I happened to re-watch this series when it came on TV a little while ago so figured I would write up a blog post / review on it.
This is actually one of the few Kevin Cheng series that I like (well, come to think of it now, it might be the ONLY one of his that I like) – not because of him of course (since I still feel his performance in this series was very bland) but rather, because of the supporting cast and the script. The female lead in the series is Nnadia Chan and supporting cast includes Wayne Lai, Halina Tam, Lau Dan, Ching Hor Wai, Sharon Chan, etc.
What I liked most about this series: Wayne's performance -- he definitely stole the show!!! I loved Wayne's witty character Johnny, an extremely nice, sensible guy who returns to his hometown of Stanley after years of taking care of the family business elsewhere. Once again, Wayne puts his awesome acting skills to great use, as the character of Johnny is very 'mysterious' at first, with the residents of Stanley thinking that he may have a possible hidden motive for returning due to the actions of his now deceased father (who stole from the residents to pay off gambling debts) many years ago but then later revealing that he is actually an extremely generous and likable guy with no hidden motive -- except to fulfill his dad's dying wish of being buried with his mother. His character also has a great sense of humor but Wayne portrays the humor in a way that isn't the traditional 'comical funny' type -- it's almost like he doesn't try to be funny on purpose, yet you can't help but laugh at his actions. I guess the closest way I can describe it is that his character possesses a 'witty charm' that is at times sarcastic but balances it with just the right amount of seriousness -- plus his personality is always very optimistic and upbeat without going overboard.
Surprisingly, I found myself very much attached to the pairing of Wayne and Halina in this series. I say 'surprisingly' because 1) general audience reaction would be to become attached to the main leads rather than the supporting ones, so I definitely parted from 'tradition' in this case, and 2) I'm not a particular fan of Halina's and have not watched enough of her series to like or dislike her, so normally, I would not have any 'reaction' so to speak with her performances. Wayne and Halina actually complemented each other quite well in the series, even though their personalities were so opposite (he is honest, generous, humble, nice, constantly helping others, etc. whereas she is selfish, brash, and constantly 'pretending' to charm people in order to cheat them out of their money). From the beginning, it looked like they would never get together because they are constantly bickering and Halina even tries to deceive Wayne and cheat him out of his money -- yet she does it in a way that makes it 'funny' rather than 'hateful' (and Wayne 'pretending' to fall for it is absolutely hilarious). I loved the interaction between these two and found almost every scene they were in very enjoyable (special mention goes out to the restaurant scene early on in the series where Halina is trying to 'seduce' Nnadia's uncle so she can cheat him of his money and Wayne purposefully ruins it because Halina's son asked for his help to keep an eye on her -- the way that Wayne 'pretends' to be Halina's boyfriend and his facial expressions during that scene really cracked me up!)
I actually could go on some more about Wayne and Halina, but I don't want this post to go on forever, so I'll move on to the next highlight.....
Though I liked Nnadia's character and with the fine actress that she is, I definitely enjoyed her performance overall, however I wasn't too keen on her pairing with Kevin. For some reason, I just didn't feel any chemistry with their pairing -- in fact, I would have to say that I found some scenes of theirs very boring. I'm thinking that perhaps it's because of Kevin's bland acting that affected things for me because I've always felt that Kevin's acting is very 'wooden' and unnatural (that's why I don't like to watch his series because I get bored to death)....I actually did try to put my bias aside and give him a chance when I first watched the series way back when (as well as when I re-watched it just now), but he still failed to impress me. It could be perhaps that the rest of the supporting cast in this series is so strong that it makes Kevin look particularly weak compared to them -- but whatever the reason, I would much rather have preferred that they cast someone else in that role (on a side note: I can't help but think that perhaps TVB put a strong supporting cast in there on purpose to try to 'cover up' his weak acting and then use it as an excuse to promote him, since the series itself was enjoyable overall).
To cite an example that supports the above (the weakness of Kevin's acting and strength of the rest of the cast) -- and so that people reading this can't say that I'm biased against Kevin without merit -- the scene at the hospital where each of the main characters react to the death of Kevin's mom in the series (Ching Hor Wai) really provides a good comparison/contrast. Kevin's reaction was very bland -- it's not that he didn't look sad or cry or anything, but it just came across very fake to me-- like he was trying to force a reaction to a situation that has nothing to do with him. (After watching that scene for the first time, I remember thinking to myself -- wait, that's it? that's how you react when someone so close to you who raised you and protected you and loved you all your life dies?) In comparisons -- being the veteran 'green leaf' actor, of course Lau Dan's reaction over the death of his wife in the series was perfectly expressed -- and very touching. Nnadia's reaction was very natural and you could really feel how saddened she was even though she is not related to Ching at all in the series. And Wayne's reaction – I mean, you would think that Ching was his mother rather than Kevin's! To sum it up -- Kevin really looked like he was trying too hard to act that scene (that's why it came across as fake) whereas the other 3 had such natural reactions that they were able to make the scene moving and emotional for the audience.
Again, I could come up with more examples as well, but I'll leave it at that, since it already gets my point across...
Overall, I liked the series' heartwarming storyline and the lessons that it teaches. Of course, there is the typical TVB lack of originality and so the formula is not much different from their other run-of-the-mill light-hearted yet serious family-oriented drama series -- but somehow, I was still drawn to the series and enjoyed it, even with the 'cheesiness' of some of the scenes and the predictability of the plot. I also disliked the Nnadia/Kevin/Sharon love triangle thing and thought that it was sort of pointless, especially in the second half of the series (maybe it was done as 'space-filler'?)....I would much rather they had spent more time developing Wayne's storyline instead.
