Note: ‘Sentinel’ refers to the series “The Life and Times of a Sentinel” and ‘Omission’ refers to the series “Lives of Omission”.
I’ve been reading the various articles in the entertainment news portals as well as a variety of posts and comments on forums, blogs, etc. regarding the whole Sentinel vs Omission situation as well as Michael Tse’s comments criticizing Steven Ma….
Well, I’ve pretty much made my position clear already in terms of what I thought about Michael Tse’s ‘immature’ response....here’s the comment I posted in the AF forum that pretty much sums things up:
What an arrogant and cocky response from Michael! I don't know what it is, but ever since he became popular with the Laughing character last year, it seems to have gotten to his head.....as I've said before, I've never understood the hype over Laughing anyway and I consider Michael 'lucky' that his character happened to appeal to majority of the audiences...instead of reacting with grace, he starts to take on a cocky attitude? WTH? Sorry, but based on everything I've read so far, I feel that the 'immature' one in this situation is Michael, not Steven...
(For those interested in reading more, you can visit this thread in Asianfanatics: “Michael Tse criticizes Steven Ma is being immature”
After reading the various posts in tamaya’s blog as well as lizzy’s most recent post about the situation, ), I felt the urge to do another one of my ‘TVB rants’ about the topic (plus there were quite a few points brought up in lizzy’s post that got me thinking about a few things that I’ve ranted about before and are now coming back to the surface again).
For the purposes of this post, I am going to focus mainly on the ‘ratings’ argument, since that seems to be the primary ‘justification’ that TVB makes for why they should pay more attention to Omission and not to Sentinel (plus some netizens are trying to use the ratings thing to ‘justify’ Michael Tse’s criticism of Steven – which, for the record, is a bunch of BS in my opinion). So what exactly is the ‘ratings argument’? Well, when TVB’s spokesperson Tsang Sing Ming was asked about Sentinel’s peak ratings of 40 points, he “conveniently” used the average ratings of the series to answer the question, inadvertently pointing out that Sentinel’s overall ratings were low and it ended up in 10th place compared with Omission’s 1st place – in a sense, stating that it’s not the peak ratings that matter but rather the average ratings. When Michael ‘criticized’ Steven, he actually made the exact same argument about the average ratings versus peak ratings (that can’t be a coincidence…I sense a major ‘kiss up’ attempt here). Ok, so let me get this straight….according to TVB and Michael Tse: the peak ratings shouldn’t matter, as the overall average ratings of a series is the important part. Even though both Omission and Sentinel hit the 40 point mark in peak ratings (Sentinel actually hit that number first), that’s less important in the scheme of things, because it’s really the average ratings that counts – so since the overall average ratings for Omission consistently exceeded the 30 point mark whereas the average ratings for Sentinel was consistently under 30 points (except for finale week), it ‘goes without saying’ that more attention should be paid to Omission and the series should be acknowledged / celebrated / given special treatment.
In my opinion, lizzy does a good job of explaining the average ratings thing in her post (see above link), so I’m not going to rehash all that in this post. Rather, I’m going to respond to TVB (and Michael Tse)’s argument about the ‘average ratings counting more than the peak ratings’….
First of all, by making this argument, TVB is totally being contradictory because there have been numerous instances in the past where TVB has emphasized peak ratings over average ratings and made a ‘big deal’ out of their series ‘peaking’ at certain points. So for them to say now that the peak ratings don’t mean much and it’s the average ratings that counts is absolutely HYPOCRITICAL! This just goes to show that TVB has an integrity issue and also proves that one of the ‘problems’ that I’ve been complaining about them is true: TVB blatantly ‘uses’ certain situations to their advantage when it suits their needs, but then brushes off (ignores) other situations when they know it’s not favorable toward them, then they’ll make up any ‘lame’ excuse that they can to defend their foolish actions (especially when they are ‘called out’ on it).
For those who think that I’m being too ‘harsh’ on TVB once again (yes, there are quite a few people out there who think this), here’s a recent example of how TVB placed more emphasis on peak ratings rather than average ratings:
Last year, when TVB’s ‘favored’ series “Can’t Buy Me Love” supposedly peaked at 51 points during its finale (the key word here is SUPPOSEDLY….see TVB Rant #5 for details on why I use this word), they made such a big deal out of it, they even dedicated a ‘spread’ to it in one of the issues of their TVB Magazine (the title of that particular article reads: “Can’t Buy Me Love breaks 50 points”…with that kind of title, I’m sure you can figure out the content of the article) – plus all the ‘attention’ it got in the Media (the average ratings for CBML overall was in the low 30s). Ok, so help me understand this – if the peak ratings really don’t matter, then WHY THE HELL did TVB put so much emphasis on CBML breaking 50 points last year? Is it because CBML starred mostly TVB’s own biological sons/daughters that they are heavily promoting and so the series has to succeed no matter what otherwise TVB will lose face (compared to the other 2 ‘big’ series from that year, “No Regrets” and “Gun Metal Grey”, whose main leads were non-contracted artists)? Whatever the reason, the fact of the matter is that for TVB, the ‘peak rating’ was important last year for CBML, but this year, for Sentinel, it’s all of a sudden ‘not important’ (anyone disagree with me that TVB is applying a ‘double standard’ here?)
Note: I can think of a few other examples as well, but since the CBML thing is probably still fresh in a lot of people’s minds, I chose to only use that issue as an example.
From everything that has been made known so far, it’s obvious that TVB favors Omission more than they do Sentinel – not surprisingly, TVB’s ‘blatant favoritism’ rears its ugly head once again! As I read through all the stuff about Omission versus Sentinel, I’m getting a huge sense of déjà vu – TVB did the exact same thing last year when they (heavily) favored “Can’t Buy Me Love” over anniversary series “Gun Metal Grey”, resulting in GMG star Felix Wong’s ‘outburst’ toward TVB (see TVB Rant #6 for details). Oh, and how about the year before that (2009) when TVB over-hyped / over-promoted “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” and pretty much ‘neglected’ the other anniversary series “Born Rich” as well as the unexpected hit “Rosy Business”? Come to think of it, there’s another example right there – when BTROC peaked at 50 points back when it aired (again, during the finale episode only), there was much fanfare and ‘commotion’ over the ‘amazing accomplishment’, whereas when RB peaked at 47 points (on its own, without any special promotion or hype), the only people who seemed to notice were the audiences and the Media. Hmmm, I already see a pattern….I don’t think I need to go further back through the rest of the decade (or at least through the Virginia Lok era) to prove my point, right?
Ok, so now that I let off my steam, I’ll end with some final words: When it comes to TVB, some things never change!
LL's Musings 小賢角落
Showing posts with label AsianFanatics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AsianFanatics. Show all posts
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
2011 Hong Kong Celebrity Breakups (SO FAR)...
Written by: llwy12
(Originally written and published as an Editorial for Asianfanatics.net)
We're only halfway through the year and already, there have been a number of celebrity 'breakups' in the HK entertainment industry -- many of them high-profile. Could it possibly be that the Hollywood 'breakup' bug has finally hit Hong Kong? Or perhaps it’s all in the stars and was just meant to be?
Whatever the reason, it’s worth taking a look back at some of the more notable breakups that have made headlines in the past few months (and hope that the breakup trend does NOT continue!).
Note: The below list is definitely not all-inclusive, as I’m sure that there were more celebrity breakups that occurred this year that are not mentioned. I just chose to mention some of the more ‘high profile’ ones that dominated headlines for awhile.
Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung -- To divorce or not to divorce, that is the question
Is it just me, or is anyone else sick and tired of the whole Nicholas / Cecilia divorce drama thing?
After almost a month of occupying the headlines of practically every newspaper and magazine in HK (and in other parts of Asia for that matter), this high-profile (soon-to-be ex) celebrity couple's divorce saga is finally showing some signs of dying down -- that is, until either Nic or Cecilia physically show their faces in public anywhere in HK (or elsewhere) -- then the mayhem starts all over again (well, at least that seems to be the pattern right now).
Indeed, the Nic / Cecilia situation has played out like a soap opera in the past few weeks, with speculations galore by the Media (and the general public) as well as varying degrees of mudslinging and PR ploys from both camps. Without judging who is right or wrong (because it is pretty much impossible to determine at this point), just look at what kind of impact the public airing of the couple’s marital woes has had on the family and friends (on both sides) thus far….
