28 May 2005 - Issue 9
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NEWS ROUNDUP - 23/05/05-28/05/05
Ekin Wants to be Struck by Lightning
Ekin Cheng has been filming for "Always on Standby", where he has plenty of dangerous scenes, including riding in a helicopter and climbing. In his latest stunt, he was hung six feet in the air by wires, ready for a rescue from a blazing building. Although it was very dangerous, Ekin did not mind at all: "I sacrificed three months to film because I wanted to ride in a helicopter and the main reason TVB invited me was for these dangerous scenes!" In another scene on Tai Mo Shan, he was nearly struck by lightning: "There was a storm warning on that day and we had been instructed by the authorities to call off filming and I was nearly struck by lightning! (Weren't you scared?) I want to be struck! Maybe I would get special powers after that!"
Ekin acted as tour guide as he showed a group of people from the Flying Services around TVB City and after finishing "Always", he will be taking his parents on holiday. Asked if girlfriend Gigi Leung will be with him, he evaded the subject saying: "I haven't been away with my parents for a while."
The Sun 22/05/05
Priscilla Booed by the Jang Geum Fans
As a prelude to the main Lee Young Ae event, some TVB artistes including Sung Chih Ling, Winnie Shum, Charles Szeto, Sharon Chan, Priscilla Chik and Rubyanne Choi were sent in to warm up the crowds with Chih Ling teaching the crowd how to welcome Lee in Korean, Rubyanne doing a dance and the others singing some songs. Probably because the others sung songs that were from the show, but Priscilla chose to give a rendition of the rather unrelated Joey Yung song "Chihuahua", then the Jang Geum fans felt that she was not in the right place and there were sounds of boos from the audience. Priscilla says that she chose the song because there were no other songs from the show and she likes Joey's songs, but denies hearing any boos from the crowd.
Sharon Chan had taken a few lessons from Chih Ling, learning to say "Welcome to Hong Kong, Lee Young Ae!" and "Thank you" in Korean. When she met with Lee, Sharon immediately tried out her newfound skills and Lee returned the gesture with a handshake, making Sharon very happy indeed because she is a massive Brigitte Lin fan and Lee resembles Lin. Sharon continued to act like the little fan as she snapped plenty of pictures of Lee on the stage. Rubyanne's parents are big fans of Jang Geum, so she brought them along to catch a glimpse of Lee Young Ae too.
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Lee Young Ae Ends her HK Tour
Korean Star Lee Young Ae ended her four day tour of Hong Kong meeting her fans and signing autographs in Tsuen Wan, attracting over 20,000 people and traffic at the mall nearing 200,000 for the day. With fans queuing up from 4 o'clock in the morning, TVB had handed out the 350 passes within 45 minutes, but they had also prepared 5000 fans to hand out to the public. By 1pm, security had to seal off the entrances and escalators to the area to prevent too many people entering and when the crowds reached a peak at 2:30, TVB's twenty security staff were sent to assist the 80 strong security team at the shopping centre to help keep order. The police were also called in to keep a watchful eye over proceedings.
Wearing a beautiful Korean traditional dress, Lee arrived at 3:15 pm to a huge welcome from the fans who called out "I love you!" to her in Korean. Waving and shaking hands with her fans as she approached the stage, the fans were sent into a frenzy and she addressed them all in Cantonese, saying: "How are you all? I am Lee Young Ae." As the crowd cheered, she then said in Korean: "Thank you all for coming, I hope you will follow the spirit of Jang Geum and may you all be healthy and happy." She then added that she was very happy to get so close to her fans and hopes that they will continue to support her before saying "Thank you!" again in Cantonese repeatedly.
TVB General Manager Stephen Chan presented Lee with a Silver Plate engraved with the words "International Success" before announcing that "Jewel in the Palace" will be aired on TVB's satellite channel ex-TV. ex-TV executive Chan Shek Nin then joined Mr Chan and Lee to enjoy some highlights from the show and Lee was asked what she thought of her Cantonese voice. She laughed that it was not bad, but her real voice is better! Twenty lucky members of the audience were then selected to go onto the stage to be photographed with her and Lee showed her down to earth nature as she helped an old man to get onto the stage and answered every request for her autograph willingly.
Lee was very touched by the warm reception of the Hong Kong fans, commenting that they are all so enthusiastic and warm and also thanking the media for their positive reports. TVB External Affairs Assistant Chief Tsang Sing Ming never expected so many people to turn up at the event: "We had informed Miss Lee of the itinerary for her trip and her outfit today was selected by her artistic director in Korea for today's final event. After this appearance, her Hong Kong tour officially ends and the remaining time will be her own private time." Mr Tsang indicated that Lee Young Ae is very friendly and showed the utmost politeness to even the TVB staff and crew.
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
'Just Love' Promo
A group of artistes from "Just Love" including Sunny Chan, Fiona Yuen and Selena Li took part in promotional crawling contest, but female lead Jessica Hsuan was absent due to illness. In order to catch the babies' attention and crawl faster, the cast tried all sorts of tricks and Fiona accidentally showed herself off to the press. She indicates that she really loves children because they are so innocent and will smile all the time. Has she thought about having kids herself? She says: "I don't think I am suited to be a mother just yet, I am happy playing with other people's kids because when they cry, I don't know what to do. Unless I have a good husband to help me look after them, I will not get married or have kids."
The show's first week results have not been bad, but Sunny says he daren't celebrate just yet because he is worried about what is to come. However, if the finale maintains the good ratings, then he will take the crew out for dinner. Despite being the perfect father in the show, whenever Sunny went to play with a baby, he seemed to make them cry, so in the end, he gave up on that thought. As for whether he will become a real father, he says that as he is the only son in the family, then he will definitely have at least one child, it doesn't matter if it is a son or daughter, but he is in no rush and will leave it up to nature.
