TVB News World - Asian Entertainment News Daily

TVB Admits Miscalculated 'Bullet Brain' & 'Beauty At War'

2013-05-21T13:12:00.002+08:00

TVB's low-rated series has been a hot topic as of late. TVB Assistant General Manager Peter Au Wai Lam met the press yesterday to explain the reason for Bullet Brain and Beauty At War's low ratings. He admitted the low ratings really was surprising. "In the past, the audience have mentioned TVB series lacked creativity, and our colleagues also hoped for something new in the productions. Bullet Brain and Beauty At War were produced using different techniques, but the ratings have not been ideal. The crew will have to reflect on this downfall."

New Attempt Comes with Consequence

Mr. Au believed the audience felt "lost" because they didn't understand the first two episodes, and there are some people who were making judgements, "don't understand it", based on the rumors rather than actually watching the series for themselves. Learning from this experience, will the crew reflect on whether they were being too ambitious? Mr. Au expressed: "Any new attempt comes with consequences. In the future, we'll keep the production to a balance. When Heaven Burns also had low ratings, but it was later regarded as a 'god-level' series. Perhaps the production of this series was too rushed."

Last Minute Scripts Cause Impact on Artists

As for Sheren Tang having difficulty tolerating the 'zero script' system, Mr. Au said: "Sheren's maintained her standards. Last minute scripts are inevitable in the TV and film world because everyone is pursuing perfection. But, I propose having a complete script before the filming begins. No script does indeed cause an impact on the artists." The low ratings triggered the audience scolding at the artists, Mr. Au understands the low ratings disappointed colleagues, "Everyone speak up, should let it go and move forward."

Same Artists in the 3 Current Series

When speaking of the tight supply/demand on artists? Mr. Au said: "The artists each have a different mentality. Those who lack patience would want to go out and work elsewhere. At this stage, we need new faces. The artists with expiring contracts, we can collaborate with them in a different way, such as signing a per-series contract with them to maintain the relationship." He admitted the reason why we're seeing the same artists appear in two or three of the current broadcasting series is because there is indeed a shortage of artists: "In the past year, there are issues with the broadcast schedule arrangements. Changes are necessary in order to prevent it from happening again." Mr. Au explained TVB will do better on their series in the future.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Kristal Tin "Hums" to an Opportunity to Launch Her First Solo Album

2013-05-21T13:11:00.001+08:00

Yesterday Kristal Tin, Priscilla Wong, Roger Kwok, Evergreen Mak, Grace Wong, Whitney Hui, Cheung Wing Hong and the rest of the TVB series Tongue Sword Courtroom held an end-of-filming dinner. It was said Kristal Tin felt displeased because TVB gave Priscilla more screen time and thus the two were rumored on bad terms. Last night at the dinner, Kristal and Priscilla were the center of attention, but the two were chatting happily and taking pictures together, proving that they are not on bad terms. Kristal posted a photo of her and Priscilla on Weibo: "Fate will bring us back together! Add oil!" Priscilla replied: "I am grateful to have met you. Ah Tin, (Kristal) I really want to collaborate with you again!"

Kristal was in a wonderful mood, she revealed she'll be taking two months off after this to complete something big in her life. Actually Kristal is just talking about launching her first solo album. Kristal won this opportunity because one day she was humming her way into the TVB makeup room, someone captured her humming and uploaded it on the internet, which was then spotted by record company owner Paco Wong. He took initiative, contacted Kristal to ask whether she's interested in launching her very own album. Kristal said: "I'll be recording 10 songs this time, just recording covers of my favorite male singers' old songs. I don't have any new songs. (Will you be singing your husband Chapman To's songs?) He only has two songs, and their offensive too. If I make a cover of his songs, then he'll just be suffering in shame! (Your husband doing the photo shoot for the album cover?) I hope to ask my husband to participate too!"

Priscilla Reflect on Her Past, Will Not Mention "6.4" Again

Recently an 1999 episode of RTHK's Hong Kong Connection circulated online (watch here). At the time, 17 year old Priscilla Wong was interviewed and she talked about her "6.4 feelings" (referring to the June Fourth Incident of 1989) on the show. Priscilla said: "I don't regret talking about it. At the time, I was very honest and didn't think it would broadcast again! When one gets older, their views changes. (Is it because you're an artist now, and don't want to talk about politics?) Not related, I'm just afraid it would impact others. (Worried this might hinder your opportunities in Mainland?) No fear, that was said when I was barely 17 years old. I was still a kid. Watching myself again now, I thought it was very funny!" Netizens responded to Priscilla's comment "when one gets older, their views changes." Netizens urged her not to "betray your former self" and named her "Goddess of Democracy". Priscilla said on Weibo: "My middle school teacher anxiously asked me, what does it mean when someone gets older, their views changes? I said, when one gets older they learn to keep their views, beliefs and commitments in their hearts and not to hang it on the side of their mouth. Honestly, I am a little hurt. I felt heartbroken that year. Today allow me to put it all in my heart, don't talk about it, please?"

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Gillian Chung's 10 Month Relationship with Mr. K is Game Over

2013-05-21T13:09:00.000+08:00

Gillian Chung and her Korean boyfriend (Mr. K) officially broke up earlier this month! This means game over on their 10 months relationship! Yesterday afternoon, a reader discovered Ah Sa and Ah Gil removed Mr. K from their list of following on Weibo, which then triggered the break up rumor. Reporters contacted both girls, Ah Sa's assistant expressed Ah Sa is currently resting and will not comment. Their manager Mani Fok said "no comment" via WeChat. The not-admitting-not-denying attitude signals that there must be an issue.

It was understood, Ah Gil still introduced Mr. K as her boyfriend a month ago, but because they're both busy people, they didn't have the time to go on dates and the interest rapidly declined. The couple eventually ended in a peaceful break up. To avoid dragging the relationship, Ah Gil just removed Mr. K from her Weibo list of following.

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Moses Chan "Blushes" In Response to Aimee Chan's Pregnancy Rumor

2013-05-21T13:07:00.001+08:00

Moses Chan and Aimee Chan have been dating for two years. Recently it was widely rumored Aimee withdrew from the June martial arts TVB series Cold Mountain Hidden Dragon because she's pregnant and is spending her maternity leave in Canada.

Regarding to the rumor that Moses is ready to accompany his girlfriend to Canada to meet her parents and marry her, Moses responded last night: "Thank you for the blessings. Wait until I actually do get married! I will announce if there is good news."

Since Aimee attended the Slow Boat Home promotion on May 8th, she "disappeared" from the public. Last week, she suddenly withdrew from the new series in June, Cold Mountain Hidden Dragon, because of "personal reasons". Producer Marco Law expressed she's heading back overseas to handle her personal matters. It was rumored Aimee and Moses are getting married in Canada. Earlier Moses responded: "I'm not telling you! If I'm getting married, I will let you know, but I want my personal space too. I won't be sharing every step of the way with everyone."

Yesterday it was rumored Aimee is pregnant and because Cold Mountain Hidden Dragon is a martial arts series, she won't be able to do the action scenes, so she turned it down and is heading back to Canada to await for labor. TVB executive Virgina Lok responded to the rumor. She expressed she is not sure, she will have to find out first. As to the 'lightning marriage' rumor, Miss Lok is unsure. She disclosed Aimee mentioned she had some family issues and wants to request leave to go back to Canada, but Moses is staying in HK. If the rumor is true, Moses would have definitely accompanied Aimee to Canada. It was said Aimee initially took 3 weeks off, but then she extended it to the rest of the year, is Aimee taking maternity leave? Miss Lok did not respond to the question, but she said: "If the rumor is true, then we will have to congratulate them. Moses is a person who has plans for the future and he's at a marriageable age. Aimee is a very good [girlfriend], they're very matching and the audience accepts them."

Preparing for Marriage

Yesterday Moses was on a radio interview and disclosed his wish to start a family: "My life is not perfect yet because I still haven't started my own family. At a young age, I thought I would be married with kids before age 30, but that still did not happen. Nowadays, I value family a lot more, I'm working hard for the future and must really love the person besides me." Asked if he's preparing now? Moses said honestly: "I really am preparing!" He repeated that comment twice. The "Coffee Prince" is ready to be a father. However despite his love for coffee, he will not allow his future son to drink coffee while still at a young age. He is only allowed to drink "babyccino"!

On WhatsApp, the reporter asked Moses: "Then are you going to marry Aimee in June first and then tell us the good news of Aimee's pregnancy?! If she's pregnant, don't let her drink coffee! Tell Aimee to drink babyccino first! =P" Moses responded with a "blushing" emoticon.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

"The Hippocratic Crush II" Celebration Banquet

2013-05-21T11:38:00.000+08:00

Lawrence Ng Pays Bill When Celebrating Birthday

Yesterday was Lawrence Ng's 49th birthday. It happened to fall on the same day as the wrap-up banquet for his TVB comeback series "The Hippocratic Crush II". Last night, the cast and crew ate private home cuisine to celebrate. His daughter, Xier (熙兒), who is over four years old, was also there...a lively atmosphere.

Kenneth Ma, who was also in attendance, said, "Originally said that I, Him Law, and a few colleagues would be treating, but the birthday boy had to fight over paying for the bill. I could only prepare a birthday cake and a gift for him. The location of the dinner was decided by Lawrence, mostly eating fusion cuisine. The entire series crew took up six tables". Laughingly saying that he should lead in singing a song to congratulate him on his birthday, Kenneth said, "Lawrence frequently hummed songs when filming the series...it should him be him showing off his singing voice".

