Weibo Fever #19: Is the Hong Kong Music Industry Truly "Dead"??

Not sure how many people read the news today, but looks like there is a pretty big ‘controversy’ brewing on Weibo right now and since I haven’t blogged about the HK music industry in quite some time, I figured this would be a good ‘relevant’ topic to write about…

First, here’s the ‘gist’ of what happened….

Food connoisseur (and former actor as well as entertainment reporter) Benny Li (李純恩) wrote an opinion piece for a local magazine entitled “The Death of the HK Music Industry”.  In his editorial piece, Benny states his opinion that the ‘death’ of the HK music industry is due to the lack of musical talent in HK currently, with majority of the blame being placed on songwriters (specifically lyricists) for their ‘messy’ lyrics that in many cases, boil down to ‘nonsensical jibberish’.  He claims that many songwriters nowadays lack the ability to write lyrics that truly resonate on an emotional level with music fans – unlike past songwriters who actually wrote songs that were meaningful and had the ability to move people.

After Benny Li reposted his opinion piece on Weibo, HK lyricist Wyman Wong (黄偉文) replied to his post with a ‘scathing’ post of his own, pretty much scolding Benny for what he wrote and also insisting that Benny doesn’t know what he is talking about.  Based on his response, looks like Wyman took personal offense to Benny’s post and even went so far as to ‘infer’ that Benny was referring specifically to him….even Benny asked Wyman on Weibo ‘Wyman, was I referring to you specifically in my post?’ to which Wyman replied ‘What do you think?’ (um, ok, to be fair, Wyman’s name wasn’t even mentioned in Benny’s post – as an ‘outsider’ reading the article, I actually felt that he was speaking more in a general sense rather than targeting anyone in particular).  

Well, the ‘controversial’ part is that almost immediately after Wyman’s response, many HK lyricists as well as singers such as Anthony Wong, Hacken Lee, Kay Tse, Richie Ren, etc. responded to the issue on Weibo – pretty much all of them expressed similar sentiments as Wyman and insisted that the HK music industry is ‘not dead’.

Honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is.  Benny Li was just expressing his personal opinion of the HK music industry – true or not, it’s his opinion based on his experience.  Therefore, to me, Wyman overreacted – not sure why he would take offense to Benny’s post or why he felt that Benny was referring specifically to him (based on Wyman’s response on weibo, sounds to me like he harbors a personal dislike of Benny and so took this opportunity to chastise him??).

Besides, it’s not like what Benny said is false – he actually does have quite a few valid points in his post…and come on, I’m sure anyone who isn’t blind can see that the HK music industry has deteriorated greatly from what it was in the past.  Sure, saying that the music industry is ‘dead’ might be a bit too exaggerated, since there are still some truly great talents left in the industry – but let’s face it, the music industry isn’t exactly ‘flourishing’ either.

Personally, the part that I find disappointing is how so many people within the music industry are ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ to defend Wyman and bash Benny – that just shows me that a lot of industry people are still in ‘denial’ mode about the state of the music industry….I mean, if people within the music industry refuse to even acknowledge the problem, then how much hope is there that things will get better?

Of course, I can also see why the music industry people would respond the way they did – after all, they don’t want the younger generation and others still active in the music industry to feel disheartened or discouraged from making music.  BUT STILL….it goes back to my original point – I’m not faulting anyone for trying to be positive and optimistic, but there comes a point when we have to face reality….besides, the below is Benny's personal opinion -- if his opinion doesn't matter and he doesn't know what he's talking about, then why should anyone feel 'discouraged' by what he said?

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Anyway, below is Benny Li’s editorial piece in Chinese (didn’t get a chance to translate it yet, so my apologies to those who aren’t able to read it…if I get a chance later on, I’ll translate it and re-post it back up):

Edit:  Here's the translation of Benny's editorial:

HK Headline Editorial:  The ‘Death’ of the HK Music Industry

Written by:  Benny Li

While eating dinner at a restaurant, a charity fundraising program started airing on the restaurant’s television set.  The program featured performances from many of the HK music industry’s newbie singers and as they were singing, the lyrics to their songs were displayed on the screen as well.  Reading the lyrics to some of their songs, nine out of 10 were ‘unintelligible’ – I couldn’t identify a single song whose lyrics were clear and coherent.  And to think that those singers tried to sing those songs with as much emotion as they could muster.

When it comes to a song, the melody is what attracts people to it and the lyrics are what moves people emotionally – in this world, there is not a single ‘classic’ where only the melody is nice to listen to but the lyrics are unintelligible.  The reason why the HK music industry is ‘dead’ now is because lyrics are ‘dead’.  If lyrics are ‘dead’, then they can no longer move people emotionally and without this trait, a song naturally ‘dies’ as well.  In today’s HK music industry, the lyrics to many ‘works’ can’t even fulfill the ‘basic’ requirement of being coherent and intelligible – most of the lyrics don’t even flow and in many cases, are merely sounds mixed in with musical notes.  With these songs, it’s hard enough for the singers to even remember the lyrics, let alone expecting them to resonate with and move audiences.  Given this problem, how is it possible for these ‘works’ to continue to be passed down to future generations?

The HK music industry was once a thriving, flourishing industry that had a significant impact on the Chinese community all over the world.  So many classic hits were passed down from one generation to the next and continued to remain strong even as the years passed, to the point that even people who didn’t understand Cantonese could still sing the songs.  The reason for this is because the lyrics to many of those songs resonated with the masses and therefore were able to touch people’s hearts.

Today, the music industry is very different.  Even in Taiwan and Mainland China, there are many great memorable songs, yet the younger generation of HK singers don’t seem to have very many songs that people actually remember.  Why?  Well, one of the main reasons is that people don’t even know what in the world these singers are singing because the lyrics are ‘messy’ and pointless – when we look at the lyrics to a lot of these songs, they are merely a bunch of Chinese characters strung together haphazardly.

The weird thing is that many of the HK songwriters nowadays seem to be ‘illiterate’ and don’t know how to write.  If not, how else can we explain why our music industry produces so many such ‘unintelligible’ songs?  This is what I call a ‘self-inflicted calamity’ and as the saying goes, ‘when we bring calamities upon ourselves, no one can save us from it!’  With the HK music industry being ‘dead’ to this point – all I can say is:  serves us right!