Selena was asked where her rumoured boyfriend Patrick Tang was and she smiled and explained: "He is working in Shanghai, but we don't keep in touch very much usually. I was just borrowing his parking space, but after this news, I daren't use it again. I am not dating him, but when he split with Marsha, he was a little unhappy and a group of friends and I went out with him to cheer him up."
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Wai Yin Annual Ball
The Wai Yin Society held its 2005 charity ball earlier at the Hyatt hotel and guests included the Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung, Olivia Cheng, Anne Heung, Kate Tsui and many other notable socialites. Society Chair Sin Po Wah indicated that the funds raised that evening was around $2-3 million.
Anne Heung performed three songs on the evening and asked how long she had rehearsed for, she said: "I didn't really rehearse especially, but I like to sing karaoke and I have sung these songs before at stage performances, so I know them well." Anne has worked with the Wai Yin team for four years now and took the role of chair last year. She says that she is a lot more relaxed after handing over the responsibility: " Although I am not the leader any more, I will still help out and as it is a charitable organisation, then I will work as a volunteer."
Anne says she has not had a date since splitting with her boyfreind earlier and talking of romance, she says she will just go with the flow as her work is coming first for the time being. Currently filming for "Simple Clothed Soothsayer", Anne has lost some weight and she explains: "It is quite hard work filming ancient drama in the height of summer because it is so hot that I have lost my appetite because I have not worked in the summer for two years now." The filming will continue until August, when Anne plans to go on vacation with her family.
Kate performed some hip hop for the event and indicated that it had taken her three days to learn the routine. Having been rumoured to be dating Leon Lai after working with him in an earlier advertisement, Kate denied the rumours when asked about this, saying that she and Leon are just friends. As for the other photographs of her with a 'mystery date', Kate says that he is just a friend and not a boyfriend. Asked if her friend was annoyed at being pulled into the gossip, she says: "He is a friend, so he won't mind." As for whether she will look for a boyfriend as tall as Leon, she smiled: "I am just thinking about work now and haven't really thought about dating. (Is it the company not letting you date?) No, but I haven't dated anyone since entering Miss Hong Kong." Despite claims of just being friends, Kate is full of praise for Leon, saying that he is full of life experiences and a good role model. Asked if she would accept an offer of a date from him, Kate laughs: "We'll wait until he does! He has not asked me out as we are both very busy after the filming and we haven't been for a meal together."
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Niki has had Eye Operation
Ekin Cheng and Niki Chow were guests at an event earlier encouraging the public to go and have their eyes tested to prevent illnesses of the eyes. Ekin indicates that he is short sighted and has astigmatism and used to wear spectacles, but when he entered the industry, he did not want to wear glasses and did not have contact lenses, so everything he saw was fuzzy and he had to recognise people by the shapes of their bodies. Even when people spoke to him, he could not make out who they were and as a result people thought he had a bad attitude because he did not respond. Asked why he switched to wearing contacts, he says that he was working with TVB and had to go to America, London and Holland for a promotion. He really wanted to have a clearer view on the world, so he had some lenses fitted and got used to them.
Asked if he has any other eye conditions, he says: "Apart from being short sighted, my left pupil is a lighter colour, but that is not an illness, just hereditary. (How do you look after your eyes?) I am very vain, so I will buy glasses and check my eyes. Although I like to play computer games, it is very damaging to play for too long, so I will take it easy and not play for long periods."
Niki is not short sighted, but due to vanity from an early age, she feels that her teachers look elegant wearing glasses, so she took her father's gold rimmed spectacles to try on. As they were the wrong strength, she became a little dizzy after putting them on! Niki had an operation earlier because she had a blemish on her eyeball and was afraid that this would move towards her iris and affect her eyesight, so she had it removed. After the operation and two stitches, she has completely recovered. She says that before that, when she was filming, the director had mentioned her eye looked a little strange. Recently, Niki's father has developed cataracts, and this has made her realise how important it is to look after your eyes. Her father will be undergoing an operation at the end of the year and she hopes he will get better soon.
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Maggie Cheung at Fashion Event
Maggie Cheung was invited as a guest at a fashion show earlier but she was 45 minutes late and missed seeing Lisa S on the catwalk. Maggie indicated that her tardiness was not her fault because she had been told to arrive at half past three and she had actually arrived slightly earlier and was waiting in her car for the staff to collect her.
Maggie will be filming an early-Nationalist period drama for TVB in August and has just returned from a trip to Europe, where she has been travelling and sightseeing in Italy, visiting places such as Milan and Rome with some girlfriends and surprisingly not doing very much shopping. As for whether she has had any holiday romances, she says no, but she did see a rather handsome man, who looked like a designer from afar, but she did not go near because she is a rather traditional Chinese woman.
Ta Kung Pao 26/05/05
Bernice at Saturday Night Fever
After news earlier of Moses Chan being overly affectionate with his manager Carri Ma, rumoured girlfriend Bernice, who was attending a performance of 'Saturday Night Fever' earlier was asked for her thoughts and she replied: "Everyone knows where Carri Ma comes from, she loves us all and I find this is all rather amusing."
The event was also attended by Sonija Kwok and her mother and asked about Moses, she replied: "Everyone knows that Carri Ma is a nice person and treats us like a mother cares for her children, so giving her a hug is very normal."
The Sun 23/05/05
Moses and Carri at it again?!
With earlier photographs of Moses and his manager Carri Ma hugging each other being printed in a magazine, they were together in public again at a promotion for "The Gentle Crackdown" together with Niki Chow and when asked about the photos, Carri said: "Don't print it if I don't look good! This is really a case of 'Scholar meets Soldier - nothing is clear. Moses meets Carri - nothing can be cleared!'. " Moses says that Carri will be leaving TVB next month, so he will miss her, but will buy her a parting gift.