LL's Musings 小賢角落
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
TVB 43rd Anniversary Light Switching Ceremony -- 10/18/2010
TVB officially kicked off their anniversary festivities with the Light Switching Ceremony that occurred earlier this week. In the past, the Light Switching Ceremony was used as a forum to reveal the nominees for each of the award categories, but nowadays, it's pretty much just a way to announce to the world that the anniversary celebration has officially begun. Pretty much they have a bunch of performances and they have the artists from the 2 anniversary series for that year talk about the series, their roles, thoughts, feelings, etc.
What most people are interested in with the Light Switching Ceremony is the moment when the group picture is taken, as the positions of the artists pretty much tells us who is being 'favored' or 'promoted' by TVB that year -- basically, the closer to the front and middle you stand, the more ‘important’ you are.
Pretty much, below is who stood where in terms of front row (reference picture above):
** Either side of Run Run Shaw: Liza Wang on Shaw's right and Dodo Cheng on Shaw's left (this is traditional -- Liza and Dodo always stand right next to Mr Shaw)
** Liza's side (from inner to outer): Liza Wang, Wayne Lai, Sheren Tang,
Louise Lee, Susanna Kwan, Steven Ma, Linda Chung, Kenneth Ma, Mag Lam
** Dodo's side (from inner to outer): Dodo Cheng, Moses Chan, Charmaine Sheh, Raymond Lam, Myolie Wu, Michael Tse, Fala Chen, Ron Ng, Kate Tsui
Second row:
I can’t figure out everyone who is in the second row, so I’m only going to list the ones I know for sure:
** Right, behind Shaw & Dodo (from inner to outer): Kara Hui, Felix Wong, Wong Cho Lam, Johnson Lee, Louis Yuen, Selena Li, Aimee Chan, Pierre Ngo, Amigo Chiu
** Left, behind Shaw & Liza (from inner to outer): Michael Miu, Jessica Hsuan, Maggie Siu, Raymond Wong, Nancy Wu (?), Joel Chan, etc. (can’t figure out the rest)
People who did not attend:
* Bobby and Bosco are in mainland China filming
* Tavia and Kevin - possibly because very few series this year
* Bernice and Bowie didn't attend either
* I don’t think Roger was there either because he would have been near the front if he were there.
*****************
My thoughts:
-- First of all, I have a huge problem with TVB putting Mag Lam in the front row with all the siu sangs and fa dans! She does not deserve to be there at all – not only because she ISN’T a ‘fa dan’ (she’s a newbie, for goodness sake), she hasn’t even participated in any series yet (well, at least not yet, though the word is that TVB is planning a movie and series for her). She is pretty much just some girl who won a singing contest that TVB organized – THAT’S IT! I mean, there were SO MANY people they could have put in that spot – for example, Jessica or Maggie (former fa dans) or if TVB didn’t want to because they are not ‘favored’ or contracted, then how about Kara? Surely the well-respected, 7 time Best Actress in Film and a contracted artist deserves that spot more than Mag??? Or, if worse case, TVB couldn’t find anyone else to put there, then just leave that spot empty – with a little bit of creativity in terms of those standing behind and next to that spot, I’m sure they would have been able to hide the ‘emptiness’ of that spot if they really wanted to! Arghhh!!! TVB and their stupid decisions again!!
-- Based on the lineup of Wayne, Moses, Raymond, and Steven, I’m even more convinced about the ‘theory’ that I talked about in my previous post – that Raymond is less favored than Moses now and TVB is pushing Moses for the TV King award rather than Raymond.
-- I’m actually not surprised that 80s/90s veterans such as Michael Miu, Felix Wong, Maggie Siu, Jessica Hsuan, etc. are in second row as opposed to first row because for TVB, they are considered ‘passe’ already and they needed to make room for the newer generation (90s/00s) siu sangs and fa dans (well, except for the select few from the older generations who are more ‘favored’ right now, for various reasons).
-- I do think it’s interesting that TVB still put Louise Lee and Susanna Kwan in the front row, especially since neither one has any ‘representative’ series this year – plus I highly doubt that they will factor into the awards race this year, since it looks like TVB’s focus is on the younger / middle generation folks this time around. Not only are they in the front row, they are actually more towards the ‘middle’ than Steven, Linda, and Kenneth. They sort of seem out of place right there in the front row among all the ‘young’ siu sangs and fa dans…I wonder why TVB put them there versus in the second row – perhaps as ‘space fillers’ since some of their other siu sangs and fa dans who WOULD have been in the front row (i.e. Tavia, Bosco, Kevin, etc.) didn’t attend….but then again, if they are ‘space fillers’, then wouldn’t it make more sense to put them at the end rather than near the middle?
-- Of course, all the supporting and ‘green leaf’ artists are in the middle rows or towards the back, which I personally think sucks, since these are truly the artists who drive and in many cases, even carry the entire series – they really aren’t recognized as much as they should be (speaking a little from personal bias here too because I prefer to watch most of the supporting and green leaf artists rather than many of today's 'supposed' siu sangs and fa dans). I also think it sucks that some of the more well-known green leaf and supporting actors (i.e. Evergreen, Ben, Elliot Ngok, Susan Tse, etc.) are in the 4th row and back (though I think Raymond Cho is in 3rd row, which is great if true) whereas a lot of the Miss and Mr Hong Kongs are in 3rd row (now they should REALLY go in the back).