And below is Wyman’s response on Weibo:

黄伟文:公道自在人心，李先生是個連「自黎彼得以後香港就再沒有好歌詞」這樣的話也說得出的人，到底是我在呃版税瞎填一通，還是他在騙稿費胡言亂吠，就交給大家評價了。

Translation:  Wyman Wong’s response:  Facts speak louder than words!  Mr. Li is the same person who also claims that ‘after Peter Lai (黎彼得), there are no good lyricists in HK’ – the type of person who makes such outrageous statements!  So does this mean that I’m just blindly writing jibberish songs in order to cheat royalty fees or is he [Benny] trying to cheat writer’s fees with his nonsensical barking?  I’ll let you guys be the judge.

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What are your thoughts on this issue?

Weibo Fever # 18: Are You a Hong Kong TV Series Fanatic?

Just for fun….

I saw this post on Weibo yesterday and found it so amusing that I just had to translate it and share it! 

The title of the original post is 那些年的港劇橋段 (‘The Hong Kong TV Series Story Ideas of Yesteryear’) and it consists of a bunch of cartoons that a netizen (someone named ‘Shin先生’) drew – each cartoon is captioned with a story idea / concept commonly found in HK television series.  After reading through the ‘story ideas’, I couldn’t help but laugh because some of them are truly very funny – but at the same time, I was also nodding my head in agreement because when I think back to all the HK television series that I’ve watched over the past 20+ years, I can’t even begin to count how many of these ‘ideas’ (or variations of them) were used in so many of those series!  Personally, I have actually seen every single ‘idea’ mentioned in the cartoons used in series…so I guess that ‘officially’ makes me an HK TV SERIES FANATIC??  LOL!  No problem – guilty as charged!!  HAHAHA!

How many of the below story ideas have you seen?  Are you an HK TV Series Fanatic?  :o)

P.S.:  If you are able to read Chinese, I highly recommend reading the original cartoons in Chinese because the impact is a little different (plus the cartoons are much funnier in Chinese..LOL!).

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Picture credits as listed

.**NOTE:  The translated captions are in the same order as the cartoons below.  I took the liberty of numbering each one for ease of reference (the original captions were not numbered).***


The HK TV Series Story Ideas of Yesteryear

Costume (Ancient) Drama Series Story Ideas

.1)  Mostly large families where there is a ‘master of the house’ who has several wives and children, especially sons.

.2)  The eldest son is usually riotous, the second son is hypocritical, and the third is usually the one with the brightest future.

.3)  The father (master of the house) starts off powerful and wealthy, but then is later angered to death (usually by his children) and his family is split apart, with his wealth being divided amongst his family members.

.4)  The family business goes from being well-off to declining, but in the end, the business is saved and restored to its previous glory.

.5)  Prior to the grand finale, when a main character is about to be executed, there will always be someone who steps out and says  ’刀下留人’  (‘Save the person under the sword')!

.6)  The ‘secret’ to the main hero not dying [after he is severely injured with a sword through the heart] is always that his heart is on the right side of his body [as opposed to the left side like most people].

.7)  People who suffer memory loss [usually due to some accident or other situation] will get their memory back after being hit on the head.

.8)  The most common method of proving someone’s identity is to use the ‘blood drop method’ (滴血認親)  to prove that he/she is a long lost blood relative.


Modern Drama Series Story Ideas

.9)  Wealthy parents will usually say:  “How much money will it take for you to voluntarily leave [break up with] my son /daughter?”

.10)  A doctor comes of the emergency room and says:  “So sorry!  We have tried our best [to save so and so]!”

.11)  A girl is very obviously dressed up pretending to be a guy, but yet not a single person [in the series] is able to figure it out.

.12)  Upon entering a restaurant, the server/waiter/waitress asks:  “How many in your party?” to which the response is always: “I’m looking for someone!”

.13)  Holding someone hostage [at knife point, gunpoint, etc.] is always the best way to flee a compromising situation.

.14)  When a TV series films a sequel but characters from the original series are no longer part of the cast, 90% of the time those characters are dead.

.15)  In a rich / wealthy family, there will be an illegitimately born child who ends up falling in love with their half-brother / half-sister.

.16)  At the most ‘critical’ moment, there will always be a ‘back door’ through which one can escape.

.17)  Different characters in the series all use the same model cell phone, usually with the exact same ringtones

.18)  When a person is being followed, he/she will usually go in the direction where there is the least amount of people (bystanders).

.19)  At the moment that one intends on jumping off the roof of a building, someone will always come out and successfully discourage him/her from jumping.

.20)  In an office, colleagues are usually standing around gossiping – very little ‘actual work’ is done.

.21)  When a woman feels nauseous (meaning feel like vomiting), there is only one possibility – she is pregnant.

.22)  Upon coughing heavily, when wiping one’s mouth with a handkerchief, usually they will spit up blood.

.23)  The ‘reason’ for helping someone out is usually: “For that person’s own good, you should….”

.24)  When reading a letter/document, the words that are the least clear [i.e. blurred out, missing, etc.] are definitely the most critical.

.25)  Running outside when upset or angry, there is usually thunder and lightning or heavy rain.

.26)  Jumping off a cliff is always the best method for escaping [someone who is chasing you] without having to die.

.27)  When someone falls or is slightly injured, there is always a bottle of homemade ‘bruise ointment’ (鐵打酒) in the home.

.28)  When the main character finds out the truth, he/she usually says:  “I would rather you had lied to me forever!”

.29)  When the villain is about to shoot the main character, there will always be someone who yells out “Be Careful!” and then runs out and ‘takes the bullet’ for him/her.

.30)  When trying to escape, there will always be someone who falls down on the ground and tells the other person:  “Go quickly!  Don’t worry about me!”

.31)  Typical police dialogue:  “You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can be used as testimony in court.”

Weibo Fever # 17: Producer Lau Ka Ho’s Series Through the Years

Yesterday (7/22) was ‘golden’ producer Lau Ka Ho’s (劉家豪) birthday. In addition to many of his friends and colleagues giving him birthday wishes via Weibo, one of the HK entertainment news sites gave him a very special gift: a fan-made video clip that incorporates the themesong videos from 23 of the series that LKH produced over the past 3 decades (late 1980s to 2012).

I really enjoyed watching this clip (even though at a little over 37 minutes, the clip is LONG) because it brought back a lot of memories for me, since I’ve either watched (or am currently watching) all 23 series featured in this clip (though of course, some of the series I watched awhile back ago -- especially the ones from the 80s -- so I'm not necessarily going to remember everything about them). It also made me realize how long I’ve been ‘following’ TVB (I guess I really am ‘old’…haha).

