<$BlogRSDUrl$>




Saturday, August 16, 2003



[Ming Pao]

Joey Yung and Roger Kwok's new series "Mei Lai Joi Mong" (Not Just A Pretty Face) will begin airing on Monday and yesterday a group of the stars appeared in their orange t-shirts to promote the show in a shopping centre. Although all the pretty girls such as Belinda Hamnett, Victoria Jolly and Margaret Chung all had adaptations to their t-shirts, they were no match for the only one not in orange who was Joey. Even Roger with his recent popularity agreed on stage that Joey was the nucleus of the show.

Although it is unknown as to whether this series will be as popular as "Ngong Fu Sing Lung" (Square Pegs), Joey is still full of confidence for the series and she says that if the ratings go over 42 points, she will wear feathers to perform in Times Square and do somersaults in her concert, however she will not be wearing bikinis like other female stars for good ratings. After playing an ugly girl, she laughs that if "Not Just A Pretty Face" films a prequel or sequel, she does not mind being fat and ugly once more.

With the success of "Square Pegs", Roger hopes that this series will create even better results and beat "Ah Wong". He will soon start filming with his idol Kiki Sheung Tin Ngor and also Flora Chan in a new series. He laughs that although Kiki is around the same age as him, she will be playing his mother and this goes to show what a great actor she really is.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030816/12/tmds.html

[Oriental Daily] - additional

Roger says that in September, he will be filming a new series that will be a time-travelling version of "Sai Yuen Luk" (Witness to a Prosecution) where he and Flora Chan will be the main leads, but the strangest thing will be that Kiki Sheung will be playing his mother. He reveals that Seung was his idol before he entered the industry because he watched her on "Nung Bun Dor Ching" and was captivated by her and he cannot believe that his idol for so many years will become his mother! Roger laughs that this will be another breakthrough character for her and he is pleased that she can carry this.

Also, Joey Yung is very nervous about the airing of this show, and she has instructed her mum not to go out and to record the show for her "without adverts". Joey admits she has a great expectation from the show and she hopes that they will make a sequel or prequel. Although filming series is hard work, she doesn't mind doing it again.

(summarised)

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030816/10/tmh2.html



[Ming Pao]

The Annual Food Expo arrives at Hong Kong's Convention and Exhibition Centre again and with the recent recovery in the economy, the sellers are all eager to show their goods. Many stars appeared to show their support and attract more visitor numbers, those appearing yesterday included Eric Tsang, Nancy Sit and Bernice Liu, causing quite a stir.

Spokesperson for a mooncake bakery, Eric Tsang appeared to sell cakes along with Priscilla Ku, Cheung Kwok Keung and Wallis Pang to raise funds for charity. Eric came straight from filming on his new movie "Dai Jeung Fu" and signed every box he sold to make it special. Despite the enthusiasm from the visitors, they kept order and it is estimated that around $100,000 dollars was raised for charity.

On the other hand, Nancy Sit was also going strong as her autographed posters ran out in no time [Em's poor pun: you could say they sold like hot cakes....] and as spokesperson, Nancy promoted: "As well as Ka Yin Ma Ma mooncakes, there will also be another line of Ka Yin Ma Ma products such as Char Siu Buns and cookies that can be bought from supermarkets. (So are you making a packet?) Yes it should be a seven figure sum."

Gaining in popularity after TVB's "Lut Ching San Yan Wong" (Survivor's Law), Bernice Liu created a huge crowd at her stand and at one point ther was some trouble as people fought to get her signed posters. Bernice appeared on the stage to perform some great dance moves and gained rapturous applause from the audience.



[Oriental Daily]

Bernice Liu appeared at the Food Expo together with child star Jenny Shing yesterday to promote their sponsor's vitamin pills. Because the venue was full with the crowds, there was some chaos as Bernice entered and when asked whether anyone took advantage of her, she laughed: "Of course not, because Jenny was in front of me and she protected my bottom half so I only needed to worry about my top half."

Later the organisers arranged for Bernice to do some dancing and with her dance background, Bernice performed a cartwheel and a high kick split, earning great applause from the audience and although she has only practiced this for a few days, the result was quite good.

When asked about her show "Lut Ching San Yan Wong" (Survivor's Law) that has just finished airing, Bernice says that this is her first main lead in a series and she was very excited about it, she says: "I feel that I could have done better, but I am now starting to be recognised in the street."

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030816/10/tmgz.html




The twelve finalists for the Miss Hong Kong pageant were in Guangdong's Xinhui presenting an opening ceremony for a hot spring spa yesterday and filming some location shots as well as performing some ambassador duties. Although they were not wearing their swimwear or any sexy clothes, they still managed to capture the attention of many tourists in their rather toned down outfits. Some near-naked men were drawn away from their hot springs to watch them, but the girls didn't seem embarrassed and asked the audience to vote for who should be crowned the winner.

Wherever the girls went yesterday, they attracted a big crowd of followers and as they passed by one of the springs, the attentions of a group of male spa-goers were attracted as they abandoned their springs and went out to ogle at the girls.

Responding to the actions of these men, the contestants were not repelled and favourite Number 18 Selena Lee indicated that there were plenty of bodyguards arranged for them to make sure that people looked but didn't touch, so she was very relaxed. Yesterday some of the audience recognised her and called her name, she believes this was down to her winning two awards in the semi-finals. Her father is currently in Toronto and on the night of the blackout, she called her mum to make sure everything is alright and found her asleep. She is relieved that everything is fine over there and her parents will be arriving in Hong Kong next Tuesday to support her. Number 2 Mandy Cho says she is not afraid of people looking at her because she is not unclothed.