Source: mingpao and Weibo
Translated by: hyn5 @ 幸而城 Fortunate City

Sammi Cheng jokes that she is not qualified to be sexy

2013-05-21T11:37:00.001+08:00

Sammi Cheng Sau Man arrived in Cannes with the film BLIND DETECTIVE (MAN TAM) to participate in the event for the first time. She was both happy and excited, upon her arrival she complimented Cannes to be a very pretty town. Unfortunately rain kept falling and she was unable to look around. Luckily yesterday morning when she got up the sun was out, and she felt great as she stared into the sea.

Sammi wore white for the interview and shot many photos herself to share with fans online. "On the first day in Cannes, I chose to wear white more or less to represent mi's state of mind as she steps into such a grand scale international film event: experiencing and participating with a heart that is as simple as a child's. Cannes is more romantic than I have imaged, mi just finished work. Before taking off all the white I remembered to take this photo for you. Would you give mi some encouragement? I am not very used to walking the red carpet for tomorrow night! I need strength very, very much."

For the red carpet, she has watched her diet for days in hopes of being at her best shape for the elegant evening wear. "I chose an evening wear out of several dozen, I want to be pretty and comfortable. Finally luckily I wore a real deal that made me feel 'it's you!' As for whether it will be sexy, haha, I am not qualified to be sexy!"

Sammi said to a Mainland media that BLIND DETECTIVE is not as bloody, violent and hardcore as the revealed footage. she and Andy Lau Tak Wa had many funny scenes; it also will not be like THE SILENT WAR (TING FUNG JEH), the style will be completely different.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: hktopten

Andy Lau arrives in Cannes

2013-05-21T11:35:00.001+08:00

The Andy Lau Tak Wa and Sammi Cheng Sau Man starred BLIND DETECTIVE (MAN TAM) will be screened in Cannes, Sammi and director Johnnie To Kei Fung have already arrived there. Lau Tak Wa did not take off until two nights ago.

Wa Jai arrived at the airport around 11PM, around 30 fans came to see him off. Rushing to the gates Wai Jai only answered three questions from the media. Did he know about the shooting and the robbery in Cannes? He said, "I just found out." Was he worried about his safety? He said, "I will be careful." Wa Jai will stay in Cannes for only two days. When asked how he felt about returning to Cannes, he said, "I haven't been there in a long time, I won't know how I will feel until I get there."

Yesterday Lau Tak Wa landed in Cannes and met with the BLIND DETECTIVE team. Wa Jai greeted fans who welcomed him at the airport. A pregnant foreign woman actually saw Wa Jai 10 years ago and came deliberately to welcome him at the airport. She hoped to tell her idol that she was already married and soon to be a mother. Wa Jai congratulated her and posed for pictures.

Source: Mingpao, Singtao
Translated by: hktopten

Bends receives Good Reviews

2013-05-21T11:32:00.003+08:00

Carina Lau Ka Ling's BENDS (GOR GAI) two nights ago held its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Once Cannes Best Actor Tony Leung Chiu Wai played bodyguard to his wife all night, accompanying Ka Ling down the red carpet and giving his wife a queen's arrival. After the premiere, Wai Jai and viewers including director Jia Zhangke who deliberately came in support applauded. Many viewers stood up and applauded for 10 minutes. With both Chinese and foreign film critics alike praising Lau Ka Ling's performance, her Cannes Best Actress chances heated up.

Although rain has been falling for days in Cannes, it could not stop the guests' enthusiasm. Lau Ka Ling and Chen Kun were BENDS' leads, of course they dressed up for the occasion; Leung Chiu Wai who was used to being the lead this time would rather played support and bodyguard to his wife Lau Ka Ling. He stayed by her side and silently supported her. Yet on the red carpet how could anyone not see this superstar? Thus he and Lau Ka Ling all became the foci of the camera flash bulbs, making Ka Ling's red carpet appearance like a queen's arrival. The team naturally was very happy, at least she brought attention to the film.

The film's new director Flora Lau Wan Man, producers Shi Nansun and Winnie Yu Tseng and one of the investors Hsu Feng flew to Cannes for the event. Everyone placed a lot of importance on this film. After the global premiere two nights ago, everyone stood up and accepted the cheers of the audience. The applause even lasted 10 minutes. As everyone experienced the excitement, they embraced each other. The scene was both joyous and touching. Although Wai Jai remained in his seat to keep from stealing the spotlight, he applauded hard to provide endless support to his wife and the team.

After the screening many Chinese and foreign film reviews appeared, most praised Lau Ka Ling's performance in the film as the wife or a rich man to be very convincing and had depth. After the premiere, Lau Ka Ling's acting was recognized even more. Her chances at Best Actress heated up again. With her husband Leung Chiu Wai's lucky assistance, would she win Best Actress and receive international recognition for her acting? If she and Wai Jai both won at Cannes, then they would become an international Best Actor and Best Actress couple!

A French national television station reporter said that the film had a very meaningful story and reflected the difference between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Its display of Hong Kong was not exaggerated at all. Lau Ka Ling's performance was very detailed and had many emotional scenes. The feeling for Chen Kun as the driver was average. A German broadcast radio film critic praised the film to be very sentimental and had depth, from the film viewers could understand a lot about China and Hong Kong. The visuals were beautiful and very persuasive. A Mainland reporter agreed that the characters were more outstanding, the film was very smooth including the ending and was expected to win awards. Yet an Italian reporter said that the story of the rich and the poor has been seen before and could not completely win over people.

Lead actor Chen Kun said that before walking the red carpet he was very nervous because he has not seen the entire film. Yet after watching it he was very moved! The director also said before the premiere that from planning to production BENDS to her was a long journey. She hoped that viewers would enjoy and liked her film as much as she did.

Source: Mingpao, Singtao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Wong Ka Keung collects photo to remember Ka Kui

2013-05-21T11:26:00.002+08:00

Beyond's Wong Ka Kui passed away for 20 years. This year in order to commemorate this day Wong ka Keung not only wrote a new song GREAT for his brother but also started "It's Alright" memorial event. He asked for friends who like Beyond and Ka Kui to take a photo of "living great" and share it on the official instagram site "tokakui" or email to "itsalright2013@gmail.com". He will collect the photos to create images of Ka Kui for his late brother's June 10 birthday. Ka Keung said that although the pain of Ka Kui's passing remained, the Beyond spirit was "live more excitingly". Thus he did not want friends who liked Ka Kui to shed any more tear. He said, "Ka Kui didn't like crying, I hope everyone will be like me. This year we can very happily tell Ka Kui, we are great, don't worry!"

Many friends in the business after finding out about the project all took photos. They included Chow Yun Fat, Faye Wong, Andy Lau Tak Wa, Eason Chan Yik Shun, Anthony Wong Yiu Ming, Leo Ku Kui Ke, Dior Cheng Yi Kin, the Grasshoppers, Richie Jen (Yam Yin Chai), Miriam Yeung Chin Wa, Jordan Chan Siu Chun, Pakho Chau, Ivana Wong Yuen Chi, Kenji Wu and May Day. Ka Keung remembered when Faye Wong and Beyond worked on the film BEYOND'S DIARY (MOK HEI SIU NIN KUNG). At the time Faye's Cantonese was not fluent and the four of them often made fun of her. Faye was very smart and very quickly spoke fluent Cantonese. She would even strike back. Ka Keung continued, "Although we haven't seen each other for a long time, when I sent you message to her to ask her for a photo to remember Ka Kui, she very quickly sent two for me to choose. Thank you very much! If I have a chance, I hope to be able to write another song for her."

Earlier Ka Keung shot his music video. Singing part of the female harmony, his Japanese wife Makiko and their son were on the set as well. They even guest starred in the final shot. He explained, "I want to tell Ka Kui I am great, so I should have footage of my current life. I want to tell him, I am already grown and I am a father. I am very happy!"

For this year's memorial event, Ka Keung will not only sing to Ka Kui but also wrote a letter to him. In the letter he not only mentioned his changes but also apologized to his brother for not being able to properly safeguard Beyond. He admitted that when the three of them first decided to break up, he thought that they would just go for a little while then return. They ended up waiting for two years and realized that they already had their own world. Beyond also passed with Ka Kui so they no longer had to persist on. Ka Keung said that now he would like the most for every member of Beyond to find his own happy life and career.

Source: Mingpao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Donnie Yen expresses his love for his wife

2013-05-21T11:22:00.003+08:00

The 66th Cannes Film Festival is heating up. The Donnie Yen Chi Tan starred giant production ICEMAN 3D (3D BING FUNG HUP) held a party on the 17th. Chi Tan and wife Cissy Wang appeared. Lead actress Eva Huang Shengyi and investor representatives also attended. Many film buyers made the trip for a glimpse of the "Strongest in the Universe".

