20 Aug 2005 - Issue 21
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NEWS ROUNDUP - 15/08/05-20/08/05
TVB's Management Strategy Changes
In its bid to become Hong Kong's largest and most populous Artiste Management Company, TVB has been working hard to expand the number of artistes on its books and finding them work. In their listings of the artistes on their books, Roger Kwok and Jessica Hsuan take top positions for male and female artistes respectively.
After changing its strategy earlier and recruiting an additional twenty unsalaried artistes to joins the forty already on their books as salaried artistes, TVB prepared a set of introductory texts, profiling their artistes. These were split into male and female artiste sections and the document showed a photograph of each artiste and their profile and attached to the document was a list, ordering them into relative importance and value to the company.
For the men, since Gallen Lo and Louis Koo left, Roger Kwok has taken the top spot, with last year's 'Favourite Male Artiste' Bowie Lam in second position, followed by Moses Chan, Ron Ng, Raymond Lam, Kevin Cheng, Frankie Lam and so on. For the ladies, Jessica Hsuan sits comfortably as the leading lady, with 'Favourite Female Lead' Gigi Lai in second, Charmaine Sheh as number 3 and then Sonija Kwok, Myolie Wu, Melissa Ng, Bernice Liu and Tavia Yeung following.
TVB Production Resources Deputy Chief Lok Yee Ling has been responsible for the production of this document and she admits it is very important because there has been a lot of interest in their artistes by many potential clients, but there was nowhere for them to find this information. As a result, there are now two special lines for them to contact the artiste department with dedicated account managers to deal with them.
Ms Lok reveals that they will continue to print these introduction documents in order to promote their artistes all over the world and find them opportunities to perform. As well as the top artistes, there are those who have been quietly working hard and TVB will provide more opportunities for them to be in the spotlight and make some more money. Although the workload has increased for the Artistes Department, Ms Lok says that there is sufficient resource to handle this and when they cannot, then they will seek for the company to provide more staff for them.
The Sun 15/08/05
Shirley Doesn't Know Anything
Shirley Yeung was taking part in a polling event for the "Children's Songs Awards" earlier and was asked about the incident where an artiste was mugged whilst filming for "Circus of Life" in Panyu earlier. With an air of resignation, she said: "There are reports that I disappeared for a couple of hours, but Linda Chung and I were in the Karaoke room and the men only called us out when they managed to hail a cab, so I didn't see anything at all." As for the reports about Benny Chan going out womanising, she says that she was in her room all evening doing facial masks with Linda, so she doesn't know if the men went out or not.
The Sun 15/08/05
Myolie Celebrates Ratings
TVB announced the ratings for last week, where the three prime time series all rose. "Healing Hands III" gained an average of 29 points and "War of In-Laws" reached 35 points in its finale, peaking at 38 points. As for the second week of "Yummy Yummy - Food for Life", it had an average of 27 points. To celebrate the success of her series, Myolie Wu will be paying for a meal on 18th for the cast and crew members and working with restaurant-boss Sunny Chan on the set of "Troubled Times" earlier, she openly asked him for a discount at his place: "As long as it's cheap and good, then the most important thing is that there is some shark's fin there."
As for how she will be rewarding herself, Myolie laughs: "Well, isn't moving into such a big house reward enough?" Sunny was only willing to give her a 10% discount: "It's only 10% discount for me as a partner! There will definitely be sharks fin there for her though!"
The Sun 16/08/05
Roger and Jess Celebrate Top Status
Golden partners Roger Kwok and Jessica Hsuan have been filed as the top male and female artistes on TVB's books in their recent catalogue document and as they both returned from some promotional work in Singapore, they were very pleased to learn the news. Roger smiled: "If you say so, then so be it! Ranking isn't important though, the most important thing is that people watch you and accept you." Jessica agreed, saying: "It is the company's respect for you, just leave it down to destiny."
With their status confirmed, will they be asking for pay rises? Roger laughs: "It's okay, the company know what to do! They have given me so many opportunities giving me quite a decent market home and abroad, so I am very grateful to them." They both hope that the new series "New Adventures of Ah Wong" will build on the success of "Square Pegs" and find high ratings.
The Sun 16/08/05
Niki Laughs at her Sister's News
Niki Chow and Kevin Cheng were filming for new series "Lovers under Sky Curtains" on location and Niki was asked about the news of some scars being seen on her sister Kathy's sides suggesting that she has had breast implants. At first, Niki refused to comment, saying she did not have anything to say about the report, but after much pressure from the reporters, she indicated her support for her elder sister: "I understand that there are a lot of made up stories in the news, so I don't want to comment. I find that the reports are very pointless and you should read them then forget about them. You can't expect my sister to open herself out for testing by everyone. All you can do is laugh at these pointless reports and move on."
