I just recently watched this movie – yes, a little late, but I didn’t want to watch it illegally on the web, so I decided to wait until it came out on DVD so I could go buy it instead….and considering that it stars my idol Jacky Cheung, of course I was anxious to watch it!
The interesting thing about this movie is its definite “Hong Kong flavor.” Airing in HK during the Lunar New Year holiday, the timeslot is definitely fitting – the comedic, upbeat, 喜喜洋洋 atmosphere of the movie endears it to audiences during a happy time when everyone is celebrating the holiday with their families.
Not only does it boast a cast of well-known actors and actresses, it is also filled with TONS of “inside jokes” and Hong Kong cultural references – so much so that I honestly don’t feel that anyone who isn’t already familiar with Hong Kong culture would be able to truly “appreciate” the movie. This is where I feel that the “cleverness” of the movie comes in – it is actually able to cover a lot of ground in terms of cultural and current event references in a short amount of time. Not to mention the 100 plus current and former TVB artists who appear in the movie – albeit mostly in bit parts and cameos -- but it was really fun to play “spot the star” though…
I feel that there were 2 primary purposes of this movie. One was to make audiences laugh – and it certainly achieves this goal! True, some of the content was not necessarily in good taste and it could be said that at times, it could be characterized as borderline ‘crude’ (especially with the curse words, indirect sexual references, etc.) – hence the IIB rating….but overall, the movie was truly very funny. This is one of those movies that I would watch for its light comedic humor, just to get a “good laugh” – not expecting anything else out of it.
The second was to bring forth the "spirit of Hong Kong" theme that is appropriate and fitting during the CNY holiday. This is probably why I get that "feel good" reaction after watching it -- because even though some parts were a little 'cheesy' (which to be honest, I think they made it that way on purpose), I couldn't help but laugh and be in a cheerful mood afterwards.
So yes, I feel the movie does it's "job" so to speak...
Some of my favorite parts from the movie:
>> The “Try Your Best” scene between Jacky (Shek Kin) and Eric (Ha Gong): I just thought it was hilarious that Jacky kept trying to tell Eric that his English is bad, so Eric tries to prove him wrong, but he ends up saying “Try Your Best” wrong anyway (and making it sound like he said it correctly)….I laughed so hard at that scene!
>> The scene where Jacky sings a few lines from his classic “Love is Eternal” song: well, first of all, I of course loved this scene because I get to hear Jacky sing (yay!!!!). The other reason why I liked it was because of the irony – after Shek Kin (Jacky) sings a few lines, his ‘son’ Kin Jai (Wong Cho Lam) says: “Quit imitating Jacky – you don’t even sound like him....Jacky actually sounds like this….” then Kin Jai launches into an imitation of ‘the real Jacky Cheung.’ Afterwards, Shek Kin says: “Wow, that does sound like him.” The irony of the entire scene (Cho Lam supposed sounds more like Jacky than Jacky does) totally cracked me up.
>> The Bosco / Myolie scene at the end (after the credits): I’m not going to attempt to describe it because I wouldn’t be able to do justice to it, but it was funny how Bosco kept insisting she is Myolie and in the end we find out it is her….the way it plays out is funny….and this is another little “tidbit” that only those who are familiar with Hong Kong entertainment would know about…
>> The scene where Jacky’s Shek Kin and Anita’s Siu Tao bump into each other at the café: both try to make themselves look “pretty” (Anita “touches up” her makeup and Jacky “fixes” his hair), but they end up making themselves look horrible because they end up using whatever is on the table. Then, when they look at each other, the reaction is like “Wah!”.
>> Shanghai Lady scene: I really liked this particular scene from the beginning of the movie. Joyce really did a great job of imitating her mother as “Shanghai Por” – not only the facial expressions and the actions, but also the overall “feeling”. It got me laughing from the start and definitely set the comedic tone for the entire movie. Her mother would be very proud!
There were other funny scenes as well, but these ones really stood out for me. I recommend this movie, but like I said before, my suggestion is to watch it purely for laughs -- don't think too much into it, and you will enjoy it as much as I did.
LL's Musings 小賢角落
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Review of "At the Threshold of an Era 創世紀"
I've been meaning to write this review, but just never got around to it. Though technically, this review covers Part 2 primarily (since I just finished watching it not too long ago), there will be many references to Part 1 as well as the series as a whole, since it's necessary to understanding the entire series.
As we all know, ATE was made in 1999/2000 to commemorate the changing of eras (transition to Y2K). It was a huge production back in the days and made history in a sense because 1) it was the first modern day "long" non-sitcom series (total 100+ episodes), which TVB had not done since the 70s (and even then, none of the series were more than 100 eps long), 2) the series boasted an ALL-STAR cast consisting of many of the biggest siu sangs and fadans of that era, plus other big names in the TV and music world (Gallen Lo, Roger Kwok, Sunny Chan, Kenix Kwok, Flora Chan, Maggie Siu, Liza Wang, Paul Chun, Ada Choi, Louis Koo, Joe Ma, Wu Qi Long, plus a supporting cast of well-known veterans).
After having watched part 1 years ago and only watching part 2 recently, I must say that I liked part 2 way better than part 1, even though part 1 has one of my favorite actors Sunny Chan. One reason is because the majority of Part 1 was spent "building up" the characters and the storyline -- and with so many "big stars", of course their would be multiple storylines and sub-storylines involving all the various characters. This is why, in my opinion, part 1 had alot of "draggy" scenes which were not always necessary to further the plot -- which is a shame because I truly feel that the length of this series is what caused it to get low ratings back when it aired on TV (well, not really that low, but lower than expected).....audiences probably lost interest at certain points with the dragginess (especially near the beginning of the series) and also the confusion with all the different storylines. I feel that part 1 only started getting "climactic" after the scene where Sunny Chan's character Hui Man Biu becomes evil -- it's the turning point of the series and many of the scenes following that one focuses on the emotional and physical struggles between the characters, which is where we get to see the true test of each person's acting.
Part 2, on the other hand, was "climactic" throughout (so much so that I found myself 'glued' to the TV set!). I think part of the reason why Part 2 was so much better was because it did not have to do any "buildup" because that was done already in part 1. The entire premise of part 2 was based on everything that happened in Part 1; in terms of plot, it continues where Part 1 left off, but most importantly, it also talks about the aftermath -- the repercussions of the events that happened in part 1 (the death of Sunny and Kenix's characters, Gallen's role in pushing Sunny over the edge, the kidnapping of Maggie and Wu Qi Long's characters, etc. etc.) and how they affected the lives of the characters. If I remember correctly, I believe TVB aired Parts 1 and 2 separately, in different years and the "selling point" so to speak for Part 2 was centered around the question of "How did Hui Man Biu die?" -- therefore, the first few episodes were spent 'unraveling' this mystery. I must say that this tactic was pretty clever because it makes those who watched part 1 want to tune in for part 2 in order to find out the answer and then continue watching as the events unfold.