The Sun 24/05/05
Lee Young Ae Special Show
Tying in with Lee Young Ae's visit to Hong Kong, TVB laid on two special shows to mark the occasion - 'Dae Jang Geum is Here' and 'All About Lee Young Ae', that took the Saturday evening ratings souring upwards, gaining 30 and 24 points respectively. As for 'Minutes to Fame' and the legal 100% show, they reached 30 and 25 points. Sunday's 'Super Trio Show Returns' achieved a three point rise to 34 points and the top ratings spot for the week. The finale week for 'The Academy' averaged at 33 points and 'Just Love' dropped one point on its first week to 31 points. 'Hur Jun' rose a little to 25 points.
After the recording of the Lee Young Ae special show, Shirley Yeung rushed into the studio like a little fan to have her photo taken with Lee. Asked about this later, she said: "I didn't have my camera with me that day, so I will have to ask someone for a copy of that photo. I feel that Lee Young Ae is very graceful and polite and she loves children, saying that she has adopted a child that has a congenital heart condition." Shirley was showcasing some cartoon clothes on the catwalk and she says that her boyfriend Gregory Lee likes Mickey Mouse, so they would like to have their wedding at Disneyland.
The Sun 23/05/05 The Sun 24/05/05
Gigi in Foshan
The appeal of 'Yuk Ying' Gigi Lai has stretched as far as Foshan, where she was invited to the opening of a beauty parlour and receiving a six figure fee for the small reception. The locals were very excited by her presence and over a hundred people gathered to catch a glimpse of her. As people pushed and asked to have a photo taken with her, she did the smart thing and only shook hands with her fans. The organisers had arranged for some T-shirts to be autographed and thrown into the crowd, but after just one shirt was thrown, there was already chaos, so Gigi suggested that they were awarded to children who could answer her questions instead.
Also, Gigi noticed that the large posters of her displayed at the event were collages of an outfit and hairstyle that she had worn at different events. She says: "Although they were all of me, I could see that they had been joined together. Do they really like this pasting? I think it may be that the salon liked the hairstyle with that outfit and it was a good job that it did not make me look ugly!"
The Sun 24/05/05
Kenix Denies Cosmetic Surgery
There were tabloid reports earlier suggesting that Kenix Kwok had undergone cosmetic surgery by comparing photographs of her facial shape changing from a round chin to a pointy shaped one. However, Kenix swears she has not had surgery.
Kenix was filming earlier on Ma On Shan for new series "Mysteries of Sze Kung" and she indicates that as she has been filming non-stop for two years, she can't have had time to go for surgery and explains that she previously thought that her puffy cheeks were caused by her jawbone, but then she realised that they were just fatty layers. Before she got married, she went for detox and underwent facial massaging to remove the layers of baby fat in her cheeks. Kenix says that she is a keen believer in the natural look and jawbone reconstruction sounds too horrifying to her.
As for the suggestion that husband Frankie Lam had been leading the press on with his responses, he responded: "My wife has been pretty all along, so I don't know what the problem is! It seems that you can't be naturally beautiful and someone has to say it is fake. (Will you ask Kenix about it?) We are both busy filming and anyway I understand that that magazine likes making things up. (Do you support cosmetic surgery?) For me, I wouldn't, because I like natural beauty."
Kenix's co-star Tavia Yeung was asked and she said that the reports were crazy, whilst Bobby Au Yeung laughed: "My face used to be pointy! I moved the fat from my body onto my face and now it looks rounded and much better! (Really?) People are jealous when they see beauty and are nasty when people are unattractive." With so much support, Kenix feels totally ratified.
The Sun 25/05/05
'Minutes to Fame' = Dirty Dancing
TVB's "Minutes to Fame" is aired during Saturday evening family viewing hours and has been a family favourite since it began airing, but the show has come under fire recently, with complaints from viewers suggesting that the rather sexy dancing routines were not suitable for children: "These shows are watched by children and I have fed this back to TVB before, but they are still appearing this week. Are they going to keep airing it even if they start showing breasts? They don't seem to care about the viewers' feelings." The HKBO has also received eight complaints about last week's show.
TVB's external affairs assistant chief Mr Tsang Sing Ming indicated that this particular performer was invited back onto the show because she won the viewer's 'second chance' vote and this tied in with the rules of the competition. He says that they will avoid any unsavoury scenes being aired and emphasises that TVB takes all its viewers comments very seriously.
The Sun 24/05/05
Eric says ATV is Boring
Eric Tsang was filming earlier for "Super Trio Show Returns" and although there were superb performances from the 'HKPA Alumni' team including Rain Lau, Joey Leung and Louisa So, Eric judged the game a draw because it will be aired at the same time as the ATV anniversary. Eric then added: "Why don't you finish watching the other side's anniversary before you watch us? If you can stand the boredom that is!"
Rain was the most outstanding guest for the evening and in the ping pong ball sucking game, she was so overenthusiastic that Edmond So laughed: "She is not sucking for the ball, she is sucking for the person!" During the question and answer round, Rain was drenched so badly that she revealed her bra, but she was a good sport and didn't mind. Karen Tong and Prudence Lau were not quite so much fun as they refused to take part when Eric asked for the whole team to play one of the games and Karen kept her distance from Tats Lau when she was playing the 'seaweed passing' game, saying that Tat's lips were rather dry, so she was a little afraid.
The Sun 25/05/05
Fiona Sit and the Academy
Fiona Sit's first TV series "The Academy" ended last week and she invited the producer, Michael Miu and some other cast members out to watch the ending and have hotpot to celebrate. With the show maintaining reasonable ratings from sart to finish, Fiona offered her congratulations to the producer and after the meal, everyone was ready to continue the fun into the night, but Fiona was recovering from a cold, so she did not join them. During the meal though, Fiona was afraid of being made to drink, so she hid in a corner quietly as she ate. Asked if anyone got drunk, Fiona said she left early, so she didn't know.
