TVB News World - Asian Entertainment News Daily

Times have changed. Playing pure, innocent girls may not win the audience’s heart; rather hateful characters may forge a new path instead. Portraying a pregnant spitfire who scolded everyone in sight in L’Escargot "缺宅男女", “Kwan Yi So” Mandy Wong (黃智雯) successfully leaped forward. Twenty-nine-year-old Mandy was so convincing in her hateful role, in which costar Michael Miu (苗僑偉) noted that she had the potential to become a true bat por (八婆)!

Filming non-stop at TVB, Mandy in fact already has her own business, investing in a beauty operation with her parents. Mandy was well versed in finances and often dropped by beauty stores to test products and discover new trends. After visiting the flower market the other day, Mandy went shopping in Causeway Bay. She paid special attention to beauty and skincare stores, often testing products.

Mandy Wong Offended by Nasty Role

When Mandy received the script for L’Escargot last year and realized that she will be portraying the extremely hateful character of “Kwan Yi So,” she pondered how to deliver her onscreen performance. Mandy stated, “The character is deplorable. If the performance is convincing, I am afraid that the audience will scold me. I was a bit unwilling at first and did not wish to accept the role.” Since Mandy was not a first-line fadan with the ability to choose her roles, she had to take whatever opportunity TVB offered.

Scolding Herself in the Car

A contestant in the 2007 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, Mandy Wong possessed a weak and gentle voice, the complete opposite of “Kwan Yi So.” Prior to scolding her costars onset, Mandy made sure to prepare in advance. “Kwan Yi So is such a dominant figure and often shouted at the top of her lungs. I was afraid that my voice would not be vehement enough, thus while driving to work in my car, I yelled nonstop, until my voice opened up. Observing my behavior, the drivers in the other road lanes thought I was crazy!”

Aside from scolding thin air, Mandy incorporated numerous bat por mannerisms in L’Escargot. “I added many minor details to my performance, such as scolding people while picking up food with my chopsticks and fidgeted with my nails. I intentionally dragged on the ending sounds in my lines.”

Mandy’s hard efforts were rewarded. Since L’Escargot was aired, Mandy’s performance aroused lively discussion among netizens. During filming, Michael Miu praised her performance. Mandy recollected, “In my first scolding scene, I had to yell at Michael continuously. My lines were 3 pages long, in which I ran out-of-breath scolding. Later, Michael came over and flashed a victory sign, saying, ‘Yi So, you truly have the potential to become a damn bat por (死八婆)! I had less inhibitions afterward.”

Beauty Business Owner

In L’Escargot, Mandy’s character fought with tooth and nail over the family’s public housing apartment. In real life, Mandy’s family possessed stable financial resources. Last year, Mandy invested a 6-figure sum to open a beauty and skincare store with her parents in a Wan Chai mall. Mandy said, “My mother has been in the beauty business for 18 years and was interested in expanding the operations. I took the savings I had from my previous job as a flight attendant and my current salary from TVB to invest in the family business. Together with my mother, we invested $1 million HKD [on the expansion store].”

Last Tuesday, the reporter visited the Wong family’s cosmetics shop. Although the store was only several hundred feet in size, it was very organized. The products sold were perhaps less known, but upscale items. Mandy’s mother attempted to sell numerous products to the reporter, without mentioning that Mandy was her daughter. On the top glass shelf, was a photo of Mandy, in which Mrs. Wong said happily, “Yes! She’s my daughter!” (She is scolded as damn bat por by everyone now!) “It is only for acting.” The reporter waited outside the store for hours and observed that business was slow, with few customers. Perhaps Mandy Wong needed to capitalize on her current popularity to promote the store more!

Four “Little Fadans” Scrambling to Climb to the Top

Recently, TVB lost numerous siu sangs and fadans, thus allowing even Natalie Tong (唐詩詠) and Selena Li (李思雅) to be promoted as first-line actresses. However, there was still a serious shortage of front-line artists. Kate Tsui (徐子珊)、Tavia Yeung (楊怡) and Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣) cannot be cast all the time, which led to the rise of “Four Little Fadans” Nancy Wu (胡定欣), Mandy Wong, Elaine Yiu (姚子羚), and Cindy Lee (李思雅).

Nancy Wu’s Likelihood of Rising to the Top: 80%

In 2008, Nancy Wu won the “Most Improved Actress Award.” For the last 2 years, she was nominated for “Best Supporting Actress.” Her acting in Curse of the Royal Harem "萬凰之王" was praised highly. Nancy has 3 upcoming dramas to be released in 2012.

Mandy Wong’s Likelihood of Rising to the Top: 75%

Mandy Wong was one of the Top 5 Finalists in the 2007 Miss Hong Kong Pageant. in 2008, she started filming TVB dramas and rose in recognition levels after 2010′s Suspects in Love "搜下留情". In the currently broadcast L’Escargot, Mandy portrayed a spitfire that vehemently scolded people. In 2012, Mandy can be seen in upcoming dramas, The Hippocratic Crush "On Call 36小時"、Flying Tigers "飛虎" and Policewoman Love Battlefield "女警愛作戰".

Elaine Yiu’s Likelihood of Rising to the Top: 60%

Elaine Yiu entered the entertainment industry in 2002. Despite her female lead status in Safe Guards "鐵血保鑣", Elaine’s stardom was mediocre. Last year, Elaine’s role in Bottled Passion "我的如意狼君" finally led to greater public recognition.

Cindy Lee’s Likelihood of Rising to the Top: 50%

Cindy Lee competed in the 2005 Miss Hong Kong Pageant and hosted TVB’s Sports World "體育世界" for several years. Portraying Bowie Lam’s (林保怡) labor rights employee in When Heaven Burns "天與地" who committed suicide over her disappointed love with Bowie, Cindy snagged the attention of many people.

Source: Sudden Weekly # 861
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars

Although the housing market remains sluggish, but the prices are still very high. Many '80s After' wants to 'get in the car' and buy a home for themselves. Ron Ng isn't an '80s After', but after being in the industry for several years, his mother still lives in a rented apartment. In the recent year, Ron no longer spends extravagantly and is actively saving up in preparation to become a home owner. He will no longer need his mother to worry about him.

