As stated in my previous post, Jacky's new Mandarin album was officially released yesterday 12/23/14. I'm actually waiting for my "official" copy to get here, but I've already listened to all 10 songs on the album, as I also bought the entire album on iTunes as well (which is what I normally do in addition to getting the physical album itself).
Meanwhile, as promised in my previous post, here is the link to part of the Taiwan press conference (this is only the segment with the videos from 30 of Jacky's friends. The rest of the press conference is actually worth watching as well, especially the part right after the airing of the video clips where Jacky gives his thoughts on the video -- his response was in his usual humble, low-key style and was very touching.
I hope you guys enjoy watching the video -- I surely did!! Of course, as an unofficial member of the Jacky - Harlem True Love Fan Club (just kidding....I actually made that up), I loved Harlem's video the most -- hahaha! (Those of you who love Jacky and Harlem's friendship and chemistry as much as I do will totally understand why). Harlem's video was so funny -- he actually made it so professional-looking (keep your eyes out for the "Harlem Music" copyright at the end of his video...LOL). And I got such a kick out of Harlem trying to make up a new title for Jacky (sorry Harlem -- as much as I adore you, the title of "Song Buddha" doesn't fly with me...let's stick with "God of Songs", ok?). The best part of course was Harlem claiming that Jacky's new song "The Rest of Time" shows his (Jacky's) love for him (Harlem) because he used Harlem's name in the title (two of the Chinese characters in the song actually do sound like his name)....Jacky's reaction was even funnier (he basically "rejected" Harlem's love and called him a "san ba" (loosely translated as 'nosy meddler'). LOL...poor Harlem (it was all in good fun of course, since Jacky and Harlem are such close buddies -- they love poking fun at each other and calling each other names like little boys...haha!).
The other highlight is of course the "reunion" of the 4 Heavenly Kings (Jacky even commented on this and said that if he were to record a video and include it in the clip, it will truly be all 4 of them together). Plus there's all the other big names from the Taiwan and HK entertainment industries whom I didn't even list -- loved most of their speeches too: big Tony Leung's speech was very moving, little Tony Leung was cute, Eason Chan was being his weird self, Eric Tsang was actually serious for once (I liked what he said though), Nick Cheung was funny as hell (yes Nick, your "brother" was definitely laughing at your poor Mandarin...heehee), Sean Lau stuck to his "man of few words" style (his clip was obviously the shortest...LOL), Karena Lam's was the most unique. Out of the 3 Kings, Andy Lau's speech was the most moving while Leon Lai's was the most eloquent (of course).
Ok, I'll stop spoiling it for you guys and let you watch the video yourselves....
I know I haven’t posted about Jacky in a long time, but since his new Mandarin album is coming out tomorrow (well, technically today if we count HK time instead of U.S. time), I figured I’d “pre-celebrate” with this post! Yesterday, Jacky held a press conference marking the official release of his album in Taiwan. The event was hosted by his good friend Mickey Huang and of course, there was a lot of funny banter between the two of them (I’m waiting for all the clips of the press con to come out, which I will post up once available). Jacky sang the second plug from his new album (the song is called “Tears of Time”) live during the event (aww, wish I could have been there!). Actually, Jacky already held press conferences in HK and Mainland China in the past few weeks, but the reason why I wanted to point out the Taiwan one in particular is because of the “star-studded” nature of this press con. The organizers of the event specially invited 30 of Jacky’s friends (most of whom are A-listers in the HK entertainment industry) to record video segments congratulating him on the release of his new album. In addition to his “buddies” such as Harlem Yu, Tony Leung Chiu Wai (little Tony), Tony Leung Ka Fai (big Tony), Nick Cheung, Eric Tsang, Eason Chan, and close friends/colleagues such as Sandra Ng, John Woo, A-Mei Chang, Karena Lam, Alan Tam, Sandy Lam, Sammi Cheng, Tang Wei, etc. etc. etc. , the biggest highlight was the “reunion” of the 4 Heavenly Kings, as Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai all recorded video segments that were aired at the press conference. I have yet to watch all the video clips, but I absolutely applaud the organizers for such a sweet gesture (Jacky is definitely well-loved in Taiwan)! I will post up more clips once they come out. For the time being though, here are a few promo pics from Universal’s (Jacky’s record company) weibo that shows some of the friends who recorded video clips. Oh and lastly….congratulations Jacky on the release of your new album! It was a long wait for us fans (7 years since release of his last Mandarin album, though the album itself was technically 10 years in the making), but definitely well worth it!! P.S.: For those who haven’t done so already, please buy Jacky’s new album! Thank you!!
I know I haven't posted too much about TVB lately, but since this is pretty big news, figured I would share it...
The announcement was made today that TVB's current chairman Norman Leung (who took over as chairman a few years ago from the late Sir Run Run Shaw) will be retiring at the end of the year. Charles Chan (he's part of the conglomerate that bought TVB 3 years ago) will be taking over Mr. Leung's position as chairman starting January 1st.
To be honest, I'm not really sure how I feel about this news. I guess to me, it doesn't really make a difference, since TVB was already on a downward decline as a company more than 10 years ago when Sir Run Run Shaw got too old to manage the station himself and handed off day to day operations to his wife Mona Fong (who had a huge hand in digging TVB's grave with her poor management / oversight).
I guess my only "gripe" about Charles Chan taking over is his "outsider" status when it comes to TVB (he has only been with the station for 3 years and I highly doubt he was too involved with day to day stuff during that time). As with any "established, brand-name" product that gets new ownership from outsiders who don't know a thing about running a TV station, there are bound to be issues in the beginning....not sure how TVB is going to fare under this new leadership. Will Charles Chan change TVB for the better or will he put the last nail in the coffin for good? At this point, it's too early to tell....but for the sake of the artists who still work at TVB (specifically the ones I grew up watching and still support to this day), I hope this change is for the better.