The Sun 16/08/05
Kevin's Working Birthday
Kevin Cheng spent his birthday this year working, but he doesn't feel bad about it at all because a lot of fans and fellow cast members celebrated with him and Niki Chow even gave him two 'long life buns'. Asked what his birthday wish is, Kevin says: "The most important thing is good health. (Do you want a girlfriend?) This is not a birthday wish, this is my usual wish. I would rather do without than go for anyone, so I will not drop my standards." Also, Kevin revealed that he had spent a five-figure sum in buying a watch for himself as a birthday present.
The Sun 16/08/05
Modern 'Witness to a Prosecution' to Star Bobby and Yoyo
Building on the ratings success of "To Get Unstuck in Time" and "Misleading Track", TVB will begin filming a new modern mystery series "Forensics Pioneers", produced by Mui Siu Ching and starring the leads from the popular "Armed Reaction IV" Bobby Au Yeung and Yoyo Mung in what is dubbed to be a modern version of "Witness to a Prosecution". Other cast members will include Frankie Lam and Linda Chung.
Bobby laughs that his image is of justice, so he has played members of many government departments, but this does not bore him: "Each role has a different personality! Working again with Yoyo as police forensics is quite fresh, but William So laughed that my partners are getting younger and younger... I hope that we can follow in the footsteps of "Armed Reaction" and film several sequels."
The Sun 17/08/05
Bondy Sighs at Music Industry Materialism
Bondy Chiu took part in a radio interview with good friend Wyman Wong earlier to promote his anniversary album that is due to be released soon and Bondy's cover of Kelly Chen's song "The Best Position" has gone down well, receiving rave reviews and taking the top spot in the popularity charts. Asked if she would be battling in the music industry once more, Bondy said: "I have been approached in the past few years by some record companies, but they are just asking because in Hong Kong, anything that involves money is not just about releasing records. I want the music industry to expand as well and these are my principles. (You're in no hurry?) Not at all, as long as I have my voice, then I can sing. As an artiste, I should develop in many different directions. (Have you thought about getting married and retiring?) No, I am happy as I am."
Wyman admits that has had to turn away a lot of work in recent years: "I want to reduce my output this year, so I will choose what I do."
The Sun 17/08/05
Mandy is 'Learn English' Ambassador
With her good English skills, Mandy Cho has been appointed "English Language Ambassador" by a sponsor. However, she says that after living in Hong Kong for two years, her English has worsened: "Sometimes I will meet some children and their mothers ask me to help them choose an English name, but my English has become quite poor now and I need to pick it up again. (Will you find a foreign boyfriend and learn the language that way?) No, because I prefer Asian men. At least that way we have the same culture."
The Sun 17/08/05
Bernice Prefers the Natural Look
Taking part in a credit card press conference earlier, Bernice Liu not only received her fee, but also a set of multicoloured fake eyelashes. Asked which colour she would choose to meet her boyfriend, she laughed: "I don't have a boyfriend! (You look good even without make-up on, does Moses think so too?) No." Bernice indicates that she is most pleased with her smile and her double eyelids: "My smile is so happy that it is contagious as my mother passed me her best feature. (Do you accept cosmetic surgery?) No, but if other people find it attractive, that is okay. It just depends on one's needs."
The Sun 18/08/05
Ron Denies Shouting at Producer
Myolie Wu, Ron Ng and Mary Hon were filming for "Troubled Times" in a fire scene that tells of Mary being caught in the fire. Even before filming, she had said how scared she was because she has a phobia of fire, but the filming was finished successfully. Afterwards, she said: "I had experienced a fire before in my home, where I burned my hair and eyebrows."
With earlier magazine reports that he had been hurling abuse at the producer previously in front of all the cast and crew, Ron denied this suggestion strongly: "With so many press and people around, how could I say these things? I rarely swear anyway and even when I am very frustrated, I will not use any profanities about organs."
The Sun 18/08/05
Maggie Goes One Step Further
After her earlier ads for Marianne Chan's breast enhancement pills, Maggie Siu has done a nude beach scene and the latest brainwave to come from Marianne is to wear a backless dress to show off Maggie's smooth and beautiful back and give her the 'Best Actress' Awards Night treatment. With the opportunity of more great shots, Maggie says happily: "I never imagined the shape of my back to be so beautiful and make me look even sexier. Looking back at my scenes in 'Healing Hands III', I did look rather plump and without any attractive figure to talk of."
The Sun 18/08/05
Yoyo Has Ear-Piercing Phobia
Former manager to Anita Mui, Wong Man Wai, together with Fiona Yuen and Yoyo Mung took part in the opening of a new accessories shop and Yoyo had her ears pierced there and then. She revealed that she had had them pierced four years ago, but because of an infection, this had left her with a phobia: "The boss is a friend and she has sworn on her life that there will not be another infection. It just felt like I had been flicked with an elastic band. (Will you have a tattoo?) I have thought about it."