Take for example Nic’s dad Patrick Tse – I’m sure he is probably fed up by now with all those annoying reporters hounding him everywhere he goes, asking him the same questions over and over again (Are Nic and Cecilia really getting a divorce? How do you feel about it? Is Cecilia still 'The Pride of the Tse Family'? Are you going to yell at Eileen Cha when you see her? How long has it been since you've seen the grandkids?....and the questions go on and on). At the rate that things have been going, I wouldn’t be surprised if old man Tse gets so exasperated that he ends up punching one of those pesky reporters in the face (like we need more Tse family drama, eh?). Until that happens though, I continue to find Patrick’s responses to the Media (regarding his son’s situation of course) quite amusing -- definitely gives me my ‘laugh of the day’ listening to his responses.
Oh, and how about all those celebrities affected by the reporters camped out at the HK International Airport for days on end, waiting for either Nic or Cecilia to show up? Those reporters probably bumped into more celebrities at the airport than they would ever bump into attending any other event (boy would I like to be one of those reporters – reading about all the celebrities they encountered, I couldn’t help thinking how lucky’ they were)! And I’ve got to say that seeing the ‘shocked’ expressions on the faces of some celebrities who showed up at the airport to find swarms of reporters was actually quite funny.
At this point though, in my humble opinion at least, it doesn’t matter whether majority of the public are on Nic’s side or Cecilia’s side -- and frankly, I don’t care to know the timeline of when (or if) Nic has already filed divorce papers or not…I’m sure I’m speaking for a lot of people (including the members of the Tse and Cheung families) when I say -- can we just be done with this mess and move on? Please?
One last note -- just for the record, I’m not a fan of either artist (and never will be) so I really don’t care either way how this fiasco ends up turning out…but I do feel sorry for Nic and Cecilia’s two kids, Lucas and Quintus, and I sincerely hope that history doesn’t end up repeating itself 20 years down the road (though with the Tse family genes, it’s definitely hard to say)…
Gregory Lee and Shirley Yeung – From sweet bliss to controversial breakup?
After 9 years of dating, Shirley Yeung announced a couple days ago (at a public event no less) that she and her boyfriend Gregory Lee have broken up. I will admit that I was shocked when I first heard the news, as I had always thought that this was one of those celebrity couples that had a high chance of ‘making it’. I mean, let’s face it -- they look cute together and personality-wise, seem to be compatible in so many ways (or so I thought).
Before I proceed, just a brief mention for those people reading this who may not know who Shirley and Gregory are: Shirley is a 2001 Miss Hong Kong winner (and current record-holder for winning the most awards during a Miss HK pageant) and currently is an actress at TVB; Gregory is a former 1980s child actor (those following TVB series during that time will definitely remember him, as he was the child actor of choice back then) who comes from a veteran acting family and is currently working for TVB again (his career in adulthood is lackluster compared to when he was a kid).
As with any celebrity breakup where very few details are provided by the ‘main players’ themselves, Media speculation is bound to arise -- and so far, that is exactly how this situation is playing out. With Shirley refusing to comment further and Gregory too upset to think or speak clearly, it’s no surprise then that everyone else around them (family, friends, the general public) is speaking for them -- and of course, the HK Media is pouncing on ‘every juicy detail’ and reporting on it as though it were the truth.
What makes this particular breakup attention-worthy is the ‘controversy’ surrounding it -- the supposed ‘one-sided’ announcement of the split, the shocked reactions from family, the rumors of a third party, speculations of infidelity and deceit, and even a possible pregnancy, etc. Oh, and then there are the questions about the timeline not adding up – i.e.: did they break up a few months or a few days ago? Did the parents know or not know? Did Gregory only find out when the public announcement was made or did he truly know in advance? And so on… (Heck, the controversial nature of this split makes the whole Nicholas/Cecilia thing seem boring in comparisons!)
In the days to come, I’m sure the ‘true story’ related to this situation is going to emerge (eventually), so until that occurs, I’m going to reserve judgment on who is telling the truth and who isn’t. One thing is for sure though -- based on Shirley and Gregory’s public comments so far, both of them are definitely NOT on the same page!
Moses Chan and Bernice Liu -- From ‘rumored relationship’ to real breakup
Ever since their pairing in TVB series “Love Bond” back in 2003, Moses and Bernice have been rumored to be in a relationship in real life, despite the fact that neither party had officially confirmed it (until just recently that is). Though no one really knew whether these two were truly a couple in real life (“BerMo” fans probably didn’t care, as long as the on-screen chemistry was there), TVB definitely took full advantage of the rumor -- pairing them up in typical ‘couple team’ fashion for subsequent collaborations in series as well as commercials, promotional events, and even the Anniversary Awards ceremony. Talk about ‘milking’ the rumored relationship to the fullest -- hey, free promotion for TVB (not that they need any more promotion…)!
The relationship was no longer a “secret” when, at the end of last year (2010), Bernice was photographed hanging out with her “rich male friend” Alastair Lam -- almost immediately, accusations of Bernice “cheating on Moses” started flying and Bernice’s public image went down the toilet. Needless to say, “BerMo” was no more and the turn of events made the breakup ‘official’ (at least in the eyes of the public). Of course, the HK Media jumped on the chance to ‘fan the fire’ and so the focus shifted from ‘bad Bernice’ to ‘poor Moses’: aww, poor guy, he looks so forlorn -- hey, let’s dub him ‘the deal of the century’…that should surely make him feel better and show Bernice what she ‘lost’! (Yeah, whatever…it’s the HK Media – they’re not the smartest of people anyway…). Then after that, Aimee Chan comes into the picture (that was mighty convenient, eh?) and hence, Moses’ ‘fairytale courtship’ of Aimee begins…Meanwhile, the Media is clamoring for Bernice’s ‘reaction’ to Moses and Aimee becoming a rumored couple and next thing you know, the headlines read “Bernice Liu hints that Aimee Chan is Third Wheel in relationship with Moses Chan”…wait, but didn’t Bernice and Moses break up already back when that Alastair thing surfaced? So how is Aimee the 3rd wheel? So does this mean Moses was cheating on Bernice instead of Bernice cheating on Moses? I’M CONFUSED!!! Ah, let me guess -- the Media is twisting people’s words again, right??
In a dramatic ‘turn of events’, Bernice revealed recently in an interview that she and Moses actually broke up back in 2008 -- which means that even if she was truly dating Alastair Lam last year, she was not ‘cheating on Moses’ as the public claimed she did. (Of course, she also took the opportunity in the same interview to ‘criticize’ her former employer TVB --I definitely got a kick out of that…LOL!).
Anyway, regardless of how much of the whole thing is fact or fiction, the bottom line is that the relationship between Moses and Bernice is officially OVER. Period.
P.S.: In case you’re wondering why I included the Moses / Bernice breakup in this article when it technically occurred in 2010 -- well, basically because I felt like it for one, but also because the issue sort of overlapped into 2011 as well. (Plus, according to Bernice, the official breakup was in 2008, so technically, the 2010 date isn’t accurate either).
Richard Li and Isabella Leong -- No longer a “Cinderella” story
Honestly, who was actually taken by surprise when news came out that billionaire tycoon and chairman of HK telecom company PCCW (and Asia’s richest man Li Kar Shing’s son) Richard Li had broken up with actress Isabella Leong? I mean, just look at the facts -- Isabella was a ‘struggling’ actress at the time that she met Richard Li and he was a rich dude who wanted a male heir (or two). Less than a year after they met in 2008, she was already pregnant with his child and in 2009 bore him a son -- then last year, she became pregnant again and gave him twin boys. BUT the two of them are NOT MARRIED -- without the commitment of marriage, how realistic is it that a rich guy like Richard is going to remain with Isabella for the rest of his life? Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure THAT ONE out!
To be honest, I’m sort of indifferent to the whole Richard / Isabella situation because, well, frankly I don’t really care. I definitely know who Richard is as well as who his father is (which Hong Konger doesn’t know them? Plus there are enough references to them in TV series and such that a TV fanatic like me would have no reason not to know) -- but that doesn’t mean that I care. As for Isabella…well, let me just say that prior to her connection with Richard Li, I barely knew who she was -- all I knew was that she was an actress who was having contract issues with EEG and after she got together with Richard, her contract issue ‘disappeared’’(it’s actually more like Richard paid the money that was required in order for Isabella to break off her contract early) -- obviously, I had never watched any of her movies prior to that (and I have no interest whatsoever in watching them any time in the future either).