Number 11 Rabee'a Yeung is from Vancouver and she says her family was not affected by the blackout. In yesterday's "Contestant's favourite" vote, although she was a favourite for the award, she did not even receive one vote but she says she was not disappointed.

Number 7 Stephanie Wang's parents also live in Toronto but their area was not affcted and yesterday she was the most wrapped up out of all the girls. Does she feel that the company is constantly making her dress the most conservatively to cover up her natural assets? Stephanie says: "No, I still have my other talents."

http://www.singpao.com/20030817/gossip/429430.html



Many stars took part at the Gourmet Exposition in Hong Kong to promote their representative food products and Nancy Sit was there to promote her mooncake sponsors. This time the bakery has used her "Mama Nancy" as a speciality and attracted the attention of many cuisine hunters, Nancy worked hard signing autographs in return. She revealed that what made her happiest was all the children calling her Mama because she felt this was very warm. As for her remuneration for this promotion, Nancy says she is very pleased because she has made quite a packet.

When Nancy arrived there was a big crowd of food fans who she attracted and among these were some kids who called out to her "Mama!" making Nancy very happy indeed. When asked how much the bakery were paying her, Nancy revealed that she has signed a contract that doesn't take into account the amount of cakes sold. When asked whether the fee reached seven figures, she smiled: "More than that!", showing she is making a fair wage.

In order to thank her supporters, Nancy worked hard at the scene and signed autographs for them. As spokesperson, Nancy really did her part, saying to the fans that by eating this bakery's mooncakes you wouldn't get fat, so it is suitable for those on a slimming plan. It turns out that these mooncakes are made from Yin Wo (Swallow's Nest) and Fa Gau (Fish Bone) so they are low calorie and as well as using to keep fit, it will also help with beauty, genuinely a double benefit!

Although she is the spokesperson, Nancy still bought a large amount of mooncakes to give to her friends, spending several tens of thousands of dollars, so that everyone can share and enjoy them.

Also, "Gai Dai Foon Hei" (Virtues of Harmony) will be adding a further 100 episodes and Nancy is pleased that each of her sitcoms can surpass the 100 episode mark. Both sets of "Virtues of Harmony", modern and ancient totalled up will be over 500 episodes long and it is hoped that it will break the 1200+ episodes of "Chun Ching" (A Kindred Spirit). When her salary was mentioned, Nancy laughed: "To break my show quota is already a bonus, in the current market, to be given a hundred episodes has already made me very happy."

Nancy's eldest daughter is currently studying in Los Angeles, so was not affected by the blackout.

http://www.singpao.com/20030817/gossip/429394.html

Friday, August 15, 2003



[Ming Pao]

Nnadia Chan hailed her return to the music industry with her new album "Nnadia's New Beginning" that was released yesterday. For good luck, Nnadia bought eight copies herself from the music store. Yesterday, whilst having dim sum with her family, her sister ordered "Dong Hung" Fried Chicken to signify success for Nnadia and she was quite touched by this. With Nnadia's successful slimming course and new image, she hopes that these will be new beginnings for her.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030815/12/tlwt.html




The story of the late Chinese opera master San Ma Si Tsang [Tang Wing Cheung]'s inheritance has taken another twist as the Wing Cheung Building was sold on the 24th of last month to Tung Wah Hospitals for the sum of HK$95.4 million, his widow Cheung So felt a great shame and regret over this. Yesterday, Tang's son Johnny Tang was filming as usual for "Virtues of Harmony" at a barbecue scene at Pak Sa Chau and after the team had finished their work, and he noticed a big group of journalists waiting for him, he appeared very co-operative and told of the real reason for the sale of the building.

Johnny told that the decision to sell his late father's property was made together with his brother and sisters and all along he has always been very careful with his affairs, making decisions that are fast, precise, sharp and never leaving loose ends. When asked whether the sale was down to financial difficulties, he denied this and asked in return: "Who sold 10% of it in the first place? (Cheung So had donated her 10% share to Tung Wah for charitable causes.) Tung Wah would not sell it back to me, so I sold it to them! I don't like being led by other people, that way you lose out on interest."

Johnny used the example of breast cancer and a leaking bottle to illustrate his case, saying: "Just like if you had breast cancer, would you keep it and not have it removed? If there were lots of holes in a bottle, would you use your fingers to cover them all? You would change for a couple of new ones to solve the problem." He emphasises that the sale of the building is not related to his financial situation and if he is accused of wasting his father's wealth as a result, then... he replies calmly: "Let them make that mistake." He also says that he is not desperate for money at the moment, he has been using his car for the past 12 years. Does he breathe a sigh of relief now? He returns the question saying why should he breathe a sigh of relief, Wing Cheung Building was a simple matter to him, if he sells it now, he can build two more in the future.

When mentioned that Cheung So was regretful, Johnny says: "She can say what she wants, but I am not going to say anything because I don't like making news, if she is so regretful, then where is all the money? Who has taken all the money? Someone has taken US$100 million, leaving me short for seven years and having to sell all my property. Some things are beyond our control, with these wrongs being committed knowingly. As far as my knowledge takes me, this is the best decision."

