As most of you probably know, the annual Shanghai Film and Television Festival is currently being held this week in China and with the number of TVB artists who have gone up North to ‘dig gold’ in the Mainland, of course it’s no surprise that quite a few current (and former) TVB artists were in attendance at the festival. Well, since the event is sort of a big deal in China and many industry people would be in attendance, it’s also not surprising that TVB’s ‘top brass’ Virginia Lok would be in attendance as well – plus many of the TVB artists who went were among her ‘favorites’ in terms of current and/or former biological sons/daughters (for example: Charmaine Sheh, Kevin Cheng, Myolie Wu, Bosco Wong, Moses Chan, etc.), so of course she would go there to show her ‘moral support’, right? (for those who didn’t notice, I’m being somewhat facetious here…)
Anyway, I normally wouldn’t give a damn about Virginia Lok attending whatever event, however one thing she said while being interviewed by reporters at the festival really bothered me and so I felt the urge to ‘rant’ about it. Among the many things she said (and she said quite a lot, but mostly in regard to the artists she was there to support, which I don’t care much about), below is the part that got me ticked off:
"Towards the 'poaching' of artists by rival stations in recent years, Virginia Lok used the phrase 'iron-clad TVB, running water generals' to describe the situation. She expressed that artists 'jumping ship' is not enough to make them [TVB] fearful because the artists that the other stations 'poached' are not the best ones -- the most popular siu sangs and fa dans are still with TVB."
(Source: Excerpted from Mingpao article)
First of all, for those who are probably thinking this might be another instance of the Media ‘twisting her words’ – well, I can tell you that it’s not because I’ve read several accounts of what she said from various news sources as well as watched clips of it on TV / internet and pretty much all of them relay the same message. (I had actually read similar comments from her when I was catching up on Weibo yesterday, but waited to say anything until I had better ‘confirmation’ that she actually did say what she said). So for the reasons I stated just now, I am making the determination (for myself) that the words above did indeed come out of VL’s mouth.
Ok, so with the ‘validity’ piece squared away, here’s my reaction to what VL said: BULLCRAP!!!! (sorry for the strong language but just had to get it out of my system). What does she mean by the artists who left not being the ‘best ones’? And the comment about TVB being able to retain the ‘most popular’ siu sangs and fa dans so they have nothing to worry about? What an arrogant, distasteful, abhorrent ‘cheap shot’ at the artists who formerly worked for her! For someone in her position (top management at TVB), I would expect for her to ‘know better’ than to ‘diss’ her former employees like that in public – so unprofessional! (believe me, I should know, since I’m in a high level management position myself). Besides, what she said was a lie anyway because many of the artists that left TVB WERE the ‘best ones’ that they had (nice of her to completely ignore that fact, huh?) Now, I understand if the artists themselves talk crap about other artists or about their current / former employer because they are not in positions of authority anyway and can pretty much say whatever they want (yup, that’s the reality, people) – but as a top executive of the ‘number one’ TV station in HK, she more than anyone should be watching what she says. Judging from many of VL’s comments from the past few years though, it’s obvious she doesn’t get this concept (which further reinforces my long-held opinion that she is not fit for her job and should have been fired a long time ago).
I mean, come on, let’s face it – from an acting / talent perspective, almost all of the artists who left can run circles around those ‘pretty boys/girls’ of hers any day! Felix Wong for example – don’t tell me he is not a better actor than all of those untalented pageant winners and all those other ‘pretty boy’ artists that TVB loves to promote! And in the ‘popularity’ category – find me a follower of Chinese TV series who did not like or remember Felix as Kwok Jing in TVB’s 80s version of LOTCH (many people still affectionately call him ‘Jing Gor Gor’ to this day – almost 30 years later!) or his memorable performance as Ding You Kit in LBIA! (Basically, find me anyone who doesn’t feel that Felix Wong is ‘popular’!!). Or how about Bowie Lam – talented, award-winning, and highly sought after not just in HK but in Mainland China as well as other Asian countries. Oh and what about all those veteran ‘supporting actors/actresses’ who joined CTI (i.e. John Chiang, Paul Chun, Shek Sau, Savio Tsang, Samuel Kwok, etc. – or pick a name from the list here)? What, just because they normally play ‘supporting’ roles that means they can’t act? Um, hello, most of those ‘supporting’ artists were playing lead roles before most of us were even born (and most of TVB’s current siu sangs/fa dans were probably still in diapers)!!!
