08 April 2005 - Issue 2
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NEWS ROUNDUP - 03/04/05-08/04/05
Alex and Mandy Promote English Language
Alex Fong Lik San and Mandy Cho were appointed as ambassadors for TVB's "English Language Festival" and the Miss Hong Kong winners Kate Tsui, Queenie Chu and Fu Sze Sze were on hand for support as well as Mandy's mother. For their role, Mandy and Alex will be hosting fifteen special shows that teach English language. Mandy says that when she was studying abroad, she also learned to speak French, but has forgotten a lot now due to lack of practice. She insists that this is not to meet a French boyfriend as she would much prefer a Chinese partner. As a Catholic, Mandy was very saddened to hear about the death of the pope, but she will pray for him and she knows he will be going to heaven to receive God's love.
Alex says that he achieved a C for English and an A for English Conversation in his high school exams, but when he went to study in America, he made an embarrassing mistake because in Hong Kong, British English is taught and Alex asked his teacher for a 'rubber', where the Americans call it an 'eraser'. The teacher forgave him when she realised what he meant.
Mysteries of Sze Kung Blessing Ceremony
Bobby Au-Yeung, Kenix Kwok, Benny Chan and Tavia Yeung were present at the studio blessing ceremony for the filming of new series "Mysteries of Sze Kung". This coincided with the ratings reports being released and Kenix's show "Love Bond" reached a peak of 37 points in the previous week, so it looks like there will be a chance that Kenix will have to do a sexy dance. She laughs: "Don't think I am a very conservative person, I am actually very open! (Will Frankie allow you to wear fishnet tights?) Well Ka Ying allowed Liza to!"
Rumoured to be telling dirty jokes all the time on set, Bobby immediately explained that he was just asking IQ questions, laughing: "In the show, I have four wives (played by Lui Shan, Annie Man, Eileen Yeow and Kenix) and together with my mother, there are too many women. When they get together for a good chat, then I just listen and can't get a word in, so I just add the odd joke here and there. (Are you envious of Mr Ho who has four wives in real life?) Hard to say whether it is lucky or not! Sometimes I am envious of Mr Ho, because has has a big family and business, but the number of wives is not a problem, the most important thing is that you are happy and get along. If you are not happy, then there is no point."
Louis and Cutie Against Domestic Violence
Louis Yuen and Cutie Mui have been invited by the Social Welfare Department to take on the role of "Anti-Domestic Violence" stars for 2005 and so often take part in many official events. Cutie says that since taking on this job, she has visited many community venues and feels that people are getting a better understanding of the problems surrounding domestic violence. Several years ago, the situation was very serious, but people are starting to oppose it now.
Cutie's partner Louis has lost a lot of weight through his successful slimming regime, so does she feel he is looking better? Cutie laughs that she would not be interested however good he looked. She says whether you are fat or thin doesn't matter provided you are healthy and Louis is not only healthy on the outside, but also on the inside after taking on such a worthwhile role. She is happy for him though because they now look like a matching couple. She laughs she will have to step up her own regime to keep up with him!
Heavily Pregnant Winnie Films for Ah Wong
Roger Kwok, Winnie Young and Bosco Wong were filming with the crew of "Legend of Ah Wong" at Olympian City in a scene that tells of Ah Wong wearing a 3D Globe Outfit as a promotion on the street, where he meets his former teacher Winnie Yeung. Ah Wong's costume was very sweet and together with his flinging arms, he made the heavily pregnant Winnie laugh out loud as an early present for the baby.
Winnie's baby is due in June and with her bump looking rather big, she was asked if she was expecting twins. She replied that she is not: "This is a baby girl and I am a little worried because my husband was over 9 lbs when he was born and I don't know if this baby will break his record!"
Roger was especially protective of Winnie, saying: "We hope to complete all her scenes first so she can go home and rest."
Ah Wong Studio Blessing Ceremony
With the start of studio filming for "The Legend of Ah Wong", a blessing ceremony was held and attended by stars Roger Kwok, Jessica Hsuan, Leila Tong and Bosco Wong.