L'Escargot starring Michael Miu, Sonija Kwok, Ron Ng and Linda Chung is considered the HK version of the Mainland drama Dwelling Narrowness. The story reflects the Hong Kong housing issue at present time. In the series, Michael Miu's family of 9 lives in a small several hundred square feet unit. Ron praised that the series is well-written and is very realistic. Audience can easily relate to it and he believes TVB should produce more series like this one, that reflects more on society.

Ron said: "Housing had always been an issue for the people of Hong Kong. Otherwise, why would there be so many 'homes'? A whole family crunched up in one room, it's very difficult and all that hard work is only because they want to buy a home. Michael Miu's role suffers so much and even coughs up blood just because he wants to buy a home, so this series was well-written. It speaks of the feeling that each HKer has, so that's why the homes in the series are very tight in space, it's really only 600 sqft. Usually for the convenience of filming, the lead actors that are in debt would still be living in a 2,000 sq ft home, but this time, audience can really feel sympathetic."

As everyone knows, the real estate market is the best investment. In the past, Ron had the same thoughts as an average youngster, where he didn't have any plans to buy a home for the future, but this year, he is determined to become a homeowner.

"Many of my friends are the same, they earn money, but can't save it. They are often buying new things, and this includes myself. I spend money on unnecessary things, such as clothing or cars, everything except for a home! My family is really worried, making me have no sense of security. My mom would always nag me. Every mother wants their children to have their own family. Don't even talk about having a home, I still need to start a family first. My mom's thinking is correct, so this year I want to buy a home. Since the housing market may have adjustments."

It was said Ron often gets a new car, but he no longer wants to spend money on unnecessary things: "I haven't got a new car in a long time. I am now more mature, I don't just think of my own pleasure, but would also think about the future, including what I'll be living in. Cars, I do indeed love, but this is a pleasure with no limit. Buying my dream car would cost me about HK$2 or HK$3 million. Also once I get a new car, the price goes down."

One-To-One Love

In L'Escargot, Ron and Linda Chung were initially a couple, but later because he plays with stocks, his girlfriend had to help him pay off the debts by having an affair with a wealthy businessman (played by Michael Tse). Eventually, the two break up and Ron's role retaliates. "The role Dai Ting is so pitiful. He didn't purposely retaliate, but just wanted to be comforted. He isn't like as rich as Michael Tse's role, and just wants to have a comforting home with his girlfriend. The role was written very realistically, it is a role that I never played before."

"Until the middle of the series, he will become hysterical, crying crazily while kneeling on the floor. One scene, Linda comes running after me, we were both crying so much that our eyes were swollen, but I felt the relationship already had its gaps. Initially I thought it was perfect, get marry, buy a home and have children. Unexpectedly, suddenly it turns into a mess, it's very heartbreaking. In my heart, I loved her deeply, but just couldn't forgive girlfriend for being unfaithful...."

In reality, Ron feels the same way and stressed that he cannot accept his girlfriend unfaithful. Now that he's older, he just likes a faithful 'one to one' romance. "In the past, I cannot say I'm faithful because I didn't know love had to be identical in views. When I was young, I thought I would have lots to choose when I get older, but now I feel finding a partner to date, I have to be responsible and when identifying her as a girlfriend, unless the relationship turns indifferent, I will just keep it as an 'one to one' love. If your a two-timer, you can easily be exposed."

"I will forever believe women have the sixth sense. You may not have done something wrong, but sometimes if you don't want to say, she will feel it. So the 'one-to-one' relationship is the much more stable, no need for trouble."

Breakthrough role in O.L Surpeme

Ron has been in the industry for 10 years. It had been said his acting career didn't change, but he explained: "Each artist wants to have a breakthrough performance. I want to play a role that has a defect, like blindness or mute. I will have to rely on myself to express that feeling. I really want a challenge, we all feel that my acting career had no changes, perhaps because you didn't watch all my productions, including sitcom O.L Surpreme and my Mainland series, then you didn't see Ron Ng's weak side. I was different from before. It is also possibly because my role as police officers had left a deep impression on viewers, from The Academy trilogy to Forensic Heroes, I have been a cop 5 or 6 times. It can be said, since I started in TVB, I'm the artist that played the most police officer roles."

Dating isn't murdering people or starting fires

Since Ron entered the industry, he had been constantly surrounded by rumors. Earlier he was labeled as the 'sister butcher'. In the recent year, he and Mainland actress Viann Zhang sparked love when working in Mainland. Earlier Viann posted a 'bed photo' on Ron's Weibo and started a whole scandal. When asked if Ron felt helpless over the issue? "Artists are very passive, including companies asking me to shoot a series. I am just as passive when it comes to dating and I am low-profile. People have blood and flesh, we have feelings. I personally don't like to talk about my personal life because I don't feel comfortable."

Ron expressed he had always let nature take its course when it comes to relationships. Mutually cherishing one another and have consensus. When asked if he's worried people might say he's too indulged into dating? "How indulged can it be? I don't feel indulged at all and it won't affect my work. I believe there isn't one TVB artist that won't go to work because they had a fight with their girlfriend nor will I let my emotions affect work. TVB also won't get too into my life. Give some space for me to make my own choices." Ron is also thankful of the continuous support fans had for him and he is not worried that they will give up on him because he's dating. "I'm not murdering someone or starting fires, I'm not beating women, what did I do? Fans have followed me for several years, and have matured a lot. They understand my situation and they are not only my fans, but also my friends."

Source: HKHeadline, TVBChannel
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Janet Chow and Timmy Hung's marriage date had been changing day after day. Finally they decided for March 21st (3. 21), a day that is easy to remember. The wedding banquet will be held at W Hotel. As Timmy's father, Sammo Hung, and the newly wedded couple have so many friends, the wedding will be split into two parts. On March 21st, they will be holding a 20+ table banquet, mainly for family/relatives from both sides and the marriage certificate will be signed then. The second part of the wedding banquet will be held at another time just for friends, in the form of a party. Janet will be having 30 girls in her 'sisters group', including Angela Tong, Sherming Yiu and Toby Leung.