Isabella announced her split with Richard Li back in February and a few days later, Richard issued his own statement to the public confirming the matter. Not surprisingly, rumors immediately arose of a possible third party in the relationship (which Richard as well as Isabella’s spokesperson denied)…but the ‘unique’ aspect of this particular breakup was the rumor of a ‘separation fee’ in the amount of several hundred million dollars that Richard supposedly gave Isabella (which again, both parties have vehemently denied). Of course, only when the breakup involves a millionaire or billionaire will such a rumor exist!
Hmmm, now I’m starting to wonder…was it really a ‘good move’ for Isabella to have 3 children with Richard without being married to him? I would think not…but then again, that’s just my opinion -- others may actually feel she was ‘smart’ for having the children, especially since she did provide the ‘male heirs’ that the Li family wanted.
.***.
As I said at the start of this write-up, I sincerely hope that this ‘breakup trend’ among the celebrities does not continue (though I know that’s probably unrealistic given the nature of the industry). I guess we will have to see at the end of the year whether there will be a ‘part 2’ to this particular post!
(Originally written and published as an Editorial for Asianfanatics.net)
We're only halfway through the year and already, there have been a number of celebrity 'breakups' in the HK entertainment industry -- many of them high-profile. Could it possibly be that the Hollywood 'breakup' bug has finally hit Hong Kong? Or perhaps it’s all in the stars and was just meant to be?
Whatever the reason, it’s worth taking a look back at some of the more notable breakups that have made headlines in the past few months (and hope that the breakup trend does NOT continue!).
Note: The below list is definitely not all-inclusive, as I’m sure that there were more celebrity breakups that occurred this year that are not mentioned. I just chose to mention some of the more ‘high profile’ ones that dominated headlines for awhile.
Nicholas Tse and Cecilia Cheung -- To divorce or not to divorce, that is the question
Is it just me, or is anyone else sick and tired of the whole Nicholas / Cecilia divorce drama thing?
After almost a month of occupying the headlines of practically every newspaper and magazine in HK (and in other parts of Asia for that matter), this high-profile (soon-to-be ex) celebrity couple's divorce saga is finally showing some signs of dying down -- that is, until either Nic or Cecilia physically show their faces in public anywhere in HK (or elsewhere) -- then the mayhem starts all over again (well, at least that seems to be the pattern right now).
Indeed, the Nic / Cecilia situation has played out like a soap opera in the past few weeks, with speculations galore by the Media (and the general public) as well as varying degrees of mudslinging and PR ploys from both camps. Without judging who is right or wrong (because it is pretty much impossible to determine at this point), just look at what kind of impact the public airing of the couple’s marital woes has had on the family and friends (on both sides) thus far….
Take for example Nic’s dad Patrick Tse – I’m sure he is probably fed up by now with all those annoying reporters hounding him everywhere he goes, asking him the same questions over and over again (Are Nic and Cecilia really getting a divorce? How do you feel about it? Is Cecilia still 'The Pride of the Tse Family'? Are you going to yell at Eileen Cha when you see her? How long has it been since you've seen the grandkids?....and the questions go on and on). At the rate that things have been going, I wouldn’t be surprised if old man Tse gets so exasperated that he ends up punching one of those pesky reporters in the face (like we need more Tse family drama, eh?). Until that happens though, I continue to find Patrick’s responses to the Media (regarding his son’s situation of course) quite amusing -- definitely gives me my ‘laugh of the day’ listening to his responses.
Oh, and how about all those celebrities affected by the reporters camped out at the HK International Airport for days on end, waiting for either Nic or Cecilia to show up? Those reporters probably bumped into more celebrities at the airport than they would ever bump into attending any other event (boy would I like to be one of those reporters – reading about all the celebrities they encountered, I couldn’t help thinking how lucky’ they were)! And I’ve got to say that seeing the ‘shocked’ expressions on the faces of some celebrities who showed up at the airport to find swarms of reporters was actually quite funny.
At this point though, in my humble opinion at least, it doesn’t matter whether majority of the public are on Nic’s side or Cecilia’s side -- and frankly, I don’t care to know the timeline of when (or if) Nic has already filed divorce papers or not…I’m sure I’m speaking for a lot of people (including the members of the Tse and Cheung families) when I say -- can we just be done with this mess and move on? Please?
One last note -- just for the record, I’m not a fan of either artist (and never will be) so I really don’t care either way how this fiasco ends up turning out…but I do feel sorry for Nic and Cecilia’s two kids, Lucas and Quintus, and I sincerely hope that history doesn’t end up repeating itself 20 years down the road (though with the Tse family genes, it’s definitely hard to say)…
Gregory Lee and Shirley Yeung – From sweet bliss to controversial breakup?
After 9 years of dating, Shirley Yeung announced a couple days ago (at a public event no less) that she and her boyfriend Gregory Lee have broken up. I will admit that I was shocked when I first heard the news, as I had always thought that this was one of those celebrity couples that had a high chance of ‘making it’. I mean, let’s face it -- they look cute together and personality-wise, seem to be compatible in so many ways (or so I thought).
Before I proceed, just a brief mention for those people reading this who may not know who Shirley and Gregory are: Shirley is a 2001 Miss Hong Kong winner (and current record-holder for winning the most awards during a Miss HK pageant) and currently is an actress at TVB; Gregory is a former 1980s child actor (those following TVB series during that time will definitely remember him, as he was the child actor of choice back then) who comes from a veteran acting family and is currently working for TVB again (his career in adulthood is lackluster compared to when he was a kid).
As with any celebrity breakup where very few details are provided by the ‘main players’ themselves, Media speculation is bound to arise -- and so far, that is exactly how this situation is playing out. With Shirley refusing to comment further and Gregory too upset to think or speak clearly, it’s no surprise then that everyone else around them (family, friends, the general public) is speaking for them -- and of course, the HK Media is pouncing on ‘every juicy detail’ and reporting on it as though it were the truth.
What makes this particular breakup attention-worthy is the ‘controversy’ surrounding it -- the supposed ‘one-sided’ announcement of the split, the shocked reactions from family, the rumors of a third party, speculations of infidelity and deceit, and even a possible pregnancy, etc. Oh, and then there are the questions about the timeline not adding up – i.e.: did they break up a few months or a few days ago? Did the parents know or not know? Did Gregory only find out when the public announcement was made or did he truly know in advance? And so on… (Heck, the controversial nature of this split makes the whole Nicholas/Cecilia thing seem boring in comparisons!)
In the days to come, I’m sure the ‘true story’ related to this situation is going to emerge (eventually), so until that occurs, I’m going to reserve judgment on who is telling the truth and who isn’t. One thing is for sure though -- based on Shirley and Gregory’s public comments so far, both of them are definitely NOT on the same page!
Moses Chan and Bernice Liu -- From ‘rumored relationship’ to real breakup
Ever since their pairing in TVB series “Love Bond” back in 2003, Moses and Bernice have been rumored to be in a relationship in real life, despite the fact that neither party had officially confirmed it (until just recently that is). Though no one really knew whether these two were truly a couple in real life (“BerMo” fans probably didn’t care, as long as the on-screen chemistry was there), TVB definitely took full advantage of the rumor -- pairing them up in typical ‘couple team’ fashion for subsequent collaborations in series as well as commercials, promotional events, and even the Anniversary Awards ceremony. Talk about ‘milking’ the rumored relationship to the fullest -- hey, free promotion for TVB (not that they need any more promotion…)!