Jessica commented that doing this series was great fun and did not have a working atmosphere at all because she had worked with most of the cast and crew before. As for funny stories, she says: "Roger and I are both not very good at riding bicycles, but one day we had to film a scene where he is chasing me on a bike. As I was on the minibus, he had to ride the bike and hold a mango up to the window of the bus. In the end, he nearly crashed into the bus, but luckily he put his leg out in time." Roger then added: "Yeah! In the show I am very playful and often injuring myself. See I have so many wounds and when I get home I am aching all over!"
Roger was asked what he thought about his cartoon character girlfriend Cindy Au moving towards a more sexy image. He says: "It was just a tube-top, as long as it looks healthy then it is okay. I'm not afraid of her losing out, you have to wear swimwear when you're filming travel shows and I think she has great taste. She often chooses my clothes for me and no-one has criticised me! Haha!"
Jessica was also quizzed about whether she has a new love after splitting with her dentist boyfriend earlier. She replied: "For the next three months I will be busy filming, so I won't have the chance to meet anyone. As an artiste it is difficult to find someone, but I am in no hurry and will leave it to fate."
Kelly and Dae Jang Geum Visitors
Kelly Chen was a guest on this week's Jade Solid Gold live, guest hosted for the second time by Joey Yung. Asked about the forthcoming visit to Hong Kong by "Jewel in the Palace" star Kyeon Mi Ri, Kelly said she only found out from reading the papers and does not know if they will meet yet. However, the original plan is that she will take part in an event with 'little Jang Geum' Jo Jin Eun. Kelly says she was not sure what to get her as a gift, but in the end, she decided to present her with a Chinese traditional dress.
Ekin Films Ad for Canon
For the fourth year running, Ekin Cheng will be the face of Canon digital cameras and despite having a cold, he shot the latest ad for them earlier, showing the utmost professionalism.
Earlier ads were shot on location in England and Urumqi, but as Ekin is currently filming for TVB's "Always on Standby", this year's ad was shot locally in Hong Kong at the airport next to his set. He laughs: "Filming the series at the airport and even shooting an ad here, I am getting to know this place better than my home!" The ad will consist of many computer generated images, so he had to stand in front of a blue screen and do the expressions as the images will be projected behind him. He says: "Don't think that it's easy to just stand in front of a screen! Everything is down to your imagination, but luckily I do a lot of daydreaming usually!" To avoid his nose from swelling up due to his cold, Ekin had not slept the previous night. Talking of his fee, Ekin says that the most important thing is to have a good working relationship and the filming went well for him. During the shoot, Ekin was often discussing camera angles with the director and he says that although he is very interested in filming, he does not want to become a director just yet because he feels the pressure is very great and he is worried about his hair going grey!
The Academy Premiere Promotion
TVB will be airing "The Academy" after the finale of "Love Bond" and a group of cast members including Ron Ng, Sammul Chan, Deep Ng, Tavia Yeung and Michael Miu held a sports event to promote the beginning of the show, but Fiona Sit was noticeably absent.
Tavia's "The Prince's Shadow" is still currently airing and with the new series due to be released, she is glad that one is modern and one is a costume drama because the viewers will not get as muddled. Asked what she will do if the ratings were good, she laughs: "If the ratings reach 38 points, then Ron, Sammul and Fiona should do a dance, but I cannot wear swimwear as my figure is not great and I will frighten everyone."
Ron hopes that this show will follow in the footsteps of Tony Leung's 80's hit "Police Cadet" and have three or four series because he enjoys playing a police officer. When it was mentioned that he should do a swimwear dance for the viewers as a treat if the ratings were high Ron laughs: "No, dont! My legs are not pretty and hairy, so when I go swimming, I will wear three quarter length swimpants because I am too shy to wear swimming trunks! (So which part of your body is your favourite?) My bottom, round and cute!"
The show marks the comeback to TVB for Michael who has been away for fifteen years and asked if he has expectations for the series, he says that he has never really cared for ratings as this is a recent fad. As an artiste, it is more important to ensure his work is done well. Commenting on the recent trend of Korean series, he says: "People should not have too much Korean or Japanese dishes and have more Hong Kong dishes instead." He adds that he is pleased to work with TVB again because he knows so many of the crew and misses them. Asked if he would join the youngsters in wearing swimwear, he says to count him out, but he will pay for dinner.