Fiona will be shooting a rather passionate kissing scene for her lates movie "Embrace" but it will not be as forward as her scenes in "Early Maturation". As for reports of Ron Ng and Tavia Yeung's kiss scenes in "The Academy" being rahter graphic and involving tongues, Fiona says she did not notice. As for whether she thought it was necessary, Fiona says she daren't reply, but she felt that if it was a passionate scene, then it would not have been right to just give a peck on the cheek and it all depends on the needs of the script. If she had to do it, she would not mind. As for her bottom line, Fiona says that she would not be too sexy because this is not suited to her and if she had to do it, it would seem forced.
Ta Kung Pao 26/05/05
Roger and Nancy Back in Time
Nancy Sit has become the latest spokesperson for some health food products and will be working opposite Roger Kwok to shoot some ads where they will be treating us to a series of retro images. Nancy says that landing this job was all down to fate: "Earlier, I held a birthday party and they sponsored a lot of products for the event that I gave to my friends to try out. When they wanted more, they asked me to try and get them some, so I contacted the boss of the company. After chatting a while, we got on well and felt we could work together. I feel that this is a high quality product with a healthy image, so I agreed to be their spokesperson."
During the shoot, Nancy had eight different looks to convey, but despite filming from morning to night, she had no complaints. The photographer praised Nancy for her flexibility and arranged for some more looks to try, bringing together Roger's recent image from "Scavenger's Paradise" to raise a few laughs. Roger also praised Nancy's professionalism and fun: "We got on really well and Nancy is very active, young and just like a young girl. We have no generation gap at all and she is creating some sparks with me!"
Ta Kung Pao 27/05/05
'Soothsayer' Blessing Ceremony
Raymond Lam, Tavia Yeung and Frankie Lam were among the cast members at the blessing ceremony for "Simple Clothed Soothsayer" earlier alongside veteran John Chiang. Tavia was asked about her kissing scene 'with tongues' opposite Ron Ng in "The Academy", but she denied such a thing, saying that although the camera angle showed their tongues, they did not stick them out during the kiss. She also emphasises that she did not have any special feelings and wants to watch the scene again herself. As for Fiona Sit's comments against Ron, Tavia says that she and Ron share a manager and maybe Fiona just told the press to ask them because she did not know what was going on.
Raymond has been unwell lately, so he has been resting for over a month and put on some weight. After a check up, the doctors have diagnosed him with having internal cysts. He confesses that he was rather embarrassed when he went for the examination because he thought it would be the doctor who saw him, but when the female nurse came in and told him to take his trousers off, he had to follow her instructions. Although the nurse did not seem to give any reaction, he believes that she was probably laughing at him. He says that the doctor has suggested he does a more in depth examination, but he was rather reluctant to re-live the embarrassment again.
Ta Kung Pao 27/05/05
'Mr Hong Kong' Recruitment Steps Up
The closing date for the "Mr Hong Kong" contest is next Monday, so as a final push for applicants, TVB arranged an event led by Shek Sau and MCI winners Leanne Li and Fala Chan, who went diving for crystals, representing looking for 'the one'. Sammul Chan and Charles Szeto showed their 'gentlemanly charm' by making breakfast and cocktails, whilst Lai Lok Yi and Kenneth Ma demonstrated some fitness equipment to show the strength of a man. Finally, they all climbed a climbing wall as a gesture to urge men of style to apply and show off their best.
Sammul was asked whether he would encourage his friends to take part and he said directly: "My friends are pretty bad, I am the best and I'm already in showbiz. (Are you not afraid your friends will beat you up for saying that?) There is not one of them that has all the strengths - some have the looks but no charisma and those with charisma are ugly. I would rather encourage my female friends to enter Miss Hong Kong, but they are wary of the showbiz industry and are still deciding and they will have to wait until next year anyway. (If you were not already in entertainment, would you be brave enough to enter Mr Hong Kong?) No, because you have to wear swimming trunks on the stage and it would feel very strange, so I admire the courage of the contestants."
Leanne and Fala have both signed for TVB and will be furthering their careers in Hong Kong. Leanne has signed for six years, saying that although she still has two years of her university course to run, the school has allowed her to return at any time, so she would like to try her luck in Hong Kong first. She has been sent to work with TVB8's 'Showbiz Front Line' as a host. Fala would not reveal the length of her contract, but she hopes to act in drama so she is actively learning to speak Cantonese.
Ta Kung Pao 27/05/05
Fiona promotes French Food
Having grown up in Germany, Fiona Yuen was invited to a French Food promotional event earlier and despite being able to speak French, she says she has forgotten much of the language. As for whether she likes French men, she says: "They are quite romantic and know how to respect a lady, they will play romantic songs in the car and give very thoughtful presents, not just rings and flowers. (How do you feel about dating foreigners?) It depends if we get on! I quite like mixed race children." As for whether she would consider having kids of her own, Fiona says: "I have thought about it and I will do it if I find a good man, but he has to have good DNA because the next generation will be an investment in nature. (Anyone in mind?) Not in Hong Kong."
The Sun 27/05/05
Sammul Fights Leon for Kate?
Myolie Wu and Sammul Chan were filming for "Legal Spokesperson" earlier on location, where they play a couple, but Sammul explains that Kate Tsui will be their third party, so he can fight over her for against rumoured boyfriend Leon Lai. Asked who he would choose in real life as a girlfriend, Sammul says: "If I really had to choose, then I would choose Myolie because I know her better and we have worked together so many times, so she scores more highly and this would be unfair to Kate."
About her love rival appearing in the show, Myolie laughs: "I am jealous of Sammul having so many pretty girlfriends, so I will ask the producer to arrange for Leon to be my boyfriend. (Sammul said he would choose you?) Oh, I was just joking! He and Leon both have their strengths and I don't know Leon, because I have only seen him once."