Will he be selling the land in Sai Kung or Cho Lau Heung [restaurant]? Johnny becomes a little impatient as he replied: "You are clearing everything with me, maybe I have ten wives who are after my wealth, or maybe I have fallen out with my sister and she wants to take her share to give to her son?" So are you splitting the inheritance? He says: "Splitting what inheritance? Why do we need to split inheritance? If you want me to explain why I sold Wing Cheung Building, I will say that I am good friends with Tung Wah's former president and I wanted to sell it to him."

http://www.singpao.com/20030816/gossip/428785.html

Thursday, August 14, 2003

Sonija Kwok will stay with mother after marriage

[Oriental Daily]

With rumours that her good friend Charmaine Sheh is co-habiting with Benny Chan and her own relationship with Deric Wan stable, has Sonija Kwok thought about moving in with him? Sonija smiles as she says: "I haven't considered it, we haven't thought about getting married yet, so there is no need, he always comes looking for me anyway so what do we need to live together for? (Well it will be less trouble for him rushing around.) It's not that hard work, anyway there is not a need for it for work or life at the moment and he hasn't suggested it. I am living with my mum at the moment, you can't expect me to tell her I am moving away from her to go and live with him." Sonija is a filial daughter and she says that even if she gets married in the future, she will still live with her mother and will stay with her after marriage.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030814/10/tl8a.html



[Ming Pao] and [Oriental Daily]

Kwong Wah, Eddie Kwan and Priscilla Ku took part yesterday in a charity second-hand book sale, where some books were as cheap as $1 each. Eddie also brought his wife and daughter along to choose their books.

The proceeds of the sale will go towards improving the standards of health and education for children in the mountainous areas of Yunnan, China. Kwong Wah indicates that in the past he had a great fear of reading, falling asleep as soon as he did, but later he started reading books on Buddhism and this led his son and daughter to join him in reading, making him feel very warm. He also reveals that his contract with TVB will expire in September and he is currently discussing renewal terms. Although he is receiving a 50% rise in his salary, he only wants to film one series a year, leaving the rest of the time for his family. He laughs that his needs aren't very high, so one series will be enough for living costs.

Kwong Wah also points out that television has a profound effect on children and although he doesn't mind playing the bad guy as long as the script has meaning, he feels that the series produced nowadays are very slapdash and he would rather cut down his output to select some better scripts and some more sincere productions. He says that money is not everything and he feels that his children are already very fortunate so they do not need to be overly rich.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030814/12/tl1l.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030814/10/tl85.html



[Ming Pao] and [Oriental Daily]

Louis Koo's music special "Yuen Fan Ga Fe Sat" (Destiny Coffee Shop) will be broadcast on TVB Jade tomorrow and he has invited a group of good friends including Angelica Li, Lam Suet, Lily Lei, Tony Leung, Miriam Yeung, Edwin Siu and Eason Chan to help him promote it. During filming, Louis was quite nervous and often would personally give the directions. When Lily was playing the rough tomboy character, he was giving her instructions on how to go about it.

In response to being labelled "inspector", Louis asks not to be referred to in this way as he was just offering some advice. As the director and the guests weren't very accustomed, he played host on the set to help relax the atmosphere. When Lily was playing the tomboy, Louis taught her actions such as to 'prop up her leg' and 'rub her toes'. As for working with best actress Angelica Li, he admits he felt the pressure because she gives him a feeling of professionalism.

There is a special part in the special for Leung Ching Kei, the daughter of TVB's Deputy Chief of Productions Leung Ka Shu. As Louis has always been dubbed Leung's 'godson', getting special treatment from TVB and this time with the chance to work with his daughter shows the little extra has been put in for Louis.

Angelica points out that Louis gives a very cool image but after getting to know him, she finds him quite playful and witty. She says that after being awarded Best Actress, she has had many advertising proposals and she has shot four so far. When asked how much money she earned, she laughed that it is enough to live from so as far as her next film, she can wait for a good role before she takes it up. When asked whether she has confidence that her performance in "20.30.40" will gain her best actress in the Golden Horse Awards, she says that as there are three main actresses in the film, the chances will be low.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030814/12/tl5o.html
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030814/10/tl80.html



Although he has been rushed off his feet these few days, Steven has not complained about fatigue, in fact, the enthusiasm of his fans has touched him greatly because at each of his stops, his fans have not only risen early to queue for his events for his autograph, when they see him they call out "Handsome Brother" to him! During this time, the press and the fans have asked this 31-year old what he wants from his partner. Steven responds that he will definitely get married and he had already wanted to start a family at the age of 30, but he is still waiting for his destiny to come.

So what does this Golden Eligible Bachelor want from his future partner? Steven says that she doesn't have to be too pretty, as long as they have a sixth sense for each other, she needs to be able to cook, be sensible and mature, have long hair and an Eastern appeal, best of all if she has a 'single eyelid' so she looks like him."

However, his biggest regret on the tour is that he hasn't had time in Xian to go and visit the terracotta army or to go and see the Shaolin Temple and the Judge Bao Shrine in Zhengzhou; luckily the organisers were very understanding and took him to try all the local cuisine after the events, even sampling his favourite streetside food, trying his favourite mutton skewers in Xian. Also in a restaurant he saw a real seal there and at first he thought that this was one of the dishes, saying: "I don't want to eat seal sashimi." Later he found out that it was actually the lucky mascot for the restaurant and was very relieved.