After the rumours of conflict between Sammul and Fiona on the set of this show, Sammul was asked if he had been in touch with this 'best friend' and he says that they are good friends have been in touch and even shot a magazine cover together. He says whilst buying VCD's in Kowloon City, he looked for her CD's but they had sold out and then when he found out they were over $90 for just three songs, he felt it was too expensive, so he would ask her for a copy instead. Asked if he would be signing for TVB management, he says the negotiations are still ongoing and as he will be working away soon, they will continue upon his return. He says that he has not been able to discuss this with his current bosses Alan Tam and Eric Tsang, but he hopes that they will give him the chance to pursue other opportunities if they arise.
Deep is also confident in the show's ratings, but is worried his TV debut will affect the quality. He says that he has given his best and thanks his screen family such as Liu Kai Chi who taught him a lot about emotive acting.
Jade Starbiz Continues Korean Tour
TVB's Jade Starbiz hosts Sung Chih Ling and Derek Li have continued their tour of Korea to present a series of interviews for the show to promote the hit series "Jewel in the Palace" currently airing in Hong Kong. Meeting with stars such as 'Young Jang Geum' Jo Jung Eun as well as 'Dae Jang Geum' herself, Lee Young Ae, Chih Ling and Derek have both had great experiences. During the interview, Lee indicated that her greatest similarity with Jang Geum is her curiosity and her favourite scene was where the young forbidden lovers shared a romantic scene on the beach, whilst the hardest one to film was where she was carrying Lady Hon on her back during their exile scene. Derek says that speaking in English with Lee, he found her very polite and a little shy, whereas Chih Ling says of Lee that she is as beautiful in real life as she is on the screen.
Michael & Flora at RTHK Event
Michael Tao and Flora Chan were invited as guests at an RTHK event to promote some new releases on VCD. Michael's series "Love Bond" has had some good results on ratings, but there have been comments that his acting is getting boring and that he has copied some of his actions from Korean star Bae Yong Jun. In response to these criticisms, Michael did not seem very bothered by this, saying he has never met Bae or watched his shows and explaining the action is adapted from a friend from outside showbiz who often rubs the side of his face. Michael says that to receive reviews in this way is good because it proves that the viewers have been paying attention. With ratings reaching 37 points last week, Michael will be keeping his earlier promise and getting together with Anne Heung to take the crew out to dinner.
Flora is a Catholic, so she feels saddened by the death of the Pope, but relief that he no longer needs to suffer. She says we should see this in an optimistic light because he had such a wonderful and colourful life and she will pray for him every day.
Queenie Chu Loses Mother to Cancer
Miss Hong Kong 2004 First Runner Up Queenie Chu lost her mother to cancer earlier at the age of just 49 years. A funeral ceremony was held this week and a tearful Queenie bade farewell to her mother, accompanied and comforted by good friends Kate Tsui, Fu Sze Sze and 'Mother of Miss HK' Rosa Chan. She expressed that her feelings had been rather mixed recently but she has been able to apply herself to her work and not think about too much. After the cremation, she will have to return to work, so she will be concentrating on that to comfort herself.
Christine and Denise @ Charity Event
Christine Ng and Denis Ho were at a charity event and Charistine donated her precious teddy bear for the charity auction, saying that this bear had been with her for many years, but there is still a big pile of them at home, one of which has been with her for 31 years and will be with her forever.
Recently, Christine has been likened to Korean star Kyeon Mi Ri, who plays Choi Sang Gong in "Jewel in the Palace" that is currently taking Hong Kong by storm. When it was mentioned TVB had intended to dress her in a Korean outfit in a meeting with Kyeon, Christine says she will not do this because she saw a family all dressed in Korean outfits running around in the streets of Yuen Long once and she finds it all very funny. She jokes that Kyeon should wear her costume from "Twin of Brothers" and she should wear another Korean dress and see if they do look so alike!
Miss Hong Kong Catwalk Show
At a recruitment promotion for this year's Miss Hong Kong Pageant, TVB arranged for some past winners to take part in a catwalk show and among the models present were Kate Tsui, Priscilla Chik, Anne-Marie Wood, Mandy Cho and Queenie Chu. Mandy showed off her great figure in her revealing outfit and when asked if her pretty sister will be taking part this year, she explained her sister was still studying abroad and will not be taking part. Mandy has just finished filming her last series and so will be heading out to the US for a break before coming back to carry on working.