By the way....I rolled my eyes when I read that Mr. Accountant (Mark Lee) got promoted to CEO (obviously I dislike that guy with a passion). Well, I hope this doesn't mean that TVB goes back to their "cheapskate" ways now, especially since they were actually starting to "spend" the way they're supposed to the past 2-3 years....
****
Hong Kong broadcaster TVB names Charles Chan as new chairman
Deal-maker Charles Chan Kwok-keung has been appointed as the
new chairman of TVB, the city's dominant free-to-air television broadcaster.
The announcement was made yesterday with Norman Leung
Nai-pang, 74, current executive chairman of the station's board and the
chairman of the executive committee, set to retire on January 1.
The news came as TVB's beleaguered rival ATV was still
struggling to pay November salaries while awaiting the government's verdict on
the renewal of its licence to broadcast. Both ATV's and TVB's licences expire
in November next year.
ATV's news staff plan to release a statement on Monday,
vowing to stop work on December 30 or 31 if they are still unpaid.
Chan, 59, will assume both of Leung's positions at TVB. He
was appointed a non-executive director of TVB in April 2011 after leading a
group of investors to buy Shaw Brothers' stake in the broadcaster for HK$6.26
billion.
The investors also included Taiwanese entrepreneur Cher Wang
Hsiueh-hong, co-founder of smartphone maker HTC, and Providence Equity
Partners, a US private equity company that manages US$22 billion in capital and
investments worldwide.
Wang and Jonathan Nelson, the chief executive of Providence,
were named as non-executive directors of TVB in April 2011. Chan was appointed
to the executive committee in March 2012.
Leung, who had been with TVB for 11 years, succeeded the
late Run Run Shaw as executive chairman of the board on January 1, 2012, after
the film and television mogul's retirement.
In a statement, Leung thanked TVB colleagues and praised
Shaw's achievement in co-founding TVB.
"When I took over from Sir Run Run
in 2012, I knew his achievement would be a hard act to follow," he said.
Meanwhile, general manager Cheong Shin Keong will become an
executive director and sit on the executive committee. Group general manager
Mark Lee Po-on will become group CEO.
Here's an editorial that was published in Time Out Hong Kong today. It talks about the HKTV launch but also gives some background on the licensing issue as well as Hong Kong's television history. It's a nice, albeit long, article that sums things up pretty well.... By the way -- I'm currently watching both series that HKTV released (The Election and The Borderline) and am absolutely enjoying both!! I'll probably post up some commentary about the series later on -- too busy chasing the series right now to put together anything substantial...haha!
HKTV has finally
made its long-awaited debut online. Arthur Tam goes outside the box and finds
out what it means for the future of television in our city
__
Besides being a hub for the finance, fashion and film
industries over the years, Hong Kong also has a proud history in TV. The city’s
thriving television scene has been an undying source of cultural influence –
both locally and internationally. It’s nothing short of amazing that a small
territory with a market of just seven million people can regularly produce TV
shows with budgets similar to those made in the US that have a market of more
than 300 million people. Ever since the conception of HK’s first free-to-air
station, TVB, which launched on November 19, 1967, we’ve been producing quality
programming that not only reaches local viewers but has also, over the years,
expanded to audiences in Malaysia, the USA, Australia, Canada, the UK,
Thailand, Singapore, Macau and New Zealand. Not bad for a TV station that, for
the past 47 years, has been producing original Cantonese (only the third most
widely spoken Chinese dialect) shows.
It may be a proud, colourful history but, of late, there’s
been a considerable amount of public discontent aimed at TVB. Some say it’s
gone stale and that shows are bland. Others claim it has a monopoly over the
industry, despite the existence of stations like PCCW, i-Cable, ATV and RTHK.
They say these networks can’t compete with TVB. And, to top it all off, TVB has
also been criticised for self-censorship, especially in relation to its
coverage of the recent heated protests.
“I would say that we are the victims of our own success,”
says TVB’s general manager SK Cheong in relation to the industry’s
‘points’ ratings. A ‘point’ represents 64,200 viewers, so a 25-point show, for
example, has 1.6m viewers. “I wouldn’t say that we aren’t creative enough. We
have set the bar quite high for ourselves and produce shows that we think could
surpass 25 points. Before, our bar was set at 15 points. And we do try to experiment
with newer shows like When Heaven Burns, which young people voted best drama of
the year in 2011. However, the show didn’t surpass the 25-point benchmark and
wasn’t viewed as a success by our commercial team. I personally believe we
should keep producing this kind of drama but because we set our bar so high
there’s a tendency to repeat old successes.”
Cheong is candid when it comes to his channel’s detractors.
“Another reason for viewer criticism is because consumers’ tastes have
broadened,” he says. “Hongkongers watch a lot of Korean dramas and US dramas,
which they didn’t do in the past.” It’s worth noting that although Cheong has
said that the bar has been raised, there were TVB dramas back in the early
2000s that received a whopping average rating of 40 points. “It’s true that
ratings have dropped in recent years,” he counters. “But this is also due to
the fact that people have switched to different devices for viewing. If you add
it all up, there is actually an increase in viewership.”
With the stage set and audiences chomping at the bit for
different entertainment options, then, it’s a perfect time for the grand
entrance of HKTV.
The new online-only TV channel is perceived as a shining beacon of hope for the
next generation of viewers. But it wasn’t intended to be online-only. In case
you’ve been living on Mars and have missed the saga, here’s a quick recap: back
in 2009, HKTV chairman Ricky Wong Wai-kay applied for a free-to-air television
licence but it was rejected on October 15, last year, much to his – and the
general public’s – surprise. PCCW and i-Cable were, however, both granted
licences. The judicial review of the decision is scheduled in the next few days
but that’s irrelevant compared to the fact there’s never been a report actually
explaining the rejection. Only the Secretary for Commerce and Economic
Development, Greg So Kam-leung, has revealed any sort of answer after he stated
that a consultant’s report – not released to the public – claimed that Hong
Kong couldn’t sustain more than four TV stations.