Steven is interested in buying some property in Shanghai because the property market there is constantly rising and as an investment as well as a place to stay, he feels it will keep its value.

http://www.singpao.com/20030815/gossip/428330.html






After becoming spokesperson for a slimming company, Maggie Cheung has been appearing a lot in sexy clothes to show off her new figure. However, during a recent visit to America to take part in a charity show and other events, Maggie was upstaged by a female fan who appeared in a strappy bra top to have her photo taken. Shame Maggie was fairly covered up that day so she couldn't have a direct comparison!

* TVB's charity event is in aid of the New York University's Downtown Hospital and as well as Maggie and Jerry Lamb appearing as MC's, other guest stars on the day included Gigi Leung, Aaron Kwok, Lam Chi Mei, Edwin Siu, Edmond Leung, Ho Wan Sze, Yumiko and E-kids.
* Seeing her fans dressing more provocatively than her, Maggie is not afraid of being upstaged and happily poses for a photo.
* Flming in the designer shopping area, would E-kids miss out on a shopping opportunity?
* Early in the morning, the two MC's and some guests visit the American Stock Exchange and with their little golden hammers prepare to start the trading for the day.

[ TVB Weekly 29/7/03]
Pictures courtesy TVBspace News Roundup

Wednesday, August 13, 2003



[Ming Pao News]

Myolie Wu has been linked in rumours that she is living with Sammul Chan and also had reports that her private life is rather open and besides having a boyfriend outside the industry, there have been rumours linking her with Francis Ng, Raymond Lam and an assistant director.

Yesterday, Sammul Chan appeared at an RTHK promotion and was asked about these rumours. Firstly he clarified the rumour about the co-habitation, explaining that he and Myolie live in the same apartment block and are neighbours. He says that Myolie moved into the block first before him and when he was looking for a new home at the beginning of the year, he was introduced to this apartment by Lee Shing Chak. As this area is lucky for artistes and seeing that Myolie's progress has been quite good since moving in, they became neighbours.

When asked whether living so close to her would be an advantage in pursuing her, Sammul points out that Myolie already has a boyfriend who cannot read Chinese and he will not become the third party. He admits that he has good vibes from her and they have a good interaction, so if she didn't have a boyfriend, he would consider their chances together. As for the news that she has had five rumours in one year linking her to other men, Sammul says this is just down to Myolie's friendly nature creating a good atmosphere to work in.

Sharon Chan has worked with and will be working with Myolie in the future and in response to this negative press, she says that Myolie is not the flirtatious type. She finds Myolie very sweet and she does not believe at all the rumours about her many boyfriends. Myolie herself is currently working abroad, so she wasn't available for comment.

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030813/12/tk2t.html



Recently Gilbert Lam has been spotted wandering around TVCity talking to himself, is he reciting his lines? Then it is noticed he is wearing a small contraption on his ear and it turns out to be Bluetooth. [Mobile Communications transmittor/receiver.]

Gilbert says: "Yeah! Wearing this handsfree to talk on the phone is very convenient, especially when driving. The reception through Bluetooth is very clear and and there's no need for a wire hanging off the earpiece, it is so much better than before."

New technology really can improve the quality of life, so how much did this upgrade cost Gilbert? The answer is 900 dollars, no wonder Gilbert thinks it is great value.



On the set of "Nameless Angels 3D", Shirley can often be seen carrying a small white bag, so she was asked whether this was her own bag or a prop. So then Shirley amusingly pulls out another bag from the white bag and says: "This one is mine." It turns out for the sake of convenience, Shirley stuffs her own bag inside the prop, that way she can keep her important things by her side.

So what's in the bag?
1. Powder box 2. Oil absorbing paper 3. Phone 4. Hand Cream 5. Lipstick, lip colour and lip pencil 6. $200

Images courtesy TVBspace News Roundup
Taken from TVB Weekly 29/07/03

One for the Charmaine fans.......... Midnight Car Chase!

Having once injured her neck in a car accident, Charmaine Sheh braves the speeds again in a car chase together with Sonija Kwok and Shirley Yeung in the middle of the night! Is she not afraid of being arrested? Of course not, because they are the three Police Flowers!

This time they are chasing the terrorists, so they have to work together.
* Charmaine is the best driver, so she is at the wheel, the bad guys definitely won't get away this time.
* Madame Sonija's expressions are the best, if the criminals aren't afraid of her gun, they will be afraid of her stare!
* Little sis Shirley has practised for a long time to get her gun pose right, but she really looks the part.

Face change!
* Why has Charmaine suddenly changed into Kwok Cheuk Wah? And Sonija and Shirley have changed their faces as well! Oh... because the scene is quite dangerous, it's time for the stuntmen and stunt doubles to step in.
* Charmaine is so playful as she gives a pair of horns to her little fan.

* Oh dear, Yeung Ka Lok is shot! Will the three girls capture the terrorists and rescue him?
* The terrorists target is Ka Lok, so as they chase after him in his car, they also have to evade and fight against the 'three flowers'.
* This big cousin is so excited in seeing the girls that he fights with his young cousins to have his photo taken with them first.

* Don't look at Shirley Yeung's great figure and think that she has a small appetite, actually she can eat quite a lot. Take this night for instance, first she eats an apple pie, then a big bun and some pop and then not long later, she is eating rice porridge and fried pastry and then she keeps a pack of sesame seed biscuits in her pocket for when she feels peckish! Of course, filming through the night is hard work, so she has to eat more and keep her energy levels up!

