Anyway, I'm sort of in 'wait and see' mode right now when it comes to CTI's series (since they just started filming and technically they don't even have their free-to-air TV license yet!). One thing's for sure though: with many of my favorite veteran artists all joining CTI and in turn, fewer artists that I like remaining at TVB, the decision on which series to watch will definitely be a difficult one!
Well, let's 'wait and see'.....
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Former TVB artists Bernice Liu, Savio Tsang, etc. comprise cast of CTI’s newest series: “Fairytale Love Song 201314”
Source: HK Channel
Translation: llwy12
Picture credits as listed
With the filming of CTI’s very first series already underway – the science fiction / vampire-themed series “My Boyfriend Mr. V”《我的男友 Mr.V》starring Taiwanese singer/actor Danson Tang and HK actress Michelle Wai – the company has already announced plans for its second series, which is set to start filming at the end of the month. The series, tentatively titled “Fairytale Love Song 201314”《童話戀曲201314》, will be filmed on location in Okinawa, Japan. In addition to the main leads Bernice Liu and Kelvin Kwan, the rest of the cast consists of singers as well as many veterans, including: William So, Jason Chan, Evelyn Cho, Zac Koo, Kate Yeung, Shek Sau, Lisa Lui, Wilson Tsui, Charles Ying, Sin Ho Ying, Benji Chiang, Lesley Chiang, Mimi Kung, etc. In addition, former TVB actor Dexter Young as well as veterans Savio Tsang and Kwong Chor Fai – all of whom recently left TVB and joined CTI – will participate in the series as well.
Veteran actor Savio Tsang, who joined TVB back in 1991 after leaving ATV, was recently asked why he decided to leave the company he served for 21 years [TVB] to join Ricky Wong’s CTI: “I feel that Ricky Wong has a lot of heart. He personally met with me to discuss joining his company – in my many years working at TVB, I’ve never had a high level executive approach me before! Also, I’d heard that he sold the telecommunications portion of his business so that he could focus entirely on building up his TV station – for someone like me who has a huge passion for acting, of course I find this particular action of his very admirable. In addition to personally being involved in discussions with artists as well as all other matters, he is also willing to invest so many resources into it – with this kind of boss, how could I not like him?”
Savio emphasized that he is not trying to say that TVB is a bad company – he is merely looking at things from an artist’s perspective -- if an actor works so hard for many years, yet never gets any recognition from the company, it can definitely be very discouraging: “After so many years of working hard, recognition and feeling valued become quite important. If you’re working endlessly day in and day out, yet no one pays attention to you at all, it truly gets very disheartening. For example, last year, my performance in the series “Yes Sir Sorry Sir”《點解阿 Sir係阿 Sir》received good reaction and feedback from audiences but at the company’s awards ceremony, there was not a single nomination; yet some artists who only did cameo roles in a few episodes of other series got nominated – I admit that I felt a bit dispirited! I’m not getting any younger – since the company is not willing to give me the opportunity, I figured why not try my chances elsewhere?”
Once again, thanks for such an interesting article. I read your replies in asianfanatics & realised so many TVB veterans are joining CTI. Did you notice most of them are men except Yu Mo Kin? I hope CTI will give them meatier roles to showcase their skills. It is rather sad reading Savio's comments. I've always like his acting since his ATV days & feel that given the chance he could achieve more like 1st or 2nd lead. Don't get me started on Aimee. The bottomline is I cannot stand her Cantonese & acting.
ReplyDeleteAs you pointed out, TVB seems to treat their veterans' offsprings pretty badly except Toby who has a father in managerial position. She has got the most awful acting yet get quite substantial role. For example Lau Dan's son Hawick Lau who has found success in China. I do like him in My Family but in TVB he was given bit parts here & there. Same goes with Shek Sau's son Sam who I also like in My Family. He should be given more chance to improve his acting & not relegated to 'ka le fe' status. Is Raymond Cho being David's Chiang son-in-law leaving TVB? He is another promising actor mistreated by TVB.
I've TVB cable so I'll never get to watch all these series except online. But I really hope CTI can give TVB some competition & doesn't end up like ATV. I feel CTI lacks younger artiste as the ones it recruited are not really the one I like:) Honestly I can't really stomach Bernice's acting eventhough she appears to be a nice girl. On the other hand I like Leila & Noel. I don't know who is Kelvin & Lawrence but looking fwd to see them in a drama.