The days that followed last year’s rejection saw public
outcry. Angry TV viewers called for the government to be transparent about its
decision. An estimated 100,000 people amassed outside the Legislative Council
in protest on October 20. So, not one to give up, Wong then made a move to
acquire China Mobile Hong Kong for $142 million and just proceeded to forge
ahead with his TV network regardless. He decided to make it online-only. And,
on November 19 of this year (coincidentally, TVB’s anniversary as a business),
it finally enjoyed its channel launch party. It has been airing since – and has
already found a pretty relevant niche considering the recent climate in Hong
Kong. It’s overcome its hurdles and succeeded against the powers that be,
positioning itself in a glossy coating of hopes and dreams while sporting the
feel-good slogan of ‘life is all about new beginnings’. Wong announced at
the launch party that ‘Hong Kong people and HKTV will never give up. We have to
look out for our next generation and their livelihood’, words that ride on the
current situation of political unrest.
“A lot of the young audience might switch to the new online
channel,” says Professor Anthony Fung at CUHK’s School of Journalism and
Communications. “We just did a study and we found that young audiences – born
post-80s – actually spend much less time watching a TV set. In fact, 51 percent
of them mentioned that they spent most of their time browsing online and
streaming and not much time on traditional television. HKTV is on trend with
the habits of the younger generation. The most important thing for HKTV is
capital and whether advertising trends would change enough and allocate their
budget to online platforms in the long-term, because that’s how they can target
younger audiences.”
HKTV’s big pitch is how it’s going to change the future of
TV in Hong Kong. It’s offering audiences the convenience of watching its 22 new
dramas on demand. No more waiting for your show to come on – you can watch
when, where and however you want. Each episode of its current batch of dramas
cost around $1million to produce. It’s estimated that Wong has already invested
$1billion into the company.
At 6am on November 19, HKTV uploaded crime thriller Borderline
and timely political drama The Election, which follows the depiction of a 2022
election for the next Chief Executive. HKTV is hardly subtle about the
progressive shows it aims to produce. “I was so surprised that within a few
hours we reached 250,000 views,” Wong tells us. On top of that, a million
people downloaded HKTV on their Smart TVs and mobile devices. “It’s very encouraging,”
says Wong. “The success of HKTV hinges on the hope and happiness that we can
bring to the Hong Kong people.” Again, this might all seem trite and over the
top. But in the current political climate, HKTV is hitting on points of social
change, which is likely to resonate with the public.
“If HKTV wasn’t denied its licence,” says former TVB
actor-turned-HKTV actor Ai Wai, “I think there would have been fewer people at
Occupy Hong Kong. It wasn’t the [entire] government that denied the licence. It
was one person and we all know who that is.” Ai shifted over to HKTV along with
a host of other actors from TVB. “Of course people moved,” he says. “Obviously
they’re getting a better deal. But it’s also clear that one of the two
companies is just for profit and the other company is for profit but also
social responsibility.” Ai worked with TVB for 33 years and because of his
stringent TVB contract, he claims he wasn’t allowed to take on freelance
projects or work for other stations. “This is an unfair system,” he says. “I’ve
been waiting a long time for a new opportunity. [HKTV] is welcome competition.
This will only promote better quality shows from both sides.”
As to whether or not TVB is going to release any potentially
sensitive shows, Cheong says: “If you’re talking about Occupy Hong Kong then
obviously we have to be careful. In such a politically charged atmosphere we
are walking a very thin line, as thin as a wire. So we’d rather not touch on
the subject at this moment because there is no way to make the show unbiased.
People look at things with conditioned perceptions, never with a neutral mind.
I was stopped on the street by a woman from anti-occupy saying she hated TVB
because we were in support of the students with our reporting [contrary to Ai’s
opinion]. We will wait for things to cool down and maybe down the road we can
produce shows that touch on this subject. For now TVB will continue to enhance
our business model, develop in China and do a good job.”
Though netizens have done an amusing job of pitting TVB and
HKTV against each other in satirical posts, perhaps their rivalry is not quite
as strong as it might seem on the surface. “Existing channels are probably
still going to enjoy a stable viewership because the two terrestrial TV
channels – TVB and ATV – don’t have a direct competitor,” says Fung. HKTV
doesn’t have a licence and PCCW and i-Cable aren’t in the position to be in the
game yet. The older generation will still watch TVB and ATV, so I don’t foresee
competition for at least three years.”
But how will it all be commercially sustainable? The
advertising budget pie is limited. Roughly 20 percent of all ad budgets are
allocated to traditional TV and, without a licence, HKTV is still at a
disadvantage – particularly given Hong Kong’s small local market. The channel
is nowhere near the level of fellow internet on-demand service Netflix, which
accumulated major capital through its other services before beginning to
produce its own original content. Wong remains optimistic, however. He has 30
advertisers already and projects that he’ll have more of in the coming months.
He says he’s already struck a deal with Malaysian station Astro to distribute
HKTV’s Cantonese dramas as another source of revenue. And, on top of that, HKTV
is also launching an online shopping platform as a way to diversify its
business.
No matter how the future of Hong Kong’s television industry
plays out, the introduction of HKTV has certainly energised the city. This has
already become more than just about TV. Both TVB and HKTV may, one day, meet
head-to-head. And, we hope, the benefactors will surely be the
viewers.
As I'm sure most of you know by now, HKTV is officially launching today in HK. I'm super-excited about the launch and can't wait to watch their programs. Depending on my schedule, I'll probably post some commentary about the first few episodes of HKTV's 2 series throughout this week -- meanwhile though, here are 2 articles from SCMP about HKTV's anticipated launch as well as Ricky Wong's interview with local (meaning HK) media outlets. A few interesting things in the articles -- the one I want to point out is the airing schedule for Borderline and The Election....looks like HKTV is experimenting with different schedules for their programs (which I'm fine with as long as they are clear with when they are airing stuff so people don't miss the times). Though it wasn't stated in either of the 2 articles below, I had heard in a radio interview earlier today that Ricky Wong does not plan on expanding overseas because to him, HKTV is Hong Kong people's station and he still wants to focus on HK audiences first and foremost (as an overseas Hong Konger, of course I will continue to complain about this point until he decides to change his mind....). Anyway....here you go....