Although Charmaine has experience of filming action shows, the ones in the past have always been ancient dramas, this time is her first in a modern action series - how does she feel?

"I feel it is quite a challenge and beforehand the company had arranged for us to undergo fighting training to make the effect look a little more aesthetic. Modern fighting and ancient fighting is a bit different and I think the former is more stylish."

Actually, ancient fighting can be very stylish as well, but Charmaine reveals that she had an embarrassing moment when filming an ancient drama: "You often have to hold a weapon when filming martial arts shows and sometimes I end up 'poking' people with it by accident, maybe it is because I'm a bit dopey. Also, sometimes I will end up being hit on the head." Although upon hearing this it would seem that the person who hit her isn't looking after her, but weapons don't have eyes and we can only warn Charmaine to be more careful in the future.



Image courtesy TVBspace News Roundup
[TVB Weekly 22/07/03]


More fun on the set of "Fan Li Fa"

It is hard work filming an ancient costume drama in the height of summer, take this day for example where the cast are filming an execution scene as Sit Yan Gwai (Shek Sau)'s family are sentenced to death and some of the cast members have to kneel for most of the day in the sun. Luckily as K-100's hosts come to visit them and hand over some "lucky packets" to Jessica Hsuan and Joe Ma, who generously donate this to buy in some cold drinks for everyone to enjoy.

There are often many rumours of arguments and conflicts between artistes filming a series, but there has been none of this during the filming of this show. In fact they are always looking out for each other and seem like one big happy family, even looking in from outside, you can see how close they all are - just look at the pictures to prove this.

* When they see the lovely cool drinks, all the artistes are excited.
* On the day of filming, the sun is blazing hot, but luckily there are a few corners where there is a shade so before they are needed on set, the cast sit together for a chat and catch a bit of a break.
* As Power Chan holds up the umbrella, he shades Jess and Joe as well making sure they share the load.
* So Jess returns the favour as Power helps girlfriend Mimi Lo with her costume and holds the umbrella to shade them.
* Cindy holds the mini fan up, but it isn't turned towards herself but towards Joe, now if they weren't good friends, she wouldn't do this, but mind Roger doesn't get jealous!

In this scene, Shek Sau [his character] and his family have been sentenced to death after the plot of some enemies, but luckily Joe and Jessica arrive at the execution ground and enter into fight with the duke, played by Kong Hon.

* Joe and Jessica arrive to the rescue and start to fight against Uncle Kong Hon.
* From the left: Mimi Lo, Ching Ho Wai, Shek Sau, Cindy Au and Lee Ka Sing have to kneel all day under that hot sunshine - such hard work!
* Kong Hon suddenly loses his mind and lunges for the emperor.
* Luckily, Power rushes forward to protect him from the sabre. Wow! How brave!
* Oh! It turns out that Power has a special protective armour in his suit.
* Despite wearing protective pads, kneeling all day is very tiring, and both of Cindy's knees are all red.

With location filming every day it is easy to become a roast pig! Just as Mimi and Jessica are crying out that they have gained a dark tan, Cindy doesn't seem to have darkened at all. "Actually I have tanned a little, but it isn't very obvious and I have to wear a darker shade of foundation because looking too pale on screen isn't so good, so I have to adjust the colouring. I have a special way of keeping my skin pale and that is sleeping, because as long as I have enough sleep, my skin tone will lighten, I don't know why, but if I don't get enough sleep I will get dark." For all you pale skin lovers, why not give Cindy's method of "Sleep Whitening" a try!





[TVB Weekly 22/07/03]



Requested by miriam

"Self-confidence is having the courage to face up to challenges and difficulties, not like the way I was - a person who had little confidence to do anything."

Asking Maggie Cheung what is the definition of confidence, she speaks openly that in the past she saw everything as dim and grey and felt that there were many problems that could not be solved, but now she has matured and knows how to deal proactively with whatever challenges she faces.

Maggie's heart is full with the self-confidence and assertivenes of the modern woman.

To start with, Maggie was very much against dressing provocatively as a great discomfort loomed over the subject like a dark cloud, the thought of her appearing in the type of clothes she wore for her "LF Perfect Woman" promotions was incomprehensible. "In the past, I didn't like appearing in sexy clothes because I didn't agree that only this appearance would be considered as beautiful; but in fact, it was just down to my lack of confidence. After this course of slimming and breast enhancement, I have not only improved my figure, I also gained a great reassurance in my heart and soul, a feeling that I have never experienced before. I let myself become beautiful, not for anything else, but just to be pretty, to take hold of my body and soul and really own myself, and now I can. After saying this, Maggie displays a strong smile, a smile that will entice a belief in her...

(For more, please read the magazine....)

http://www.lisahk.com/share/lisa/0292/glorious/20030807glorious0028/content.htm



TVB's leading female Flora Chan has had very little negative press since during her time in showbiz, but yesterday she was served with a court case chasing debt of over HK$410,000. Flora indicates that the matter is in the hands of her lawyers and she will not be commenting on this.

With Flora's recent purchase of a new home in the Happy Valley area, it appeared that all was going well for her, however she was served a writ yesterday from her former landlord from her previous home in Kennedy Road, Mid-levels who claims that she has breached their contract and not only owes them $70,000 in rent, but because she moved out part way through the contract, she is also being sued for damages of £340,000, so the total being disputed is $410,000.