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
TVB Anniversary Awards: My Predictions for Top 5 TV King
Below are my predictions on who will get into Top 5 for TV King.
Note that this is who I THINK will get into top 5, not who I WANT to get into top 5. In other words, the below predictions are NOT based on my personal preferences, but rather who has the highest chances based on all the information that has been out there so far. Just wanted to make it clear so that people don't get confused.
Top 5 predictions for TV King (in no particular order): Moses Chan, Raymond Lam, Wayne Lai, Steven Ma, Kevin Cheng
Analysis:
Moses: Well, he IS one of TVB's favorites so of course he will get in -- plus TVB went to great lengths to 'rig' the ratings for his series CBML, which tells me that they are trying to increase his chances. Also, Moses won both TV King as well as Favorite Male Character back in 2007 for his HOG role and has pretty much been in the running for both awards since then, though the focus hasn't been on him those 2 years because there were other 'hype' that overshadowed it (the Raymond vs Ha Yu thing in 2008 and the overwhelming success of Wayne Lai / Rosy Business in 2009).
Plus, based on TVB's actions so far, looks like Moses is 'back on top' again this year. In fact, in today’s Lighting Ceremony, Moses got the ‘prime spot’ during the group picture, standing right next to Dodo Cheng -- those familiar with TVB’s Lighting Ceremony knows that this means he is the hot favorite this year, as the closer one stands to Sir Run Run Shaw in the front row, the more ‘important’ he/she is to TVB. (Of course, Dodo and Liza Wang always occupy the space to the left and right of Mr. Shaw – it’s the people who surround them that are of the most interest).
What I think: Personally, Moses' performance in CBML was not that good – it was way too OTT (over the top) and is very similar to all the other comedic roles he's had -- nothing different, nothing special, no 'wow' factor. Oh, and his performance in the other series from earlier this year (ITEOTB)? It was a total joke! (ok, I admit some bias here because he was paired with Myolie in ITEOTB and I can't stand her). Regardless, the point is that I wouldn't be surprised if TVB gives the award to him purely based on the 'success' of CBML…if TVB gave him the award because he truly deserved it based on his acting, then that’s one thing, but if they give it to him because he is their favorite and his series was highly rated, then that’s totally wrong.
> Raymond: Of course Raymond will get into the Top 5 -- he's TVB's favorite 'biological son' and has been heavily promoted the past 2 years (2 concerts, 2 movies, 3 series, endless public events, etc.) He has pretty much been everywhere this year (I see an article about him in the news like every single week almost). Also, his series MOL -- which paired him with Tavia again -- was highly rated (the second highest rated series this year so far, beaten out only by CBML) -- so according to TVB's standards, I guess that automatically 'qualifies' him to be in contention for the award. In addition, it's important to note that 'rumor' has it back in 2008, TVB was planning to give the TV King award to Raymond, but because of the overwhelming audience support for Ha Yu (as well as TVB's notorious 'snub' of him in 2007), they had no choice but to give it to Ha Yu. TVB has been 'itching' to give the award to Raymond since then, but of course, since he didn't have any series nominated in 2009, they couldn't do it. This year, he's got 2 series in the running, though the other (GTL) was not well-received at all....
What I think: I feel that Raymond's performances in both his series weren't that great this year – maybe because he has way too much on his plate (tv series, movies, music -- he's pretty much been working non-stop), plus all his injuries this year....it's definitely affecting his performance. He needs to give it a rest and take care of his health first or else his career will be VERY short-lived -- but I guess that won't happen as long as he is under TVB's management. I know I'm putting my neck out there when I say this, but I don't think Raymond deserves to get the award this year for the reasons I outlined above. However, I don't think he needs to worry, since it's pretty much a given that TVB will reward him at the JSG awards end of this year....
Also, I had suggested a theory earlier on in another forum that TVB has decided to ‘switch gears’ now and instead of promoting Raymond for TV King, they are going with Moses instead (for obvious reasons – Raymond’s performance in MOL was so-so and his other series tanked, so it would be harder to justify giving him TV King). I’m actually beginning to believe this theory more after reading about today’s Lighting Ceremony and seeing the placements in the group picture – as stated above, Moses got the prime ‘Male Lead’ spot (along with Wayne)….Raymond was relegated to ‘second banana’ as he was standing next to Charmaine, who was next to Moses.
> Wayne: Last year's TV King will definitely be in the running this year, no matter what, even if he only has 1 series in contention this year. At this point, in terms of nominations, it really doesn't matter how his series "No Regrets" will do in the ratings because he's pretty much already guaranteed a spot on the top 5 list merely due to the fact that he has a series this year and he got the award last year -- it's like he's automatically entered into the contest. Wayne is known for his meticulous, brilliant acting in the entertainment circles and none of the contenders can 'beat' him so to speak in this arena, so of course there's really not a question of how 'good' his acting will be in "No Regrets" -- rather, the question is whether his performance in that series will 'beat out' the other contenders for the award -- or to put it more bluntly, whether TVB will give him the award over the 'favorites' that they are trying to push.
As for how TVB is treating him this year – well, they DID put him right next to Liza Wang during the group picture at the Lighting Ceremony, which is another ‘prime spot’ and shows that he is being pushed as the ‘other favorite’ (keep in mind that Moses is in the same position, but except on the other side right next to Liza Wang).