The Sun 28/05/05
main pageEkin Wants to be Struck by Lightning
Ekin Cheng has been filming for "Always on Standby", where he has plenty of dangerous scenes, including riding in a helicopter and climbing. In his latest stunt, he was hung six feet in the air by wires, ready for a rescue from a blazing building. Although it was very dangerous, Ekin did not mind at all: "I sacrificed three months to film because I wanted to ride in a helicopter and the main reason TVB invited me was for these dangerous scenes!" In another scene on Tai Mo Shan, he was nearly struck by lightning: "There was a storm warning on that day and we had been instructed by the authorities to call off filming and I was nearly struck by lightning! (Weren't you scared?) I want to be struck! Maybe I would get special powers after that!"
Ekin acted as tour guide as he showed a group of people from the Flying Services around TVB City and after finishing "Always", he will be taking his parents on holiday. Asked if girlfriend Gigi Leung will be with him, he evaded the subject saying: "I haven't been away with my parents for a while."
The Sun 22/05/05
Priscilla Booed by the Jang Geum Fans
As a prelude to the main Lee Young Ae event, some TVB artistes including Sung Chih Ling, Winnie Shum, Charles Szeto, Sharon Chan, Priscilla Chik and Rubyanne Choi were sent in to warm up the crowds with Chih Ling teaching the crowd how to welcome Lee in Korean, Rubyanne doing a dance and the others singing some songs. Probably because the others sung songs that were from the show, but Priscilla chose to give a rendition of the rather unrelated Joey Yung song "Chihuahua", then the Jang Geum fans felt that she was not in the right place and there were sounds of boos from the audience. Priscilla says that she chose the song because there were no other songs from the show and she likes Joey's songs, but denies hearing any boos from the crowd.
Sharon Chan had taken a few lessons from Chih Ling, learning to say "Welcome to Hong Kong, Lee Young Ae!" and "Thank you" in Korean. When she met with Lee, Sharon immediately tried out her newfound skills and Lee returned the gesture with a handshake, making Sharon very happy indeed because she is a massive Brigitte Lin fan and Lee resembles Lin. Sharon continued to act like the little fan as she snapped plenty of pictures of Lee on the stage. Rubyanne's parents are big fans of Jang Geum, so she brought them along to catch a glimpse of Lee Young Ae too.
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Lee Young Ae Ends her HK Tour
Korean Star Lee Young Ae ended her four day tour of Hong Kong meeting her fans and signing autographs in Tsuen Wan, attracting over 20,000 people and traffic at the mall nearing 200,000 for the day. With fans queuing up from 4 o'clock in the morning, TVB had handed out the 350 passes within 45 minutes, but they had also prepared 5000 fans to hand out to the public. By 1pm, security had to seal off the entrances and escalators to the area to prevent too many people entering and when the crowds reached a peak at 2:30, TVB's twenty security staff were sent to assist the 80 strong security team at the shopping centre to help keep order. The police were also called in to keep a watchful eye over proceedings.
Wearing a beautiful Korean traditional dress, Lee arrived at 3:15 pm to a huge welcome from the fans who called out "I love you!" to her in Korean. Waving and shaking hands with her fans as she approached the stage, the fans were sent into a frenzy and she addressed them all in Cantonese, saying: "How are you all? I am Lee Young Ae." As the crowd cheered, she then said in Korean: "Thank you all for coming, I hope you will follow the spirit of Jang Geum and may you all be healthy and happy." She then added that she was very happy to get so close to her fans and hopes that they will continue to support her before saying "Thank you!" again in Cantonese repeatedly.
TVB General Manager Stephen Chan presented Lee with a Silver Plate engraved with the words "International Success" before announcing that "Jewel in the Palace" will be aired on TVB's satellite channel ex-TV. ex-TV executive Chan Shek Nin then joined Mr Chan and Lee to enjoy some highlights from the show and Lee was asked what she thought of her Cantonese voice. She laughed that it was not bad, but her real voice is better! Twenty lucky members of the audience were then selected to go onto the stage to be photographed with her and Lee showed her down to earth nature as she helped an old man to get onto the stage and answered every request for her autograph willingly.
Lee was very touched by the warm reception of the Hong Kong fans, commenting that they are all so enthusiastic and warm and also thanking the media for their positive reports. TVB External Affairs Assistant Chief Tsang Sing Ming never expected so many people to turn up at the event: "We had informed Miss Lee of the itinerary for her trip and her outfit today was selected by her artistic director in Korea for today's final event. After this appearance, her Hong Kong tour officially ends and the remaining time will be her own private time." Mr Tsang indicated that Lee Young Ae is very friendly and showed the utmost politeness to even the TVB staff and crew.
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
'Just Love' Promo
A group of artistes from "Just Love" including Sunny Chan, Fiona Yuen and Selena Li took part in promotional crawling contest, but female lead Jessica Hsuan was absent due to illness. In order to catch the babies' attention and crawl faster, the cast tried all sorts of tricks and Fiona accidentally showed herself off to the press. She indicates that she really loves children because they are so innocent and will smile all the time. Has she thought about having kids herself? She says: "I don't think I am suited to be a mother just yet, I am happy playing with other people's kids because when they cry, I don't know what to do. Unless I have a good husband to help me look after them, I will not get married or have kids."
The show's first week results have not been bad, but Sunny says he daren't celebrate just yet because he is worried about what is to come. However, if the finale maintains the good ratings, then he will take the crew out for dinner. Despite being the perfect father in the show, whenever Sunny went to play with a baby, he seemed to make them cry, so in the end, he gave up on that thought. As for whether he will become a real father, he says that as he is the only son in the family, then he will definitely have at least one child, it doesn't matter if it is a son or daughter, but he is in no rush and will leave it up to nature.