Six hours of fresh programmes a day, all available on demand
from early morning; that's HKTV's recipe for success in the battle to attract
an audience of young, tech-savvy viewers with deep pockets.
Speaking to the Post yesterday, the new online
channel's boss, Ricky Wong Wai-kay, set out his strategy ahead of its
long-awaited launch tonight. Unlike a traditional station offering different
programmes through the day, HKTV will follow the strategy of subscription-based
foreign channels like HBO and AXN, with new programming in prime time and
reruns all day.
"We are targeting a young, working population who have
high consumption power," said Wong. Because this group lived a busy urban
lifestyle and had little time to watch television every day, Wong said:
"Two to three hours of programmes of the best quality are enough per
day."
A typical night will see programmes streamed from 7pm until
midnight including one hour of HKTV's self-produced programming, two hours of
Korean drama, one hour of anime from Japan and one hour of shopping programmes.
An hour of shopping shows will also be shown from 1pm.
But Wong says the new programmes will be available from the
channel's on-demand service from 6am on the day they are due to be streamed,
giving viewers flexibility in when they want to watch.
The programmes can be watched on computers or via mobile
apps or set-top boxes.
The streaming kicks off at 8pm tonight, and the first
night's schedule will focus on HKTV's original programming. The service begins
with coverage of HKTV's launch ceremony, which takes place at the Marriott
Hotel in Admiralty this afternoon.
At 8.30pm there is crime thriller Borderline, starring
award-winning actor Liu Kai-chi. The first episode has already been seen by
more than one million online viewers after it was posted on YouTube.
It will be followed by political drama The Election at
9.30pm. Starring Liu and award-winning actress Angelica Lee Sinje, the drama
depicts a 2022 election for chief executive in which the public can vote from a
list of candidates chosen by a nominating committee.
The timely political show won more than 100,000 votes to top
a poll asking visitors to HKTV's website which drama should kick off its
coverage.
The first episode of The Challenge, described as an
"infotainment" series, begins at 10.30pm. It features actors Ai Wai,
Lau Yuk-chui and Lawrence Chou Tsun-wai on an expedition into the
seven-kilometre Son Doong Cave in central Vietnam.
HKTV will feature Borderline at 9pm every
weeknight. The Election runs on Saturday nights while The
Challenge and another infotainment programme, Gone With The Wind, run
on Sundays.
Wong looked online after the government controversially
rejected HKTV's bid for a free-to-air licence while approving those of two
established pay-television operators, and after plans to use a mobile licence
fell through on technical grounds.
But media critic Peter Lam Yuk-wah said the model Wong had
come up with had a strong chance of success, pointing to the example of US
on-demand television service Netflix.
"You and I don't watch six hours of TV per day,"
Lam said. "You create your own TV timetable around your lifestyle, not
living around the TV timetable like people did in the past. People watch
streaming or pre-downloaded programmes on the train now. They don't sit in
front of a TV with an antenna on it."
Lam said Wong's chances of success depended on whether the
infrastructure could handle the likely number of viewers - and the quality of
the product.
"I hope his programmes are as good as [Wong]
says."
January 2003: Ricky Wong Wai-kay, chairman of City
Telecom (CTI), prepares to launch web-based pay-television services under his
company's internet business unit, Hong Kong Broadband Network, after government
says the CTI service does not need a broadcast licence because it is based on
an open online platform
December 2008: Wong is named chief executive of
free-to-air broadcaster ATV. He steps down after just 12 days
December 2009: CTI applies for free-to-air licence
June 2010: China Mobile Hong Kong pays HK$175 million
to win bid for 15-year unified carrier licence to operate mobile television
using radio spectrum
August 2011: CTI announces HK$600 million plan to build
television and multimedia production centre in Tseung Kwan O
2012
April: CTI, focused on entering free-to-air television
market, agrees to sell telecommunications assets for HK$5.01 billion to a
company backed by British buyout firm CVC Capital Partners
December: CTI changes its name to Hong Kong Television
Network and names its station HKTV
October: HKTV's application for free-to-air licence
rejected, sparking a public outcry. Wong plans to lay off 320 staff
December: After buying China Mobile Hong Kong for
HK$142 million, Wong says HKTV will launch internet television services from
July 2014, and rehire those he fired
This year
January: Parent company China Mobile investigates
HKTV's purchase of its local unit, saying it may have violated mainland rules.
Wong files application for a judicial review of government's rejection of his
licence application. Free-to-air broadcaster TVB announces plan to end China
Mobile Hong Kong's lease on six transmission stations, putting HKTV's plans in
jeopardy
March: HKTV suspends plans to launch digital television
services in July and stops filming new programmes
April: HKTV submits a fresh application for a
free-to-air television licence to the Communications Authority
August: The Court of First Instance hears HKTV's
application for a judicial review of the government's October 2012 decision to
award licences to channels run by pay-television players PCCW and iCable
Communications, but not to HKTV
Suddenly, Ricky Wong Wai-kay feels he knows what it is like to
be heavily pregnant. After five years of struggles and detours that even saw
mass protests outside government headquarters, his HKTV is born today.
The vision is somewhat different from the original plan:
HKTV goes live via computers, mobile apps and set-top boxes rather than as a
free-to-air television channel. But Wong still sees untapped potential outside
the traditional television audience - and believes one million hits for each of
his station's dramas is possible.
"If we say 20 per cent of Hong Kong's population
watches [free-to-air] TVB, this means there are 80 per cent out there who are
not watching TVB," Wong told the Post yesterday. An average of
1.5 million viewers watch TVB dramas, with episodes typically getting 20,000 to
70,000 hits on its online streaming service.
But Wong, who was controversially denied a free-to-air
licence by the government in 2012, sparking protests, denies he is going head
to head with TVB - despite the fact the launch coincides with TVB's 47th
anniversary celebrations.
