I just finished watching this series and I must say that I enjoyed it. I actually have the DVD of this series and was actually planning to watch it when I had time, but didn’t get around to it. Coincidentally, it came on TV, so I started watching it – and I ended up liking it. It’s one of the better ancient series that I’ve seen in a long time – and funny too (well, it’s a comedy, so that’s not surprise).
Ok, I have to admit that one of the primary reasons why I liked this series was because of the main leads: Frankie Lam and Annie Man. Frankie is one of my favorites in terms of TV actors – somehow, every time I watch his series, I’m always drawn in by his acting and end up liking each character he plays…this series was no exception. Frankie plays the ‘4th young master’ in a well-to-do family that runs a cloth-dyeing business – his character is very scholarly, so he is actually not interested in the family business… instead, his goal is to pass the prestigious state examination so that he could obtain a position in the bureaucracy. His mother (played by Gigi Wong) is concerned that he has not married yet (since his 3 older brothers all married already and she is anxious for grandchildren) and so she ‘finds’ a wife for him –an ‘untamed’ girl from a neighboring country (Annie Man) who excels in martial arts and is quite outspoken as well as clumsy. Since Frankie is forced to marry Annie out of obedience to a decree from the emperor (and also to make his mother happy) and their personalities are complete opposites, they are constantly arguing with each other…so basically, their relationship is pretty much strained because they have to “put up” with each other but there’s no love between them. After some things that happen, they end up falling in love with each other and become a loving couple.
At first, I had mixed feelings about Frankie and Annie as a couple, but as I watched the series, I really started to like the pairing – age-wise, they may not be that great of a match, since Frankie is obviously older than Annie and therefore more mature…but actually, I felt that they made a pretty cute couple. Plus I like Annie anyway, since I’ve seen a few of her series back when she was at ATV and they were quite good.
In addition to Frankie, Annie, and Gigi, the rest of the cast consisted of Ronald Cheng, Cutie Mui, Louis Yuen, Florence Kwok, Louisa So, Ellesmere Choi, Angelina Lo, Mimi Chu, etc. – actually a pretty big cast considering this was a standard 20 episode series. But I’m actually not too surprised with the choice of artists, since this is series is supposed to be a fun comedy, so of course most of the cast will consist of comedic actors and actresses.
The only ‘complaint’ that I have with the series is the predictability of the storyline --it pretty much followed a formula that TVB has used before many times…just repackaged differently. Basically, I was able to guess what was going to happen from one scene to the next, which did take some of the excitement out of it. BUT, I’m actually ok with the so-so storyline because the cast pretty much made up for it. Plus, I didn’t find the series ‘boring’ at all and was actually looking forward to watching each episode (unlike a lot of the series that are made nowadays where I can barely sit through the first 5 episodes).
Also, the last episode of the series – the finale – seemed a bit rushed to me…I mean, it made sense the way they ended it and of course it would be a happy ending in accordance with the theme, but I just felt that the pace of the last episode was way too fast, to the point where it was a bit choppy. There were certain scenes were I felt like I may have missed something or it didn’t make sense how a certain part of the plot could happen so quickly – but I think this may be attributed to a poor editing job on the series (perhaps some scenes were cut out) rather than an actual issue with the script.
Overall, I really enjoyed this series and got quite a few good laughs out of it. Yes, there were some ‘cheesy’ parts, but nothing too ‘over-the-top’….for me at least, I felt that it combined the perfect amount of comedy and light drama. I would definitely recommend this series, especially for anyone who wants to watch a short comedic series that is both light-hearted and funny.
LL's Musings 小賢角落
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
"The Voice 2" -- Episode 15: Duets
After the ‘high’ from the last 2 weeks’ episodes (classic TV theme songs), I must say that this week’s episode was a new ‘low’ – I really didn’t like any of the performances, except for maybe Hubert and Penny’s performance at the beginning. I don’t know what happened this week, but everyone seemed to be really off – even the ones who have traditionally gotten high scores in the past didn’t do too well.
First, I must say that the judging seemed to get back to where it’s supposed to be (finally) – the judges were pretty fair this time around and gave low scores where deserved rather than playing favorites (hey, maybe they learned something from Ruth Tsang the past 2 weeks!). There was only one contestant who received a score in the 80s (Hubert) – everyone else received scores in the 70s, which meant that the judges were being very tight with the scores this time around – of course this is perfectly fine with me, since none of the contestants did particularly well anyway.
The only ‘good’ thing about this episode was that one of my least favorite contestants – Vivian Chan – finally got eliminated this time. Those who’ve been reading my V2-related posts know what I think about her singing…I’m glad the judges finally ‘woke up’ and figured out that her singing is not quite up to par. I don’t feel bad at all that she got eliminated, since I’ve always thought that she should have gotten eliminated a long time ago. Plus, I’m tired of hearing her say the same thing every week – that she will work on her ‘issues’ and ‘bad habits’ and improve the next time…well, obviously she still has the same issues with her singing or else she wouldn’t have to say that each week.
I also really didn’t like that Vivian was paired up with Sheldon, as he really could have done better if he was paired with someone else….he actually had to sing a couple octaves lower than usual because his voice really doesn’t blend well with Vivian’s extremely high-pitched one.
Also, I really was surprised that Mag gave such a poor performance this week – I’ve never liked her singing since the beginning, but she has been a ‘favorite’ among the judges as well as the audiences for some reason (I still don’t get why). Her singing was WAY too low and too nasally this time – to the point where I could barely understand a single word that she sang….I actually got goosebumps listening to her this time around.
Oh, and one thing I noticed from the previous few episodes, which I already thought was annoying but didn’t say anything because I was waiting to see if it would continue: basically, the 2 hosts talk WAY too much in the beginning of each episode – to the point where I’ve found myself telling them out loud to ‘cut to the chase’ and get on with the program. Plus, people tune in to watch the contestants singing and the judges commentary as well as scoring – no one really cares that much what the hosts say, so they don’t need a 10 minute monologue at the beginning of the program. What makes it even more annoying is that TVB has been ‘cutting’ a lot of the judges’ comments due to the time constraints – if that’s the case, then I would rather they cut the stupid banter between the hosts (which, btw is just nonsense most of the time and isn’t even funny) and include more of the judges’ comments.
Overall, I felt that this episode was extremely boring – it was obvious that none of the contestants put much effort in their performances this time around and it really affected the entire atmosphere of this episode.
First, I must say that the judging seemed to get back to where it’s supposed to be (finally) – the judges were pretty fair this time around and gave low scores where deserved rather than playing favorites (hey, maybe they learned something from Ruth Tsang the past 2 weeks!). There was only one contestant who received a score in the 80s (Hubert) – everyone else received scores in the 70s, which meant that the judges were being very tight with the scores this time around – of course this is perfectly fine with me, since none of the contestants did particularly well anyway.
The only ‘good’ thing about this episode was that one of my least favorite contestants – Vivian Chan – finally got eliminated this time. Those who’ve been reading my V2-related posts know what I think about her singing…I’m glad the judges finally ‘woke up’ and figured out that her singing is not quite up to par. I don’t feel bad at all that she got eliminated, since I’ve always thought that she should have gotten eliminated a long time ago. Plus, I’m tired of hearing her say the same thing every week – that she will work on her ‘issues’ and ‘bad habits’ and improve the next time…well, obviously she still has the same issues with her singing or else she wouldn’t have to say that each week.
I also really didn’t like that Vivian was paired up with Sheldon, as he really could have done better if he was paired with someone else….he actually had to sing a couple octaves lower than usual because his voice really doesn’t blend well with Vivian’s extremely high-pitched one.
Also, I really was surprised that Mag gave such a poor performance this week – I’ve never liked her singing since the beginning, but she has been a ‘favorite’ among the judges as well as the audiences for some reason (I still don’t get why). Her singing was WAY too low and too nasally this time – to the point where I could barely understand a single word that she sang….I actually got goosebumps listening to her this time around.
Oh, and one thing I noticed from the previous few episodes, which I already thought was annoying but didn’t say anything because I was waiting to see if it would continue: basically, the 2 hosts talk WAY too much in the beginning of each episode – to the point where I’ve found myself telling them out loud to ‘cut to the chase’ and get on with the program. Plus, people tune in to watch the contestants singing and the judges commentary as well as scoring – no one really cares that much what the hosts say, so they don’t need a 10 minute monologue at the beginning of the program. What makes it even more annoying is that TVB has been ‘cutting’ a lot of the judges’ comments due to the time constraints – if that’s the case, then I would rather they cut the stupid banter between the hosts (which, btw is just nonsense most of the time and isn’t even funny) and include more of the judges’ comments.
Overall, I felt that this episode was extremely boring – it was obvious that none of the contestants put much effort in their performances this time around and it really affected the entire atmosphere of this episode.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
My ‘TVB Rant’ # 4: Where’s Wong Hei??
I just saw something that I absolutely have to blog about – in my opinion, it’s another “injustice” by TVB (yea, what else is new?).
I was reading one of the older editions of TVB Magazine (Issue 677, dated 06/14/2010) and when I got to the ‘Drama Bible’ section (the ‘TV Guide’ section of the magazine with pictures and highlights from TVB’s currently airing series as well as episode summaries), I flipped through the section as I usually do. One of the series that started airing around that time was “Some Day” (天天天晴) – the new sitcom with Louise Lee, Teresa Mo, Wayne Lai, Wong Hei, Krystal Tin, Johnson Lee, etc. Since I like the cast (well, at least most of the cast) and the series just started airing, I figured I would flip through and read about the first few episodes.