Chi Tan who have publicly expressed his love to his wife many times before repeated the deed at the party. He stated that thanks to Cissy taking great care of him behind the scene, he was able to focus on his career. He then leaned on his wife's shoulder. Speaking of working with Huang Shengyi, Chi Tan praised Shengyi's performance. "Although she was only responsible for the emotional scenes and didn't have many action scenes, I sensed that Shengyi had a lot of kung fu potential and very right for the international action actress route. Unfortunately this time I didn't arrange more action scenes for her!" Chi Tan felt that Shengyi was very professional, even with a high fever she still insisted of working. He was won over. As for co-star Wang Baoqiang, Chi Tan said that he knew he was a Shaolin disciple but during the shoot he did not deliberately test him. Instead they discussed martial act action more. Because Chi Tan's stay was short and had to rush to Monaco for a Dior fashion show, he was unable to meet with Carina Lau Ka Ling and Tony Leung Chiu Wai in Cannes.

Shengyi who was training for diving in the Mainland kept sneezing during the interview. She has been sick for over a month. After arriving in Cannes due to constantly walking she suffered from hip pains and needed physical therapy. Speaking of working with Chi Tan, Shengyi pointed out that Chi Tan often took care of her and had a gentle and attentive side. She even said that due to visa issues she almost did not make the tirp to Cannes. Luckily she finally was able to. Shengyi and her manage Yang Zi took time to take some photos in Cannes.

Wang Baoqiang who appeared for two movies in Cannes said that he was confident about A TOUCH OF SIN's award chances. "I hope it will be able to win the Palme d'Or grand prize. (Your kiss with your wife on the red carpet was accused of being a spotlight stealing move?) I don't care. I didn't do it for everyone's attention, I only wanted to give something to my wife. I regret nothing."

Source: on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Sam Lee loses weight to play a Drug Addict

2013-05-21T11:18:00.001+08:00

Sam Lee Chan Sam yesterday attended a Fama eyewear store opening. Lee Chan Sam later will work on Fruit Chan Gor's film and play a drug addict. Also in the film will be Simon Yam Tat, Tsui Tin Yau and the supposed lead actress Janice Man Wing Shan. "I need to lose weight and grow facial hair. The temperature is so hot but I still insist on wearing suit and tie because I want to sweat it off. Now I have already lost 4 pounds."

Source: Mingpao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Desmond Pang does not dare to pursue Linda Chung

2013-05-21T11:10:00.002+08:00

Linda Chung Ka Yun recently has been linked to wealthy church member Desmond Pang Kei Yin, who two nights ago attended the HIDDEN TREASURE (MOR SHUI SI DIK BO BUI) premiere. In the film he and the female lead had intercourse and she became pregnant out of wedlock. he said that in real life as a Christian he declines premarital sex.

Speaking of rumors with Ka Yun BB made his popularity rise, Pang Kei Yin said, "I truly thank everyone, I never imagined that I would have a cover (magazine). Since I started I haven't had a lot of coverage, this time I was blessed with a goddess to be my rumored girlfriend, I really am very appreciative!" He said that he warmed up slowly. Since he and Ka Yun BB have not known each other long, they are still friends. For now he still has not thought about pursuing her. "We have only met a few times, she is a good fellow church member. I don't dare to reach. (Zac) Kao Ho Ching said that I am a picky hot property? Haha, I am just careful with making friends."

Kong Wa two nights ago attend the Media Evangelism Ltd.'s digital film HIDDEN TREASURE. In the film he played a magician and performed with his usual "Andy Lau Tak Wa style chok". His wife Mak Kitman also showed her support.

Source: Mingpao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Carina Lau refuses to put a leash on Tony Leung Chiu Wai

2013-05-21T11:07:00.005+08:00

Carina Lau Ka Ling and Chen Kun spoke to the media in Cannes about their film BENDS. In the film they played a Hong Kong upper class socialite and a Mainlander driver. Their character struggled through many emotional scenes. Ka Ling could not help but shed real tears as true emotions flowed.

They at the press conference exchanged compliments. Ka Ling said, "I am older than him, he is my junior. I am very lucky to run into an excellent actor like Chen Kun. I would make different attempts with every one of my movie, emotional scenes in particular. He was able to receive them." Chen Kun said that when he first met Ka Ling he already sensed her charm. On and off camera she was very happy to take care of others.

Their characters had class and cultural differences. Ka Ling joked that in real life she only belonged to the upper middle class. "Happiness is not measured with money, happiness is for you to find in life, to see how you face life and your so-called happiness. At home (Tony) Leung Chiu Wai concentrates on his model building and Wing Chun, while I am busy with bills and chores. Yet I am very happy too, I don't want to keep an eye on my husband. I only want to help him achieve."

Speaking of the growing conflict between China and Hong Kong, Ka Ling felt that being on the same earth everyone should coexist peacefully. "We shouldn't create hypothetical or deliberate conflict. We would have conflict, which is understandable. Originally Hong Kong and the Mainland have completely different backgrounds, now the relationship is closer. We should think about the premise first and shouldn't blow up the matter too much." She praised new director Flora Lau Wan Man for not adding bed scenes or controversial scenes for commercial elements and persisting on her original idea. She has won her respect.

Ka Ling and Chen Kun said that this collaboration has been very pleasant. Ka Ling said, "People need exchanges, after understanding each other then we can get into characters. Chen Kun and I had great exchanges!" She even said that Chen Kun will be a great actor. Chen Kun said, "I was both excited and nervous about working with Sister Ka Ling!" He pointed out that he worked on a film in Hong Kong for an extended period of time for the first time. A stranger in a strange place, he appreciated Ka Ling for taking care of her.

Foreign media raved about Ka Ling's touching break down scene. Ka Ling said, "At the time the shoot was about to come to an end, so I was already in character, captured the feeling. After finishing it it feels very gratifying!" She even talked about her philosophy. "No one knows what will happen tomorrow. I am already at this age, I am more relaxed with a lot. Unless I don't want to live, if I do I have to keep going and look ahead!" Producer Shi Nansun pointed out that BENDS was an art film so it had no box office pressure.

Source: Singtao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Donnie Yen adds a little salary for over time

2013-05-21T11:04:00.002+08:00

Donnie Yen Chi Tan has endless film offers, but in order to support the film industry he only added a suitable amount salary for ICEMAN 3D (3D BING FUNG HUP). After ten years of marriage with his wife Cissy Wang, he said that everyday has been very romantic. He even called himself "the strongest and the most romantic in the universe".

"The Strongest in the Universe" Yen Chi Tan promoted his films at the Cannes Film Festival. Speaking of all the troubles with his film ICEMAN 3D like the snowstorm in the Changbai Mountain and the film needed to be split into two parts for release, Chi Tan only added a little salary to support the film industry.

Chi Tan did not deny that. "Sometimes you can't be so tight with every cent. I only hope the audience will like it and I can answer to them. If the film will be a big hit, the film company will be able to give me a big lai see then." In addition, due to the snowstorm delaying the Changbai Mountain location shoot, Chi Tan personally called Emperor boss Albert Yeung Sau Sing and asked for a two month delay on the Emperor Motion Picture YUT GOR YUN DIK MO LUM so he would be able to focus on ICEMAN 3D. As for rumors that Wang Baoqiang's role in YUT was originally Aaron Kwok Fu Sing's, Chi Tan said, "I am not sure, Wang Baoqiang and I have known each other for years. I admire him very much. He is not only outstanding in a comedy. I look forward to working with him and (Charlie) Yeung Choi Nei very much."

This year is the tenth wedding anniversary of Chi Tan and his wife Cissy Wang. Earlier Cissy stated that she will shoot a sexy wedding photo series with his husband. Chi Tan admitted that although he was busy with work, he still will take time off to be with his wife. As for sexy wedding photos, he had reservation. "What is there to shoot! At most we can just shoot each other with our photos and not save them on the computer. Actually if two people are good together, everyday can be very romantic. I am a very romantic person, not only am I the strongest in the universe, I am also the strongest and the most romantic in the universe!"

Reportedly a Hollywood film company is interested in investing HK$800 million to remake Akira Kurosawa's SEVEN SAMURAI with Chi Tan, Zhang Ziyi and George Clooney. Chi Tan admitted that he has been in negotiations for the film that wanted him to work with Ziyi and George Clooney, but he was uncertain about the details. He only knew that it would be an Akira Kurosawa film remake. He said, "If it really is a SEVEN remake I would look forward to it very much, because Kurosawa was a director who I admired."

Source: on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Andy & Sammi: Our chemistry is like husband and wife

2013-05-21T10:56:00.001+08:00

When Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng sit together to be interviewed, there would be sparks, no wonder Andy would say: “We’re husband and wife in films, we can accept be the other party good or bad.” Collaborating with Johnnie To and Wai Kar Fai, it was their seventh collaboration.

For this time round, Andy double up as the compere for Sina Entertainment as he took the initiative to interview Sammi, questions and answers, it can be seen the strong chemistry they had. Sammi said: “Time cultivate trust, acting with Andy is like playing ball, he gave me a quality ball, I will have the confidence to return a good ball back to him, he always motivate me, is he crazy, I’m crazier than him!”

This full of chemistry “film husband and wife”, what pros and cons they have? Sammi said: “He’s too skinny! He doesn’t eat at the film set!” Andy is more realistic, “The pros of Sammi is for all to see, during shooting she would always maintain her best shape. Cons is that she does not know how to protect herself, does not know danger, she love others a lot but does not love herself much.”