Anyway, here is the list of the 23 series that Ka Ho Gor produced (the same series featured in the clip) as well as a [partial] cast list (I actually decided to list out the cast on my own). I’m sure that a lot of TVB fans (especially long-time fans) will recognize majority of these series (especially the ones that were anniversary series / grand productions).

This clip absolutely worth keeping, especially given the fact that Ka Ho Gor has already left TVB – he was definitely a very important part of TVB history and even though he may not have produced as many series compared to other TVB producers, many of his series were 'classics' that helped to secure the careers of many artists over the decades.

Lastly, just wanted to take this opportunity to say:

HAPPY [belated] BIRTHDAY KA HO GOR!!!

*****
 

Link to Video Clip:  Lau Ka Ho’s series

Source:  HK Channel's Weibo

picture credit as listed

1). When Silken Hands Get Rough 靜待黎明 (1987)

Cast: Barbara Chan (陳敏兒), Susanna AuYeung (歐陽珮珊), Eddy Ko (高雄), Margie Tsang (曾華倩), Sean Lau (劉青雲), Lau Kong (劉江), Gregory Lee (李永豪), etc.

2). The Rise of a Kung Fu Master 南拳蔡李佛 (1988)

Cast: Meng Fei (孟飛), Cecilia Wong (黄杏秀), Kitty Lai (黎美嫻), Andy Dai (戴志偉), Paul Chun (秦沛), Ng Man Tat (吳孟達), Eddy Ko (高雄), Lau Kong (劉江), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), etc.

3). Behind Silk Curtains 大都會 (1988)

Cast: Adam Cheng (鄭少秋), Liza Wang (汪明荃), Stephen Chow (周星馳), David Siu (邵仲衡), Yang Kwun (楊群), Jamie Chik (戚美珍), Spencer Leung (梁思浩), Wing Lam (林穎嫺), etc. etc. [Note: This was a special 5 episode series that featured pretty much every single artist working for TVB at the time – most of them appeared in cameo roles, with a few seconds to few minutes screentime, so cast list is too huge to list out completely.]

4). And Yet We Live 當代男兒 (1988)

Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Ray Lui (呂良偉), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴), Barbara Chan (陳敏兒), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Wing Lam (林穎嫺), Mak Chui Han (麥翠嫻), Maggie Siu (邵美琪), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Sean Lau (劉青雲), Andy Dai (戴志偉), Teresa Mo (毛舜筠), etc.

5). Ho Ching  豪情 (1989) [Note: Not sure about English title]

Cast: Wilson Lam (林俊賢), Ray Lui (呂良偉), Margie Tsang (曾華倩), Carina Lau (劉嘉玲), Wong Wan Choi (黃允財), etc.

6). The Final Combat  蓋世豪俠 (1989)

Cast: Stephen Chow (周星馳), Jacqueline Law (羅慧娟), Francis Ng (吳鎮宇), Yammie Nam (藍潔瑛), Ng Man Tat (吳孟達), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), Lau Kong (劉江), etc.

7). The Justice of Life 他來自江湖 (1989)

Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Stephen Chow (周星馳), Ng Man Tat (吳孟達), Tien Niu (恬妞), Teresa Mo (毛舜筠), Anthony Wong (黃秋生), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), Kwan Hoi San (關海山), etc.


8). The Hunter’s Prey 烏金血劍 (1990)
Cast: Canti Lau (劉錫明), Gallen Lo (羅嘉良), Vivian Chow (周慧敏), Eddie Cheung (張兆輝), Gordon Lau (劉家輝), Stella Wong (王敏明), etc.


9).  The Big Family  大家族 (1991)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Elizabeth Lee (李美鳳), Tien Niu (恬妞), Kenneth Tsang (曾江), Chu Kong (朱江), Kwan Hoi San (關海山), Canti Lau (劉錫明), Benz Hui (許紹雄), Ha Ping (夏萍), Fung So Bor (馮素波), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), etc. [This was 1991’s anniversary series and actually had a huge cast – too many artists to list out completely].


10). The Key Man 巨人 (1992)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Idy Chan (陳玉蓮), Monica Chan (陳法蓉), Wilson Lam (林俊賢), Louise Lee (李司棋), Kwan Hoi San (關海山), etc.


11). The Edge of Righteousness 龍兄鼠弟 (1993)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Jessica Hsuan (宣萱), Athena Chu (朱茵), Monica Chan (陳法蓉), Kent Cheng (鄭則仕),Kwan Hoi San (關海山), etc.


12). Down Memory Lane 萬里長情 (1995)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Michelle Yim (米雪), Frankie Lam (林文龍), Kenix Kwok (郭可盈), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Candy Law (羅霖), Gordon Lam (林家棟), etc.


13). The Gentle Crackdown 秀才遇著兵 (2005)
Cast: Moses Chan (陳豪), Niki Chow (周麗淇), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Michelle Yim (米雪), Yuen Wah (元華), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Johnson Lee (李思捷), Mimi Chu (朱咪咪), Eddy Ko (高雄), Cindy Au (歐倩怡), etc.


14). When Rules Turn Loose 識法代言人 (2005)
Cast: Liza Wang (汪明荃), Ha Yu (夏雨), Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Sammul Chan (陳鍵鋒), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Patricia Liu (劉綽琪), Marco Ngai (魏駿傑), etc.


15). Heart of Greed  溏心風暴 (2007)
Cast: Louise Lee (李司棋), Ha Yu (夏雨), Susann Kwan (關菊英), Michelle Yim (米雪), Moses Chan (陳豪), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Louis Yuen (阮兆祥), Raymond Lam (林峯), Chris Lai (黎諾懿), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Yoyo Mung (蒙嘉慧), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), etc.


16). Devil’s Disciples 強劍 (2007)
Cast: Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Sharon Chan (陳敏之), Shirley Yeung (楊思琦), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), etc.


17). The Gentle Crackdown 2  秀才愛上兵 (2008)
Cast: Steven Ma (馬浚偉), Yumiko Cheng (鄭希怡), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Ha Yu (夏雨), Law Koon Lan (羅冠蘭), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Johnson Lee (李思捷), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Evergreen Mak (麥長青), etc.