The relationship was no longer a “secret” when, at the end of last year (2010), Bernice was photographed hanging out with her “rich male friend” Alastair Lam -- almost immediately, accusations of Bernice “cheating on Moses” started flying and Bernice’s public image went down the toilet. Needless to say, “BerMo” was no more and the turn of events made the breakup ‘official’ (at least in the eyes of the public). Of course, the HK Media jumped on the chance to ‘fan the fire’ and so the focus shifted from ‘bad Bernice’ to ‘poor Moses’: aww, poor guy, he looks so forlorn -- hey, let’s dub him ‘the deal of the century’…that should surely make him feel better and show Bernice what she ‘lost’! (Yeah, whatever…it’s the HK Media – they’re not the smartest of people anyway…). Then after that, Aimee Chan comes into the picture (that was mighty convenient, eh?) and hence, Moses’ ‘fairytale courtship’ of Aimee begins…Meanwhile, the Media is clamoring for Bernice’s ‘reaction’ to Moses and Aimee becoming a rumored couple and next thing you know, the headlines read “Bernice Liu hints that Aimee Chan is Third Wheel in relationship with Moses Chan”…wait, but didn’t Bernice and Moses break up already back when that Alastair thing surfaced? So how is Aimee the 3rd wheel? So does this mean Moses was cheating on Bernice instead of Bernice cheating on Moses? I’M CONFUSED!!! Ah, let me guess -- the Media is twisting people’s words again, right??
In a dramatic ‘turn of events’, Bernice revealed recently in an interview that she and Moses actually broke up back in 2008 -- which means that even if she was truly dating Alastair Lam last year, she was not ‘cheating on Moses’ as the public claimed she did. (Of course, she also took the opportunity in the same interview to ‘criticize’ her former employer TVB --I definitely got a kick out of that…LOL!).
Anyway, regardless of how much of the whole thing is fact or fiction, the bottom line is that the relationship between Moses and Bernice is officially OVER. Period.
P.S.: In case you’re wondering why I included the Moses / Bernice breakup in this article when it technically occurred in 2010 -- well, basically because I felt like it for one, but also because the issue sort of overlapped into 2011 as well. (Plus, according to Bernice, the official breakup was in 2008, so technically, the 2010 date isn’t accurate either).
Richard Li and Isabella Leong -- No longer a “Cinderella” story
Honestly, who was actually taken by surprise when news came out that billionaire tycoon and chairman of HK telecom company PCCW (and Asia’s richest man Li Kar Shing’s son) Richard Li had broken up with actress Isabella Leong? I mean, just look at the facts -- Isabella was a ‘struggling’ actress at the time that she met Richard Li and he was a rich dude who wanted a male heir (or two). Less than a year after they met in 2008, she was already pregnant with his child and in 2009 bore him a son -- then last year, she became pregnant again and gave him twin boys. BUT the two of them are NOT MARRIED -- without the commitment of marriage, how realistic is it that a rich guy like Richard is going to remain with Isabella for the rest of his life? Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure THAT ONE out!
To be honest, I’m sort of indifferent to the whole Richard / Isabella situation because, well, frankly I don’t really care. I definitely know who Richard is as well as who his father is (which Hong Konger doesn’t know them? Plus there are enough references to them in TV series and such that a TV fanatic like me would have no reason not to know) -- but that doesn’t mean that I care. As for Isabella…well, let me just say that prior to her connection with Richard Li, I barely knew who she was -- all I knew was that she was an actress who was having contract issues with EEG and after she got together with Richard, her contract issue ‘disappeared’’(it’s actually more like Richard paid the money that was required in order for Isabella to break off her contract early) -- obviously, I had never watched any of her movies prior to that (and I have no interest whatsoever in watching them any time in the future either).
Isabella announced her split with Richard Li back in February and a few days later, Richard issued his own statement to the public confirming the matter. Not surprisingly, rumors immediately arose of a possible third party in the relationship (which Richard as well as Isabella’s spokesperson denied)…but the ‘unique’ aspect of this particular breakup was the rumor of a ‘separation fee’ in the amount of several hundred million dollars that Richard supposedly gave Isabella (which again, both parties have vehemently denied). Of course, only when the breakup involves a millionaire or billionaire will such a rumor exist!
Hmmm, now I’m starting to wonder…was it really a ‘good move’ for Isabella to have 3 children with Richard without being married to him? I would think not…but then again, that’s just my opinion -- others may actually feel she was ‘smart’ for having the children, especially since she did provide the ‘male heirs’ that the Li family wanted.
.***.
As I said at the start of this write-up, I sincerely hope that this ‘breakup trend’ among the celebrities does not continue (though I know that’s probably unrealistic given the nature of the industry). I guess we will have to see at the end of the year whether there will be a ‘part 2’ to this particular post!
Monday, November 29, 2010
2011 TVB Sales Presentation
Year 2011 TVB Series & TVB Sales Presentation - AsianFanatics Forum - Page 2
Source for clips: Asianfanatics
***
As I was writing up a response to DTLCT’s sales presentation post, I figured I might as well do my own blog post on it as well, since I have so much material written up already.
Ok, after watching the clips, here are my comments (for links to the actual clips themselves, go the above thread in AF):
Back to the Three Kingdoms 回到三國 -- I WAS looking forward to this one, but now after watching the clip, I'm starting to have doubts. First, the comedic elements part was a bit lame -- I hope they don't try to incorporate that because it would be dumb. Second, it seems to me like another 'recycled idea' -- pretty much a remake of "A Step into the Past" theme but with different artists and with a comedic element added. I still hope they actually make this one, but not in the way that they presented it in the clip.
Colorful World of Sister Fa 花花世界花家姐 – I’m sorry, but this one looks beyond lame to me. Like I said before, it’s pretty much a remake of “Life Made Simple” except the female version. And Charmaine really does NOT look convincing to me in the clip – it seems to me like she was trying way too hard to be a mentally challenged person and it just didn’t fly with me. Plus I’m not too keen on the cast either (I pretty much don’t like anyone in the cast)….though I will say that the series will definitely do well in the ratings because both Raymond and Charmaine have a lot of fans, so they will tune in just to watch them (doesn’t really matter how the script turns out).
Yes Sir, No Sir 點解阿Sir係阿Sir – Don’t like this one either….the cast doesn’t impress me first of all and the whole “school” thing has been recycled way too many times already…I think I would be able to endure the recycled theme if the series actually had a cast I liked (i.e. “Shine on You” which was also the recycled ‘school’ theme but it at least had a cast that I liked – even if the script was so-so, just watching the fine actors do their magic was a treat in itself). Let’s see if things end up changing – if not, then it will probably be a “no” in my book.
The Boxing King 拳王– Ok, one question: is this supposed to be a tragedy or a comedy? They certainly didn’t do the clip too well because the last few seconds were extremely lame. Again, I’m not too keen on the cast, but that’s not the reason why I don’t want to watch it – the reason is because I absolutely hate sports-themed series / movies because they bore the hell out of me (yes, I’ve tried watching quite a few and never got through the first half of the series/movies). So this one is a definite “no” for me.
King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes 萬凰之王– I think I’ve commented on this one before and even after watching the clip, my opinion has not changed. I love Sunny and ok with Jessica too and was looking forward to another collaboration with the two – BUT TVB had to go and add Myolie into the series…and not only that, it seems that Myolie will have more screen time than Jessica (well, that’s the impression I’m getting because in every single thing I’ve read from TVB introducing the series, Myolie’s name is listed first, before Jessica’s and sometimes even before Sunny’s). Everyone knows how much I hate watching Myolie’s series because I absolutely just cannot stand her (and for sure there will be crying scenes in this series, which means TORTURE) – plus I’m still bitter (at TVB) for pairing Myolie with Sunny in “War and Destiny”, which is a series I would have liked a lot if it weren’t for Myolie and also that upcoming “Flying Fish” series where she is paired with Julian (lover) and Damian (father). Oh and of course that joke of a series with Gallen (the Cat and Dog one). Ughh!!! (Note to TVB: STOP PAIRING MYOLIE WITH MY FAVORITE ACTORS!!!!!). I think I’m going to protest this series just because of Myolie – plus I’m quite sick of the whole Qing dynasty theme too (another recycled idea…please don’t tell me that this is another “War and Beauty” wannabee!!!!).
The Truth 真相 -- finally, a series that actually looks promising! Just like DTLCT said, I’m not too keen on the female cast either, but the male cast looks interesting….plus, it looks like there will be a lot of guest stars in this one, which is another thing to look forward too (oooh, Kenneth Ma looks like he will be playing a baddie, which will surely be interesting to watch!). I read some stuff about this series earlier and it looks like it’s going to be one of those “Files of Justice” type series, which I’m ok with because there is so much material that can be done with lawyer series (unlike other themes, lawyer and doctor themes are more easily recycled without seeming too lame). So far, this looks like a keeper….