With regards to playing a blind detective, Andy went to a training centre for the blind and trained with his eyes bind. In the end, he said: “Actually until the last stage, playing a blind person must tell everybody that I can see and this is actually what the blind had been doing for his whole life.”

We are husband and wife in films

Andy (A): Hello netizens of Sina, I’m your compere Andy Lau, today I’m interviewing my beloved Sammi Cheng, very happy to come to Cannes, she had a film titled Blind Detective, can you introduce the film and your character?

Sammi (S): This film is collaborated with Mr. Andy Lau and director Johnnie To, we had collaborated several times, had collaborated with Andy for 7 times. Actually this film is full of elements, it has comedy and some serious stories, there’s also suspense, some action, some horror. I’m thankful that the script provides a wide area for actors to venture and it also represent different humanities.

Sina Entertainment (SE): Just now Andy said that both of you are husband and wife in films, can you explain each others pros and cons?

S: Pros is, I believed the world knows and understand the enthusiasm he has for films, also I can prove that for every film set he went, he would bring his best out, this make me feel that I’ve learn many things from him. Whenever seeing him doing his best and perfecting in everything, this make me wanted to bring my own spirit and stamina to the same level as him, can venture a lot with him.

A: What about cons?

S: He’s too skinny!

A: Sammi complaint me skinny, roars!

S: During shooting, it seems that we didn’t eat much, when I see how skinny he was, I also don’t dare to eat.

A: Her pros can be seen by everybody, you can find a very fashionable feel on her, from her acting, in the whole film, she said that I always maintained my best shape, she can do it too. But her cons is that sometimes she does not know how to protect herself, does not know danger, loving others is enough and not love herself.

SE: Playing a blind man this time round, it was said that the eyes in the window to the soul, without communication of the eye, how both of you going to act?

S: It’s does not always need eye contact when getting along with people. It’s the inner feelings, there are body language which is good for communication. Andy who is blind in the film, but he did not let you feel that he’s blind all the time, it’s just natural, thus communicating with him does feel like communicating with a blind person. This is also his speciality when acting a blind person, making it lively, he also went to the training centre for the blind to study their lifestyle, using their body language which make the co-star easy to react.

A: When first told to act a blind person, I think how should I go represent in front of the camera, telling everybody that I’m blind. This is the first step, I have this preparation and then went to the centre for training, living with them for quite some time, I used my ears to listen everyday, bind my eyes and live with them. Till the end, after removing the eye mask, they told me that I’ve succeed, I have learn the whole process of taking care of myself. That person then told me that he would accompany me to play one game, they had to go through this flight of stairs everyday, he told me, now we’re at level 5, let’s compete who is faster going down and up these stairs?

SE: So who is faster?

A: It’s him. I didn’t expected it, we ran separately. Therefore to act well a blind person, you must tell everybody that you “can see”. Because this is what they wanted to do throughout their life, actually it’s like changing another angle to act. After completing one third of the film, I kept telling everybody that I can see, acting out this way, the feeling will be very good.

Source: Sina.com
Translated by: AndyLauSounds

TVB Rating Reports (05/13/2013 - 05/19/2013)

2013-05-21T10:52:00.001+08:00

Drama

Slow Boat Home - 情越海岸線 (EPS 01-05) - 25 PTS (Peaking at 28 PTS)

Come Home Love - 愛．回家 (EPS 256-260) - 22 PTS (Peaking at 24 PTS)

Beauty At War - 金枝慾孽貳 (EPS 16-20) - 19 PTS (Peaking at 23 PTS)

Variety Shows

Minute to Win It - 決戰一分鐘 (EP 20 END) - 25 PTS
Office of Practical Jokes - 玩嘢王 (EP 05) - 23 PTS
Good Cheap Eats - 食平D (Weekdays) - 19 PTS

(Nielsen TAM: 1 point represents 64,200 viewers)

Source: HKChannel
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Gaile Lok denies marriage rumours to NZ surf coach

2013-05-21T00:56:00.002+08:00

The Hong Kong model, who separated from ex-husband Leon Lai last October, was previously speculated to have secretly tied the knot with her new beau
Hong Kong model Gaile Lok has refuted rumours that she had secretly tied the knot with her surf coach beau Cuz, less than a year after her separation from ex-husband Leon Lai.

'Why would I be thinking of getting married again so soon after I just went through a divorce?' she retorted at a Hong Kong event recently. She also declined to answer questions on whether she is seeing anyone at the moment.

Appearing at the event with her sun-kissed skin, the model revealed that she has been residing in Bali and that she goes surfing three to four times a week. When probed if her rumoured new beau Cuz has been coaching her on the sport, she said, 'I have many friends who know how to surf.'

According to media reports, Leon has been immersing himself in work to get over his relationship woes. In response to the claims, Gaile said that her ex-husband has always enjoyed working and that they have not been in contact for a period of time. The model also let on that the former celeb couple has settled all divorce procedures.

Source: Xinmsn Entertainment

Ada Choi and Max Zhang spend quality time in Maldives

2013-05-21T00:52:00.003+08:00

The couple recently celebrated Max Zhang's 39th birthday in Maldives without their daughters
Accoding to the Hong Kong media, Ada Choi and Max Zhang spent some rare quality time together as they celebrated Max's 39th birthday in Maldives two days ago without their two daughters.

Having just given birth to her second daughter in April, Ada showed off her post-pregnancy figure by posting photos of her in a bikini online. The Hong Kong actress jokingly commented, 'I haven't worn a bikini ever since Miss Hong Kong pageant years ago! Now, I shall let all of you admire my post-pregnancy figure behind my husband's back. Isn't it very sexy?'

Ada also posted a series of photos taken during the Maldives trip along with a a sweet birthday message for her husband. The 39-year-old wrote: 'Happy birthday hubby! May you be happy forever and I hope that your work will get more exciting and fulfilling so that you can continue to surprise the audiences with your performance! I also hope that our two daughters will always listen to you and love you!'

She cheekily added, 'May your wife become prettier, maintain her good figure, be good at cooking, be adored by people wherever she goes, be chauffeured everywhere, and most importantly, bring you endless happiness and joys in your life.'

In reply to Ada's post, Max wrote: 'I am thankful for many things in life: The Grandmasters has brought in more work opportunities for me; my eldest daughter is growing up healthily and my second daughter recently arrived in this world. I will continue to work hard!'

Source: Xinmsn Entertainment

Donnie Yen to headline Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2

2013-05-21T00:49:00.003+08:00

The Hong Kong film star has been confirmed as the male lead for the sequel to the internationally-acclaimed film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2
Fans of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have reason to rejoice. At the 66th Cannes Film Festival, director Ang Lee recently announced his plans at to produce a sequel to his internationally-acclaimed film, starring Donnie Yen and Michelle Yeoh.

At the press conference held in Cannes, director Woo-ping dismissed rumours of the sequel's story line, which speculated that Donnie will play Michelle's first love in the movie, by explaining that the script has yet to be finalised.

'The first draft of the script isn't good enough, so we are still trying to improve it,' he said during the press conference.

He also revealed that the production company plans to produce both English and Mandarin versions of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2. Instead of dubbing the film, both versions will be filmed separately in the respective languages to ensure its originality.

When asked if he is stressed by his lead role in the second installment of the classic movie, Donnie replied that he hopes to attain a breakthrough performance with his new role and surprise the audiences with his performance.

Source: Xinmsn Entertainment

ND Daily Interview: Serious [Actress] vs Serious [Scriptwriter] -- Beauty at War’s ‘Serious’ Showdown

2013-05-21T00:47:00.002+08:00

Nine years ago, TVB series War and Beauty (金枝欲孽) caused a huge sensation in Hong Kong. With its clever method of utilizing the inner palace struggles of Imperial times to reflect the daily struggles of modern society, well-developed characters constantly in conflict with one another, and brilliant dialogue, the series not only soared to popularity almost instantly, it also stirred up a subsequent popular ‘craze’ for ‘palace-fighting’ drama series.

With such huge popularity of the first installment, it came as no surprise that now, 9 years later, the expectations for the series’ sequel Beauty at War (金枝欲孽2) would be high – to the point that the sequel was expected to be one of 2013’s most anticipated and acclaimed series. Unfortunately though, currently in its 3rd week of broadcast, Beauty at War has not been able to generate the same critical acclaim and widespread acceptance from audiences that its predecessor did. Instead, the series has been plagued by seemingly endless criticisms and complaints, with ‘controversies’ surrounding such topics as the series being ‘too artistic’, ‘difficult to understand’, ‘miserably low ratings’, ‘zero script’ etc. – definitely a far cry from the positive reception of the first installment! In a further ‘blow’, the ratings for the series recently reached a ‘record’ low of 18 points, sparking further criticism as well as heated on-line discussions on the ‘cause’ of the poor ratings.

Recently, Beauty at War’s ‘Consort Yu’ -- lead actress Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯) – spoke out about the controversy surrounding the series. Known for taking her work very seriously and always one to speak her mind on challenges related to her profession, Sheren strongly criticized the filming methods on the set of Beauty at War, with the brunt of the criticism directed at the series’ scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming (周旭明) due to his ‘habit’ of providing ‘on-the-fly’ scripts.