Instead of the housewife or the family crowded around the
set, Wong sees his audience as individuals who want to control their own
schedule. As well as streaming programmes on a fixed schedule, HKTV shows will
be available on demand. Its website's servers can handle up to 400,000 users at
once, he says
"We want to give more options to these people," he
said. Citing the example of the Occupy Central protests, he added: "You
can't talk to young people today in a top-down manner.
"Today's consumers are very savvy and do not listen to
so-called authoritative figures. We are not aggressively imposing HKTV onto
people. We share an equal footing with the audience."
Media critic Peter Lam Yuk-wah sees strong potential. As
well as 2.23 million subscribers to fixed-line broadband at some of the world's
fastest speeds, the city has the highest mobile phone ownership rate in the
world.
HKTV has made 22 dramas so far and a number of variety
shows. Wong says he has enough content to sustain the station for a year,
though a decision on making more programmes will not come until next year.
The station has invested more than HK$1 billion of the HK$5
billion Wong made from selling his telecommunications empire. HKTV lost
HK$163.1 million in the year ending in August, a fourfold increase on the year
before.
The company will make money from advertising and from an
online shopping platform to launch next month. Wong says advertising revenue
has been above expectations, but viewers will decide HKTV's fate.
"HKTV belongs to the people of Hong Kong. If Hong Kong
people don't care, we'd rather not do it," Wong said.
As a follow-up to my previous post about HKTV's official launch, below are the details on the 16 series that they've released information on so far -- the information is taken directly from HKTV's website (as credited below). Obviously HKTV's artists and production crew have been hard at work, as 16 series is actually quite a lot -- however one thing I do want to say is that I know for sure there are a few more series HKTV filmed but didn't release the trailer clips for (like that horror series starring Dominic Lam and Noelle Leung for example). I'm actually curious to know the reason for holding back those series (perhaps further touch-up/editing is needed?). At any rate, I'm happy to see that HKTV is finally making some headway with their launch and sincerely hope that things will go smoothly this time around. And I am definitely looking forward to watching a few of their series. Even though some of the series don't interest me much (mainly because I'm not keen on the particular genre), there are quite a few that I know I will enjoy. Besides, I absolutely appreciate the variety that HKTV has to offer, as all 16 series are completely different in terms of genre, theme, and cast to some extent, plus the creativity with some of the series such as pushing the envelope with real life surgery scenes, graphic action scenes, realistic makeup, the movie-like quality of the scenes, etc. (TVB -- are you guys taking notes????). Ok, I'll stop the ranting now and get to the "real action".... Enjoy!! P.S.: The series are not listed in any particular order. Also, the English and Chinese titles are the "official" series titles as listed on HKTV's posters and trailer clip summaries. P.P.S: I'm still working through the translations on the plot summaries. There are a few that I already translated several years back when the series commenced filming and since the summaries haven't changed, I posted those translations below. The remaining translations will be posted by this weekend. ****
The Election (選戰)
Director: Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)
Script Supervisor: Wong Wai Keung (黃偉強)
Cast: Angelica Lee (李心潔), Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智), Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Samuel Kwok (郭峰), Li Ying (李影)
Plot Summary: The Election is a series that reflects what is currently happening
in society.
Each level of society has
its own struggles and oftentimes, the lines between humanity, power, and self-interest
can be difficult to unravel. Lead
actress Angelica Lee (李心潔) participates in the Chief Executive election bearing
her husband’s mission of selfless diplomacy and constant pursuit of fairness on
her shoulders. Unfortunately, the
reality of society causes her to be drawn into a complicated predicament – on one
side, she must deal with internal conflicts within her team while on the other,
she must fend off constant attacks from her political opponent Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智). After
enduring numerous obstacles, she discovers that it is impossible to separate
friend from foe. In that sense, the interweaving
of love and hate, humanity and self-interest between the characters precisely
mirrors the reality of today’s society.
Through the [life] games
people play, this series attempts to bring out the repulsive as well as radiant
extremes of human nature.
Night Shift (夜班)
Director: Luk Tin Wah (陸天華)
Creative
Producer: Choi Suk Yan (蔡淑賢)
Script
Supervisor: Alex Pau (鮑偉聰)
Cast: Frankie Lam (林文龍), Dominic
Lam (林嘉華), Kathy
Yuen (湯怡), Samuel
Kwok (郭鋒), Sin Ho
Ying (冼灝英), Philip
Keung (姜皓文), Luvin Ho
(菁瑋), Wu Kwing
Lung (胡烱龍), Kong Fai
(江暉), Rachel
Lam (林熹瞳), Crystal
Leung (梁寶琪), Bryant
Mak (麥子樂), Eva Chan
(陳詩慧), Chow Tsz
Lung (周子龍)
Plot Summary:
A series filmed entirely
at night, the entire story begins in the darkness and ends in the darkness.
The story links together
the experiences of several E.U. assault team members working different night
shifts. During their shifts, they already
encounter all kinds of unfathomable dangers and challenges, but the true test
of their endurance lies in the endless temptations that they face in the darkness
of the night. With their willpower
slowly weakening as the night wears on, their self-protection and restraint are
also in danger of suffering serious blows.
Night – mysterious, beautiful,
yet full of danger. In an environment lacking
self-control and discipline where the barriers against the forbidden are
lowered and the dividing line from temptation could be easily crossed, the
results can be devastating.
Hidden Faces (三面形醫)
Director: Kwan Shu Ming (關樹明)
Script
Supervisor: Choi Ting Ting (蔡婷婷)
Cast: Frankie Lam (林文龍), John Chiang (姜大衛), Wilson Tsui (艾威), Kate Yeung (楊淇), Sam Chan (陳宇琛), Leanne Ho (何思諺), Lesley Chiang (姜麗文), Rain Lau (劉玉翠), Benji Chiang (姜文杰), Queenie Chan (陳莉敏), Rachel Lam (林熹瞳), Yan Ng (吳日言),
Maria Chen (陳霽平), Philip Keung (姜皓文)
Plot Summary: Humans are
naturally born to love beauty. Alot of people put on makeup, do beauty
treatments, some even opt for plastic surgery -- but there are probably not
many people who are willing to look directly into a mirror and comfortably,
naturally, peel away their glamorous 'outer skin' and reveal the rawest, most
hidden side of themselves. That's why all along, doctors are only able to heal
our physical bodies, but not our hearts. Ultimately, the 'root cause' of alot
of illnesses does not stray far from what we call 'humanity' (renxing)!