Stupid witch! Hearing VL spew such crap makes me despise her even more than I already do (if that’s even possible considering how much I already hate her…LOL). As a long-time supporter of TVB, it’s disappointing for me to see such inept, crappy management running the station to the ground! If that’s the type of nonchalant, arrogant attitude that TVB is going to take in the face of the impending TV station battle, then they absolutely deserve whatever demise they have coming to them!
[For the record….as much as I’ve been a supporter of TVB over the years and I want to see them improve, it should NOT happen at the expense of the rest of the HK entertainment industry! Besides, what's the point of constantly trying to encourage them to improve through well-intentioned constructive criticism when they don’t give a crap themselves about improving (at least that’s the ‘vibe’ that VL’s comments are giving me)? This may or may not change my ‘perspective’ about TVB and the battle of the TV stations, but it certainly does dash any inkling of hope I had of TVB perhaps wanting to change for the better!]
LL's Musings 小賢角落
Well lets just face it as long as the people who are in charge of TVB reminds the same, there's no saving it. Especially when the new boss/owner doesn't seem too interested in managing the station, rather just let Mona Fong, V Lok, and that other new male executive handle things.
ReplyDelete@sport3888: You're so right about that!! Actually, back when TVB was sold and Charles Chan (the new owner) came into the picture, I remember reading an interview he did where he said that he was not planning on making any changes to TVB and pretty much he is just going to sit back and collect the profits. To be honest, I didn't have a good impression of him back then and still don't even now -- he sounds like one of those 'high up there' CEOs who know nothing about the plight of the people and pretty much just sit in an air-conditioned office all day collecting an enormous pay check.
DeleteThat's why as much as I have my reservations about Ricky Wong, I have a certain amount of respect for him in that at least he is not one of those 'out of touch' CEOs who sit back and watch from the sidelines -- in fact, he's very 'un-CEO like' in that he's right there in the trenches with his staff and making an effort to understand their plight and help them as much as possible. So for me, at least if CTI fails in the end, at least we can say that they truly did give it their best shot.
Also notices how Ricky Wong keeps say he "believes" doing good things will get good repayments. That how most politicians win elections, that's how inventors/small companies win over big ones. They get people who believe in the mission to work for them even when they lack the money and resources. That's how Martin Luther King got so much people to follow and trust in him.
ReplyDeleteWith Ricky Wong he has the resources but one thing I've worried from the start is how he carries himself and influence his team. If all he thinks about is the money they have then the company isn't very promising. But from interviews it's certain he has a belief in what they do will turn into fruits of harvesting. And as the highest authority/boss of the company he's willing to look after everything even going with the crew to filming locations and seeing how hard their work it. Only by putting yourself in other's shoes will you be able to resonate with them and appreciate their work.
Would V Lok and other TVB executives do such things? No that's why they keep looking down on others even on their own former artistes! Not even appreciating all the sweat and hardships they gave for the company even if they were payed (low wages at that).
Sorry the only reason I'm still watching TVB's series is cause of my favorites Ruco and Kristal.
Pretty faces can always be found by singers (many actually have more acting potential than TVB's own actors). But the veterans aren't people you can just replace. You need veterans to guide the young actors who don't know how to act nor what they are doing especially when 90% are from TVB's 6month acting class and pageants.
Those who are great actors are the ones who graduated from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (ex: Anthony Wong, Tse Kwan Ho, Sunny Chan, Power Chan, etc)
Part 1: @sport3888: LOL...yup...I'm actually starting to think that Ricky Wong might have read that Dale Carnegie book "How to Win Friends and Influence People"...hahaha! In all seriousness though, one thing that has impressed me about Ricky Wong so far is that he's not 'all talk and no action' like alot of the CEOs out there -- he comes across very much like a 'man of action' who sets his mind on something and determines to see it through to completion. All of the examples we've seen so far show how serious he is about making this work -- i.e.: providing specially catered meals to the filming cast crew, getting on a plane and flying 30 hours to meet with an artist he wants to recruit, even selling off his telecom business so he can focus entirely on building a television empire (and doing all this personally himself, to boot)....compare that to TVB where they have a whole team of managers but yet still manage to neglect majority of their artists and only pay attention to a select few. Perhaps the difference is that Ricky Wong comes from a Corporate business background and so he truly knows how to run a business and troubleshoot issues that may arise whereas the so-called 'managers' at TVB were all previously entertainment people (producers, artists, behind the scenes crew, etc.) and so they lack the 'business acumen' side of things (I'm not counting Charles Chan here, since he's not involved with TVB anyway and is pretty much only the 'owner' in title).