Since Timmy now has a burden to raise a family, recently he had been actively trying to make more money in China. A few days ago, on the fourth day of Lunar New Year, Timmy went back to HK and immediately went to do the 1 of 7 day wedding photo shoot with Janet. The couple will be doing the photo shoot in both Hong Kong and Australia. Janet accepted an interview and revealed she prepared over 10 different wedding and evening dresses for the wedding photos. On the day of the wedding, she will be wearing a specially tailored white leather wedding dress. She said: "Back then when I was running for Miss HK, I wore a leather wedding dress and at the time, I thought to myself, I want to wear this leather wedding dress when I get marry in the future. I felt the leather is hot looking, so this time, I especially went to get one tailored."

Asked of the current situation in their wedding photo shoot? Janet said: "I'm actually not as anxious to shoot these wedding photos, as I was when I shot commercials. I had a good sleep and in a very good mental state. Timmy came immediately to take the photos after he got off the plane, but he's still very high spirited. Aside from making me laugh, he also made the atmosphere feel really good." Janet expressed this time for the wedding, they spent an estimated 7 figures and has already been thinking of how to save up. This year, there are an especially a lot of 'Dragon babies' to be born. When asked if Janet will rush to have a Dragon baby herself? She laughed: "I am taking vitamins now to maintain a good health, we are both ready and should be able to make it in time before the Dragon year ends."

Source: Oriental Daily, Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

This Dragon year, Raymond Lam and Kate Tsui will be collaborating once again in TVB new series Thunderous Drug Raid. The other day, the two took advantage of their free time and did a warm up. They celebrated the new year together with salad and lively lobsters, which implies the meaning that this year they will get better and better, making more money.

Raymond has been developing in the three industries (TV, film, music) and had not had much time to spend with his family. So for this Lunar New Year, Raymond must take off and get back to his hometown in Xiamen to celebrate the new year with his family. Raymond admitted that he will just get busier and busier, and his parents will get older and older. If he can't even take a small amount of time off to spend with his family, then he doesn't know what the purpose of going out to work is, the meaning of hard work, and all the support his family has given him in the background to waste. Raymond laughed: "Each year when I go back to Xiamen, the happiest thing is having 'Great Aunt's Fruit' that my father personally made. It's really tasty, and this originated from my Great Aunt, but later my father changed it a little. I will definitely have to learn how to make this and pass it down generation after generation."

Although Kate has a break for the Lunar New Year, but she still had to do homework for the upcoming series Thunderous Drug Raid, in which she will be collaborating with Raymond. In the series, she plays a bar 'boxer' that will eventually turn into the next Queen of Drugs. In the meantime, she has already collected several films about drugs and tried researching the role. In regards to her Dragon year wish, Kate expressed: "This year, I am casted in two TV series Thunderous Drug Raid and Triumph in the Skies II. I hope that both will complete smoothly because my roles in these two series have great changes. (There is high possibility that your Drug Queen role will get you TV Queen this year?) I cannot think too much about that, and don't want to give too much pressure to myself. If I'm able to get nominated at the TVB Anniversary, then that's already pretty good. (What about in other areas?) I know last year I only had one film Turning Point 2, but I'm very excited that I was able to continue on the role as Paris. When the time comes, it'll be best if I could be nominated at the Hong Kong Film Awards! As far as singing, I will just be mainly doing stage performances. I'm very happy that there are people who remember my song Hit Me."

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Yesterday Nnadia Chan appeared on ATV talk show Clifton Ko's Weibo for an interview. She talked a lot about her marriage and her mini concert happening next month. Nnadia said: "It will be a two show concert held on Valentine's Day, February 14th and the 15th at Hong Kong City Hall. I have not seen my music fans for a long time, this time it is going to be a rare gathering." She said her husband (Duo Zhang) has work on hand in Beijing, but he will come to HK to accompany her at an earlier date. Nnadia laughed and said over the Lunar New Year holiday, she was asked daily of when she's going to have children. She could only answer that she and her husband enjoy the life of two people. Asked if she had any plans for children? Nnadia expressed she really does want to have a baby, but she's been frightened by the Dooms Day films and therefore put the baby plan aside. She is fortunate that her husband understands, and said her in-laws aren't rushing her, leave it to fate.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Lunar New Year film I Love Hong Kong 2012 has become the box office leader among the Chinese films over the Lunar New Year week. Yesterday Evergreen Mak, Mandy Wong and several other cast members especially went to the theater to thank audience for their support and gave out red envelopes. As for Evergreen, who took the lead in the event, said with a smile that the other stars are too busy and he is the one that's not so busy. However, there will be another promotional event later and earlier Eric Tsang already made a special trip back to HK to celebrate.

It was said All Well Ends Well 2012 exceeded HK$10 million in the box office, Producer Ronald Chin expressed the last Lunar New Year film exceeded HK$20 million in the box office, and Eric said before that he will treat the entire crew for a trip to Japan, but up until now, the promise had not been fulfilled yet, so he hopes Eric won't break the promise. If they can't go to Japan, he wants to go to Korea.

L'Escargot's "Kwan Yee So" Mandy Wong had been greatly praised by audience that she is a very pretty girl in person and told her to add oil. She was so happy and couldn't believe her nasty role would be so popular. She personally did not mind being scolded, in fact, the more she gets scold, the happier she is.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Sammi Cheng Sau Man and Louis Koo Tin Lok's most memorable scene in ROMANCING IN THIN AIR (GO HOI BUT JI LUEN II) took place in 6 degrees below zero Celsius. One ran while the other one drowned. In the scene Sammi saw Koo Tin Lok from afar and thought her long lost husband returned home. Seeing Goo Jai soaking in the spring, she immediately ran over, pulled him up and saved his life.