@BOGAEfan: Yup..actually, the article (and the comments on AF) only 'scratches the surface' when it comes to the veterans who joined CTI (there are alot more who joined but have not started filming series yet so were not listed). Needless to say, since I'm pretty big on talented supporting artists, majority of those who joined CTI are actually the ones I like -- which means that very likely I will be watching CTI series in the near future (in addition to TVB that is).
DeleteActually, it does seem like there are more male artists that joined CTI than female artists, but I think that's just a coincidence because there happens to be more male veteran supporting actors than there are females. Some of the other supporting artist level females who joined CTI (from what I know) include Rain Lau, Mannor Chan, Catherine Chau...so there are definitely enough, I feel.
I actually was not surprised with Savio's comments because there were already hints of his sentiments throughout the last couple months on his Weibo. What makes me sad though is that almost all of the veteran actors that I like have already left TVB (i.e. Savio, Wilson Tsui, Felix Lok, Samuel Kwok, Ha Yu, John Chiang, Paul Chun, Shek Sau, etc.) -- given that I grew up watching all of these actors, it feels weird not to be able to see them on my TV screen anymore...
Now that you mention it, definitely does seem that TVB has a history of treating celebrity offspring badly (except Toby -- and don't get me started on her cuz I absolutely cannot stand her PERIOD!). I like both Hawick and Sam as well and it's unfortunate that TVB didn't care much about them. Luckily, Raymond Cho is doing fine (good thing because he is one of my favorite supporting actors - love the guy alot...LOL!) -- he's perfectly happy where he is right now, so I don't think he would leave any time soon (TVB does neglect him, but I don't think he cares).
I agree that CTI doesn't have very many younger artists, which might end up being a disadvantage for them (though for people like me who prefer veteran artists, I'm fine with it). I'm neutral towards most of the younger artists that they have so far because frankly, I don't know who majority of them are (hahaha....).
I'm not a fan of Bernice's acting either, though I would prefer her over Aimee anyday! I like Leila alot (she has always been an extremely underrated actress -- TVB was stupid to let her go) so definitely looking forward to her performance. Haven't seen Noelle in a long time and even though I'm not exactly a fan of her acting, I would rather watch her than any of the current TVB fadans. I know who Kelvin and Lawrence are, but pretty neutral towards them since I've never seen / listened to any of their works (they're primarily singers who dabbled in acting).
Oh surprise to know Mannor Chan is also leaving. Since she is a rich woman, I thought TVB will treat her well, haha...Yah, I did notice the exodus of male veterans. Now TVB only have Lau Dan & Lau Kwong so poor Uncle Chau will have to be Steven & Ray Wong's dad instead of grandpa, LOL.
DeleteWill be nice if Samuel Kwok's retired wife can film a serial with him:) Will be even better if David Siu or Kwong Wa will film with CTI, heehee too early to dream:P I think CTI will consider Steven Ma or Samuel Chan. I don't mind CTI nurturing some newbies. After all Gallen Lo is famous for being wooden in Season, haha..The most impt part is they've potential & do improve.
The series that CTI has line up sound promising. Even the title Fairytale Love Song already evokes a romantic feeling in me, haha..Plus I am a sucker for oversea locations filming & plan to go to Okinawa next year LOL. Will be even better if Michael Miu will join Felix in his new drama:) Will keep my fingers cross that they can deliver & it is not all hype.
Oh, today is just not my day since I left out Deric Wan & Canti Lau on my wish to see actors, haha..
Delete@BOGAEfan: LOL...I don't think TVB really cares. The only 3 people that they don't DARE to mistreat right now are Liza Wang, Dodo Cheng, and Eric Tsang (primarily because of their tenure and their status in the industry)...everyone else is 'fair game' so to speak..hahaha!
DeleteWell, there are actually still quite a few veteran actors at TVB I still like (the ones you mentioned like Lau Dan and Lau Kwong) -- plus Ram Tseung, Benz Hui, Damian Lau (though he's definitely not a 'supporting' actor), etc. -- but the talent pool is definitely shrinking...hey, at least Uncle Chau is getting more acting opportunities...hehehehe!