Well, the revelation that comes out in Part 2 of how Sunny's character Hui Man Biu actually died was a bit of a shocker because up until that point, almost everyone thought that Gallen's character Yip Wing Tim somehow killed him -- or hired a hitman to do the job, since he wasn't actually at the scene. This is very important to note because this is the catalyst for why Louis Koo's character Cheung Zi Lik wants to avenge his brother's death in Part 2 (which drives everything that he does) -- so in a sense, it "sets up" the plot for Part 2, with Louis obviously taking over for Sunny as the "evil" character this time around. The revelation also changes the relationship between Gallen and Roger's characters -- who, along with Sunny, started off as close buddies, but were torn apart at the end of part 1 due to all the things that happened.....so going into Part 2, Roger was mad at Gallen for "killing" Sunny and causing his wife Kenix to die as well, leaving their baby son an orphan. But when it turns out that Roger actually caused Sunny's death and not only was Gallen innocent all along, but he actually tried to protect Roger by letting the whole world believe that he did kill Sunny, the 2 'brothers' end up reconciling. This is definitely one of the climactic points in the series, both from a "plot" as well as an "acting" standpoint: from a "plot" standpoint, it's important because Gallen and Roger's relationship is taken to a whole new level and they spend most of Part 2 working toward a common goal -- realizing the architectural "dream" that Sunny had prior to his death and doing everything they can to make it come true, in honor of their friend. From an acting standpoint, Gallen and Roger were absolutely brilliant with how they played out these scenes -- the emotional aspect was way up there and you could really feel Roger's guilt and anguish as well as Gallen's emotional struggle between protecting his friend and dealing with the entire world misunderstanding him.
One of the things that really impressed me about this series is the AWESOME acting by all the main players, especially Sunny, Gallen, Roger, Kenix, and Louis. The series really shows the acting prowess of these artists extremely well, as there are alot of emotional scenes and at certain points in the series, the same character ends up at 2 opposite extremes ("good" and "evil") -- it takes alot of skill to be able to pull off the superb acting that these artists did!
I'm just going to focus on 3 of the characters here, as there were way too many to do an in-depth review of each.
-- Gallen Lo (Yip Wing Tim): I must say that I was extremely impressed with Gallen's acting in this series. His character in Part 1 undergoes a major transformation in Part 2 and he played the part extremely well. In part 1, his character is essentially good, but is very ambitious and oftentimes would take extreme measures in order to achieve his goals -- including doing things that are borderline criminal. His character in Part 1 is very selfish and has no regard for anyone else when it comes to meeting his goals -- even if it means sacrificing his family, friends, girlfriend, and anyone else who cares about him. In fact, it can be said that he pretty much single-handedly "pushed" Sunny over the edge and set him on the course of 'evilness'. Of course, Gallen pays the price at the end of Part 1, especially after he witnesses the death of Kenix's character Shum Wing Yan and realizes the role he played (albeit indirectly). In part 2, except for the first few episodes where he is obsessed with avenging Sunny and Kenix's deaths, Gallen does a 180 degree turn -- he realizes everything that he had lost and how many people he had hurt with his actions and truly turns his life around. He goes from being the "selfish jerk" who would always act irrationally and oftentimes aggressively, to the humble, rational, righteous man who puts his family first above all things, is considerate about his friends' feelings, and even when people wrong him, he does not try to seek revenge like he would in the past.
His character goes through 2 opposite extremes, however Gallen's precise acting skills allow him to pull it off almost flawlessly -- he makes the character come across very realistic (you actually feel for him), yet not in a "cheesy" type of way. I actually went from "hating" his character in Part 1 to "loving" him in Part 2. As I've been saying ever since I finished watching part 2 -- Gallen should have received the TV King award for his acting in this series, as there was so much depth to the character and the acting was brilliant! (Well, I guess I should be happy, since he has 3 TV King awards already and still holds the record for getting the award the most times).
-- Sunny Chan (Hui Man Biu): Since I talked alot about Sunny in the earlier part of this review, I won't go as much in depth here....I do have to say though that Sunny is also a very skilled actor and is able to pull off every single role that is given to him with near perfection. His acting in this series was excellent -- especially with his transformation from "good" to "evil". Prior to watching this series, I was actually anticipating Sunny's role, as this would be the first time he portrayed an "evil" character -- and especially since all of the previous characters he portrayed were so righteous and good. Just as I was impressed with Gallen back in the early 90s when he started playing evil roles (and played them well!), I was also impressed with Sunny. Since he came out of the Acting Academy, his skills are of course very precise, especially his facial expressions in certain scenes -- which makes the characters that he plays so convincing and easy to relate to.
Even though the premise of Part 2 was based on Sunny's character, unfortunately, he was not in part 2 because he left TVB in 2000 and went to ATV (the reason why they "killed" his character off in Part 1) -- Louis Koo ends up taking on the "evil" role in Part 2, where his only goal in life is to avenge his brother's (Sunny) death. So imagine my surprise when, during one of the scenes near the end of the series, Sunny appears as his character Hui Man Biu from Part 1.....sure, the scene is technically a "dream sequence", but it was definitely not a flashback -- without revealing too much detail, he basically "appears" in that particular scene to tell his younger brother to "let go" of his anger and desire for revenge and to repent. I'm pretty sure the scene was probably filmed prior to Sunny leaving TVB, but it was still a pleasant surprise for me to see him at the end of Part 2 -- again, it was very clever of the script writer to put that scene in because it essentially "closes the loop" on the part of the storyline dealing with the Gallen/Roger/Sunny/Louis conflict.
-- Kenix Kwok (Shum Wing Yan / Kao Mei Na): Kenix actually plays 2 roles in this series. In Part 1, she plays Shum Wing Yan: quiet, reserved, innocent, compassionate, nice to everyone -- the epitome of the "ideal wife and mother" -- who has a secret crush on Gallen (and they do have a brief relationship), but ends up falling in love with and marrying Sunny. Her character in Part 1 is actually quite tragic -- she grows up in an orphanage and the only "relative" she has is Roger's family; as far as relationships, she has to go through alot of pain and suffering emotionally, first with Gallen, then with Sunny. In the end, she becomes the 'sacrificial lamb' in the whole Gallen/Roger/Sunny conflict -- going to jail for something she didn't do and then ultimately, death. In Part 2, the character she plays -- Kao Mei Na -- is completely opposite: loud and vocal, a little tomboyish, a little wild, willing to take advantage of a situation if given the chance -- and more importantly she grew up with a father who is part of HK's triad gangs (hence her background is a bit complicated and messy). Her role also has a bit of a "comedic" element to it because of her "bubbly" personality (plus her relationship with her father is funny at times as well) -- a stark comparison to the "tragic" element of Shum Wing Yan. It turns out that these 2 characters with completely opposite personalities are actually long lost sisters. No surprise that Kenix's character in Part 2 ends up with Gallen.