Last week, ND Daily’s reporter sat down with both Sheren and scriptwriter Chow (on separate occasions) to discuss with them face-to-face their ‘take’ on Beauty at War and why the series failed to resonate with audiences. With Sheren being a ‘serious’ actress [one who takes her acting profession very seriously] and Chow Yuk Ming being a ‘serious’ scriptwriter [one who is very meticulous about his writing], this became a ‘showdown’ of the ‘serious’. During the interview, both Sheren and scriptwriter Chow revealed many behind-the-scenes ‘stories’ related to filming the sequel, including the trials and tribulations they encountered as well as their original hopes and expectations toward the series.

ND = ND Daily’s Reporter
ST = Sheren Tang
YM = Chow Yuk Ming

ROUND 1

‘Showdown’-- Creative Process: Was the fault due to ‘zero script’??

[Sheren gives her perspective….]

ND: Why the ‘high profile’ criticism of the ‘zero script’?

ST: When I filmed this series, I was very unhappy and it was primarily due to the lack of a completed script. I developed mood disorder and at the time, the illness was so severe to the point that I could fall apart and collapse any minute. I felt like a rubber band being stretched to its limit, on the verge of breaking – the health issue was very serious. At the time, I was in a lot of pain, my skin was discolored and even some of my hair was falling out – it’s just that none of that was visible because of the makeup (I really need to thank my makeup artist!). But after the makeup was removed, the skin on my face was a blackish-reddish color, very different from the color of the skin on my neck -- I was suffering and it felt like my whole body was being tossed around in a black hole…it definitely freaked me out! Since everyone is asking what the problem is with this series, I bring up what I feel is a very important issue based on my professional standards – from the perspective of a ‘drama fanatic’ like myself who has been in the acting profession for many years, I can very honestly say that if there is ‘no script’ while filming, sorry, but that’s a huge problem!

Actually, 9 years ago, during the filming of War and Beauty, I had also expressed the same dissatisfaction [with lack of complete script] – in fact, at the time, I had also expressed that the ‘flying paper’ [on-the-fly’ script] method was too painful and I even cried over it, but no one really paid attention to me. Then, when War and Beauty aired, it was so well-received and there was such overwhelming praise for the series that if I had [publicly] mentioned at that time that I felt the ‘flying paper’ method was problematic, would anyone have believed me? I’m not the type of person who says one thing to one person and a different thing to someone else – it’s just that to me, the success from last time [popularity from War and Beauty] was basically luck. This time around though [with the sequel], as everyone starts reflecting on what problems occurred with the series, I could no longer bury my conscience and say that there were no problems. If I say that I am bringing up this issue because it is a problem industry-wide that all of us need to reflect upon and review, then maybe people will feel it’s more believable?

ND: Is it because the ratings [for the series] are at a record low of 19 points right now, so you’re angry to the point of lashing out?

ST: I’ve never been one to care about ratings, so it doesn’t make sense for me to speak out just because the ratings are low. Back then, War and Beauty had received high ratings, but I didn’t feel it was due to my performance alone – in fact, I stated that my performance just met the standard and it was really the combination of the producer’s editing as well as the well-written dialogue by the scriptwriter that gave the overall performance bonus points. I feel that this time around, the main reason why my performance of ‘Consort Yu’ wasn’t as good as the previous one was because last time, I received 20 episodes of the script’s rough draft in advance whereas this time, it was ‘zero’ script.

ND: How did the ‘zero script’ situation directly harm your performance?

ST: At the time when my illness [mood disorder] occurred, [scriptwriter Chow] Yuk Ming did make the effort to give me the script [for the upcoming scenes] a little earlier, but at night, I was busy filming, so the only opportunity for me to review the script was in the early morning hours, right after filming wrapped. However, there were some nights where I had nothing to film at all because I was waiting around for the script – the entire time, I would be worrying about how much dialogue there’d be in that particular scene, whether I’d be able to comprehend it, digest it, whether there’d be time to make changes – plus with all the classical language, not sure if there would be time to check the dictionary if needed. Acting isn’t just about reading out the dialogue, it’s necessary to understand it and then figure out the best way to express it – this process requires a lot of time to study and digest, but with this method [on-the-fly script], there isn’t enough time. I’m not the only one who had to endure this difficulty [‘zero script’] – the rest of the cast had to go through it as well, so I feel that it’s necessary to be forthcoming about this. I’ve been in the industry close to 30 years already – I have a huge passion for acting and also have a huge amount of respect for those who work in the field of the arts. At my level, I cannot allow myself to be the type of actress who merely looks up words in a dictionary and recites the dialogue without regard for anything else – unfortunately though, when filming Beauty at War, I had no choice but to do just that [recite dialogue without studying / digesting it] . I felt helpless and my mood at the time was very miserable.

ND: If the person writing the script is a little late in delivering the final product, perhaps he is just trying to strive for perfection. If that’s the case, you still feel it’s ‘unforgivable’?

ST: Back when we filmed War and Beauty, Yuk Ming also did the ‘flying paper’ thing, but the difference is that he already had a rough draft of 20 episodes ready for us, including dialogue – sure, later on he ended up changing all the dialogue, but at least I already had a framework to study and work from….this actually makes a huge difference! By not giving us [actors/actresses] the chance to study and prepare for our roles [due to the on-the-fly scripts], he [the scriptwriter] is essentially strangling our creativity -- to me, this is very selfish behavior. Yes, my criticism is directed toward Yuk Ming [BAW’s scriptwriter] and my hope is that he will reflect upon this.

ND: Others feel that as long as the script is unique and creative, they are willing to accept the idea of on-the-fly scripts. So why is it that you’re the only one criticizing?

ST: Everyone has a different way of looking at things. Sure, I can understand that others may feel this script is particularly outstanding and has its own style so they would rather endure not having a script than to give up on such an opportunity. And I know that not everyone is as ‘foolish’ as me…after all, receiving the script late isn’t really my issue [as an actress] – if I receive the script late, then just do the best I can given the circumstances. So why is it that I chose to take such a strong stance on this issue? Because I feel that I have to uphold my professionalism as an actress and speak up on behalf of the acting profession as a whole – others may feel that [the ‘flying paper’ method] is perfectly fine and just let things slide, but I can’t. As an actress, I also have my creative side – Yuk Ming may feel that he is just trying to put forth his ‘best’ work [TN: hence the constant writing/re-writing that causes the script to be delayed] – I understand that, but what about my ‘best’? Should my professionalism as an actress be destroyed in his hands? When it comes to my profession [acting], I have certain responsibilities too – it’s unfair to disregard our efforts as actors/actresses; just because he has the talent, doesn’t mean that everyone should just tolerate it and accommodate him. I need to be accountable to the audiences who watch my performance as well as to my own professionalism as an actress!

[Scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming gives his perspective….]

ND: Why was there ‘zero script’? Why the constant delay in providing completed scripts? What are your thoughts on Sheren’s criticism?

YM: Writers usually have such a habit – whether it’s journalists, novelists, TV scriptwriters, all have this bad habit. My ‘bad habit’ is particularly severe – since I couldn’t change it [this habit] prior to turning 30, I guess I’ll be taking it to my grave.

In terms of Sheren’s criticism, I’ll take this opportunity to respond. Usually, I’ll have the script to Sheren 2 days in advance of filming, though there have been times when I couldn’t get it to her until the night before (not a lot though). Perhaps Sheren forgot, so I will try to refresh her memory…actually, the ‘on-the-fly- script situation was worse during the filming of War and Beauty – I admit this and no one should have to speak on my behalf.

Back during the time when I wrote the script for The Criminal Investigator (O記實錄) [in 1995], I already had the habit of editing my scripts on-the-fly – in fact, I did it to the point that Felix Wong (黃日華) [TN: lead actor in the series] really hated me for it. Of course I know that it’s frustrating for the cast and crew, but unfortunately, all these years, I haven’t been able to change it. Actually though, these past two years I’ve done less of it and when I do, I try to do it earlier. It’s true that I’m not able to give the cast a complete script in a timely manner, but I do provide a complete scene summary as well as rough draft to everyone. The rough draft wasn’t written by a newbie scriptwriter [TN: as is often the habit in the industry] – it was handled in a serious manner and edits were made where necessary. Each person in the cast was very clear on what their role would be, it’s just that they couldn’t study or prepare the dialogue because they had to wait for me to write it. To be honest though, in comparisons to past series, I already did the least amount of on-the-fly editing with Beauty at War.

Sometimes I would feel pessimistic and the thought would come into my mind: when a ship is about to sink, there will always be people who’d rather play mouse and try to escape first – this is truly the feeling I got this time around. But when I look internally, I know that I can’t deflect blame either because I truly do have this bad habit – doesn’t matter how much or how little I do it – it’s still an issue and it negatively impacts the cast.

I actually already knew a long time ago that Sheren always requests to have the script early, so I prioritize and always try to get her the script earlier than everyone else. Why haven’t the other artists said anything? She describes it as only herself speaking out and everyone else kept quiet, which makes it sound like the others are just putting up with it and indulging my bad habit – that’s unfair to the other artists. They [the cast] are all aware of my bad habit, as [producer] Jonathan Chik (戚其義) puts in a lot of effort to clearly communicate with the cast ahead of time in the hopes of minimizing the negative impact of getting the script late. Some artists that we’ve worked with for many years – Moses Chan (陈豪) and Ada Choi (蔡少芬) for example – understand this and don’t have a problem with it. However, just because they are used to it doesn’t mean it’s ok for me to do it – I recognize that I definitely have issues and I’ve truly been wasting the artists’ time.

