au Revoir Shanghai and The Price of Greed, I wasn't interested at all. They weren't a couple I cared for then, it was like whatever. However, I guess it was a boring summer day or whatnot, that I somehow watched a Shirley and Bosco fanvideo of them in Devils' Disciple on Youtube with the themesong of The Whitehair Maiden playing. The way the video was made along with the music really captivated my attention. I was thinking, well someone made this nice video of them together, so the story of their relationship in the series must be very, very romantic and good. Well, obviously I was wrong....but I digress, I should continue on with my story. So I decided to watch Devil's Disciple. Not only was Shirley not in the series in the beginning for like the first 9-10 episodes, but Bosco never loved her! I guess the only good thing was that they got married and had a kid in the end, and I deduced that he grew to love her eventually, but man, the scene in which he confronted Bernice about marrying Shirley was heartbreaking. Bosco's eyes were like screaming, "I don't want too, but I have too. I love you (to Bernice) but I have to be responsible." (Good job for Bosco really, but absolutely killed Shirley & Bosco as a couple in there). But anyway, I watched on, hoping that they would maybe have more scenes to show Bosco falling in love with Shirley, but nope, throughout the rest of the serie, it was just like watching him respectfully interacting with a friend. So yeah, eventually they had a good ending, but it wasn't exactly a relationship that's worth rooting for. It was a pity though, because they looked absolutely beautiful as an ancient couple (if you don't look at Bosco's hair in the back) and when Bosco wore white along with Shirley. They look gorgeous together, so it was sad they didn't have a good love story to back them up as a couple. But even though their story sucked, I just had to see whether they have any chemistry in previous series because their chemistry in here was pretty much close to non-existent although they look beautiful together. So I watched Au Revoir Shanghai.
Now in Au Revoir Shanghai, their story together isn't too bad except Shirley's character liked Power Chan's character for like 3/4 of the whole series, while Bosco was just having a crush on her. They had very few interactions as a couple, but more as just friends most of the time, but nonetheless they had some cute scenes together. So there is hope! In this one, they had a happy ending, but I was not happy about their development as a couple. It was so sudden how she liked Power Chan for such a long time, and then liked Bosco. It just seems like Shirley liked Bosco just because he got hurt and sacrificed a lot. It's like she switched roles with him in Devils' Disciple haha. But nonetheless, I do think they both liked each other a lot towards the end. Horrible haircuts though, but my conclusion afterwards was that, there's hope because they were cute as a couple. Then, I moved onto The Price of Greed.
I really didn't expect that much from The Price of Greed, but this serie pretty much sealed the deal for me actually. It wasn't that their love relationship was written that great. It was actually pretty much one-sided since Bosco treats Shirley as just his sister in the entire serie even though they're not really brothers and sisters with the same blood. Shirley plays a mute girl in this serie, so they had to communicate by sign language and other means. But when they interact in the serie, I find that they do have some chemistry together! Even though their relationship is mostly platonic throughout the serie, the way he hugs her or touches her face, or how she looks at him are all very simple gestures, but yet they seem so comfortable and nice together, like they understand each other very well when they are alone. I think it can be very, very romantic how there's no conversation and the couple is relaxed and comfortable with each other...off in their own world. Their chemistry isn't the type that is explosive, but it's somewhat like a baby fire slowly burning. It's not as strong yet, but it's definitely there so I think if they were given another opportunity with a better storyline to work with, they just might be the next popular admired couple at TVB.
I have watched Find the Light years ago, but Shirley and Bosco do not end up together. I kind of want to watch again just to see if they have any nice scenes together, but then I remember I loved Bosco and Tavia in that serie (in which I thought BoTa was a very promising couple), So yes, I have faith in my Bosco and Shirley, one day, hopefully they will make heads turn!
However, it's interesting to note, other than Find the Light, in all 3 series, Au Revoir, Price of Greed, and Devils' Disciple, Bosco and Shirley had a younger counterpart story. In Au Revoir, they were little kids playing with the radio....in Price of Greed, they grew up together.....in Devils' Disciple, I believe there was a scene in which Bosco’s younger version helped saved her or calmed her. And plus, all four series they acted in together were ancient! I thought that was pretty interesting. I would like to see them in a modern serie. Despite being two years older than Bosco in reality, Shirley actually looks the same age or younger than him so it should be ok.
Perhaps I'm being too optimistic with this couple, but I do hope that maybe they would prove me right in the not too distant future. But even if not, I enjoyed their scenes together as a couple in past series, and they did play an initial part in pushing my drive to update this blog.
Well if you have time, please visit my other fan blog specifically for Bosco & Shirley: http://chakkei.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Kindred Spirit Moments
Kindred Spirit is re-airing again, and there is this article with Lee See Kei and Nancy Sit’s opinion about various moments in TVB Weekly #538 pg. 40-44. I’ll do my best to translate their opinions, but if I get something wrong, please correct me.
///The Most Crying Without End…
Lee See Kei: The moment I remember the most was when my daughter in law, ah Kum (Louisa So) donated her liver to her son, and at the end, she died due to complications. Before she died, the whole family had their farewells with her, and many tears flowed out.
Nancy Sit: After Lap Sung (her son in Kindred Spirit) got out of prison, he felt worthless. So I, being the mom, went to scream at him. Remember that there were about hundred of people around us, and they see us so into the acting, everyone was touched and eyes were teary.
///The Most Nerve-Wrecking….
Lee See Kei: Tzi Ho (Yung Yee’s son) chased the rich girl May May, and finding out that she’s not the Duke’s daughter, he left her. Afterwards, he even kidnapped Lui Fong’s character, pushing him into the ocean. This plot was at its highest peak.
Nancy Sit: When May May (Ma Tai Lo) was preparing to jump off the building moment, we were on a resident’s building filming the entire evening, and when May May attempts a dangerous action, we were so into the filming that we got a complaint against us for disturbing people sleeping.
///The Most Funniest….
Lee See Kei:May May and Law Sung Moon (Michael Tse) were bickering opposites, but later on became a couple. They were always acting mischeviously, at times also acting in ancient costumes. It was very funny.
Nancy Sit: Kindred Spirit has a lot of dinner scenes, but after filming for a while, the food gets cold. And we would like to pick these food items and put them onto this actor or that actor’s bowl, so their bowl would be filled up, and they don’t know whether to eat or not. The audience does not realize it when watching on tv, but we would laugh so much.
///The Most Romantic….
Lee See Kei: Ah hoi (Ben Wong), Choi Yui (Angie Cheung), and Seung Seung (Law Lam?)’s relationship was very touching. The story says Seung Seung gave up her son and have him replace Choi Yui’s dead child. There was a scene in which Ho Yee (Nancy Sit) and I try to convince her not to do it. After this scene, Nancy and I were crying till our hearts were pained.
Nancy Sit: When “Mow Si” and I were dating, we were wearing matching couple outfits, and going up to the mountaintop, beach, couple’s hotspot having a good time. At that time, there were very few middle age couples dating, so “Mow Si” and I were consider an breakthrough.
///The Most Feedback….
Lee See Kei: When ‘Upper class person’ (Sherng Dun Yun) came on the scene, there was a lot of feedback. The audience likes to see how the Upper class person’s in-laws bicker with the Cha Siu Bing’s family. And also May May coining various terms like “Kei Ying”, “Mah Ying”. Going out, there are a lot of people who uses those nicknames.
Nancy Sit: Ah Hoi, Lap Sung, Cha Siu Bing, ah ? in the series were occasionally kidnapped for ransom. Once Siu Man (Winnie Yeung) was held captive by Chi Ho. Everytime there is this plot, a lot of the audience would ask me what the ending would be.
///The Most Representative of Myself…..
Lee See Kei: In Kindred Spirit, with regards to big or small problems, “Sin Yee” plays a part being a moderator, so every acting scene could represent “Sin Yee’s” importance in the family.
Nancy Sit: “How Yi’s” character likes to benefit with small things and is very commanding?, but in the scene visiting Lap Sun in prison, one could see that all she is doing is for her son, having a lot of true kindred feelings within her.
I’m not quite sure what the last one on the magazine is about, so I’m going to skip it. Now for my thoughts on Kindred Spirit. Kindred Spirit is definitely one of TVB classic serie. When I was young, it was a must-watch drama for the family on cable. I think it's the only serie which was actually pretty up to date compared to other series (somehow the series we watch on cable were always two years behind). I think ah Hoi and ah Kwai’s relationship was very romantic and also quite funny. Even when there was a third party, I still supported them as a couple. I’m glad to see they have a good ending together. As for the most memorable, I remember they enacted a stage show with Nicholas Tse as ah Hoi and Seung Seung’s son. Nic’s supposedly really good at making BBQ pork I think, and he was angry at ah Hoi for not being with his mom. I thought that was very pretty interesting since I quite like Nic when he was young.
I pretty much love watching everyone in the Lee Family....from ah fook, to the twins (Kenix & Florence), to the youngest son (Hawick)...but I think my favorite characters had to be ah Hoi (Ben Wong) and of course ah kwai (Angie Cheung). Ah Hoi because he was such a dorky, but good and kind hearted guy....and ah kwai for being fun and outgoing. Joyce Tang also may ah Suet very darling to watch....and May May (Celine Ma Tai Lo) was very iconic also. She was truly the first "ugly" actress in a heavy role, in a TVB serie and not the ones that look pretty, turned ugly type. However, I think she's not that horrible looking, just a little different.
Kindred Spirit is a great family drama. It teaches us to love and care for our families despite having to grow up or go through rough times. I'm glad that TVB made this serie or else I wouldn't have such a wonderful serie to grow up with while growing up as an ABC.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
TVB Series and Asian Popular Culture...
In general, I’m a pretty loyal viewer when it comes to TVB. I rarely touch series from Taiwan, China, Korea, Japan etc. However, I was just thinking about popular series that were such a huge hit in the Asian hemisphere (or at least a huge part of it), and I couldn’t think of any from TVB that reached that status. And by status, I’m judging that the serie was so popular that it played a part in helping propelled its stars from essentially nobodies to immense IDOL popularity and maintained popularity for years in the Asian hemisphere and other Asian communities in the West as well. So which series have been able to do that?
China/Taiwan- Huan Ze Ge Ge aka The Princess Pearl I
Idols: Vicki Zhao, Alec Su, Ruby Lin
These three were huge after Hzgg I, especially Vicki for her portrayal of ‘Little Swallow’. It’s like “who doesn’t know ‘Little Swallow and Wu ah ge”? I know Vicki was from China, and Alec & Ruby were from Taiwan, so perhaps this collaboration and the plot was fresh for many people, and their characters were very well liked. Then there were rumors between Alec-Vicki and Alec-Ruby, and who doesn’t remember the massive Vicki vs Ruby debates. I know, because I participated in some anti-Ruby postings myself! In some ways, I don’t even remember why I loved this serie so much when I saw it. All I remember is that Vicki was very funny and cute as “Little Swallow”, and I love watching her with the emperor and the fifth prince (Wu ah ge). I actually didn’t watch this serie until several years after it first aired, but it was still popular after I watched. This serie was my first serie from China. These three were also so popular that they were invited to act together again in The Princess Pearl II/HZZG 2, and years later in Romance in the Rain.