The Gods.com 福祿壽.COM– so WHAT is the point of this show, may I ask? Just to spoof the various series and get a good laugh? Sorry, but I can get a good laugh from watching a good comedy, so don’t need this junk for that. I’ve actually never liked the whole parody / spoofing / imitation stuff because I just think it’s lame (that’s why I’m not interested in watching the ‘three gods’ perform). I’m definitely skipping this one, as I have a feeling that watching this show will make me feel ‘dumb’…
Relic of Emissary 洪武三十二 – I didn’t recognize the English title at first, but then when I watched the clip, I realized that this is the ‘Hongwu 32’ series that was originally touted as the ancient version of “The Academy” (since it had similar cast). Even back before the clip came out (when they were showing all the cast pictures and behind-the-scenes filming stuff), this was already a ‘skip’ in my book, as I’m completely turned off by the cast (I don’t like anyone in the series – well, none of the main leads at least). After watching the clip, I’ve reaffirmed my ‘skip’ decision even more because the series just looks extremely boring and lame.
Psychological Warfare 心戰– Um, ok…looks way too intense for my liking (some of the stuff shown in the clip looked like it was borderline horror)…plus I’ve never been too keen on Adam Cheng, though I’m not opposed to watching his series if the script/storyline is good. And so far, this is the only series with a female lead that I actually like (Maggie) – hmmm…the sales clip actually plays out like a movie, which I think may be a disadvantage because the series probably will not be able to deliver in terms of the horror / suspense piece (there are certain limitations / restrictions in the TV world that are not there in the movie world). This one may be better off scrapped and made into a movie instead….
Mahjong Flying Southeast 麻雀東南飛 – Oh, so THIS is the series I was reading about on Weibo (when I saw the pictures, I was wondering what series they belonged to). Finally, a cast that I like (Raymond, Kenneth, Ruco, Crystal, etc.) and a comedy at that – plus, based on the clip, it looks like this is going to be one of those ‘clever comedic’ pieces where the jokes are actually funny and not the lame type where one feels ‘stupid’ after watching it. Looking forward to this one (so far)….hopefully it actually happens though because based on what I read on weibo, it sounded like a ‘maybe’ in terms of moving forward with filming.
Only You 只有您 – don’t know enough about this one to make a decision on whether it will be a keeper or not (the clip was way too short and I couldn’t really figure out who the leads were supposed to be). I guess I’ll have to read up on this one more before I decide.
The Great Eunuch 大太監– first of all, Bosco as emperor? Really? Hmmm….ok, we’ll see. Though intense, this one actually looks promising to me – plus this is the only series out of the 12 showcased where nearly the entire cast is talented in terms of acting and can really give each other a ‘run for the money’ in terms of acting skill (well, except for Bosco and Tavia, both of whom I wouldn’t classify as ‘talented’ but at least they’re ‘tolerable’ in my book – depending on their characters that is). The others – Wayne Lai, Michelle Yim, John Chiang, Elliot Ngok, King sir, Susanna Kwan – are already proven talents…this sounds like it will be a high quality series…a keeper so far (unless TVB makes major changes to the cast).
Source for clips: Asianfanatics
***
As I was writing up a response to DTLCT’s sales presentation post, I figured I might as well do my own blog post on it as well, since I have so much material written up already.
Ok, after watching the clips, here are my comments (for links to the actual clips themselves, go the above thread in AF):
Back to the Three Kingdoms 回到三國 -- I WAS looking forward to this one, but now after watching the clip, I'm starting to have doubts. First, the comedic elements part was a bit lame -- I hope they don't try to incorporate that because it would be dumb. Second, it seems to me like another 'recycled idea' -- pretty much a remake of "A Step into the Past" theme but with different artists and with a comedic element added. I still hope they actually make this one, but not in the way that they presented it in the clip.
Colorful World of Sister Fa 花花世界花家姐 – I’m sorry, but this one looks beyond lame to me. Like I said before, it’s pretty much a remake of “Life Made Simple” except the female version. And Charmaine really does NOT look convincing to me in the clip – it seems to me like she was trying way too hard to be a mentally challenged person and it just didn’t fly with me. Plus I’m not too keen on the cast either (I pretty much don’t like anyone in the cast)….though I will say that the series will definitely do well in the ratings because both Raymond and Charmaine have a lot of fans, so they will tune in just to watch them (doesn’t really matter how the script turns out).
Yes Sir, No Sir 點解阿Sir係阿Sir – Don’t like this one either….the cast doesn’t impress me first of all and the whole “school” thing has been recycled way too many times already…I think I would be able to endure the recycled theme if the series actually had a cast I liked (i.e. “Shine on You” which was also the recycled ‘school’ theme but it at least had a cast that I liked – even if the script was so-so, just watching the fine actors do their magic was a treat in itself). Let’s see if things end up changing – if not, then it will probably be a “no” in my book.
The Boxing King 拳王– Ok, one question: is this supposed to be a tragedy or a comedy? They certainly didn’t do the clip too well because the last few seconds were extremely lame. Again, I’m not too keen on the cast, but that’s not the reason why I don’t want to watch it – the reason is because I absolutely hate sports-themed series / movies because they bore the hell out of me (yes, I’ve tried watching quite a few and never got through the first half of the series/movies). So this one is a definite “no” for me.
King of Ten Thousand Phoenixes 萬凰之王– I think I’ve commented on this one before and even after watching the clip, my opinion has not changed. I love Sunny and ok with Jessica too and was looking forward to another collaboration with the two – BUT TVB had to go and add Myolie into the series…and not only that, it seems that Myolie will have more screen time than Jessica (well, that’s the impression I’m getting because in every single thing I’ve read from TVB introducing the series, Myolie’s name is listed first, before Jessica’s and sometimes even before Sunny’s). Everyone knows how much I hate watching Myolie’s series because I absolutely just cannot stand her (and for sure there will be crying scenes in this series, which means TORTURE) – plus I’m still bitter (at TVB) for pairing Myolie with Sunny in “War and Destiny”, which is a series I would have liked a lot if it weren’t for Myolie and also that upcoming “Flying Fish” series where she is paired with Julian (lover) and Damian (father). Oh and of course that joke of a series with Gallen (the Cat and Dog one). Ughh!!! (Note to TVB: STOP PAIRING MYOLIE WITH MY FAVORITE ACTORS!!!!!). I think I’m going to protest this series just because of Myolie – plus I’m quite sick of the whole Qing dynasty theme too (another recycled idea…please don’t tell me that this is another “War and Beauty” wannabee!!!!).
The Truth 真相 -- finally, a series that actually looks promising! Just like DTLCT said, I’m not too keen on the female cast either, but the male cast looks interesting….plus, it looks like there will be a lot of guest stars in this one, which is another thing to look forward too (oooh, Kenneth Ma looks like he will be playing a baddie, which will surely be interesting to watch!). I read some stuff about this series earlier and it looks like it’s going to be one of those “Files of Justice” type series, which I’m ok with because there is so much material that can be done with lawyer series (unlike other themes, lawyer and doctor themes are more easily recycled without seeming too lame). So far, this looks like a keeper….
The Gods.com 福祿壽.COM– so WHAT is the point of this show, may I ask? Just to spoof the various series and get a good laugh? Sorry, but I can get a good laugh from watching a good comedy, so don’t need this junk for that. I’ve actually never liked the whole parody / spoofing / imitation stuff because I just think it’s lame (that’s why I’m not interested in watching the ‘three gods’ perform). I’m definitely skipping this one, as I have a feeling that watching this show will make me feel ‘dumb’…
Relic of Emissary 洪武三十二 – I didn’t recognize the English title at first, but then when I watched the clip, I realized that this is the ‘Hongwu 32’ series that was originally touted as the ancient version of “The Academy” (since it had similar cast). Even back before the clip came out (when they were showing all the cast pictures and behind-the-scenes filming stuff), this was already a ‘skip’ in my book, as I’m completely turned off by the cast (I don’t like anyone in the series – well, none of the main leads at least). After watching the clip, I’ve reaffirmed my ‘skip’ decision even more because the series just looks extremely boring and lame.
Psychological Warfare 心戰– Um, ok…looks way too intense for my liking (some of the stuff shown in the clip looked like it was borderline horror)…plus I’ve never been too keen on Adam Cheng, though I’m not opposed to watching his series if the script/storyline is good. And so far, this is the only series with a female lead that I actually like (Maggie) – hmmm…the sales clip actually plays out like a movie, which I think may be a disadvantage because the series probably will not be able to deliver in terms of the horror / suspense piece (there are certain limitations / restrictions in the TV world that are not there in the movie world). This one may be better off scrapped and made into a movie instead….