When they shot the scene in Shangri-La, the temperature was only six below zero. For such an icy and snowy feel, director Johnnie To Kei Fung deliberately chose the coldest time to shoot in. Sammi earlier in the shoot has already entered her character. In this scene her emotions completely flooded out. Sammi said, "Actually my first take already had a lot of explosiveness. After that I already felt like I was going to collapse." Finally the director still wanted Sammi to make ten more takes. Poor Sammi had to run, cry, yell and pull Goo Jai from the hot spring.

Goo Jai did not have an easy time either because he had to wear layer after layer of clothing and soaked his entire body into the spring water. Although that was a hot spring, with all the wet clothing Goo Jai was still fine in the hot spring. As soon as he left it the feeling was unusually hard to take as it was frighteningly cold. Actually he did not soak in the spring for long, instead Sammi took more time to drag him out of the spring. He felt very chilly. Goo Jai said, "Actually I really just let Sammi pull me, I had to play like I was completely unconscious. I was heavy so Sammi had a very tough time. With the hot spring I really didn't want her to drag me out. However because I had to be face down in the water, if she didn't drag me up I couldn't breath. I had mixed emotions throughout the scene!" After the scene, the team wrapped them both up tight, brought them into the house and used all the heat pads and heaters for them to get warm.

Source: Takungpao, Mingpao, Singtao
Translated by: hktopten

Mak Cheung Ching, Mandy Wong Chi Man, Eliza Sham Lai Heung and two directors Chung Shu Kai and Wilson Chin Kwok Wai yesterday appeared in Kwun Tong for I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 (NGOR OI HK HEI SEUNG GA HEI) viewer appreciation. They announced that the film's Hong Kong box office has already reached 10 million, which truly was joy upon joy!

Wheat Bread looked bigger. He said that over the dozen or so days of promoting, he ate like crazy every time. He has already gained 15 or 16 pounds. After the Lunar New Year he will start losing weight, but since he was "fat to begin with" he did not mind.

With another box office hit, Chung Shu Kai revealed that Eric Tsang Chi Wai during the last Lunar New Year promised to take everyone to Japan if the film reached 20 million at the box office. No one expected that the promise has yet to be fulfilled still. Chin Kwok Wai said that this year if they do not go to Japan then at least they have to go to Korea; Wheat Bread joked, "For stuff like this of course I would wait until the directors speak up first, then all we have to do is chime in. however earlier at the Malaysia premiere, the response was decent. Hopefully if the box office performs well we can go again for viewer appreciation." Wheat Bread was asked how it felt to lead the promotion, Wheat Bread said that everyone was busy and he had time. On the Lunar 8th when Chi Wai will return to Hong Kong, they will celebrate again.

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

Rumored to have reconciled their relationship, divorced couple, Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung, secretly met over the Lunar New Year holidays with their children. Last night at 6 PM, Nicholas was photographed at Cecilia’s Parkview condo home. It was understood that Cecilia requested a dozen vacation days to spend the holidays with her two sons, Lucas and Quintus. In order for the family of four to spend the holidays together, Cecilia and Nicholas made advance preparations.

Since Nicholas and Cecilia’s photo collaborations with feng shui master, Mike, circulated last month, rumors that the divorced couple had reconciled spread like wildfire. Although Nicholas had denied the reconciliation claims, it was understood that Cecilia and Nicholas maintained a good relationship due to their love for their sons. The pair spent the last few days with their Lucas and Quintus.

Having already his sons the day before, Nicholas appeared again at Cecilia’s apartment last night, staying for half an hour. Upon leaving the residental building, a reporter rushed forward to issue New Year greetings towards Nicholas, upon which he smiled, “Yes, the same to you. Gung Hey Fat Choi!” Nicholas went back to his house in the Admiralty district. After putting on a leather jackets, Nicholas went to the Dragon King Restaurant in the Yau Ma Tei district. Upon seeing the press, Nicholas flashed a victory sign. Accompanied by his company’s employee, Nicholas enjoyed the holiday dinner.

Although Cecilia did not emerge from her apartment, she uploaded a video clip of Lucas eatting sphaghetti and shouting, “Yummy!” on Viddy. Cecilia originally requested 2 to 3 months vacation to spend with her sons. However, since she had too many work projects ahead, Cecilia was forced to shorten her vacation, returning to work in early February to film Dangerous Liaisons.

Cecilia’s new movie, The Lion Roars Again was originally scheduled to be released on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2012. Since China’s approval process for historical films were particularly rigorous, Cecilia’s manager confirmed that t was uncertain whether The Lion Roars Again will be able to be released according to its orginal date.

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars

Do take note of the following changes for this Sunday (TVB Series & Sitcom timeslot):

29 January 2012 (Sunday)


TVB "Wish and Switch 換樂無窮" (02 Hours Special)
Episode 19 & 20 (Finale)
9.00pm to 11.00pm
30 January 2012 (Monday)

TVB "Til Love Do Us Lie 結．分@謊情式"
Episode 63
8.00pm to 8.30pm

TVB "Let It Be Love - 4 In Love"
Episode 01 (Debut)
8.30pm to 9.30pm


TVB "L'Escargot 缺宅男女"
Episode 19
9.30pm to 10.30pm
Source: tvb.com & tvb @ YouTube
Translated by: Admin @ TVB News World

As the Lunar New Year just passed, TVB received good news. First the return to work laisee increased by 75%, then the Lunar New Year program rating was good, and its Lunar New Year film I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 (2012 NGOR OI HK HEI SEUNG GA HEI) became the Hong Kong film box office champion. Next week a celebration will be held.

TVB and Shaw's third Lunar New Year film collaboration I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 as of 4PM yesterday reached 9.364 million at the box office, the best among Hong Kong films. After last year the box office has been estimated to pass 10 million. Thus next Monday a celebration will be held. THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN)'s box office so far is 7.794 million while ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL 2012 (BAK SING PO HEI)'s box office is 4.568 million.