DeletePart 2: Like I said in my earlier comment, the fact that Ricky Wong is so involved in every piece of the process is what sets him apart from the others, especially the managers at TVB. I know alot of people question Ricky Wong's 'sincerity' in terms of whether he's doing all this (building a television empire) solely because he wants to bring TVB down or whether he truly cares about the HK television industry and wants it to be better --also based on all the stuff I've read so far, alot of people are saying that he has an arrogant attitude and because it seems like his primary motive is to bring TVB down, they want to see him fail (those must be hard-core, brainwashed TVB fanatics!). Personally, I'm not too concerned with what his motive is as long as what he is doing is helping the HK entertainment industry rather than harming it -- if that means that TVB loses out along the way, then so be it (especially if TVB doesn't seem to give a care anyway and just refuses to look at this as an opportunity to make things better).
DeleteTo be honest, the other reason why VL's comments pissed me off so much is because all this time, I've been hearing complaints from netizens and others about how "ungrateful" the artists who left are and how they shouldn't badmouth their former employer because they gave them their success, and blahblahblah -- making the artists seem like 'traitors' for leaving TVB (such close-minded people!)....well, people, here you've got a TVB executive (someone who is in a position of authority) doing the exact same thing....so why aren't those same people jumping on VL for her comments? I guess the artists' blood, sweat and tears don't matter as much when you've got a colossal monster like TVB that pretty much runs the HK entertainment industry! (ok, I'm being facetious here, but I'm sure you guys get what I'm trying to say).
Part 3 : I'm also still watching TVB primarily to support the artists I like who are still there --but I've cut back alot already compared to the past, especially in the past 10 years or so. I don't know if there will ever be a day where I'll stop watching TVB entirely (with the path they've been going down lately, it's really hard to say....), but I'm definitely less concerned with them then I was in the past. There are times now where I could care less what happens to them anymore....
DeleteLastly, I totally agree with you about those who graduated from the HK Acting Academy -- that's why I always say that TVB is all about politics and doesn't know how to recognize true acting talent. People who defend TVB from criticism from people like us usually tend to forget that one of the reasons why most of the artists who came out of TVB back in the 70s/80s were so successful is because they were taught well by the instructors and teachers who mentored them -- King Sir (Chung King Fai), who used to head up TVB's Acting classes in the 70s and 80s, should get most of the credit for that (along with many of the 'legendary' instructors such as Lau Fong Kong, Chan You Hou, etc.). Well, King Sir was also the one who started the HK Acting Academy in the 80s (which is the primary reason why he left TVB) -- that's why to me, it's no surprise that the artists who graduated from the HK Acting Academy are so good in their craft.
I read this news last night, also on VL supporting her artists to go up north to dig gold. Her so called best & most popular artists are not devoting themselves to TVB but mining gold up north. They will only film a drama or 2 for TVB a year so in actual fact TVB has no good artists left. The one left in TVB are those not good enought for CTI & mainland, maybe with a few exceptions:P Also, I think she meant those who joined CTI are best & popular in a bygone era whereas TVB has got the current best & popular artists. IF these artists continue to churn out crappy TVB dramas, they'll also be history soon.
ReplyDeleteThis woman is so full of herself. No matter how badly you think of the artists who have left, they've worked hard & contributed to TVB success. The least you can do is wish them well & tell them that TVB's door is always open to those who wanna come back like what Norman told Lau Ka Ho & Miu Siu Ching. Don't know why Mona Fong likes her to much & the new owner is retaining her. I read somewhere the new owner is in for a quick buck & will sell TVB a few yrs down the track. I hope CTI can be the apple to TVB's Microsoft & give this woman a smack in the face, LOL.
@BOGAEfan: What can I say other than I totally agree with everything you said (LOL!).