After the sadness of losing her mother, Queenie indicated she has settled down now and will be concentrating on her work.
Moses in Drag AGAIN!
A celebratory party was held for the good ratings received by "Love Bond" and was attended by Michael Tao, Bernice Liu, Moses Chan and Anne Heung. The party was funded by Michael and Anne, with Bernice providing Flower ice cream, but Kenix was absent due to filming and not able to fulfil her promise of re-enacting Liza Wang's "Hot Coffee" performance.
The games still went ahead though as Moses was made to keep his pledge to do 'anything you want' if the show reached 36 points and he was made to wear a batman mask, feather boa and earrings as he performed a rather nauseating song and dance routine. Asked if he was alright afterwards, he said: "I'm okay if everyone was happy. Next time I will have to set the stakes higher when I make a promise like that!"
Asked if he had seen Bernice's rather sexy photo shoot for a magazine earlier, Moses replied: "Yes, I have. The photos are very pretty." Asked if he was impressed by her figure, he says coyly: "I am very conservative, but from a model's point of view, it is very beautiful. This is art and not seedy in any way. She is known to be pretty and sexy as well as a hard worker, so I would say she is worth 80%."
Asked why she is undergoing a change in image, Bernice explains that after three years in the industry, her manager has arranged for her image to mature and create a 'New Bernice' for everyone. "I feel that if it looks great and is healthy, then it is okay." As for the earlier magazine reports showing her with a Tian Liang lookalike, Bernice explains that this is just a friend from Canada from outside the industry and she found the news very amusing.
Myolie and Roger Back in Time
TVB held a 'Golden Oldie Dance Party' to promote the forthcoming series "Scavenger's Paradise" and cast members including Myolie Wu and Roger Kwok donned their fifties costumes to show off their dance movies, with demonstrations from TVB's dancers. The prize for best couple went to Wayne Lai and Iris Wong, whilst Chun Wong and Lo Yuen Yan took best partnership.
Myolie Wu donned a tall wig for the event and she was worried that it would fall off, so this affected her dancing. She laughed: "My dancing is not that great anyway, but I will improve because it is a useful skill to have to make my future stage performances less boring." She praised Wayne and Iris for a very good performance. Myolie is confident in the ratings for this show as they will be singing in every episode and this will be very appealing. As she paid for dinner after the success of "Lost in the Chamber of Love", then she says it is Roger's turn this time if the show does well.
Despite losing the contest, Roger was still rather boastful, saying: "Dancing is no obstacle for me, because in the show I have to do a can-can and the company arranged for a tutor to teach us, who commented that I have good talent and should join the dance troupe!" He says that ratings are out of his control, but reviews are more important and he thinks this show will raise a few talking points because of its unusual genre. "This is my first musical series. The impersonations are up for interpretation, but I think all the cast have done very well."
Linda Chung - Mother at 25?
Linda Chung will be celebrating her 21st birthday on the 9th April and taking part in TVB April Birthday Stars event, she was asked about her birthday wish. She says she wishes for a successful career and good health, but romance is not important right now. "I am at work more than I am at home now, so I don't have time for a boyfriend and won't think about it. I would like to have my own family and child by the time I am 25, but it will be later working in this industry."
Asked how she will be celebrating her birthday, she says that her mother will be coming over from Canada and she only has to work in the evening of her birthday, so she can spend the afternoon with her mum. As for presents, she would most like to receive something that is hand made and with thought."
Melissa & Michael Go Fishing
Michael Miu and Melissa Ng filmed a romantic fishing and BBQ scene in Sai Kung in a scene that tells of Melissa complaining about her unromantic boyfriend, but in real life she is not a big fan of fishing: "You need a lot of patience for fishing and I am very impatient. After entering this industry, if I have time, I will spend it sleeping!"