The Sun 19/08/05
Bosco Hands Out the Hugs
Bosco Wong's popularity has risen sharply after the success of "Wars of In-Laws" and his lovable role in the show has won the hearts of many female fans. At a gathering of over 120 female fans from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Malaysia and Taiwan earlier, he surprised them with a big box of mooncakes he had picked up from his sponsors to share with them. As Bosco arrived at the scene, there was some confusion and in order to satisfy his female fans, he agreed to pose for photographs with them all, saying: "With the confusion before, I really did quite scared. When I arrived, I felt quite overwhelmed, because I never thought so many people would support me. I am very happy! You don't need to worry, I will defintely have my photo taken with you all and sign autographs before I go."
With nearly three hundred people at the venue, Bosco did not really have very much time and could only stay for about half an hour. He had hoped to meet each of his fans, so he made it a priority to pose with them all, but for those who didn't get to meet him, he has promised to make it up to them in the future. Keeping to his word, he posed for a photo with his arm around each of the girls and signed autographs for them all so that they were all satisfied before they continued with the prize draw. Busy as ever, Bosco then rushed back to continue filming straight afterwards.
The Sun 19/08/05
Leila's Time has Come
Since she entered showbiz, this past year has been the most fruitful for Leila Tong. After her slimming ad at the beginning of the year, she has recently landed a six-figure contract with a mainland footwear company. She admits that her income this year has exceeded $500,000 and her dream of buying an apartment will be coming true sooner. She smiles: "I am learning to go househunting now in preparation." Currently filming for "Troubled Times", she has not had time to head north into China to film the ad, but the sponsors are very compromising and have arranged for the crew to come to Guangzhou so that she does not have to travel as far.
With so much faith, Leila has found a day off from filming and completed her ad. Although she had to model over ten different pairs of trainers, she was well prepared and in just three hours, the shoot was completed and she was able to enjoy a delicious seafood meal. Leila says: "The boss knows that I like seafood, so he arranged a special meal for me. After the shoot, I had worked up quite an appetite."
Reports suggest that Leila has quite a strong affinity with the Mainland viewers and after the trainer ad, she has gained even more fans. On the day of the shoot, there were some fans there to support her and they event flew in to Guangzhou especially to visit her.
The Sun 19/08/05
Shirley is Pleased to Play Miu's Daughter
In forthcoming TVB production "Shanghai Turbulence", Shirley Yeung will be playing Michael Miu's daughter and she indicated excitedly about this: "I have been watching his shows since I was young, so to have the chance to learn from him makes me very happy." As for Maggie Cheung, she will be playing a 'Dumpling Queen' in the show and have a romance with Michael. Asked if she is worried about rumours, she laughs: "I am very innocent, so I am never attracted to married men. I have had many close scenes with men in previous series, so as long as the story needs it, then I don't mind." As for Michael, he has offered the vote of confidence to his wife Jamie Chik: "I am not afraid of her watching me film because I am very faithful and have been over so many years."
The Sun 19/08/05
Tracy Ip Accused of Having Cosmetic Surgery
The twenty Miss Hong Kong contestants attended a contract signing event between TVB and JM Network earlier. Number 8 Tracy Ip was asked about recent reports alleging that she had undergone cosmetic surgery on her face. She responded: "Those photographs have been published before and I don't know why they keep writing about it, but I will look at it positively and see it as me being of value to them and a favourite in the competition to be worthy of appearing on the cover of their magazine. (Are you afraid that this will affect your chances of winning?) No, I believe that the judges will not be affected by this and I will try my best to show off my best performance." She does not feel that she has been victimised and goes on to say that it is thanks to TVB's make-up artists making her look so beautiful that people mistake her for having surgery.
The Sun 19/08/05
Myolie Pins Hopes on 'In-Laws'
Liza Wang, Myolie Wu, Bosco Wong and Shek Sau attended the "Wars of In-Laws" celebratory dinner at Sunny Chan's restaurant earlier and with the finale ratings peaking at 38 points (2.49 million viewers), TVB paid for six tables for all the cast and crew members, with the occasion attended by TVB executives, including General Manager Stephen Chan, Lok Yee Ling and Tommy Leung.
Myolie indicated that at first, she was prepared to pay for the meal, but TVB got there instead. She says: "I will be paying for the sharks fin instead. Boss Sunny Chan has been very generous and given us the fish." Myolie admits that she hopes there will be a sequel to "In-Laws" and asked if she is confident in winning the 'female lead' award this year, she says boldly: "I am confident. I won an award a few years ago, so it is about time I had another achievement." The two couples - Bosco and Myolie, and Shek Sau and Lisa cracked open the champagne to celebrate and despite the rumours, Bosco and Myolie seemed friendly as ever as they fed each other sweet dumplings. Even Mr Chan jokingly mocked Bosco, saying: "Have you bought your house yet? Are you moving in next to Myolie?" Despite looking a little embarrassed, Bosco replied openly: "Not yet, I am not moving just yet, I just like looking at places. (Have you had more offers of work?) More ads and stage work, I don't mind partnering Myolie as long as we both make money!"
