Weibo Fever # 17: Producer Lau Ka Ho’s Series Through the Years

Yesterday (7/22) was ‘golden’ producer Lau Ka Ho’s (劉家豪) birthday. In addition to many of his friends and colleagues giving him birthday wishes via Weibo, one of the HK entertainment news sites gave him a very special gift: a fan-made video clip that incorporates the themesong videos from 23 of the series that LKH produced over the past 3 decades (late 1980s to 2012).

I really enjoyed watching this clip (even though at a little over 37 minutes, the clip is LONG) because it brought back a lot of memories for me, since I’ve either watched (or am currently watching) all 23 series featured in this clip (though of course, some of the series I watched awhile back ago -- especially the ones from the 80s -- so I'm not necessarily going to remember everything about them). It also made me realize how long I’ve been ‘following’ TVB (I guess I really am ‘old’…haha).

Anyway, here is the list of the 23 series that Ka Ho Gor produced (the same series featured in the clip) as well as a [partial] cast list (I actually decided to list out the cast on my own). I’m sure that a lot of TVB fans (especially long-time fans) will recognize majority of these series (especially the ones that were anniversary series / grand productions).

This clip absolutely worth keeping, especially given the fact that Ka Ho Gor has already left TVB – he was definitely a very important part of TVB history and even though he may not have produced as many series compared to other TVB producers, many of his series were 'classics' that helped to secure the careers of many artists over the decades.

Lastly, just wanted to take this opportunity to say:

HAPPY [belated] BIRTHDAY KA HO GOR!!!

*****
 

Link to Video Clip:  Lau Ka Ho’s series

Source:  HK Channel's Weibo

picture credit as listed

1). When Silken Hands Get Rough 靜待黎明 (1987)

Cast: Barbara Chan (陳敏兒), Susanna AuYeung (歐陽珮珊), Eddy Ko (高雄), Margie Tsang (曾華倩), Sean Lau (劉青雲), Lau Kong (劉江), Gregory Lee (李永豪), etc.

2). The Rise of a Kung Fu Master 南拳蔡李佛 (1988)

Cast: Meng Fei (孟飛), Cecilia Wong (黄杏秀), Kitty Lai (黎美嫻), Andy Dai (戴志偉), Paul Chun (秦沛), Ng Man Tat (吳孟達), Eddy Ko (高雄), Lau Kong (劉江), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), etc.

3). Behind Silk Curtains 大都會 (1988)

Cast: Adam Cheng (鄭少秋), Liza Wang (汪明荃), Stephen Chow (周星馳), David Siu (邵仲衡), Yang Kwun (楊群), Jamie Chik (戚美珍), Spencer Leung (梁思浩), Wing Lam (林穎嫺), etc. etc. [Note: This was a special 5 episode series that featured pretty much every single artist working for TVB at the time – most of them appeared in cameo roles, with a few seconds to few minutes screentime, so cast list is too huge to list out completely.]

4). And Yet We Live 當代男兒 (1988)

Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Ray Lui (呂良偉), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴), Barbara Chan (陳敏兒), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Wing Lam (林穎嫺), Mak Chui Han (麥翠嫻), Maggie Siu (邵美琪), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Sean Lau (劉青雲), Andy Dai (戴志偉), Teresa Mo (毛舜筠), etc.

5). Ho Ching  豪情 (1989) [Note: Not sure about English title]

Cast: Wilson Lam (林俊賢), Ray Lui (呂良偉), Margie Tsang (曾華倩), Carina Lau (劉嘉玲), Wong Wan Choi (黃允財), etc.

6). The Final Combat  蓋世豪俠 (1989)

Cast: Stephen Chow (周星馳), Jacqueline Law (羅慧娟), Francis Ng (吳鎮宇), Yammie Nam (藍潔瑛), Ng Man Tat (吳孟達), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), Lau Kong (劉江), etc.

7). The Justice of Life 他來自江湖 (1989)

Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Stephen Chow (周星馳), Ng Man Tat (吳孟達), Tien Niu (恬妞), Teresa Mo (毛舜筠), Anthony Wong (黃秋生), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), Kwan Hoi San (關海山), etc.


8). The Hunter’s Prey 烏金血劍 (1990)
Cast: Canti Lau (劉錫明), Gallen Lo (羅嘉良), Vivian Chow (周慧敏), Eddie Cheung (張兆輝), Gordon Lau (劉家輝), Stella Wong (王敏明), etc.


9).  The Big Family  大家族 (1991)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Elizabeth Lee (李美鳳), Tien Niu (恬妞), Kenneth Tsang (曾江), Chu Kong (朱江), Kwan Hoi San (關海山), Canti Lau (劉錫明), Benz Hui (許紹雄), Ha Ping (夏萍), Fung So Bor (馮素波), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Cutie Mui (梅小惠), etc. [This was 1991’s anniversary series and actually had a huge cast – too many artists to list out completely].


10). The Key Man 巨人 (1992)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Idy Chan (陳玉蓮), Monica Chan (陳法蓉), Wilson Lam (林俊賢), Louise Lee (李司棋), Kwan Hoi San (關海山), etc.