Utilizing the story of a plastic surgeon joining a franchised medical treatment
conglomerate as basis and adding in a 'discussion' of a few recent
controversial 'hot topics', the series will attempt to critique the value system
of mainstream modern society in the hopes of inspring the general public to
reflect on the definition of 'beauty' and how it relates to their own value
system. At the same time, it hopes to be the 'voice' for different levels of
people in society and thereby resonate with audiences.
Beyond the Rainbow (歲月樓情)
Director: Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)
Script Supervisor: Leung Man Wah (梁敏華)
Cast: Ha Yu (夏雨), Paw Hee
Ching (鮑起靜), Felix
Wong (黃日華), Leila
Tong (唐寧), Emily
Kwan (關寶慧), Philip
Keung (姜皓文), Savio
Tsang (曾偉權), Lam Lei
(林利)
Plot Summary:
Comprised of best actor and best actress caliber artists,
the cast brings to life a story spanning 30 years that takes place amidst the
background of a public housing complex. The
series bears witness to how ordinary, working class citizens rely on their
unyielding persistence and “never give up” attitude to endure through hardships
and eventually build up a stable family unit.
Same blue sky, countless family units -- as long as the
starting point is a happy, healthy, stable family unit, everyone has the chance
to live a fulfilling, brilliant life, and over the flow of time, leave behind
footprints that bear witness to the life stories of various peoples.
Borderline (警界線)
Director: Peter So (蘇萬聰)
Script
Supervisor: Chu King Kei (朱鏡祺)
Cast: Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Leila Tong (唐寧), Lawrence Chou (周俊偉), Joman Chiang (蔣祖曼), Annie Liu (廖安麗), Philip Keung (姜皓文), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪), Lui Hei (呂熙), Deno Cheung (張松枝), Lam Lei (林利), Mo Lian Yu (余慕蓮)
Plot Summary: Having a
clear separation between black and white, placing heavy emphasis on discipline
– both are the most important ‘boundaries’ for a cop. But if those boundaries
are broken through and cops collaborate with crooks, the investigative process
as well as the probability of cracking the case becomes limitlessly greater. A
12 year undercover agent living on the edge, a hot-tempered cop who once broke
out of jail after he was framed for crime, a ‘King of Robbers’ who was once jailed
for a crime he didn’t commit and now specializes in robbing crooks, a
‘spinster’ female cop who had never fired a single shot in her life and relies
on her wits as well as life experiences to ‘figure out’ criminals, a fugitive
from the law who is obsessed with female cops but always puts righteousness
ahead of all else, and finally a high-ranking female officer who is also a
military weapons expert – together, they will match wits as well as match
strength. Out of this will come not only love, hate, and sparks, it will also
break all boundaries – joining forces to crack cold cases and locate criminals,
it creates an entirely different battlefield. Through blood, tears, life, and
death, these most ‘hot-blooded’ of cops and criminals manifest the brilliance
of human nature, leaving behind one touching, heart-stopping story after
another.
The Menu (導火新聞線)
Director: Fong Chun Wah (方俊華)
Creative
Producer: Lam Siu Chi (林少枝)
Script
Supervisor: Poon Man Hung (潘漫紅)
Cast: Noelle Leung (梁小冰), Catherine Chau (周家怡), Kate Yeung (楊淇), Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Shek Sau (石修), Benji Chiang (姜文杰), Samuel Kwok (郭峰), Felix Lok (駱應鈞), Dexter Young (楊天經), Anita Chan (陳穎妍), Lee Fung (李風), Brian Wong (黃澤鋒), Meiki Wong (黃美棋)
Plot Summary:
Supervising
and maintaining an orderly society has always been a responsibility that the
Media should partake in and support –however, the perception of the news media
is oftentimes synonymous with the promotion of violence, sex, bloodiness, and
overall havoc in society. The series will revolve around 3 female news
agency workers with very different philosophies on life who, in efforts to
gather material for publication of their free newspaper Smart Post (囧報), engage in nearly daily arguments and conflicts. The
chief editor of the newspaper is a woman driven by profit who does not hesitate
in publishing unscrupulous, sensationalist reports, even if it means
sacrificing moral reporting standards and ethics. At the same time, the
agency’s supervisory staff and reporters are filled with an almost patriotic
desire to make the voices of the weak and vulnerable in society heard loud and
clear, while simultaneously bringing to light society’s many injustices.
In the face of reality – that is, a commercialized society and the injustices
that go along with it -- a newspaper that even those in the same industry look
down upon, continues to persevere; ultimately motivated by different
goals, its staff continues to struggle daily to reveal – and, in some cases,
hide – the truth. In such a pressure-filled environment, how will the
news agency’s staff uphold righteousness while at the same time protect their
own reporting aspirations?
P.4B (四年B班)
Director: So Ka Man (蘇嘉敏)
Creative
Producer: Lam Siu Chi (林少枝)
Script
Supervisor: Yuen Mei Fung (阮美鳳)
Cast: Sam Chan (陳宇琛), Joman Chiang (蔣祖曼), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪)
Plot Summary:
Matters that seem trivial in the eyes of adults are
oftentimes matters of utmost importance in children’s hearts. This series looks at the vast world we live
in through the eyes of children and show how they follow their pure yet
determined hearts to realize these important ‘trivial’ matters. In doing so, they also attempt to help the
adults in their lives understand that they shouldn’t try to force their own
methods on their children – instead they should allow children their freedom to
let their own dreams soar!