What I think: I will be quite happy if they give the award to Wayne, as I am confident that his performance in "No Regrets" will definitely be of high quality and he will probably be the one who most deserves it. Now, I'm sure people are going to say that it's unfair to give it to the same person or that his acting is at a different level than the other nominees so it's unfair to 'compare' because he has an obvious advantage with his experience and tenure, etc. etc. -- my response to this: yeah, whatever. People can make all the excuses they want, but the truth is that the acting of the other so-called nominees are just not up to par with Wayne's -- instead of whining about Wayne getting the award, they should see him as an example of how true acting SHOULD be done, learn from him, and bring their own acting up to his level so they can fairly compete.
Also, from TVB’s perspective, looks like the competition this year is really between Moses and Wayne (based on their positions for the group picture) – if that’s the case, I would rather they give it to Wayne.
> Steven: I guess technically Steven has 2 series in contention (AWT and GW), but honestly, AWT was aired so early in the year that no one is going to remember the series come awards time -- so I only considered GW for the purposes of this analysis. Steven's performance in GW was actually very good and had the same high quality that his previous roles had. Perhaps it may not be his 'representative work' and there was more 'hype' over Fala Chen's performance than his, but regardless, still a better job than most of the other nominees (except probably Wayne, though can’t really compare in terms of series since Wayne’s series just started airing today ). Plus GW did pretty well in terms of ratings and was well-received by audiences. Like Wayne back in his supporting actor days, Steven has always been one of those actors who is very underrated and often 'overlooked' by TVB -- which I don't understand since he definitely falls into the 'good-looking' category, which seems to be one of the 'pre-requisites' for those whom the management choose to promote. I can only conclude that TVB management doesn't really favor him because of his straightforward and direct personality, as I have seen several instances in which he 'spoke out' on issues that painted TVB in an unfavorable light (which they hate). Therefore, even though he will most likely get into the top 5, I consider him a 'dark horse' when it comes to winning the award.
Also, I noticed that in the Lighting Ceremony group picture, his placement was right next to Susanna Kwan (the second male on the left – so it’s Liza, then Wayne, then Sheren, then Louise Lee, then Susanna, then Steven)
What I think: I've always enjoyed Steven's performances, even if I hated the series itself (i.e.: Perish in the Name of Love -- I hated that series and almost every character in it except for his). There is a certain 'natural' quality to Steven's acting that makes his performances easily endearing to audiences. I would actually really like to see him win the award partly because he did a good job in GW, but also because he has always been consistently good in his other series, but rarely ever gets recognized by TVB. I think it's about time that he got rewarded for his many years of hard work. One thing I will say for sure -- if Steven does win it, I think I will probably cry tears of joy -- not because I'm a fan, but because someone who worked so hard and is more deserving of the award than some of the other nominees will finally get recognized for his efforts. (Sidenote: The ONLY other time that I cried when an artist won the TV King/Queen award was back in 2003 when Roger Kwok won it for the first time -- that was definitely a very emotional moment).
> Kevin: People may be wondering why I threw him into the top 5 prediction when he only has one series in the running this year, FOS, in which he was overshadowed by Kenneth Ma's excellent performance. I agree that with a lackluster performance and not much 'hype' this year, of course there is no justification for Kevin to make it in the top 5. However, let's not forget that he is Virginia Lok's favorite and it's pretty much guaranteed that she will try to get him into the Top 5 somehow, even if he has ZERO chance at winning the award this year -- it's pretty much so that TVB can 1) save face, since they have always touted Kevin as an 'awesome actor' (gag!) and 2) continued justification for why they gave him the TV King award back in 2006.
What I think: Ok, everyone knows how I feel about Kevin's acting ('he can't act' is an understatement). And he absolutely does NOT deserve any nomination this year -- but seeing how TVB likes to heavily (and shamelessly) promote their favorites, they definitely wouldn't leave Kevin out. Oh, and by the way, for those who say I'm biased against TVB -- I am just going to say that I would love nothing more than for me to be wrong this time around and someone else gets the spot other than Kevin.
So who do I WANT to get into Top 5? There’s actually no point in talking about it because I know it will NEVER happen.
Note that this is who I THINK will get into top 5, not who I WANT to get into top 5. In other words, the below predictions are NOT based on my personal preferences, but rather who has the highest chances based on all the information that has been out there so far. Just wanted to make it clear so that people don't get confused.
Top 5 predictions for TV King (in no particular order): Moses Chan, Raymond Lam, Wayne Lai, Steven Ma, Kevin Cheng
Analysis:
Moses: Well, he IS one of TVB's favorites so of course he will get in -- plus TVB went to great lengths to 'rig' the ratings for his series CBML, which tells me that they are trying to increase his chances. Also, Moses won both TV King as well as Favorite Male Character back in 2007 for his HOG role and has pretty much been in the running for both awards since then, though the focus hasn't been on him those 2 years because there were other 'hype' that overshadowed it (the Raymond vs Ha Yu thing in 2008 and the overwhelming success of Wayne Lai / Rosy Business in 2009).
Plus, based on TVB's actions so far, looks like Moses is 'back on top' again this year. In fact, in today’s Lighting Ceremony, Moses got the ‘prime spot’ during the group picture, standing right next to Dodo Cheng -- those familiar with TVB’s Lighting Ceremony knows that this means he is the hot favorite this year, as the closer one stands to Sir Run Run Shaw in the front row, the more ‘important’ he/she is to TVB. (Of course, Dodo and Liza Wang always occupy the space to the left and right of Mr. Shaw – it’s the people who surround them that are of the most interest).