11). The Edge of Righteousness 龍兄鼠弟 (1993)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Dicky Cheung (張衛健), Jessica Hsuan (宣萱), Athena Chu (朱茵), Monica Chan (陳法蓉), Kent Cheng (鄭則仕),Kwan Hoi San (關海山), etc.


12). Down Memory Lane 萬里長情 (1995)
Cast: Alex Man (萬梓良), Michelle Yim (米雪), Frankie Lam (林文龍), Kenix Kwok (郭可盈), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Candy Law (羅霖), Gordon Lam (林家棟), etc.


13). The Gentle Crackdown 秀才遇著兵 (2005)
Cast: Moses Chan (陳豪), Niki Chow (周麗淇), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Michelle Yim (米雪), Yuen Wah (元華), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Johnson Lee (李思捷), Mimi Chu (朱咪咪), Eddy Ko (高雄), Cindy Au (歐倩怡), etc.


14). When Rules Turn Loose 識法代言人 (2005)
Cast: Liza Wang (汪明荃), Ha Yu (夏雨), Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Sammul Chan (陳鍵鋒), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Patricia Liu (劉綽琪), Marco Ngai (魏駿傑), etc.


15). Heart of Greed  溏心風暴 (2007)
Cast: Louise Lee (李司棋), Ha Yu (夏雨), Susann Kwan (關菊英), Michelle Yim (米雪), Moses Chan (陳豪), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Louis Yuen (阮兆祥), Raymond Lam (林峯), Chris Lai (黎諾懿), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Yoyo Mung (蒙嘉慧), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), etc.


16). Devil’s Disciples 強劍 (2007)
Cast: Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Sharon Chan (陳敏之), Shirley Yeung (楊思琦), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), etc.


17). The Gentle Crackdown 2  秀才愛上兵 (2008)
Cast: Steven Ma (馬浚偉), Yumiko Cheng (鄭希怡), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Ha Yu (夏雨), Law Koon Lan (羅冠蘭), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Johnson Lee (李思捷), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Evergreen Mak (麥長青), etc.


18). Moonlight Resonance 溏心風暴之家好月圓 (2008)
Cast: Louise Lee (李司棋), Ha Yu (夏雨), Susann Kwan (關菊英), Michelle Yim (米雪), Wayne Lai (黎耀祥), Lee Heung Kam (李香琴), Moses Chan (陳豪), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Louis Yuen (阮兆祥), Raymond Lam (林峯), Chris Lai (黎諾懿), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Kate Tsui (徐子珊), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Vincent Wan (溫家恆), etc.


19). In the Eye of the Beholder  秋香怒點唐伯虎 (2010)
Cast: Moses Chan (陳豪), Ha Yu (夏雨), Myolie Wu (胡杏兒), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Johnson Lee (李思捷), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Chris Lai (黎諾懿), Elaine Yiu (姚子羚), etc.


20). Mysteries of Love 談情說案 (2010)
Cast: Raymond Lam (林峯), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Kenneth Ma (馬國明), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Law Lok Lam (羅樂林), Evergreen Mak (麥長青), Jazz Lam (林子善), etc.


21). Yes Sir Sorry Sir  點解阿Sir係阿Sir (2011)
Cast: Moses Chan (陳豪), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Ron Ng (吳卓羲), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Law Lok Lam (羅樂林), Queenie Chu (朱慧敏), Lee Kwok Lun (李國麟), Ronald Law (羅鈞滿), Cilla Lok (樂瞳), Dickson Wong (黄得生), Brian Chu (朱敏瀚), etc.


22). Witness Insecurity 護花危情 (2012)
Cast: Bosco Wong (黃宗澤), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Paul Chun (秦沛), Ram Tseung (蔣志光), Ronald Law (羅鈞滿), Cilla Lok (樂瞳), Queenie Chu (朱慧敏), Rachel Kan (簡慕華), Eric Li (李天翔), Lee Kwok Lun (李國麟), Geoffrey Wong (黃子雄), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Yeung Ching Wah (楊證樺), Lee Yee Man (李綺雯), Jonathan Cheung (張穎康), etc.


23). Three Kingdoms RPG 回到三國 (2012)
Cast: Kenneth Ma (馬國明), Raymond Lam (林峯), Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Kaki Leung (梁嘉琪), Lee Kwok Lun (李國麟), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Law Lok Lam (羅樂林), Jimmy Au (歐瑞偉), Lee Sing Cheong (李成昌), Ruco Chan (陳展鵬), etc.

TVB Series “Witness Insecurity”《護花危情》(2012): Theme Song Translation

I’m currently watching (well, more like 'chasing') the TVB series Witness Insecurity 《護花危情》 (starring Bosco Wong, Linda Chung, Paul Chun, Ram Tseung, etc.) and so far, it’s quite an enjoyable series (in fact, I’m sort of ‘obsessed’ with this series just like I was with BP and THC earlier in the year). Since I’m planning on writing a review on the series when it finishes airing in a couple weeks (I have a bunch of notes on it already), I’m going to refrain from going into detail about the series itself in this post. Instead, I’m going to focus primarily on the theme song only.