Also, Liza revealed that she will be holding a charity Cantonese opera show in October and will be inviting huge opera stars such as Pak Suet Sin, Connie Chan and Lung Kim Sang to take part. The Yam-Pak Charity foundation has already donated $500,000 to support them. She also revealed that she will be heading out to Spain, Italy and Portugal soon to enjoy a relaxing vacation with partner Lo Ka Ying.
The Sun 19/08/05
Kate is a Huge Miu Fan
Michael Miu, Kate Tsui and Lai Lok Yi headed out to Zhongshan earlier to film a real estate ad for TVB and Kate admitted that she has loved watching Michael's series since she was young, so to be able to work with him makes her very happy indeed. Kate is full of praise for him, saying that he is not only handsome and stylish, but also very friendly, offering to teach her to play golf. Asked if she will go golfing with him again after returning to Hong Kong, Kate says: "I don't think so, I am afraid of getting tanned."
As the ad show storyline tells of getting the wrong idea, Kate was asked if she had been in a similar position in real life and she replies: "No, I was very shy in the past, but I have changed now and if I meet someone I like, then I will take the lead and make a move. (Have you been looking around for a property in the mainland?) No, I already have a property there, so if I have the money I would want to buy somewhere in Hong Kong. Unless I get married, I will want to live with my family to keep me company."
The Sun 19/08/05
Melissa Getting Younger and Younger
Melissa Ng has returned to Hong Kong after heading out to the States to attend her sister's wedding and has started filming straight away for TVB's new series "Hard to be a Woman". The scene tells of her former husband in the show Michael Tse meeting her in a restaurant to sign some documents, but a jealous third party Yan Ying appears and intrudes. Melissa says: "I have worked with Michael before in 'A Kindred Spirit' where he played my younger brother." To which Michael laughed: "Yes, she is getting younger and younger. She played my elder sister before and now she plays my ex-wife. Maybe next time she will be playing my daughter!" Overwhelmed by the compliment, Melissa responds: "I used to act too old and play mature parts, but now I am acting my real age."
Michael reveals that there are a lot of 'third parties' in the show: "Not only one, but of course in real life there aren't any because I am afraid of having my ears pulled." Melissa goes on to praise him for being such a good man.
The Sun 19/08/05
Gigi and Charmaine Getting Along Just Fine
TVB's new series "Flames Dancing on Yellow Sands" is currently filming on location in Yinchuan and as the temperature fluctuates to extremes in the desert climates, it can range from 40 degrees C in the afternoon to just 10 degrees at night. This is proving difficult for the cast members including Gigi Lai, Charmaine Sheh, Vinci Wang, Bowie Lam and Ada Choi to adjust. As most of them thought that Yinchuan was a rather rural location, they brought a lot of supplies with them and Gigi even had to pay over $2000 in excess baggage, but when they arrived, they found a thriving town that even had a supermarket with all the necessities for sale!
As for reports that Gigi has been ganging up with Ada and Maggie Siu and leaving out 'good friend' Charmaine, she denies this, saying that they are all getting along fine with no arguments. After a particularly harsh raining scene, Vinci has fallen ill and has had to return to Hong Kong to recover.
The Sun 20/08/05
Bosco Gets Ads Thanks to Liza
With his recent rise in popularity thanks to "Wars of In-Laws", Bosco Wong has beaten many other artistes to win the contract with a skincare product range and pocketing a tidy six figure fee. Shooting the ad for the product, he admitted that this job was very much thanks to Liza Wang: "It was very hard work during filming and Liza found that I was lacking in energy, so she would make me soup to drink and this improved my skin. This made the sponsors select me and I owe this to Liza, my saviour." The sponsors have agreed to provide Bosco with a lifetime's supply of skincare products and he says: "In order to show my thanks to Liza, I will be giving her some samples of the product."
The Sun 20/08/05
Nancy Pays her Respects at Ghost Festival
Nancy Wu was filming for "Simple Clothed Soothsayer" earlier and in response to questions about her earlier accident where a part of the scenery fell on her, she indicates that her injury is gradually getting better now: "The bruise on my shoulder and face is much better now and I am lucky it was just the reflector that fell and not the lamp itself, otherwise that would have been disastrous." When her father found out that she had been injured, he immediately told her to go and pay her respects for the ghost festival so that the spirits are contented. Nancy says: "As Nam Sang Village is in a rural area, there may be spirits about, but I don't believe that my injury is caused by them because it was during the day and there were many people there. I think it was just an accident."
The Sun 20/08/05
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TVB's Management Strategy Changes
In its bid to become Hong Kong's largest and most populous Artiste Management Company, TVB has been working hard to expand the number of artistes on its books and finding them work. In their listings of the artistes on their books, Roger Kwok and Jessica Hsuan take top positions for male and female artistes respectively.