As I was flipping through the section and looking at the pictures, I noticed something odd and a particular thought started formulating in my mind -- so I flipped back to the beginning of the section where the cast photo was so I could double check to see if maybe I was mistaken. After checking the cast photo, it turns out that I wasn’t mistaken after all and it further fueled something I was already thinking….
What was it that I ‘noticed’, you ask? I noticed that one of the ‘supposed’ main characters from the series is conspicuously missing from the cast photo and also pretty much relegated to 4th or 5th line artist in the cast listing. The artist I am referring to is Wong Hei.
Last time I checked, Wong He has always been considered a ‘first-line’ actor by audiences and by TVB (at least up to this point). I mean, he has starred as the main lead in numerous TVB series, his acting has always been at a pretty high level, and he has been at TVB for a long time – so in my book, he is considered a ‘siu sang’. But then why is he not in the cast photo, yet a lot of minor characters (some of which I don’t even know their names) are in it??? The answer is simple: TVB is playing their political ‘game’ again – their ‘favorites’ game….
Consider this: the male lead in this series is obviously Wayne Lai, as the series is pretty much supposed to revolve around him, Louise, and Teresa. That’s understandable, since Wayne was last year’s TV King and is a wonderfully awesome actor – so he gets the ‘middle spot’ in the cast photo (for the male side at least) and also ‘top billing’ on the cast list (again, for the male side). I have absolutely no problem with this at all, since Wayne is one of my favorite actors – in fact, I’m very happy that he is getting such recognition (though I must say that one funny thing is that at the time this magazine was published, Wayne had not even joined the cast of “Some Day” yet – he was wrapping filming of RB2 and would join the cast only in August).
Aside from Wayne, let’s look at the rest of the male artists participating in this series (the names are taken directly from the magazine): Wong Hei, Johnson Lee, Tsui Wing, Cheng Tse Sing, Law Tin Chi, Raymond Chiu, Matt Yeung, Geoffrey Wong, Jason Chan, plus the elder ‘green leaf’ veterans such as Lau Dan, Lau Kong, Lee Kar Ting, etc.
Out of this list, the ONLY person who is ‘lead’ material and has played numerous lead roles in TVB series in the last 7-8 years is obviously Wong He….everyone else is pretty much ‘supporting’ material and have never played leading roles in TVB series. So based on the above, one would logically think that with Wong Hei’s quality acting as well as tenure, he would be listed as ‘second lead’ on the male side – or at least have more ‘status’ than all the other male artists listed….
BUT, here’s the kicker – Wong Hei is not in the cast photo PERIOD….yet the other supporting and even minor characters ARE. Not only that, he is listed pretty low in the cast list – basically right before the minor characters and ‘green leaf’ veterans. Just so people can’t say I’m making things up, here’s the cast list from page 110 of the magazine (in the exact order as it is listed in the magazine): Louise Lee, Teresa Mo, Wayne Lai, Johnson Lee, Cheng Tse-Sing, Tsui Wing, Lee Lam Yan, Lau Dan, Krystal Tin, Aimee Chan, Raymond Chiu, Wong Hei, Candy Cheung, Lau Kong, Shuet Nei, Law Tin Chi, Jason Chan, Geoffrey Wong, Matt Yeung.
OK, I have to ask – WHAT THE HECK is TVB thinking???? I mean, not only is Wong Hei listed behind a bunch of supporting and green leaf actors, he’s also listed behind some guy (Lee Lam Yan) I’ve never even heard of!!! I would personally be insulted if I were Wong He.
So the big question is – why is TVB doing this to Wong Hei? Some can argue that perhaps he has a minor role in this series (though it doesn’t sound like it based on the summaries I’ve read so far). But I’ve got my own theory – basically, I feel that TVB is up to their old antics again – they pretty much hate Wong Hei (though they’ll never admit it) and are secretly ‘retaliating’ against him. Why do I think this? Several reasons:
1 – Wong He is no longer a contracted TVB employee – meaning that he no longer has a management contract with them (though I believe he still does have a regular artist contract with them that lists the specific number of ‘shows’ he needs to do for them). So from TVB’s perspective, who cares about Wong Hei? Just use him for his ‘name’ and popularity, then cast him aside.
2 – He is one of former GM Stephen Chan’s closest friends – not only has he continued to publicly support Stephen throughout the entire corruption ordeal, he has also visited him at home, gone to dinners with him, and was part of the ‘crew’ at Stephen’s press conference awhile back ago. Now, we all know the story of Stephen Chan’s downfall and the huge part that TVB played in it – TVB hates Stephen and since Wong Hei supports him (more than any other artist), they hate him too.
3- He is quite known in TVB for having a ‘fierce’ personality – meaning that he is quite independent and likes to do his own thing, which is sometimes viewed as being ‘difficult’. This also means of course that he is NOT ‘obedient’ to TVB (which is a big no-no) and therefore will not be a part of forwarding their stupid ‘political’ agenda (or play any of their ‘games’).
4- Wong Hei has absolutely no problems speaking out against TVB when they do something wrong – and he has certainly done it several times. Those who are familiar with TVB’s management (and politics) know that this is one of TVB’s biggest sore spots – they hate it when people criticize them or say something ‘unfavorable’ about them (even if it is the truth)!
To sum it up, what I am basically trying to say is that TVB is being petty again in this case – this is quite obvious with the way Wong Hei is being treated here.
Lastly, thank you for reading my long rant – all the above is purely my personal opinion and is not meant to convince anyone to lean toward one way or the other. Feel free to read it for what it is – a rant from a disappointed long-time TVB / HK Entertainment ‘follower’.
I was reading one of the older editions of TVB Magazine (Issue 677, dated 06/14/2010) and when I got to the ‘Drama Bible’ section (the ‘TV Guide’ section of the magazine with pictures and highlights from TVB’s currently airing series as well as episode summaries), I flipped through the section as I usually do. One of the series that started airing around that time was “Some Day” (天天天晴) – the new sitcom with Louise Lee, Teresa Mo, Wayne Lai, Wong Hei, Krystal Tin, Johnson Lee, etc. Since I like the cast (well, at least most of the cast) and the series just started airing, I figured I would flip through and read about the first few episodes.
As I was flipping through the section and looking at the pictures, I noticed something odd and a particular thought started formulating in my mind -- so I flipped back to the beginning of the section where the cast photo was so I could double check to see if maybe I was mistaken. After checking the cast photo, it turns out that I wasn’t mistaken after all and it further fueled something I was already thinking….
What was it that I ‘noticed’, you ask? I noticed that one of the ‘supposed’ main characters from the series is conspicuously missing from the cast photo and also pretty much relegated to 4th or 5th line artist in the cast listing. The artist I am referring to is Wong Hei.
Last time I checked, Wong He has always been considered a ‘first-line’ actor by audiences and by TVB (at least up to this point). I mean, he has starred as the main lead in numerous TVB series, his acting has always been at a pretty high level, and he has been at TVB for a long time – so in my book, he is considered a ‘siu sang’. But then why is he not in the cast photo, yet a lot of minor characters (some of which I don’t even know their names) are in it??? The answer is simple: TVB is playing their political ‘game’ again – their ‘favorites’ game….
Consider this: the male lead in this series is obviously Wayne Lai, as the series is pretty much supposed to revolve around him, Louise, and Teresa. That’s understandable, since Wayne was last year’s TV King and is a wonderfully awesome actor – so he gets the ‘middle spot’ in the cast photo (for the male side at least) and also ‘top billing’ on the cast list (again, for the male side). I have absolutely no problem with this at all, since Wayne is one of my favorite actors – in fact, I’m very happy that he is getting such recognition (though I must say that one funny thing is that at the time this magazine was published, Wayne had not even joined the cast of “Some Day” yet – he was wrapping filming of RB2 and would join the cast only in August).
Aside from Wayne, let’s look at the rest of the male artists participating in this series (the names are taken directly from the magazine): Wong Hei, Johnson Lee, Tsui Wing, Cheng Tse Sing, Law Tin Chi, Raymond Chiu, Matt Yeung, Geoffrey Wong, Jason Chan, plus the elder ‘green leaf’ veterans such as Lau Dan, Lau Kong, Lee Kar Ting, etc.
Out of this list, the ONLY person who is ‘lead’ material and has played numerous lead roles in TVB series in the last 7-8 years is obviously Wong He….everyone else is pretty much ‘supporting’ material and have never played leading roles in TVB series. So based on the above, one would logically think that with Wong Hei’s quality acting as well as tenure, he would be listed as ‘second lead’ on the male side – or at least have more ‘status’ than all the other male artists listed….
BUT, here’s the kicker – Wong Hei is not in the cast photo PERIOD….yet the other supporting and even minor characters ARE. Not only that, he is listed pretty low in the cast list – basically right before the minor characters and ‘green leaf’ veterans. Just so people can’t say I’m making things up, here’s the cast list from page 110 of the magazine (in the exact order as it is listed in the magazine): Louise Lee, Teresa Mo, Wayne Lai, Johnson Lee, Cheng Tse-Sing, Tsui Wing, Lee Lam Yan, Lau Dan, Krystal Tin, Aimee Chan, Raymond Chiu, Wong Hei, Candy Cheung, Lau Kong, Shuet Nei, Law Tin Chi, Jason Chan, Geoffrey Wong, Matt Yeung.
