Article on the Biography Channel special – “HK’s The Four Heavenly Kings: Jacky Cheung”《香港四大天王﹕ 張學友》

Omg, a Jacky documentary? Well, not really, but it's as close as we're going to get....you can bet your bottom dollar that I will be hunting all over the Internet for this program when it airs next month!

Meanwhile though....we will just have to settle for the below article....

My thoughts on the article:

.>> I'm glad that Jacky talks about his battle with alcoholism because even though that particular period in his life and career (late 1980s) was the lowest point for him, he was able to overcome it and become the "God of Songs" that we have today. His story truly serves as an inspiration for others -- it proves that entertainers are human just like everyone one else and will encounter the same types of problems.

.>> Every time I hear the part about how Jacky's friends and family (especially his then girlfriend / now wife May Lo) supported him and helped him through the most difficult time in his life, I can't help but feel warm inside. This is one of the reasons why I admire Jacky and May so much as a couple -- throughout their relationship, they truly demonstrated that it's not necessarily about how long they've been together, but rather the experiences -- good and bad -- they encountered together as a couple. Regardless though, 26 years (11 years dating, 15 years married) is still a LONG time, especially for a celebrity couple. Anyway, I wish them continued happiness forever!!   :o)

.>> The part about Jacky taking up his brother's gambling debts was not a 'rumor' -- it truly did occur (and not just once either). But glad that Jacky made the right choice in publicly declaring at that time that he was no longer going to pay for his brother's debts and stopped the brother from using his name for his own benefit.

.>> LOL at the part about "Snow Wolf Lake"! Ah, brings back memories of another great King and Queen collaboration (Jacky and Sandy)!

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Jacky Cheung to be the subject of new Biography Channel program

Article published: Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Source: Oriental Daily, Ming Pao

Translated by: llwy12

Picture credits as listed

God of Songs Jacky Cheung has experienced his fair share of peaks and valleys in his long career as a HK entertainer. In the new program《The Four Heavenly Kings: Jacky Cheung》airing on the Biography Channel next month, Jacky explains in detail the various highs and lows he has experienced in his career. He recounts how, back in the 1980s, due to pressures with a stagnant career, he started drinking heavily, which gave rise to a lot of negative publicity and almost ended his career permanently. In the interview, Jacky candidly admits his one-time struggle with alcoholism: “I had a pretty good grasp on my career – whether it was recording albums or doing concerts, I was able to handle it fine – but only the drinking part I had no control over. I hate that type of feeling!” Fortunately, with the support of good friends such as record producer Michael Au as well as then girlfriend May Lo, Jacky was able to overcome his drinking problems and restart his career, ultimately achieving the tremendous success he has today.

With regard to rumors that surfaced back in 1993 of Jacky taking up his older brother’s huge gambling debts, Jacky admits that gambling runs in the family: “My dad likes to gamble, so both my brother and I grew up with the same interests – in fact, in my youth, I was an even bigger gambler than my brother! However, later on, I realized that it’s impossible to make a living off gambling and it wasn’t reliable for me, so I stopped.”

Discussing Jacky’s successful 1997 on-stage musical《Snow Wolf Lake》-- which he starred in and artistically directed – co-star Kit Chan reveals a few behind-the-scenes ‘secrets’ and funny moments that had occurred during the production, including Jacky’s “smelly” performances. Laughing, Kit playfully expressed that she felt sorry for the production’s female star, pop Queen Sandy Lam: “During a few performances, Jacky started to sweat heavily due to the various dance segments, and by the middle segment of the show, we started to smell ‘odors’ coming from his body – by the end of the show, some of us didn’t even want to go near him! And to think, during the very last scene, poor Sandy had to lie there, embraced by Jacky, with her head very close to his underarm….I ‘heard’ that it was not a very pleasant experience!”

'God of Songs' Meets 'King of Pop'

As I was flipping through some Jacky videos, came across this particular one from 1996. It is the World Music Awards held that year in Monte Carlo. That was the first year that Jacky actually won a World Music Award for Top-Selling Asian Artist in the World -- he was the first HK singer to ever win this international award (and the only one to win it from HK, if my memory serves me right).

Anyway, Jacky of course went to Monte Carlo to personally accept the award and also got a chance to perform his song "True Love" to an international audience. There were alot of big stars in attendance at the World Music Awards that year, including Celine Dion, Shania Twain, and the 'King of Pop' himself, Michael Jackson. Now, I may not be an MJ fan, but got to admit that he truly is a legend in the music industry and an icon to millions around the world -- so yes, it is a 'big deal' when he is in attendance at awards ceremonies. So when I saw this video of Jacky performing, my first reaction was -- OMG, not only is he performing in front of an international audience on a world stage in front of major music industry giants, he's also got the 'King of Pop' sitting right there in the front row watching his performance! I'm sure that would make anyone nervous -- even someone with as much stage experience as Jacky! But of course, Jacky's performance was awesome as usual (though I could tell he was a bit nervous). This is truly a great honor for Jacky and proof of his awesome talents....for us die-hard Jacky fans though, it was definitely a 'proud' moment -- especially knowing that we (his fans) helped contribute to the moment by buying his albums (the award was for Top Album sales, after all -- lol!). Most importantly for me though, this also proves that Jacky is truly a legend himself, as he set a precedence in album sales (not just in Asia, but internationally as well) that to this day, no other HK singer has been able to beat. And to be listed as #2 in the world (behind Michael Jackson) in terms of albums sales and the ONLY Asian singer with this honor -- wow -- I AM SO PROUD! Way to go Jacky!!!

One interesting thing about the video that I just have to mention....I found it funny that throughout Jacky's entire performance, the camera kept panning over to Michael Jackson and no one else -- like he was the only person in the audience or something. So I actually went back and watched some of the videos of the other performers at that particular awards ceremony and found out that the other performances were the same way (camera kept panning over to MJ). Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just thought it was interesting -- it's like they were trying to see what MJ's reaction was to each performance and see if he would approve. I wouldn't blame them -- with MJ's legendary status and the fact that he does not attend awards ceremonies that often (especially later in his career), the organizers were probably taking advantage of every scene they could get with MJ in it (and probably to see how the King of Pop views other artists judging by his reaction).

As a side note, Jacky actually won the exact same award (Top Selling Asian Artist in the World) the following year, but because he was preparing for his Snow Wolf Lake musical, he was not able to go personally accept the award. Bummer, since I would have loved to see his performance on the same stage again, but that's ok -- the fact that he got the award again is already enough to make me happy (plus his SWL musical was a huge success, so it was worth it)!