I have to say that I liked Kenix's pairing with both Sunny (in part 1) and Gallen (in part 2).....she had alot of chemistry with both actors and both pairings were so endearing that I can't decide which I like more (though I'm leaning more toward the Gallen/Kenix pairing....lol!). The other reason why I liked the 2 pairings is because the relationships (Gallen/Kenix and Sunny/Kenix) were actually pretty well depicted in the series -- there was substance to it and there were alot of emotional ups and downs as well as life and death decisions that both pairs went through, which, to me, makes the relationships more real.
Kenix definitely has talent as an actress, as she was able to take on both roles and make them so different in a way that was comfortable for the audience (me). I've seen most of Kenix's series and have liked all of them!
Overall, I really enjoyed this series -- part 2 especially! The series is extremely long and probably not everyone would be willing to sit through it, but with the awesome acting and the strong storyline for the latter half of the series, I feel it is well worth the time. I highly recommend it!
As we all know, ATE was made in 1999/2000 to commemorate the changing of eras (transition to Y2K). It was a huge production back in the days and made history in a sense because 1) it was the first modern day "long" non-sitcom series (total 100+ episodes), which TVB had not done since the 70s (and even then, none of the series were more than 100 eps long), 2) the series boasted an ALL-STAR cast consisting of many of the biggest siu sangs and fadans of that era, plus other big names in the TV and music world (Gallen Lo, Roger Kwok, Sunny Chan, Kenix Kwok, Flora Chan, Maggie Siu, Liza Wang, Paul Chun, Ada Choi, Louis Koo, Joe Ma, Wu Qi Long, plus a supporting cast of well-known veterans).
After having watched part 1 years ago and only watching part 2 recently, I must say that I liked part 2 way better than part 1, even though part 1 has one of my favorite actors Sunny Chan. One reason is because the majority of Part 1 was spent "building up" the characters and the storyline -- and with so many "big stars", of course their would be multiple storylines and sub-storylines involving all the various characters. This is why, in my opinion, part 1 had alot of "draggy" scenes which were not always necessary to further the plot -- which is a shame because I truly feel that the length of this series is what caused it to get low ratings back when it aired on TV (well, not really that low, but lower than expected).....audiences probably lost interest at certain points with the dragginess (especially near the beginning of the series) and also the confusion with all the different storylines. I feel that part 1 only started getting "climactic" after the scene where Sunny Chan's character Hui Man Biu becomes evil -- it's the turning point of the series and many of the scenes following that one focuses on the emotional and physical struggles between the characters, which is where we get to see the true test of each person's acting.
Part 2, on the other hand, was "climactic" throughout (so much so that I found myself 'glued' to the TV set!). I think part of the reason why Part 2 was so much better was because it did not have to do any "buildup" because that was done already in part 1. The entire premise of part 2 was based on everything that happened in Part 1; in terms of plot, it continues where Part 1 left off, but most importantly, it also talks about the aftermath -- the repercussions of the events that happened in part 1 (the death of Sunny and Kenix's characters, Gallen's role in pushing Sunny over the edge, the kidnapping of Maggie and Wu Qi Long's characters, etc. etc.) and how they affected the lives of the characters. If I remember correctly, I believe TVB aired Parts 1 and 2 separately, in different years and the "selling point" so to speak for Part 2 was centered around the question of "How did Hui Man Biu die?" -- therefore, the first few episodes were spent 'unraveling' this mystery. I must say that this tactic was pretty clever because it makes those who watched part 1 want to tune in for part 2 in order to find out the answer and then continue watching as the events unfold.
Well, the revelation that comes out in Part 2 of how Sunny's character Hui Man Biu actually died was a bit of a shocker because up until that point, almost everyone thought that Gallen's character Yip Wing Tim somehow killed him -- or hired a hitman to do the job, since he wasn't actually at the scene. This is very important to note because this is the catalyst for why Louis Koo's character Cheung Zi Lik wants to avenge his brother's death in Part 2 (which drives everything that he does) -- so in a sense, it "sets up" the plot for Part 2, with Louis obviously taking over for Sunny as the "evil" character this time around. The revelation also changes the relationship between Gallen and Roger's characters -- who, along with Sunny, started off as close buddies, but were torn apart at the end of part 1 due to all the things that happened.....so going into Part 2, Roger was mad at Gallen for "killing" Sunny and causing his wife Kenix to die as well, leaving their baby son an orphan. But when it turns out that Roger actually caused Sunny's death and not only was Gallen innocent all along, but he actually tried to protect Roger by letting the whole world believe that he did kill Sunny, the 2 'brothers' end up reconciling. This is definitely one of the climactic points in the series, both from a "plot" as well as an "acting" standpoint: from a "plot" standpoint, it's important because Gallen and Roger's relationship is taken to a whole new level and they spend most of Part 2 working toward a common goal -- realizing the architectural "dream" that Sunny had prior to his death and doing everything they can to make it come true, in honor of their friend. From an acting standpoint, Gallen and Roger were absolutely brilliant with how they played out these scenes -- the emotional aspect was way up there and you could really feel Roger's guilt and anguish as well as Gallen's emotional struggle between protecting his friend and dealing with the entire world misunderstanding him.
One of the things that really impressed me about this series is the AWESOME acting by all the main players, especially Sunny, Gallen, Roger, Kenix, and Louis. The series really shows the acting prowess of these artists extremely well, as there are alot of emotional scenes and at certain points in the series, the same character ends up at 2 opposite extremes ("good" and "evil") -- it takes alot of skill to be able to pull off the superb acting that these artists did!
I'm just going to focus on 3 of the characters here, as there were way too many to do an in-depth review of each.
-- Gallen Lo (Yip Wing Tim): I must say that I was extremely impressed with Gallen's acting in this series. His character in Part 1 undergoes a major transformation in Part 2 and he played the part extremely well. In part 1, his character is essentially good, but is very ambitious and oftentimes would take extreme measures in order to achieve his goals -- including doing things that are borderline criminal. His character in Part 1 is very selfish and has no regard for anyone else when it comes to meeting his goals -- even if it means sacrificing his family, friends, girlfriend, and anyone else who cares about him. In fact, it can be said that he pretty much single-handedly "pushed" Sunny over the edge and set him on the course of 'evilness'. Of course, Gallen pays the price at the end of Part 1, especially after he witnesses the death of Kenix's character Shum Wing Yan and realizes the role he played (albeit indirectly). In part 2, except for the first few episodes where he is obsessed with avenging Sunny and Kenix's deaths, Gallen does a 180 degree turn -- he realizes everything that he had lost and how many people he had hurt with his actions and truly turns his life around. He goes from being the "selfish jerk" who would always act irrationally and oftentimes aggressively, to the humble, rational, righteous man who puts his family first above all things, is considerate about his friends' feelings, and even when people wrong him, he does not try to seek revenge like he would in the past.
His character goes through 2 opposite extremes, however Gallen's precise acting skills allow him to pull it off almost flawlessly -- he makes the character come across very realistic (you actually feel for him), yet not in a "cheesy" type of way. I actually went from "hating" his character in Part 1 to "loving" him in Part 2. As I've been saying ever since I finished watching part 2 -- Gallen should have received the TV King award for his acting in this series, as there was so much depth to the character and the acting was brilliant! (Well, I guess I should be happy, since he has 3 TV King awards already and still holds the record for getting the award the most times).