OK, I have to ask – WHAT THE HECK is TVB thinking???? I mean, not only is Wong Hei listed behind a bunch of supporting and green leaf actors, he’s also listed behind some guy (Lee Lam Yan) I’ve never even heard of!!! I would personally be insulted if I were Wong He.
So the big question is – why is TVB doing this to Wong Hei? Some can argue that perhaps he has a minor role in this series (though it doesn’t sound like it based on the summaries I’ve read so far). But I’ve got my own theory – basically, I feel that TVB is up to their old antics again – they pretty much hate Wong Hei (though they’ll never admit it) and are secretly ‘retaliating’ against him. Why do I think this? Several reasons:
1 – Wong He is no longer a contracted TVB employee – meaning that he no longer has a management contract with them (though I believe he still does have a regular artist contract with them that lists the specific number of ‘shows’ he needs to do for them). So from TVB’s perspective, who cares about Wong Hei? Just use him for his ‘name’ and popularity, then cast him aside.
2 – He is one of former GM Stephen Chan’s closest friends – not only has he continued to publicly support Stephen throughout the entire corruption ordeal, he has also visited him at home, gone to dinners with him, and was part of the ‘crew’ at Stephen’s press conference awhile back ago. Now, we all know the story of Stephen Chan’s downfall and the huge part that TVB played in it – TVB hates Stephen and since Wong Hei supports him (more than any other artist), they hate him too.
3- He is quite known in TVB for having a ‘fierce’ personality – meaning that he is quite independent and likes to do his own thing, which is sometimes viewed as being ‘difficult’. This also means of course that he is NOT ‘obedient’ to TVB (which is a big no-no) and therefore will not be a part of forwarding their stupid ‘political’ agenda (or play any of their ‘games’).
4- Wong Hei has absolutely no problems speaking out against TVB when they do something wrong – and he has certainly done it several times. Those who are familiar with TVB’s management (and politics) know that this is one of TVB’s biggest sore spots – they hate it when people criticize them or say something ‘unfavorable’ about them (even if it is the truth)!
To sum it up, what I am basically trying to say is that TVB is being petty again in this case – this is quite obvious with the way Wong Hei is being treated here.
Lastly, thank you for reading my long rant – all the above is purely my personal opinion and is not meant to convince anyone to lean toward one way or the other. Feel free to read it for what it is – a rant from a disappointed long-time TVB / HK Entertainment ‘follower’.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Thoughts on “The Voice 2” – Episode 14
First, I have to ask – did TVB cut out a lot of the commentary? Because some of the stuff I saw in the preview did not actually happen – like some of the comments that the judges made during the preview didn’t even air….for example, Hanjin’s comments from the preview about how he felt that someone was “going against the band” and also the part where he asked why one of the contestants wouldn’t take the judges’ opinion to heart (regarding someone singing in a higher pitch rather than lower)…I was actually scratching my head after the show and was like…WTH??? That’s one of the biggest things I hate about watching TVB’s variety shows on TV overseas – they cut out A LOT of stuff – this isn’t the first time….they’ve done this on almost every single variety show that they’ve aired here in the U.S….that’s why I don’t even bother watching some of the shows (like the anniversary gala and other specials) on TV, since it’s edited so badly that the show ends up not making sense.
Anyway, back to the actual performances – this episode was actually a continuation of last week’s “Classic TV Themesongs” edition, so of course, I was waiting to see what was going to happen.
Overall, I must say that I was disappointed with this episode again because even though it was one of the themes that I liked (classic TV theme songs) and I knew every single song, the judging sort of sucked….I didn’t understand why certain judges gave the scores that they did…especially the scores for Vivian.
Since I was really paying attention to this episode, I decided that this time around, I would do the review a little differently and actually comment on each of the 6 contestants who performed instead of just a few of them. So here goes…
Sheldon – sang the themesong from “Triumph in the Skies” (originally sung by Eason Chan)
>> His performance was actually ok, in my opinion. True, there was not enough emotion to the singing and he did sing some of the lyrics wrong (he needs to continue working on his Chinese), but overall, his performance was very pleasing to the ears. Plus he really started getting better near the end of the performance (probably because he was less nervous and felt more comfortable) – in fact, I was actually starting to enjoy the performance near the end…too bad it wasn’t consistent though (meaning he was a bit unsteady in the beginning and middle parts). The other thing I like about Sheldon though is his positive attitude – he comes across as very carefree and happy-go-lucky and seems to be the only one (I feel at least) from V2 who does not give off the impression of being arrogant and the “I’ll do as I please” feeling.
Penny – sang the theme song from “A House is Not a Home” (originally sung by Roman Tam)
>> Ok, I have to admit that I was quite disappointed with Penny’s performance. After being ‘blown away’ by his “The Challenger” performance with Mimi Lo, I actually expected more from him. But this performance was very shaky and he sang it WAY TOO HIGH!!!! I was wondering throughout his entire performance why the heck he chose to sing the song so high – especially since the original singer Roman Tam had a famously beautiful deep voice that was extremely powerful (hence the reason why he was able to sing so many classic, beautifully written, powerful songs). Also, because Penny sang higher than usual, his pitch and tone were really off and even borderline shaky at certain points – you could actually tell that he was out of his comfort level…
Deep – sang the subtheme song from the Taiwan series “Romance in the Rain” (originally sung by Vicki Zhao and Leo Ku – both have their own versions of the song)
>> I actually liked Deep’s performance the best (well, I guess it helps that I love this series and am very familiar with all the songs in it as well). Her performance was very comfortable and sounded very nice -- I especially liked how she had a smile on her face the entire time, which is perfect because it helped her express the song better and it fit exactly with the ‘atmosphere’ of the song. (Though I must say as a sidenote that I like Vicki Zhao’s version better because you can actually feel the “happiness” and “sweetness” to the song when she sings it). Anyway, I also actually agree with the judges (for once…lol) in terms of Deep’s performance – basically that Deep did a good job overall, though in terms of skill and other technical stuff (like singing certain parts with more power and strength rather than just using a loud voice), she could have done better.
Shadow –sang the theme song from “Beauty of the Game” (originally sung by Denise Ho)
>> I didn’t like Shadow’s performance at all – her pitch and tone were off at certain places and the overall ‘feel’ of the song was a bit weird….I also felt like she was trying too hard not to ‘yell and scream’ (since of course it would be inappropriate to ‘scream’ like a maniac while singing a slow song). My opinion is that she is absolutely not cut out for slow songs at all – her performance just didn’t sound natural. This performance proves my point that she can’t sing and has been covering up her lack of singing skill with crazy yelling and screaming (of course, this means that I disagree with Anthony Lun’s comment about her actually knowing how to sing because that didn’t come across to me at all).
I also have a huge problem with the scoring of Shadow’s performance – she actually received the lowest score out of this batch of contestants (the 6 who performed this week), but it was still enough to keep her out of the “elimination zone” (she got a 75.4 – the “passing” score is 75). I noticed that out of the 5 judges, 4 of them gave her a score in the low 70s (less than 75), yet one of them gave her a score of 79…I am pretty sure that the 79 score is what put her over the “passing” mark and therefore put her in the “safe” zone. I am very interested to know who that 1 judge is that gave her a high mark (I think I know, but since I’m not 100% sure, don’t want to unfairly accuse).
Vivian – sang the theme song from “Golden Faith” (originally sung by Gallen Lo)
>>OMG, I hated her performance (even more than I hated Shadow’s performance) – her voice is WAY TOO HIGH, her pitch was very unsteady, and she was off-key in quite a few places. Plus she has a bit of a ‘slur’ when she talks/sings, so at some parts, I couldn’t understand what she was singing (or saying either). Also, since her voice is SO high-pitched, it’s actually hard for her to carry certain notes, so some parts of the song feel very ‘abrupt’ – and of course, as usual, her voice always sounds like it is on the verge of cracking. And as one of the judges said, she sounded more like she was ‘reading’ the lyrics more than ‘singing’ them, so to me, there wasn’t much emotion in the song at all (though Sammy appears to love her – but he’s only the host and part of his job is to be neutral / positive, so can’t blame him for praising everyone – even if they suck). Btw, her singing still gives me the goosebumps!
Again, I have a huge problem with the scoring….one of the judges (I believe it was Anthony) actually said that she only sang 1 line beautifully and the rest of it was so-so (which any normal person would interpret as ‘she needs work’…) – yet, she got a really high score (81.2, which is quite high, considering the highest score with both eps combined was around 84 and elimination was at 75 – plus most of the others got scores in the high 70s or low 80s). Ok, so if the judges are telling her that her performance wasn’t quite up to par (which, based on some of the other comments, that was the impression I got), then why did they give her such high scores (AGAIN)??!!!!??!!! They are obviously favoring her again….