After changing its strategy earlier and recruiting an additional twenty unsalaried artistes to joins the forty already on their books as salaried artistes, TVB prepared a set of introductory texts, profiling their artistes. These were split into male and female artiste sections and the document showed a photograph of each artiste and their profile and attached to the document was a list, ordering them into relative importance and value to the company.
For the men, since Gallen Lo and Louis Koo left, Roger Kwok has taken the top spot, with last year's 'Favourite Male Artiste' Bowie Lam in second position, followed by Moses Chan, Ron Ng, Raymond Lam, Kevin Cheng, Frankie Lam and so on. For the ladies, Jessica Hsuan sits comfortably as the leading lady, with 'Favourite Female Lead' Gigi Lai in second, Charmaine Sheh as number 3 and then Sonija Kwok, Myolie Wu, Melissa Ng, Bernice Liu and Tavia Yeung following.
TVB Production Resources Deputy Chief Lok Yee Ling has been responsible for the production of this document and she admits it is very important because there has been a lot of interest in their artistes by many potential clients, but there was nowhere for them to find this information. As a result, there are now two special lines for them to contact the artiste department with dedicated account managers to deal with them.
Ms Lok reveals that they will continue to print these introduction documents in order to promote their artistes all over the world and find them opportunities to perform. As well as the top artistes, there are those who have been quietly working hard and TVB will provide more opportunities for them to be in the spotlight and make some more money. Although the workload has increased for the Artistes Department, Ms Lok says that there is sufficient resource to handle this and when they cannot, then they will seek for the company to provide more staff for them.
The Sun 15/08/05
Shirley Doesn't Know Anything
Shirley Yeung was taking part in a polling event for the "Children's Songs Awards" earlier and was asked about the incident where an artiste was mugged whilst filming for "Circus of Life" in Panyu earlier. With an air of resignation, she said: "There are reports that I disappeared for a couple of hours, but Linda Chung and I were in the Karaoke room and the men only called us out when they managed to hail a cab, so I didn't see anything at all." As for the reports about Benny Chan going out womanising, she says that she was in her room all evening doing facial masks with Linda, so she doesn't know if the men went out or not.
The Sun 15/08/05
Myolie Celebrates Ratings
TVB announced the ratings for last week, where the three prime time series all rose. "Healing Hands III" gained an average of 29 points and "War of In-Laws" reached 35 points in its finale, peaking at 38 points. As for the second week of "Yummy Yummy - Food for Life", it had an average of 27 points. To celebrate the success of her series, Myolie Wu will be paying for a meal on 18th for the cast and crew members and working with restaurant-boss Sunny Chan on the set of "Troubled Times" earlier, she openly asked him for a discount at his place: "As long as it's cheap and good, then the most important thing is that there is some shark's fin there."
As for how she will be rewarding herself, Myolie laughs: "Well, isn't moving into such a big house reward enough?" Sunny was only willing to give her a 10% discount: "It's only 10% discount for me as a partner! There will definitely be sharks fin there for her though!"
The Sun 16/08/05
Roger and Jess Celebrate Top Status
Golden partners Roger Kwok and Jessica Hsuan have been filed as the top male and female artistes on TVB's books in their recent catalogue document and as they both returned from some promotional work in Singapore, they were very pleased to learn the news. Roger smiled: "If you say so, then so be it! Ranking isn't important though, the most important thing is that people watch you and accept you." Jessica agreed, saying: "It is the company's respect for you, just leave it down to destiny."
With their status confirmed, will they be asking for pay rises? Roger laughs: "It's okay, the company know what to do! They have given me so many opportunities giving me quite a decent market home and abroad, so I am very grateful to them." They both hope that the new series "New Adventures of Ah Wong" will build on the success of "Square Pegs" and find high ratings.
The Sun 16/08/05
Niki Laughs at her Sister's News
Niki Chow and Kevin Cheng were filming for new series "Lovers under Sky Curtains" on location and Niki was asked about the news of some scars being seen on her sister Kathy's sides suggesting that she has had breast implants. At first, Niki refused to comment, saying she did not have anything to say about the report, but after much pressure from the reporters, she indicated her support for her elder sister: "I understand that there are a lot of made up stories in the news, so I don't want to comment. I find that the reports are very pointless and you should read them then forget about them. You can't expect my sister to open herself out for testing by everyone. All you can do is laugh at these pointless reports and move on."
The Sun 16/08/05
Kevin's Working Birthday
Kevin Cheng spent his birthday this year working, but he doesn't feel bad about it at all because a lot of fans and fellow cast members celebrated with him and Niki Chow even gave him two 'long life buns'. Asked what his birthday wish is, Kevin says: "The most important thing is good health. (Do you want a girlfriend?) This is not a birthday wish, this is my usual wish. I would rather do without than go for anyone, so I will not drop my standards." Also, Kevin revealed that he had spent a five-figure sum in buying a watch for himself as a birthday present.