DeleteIn terms of why Mona Fong liked VL so much and continued to keep her on despite the fact that she is running the company to the ground -- well, I don't think we will ever know, though my theory is that 'Auntie Six' was desperate to find someone to manage the artists' department after all the 'good' managers left and VL was a 'convenient' choice (and probably the people she really wanted to be in the position weren't willing to take the job). Whatever the case, it was a poor choice and now they are paying the price (though it's obvious the Shaws don't care anymore since they sold the company already). Like I said in one of my other earlier 'rants', I have a huge feeling that Mona Fong already saw the writing on the wall and knew what VL was doing to the company (I really don't think Mona Fong is that stupid), but by that time, she already had intentions to sell the company (like I said, she was already 'paving the way' for years with the whole revamping of the Shaw Brothers film franchise and such -- it can't be a coincidence that they started up the film thing again and then sell the company not long after, then Run Run Shaw retires and Mona Fong steps down, etc.). Since Mona Fong already decided that she would be removing herself from the company, then in the future, whatever VL does is no longer her issue (that's for the new owner to worry about)....
I don't know if I'll live to see the day that VL gets fired from TVB (though by that time, TVB will probably be so far gone already that it doesn't even matter anymore), but if it does happen in my lifetime, I know I definitely will be celebrating with fireworks! Hahahaha!
I think TVB might not be beaten by CTI but by mainland & Korea because I know quite a handful of people who have jumped ship & some are people who live in Hong Kong. Only die hard like me still watches TVB, haha..To be able to comepete neck to neck or even beat TVB is no easy feat for CTI. It'll take years & a lot of hard work & money from Ricky to do that as TVB is well established. He needs to have vision & preseverance as talk is cheap. Lets the battle begins:P
ReplyDelete@BOGAEfan: From the 'big picture' perspective, that's definitely true! Ultimately, TVB will probably be 'eaten up' anyway by the fast-growing Mainland market as well as other countries that have a better system when it comes to 'doing' television. One of TVB's biggest problems (in addition to the crappy management...LOL) is that they are too old-fashioned and stubbornly steadfast when it comes to clinging to their established ways -- which is also one of the reasons why they have such huge difficulty adapting to change. All the 'controversies' that happened the past few years (especially the Stephen Chan trial) really brought alot of these 'antiquated processes / policies' to light and helped some people finally come to terms with how 'problematic' the situation truly is with TVB (though ironically, TVB themselves don't acknowledge or recognize this). Unless TVB is willing to change their ways and actually listen to the advice of their critics for a change (instead of arrogantly shunning us away as 'outsiders' who don't know any better), I truly feel that TVB may not survive the 'war' this time around (just because they came out relatively unscathed back during the TV war in the 70s doesn't mean that the same thing will happen again now).
DeleteThe next few years will definitely be very interesting to see what happens to TVB and the HK entertainment industry as a whole....
True the upcoming years would be interesting. I hope the other 3 new companies will be able to broadcast their shows overseas on cable tv at the same time just like what TVB is doing right now on directv with over a day apart (since HK time is faster)
Delete@sport3888: Agreed....I hope so too! I have a feeling they will though given all the technology nowadays....plus it doesn't seem like CTI will be as 'cheap'the as TVB (who is even trying to charge people for myTV....talk about greedy! LOL!)
DeleteI don't care what happens to TVB as long as the entertainment industry and music industry (most important to me) flourishes in the end! They are so arrogant and pety that I seriously wouldn't mind if they fall. The fact that the new owner isn't fully interested in the company already says alot. If the owner changes again in two years (so soon) they might end up like ATV where owners keep changing and there's no stability.
ReplyDelete@sport3888: Totally hear ya! Up until this point, I actually truly did care what happens to TVB -- after all, I grew up with TVB and my family has been supporting them almost from the start (in the late 60s). But now I'm starting to realize that all that 'sentimentality' doesn't matter -- all it takes is one person to screw things up (and that "one person" in this case is Virginia Lok). The way I see it -- if TVB management (specifically VL) treats their own employees with such disrespect, imagine what their attitude is towards us audiences (they're probably sitting there laughing at the audiences for being fools who blindly buy into their propaganda!). The more I hear VL open her mouth and say such stuff, the more I want to support CTI, nowTV, and everyone else trying to 'break' TVB's monopoly! Maybe when TVB actually fires VL, I 'might' go back to 'caring' about them again...