Oh, one more thing…. STOP THE CRYING ALREADY!!!! It’s like, every single time Vivian performs, she either cries or looks like she is on the verge of tears….can’t stand it – very annoying…
Brian – sang the subtheme song from “Healing Hands” (originally sung by William So)
>> I actually thought Brian’s rendition wasn’t too bad – true, it wasn’t the best, but it was a lot better than a lot of the other contestants. I actually agree with Hanjin when he said that this could very well be Brian’s ‘representative work’ to date – he was pretty steady with his performance and showed emotion when he sang (though of course it can’t compare to the original version by William So, who has a very awesome, powerful voice).
I was surprised that Brian’s score was low (though definitely not the lowest) – I definitely feel that he should have gotten higher than Vivian because his overall performance was better. And the judges’ comments were pretty positive with regard to his performance (except for the comment about his breathing), so I don’t understand the low score at all….
*=*=*
In terms of who ended up getting eliminated after all was said and done, of course it was Kenson, since he was the only contestant who fell into the ‘elimination zone’ (scored lower than 75 points).
I’m actually quite disappointed that Kenson got eliminated over Vivian and Shadow -- not that I like Kenson or anything, but at least his performance was way better than the 2 ladies in terms of overall effectiveness and consistency. And I must admit that he has the most “stage presence” among all of the contestants – meaning he moved his body and hands and actually had facial expression – which we all know is important for a singer to have. In fact, when he sang the “Witness to a Prosecution” themesong (originally sung by Eason Chan) in last week’s episode as well as when he sang it today after he was eliminated, I could actually feel some of that Eason-type jumpy personality thing ….which means that the song actually worked well and fit him.
I would have preferred that none of the contestants fell into the ‘elimination zone’ because that meant that the judges would have to pick someone to eliminate from those who got low scores (which means of course that there was a huge chance of Shadow being eliminated, since she had the 2nd lowest score)…however, as I said earlier, her score was skewed, so she just barely made it into ‘safe’ territory.
Overall, I definitely did not enjoy this episode as much as I did the previous one – for obvious reasons. I think I'll just leave it at that...
Anyway, back to the actual performances – this episode was actually a continuation of last week’s “Classic TV Themesongs” edition, so of course, I was waiting to see what was going to happen.
Overall, I must say that I was disappointed with this episode again because even though it was one of the themes that I liked (classic TV theme songs) and I knew every single song, the judging sort of sucked….I didn’t understand why certain judges gave the scores that they did…especially the scores for Vivian.
Since I was really paying attention to this episode, I decided that this time around, I would do the review a little differently and actually comment on each of the 6 contestants who performed instead of just a few of them. So here goes…
Sheldon – sang the themesong from “Triumph in the Skies” (originally sung by Eason Chan)
>> His performance was actually ok, in my opinion. True, there was not enough emotion to the singing and he did sing some of the lyrics wrong (he needs to continue working on his Chinese), but overall, his performance was very pleasing to the ears. Plus he really started getting better near the end of the performance (probably because he was less nervous and felt more comfortable) – in fact, I was actually starting to enjoy the performance near the end…too bad it wasn’t consistent though (meaning he was a bit unsteady in the beginning and middle parts). The other thing I like about Sheldon though is his positive attitude – he comes across as very carefree and happy-go-lucky and seems to be the only one (I feel at least) from V2 who does not give off the impression of being arrogant and the “I’ll do as I please” feeling.
Penny – sang the theme song from “A House is Not a Home” (originally sung by Roman Tam)
>> Ok, I have to admit that I was quite disappointed with Penny’s performance. After being ‘blown away’ by his “The Challenger” performance with Mimi Lo, I actually expected more from him. But this performance was very shaky and he sang it WAY TOO HIGH!!!! I was wondering throughout his entire performance why the heck he chose to sing the song so high – especially since the original singer Roman Tam had a famously beautiful deep voice that was extremely powerful (hence the reason why he was able to sing so many classic, beautifully written, powerful songs). Also, because Penny sang higher than usual, his pitch and tone were really off and even borderline shaky at certain points – you could actually tell that he was out of his comfort level…
Deep – sang the subtheme song from the Taiwan series “Romance in the Rain” (originally sung by Vicki Zhao and Leo Ku – both have their own versions of the song)
>> I actually liked Deep’s performance the best (well, I guess it helps that I love this series and am very familiar with all the songs in it as well). Her performance was very comfortable and sounded very nice -- I especially liked how she had a smile on her face the entire time, which is perfect because it helped her express the song better and it fit exactly with the ‘atmosphere’ of the song. (Though I must say as a sidenote that I like Vicki Zhao’s version better because you can actually feel the “happiness” and “sweetness” to the song when she sings it). Anyway, I also actually agree with the judges (for once…lol) in terms of Deep’s performance – basically that Deep did a good job overall, though in terms of skill and other technical stuff (like singing certain parts with more power and strength rather than just using a loud voice), she could have done better.
Shadow –sang the theme song from “Beauty of the Game” (originally sung by Denise Ho)
>> I didn’t like Shadow’s performance at all – her pitch and tone were off at certain places and the overall ‘feel’ of the song was a bit weird….I also felt like she was trying too hard not to ‘yell and scream’ (since of course it would be inappropriate to ‘scream’ like a maniac while singing a slow song). My opinion is that she is absolutely not cut out for slow songs at all – her performance just didn’t sound natural. This performance proves my point that she can’t sing and has been covering up her lack of singing skill with crazy yelling and screaming (of course, this means that I disagree with Anthony Lun’s comment about her actually knowing how to sing because that didn’t come across to me at all).
I also have a huge problem with the scoring of Shadow’s performance – she actually received the lowest score out of this batch of contestants (the 6 who performed this week), but it was still enough to keep her out of the “elimination zone” (she got a 75.4 – the “passing” score is 75). I noticed that out of the 5 judges, 4 of them gave her a score in the low 70s (less than 75), yet one of them gave her a score of 79…I am pretty sure that the 79 score is what put her over the “passing” mark and therefore put her in the “safe” zone. I am very interested to know who that 1 judge is that gave her a high mark (I think I know, but since I’m not 100% sure, don’t want to unfairly accuse).
Vivian – sang the theme song from “Golden Faith” (originally sung by Gallen Lo)
>>OMG, I hated her performance (even more than I hated Shadow’s performance) – her voice is WAY TOO HIGH, her pitch was very unsteady, and she was off-key in quite a few places. Plus she has a bit of a ‘slur’ when she talks/sings, so at some parts, I couldn’t understand what she was singing (or saying either). Also, since her voice is SO high-pitched, it’s actually hard for her to carry certain notes, so some parts of the song feel very ‘abrupt’ – and of course, as usual, her voice always sounds like it is on the verge of cracking. And as one of the judges said, she sounded more like she was ‘reading’ the lyrics more than ‘singing’ them, so to me, there wasn’t much emotion in the song at all (though Sammy appears to love her – but he’s only the host and part of his job is to be neutral / positive, so can’t blame him for praising everyone – even if they suck). Btw, her singing still gives me the goosebumps!
Again, I have a huge problem with the scoring….one of the judges (I believe it was Anthony) actually said that she only sang 1 line beautifully and the rest of it was so-so (which any normal person would interpret as ‘she needs work’…) – yet, she got a really high score (81.2, which is quite high, considering the highest score with both eps combined was around 84 and elimination was at 75 – plus most of the others got scores in the high 70s or low 80s). Ok, so if the judges are telling her that her performance wasn’t quite up to par (which, based on some of the other comments, that was the impression I got), then why did they give her such high scores (AGAIN)??!!!!??!!! They are obviously favoring her again….
Oh, one more thing…. STOP THE CRYING ALREADY!!!! It’s like, every single time Vivian performs, she either cries or looks like she is on the verge of tears….can’t stand it – very annoying…
Brian – sang the subtheme song from “Healing Hands” (originally sung by William So)
>> I actually thought Brian’s rendition wasn’t too bad – true, it wasn’t the best, but it was a lot better than a lot of the other contestants. I actually agree with Hanjin when he said that this could very well be Brian’s ‘representative work’ to date – he was pretty steady with his performance and showed emotion when he sang (though of course it can’t compare to the original version by William So, who has a very awesome, powerful voice).
I was surprised that Brian’s score was low (though definitely not the lowest) – I definitely feel that he should have gotten higher than Vivian because his overall performance was better. And the judges’ comments were pretty positive with regard to his performance (except for the comment about his breathing), so I don’t understand the low score at all….
*=*=*
In terms of who ended up getting eliminated after all was said and done, of course it was Kenson, since he was the only contestant who fell into the ‘elimination zone’ (scored lower than 75 points).
I’m actually quite disappointed that Kenson got eliminated over Vivian and Shadow -- not that I like Kenson or anything, but at least his performance was way better than the 2 ladies in terms of overall effectiveness and consistency. And I must admit that he has the most “stage presence” among all of the contestants – meaning he moved his body and hands and actually had facial expression – which we all know is important for a singer to have. In fact, when he sang the “Witness to a Prosecution” themesong (originally sung by Eason Chan) in last week’s episode as well as when he sang it today after he was eliminated, I could actually feel some of that Eason-type jumpy personality thing ….which means that the song actually worked well and fit him.
I would have preferred that none of the contestants fell into the ‘elimination zone’ because that meant that the judges would have to pick someone to eliminate from those who got low scores (which means of course that there was a huge chance of Shadow being eliminated, since she had the 2nd lowest score)…however, as I said earlier, her score was skewed, so she just barely made it into ‘safe’ territory.