18). Moonlight Resonance 溏心風暴之家好月圓 (2008)
Cast: Louise Lee (李司棋), Ha Yu (夏雨), Susann Kwan (關菊英), Michelle Yim (米雪), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴), Moses Chan (陳豪), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Louis Yuen (阮兆祥), Raymond Lam (林峯), Chris Lai (黎諾懿), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Kate Tsui (徐子珊), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Vincent Wan (溫家恆), etc.


19). In the Eye of the Beholder  秋香怒點唐伯虎 (2010)
Cast: Moses Chan (陳豪), Ha Yu (夏雨), Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Johnson Lee (李思捷), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Chris Lai (黎諾懿), Elaine Yiu (姚子羚), etc.


20). Mysteries of Love 談情說案 (2010)
Cast: Raymond Lam (林峯), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Kenneth Ma (馬國明), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Law Lok Lam (羅樂林), Evergreen Mak (麥長青), Jazz Lam (林子善), etc.


21). Yes Sir Sorry Sir  點解阿Sir係阿Sir (2011)
Cast: Moses Chan (陳豪), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Ron Ng (吳卓羲), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Law Lok Lam (羅樂林), Queenie Chu (朱慧敏), Lee Kwok Lun (李國麟), Ronald Law (羅鈞滿), Cilla Lok (樂瞳), Dickson Wong (黄得生), Brian Chu (朱敏瀚), etc.


22). Witness Insecurity 護花危情 (2012)
Cast: Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Paul Chun (秦沛), Ram Tseung (蔣志光), Ronald Law (羅鈞滿), Cilla Lok (樂瞳), Queenie Chu (朱慧敏), Rachel Kan (簡慕華), Eric Li (李天翔), Lee Kwok Lun (李國麟), Geoffrey Wong (黃子雄), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Yeung Ching Wah (楊證樺), Lee Yee Man (李綺雯), Jonathan Cheung (張穎康), etc.


23). Three Kingdoms RPG 回到三國 (2012)
Cast: Kenneth Ma (馬國明), Raymond Lam (林峯), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Kaki Leung (梁嘉琪), Lee Kwok Lun (李國麟), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Law Lok Lam (羅樂林), Jimmy Au (歐瑞偉), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Ruco Chan (陳展鵬), etc.

Weibo Fever # 16: Jacky Cheung in the eyes of a tabloid reporter

As I was looking through Weibo earlier today, I came across this interesting post entitled “Jacky Cheung in the eyes of a ‘doggie’ reporter” (‘doggie reporter’ is the HK term for ‘tabloid’ reporter or paparazzi). After reading the post, I felt it was necessary to translate it and share it with fellow Jacky fans (as well as fans of the HK entertainment industry in general).

The post (or ‘article’ if you want to call it that) truly speaks volumes as to the kind of person Jacky is (which of course us fans don’t need reassurance of, since we already know full well what kind of person he is…LOL) and hopefully helps non-fans and those who don’t know Jacky very well (not too many, I would think?) understand why he is so respected and revered in the industry [by both industry insiders as well as fans alike].

The other reason why I wanted to share this post is because it also gives a bit of insight into how tabloid magazines (the ones in HK at least) generally operate and reinforces why we, as audiences / the general public, should always think twice before believing anything reported in a tabloid / gossip magazine. I’m sure most long-time followers of HK entertainment know how ‘bad’ the tabloid atmosphere is in HK – the overwhelming presence of so many tabloid magazines as well as the fact that year after year we continue to see / hear about paparazzi ‘crossing the line’ when reporting on a story (among other things) is proof enough of how pervasive the situation is in HK. The description of HK tabloid reporters’ ‘tactics’ towards artists who have been ‘blacklisted’ by them (point #3) was truly an eye-opener (though actually very scary if you think about) – definitely makes me feel sorry for those in the entertainment industry in HK!

Lastly, a quick ‘thank you’ to whoever wrote this post (which was forwarded from one of Jacky’s fan clubs on Weibo) – it was definitely a very interesting and witty read!

P.S. to my fellow Jacky fans: I’m pretty sure most of you were smiling and nodding your heads in agreement as you read through this, correct? :0)

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Source: Jacky’s Fan Club on Weibo (picture / original post in Chinese to be added later)

Translated by: llwy12




Jacky Cheung in the eyes of a ‘doggie’ reporter

One of the biggest ‘gains’ from my Winter vacation this year was getting the chance to meet a ‘doggie’ reporter who worked for a certain tabloid magazine in Hong Kong. During our conversation, the subject of ‘Jacky Cheung’ came up and after our talk, I definitely gained a deeper ‘understanding’ of Jacky. At the time, I had really wanted to write up this post right away and let all of Jacky’s fans on Baidu know, but I just couldn’t find the right time to do it. As I sit down to write this now that things have settled down for me, I want to make sure it is written well and the appropriate details are included. In delaying my writing of this post, I hope people don’t feel that I’m trying to be ‘suspenseful’, as that is not my intention – I simply want to relay what I want to say in a responsible manner. Please allow me to slowly recount the story.

My aunt’s family immigrated to HK in the late 1970s. I live in Guangzhou [China] and would occasionally visit my aunt and her family in HK. In recent years, with the application process for traveling to HK being a lot more simplified, the visits increased in frequency – however it wasn’t until this year that I found out that my cousin [aunt’s daughter] is good friends with a reporter from a certain tabloid magazine [in HK]. That day, in the afternoon, we [my cousin and I] went shopping with this friend [the reporter] and in the afternoon, we decided to go for tea at Langham Place. Of course, as we talked, I took the opportunity to ask about Jacky.

Below, I’ve taken what ‘the friend’ told me and summarized it into a few main points:

1) The ‘doggies’ [paparazzi] don’t have much interest in Jacky. From a gossip magazine’s perspective, Jacky is not really ‘newsworthy’. With Jacky being a ‘homebody’ who rarely leaves the house and his words as well as actions always respectable and appropriate, there really isn’t much to ‘pick on’. There is nothing really to ‘discover’ with him.

2) The ‘doggies’ are actually a little bit ‘afraid’ of Jacky. The friend’s exact words were actually: “If we were to go try and take pictures of his [Jacky’s] family, he truly would fight us at all costs!” [TN: in Cantonese, the reporter used the words “死過”, which is more appropriately worded as “拼命” in Mandarin]. There are actually quite a few ‘doggies’ who do know that their actions generally ‘cross the line’ and so in their hearts, feel guilty about it. Therefore, most of them usually won’t want to ‘irritate’ Jacky over such matters [taking pictures of his family].