Taiwan: Meteor Garden
Idols: F4 (Jerry, Vic, Vanness, Ken), Barbie Hsu
I think if you’re Asian, somewhere somehow you’re heard of F4 and Meteor Garden. They were so huge in the Asian community that it’s not even funny. They were huge anywhere with an Asian population actually. People have watched this serie not only once, but probably twice or more. It’s like Titanic, only it’s a serie and it consists of Taiwanese people. Like many, it was my first Taiwanese serie and introduced me to the world of Taiwanese idol series. So what the heck made me and so many others love it so much that it got soooo HUGE? Is it the hairs? Is it the themesong sang by Harlem? Is it because it’s named after Meteors? lol….I don’t know, all I can say is that I loved it a lot years ago, and every time I heard Qing Fei De Yi, I will remember it fondly lol. So I’m placing my bets heavily on the story (which was based on a Japanese manga “Hana Yori Dango” which was very popular for manga fans I believe), good songs, and somewhat good-looking, yet unique guys (I mean face it, without their hair styles, they wouldn’t make F4 that iconic) lol.
Korea: Full House; Jewel in the Palace/ Dae Jang Geum
Idols: Rain aka Bi/ Jung Ji-Hoon; Lee Young-ae
Now, I’m not a fan of Korean series, but to have heard of these names everywhere even though I’m not a fan does say something. With Rain, I’m not sure whether he was popular before Full House, but thank goodness for Wikipedia, it tells me that he actually released an album and starred in another serie before Full House, but Full House was the serie that led him to be recognized in Asia (and also Asian communities on the western hemisphere I suppose).
Now for Jewel in the Palace, I don’t know what the hype is for this one, but reading wikipedia, the series is quite huge (look under Commercial Success section)….even more huge than Full House. I mean I should’ve known anyway, it’s no wonder when I go to Korean restaurants, I’ll see the main actresses’ poster hanging up! Anyway, from wikipedia, this serie is credited to be one of the factors of the Korean wave spreading around East Asia. How’s that for huge?
As for me, my first Korean Series was All About Eve, of which I thought was actually quite good. However, it never led me to watch other Korean series though.
TVB/Hong Kong Series: ??
Idols: ??
Now lets look at TVB and Hong Kong series. To my realization, as of now, I’m having trouble thinking up of series that made such a huge impact compared with those mentioned above. Perhaps War & Beauty? Well it had a good script, and it was a beautiful series, but did it make such a huge impact? Triumph in the Skies? Yea, it propelled S4 to insta stardom in HK, but what about other Asian places? How about Duke of Mount Deer 2000? Or how about older series like The Bund...did it have that huge of an impact?
This boggles my mind, so I want to make a thread on it in AF later, so maybe I would get some insight and opinions from fellow TVB fans there.
Wikipedia Links:
Wiki: Full House
Wiki: Rain
Wiki: Meteor_Garden
Jewel in the Palace
HZZG sites where pictures are found:
http://public.fotki.com/biogirl/c2tv_drama/hzgg_captures/page2.html
http://groups.msn.com/HuanZhuGeGeForever/shoebox.msnw
China/Taiwan- Huan Ze Ge Ge aka The Princess Pearl I
Idols: Vicki Zhao, Alec Su, Ruby Lin
These three were huge after Hzgg I, especially Vicki for her portrayal of ‘Little Swallow’. It’s like “who doesn’t know ‘Little Swallow and Wu ah ge”? I know Vicki was from China, and Alec & Ruby were from Taiwan, so perhaps this collaboration and the plot was fresh for many people, and their characters were very well liked. Then there were rumors between Alec-Vicki and Alec-Ruby, and who doesn’t remember the massive Vicki vs Ruby debates. I know, because I participated in some anti-Ruby postings myself! In some ways, I don’t even remember why I loved this serie so much when I saw it. All I remember is that Vicki was very funny and cute as “Little Swallow”, and I love watching her with the emperor and the fifth prince (Wu ah ge). I actually didn’t watch this serie until several years after it first aired, but it was still popular after I watched. This serie was my first serie from China. These three were also so popular that they were invited to act together again in The Princess Pearl II/HZZG 2, and years later in Romance in the Rain.
Taiwan: Meteor Garden
Idols: F4 (Jerry, Vic, Vanness, Ken), Barbie Hsu
I think if you’re Asian, somewhere somehow you’re heard of F4 and Meteor Garden. They were so huge in the Asian community that it’s not even funny. They were huge anywhere with an Asian population actually. People have watched this serie not only once, but probably twice or more. It’s like Titanic, only it’s a serie and it consists of Taiwanese people. Like many, it was my first Taiwanese serie and introduced me to the world of Taiwanese idol series. So what the heck made me and so many others love it so much that it got soooo HUGE? Is it the hairs? Is it the themesong sang by Harlem? Is it because it’s named after Meteors? lol….I don’t know, all I can say is that I loved it a lot years ago, and every time I heard Qing Fei De Yi, I will remember it fondly lol. So I’m placing my bets heavily on the story (which was based on a Japanese manga “Hana Yori Dango” which was very popular for manga fans I believe), good songs, and somewhat good-looking, yet unique guys (I mean face it, without their hair styles, they wouldn’t make F4 that iconic) lol.
Korea: Full House; Jewel in the Palace/ Dae Jang Geum
Idols: Rain aka Bi/ Jung Ji-Hoon; Lee Young-ae
Now, I’m not a fan of Korean series, but to have heard of these names everywhere even though I’m not a fan does say something. With Rain, I’m not sure whether he was popular before Full House, but thank goodness for Wikipedia, it tells me that he actually released an album and starred in another serie before Full House, but Full House was the serie that led him to be recognized in Asia (and also Asian communities on the western hemisphere I suppose).
Now for Jewel in the Palace, I don’t know what the hype is for this one, but reading wikipedia, the series is quite huge (look under Commercial Success section)….even more huge than Full House. I mean I should’ve known anyway, it’s no wonder when I go to Korean restaurants, I’ll see the main actresses’ poster hanging up! Anyway, from wikipedia, this serie is credited to be one of the factors of the Korean wave spreading around East Asia. How’s that for huge?
As for me, my first Korean Series was All About Eve, of which I thought was actually quite good. However, it never led me to watch other Korean series though.
TVB/Hong Kong Series: ??
Idols: ??
Now lets look at TVB and Hong Kong series. To my realization, as of now, I’m having trouble thinking up of series that made such a huge impact compared with those mentioned above. Perhaps War & Beauty? Well it had a good script, and it was a beautiful series, but did it make such a huge impact? Triumph in the Skies? Yea, it propelled S4 to insta stardom in HK, but what about other Asian places? How about Duke of Mount Deer 2000? Or how about older series like The Bund...did it have that huge of an impact?
This boggles my mind, so I want to make a thread on it in AF later, so maybe I would get some insight and opinions from fellow TVB fans there.
Wikipedia Links:
Wiki: Full House
Wiki: Rain
Wiki: Meteor_Garden
Jewel in the Palace
HZZG sites where pictures are found:
http://public.fotki.com/biogirl/c2tv_drama/hzgg_captures/page2.html
http://groups.msn.com/HuanZhuGeGeForever/shoebox.msnw
Friday, November 23, 2007
Anniversary Gala 2007
Disappointed but ok, lah...is how I would used to describe this anniversary’s gala. I was hoping it would focused more on series and characters like it was rumored to, but it did not. So rather type out a long posts of complaints, I’ll just focus on the parts I enjoy…
The first performance was Michael Tse and other artistes dancing. Michael Tse gave a great performance, and I thought the other artistes did too. Shirley did mess up during one part with Michael Tse, but in general, I thought everyone did a good job and every one looked good dancing. I liked this performance until they did that wave, which I thought was kind of unnecessary and cheesy.
I also like the part where various artistes were putting grapes into their mouth. Why? Not because I actually like the game, but because my favorite couple is on there lol. The only two people I was focused on were Bosco and Shirley, since they’re my favorite TVB couple now, and I was so surprised to see them together lol.
The wax museum segment was funny, but I prefer last year’s. They had War & Beauty in this sketch again, but it was just different with Gigi and Moses….and their clothing is below par compared to the ones they wore in the past. If you gotta do WAB, at least keep it to standards with the costume. And then they moved on bullying Bosco and Myolie, and Michael hit Bosco on the head with the fake bottle, and Myolie hit Michael Mui back with her fake bottle. I don’t know about Bosco, but Myolie sure seems to have feelings for him! And really, I think Bosco and Myolie were cute during War of In Laws, but now...I think their constant rumors/news are annoying...but that’s for another post.
And I like the part when Harlem sang, especially 情非得已 (Qing Fei De Yi), which always brings back memories of Meteor Garden for me. Other than that song, I never heard him sing other songs, but he really has a nice singing voice/vocals. Perhaps he should sing some sub-themesongs for TVB?
The last game/segment was pretty funny when Eric and Kong Chi Li were revealing the cards. Towards the end, Eric was so happy when he thought he won but it turns out it was Kate, and he got pissed over it lol. And I haven’t see Kong Chi Li in a long time…has she been acting in any series? I like her more than Natalie Tong, but Natalie is getting more promoted now.Nonetheless, I was hoping they would make a comedy skit of HOG, DOL, or DB….or perhaps put all three in one skit. It would be interesting to see “Duk Duk Dei” (HOG) converse with “Wah Man Sek” (DOL) about abalone and cars, while “ah Fu and ah mei” (DB) comes in talking about casinos and whatnot lol. Next year, I think they’re gonna do more active games/performances with regards to the Olympics, but I do hope they try more funnier and creative skits.
********************************************
Other than the Mandarin version of Qing Fei De Yi, there is a Korean version. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise since Meteor Garden was such a hit with Asian communities.
You Tube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i62ikEagtWQ&feature=related
-Link to DL (by mphungi): http://www.megaupload.com/?d=EA4V41K5
It’s not bad….but of course I still prefer the original by Harlem.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Thoughts on Sale Presentation 2007
TVB sale presentations are available here at these sites:
http://virtuesofharmony.net/blog/?p=302
http://passthehorizon.blogspot.com/2007/11/download-and-youtube-tvb-anniversary.html
For more more info on series in the sales presentations booklet, visit here:
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=467627&st=0
*These are my some of my thoughts on the ones that are shown in the actual sales presentation video.
///////Favorites:
珠光寶氣- The Gem of Life
The sales presentation for this serie looks very glamorous, elite, and engaging. It looks like it would give off a "Triumph in the Skies" feel with the locations they're setting to film in. The scenes with Ada, Maggie, and Gigi together looks very touching, and I'm looking forward to watching their scenes together. I'm not a big fan of Maggie's, but hopefully this serie would change my opinion of her. Other than the girls, the scenes of the guys are filled with adrenaline and anger. And yup, it looks like this serie is going to be filled with passionate sex. It's all good until I see 80 episodes...then it freaks me out a little, but oh Gem of Life, please don't disappoint TVB Fans!!