What I think: Personally, Moses' performance in CBML was not that good – it was way too OTT (over the top) and is very similar to all the other comedic roles he's had -- nothing different, nothing special, no 'wow' factor. Oh, and his performance in the other series from earlier this year (ITEOTB)? It was a total joke! (ok, I admit some bias here because he was paired with Myolie in ITEOTB and I can't stand her). Regardless, the point is that I wouldn't be surprised if TVB gives the award to him purely based on the 'success' of CBML…if TVB gave him the award because he truly deserved it based on his acting, then that’s one thing, but if they give it to him because he is their favorite and his series was highly rated, then that’s totally wrong.
> Raymond: Of course Raymond will get into the Top 5 -- he's TVB's favorite 'biological son' and has been heavily promoted the past 2 years (2 concerts, 2 movies, 3 series, endless public events, etc.) He has pretty much been everywhere this year (I see an article about him in the news like every single week almost). Also, his series MOL -- which paired him with Tavia again -- was highly rated (the second highest rated series this year so far, beaten out only by CBML) -- so according to TVB's standards, I guess that automatically 'qualifies' him to be in contention for the award. In addition, it's important to note that 'rumor' has it back in 2008, TVB was planning to give the TV King award to Raymond, but because of the overwhelming audience support for Ha Yu (as well as TVB's notorious 'snub' of him in 2007), they had no choice but to give it to Ha Yu. TVB has been 'itching' to give the award to Raymond since then, but of course, since he didn't have any series nominated in 2009, they couldn't do it. This year, he's got 2 series in the running, though the other (GTL) was not well-received at all....
What I think: I feel that Raymond's performances in both his series weren't that great this year – maybe because he has way too much on his plate (tv series, movies, music -- he's pretty much been working non-stop), plus all his injuries this year....it's definitely affecting his performance. He needs to give it a rest and take care of his health first or else his career will be VERY short-lived -- but I guess that won't happen as long as he is under TVB's management. I know I'm putting my neck out there when I say this, but I don't think Raymond deserves to get the award this year for the reasons I outlined above. However, I don't think he needs to worry, since it's pretty much a given that TVB will reward him at the JSG awards end of this year....
Also, I had suggested a theory earlier on in another forum that TVB has decided to ‘switch gears’ now and instead of promoting Raymond for TV King, they are going with Moses instead (for obvious reasons – Raymond’s performance in MOL was so-so and his other series tanked, so it would be harder to justify giving him TV King). I’m actually beginning to believe this theory more after reading about today’s Lighting Ceremony and seeing the placements in the group picture – as stated above, Moses got the prime ‘Male Lead’ spot (along with Wayne)….Raymond was relegated to ‘second banana’ as he was standing next to Charmaine, who was next to Moses.
> Wayne: Last year's TV King will definitely be in the running this year, no matter what, even if he only has 1 series in contention this year. At this point, in terms of nominations, it really doesn't matter how his series "No Regrets" will do in the ratings because he's pretty much already guaranteed a spot on the top 5 list merely due to the fact that he has a series this year and he got the award last year -- it's like he's automatically entered into the contest. Wayne is known for his meticulous, brilliant acting in the entertainment circles and none of the contenders can 'beat' him so to speak in this arena, so of course there's really not a question of how 'good' his acting will be in "No Regrets" -- rather, the question is whether his performance in that series will 'beat out' the other contenders for the award -- or to put it more bluntly, whether TVB will give him the award over the 'favorites' that they are trying to push.
As for how TVB is treating him this year – well, they DID put him right next to Liza Wang during the group picture at the Lighting Ceremony, which is another ‘prime spot’ and shows that he is being pushed as the ‘other favorite’ (keep in mind that Moses is in the same position, but except on the other side right next to Liza Wang).
What I think: I will be quite happy if they give the award to Wayne, as I am confident that his performance in "No Regrets" will definitely be of high quality and he will probably be the one who most deserves it. Now, I'm sure people are going to say that it's unfair to give it to the same person or that his acting is at a different level than the other nominees so it's unfair to 'compare' because he has an obvious advantage with his experience and tenure, etc. etc. -- my response to this: yeah, whatever. People can make all the excuses they want, but the truth is that the acting of the other so-called nominees are just not up to par with Wayne's -- instead of whining about Wayne getting the award, they should see him as an example of how true acting SHOULD be done, learn from him, and bring their own acting up to his level so they can fairly compete.
Also, from TVB’s perspective, looks like the competition this year is really between Moses and Wayne (based on their positions for the group picture) – if that’s the case, I would rather they give it to Wayne.
> Steven: I guess technically Steven has 2 series in contention (AWT and GW), but honestly, AWT was aired so early in the year that no one is going to remember the series come awards time -- so I only considered GW for the purposes of this analysis. Steven's performance in GW was actually very good and had the same high quality that his previous roles had. Perhaps it may not be his 'representative work' and there was more 'hype' over Fala Chen's performance than his, but regardless, still a better job than most of the other nominees (except probably Wayne, though can’t really compare in terms of series since Wayne’s series just started airing today ). Plus GW did pretty well in terms of ratings and was well-received by audiences. Like Wayne back in his supporting actor days, Steven has always been one of those actors who is very underrated and often 'overlooked' by TVB -- which I don't understand since he definitely falls into the 'good-looking' category, which seems to be one of the 'pre-requisites' for those whom the management choose to promote. I can only conclude that TVB management doesn't really favor him because of his straightforward and direct personality, as I have seen several instances in which he 'spoke out' on issues that painted TVB in an unfavorable light (which they hate). Therefore, even though he will most likely get into the top 5, I consider him a 'dark horse' when it comes to winning the award.