The theme song to this series is called ‘The Most Blissful Thing’ (最幸福的事) and is sung by the series female lead Linda Chung. At first, when I first heard this song, I wasn’t too crazy about it, partly because I felt Linda’s performance of the song was a little lacking, but after listening to it over and over again (since there is no sub-theme song for this series, so the theme song is played during both the opening and closing credits), I’ve come to love this song (quite a lot actually). I guess you could say that this song ‘grew’ on me the more I listened to it.

I really like the melody of the song because it’s very easy to listen to and also fits so well with the theme of the series – the cello instrumental part at the beginning of the song especially moves me and draws me in (the song ends with the same instrumental segment as well). In fact, there’s actually a complete instrumental version of the song that was released as well (part of it is played throughout the series, since Linda’s character plays the cello so this is the song that she plays each time). The lyrics are also very beautiful and moving – gives off that ‘bittersweet’ vibe that’s inline with the overall storyline. [In fact, if we pay close attention to the lyrics, perhaps there’s a little hint of how Hui Sir (Bosco) and Kiu Ji Lam’s (Linda) relationship will turn out? (I’m sure those who are currently watching the series will know what I mean)].

Overall, the song is beautifully composed and written -- however the only flaw is the vocal performance (aka the singing) of the song by Linda. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Linda’s performance of the song wasn't good – in fact, I feel that she actually did a decent job with the song considering she’s not a professional singer…however, the reason why I feel her performance was lacking was because it didn’t have the emotional ‘umph’ that would have made this song perfect. When it comes to theme songs, I’m a bit on the ‘picky’ side in that in order for the song to be ‘successful’ in my eyes, it needs to 1) remind me of the series so much that I have the urge to go watch the series all over again just from listening to the theme song being played (believe me, I’ve done it many times with certain series / theme songs) and 2) move me emotionally in some manner – whether it brings a warm smile to my face or pulls at my heartstrings to the point that it brings tears to my eyes. I must say that as much as I enjoy listening to the theme song for this series, it still doesn’t have as ‘powerful’ of an emotional effect on me as other songs have in the past (though definitely whenever I listen to the song, I feel the urge to watch the series…LOL).

Personally, I feel that the theme song would have a different affect on me if someone else sang it rather than Linda. As I’m writing this, the person who comes to mind who would have been the ‘perfect’ candidate to perform this song (and do it the justice it deserves) is Joyce Cheng. She has that beautiful, sweet yet strong voice that fits the song perfectly, but most important of all, Joyce sings with a lot of emotion as well as conviction (despite being a newcomer to the music industry). Every time I listen to Joyce sing (especially the slow ballads that she does), I get a bit emotional and sometimes even teary-eyed. No offense to Linda (because again, like I said earlier, she gave it a good shot), but I just feel that Joyce would have been able to make the song more ‘impactful’ from an ‘emotion’ point of view. [As a sidenote, I absolutely loved the theme song ‘Intuition’ that Joyce sang for the series “Speech of Silence” a few years back – in my opinion, this song is along the same lines as that one (except for the instrumental piece), which is another reason why I think Joyce would have been a better fit for the song…]

Anyway, no matter what I think about who should try singing the song, at the end of the day, it’s still a beautiful song regardless and it definitely enhances my experience of watching this series.

Below is the English translation of the song, along with a link to listen to the song from Youtube (if you want to watch the full opening theme video to the series – the actual 3:52 version rather than the short version currently airing with the series – I highly recommend checking it out on TVB’s website). As is the case whenever I do song translations, the translation below is purely my own interpretation of the lyrics and so most likely will be different from other translations of the song that may be out there.

Also, if anyone has feedback regarding the theme song itself, please feel free to comment!

.****.

Link to song:  ‘The Most Blissful Thing’

[Translated by: llwy12] 

*** PLEASE CREDIT IF RE-POSTED!! THANK YOU! ***


最幸福的事
The Most Blissful Thing


電視劇《護花危情》 主題曲
TV Series “Witness Insecurity” theme song

主唱：鍾嘉欣
Performed by: Linda Chung

作曲: 鄧智偉
Composed by: Tang Chi Wai

填詞: 張美賢
Lyrics by: Cheung Mei Yin

編曲: Johnny Yim
Musical Arrangement by: Johnny Yim


就算雨傘破了　身體濕透　沒法子
Even if the umbrella breaks, body gets wet, can’t help it

就算冷笑冷到不是味兒
Even if a grim smile is so cold to the point of being tasteless

就算我向世界飛奔千百里　又再輸
Even if I dash a thousand miles toward the world, lose once again

就算跌過百次　再尋下次
Even if fallen a hundred times, once again search for another chance


溫室無非逃避災或雨
Greenhouse used for nothing else but to avoid disaster and rain

心鎖從來沒有鎖匙
There was never a key to my locked up heart

心弦若果　頻率很類似
If the heartstrings seem to pull at a very similar frequency

相看像照鏡子　淚痕仍似詩
Looking at each other is like looking in a mirror, the tear stains still resemble a poem


曾想象太好　歷太多失意
Once imagined it too good, experienced too many frustrations

孤單的滋味　天知我知
The feelings of loneliness, Heavens know, I know

太幸福的事也許要變卦幾次
Too blissful of a thing, perhaps need to change my mind several times