The case lodged with the courts details that Flora moved into the apartment in question in February and signed a contract on 3rd April to rent the property and the parking space for two years with rent at $17500 per month and the contract terminating in February 2005. However the landlord claims that she refused to pay rent and other fees in March and then on 10th May suddenly moved out without notifying the landlord who then repossessed the property last month to minimise their losses and saw this as a breach of contract on Flora's part.

When Flora was contacted about the case, she said: "I only know about this after some reporters called me, but it is in the hands of my lawyers now, so I can't talk about it. I don't feel I have done anything wrong. (Do you still rent the apartment?) I can't say, but everyone knows where I live now, anyway all the documents are in the hands of my lawyer." As for the the details of the tenancy agreement, she also says she cannot reveal this.

http://www.singpao.com/20030814/gossip/427864.html



[Ta Kung Pao]
Steven Ma continues his promotional tour for his new album "Romantic Vacation" in China, having visited Zhuhai and proceeding to Beijing, Tianjun and Xian.

Wherever Steven goes he is well accepted by his fans because his TV series "Luk Ding Gei" (Duke of Mount Deer) and "Gung See Luen Si Dor" (In the Realm of Success) have been very popular on the mainland gaining him many fans.

In Tianjun, Steven met with over a thousand fans and the event was very lively. As he performed there were constant gifts of flowers and kisses and he had a special visit from two members of the National Volleyball Champions Team - Lu Chao and Yang Jie, who came along to show their support. In Tianjun's Balitai Audio-Visual store, there were queues for three hours before his appearance and those who couldn't enter pretended to be press or workers to try and get in. Some fans were very emotional and there was some chaos at one point with Steven needing to be escorted out by security.

As well as meeting with his fans, Steven was also interviewed by the local press. He mentioned that in Hong Kong, the nickname the fans give him is "Ma Jai", but on the mainland, he is referred to as "Wai Gor" [Viagra] and Steven can only look on helplessly as the fans and even the interviewers call out to him as "Wai Gor".

http://steven-channel.com/news/takungpao/12082003_takungpao.htm

Tuesday, August 12, 2003




Since taking the title of Miss Chinatown International, Bernice Liu has been working in Hong Kong for two years now and in that time she has had plenty of opportunities to appear on screen. The greatest thing was the chance to appear on the ancient and modern versions of sitcom "Gai Dai Foon Hei" (Virtues of Harmony) because this show is long running and is capturing the hearts of families everywhere. This easily creates her a happy, healthy image and has attracted a great band of family supporters, creating limitless potential for her.

Although "Princess" (Nickname earned from the role Bernice played in "Virtues of Harmony") has a rather mature appearance, she is just as lively and energetic as a little girl and with her dance background, many people have suggested she should become a fighting star and she feels she might want to give it a try. She laughs: "I would like to, especially seeing how great Lara [Croft - Tomb Raider] looks. (But aren't you afraid of getting all sorts of injuries?) So I need to do it whilst I am still young! Especially as I have tried Taekwando and boxing, the only thing I haven't tried is Chinese Kung Fu. (Will you reflect this to the company and tell them to let you try some martial arts series?) Well the company already has plans for me and I know I am still not very good with my lines, so I will carry on with the comedy to improve my lines before trying some more traditional martial arts shows. By then I will be more confident."

As well as her performance opportunities, Princess has also had plenty of chances to make advertisements and movies so she admits she has long earned her first "million" [HK Dollars]. As for how she will use this money, she says: "The first thing I did was to pay back my debts from my study, as I didn't want to use my family's money I borrowed a lot of money to pay my fees. As for the rest of it, I have saved it up because I want to buy a car." Although she already has an international driver's licence, she still has to take lessons before she can obtain a Hong Kong licence. Moreover she doesn't know the roads in Hong Kong so for now she can only catch lifts from friends or take public transport. However as an artiste, does she find it inconvenient to take public transport? She laughs: "I will try and travel during off peak hours, so there is no problem. Even if people recognise me, they are very friendly and I will ask people for directions."

When asked whether she will buy an apartment after buying a car, she say she hasn't decided yet because living with her father at the moment is okay. Although she would like to live nearer to TVB's TVCity, she doesn't want to buy a home in that area, but renting is okay. What is her dreamhouse like? She smiles that it doesn't need to be very big, as long as she buys it herself. She says that she really like decorating and when she sees some ornaments, she really wants to buy them, but she has nowhere to put them.

In today's society, many people have the outlook of 'hate the rich and loathe the poor' and with Princess having so many opportunities since her emergence, has she been the brunt of some jealousy? She says she hasn't and conversely, her colleagues such as Nancy Sit, Frankie Lam and Cutie Mui are not only very nice to her, but often give her advice and if she has any problems she can talk to Cutie. She laughs: "When I first entered showbiz, I spent almost every day with them, so they became like a family and recently I have filmed a bubble bath advertisement, so I brought them some of the products, but Frankie laughed at me saying 'Princess, you can't take your clothes off in front of the camera.' He made me so mad! I feel that everyone has to wash and my image is young and healthy, so to film these 'washing scenes' is not too extreme."

Remember that Bernice had earlier appeared in a movie revealing her back, will she be pushing her limits further? She says that it will depend on the need from the script, of course she has her bottom line, but this will be left to her agent and she doesn't need to worry about it.