Overall, I definitely did not enjoy this episode as much as I did the previous one – for obvious reasons. I think I'll just leave it at that...
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Thoughts on this week's episode of "The Voice 2" (classic theme song edition)
Ok, here’s my weekly review of the latest episode of the “The Voice 2”. Since last week’s episode was pre-empted due to the MHK pageant, it has pretty much been 2 weeks since I last watched the show – which perhaps was a good thing because the previous episode really left a bad taste in my mouth….so having the longer lag time between that episode and this one helped wash away a little bit of the bad stuff from last episode.
In this week (and next week’s) episode, the theme is “classic TV theme songs” – so each of the contestants choose a theme or subtheme song from one of TVB’s series to sing. This definitely works for me because FOR ONCE, I actually know the songs that the contestants are singing (a lot of the songs that they picked previously were so obscure or from artists I don’t listen to) – since I’ve watched so many series and know almost all of the classic theme songs from the previous few decades.
Anyway, in terms of the contestants’ performances this time around, I must say that so far, with only the first 6 performing, I haven’t found anything particularly horrifying yet -- not sure if it’s because they chose the right songs this time around or some of them actually started taking the judges’ feedback to heart and are working hard to improve. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this particular episode of the show – not to mention it’s the first episode this year where I have not walked away criticizing everyone like crazy.
I think the other reason why I enjoyed this episode was because 2 of my least favorite contestants – Vivian and Shadow – didn’t perform (they’re slated for next week’s episode)…so I didn’t have to sit through the torture of having to hear them sing (thank goodness!!!).
In terms of this week’s episode….I must say that this time around, Ng Yip Kwun really did a good job – I was actually surprised because in the past few episodes, he has been very unsteady and his performances were horrible (to the point where I was yelling at the judges for not eliminating him already)….this time though, it’s obvious he put some effort into his performance – or perhaps the song that he chose was perfect for him. Either way, I have to give him credit for this particular performance, though it doesn’t erase the negative impression I already have from his previous performances . Of course, if he wants to “make it” to the end, he has to continue like he did this episode and not be so “hit and miss” and unsteady with his singing.
I also wanted to comment on Mag’s performance….contrary to popular opinion, I actually don’t like her singing much – even since the beginning, when everyone kept saying that she sings well, I’ve always felt that her singing is actually not that great. The problem is that her singing is way too “nasally” – it always sounds like she has a stuffy nose or something…plus add to that the fact that her Chinese pronunciation is not that great (which the judges have been pointing out for a long time now) – half the time, when she sings, I can’t understand her. I really did NOT like her performance this week at all and felt that she was the worst of the 6 (though the judges once again thought differently, which I totally can’t understand – maybe they are giving her sympathy points because she has an issue with her nose that affects her singing??). Anyway, the song she chose to sing is one of my favorites from the “after 2000s” decade (Joyce Cheng’s “No One Is Perfect” -- the theme song from "Off Pedder"). I honestly felt that Mag ruined the song because she added all that stuff to it (the humming in between sections, the ‘yeas’ and ‘hmms’ at the end of certain phrases, etc.) – Joyce’s version is WAAAAYYYY better (of course, she doesn’t have the beautiful voice that Joyce has either). She actually got one of the higher scores of the night, which I thought was a bit surprising because her performance was not that great (hence my assumption that the judges are giving her sympathy points).
Lastly, I wanted to also comment on Hubert’s rendition of the theme song from "Point of No Return" (originally sung by Julian Cheung Chi-Lam) – he also did a pretty good job with the song in terms of technique and handling some of the difficult parts (the end notes) pretty well, which is good. However, I must disagree with the judge Hanjin’s comment that he sang it better than the original singer – no one can sing that song better than Chi-Lam, and Hubert definitely was not even close. Chi-Lam has a very unique way of singing and these types of love ballads are his specialty (I always get teary-eyed when I hear him sing these ballads because he sings with so much emotion) – I definitely did not get that feeling with Hubert’s rendition. Hubert did a good job in terms of the technical aspect, but still has a ways to go with the emotional piece – he has improved a lot, but not exactly where he needs to be yet.
Overall, definitely the most enjoyable episode for me so far this year (I think if said this several times already). However, I don’t think the “enjoyable” piece is going to last because based on the preview of next week’s episode, looks like a few people’s performances are going to be REALLY bad (plus it’s Vivian’s and Shadow’s turns to sing)….
In this week (and next week’s) episode, the theme is “classic TV theme songs” – so each of the contestants choose a theme or subtheme song from one of TVB’s series to sing. This definitely works for me because FOR ONCE, I actually know the songs that the contestants are singing (a lot of the songs that they picked previously were so obscure or from artists I don’t listen to) – since I’ve watched so many series and know almost all of the classic theme songs from the previous few decades.
Anyway, in terms of the contestants’ performances this time around, I must say that so far, with only the first 6 performing, I haven’t found anything particularly horrifying yet -- not sure if it’s because they chose the right songs this time around or some of them actually started taking the judges’ feedback to heart and are working hard to improve. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this particular episode of the show – not to mention it’s the first episode this year where I have not walked away criticizing everyone like crazy.
I think the other reason why I enjoyed this episode was because 2 of my least favorite contestants – Vivian and Shadow – didn’t perform (they’re slated for next week’s episode)…so I didn’t have to sit through the torture of having to hear them sing (thank goodness!!!).
In terms of this week’s episode….I must say that this time around, Ng Yip Kwun really did a good job – I was actually surprised because in the past few episodes, he has been very unsteady and his performances were horrible (to the point where I was yelling at the judges for not eliminating him already)….this time though, it’s obvious he put some effort into his performance – or perhaps the song that he chose was perfect for him. Either way, I have to give him credit for this particular performance, though it doesn’t erase the negative impression I already have from his previous performances . Of course, if he wants to “make it” to the end, he has to continue like he did this episode and not be so “hit and miss” and unsteady with his singing.
I also wanted to comment on Mag’s performance….contrary to popular opinion, I actually don’t like her singing much – even since the beginning, when everyone kept saying that she sings well, I’ve always felt that her singing is actually not that great. The problem is that her singing is way too “nasally” – it always sounds like she has a stuffy nose or something…plus add to that the fact that her Chinese pronunciation is not that great (which the judges have been pointing out for a long time now) – half the time, when she sings, I can’t understand her. I really did NOT like her performance this week at all and felt that she was the worst of the 6 (though the judges once again thought differently, which I totally can’t understand – maybe they are giving her sympathy points because she has an issue with her nose that affects her singing??). Anyway, the song she chose to sing is one of my favorites from the “after 2000s” decade (Joyce Cheng’s “No One Is Perfect” -- the theme song from "Off Pedder"). I honestly felt that Mag ruined the song because she added all that stuff to it (the humming in between sections, the ‘yeas’ and ‘hmms’ at the end of certain phrases, etc.) – Joyce’s version is WAAAAYYYY better (of course, she doesn’t have the beautiful voice that Joyce has either). She actually got one of the higher scores of the night, which I thought was a bit surprising because her performance was not that great (hence my assumption that the judges are giving her sympathy points).
Lastly, I wanted to also comment on Hubert’s rendition of the theme song from "Point of No Return" (originally sung by Julian Cheung Chi-Lam) – he also did a pretty good job with the song in terms of technique and handling some of the difficult parts (the end notes) pretty well, which is good. However, I must disagree with the judge Hanjin’s comment that he sang it better than the original singer – no one can sing that song better than Chi-Lam, and Hubert definitely was not even close. Chi-Lam has a very unique way of singing and these types of love ballads are his specialty (I always get teary-eyed when I hear him sing these ballads because he sings with so much emotion) – I definitely did not get that feeling with Hubert’s rendition. Hubert did a good job in terms of the technical aspect, but still has a ways to go with the emotional piece – he has improved a lot, but not exactly where he needs to be yet.
Overall, definitely the most enjoyable episode for me so far this year (I think if said this several times already). However, I don’t think the “enjoyable” piece is going to last because based on the preview of next week’s episode, looks like a few people’s performances are going to be REALLY bad (plus it’s Vivian’s and Shadow’s turns to sing)….
Monday, August 2, 2010
Miss Hong Kong 2010 -- My Thoughts....
I was waiting to watch "The Voice" today as I typically do every week. However, I didn't realize that "The Voice" was 'bumped' today because of the Miss Hong Kong 2010 pageant. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on watching the MHK pageant because I lost interest starting in the year 2000 when the quality of the contest started going down (all the old hosts were gone, the guest performers are lackluster, etc.). But I figured since it was on TV, might as well just leave it on as "background" (and continue my multi-tasking as usual).
After watching this year's show, I realize that in the 10 years that I stopped watching the pageant, I made the right decision....the show was sooo boring...and the winners were a joke (though not surprised, since the MHK contestants have been getting worse and worse the past couple years).
I was reading the MHK thread in Asian Fanatics and someone had posted the below quote that HK viewers have been commenting:
「港姐不再是美貌與智慧並重，而是後臺與背景最重。」
I must say that I absolutely agree with this comment...that's why the past couple years, after almost every Miss HK competition, there are rumors of the pageant being rigged -- versus back in the 80s and 90s, you rarely heard this (I've been following the MHK pageants since the 80s and stopped after 2000, since the quality started going down big time). There are many instances, but the ones that come to mind immediately are: the 2008 winner (the one who basically took "sick leave" for like 2 years after she won the crown and totally did not fulfill any of her MHK responsibilities) was said to have "connections" with one of the judges and this year's winner is rumored to have a relationship with the young master of Hong Thai travel (one of the sponsors of the MHK pageant).