與敵同行 - “Walking With the Enemy”
This one is very promising in my opinion. Whoever did the clip really did a good job because it captured my interest with the scenes fading out and in. It reminds me of older TVB series that focused on the protagonist and antagonist. Actually, when I first watched the clips, The Challenge of Life and Looking Back in Anger jotted into my memory. Roger wasn't a hardcore villain in Instinct, but in here, it looks like he would be one. I'm looking forward to seeing if he lives up to this challenge. Good to see Yoyo too. Roger-Yoyo would be a fresh pairing. However, I'm a bit iffy that the HK audience would complain that it is going to be violent (I'm guessing Roger would be doing a bit of killing-mayhem). Hopefully it would do well and Roger or Kevin can reclaim Best Actor next year and bring back the glory of past TVB series!
疑情別戀 - “Suspicious Heart”
This one looks very intriguing, and I was surprised to watch this because TVB hasn't touch horror series in a long time. The last attempt was a presentation done by Louis and Jessica, and that idea was scrapped.....or maybe it wasn't and this one was the evolution of that one lol. Anyhoo, it looks good...but I'll be very, very surprise if the serie is going to be like the sales presentation. It looks good as a preview or even a movie, but to stretch the plot to 20 or 30 episodes, that's stretching it. Hopefully this one won't upset. Anita Yuen looks so pretty!
///////Semi-Interesting
盜亦有道 - “Thieves Also Have Principles”
I'm not too interested in this one, but more interested in seeing Joe and Damian work together again. Idy and Damian seems like an interesting couple, but I'm worry her acting is going to be stiff since it's her first serie back at TVB.
當狗愛上貓 - “When a Dog Loves a Cat”
This one is cuter than I imagined when I first heard of it. It's very cute with the dogs and cats. And gosh, Bernice looks gorgeous with Gallen (even though I think she's probably just guest star)! I would freak out if it were Linda with Gallen, but Bernice-Gallen is very pleasant to the eyes.
胡雪岩的廚娘 - “Hu Xue Yan’s Lady Chef”
I can't say this one is too intriguing, but I think this one is going to be filled with various lessons/quotes that would be interesting to watch. And it's a Bobby show, it must be somewhat decent.
烈火雄心III- Burning Flame III
Not too interested, but am interested in the male casts since there's a lot of good actors in the serie. As for female cast, there is only scenes of Astrid Chan (and I think Anne Heung is in this one too), which are cool, since I like them both. I just hope, maybe Shirley Yeung could fit her schedule in here and maybe pair up with Bosco or Timmy Hung? haha
李克用與十三太保 - “Li Hak Yung and the Thirteen Protectors”
As for this one, it looks so promising on paper, but with all the flying equipment and cgi in the clip, I thought that it looked waaaay too unbelievable? sci-fi? Was it this way with the original one? I mean, I'm still interested in the storyline but the fighting scenes kind of scare me.
溏心風暴之家好月圓 -"Heart of Greed 2"
This one doesn't appeal to me as much as the HOG sales presentation for last year. Man, is Lee See Kei preachy or what? It look like Susanna was rolling her eyes when she was talking to her lol. I think Michelle Yim's gonna be really good as the villain, and that's the only convincing factor to tune in, and she was awesome in the clip also.
///////One that I'm looking forward to not in the video clips...
銀樓金粉-Silver Mansion Golden Dust
This one seems interesting since it's supposely a different role for Nancy Sit, and there are a lot of good veterans on board. The name is not very appealing to me, and as much as I like Shirley, most of her series don't do really well though (save for Brink of law) so for me, this one has 50-50 for being good.
http://virtuesofharmony.net/blog/?p=302
http://passthehorizon.blogspot.com/2007/11/download-and-youtube-tvb-anniversary.html
For more more info on series in the sales presentations booklet, visit here:
http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=467627&st=0
*These are my some of my thoughts on the ones that are shown in the actual sales presentation video.
///////Favorites:
珠光寶氣- The Gem of Life
The sales presentation for this serie looks very glamorous, elite, and engaging. It looks like it would give off a "Triumph in the Skies" feel with the locations they're setting to film in. The scenes with Ada, Maggie, and Gigi together looks very touching, and I'm looking forward to watching their scenes together. I'm not a big fan of Maggie's, but hopefully this serie would change my opinion of her. Other than the girls, the scenes of the guys are filled with adrenaline and anger. And yup, it looks like this serie is going to be filled with passionate sex. It's all good until I see 80 episodes...then it freaks me out a little, but oh Gem of Life, please don't disappoint TVB Fans!!
與敵同行 - “Walking With the Enemy”
This one is very promising in my opinion. Whoever did the clip really did a good job because it captured my interest with the scenes fading out and in. It reminds me of older TVB series that focused on the protagonist and antagonist. Actually, when I first watched the clips, The Challenge of Life and Looking Back in Anger jotted into my memory. Roger wasn't a hardcore villain in Instinct, but in here, it looks like he would be one. I'm looking forward to seeing if he lives up to this challenge. Good to see Yoyo too. Roger-Yoyo would be a fresh pairing. However, I'm a bit iffy that the HK audience would complain that it is going to be violent (I'm guessing Roger would be doing a bit of killing-mayhem). Hopefully it would do well and Roger or Kevin can reclaim Best Actor next year and bring back the glory of past TVB series!
疑情別戀 - “Suspicious Heart”
This one looks very intriguing, and I was surprised to watch this because TVB hasn't touch horror series in a long time. The last attempt was a presentation done by Louis and Jessica, and that idea was scrapped.....or maybe it wasn't and this one was the evolution of that one lol. Anyhoo, it looks good...but I'll be very, very surprise if the serie is going to be like the sales presentation. It looks good as a preview or even a movie, but to stretch the plot to 20 or 30 episodes, that's stretching it. Hopefully this one won't upset. Anita Yuen looks so pretty!
///////Semi-Interesting
盜亦有道 - “Thieves Also Have Principles”
I'm not too interested in this one, but more interested in seeing Joe and Damian work together again. Idy and Damian seems like an interesting couple, but I'm worry her acting is going to be stiff since it's her first serie back at TVB.
當狗愛上貓 - “When a Dog Loves a Cat”
This one is cuter than I imagined when I first heard of it. It's very cute with the dogs and cats. And gosh, Bernice looks gorgeous with Gallen (even though I think she's probably just guest star)! I would freak out if it were Linda with Gallen, but Bernice-Gallen is very pleasant to the eyes.
胡雪岩的廚娘 - “Hu Xue Yan’s Lady Chef”
I can't say this one is too intriguing, but I think this one is going to be filled with various lessons/quotes that would be interesting to watch. And it's a Bobby show, it must be somewhat decent.
烈火雄心III- Burning Flame III
Not too interested, but am interested in the male casts since there's a lot of good actors in the serie. As for female cast, there is only scenes of Astrid Chan (and I think Anne Heung is in this one too), which are cool, since I like them both. I just hope, maybe Shirley Yeung could fit her schedule in here and maybe pair up with Bosco or Timmy Hung? haha
李克用與十三太保 - “Li Hak Yung and the Thirteen Protectors”
As for this one, it looks so promising on paper, but with all the flying equipment and cgi in the clip, I thought that it looked waaaay too unbelievable? sci-fi? Was it this way with the original one? I mean, I'm still interested in the storyline but the fighting scenes kind of scare me.
溏心風暴之家好月圓 -"Heart of Greed 2"
This one doesn't appeal to me as much as the HOG sales presentation for last year. Man, is Lee See Kei preachy or what? It look like Susanna was rolling her eyes when she was talking to her lol. I think Michelle Yim's gonna be really good as the villain, and that's the only convincing factor to tune in, and she was awesome in the clip also.
///////One that I'm looking forward to not in the video clips...
銀樓金粉-Silver Mansion Golden Dust
This one seems interesting since it's supposely a different role for Nancy Sit, and there are a lot of good veterans on board. The name is not very appealing to me, and as much as I like Shirley, most of her series don't do really well though (save for Brink of law) so for me, this one has 50-50 for being good.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Star Poker Poll
I came across this poll from visiting Louis and Jessica forum here: Star Poker Poll
It’s a poll run by that site to vote for favorite TVB artists, and then the winners would be rank according to cards. I think it’s very cute. Take a look at all those artists! Their contribution to TVB really is part of TVB’s success today.
Results should be up on the 21st...so I would update if I remember.
It’s a poll run by that site to vote for favorite TVB artists, and then the winners would be rank according to cards. I think it’s very cute. Take a look at all those artists! Their contribution to TVB really is part of TVB’s success today.
Results should be up on the 21st...so I would update if I remember.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
TVB Anniversary Awards Show 2007 Thoughts
It’s been coined “The Emmys of the East”, the media has been saying, but could it truly be recognized as the Emmys if TVB is the only one station receiving the awards, being also the one who is giving them to itself? I’m not an avid watcher of the US Emmys for their Soaps or Primetime, but I do know that nominees and winners alike were from variety of stations like ABC, CBS, NBC, etc., and even cable. If TVB really wants their awards show to be credible as “The Emmys of East”, they should really think about nominating people and series from foreign areas and competitors (ATV and cable) alike.
Having said all that, I’m a huge TVB fan so I don’t mind seeing only TVB actors and actresses for two hours. The tradition for the past decade or so has focused on TVB series and its actors and actresses, so for TVB fans, it can only be a joyous occasion to predict and watch who is going to take the awards home, and then rant or talk about it with friends, family, and other TVB fans around the world.
Now for this year, the awards show for me was like surfing a wave. It has its ups and down, but it was clearly better then the first time this “Emmys” style type of ceremony happened in 2005, so I think it would be interesting to recap my thoughts throughout the program starting at the beginning watching it a second time around(for anyone who cares to read a very LONG post lol).
The Introduction
Well, the beginning was probably the coolest part of the whole show though I think they captured the red carpet aspect the best in 2005, which is a snoozefest in itself, but the way the stars appear was done very, very nicely. In this one, it’s still awesome to see the actors and actresses strutting down the red carpet, but it’s just….I can’t explain, not as glamorous and elegant compared to the past two years? Or perhaps it’s the high ratio of females accompanying males? We’ve got Moses walking with both Sheren Tang and Myolie, Raymond walking with both Fala and Linda, Bobby with 3 ladies: Yoyo, Tavia, and Shirley, and Steven Ma with also 3 ladies: Toby Leung, Sharon Chan, and Sonijia Kwok. But you see there are quite a few males who arrived solo (noticing Wong Hei, Ron, Stephen Huynh, etc), so why not have them accompany one of those ladies? It’s alright to see a guy with two gals, but having to accompany three, that’s like a crowd. Perhaps I’m old fashion, but I like seeing pairs of couples walking down the red carpet. It’s part of the “wow-factor” along with the fashion, hair, and jewelry (but these latter things are expected). It’s actually who you walk down the red carpet with that is most captivating to gossip about but considering TVB probably arranged who gets to be seen with who, and they can’t pick whom to appear along with, I’ll have to say at least pair them up as couples from series….it would give fans something to be in awe of.