Mahjong Flying Southeast 麻雀東南飛 – Oh, so THIS is the series I was reading about on Weibo (when I saw the pictures, I was wondering what series they belonged to). Finally, a cast that I like (Raymond, Kenneth, Ruco, Crystal, etc.) and a comedy at that – plus, based on the clip, it looks like this is going to be one of those ‘clever comedic’ pieces where the jokes are actually funny and not the lame type where one feels ‘stupid’ after watching it. Looking forward to this one (so far)….hopefully it actually happens though because based on what I read on weibo, it sounded like a ‘maybe’ in terms of moving forward with filming.
Only You 只有您 – don’t know enough about this one to make a decision on whether it will be a keeper or not (the clip was way too short and I couldn’t really figure out who the leads were supposed to be). I guess I’ll have to read up on this one more before I decide.
The Great Eunuch 大太監– first of all, Bosco as emperor? Really? Hmmm….ok, we’ll see. Though intense, this one actually looks promising to me – plus this is the only series out of the 12 showcased where nearly the entire cast is talented in terms of acting and can really give each other a ‘run for the money’ in terms of acting skill (well, except for Bosco and Tavia, both of whom I wouldn’t classify as ‘talented’ but at least they’re ‘tolerable’ in my book – depending on their characters that is). The others – Wayne Lai, Michelle Yim, John Chiang, Elliot Ngok, King sir, Susanna Kwan – are already proven talents…this sounds like it will be a high quality series…a keeper so far (unless TVB makes major changes to the cast).
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
My ‘TVB Rant’ #6: Another LAME-O decision by TVB!!!
"Gun Metal Grey" neglected at TVB Anniversary Gala, Michael Miu & Felix Wong bursts in anger at TVB - AsianFanatics Forum
Felix Wong anger continues: Don't rape the public; TVB tries to 'put out fire' - AsianFanatics Forum
Source: Asianfanatics.net
***
Once again, TVB makes a stupid move and successfully pisses off one of its former artists as well as legions of fans and audiences / netizens! When will TVB ever learn their lesson? (Never mind – that’s a rhetorical question….)
I can't believe there was barely any mention of GMG at the anniversary gala -- in fact, it was in the news that the cast of GMG was not even invited to the gala (the supporting cast who were there -- I.e. Nancy, Grace, Oscar) were there only because they were performing in other segments not related to the series.
After watching the show, it was obvious to me that CBML and NR dominated -- NR I can understand since it's an anniversary series, but CBML? Obviously they're playing favorites...
I can totally understand why Felix is mad and goes off on TVB – they are definitely acting stupid again by blatantly showing their favoritism through complete neglect of GMG….extremely DISRESPECTFUL to say the least!
To make things worse, TVB once again responds STUPIDLY to the situation. Talk about lame!!! TVB once again puts their stupid foot in their mouths!!! They now claim that they didn't include GMG in the anniversary gala because it's a cop series and needs to be taken seriously so they can't parody it? Must I remind them that NR is also a "serious" series (in fact, the scenes and theme are probably way more intense than GMG) and it's also about cops? Or did they "conveniently" forget that just so they could cover themselves for neglecting GMG? What kind of a BS lame excuse is that?
And for the stupid producer of the anniversary gala to ‘blame’ the GMG cast by saying that they didn’t show up to rehearsal and so that’s why they weren’t invited? Really? WHAT REHEARSAL? The GMG cast WASN’T EVEN SLATED TO PERFORM!!!! What, was TVB expecting Felix / Michael / Jessica to show up and practice standing around waiting for them to draw names for the raffle prizes? That’s SO STUPID!!!!
Oh, and then for Mr. Ho Lai Chuen to say that there was no favoritism and TVB would invite the GMG cast to the awards ceremony….come on, dude – that’s another lame response and proves that Ho Lai Chuen as well as TVB are “out of touch” with the true situation! Felix DOES NOT CARE about the awards – he is upset that both himself as well as the cast of GMG was disrespected at the anniversary gala….why even mention the awards ceremony????
I am totally with Felix on this one and kudos to him for speaking out! TVB went too far this time and they continue to add insult to injury by deflecting blame and running around in circles with their responses. Why don’t they just simply apologize and move on? Oh, I know why – because that would mean they are wrong and God forbid that they’re ever wrong….they are THE PREMIERE TV station in HK and the biggest and most powerful – they can never do anything wrong!!!!! UGH!!!!!
I could go on for longer since I’m so worked up about this issue, but I think I’m going to stop here before I say something that I’ll probably regret….so I’ll end it with a few last words for TVB: The days of the audiences being stupid and naïve are OVER!!!! So don’t you dare try to ‘play’ us by trying to pull the wool over our eyes…IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK ANYMORE!!!!!
Felix Wong anger continues: Don't rape the public; TVB tries to 'put out fire' - AsianFanatics Forum
Source: Asianfanatics.net
***
Once again, TVB makes a stupid move and successfully pisses off one of its former artists as well as legions of fans and audiences / netizens! When will TVB ever learn their lesson? (Never mind – that’s a rhetorical question….)
I can't believe there was barely any mention of GMG at the anniversary gala -- in fact, it was in the news that the cast of GMG was not even invited to the gala (the supporting cast who were there -- I.e. Nancy, Grace, Oscar) were there only because they were performing in other segments not related to the series.
After watching the show, it was obvious to me that CBML and NR dominated -- NR I can understand since it's an anniversary series, but CBML? Obviously they're playing favorites...
I can totally understand why Felix is mad and goes off on TVB – they are definitely acting stupid again by blatantly showing their favoritism through complete neglect of GMG….extremely DISRESPECTFUL to say the least!
To make things worse, TVB once again responds STUPIDLY to the situation. Talk about lame!!! TVB once again puts their stupid foot in their mouths!!! They now claim that they didn't include GMG in the anniversary gala because it's a cop series and needs to be taken seriously so they can't parody it? Must I remind them that NR is also a "serious" series (in fact, the scenes and theme are probably way more intense than GMG) and it's also about cops? Or did they "conveniently" forget that just so they could cover themselves for neglecting GMG? What kind of a BS lame excuse is that?
And for the stupid producer of the anniversary gala to ‘blame’ the GMG cast by saying that they didn’t show up to rehearsal and so that’s why they weren’t invited? Really? WHAT REHEARSAL? The GMG cast WASN’T EVEN SLATED TO PERFORM!!!! What, was TVB expecting Felix / Michael / Jessica to show up and practice standing around waiting for them to draw names for the raffle prizes? That’s SO STUPID!!!!
Oh, and then for Mr. Ho Lai Chuen to say that there was no favoritism and TVB would invite the GMG cast to the awards ceremony….come on, dude – that’s another lame response and proves that Ho Lai Chuen as well as TVB are “out of touch” with the true situation! Felix DOES NOT CARE about the awards – he is upset that both himself as well as the cast of GMG was disrespected at the anniversary gala….why even mention the awards ceremony????
I am totally with Felix on this one and kudos to him for speaking out! TVB went too far this time and they continue to add insult to injury by deflecting blame and running around in circles with their responses. Why don’t they just simply apologize and move on? Oh, I know why – because that would mean they are wrong and God forbid that they’re ever wrong….they are THE PREMIERE TV station in HK and the biggest and most powerful – they can never do anything wrong!!!!! UGH!!!!!
I could go on for longer since I’m so worked up about this issue, but I think I’m going to stop here before I say something that I’ll probably regret….so I’ll end it with a few last words for TVB: The days of the audiences being stupid and naïve are OVER!!!! So don’t you dare try to ‘play’ us by trying to pull the wool over our eyes…IT’S NOT GOING TO WORK ANYMORE!!!!!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
My ‘TVB Rant’ #5: Is TVB Pathetic or What???
Charmaine Sheh is ‘hot favorite’ to win TV Queen; TVB updates its ratings for Can’t Buy Me Love - AsianFanatics Forum#entry6782399
Source: Asianfanatics.net
****
Ok, I just read the above in the entertainment news and got so worked up that I have to blog about it to let off steam!! I know I shouldn’t get upset anymore, since by now, I sort of ‘expect’ TVB to pull these types of ‘stupidities’ – but I can’t help it…I get offended whenever they do this stupid stuff because I feel like they are trying to insult my intelligence!