Selena was asked where her rumoured boyfriend Patrick Tang was and she smiled and explained: "He is working in Shanghai, but we don't keep in touch very much usually. I was just borrowing his parking space, but after this news, I daren't use it again. I am not dating him, but when he split with Marsha, he was a little unhappy and a group of friends and I went out with him to cheer him up."
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Wai Yin Annual Ball
The Wai Yin Society held its 2005 charity ball earlier at the Hyatt hotel and guests included the Secretary for Justice Elsie Leung, Olivia Cheng, Anne Heung, Kate Tsui and many other notable socialites. Society Chair Sin Po Wah indicated that the funds raised that evening was around $2-3 million.
Anne Heung performed three songs on the evening and asked how long she had rehearsed for, she said: "I didn't really rehearse especially, but I like to sing karaoke and I have sung these songs before at stage performances, so I know them well." Anne has worked with the Wai Yin team for four years now and took the role of chair last year. She says that she is a lot more relaxed after handing over the responsibility: " Although I am not the leader any more, I will still help out and as it is a charitable organisation, then I will work as a volunteer."
Anne says she has not had a date since splitting with her boyfreind earlier and talking of romance, she says she will just go with the flow as her work is coming first for the time being. Currently filming for "Simple Clothed Soothsayer", Anne has lost some weight and she explains: "It is quite hard work filming ancient drama in the height of summer because it is so hot that I have lost my appetite because I have not worked in the summer for two years now." The filming will continue until August, when Anne plans to go on vacation with her family.
Kate performed some hip hop for the event and indicated that it had taken her three days to learn the routine. Having been rumoured to be dating Leon Lai after working with him in an earlier advertisement, Kate denied the rumours when asked about this, saying that she and Leon are just friends. As for the other photographs of her with a 'mystery date', Kate says that he is just a friend and not a boyfriend. Asked if her friend was annoyed at being pulled into the gossip, she says: "He is a friend, so he won't mind." As for whether she will look for a boyfriend as tall as Leon, she smiled: "I am just thinking about work now and haven't really thought about dating. (Is it the company not letting you date?) No, but I haven't dated anyone since entering Miss Hong Kong." Despite claims of just being friends, Kate is full of praise for Leon, saying that he is full of life experiences and a good role model. Asked if she would accept an offer of a date from him, Kate laughs: "We'll wait until he does! He has not asked me out as we are both very busy after the filming and we haven't been for a meal together."
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Niki has had Eye Operation
Ekin Cheng and Niki Chow were guests at an event earlier encouraging the public to go and have their eyes tested to prevent illnesses of the eyes. Ekin indicates that he is short sighted and has astigmatism and used to wear spectacles, but when he entered the industry, he did not want to wear glasses and did not have contact lenses, so everything he saw was fuzzy and he had to recognise people by the shapes of their bodies. Even when people spoke to him, he could not make out who they were and as a result people thought he had a bad attitude because he did not respond. Asked why he switched to wearing contacts, he says that he was working with TVB and had to go to America, London and Holland for a promotion. He really wanted to have a clearer view on the world, so he had some lenses fitted and got used to them.
Asked if he has any other eye conditions, he says: "Apart from being short sighted, my left pupil is a lighter colour, but that is not an illness, just hereditary. (How do you look after your eyes?) I am very vain, so I will buy glasses and check my eyes. Although I like to play computer games, it is very damaging to play for too long, so I will take it easy and not play for long periods."
Niki is not short sighted, but due to vanity from an early age, she feels that her teachers look elegant wearing glasses, so she took her father's gold rimmed spectacles to try on. As they were the wrong strength, she became a little dizzy after putting them on! Niki had an operation earlier because she had a blemish on her eyeball and was afraid that this would move towards her iris and affect her eyesight, so she had it removed. After the operation and two stitches, she has completely recovered. She says that before that, when she was filming, the director had mentioned her eye looked a little strange. Recently, Niki's father has developed cataracts, and this has made her realise how important it is to look after your eyes. Her father will be undergoing an operation at the end of the year and she hopes he will get better soon.
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Ta Kung Pao 23/05/05
Maggie Cheung at Fashion Event
Maggie Cheung was invited as a guest at a fashion show earlier but she was 45 minutes late and missed seeing Lisa S on the catwalk. Maggie indicated that her tardiness was not her fault because she had been told to arrive at half past three and she had actually arrived slightly earlier and was waiting in her car for the staff to collect her.
Maggie will be filming an early-Nationalist period drama for TVB in August and has just returned from a trip to Europe, where she has been travelling and sightseeing in Italy, visiting places such as Milan and Rome with some girlfriends and surprisingly not doing very much shopping. As for whether she has had any holiday romances, she says no, but she did see a rather handsome man, who looked like a designer from afar, but she did not go near because she is a rather traditional Chinese woman.
Ta Kung Pao 26/05/05
Bernice at Saturday Night Fever
After news earlier of Moses Chan being overly affectionate with his manager Carri Ma, rumoured girlfriend Bernice, who was attending a performance of 'Saturday Night Fever' earlier was asked for her thoughts and she replied: "Everyone knows where Carri Ma comes from, she loves us all and I find this is all rather amusing."
The event was also attended by Sonija Kwok and her mother and asked about Moses, she replied: "Everyone knows that Carri Ma is a nice person and treats us like a mother cares for her children, so giving her a hug is very normal."
The Sun 23/05/05
Moses and Carri at it again?!
With earlier photographs of Moses and his manager Carri Ma hugging each other being printed in a magazine, they were together in public again at a promotion for "The Gentle Crackdown" together with Niki Chow and when asked about the photos, Carri said: "Don't print it if I don't look good! This is really a case of 'Scholar meets Soldier - nothing is clear. Moses meets Carri - nothing can be cleared!'. " Moses says that Carri will be leaving TVB next month, so he will miss her, but will buy her a parting gift.