As for her thoughts on Michael, she says: "We are only in contact at work, but he is very gallant and looks after both men and women very well. He always asks for feedback after filming and makes me feel very warm." Michael says he is not a very romantic person, so when asked how he managed to date his wife Jamie Chik, he laughs: "We just did some of thet things she liked, like shopping and going to the cinema. Every day is romantic with me by her side!"
main pageAlex and Mandy Promote English Language
Alex Fong Lik San and Mandy Cho were appointed as ambassadors for TVB's "English Language Festival" and the Miss Hong Kong winners Kate Tsui, Queenie Chu and Fu Sze Sze were on hand for support as well as Mandy's mother. For their role, Mandy and Alex will be hosting fifteen special shows that teach English language. Mandy says that when she was studying abroad, she also learned to speak French, but has forgotten a lot now due to lack of practice. She insists that this is not to meet a French boyfriend as she would much prefer a Chinese partner. As a Catholic, Mandy was very saddened to hear about the death of the pope, but she will pray for him and she knows he will be going to heaven to receive God's love.
Alex says that he achieved a C for English and an A for English Conversation in his high school exams, but when he went to study in America, he made an embarrassing mistake because in Hong Kong, British English is taught and Alex asked his teacher for a 'rubber', where the Americans call it an 'eraser'. The teacher forgave him when she realised what he meant.
Mysteries of Sze Kung Blessing Ceremony
Bobby Au-Yeung, Kenix Kwok, Benny Chan and Tavia Yeung were present at the studio blessing ceremony for the filming of new series "Mysteries of Sze Kung". This coincided with the ratings reports being released and Kenix's show "Love Bond" reached a peak of 37 points in the previous week, so it looks like there will be a chance that Kenix will have to do a sexy dance. She laughs: "Don't think I am a very conservative person, I am actually very open! (Will Frankie allow you to wear fishnet tights?) Well Ka Ying allowed Liza to!"
Rumoured to be telling dirty jokes all the time on set, Bobby immediately explained that he was just asking IQ questions, laughing: "In the show, I have four wives (played by Lui Shan, Annie Man, Eileen Yeow and Kenix) and together with my mother, there are too many women. When they get together for a good chat, then I just listen and can't get a word in, so I just add the odd joke here and there. (Are you envious of Mr Ho who has four wives in real life?) Hard to say whether it is lucky or not! Sometimes I am envious of Mr Ho, because has has a big family and business, but the number of wives is not a problem, the most important thing is that you are happy and get along. If you are not happy, then there is no point."
Louis and Cutie Against Domestic Violence
Louis Yuen and Cutie Mui have been invited by the Social Welfare Department to take on the role of "Anti-Domestic Violence" stars for 2005 and so often take part in many official events. Cutie says that since taking on this job, she has visited many community venues and feels that people are getting a better understanding of the problems surrounding domestic violence. Several years ago, the situation was very serious, but people are starting to oppose it now.
Cutie's partner Louis has lost a lot of weight through his successful slimming regime, so does she feel he is looking better? Cutie laughs that she would not be interested however good he looked. She says whether you are fat or thin doesn't matter provided you are healthy and Louis is not only healthy on the outside, but also on the inside after taking on such a worthwhile role. She is happy for him though because they now look like a matching couple. She laughs she will have to step up her own regime to keep up with him!
Heavily Pregnant Winnie Films for Ah Wong
Roger Kwok, Winnie Young and Bosco Wong were filming with the crew of "Legend of Ah Wong" at Olympian City in a scene that tells of Ah Wong wearing a 3D Globe Outfit as a promotion on the street, where he meets his former teacher Winnie Yeung. Ah Wong's costume was very sweet and together with his flinging arms, he made the heavily pregnant Winnie laugh out loud as an early present for the baby.
Winnie's baby is due in June and with her bump looking rather big, she was asked if she was expecting twins. She replied that she is not: "This is a baby girl and I am a little worried because my husband was over 9 lbs when he was born and I don't know if this baby will break his record!"
Roger was especially protective of Winnie, saying: "We hope to complete all her scenes first so she can go home and rest."
Ah Wong Studio Blessing Ceremony
With the start of studio filming for "The Legend of Ah Wong", a blessing ceremony was held and attended by stars Roger Kwok, Jessica Hsuan, Leila Tong and Bosco Wong.
Jessica commented that doing this series was great fun and did not have a working atmosphere at all because she had worked with most of the cast and crew before. As for funny stories, she says: "Roger and I are both not very good at riding bicycles, but one day we had to film a scene where he is chasing me on a bike. As I was on the minibus, he had to ride the bike and hold a mango up to the window of the bus. In the end, he nearly crashed into the bus, but luckily he put his leg out in time." Roger then added: "Yeah! In the show I am very playful and often injuring myself. See I have so many wounds and when I get home I am aching all over!"