Reporter: San San [Ta Kung Po]
(Article requested by Sang. Additional images from TVBspace)

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/2003-8-3/UL-161313.htm



Pictures from TVB Weekly 22/07/03
Shirley Yeung, Bernice Liu and Lily Lei Let Go for Summer

As the whole world goes through a temperature rise, if this carries on, then what should we do? Well why not follow the lead of Lily Lei, Bernice Liu and Shirley Yeung and let go this summer, moving out the summer boredom and give the audience a bit of a treat?

Filming the short linkages for TVB's Jade and Pearl channels this summer, the three girls bring a feeling to break through summer. Lily explains that the title for this set of shorts is "Summer with Countless Forms" and tells of how they start off as OL's [Office Ladies] and because they can't stand the heat, they put their work aside for a while and change their office clothes for something a bit more provocative. The hope is that after the audience has watched the promotional clips, they will feel the freedom and put aside the restrictive life, so why not follow them and enjoy the freedom of summer?




Amy Kwok was filming yesterday for TVB's "Juk Ching Lo Por Bat Leung Fu" yesterday. The show has been in progress now for two weeks and not having made a series for a while now, Amy admits that she really wasn't used to it on the first day and kept falling asleep, but she is okay now.

When she wasn't working, Amy went to learn cookery. She says: "My cooking used to be edible, but now it has definitely improved. Going to learn to cook wasn't for the sake of my husband (Sean Lau) but just because I like it."

http://hk.news.yahoo.com/030812/12/tjft.html



TVB's new 30 episode Grand Production Qing Drama "Gam Chi Yuk Yip" (Palatial Sins) will star Moses Chan, Bowie Lam, Gigi Lai, Maggie Cheung, Charmaine Sheh and Sheren Tang [Em's note: I think the fourth leading lady should be Jade Leung.] in a "Four ladies Two men" arrangement. This show will begin filming in August and will be on location in Beijing's Imperial Palace and Forbidden City in December. The production costs are a massive HK$10 million and it is a high budget production rarely seen nowadays from TVB. The main leads all strike out as they each display their own stories in the show and rumours will be unavoidable. However, they all say that they are not worried about this and Production Director Tsang Lai Chun believes that they are all mature enough not to take notice of rumours.

Yesterday, the cast of "Palatial Sins" took part in a costume fitting and as well as the six main stars, production boss Tsang was there to keep an eye on things. She points out that this show will be displaying spring, summer, autumn and winter and producer Chik Kei Yi has been very careful and insistent that he must film the winter in the imperial palace, so the company will be supporting him in this, so the production costs will be over ten million dollars. When it was mentioned that Moses Chan has shaven his hair just for this show, Tsang praises Moses as being the second nicest bald head after Dicky Cheung as well as being hardworking and dedicated, such that the producer feels that deserves this opportunity, it is this and not that they are showing any favouritism towards him. With so many female stars, will there be a lot of rumours? She says: "No there won't, they are all mature adults who are only interested in acting, why should there be any rumours? (The other series "Nameless Angels 3D" has had a lot of rumours.) I have made enquiries, they are not unhappy, everyone is just fine."

Charmaine Sheh indicates that filming for "Palatial Sins" and "Nameless Angels 3D" has overlapped slightly on her schedule, but the producer has agreed to allow her one day's rest. She says that she is very afraid of the cold and is worried about filming on location in Beijing, so she says she will be wearing a diving suit inside her costume to keep warm, she also says that with filming there lasting a month, she is concerned about the cold and about getting fat from eating too much! Working with a group of girls, is she worried there will be a lot of gossip? Charmaine says: "I don't usually say much, but the gossip just comes for me, I will just have to treat it as promotion, but I don't feel it is very healthy, so I hope there will not be too much negative news!" When it was mentioned there will be a concubine selection in the show, hailing from a beauty contest herself, Charmaine laughs: "I feel it will be like history repeating itself, when I took part in the contest, we filmed in Beijing but luckily this time we won't be wearing swimsuits."

Maggie Cheung reveals that her character in the show is originally an innocent palace maid who is later forced by the power struggle into using underhand plots. Because the majority of her series recently have been comedies, she is pleased that this show will be very serious with all the characters fighting against each other and no-one content, she will be working very hard at her performance. Although this is the first time she has worked with Charmaine, Maggie says that all of the stars are great actors. As for whether she is worried about rumours, Maggie says: "I will lead in making the environment harmonious."

http://www.singpao.com/20030813/gossip/427337.html

Here is the full cast list from www.starphoto.com

Maggie Cheung, Sheren Tang, Charmaine Sheh, Gigi Lai, Bowie Lam
Moses Chan, Jade Leung, Wai Ka Hung, Chan Hung Lit, Wong Tak Ban
Lo Hoi Pang, Rebecca Chan, Chan Ka Yee, Chan Man Ching, June Chan
Irene Wang, Patricia Liu, Yu Chi Ming, Tai Yiu Ming, Kan Mo Wah
Ngo Ka Nin, Lo Kwan Cho, Lo Wing Han, Chu Yuen Yee, Chan Man Hei
Wong Yeuk Tung, Chan Chai Ping
Producer: Chik Kei Yi



After the Real Madrid vs Hong Kong match broke records for TVB, the company has decided to continue it's winning streak by treating viewers to the the Eurasian Snooker Challenge between 21st and 26th August and the European Cup match between AC Milan and and Porto on 28th August. TVB also wants to expand its sporting offers to include Basketball and other Football matches.