The Sun 16/08/05
Modern 'Witness to a Prosecution' to Star Bobby and Yoyo
Building on the ratings success of "To Get Unstuck in Time" and "Misleading Track", TVB will begin filming a new modern mystery series "Forensics Pioneers", produced by Mui Siu Ching and starring the leads from the popular "Armed Reaction IV" Bobby Au Yeung and Yoyo Mung in what is dubbed to be a modern version of "Witness to a Prosecution". Other cast members will include Frankie Lam and Linda Chung.
Bobby laughs that his image is of justice, so he has played members of many government departments, but this does not bore him: "Each role has a different personality! Working again with Yoyo as police forensics is quite fresh, but William So laughed that my partners are getting younger and younger... I hope that we can follow in the footsteps of "Armed Reaction" and film several sequels."
The Sun 17/08/05
Bondy Sighs at Music Industry Materialism
Bondy Chiu took part in a radio interview with good friend Wyman Wong earlier to promote his anniversary album that is due to be released soon and Bondy's cover of Kelly Chen's song "The Best Position" has gone down well, receiving rave reviews and taking the top spot in the popularity charts. Asked if she would be battling in the music industry once more, Bondy said: "I have been approached in the past few years by some record companies, but they are just asking because in Hong Kong, anything that involves money is not just about releasing records. I want the music industry to expand as well and these are my principles. (You're in no hurry?) Not at all, as long as I have my voice, then I can sing. As an artiste, I should develop in many different directions. (Have you thought about getting married and retiring?) No, I am happy as I am."
Wyman admits that has had to turn away a lot of work in recent years: "I want to reduce my output this year, so I will choose what I do."
The Sun 17/08/05
Mandy is 'Learn English' Ambassador
With her good English skills, Mandy Cho has been appointed "English Language Ambassador" by a sponsor. However, she says that after living in Hong Kong for two years, her English has worsened: "Sometimes I will meet some children and their mothers ask me to help them choose an English name, but my English has become quite poor now and I need to pick it up again. (Will you find a foreign boyfriend and learn the language that way?) No, because I prefer Asian men. At least that way we have the same culture."
The Sun 17/08/05
Bernice Prefers the Natural Look
Taking part in a credit card press conference earlier, Bernice Liu not only received her fee, but also a set of multicoloured fake eyelashes. Asked which colour she would choose to meet her boyfriend, she laughed: "I don't have a boyfriend! (You look good even without make-up on, does Moses think so too?) No." Bernice indicates that she is most pleased with her smile and her double eyelids: "My smile is so happy that it is contagious as my mother passed me her best feature. (Do you accept cosmetic surgery?) No, but if other people find it attractive, that is okay. It just depends on one's needs."
The Sun 18/08/05
Ron Denies Shouting at Producer
Myolie Wu, Ron Ng and Mary Hon were filming for "Troubled Times" in a fire scene that tells of Mary being caught in the fire. Even before filming, she had said how scared she was because she has a phobia of fire, but the filming was finished successfully. Afterwards, she said: "I had experienced a fire before in my home, where I burned my hair and eyebrows."
With earlier magazine reports that he had been hurling abuse at the producer previously in front of all the cast and crew, Ron denied this suggestion strongly: "With so many press and people around, how could I say these things? I rarely swear anyway and even when I am very frustrated, I will not use any profanities about organs."
The Sun 18/08/05
Maggie Goes One Step Further
After her earlier ads for Marianne Chan's breast enhancement pills, Maggie Siu has done a nude beach scene and the latest brainwave to come from Marianne is to wear a backless dress to show off Maggie's smooth and beautiful back and give her the 'Best Actress' Awards Night treatment. With the opportunity of more great shots, Maggie says happily: "I never imagined the shape of my back to be so beautiful and make me look even sexier. Looking back at my scenes in 'Healing Hands III', I did look rather plump and without any attractive figure to talk of."
The Sun 18/08/05
Yoyo Has Ear-Piercing Phobia
Former manager to Anita Mui, Wong Man Wai, together with Fiona Yuen and Yoyo Mung took part in the opening of a new accessories shop and Yoyo had her ears pierced there and then. She revealed that she had had them pierced four years ago, but because of an infection, this had left her with a phobia: "The boss is a friend and she has sworn on her life that there will not be another infection. It just felt like I had been flicked with an elastic band. (Will you have a tattoo?) I have thought about it."
The Sun 19/08/05
Bosco Hands Out the Hugs
Bosco Wong's popularity has risen sharply after the success of "Wars of In-Laws" and his lovable role in the show has won the hearts of many female fans. At a gathering of over 120 female fans from Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Malaysia and Taiwan earlier, he surprised them with a big box of mooncakes he had picked up from his sponsors to share with them. As Bosco arrived at the scene, there was some confusion and in order to satisfy his female fans, he agreed to pose for photographs with them all, saying: "With the confusion before, I really did quite scared. When I arrived, I felt quite overwhelmed, because I never thought so many people would support me. I am very happy! You don't need to worry, I will defintely have my photo taken with you all and sign autographs before I go."