As for your "wishlist" -- yes, it would be great, but it will never happen...Susanna AuYeung (Samuel Kwok's wife)has a completely different career now (she's a Chinese herbal doctor)so I highly doubt she will return to the industry no matter how good the offer is. David Siu is actually a possibility because he has returned to the industry recently (he's currently filming a series for radio station RTHK) -- and based on an interview I read a few weeks ago, it looks like he has intentions of returning to HK permanently (he's living in Mainland right now with his wife and kids). Kwong Wah is a likely possibility as well, since he's currently still active in the industry as far as I know (albeit in Mainland China primarily). I would definitely watch series with both actors because both are among my favorites do to their good acting skills.
Yes, I agree with you regarding newbies...but even if they have 'potential', the way they are cultivated is very important too -- the TVB way is not effective because all the '24/7 in your face' promotion tactic is too draining on the artists -- plus having them be involved in everything under the sun (movies, music, TV, etc.) and not giving them a chance to rest doesn't help things either...all that does is make the artist popular superficially, but does nothing for them long term.
As for Deric Wan and Canti Lau...Deric is a definitely No, as I don't think he would return to the HK entertainment industry if they gave him a million bucks! Canti though is definitely a possibility -- he has also returned to HK recently and filmed a series with RTHK (radio station) as well...
@BOGAEfan: In terms of CTI's 3 series, the only one that I'm truly interested in is the Fairytale Love Song one (for the reasons I stated in my original post). I have no intentions of watching the sci-fi/vampire one because I'm not into that genre at all (plus with all the newbie actors in it, sounds too much like an 'idol drama' to me and I hate those types of dramas...LOL). As for the 3rd one with Leila, Dominic, Samuel Kwok, Noelle, etc. -- I would watch it because of the cast, but unfortunately I don't like supernatural / horror-themed flicks, so depending on the extent of the supernatural/horror storyline, not sure if I would continue with it....
DeleteLOL...Michael and Felix -- another GMG reunion? I'd love to see it too, but unfortunately, MM still has a long contract with TVB, I believe. But he has said that he would consider it once his contract is up...guess we'll have to wait a few years!
I like Ram also but he is not old enough to be dad to TVB's cash cows:P Benz moonlights in Johnny To's movies & Damian is in demand in China so I doubt they'll devote themselves to TVB. BTW did you watch Bu Bu Jin Xin with Damian as the king? So far this is the only mainland drama I finished:) I like it because only 35 episodes, historical drama with time travel element, handsome guys especially Nicky Wu:P, based on an internet novel so the story flows better & lastly directed by ex TVB staff. I found out that he is the one who directed Remembrance & A Time of Taste & directed Looking Back in Anger, all my favourite series.
DeleteI thought I read Susanna is a taichi teacher. Has David Siu been filming drama in China because I've never seen him on China tv? I always check out China channels to spot ex TVB artists, haha.Does the interview has his photo? I am curious how he looks like now:) I saw Kwong Wa 2-3 yrs ago in a Christian theme movie. I also saw Deric on CCTV & Canti in a drama based in Shanghai & another one with Vincent Zhao. RTHK produces series? Are they the social/public service kind eg ICAC, firemen etc?
How come MM has such a long contract with TVB? I hope he'll film with Jamie in CTI. Most of MM's comeback series are forgetable except GMG & Jamie's Born Rich is equally bad. Hope his new drama with Raymond Lam is better but don't have high hope. Actually I like MM in ancient drama but too bad he is not gonna film anymore.
Actually Michelle Wai, the lead in the Sci-Fi drama isn't a newbie, I think she's ok. She has filmed many movies and is fine as a budding actress. It's Danson Tang that I have no idea who he is and he looks too idol.
DeleteI don't accept Bernice's acting. She's a good dancer and a pretty woman but a sub par actress. Leila Tong's acting is fine but she doesn't look a lead actress. She lacks that power. Why does CTI choose them as leading actresses out of so many young actresses in HK?