To celebrate the top rating sucess, TVB held a small celebratory party yesterday with appearances from Hacken Lee, Nat Chan and Amanda Boll, this will be followed by a full scale celebration next week. Hacken says excitedly: "Beckham's attraction is just irresistable, because to get this result means that not only the usual football viewers were watching, even those who don't usually watch football tuned in. This really is a result of dreams and I am feeling a little overwhelmed because this may not happen again in my hosting lifetime. When I found out I was very happy because I can show my mum my achievements, because when I used to buy the soccer magazines, my mum used to say they were useless."

Hacken reveals that he will be leaving today to start on his American Tour with Alan Tam and along the way they will be filming for his third "Lek Yan San Sai Gei" VCD where he will be playing practical jokes on Alan and some passers-by on the streets. Alan is a little unnerved by being victimised like this for ten days. However, Hacken insists that it will not go too far, not like the exaggerated reports of sending a gorilla into Central, it will just be fun and not over the top. This time Hacken has invested a seven-figure sum into making this VCD, being the boss for the first time because he feels that the market is currently worth a try. He emphasises that there is blood and sweat in this money so he hopes that he will be able to sell the production to TVB. Will this investment affect his marriage plans? Hacken laughs: "Not at all, I haven't touched my wedding fund. I have no means of investing in movies, but I can try with VCD's and I don't intend to make a lot out of it. Making a third series is a wish between myself and Joey Leung." Hacken that TV production is rather restrictive, so making VCD's allow more freedom to produce a half hour VCD that will have the audience in fits of laughter. He hopes it will be ready for release in December.

Nat Chan happily says that ratings cannot be forced because the entertainment industry isn't like any other, so he encourages Hacken to make the most of his opportunity and continue with his highly successful concert partnership with Alan Tam.

When asked what important news he has? He says he has everything, apart from children. He also feels that in addition to talent, luck is very important as the success this time has allowed him to experience how great ratings can be found from just doing your job to your best ability and so he hopes that on the night of the Miss Hong Kong pageant on 23rd August, he will be able to reach new highs with partner Eric Tsang. Nat says that Alan Tam will not be in Hong Kong on the 23rd, so will not be able to steal his thunder; however he was a little worried when he heard he has to wear swimming trunks on the night, laughing: "People aren't there to see my appearance and figure!"

http://www.singpao.com/20030813/gossip/427300.html

Monday, August 11, 2003



Internationally renowned soccer team Real Madrid's visit to Hong Kong not only brought up the spirit of the city, but also created a new record in broadcasting history for Hong Kong. Last Friday's match between Real and the Hong Kong team ended with the visitors winning 4-2, but the real scores were in the TV ratings which soared to 50 points, with an average of 43 points meaning that over 3.2 million viewers of Hong Kong's 7 million population were glued to their sets to watch Beckham, Ronaldo and the other stars display their amazing attraction.

With their 'Six Aces', including the immensely popular David Beckham, the Real team arrived in Hong Kong last week for three days, causing a previously unseen frenzy with the football fans. First there were over a thousand fans who braved the temperatures in the 30's to queue for nights in order to buy a ticket to the match, eager to watch this historical event and catch a glimpse of their favourite players. Many of Hong Kong's celebrities were also quite fanatical as artistes and other famous names who are rarely seen at the stadium made an appearance and the most desirable place to be was at the spectacular Gala Reception.

As yesterday's rating announcements showed, the Real vs HK match reached a peak of 50 points (over 3 million viewers) maintaining an average of 43 points. Compared to the same time the previous week, this was a hike of 17 points that completely thrashed the previous record held at 48 points by "Nam Chan Nui Ngoi" (War of the Genders). At the same time, ATV's ratings for "Man Ga Dang Fo" (A Million Lights of Hope) and "Gong Kam Bi Luen" gained a measly 4 points and 1 point respectively. As for Cable, their viewer count reached only 20,000 as 92% of the viewers that evening tuned into the match. Gaining the rights to air this, TVB seem to be the real winners out of Real's success.

In fact, this match's ratings not only exceeded those of recent success such as "Ngong Fu Sing Lung" (Square Pegs), "Siu Bo Yu Hong Hei" (Duke of Mount Deer 2000), "Sap Yuet Cho Ng Dik Yuet Guang" (Return of the Cuckoo), "To Cheung See Jer" (Armed Reaction) and "Nam Chan Nui Ngoi" (War of the Genders), it even beat the average 36 points and peak of 42 points that were pulled by the Brazil vs Turkey and Germany vs S Korea matches of last year's world cup competition.

TVB's external affairs assistant director Tsang Sing Ming expressed that since the change in ratings calculations in 1991, this week's match has gained a new high and TVB are extremely pleased with this result, but he believes that the actual number of people who watched should be higher than the 3.2 million announced officially because there were many bars and restaurants who were broadcasting the match to many more people. Today TVB arranged for a champagne reception to celebrate this success, with appearances from the hosts Hacken Lee, Nat Chan and commentator "Ah Suk", later there will be a bigger celebration when the sports broadcast team return from Athens. Mr Tsang also says that last week's Real vs FC Tokyo match that was aired on Pearl reached second place for the year in the English Channel ratings and to achieve these results in the current climate is a good encouragement for everyone.

http://www.singpao.com/20030812/gossip/426729.html


Back to top