-- Sunny Chan (Hui Man Biu): Since I talked alot about Sunny in the earlier part of this review, I won't go as much in depth here....I do have to say though that Sunny is also a very skilled actor and is able to pull off every single role that is given to him with near perfection. His acting in this series was excellent -- especially with his transformation from "good" to "evil". Prior to watching this series, I was actually anticipating Sunny's role, as this would be the first time he portrayed an "evil" character -- and especially since all of the previous characters he portrayed were so righteous and good. Just as I was impressed with Gallen back in the early 90s when he started playing evil roles (and played them well!), I was also impressed with Sunny. Since he came out of the Acting Academy, his skills are of course very precise, especially his facial expressions in certain scenes -- which makes the characters that he plays so convincing and easy to relate to.
Even though the premise of Part 2 was based on Sunny's character, unfortunately, he was not in part 2 because he left TVB in 2000 and went to ATV (the reason why they "killed" his character off in Part 1) -- Louis Koo ends up taking on the "evil" role in Part 2, where his only goal in life is to avenge his brother's (Sunny) death. So imagine my surprise when, during one of the scenes near the end of the series, Sunny appears as his character Hui Man Biu from Part 1.....sure, the scene is technically a "dream sequence", but it was definitely not a flashback -- without revealing too much detail, he basically "appears" in that particular scene to tell his younger brother to "let go" of his anger and desire for revenge and to repent. I'm pretty sure the scene was probably filmed prior to Sunny leaving TVB, but it was still a pleasant surprise for me to see him at the end of Part 2 -- again, it was very clever of the script writer to put that scene in because it essentially "closes the loop" on the part of the storyline dealing with the Gallen/Roger/Sunny/Louis conflict.
-- Kenix Kwok (Shum Wing Yan / Kao Mei Na): Kenix actually plays 2 roles in this series. In Part 1, she plays Shum Wing Yan: quiet, reserved, innocent, compassionate, nice to everyone -- the epitome of the "ideal wife and mother" -- who has a secret crush on Gallen (and they do have a brief relationship), but ends up falling in love with and marrying Sunny. Her character in Part 1 is actually quite tragic -- she grows up in an orphanage and the only "relative" she has is Roger's family; as far as relationships, she has to go through alot of pain and suffering emotionally, first with Gallen, then with Sunny. In the end, she becomes the 'sacrificial lamb' in the whole Gallen/Roger/Sunny conflict -- going to jail for something she didn't do and then ultimately, death. In Part 2, the character she plays -- Kao Mei Na -- is completely opposite: loud and vocal, a little tomboyish, a little wild, willing to take advantage of a situation if given the chance -- and more importantly she grew up with a father who is part of HK's triad gangs (hence her background is a bit complicated and messy). Her role also has a bit of a "comedic" element to it because of her "bubbly" personality (plus her relationship with her father is funny at times as well) -- a stark comparison to the "tragic" element of Shum Wing Yan. It turns out that these 2 characters with completely opposite personalities are actually long lost sisters. No surprise that Kenix's character in Part 2 ends up with Gallen.
I have to say that I liked Kenix's pairing with both Sunny (in part 1) and Gallen (in part 2).....she had alot of chemistry with both actors and both pairings were so endearing that I can't decide which I like more (though I'm leaning more toward the Gallen/Kenix pairing....lol!). The other reason why I liked the 2 pairings is because the relationships (Gallen/Kenix and Sunny/Kenix) were actually pretty well depicted in the series -- there was substance to it and there were alot of emotional ups and downs as well as life and death decisions that both pairs went through, which, to me, makes the relationships more real.
Kenix definitely has talent as an actress, as she was able to take on both roles and make them so different in a way that was comfortable for the audience (me). I've seen most of Kenix's series and have liked all of them!
Overall, I really enjoyed this series -- part 2 especially! The series is extremely long and probably not everyone would be willing to sit through it, but with the awesome acting and the strong storyline for the latter half of the series, I feel it is well worth the time. I highly recommend it!
Monday, May 10, 2010
'God of Songs' Meets 'King of Pop'
As I was flipping through some Jacky videos, came across this particular one from 1996. It is the World Music Awards held that year in Monte Carlo. That was the first year that Jacky actually won a World Music Award for Top-Selling Asian Artist in the World -- he was the first HK singer to ever win this international award (and the only one to win it from HK, if my memory serves me right).
Anyway, Jacky of course went to Monte Carlo to personally accept the award and also got a chance to perform his song "True Love" to an international audience. There were alot of big stars in attendance at the World Music Awards that year, including Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and the 'King of Pop' himself, Michael Jackson. Now, I may not be an MJ fan, but got to admit that he truly is a legend in the music industry and an icon to millions around the world -- so yes, it is a 'big deal' when he is in attendance at awards ceremonies. So when I saw this video of Jacky performing, my first reaction was -- OMG, not only is he performing in front of an international audience on a world stage in front of major music industry giants, he's also got the 'King of Pop' sitting right there in the front row watching his performance! I'm sure that would make anyone nervous -- even someone with as much stage experience as Jacky! But of course, Jacky's performance was awesome as usual (though I could tell he was a bit nervous). This is truly a great honor for Jacky and proof of his awesome talents....for us die-hard Jacky fans though, it was definitely a 'proud' moment -- especially knowing that we (his fans) helped contribute to the moment by buying his albums (the award was for Top Album sales, after all -- lol!). Most importantly for me though, this also proves that Jacky is truly a legend himself, as he set a precedence in album sales (not just in Asia, but internationally as well) that to this day, no other HK singer has been able to beat. And to be listed as #2 in the world (behind Michael Jackson) in terms of albums sales and the ONLY Asian singer with this honor -- wow -- I AM SO PROUD! Way to go Jacky!!!
One interesting thing about the video that I just have to mention....I found it funny that throughout Jacky's entire performance, the camera kept panning over to Michael Jackson and no one else -- like he was the only person in the audience or something. So I actually went back and watched some of the videos of the other performers at that particular awards ceremony and found out that the other performances were the same way (camera kept panning over to MJ). Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just thought it was interesting -- it's like they were trying to see what MJ's reaction was to each performance and see if he would approve. I wouldn't blame them -- with MJ's legendary status and the fact that he does not attend awards ceremonies that often (especially later in his career), the organizers were probably taking advantage of every scene they could get with MJ in it (and probably to see how the King of Pop views other artists judging by his reaction).
As a side note, Jacky actually won the exact same award (Top Selling Asian Artist in the World) the following year, but because he was preparing for his Snow Wolf Lake musical, he was not able to go personally accept the award. Bummer, since I would have loved to see his performance on the same stage again, but that's ok -- the fact that he got the award again is already enough to make me happy (plus his SWL musical was a huge success, so it was worth it)!