方悟到珍惜的意思
Before the meaning of ‘cherish’ is understood


失望太多　就試多一次
Too many disappointments, then try it one more time

不捨的思念　不可遏止
The longing and reluctance to let go cannot be held back

最著緊的事已經錯過無限次
The thing [I] care about most, already missed it unlimited times

請讓我將心中句子　認真講你知
Please allow me to take the words in my heart and tell them to you earnestly


閉起門窗　誰願給耐性
[If] shut all the doors and windows, who is willing to be patient

心聲原來是最真誠
Turns out the feelings from the heart are the most sincere

失眠日子 年月很動聽
[During] sleepless days, over time, still very pleasant to listen to

天際倦到再黑　夜闌仍有星
No matter how tired and dark the horizon becomes, in the darkness of the night there are still stars


曾想象太好　歷太多失意
Once imagined it too good, experienced too many frustrations

孤單的滋味　天知我知
The feelings of loneliness, Heavens know, I know

太幸福的事也許要變卦幾次
Too blissful of a thing, perhaps need to change my mind several times

方悟到珍惜的意思
Before the meaning of ‘cherish’ is understood


曾失望太多　就試多一次
Too many disappointments before, then try it one more time

不捨的思念　不可遏止
The longing and reluctance to let go cannot be held back

最著緊的事已經錯過無限次
The thing [I] care about most, already missed it unlimited times

請讓我將心中句子　認真講你知
Please allow me to take the words in my heart and tell them to you earnestly

Oriental Daily interview with Michael Tao and Kathy Chow: Kathy ‘unties’ the knot in Michael’s heart, leave the ‘kissing’ up to fate

Here's the last of Michael Tao's 4 part interview with Oriental Daily (this is the one with Kathy Chow that I had mentioned in previous posts).

Just like with the other 3 interviews (the first one with Kenix Kwok reminiscing about DIF, the second one with Bobby AuYeung and Felix Lok talking about FOJ, and the third one with Wayne Lai where they chatted about ATV's "Showbiz Tycoon"), I definitely enjoyed this last one one with Kathy (and yes, as predicted, the focus was on the 3 series that they collaborated on at ATV).  The interesting thing about this particular interview though was that Michael and Kathy had collaborated in numerous series back in the 80s/90s at TVB, but their 'friendship' only started in 1999 when they started collaborating on ATV series (though I'm pretty sure they had already developed a good rapport with each other back in their TVB days, it's just that working together so frequently in a short amount of time at ATV made it easier to have a closer friendship).

Anyway, whatever the case, this was another great interview!  I will definitely miss these interviews now that the last one has been published (what am I going to look forward to reading next Sunday?).

*****

Oriental Daily interview with Michael Tao and Kathy Chow:   Kathy ‘unties’ the knot in Michael’s heart, leave the ‘kissing’ up to fate

Source:  Oriental Daily

Translation:  llwy12

Starting in 1999, Michael Tao (陶大宇) and Kathy Chow (周海媚) collaborated on 3 series while they were at ATV – in those 3 series, the two of them got the chance to play lovers, mother and son, master and servant. These collaborations left a lasting impression on Michael, who playfully expressed that at one point, Kathy kept ‘popping up’ in many of his scenes and almost made him ‘go crazy’. Michael expressed that back in the day, Kathy had to resign from one of the series due to illness, which resulted in Michael having to do a kiss scene with a stunt double instead of with Kathy herself –he had to ‘hypnotize’ himself to pretend that the stunt double was Kathy. When Kathy found out about Michael’s ‘grievance’, she laughingly told him: “Ok, I owe you a kiss scene then – I’ll pay it back to you later!”

MT = Michael Tao

KC = Kathy Chow

KC: Michael, after we collaborated on the 3 series Flaming Brothers《縱橫四海》, To Where He Belongs《縱橫天下》, and Showbiz Tycoon《影城大亨》[at ATV], we did not get the chance to collaborate any more. Afterwards, I shifted my career to Beijing [Mainland China] and in 2008, I attended your birthday party in Shanghai -- we also bumped into each other 2 more times later on during a commercial event. We may not see each other often, but sitting down to chat with you today, the feeling you give me is that you haven’t changed one bit!

MT: That time when I was filming in Shanghai, you just happened to be in the area – thank you for stopping by and giving me birthday greetings. However, it seems that we still somehow lack a bit of affinity – even though we filmed 3 series together, our ‘relationship’ is a bit confusing…in fact, you actually caused me to ‘go crazy’!

KC: Huh…that serious?

MT: Back when we were filming Flaming Brothers, you had to quit after already filming half the series because you became ill, leaving your stunt double to finish filming our scenes with me. The storyline was about me madly pursuing you and there was a lot of deeply emotional dialogue [involved in those scenes], but your stunt double had no clue what was going on and she also had no acting experience, so for all the ‘romance’ scenes, I essentially had to act with myself! The funniest part was when I had to tell your stunt double ‘I love you’ and she responded with ‘1-2-3-4-5’…hahaha! The worst was that I originally had the opportunity to do kiss scenes with you, but in the end, I had to keep convincing myself in my mind that a stunt double was you – now you understand why I ‘went crazy’?