Then we have Eason singing. The song was alright, but is it really fitting for the event? It’s about the only thing that is upbeat in the whole show though, but the lyrics and the event don’t really correlate. Then we have people appearing down the catwalk. Not surprisingly, we have Liza Wang coming down first, escorted by Bosco, Ron, Kenneth, and Sammul. Why four guys escorting her? I don’t know. I’m thinking these four are probably going to film a lot of serie in the upcoming year. Anyhoo, then we have in order, Charmaine and Kevin, Gigi and Roger, Moses and Bernice, Bobby & Yoyo (looking gorgeous), Heart of Greed’s Lee See Kei, Ha Yu, and Susanna Kwan, Raymond and Myolie (finally a young TVB couple!), Steven Ma and Sonijia (whom I think is a very nice pairing although they had some fallout in the past), Wong Hei and Shirley Yeung (weird pairing right? it’s kind of funny when Amigo has to give a reason saying it’s important that they have audience fate), Kiki Shor tin ngor, Michael Tse, and Sheren Teng, Wayne Lai & Kate Tsui (her makeup is very, very icky…I couldn’t even recognize her!), Michelle Yim & Louis Yuen (whom are quite matching as a couple), Tavia Yeung, Linda Chung, Sharon Chan together (whom are all very beautiful), Harlem, Patrick and I love you Boyz (which is a name I wouldn’t be caught dead in a public ceremony with, and especially in “The Emmys of the East”!). Then the list got on a little too fast with a whole bunch of newcomers, so I’ll just stop there. Eason sings again, this time a song with lyrics which fit the ceremony (I’m guessing it’s not part of the real song right?), so that concludes Introduction.
The Middle
Ok, so that’s good and done with…lets get to the awards! The first presenter is Sin To Lai, a lady whom I’ve seen around in some tvb series in the past….but I don’t know anything else about her. Anyway, I just thought it was kind of crazy of her to yell go, go, go several times to roll the film. Foodie Two Shoes won, which is expected. Glad to see Patrick Tang and Harlem Yu get their award, thank the people they thank. But get this, they did not thank TVB if I’m not wrong. Just keep this in mind as I continue.
The second and third award presenters were Patrick Tse and Deborah Lai (Nicholas Tse’s parents), and they were to present the Most Improved Artistes (but many would think Actors/Actresses award, and rightfully so since this awards show is mainly all about the acting). These two presenters were pretty hilarious, and Dodo came to joke with them too. It was interesting to note that Deborah was making a comment about those who spreading the wings to fly away….is this a warning for TVB’s young siu sungs eh? Anyhoo…Amigo Chui won. Never seen him as an actor in a serie, but I’m glad he won because over all if you were not to count the acting, I suppose he did improve as a host over the years. Amigo thanked TVB….then somewhere during that speech….we get a shot to top execs sitting in the auditorium. Moving on….the top 5 finalists for Most Improved Female Artistes were Kate Tsui, Natalie Tong, Fala Chen, Toby Leung, and Bernice Lui. Now, hmm…how did Toby Leung get in there? Eeerily, all these actresses are the ones TVB are currently promoting quite heavily. This award, in my opinion, just never gets it right ever since Niki’s win in 2005, so if there was an award for “Plagued with the most unfair winners given by TVB since 2005”, this just might be it. However, Kate Tsui isn’t too bad of a choice compared with Toby Leung and Natalie Tong. I’ve always think Kate Tsui has some potential as an actress despite her voice/accent being very “unique” (it’s funny Patrick Tse had to correct her on saying “I” in Cantonese), and I like her attitude…very direct but still I can’t say it’s really her time to win Most Improved though. Personally, I was rooting for Bernice, but since Kate got it this time, Bernice needs to work harder next year. Gotta say, it’s going to be very touching when she finally does get it…that is if TVB ever gives it to her.
Next presenter is the big guy (Mr Cheng?) and the little kid. I’ve seen Mr. Cheng in a lot of movies, but can’t recall any the movie names. Anyhoo…they present the Best Supporting Actors and Actresses’ spot. Leila Tong, Florence Kwok, Gigi Wong, Mary hon, and Fala Chen were the top 5 finalists. Leila Tong and Gigi Wong weren’t there at all. It’s disappointing Leila didn’t show up, but why show up if you have to sit for two hours and only get onscreen for like 5 seconds…and you know your chance isn’t going to be high either. Fala won….it was expected since she’s so heavily favored by TVB, but yet I think Leila Tong, Florence Kwok and Mary Hon are all more deserving of the award. Fala thanked the “company” (didn’t say TVB directly, but “company” is known as TVB)…..I think twice….and of course they have a shot to top execs sitting at the auditorium again. I like her speech mentioning Lee See Kei about how doing a good job as an artist is what they are suppose to do though. Then, we have best supporting with top 5 finalists Chun Pui, Benz Hui, Wong Jo Lam??, Louis Yuen, and Ng Wai Kwok. They didn’t air the five windows of the finalists, so I’m wondering if it’s because half of them didn’t show up. I saw Benz Hui and of course Louis Yuen, but what about that Wong Jo Lam guy, did he show up? So Louis Yuen won. Seems like the audience and everyone there were happy for him, lots of people cheering. He took out a long sheet of paper (intended to be a list of thanks) and saying it was Bobby’s. It was cheesy, but yet it was about the only thing funny for quite a while now. It was very humble of him to thank the other 10 nominees, and TVB and high execs….and of course a shot to the execs sitting at the auditorium…get my drift?
I’ll breeze though the next two award. For best creative show, the guy who I guess produces the show thanked the “company” and we get usual shot to the execs. For the most inspirational/appreciative award goes to Sup Nien (Ten Years?), and Sammul was a part of the crew. The award winners got the award and just kind of stood there for a bit. I mean, at least get on with the protocol, thank TVB or the company lol. Quite awkward that Sammul had to say something more.
The next awards are the Mainland Most Favorite Artistes awards. Stephen Chan was the presenter, and he talks about how this award was nicknamed the “pork award” and gave the reasons for this category to be announced at a later time, and it was all good and all until he mentioned that it cost money. I mean, think about it, the award isn’t very worthy if fans have to pay for their award. The announcement of the top 5 finalists didn’t have the windows showing the finalists either. He just announced the winners off the bat.: Gigi Lai and Raymond Lam. Gigi Lai, in my opinion, is not a very eloquent speaker in interviews and such because she often pauses and stutters….but it’s nice to see that her speech this time around is better. She thanked TVB of course, and there was a mini-pause, but it was still nicely said overall. Raymond thanked TVB also and also made note to thank the translators, which is very nice of him. In comparison with Gigi, I always think Raymond is great with how he says things (I suspect in part because he is quite intelligent). And no surprise, there were shots to the execs twice during that session!
On The Road won Best Variety show. The person who represented the show thanked TVB, Stephen Chan, and we get yet another shot of the execs. Sammul’s probably the luckiest of the younger guys with regards to screentime since he got to represent all these variety shows.
Next award….Kevin Cheng and Charmaine and THREE TVBuddies came out and attempt to promote their own shows. It was cute to watch and all, and Dodo cut them off. So this is he only award that Drive of Life got, which is so sad, because it really was an awesome show....The Best Promotional ad. The winners of course made note to thank the “company”.
Heading Towards the End….
Onwards…..Liu Wai Hung was the next presenter for My favorite female character award. This guy has been through bankruptcy and all, so it was nice to see that he’s still very optimistic. The top five finalists include Charmaine, Lee See Ki, Susanna, Linda Chung, and Gigi Lai. I like the way he disclose the awards, building up the atmosphere (saying it’s HOG….then who is it? Big or small…..and that they both want to win) and then revealed it was Susanna, who thanked TVB, Stephen Chan, Miss. Lok with no surprise there, another shot to the execs.
The top 5 finalists for Favorite Male character was Hai Yui, Moses Chan, Raymond Lam, Bobby for Fathers & Son, Dayo Wong. Glad to see Dayo Wong up there! Idy Chan presented the My favorite male character award to Moses. I think her speech was overall very nice, about cause and effects and acting to inspire other people, but it was not very respectful to mention wanting to give the award to Damian Lau just before she presents the award to someone else. And if I was Damian watching, it would be like pouring salt into a wound. Moses won and accepted the award with grace, mentioning it’s a group award, thanked TVB, shot to execs with two upclose ones of Miss. Lok/Miss. Tsang…you know the drill.
Then Dodo went to nominees section and talked to Bobby, Ha Yui, Raymond Lam, Moses, Kevin cheng (who was joking there’s no chance this year since he won last year) putting them in the spot…but overall their responses were nice and somewhat funny, so I enjoyed that part.
The top 3 serie were Dicey Business, Heart of Greed, and Family Link. So again, I was disappointed Drive of Life didn’t get into this spot, but even though it did not get noticed at this awards show, I hope it would get noticed by other awards show because DOL was a great serie….just that the HK audience didn’t appreciate it. So Producer Lau and the whole cast of Heart of Greed went onstage to accept the award. Producer Lau thanked TVB, but guess what….no shot to execs! (Surprised?, me too!). It’s funny they didn’t show the empty seats in the artistes’ section lol….maybe b/c they made up half the artistes at TVB lol. I have not finished Heart of Greed, but I’ve always had this sense that this serie is not in the same caliber in terms of writing and everything like War and Beauty was.
Next comes a favorite part of the show for me…the clips of all the past winners in the past. Yup….the good old days…the way it was before TVB went... on a different route...sigh the nice speeches the winners gave. Now that I think of it, at least Maggie Cheung’s speech seems genuine.
Finally, things are winding down. The wonderful orchestra plays “The Bund” themesong ( which is one of the best parts of the show….the music accompanying the presenters) as Ray Lui comes out to present. His speech was pretty hilarious talking about investment perspective on actresses, and he mentions Sheren Teng and Charmaine (and Dodo was like they’re not new)….and he goes on to mention Myolie (and Dodo says ok, lah), and then he says Gigi Lai (and Dodo was like she’s like around for a while lol). So the top 5 best actress finalists were Charmaine, Jessica, Lee See Kei, Charmaine, and Sheren Teng.
So he announced Lee See Kei, and she walks graciously to the podium stand as everyone stood up for her. Her speech was nice, and she was the only one who mentioned God out of all the winners. She thanked Miss. Tsang, Mo Sin Television (which is just another name for TVB), and by that time….I was already thinking…that’s a pretty long speech already….and then her daughter shows up….and then more minutes were taken up. So I was glad to see her get off the stage already. 