DeleteMy friend told me some stories abt VL which I am not sure is real. As both of us can't read Chinese so maybe you can shed some light into it. VL used to work for Shaw Bros as an artist but she failed to become popular so switched to mgt. Because she has been following MF since Shaw Bros days, that is why MF is so fond of her. Because of her failure as an artist, she aspires to ctrl the fate of artists & is not fond of ex Shaw artists. Haha, this sounds so much like a TVB script:P
ReplyDelete@BOGAEfan: I've heard and read similar stories about VL, so I don't really doubt that there is truth to all that -- it's just a shame that TVB is allowing that arrogant witch to run them to the ground (I have no doubt that TVB is going down the ATV path in terms of "crappy management"). In my opinion, the biggest mistake that Run Run Shaw made was handing the reigns of the company over to Mona Fong back in the early 2000s -- that woman doesn't know how to run a TV station at all and now everyone is paying the price!!! So stupid!!!
DeleteI fully agree that TVB will be eaten to the bones by mainland and Korean dramas. Serves them right if their series continue to be old fashion.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I read in newspapers VL's new favorite(since those who managed to made it already move to mainland market and only fill 1 or 2 obligation series a year so she need new guinea pigs) is JASON CHAN. Who is this guy and how is his performance? I heard Catherine Tsang also loves him.
@zzxyz: Personally, I can't really comment too much on Jason Chan yet cuz I haven't seen enough of his performances to really judge. The only series that I've seen of his is "Be Home For Dinner", which was the sitcom that aired last year (overall, the series started off quite good but got really screwed up toward the middle and ending -- to the point that I felt like throwing rocks at my TV...LOL!) -- honestly speaking, I really wasn't too impressed with his performance in that series, but since it was pretty much his first series with a somewhat 'meaty' role, I sort of gave him the benefit of the doubt. Prior to that, he has primarily been hosting variety programs for TVB -- mostly the English language programs (I think he's either from England or Australia -- one of those...)....I've seen him host the program "Dolce Vita" a few times with Becky Lee (who was also in Be Home For Dinner)....the hosting isn't too bad, I guess....
DeleteWith all that said....I hate to be biased, but to be very honest, I really have not liked any of VL's 'favorites' so far (and it's not just because I hate VL -- she just doesn't have an eye for talent, since all she cares about is mostly whether the artist is good looking and whether they kiss up to her satisfaction....)....so pretty much, if Jason Chan is VL's newest 'favorite', there's a huge chance I'm not going to like him either....
VL new favs are not just Jason Chan but also Him Law. Jason is Catherine side and Him Law is Tommy Leung side.
DeleteVL always pick favs from both sides. Her current Most Favs are Kevin Cheng from Catherine side and Raymond Lam from Tommy's side. Catherine always prefer to promote mature man while Tommy Leung always promote boys.
DeleteVL also make sure her fav fadans come from both sides too. Linda Chung is Catherine's while Myolie Wu and Kate are Tommy's.
Moses Chan and Aimee Chan are also VL's treasured darlings. They are Catherine side and very rarely film for Tommy. VL did her all to banish Bernice and glorify Moses Chan as best bachelor alive.
DeleteTavia Yeung, Bosco Wong and Kenneth Ma are balanced between Catherine and Tsang. Maybe producers from both sides like these three for some reason.
Fala Chen is Catherine's but she's special because she's backed up by her in law family's power and relationship.
DeleteJoe Ma although left TVB is still best friends with VL and used VL help to clear his tainted name.
@Anonymous: I'm actually less concerned with who Tommy and Catherine's favorites are because ultimately, they are not the ones controlling the fate of the artists. As the head of the artists' department, Virginia Lok is really the one who controls everything related to the artists....besides, technically VL is Catherine and Tommy's boss anyway (since VL's title is actually Director of Production and Resources) -- that's why she has so much power to push certain people that she likes into certain series and essentially 'force' some producers to utilize certain artists (during a seminar last year, scriptwriter Chow Yuk Ming actually said that some producers are often 'pressured' by management to use certain artists in their productions, even if the artist isn't a good fit for the role -- he was speaking from personal experience because he and Jonathan Chik work closely as a team and they experienced this before).
DeleteThat's also why some artists who are favored by Catherine and Tommy (well, mostly Catherine, since she and VL are at odds pretty much) but not favored by VL (for example, Steven Ma) are eventually 'forced out' --basically, Catherine and Tommy are primarily responsible for the production of series and don't really have as much control of the artists as people think (though they are often asked to do the 'dirty work' of trying to encourage certain artists to stay with TVB when the need arises -- which to me is stupid because why should they be cleaning up VL's messes??).
I don't know. I will keep my reservations about Jason Chan until I personally able to judge his acting.