Does not have SLC illness

KC: That time I was not feeling well, but it wasn’t SLC (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) as rumored – from birth, I’ve always had a low blood platelet count in my body, so whenever I bump into anything, I bruise very easily. In fact, I recently hit my head accidentally and the bruise took a long time to heal – luckily I didn’t have to work at the time. Listening to you speak just now, it sounds like I owe you a kiss scene then…haha!

MT: Well, not really. When you were sick back then, all of us were very worried about you. Later on, when we got the chance to collaborate on To Where He Belongs together, I thought we would finally get the chance to pick up where we left off previously – to my surprise though, this time around, you played my mother in the series! When I saw your ‘old lady’ look in the dressing room, I was so scared – I remember I asked you with a shocked expression on my face: ‘What are you doing?’ At the time, I really could not accept it!

KC: Hahahaha! I feel that Wong Jing (王晶) [the series’ scriptwriter] was trying to play a joke on you!

MT: Then when we did Showbiz Tycoon, I was hopeful once again, since I would be playing the boss of a movie production company so it would make sense that I’d have the opportunity to ‘get close’ with the female artists who work for me. But the way my character was written, I played a boss with high standing who only has an attitude of ‘mentoring the next generation’ towards his female artists – it was almost like I was your ‘father’ in a sense, so of course no opportunity for kiss scenes!

Very brave to play ‘mother’ role

KC: My character admired you a lot, but you never had romantic feelings toward me – at most, our relationship was just a little bit ‘ambiguous’. No wonder you said that you felt like going crazy! However, I believe we will have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future. On July 1st, I signed with a new management company [SMI Corporation] and there will be a lot of new developments coming up, so we can talk more at that time – I should definitely have the chance to repay you [the kiss scene]!

MT: I admire you a lot for taking on the ‘mother’ role in To Where He Belongs, as most female artists wouldn’t take such a risk playing that type of role. I remember you telling me at the time that you purposefully took that role because you wanted to challenge yourself – I feel that you’re very brave!

KC: I took the role because I felt the character was very well-written. I was paired with Damien [Lau] (劉松仁) and a lot of the storyline was told via flashback scenes – the script was also very attractive: my character loses her memory and regresses back to having the personality of a little kid. I really wanted to challenge myself with this type of character, so I didn’t mind taking it on. I remember at the time, I would stare at a picture of my mom and constantly think about how to make myself look old.

Dated for 10 years, relationship with boyfriend similar to a ‘married couple’

MT: You really don’t have to worry about looking old, as you’ve taken care of yourself well over the years. I even heard that you’re currently dating someone?

KC: I’ve actually been dating for 10 years already. My boyfriend is 10 years younger than me – he’s an architect whom I met through a friend. In the beginning, my boyfriend was really opposed to me being in the entertainment industry – to be honest, during the first 2 -3 years that we dated, I declined a lot of job offers…true, making money is important, but I can’t let that be the only focus in my life – I don’t want to push myself too hard. In terms of getting married – my boyfriend actually already proposed to me the first few years we started dating, but I’m really not in a hurry, as I don’t want to completely give up my acting career right now. Our relationship is very steady right now and it’s no different than that of a married couple – the only thing missing is the marriage contract. I’m pretty much letting things happen at will – if later on I suddenly feel like getting married, then I’ll do it, but it will definitely be low profile…no need to have a huge ceremony because I’ve filmed way too many wedding scenes in my career and pretty much have already worn every type of wedding dress imaginable.

No problem walking out in the street with no makeup

MT: Since Beijing is already your ‘new home’, what brought you back to Hong Kong this time?

KC: Earlier I did the movie The Yang Female Warriors《楊門女將》and the filming process was extremely exhaustive: we had to film in Inner Mongolia, where the weather was 30 degrees below zero and since there were a lot of fight scenes, we were pulled on wires a lot – I even got hit with a sword accidentally and it caused my leg to be swollen for a long time! I don’t know how I lasted through it, but now that it’s over, I really need to rest – I’ve pretty much been working for more than 2 years straight without much rest, so with the opportunity to take a break right now, I figured I’d come back to HK to visit relatives. The lifestyle in HK versus Beijing is very different – when I’m in HK, I usually go around shopping or running errands very leisurely. Reporters have snapped pictures of me taking the subway, eating ice cream, shopping, etc., but I don’t mind – they can take pictures all they want! Usually when I go out, I don’t like to put on makeup – I don’t see anything wrong with that, as long as I’m not affecting others. Sometimes, I even stand around the street corners eating fish balls from the local street vendors!

MT: I really admire your ‘not bothering with trifles’ personality! No wonder you’ve been able to keep yourself looking so young!

KC: Actually, my face just ‘looks’ cool – those who know me would laugh at me and those who don’t would probably be scared to death! Doing makeup and hair is a clumsy experience for me —the ladies who do my hair at work all dread doing it because each time, there are hair clips and combs all over the place. Sometimes, if we’re filming on location somewhere and I’m asked to touch up on my makeup, I usually tell the crew not to bother, as it looks fine the way it is!

MT: I feel that every artist has a certain temperament about them – your temperament is a result of your self-confidence!