It’s obvious that TVB really wants “Can’t Buy Me Love” to sweep the awards and for Moses as well as Charmaine to win TV King and Queen. TVB announced the ratings for the finale episode of CBML today and for the FIRST TIME ever, they actually decided to count the internet viewership ratings as well (which, in my opinion, is not really fair) -- so according to TVB's calculations, the ratings for the finale of CBML was 51 points: 42 points ratings from TV and 9 points from internet viewership (most likely ratings from people who watched via MyTV on their website).....
Unbelievable!!! Once again, another "bonehead" decision by TVB! It's stupid for them to try to "fudge" their own ratings, since the station is already the ratings winner over all the other stations anyway -- ATV is never going to come close PERIOD!
By "fudging" the ratings, TVB is only proving that it's really all about the politics that run their company (despite their constant denial of this fact)…what they are basically doing is trying to "save face" in the event that RB2 becomes a huge hit, since CBML consists of primarily their own contracted artists (and all the "popular" artists whom they are trying to promote) whereas RB2's main leads are not 'biological' (Wayne and Sheren are not contracted and won’t sign with them PERIOD).
They're also trying to use this as an excuse to ‘set up’ for the anniversary awards – pretty much to let CBML either sweep the awards or perhaps get one or all of the major ones (Best Series, TV King, and TV Queen), regardless of whether RB2 has high ratings (because to be honest, no matter how ‘good’ RB2 is going to be, there is a slim chance that it will get to 50 points without some type of intervention). Pretty much, they are going to say: “Well, since CBML got 51 points, they deserve the award.” (To me, that’s just a bunch of BS!!!).
What’s next? Incorporating overseas (non-HK) viewership numbers? How about the number of people who watch TVB series in public places such as restaurants? Or maybe they should count the “channel surfers” who ‘happen’ to flip to one of their series during a commercial on a different channel, watch like 5 minutes of it, then turn back to the original channel? Better yet, I’ve got a good one – if they’re THAT desperate, why don’t they just count all the (illegal) downloads of their series that occur over the world wide web? (I can just see it now: “Oooh, CBML got downloaded 100,000 times! There goes another 2 points added to our ratings, taking it to 53 points! A record! Woohoo!!!!”) Ok, I’m obviously exaggerating, but still – given how stupid TVB’s decision-making has been lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the above scenarios WERE to happen some where down the line….
I’ve noticed that every time TVB has a series that has majority of their own biological sons/daughters in it and they feel 'threatened' by strong competition from other series that don't have their own 'children' in them (the leads at least), they always try to resort to 'backhanded' tactics to get the results they want. Last year, they did it with “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” by over-promoting the series to death plus also moving the anniversary awards to December for the first time ever....this time, they do it for CBML (notice similar cast) by ‘being creative’ with the ratings.....watch, if they do CBML2 or BTROC2 next year, they are going to come up with another "creative idea" to make those series stick out...I would absolutely bet on that (and win too!).
How much more PATHETIC can TVB get???? I mean, everyone knows they favor their own ‘biological sons/daughters’ over non-contracted artists, but do they have to try THAT hard? I don’t know about anyone else, but to me, this is definitely FAVORITISM, plain and simple! And what irks me the most is how TVB is CONSTANTLY coming out and DENYING the fact that favoritism exists in their organization (Mr Tsang or Ms Lok: “What favoritism? We don’t play favorites!”) or they claim that there is no such thing as ‘biological son/daughter’ and that there are no ‘cliques’ or ‘parties’ in their company. WHO THE HELL ARE THEY TRYING TO FOOL??? If they are truly not playing favorites (remember that they adamantly deny that they play favorites) as they claim, then how do they explain the above actions?
Well, one thing’s for sure -- I'm definitely keeping an eye out for tomorrow's articles to see if Mr Tsang Sing Ming (TVB’s Manager of External Affairs and designated spokesperson) is going to make any type of lame statement regarding the CBML ratings thing. Last time, when TVB ‘mistakenly’ ranked “Pillowcase of Mystery 2” above “Mysteries of Love” as #1 series of the year in terms of ratings, Mr Tsang came out to ‘apologize’ and TVB ‘corrected’ their mistake. In my honest opinion though -- the main reason why they "apologized" and corrected the rankings last time was because they "realized" that the audiences aren't as stupid or naive as they thought (in other words, they ‘realized’ that we actually look at the ratings and can do our own calculations to figure out which one should be ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) -- so pretty much it was due to public pressure. So basically, they weren’t able to ‘pull the wool’ over our eyes that time – which I’m sure they didn’t expect, since TVB is used to always trying to ‘sweep things under the rug’ if they can get away with it....
Oh, and to add insult to injury, one of the media outlets published a ‘list’ of the Top 5 highest rated TVB series – Korean series “Jewel in the Palace” used to be at the top of the list with 50 point rating, followed by “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” (which I personally don’t count as officially receiving a 50 point rating because it only ‘peaked’ at 50 points – meaning that at ONE POINT during the entire 30 episode series, the ratings had reached 50…that ‘one point’ could have been 1 particular scene, or could have even lasted only 1 minute or a few seconds…it doesn’t mean the entire series consistently was at the 50 point mark). Now, “Can’t Buy Me Love” is ‘supposedly’ at the top of that list with its 51 points, beating out “Jewel in the Palace” – how messed up is that???
It's VERY sad that the TRUE highest rated series is a non-TVB series (Jewel in the Palace)....heck, it's not even a HK series! Yet, in order for TVB's own series to get into the 50 point mark, they actually have to "fudge" the numbers!! What a shame! As far as I'm concerned (and not that my opinion matters, but I have the right to state it), CBML is NOT the highest rated series -- in fact, it wouldn't even make this list if we go by the original ratings numbers! If I were TVB, I wouldn't go around "bragging" about the 51 point rating for CBML....because it just makes them look stupid!!!
Bottom line – from my point of view, no matter how much TVB tries to manipulate the numbers for the series they favor, the original Rosy Business is still going to be the TRUE ratings winner no matter which way you look at it....RB was able to get its average 47 point rating purely based on the quality of the acting and the script -- the series had virtually no promotion (especially as compared to BTROC) for one, and two, the ratings were based PURELY on regular channel audience viewership -- there were no HDTV numbers factored into the ratings (whereas all of the series that aired after RB had HDTV ratings factored in) and definitely did not have any of this "internet viewership" crap added in.
I'm waiting to see a TVB series actually get 50 points average overall (entire series) -- none of this "peaking at 50" crap! I wonder if it will happen in my lifetime.....
Source: Asianfanatics.net
****
Ok, I just read the above in the entertainment news and got so worked up that I have to blog about it to let off steam!! I know I shouldn’t get upset anymore, since by now, I sort of ‘expect’ TVB to pull these types of ‘stupidities’ – but I can’t help it…I get offended whenever they do this stupid stuff because I feel like they are trying to insult my intelligence!
It’s obvious that TVB really wants “Can’t Buy Me Love” to sweep the awards and for Moses as well as Charmaine to win TV King and Queen. TVB announced the ratings for the finale episode of CBML today and for the FIRST TIME ever, they actually decided to count the internet viewership ratings as well (which, in my opinion, is not really fair) -- so according to TVB's calculations, the ratings for the finale of CBML was 51 points: 42 points ratings from TV and 9 points from internet viewership (most likely ratings from people who watched via MyTV on their website).....
Unbelievable!!! Once again, another "bonehead" decision by TVB! It's stupid for them to try to "fudge" their own ratings, since the station is already the ratings winner over all the other stations anyway -- ATV is never going to come close PERIOD!
By "fudging" the ratings, TVB is only proving that it's really all about the politics that run their company (despite their constant denial of this fact)…what they are basically doing is trying to "save face" in the event that RB2 becomes a huge hit, since CBML consists of primarily their own contracted artists (and all the "popular" artists whom they are trying to promote) whereas RB2's main leads are not 'biological' (Wayne and Sheren are not contracted and won’t sign with them PERIOD).