Also, I noticed that in the Lighting Ceremony group picture, his placement was right next to Susanna Kwan (the second male on the left – so it’s Liza, then Wayne, then Sheren, then Louise Lee, then Susanna, then Steven)
What I think: I've always enjoyed Steven's performances, even if I hated the series itself (i.e.: Perish in the Name of Love -- I hated that series and almost every character in it except for his). There is a certain 'natural' quality to Steven's acting that makes his performances easily endearing to audiences. I would actually really like to see him win the award partly because he did a good job in GW, but also because he has always been consistently good in his other series, but rarely ever gets recognized by TVB. I think it's about time that he got rewarded for his many years of hard work. One thing I will say for sure -- if Steven does win it, I think I will probably cry tears of joy -- not because I'm a fan, but because someone who worked so hard and is more deserving of the award than some of the other nominees will finally get recognized for his efforts. (Sidenote: The ONLY other time that I cried when an artist won the TV King/Queen award was back in 2003 when Roger Kwok won it for the first time -- that was definitely a very emotional moment).
> Kevin: People may be wondering why I threw him into the top 5 prediction when he only has one series in the running this year, FOS, in which he was overshadowed by Kenneth Ma's excellent performance. I agree that with a lackluster performance and not much 'hype' this year, of course there is no justification for Kevin to make it in the top 5. However, let's not forget that he is Virginia Lok's favorite and it's pretty much guaranteed that she will try to get him into the Top 5 somehow, even if he has ZERO chance at winning the award this year -- it's pretty much so that TVB can 1) save face, since they have always touted Kevin as an 'awesome actor' (gag!) and 2) continued justification for why they gave him the TV King award back in 2006.
What I think: Ok, everyone knows how I feel about Kevin's acting ('he can't act' is an understatement). And he absolutely does NOT deserve any nomination this year -- but seeing how TVB likes to heavily (and shamelessly) promote their favorites, they definitely wouldn't leave Kevin out. Oh, and by the way, for those who say I'm biased against TVB -- I am just going to say that I would love nothing more than for me to be wrong this time around and someone else gets the spot other than Kevin.
So who do I WANT to get into Top 5? There’s actually no point in talking about it because I know it will NEVER happen.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
My ‘TVB Rant’ #5: Is TVB Pathetic or What???
Charmaine Sheh is ‘hot favorite’ to win TV Queen; TVB updates its ratings for Can’t Buy Me Love - AsianFanatics Forum#entry6782399
Source: Asianfanatics.net
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Ok, I just read the above in the entertainment news and got so worked up that I have to blog about it to let off steam!! I know I shouldn’t get upset anymore, since by now, I sort of ‘expect’ TVB to pull these types of ‘stupidities’ – but I can’t help it…I get offended whenever they do this stupid stuff because I feel like they are trying to insult my intelligence!
It’s obvious that TVB really wants “Can’t Buy Me Love” to sweep the awards and for Moses as well as Charmaine to win TV King and Queen. TVB announced the ratings for the finale episode of CBML today and for the FIRST TIME ever, they actually decided to count the internet viewership ratings as well (which, in my opinion, is not really fair) -- so according to TVB's calculations, the ratings for the finale of CBML was 51 points: 42 points ratings from TV and 9 points from internet viewership (most likely ratings from people who watched via MyTV on their website).....
Unbelievable!!! Once again, another "bonehead" decision by TVB! It's stupid for them to try to "fudge" their own ratings, since the station is already the ratings winner over all the other stations anyway -- ATV is never going to come close PERIOD!
By "fudging" the ratings, TVB is only proving that it's really all about the politics that run their company (despite their constant denial of this fact)…what they are basically doing is trying to "save face" in the event that RB2 becomes a huge hit, since CBML consists of primarily their own contracted artists (and all the "popular" artists whom they are trying to promote) whereas RB2's main leads are not 'biological' (Wayne and Sheren are not contracted and won’t sign with them PERIOD).
They're also trying to use this as an excuse to ‘set up’ for the anniversary awards – pretty much to let CBML either sweep the awards or perhaps get one or all of the major ones (Best Series, TV King, and TV Queen), regardless of whether RB2 has high ratings (because to be honest, no matter how ‘good’ RB2 is going to be, there is a slim chance that it will get to 50 points without some type of intervention). Pretty much, they are going to say: “Well, since CBML got 51 points, they deserve the award.” (To me, that’s just a bunch of BS!!!).
What’s next? Incorporating overseas (non-HK) viewership numbers? How about the number of people who watch TVB series in public places such as restaurants? Or maybe they should count the “channel surfers” who ‘happen’ to flip to one of their series during a commercial on a different channel, watch like 5 minutes of it, then turn back to the original channel? Better yet, I’ve got a good one – if they’re THAT desperate, why don’t they just count all the (illegal) downloads of their series that occur over the world wide web? (I can just see it now: “Oooh, CBML got downloaded 100,000 times! There goes another 2 points added to our ratings, taking it to 53 points! A record! Woohoo!!!!”) Ok, I’m obviously exaggerating, but still – given how stupid TVB’s decision-making has been lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the above scenarios WERE to happen some where down the line….