Kathy Chow was the next presenter, and I just love the themesong played when she came out. The serie was the one with Deric Wan, Leon Lai, and Maggie Cheung but I don’t remember the name. Anyhoo she talked about the qualities of being a male lead , and it’s funny because they had a glimpse of Raymond elbowing Ha Yui as she was talking….what’s up with that…does Raymond have a crush on Kathy? Lol And I guess she took too long because Dodo rushed her, and she announced the top 5 finalists which were Bobby, Ha Yui, Moses Chan, Damian Lau, and Raymond Lam.
The award goes to Moses Chan, and he talked about it being a long time, and it’s about having small opportunites, he thanked TVB, Miss. Tsang….shot to exec’s in the audience, Miss. Lok, Stephen Chan….shot to the exec’s seats again……..and I think towards the very end, when Moses was asking who else is there…..and someone yell Bernice’s name (who was that?) ….and he said “you too!” It’s too bad, I was hoping he would go public about Bernice if they do have something together. I don't know whether Moses deserve the award, but I personally do like Moses, so I'm glad to see him win.
Towards the end, they invited Lydia Sum out and gave her the big grand achievement award. It was quite sad for me when I saw her because she was just so skinny. I mean, looking at pass clips, Lydia is known to be big, but she was not even chubby at the awards show. So I can imagine people who’ve known her personally must’ve felt very, very sad seeing her so skinny. Her daughter Yan Yee sang a duet for her, and I must say, it was actually pretty decent.
In Conclusion….
So why was it somewhat like a cult show? If you’ve been reading the above, you would noticed almost everyone and their moms (ok I kid about the mom’s part) thanked TVB directly or indirectly. And what’s up with all those shots of the top execs in their seats? It’s only touching if the actors or actresses have been there awhile, and they finally won an award (like Gallen Lo and Roger Kwok). I guess, it worked well for Louis Yuen and Moses Chan, but the rest, really was that necessary? I think, what’ve been more fun would be to capture shots of people who are actually famous……like maybe a shot of Bernice’s expression when Moses won…….or Selina Li when Patrick Tang won, or even have a friend’s shot of I guess Ron when Raymond won. So all this thanks to TVB and the shots to the execs were extreme to me, I don’t remember it being like that hardcore in the past. Well at least they got rid of that phrase “With the best effort, I’ll do my best,” which sounds cheesy to me.
I wonder if the cast of DOL was pissed off or knew they’re not going to win many awards since so many of the main cast didn’t appear other than Ray, Charmaine, Sheren, Toby, and Ron. There was no Joe Ma, Jessica, Damian, Ng Wai Kwok, Michael Mui, or even Gigi Wong. Other than them, Ada Choi, Dayo Wong, and Leila Tong were also not there.
Now, am I happy with who won? I would say overall, the results were ok though I was disappointed with Most Improved Female Artist and Best Supporting Female….and I’m not very happy with Heart of Greed sweeping all the awards. This past year, TVB had a lot of great series under its belt, Dicey Business, Family Link, Drive of Life, Fathers & Son, Evil Kin, and even Brink of Law was pretty good….but Heart of Greed seemed to hogged all the spotlight, so that was the most disappointing aspect of the show for me. And it was also a shame that there are many artistes who should be credited, but did not get the recognition they so rightfully deserve.
Just two more things to gossip about: In one scene when Amigo was in between the male and female artistes, it looks like Bosco was sneaking a look at Myolie? Anyone saw that? Well it could be that he was just looking that way since they’re placed side by side of each other lol.
And two, themissingpiece brought up a point that there was some seat switching between Tavia and Linda. I didn’t notice it but when I watch the second time, Fala did get seated in the second row and Tavia was placed in the back. So favoritisms at the awards show! Dun Dun Dun! Here is the link to pictures: http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=469669
A nice picture I found of LEE See Kei and Shirley Yeung See Kei from Szeki Forum hugging. It's a pity they didn't get to cooperate together yet. Hopefully they will in the future.
Having said all that, I’m a huge TVB fan so I don’t mind seeing only TVB actors and actresses for two hours. The tradition for the past decade or so has focused on TVB series and its actors and actresses, so for TVB fans, it can only be a joyous occasion to predict and watch who is going to take the awards home, and then rant or talk about it with friends, family, and other TVB fans around the world.
Now for this year, the awards show for me was like surfing a wave. It has its ups and down, but it was clearly better then the first time this “Emmys” style type of ceremony happened in 2005, so I think it would be interesting to recap my thoughts throughout the program starting at the beginning watching it a second time around(for anyone who cares to read a very LONG post lol).
The Introduction
Well, the beginning was probably the coolest part of the whole show though I think they captured the red carpet aspect the best in 2005, which is a snoozefest in itself, but the way the stars appear was done very, very nicely. In this one, it’s still awesome to see the actors and actresses strutting down the red carpet, but it’s just….I can’t explain, not as glamorous and elegant compared to the past two years? Or perhaps it’s the high ratio of females accompanying males? We’ve got Moses walking with both Sheren Tang and Myolie, Raymond walking with both Fala and Linda, Bobby with 3 ladies: Yoyo, Tavia, and Shirley, and Steven Ma with also 3 ladies: Toby Leung, Sharon Chan, and Sonijia Kwok. But you see there are quite a few males who arrived solo (noticing Wong Hei, Ron, Stephen Huynh, etc), so why not have them accompany one of those ladies? It’s alright to see a guy with two gals, but having to accompany three, that’s like a crowd. Perhaps I’m old fashion, but I like seeing pairs of couples walking down the red carpet. It’s part of the “wow-factor” along with the fashion, hair, and jewelry (but these latter things are expected). It’s actually who you walk down the red carpet with that is most captivating to gossip about but considering TVB probably arranged who gets to be seen with who, and they can’t pick whom to appear along with, I’ll have to say at least pair them up as couples from series….it would give fans something to be in awe of.
Then we have Eason singing. The song was alright, but is it really fitting for the event? It’s about the only thing that is upbeat in the whole show though, but the lyrics and the event don’t really correlate. Then we have people appearing down the catwalk. Not surprisingly, we have Liza Wang coming down first, escorted by Bosco, Ron, Kenneth, and Sammul. Why four guys escorting her? I don’t know. I’m thinking these four are probably going to film a lot of serie in the upcoming year. Anyhoo, then we have in order, Charmaine and Kevin, Gigi and Roger, Moses and Bernice, Bobby & Yoyo (looking gorgeous), Heart of Greed’s Lee See Kei, Ha Yu, and Susanna Kwan, Raymond and Myolie (finally a young TVB couple!), Steven Ma and Sonijia (whom I think is a very nice pairing although they had some fallout in the past), Wong Hei and Shirley Yeung (weird pairing right? it’s kind of funny when Amigo has to give a reason saying it’s important that they have audience fate), Kiki Shor tin ngor, Michael Tse, and Sheren Teng, Wayne Lai & Kate Tsui (her makeup is very, very icky…I couldn’t even recognize her!), Michelle Yim & Louis Yuen (whom are quite matching as a couple), Tavia Yeung, Linda Chung, Sharon Chan together (whom are all very beautiful), Harlem, Patrick and I love you Boyz (which is a name I wouldn’t be caught dead in a public ceremony with, and especially in “The Emmys of the East”!). Then the list got on a little too fast with a whole bunch of newcomers, so I’ll just stop there. Eason sings again, this time a song with lyrics which fit the ceremony (I’m guessing it’s not part of the real song right?), so that concludes Introduction. The Middle
Ok, so that’s good and done with…lets get to the awards! The first presenter is Sin To Lai, a lady whom I’ve seen around in some tvb series in the past….but I don’t know anything else about her. Anyway, I just thought it was kind of crazy of her to yell go, go, go several times to roll the film. Foodie Two Shoes won, which is expected. Glad to see Patrick Tang and Harlem Yu get their award, thank the people they thank. But get this, they did not thank TVB if I’m not wrong. Just keep this in mind as I continue.
The second and third award presenters were Patrick Tse and Deborah Lai (Nicholas Tse’s parents), and they were to present the Most Improved Artistes (but many would think Actors/Actresses award, and rightfully so since this awards show is mainly all about the acting). These two presenters were pretty hilarious, and Dodo came to joke with them too. It was interesting to note that Deborah was making a comment about those who spreading the wings to fly away….is this a warning for TVB’s young siu sungs eh? Anyhoo…Amigo Chui won. Never seen him as an actor in a serie, but I’m glad he won because over all if you were not to count the acting, I suppose he did improve as a host over the years. Amigo thanked TVB….then somewhere during that speech….we get a shot to top execs sitting in the auditorium. Moving on….the top 5 finalists for Most Improved Female Artistes were Kate Tsui, Natalie Tong, Fala Chen, Toby Leung, and Bernice Lui. Now, hmm…how did Toby Leung get in there? Eeerily, all these actresses are the ones TVB are currently promoting quite heavily. This award, in my opinion, just never gets it right ever since Niki’s win in 2005, so if there was an award for “Plagued with the most unfair winners given by TVB since 2005”, this just might be it. However, Kate Tsui isn’t too bad of a choice compared with Toby Leung and Natalie Tong. I’ve always think Kate Tsui has some potential as an actress despite her voice/accent being very “unique” (it’s funny Patrick Tse had to correct her on saying “I” in Cantonese), and I like her attitude…very direct but still I can’t say it’s really her time to win Most Improved though. Personally, I was rooting for Bernice, but since Kate got it this time, Bernice needs to work harder next year. Gotta say, it’s going to be very touching when she finally does get it…that is if TVB ever gives it to her. 
Next presenter is the big guy (Mr Cheng?) and the little kid. I’ve seen Mr. Cheng in a lot of movies, but can’t recall any the movie names. Anyhoo…they present the Best Supporting Actors and Actresses’ spot. Leila Tong, Florence Kwok, Gigi Wong, Mary hon, and Fala Chen were the top 5 finalists. Leila Tong and Gigi Wong weren’t there at all. It’s disappointing Leila didn’t show up, but why show up if you have to sit for two hours and only get onscreen for like 5 seconds…and you know your chance isn’t going to be high either. Fala won….it was expected since she’s so heavily favored by TVB, but yet I think Leila Tong, Florence Kwok and Mary Hon are all more deserving of the award. Fala thanked the “company” (didn’t say TVB directly, but “company” is known as TVB)…..I think twice….and of course they have a shot to top execs sitting at the auditorium again. I like her speech mentioning Lee See Kei about how doing a good job as an artist is what they are suppose to do though. Then, we have best supporting with top 5 finalists Chun Pui, Benz Hui, Wong Jo Lam??, Louis Yuen, and Ng Wai Kwok. They didn’t air the five windows of the finalists, so I’m wondering if it’s because half of them didn’t show up. I saw Benz Hui and of course Louis Yuen, but what about that Wong Jo Lam guy, did he show up? So Louis Yuen won. Seems like the audience and everyone there were happy for him, lots of people cheering. He took out a long sheet of paper (intended to be a list of thanks) and saying it was Bobby’s. It was cheesy, but yet it was about the only thing funny for quite a while now. It was very humble of him to thank the other 10 nominees, and TVB and high execs….and of course a shot to the execs sitting at the auditorium…get my drift? I’ll breeze though the next two award. For best creative show, the guy who I guess produces the show thanked the “company” and we get usual shot to the execs. For the most inspirational/appreciative award goes to Sup Nien (Ten Years?), and Sammul was a part of the crew. The award winners got the award and just kind of stood there for a bit. I mean, at least get on with the protocol, thank TVB or the company lol. Quite awkward that Sammul had to say something more.