The Sun 24/05/05
Lee Young Ae Special Show
Tying in with Lee Young Ae's visit to Hong Kong, TVB laid on two special shows to mark the occasion - 'Dae Jang Geum is Here' and 'All About Lee Young Ae', that took the Saturday evening ratings souring upwards, gaining 30 and 24 points respectively. As for 'Minutes to Fame' and the legal 100% show, they reached 30 and 25 points. Sunday's 'Super Trio Show Returns' achieved a three point rise to 34 points and the top ratings spot for the week. The finale week for 'The Academy' averaged at 33 points and 'Just Love' dropped one point on its first week to 31 points. 'Hur Jun' rose a little to 25 points.
After the recording of the Lee Young Ae special show, Shirley Yeung rushed into the studio like a little fan to have her photo taken with Lee. Asked about this later, she said: "I didn't have my camera with me that day, so I will have to ask someone for a copy of that photo. I feel that Lee Young Ae is very graceful and polite and she loves children, saying that she has adopted a child that has a congenital heart condition." Shirley was showcasing some cartoon clothes on the catwalk and she says that her boyfriend Gregory Lee likes Mickey Mouse, so they would like to have their wedding at Disneyland.
The Sun 23/05/05 The Sun 24/05/05
Gigi in Foshan
The appeal of 'Yuk Ying' Gigi Lai has stretched as far as Foshan, where she was invited to the opening of a beauty parlour and receiving a six figure fee for the small reception. The locals were very excited by her presence and over a hundred people gathered to catch a glimpse of her. As people pushed and asked to have a photo taken with her, she did the smart thing and only shook hands with her fans. The organisers had arranged for some T-shirts to be autographed and thrown into the crowd, but after just one shirt was thrown, there was already chaos, so Gigi suggested that they were awarded to children who could answer her questions instead.
Also, Gigi noticed that the large posters of her displayed at the event were collages of an outfit and hairstyle that she had worn at different events. She says: "Although they were all of me, I could see that they had been joined together. Do they really like this pasting? I think it may be that the salon liked the hairstyle with that outfit and it was a good job that it did not make me look ugly!"
The Sun 24/05/05
Kenix Denies Cosmetic Surgery
There were tabloid reports earlier suggesting that Kenix Kwok had undergone cosmetic surgery by comparing photographs of her facial shape changing from a round chin to a pointy shaped one. However, Kenix swears she has not had surgery.
Kenix was filming earlier on Ma On Shan for new series "Mysteries of Sze Kung" and she indicates that as she has been filming non-stop for two years, she can't have had time to go for surgery and explains that she previously thought that her puffy cheeks were caused by her jawbone, but then she realised that they were just fatty layers. Before she got married, she went for detox and underwent facial massaging to remove the layers of baby fat in her cheeks. Kenix says that she is a keen believer in the natural look and jawbone reconstruction sounds too horrifying to her.
As for the suggestion that husband Frankie Lam had been leading the press on with his responses, he responded: "My wife has been pretty all along, so I don't know what the problem is! It seems that you can't be naturally beautiful and someone has to say it is fake. (Will you ask Kenix about it?) We are both busy filming and anyway I understand that that magazine likes making things up. (Do you support cosmetic surgery?) For me, I wouldn't, because I like natural beauty."
Kenix's co-star Tavia Yeung was asked and she said that the reports were crazy, whilst Bobby Au Yeung laughed: "My face used to be pointy! I moved the fat from my body onto my face and now it looks rounded and much better! (Really?) People are jealous when they see beauty and are nasty when people are unattractive." With so much support, Kenix feels totally ratified.
The Sun 25/05/05
'Minutes to Fame' = Dirty Dancing
TVB's "Minutes to Fame" is aired during Saturday evening family viewing hours and has been a family favourite since it began airing, but the show has come under fire recently, with complaints from viewers suggesting that the rather sexy dancing routines were not suitable for children: "These shows are watched by children and I have fed this back to TVB before, but they are still appearing this week. Are they going to keep airing it even if they start showing breasts? They don't seem to care about the viewers' feelings." The HKBO has also received eight complaints about last week's show.
TVB's external affairs assistant chief Mr Tsang Sing Ming indicated that this particular performer was invited back onto the show because she won the viewer's 'second chance' vote and this tied in with the rules of the competition. He says that they will avoid any unsavoury scenes being aired and emphasises that TVB takes all its viewers comments very seriously.
The Sun 24/05/05
Eric says ATV is Boring
Eric Tsang was filming earlier for "Super Trio Show Returns" and although there were superb performances from the 'HKPA Alumni' team including Rain Lau, Joey Leung and Louisa So, Eric judged the game a draw because it will be aired at the same time as the ATV anniversary. Eric then added: "Why don't you finish watching the other side's anniversary before you watch us? If you can stand the boredom that is!"
Rain was the most outstanding guest for the evening and in the ping pong ball sucking game, she was so overenthusiastic that Edmond So laughed: "She is not sucking for the ball, she is sucking for the person!" During the question and answer round, Rain was drenched so badly that she revealed her bra, but she was a good sport and didn't mind. Karen Tong and Prudence Lau were not quite so much fun as they refused to take part when Eric asked for the whole team to play one of the games and Karen kept her distance from Tats Lau when she was playing the 'seaweed passing' game, saying that Tat's lips were rather dry, so she was a little afraid.
The Sun 25/05/05
Fiona Sit and the Academy
Fiona Sit's first TV series "The Academy" ended last week and she invited the producer, Michael Miu and some other cast members out to watch the ending and have hotpot to celebrate. With the show maintaining reasonable ratings from sart to finish, Fiona offered her congratulations to the producer and after the meal, everyone was ready to continue the fun into the night, but Fiona was recovering from a cold, so she did not join them. During the meal though, Fiona was afraid of being made to drink, so she hid in a corner quietly as she ate. Asked if anyone got drunk, Fiona said she left early, so she didn't know.