I’ve noticed that every time TVB has a series that has majority of their own biological sons/daughters in it and they feel 'threatened' by strong competition from other series that don't have their own 'children' in them (the leads at least), they always try to resort to 'backhanded' tactics to get the results they want. Last year, they did it with “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” by over-promoting the series to death plus also moving the anniversary awards to December for the first time ever....this time, they do it for CBML (notice similar cast) by ‘being creative’ with the ratings.....watch, if they do CBML2 or BTROC2 next year, they are going to come up with another "creative idea" to make those series stick out...I would absolutely bet on that (and win too!).
How much more PATHETIC can TVB get???? I mean, everyone knows they favor their own ‘biological sons/daughters’ over non-contracted artists, but do they have to try THAT hard? I don’t know about anyone else, but to me, this is definitely FAVORITISM, plain and simple! And what irks me the most is how TVB is CONSTANTLY coming out and DENYING the fact that favoritism exists in their organization (Mr Tsang or Ms Lok: “What favoritism? We don’t play favorites!”) or they claim that there is no such thing as ‘biological son/daughter’ and that there are no ‘cliques’ or ‘parties’ in their company. WHO THE HELL ARE THEY TRYING TO FOOL??? If they are truly not playing favorites (remember that they adamantly deny that they play favorites) as they claim, then how do they explain the above actions?
Well, one thing’s for sure -- I'm definitely keeping an eye out for tomorrow's articles to see if Mr Tsang Sing Ming (TVB’s Manager of External Affairs and designated spokesperson) is going to make any type of lame statement regarding the CBML ratings thing. Last time, when TVB ‘mistakenly’ ranked “Pillowcase of Mystery 2” above “Mysteries of Love” as #1 series of the year in terms of ratings, Mr Tsang came out to ‘apologize’ and TVB ‘corrected’ their mistake. In my honest opinion though -- the main reason why they "apologized" and corrected the rankings last time was because they "realized" that the audiences aren't as stupid or naive as they thought (in other words, they ‘realized’ that we actually look at the ratings and can do our own calculations to figure out which one should be ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) -- so pretty much it was due to public pressure. So basically, they weren’t able to ‘pull the wool’ over our eyes that time – which I’m sure they didn’t expect, since TVB is used to always trying to ‘sweep things under the rug’ if they can get away with it....
Oh, and to add insult to injury, one of the media outlets published a ‘list’ of the Top 5 highest rated TVB series – Korean series “Jewel in the Palace” used to be at the top of the list with 50 point rating, followed by “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” (which I personally don’t count as officially receiving a 50 point rating because it only ‘peaked’ at 50 points – meaning that at ONE POINT during the entire 30 episode series, the ratings had reached 50…that ‘one point’ could have been 1 particular scene, or could have even lasted only 1 minute or a few seconds…it doesn’t mean the entire series consistently was at the 50 point mark). Now, “Can’t Buy Me Love” is ‘supposedly’ at the top of that list with its 51 points, beating out “Jewel in the Palace” – how messed up is that???
It's VERY sad that the TRUE highest rated series is a non-TVB series (Jewel in the Palace)....heck, it's not even a HK series! Yet, in order for TVB's own series to get into the 50 point mark, they actually have to "fudge" the numbers!! What a shame! As far as I'm concerned (and not that my opinion matters, but I have the right to state it), CBML is NOT the highest rated series -- in fact, it wouldn't even make this list if we go by the original ratings numbers! If I were TVB, I wouldn't go around "bragging" about the 51 point rating for CBML....because it just makes them look stupid!!!
Bottom line – from my point of view, no matter how much TVB tries to manipulate the numbers for the series they favor, the original Rosy Business is still going to be the TRUE ratings winner no matter which way you look at it....RB was able to get its average 47 point rating purely based on the quality of the acting and the script -- the series had virtually no promotion (especially as compared to BTROC) for one, and two, the ratings were based PURELY on regular channel audience viewership -- there were no HDTV numbers factored into the ratings (whereas all of the series that aired after RB had HDTV ratings factored in) and definitely did not have any of this "internet viewership" crap added in.
I'm waiting to see a TVB series actually get 50 points average overall (entire series) -- none of this "peaking at 50" crap! I wonder if it will happen in my lifetime.....
Source: Asianfanatics.net
****
Ok, I just read the above in the entertainment news and got so worked up that I have to blog about it to let off steam!! I know I shouldn’t get upset anymore, since by now, I sort of ‘expect’ TVB to pull these types of ‘stupidities’ – but I can’t help it…I get offended whenever they do this stupid stuff because I feel like they are trying to insult my intelligence!
It’s obvious that TVB really wants “Can’t Buy Me Love” to sweep the awards and for Moses as well as Charmaine to win TV King and Queen. TVB announced the ratings for the finale episode of CBML today and for the FIRST TIME ever, they actually decided to count the internet viewership ratings as well (which, in my opinion, is not really fair) -- so according to TVB's calculations, the ratings for the finale of CBML was 51 points: 42 points ratings from TV and 9 points from internet viewership (most likely ratings from people who watched via MyTV on their website).....
Unbelievable!!! Once again, another "bonehead" decision by TVB! It's stupid for them to try to "fudge" their own ratings, since the station is already the ratings winner over all the other stations anyway -- ATV is never going to come close PERIOD!
By "fudging" the ratings, TVB is only proving that it's really all about the politics that run their company (despite their constant denial of this fact)…what they are basically doing is trying to "save face" in the event that RB2 becomes a huge hit, since CBML consists of primarily their own contracted artists (and all the "popular" artists whom they are trying to promote) whereas RB2's main leads are not 'biological' (Wayne and Sheren are not contracted and won’t sign with them PERIOD).