With nearly three hundred people at the venue, Bosco did not really have very much time and could only stay for about half an hour. He had hoped to meet each of his fans, so he made it a priority to pose with them all, but for those who didn't get to meet him, he has promised to make it up to them in the future. Keeping to his word, he posed for a photo with his arm around each of the girls and signed autographs for them all so that they were all satisfied before they continued with the prize draw. Busy as ever, Bosco then rushed back to continue filming straight afterwards.
The Sun 19/08/05
Leila's Time has Come
Since she entered showbiz, this past year has been the most fruitful for Leila Tong. After her slimming ad at the beginning of the year, she has recently landed a six-figure contract with a mainland footwear company. She admits that her income this year has exceeded $500,000 and her dream of buying an apartment will be coming true sooner. She smiles: "I am learning to go househunting now in preparation." Currently filming for "Troubled Times", she has not had time to head north into China to film the ad, but the sponsors are very compromising and have arranged for the crew to come to Guangzhou so that she does not have to travel as far.
With so much faith, Leila has found a day off from filming and completed her ad. Although she had to model over ten different pairs of trainers, she was well prepared and in just three hours, the shoot was completed and she was able to enjoy a delicious seafood meal. Leila says: "The boss knows that I like seafood, so he arranged a special meal for me. After the shoot, I had worked up quite an appetite."
Reports suggest that Leila has quite a strong affinity with the Mainland viewers and after the trainer ad, she has gained even more fans. On the day of the shoot, there were some fans there to support her and they event flew in to Guangzhou especially to visit her.
The Sun 19/08/05
Shirley is Pleased to Play Miu's Daughter
In forthcoming TVB production "Shanghai Turbulence", Shirley Yeung will be playing Michael Miu's daughter and she indicated excitedly about this: "I have been watching his shows since I was young, so to have the chance to learn from him makes me very happy." As for Maggie Cheung, she will be playing a 'Dumpling Queen' in the show and have a romance with Michael. Asked if she is worried about rumours, she laughs: "I am very innocent, so I am never attracted to married men. I have had many close scenes with men in previous series, so as long as the story needs it, then I don't mind." As for Michael, he has offered the vote of confidence to his wife Jamie Chik: "I am not afraid of her watching me film because I am very faithful and have been over so many years."
The Sun 19/08/05
Tracy Ip Accused of Having Cosmetic Surgery
The twenty Miss Hong Kong contestants attended a contract signing event between TVB and JM Network earlier. Number 8 Tracy Ip was asked about recent reports alleging that she had undergone cosmetic surgery on her face. She responded: "Those photographs have been published before and I don't know why they keep writing about it, but I will look at it positively and see it as me being of value to them and a favourite in the competition to be worthy of appearing on the cover of their magazine. (Are you afraid that this will affect your chances of winning?) No, I believe that the judges will not be affected by this and I will try my best to show off my best performance." She does not feel that she has been victimised and goes on to say that it is thanks to TVB's make-up artists making her look so beautiful that people mistake her for having surgery.
The Sun 19/08/05
Myolie Pins Hopes on 'In-Laws'
Liza Wang, Myolie Wu, Bosco Wong and Shek Sau attended the "Wars of In-Laws" celebratory dinner at Sunny Chan's restaurant earlier and with the finale ratings peaking at 38 points (2.49 million viewers), TVB paid for six tables for all the cast and crew members, with the occasion attended by TVB executives, including General Manager Stephen Chan, Lok Yee Ling and Tommy Leung.
Myolie indicated that at first, she was prepared to pay for the meal, but TVB got there instead. She says: "I will be paying for the sharks fin instead. Boss Sunny Chan has been very generous and given us the fish." Myolie admits that she hopes there will be a sequel to "In-Laws" and asked if she is confident in winning the 'female lead' award this year, she says boldly: "I am confident. I won an award a few years ago, so it is about time I had another achievement." The two couples - Bosco and Myolie, and Shek Sau and Lisa cracked open the champagne to celebrate and despite the rumours, Bosco and Myolie seemed friendly as ever as they fed each other sweet dumplings. Even Mr Chan jokingly mocked Bosco, saying: "Have you bought your house yet? Are you moving in next to Myolie?" Despite looking a little embarrassed, Bosco replied openly: "Not yet, I am not moving just yet, I just like looking at places. (Have you had more offers of work?) More ads and stage work, I don't mind partnering Myolie as long as we both make money!"
Also, Liza revealed that she will be holding a charity Cantonese opera show in October and will be inviting huge opera stars such as Pak Suet Sin, Connie Chan and Lung Kim Sang to take part. The Yam-Pak Charity foundation has already donated $500,000 to support them. She also revealed that she will be heading out to Spain, Italy and Portugal soon to enjoy a relaxing vacation with partner Lo Ka Ying.