@BOGAEfan: Haha...true, Ram isn't old enough to be the father-figure yet, but he's still highly underrated as an actor and it doesn't seem that TVB gives him much credit or recognition, so I wouldn't be surprised if he gets disgruntled. Yes, Benz has his movie career, plus he comes from a rich, well-known family too, so it's not like he needs TVB either (which is probably why TVB has been giving him sucky roles the past couple years?). Same with Damian -- he's always been a favorite actor of mine, but almost every role he's had the past decade or so at TVB have been highly forgettable....but one thing I do like is how Damian has that "I'm not going to play your stupid politic games" attitude toward TVB...I still remember how he "stood up" TVB a couple years back when he got nominated as Best Actor (or was it Supporting Actor?) at one of the awards ceremonies and he refused to attend the ceremony because he knew it was all a political game and didn't want to support it --the ironic thing was that he was actually at TVB City that night working, but didn't even bother to attend the ceremony! I really got a kick out of that (gotta love it when TVB gets a taste of their own medicine...hahaha!). No, I haven't watched BBJX yet....that's actually one of the few Mainland series on my list to watch in the future because I've heard so much feedback about it (almost all of it positive).
DeleteYea, I think I read that too, but I also heard that she became a Chinese herbal doctor (which sort of goes hand in hand with the taichi thing if we think about it...).
No, David Siu has not been filming in China -- he pretty much left the industry completely. He runs his own automotive business in China and has been doing so for years already. And he looks COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from how he did back when he was filming series -- I actually barely recognized him myself (in fact, I almost fell out of my chair when I first saw the promotional pics of him for RTHK's series because he looked so extremely different). The pictures from the interview were actually a little better (looked more like him). His interview was actually quite interesting, as he pretty much dishes the dirt on why he left TVB in the first place...but he also 'disses' ALOT of artists in that interview (almost like he was on a manic rampage or something)....one thing to note though is that interview came from a tabloid magazine, so I would read it with a grain of salt...And yes, both Kwong Wah and his wife Kit Man became Christians years ago, so no surprise that they're filming Christian movies and such.
You're exactly correct about RTHK -- since they're a government radio station, they produce service-oriented as well as 'educational' series such as the ICAC and firemen ones. The other popular series they produce is "A World Without Walls", which is a series with individual stories that talks about various issues in the community such as gambling, treatment of disabled people, etc. (it's done similar to the ICAC thing where they invite various celebrities to participate in each individual story). That's the series that both David Siu and Canti Lau are in...
@bogaefan: I actually really miss the MM from the 80s --TVB obviously didn't know how to utilize his talent when he returned (just like they didn't know how to utilize Michael Tao's or Deric Wan's talent), which is why most of his series that he did since his return have been ridiculous and forgettable (plus there's the ever present TVB politics thing too). I loved GMG, but primarily because of the Michael /Felix chemistry -- if it weren't for the 2 of them, I probably wouldn't have even bothered with the series. And I'm definitely not looking forward to MM's new series (the one with RL) because I don't like most of the cast...now if TVB would have just kept the original cast (based on the sales preso, the original leads were supposed to be Michael Miu, Roger Kwok, and Kevin Cheng -- RL was not in the picture at all), I might have given it a chance (though I still can't stand Elaine Ng so the thought of having to watch her in a series again is horrifying...LOL). Oh, and please don't get me started on the whole "Born Rich" thing again...I've ranted about that stupid series so much that I'm starting to sound like a broken record (and to this day I'm still pissed off at TVB because of it!).
Delete@zzxyz: Thanks for the insight about Michelle Wai. Actually, is she from EEG? Cuz if so, then that's probably why I have never heard of her (obviously not a fan of EEG...LOL).
DeleteYea, I agree that Danson definitely looks too "idol" (which is part of the reason why I'm not interested in this series -- cuz I can't stand idol dramas). I actually don't know him either, but supposedly from what I've read, he's very popular in Taiwan as a young singer and actor (that description alone pretty screams "idol drama star" to me...haha!).
I guess I'm sort of neutral towards Bernice -- I don't think her acting is that great either, but when you compare her to the likes of say Aimee Chan, Bernice is definitely way better. If I had a choice, I probably would not purposefully choose to watch Bernice in a series -- though if I like the rest of the cast, I would be able to tolerate her in there.
I like Leila and she's definitely an awesome actress, but you're right, she doesn't have that 'lead actress charisma', which I feel is partly due to her 'baby-face' looks -- plus the fact that she was a very recognizable child actor and for those who have watched alot of her works when she was a child, it's sort of hard to stomach her in that lead role as an adult. I think for me, it would depend on who she is paired up with too -- cuz if she is paired up with someone alot older than her, just makes it harder for me to accept...