The Hong Kong Motion Picture Industry Association yesterday announced the 2012 Spring Festival holiday box office (January 22 to 25) as HK$47,012,740 in total, a 5.9% increase from the same period last year; however, this Spring Festival foreign films dominated as Hollywood 3D film JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND beat out Chinese films and animation of the same period for the top spot.

This Spring Festival slot had 8 film releases, JOURNEY 2 THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND performed the best. Over the 4 day holiday it made HK$14,158,846, as of the 25th its cumulative box office was HK$20,049,092.

The Eric Tsang Chi Wai produced Shaw Lunar New Year film I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 (2012 NGOR OI HK HEI SEUNG GA HEI) came in second with HK$7,541,083 over the holiday and accumulated HK$8,804,008. It left its rival the Raymond Wong Pak Ming produced comedy ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL 2012 (BAK SING PO HEI) in the dust. ALL's holiday box office was HK$4,536,450 and cumulative box office was HK$5,423,774. Chi Wai and Wong Pak Ming have engaged in a battle of words every year over their Lunar New Year films. Chi Wai this year won again, a third year of victory over Wong Pak Ming.

Animation PUSS IN BOOTS made HK$6,583,185 over the holidays, crushing by 470,000 the Nicholas Tse Ting Fung and Jay Chou (Chow Kit Lun) starred Hong Kong action film THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN)'s holiday box office of HK$6,113,242 for third place; however, THE VIRAL FACTOR's cumulative box office was HK$8,626,689, which exceeded PUSS IN BOOTS' HK$7,630,722. Thus in the upcoming weekend they stil had hope to catch up with momentum.

However, two other animated films KOKURIKOZAKA KARA and THE MUPPETS only had average performance with HK$2,022,120 and $997,994 respectively. Their cumulative box office numbers were HK$3,651,924 and HK$1,342,627 on the bottom of the chart.

Big time director Zhang Yimou's THE FLOWERS OF WAR perhaps due to its earlier Mainland release has already been seen through different channels. With the taste difference its Hong Kong release has been mediocre. Over the holiday it made HK$2,668,752 and accumulated HK$4,561,952, slightly better than KOKURIKOZAKA KARA and THE MUPPETS.

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

Sandra Ng Kwan Yu, Lynn Xiong (Hung Doi Lam), Chapman To Man Jat have been busy with promoting ALL'S WELL ENDS WELL 2012 (BAK SING PO HEI) before and after the Lunar New Year. Kwan Yu's mother celebrated her birthday on the Lunar 3rd, but Kwan Yu due to work has not been able to celebrate with her. This year she finally was able to make time.

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

The Vic Chou (Chow Yu Man), Mini Yang Mi, Ella Chen, Chen Chusheng, Vivian Hsu (Tsui Yeuk Suen), Benny starred Lunar New Year comedy NEW PERFECT TWO (SUN TIN SUN YUT DUI) opened in the Mainland for three days and reached 80% admission rate to break into the single day box office top tree, third only to SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS and the Nicholas Tse Ting Fung starred THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN). Its shows are also increasing daily.

The film's focus was on father and son Jai Jai and Benny, a happy and touching story for the whole family that met the family viewer Spring Festival slot demand. Since its release it continued to release raves. After the open day cinema circuit scheduling support, the film added 100 shows on January 24 and had 2982 shows on 790 screens and 99499 viewers.

Yang Mi in the film played a single mother for the first time and even became the lover who Jai Jai could not forget. Over six years he could not find her and drowned himself in alcohol. He loved so deeply that he posted "runaway wife warning" on the streets when drunk. Ella who saw him as a "prince" in the film was willing to be his maid and show her love by taking care of Jai Jai's life. No matter when he landed she remained faithful and encouraged him.

Source: Takungpao
Translated by: hktopten

The Lunar New Year film I LOVE HONG KONG 2012 (2012 NGOR OI HK HEI SEUNG GA HEI)'s Eric Tsang Chi Wai, Teresa Mo Shun Kwan, Bosco Wong Chung Chak, Natalie Meng Yao, Zhang Xinyu and others put on traditional Chinese costumes to wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year and wished for box office success for their new films.

Chi Wai said that this year he will perform in North America with his daughter Tsang Bo Yi. His family will go with them and spend on the holiday there. As for the Hong Kong base, he will keep an eye on it remotely as Mo Mo and Wheat Bread (Mak Cheung Ching) will be responsible for viewer appreciation. Chi Wai said that this year has been a very joyous one as he was able to work with his daughter on a rare occasion. In the past due to work they could not spend the holiday together. This year due to work they will have the chance. He said that when the children were little they often complained that he was not at home. Now with the children in show business they finally understood. Chi Wai this year will become a grandfather. Will he prepare a giant laisee for his grandson? He said, "Wait until the birth first!"

Wong Chung Chak said that he will be working on an ad campaign in Japan during the Lunar New Year while his girlfriend Myolie Wu Hung Yi will be working on a series in the Mainland. Reporters joked that he and Hung Yi might share a bed but could not have a New Year reunion meal. Bosco joked, "Dinner is dinner, sleeping is sleeping." Will he pay a Lunar New Year visit to Hung Yi's home? He said, "She won't be in Hong Kong, nothing to do with me." This year he and Hung Yi publicized their relationship. Will they give double laisee? He said, "I am not married yet, one is enough! Everyone gets good luck. (Will you give on behalf of Hung Yi?) She is making so much money from a Mainland series, she can give it herself!"

Mother Meng Yao looked much slimmer, even more than when she was making movies. She explained that after giving birth she saw how much bigger she got and truly could not help but lose weight. She worked hard on her diet and exercises and dropped from the peak of 170 some pounds to now only 11o pounds or so. She joked that even her top measurement has shrunk as she joked, "Now I want breast enlargement!" She joked that now she finally understood why some girls wanted breast enlargement. Did her husband "complain"? She said, "Would he dare?" She also said that for now she will not have another child as she will work on movies. She was afraid that the audience will forget her. Was she not a "young wife"? Meng Yao joked, "I am not a young wife, but the queen mother."