They're also trying to use this as an excuse to ‘set up’ for the anniversary awards – pretty much to let CBML either sweep the awards or perhaps get one or all of the major ones (Best Series, TV King, and TV Queen), regardless of whether RB2 has high ratings (because to be honest, no matter how ‘good’ RB2 is going to be, there is a slim chance that it will get to 50 points without some type of intervention). Pretty much, they are going to say: “Well, since CBML got 51 points, they deserve the award.” (To me, that’s just a bunch of BS!!!).
What’s next? Incorporating overseas (non-HK) viewership numbers? How about the number of people who watch TVB series in public places such as restaurants? Or maybe they should count the “channel surfers” who ‘happen’ to flip to one of their series during a commercial on a different channel, watch like 5 minutes of it, then turn back to the original channel? Better yet, I’ve got a good one – if they’re THAT desperate, why don’t they just count all the (illegal) downloads of their series that occur over the world wide web? (I can just see it now: “Oooh, CBML got downloaded 100,000 times! There goes another 2 points added to our ratings, taking it to 53 points! A record! Woohoo!!!!”) Ok, I’m obviously exaggerating, but still – given how stupid TVB’s decision-making has been lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the above scenarios WERE to happen some where down the line….
I’ve noticed that every time TVB has a series that has majority of their own biological sons/daughters in it and they feel 'threatened' by strong competition from other series that don't have their own 'children' in them (the leads at least), they always try to resort to 'backhanded' tactics to get the results they want. Last year, they did it with “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” by over-promoting the series to death plus also moving the anniversary awards to December for the first time ever....this time, they do it for CBML (notice similar cast) by ‘being creative’ with the ratings.....watch, if they do CBML2 or BTROC2 next year, they are going to come up with another "creative idea" to make those series stick out...I would absolutely bet on that (and win too!).
How much more PATHETIC can TVB get???? I mean, everyone knows they favor their own ‘biological sons/daughters’ over non-contracted artists, but do they have to try THAT hard? I don’t know about anyone else, but to me, this is definitely FAVORITISM, plain and simple! And what irks me the most is how TVB is CONSTANTLY coming out and DENYING the fact that favoritism exists in their organization (Mr Tsang or Ms Lok: “What favoritism? We don’t play favorites!”) or they claim that there is no such thing as ‘biological son/daughter’ and that there are no ‘cliques’ or ‘parties’ in their company. WHO THE HELL ARE THEY TRYING TO FOOL??? If they are truly not playing favorites (remember that they adamantly deny that they play favorites) as they claim, then how do they explain the above actions?
Well, one thing’s for sure -- I'm definitely keeping an eye out for tomorrow's articles to see if Mr Tsang Sing Ming (TVB’s Manager of External Affairs and designated spokesperson) is going to make any type of lame statement regarding the CBML ratings thing. Last time, when TVB ‘mistakenly’ ranked “Pillowcase of Mystery 2” above “Mysteries of Love” as #1 series of the year in terms of ratings, Mr Tsang came out to ‘apologize’ and TVB ‘corrected’ their mistake. In my honest opinion though -- the main reason why they "apologized" and corrected the rankings last time was because they "realized" that the audiences aren't as stupid or naive as they thought (in other words, they ‘realized’ that we actually look at the ratings and can do our own calculations to figure out which one should be ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) -- so pretty much it was due to public pressure. So basically, they weren’t able to ‘pull the wool’ over our eyes that time – which I’m sure they didn’t expect, since TVB is used to always trying to ‘sweep things under the rug’ if they can get away with it....
Oh, and to add insult to injury, one of the media outlets published a ‘list’ of the Top 5 highest rated TVB series – Korean series “Jewel in the Palace” used to be at the top of the list with 50 point rating, followed by “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” (which I personally don’t count as officially receiving a 50 point rating because it only ‘peaked’ at 50 points – meaning that at ONE POINT during the entire 30 episode series, the ratings had reached 50…that ‘one point’ could have been 1 particular scene, or could have even lasted only 1 minute or a few seconds…it doesn’t mean the entire series consistently was at the 50 point mark). Now, “Can’t Buy Me Love” is ‘supposedly’ at the top of that list with its 51 points, beating out “Jewel in the Palace” – how messed up is that???
It's VERY sad that the TRUE highest rated series is a non-TVB series (Jewel in the Palace)....heck, it's not even a HK series! Yet, in order for TVB's own series to get into the 50 point mark, they actually have to "fudge" the numbers!! What a shame! As far as I'm concerned (and not that my opinion matters, but I have the right to state it), CBML is NOT the highest rated series -- in fact, it wouldn't even make this list if we go by the original ratings numbers! If I were TVB, I wouldn't go around "bragging" about the 51 point rating for CBML....because it just makes them look stupid!!!
Bottom line – from my point of view, no matter how much TVB tries to manipulate the numbers for the series they favor, the original Rosy Business is still going to be the TRUE ratings winner no matter which way you look at it....RB was able to get its average 47 point rating purely based on the quality of the acting and the script -- the series had virtually no promotion (especially as compared to BTROC) for one, and two, the ratings were based PURELY on regular channel audience viewership -- there were no HDTV numbers factored into the ratings (whereas all of the series that aired after RB had HDTV ratings factored in) and definitely did not have any of this "internet viewership" crap added in.
I'm waiting to see a TVB series actually get 50 points average overall (entire series) -- none of this "peaking at 50" crap! I wonder if it will happen in my lifetime.....