As for why CTI would choose those actresses in particular -- that's a good question actually...though I think partly it's because in general, there are more good actors out there than there are actresses. I actually think it's a problem throughout the HK entertainment industry, which is probably why TVB and ATV have to consistently source actresses from beauty pageants. If CTI doesn't go the beauty pageant route (I hope they don't), then their 'pool' of young actresses with potential will definitely be smaller (in my opinion).
Oh, I need to revise my statement, beside Yu Mo Lin, there is another woman veteran Lisa Liu. I don't know most of the veterans' English names & for some I don't even know their Chinese names because I can't read & they are not in the English news:) Who are Jason Chan, Evelyn Cho, Kate Yeung, Charles Ying and Kwong Chor Fai? I think some of them are singers who have never acted in TVB drama.
ReplyDelete@BOGAEfan: I know what you mean about the English names -- I actually had to research some of them myself over the years because I'm so used to referring to them by their Chinese names all these years!
DeleteYes, it appears that Lisa Lui joined CTI as well (you know who she is, right?). Out of the other ones you listed, Kwong Chor Fai is actually a veteran actor as well -- I'm sure you'd recognize him if you saw him...he actually only started participating in series more the past few years -- prior to that, he was a host for TVB's variety shows (mostly the sports-related ones). As for Jason, Evelyn, Kate, and Charles -- I'm not familiar with them either...all I know is that most of them are younger generation singers.
Yes, Lisa is Lee Mok Sau's Idy Chan's 'si jei' in Rtn of the Condor Heroes.But who is Kwong Chor Fai? That Taoist priest Wan Tzi Peng who raped Idy in Rtn of the Condor Heroes?
Delete@BOGAEfan: Haha..yup, that was the role Lisa was most famous for. And yes, Kwong Chor Fai was Wan Tzi Peng (I almost forgot about that too..haha). He actually didn't film a whole lot of series back in the 80s and 90s, since he was mostly hosting. He was in tons of series after 2005 though (like in every single series it seems, though almost all were 'ke le fe' roles).
DeleteI've seen Kelvin and Lawerence's acting in the RTHK drama Elite Brigade 2 and to my surprise both their acting were enjoyable to watch! I was especially surprised by Kelvin since he's a singer, didn't think his acting would be any good. Lawerence has a pretty mature look so it'd be great if CTI gives him chances as male lead. His brotherly friendship with Kelvin was very convincing.
ReplyDeleteI really thought they had potential just from that 1 episode.
@sport3888: Oh, that's good to hear! I actually have never seen Kelvin nor Lawrence in any of their acting projects, so can't really comment on how they will do in CTI's series. I do know that Kelvin is a singer, but never listened to any of his music -- I only know of him primarily because of that whole drug scandal thing a few years ago. As for Lawrence, I haven't listened to any of his music either, though I'm somewhat more familiar with him as an artist back from the days when I used to follow Taiwan entertainment (that was around the time when Lawrence was popular in Taiwan -- at one point, I had actually thought he was a Taiwan artist...haha). Not sure how his acting is like, but I do know from following Leila Tong's weibo that she has collaborated with Lawrence on a few stage plays and such, so I would think that his acting can't be that bad (purely based on the fact that stageplays require a different level of acting and because it is done live, it's a bit harder for 'mediocre' performances to pass through easily....). Either way, it will be interesting to see how they do in these new series....
DeleteOh I also liked how they had a poster for each actor no matter how big their role was! That was very nice cause gives them importance and there's no argument about status/position, etc even though you know you the leads are.
ReplyDeleteYup, definitely agree! I feel especially happy for the under-recognized talented artists such as Chan On Ying, Felix Lok, Savio Tsang, Samuel Kwok, who finally get a chance to feel important and valued -- something they never would have gotten with TVB. The posters + getting to go on stage and introduce your character as well as talk from the heart about how you feel is definitely a nice gesture that goes a long way....no matter how things turn out at the end, at least these well-deserving artists were able to get the '15 minutes of fame' that has been long overdue!
DeleteIt actually made me really proud as a fan of Charles Ying because he isn't popular and hasn't had any new jobs/songs in a while.
ReplyDeleteActually, hearing you mention about Charles Ying in the AF Music thread sort of piqued my curiosity about him, precisely because he falls into the 'talented but not popular' category. I tend to lean more towards 'supporting' artists that fall into that particular category because to me, talent and substance matter more than looks and what's on the surface (I guess I go 'against the norm' when it comes to this kind of thing...hahaha).
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