Anyway, Jacky of course went to Monte Carlo to personally accept the award and also got a chance to perform his song "True Love" to an international audience. There were alot of big stars in attendance at the World Music Awards that year, including Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and the 'King of Pop' himself, Michael Jackson. Now, I may not be an MJ fan, but got to admit that he truly is a legend in the music industry and an icon to millions around the world -- so yes, it is a 'big deal' when he is in attendance at awards ceremonies. So when I saw this video of Jacky performing, my first reaction was -- OMG, not only is he performing in front of an international audience on a world stage in front of major music industry giants, he's also got the 'King of Pop' sitting right there in the front row watching his performance! I'm sure that would make anyone nervous -- even someone with as much stage experience as Jacky! But of course, Jacky's performance was awesome as usual (though I could tell he was a bit nervous). This is truly a great honor for Jacky and proof of his awesome talents....for us die-hard Jacky fans though, it was definitely a 'proud' moment -- especially knowing that we (his fans) helped contribute to the moment by buying his albums (the award was for Top Album sales, after all -- lol!). Most importantly for me though, this also proves that Jacky is truly a legend himself, as he set a precedence in album sales (not just in Asia, but internationally as well) that to this day, no other HK singer has been able to beat. And to be listed as #2 in the world (behind Michael Jackson) in terms of albums sales and the ONLY Asian singer with this honor -- wow -- I AM SO PROUD! Way to go Jacky!!!
One interesting thing about the video that I just have to mention....I found it funny that throughout Jacky's entire performance, the camera kept panning over to Michael Jackson and no one else -- like he was the only person in the audience or something. So I actually went back and watched some of the videos of the other performers at that particular awards ceremony and found out that the other performances were the same way (camera kept panning over to MJ). Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just thought it was interesting -- it's like they were trying to see what MJ's reaction was to each performance and see if he would approve. I wouldn't blame them -- with MJ's legendary status and the fact that he does not attend awards ceremonies that often (especially later in his career), the organizers were probably taking advantage of every scene they could get with MJ in it (and probably to see how the King of Pop views other artists judging by his reaction).
As a side note, Jacky actually won the exact same award (Top Selling Asian Artist in the World) the following year, but because he was preparing for his Snow Wolf Lake musical, he was not able to go personally accept the award. Bummer, since I would have loved to see his performance on the same stage again, but that's ok -- the fact that he got the award again is already enough to make me happy (plus his SWL musical was a huge success, so it was worth it)!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
“Reaching Out (美麗人生)"
** Warning: This post contains spoilers – read at your own risk. **
Just finished watching an old TVB series from 2001 called "Reaching Out". It's actually airing on TV right now on the weekends, but because it's a pretty good series and I went ahead and watched the rest of it on my own.
There are many things to like about this series, one of them being the cast, which is quite well-balanced between newbies and veterans. The main/supporting leads in this series are Gordon Lam, Kenix Kwok, Benny Chan, Nicola Cheung, Michelle Ye, Ha Yu, Michelle Yim, and Sammul Chan -- plus a pretty solid cast of 'green leaf' veterans such as Gordon Lau, Wu Fung, Luo Lan, etc. The story primarily revolves around childhood friends Gordon, Benny, and Nicola, who grew up in an orphanage together and have a close-knit brother/sister relationship. It's interesting how different each of their personalities are, despite growing up together -- the chemistry of the 3 together in this series was also very well done:
> Gordon plays the quintessential 'big brother' Fook Sung who always has an optimistic and positive outlook on life no matter what happens to him (and alot does happen)...even when people wrong him, he always forgives them and always tries to put a positive spin on a negative situation -- his life philosophy is to "be the match that illuminates other people's lives". I actually liked the way Gordon portrayed the character because he was able to bring forth the essence of the character without going overboard and making it look cheesy. And I think that whoever cast him in that role knew that he would be a perfect fit because I've always felt that Gordon is good at portraying 'positive' characters that have a certain ‘boy-next-door’ 'naiveness' and 'aloofness' about them -- in fact, I sort of saw his character in this series as a modern day equivalent to the character he played in the ancient series "Crimson Sabre" (Yuen Sing Chi). The personality and character attributes are very similar.
> Benny plays 'second' brother Yee Sook who is pretty much a lazy bum with a big ego who likes chasing after pretty girls. I was a bit annoyed by his character at first, especially with how he constantly tries to take advantage of Gordon’s kindness and also his attitude toward his father, Ha Yu. But later on in the series, he redeems himself (after some things happen of course), gets a job, quits the ‘chasing pretty girls’ bit, and becomes more likable. He also brings a bit of ‘comic relief’ to the series, especially in his scenes with Ha Yu as well as Gordon.
> Nicola plays ‘little sister’ Ting Ting who has a secret crush on Gordon’s character but ends up becoming a couple with Benny’s character. She is a feisty reporter who is also very hard-working. She has a bit of that ‘little girl’ innocence that causes her to sometimes get ‘worked up’ over minor things and overreact at times, but her intentions are always well-meaning. I rarely ever watch any of Nicola’s series and frankly I’ve never really liked her because I always felt that she has an arrogant attitude. But I must admit that she did a good job with the character (though to be honest, I also found her character annoying at times because she would try to be ‘overly’ righteous and stubborn about a particular issue when she should just ‘let up’ a little).
In terms of the other artists / characters in the story, I will make a brief mention of the main ones:
> Kenix Kwok – she actually has a dual role in this story, as she plays the character Yuk Hiu Gwan as well as her older look-alike sister Yuk Hiu Nga. Kenix’s acting skills really shine in this series because the 2 characters she plays have completely opposite personalities: older sister Hiu Nga (who is plagued with an incurable hereditary illness) is very reserved, quiet, reasonable, extremely nice (the typical ‘school teacher’), and is the ultimate optimist, whereas younger sister Hiu Gwan (who is portrayed as a rich, young socialite with a complicated background) is loud, stubborn, can be mean and obnoxious at times when she wants to be (ex: making a production company ‘delete’ all their film just because they accidently captured her on film as she was walking by, filing lawsuits against people for minor issues, etc.), and is the ultimate pessimist.
Hiu Gwan’s relationship with Fook Sung is very interesting and actually quite enjoyable (it’s sort of a ‘love/hate’ relationship that ends up blossoming into true love). Ever the pessimist, Hiu Gwan’s goal throughout most of the series is to prove to her older sister that there are no ‘good’ people in this world and that Fook Sung – whom her sister regards very highly – is no exception. So she constantly tries to do stuff to ‘hurt’ Fook Sung (ex: trying to sabotage his relationships with his friends, etc.) in the hopes that he will reveal his ‘true colors’ (aka get mad at her and cut off all ties with her), but of course he never does. Instead, he sort of ‘plays along’ and uses his goodness and righteousness to change her (obviously, they fall in love and end up as a couple).
I’ve always enjoyed Kenix’s acting and have liked almost every single series she has been in. Her acting was absolutely awesome in this series and her pairing with Gordon was very unique and refreshing (I don’t think they were ever a couple in any other series). My only complaint is that she appeared way too late in the series – her character wasn’t ‘in the picture’ until episode 26 or 27…..since the series is 50 episodes (very long!), she was pretty much there for ½ the series, but I would have liked to see her more, especially since I enjoyed the scenes she had with Gordon.