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

THE VIRAL FACTOR (YIK JIN) after 7 days in release in the Mainland broke the 60 million RMB mark. The film company estimated that in a few day it will be able to pass the 100 million mark to become the Spring Festival Chinese film champion, as Dante Lam Chiu Yin will join the "100 million yuan director" club. Despite the numerous negative news about Jay Chou (Chow Kit Lun) before the release, his performance in the film was a pleasant surprise for the audience. Lam Chiu Yin said, "At the time I told Chow Kit Lun not to mind and be confident that his performance will open viewers' eyes. Chow Kit Lun during the shoot practiced the stunts with a lot of effort on the set, as he wanted to prove that he had a masculine side too."

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

Sherming Yiu announced today that she will be marrying her boyfriend Alan Ng Chun Hong on April 26, 2012 wrapping up their 8 year romance. Sherming and her fiance Alan went to shoot their wedding photos indoors at Cyberport on the forth day of Lunar New Year. She felt greatly disappointed: "Today I initially planned to do the wedding photo shoot outdoors, but its too cold out, so we could just stay indoors." Sherming reveals she will be visiting Japan in April and do another wedding photo shoot with the Cherry Blossoms. She frankly said: "This wedding photography company thought I told them I was going to be married April of next year, but when they learned its April of this year, they were frightened and said the schedule is tight." When asked why she's in such a hurry, does April 26th have a special meaning? She said: "The hotel I liked didn't have any openings even in the earlier several months, so later they gave me a few dates to choose from and I chose the 26th because it is our remembrance day. In fact, June 26th is our actual remembrance day, but unfortunately June is too hot."

A touching, but funny wedding proposal

When speaking of the marriage proposal, Sherming laughed: "At the time, I was shooting the travel show with Eric Tsang and them in Japan. Then, I stayed there for a few more days, that day it was our remembrance day, and he came to find me in Japan. Actually, I already felt something was wrong, why would his friends tag along with us for dinner on our remembrance day? Later, he showed me a video and it was a video Alan personally made. He was looking for the letters that made up 'Will You Marry Me'. After watching it, he proposed to me, but I didn't even cry yet and he already started crying himself. Although it was really funny, I was still very touched."

As for the wedding, Alan's younger sister will be the maid of honor, but Sherming has a very flourishing group of bridesmaid. She expressed her bridesmaid are basically the same members from Toby Leung's wedding, including Angela Tong, Charmaine Sheh and Annie Man. Sherming also exposed that Annie Man competed with her to marry first, and Timmy Hung will be marrying Janet Chow in March, so she'll be the last one in line. Sherming laughed: "Some friends told us that because I'm the last one among the group, I will also get the least money gifts because they won't have any money left."

Asked if she's going to have a Dragon baby too? She blurted out: "I want to!" Sherming also laughed and said she may have lost the race in getting married, but she will fight to be the first in having a baby. As for her fiance is a village man, does the elders from his family want her to have more children or maybe have a boy? Alan made himself clear: "Does not matter. I feel two children is enough, one boy, one girl." Sherming said: "I want a girl, so I can help her dress up, but if possible, I do want a boy and a girl. It's best to have twins!"

Source: ent.qq.com
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

2012 is going to be the year of competition within the Hong Kong television industry. New competitors joins in on the competition to draw in more viewers including NOW, iCable and City Telecom. iCable has won the rights to exclusively broadcast the 2012 London Summer Olympics. TVB invested heavily, nearly HK$10 million, on the series Tiger Clubs starring Joe Ma and Jessica Hsuan, which is scheduled to broadcast on the weekend prime time hours (Saturday/Sunday). There are four seasons in a year, for each season, TVB plans to release heavy themed series in hope for a good show on TV every day.

TVB produces 520 hours of dramas and programs each year, and there are non-drama programs too. Program Arrangement Strategic Planner and Production Department Vice-Director (Mr. Ho Koon Chung) accepted [Mingpao]'s exclusive interview and reveals the program arrangements for the Dragon year and the future influence on television, including the inactive TV ratings, housewife audience, poor broadcast periods ('ashes') and even break the conspiracy rumors that suppress the series.

The three new free TV channel applications still have not been approved by the government, but the related TV stations have already put their fists up and are ready to attack. TVB's Mr. Ho calmly said: "It is good that there are new competitors, the industry can have a hundred flowers bloom and bring in new strikes. However, please don't 'wear the same pants', steal the same group of artists and shoot the same type of TV programs. The same productions method is not a blessing to audience. (This year, will TVB have to watch out in the battle, as there are new competitors?) In fact, we have long term arrangements for our programs. We also have the flexibility to make changes, it could change by the day and it's not difficult, but actually its a question of will the change be positive or negative? [We] have to consider this. More importantly, we want to pursue stability. TVB employs many skilled and experienced behind-the-scenes crew and we are an old company, so we seek 'within the stability, seek breakthrough and improvement'."

HK$10 million production, each episode 90 minutes

Mr. Ho believes the greatest momentum for a series is one with a strong theme. This June, TVB plans to release grand production series Tiger Cubs on the Weekend (Sat/Sun). "The series is 13 episodes, each episode being 90 minutes. This is the first Hong Kong TV production that centers around the Special Duties Unit. The production fee for each episode is nearly HK$1 million, which is higher compared to other series. This time we plan to open up the weekend prime time hours. 20 years ago, Files of Justice was also broadcast on Sundays. In June, we will first broadcast Tiger Cubs on Sundays, then in July, we will start doing both Saturday and Sundays. In the past, the Saturday TV ratings have been quite strong. This year iCable won

Series in the line up for each of the Four Seasons

Season 1 : The Romance Season
* To accommodate Valentine's Day
- Series: 4 In Love (Moses Chan, Charmaine Sheh)
- Variety Show: Matching Game (登登登對) hosted by Margie Tsang and Bob Lam

Season 2 : Off Season (May is Poor, June is Dead End '五窮六絕')
* To counter the off season, must have strong productions
- Series: The Boxing King (Kevin Cheng, Raymond Wong)
- Series: House of Harmony and Vengeance (Bobby Au-Yeung, Myolie Wu)

Season 3 : Summer Season
* The season where kids are on summer vacation, time to serve the young viewers.
- Series: Return to the Three Kingdoms (Raymond Lam, Kenneth Ma)

Season 4 : TVB Anniversary Season
* Welcome audience with grand productions, the plans have been set temporarily, but Mr. Ho is unwilling to reveal which series will broadcast at at this time.