DeleteHa ha, different here. I don't care whether the artiste is liked or pushed by VL or not, I only care whether they can act or not based on my acting kpi :P
@zzxyz: LOL...don't get me wrong -- I care mostly about the acting as well...it just so happens that the majority of the ones that VL had pushed I'm not fond of because I feel they are still lacking in the acting category...perhaps my KPI for acting is way too high because there aren't a whole lot of artists who fit my standards it seems (though of course there are always exceptions..haha). My point is mainly that since VL has so much power, she holds the fate of the artists in her hands, which allows her to push people who can"t act up to the top and suppress those who can act if they don't happen to be on their favorites list....
Delete王维基拿走的艺人都不是我们最好的。我不用和他们斗，多一点、少一点收视对我们没有意义。
ReplyDelete艾威微博:--- 哈哈，真的很想知道她所说”不是最好的”是指那方面，演技最好?人工最好？外型最好？.........不过当中该有一项不用置疑的是------跟她交情最好。 //@伪高人胆大:--- 我不知谁是最好的演员，只知谁是最差的高层，有良知的好演员在TVB没有前途，出走吧！为了香港电视界的未来。
From other news reports, VL specifically directed her barb towards Ricky Wong not towards other rival companies.
Anyway, whether directed at RW or rival companies, her retort is totally unprofessional, arrogant and of course demeaning. But surprisingly like you have pointed out some baidu neitizens actually supported her remark and said she needed to come across ba qi (aggressive), I disagree.
Anyway, someone responded on weibo: I don't know who are the best actors but I do know who is the worst executive.
艾威 replies: Really would like to know what she meant by "not the best" at what aspect -- the best acting? the best work? the best looker?...but undoubtedly in it there must be another 'best' aspect..the best relationship with her.
@tamaya: Thanks for the comments! Even without the other reports though, I'm sure most would have guessed that her comments were primarily referring to Ricky Wong, since he had 'poached' the most TVB artists (plus he's the biggest 'target' right now) in that the pro-TVB crowd has been lashing into him left and right it seems.
DeleteI'm actually glad you included the comments from Wilson Tsui's weibo because I read those comments this morning and it made me even angrier -- no, I wasn't angry at what he wrote (in fact, I totally agree with him), but rather, I was pissed at what the netizens said in response to his posting.... I actually made the mistake of reading some of the comments from various netizens on Weibo about VL's comments (I'm never doing that again if I can help it!) and it ticks me off even more to see some of these netizens 'attack' some of the former TVB artists (such as Wilson Tsui) for speaking out and defending himself as well as his colleagues in the face of that despicable witch's venom! Some of the netizens even went as far as to say that VL is speaking the 'truth' because all their [the netizens'] young popular favorites are still at TVB and all the 'old people' are gone!! Um, ok -- just because majority of the artists who left are 'older' artists, that makes them 'worthless'??? What kind of reasoning is that??? Um, don't forget that those 'old people' are primarily the ones who 'carry' majority of TVB's series -- if they are so 'worthless', then why does TVB even bother inviting them back to participate in their series? Why don't they just put all of their 'young popular favorites' in the series and forego all the 'old worthless people' and see how the series turn out??? Oh, and btw --those netizens need to do their homework because it's not just the 'old people' who left TVB -- many 'newer' artists who weren't with TVB very long also left, as well as a few artists who are fairly young (i.e. Leila Tong for example). Those people must have either been paid off by TVB or are brainwashed to the point that they are totally oblivious to what is truly going on!!
Part 2: You know, the other thing that pisses me off too.... Many of those who left TVB are still very supportive of the company (or at least have been up to this point) -- for instance: Savio Tsang has been helping to promote TVB's series on Weibo (in fact, there has been more mention of TVB than CTI on his Weibo), Felix Wong has been sending words of encouragement to his colleagues at TVB and giving his support for their series, a few others have commented about how they are currently watching Master of Play and other TVB series and praising the cast and crew for their efforts, etc. Obviously, many of the artists who left still have a certain affection for their former 'home'....yet, that bxxch VL has the audacity to belittle these artists and arrogantly declare that they are 'worthless'!!! Damn her!
DeleteVL is not taking this competition graciously. I have my reservations for RW until he proved 'something' with his dramas, but he has excellent communication skills. That I give him credit.