.----.

EPILOGUE

Over the course of doing the 4 interviews with his friends, Michael Tao’s biggest concern was making sure that the needs of his guests were taken care of. With Kenix Kwok, he wanted to make sure that the interview didn’t interfere with her daughter’s exams [for getting into school]; with Bobby AuYeung and Felix Lok, he was concerned about whether the accessories he chose for them to wear were equally balanced; with Wayne Lai, he was concerned whether drinking wine during the interview would affect his ability to drive and wanted to make sure he got home safely; and with Kathy Chow, when he found out she still had bruises on her head from accidentally hitting it, he was concerned about her feelings doing a photo shoot for the interview, so he delayed the interview until her injury was healed. With the careful attention that he gives to his friends, no wonder all his buddies have nothing but praise for him and when he invited them for these interviews, they agreed readily!

************

Chinese version

周海媚解宇心結 有緣再咀


陶大宇和周海媚（海味）於1999年起結劇緣，合作過三部劇集，二人所演角色，有情侶、母子及主僕，令大宇感覺刻骨銘心，並笑言海味在他的「戲場」穿插，幾乎令他「變態」。事緣當年海味因病辭演，大宇要跟替身拍情深款款的咀戲，只能自我催眠當眼前替身就是海味。海味得知大宇有此委屈，笑說：「當我欠你一場咀戲，遲啲還番畀你！」


周：大宇，跟你合作過三套劇《縱橫四海》、《縱橫天下》及《影城大亨》之後，都未有再合作，之後我去咗北京發展，2008年喺上海出席你嘅生日會，之後商演都遇上兩次，雖然碰面唔多，但今次我哋坐埋傾偈，你畀我感覺依然冇變！
 
陶：嗰次我喺上海拍劇，你又咁啱喺附近，好多謝你到賀，不過，我哋總係欠點緣分，雖然拍咗三套劇，但我同你之間嘅關係太撲朔迷離，你簡直令我「變態」！
 
周：吓……點解咁嚴重？
 
陶：當年拍《四海》，你拍咗大半部戲後因為病而休息，留番你嘅替身同我做戲，劇情寫我狂追你，用詞情深款款，但你嘅替身完全唔知發生咩事，又冇演戲經驗，談情戲惟有全程「食自己」，即係自己同自己演，最好笑我對住替身講好愛你，佢就回我12345，哈哈，問你死未！最慘係我明明有機會同你拍咀戲，我卻要將一個唔係周海媚嘅替身幻想為周海媚，咁你話我仲唔係變態？
 
冇患紅斑狼瘡症


周：當年我身體唔舒服，但唔係患「紅斑狼瘡症」，只係天生血小板低，輕微碰撞都好易瘀，我最近都撞親個頭，啲瘀血好耐都唔散，好彩唔使開工，既然依家聽你咁講，即係話我欠你一場咀戲啦，哈哈！

陶：又唔係咁講，嗰時你唔舒服我哋都好擔心，到拍《天下》時，我以為有機會同你再續未了緣，點知今次個劇你係做我阿媽！當日喺化妝間見到你化老妝，嚇得我，我仲記得好愕然咁問「你喺度做乜嘢呀」？我真係接受唔到囉！

周：哈哈哈哈，我覺得係王晶（《天下》監製）玩你囉！

陶：直到拍《影城》，我仲有期盼，演電影公司老闆應該有機會親近旗下花旦，點知因為角色關係，我演一名好有地位嘅老闆，面對旗下女演員，只抱一種提攜後輩嘅態度，好似做你老竇咁，細姪女冇得咀！


演阿媽角色夠勇

周：我個角色係好仰慕你喎，但你又唔喜歡我，我哋關係只係有點曖昧，難怪你會咁變態！我相信我哋總有機會再合作，今年七月一日，我簽咗新經理人公司「星美國際」，嚟緊會有好多新嘅發展，到時我哋認認真真「行埋」（合作），一定有機會還番畀你（咀戲）！

陶：演《天下》時我好佩服你，一般女星唔會咁冒險接「阿媽」角色，我好記得你當時同我講係特登接嘅，想挑戰呢個角色，我覺得你好有性格、好勇敢！

周：因為我覺得角色寫得好好，劇中有好多「Flash Back」場面，我同松哥（劉松仁）談情，劇本好，寫我失憶變番一個細路仔嘅性格，我好想演，所以唔介意接，當時我拎住自己阿媽張相不停諗點樣先可以變老。


拍拖十年 和男友似夫妻

陶：你真係唔需要擔心老，保養得好好，我仲聽聞你蜜運中？

周：其實我拍咗拖十年，男友比我年輕十年，佢做建築，係朋友介紹認識，起初男友好抗拒我做呢行，講真，頭兩、三年為咗拍拖，我推咗好多Job，搵錢的確重要，但我嘅人生唔可以不停為了搵錢，唔想逼自己咁辛苦。講到結婚，男友頭幾年已向我求婚，但我真係唔急，唔想放低演藝工作，我哋關係好穩定，已經同夫妻冇分別，只係欠一紙婚書，遲啲可能突然想結咪結囉，好隨意，不過會低調唔需要大搞，因為我拍結婚戲太多，古今中外嘅婚紗都着過好多次！