> Michelle Ye – she played Gordon’s first girlfriend Shuet Yi who later leaves him and falls for Sammul instead (who is young and rich). Her character is very arrogant and also has a big ego – I hated how she ‘used’ Gordon’s character as a “shui po” after her failed relationship with her cousin and tries to ‘use’ him again after she breaks up with Sammul. Her character was the only one that I couldn’t stand throughout the entire series, especially in the last few episodes when she tries to ‘come between’ Gordon and Kenix.
If I remember correctly, I think this was one of Michelle’s first series, so for a newbie, she wasn’t bad in terms of the acting, though there was definitely lots of room for improvement. I still didn’t like her character though and to be honest, I don’t think she’s a good match for Gordon – she has more of that ‘childish’ look that is better fitted with Sammul than with Gordon. Plus, seeing Gordon and Kenix as a couple was much more endearing to me.
> Ha Yu / Michelle Yim – knowing nothing about this series going into it, I wasn’t expecting Ha Yu and Michelle’s pairing at all (I had thought that their first ‘official’ collaboration as a couple was in “Moonlight Resonance”). But I’m glad that they were in this series because – as usual – their acting was brilliant! Ha Yu played Benny’s father and Michelle played Gordon’s mother (though we find out later in the series that she is not really his mother). I love the chemistry between these two and how they would constantly bicker one minute then be friendly with each other the next minute….it was actually kind of funny at times. And their acting is “perfect” as usual -- just the right amount of delivery to get the characters’ personalities across without going overboard…..2 great veterans and a great pairing that I’m looking forward to seeing more of in the future.
In terms of the storyline and series itself, I feel that this is definitely one of the better ones that TVB has done. It has the perfect balance of comedic and dramatic elements and also sends a very positive message of hope, optimism, and the power of love. The series is very heartwarming and I personally was really touched by the storyline and what some of the characters go through. This message / theme was really brought forth through the evolvement of Gordon and Kenix’s relationship in the series, especially with the sacrifices that they had to make in order to find true love and happiness.
The last 10 episodes or so of the series were an emotional roller coaster for me, as there were moments of light humor and laughter (Ha Yu/Michelle and Benny / Nicola), but also moments of poignancy and tears (Gordon / Kenix). The last episode where Hiu Gwan (Kenix) was on the brink of death due to her hereditary illness and the sacrifice that Fook Sung (Gordon) made for her was especially touching – I cried when watching it, which is rare for me, especially with TVB series (the only other 2 series where I’ve gotten teary-eyed while watching are “A Kindred Spirit” and “Remembrance” – both of which happened to have Kenix as well….)
Anyway, even though this series was extremely long (50 episodes!) and there were parts that sort of dragged out unnecessarily (some of which I skipped), overall, it was very well-made! I definitely recommend this series to anyone who wants to watch a good quality series!
Just finished watching an old TVB series from 2001 called "Reaching Out". It's actually airing on TV right now on the weekends, but because it's a pretty good series and I went ahead and watched the rest of it on my own.
There are many things to like about this series, one of them being the cast, which is quite well-balanced between newbies and veterans. The main/supporting leads in this series are Gordon Lam, Kenix Kwok, Benny Chan, Nicola Cheung, Michelle Ye, Ha Yu, Michelle Yim, and Sammul Chan -- plus a pretty solid cast of 'green leaf' veterans such as Gordon Lau, Wu Fung, Luo Lan, etc. The story primarily revolves around childhood friends Gordon, Benny, and Nicola, who grew up in an orphanage together and have a close-knit brother/sister relationship. It's interesting how different each of their personalities are, despite growing up together -- the chemistry of the 3 together in this series was also very well done:
> Gordon plays the quintessential 'big brother' Fook Sung who always has an optimistic and positive outlook on life no matter what happens to him (and alot does happen)...even when people wrong him, he always forgives them and always tries to put a positive spin on a negative situation -- his life philosophy is to "be the match that illuminates other people's lives". I actually liked the way Gordon portrayed the character because he was able to bring forth the essence of the character without going overboard and making it look cheesy. And I think that whoever cast him in that role knew that he would be a perfect fit because I've always felt that Gordon is good at portraying 'positive' characters that have a certain ‘boy-next-door’ 'naiveness' and 'aloofness' about them -- in fact, I sort of saw his character in this series as a modern day equivalent to the character he played in the ancient series "Crimson Sabre" (Yuen Sing Chi). The personality and character attributes are very similar.
> Benny plays 'second' brother Yee Sook who is pretty much a lazy bum with a big ego who likes chasing after pretty girls. I was a bit annoyed by his character at first, especially with how he constantly tries to take advantage of Gordon’s kindness and also his attitude toward his father, Ha Yu. But later on in the series, he redeems himself (after some things happen of course), gets a job, quits the ‘chasing pretty girls’ bit, and becomes more likable. He also brings a bit of ‘comic relief’ to the series, especially in his scenes with Ha Yu as well as Gordon.
> Nicola plays ‘little sister’ Ting Ting who has a secret crush on Gordon’s character but ends up becoming a couple with Benny’s character. She is a feisty reporter who is also very hard-working. She has a bit of that ‘little girl’ innocence that causes her to sometimes get ‘worked up’ over minor things and overreact at times, but her intentions are always well-meaning. I rarely ever watch any of Nicola’s series and frankly I’ve never really liked her because I always felt that she has an arrogant attitude. But I must admit that she did a good job with the character (though to be honest, I also found her character annoying at times because she would try to be ‘overly’ righteous and stubborn about a particular issue when she should just ‘let up’ a little).
In terms of the other artists / characters in the story, I will make a brief mention of the main ones:
> Kenix Kwok – she actually has a dual role in this story, as she plays the character Yuk Hiu Gwan as well as her older look-alike sister Yuk Hiu Nga. Kenix’s acting skills really shine in this series because the 2 characters she plays have completely opposite personalities: older sister Hiu Nga (who is plagued with an incurable hereditary illness) is very reserved, quiet, reasonable, extremely nice (the typical ‘school teacher’), and is the ultimate optimist, whereas younger sister Hiu Gwan (who is portrayed as a rich, young socialite with a complicated background) is loud, stubborn, can be mean and obnoxious at times when she wants to be (ex: making a production company ‘delete’ all their film just because they accidently captured her on film as she was walking by, filing lawsuits against people for minor issues, etc.), and is the ultimate pessimist.
Hiu Gwan’s relationship with Fook Sung is very interesting and actually quite enjoyable (it’s sort of a ‘love/hate’ relationship that ends up blossoming into true love). Ever the pessimist, Hiu Gwan’s goal throughout most of the series is to prove to her older sister that there are no ‘good’ people in this world and that Fook Sung – whom her sister regards very highly – is no exception. So she constantly tries to do stuff to ‘hurt’ Fook Sung (ex: trying to sabotage his relationships with his friends, etc.) in the hopes that he will reveal his ‘true colors’ (aka get mad at her and cut off all ties with her), but of course he never does. Instead, he sort of ‘plays along’ and uses his goodness and righteousness to change her (obviously, they fall in love and end up as a couple).