3) Jacky has such good standing and reputation in the industry that none of the Media outlets [newspapers and magazines] have him on any of their ‘blacklists’, which means that he is not a ‘target’ for these Media to go against. The way things work is: once a celebrity has been placed on a ‘blacklist’, he/she becomes a ‘target’ for the magazine / paper to focus on – if the celebrity is a female, then some of the tactics would be to take ‘revealing’ pictures of them or catch them at their ‘worst’ physical state, such as when they have a bad complexion, or when they’re making some type of face, rolling their eyes, etc. If the celebrity is a male, then if he is particularly ‘close’ with another male, then they could bring up ‘sexual orientation’ or if he has a good relationship with a lot of females, then they could say that he is ‘fickle’ in love relationships….basically, they [the ‘doggies’] can use all sorts of different methods to ‘create’ news about the person. Jacky himself is not a ‘target of interest’ for them – therefore, unless they receive some sort of ‘secret report’, otherwise they generally will not follow him around and photograph him on their own accord.

4) Even if Jacky is ‘mentioned’ in the magazines / papers, the reports are usually done in an amiable, cordial fashion. When reporting on him, most of them usually remove the ‘Cheung’ [his last name] and other formalities and directly refer to him as ‘Hok Yau (Jacky)’. They also rarely say anything negative about Jacky.

Awhile back ago, when Grasshopper’s Calvin Choy (蔡一智) got married, he invited many people to his wedding – even people who he was not particularly familiar with or close to. Even though Calvin was not very close with Jacky, he still invited him to the wedding. Later on, the ‘doggies’ found out from the hotel that helped arrange the wedding that not only did Jacky personally attend the wedding to congratulate the couple, he also gave them a ‘hefty’ red envelope as a gift – the [hotel] people commented: “The red envelope that Jacky gave was already enough to pay for several tables!” Jacky is known for being a very nice, generous person and is truly very good to all his friends – towards the ‘red envelope’ situation, some people felt it was a little unfair and said: “Jacky shouldn’t need to be so nice and so generous to someone that he is not that familiar with!” (Haha, hearing this makes me quite happy).

5) Jacky and May May [his wife] celebrated their wedding anniversary by going out to dinner at a restaurant – some reporters followed them and were even able to get a hold of their ‘menu’ for that night, publishing the ‘details’ of the food they ordered in the magazine. They [the reporters] feel that May May generally has a bit of a ‘cold’ personality and usually her face is expressionless, however Jacky always has a way of making her smile sweetly. (Of course – it should go without saying! Haha.). May May calls Jacky ‘Daddy’ just like their daughters do and it feels that the two of them always have endless topics to talk about.

6) The ‘doggies’ have a bit of a ‘love/hate’ attitude toward Jacky. The ‘hate’ is because if all artists in the entertainment industry were similar to Jacky, then all the ‘doggies’ would be out of jobs. The ‘love’ is because the ‘doggies’ themselves naturally have a lot of respect for Jacky’s character and actually love listening to his songs. With so many ‘newcomers’ to the industry, there are all different levels of ‘stars’ [celebrities] that the ‘doggies’ encounter. Because the ‘doggies’ constantly interact with the celebrities, they generally are pretty familiar with their [the celebrities] backgrounds – of course, sometimes being ‘fake’ or ‘real’ can be part of a celebrity’s image, but in the industry, there are some celebrities who are “truly NOT good people”. The ‘truly good people’ such as Jacky are very rare nowadays, so even the ‘doggies’ can’t help but develop a certain amount of respect for Jacky, even if they are not aware of it themselves.

Follow-up post to Weibo Fever # 15 : Will Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯) be the next artist to join CTI?

Ok, so in my previous post, I had relayed a post that Sheren Tang had written on her Weibo that somewhat hinted that perhaps she will be the next HK / TVB artist to sign with CTI (those who didn’t get a chance to read the post can do so here).

After Sheren’s original post, I actually glanced through some of the comments that other fellow Weibo’ers posted (which is something I rarely do) and it appears from those comments that many others seemed to have the same ‘interpretation’ that I did (that perhaps Sheren has or will film series for CTI). It’s most likely because of these comments that Sheren decided to do an ‘updated’ post a few hours later supposedly ‘clarifying’ the situation.

I will be very honest and say that Sheren’s follow up ‘clarification’ post actually is a little vague and does not completely rule out the possibility of a future collaboration with CTI (she does not come right out and say whether she will be filming series for them or not). Therefore, I would still prefer to take the ‘wait and see’ approach, especially since the stuff I talked about in my previous post (about Sheren’s contract possibly being up and the fact that she prefers real location filming, etc.) is still very much valid (which also means that Sheren working with CTI in the future is not entirely impossible).

Anyway, here’s the ‘follow-up’ post from Sheren’s Weibo:

On 6/12 at 17:05, Sheren wrote:
一定要過檔才希望新電視台好嗎？跟不跟別台簽約我都想城電做得好，我看的是港劇的前景和同業們有更多空間生存與進步。不要說這是我的行業，即使只作為一個香港觀眾，也希望港劇精益求精、有點突破或改進吧！你們喜歡的'爺們味道'，是包括心胸和視野的！童鞋們太敏感了吧！早!

Translation:  Is it necessary to jump ship in order to hope that the new TV station does well?  Whether I sign with another station or not, I still want CTI to do a good job – what I’m concerned about is the future of HK drama series and my colleagues having more space to exist and improve.  Not to mention that this [television industry] is my career, even if I were only a HK audience, I would still hope that HK TV series constantly improve and perhaps even have a breakthrough or made better!   The ‘male-like strong personality’ that you guys like about me is inclusive of both breadth of mind and vision!  Weibo friends, perhaps a bit too sensitive?!  Good morning!
 

After reading the above as well as the previous post, what are your thoughts?

Weibo Fever # 15 : Will Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯) be the next artist to join CTI?

** Hot off the press!!!** (well, not 'the press' in terms of Media, since the below Weibo post was from a few hours ago, so the reporters might not have picked it up yet)

I normally don't like to do short random posts like this, but in my efforts to 'catch up' on HK entertainment stuff the past few days (yes, I've been quite busy lately so haven't been updating as much as I'd like), I've been reading stuff like crazy. Well, during my Weibo 'stalking' today, I came across the below post that actress Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯) wrote and since she's definitely one of my favorites in terms of 80s TVB actresses, plus there has been alot of talk lately about which TVB artists have possibly joined CTI, I really felt the urge to share the below.