The 'ashes' broadcast periods

Holidays, long breaks, students taking finals are all factors that make up what the producers call the period of 'ashes' (off season). Mr. Ho admitted there has recently been more producers upset about their series being pushed into this broadcast period. "There is indeed some broadcast periods that are naturally weaker, TVB does not take a break in supplying series in the mid-year, nor can TVB be sloppy during the off season. As I said, every day is a good day, hope to bring good shows everyday and have no biased. Audience have higher and higher expectations, so the off season period should have even better shows to draw in more viewers to turn on their TVs. I understand producers want their productions to broadcast in the advantageous periods, to gain the best effect, but the program department has confidence for those series, so the arrangement is to keep the viewers."

Mr. Ho reassures his colleagues that they should not be too worried about there being less viewers because the future will just have more and more TVB audience because the company is opening up their windows and is going international. "We do not just face Hong Kong audience, but Chinese people all over the world. During Lunar New Year, HK TV ratings is on the off season mode, but in Malaysia, it is the golden peak period. The locals love catching up on the series during the long vacation and we broadcast our series simultaneously with Malaysia. There are also a bunch of Mainland video streaming websites, the click rates for TVB series are growing. HK audience TV ratings is an important index, but it does not represent all. The television world is getting more and more complex."

The 'Housewife Audiences'

TVB Jade Channel is known as the 'Housewife Channel' because most of its viewers are housewives. "The housewife group is quite large, compared to other groups, they spend more time in front of the TV, but it that doesn't really mean they have low sense of appreciation and are conservative. Just like the recent When Heaven Burns, the housewife audience wrongly took the blame, it's not that they didn't understand, perhaps it is because they don't have the patience or mental state to catch the series. After all, television is different from films, it is necessary to keep the audience focus on watching. When Heaven Burns, lost some housewife audience, but the most viewers were the young audience."

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Source: On.cc
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Both Aimee Chan’s love life and career were flourishing. After Aimee’s romance with Moses Chan was exposed last year, it was surprisingly well received by the public. In the Year of the Dragon, Aimee hoped to make greater strides, “My income last year was okay. However, I did not sit down to calculate my total earnings. Money is not the primary driver for me, as I hope to gain more experience instead. Aside from saving money to buy an apartment for myself, I hope to purchase a larger home for my parents too!”

Aimee’s parents remained in Canada over the holiday, thus she visited her aunt and uncle in Hong Kong onLunar New Year Eve. Aimee praised her aunt for preparing tasty Fujian dishes for the holiday meal, in which the food preparation took 3 to 4 days. The family will eat rice balls to signify the family being together. Due to her westernized upbringing, Aimee disregarded the Chinese tradition of forbidding hair washing on Lunar New Year Day. Asked whether she will prepare rice balls for Moses, Aimee said, “Yes I will! Sesame rice balls are my favorite! I love eating desserts!” (How about coffee-flavored rice balls?) “I think the taste will be a bit odd!”

Aside from winning diamond bachelor, Moses Chan’s heart, Aimee also received the audience’s blessings for the romantic pairing. Since Aimee had a few days off over the holiday, the couple were able to visit many public places to celebrate the Lunar New Year holiday together.

Asked whether her family had attempted to force her to get married soon, Aimee responded, “No, they are very open minded!” Although Aimee and Moses possessed large families, fortunately they were not nosy, allowing the couple freedom in their relationship.

Hopes to Win Best Actress Award

Aimee revealed her New Year wish, “Last year, I was often sick. As I age, I find that health is increasingly important, allowing you to do what you wish.” This year, Aimee hoped to challenge herself by portraying somewhat psychotic, evil, or tragic characters, preferrably extreme roles.

“I want to deliver an exciting feeling. I hope to continue to improve and not remain stagnant!” (Do you wish to become Best Actress?) “Of course! Teresa Mo and Sheren Tang are my idols! They are able to balance their personal lives with their careers. A friend advised that if you live a happy life, you will be able to deliver a good acting performance.”

Source: On.cc and Oriental Daily

Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars

Stephen Au will be getting remarried with his former wife, Phyllis Man Si Man, on March 25, 2012. The pair experienced marital differences earlier and were separated for three and a half years.

Earlier, Stephen revealed that he received the sponsorship of British royal family photography studio, Venture Studio, in shooting his wedding photographs. The owner of the photography studio shot a “family photo” of Stephen, his wife, and their cat together.

Stephen commented on his reunification with his former wife, “Si Man and I were married for 15 years. We were separated for several years; fortunately we are able to get back together again. I became a Christian; thus our wedding will be held at a church. At our upcoming wedding, we will be holding a party and a dinner celebration with our families.”

In addition, Stephen’s old friend, Annie Man will be getting married with her boyfriend Jason, on March 2, 2012, throwing a 50-table wedding banquet. Annie will be inviting Charmaine Sheh to act as one of her bridesmaids.

Source: Oriental Daily

Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars

In 2008, Annie Man (文頌嫻) was photographed by the paparazzi passionately kissing a man named Jason in a car. Last Thursday, Annie and Jason were spotted on Thursday trying out wedding dresses in the Tsim Sha Tsui district. The couple will be getting married on March 2, 2011 at the Four Seasons Hotel!

Thirty-five-year-old Annie Man possessed a very low key manner. That year, Annie had broken up with her architect boyfriend of 10 years, after which she did not actively look for another relationship. It was not until November 2008 that Annie was spotted kissing a 30-something man (Jason) in a suit in a $500,000 HKD black Mercedes Benz car.