ND: The ratings recently plunged to 19 [now 18] points. When you wrote this script, any idea that it would be unpopular?

YM: We had already anticipated that the ratings definitely wouldn’t be as high as War and Beauty, but we didn’t expect that the ratings would be this low. Also, the number of audiences who gave up on watching the series was more than we expected. I know that we lost a lot of younger audiences as well as mothers and housewives – even my mom gave up on watching, as she’s always felt that the series I write aren’t that good. Those still watching Beauty at War aren’t traditional audiences.

My friends often tell me that they feel I’m a bit contemptuous and have somewhat of a ‘temper’ – I admit that I’m a willful person. But one thing I’ve understood since back in the day when I was writing stage plays for theaters is that, as a writer, it’s impossible to not want to communicate with audiences. If the audiences sitting there have no reaction and have no clue what you’re saying, it’s definitely not a good thing. Of course I want to interact with audiences, but I’m not trying to do it in a highbrow manner.

I truly believe [that the poor reception for BAW] isn’t because audiences ‘don’t understand’ the series, rather, they dislike the series and feel that it’s boring – to me, this is a different matter altogether. It might sound ironic, but that’s the disadvantage of doing sequels. Some people complained that the sequel totally ruined their good impression of the original War and Beauty – to be honest, I once regretted writing the sequel too, as I felt it was an arduous and thankless task. But later on, when my mind had cleared a bit, I realized that it [writing the sequel] wasn’t necessarily a bad thing – at the very least, it allowed me to review my previous work (the original War and Beauty series) and come to the realization that [the series] wasn’t as ‘perfect’ as I had thought. Audiences like watching all that palace fighting and scheming stuff, but it was all just a small part of the plot – it was pretty much just using certain techniques and tricks to ‘fool’ the audiences. Basically, all of that wasn’t the main point of what I wanted to write – actually, my intended focus was more on ‘feelings’ and ‘relationships’. With that said, I do understand that every person will have displaced memories of even the most beautiful of things – this applies to audiences and to me as well.

I admit that the failure this time [poor reception of BAW] rests entirely on the script. Perhaps it was written too pretentiously, the pace was too slow…and the complaints about on-the-fly editing – these are all facts.

ROUND 2

‘Showdown’ -- Characters: the success and failure of the ‘Consort Yu’ character

[Sheren gives her perspective….]

ND: You said that you’re afraid to re-watch your performance [in [i]Beauty at War[/i]]. Is it because you feel the performance as ‘Consort Yu’ wasn’t as good as last time?

ST: Yes. I feel I didn’t do a good enough job this time around and there were a lot of flaws. For this performance, I did something that I don’t normally do – that is, I went into it without having the slightest idea how I should portray the character of ‘Consort Yu’ this time around. I really wanted to portray the character well, but I was virtually clueless about the character – I didn’t know what type of person she was or what the purpose of her actions was. In the past, I’m usually able to explain the characters I portray to reporters, but this time around, I don’t have a good grasp of the character. To be honest, the ‘decision’ of how to portray this character wasn’t really in my hands – because of the problems I encountered with my body [the effects of the mood disorder], the ‘decision’ was really determined by my health situation at the time.

ND: Overall, most audiences still aren’t able to accept the type of drama series where only selective audiences understand what is going on, such as with the series that Chow Yuk Ming writes. Do you feel that Yuk Ming’s effort at ‘creativity’ this time around was a failure?

ST: I wouldn’t use ‘success’ or ‘failure’ to describe it. In my opinion, such a ‘lightly flavored’ drama as Beauty at War isn’t really suited for a TV series. But of course, I understand that true creativity requires free expression of the arts, so it’s hard to be completely utilitarian – in order to be creative, one will need to take risks. To be honest, I have no problem with portraying a gentle, weak feminine character and actually am very glad to be given the chance to do so. Of course I already knew going into it that this new ‘Consort Yu’ won’t ‘stand out’ like my characters in Rosy Business and No Regrets did, but that’s fine because it was a new challenge for me – after all, as an actress, I don’t want to continue playing the same types of roles all the time. This is why I didn’t interfere at all with how Yuk Ming and Jonathan wanted to ‘design’ the character of Consort Yu for the sequel. Instead, I told them that I already anticipated they wouldn’t repeat the same character traits from last time -- so basically I was fine with them doing the sequel differently.

[Scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming gives his perspective….]

ND: Sheren herself was a bit confused on whether this ‘different’ Consort Yu was the right direction to take. For example – the character always seems to be praying to Buddha and it seems there is not enough ‘drama’ to her. Sheren indicated that if she were to give the ‘old’ Consort Yu (from WAB) a score of 80 points, she would only give the ‘new’ Consort Yu (from BAW) a score of 50 points.

YM: All I can say is that this time around, Consort Yu is a completely different character. We had originally intended to give the audiences a little variety [by presenting a completely different Consort Yu], but didn’t really have confidence whether audiences would like it.

To use the example of cooking – if you add seasonings to a dish, of course it’s going to taste good, but does that mean that you must add seasoning every single time you cook that dish? If the seasoning was the only thing that made the dish taste good, then there’s no need for the chef to spend time specially preparing the dish. In the industry, the ‘fast-food’ method of handling a series is common practice, but sometimes, it’s necessary to give a different ‘flavor’ and deviate from the norm a bit. If I were to carry over the same Consort Yu from WAB into the sequel, a small group of audiences will probably complain about the lack of ‘creativity’, but majority of audiences definitely wouldn’t mind and probably would still tune in to watch. From the beginning, I had already made it clear that I didn’t want to write about palace infighting again [hence the creation of a ‘softer, nicer’ Consort Yu], but it seems that the audiences’ wish was to see a ‘domineering’ Consort Yu similar to the original series – there’s nothing I can do about this. To me, the Consort Yu from the first installment could pretty much be summed up in 2 sentences.

When it comes to sequels, our general practice [most TVB producers/scriptwriters] is to understand what audiences liked from the first installment and base the sequel off these elements in the hopes of meeting audiences’ expectations. The Rosy Business franchise is a good example of this – audiences really loved Sheren’s Fourth Mistress in Rosy Business, so it makes sense that in the sequel, we would give audiences a similarly strong character in Cheng Gou Mui – this way, the audiences are happy. Of course we [himself and Jonathan Chik] understand the ‘techniques’ that go into doing a sequel, but we just didn’t want to follow the ‘traditional’ model. Instead, we chose to take a much riskier alternative route and very irresponsibly used the company’s money to do something that we knew wouldn’t reap much reward. We also chose to use a more figurative, less traditional method of linking the sequel and its predecessor together. It was definitely a gamble though – not a gamble of whether we would have luck on our side again or not, but rather, a gamble of whether audiences’ tastes would be more ‘open’ and be willing to accept such an unconventional series. With the current poor ratings, I can’t blame the audiences for not being open-minded enough though – I admit that this time around, the way I handled things [the story and overall script] was definitely problematic.

ND: Will Consort Yu’s character continue to be so insipid and ‘weak’ in the latter half of the series? Or will there be a ‘change’ to the character down the road?

YM: Consort Yu’s position is actually quite clear. In the first series, she’s very smart and knows that there are certain things she wants in life, so she endlessly fights for what she wants and harms many people in the process. In the sequel, she is still very smart, but the difference is that she doesn’t ‘want’ anything this time around, so there is less conflict, however, due to her high position [amongst the emperor’s concubines in the palace], she will always be a ‘target’ for others to attack. Of course, Consort Yu isn’t going to remain ‘passive’ the entire series – as the story develops, she will go through some changes that make sense based on the situations that occur. Personally, I didn’t want Consort Yu to go through changes in the latter part of the series, but I understand that at the end of the day, TV series are a form of entertainment, so it’s necessary to include some ‘twists and turns’ in the plot to keep audiences entertained. There will certainly be some ‘twists and turns’ coming up in the plot, but it won’t be what audiences expect or are used to seeing.

ROUND 3

‘Showdown’ – Audiences and TV Market: What about the poor reception for BAW?

[Sheren gives her perspective….]

ND: Do you agree with majority audience’s perspective that BAW is ‘not good’, ‘boring’, ‘hard to understand’?

ST: If the audiences don’t ‘buy’ the series and aren’t willing to accept it, of course we have to admit it and take responsibility – but that doesn’t mean that I’m spurning the series. I completely accept the fact that audiences don’t like BAW or don’t have the patience to watch the series – there’s nothing wrong with this, as everyone as their own interests and audiences have the right to not like a series. I know that Chow Yuk Ming and Jonathan Chik have many die-hard fans, so there will always be audiences out there who appreciate their series. For those who don’t like the series, it’s unfair to say that they just don’t understand it or don’t know how to appreciate it – the reality is, these types of things can’t be forced. The series has definitely ignited some controversies with comments being both positive and negative – I feel that there are many good things about the series, but at the same time, there’s also definite room for improvement.

ND: Personally, what do you feel is the biggest problem with this series that has caused so many audiences to give up on it?