The most obvious instance of the show being rigged is that one year when TVB.COM "accidently" posted the winners of that year's MHK pageant on their website BEFORE the show even took place...of course, they took the post down moments later (and again made one of their workers a scapegoat for the "accident")...
I'm actually not surprised that TVB rigged the pageant -- it's so typical of what they do...plus it can't be a coincidence that many of the winners in the past 10 years (not just the winner of the crown, but the runner ups as well) are relatives of someone who worked for or is somehow associated with TVB....
Anyway, back to this year's show -- No. 5 (Lisa Chong) getting 2nd runner up was totally rigged, as she is not pretty at all -- I watched the actual pageant as well as all the previews leading up to the pageant -- and she looked absolutely horrific....
Overall, nothing exciting about the MHK pageant this year -- in fact, there hasn't been anything exciting about the pageant in years....the guest performances were lackluster, the hosting was so-so....the pageant has definitely lost the "elegance" that it used to have...if any of you have watched the MHK pageants from the 80s and 90s, you'll know exactly what I mean -- the hosts back then (Ivan Ho, Lawrence Cheng, Philip Chan) had so much more class and the performers were all the biggest names in the entertainment industry (for example: the 4 Kings). The pageants nowadays are boring and definitely not an event to look forward to -- I don't see anything "grand" about it.
The ONLY part I liked about this year's pageant was the "tribute" to previous MHK winners It was refreshing to see some familiar faces -- for instance, some of the winners from the 80s and 90s as well as after 2000. I was especially glad to see Noelle Leung -- hadn't seen her in a long time, since she is happily retired now....
After watching this year's show, I realize that in the 10 years that I stopped watching the pageant, I made the right decision....the show was sooo boring...and the winners were a joke (though not surprised, since the MHK contestants have been getting worse and worse the past couple years).
I was reading the MHK thread in Asian Fanatics and someone had posted the below quote that HK viewers have been commenting:
「港姐不再是美貌與智慧並重，而是後臺與背景最重。」
I must say that I absolutely agree with this comment...that's why the past couple years, after almost every Miss HK competition, there are rumors of the pageant being rigged -- versus back in the 80s and 90s, you rarely heard this (I've been following the MHK pageants since the 80s and stopped after 2000, since the quality started going down big time). There are many instances, but the ones that come to mind immediately are: the 2008 winner (the one who basically took "sick leave" for like 2 years after she won the crown and totally did not fulfill any of her MHK responsibilities) was said to have "connections" with one of the judges and this year's winner is rumored to have a relationship with the young master of Hong Thai travel (one of the sponsors of the MHK pageant).
The most obvious instance of the show being rigged is that one year when TVB.COM "accidently" posted the winners of that year's MHK pageant on their website BEFORE the show even took place...of course, they took the post down moments later (and again made one of their workers a scapegoat for the "accident")...
I'm actually not surprised that TVB rigged the pageant -- it's so typical of what they do...plus it can't be a coincidence that many of the winners in the past 10 years (not just the winner of the crown, but the runner ups as well) are relatives of someone who worked for or is somehow associated with TVB....
Anyway, back to this year's show -- No. 5 (Lisa Chong) getting 2nd runner up was totally rigged, as she is not pretty at all -- I watched the actual pageant as well as all the previews leading up to the pageant -- and she looked absolutely horrific....
Overall, nothing exciting about the MHK pageant this year -- in fact, there hasn't been anything exciting about the pageant in years....the guest performances were lackluster, the hosting was so-so....the pageant has definitely lost the "elegance" that it used to have...if any of you have watched the MHK pageants from the 80s and 90s, you'll know exactly what I mean -- the hosts back then (Ivan Ho, Lawrence Cheng, Philip Chan) had so much more class and the performers were all the biggest names in the entertainment industry (for example: the 4 Kings). The pageants nowadays are boring and definitely not an event to look forward to -- I don't see anything "grand" about it.
The ONLY part I liked about this year's pageant was the "tribute" to previous MHK winners It was refreshing to see some familiar faces -- for instance, some of the winners from the 80s and 90s as well as after 2000. I was especially glad to see Noelle Leung -- hadn't seen her in a long time, since she is happily retired now....
Sunday, July 25, 2010
"The Voice 2" -- More Thoughts (Episode 12)
I’ve been blogging a lot about “The Voice 2” recently because that’s pretty much one of the few shows I’ve been watching recently (since most of the series on TV have either not been too interesting or I haven’t had time to watch).
Anyway, at this point, I am thinking about giving up on watching “The Voice 2” as well because I’ve been very disappointed with the judging the last couple episodes. Ever since Teresa Carpio left, the judging has really gone downhill – they’ve been eliminating people who are truly good singers and “keeping” people who really suck….
I just finished watching episode 12 (the 2nd half of the V1 versus V2 competition) and I must say that I absolutely disagreed with who the judges ended up eliminating. Out of the 3 competitors who scored lowest (Vivian Chan, Justin Lee, and Ng Yip Kwan), the 2 who obviously sang really poorly were Vivian and Ng Yip Kwan – Vivian was totally off-key with the song and even the judges said that her performance wasn’t up to par. And Ah Kwan’s performance was absolutely horrible -- not only that, but his attitude was bad as well…he looked absolutely arrogant when the judges commented on his performance being less than standard. And it seemed to me (both in the clips showing their practice session as well as actual performance) that he does not take the competition seriously and is just “playing” and so never even tries to do well. Out of the 3, Justin actually sang the best – not perfect, but at least he was steady and sounded good -- and he didn’t make my hairs stand up on my skin when he sang (unlike the other two)…..he just lacked some confidence and seemed a little nervous, but at least he didn’t go off-key. To my surprise, the person that the judges ended up eliminating was – Justin…
My question is – why did they eliminate Justin when it was obvious that Vivian and Ng Yip Kwan sang the worst? I absolutely don’t get it – and the comments that they gave him weren’t that bad either – it seems like overall their criticism of Vivian and Ah Kwan was more negative – yet they kept the 2 of them in the competition and got rid of the person who sang the best out of the 3 (and whom they did not give much negative criticism to). This is not the first time this happened – they did the same thing the last few times as well – the people they eliminated sang pretty well, yet the ones that they kept were really bad.
I’m not sure what is going on with the judges this season – it’s like the scores that they give are completely opposite from the comments / criticism they give. For instance, the last few episodes, there were a few contestants that they criticized to the point that it seemed like they thought their performances sucked, yet they ended up giving those contestants high scores. And the opposite as well – a few contestants whom they praised as doing a great job, they ended up giving low scores….
I can’t wait to see whether Teresa Carpio will actually return to “The Voice” as a judge – if she does, then I think things will definitely turn around in terms of the judging. But if she doesn’t come back, then I don’t know what is going to happen because to be honest, the V2 contestants have not been performing well at all and the caliber is definitely lower. I guess we will have to wait and see….
Anyway, at this point, I am thinking about giving up on watching “The Voice 2” as well because I’ve been very disappointed with the judging the last couple episodes. Ever since Teresa Carpio left, the judging has really gone downhill – they’ve been eliminating people who are truly good singers and “keeping” people who really suck….
I just finished watching episode 12 (the 2nd half of the V1 versus V2 competition) and I must say that I absolutely disagreed with who the judges ended up eliminating. Out of the 3 competitors who scored lowest (Vivian Chan, Justin Lee, and Ng Yip Kwan), the 2 who obviously sang really poorly were Vivian and Ng Yip Kwan – Vivian was totally off-key with the song and even the judges said that her performance wasn’t up to par. And Ah Kwan’s performance was absolutely horrible -- not only that, but his attitude was bad as well…he looked absolutely arrogant when the judges commented on his performance being less than standard. And it seemed to me (both in the clips showing their practice session as well as actual performance) that he does not take the competition seriously and is just “playing” and so never even tries to do well. Out of the 3, Justin actually sang the best – not perfect, but at least he was steady and sounded good -- and he didn’t make my hairs stand up on my skin when he sang (unlike the other two)…..he just lacked some confidence and seemed a little nervous, but at least he didn’t go off-key. To my surprise, the person that the judges ended up eliminating was – Justin…
My question is – why did they eliminate Justin when it was obvious that Vivian and Ng Yip Kwan sang the worst? I absolutely don’t get it – and the comments that they gave him weren’t that bad either – it seems like overall their criticism of Vivian and Ah Kwan was more negative – yet they kept the 2 of them in the competition and got rid of the person who sang the best out of the 3 (and whom they did not give much negative criticism to). This is not the first time this happened – they did the same thing the last few times as well – the people they eliminated sang pretty well, yet the ones that they kept were really bad.
I’m not sure what is going on with the judges this season – it’s like the scores that they give are completely opposite from the comments / criticism they give. For instance, the last few episodes, there were a few contestants that they criticized to the point that it seemed like they thought their performances sucked, yet they ended up giving those contestants high scores. And the opposite as well – a few contestants whom they praised as doing a great job, they ended up giving low scores….