First off, here's the actual post copied from Sheren's Weibo (I didn't include the picture that she had uploaded with her post...will add it later) :

On 6/12 at 10:31, Sheren wrote:
一直覺得北京和紐約都是很有感覺的地方，舊+時尚+型+藝術氛圍！就像這樣有個性的工作室，超愛[good]！為北京而驕傲！也為劇組「棋逢對手」選景的品味而鼓掌[给力][太开心]！希望香港的時裝劇新勢力（全實景拍攝）@王維基 找拍攝塲地時也能給力點，花點錢！ 讓觀眾看戲之餘也能看到香港的魅力所在！

Translation:  All along, I've felt that Beijing [China] and New York are both places with alot of 'feel' -- old + modern + cool +artistic atmosphere!  A work studio with such personality as this, totally love it!  Proud of Beijing!   Also applaud the good taste of the "Qi Feng Dui Shou" [Mainland series] production team for choosing this location!  Hoping that [for] Hong Kong's modern series new influence (entirely real location filming), Ricky Wong can invest a little more effort and spend a little more money when looking for a filming location [so that] in addition to watching series, audiences can also see the charm of Hong Kong!

***************
My Comments:

Ok, so based on the above, does this mean that Sheren will be the next artist to film series for CTI? It certainly sounds like it – in fact, it sounds to me like Sheren has already completed discussions with Ricky Wong and already has a ‘project’ (new series) in the works! With Felix Wong’s (黃日華) and Maggie Cheung’s (張可頤) new series with CTI set to start filming in August, is it possible that Sheren’s series will also be part of that batch? Better yet, will she be in the same series as Felix? (Boy, I’d love to see an ‘80s reunion’ with those two! Haha!).

Personally, I wouldn’t be too surprised if this were true because based on past interviews with Sheren, she’s the consummate actress type who is very passionate about her craft as well as very ‘particular’ about the filming process. I remember in one of the interviews I translated last year (the one where she talks about filming in Mainland vs filming for TVB) she had indicated that when she and Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) were filming No Regrets (巾幗梟雄之義海豪情), there was one scene where they were supposed to be in war-torn Guangzhou but because of limited resources, the ‘Guangzhou’ set was pretty much a backdrop built inside the studio – at one point, some of the set was falling apart and it was difficult for her to ‘concentrate’ on her acting in that type of environment. That’s why she really liked filming in Hengdian (China) because the sets are more real (for the most part) and makes her feel like she was actually transported back to the real location back in ancient times -- this helped her get into her character easier and also allowed her to concentrate more fully on acting rather than worrying about resources. With one of Ricky Wong’s ‘guarantees’ being that every series of his will be ‘real location filming’, I have a feeling that if Sheren did decide to join CTI, this would be one of the major reasons why.

Sheren is currently filming the sequel to War and Beauty (金枝慾孽) [I thinking the working title is “Beauty at War”] for TVB right now, however all filming for the series in HK is already completed – the only filming left are all the scenes being done in Hengdian, China (the cast and crew left for Hengdian last week)…once the filming there wraps, then Sheren will be completely finished with the series. With the filming in Hengdian scheduled to last 1 month, that means that they would be done by mid July, which is ‘perfect timing’ for Sheren to start with Ricky Wong in August. Plus I remember reading somewhere that Sheren (who currently only has a ‘per series’ contract with TVB) does not have much left of her contract with TVB, so it’s very possible that after WAB2 (which will probably be at least 30 to 40 episodes), she will have fulfilled her contract obligations (again, not 100% sure about this…I’d have to go back and check previous news reports to find out for sure). Of course, since Sheren is technically a ‘free artist’ (she is NOT under management contract with TVB), in theory, she could still film for other TV stations if she chooses to even prior to her contract ending, but I highly doubt that she would do that (especially since she has an ‘amicable’ relationship with TVB for the most part).

In any case, I’m pretty sure that we will hear more about this in the next couple days / weeks, since it would definitely be a ‘big deal’ if a first-line fa dan such as Sheren were to join CTI (though it might be bad news for Maggie Cheung, since that means her ‘first-line fa dan’ position at CTI would be threatened…of course she might not even care though…). And it will also create yet another ‘awkward’ situation for TVB, since Sheren is the main lead in WAB2 – if it’s confirmed that Sheren will join CTI and might even be filming for them as early as August, how will this affect the airing of the series? Will it be ‘indefinitely’ delayed given the situation? Or will they decide to air WAB2 this year so as to get all the series with artists who have left out there as soon as possible (as they seem to have been doing with producers Lau Ka Ho and Mui Siu Ching’s series as well as those of Steven Ma, Ha Yu, etc.)?

This also means that all that talk about a possible 3rd installment to Rosy Business (both producer Lee Tim Sing as well as writer Yip Kwong Yim have stated that they are interested in doing RB3) with the original cast (Wayne and Sheren) will pretty much tank now -- because to be honest, who would want to watch another installment of RB without the "team" of Wayne + Sheren?

It will definitely be very interesting to see what direction this situation takes in the coming months!

Weibo Fever # 14: Still More Celebrity Childhood Pictures (answers included)

Since I last posted about the celebrity childhood pics that I came across on Weibo (courtesy of netizen Chok桐regina), there have actually been about a dozen more pics released.

I will try to post as many as I can here and continue with additional posts as more pics are released, so stay tuned!

Have fun and happy guessing! :o)

.****.

All pictures credited as listed

Pic 7: Combined Male and Female Artists – TV Kings and Queens

** Hint: Ok, this is a combined one, containing pics of both male and female artists. All of these artists had won TVB’s TV King or TV Queen award at one point (this should make it easier to guess, since there are only 25 or so artists to choose from). One further hint (this one is a freebie, just cuz I feel like it..hahaha): pretty much all of these artists won the award in the year 2000 and later (only 2 amongst the bunch won prior to 2000).

Answers (place cursor on 'period' and highlight to read):

.Top row (left to right):  Roger Kwok (郭晉安), Gallen Lo (羅嘉良), Liza Wang (汪明荃)
Middle row (left to right): Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎), Moses Chan (陳豪)
Bottom row (left to right): Sheren Tang (鄧萃雯), Bobby AuYeung (歐陽震華), Louis Koo (古天樂)


 .---.