DeleteVL on the other hand sucks at her communication and management skills. If she's my employee or subordinate, I will send her a memo to tell her to brush up her public speaking mannerisms. She's not giving her company a good image.
@zzxyz: Agreed! Except that if she were my employee, I would have fired her a long time ago because she has already proven her "incompetence" time and time again! Just the fact that she "forced out" so many good artists is enough 'evidence' for me to fire her! (That's why I always say that TVB doesn't want someone like me running their company because if I were in Norman Leung's position, I would have "cleaned house" a long time ago and not let those corrupt managers get away with all the stuff they get away with now...pretty much slot of people would be out of jobs....LOL!)
DeleteI'm glad Felix praised Master of Play although it was a slow start and some scenes in the beginning could've been cut off the story after episode 15 has be superb! Adam, Rebecca, and Aimee's relationship and acting are the only reason I'm still watching it. Adam and Rebecca's acting really saved the series. The way they wrote Moses'role was really boring. If he actually acted as 5 different personalities it would've been challenging but instead he just acted as a character similar to his other jerk roles such as Healing Hands. Unfortunately ratings aren't great so both Adam and Rebecca won't get awards =/ Plus we can't expect TVB to award the older actors when they desperately trying to push their own young actors up to higher status.
ReplyDelete@sport3888: Actually, Felix wasn't the one who praised MOP (though I'm sure he would have if he had actually been following the series) -- other former TVB artists and behind-the-scenes people who have been watching the series have been supporting it and promoting it. Personally, the series is not my cup of tea, so I haven't been watching it and so can't really comment on how good or not good it is...but I definitely agree with the point you made that TVB definitely won't reward the older artists (i.e. Adam Cheng, Rebecca Chan, Ram Tseung, etc.) no matter how good their acting is because that would defeat the purpose of trying to push their younger favorites up to the top. This is apparent through some of the other comments VL made a few days ago (yup, that witch is still opening that mouth of hers and spewing crap) -- she was essentially bragging about how several years ago, an artist like Bosco Wong was virtually unknown, yet now he's known all over Mainland and is 'highly sought after' to film series there (Hmmm --so maybe THAT's why she pushed Bosco into Top 5 for Best Actor a few years ago when there were other more qualified actors who deserved the spot instead....it's starting to make more sense now)....
DeleteWell, it's no wonder so many artists left....imagine how discouraging it is for them to know that no matter how much effort they put into acting, they will never get recognized by the company they work for unless they are on a certain someone's 'favorites' list....maybe that's also why more and more artists in the past few years have been saying that they would rather get recognition and praise from audiences than an award from TVB....
I don't like Master of Play. I think Adam Cheng is efficient and Aimee is improving, but Moses' parts are boring. Probably the character, but I keep feeling that Moses isn't suitable for the role. Chow Yuk Ming and Jonathan Chik are pushing too hard with their favorite Moses.
DeleteI actually like Bosco Wong's acting after watching more of his dramas so I don't share your dislikeness towards him, I think he excels in subtleties and is better than Raymond Lam or Kevin Cheng in my eyes thus deserving what he achieves now but differences aside I dislike VL.
Oh Rebecca Chan, I always think she's an excellent actress. There are many series where I disregard the main actresses and pay attention to Rebecca, such as last year's Curse of Royal Harem.
Delete@zzxyz: Just to clarify, I don't "dislike" Bosco...I'm actually neutral towards him (I'm not a fan but I don't dislike him either)...in fact, I prefer him over some of the other artists from his generation (not going to name names here cuz I'll probably incur the wrath of fans..lol)...but I feel that he still has a long ways to go before he will even come close to the level of many of HK's most talented actors...yet VL is trying to make him out to be some big superstar when he's definitely not...that's really the part that I have a 'problem' with (pretty much that so many people are oblivious to VL and TVB's tactics and take every word they say as though it were from God or something...). I guess you could say that VL and all those other managers at TVB don't have much credibility in my book anymore....
Delete@zzxyz: Rebecca Chan is definitely a tremendously underrated actress. I've liked her as an actress since the 80s and for me, her acting is still as solid and mesmerizing as it was back then....I think her disadvantage is that she looks a lot more mature than many actresses her age (even back in the 80s) and so the roles that she got were a lot more limited (and she pretty much started playing the 'mother' / 'aunt' / older woman roles a lot earlier than most)..of course it also didn't help that she mostly got paired with the more 'mature' actors throughout most of her career....
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