The story revolves around a group of fourth year
elementary school students who are on the brink of entering a higher grade
level, yet lack the independence to truly think on their own. In these students’ lives, things happen that
often render adults helpless, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, yet at the
same time, have the ability to move people’s hearts with their sincerity and
innocence.
Sexpedia (大眾情性)
Director: Wong Wing Shan (黃頴珊)
Script
Supervisor: Cheung Tze Yan (張之彥), Sin Siu Ling (冼少玲)
Cast: Jason Chan (陳柏宇), Joman Chiang (蔣祖曼), Alan Luk (陸駿光), Meiki Wong (黃美棋), Jan Tse (謝芷倫), Cherry Pau (鮑康兒), Lui Hei (呂熙)
Plot Summary:
Sex is definitely a very complicated learning
experience. With all the complexities
involved – such as communication between two individuals, a couple’s
preferences and inclinations, concerns amongst family members, one’s philosophy
on life, etc. – we definitely shouldn’t underestimate the impact that “sex” has
on people’s lives and the importance it bears.
Sexpedia is a series that uses real
life cases as a blueprint to bring out the story of 3 main characters who have
very distinct personalities but undergo similarly “unusual” experiences: one character is a male virgin who, after
being oppressed his entire life, deeply believes that he only has one chance in
life to make love to a woman; another character is a female who thinks that
having a sexual impediment means that she is not worthy of being loved; the
third is a divorced male who is overly confident about his sexual experience,
yet actually knows nothing about how to please a woman.
The stories of these 3 characters weave together in this romantic
comedy that takes a daring, brazen yet light-hearted and humorous approach to
draw audiences into an intimate discussion about sex and love.
Doom+5 (末日+5)
Director: Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)
Script
Supervisor: Wong Wai Keung (黃偉強)
Cast: Sunny Chan (陳錦鴻), Philip Keung (姜皓文), Poon Chan Leung (潘燦良), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Gregory Wong (王宗堯), Alan Luk (陸駿光)
Plot Summary:
January 23rd, 2015.
While all of Hong Kong’s 8 million citizens are still immersed in their
own thoughts of whether the stock market will achieve a new high, still
continuing to struggle over whether their love relationships will blossom, still
striving and persevering in their daily jobs, 5 ordinary citizens – strangers who
have nothing to do with one another – discover the same secret that the
government has been hiding: at 11:45pm
that night, the world will come to an end and no one will be spared!
When people discover that they must start ‘counting down’ to the end of
their lives and there are only 15 hours to live, will they descend into
desperation or will they be consumed with sheer madness?!?!
Doom+5 is a series comprised of 5
individual stories entitled: Promise
(承諾), Monica, Derailment (出軌), Resurrection (復活), Police Uniform (警服). In the last 15 hours of their lives, each
character rediscovers a hidden secret about themselves previously unknown to
anyone.
Incredible Mama (我阿媽係黑玫瑰)
Director: Au Yiu Hing (歐耀興)
Script
Supervisor: Yip Sai Hong (葉世康)
Cast: Kara Hui (惠英紅), John Chiang (姜大衛), Sam Chan (陳宇琛), Meiki Wong (黃美棋), Carlos Chan (陳家樂), Mannor Chan (陳曼娜), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Adrian Wong (黃芷晴), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Bak Biu (白彪), Luvin Ho (菁瑋), Mason Chiu (趙敏通), Cheng Ka Sheng (鄭家生), Hui Ming Chi (許明志)
Plot Summary:
Seven-time Best Actress winner Kara Hui (惠英紅) stars in this family action
comedy. The series talks about famous
female heroine Black Rose (黑玫瑰) who
decides to give up her lifestyle performing chivalrous deeds in order to take
care of her family. However, not knowing
about her past, her children see her as a weak and timid ‘little woman’ who has
no regard for righteousness. It’s not
until later on, when her children learn about their mother’s true identity that
they start to truly “know” their mother and begin to understand her efforts.
Paranormal Mind (開腦儆探)
Director: Lau Shun On (劉順安)
Creative
Producer: Lau Choi Wan (劉彩雲)
Cast: Felix Wong (黃日華), Sam Lee (李璨琛), Grace Huang (黃芝琪), Kelvin Kwan (關楚耀), Adrian Wong (黃芷晴), Anita Chan (陳穎妍), Lo Hoi Pang (盧海鵬), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Lo Hei Loi (盧希萊), Crystal Leung (梁寶琪), Dominic Lam (林嘉華), Lam Lei (林利), Carlos Koo (古天祥), Janice Ting (丁樂鍶), Bryant Mak (麥子樂)
Plot Summary:
Paranormal Mind is a supernatural-themed
detective series – however the ‘supernatural’ won’t be the traditional ghosts
and spirits-theme that audiences are used to seeing. Rather, it will utilize
‘super’ scientific concepts as well as realistic methods to investigate a
variety of mysterious, unusual cases. The series will revolve around the main
character Hung Gei Yuen (Felix Wong) -- a former high-ranking police inspector
who, after being traumatized by the mysterious death of his son, acquires the
hidden ability to capture and enter other people’s subconscious, as he deeply
believes that his son was actually murdered in the ‘inner confines of the
subconscious’! At the same time, he starts to display signs of having a split
personality and works hard to study about the ‘hidden subconscious’ in the
hopes of one day finding his son’s killer.
Each main character in this series will have some sort of ‘hidden ability’ that
makes them different from other people. Even though each of them will have a
‘regrettable flaw’ and perhaps even be viewed by society as being ‘abnormal’ or
‘weird’, this does not affect their self-esteem. In fact, they are able to turn
this ‘regrettable flaw’ into a ‘hidden ability’ and use it to help them solve
many mysterious cases.