The Sun 19/08/05
Kate is a Huge Miu Fan
Michael Miu, Kate Tsui and Lai Lok Yi headed out to Zhongshan earlier to film a real estate ad for TVB and Kate admitted that she has loved watching Michael's series since she was young, so to be able to work with him makes her very happy indeed. Kate is full of praise for him, saying that he is not only handsome and stylish, but also very friendly, offering to teach her to play golf. Asked if she will go golfing with him again after returning to Hong Kong, Kate says: "I don't think so, I am afraid of getting tanned."
As the ad show storyline tells of getting the wrong idea, Kate was asked if she had been in a similar position in real life and she replies: "No, I was very shy in the past, but I have changed now and if I meet someone I like, then I will take the lead and make a move. (Have you been looking around for a property in the mainland?) No, I already have a property there, so if I have the money I would want to buy somewhere in Hong Kong. Unless I get married, I will want to live with my family to keep me company."
The Sun 19/08/05
Melissa Getting Younger and Younger
Melissa Ng has returned to Hong Kong after heading out to the States to attend her sister's wedding and has started filming straight away for TVB's new series "Hard to be a Woman". The scene tells of her former husband in the show Michael Tse meeting her in a restaurant to sign some documents, but a jealous third party Yan Ying appears and intrudes. Melissa says: "I have worked with Michael before in 'A Kindred Spirit' where he played my younger brother." To which Michael laughed: "Yes, she is getting younger and younger. She played my elder sister before and now she plays my ex-wife. Maybe next time she will be playing my daughter!" Overwhelmed by the compliment, Melissa responds: "I used to act too old and play mature parts, but now I am acting my real age."
Michael reveals that there are a lot of 'third parties' in the show: "Not only one, but of course in real life there aren't any because I am afraid of having my ears pulled." Melissa goes on to praise him for being such a good man.
The Sun 19/08/05
Gigi and Charmaine Getting Along Just Fine
TVB's new series "Flames Dancing on Yellow Sands" is currently filming on location in Yinchuan and as the temperature fluctuates to extremes in the desert climates, it can range from 40 degrees C in the afternoon to just 10 degrees at night. This is proving difficult for the cast members including Gigi Lai, Charmaine Sheh, Vinci Wang, Bowie Lam and Ada Choi to adjust. As most of them thought that Yinchuan was a rather rural location, they brought a lot of supplies with them and Gigi even had to pay over $2000 in excess baggage, but when they arrived, they found a thriving town that even had a supermarket with all the necessities for sale!
As for reports that Gigi has been ganging up with Ada and Maggie Siu and leaving out 'good friend' Charmaine, she denies this, saying that they are all getting along fine with no arguments. After a particularly harsh raining scene, Vinci has fallen ill and has had to return to Hong Kong to recover.
The Sun 20/08/05
From the final rehearsal performances, there seemed to be a drop in standards for those who had been earlier dubbed as favourites, with number 16 Carrie Lam being the most marked. Tourism Ambassador winner number 18 Erica Yuen seemed rather tired and famed for her impressive bust, number 15 Sharon Luk seemed to lack confidence.
Conversely, some of the less outstanding girls from before seemed to have boosted their confidence, including 'Gigi Fu lookalike' number 19 Man Kin Yee, number 7 Khoo Pei Kee, number 13 Lee Sze Nga and number 14 Shermon Tang.
The Sun 20/08/05
Conversely, some of the less outstanding girls from before seemed to have boosted their confidence, including 'Gigi Fu lookalike' number 19 Man Kin Yee, number 7 Khoo Pei Kee, number 13 Lee Sze Nga and number 14 Shermon Tang.
The Sun 20/08/05
Bosco Gets Ads Thanks to Liza
With his recent rise in popularity thanks to "Wars of In-Laws", Bosco Wong has beaten many other artistes to win the contract with a skincare product range and pocketing a tidy six figure fee. Shooting the ad for the product, he admitted that this job was very much thanks to Liza Wang: "It was very hard work during filming and Liza found that I was lacking in energy, so she would make me soup to drink and this improved my skin. This made the sponsors select me and I owe this to Liza, my saviour." The sponsors have agreed to provide Bosco with a lifetime's supply of skincare products and he says: "In order to show my thanks to Liza, I will be giving her some samples of the product."
The Sun 20/08/05
Nancy Pays her Respects at Ghost Festival
Nancy Wu was filming for "Simple Clothed Soothsayer" earlier and in response to questions about her earlier accident where a part of the scenery fell on her, she indicates that her injury is gradually getting better now: "The bruise on my shoulder and face is much better now and I am lucky it was just the reflector that fell and not the lamp itself, otherwise that would have been disastrous." When her father found out that she had been injured, he immediately told her to go and pay her respects for the ghost festival so that the spirits are contented. Nancy says: "As Nam Sang Village is in a rural area, there may be spirits about, but I don't believe that my injury is caused by them because it was during the day and there were many people there. I think it was just an accident."
The Sun 20/08/05
News sources: The Sun
Translations: Em