素顏行街冇問題

陶：北京已經係你嘅「新天地」，今次返香港又為乜呢？

周：早前拍電影《楊門女將》好辛苦，喺內蒙零下三十幾度好凍，拍個武打鏡頭，吊威吔360度轉落地仲被劈咗刀，隻腳都腫晒！我都唔知點捱過嚟，真係要抖吓，工作咗兩年幾都未休息過，趁休息返嚟探吓屋企人。香港同北京生活係唔同，但我喺香港都會好悠閒周圍行街、食雪糕，記者影我搭港鐵、食雪糕，冇所謂嘅，咪影囉！我平日上街都唔愛化妝，又唔覺有問題喎，只要企企理理唔影響巿容就得，我仲會喺街邊拮魚蛋添！

陶：好欣賞你不拘小節嘅性格，唔怪得你keep住年輕，好似食咗防腐劑！

周：其實我個樣cool咋，識我嘅人笑死，唔識嘅就嚇死！試過返公司化妝，梳頭啲阿姐幫我整頭都好驚，又跌髮夾又跌梳，有時我拍外景，化妝阿姐話叫我補妝，我都話唔使啦，好靚啦！

陶：我諗每個演員都有一種氣質，而你嘅氣質來自你嘅自信！


後記：

在陶大宇的四篇訪問中，他最關心是受訪嘉賓的需要，先是擔心會否阻礙郭可盈照顧女兒的考試，而歐陽震華和駱應鈞的衣着配搭又是否平均，與黎耀祥訪談時興起飲紅酒會否影響其駕駛安全；最後得悉周海媚撞傷頭令到面有瘀痕，又怕她影相不靚，一度延遲遷就。大宇對朋友的心細如塵，難怪一班老友對他讚口不絕，邀約訪談冇托手o架。

周： 周海媚　陶： 陶大宇
文：影視組
攝：司徒國榮

Oriental Daily Interview: Wayne Lai received help from Michael Tao, remembers it forever

Here's the 3rd of the 4 interviews Michael Tao did with Oriental Daily.  This one is a joint interview with Wayne Lai, whom he became close friends with when both were filming the series "Showbiz Tycoon" for ATV. 

After reading the first 2 interviews about DIF and FOJ, for a minute there, I almost forgot about Michael's 'ATV connections'....this interview definitely reminded me of it.  And now I'm thinking that the last interview he did (the one with Kathy Chow that will come out next Sunday) is probably going to focus on another 'representative work' of his at ATV:  "Flaming Brothers" (I guess we'll have to wait and see next week if I'm correct...hahaha).

Regardless, the below interview with Wayne was still awesome!  I enjoyed reading about the close friendship that the two of them have and how from a personality standpoint, the two are able to complement each other so well.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one as much as the others!  :-)

*****

Oriental Daily Interview:  Wayne Lai received help from Michael Tao, remembers it forever

Source:  Oriental Daily

Translation:  llwy12

Michael Tao (陶大宇) and Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) have known each other for more than a decade -- their ‘brotherly’ relationship started back in the year 2000, when the two of them collaborated in the ATV series Showbiz Tycoon 《影城大亨》.  Given the rare opportunity to be interviewed together with Michael, Wayne shared a few stories about their relationship that were never revealed before, including recounting all the support that Michael had given him back in the day.  As for Michael, he expressed that even though Wayne is younger than him, his EQ is very high, which helps complement his own shortcomings in that area.

MT = Michael Tao
WL = Wayne Lai

MT:   Wayne, seeing you get the TV King award for 2 years in a row, I’m truly very happy for you.  If I had to describe my feelings towards you receiving those two awards, I would have to say:  ‘well-deserved’ and ‘no easy feat’!

WL:  Thank you!  Thank you!   Actually, I really cherish this opportunity [the interview] to get together with you to drink a little wine and chat from the heart.  Towards all the support you have given me in the past, it’s all engraved in my heart!   Back when we filmed Showbiz Tycoon, we were together practically every day throughout the 6 to 7 months of filming!  Every morning, when you bought coffee, you would buy for me too -- when I bought a house in 2000, I would ask your opinion and when you bought your Porsche, I would tell you to drive it to work so that we could ‘enjoy’ it together – we even experienced buying stocks together and ‘losing’…..haha!  Basically, we experienced a lot together and became very close and would also be concerned about each other’s health.  After we finished filming the series, it was difficult to part – I really wanted to see you, my ‘big brother’, again!

MT:  I actually had a lot of life principles that I needed to learn from you and each time I asked, you were able to advise me – though some of the advice appeared correct but was actually wrong….hahaha!  Plus back then I had quite a temper and would get upset easily – whenever I saw something that seemed unfair, I would burst out….but, the two of us never argued with each other and after I let out my frustrations, I would be fine!

WL:  I still remember back when we performed in shows together, you gave me a tie – when I bought my house, it was as if you knew I needed money….you had the opportunity to perform in the Mainland and not only did you include me in the performance, you also gave me half the earnings!  Do you still remember?