Second Life (第二人生)
Director: Chan Sam Hap (陳新俠)
Script
Supervisor: Lee Yi Wah (李綺華), Suen Ho Ho (孫浩浩)
Wilfred
Lau (劉浩龍), Terence Yin (尹子維), Joey Tang (鄧建明), Patrick Lui (雷有暉), Bondy Chiu (趙學而), Ann Ho (何紫綸),
Maria Chen (陳霽平), Anita Chan (陳穎妍, ), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Bonnie Wong (黃文慧), Wong Ching (王青), Mannor Chan (陳曼娜)
Plot Summary: After living
for several decades, when one has reached middle age, we start to complain
about the pressures and failures that we’ve experienced and regret those
‘missed opportunities’ from the past. But for someone who doesn’t have any
dreams or aspirations, what is the point of living a life of such uselessness?
The series will explore how the main characters, while going through a low
period in their lives, will encounter a situation that gives them the
opportunity to change history – however, once the history is changed, they
discover that their lives did not become better than it was before. This makes
them realize that instead of constantly fretting about the past, why not seize
the opportunities they have presently and live life to the fullest?
To Be or Not To Be (來生不做香港人)
Director: Luk Tin Wah (陸天華)
Creative
Producer: Choi Suk Yan (蔡淑賢)
Script
Supervisor: Alex Pau (鮑偉聰)
Cast: Maggie Cheung ( 張可頤), Prudence Liew (劉美君), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Poon Chan Leung (潘燦良), Lam Lei (林利), Zac Koo (高皓正), Tse Yuet Mei (謝月美), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Wilson Tsui (艾威), Fung So Bor (馮素波), Ng Wai Shan (伍慧珊), Queena Chan (陳丹丹)
Plot Summary
Through the reunion of 2 biological sisters who bring
with them years of resentment and grievances, this series attempts to show the
subtle changes in the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China over
the past 30 years.
Blood is thicker than water -- no matter how unwilling,
this is a fact that cannot be changed.
Amidst the rise of a powerful nation (China), what role should Hong
Kongers play? In your next life, would
you still want to be a Hong Konger?
Seeing all the problems in society currently, how much of it can be
resolved with money? With the ultimate
goal of Hong Kong and Mainland co-existing in harmony, how much of their core
intrinsic values will Hong Kongers be able to uphold?
Love in Time (還來得及再愛你)
Director: Fong Chun Wah (方俊華)
Script
Supervisor: Lam Siu Chi (林少枝)
Cast: Danson Tang (唐禹哲), Michelle Wai (詩雅), Terence Yin (尹子維), Sherming Yiu (姚樂怡), Charles Ying (應昌佑), Kathy Yuen (湯怡), Chan On Ying (陳安瑩), Carlos Chan (陳家樂), Sin Ho Ying (冼灝英), Bond Chan (陳少邦), Rachel Lam (林熹瞳), Wong Ho Ting (黃浩霆)
Plot Summary:
This series’ 224 year old male protagonist has been guarding
a painful past relationship for over 200 years.
As a young man growing up in a local village, he once endured tremendous
tragedy that changed his life forever: all the villagers – including the woman he
loved – are killed by a demon; he is the lone survivor, saved by a
blood-sucking baron. Though alive, his broken heart is sealed in
ice – despite the pain, he is unable to cry.
That is, until he meets the lively, energetic, and optimistic female
protagonist who eventually melts his heart.
But one problem still exists – the male will never die, while the female
will eventually see the end of her life.
Can this relationship truly be a match made in Heaven, or an example of
Providence playing a trick on mankind?
Once Upon a Song (童話戀曲201314)
Director: Wong Kwok Keung (黃國強)
Script
Supervisor: Leung Man Wah (梁敏華)
Cast: William So (蘇永康), Bernice Liu (廖碧兒), Kelvin Kwan (關楚耀), Evelyn Choi (蔡穎恩), Jason Chan (陳柏宇), Kate Yeung (楊淇), Shek Sau (石修), Mimi Kung (龔慈恩), Lisa Lui (呂有慧), Wilson Tsui (艾威), Savio Tsang (曾偉權), Rain Lau (劉玉翠), Benji Chiang (姜文杰), Lesley Chiang (姜麗文)
Plot Summary:
In our childhood, most of us probably fantasized about being
the prince or princess from those fairytale stories we often listened to; once
grown up however, we realize that we can only be ‘ordinary’ people living in
the real world. Choosing a girlfriend involves considering
certain external factors while the primary criteria in choosing a boyfriend is
that he must own a house, a car, and have a stable career. Thinking on a deeper level, does anyone
follow the dreams in their hearts anymore?
This series’ love story revolves around a young CEO
played by Kelvin Kwan (關楚耀) and
his relationship with female leads Kate Yeung (楊淇) and Evelyn Choi (蔡穎恩) – add to this the talent of singer
William So (蘇永康),
whose singing voice accompanies the entire story. With a portion of the filming completed on
location in Okinawa, Japan, this series brings together elements of music,
dance, and acting into a musical ensemble drama that is definitely worthy of
anticipation!
The Wicked League (惡毒老人同盟)
Director: Kwan Shu Ming (關樹明)
Creative
Producer: Choi Suk Yan (蔡淑賢)
Script
Supervisor: Alex Pau (鮑偉聰)
Cast: John Chiang (姜大衛), Yuen Wah (元華), Samuel Kwok (郭鋒), Bak Biu (白彪), Peter Lai (黎彼德), Lee Fung (李風), Fung So Bor (馮素波), Tse Yuet Mei (謝月美), Cheng Shu Fung (鄭恕峰), Wong Ching (王青), Bonnie Wong (黃文慧)
Plot Summary:
As
the saying goes: “having an elder at home is a treasure to the family”. However, in reality, many elderly are oftentimes
targets of discrimination. The 5 main
elderly characters in this series are the epitome of this, as they are
constantly looked down upon by their family, friends, and even co-workers. During a chance encounter, the 5 of them come
together and decide to ‘take revenge’ on all those who’ve looked down upon
them, so they join forces to form “The Wicked League”.
This
series utilizes light-hearted black humor to bring forth some of the problems
and challenges that the elderly face in today’s society, with the hope that
audiences can develop a better understanding of the elderly in their own lives
and treat them better.