ST: I feel that the biggest problem is with the script’s framework – the storyline is too choppy and scattered. For example, there would be a few scenes talking about Consort Yu with her son [5th Prince] and just when audiences start to become engaged in the story, the next scene suddenly talks about a completely different character. To be honest, when I was reading the script, this was also an area that confused me as well. We have to understand that when most audiences watch series, they will naturally gravitate towards certain characters and become ‘attached’ to them on an emotional level – when you have a storyline that jumps back and forth too much between too many characters, it can be too exhaustive for audiences to follow. I feel that if we truly care about the audiences, then it’s necessary to accept different feedbacks and opinions. I don’t doubt Yuk Ming’s talent at all, but when there are concerns, I feel they should be raised. Of course there’s a ‘fire’ in me – if not, I wouldn’t be the ‘lone dissenter’ and say such ‘unfavorable’ things. It’s actually very simple – just like with the series itself, some people will like it and some people won’t!

[Scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming gives his perspective….]

ND: What do you feel was the most regrettable thing about Beauty at War?

YM: Most regrettable is that we actually edited out a lot of stuff. People often ask why our [Chow Yuk Ming/Jonathan Chik] series are so ‘confusing’ and ‘unclear’ -- it always seems as though too much is being ‘implied’ and nothing is explained clearly. The reason is because of the editing. We understand that the pace of the series may be too slow, so in our haste to adjust this, sometimes the editing decisions may not have been entirely thought out. There’ve been times when we’d cut out entire segments because we were afraid those [segments] would drag down the pacing – as a result, certain parts of the storyline end up being ‘implied’ rather than drawn out with a clear explanation.

I actually have quite a deep affection for Beauty at War – for me, it’s a very personal thing. As I told you guys previously, BAW is a love letter – it’s a very personal expression of my feelings and in a sense, it’s a bit egotistical. I know very well which parts of the original War and Beauty series I loved most and which segments were most sentimental for me, so with the sequel, I’m actually ‘interacting’ with my own self from 9 years ago – it’s a gratifying experience, but at the same time, it’s a bit irresponsible. This is why there will undoubtedly be a group of people out there who will love Beauty at War immensely, to the point of being irrational – the so-called ‘die-hard fans’. I admit that treating BAW as a personal expression of my feelings wasn’t a rational way of handling this project at all – at the time, I was about to leave TVB and since this would be my final project, I put a lot more of my own personal feelings and emotions into the script than I should have.

ND: In your opinion, why do you think so many audiences gave up on watching this series?

YM: It’s similar to encountering a huge mountain in front of you and not wanting to climb it because it’s too difficult…in reality, the mountain is not as high as you think and there was never the need to climb it in the first place -- from the beginning, we had already decided to take a different route. But of course, audiences will think: ‘Are you kidding me? You’re not giving me want I want!’ We took a risk and hoped that people wouldn’t abandon us, but we realize we guessed wrong – the number of people who gave up on us was way more than we expected. I know that the series is a bit of a ‘niche’ series that fits the tastes of only a small group of audiences, but overall, I don’t feel that this is a ‘bad’ series. Was the production hastily put together without a care? No – we took this production more seriously than most other series. Problem with the acting? No – the actors and actresses all put more effort into this performance than they had in previous performances. Then that means the fault lies with the script. I admit that this is the case, so if someone needs to take the blame, then blame me.

ND: Do you feel the series is a bit too ‘artistic’ with too many poetic elements to it, resulting in a lack of climactic plot that is necessary to push the pace steadily forward? This is one area where audiences have expressed impatience with the series.

YM: I understand…but the stuff that audiences want they are already able to get with other series such as The Legend of Zhen Huan (甄嬛传) and Bu Bu Jing Xing (步步惊心), for example, so why should I follow the same path? From a creativity standpoint, there are many different schools of thought: some understand clearly what the audiences want and try to do everything they can to satisfy the audiences while some understand clearly what the audiences want , but hope to show them something different that perhaps they [the audiences] have never seen before. The former is of an ‘operational’ mindset where the ‘numbers’ and calculations are very important and providing consumers with what they want is the utmost goal; the latter has a merely ‘creative’ mindset who will put their own personal ‘stuff’ into the process – stuff that has special meaning for them.

For many years now, Jonathan [Chik] and I have stubbornly chosen to take the ‘creative’ path rather than the ‘operational’ one. With the ‘creative’ path, there are bound to be a few ‘missteps’ here and there – for example, with BAW, there were definitely some things that didn’t work. This type of creativity is way too personal – even those ‘die-hard’ audiences who are normally very supportive of us found [the series] too exhaustive and really tested their patience, so imagine how regular mainstream audiences must feel! I admit that this time around, I was a bit too selfish and focused too much on being in my own world. In many respects, I ended up fulfilling my own needs with this series more than the audience’s needs – the result is that we ended up losing more audiences than anticipated.

Of course I feel disappointed as well, but what’s done is done – the pace for the rest of the series isn’t going to be too much faster than it is currently, it’s just that for the ending, there will be some climactic elements and we’ll go back to using some of the common ‘techniques’ to help engage audiences a bit more. But to be honest, I’m not holding out hope that audiences will come back and pick up the series again – the moment audiences dislike a series and stop watching it, there isn’t a whole lot we can do to regain them back.

.********.

ND Daily Exclusive: Sheren responds to recent rumors

In a follow-up interview with ND Daily, Sheren also took the opportunity to respond to a few of the recent ‘rumors’ and negative reports about her. Below is a summary from that interview…

ND: What are your thoughts on Chow Yuk Ming’s ‘sinking ship’ analogy? Are you truly trying to ‘jump ship’?

Sheren: I had mentioned my mood disorder thing prior to the series even airing, so to say that I’m using that as an excuse only now because of the low ratings is ridiculous! I’m not the type of person who feels the need to ‘strike when I lose and claim glory when I win’. Speaking out about issues doesn’t mean I’m trying to deflect blame – if I already boarded the ship, of course I’m not going to try to jump off it. I’ve lived for so many years and have been in the industry for so long, I definitely understand what loyalty and righteousness mean, so why would I even try to jump off the ship? ‘Consort Yu’ is such an important character in the series, how is it possible for me to abandon ship? No matter what the ratings or critical acclaim for the series end up being, I must endure it along with everyone else on the ship. If I truly had any thought about jumping ship, I would have already done so earlier during filming when the problems with my health started to occur!

I feel that we all need to face reality and not cover up things with flowery words -- my real-life personality is actually quite similar to that of Consort Yu from War and Beauty. Perhaps the people who keep telling audiences to ‘give [the series] a little more time and patience’ are just trying to get more people to watch the series – when I first started participating in promo events for the series, I also said the same thing, but after the series started airing, I saw the various feedback and opinions about the series. I feel it’s necessary to reflect on audience’s feedback and try to understand what types of problems the cast and crew may have encountered during filming. Just because I bring up things I was unhappy with during the filming process doesn’t mean I have no affection towards the series and it definitely doesn’t mean that I’m bashing the series as ‘bad’! Basically, I’m not trying to ‘abandon ship’.

ND: Why didn’t you show up at promo events?

ST: When I saw the reports that I was being ‘uncooperative’ with the promotion for the series, I was shocked! The truth is that the reporter asked me in a seemingly serious tone: “Why didn’t you go film the promotional clip? Seems like they asked all of the other artists but didn’t ask you?” I had no clue what the reporter was talking about, so I responded: “Huh? They asked me to film a promo clip? No, they didn’t.” I had actually already forgotten about the conversation after that, so why would I complain about not being included? Unfortunately, though, the reporter didn’t forget and by the time I figured out what was going on, the headlines were already out that I had lashed out about the promo clip incident.

ND: How about the rumors of being at odds with Jonathan Chik and Chow Yuk Ming?

ST: I was definitely unhappy with the ‘zero script’ – if I had known earlier that there would be ‘zero script’, I definitely would not have collaborated with them. In the future, I won’t film any series that don’t have a complete script. I’m not trying to pick on them – it’s just that when you get bitten by a snake once, wouldn’t you be scared too? With all the fear and helplessness I experienced during filming [due to the mood disorder brought on by the lack of script], of course I am going to speak out about it, as I want everyone to know that this type of method [on-the-fly scripts] doesn’t work.

ND: What about the rumors of being at odds with Christine Ng?

ST: Why would I look down upon Christine? Those rumors are unfounded! Remember, 9 years ago, when Gigi Lai (黎姿) and I held each other’s hand during promotion, it was reported that we were ‘pretending to get along’, then when I didn’t hold her hand, it was reported that I ‘looked down on her’? That’s how rumors are. Again, why would I look down upon Christine? When filming the series, I had the most scenes with her and the two of us got along well. All of us have been working hard to promote the series – Christine headed up the first wave of promotion, I’m responsible for the second wave, and Ada [Choi] for the third wave. I feel that there’s no need to turn this situation into some conspiracy theory thing like in the series, especially since all along, our collaboration has been a happy one!

Source: ND Daily News
Translated by: llwy12 @ AsianFanatics Forum

Selena Li Embarrassed Prevents Maid from Watching Her Kiss with Ruco Chan

2013-05-20T17:00:00.002+08:00

Yesterday TVB new series Slow Boat Home held a promotional event, the cast including Selena Li, Ruco Chan, Raymond Wong, Lee Yee Man and Oceane Zhu, Cilla Lok and Lee Yee Man attended. Although the TV rating report is not out yet, producer Leung Choi Yuen expressed the first 3 episodes was well-received. He estimates the premiere week's average rating should be around 26-27 points. When Selena Li learned the series got good responses, she expressed she's very pleased to hear the news. When speaking of her passionate kiss scene with Ruco Chan right when she appeared in the series, Selena said: "That night, I was watching the episode with my sister and maid. Ruco and I were kissing on to the sofa, which made it really embarrassing for me. I quickly told the maid to pour me a glass of orange juice as an excuse, so she couldn't watch the scene. My sister said the scene was pretty intense!" Asked whether she'll do more kiss scenes hereafter? Selena smiled and said she will have to see who her partner is and praised Ruco's attentive character.