Roger was asked what he thought about his cartoon character girlfriend Cindy Au moving towards a more sexy image. He says: "It was just a tube-top, as long as it looks healthy then it is okay. I'm not afraid of her losing out, you have to wear swimwear when you're filming travel shows and I think she has great taste. She often chooses my clothes for me and no-one has criticised me! Haha!"
Jessica was also quizzed about whether she has a new love after splitting with her dentist boyfriend earlier. She replied: "For the next three months I will be busy filming, so I won't have the chance to meet anyone. As an artiste it is difficult to find someone, but I am in no hurry and will leave it to fate."
Kelly and Dae Jang Geum Visitors
Kelly Chen was a guest on this week's Jade Solid Gold live, guest hosted for the second time by Joey Yung. Asked about the forthcoming visit to Hong Kong by "Jewel in the Palace" star Kyeon Mi Ri, Kelly said she only found out from reading the papers and does not know if they will meet yet. However, the original plan is that she will take part in an event with 'little Jang Geum' Jo Jin Eun. Kelly says she was not sure what to get her as a gift, but in the end, she decided to present her with a Chinese traditional dress.
Ekin Films Ad for Canon
For the fourth year running, Ekin Cheng will be the face of Canon digital cameras and despite having a cold, he shot the latest ad for them earlier, showing the utmost professionalism.
Earlier ads were shot on location in England and Urumqi, but as Ekin is currently filming for TVB's "Always on Standby", this year's ad was shot locally in Hong Kong at the airport next to his set. He laughs: "Filming the series at the airport and even shooting an ad here, I am getting to know this place better than my home!" The ad will consist of many computer generated images, so he had to stand in front of a blue screen and do the expressions as the images will be projected behind him. He says: "Don't think that it's easy to just stand in front of a screen! Everything is down to your imagination, but luckily I do a lot of daydreaming usually!" To avoid his nose from swelling up due to his cold, Ekin had not slept the previous night. Talking of his fee, Ekin says that the most important thing is to have a good working relationship and the filming went well for him. During the shoot, Ekin was often discussing camera angles with the director and he says that although he is very interested in filming, he does not want to become a director just yet because he feels the pressure is very great and he is worried about his hair going grey!
The Academy Premiere Promotion
TVB will be airing "The Academy" after the finale of "Love Bond" and a group of cast members including Ron Ng, Sammul Chan, Deep Ng, Tavia Yeung and Michael Miu held a sports event to promote the beginning of the show, but Fiona Sit was noticeably absent.
Tavia's "The Prince's Shadow" is still currently airing and with the new series due to be released, she is glad that one is modern and one is a costume drama because the viewers will not get as muddled. Asked what she will do if the ratings were good, she laughs: "If the ratings reach 38 points, then Ron, Sammul and Fiona should do a dance, but I cannot wear swimwear as my figure is not great and I will frighten everyone."
Ron hopes that this show will follow in the footsteps of Tony Leung's 80's hit "Police Cadet" and have three or four series because he enjoys playing a police officer. When it was mentioned that he should do a swimwear dance for the viewers as a treat if the ratings were high Ron laughs: "No, dont! My legs are not pretty and hairy, so when I go swimming, I will wear three quarter length swimpants because I am too shy to wear swimming trunks! (So which part of your body is your favourite?) My bottom, round and cute!"
The show marks the comeback to TVB for Michael who has been away for fifteen years and asked if he has expectations for the series, he says that he has never really cared for ratings as this is a recent fad. As an artiste, it is more important to ensure his work is done well. Commenting on the recent trend of Korean series, he says: "People should not have too much Korean or Japanese dishes and have more Hong Kong dishes instead." He adds that he is pleased to work with TVB again because he knows so many of the crew and misses them. Asked if he would join the youngsters in wearing swimwear, he says to count him out, but he will pay for dinner.