Last Thursday, Annie and Jason were spotted window shopping. Before long, the couple entered a bridal shop, upon which the sales clerks immediately greeted them. It appeared that Annie and Jason had an appointment to try on their wedding attire. Annie changed into a sexy backless bridal dress, which sparked the admiration of everyone present, including Jason’s fixated stare. Afterward, Jason tried on his tuxedo for the wedding. The couple loving fixed each others’ attire.

In a telephone interview, Annie admitted that she and Jason were getting married. Asked whether she was currently pregnant, thus sparking the wedding, Annie laughed and said, “No! But if that were the case, then it was too early to confirm the pregnancy! I am trying to get married before Janet Chow (周家蔚) and Sherming Yiu (姚樂怡)!”

Annie revealed that she has been dating businessman, Jason, for 3 years. Their relationship was very stable. “In fact, we had planned to get married at the end of last year, but we were unable to work out the schedule. After seeing many friends getting married recently, I took a more active role in planning our wedding.”

Annie’s bridesmaids will include Charmaine Sheh (佘詩曼) 、Angela Tong (湯盈盈)、Janet Chow (周家蔚) and Sherming Yiu (姚樂怡). Asked whether she will retire from the entertainment industry after marriage, Annie replied, “No, but I will reduce my workload, as I want to have a baby.”

Annie Man was once a rising star at ATV. In 2000, after switching to TVB, she was heavily utilized until TVB’s policy of promoting only contracted artists was administered. Annie turned her career to mainland China, fading from the Hong Kong television circle. After breaking up with her architect boyfriend, Annie met Jason at cousin’s social gathering. When the press photographed Annie and Jason kissing in the car, the couple had just started dating. It was unexpected that their single kiss had locked their love!

Source: Appledaily
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars

The Year of the Dragon was a popular time to have children. Many joyous events occurred one after another, with numerous celebrities anticipating the arrival of their “dragon babies.” The gender of some of the babies have already been revealed, while some remained as mysteries.

Shirley Yeung and Andy Ng
Heavily pregnant and disappearing from the entertainment scene, Shirley Yeung was reportedly staying at her brother’s house in Los Angeles, USA, anticipating the arrival of her baby. The gender of Shirley’s baby remained unknown at this time.

Zac Kao
Becoming a father in March, Hong Kong singer, Zac Kao, will spend time with his pregnant wife when he did not have to work.

FAMA’s 6-Wing
Last August, rap artist, 6Wing from FAMA, announced that his girlfriend, who worked outside the entertainment industry, was pregnant. 6-Wing will be expecting the arrival of his daughter early this year!

Dee Hsu
Taiwanese celebrity, Dee Hsu (Little S), will be having her third child this year. Dee announced excitedly that her husband had “ejaculated haphazardly,” resulting in the accidental pregnancy of their daughter.

Yoyo Chen and Vincent Wong
Over 4 months pregnant, Yoyo Chen revealed that she was carrying a girl. Taking a break from filming, Yoyo was only engaged in light promotional activities until the birth of her daughter in May or June time frame.

Andy Lau and Carol Chu
After attempting to have children over the last 3 years, Andy Lau and his wife, Carol Chu, finally realized their dream. The couple will be expecting their “Little Dragon Girl” in June 2012!

Sonija Kwok and Zhu Shaojie
Although Sonija Kwok did not publicly announce the gender of her first baby, good friend, Leila Tong, gave her a set of baby girl clothes earlier.

Kelly Chen
Already possessing a son, Kelly Chen miscarried a set of twin babies in March 2011. Late last year, Kelly became successfully pregnant again through invitro fertilization. Kelly will be having another son.

Miriam Yeung and Real Ting
Miriam Yeung and her husband, Real Ting, announced that they will become parents, expecting a little boy.

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: Jayne @ JayneStars

Yesterday Aimee Chan bravely wore a sexy low-cut red dress to a shopping mall event under the cold weather. At the event, she gave out lai see and learned tap dancing from the HK Tap Dancing King. When asked if boyfriend Moses Chan would be displeased that she's wearing such sexy looking outfit? She said: "He's ok." On the first day of Lunar New Year, Aimee went to send new year greetings to Moses' family, but when asked if she discussed marriage with her future mother-in-law? Aimee copied Moses' catchphrase: "Take it slowly. We are currently happy together, family from both sides are not as rushed as the media is. (Has Moses send his new year greetings to your family yet?) My family is living overseas, he can just call them!" Aimee frankly said she hasn't decided on what to give her boyfriend on the Lantern Festival.

Also, tomorrow Aimee and Ruco Chan will go to Singapore to shoot a special for TVBI. This will be her first business trip since she's joined TVB.

Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum

Bernice Liu just released her fourth book From Macbailey, With Love. Each time she launches a new book, she would give the proceeds to charity and this time, she selected the 'Children's Critical Care Fund'. On January 20th, Bernice arrived at Queen Mary Hospital to visit the young patients there and gave out gifts.

That day, Bernice visited a 3 year old girl named Tse Chi Wai. Little Tse is a beneficiary of the 'Children's Critical Care Fund' suffering from Thalassemia (inherited blood disorder), but has already got a bone marrow transplant. Bernice gave her new clothes as a gift to the little girl and promised to bring her 4 'Dog Doctors' to visit her if there is an opportunity. The little girl was extremely happy.

During the visit, Bernice coincidentally encountered a young girl coming in for her follow-up visit. The young girl was Bernice's junior from the dance school she used to go to. They've taken pictures together before at the school's celebration event. That day, the girl greeted Bernice and was very grateful to have had the chance to take a picture with her. Bernice encouraged her to stay strong and defeat her illness, there will definitely be a chance for her to dance again.

Bernice personally loves children, and hopes to have a some of her own after marriage. Unfortunately, there is temporarily no chance for that yet, but she smiled and said she will continue to work at it. This year she will have to take good care of her health and practice her Mandarin to break into the Mainland market.

Source: Mingpao
Translated by: aZnangel @ AsianEU Forum