The next awards are the Mainland Most Favorite Artistes awards. Stephen Chan was the presenter, and he talks about how this award was nicknamed the “pork award” and gave the reasons for this category to be announced at a later time, and it was all good and all until he mentioned that it cost money. I mean, think about it, the award isn’t very worthy if fans have to pay for their award. The announcement of the top 5 finalists didn’t have the windows showing the finalists either. He just announced the winners off the bat.: Gigi Lai and Raymond Lam. Gigi Lai, in my opinion, is not a very eloquent speaker in interviews and such because she often pauses and stutters….but it’s nice to see that her speech this time around is better. She thanked TVB of course, and there was a mini-pause, but it was still nicely said overall. Raymond thanked TVB also and also made note to thank the translators, which is very nice of him. In comparison with Gigi, I always think Raymond is great with how he says things (I suspect in part because he is quite intelligent). And no surprise, there were shots to the execs twice during that session!
On The Road won Best Variety show. The person who represented the show thanked TVB, Stephen Chan, and we get yet another shot of the execs. Sammul’s probably the luckiest of the younger guys with regards to screentime since he got to represent all these variety shows.
Next award….Kevin Cheng and Charmaine and THREE TVBuddies came out and attempt to promote their own shows. It was cute to watch and all, and Dodo cut them off. So this is he only award that Drive of Life got, which is so sad, because it really was an awesome show....The Best Promotional ad. The winners of course made note to thank the “company”.
Heading Towards the End….
Onwards…..Liu Wai Hung was the next presenter for My favorite female character award. This guy has been through bankruptcy and all, so it was nice to see that he’s still very optimistic. The top five finalists include Charmaine, Lee See Ki, Susanna, Linda Chung, and Gigi Lai. I like the way he disclose the awards, building up the atmosphere (saying it’s HOG….then who is it? Big or small…..and that they both want to win) and then revealed it was Susanna, who thanked TVB, Stephen Chan, Miss. Lok with no surprise there, another shot to the execs.
The top 5 finalists for Favorite Male character was Hai Yui, Moses Chan, Raymond Lam, Bobby for Fathers & Son, Dayo Wong. Glad to see Dayo Wong up there! Idy Chan presented the My favorite male character award to Moses. I think her speech was overall very nice, about cause and effects and acting to inspire other people, but it was not very respectful to mention wanting to give the award to Damian Lau just before she presents the award to someone else. And if I was Damian watching, it would be like pouring salt into a wound. Moses won and accepted the award with grace, mentioning it’s a group award, thanked TVB, shot to execs with two upclose ones of Miss. Lok/Miss. Tsang…you know the drill.Then Dodo went to nominees section and talked to Bobby, Ha Yui, Raymond Lam, Moses, Kevin cheng (who was joking there’s no chance this year since he won last year) putting them in the spot…but overall their responses were nice and somewhat funny, so I enjoyed that part.
The top 3 serie were Dicey Business, Heart of Greed, and Family Link. So again, I was disappointed Drive of Life didn’t get into this spot, but even though it did not get noticed at this awards show, I hope it would get noticed by other awards show because DOL was a great serie….just that the HK audience didn’t appreciate it. So Producer Lau and the whole cast of Heart of Greed went onstage to accept the award. Producer Lau thanked TVB, but guess what….no shot to execs! (Surprised?, me too!). It’s funny they didn’t show the empty seats in the artistes’ section lol….maybe b/c they made up half the artistes at TVB lol. I have not finished Heart of Greed, but I’ve always had this sense that this serie is not in the same caliber in terms of writing and everything like War and Beauty was.
Next comes a favorite part of the show for me…the clips of all the past winners in the past. Yup….the good old days…the way it was before TVB went... on a different route...sigh the nice speeches the winners gave. Now that I think of it, at least Maggie Cheung’s speech seems genuine.
Finally, things are winding down. The wonderful orchestra plays “The Bund” themesong ( which is one of the best parts of the show….the music accompanying the presenters) as Ray Lui comes out to present. His speech was pretty hilarious talking about investment perspective on actresses, and he mentions Sheren Teng and Charmaine (and Dodo was like they’re not new)….and he goes on to mention Myolie (and Dodo says ok, lah), and then he says Gigi Lai (and Dodo was like she’s like around for a while lol). So the top 5 best actress finalists were Charmaine, Jessica, Lee See Kei, Charmaine, and Sheren Teng. 
So he announced Lee See Kei, and she walks graciously to the podium stand as everyone stood up for her. Her speech was nice, and she was the only one who mentioned God out of all the winners. She thanked Miss. Tsang, Mo Sin Television (which is just another name for TVB), and by that time….I was already thinking…that’s a pretty long speech already….and then her daughter shows up….and then more minutes were taken up. So I was glad to see her get off the stage already. 
Kathy Chow was the next presenter, and I just love the themesong played when she came out. The serie was the one with Deric Wan, Leon Lai, and Maggie Cheung but I don’t remember the name. Anyhoo she talked about the qualities of being a male lead , and it’s funny because they had a glimpse of Raymond elbowing Ha Yui as she was talking….what’s up with that…does Raymond have a crush on Kathy? Lol And I guess she took too long because Dodo rushed her, and she announced the top 5 finalists which were Bobby, Ha Yui, Moses Chan, Damian Lau, and Raymond Lam.
The award goes to Moses Chan, and he talked about it being a long time, and it’s about having small opportunites, he thanked TVB, Miss. Tsang….shot to exec’s in the audience, Miss. Lok, Stephen Chan….shot to the exec’s seats again……..and I think towards the very end, when Moses was asking who else is there…..and someone yell Bernice’s name (who was that?) ….and he said “you too!” It’s too bad, I was hoping he would go public about Bernice if they do have something together. I don't know whether Moses deserve the award, but I personally do like Moses, so I'm glad to see him win.Towards the end, they invited Lydia Sum out and gave her the big grand achievement award. It was quite sad for me when I saw her because she was just so skinny. I mean, looking at pass clips, Lydia is known to be big, but she was not even chubby at the awards show. So I can imagine people who’ve known her personally must’ve felt very, very sad seeing her so skinny. Her daughter Yan Yee sang a duet for her, and I must say, it was actually pretty decent.
In Conclusion….
So why was it somewhat like a cult show? If you’ve been reading the above, you would noticed almost everyone and their moms (ok I kid about the mom’s part) thanked TVB directly or indirectly. And what’s up with all those shots of the top execs in their seats? It’s only touching if the actors or actresses have been there awhile, and they finally won an award (like Gallen Lo and Roger Kwok). I guess, it worked well for Louis Yuen and Moses Chan, but the rest, really was that necessary? I think, what’ve been more fun would be to capture shots of people who are actually famous……like maybe a shot of Bernice’s expression when Moses won…….or Selina Li when Patrick Tang won, or even have a friend’s shot of I guess Ron when Raymond won. So all this thanks to TVB and the shots to the execs were extreme to me, I don’t remember it being like that hardcore in the past. Well at least they got rid of that phrase “With the best effort, I’ll do my best,” which sounds cheesy to me.
I wonder if the cast of DOL was pissed off or knew they’re not going to win many awards since so many of the main cast didn’t appear other than Ray, Charmaine, Sheren, Toby, and Ron. There was no Joe Ma, Jessica, Damian, Ng Wai Kwok, Michael Mui, or even Gigi Wong. Other than them, Ada Choi, Dayo Wong, and Leila Tong were also not there.
Now, am I happy with who won? I would say overall, the results were ok though I was disappointed with Most Improved Female Artist and Best Supporting Female….and I’m not very happy with Heart of Greed sweeping all the awards. This past year, TVB had a lot of great series under its belt, Dicey Business, Family Link, Drive of Life, Fathers & Son, Evil Kin, and even Brink of Law was pretty good….but Heart of Greed seemed to hogged all the spotlight, so that was the most disappointing aspect of the show for me. And it was also a shame that there are many artistes who should be credited, but did not get the recognition they so rightfully deserve.
Just two more things to gossip about: In one scene when Amigo was in between the male and female artistes, it looks like Bosco was sneaking a look at Myolie? Anyone saw that? Well it could be that he was just looking that way since they’re placed side by side of each other lol.
And two, themissingpiece brought up a point that there was some seat switching between Tavia and Linda. I didn’t notice it but when I watch the second time, Fala did get seated in the second row and Tavia was placed in the back. So favoritisms at the awards show! Dun Dun Dun! Here is the link to pictures: http://asianfanatics.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=469669
A nice picture I found of LEE See Kei and Shirley Yeung See Kei from Szeki Forum hugging. It's a pity they didn't get to cooperate together yet. Hopefully they will in the future.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Top 5 Mainland Favorite TVB Artistes Revealed...
"昨日亦公布「內地觀眾最喜愛TVB男、女藝人」的最後五強，排名不分先後，包括歐陽震華、吳卓羲、陳豪、黃宗澤及林峰；汪明荃、佘詩曼、宣萱、楊思琦及黎姿。各藝員今晚將以CATWALK形式出場。"
Link from: http://www.takungpao.com/news/07/11/17/UL-824522.htm
"Yesterday, the top 5 contenders were revealed for the Mainland Favorite TVB Male, Female Artistes. In no specific order, they include: Bobby Au Yeung, Ron Ng, Moses Chan, Bosco Wong, and Raymond Lam ; Liza Wang, Charmaine Sheh, Jessica Hsuan, Shirley Yeung, and Gigi Lai. The artistes would come out in catwalk style appearance."
*****
Glad to see Ron, Bosco, and Raymond in the top 5. They may not necessarily be in the Top 5 Best Actors spot for TVB yet, but at least they're part of top 5 for this award lol. It's to be expected that Charmaine and Jessica are amongst the top 5 since DOL just showed a while ago. I'm glad to see Shirley, but I don't recall any recent serie she has been in save for Devil's Disciple and Brink of Law....but did these two show in the mainland? Oh well, can't wait to see the show!
Link from: http://www.takungpao.com/news/07/11/17/UL-824522.htm
"Yesterday, the top 5 contenders were revealed for the Mainland Favorite TVB Male, Female Artistes. In no specific order, they include: Bobby Au Yeung, Ron Ng, Moses Chan, Bosco Wong, and Raymond Lam ; Liza Wang, Charmaine Sheh, Jessica Hsuan, Shirley Yeung, and Gigi Lai. The artistes would come out in catwalk style appearance."