After the rumours of conflict between Sammul and Fiona on the set of this show, Sammul was asked if he had been in touch with this 'best friend' and he says that they are good friends have been in touch and even shot a magazine cover together. He says whilst buying VCD's in Kowloon City, he looked for her CD's but they had sold out and then when he found out they were over $90 for just three songs, he felt it was too expensive, so he would ask her for a copy instead. Asked if he would be signing for TVB management, he says the negotiations are still ongoing and as he will be working away soon, they will continue upon his return. He says that he has not been able to discuss this with his current bosses Alan Tam and Eric Tsang, but he hopes that they will give him the chance to pursue other opportunities if they arise.
Deep is also confident in the show's ratings, but is worried his TV debut will affect the quality. He says that he has given his best and thanks his screen family such as Liu Kai Chi who taught him a lot about emotive acting.
Jade Starbiz Continues Korean Tour
TVB's Jade Starbiz hosts Sung Chih Ling and Derek Li have continued their tour of Korea to present a series of interviews for the show to promote the hit series "Jewel in the Palace" currently airing in Hong Kong. Meeting with stars such as 'Young Jang Geum' Jo Jung Eun as well as 'Dae Jang Geum' herself, Lee Young Ae, Chih Ling and Derek have both had great experiences. During the interview, Lee indicated that her greatest similarity with Jang Geum is her curiosity and her favourite scene was where the young forbidden lovers shared a romantic scene on the beach, whilst the hardest one to film was where she was carrying Lady Hon on her back during their exile scene. Derek says that speaking in English with Lee, he found her very polite and a little shy, whereas Chih Ling says of Lee that she is as beautiful in real life as she is on the screen.
Michael & Flora at RTHK Event
Michael Tao and Flora Chan were invited as guests at an RTHK event to promote some new releases on VCD. Michael's series "Love Bond" has had some good results on ratings, but there have been comments that his acting is getting boring and that he has copied some of his actions from Korean star Bae Yong Jun. In response to these criticisms, Michael did not seem very bothered by this, saying he has never met Bae or watched his shows and explaining the action is adapted from a friend from outside showbiz who often rubs the side of his face. Michael says that to receive reviews in this way is good because it proves that the viewers have been paying attention. With ratings reaching 37 points last week, Michael will be keeping his earlier promise and getting together with Anne Heung to take the crew out to dinner.
Flora is a Catholic, so she feels saddened by the death of the Pope, but relief that he no longer needs to suffer. She says we should see this in an optimistic light because he had such a wonderful and colourful life and she will pray for him every day.
Queenie Chu Loses Mother to Cancer
Miss Hong Kong 2004 First Runner Up Queenie Chu lost her mother to cancer earlier at the age of just 49 years. A funeral ceremony was held this week and a tearful Queenie bade farewell to her mother, accompanied and comforted by good friends Kate Tsui, Fu Sze Sze and 'Mother of Miss HK' Rosa Chan. She expressed that her feelings had been rather mixed recently but she has been able to apply herself to her work and not think about too much. After the cremation, she will have to return to work, so she will be concentrating on that to comfort herself.
Christine and Denise @ Charity Event
Christine Ng and Denis Ho were at a charity event and Charistine donated her precious teddy bear for the charity auction, saying that this bear had been with her for many years, but there is still a big pile of them at home, one of which has been with her for 31 years and will be with her forever.
Recently, Christine has been likened to Korean star Kyeon Mi Ri, who plays Choi Sang Gong in "Jewel in the Palace" that is currently taking Hong Kong by storm. When it was mentioned TVB had intended to dress her in a Korean outfit in a meeting with Kyeon, Christine says she will not do this because she saw a family all dressed in Korean outfits running around in the streets of Yuen Long once and she finds it all very funny. She jokes that Kyeon should wear her costume from "Twin of Brothers" and she should wear another Korean dress and see if they do look so alike!
Miss Hong Kong Catwalk Show
At a recruitment promotion for this year's Miss Hong Kong Pageant, TVB arranged for some past winners to take part in a catwalk show and among the models present were Kate Tsui, Priscilla Chik, Anne-Marie Wood, Mandy Cho and Queenie Chu. Mandy showed off her great figure in her revealing outfit and when asked if her pretty sister will be taking part this year, she explained her sister was still studying abroad and will not be taking part. Mandy has just finished filming her last series and so will be heading out to the US for a break before coming back to carry on working.