Pic 8: Combined Male and Female Artists – Martial Arts Stars

** Hint: Another combined one (males and females) – all of these artists are what we would consider as ‘martial arts’ stars – meaning that they made their names in the industry through being involved in martial arts / kung fu. Again, this one shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out, since there aren’t too many famous kung fu stars in the entertainment industry. One additional hint – don’t limit yourself to just Hong Kong martial artists…

Answers (place cursor on 'period' and highlight to read):

.Top row (left to right): Yuen Wah (元華), Sammo Hung (洪金寶), Jackie Chan (成龍)
Middle row (left to right): Jet Li (李连杰), Bruce Lee (李小龍), Donnie Yen (甄子丹)
Bottom row (left to right): John Chiang (姜大衛), Louis Fan (樊少皇), Michelle Yeoh (楊紫琼)

.---.

Pic 9: Female Artists – HK Singers (and a few ‘Queens’ of Cantopop)

** Hint: It should be pretty obvious from the title that these artists are all female singers from HK. A few of them rose to fame back in the 80s and 90s, while a few others started in the after 2000s era. There are quite a few ‘queens’ of Cantopop in the mix (though there are also a few who I definitely wouldn't call 'queens'). Anyway, see how many you are able to recognize?

Answers (place cursor on 'period' and highlight to read):

.Top row (left to right): Anita Mui (梅艳芳), Karen Mok (莫文蔚), Joey Yung (容祖兒)
Middle row (left to right): Faye Wong (王菲), Gigi Leung (梁詠琪), Sammi Cheng (鄭秀文)
Bottom row (left to right): Kelly Chen (陳慧琳), Twins [Charlene Choi (蔡卓妍) & Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐)], Priscilla Chan (陳慧娴)

.---.

Pic 10: Male Artists – Former TVB Artists

** Hint: This one might be a bit harder, as there are so many male artists who had worked for TVB over the years, so I will try to give as many clues as possible. All of these artists didn’t just film series at TVB, they were all male leads at one point (though some were only lead for a few series). Also, none of these artists are work for TVB anymore – some of them have moved into the HK film world while others moved into other ‘disciplines’ such as radio and hosting. Lastly, half the artists have shifted their careers to the Mainland.

Answers (place cursor on 'period' and highlight to read):

.Top row (left to right): Adam Cheng (鄭少秋), Ekin Cheng (鄭伊健), Ronald Cheng (鄭中基)
Middle row (left to right): Steven Ma (馬浚偉), Joe Ma (馬德鍾), Benny Chan (陳浩民)
Bottom row (left to right): Michael Tao (陶大宇), Kwong Wah (江華), Joey Leung (梁榮忠)

.---.

Pic 11: Female Artists – After 90s TVB Fa Dans

** Hint: This one should actually be quite easy, as all of these artists are currently active in the TV industry and all but 2 are currently employed by TVB (the 2 are former TVB younger generation fa dans who recently jumped ship to one of the new TV stations). Easy enough, right?

Answers (place cursor on 'period' and highlight to read):

.Top row (left to right): Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Fala Chen (陳法拉)
Middle row (left to right): Kate Tsui (徐子珊), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣)
Bottom row (left to right): Niki Chow (周麗淇), Leila Tong (唐寧), Nancy Wu (胡定欣)


.---.

Pic 12: Male Artists – Current (and former) TVB ‘Eyecandy’

** Hint:  First, I have to clarify that the ‘eye candy’ part is pretty much the original poster’s opinion, not mine [the ‘hint’ that is given by the original poster is that all of these males are ‘handsome guys’ (帥哥) [very important that I clarify that…hahaha]. Pretty much all these artists are currently active at TVB except for 1 person, who has already left TVB and moved his career to the Mainland. Bonus ‘giveaway’ hint: for all you “Triumph in the Skies” fans, yes, this is the set of pics that has all the original ‘S4’….

Answers (place cursor on 'period' and highlight to read):

.Top row (left to right): Raymond Lam (林峰), Ron Ng (吳卓羲), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤)
Middle row (left to right): Kenneth Ma (馬國明), Sammul Chan (陳鍵鋒), Ruco Chan (陳展鵬)
Bottom row (left to right): Edwin Siu (蕭正楠), Stephen Wong (黄嘉樂), Raymond Wong (黃浩然)

Weibo Fever # 13: Jacky and Leslie’s Taiwan trip [11th Annual Golden Melody Awards]

I saw the below clip reposted on Weibo earlier today and it was way too funny (and cute) to pass up, so wanted to share it with fellow Leslie and Jacky fans (as well as fellow Super Sunday fans)!

Not sure how many of you are familiar with Huang Zi Jiao (黃子佼) -- he's a famous Taiwanese host and comedian (and musician and writer and DJ and.....you name it, he's done it!)....definitely a talented individual and one of my favorite Taiwanese hosts! I actually became familiar with him over a decade ago (way more than a decade ago to be exact) during his days as co-host for the Taiwanese variety show "Super Sunday" together with Zhang Xiao Yan (張小燕), Harlem Yu (庾澄慶), and Pu Xue Liang (卜學亮). SS was one of my favorite Taiwan variety shows, as I loved the chemistry between all the hosts – the ‘dream team’ duo of Jiao Jiao and Ah Liang especially never failed to crack me up each time I saw them together on TV (awww, I miss them now...haha)!

Anyway, in this old video clip from the year 2000, Jiao Jiao was actually on a work assignment for Super Sunday: his task was to ‘greet and welcome’ the artists at the Taiwan airport who would be arriving to attend the 11th Annual Golden Melody Awards (to take place that night). In addition to bringing the usual camera crew, Jiao Jiao also brought along a 3 person ‘orchestra’ and instructed them to play the artists’ songs as they stepped out of the gate.

The actual clip itself actually shows Jiao Jiao ‘picking up’ several artists, including Leslie Cheung (張國榮), Jacky Cheung (張學友), Dave Wang (王傑), Zhang Zhen (張震), and Gigi Leung (梁詠琪), however the part that I’m going to focus on is the Leslie and Jacky part (since that segment was the funniest!).

Jiao Jiao actually has a good relationship with many HK and Taiwan artists and back then, “Super Sunday” was still a tremendously popular show, especially with its focus on promoting singers – therefore, he is able to joke around with them utilizing his 'trademark' sense of humor without them getting offended. I love Jiao Jiao's brand of humor – he says the funniest things and his facial expressions are always spot on according to the occasion (LOL).

I've actually seen the below clip before and probably even have the segment on videotape somewhere (part of my HK/Taiwan Entertainment memorabilia collection...LOL), but since it was such a long time ago, I pretty much forgot about it until now. It’s a great little clip though and brought back a lot of awesome memories!