MT:  Oh….that time, the boss of a company in Mainland invited me to do a show over there – I asked him about inviting another artist as well, but he said no, he only wanted me.  Since I really wanted you to perform together with me, I told the boss: “I’ll bring along another artist to help make the atmosphere more lively – you can just pay the regular rate.”  I remember asking you at the time:  “Wayne, how much do you normally charge for doing shows?  Whatever the rate is, I’ll give you the same amount – come have some fun together!”   Afterwards, I gave you a portion of my earnings from that show….earning less money actually didn’t make much of a difference to me – most important is that we had a fun and happy time singing and ‘playing’…it was almost like going on a vacation trip together!


Channel the ‘negative mood’ onto the characters

WL:  Brother Michael, you truly cherish relationships – from everyday life to food and drink, you always took good care of me!

MT:  I remember back when we were filming Showbiz Tycoon, I even bought your socks for you!   That time we were rehearsing at the studio and I noticed the socks you were wearing had labels on it – since the backdrop for the scene was supposed to be 1960s/70s and the pants you wore were a little short [at the ankles], I went out and bought a half dozen plain white socks for you to wear to work!  But, I will only limit myself to buying socks – if you need new underwear, your wife has to buy it!

WL:  Ah, yes…..at the time, I thought that pulling my socks up as high as possible would make it less noticeable!    You’re very attentive!

MT:  Perhaps because I’m a Virgo, constantly in pursuit of perfection, so when I’m filming, if something doesn’t look right to me, I get upset….

WL:  The fact that you noticed my socks proves that you are truly very attentive.  No wonder you would get so hot-tempered when filming, as there are so many details to be concerned with.  People who don’t know might misunderstand that you get angry easily, but in reality, you’re just pursuing perfection.  In comparisons, I don’t concern myself with that type of stuff anymore because I’ve already gotten used to the ‘rules of the game’ – even if you get upset, it’s still not going to help the matter any, so might as well channel that ‘negative mood’ onto the appropriate characters [roles] instead.

MT:  The words of wisdom from a two-time TV King – channel the negative energy into the role you’re playing rather than to other people or things in real life!   You definitely have high EQ – that’s why even I rely on you to help appease me when I’m in a bad mood!  I remember a few years ago when I was filming Sisters of Pearl《掌上明珠》and I bumped into you again at TVB City – sometimes, when I was upset over something related to work, I would go over and vent to you about it and then I would feel much better afterwards.   I probably bothered you a lot back then, huh?


Happy to take his son to work with him

WL:  We haven’t seen each other in 2 to 3 years….Michael, seeing you again today, whether internally or externally, you haven’t changed much at all – instead, I feel that you’ve gained more [personal] experience and also there’s more calmness in your eyes!    I remember in the past, you always seemed to have a ‘fire’ in you and when you walked, you would charge forward at a very fast pace – now the feeling that you give me is that you’ve fallen back a little, more calm and collected and definitely a lot more comfortable than before.

MT:  We’re at a different stage in life now.  In my eyes, you’ve also matured a lot – you’ve become a benevolent father!  Your son is a very good boy -- he likes hanging out with you, taking pictures with you, etc.  Many youth nowadays are very distant from their parents and would rather play video games or play with their cell phones if they have spare time – it’s very rare that he’s willing to follow you around to places!

WL:  I don’t mind bringing my son along with me and letting him experience the environment in which his parents work – it helps him better understand what the entertainment industry is all about!

MT:  Definitely agree, but I myself am not used to having relatives around when I work because it’s too much pressure for me.  I would worry that they’d get bored waiting for me and it actually makes it harder for me to concentrate – that’s why I admire you for being able to accept it!

WL:  Sometimes I would feel that way too.  Out of necessity in my work, sometimes I would need to have more interaction with other artists and understand their rhythm in order to assimilate better into the acting and make things more natural….occasionally, when there are awkward moments, I would tell my wife it’s best for her not to come!

MT:  Your wife is very understanding though…she’s very good!   Having your family accompany you can actually be quite a blessing – like when you recently went to film in Hengdian, your wife went with you and took care of you!

WL:  That time, we had gone to Hengdian to film for The Confidant《大太監》.  Rest periods weren’t a problem, but actually having all the tourists there did slow down production.  The area where we filmed is a popular tourist area where a lot of tour groups actually buy tickets to come watch filming – there were quite a few times where we had to ‘NG’ because we had to stop due to people interfering.  The most difficult part was having to wait around in the scorching heat with our thick costumes on!

MT:  You have a lot of endurance though!    Back when we filmed Showbiz Tycoon, you were also filming movies outside – you practically didn’t get to sleep at all!  When the behind-the-scenes crew saw how exhaustively you worked, even they shook their heads…back then, as soon as we finished in the studio, you would rush off to film the movie -- there would even be a car waiting outside for you!

WL:  During that time, I think my record was going 4 days straight without sleeping on a bed!   My son wasn’t born yet, as my wife was still pregnant – since I was a newcomer in the movie industry, there was a lot of demand at the time.  I never played any lead roles and mostly had bit parts in the movies, but in order to make money, I would film no matter how exhaustive it was – my record was filming 6 movies at the same time!   The foundation I have now is mostly from everything I endured back then!