Sunday, October 19, 2008

劉三好/宮心計 “Palace Schemes”


Pictures fromYule.baidu.com

Genre – Ancient series revolving around the palace

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

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

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

For more information:
Wiki Source
Spcnet thread for this serie

Similarities with Price of Greed & Moonlight Resonance



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

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

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

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

-A mute sister
(Shirley; Fala)

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, October 05, 2008

TVB 41st Lighting Ceremony


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

43rd Taiwan Golden Bell Nomination for Best Actress

Read news on AF

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

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

Kelly Chen becomes Mrs. Lau


Above Pic found from: Apple

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

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

Niki-Kevin-Charmaine Rumored Triangle

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

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

Kevin Cheng Becomes Charmaine Sheh's Tenth Boyfriend

Speculation and Gossip

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

Saturday, October 04, 2008

What a September!

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

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

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

TVB Triangles: Chilam-Jessica-Gallen MV's

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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



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

Lyrics:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlene Choi Manip. Pictures



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



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

遇見, "Meeting" by Stephanie Sun




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


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

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


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

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

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

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

Actresses who Escaped the Aging Process



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

(in order from left to right in above picture)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday, September 01, 2008

Tavia Yeung, 楊怡 turns 29 on August 30th



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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Hot Shots - Songs

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

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

Superman - 倪子岡(Nese)

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


絕對無敵 - 倪子岡(Nese)

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


絕對無敵(all english version) - 倪子岡(Nese)

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


霹靂決鬥- instrumental

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


絕對無敵之 籃球夢- instrumental

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


隧道 - 林凡(Freya Lin)

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


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

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Fala & Tavia as singers

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

Fala singing 遇见


Fala singing 我的驕傲


Tavia singing Sammi's song


Tavia singing Kelly & Sammi's songs


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

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Stephen Au : A talented actor


*picture found from AsianFanatics

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

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

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

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

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

http://www.stephenau.com/

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Shirley Yeung, 楊思琦 turns 30 on August 7th



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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moonlight Resonance - What does ‘Resonance’ mean?



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

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

From American Heritage Dictionary:

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Will Chilam be back at TVB soon?

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

*Above Picture from Chi-Lamania


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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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


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

*Above Picture from Chi-Lamania

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