Here’s the link to the video clip from Tudou (courtesy of Leslie’s fan site) as well as a ‘capture’ of the Jiao Jiao / Leslie exchange. I’ve also translated the commentary from the netizen who posted the actual clip on Weibo (which sort of sets up the scene so that the clip makes more sense):

Translation:

Rancy綵虹糖 wrote: In 2000, Jacky Cheung and 'Gor Gor' Leslie Cheung arrived at the Taiwan airport [for the 11th Golden Melody Awards]. "Super Sunday" host Huang Zi Jiao greeted them at the airport exit and even arranged to have an orchestra play music to welcome them. As Leslie arrived and was being interviewed, the orchestra 'accidentally' started playing Jacky's song in the background -- in turn, when Jacky was being interviewed, the orchestra also 'accidentally' played Leslie's song in the background...hahaha! Afterwards, the host [Jiao Jiao] gives Leslie a bouquet of flowers, but then asks for it right back so he could use the flowers again to give to Jacky....playfully, Leslie 'smacks' this particular host [Jiao Jiao] upside the head...HAHAHA...way too funny!

[Source: Huang Zi Jiao's weibo]

Dialogue between Leslie and Jiao Jiao (translated from video clip)..

Jiao Jiao: Leslie Gor Gor, how are you! I’m from “Super Sunday” – do you know who I am?

Leslie: Of course I do!

Jiao Jiao: Really! Oh, so moved! (motions to the crew member) Come, come come, present flowers! (Leslie takes the flowers)

Jiao Jiao: Leslie Gor Gor, you haven’t been back here in a long time. When will you be releasing another Mandarin album?

(At this moment, a crew member tells the orchestra that they’re playing the wrong song)

Leslie: Not yet.

Jiao Jiao: Oh really? You should hurry up and come out with another Mandarin album.

(As Leslie walks on, Jiao Jiao continues to interview him.)

 Jiao Jiao: You were on the same flight with Jacky earlier?

Leslie: Yes, yes, yes.

Jiao Jiao: Did you guys sit together and talk?

Leslie: No, but we were talking this entire time.

Jiao Jiao: Oh, so you guys were talking while waiting to go through Customs.

Leslie: Yes.

Jiao Jiao: Do you mind gesturing to the Super Sunday audience for us? Super! Thank you! Bye!

Leslie: Bye! (he turns and starts to walk away with the flowers in his hands)

Jiao Jiao (chasing after Leslie): Um, s-s-sorry.....(Leslie turns around)....the flowers we still need to use again later....sorry! (Jiao Jiao grabs the flowers out of Leslie's hands)

Leslie: Ha? The flowers aren’t for me to keep? (Leslie playfully smacks Jiao Jiao on the head and big red letters flash across the screen: LESLIE CHEUNG HIT PEOPLE LA!!)

Jiao Jiao: Aiya! We only have that one bouquet of flowers! Sorry! (Looks around) Where’s Jacky? Where’s Jacky?

 .---.

As an extra ‘bonus’, here’s a translation of the next segment in the video – Jiao Jiao’s interview with Jacky:

Jiao Jiao (rushing over to interview Jacky, who was sigining autographs for fans): Finally, we’re able to squeeze in and have a talk with Jacky. As is our usual practice, let’s present flowers to Jacky Gor Gor! (He hands Jacky the flowers) Welcome Jacky! (immediately takes the flowers back) Ok, thanks..we need to use the flowers again later. (Jacky laughs)

(All this time, the orchestra was still playing Leslie’s song, so the crew member tells them: ‘Hurry up, switch to Jacky’s!’)

Jiao Jiao: Congrats! How’s your wife doing? [TN: Jacky’s wife May was pregnant at the time]
Jacky: Not bad, not bad!

Jiao Jiao: Really. Did you give Harlem some pointers? He doesn’t seem to be able to make it come out. (a few seconds of awkward silence as Jacky looks confused and ponders Jiao Jiao’s question.)

Jacky: How long has it been? There’s no rush! [TN: Harlem had just gotten married, so Jacky meant that there’s no rush for him to have children just yet.]

Jiao Jiao: No rush, huh…

Jacky: Right, right.

Jiao Jiao: Do you hope to have a son or daughter?

Jacky: Doesn’t matter.

Jiao Jiao: Doesn’t matter, as long as have a child, right?

Jacky (laughs): Right.

Jiao Jiao: Are you nervous? In a few hours , need to d-d-deliver (Jacky looks at Jiao Jiao quizzically)…..deliver the awards! [TN: Jiao Jiao purposefully plays on the Chinese word for ‘delivering’ a baby]

Jacky: I think…I think…I think….Harlem’s chances are greater!

Jiao Jiao: Have you noticed that your song has been playing in the background? (He points to the 3-man orchestra behind them…Jacky looks over and laughs). We’ve had a 3-man orchestra following us and you didn’t even notice?! (Jacky laughs again). They work so hard! Ok la, ok la, add oil! SUPER! Thank you, Jacky! Bye bye!

As Jacky walks away, a voice in the back [Leslie] shouts out “Where are my flowers?” to which Jiao Jiao replies: “Your flowers, I will be taking with me…bye!”

.---.

My comments:

Omg, this clip (and the corresponding dialogue) was HILARIOUS!

First, Jacky’s expression when he comes out the gate and sees Jiao Jiao (he makes a funny face at him like a little kid, then walks right past him…hahaha) totally cracked me up. Then, Jiao Jiao rushes over to welcome Leslie (hey, Jacky came out first – Jiao Jiao was obviously playing favorites…LOL). I almost fell on the floor laughing at the sight of Jiao Jiao grabbing those flowers out of Leslie's hands and 'recycling' them to give to Jacky....and I'm pretty sure that the band playing the wrong music was definitely not an 'accident' (hehehe)......no wonder Leslie smacked Jiao Jiao! HAHAHAHA!! Oh, and Jiao Jiao's reaction to Leslie hitting him -- PRICELESS!!

In the next segment, when Jiao Jiao interviews Jacky, it’s obvious from the way he joked with him that they have a close relationship (primarily due to Jacky’s closeness to Harlem and Xiao Yan Jie) – also, Jacky’s silly expression throughout the whole interview was just too cute (LOL)! My favorite part was at the end of Jacky’s interview when Leslie suddenly asks about his flowers again (hehehe...)