I can’t wait to see whether Teresa Carpio will actually return to “The Voice” as a judge – if she does, then I think things will definitely turn around in terms of the judging. But if she doesn’t come back, then I don’t know what is going to happen because to be honest, the V2 contestants have not been performing well at all and the caliber is definitely lower. I guess we will have to wait and see….
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thoughts on "The Voice 2" -- episode 11
I just finished watching the V1 versus V2 episode as well and I must say that I agree with you....I've said this before, but I definitely like the V1 contestants better than V2. And it's not just about the technical skills -- sure, the V1 contestants have had a year to mature, so of course they will be "better" than the V2 contestants in terms of skill -- I'm talking primarily about attitude and overall feel. The V1 contestants had better attitudes for one (which is why they were more receptive of the judges' feedbacks/suggestions and therefore able to improve so much from when they started) and they have more of that "potential singer" feel....the V2 contestants on the other hand are more arrogant in terms of attitudes and to be honest, none of them give me that "rising star" feel.
Also, I've said this before but I'll say it again -- if I hear Shadow screaming like a lunatic one more time, I am seriously going to turn off the TV....the more I hear her sing, the more I dislike her. I really hope she gets eliminated soon because I can't stand her. And I totally agree with what Danny Summer said after her performance -- basically that singing "rock" doesn't necessarily mean you have to yell and scream like crazy.....I'm glad Danny said this because he is actually a long-time "rocker" himself, so he of course knows a thing or two about rock and therefore, his feedback would have more of an impact than if someone else were to say it. I doubt that Shadow is going to take his feedback to heart though because the impression she has given me so far is that she is very arrogant and doesn't care what the judges think (that's probably why she still can't sing well and relies on her yelling and screaming each episode to cover up her lack of skill).
Vivian is another one whom I can't stand....but since she didn't perform in this past week's episode, I will save my comments about her for next week.
And after watching the preview of the coming week's episode, I am not looking forward to it at all because it looks like they are going to bring the kid who got eliminated (the boy named Harddie) back on the show again to perform -- not sure if it's just for entertainment purposes or as part of the actual competition....if it is for competition purposes (like as in he will be scored for his performance), my question is -- why would TVB do that other than for commercial value? I mean, he was eliminated long ago for one, and two, it was already determined that he can't sing and is not ready to be in such a "grown up" competition....so what's the point??? Plus the V2 team is already "behind" in terms of the scoring and will need to work really hard to overtake the V1 team as it is, so why would they want to put someone in the competition who doesn't even belong there and could potentially bring them down? I mean, this isn't a game....it's supposed to be a serious singing competition -- well, I guess that goes to show how "seriously" TVB is taking this....
Also, I've said this before but I'll say it again -- if I hear Shadow screaming like a lunatic one more time, I am seriously going to turn off the TV....the more I hear her sing, the more I dislike her. I really hope she gets eliminated soon because I can't stand her. And I totally agree with what Danny Summer said after her performance -- basically that singing "rock" doesn't necessarily mean you have to yell and scream like crazy.....I'm glad Danny said this because he is actually a long-time "rocker" himself, so he of course knows a thing or two about rock and therefore, his feedback would have more of an impact than if someone else were to say it. I doubt that Shadow is going to take his feedback to heart though because the impression she has given me so far is that she is very arrogant and doesn't care what the judges think (that's probably why she still can't sing well and relies on her yelling and screaming each episode to cover up her lack of skill).
Vivian is another one whom I can't stand....but since she didn't perform in this past week's episode, I will save my comments about her for next week.
And after watching the preview of the coming week's episode, I am not looking forward to it at all because it looks like they are going to bring the kid who got eliminated (the boy named Harddie) back on the show again to perform -- not sure if it's just for entertainment purposes or as part of the actual competition....if it is for competition purposes (like as in he will be scored for his performance), my question is -- why would TVB do that other than for commercial value? I mean, he was eliminated long ago for one, and two, it was already determined that he can't sing and is not ready to be in such a "grown up" competition....so what's the point??? Plus the V2 team is already "behind" in terms of the scoring and will need to work really hard to overtake the V1 team as it is, so why would they want to put someone in the competition who doesn't even belong there and could potentially bring them down? I mean, this isn't a game....it's supposed to be a serious singing competition -- well, I guess that goes to show how "seriously" TVB is taking this....
Monday, July 12, 2010
Some Thoughts on "The Voice 2" and the Plight of HK Music
I haven't really been watching a lot of series lately (though I definitely have tons on my list that I still need to watch), so I've unfortunately been "slacking" with blog updates. Since I'm feeling a tad bit guilty (for not keeping up with blog updates), I figured that I would post something.....so here goes.....
I've been watching the singing competition "The Voice 2" every weekend and I must say that I am quite disappointed with the caliber (or lack thereof) of this season's contestants. And I'm also a little bit disappointed with the judging (BRING BACK TERESA CARPIO!!!!!)....or maybe perhaps I'm just too harsh when it comes to judging music, because to be honest, a few of the contestants that I felt should have been eliminated by now are still in the running (and a few that I thought were pretty good actually got booted).
For example, I really feel that Vivian Chan (the short skinny girl with the squeaky voice) should have been eliminated a long time ago -- her voice is so squeaky and she sings soooo high that I get goose bumps every time I hear her....plus she's been off-tune a couple times already. Yet, the judges seem to think that she is awesome (???) -- at least that's what it sounds like based on their comments (though last week, I'm not sure what happened because the judges would praise the contestants for being great, but then turn around and give them extremely low scores.....it's like their comments aren't in line with their scoring...weird). Anyway, I don't see what is so "awesome" about this girl -- plus I feel that she also needs an attitude adjustment....she comes across to me as very stuck-up and arrogant, which I absolutely cannot stand! If I were judging, I would have kicked her out long time ago (like right after Emily and Harddie got kicked out, since she seems to be of the same "mix" as them in terms of singing skill -- in my opinion at least). Ok, I admit that since I'm not a "pro", I may not be able to see the supposed "nuances" in her voice or her singing that the judges may see (and hence why they continue to let her pass), but speaking from the perspective of a regular audience member and a long-time music listener, her singing REALLY hurts my ears!
Another example is Shadow (I forgot her last name)...honestly, all she does is yell and scream when she sings (and I mean that literally -- anyone who has heard her knows exactly what I mean). And it's not just a normal scream, but one that I would describe as borderline 'bloodcurdling' (I'm surprised she hasn't totally ruined her throat by now). Yet, since she is doing the screaming all in the name of Rock (I guess you're supposed to yell and scream when singing rock songs??), the judges seem to be ok with it -- which, to be honest, is something I don't understand.... could it be that perhaps 1/2 of the judges are "rockers" so they appreciate that type of music more? But if we're talking about a mainstream singing competition, I would think that the focus should be on getting them to learn regular singing skills (like pitch, tone, pronunciation of lyrics, etc.) first, then branch off into other "specialty" fields such as rock, rap, etc. Yes, I do understand that each "singer" has their own style and perhaps Shadow's "strength" is in singing rock songs -- but by only singing rock songs where majority of the song is yelling and screaming, isn't that "taking shortcuts" in a sense? I mean, how can one truly hear correct pitch and tone, etc. if the entire song consists of yelling and all "skills" are masked by the loud music and screaming? You don't need skill to yell and scream -- heck, if that's what a singing competition is all about, then a 2 year old child can surely participate and win!!
These are just 2 examples that come to mind (though there are definitely more). The bottom line is that singing competitions in Hong Kong have definitely changed over the years (more like decades) – and NOT necessarily for the better. Part of it could be that there just aren't that many talented people out there anymore, but I think the more likely reason is because the standards are so much different now -- society has become so focused on "political correctness" nowadays that it seems we've all had to lower our standards to accommodate everyone for fear of "hurting their feelings" or be accused of being "insensitive" or "discriminatory." In the long run, this hurts society more than it helps....
I've been watching the singing competition "The Voice 2" every weekend and I must say that I am quite disappointed with the caliber (or lack thereof) of this season's contestants. And I'm also a little bit disappointed with the judging (BRING BACK TERESA CARPIO!!!!!)....or maybe perhaps I'm just too harsh when it comes to judging music, because to be honest, a few of the contestants that I felt should have been eliminated by now are still in the running (and a few that I thought were pretty good actually got booted).
For example, I really feel that Vivian Chan (the short skinny girl with the squeaky voice) should have been eliminated a long time ago -- her voice is so squeaky and she sings soooo high that I get goose bumps every time I hear her....plus she's been off-tune a couple times already. Yet, the judges seem to think that she is awesome (???) -- at least that's what it sounds like based on their comments (though last week, I'm not sure what happened because the judges would praise the contestants for being great, but then turn around and give them extremely low scores.....it's like their comments aren't in line with their scoring...weird). Anyway, I don't see what is so "awesome" about this girl -- plus I feel that she also needs an attitude adjustment....she comes across to me as very stuck-up and arrogant, which I absolutely cannot stand! If I were judging, I would have kicked her out long time ago (like right after Emily and Harddie got kicked out, since she seems to be of the same "mix" as them in terms of singing skill -- in my opinion at least). Ok, I admit that since I'm not a "pro", I may not be able to see the supposed "nuances" in her voice or her singing that the judges may see (and hence why they continue to let her pass), but speaking from the perspective of a regular audience member and a long-time music listener, her singing REALLY hurts my ears!