*****
Glad to see Ron, Bosco, and Raymond in the top 5. They may not necessarily be in the Top 5 Best Actors spot for TVB yet, but at least they're part of top 5 for this award lol. It's to be expected that Charmaine and Jessica are amongst the top 5 since DOL just showed a while ago. I'm glad to see Shirley, but I don't recall any recent serie she has been in save for Devil's Disciple and Brink of Law....but did these two show in the mainland? Oh well, can't wait to see the show!
Various artists are preparing for the 40th anniversary costumes….
TVB 四十年 台慶消息 一uploaded by wenwen321
Some thoughts:
-Fala always looks pretty onscreen and in pictures, but somehow in this video, Fala looks kind of ordinary to me.
-I think any expensive jewelry on Sonijia would look nice lol. She looks so elegant.
-Selina Li looks really pretty in her dress, but it looks a bit like a wedding dress.
-Shirley looks pretty in her dress too, and the dress she had in the video looks so much better than her actual choices in past awards. Hopefully she’ll pick that one or another one that looks just as nice.
-Tavia’s choice in the video is a no-no….hopefully she would change her mind by then.
Some thoughts:
-Fala always looks pretty onscreen and in pictures, but somehow in this video, Fala looks kind of ordinary to me.
-I think any expensive jewelry on Sonijia would look nice lol. She looks so elegant.
-Selina Li looks really pretty in her dress, but it looks a bit like a wedding dress.
-Shirley looks pretty in her dress too, and the dress she had in the video looks so much better than her actual choices in past awards. Hopefully she’ll pick that one or another one that looks just as nice.
-Tavia’s choice in the video is a no-no….hopefully she would change her mind by then.
TVB Couple MVs
血荐轩辕作品《TVB情侣集锦MV3》uploaded by 17share
This MV focuses on ancient couples, and I noticed a lot on Tavia, Charmaine, Sonijia, and Michelle Ye...and it's too be expected, these actresses look extremely gorgeous in ancient costumes. In particular, I think Tavia and Michelle Ye looks better in ancient costumes compared to modern, while Charmaine and Sonijia looks good in pretty much both. However, if it's my opinion, I think Tavia and Michelle possesses the ancient beauty looks the most.
血荐轩辕作品《TVB情侣集锦MV2》 uploaded by 17share
This one focuses on modern couples. I love the music that accompanies the MV, but I don't exactly like all of the couples they got. There are some hits and misses with some couples in the MV if it were up to me, but since I didn't make the MV, I can't complain.
血荐轩辕作品《TVB情侣集锦MV》 uploaded by 17share
A mix of both. Wonderful song by Leo, but again, some couples are not exactly my pick.
TVB新人王MV集锦（上）uploaded by 17share
TVB新人王MV集锦（下）uploaded by 17share
These two are my favorite ones, most likely because I've seen a majority of the series it has, and I simply adore Bosco, Ron, Raymond, Sammul, Tavia, Myolie, Leila etc. Accompany by the string of classic songs by TVB which matches the scenes it showed, everytime I watch these MVs, it gives me a nostalgic feeling.
*All MVs NOT MADE by me
This MV focuses on ancient couples, and I noticed a lot on Tavia, Charmaine, Sonijia, and Michelle Ye...and it's too be expected, these actresses look extremely gorgeous in ancient costumes. In particular, I think Tavia and Michelle Ye looks better in ancient costumes compared to modern, while Charmaine and Sonijia looks good in pretty much both. However, if it's my opinion, I think Tavia and Michelle possesses the ancient beauty looks the most.
血荐轩辕作品《TVB情侣集锦MV2》 uploaded by 17share
This one focuses on modern couples. I love the music that accompanies the MV, but I don't exactly like all of the couples they got. There are some hits and misses with some couples in the MV if it were up to me, but since I didn't make the MV, I can't complain.
血荐轩辕作品《TVB情侣集锦MV》 uploaded by 17share
A mix of both. Wonderful song by Leo, but again, some couples are not exactly my pick.
TVB新人王MV集锦（上）uploaded by 17share
TVB新人王MV集锦（下）uploaded by 17share
These two are my favorite ones, most likely because I've seen a majority of the series it has, and I simply adore Bosco, Ron, Raymond, Sammul, Tavia, Myolie, Leila etc. Accompany by the string of classic songs by TVB which matches the scenes it showed, everytime I watch these MVs, it gives me a nostalgic feeling.
*All MVs NOT MADE by me
Saturday, November 10, 2007
TVB Mascot- TVBuddy
This is TVB's new mascot.......TVB Buddy! Isn't it soooo cute?? For now, it says that these TVBuddy collective items are not for sale to the general public, only for TVB employees! I don't know, but as a TVB fan, that stuff animal sure looks fuzzy and cute!! I want one!! Maybe a shirt too!
Dayo Wong and Interview with Stephan Chan on Be My Guest
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 1
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 2
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 3
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 4
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 5
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 6
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 7
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 8
***
Honestly, I do not know much about Dayo Wong. When I was young, I vaguely remember he was in a serie call War of Genders with Carol “Do Do” Cheng , and it was a very popular serie, and he was also popular at the time. Then he sort of disappeared from television for a while and came back with To Catch the Uncatchable, and that serie was such a hit, being the highest rated serie of the year beating the acclaimed War & Beauty’s ratings at that time. That serie had a very sad ending, and the HK audience even requested an alternate ending for his character! That serie was that popular at that time, and that was 2004. But I still wasn’t a huge fan of Dayo. For some reason, out of this year, I choose to rewatch To Catch The Uncatchable again, and I find that I understand and enjoyed it more the second time around! And for some strange reason, I grew to really like Detective Mok, and therefore Dayo Wong this second time again.
Then, I got to watch Men Don't Cry (Evil Kin) this year too. Unlike Detective Mok in TCTU, ah Kin is a character that has lots of shades of gray. It’s like you should hate the character, but yet he is funny, so you can’t hate him totally. Then you find out about his background, and then you actually sympathize with him somewhat. And then his character did something really troubling, that made me go, whoa…this is not funny anymore, I can’t root for this character. And then, later on, he gradually becomes a good guy, then later a good guy walking on the borderline. I can’t say the serie is that awesome, but Dayo’s performance and acting of ah Kin was definitely worth watching. He gets to portray many different layers of a character, and he does an excellent job. However, I do noticed some sayings and body gestures similar to Detective Mok in TCTU, but overall, ah Kin’s complexity and progression gives Dayo an opportunity to try acting out a variety of different emotions, compared to Detective Mok in TCTU. Anyway, I hope he gets nominated into Top 5 this year because he does deserve the spot.
Now back to this interview. In the interview, Dayo says throughout the beginning of his career, he opted to become an actor. He would try to look for various loopholes and means to become one, but because he’s not good looking, he never got an opportunity. I must’ve missed how he said he got the role for War and Gender, or he never said anything about it. It would be interesting to know how he got the role. What I don’t get is why Stephen doesn’t ask him now that he is able to become an actor, but yet he doesn’t act that much after the successes of War of Genders and To Catch the Uncatchable. Is it because roles are not offered to him, or he prefers to do stand up comedy more?
Anyway, he did get emotional quite a few times. One time, he was talking about the two of the lowest points in his life in which he contemplated about suicide. One time he didn’t eat for two days, and then the other time was about his ex-girlfriend. I wonder what happened between him and his ex, because he was quite teary when she was mentioned. It seems like he was deeply hurt about what happened with her before. Anyone know anything about that?
A majority of the interview was about Dayo’s stand up comedy shows. I, myself have never seen his comedy shows at all on tv or or in person, but considering Dayo has been performing stand-up comedies for years now, then it must be entertaining to continue for doing it for so long. Dayo says it takes him months to a good part of the year to prepare for one show, and that he doesn’t really earn that much doing them.
Regarding his personal life, he says he’s the type of guy who isn’t the marriage type, but yet he’s not scared if the girl mentions the idea first. He’s not close with his dad since his dad was not in his life since young. He is closer with his mom, and so he speculates that is why he doesn’t mind if women scream at him, but if men scream at him, a fight might happen! And I really liked how Stephen Chan closed the interview asking Dayo if he’s currently in a relationship, and Dayo smiles warmly and says yes. Dayo seems very happy in his current relationship, so best wishes to him and hope he would settle down with a family soon.
After this interview, I tried to look up information on Dayo in English, and unfortunately, there’s not that much. Looking at wikipedia, I was so surprised to learn that he’s born in 1960! That makes him 47 now! He looks like he’s in his late 30s-early 40s on tv!
Overall, Dayo seems very down to earth and sincere throughout the interview showing some humor here and there. I enjoy listening to his responses, and I grew to admire him as an entertainer even more. I like how’s he very focused on his passion to become an actor and entertainer, and how he’s very serious about his work and creativity. Maybe one day I would be able to have the opportunity to attend one of his stand-up shows and be a part of his audience.
Some links to share focusing on Dayo Wong:
Chinese Site with His Latest News:
http://hk.geocities.com/dayo_iceroom/index_dayo.htm
Cute Dayo Stand-Up Comedy Game “Sit up” by Maggie Lau
http://maggiemarket.kizash.com/games/sit_up/
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 2
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 3
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 4
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 5
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 6
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 7
Be My Guest- Dayo Wong Clip 8
***
Honestly, I do not know much about Dayo Wong. When I was young, I vaguely remember he was in a serie call War of Genders with Carol “Do Do” Cheng , and it was a very popular serie, and he was also popular at the time. Then he sort of disappeared from television for a while and came back with To Catch the Uncatchable, and that serie was such a hit, being the highest rated serie of the year beating the acclaimed War & Beauty’s ratings at that time. That serie had a very sad ending, and the HK audience even requested an alternate ending for his character! That serie was that popular at that time, and that was 2004. But I still wasn’t a huge fan of Dayo. For some reason, out of this year, I choose to rewatch To Catch The Uncatchable again, and I find that I understand and enjoyed it more the second time around! And for some strange reason, I grew to really like Detective Mok, and therefore Dayo Wong this second time again.
Then, I got to watch Men Don't Cry (Evil Kin) this year too. Unlike Detective Mok in TCTU, ah Kin is a character that has lots of shades of gray. It’s like you should hate the character, but yet he is funny, so you can’t hate him totally. Then you find out about his background, and then you actually sympathize with him somewhat. And then his character did something really troubling, that made me go, whoa…this is not funny anymore, I can’t root for this character. And then, later on, he gradually becomes a good guy, then later a good guy walking on the borderline. I can’t say the serie is that awesome, but Dayo’s performance and acting of ah Kin was definitely worth watching. He gets to portray many different layers of a character, and he does an excellent job. However, I do noticed some sayings and body gestures similar to Detective Mok in TCTU, but overall, ah Kin’s complexity and progression gives Dayo an opportunity to try acting out a variety of different emotions, compared to Detective Mok in TCTU. Anyway, I hope he gets nominated into Top 5 this year because he does deserve the spot.