Fiona will be shooting a rather passionate kissing scene for her lates movie "Embrace" but it will not be as forward as her scenes in "Early Maturation". As for reports of Ron Ng and Tavia Yeung's kiss scenes in "The Academy" being rahter graphic and involving tongues, Fiona says she did not notice. As for whether she thought it was necessary, Fiona says she daren't reply, but she felt that if it was a passionate scene, then it would not have been right to just give a peck on the cheek and it all depends on the needs of the script. If she had to do it, she would not mind. As for her bottom line, Fiona says that she would not be too sexy because this is not suited to her and if she had to do it, it would seem forced.
Ta Kung Pao 26/05/05
Roger and Nancy Back in Time
Nancy Sit has become the latest spokesperson for some health food products and will be working opposite Roger Kwok to shoot some ads where they will be treating us to a series of retro images. Nancy says that landing this job was all down to fate: "Earlier, I held a birthday party and they sponsored a lot of products for the event that I gave to my friends to try out. When they wanted more, they asked me to try and get them some, so I contacted the boss of the company. After chatting a while, we got on well and felt we could work together. I feel that this is a high quality product with a healthy image, so I agreed to be their spokesperson."
During the shoot, Nancy had eight different looks to convey, but despite filming from morning to night, she had no complaints. The photographer praised Nancy for her flexibility and arranged for some more looks to try, bringing together Roger's recent image from "Scavenger's Paradise" to raise a few laughs. Roger also praised Nancy's professionalism and fun: "We got on really well and Nancy is very active, young and just like a young girl. We have no generation gap at all and she is creating some sparks with me!"
Ta Kung Pao 27/05/05
'Soothsayer' Blessing Ceremony
Raymond Lam, Tavia Yeung and Frankie Lam were among the cast members at the blessing ceremony for "Simple Clothed Soothsayer" earlier alongside veteran John Chiang. Tavia was asked about her kissing scene 'with tongues' opposite Ron Ng in "The Academy", but she denied such a thing, saying that although the camera angle showed their tongues, they did not stick them out during the kiss. She also emphasises that she did not have any special feelings and wants to watch the scene again herself. As for Fiona Sit's comments against Ron, Tavia says that she and Ron share a manager and maybe Fiona just told the press to ask them because she did not know what was going on.
Raymond has been unwell lately, so he has been resting for over a month and put on some weight. After a check up, the doctors have diagnosed him with having internal cysts. He confesses that he was rather embarrassed when he went for the examination because he thought it would be the doctor who saw him, but when the female nurse came in and told him to take his trousers off, he had to follow her instructions. Although the nurse did not seem to give any reaction, he believes that she was probably laughing at him. He says that the doctor has suggested he does a more in depth examination, but he was rather reluctant to re-live the embarrassment again.
Ta Kung Pao 27/05/05
'Mr Hong Kong' Recruitment Steps Up
The closing date for the "Mr Hong Kong" contest is next Monday, so as a final push for applicants, TVB arranged an event led by Shek Sau and MCI winners Leanne Li and Fala Chan, who went diving for crystals, representing looking for 'the one'. Sammul Chan and Charles Szeto showed their 'gentlemanly charm' by making breakfast and cocktails, whilst Lai Lok Yi and Kenneth Ma demonstrated some fitness equipment to show the strength of a man. Finally, they all climbed a climbing wall as a gesture to urge men of style to apply and show off their best.
Sammul was asked whether he would encourage his friends to take part and he said directly: "My friends are pretty bad, I am the best and I'm already in showbiz. (Are you not afraid your friends will beat you up for saying that?) There is not one of them that has all the strengths - some have the looks but no charisma and those with charisma are ugly. I would rather encourage my female friends to enter Miss Hong Kong, but they are wary of the showbiz industry and are still deciding and they will have to wait until next year anyway. (If you were not already in entertainment, would you be brave enough to enter Mr Hong Kong?) No, because you have to wear swimming trunks on the stage and it would feel very strange, so I admire the courage of the contestants."
Leanne and Fala have both signed for TVB and will be furthering their careers in Hong Kong. Leanne has signed for six years, saying that although she still has two years of her university course to run, the school has allowed her to return at any time, so she would like to try her luck in Hong Kong first. She has been sent to work with TVB8's 'Showbiz Front Line' as a host. Fala would not reveal the length of her contract, but she hopes to act in drama so she is actively learning to speak Cantonese.
Ta Kung Pao 27/05/05
Fiona promotes French Food
Having grown up in Germany, Fiona Yuen was invited to a French Food promotional event earlier and despite being able to speak French, she says she has forgotten much of the language. As for whether she likes French men, she says: "They are quite romantic and know how to respect a lady, they will play romantic songs in the car and give very thoughtful presents, not just rings and flowers. (How do you feel about dating foreigners?) It depends if we get on! I quite like mixed race children." As for whether she would consider having kids of her own, Fiona says: "I have thought about it and I will do it if I find a good man, but he has to have good DNA because the next generation will be an investment in nature. (Anyone in mind?) Not in Hong Kong."
The Sun 27/05/05
Sammul Fights Leon for Kate?
Myolie Wu and Sammul Chan were filming for "Legal Spokesperson" earlier on location, where they play a couple, but Sammul explains that Kate Tsui will be their third party, so he can fight over her for against rumoured boyfriend Leon Lai. Asked who he would choose in real life as a girlfriend, Sammul says: "If I really had to choose, then I would choose Myolie because I know her better and we have worked together so many times, so she scores more highly and this would be unfair to Kate."
About her love rival appearing in the show, Myolie laughs: "I am jealous of Sammul having so many pretty girlfriends, so I will ask the producer to arrange for Leon to be my boyfriend. (Sammul said he would choose you?) Oh, I was just joking! He and Leon both have their strengths and I don't know Leon, because I have only seen him once."
The Sun 28/05/05
News sources: The Sun & Ta Kung Pao