Another example is Shadow (I forgot her last name)...honestly, all she does is yell and scream when she sings (and I mean that literally -- anyone who has heard her knows exactly what I mean). And it's not just a normal scream, but one that I would describe as borderline 'bloodcurdling' (I'm surprised she hasn't totally ruined her throat by now). Yet, since she is doing the screaming all in the name of Rock (I guess you're supposed to yell and scream when singing rock songs??), the judges seem to be ok with it -- which, to be honest, is something I don't understand.... could it be that perhaps 1/2 of the judges are "rockers" so they appreciate that type of music more? But if we're talking about a mainstream singing competition, I would think that the focus should be on getting them to learn regular singing skills (like pitch, tone, pronunciation of lyrics, etc.) first, then branch off into other "specialty" fields such as rock, rap, etc. Yes, I do understand that each "singer" has their own style and perhaps Shadow's "strength" is in singing rock songs -- but by only singing rock songs where majority of the song is yelling and screaming, isn't that "taking shortcuts" in a sense? I mean, how can one truly hear correct pitch and tone, etc. if the entire song consists of yelling and all "skills" are masked by the loud music and screaming? You don't need skill to yell and scream -- heck, if that's what a singing competition is all about, then a 2 year old child can surely participate and win!!
These are just 2 examples that come to mind (though there are definitely more). The bottom line is that singing competitions in Hong Kong have definitely changed over the years (more like decades) – and NOT necessarily for the better. Part of it could be that there just aren't that many talented people out there anymore, but I think the more likely reason is because the standards are so much different now -- society has become so focused on "political correctness" nowadays that it seems we've all had to lower our standards to accommodate everyone for fear of "hurting their feelings" or be accused of being "insensitive" or "discriminatory." In the long run, this hurts society more than it helps....
Monday, July 5, 2010
What Has Become of the HK Music Industry?
I was reading an old edition of Mingpao magazine (from August 2009) and one of the articles in there was an interview with Nicholas Tse regarding the Mandarin album that he released last year. I’m not a fan of his by any means, but something he said about the HK music industry during the interview really hit home for me and is very much in line with something I’ve been trying to say for a long time – that the HK music industry has been in a dismal state for years and will continue to go downhill.
The interviewer asked him if the Mandarin album that he released will be his last album – Nicholas answered that it probably will be his last because 1) he wants to focus more on movies and 2) he feels that he doesn’t fit in with the current music industry.
With regard to Nicholas feeling that he doesn’t fit in with the industry anymore, he brought up several very valid points, but the one I agree with the most is that the “standards” have definitely changed from the way it was back in the 80s/90s – basically, the standards have been lowered rather than raised.
Here’s Nicholas’ exact words (translated into English) from the interview: “In the past, our albums needed to sell at least several hundred thousand copies before we were even ‘qualified’ to have a concert at the HK Coliseum. Nowadays, if only one song from an album is a hit, the next day, there is already an announcement made that the artist will be performing at the HK Coliseum; then even if the album sells only 10 thousand copies, the champagne is brought out right away in celebration – the standards have been drastically lowered. If Michael Jackson hadn’t died, the young artists today would not even know that such a superstar even existed – it’s sad that it takes a superstar like him to die in order for the young generation to understand what it really means to be a legend and what ‘true music’ really is. To be forced to exist in such a music industry today – sorry, but I can’t do it.”
What Nicholas said has a lot of merit and I absolutely agree – the standards have been lowered so much that now, the music industry is pretty much crap. I mean, just looking around, there are countless examples of how the younger generation of singers just can’t cut it:
~ Most can’t sing live without going off tune (and I mean REALLY off tune). True, some of the older generation artists have gone off tune before, but not in as obvious a way as today’s artists do. Part of the reason for this is because today’s artists are not used to singing live – they are so spoiled by the record companies that all they do is release an album that is recorded in a studio and are all of a sudden considered ‘singers’. But one thing that they fail to remember (or they know but are in denial) is that just because someone sounds good on a recorded album does NOT mean that they are a good singer – namely because the songs can be recorded over and over again so that the best version gets recorded and plus there’s a lot of post-production editing that goes into the album to make it sound perfect. So technically, a ‘singer’ can be extremely off-tune, but since the audience only gets the final version of what was recorded, they would never know that. Singing live is different because 1) the audience is sitting right there, so any error made will be very obvious, and 2) unforeseen situations can happen when singing live (such as microphones not working properly, audience members walking in and out of the room, etc.) that the singers don’t get the benefit of experiencing in a studio setting and therefore do not know how to handle.
~Society tries to be so ‘politically correct’ nowadays that people become ‘afraid’ to give constructive criticism and feedback to these young artists. So with no one telling them what they are doing wrong or even worse, downplaying their flaws in order to not hurt their feelings, the younger artists are going to continue their bad habits until it gets to a point where, when they finally realize their faults, it is too late to change.
~Most of the younger generation have haughty and arrogant attitudes – so when the older generation artists DO try to mentor them and give them feedback, they don’t listen to them. What’s worse (and what I find most annoying) is that some of these younger artists cast the feedback aside as ‘faulty’ and disrespect the older generation artists by claiming that they are ‘out of touch’ with the newer generation. Well, those ‘kids’ need to wake up because it’s NOT the older generation that is ‘out of touch’ – rather, it’s the younger generation’s bad attitudes that are not allowing them to accept the feedback and advice of those who are only trying to help them (and help the industry at the same time).
Bottom line: the reality is that the music industry (namely, the HK music industry) has lowered its standards to such an extent that it is willing to accommodate and accept mediocrity – and in doing so, basically “killing off” the industry completely.
I could go on forever about this topic, but since I will only become increasingly frustrated the more I talk about it (because unfortunately, it’s too late to change the industry and things are only going to continue to get worse), I figured I should end it here.
The interviewer asked him if the Mandarin album that he released will be his last album – Nicholas answered that it probably will be his last because 1) he wants to focus more on movies and 2) he feels that he doesn’t fit in with the current music industry.
With regard to Nicholas feeling that he doesn’t fit in with the industry anymore, he brought up several very valid points, but the one I agree with the most is that the “standards” have definitely changed from the way it was back in the 80s/90s – basically, the standards have been lowered rather than raised.
Here’s Nicholas’ exact words (translated into English) from the interview: “In the past, our albums needed to sell at least several hundred thousand copies before we were even ‘qualified’ to have a concert at the HK Coliseum. Nowadays, if only one song from an album is a hit, the next day, there is already an announcement made that the artist will be performing at the HK Coliseum; then even if the album sells only 10 thousand copies, the champagne is brought out right away in celebration – the standards have been drastically lowered. If Michael Jackson hadn’t died, the young artists today would not even know that such a superstar even existed – it’s sad that it takes a superstar like him to die in order for the young generation to understand what it really means to be a legend and what ‘true music’ really is. To be forced to exist in such a music industry today – sorry, but I can’t do it.”
What Nicholas said has a lot of merit and I absolutely agree – the standards have been lowered so much that now, the music industry is pretty much crap. I mean, just looking around, there are countless examples of how the younger generation of singers just can’t cut it:
~ Most can’t sing live without going off tune (and I mean REALLY off tune). True, some of the older generation artists have gone off tune before, but not in as obvious a way as today’s artists do. Part of the reason for this is because today’s artists are not used to singing live – they are so spoiled by the record companies that all they do is release an album that is recorded in a studio and are all of a sudden considered ‘singers’. But one thing that they fail to remember (or they know but are in denial) is that just because someone sounds good on a recorded album does NOT mean that they are a good singer – namely because the songs can be recorded over and over again so that the best version gets recorded and plus there’s a lot of post-production editing that goes into the album to make it sound perfect. So technically, a ‘singer’ can be extremely off-tune, but since the audience only gets the final version of what was recorded, they would never know that. Singing live is different because 1) the audience is sitting right there, so any error made will be very obvious, and 2) unforeseen situations can happen when singing live (such as microphones not working properly, audience members walking in and out of the room, etc.) that the singers don’t get the benefit of experiencing in a studio setting and therefore do not know how to handle.
~Society tries to be so ‘politically correct’ nowadays that people become ‘afraid’ to give constructive criticism and feedback to these young artists. So with no one telling them what they are doing wrong or even worse, downplaying their flaws in order to not hurt their feelings, the younger artists are going to continue their bad habits until it gets to a point where, when they finally realize their faults, it is too late to change.
~Most of the younger generation have haughty and arrogant attitudes – so when the older generation artists DO try to mentor them and give them feedback, they don’t listen to them. What’s worse (and what I find most annoying) is that some of these younger artists cast the feedback aside as ‘faulty’ and disrespect the older generation artists by claiming that they are ‘out of touch’ with the newer generation. Well, those ‘kids’ need to wake up because it’s NOT the older generation that is ‘out of touch’ – rather, it’s the younger generation’s bad attitudes that are not allowing them to accept the feedback and advice of those who are only trying to help them (and help the industry at the same time).
Bottom line: the reality is that the music industry (namely, the HK music industry) has lowered its standards to such an extent that it is willing to accommodate and accept mediocrity – and in doing so, basically “killing off” the industry completely.
I could go on forever about this topic, but since I will only become increasingly frustrated the more I talk about it (because unfortunately, it’s too late to change the industry and things are only going to continue to get worse), I figured I should end it here.
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