Now back to this interview. In the interview, Dayo says throughout the beginning of his career, he opted to become an actor. He would try to look for various loopholes and means to become one, but because he’s not good looking, he never got an opportunity. I must’ve missed how he said he got the role for War and Gender, or he never said anything about it. It would be interesting to know how he got the role. What I don’t get is why Stephen doesn’t ask him now that he is able to become an actor, but yet he doesn’t act that much after the successes of War of Genders and To Catch the Uncatchable. Is it because roles are not offered to him, or he prefers to do stand up comedy more?
Anyway, he did get emotional quite a few times. One time, he was talking about the two of the lowest points in his life in which he contemplated about suicide. One time he didn’t eat for two days, and then the other time was about his ex-girlfriend. I wonder what happened between him and his ex, because he was quite teary when she was mentioned. It seems like he was deeply hurt about what happened with her before. Anyone know anything about that?
A majority of the interview was about Dayo’s stand up comedy shows. I, myself have never seen his comedy shows at all on tv or or in person, but considering Dayo has been performing stand-up comedies for years now, then it must be entertaining to continue for doing it for so long. Dayo says it takes him months to a good part of the year to prepare for one show, and that he doesn’t really earn that much doing them.
Regarding his personal life, he says he’s the type of guy who isn’t the marriage type, but yet he’s not scared if the girl mentions the idea first. He’s not close with his dad since his dad was not in his life since young. He is closer with his mom, and so he speculates that is why he doesn’t mind if women scream at him, but if men scream at him, a fight might happen! And I really liked how Stephen Chan closed the interview asking Dayo if he’s currently in a relationship, and Dayo smiles warmly and says yes. Dayo seems very happy in his current relationship, so best wishes to him and hope he would settle down with a family soon.
After this interview, I tried to look up information on Dayo in English, and unfortunately, there’s not that much. Looking at wikipedia, I was so surprised to learn that he’s born in 1960! That makes him 47 now! He looks like he’s in his late 30s-early 40s on tv!
Overall, Dayo seems very down to earth and sincere throughout the interview showing some humor here and there. I enjoy listening to his responses, and I grew to admire him as an entertainer even more. I like how’s he very focused on his passion to become an actor and entertainer, and how he’s very serious about his work and creativity. Maybe one day I would be able to have the opportunity to attend one of his stand-up shows and be a part of his audience.
Some links to share focusing on Dayo Wong:
Chinese Site with His Latest News:
http://hk.geocities.com/dayo_iceroom/index_dayo.htm
Cute Dayo Stand-Up Comedy Game “Sit up” by Maggie Lau
http://maggiemarket.kizash.com/games/sit_up/
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Calendar 2008
Another year, another disappointed TVB Calendar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M48s1kygnZQ
Overall the calendar pictures aren’t that great.
January- Linda, Vivien, and Matthew Ko are obviously not actresses and actors with a whole bunch of talent in acting. They may look good (actually good is stretching it since Linda isn’t exactly the drop dead gorgeous type) and have great personalities, but if I’m watching them onscreen, they need to know how to act decently! I can see that they are pushing Raymond and Linda to be the next big brother. I think audiences have already accepted Raymond. On the other hand, Linda? I guess I would rather support Fala into this spot, at least I think she can act decently onscreen.
February- I actually like this one. It’s very colorful, and I like how everyone (mostly everyone) is happy. This month is always reserved with the older generations like Liza, Adam, or Nancy Sit. I’m surprised they didn’t include Nancy Sit this year. Glad to see Esther and Bobby in the same pic haha! It’s funny they included Roger in the side…..I guess “ah wong” is still favorable around CNY lol. Overall, it’s very nice.
March- This one’s ok. Commemorating Super Trio is not a bad idea. It’s creative, and I like Frankie and Yoyo, and also Kenneth’s poses. I like Lai Lok Yi, but it would’ve nice for him to strike a more active pose.
April- I like all of the people in this one and the background, but they don’t look the best. Bosco and Bernice looks big compared to the others, and what the heck is Amigo Chui doing? Plus, Bosco and Wong Hei aren’t really looking too celebrative.
May- It can be said that this is major What the heck month? I don’t see how it’s guys versus girls at all. They might as well just put only Kate, Moses, and Sarah Song in there, and leave the rest out. And why the heck is Sarah holding a laptap like that? They make at least have her looking at it, and project Moses and rest of crew onto a screen/wall. It looks weird and it stands out.
June- Water and people showing skin. So creative! Don’t have much to say about this other than it’s ok. Wasn’t Fala dressed in a swimming suit or bikini last year too? The girl has a great body, but it would be refreshing to see her wearing more clothing in the calendar or at least placed in another month.
July- Talking about the Olympics? But what’s the deal with motorcycles? Shouldn’t they do something with horses instead since HK is hosting the Equestrian Event? Don’t like this one at all. Really like Patrick Tang, sad to see him wasted on this picture though.
August- I like this one because it’s aesthetically pleasing to look at. It’s very nice at first glance, but if you look at it for a while, it could be plain. Nonetheless, I think it was nicely arranged, and the colors are appealing.
September- I also like this one too. I like the mood in the picture and the staircase. Sharon and Natalie Tong look gorgeous. At first, I thought Gigi, Bowie, and Sheren don’t really fit in there, and it looks like they pasted them in there at the last minute. Now, that I know it’s suppose to be about War and Beauty and Shanghai Bund, then it makes more sense.
October- This is not very interesting or a creative month. Maybe they should’ve focused on the idea of Triumph in the skies and sell from that point of view instead. It’s just very casual and ordinary to me, nothing outstanding creative or visually. Quite like Selina a lot, so glad to see her.
November- I like this one the most out of all the pictures. It’s colorful, it’s festive, and I like the background, save for it being 40th and not 41st like it should be. I read some posts complaining that you can’t see the people in the back, and I’m thinking, maybe that’s why I like this one the most. The people in the back are just newbies, and my eyes can live without them. Several years ago, these people wouldn’t be in the pics at all! In my opinion, as long as the big brothers and big sisters are shown clearly, then that’s all that matters, the others are lucky enough being background props.
December- This one is nice for a Christmas pic, but it doesn’t look proportional to me. Glad to see Gallen, but he looks like he is pushing in to be part of the pic. Myolie looks the best in the pic, her smile is radiant. The rest looks alright too, but the lack of symmetry (for a picture that should be symmetric) doesn’t put this one at the top of my list.
Overall, another disappointed year although I would say the people they put into this pic are better than last years with a whole bunch of newbies out of nowhere. I was really excited when I read that they were going to have pictures of older series. I was expecting people to re-enact poses of scenes in Shanghai Bund or Legend of the Condor Heroes (although TVB can’t touch Jin Yong anymore) or Triumph in the Skies, etc.. Of course, they don’t have to be serious in the pic, but it would be nice to see them in costumes of older characters, but once again, disappointed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M48s1kygnZQ
Overall the calendar pictures aren’t that great.
January- Linda, Vivien, and Matthew Ko are obviously not actresses and actors with a whole bunch of talent in acting. They may look good (actually good is stretching it since Linda isn’t exactly the drop dead gorgeous type) and have great personalities, but if I’m watching them onscreen, they need to know how to act decently! I can see that they are pushing Raymond and Linda to be the next big brother. I think audiences have already accepted Raymond. On the other hand, Linda? I guess I would rather support Fala into this spot, at least I think she can act decently onscreen.
February- I actually like this one. It’s very colorful, and I like how everyone (mostly everyone) is happy. This month is always reserved with the older generations like Liza, Adam, or Nancy Sit. I’m surprised they didn’t include Nancy Sit this year. Glad to see Esther and Bobby in the same pic haha! It’s funny they included Roger in the side…..I guess “ah wong” is still favorable around CNY lol. Overall, it’s very nice.
March- This one’s ok. Commemorating Super Trio is not a bad idea. It’s creative, and I like Frankie and Yoyo, and also Kenneth’s poses. I like Lai Lok Yi, but it would’ve nice for him to strike a more active pose.
April- I like all of the people in this one and the background, but they don’t look the best. Bosco and Bernice looks big compared to the others, and what the heck is Amigo Chui doing? Plus, Bosco and Wong Hei aren’t really looking too celebrative.
May- It can be said that this is major What the heck month? I don’t see how it’s guys versus girls at all. They might as well just put only Kate, Moses, and Sarah Song in there, and leave the rest out. And why the heck is Sarah holding a laptap like that? They make at least have her looking at it, and project Moses and rest of crew onto a screen/wall. It looks weird and it stands out.
June- Water and people showing skin. So creative! Don’t have much to say about this other than it’s ok. Wasn’t Fala dressed in a swimming suit or bikini last year too? The girl has a great body, but it would be refreshing to see her wearing more clothing in the calendar or at least placed in another month.
July- Talking about the Olympics? But what’s the deal with motorcycles? Shouldn’t they do something with horses instead since HK is hosting the Equestrian Event? Don’t like this one at all. Really like Patrick Tang, sad to see him wasted on this picture though.
August- I like this one because it’s aesthetically pleasing to look at. It’s very nice at first glance, but if you look at it for a while, it could be plain. Nonetheless, I think it was nicely arranged, and the colors are appealing.
September- I also like this one too. I like the mood in the picture and the staircase. Sharon and Natalie Tong look gorgeous. At first, I thought Gigi, Bowie, and Sheren don’t really fit in there, and it looks like they pasted them in there at the last minute. Now, that I know it’s suppose to be about War and Beauty and Shanghai Bund, then it makes more sense.
October- This is not very interesting or a creative month. Maybe they should’ve focused on the idea of Triumph in the skies and sell from that point of view instead. It’s just very casual and ordinary to me, nothing outstanding creative or visually. Quite like Selina a lot, so glad to see her.
November- I like this one the most out of all the pictures. It’s colorful, it’s festive, and I like the background, save for it being 40th and not 41st like it should be. I read some posts complaining that you can’t see the people in the back, and I’m thinking, maybe that’s why I like this one the most. The people in the back are just newbies, and my eyes can live without them. Several years ago, these people wouldn’t be in the pics at all! In my opinion, as long as the big brothers and big sisters are shown clearly, then that’s all that matters, the others are lucky enough being background props.
December- This one is nice for a Christmas pic, but it doesn’t look proportional to me. Glad to see Gallen, but he looks like he is pushing in to be part of the pic. Myolie looks the best in the pic, her smile is radiant. The rest looks alright too, but the lack of symmetry (for a picture that should be symmetric) doesn’t put this one at the top of my list.
Overall, another disappointed year although I would say the people they put into this pic are better than last years with a whole bunch of newbies out of nowhere. I was really excited when I read that they were going to have pictures of older series. I was expecting people to re-enact poses of scenes in Shanghai Bund or Legend of the Condor Heroes (although TVB can’t touch Jin Yong anymore) or Triumph in the Skies, etc.. Of course, they don’t have to be serious in the pic, but it would be nice to see them in costumes of older characters, but once again, disappointed.
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