I’ve always enjoyed Kenix’s acting and have liked almost every single series she has been in. Her acting was absolutely awesome in this series and her pairing with Gordon was very unique and refreshing (I don’t think they were ever a couple in any other series). My only complaint is that she appeared way too late in the series – her character wasn’t ‘in the picture’ until episode 26 or 27…..since the series is 50 episodes (very long!), she was pretty much there for ½ the series, but I would have liked to see her more, especially since I enjoyed the scenes she had with Gordon.
> Michelle Ye – she played Gordon’s first girlfriend Shuet Yi who later leaves him and falls for Sammul instead (who is young and rich). Her character is very arrogant and also has a big ego – I hated how she ‘used’ Gordon’s character as a “shui po” after her failed relationship with her cousin and tries to ‘use’ him again after she breaks up with Sammul. Her character was the only one that I couldn’t stand throughout the entire series, especially in the last few episodes when she tries to ‘come between’ Gordon and Kenix.
If I remember correctly, I think this was one of Michelle’s first series, so for a newbie, she wasn’t bad in terms of the acting, though there was definitely lots of room for improvement. I still didn’t like her character though and to be honest, I don’t think she’s a good match for Gordon – she has more of that ‘childish’ look that is better fitted with Sammul than with Gordon. Plus, seeing Gordon and Kenix as a couple was much more endearing to me.
> Ha Yu / Michelle Yim – knowing nothing about this series going into it, I wasn’t expecting Ha Yu and Michelle’s pairing at all (I had thought that their first ‘official’ collaboration as a couple was in “Moonlight Resonance”). But I’m glad that they were in this series because – as usual – their acting was brilliant! Ha Yu played Benny’s father and Michelle played Gordon’s mother (though we find out later in the series that she is not really his mother). I love the chemistry between these two and how they would constantly bicker one minute then be friendly with each other the next minute….it was actually kind of funny at times. And their acting is “perfect” as usual -- just the right amount of delivery to get the characters’ personalities across without going overboard…..2 great veterans and a great pairing that I’m looking forward to seeing more of in the future.
In terms of the storyline and series itself, I feel that this is definitely one of the better ones that TVB has done. It has the perfect balance of comedic and dramatic elements and also sends a very positive message of hope, optimism, and the power of love. The series is very heartwarming and I personally was really touched by the storyline and what some of the characters go through. This message / theme was really brought forth through the evolvement of Gordon and Kenix’s relationship in the series, especially with the sacrifices that they had to make in order to find true love and happiness.
The last 10 episodes or so of the series were an emotional roller coaster for me, as there were moments of light humor and laughter (Ha Yu/Michelle and Benny / Nicola), but also moments of poignancy and tears (Gordon / Kenix). The last episode where Hiu Gwan (Kenix) was on the brink of death due to her hereditary illness and the sacrifice that Fook Sung (Gordon) made for her was especially touching – I cried when watching it, which is rare for me, especially with TVB series (the only other 2 series where I’ve gotten teary-eyed while watching are “A Kindred Spirit” and “Remembrance” – both of which happened to have Kenix as well….)
Anyway, even though this series was extremely long (50 episodes!) and there were parts that sort of dragged out unnecessarily (some of which I skipped), overall, it was very well-made! I definitely recommend this series to anyone who wants to watch a good quality series!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Eric Suen’s “My Story (我的故事)"
I was listening to a Cantonese radio station on the way to work this morning and a song came on that sparked my interest. The song had a very nice rhythm to it and a 'flow' that made it easy on the ears. It wasn't necessarily a fast song, but it wasn't a slow ballad either -- it was one of those songs that I consider a "勵志" song (meaning 'inspirational')... it actually sort of reminded me of Jacky Cheung's classic hit "壯志驕陽" (a great song, by the way). I especially liked the part near the end of the song with the harmony and background vocals singing along with the artist, making it sound like a group song....
Anyway, this particular radio program has a habit of revealing the name of the song and the artist later on in the program rather than right before or after the song (since they sometimes play a few songs at once), so I was hoping I would get a chance to hear the song name at least before my drive was over. Luckily, this song was the last one in the 'lineup' so a few minutes afterwards, the host came on and recapped the names of the songs and artists. It was then that I found out the name of the song is called "我的故事 (My Story)" by Eric Suen. I was actually surprised because at one point during the song, I had thought the person singing was actually Chi-Lam (Julian) Cheung because it sort of sounded like him at certain parts -- goes to show that I don't listen to Eric's songs often enough to be able to differentiate his voice!
When the host talked about the song, she said that it is from Eric's new album and the music was actually composed by him -- not sure if the lyrics were written by him as well, though I would think so, since it's supposed to be a song about his life and experiences. The host also said that this was a special song and to 'pay attention to the lyrics'.....so of course, this makes me want to listen to the song again, since this was my first time hearing the song and I wasn't really paying attention to the lyrics -- I was too caught up in the wonderful melody….
Needless to say, when I got home, one of the first things I did was to look for this song so I can listen to it again. I found the MV of him singing the song live, which also had the lyrics printed on it. I listened to it again and this time paid attention to the lyrics….I must say that I LOVE the song….the melody is so sweet and the lyrics are so touching! I especially like the chorus, where the lyrics go something like this: “It’s your applause that accompanies me, love is right in front of me, unable to separate between you and me; may this song continue to play in the future, this belief is like a fire, overcome obstacles once again, overcome them together…..” The rest of the lyrics are very moving as well…it’s obvious that Eric wrote this song during the time when he had the illness with his throat because there are references in the song to possibly not being able to sing again and how thankful he is to all the fans who have stuck by him.
I especially like the video segment below in which Eric does a live performance of the song. Near the end of the song, he tearfully tells the story of a fan of his who died in a car accident on her way to buy a birthday gift for him – he used the guitar she gave him to write this particular song, and so he was hoping that the audience could help him out by singing the chorus part with him again and dedicating it to her. It was so touching that I got teary-eyed….
Anyway, this particular radio program has a habit of revealing the name of the song and the artist later on in the program rather than right before or after the song (since they sometimes play a few songs at once), so I was hoping I would get a chance to hear the song name at least before my drive was over. Luckily, this song was the last one in the 'lineup' so a few minutes afterwards, the host came on and recapped the names of the songs and artists. It was then that I found out the name of the song is called "我的故事 (My Story)" by Eric Suen. I was actually surprised because at one point during the song, I had thought the person singing was actually Chi-Lam (Julian) Cheung because it sort of sounded like him at certain parts -- goes to show that I don't listen to Eric's songs often enough to be able to differentiate his voice!
When the host talked about the song, she said that it is from Eric's new album and the music was actually composed by him -- not sure if the lyrics were written by him as well, though I would think so, since it's supposed to be a song about his life and experiences. The host also said that this was a special song and to 'pay attention to the lyrics'.....so of course, this makes me want to listen to the song again, since this was my first time hearing the song and I wasn't really paying attention to the lyrics -- I was too caught up in the wonderful melody….