In the series, Selena played a couple with her ex-boyfriend Patrick Tang. She expressed the producer did ask her before whether she feels comfortable or not, but she said it wouldn't be a problem. "We aren't on bad terms, we are still friends and have chemistry. It's just an interesting feeling. (Any kiss scenes?) Nope! The one with Ruco was the most intense one!" Ruco does not care what the TV rating looks like, as long as there is good public response, then he'll be happy. But his job opportunities depends on how well the TV ratings are? Ruco said: "I don't think about that, most important is to my own part."

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Christine Ng on Work, Friends & Gossips - Keeps It All Superficial

2013-05-20T16:58:00.001+08:00

Friends think Christine Ng is the "female Anthony Wong" or the "female Eric Tsang", but she's actually not. She is not like the former, frequently trying to be the "Super Righteous Man" nor is she like the latter who makes the wrong comments and offends people. You can say she is conducted with propriety. Some people might think, just by her physical appearance, that she can really be offending or she likes to spread gossips. Looking back at her record, Christine rarely has any gossips, except for the high-profile fall out with former good friend Joel Chan. Towards her job, friends, gossips or the media, Christine will always just touch on it and leave it there, making sure she doesn’t overdo anything.

Self-Recommendation

From 2005 - 2010, Christine was nominated every year for the best actress and best supporting actress awards, but she leaves empty-handed each year. Christine said she doesn't take it to heart, but still has hope. "Actually I'm personally in the calm state already, but I want to emphasize awards is absolutely not the reason why I decided to participate in Beauty At War."

Christine said she waited 9 years for this sequel to happen. "I watched War and Beauty and at the time I thought to myself, wouldn't it be great if I could be in the sequel. I waited so many years, I'm old now and thought it would never happen! Later, I found out Beauty At War was a proposed series and they were recruiting artists. I went to meet TVB executive Catherine Tsang and producer Jonathan Chik to recommend myself." Because of this series, Christine Ng recommended herself to the producer for the first time. This is something most artists are unwilling to do, especially for those at Christine’s level, this action is called ‘casting’. "I said to them, if you are casting, I am willing to accommodate you. They felt surprised, for what reason would I want to do this ‘casting’? I also told them, ‘you can still audition me’. In the end, they didn't do the audition, lucky. Haha."

The FaDan Assessment

She expressed when thinking about the awards, we cannot just look at Beauty At War, there are other series and FaDans too. Christine has been in the industry for 24 years and should have the qualification to assess the current FaDans. She expressed: "Ah Yi (Tavia Yeung) is strong and grounded; Myolie Wu is rather modern, she can do some exploring and try out other things; Sharon Chan, I'm definitely familiar with her. She has a lot of room for development. I think she's too tall and her legs are too long, hahaha. Many guys are not as tall as her." Previously Kate Tsui was rumored on bad terms with Christine, what does she think about her? She said: "I collaborated with Kate in one series. I watched her improve continuously, but I don’t know her well enough, so I don't dare to say too much about her."

Purely A Game

Don't dare to speak? All along, everybody thought there isn’t anything Christine wouldn’t dare to say.. She's given us the impression like she's very casual, straightforward and does things as she pleases. Just like at the Mr. Hong Kong shows, Christine behaved like a wolf, like a tiger, but it turns out everything she did was just to accommodate the show and to create some atmosphere. "The producer told us if the atmosphere was like this or that, it would be great."

We thought Christine is a person full of enthusiasm, but she's the complete opposite: "You think I'm a person with a 100 friends, but actually I don't even go out. I don't like lively atmospheres, I like peaceful atmospheres. For instance, Sharon Chan loves lively atmospheres, but I just can't follow through with her extreme liveliness. She might say to me, 'Sister, let's go eat. I want to see you everyday, I love you.' I say to her, ‘I love her too, but I can only see you once a month. Can you still be my good friend?’ If so, then carry on. I am that type of person. If you invite me out for dinner and I say I need to go home and take a shower, then you can just count me out. Haha. Or perhaps you ask me, why are you not enthusiastic with me? I would ask you enthusiastically, 'Why do you think I'm not enthusiastic?' It's interesting, its a like flirting personality."

Not Talking to Joel Chan

Can other people easily upset Christine? She said she’s not a person who easily gets upset: “I know what you’re trying to ask. Its not easy! Not easy!” Exactly, I did want to want to ask about Joel Chan. We never mentioned his name, but the conversation implied it. Christine added: “I look like someone good at arguing and falling out with someone, but I only had very few fall outs in my life. I just want to tell you, I’m a peaceful person. Honestly, you’ve seen me in the industry for so long, I rarely have any enemies because that’s my personality, I don’t like having enemies.”

“But if someone pisses me off, I won’t talk to them. I would be really, really upset and say ‘I’m not talking to you!’ If you ask me about that person, I’m still not talking to them, no comment. When I’m not forgiving or talking to someone, then I definitely have my reasoning. It should be said this way, I am not a reckless person. Each individual has some kind of chemistry with the other person, whatever happens between them or whatever episode they get into, I don’t think its necessary to be so frank about it.” In all honesty, will Christine really not forgive Joel? “Actually I don’t want to talk about him. All the questions relating to him, that you previously asked me, I’m not responding.” OK! FINE! No problem, I’m just trying to ask the questions I should be asking.

Source: Oriental Sunday #803 (4/29/13), HKChannel
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Andy set off for Cannes: “I’ll be careful!”

2013-05-20T09:56:00.003+08:00

Directed by Johnnie To, Blind Detective would be having a midnight screening at Festival de Cannes, male and female leads Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng would jet over to France to promote the film. Two nights ago, Andy set off to Cannes where close to 30 fans went to the airport to send him off.

When asked about the recent gunshot scare in Cannes, Andy quipped that he would only stay for two days but will be extremely careful. He answered: “Just being told about this, I’ll be careful.” When being asked what it felt to be going to Cannes, he answered: “It’s been some time I went there, would only know how it felt when I’ve reached Cannes.”

He only waved goodbye to the fans before swiftly entered the gantry.

When he arrived in Cannes Airport, he waved enthusiastically to the fans whom came to receive him, among them was a pregnant foreigner whom had met him some 10 years ago and she specially came to the airport to receive Andy as she wanted to tell her idol that she’s already married and pregnant!

Andy congratulates her and took a photograph with her.

Meanwhile, the film company also released the international poster for Blind Detective. In the new poster, the two leads were placed inside the eyes of the skull, with Andy standing holding onto a blind man stick whereas Sammi was seated. This silver screen best partner got together to solve a long mystery case which resemble them to the Chinese version of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Hamish Watson. In addition, the promotional slogan “heart blind is mystery, eyes blind is clear” revealed the strong suspense of the film.

Blind Detective was picked by the committee among 1858 films for the midnight screening, it was picked because the film would make audience scream and applause for watching a good film.

Source: Sing Tao News, Wei Wen Po, Headline Daily, Liberty Times, Macao Daily, AM730, Ming Pao, Apple Daily News, Sina.com
Translated by: AndyLauSounds

Eva Huang praises Donnie Yen for being Attentive

2013-05-20T09:53:00.001+08:00

Eva Huang Shengyi, Donnie Yen Chi Tan and Wang Baoqiang promoted their film ICEMAN 3D (3D BING FUNG HUP) at the Cannes Film Festival. Yen Chi Tan praised Huang Shengyi's professionalism, citing that despite her illness from her diving program participation she still commuted between Beijing and Hong Kong for the shoot without any complaint at all. He hoped to have another chance to play a couple again with her, which surprised Huang Shengyi.

Huang Shengyi said that when she first rehearsed with Yen Chi Tan she was very nervous because his image was very tough. However he actually was very attentive and took great care of others. In one scene he picked her up and carried her into a room, he subconsciously blocked the door for her to keep it from hitting her. She was complimented for her action actress potential and immediately said action director Yen Chi Tan, "Please design more action for me!"

Source: Mingpao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten

Zhang Ziyi gives high praises to A Touch Of Sin

2013-05-20T09:50:00.002+08:00

Zhang Ziyi is a member of the Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard jury. While in Cannes she took the chance to enjoy work of different directors. Yesterday she enjoyed Jia Zhangke's film in competition, A TOUCH OF SIN. Afterward she had nothing but praise online. "Not apt at metaphors, Jia Zhangke made an achievement with A TOUCH OF SIN. A group of little people who we have turned a blind eye to emerged in the great era. Thank you Jia Zhangke for displaying film's alternative power!"

She also said, "Today is the third day of the Cannes Film Festival, so far I have watched 6 films, followed 6 directors through 6 different life experience and experienced the heaven, earth and human nature behind the 6 stories. All the styles are different, the rewards are different."

Source: Mingpao, Singtao, on.cc
Translated by: hktopten