After the sadness of losing her mother, Queenie indicated she has settled down now and will be concentrating on her work.
Moses in Drag AGAIN!
A celebratory party was held for the good ratings received by "Love Bond" and was attended by Michael Tao, Bernice Liu, Moses Chan and Anne Heung. The party was funded by Michael and Anne, with Bernice providing Flower ice cream, but Kenix was absent due to filming and not able to fulfil her promise of re-enacting Liza Wang's "Hot Coffee" performance.
The games still went ahead though as Moses was made to keep his pledge to do 'anything you want' if the show reached 36 points and he was made to wear a batman mask, feather boa and earrings as he performed a rather nauseating song and dance routine. Asked if he was alright afterwards, he said: "I'm okay if everyone was happy. Next time I will have to set the stakes higher when I make a promise like that!"
Asked if he had seen Bernice's rather sexy photo shoot for a magazine earlier, Moses replied: "Yes, I have. The photos are very pretty." Asked if he was impressed by her figure, he says coyly: "I am very conservative, but from a model's point of view, it is very beautiful. This is art and not seedy in any way. She is known to be pretty and sexy as well as a hard worker, so I would say she is worth 80%."
Asked why she is undergoing a change in image, Bernice explains that after three years in the industry, her manager has arranged for her image to mature and create a 'New Bernice' for everyone. "I feel that if it looks great and is healthy, then it is okay." As for the earlier magazine reports showing her with a Tian Liang lookalike, Bernice explains that this is just a friend from Canada from outside the industry and she found the news very amusing.
Myolie and Roger Back in Time
TVB held a 'Golden Oldie Dance Party' to promote the forthcoming series "Scavenger's Paradise" and cast members including Myolie Wu and Roger Kwok donned their fifties costumes to show off their dance movies, with demonstrations from TVB's dancers. The prize for best couple went to Wayne Lai and Iris Wong, whilst Chun Wong and Lo Yuen Yan took best partnership.
Myolie Wu donned a tall wig for the event and she was worried that it would fall off, so this affected her dancing. She laughed: "My dancing is not that great anyway, but I will improve because it is a useful skill to have to make my future stage performances less boring." She praised Wayne and Iris for a very good performance. Myolie is confident in the ratings for this show as they will be singing in every episode and this will be very appealing. As she paid for dinner after the success of "Lost in the Chamber of Love", then she says it is Roger's turn this time if the show does well.
Despite losing the contest, Roger was still rather boastful, saying: "Dancing is no obstacle for me, because in the show I have to do a can-can and the company arranged for a tutor to teach us, who commented that I have good talent and should join the dance troupe!" He says that ratings are out of his control, but reviews are more important and he thinks this show will raise a few talking points because of its unusual genre. "This is my first musical series. The impersonations are up for interpretation, but I think all the cast have done very well."
Linda Chung - Mother at 25?
Linda Chung will be celebrating her 21st birthday on the 9th April and taking part in TVB April Birthday Stars event, she was asked about her birthday wish. She says she wishes for a successful career and good health, but romance is not important right now. "I am at work more than I am at home now, so I don't have time for a boyfriend and won't think about it. I would like to have my own family and child by the time I am 25, but it will be later working in this industry."
Asked how she will be celebrating her birthday, she says that her mother will be coming over from Canada and she only has to work in the evening of her birthday, so she can spend the afternoon with her mum. As for presents, she would most like to receive something that is hand made and with thought."
Melissa & Michael Go Fishing
Michael Miu and Melissa Ng filmed a romantic fishing and BBQ scene in Sai Kung in a scene that tells of Melissa complaining about her unromantic boyfriend, but in real life she is not a big fan of fishing: "You need a lot of patience for fishing and I am very impatient. After entering this industry, if I have time, I will spend it sleeping!"
As for her thoughts on Michael, she says: "We are only in contact at work, but he is very gallant and looks after both men and women very well. He always asks for feedback after filming and makes me feel very warm." Michael says he is not a very romantic person, so when asked how he managed to date his wife Jamie Chik, he laughs: "We just did some of thet things she liked, like shopping and going to the cinema. Every day is romantic with me by her side!"
News sources: The Sun, Ta Kung Pao, Sing Pao, Oriental Daily, TVB Weekly & Hong Kong Yahoo News