Needless to say, when I got home, one of the first things I did was to look for this song so I can listen to it again. I found the MV of him singing the song live, which also had the lyrics printed on it. I listened to it again and this time paid attention to the lyrics….I must say that I LOVE the song….the melody is so sweet and the lyrics are so touching! I especially like the chorus, where the lyrics go something like this: “It’s your applause that accompanies me, love is right in front of me, unable to separate between you and me; may this song continue to play in the future, this belief is like a fire, overcome obstacles once again, overcome them together…..” The rest of the lyrics are very moving as well…it’s obvious that Eric wrote this song during the time when he had the illness with his throat because there are references in the song to possibly not being able to sing again and how thankful he is to all the fans who have stuck by him.
I especially like the video segment below in which Eric does a live performance of the song. Near the end of the song, he tearfully tells the story of a fan of his who died in a car accident on her way to buy a birthday gift for him – he used the guitar she gave him to write this particular song, and so he was hoping that the audience could help him out by singing the chorus part with him again and dedicating it to her. It was so touching that I got teary-eyed….
Thoughts on “Sisters of Pearl” Promo Segment
I happened to be watching TVB's entertainment news on TV yesterday and a segment came on regarding their new series "Sisters of Pearl." The cast was attending a promotional event for the series and everyone was dressed in their costumes from series. Very few of the series that TVB is coming out with this year look interesting and most consist of the same 'recycled' artists and scripts. But I think I may actually consider watching this particular series, primarily because of 3 reasons: First, the cast consists primarily of veterans (Michael Tao, Jessica Hsuan, Bowie Lam, Kiki Sheung, etc.), several of whom I haven't seen in awhile (namely Michael and Jessica) and second, the storyline sounds promising, as it is set in the pre-modern era and that time period / genre usually lends itself to some good storytelling.
The third reason is because of the chemistry of the cast. Michael, Jessica, and Bowie collaborated in "Files of Justice" in the 90s, which proved to be very successful -- so this series can be viewed as a 'reunion' of sorts for the 3 of them. Also, Kiki Sheung was in the same acting class as Michael (they graduated same year), so they are old "schoolmates" so to speak -- plus I'm pretty sure they collaborated back in the 80s, though probably not directly (they may have been in the same series, but did not share any scenes together). And of course, Michael collaborated with Joyce Tang in "Wasabi Mon Amour" so they're comfortable with each other as well.
Back to the promotional event segment....it's interesting to note that during the event, Michael stood out like a sore thumb. He was dressed in 'casual' clothes rather than the formal 'pre-modern' attire that everyone else was dressed up in. I mean, to a stranger with no knowledge whatsoever, it would look like he was just a bystander being asked to 'join the crowd' -- the only way you could tell he 'belonged' to the same series was the red "Sisters of Pearl" sticker he had stuck on his shirt. It makes me wonder whether he was actually 'invited' by TVB to promote the series along with the rest of the cast or whether he just decided to 'show up'.....in any case, I feel it's an indication of the strained relationship between Michael and TVB, which is unfortunate because this series is likely to be the last for Michael, possibly in HK. He has shifted his career to China recently and even openly said in an interview several months ago that there is 'very slim chance' that he would collaborate with TVB again. I won't go into all the history here, since it would go on forever, but basically, Michael was not treated well when he returned to TVB several years ago and has been quite outspoken about the unfairness of their internal politics and favoritism in the past few months, which of course ticked off TVB, since they don't like people saying 'negative' things about them (even though it's the truth)....so with this background, I am curious to see how Michael's character will be like in "Sisters of Pearl" and whether TVB once again gave him a lesser quality role or not....
To be honest, I was initially surprised that TVB is airing this series so early because I had thought at first that they were going to warehouse it. Reasons why I thought this -- because the series does not star any of TVB's current "favorites", the cast is comprised primarily of veterans (which TVB has a history of treating poorly), and in recent years, the trend with TVB is that they would warehouse all the 'quality' series and broadcast all the 'crappy' ones. The other reason why I thought this series would be warehoused is because of Michael Tao (for the reasons stated above). Now that I think about it more though, I can understand why TVB would not want to warehouse this series -- because they don't want to make it too obvious that they are 'retaliating' against Michael for talking bad about them....it makes sense and is pretty in-line with TVB's usual politically charged decision-making....
Well, at this point, I guess only time will tell.....I'll have to see what happens as the series actually airs.
The third reason is because of the chemistry of the cast. Michael, Jessica, and Bowie collaborated in "Files of Justice" in the 90s, which proved to be very successful -- so this series can be viewed as a 'reunion' of sorts for the 3 of them. Also, Kiki Sheung was in the same acting class as Michael (they graduated same year), so they are old "schoolmates" so to speak -- plus I'm pretty sure they collaborated back in the 80s, though probably not directly (they may have been in the same series, but did not share any scenes together). And of course, Michael collaborated with Joyce Tang in "Wasabi Mon Amour" so they're comfortable with each other as well.
Back to the promotional event segment....it's interesting to note that during the event, Michael stood out like a sore thumb. He was dressed in 'casual' clothes rather than the formal 'pre-modern' attire that everyone else was dressed up in. I mean, to a stranger with no knowledge whatsoever, it would look like he was just a bystander being asked to 'join the crowd' -- the only way you could tell he 'belonged' to the same series was the red "Sisters of Pearl" sticker he had stuck on his shirt. It makes me wonder whether he was actually 'invited' by TVB to promote the series along with the rest of the cast or whether he just decided to 'show up'.....in any case, I feel it's an indication of the strained relationship between Michael and TVB, which is unfortunate because this series is likely to be the last for Michael, possibly in HK. He has shifted his career to China recently and even openly said in an interview several months ago that there is 'very slim chance' that he would collaborate with TVB again. I won't go into all the history here, since it would go on forever, but basically, Michael was not treated well when he returned to TVB several years ago and has been quite outspoken about the unfairness of their internal politics and favoritism in the past few months, which of course ticked off TVB, since they don't like people saying 'negative' things about them (even though it's the truth)....so with this background, I am curious to see how Michael's character will be like in "Sisters of Pearl" and whether TVB once again gave him a lesser quality role or not....
To be honest, I was initially surprised that TVB is airing this series so early because I had thought at first that they were going to warehouse it. Reasons why I thought this -- because the series does not star any of TVB's current "favorites", the cast is comprised primarily of veterans (which TVB has a history of treating poorly), and in recent years, the trend with TVB is that they would warehouse all the 'quality' series and broadcast all the 'crappy' ones. The other reason why I thought this series would be warehoused is because of Michael Tao (for the reasons stated above). Now that I think about it more though, I can understand why TVB would not want to warehouse this series -- because they don't want to make it too obvious that they are 'retaliating' against Michael for talking bad about them....it makes sense and is pretty in-line with TVB's usual politically charged decision-making....
Well, at this point, I guess only time will tell.....I'll have to see what happens as the series actually airs.
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