They're also trying to use this as an excuse to ‘set up’ for the anniversary awards – pretty much to let CBML either sweep the awards or perhaps get one or all of the major ones (Best Series, TV King, and TV Queen), regardless of whether RB2 has high ratings (because to be honest, no matter how ‘good’ RB2 is going to be, there is a slim chance that it will get to 50 points without some type of intervention). Pretty much, they are going to say: “Well, since CBML got 51 points, they deserve the award.” (To me, that’s just a bunch of BS!!!).
What’s next? Incorporating overseas (non-HK) viewership numbers? How about the number of people who watch TVB series in public places such as restaurants? Or maybe they should count the “channel surfers” who ‘happen’ to flip to one of their series during a commercial on a different channel, watch like 5 minutes of it, then turn back to the original channel? Better yet, I’ve got a good one – if they’re THAT desperate, why don’t they just count all the (illegal) downloads of their series that occur over the world wide web? (I can just see it now: “Oooh, CBML got downloaded 100,000 times! There goes another 2 points added to our ratings, taking it to 53 points! A record! Woohoo!!!!”) Ok, I’m obviously exaggerating, but still – given how stupid TVB’s decision-making has been lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the above scenarios WERE to happen some where down the line….
I’ve noticed that every time TVB has a series that has majority of their own biological sons/daughters in it and they feel 'threatened' by strong competition from other series that don't have their own 'children' in them (the leads at least), they always try to resort to 'backhanded' tactics to get the results they want. Last year, they did it with “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” by over-promoting the series to death plus also moving the anniversary awards to December for the first time ever....this time, they do it for CBML (notice similar cast) by ‘being creative’ with the ratings.....watch, if they do CBML2 or BTROC2 next year, they are going to come up with another "creative idea" to make those series stick out...I would absolutely bet on that (and win too!).
How much more PATHETIC can TVB get???? I mean, everyone knows they favor their own ‘biological sons/daughters’ over non-contracted artists, but do they have to try THAT hard? I don’t know about anyone else, but to me, this is definitely FAVORITISM, plain and simple! And what irks me the most is how TVB is CONSTANTLY coming out and DENYING the fact that favoritism exists in their organization (Mr Tsang or Ms Lok: “What favoritism? We don’t play favorites!”) or they claim that there is no such thing as ‘biological son/daughter’ and that there are no ‘cliques’ or ‘parties’ in their company. WHO THE HELL ARE THEY TRYING TO FOOL??? If they are truly not playing favorites (remember that they adamantly deny that they play favorites) as they claim, then how do they explain the above actions?
Well, one thing’s for sure -- I'm definitely keeping an eye out for tomorrow's articles to see if Mr Tsang Sing Ming (TVB’s Manager of External Affairs and designated spokesperson) is going to make any type of lame statement regarding the CBML ratings thing. Last time, when TVB ‘mistakenly’ ranked “Pillowcase of Mystery 2” above “Mysteries of Love” as #1 series of the year in terms of ratings, Mr Tsang came out to ‘apologize’ and TVB ‘corrected’ their mistake. In my honest opinion though -- the main reason why they "apologized" and corrected the rankings last time was because they "realized" that the audiences aren't as stupid or naive as they thought (in other words, they ‘realized’ that we actually look at the ratings and can do our own calculations to figure out which one should be ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) -- so pretty much it was due to public pressure. So basically, they weren’t able to ‘pull the wool’ over our eyes that time – which I’m sure they didn’t expect, since TVB is used to always trying to ‘sweep things under the rug’ if they can get away with it....
Oh, and to add insult to injury, one of the media outlets published a ‘list’ of the Top 5 highest rated TVB series – Korean series “Jewel in the Palace” used to be at the top of the list with 50 point rating, followed by “Beyond the Realm of Conscience” (which I personally don’t count as officially receiving a 50 point rating because it only ‘peaked’ at 50 points – meaning that at ONE POINT during the entire 30 episode series, the ratings had reached 50…that ‘one point’ could have been 1 particular scene, or could have even lasted only 1 minute or a few seconds…it doesn’t mean the entire series consistently was at the 50 point mark). Now, “Can’t Buy Me Love” is ‘supposedly’ at the top of that list with its 51 points, beating out “Jewel in the Palace” – how messed up is that???
It's VERY sad that the TRUE highest rated series is a non-TVB series (Jewel in the Palace)....heck, it's not even a HK series! Yet, in order for TVB's own series to get into the 50 point mark, they actually have to "fudge" the numbers!! What a shame! As far as I'm concerned (and not that my opinion matters, but I have the right to state it), CBML is NOT the highest rated series -- in fact, it wouldn't even make this list if we go by the original ratings numbers! If I were TVB, I wouldn't go around "bragging" about the 51 point rating for CBML....because it just makes them look stupid!!!
Bottom line – from my point of view, no matter how much TVB tries to manipulate the numbers for the series they favor, the original Rosy Business is still going to be the TRUE ratings winner no matter which way you look at it....RB was able to get its average 47 point rating purely based on the quality of the acting and the script -- the series had virtually no promotion (especially as compared to BTROC) for one, and two, the ratings were based PURELY on regular channel audience viewership -- there were no HDTV numbers factored into the ratings (whereas all of the series that aired after RB had HDTV ratings factored in) and definitely did not have any of this "internet viewership" crap added in.
I'm waiting to see a TVB series actually get 50 points average overall (entire series) -- none of this "peaking at 50" crap! I wonder if it will happen in my lifetime.....
Monday, August 2, 2010
Miss Hong Kong 2010 -- My Thoughts....
I was waiting to watch "The Voice" today as I typically do every week. However, I didn't realize that "The Voice" was 'bumped' today because of the Miss Hong Kong 2010 pageant. To be honest, I wasn't too keen on watching the MHK pageant because I lost interest starting in the year 2000 when the quality of the contest started going down (all the old hosts were gone, the guest performers are lackluster, etc.). But I figured since it was on TV, might as well just leave it on as "background" (and continue my multi-tasking as usual).
After watching this year's show, I realize that in the 10 years that I stopped watching the pageant, I made the right decision....the show was sooo boring...and the winners were a joke (though not surprised, since the MHK contestants have been getting worse and worse the past couple years).
I was reading the MHK thread in Asian Fanatics and someone had posted the below quote that HK viewers have been commenting:
「港姐不再是美貌與智慧並重，而是後臺與背景最重。」
I must say that I absolutely agree with this comment...that's why the past couple years, after almost every Miss HK competition, there are rumors of the pageant being rigged -- versus back in the 80s and 90s, you rarely heard this (I've been following the MHK pageants since the 80s and stopped after 2000, since the quality started going down big time). There are many instances, but the ones that come to mind immediately are: the 2008 winner (the one who basically took "sick leave" for like 2 years after she won the crown and totally did not fulfill any of her MHK responsibilities) was said to have "connections" with one of the judges and this year's winner is rumored to have a relationship with the young master of Hong Thai travel (one of the sponsors of the MHK pageant).
The most obvious instance of the show being rigged is that one year when TVB.COM "accidently" posted the winners of that year's MHK pageant on their website BEFORE the show even took place...of course, they took the post down moments later (and again made one of their workers a scapegoat for the "accident")...
I'm actually not surprised that TVB rigged the pageant -- it's so typical of what they do...plus it can't be a coincidence that many of the winners in the past 10 years (not just the winner of the crown, but the runner ups as well) are relatives of someone who worked for or is somehow associated with TVB....
Anyway, back to this year's show -- No. 5 (Lisa Chong) getting 2nd runner up was totally rigged, as she is not pretty at all -- I watched the actual pageant as well as all the previews leading up to the pageant -- and she looked absolutely horrific....
Overall, nothing exciting about the MHK pageant this year -- in fact, there hasn't been anything exciting about the pageant in years....the guest performances were lackluster, the hosting was so-so....the pageant has definitely lost the "elegance" that it used to have...if any of you have watched the MHK pageants from the 80s and 90s, you'll know exactly what I mean -- the hosts back then (Ivan Ho, Lawrence Cheng, Philip Chan) had so much more class and the performers were all the biggest names in the entertainment industry (for example: the 4 Kings). The pageants nowadays are boring and definitely not an event to look forward to -- I don't see anything "grand" about it.
The ONLY part I liked about this year's pageant was the "tribute" to previous MHK winners It was refreshing to see some familiar faces -- for instance, some of the winners from the 80s and 90s as well as after 2000. I was especially glad to see Noelle Leung -- hadn't seen her in a long time, since she is happily retired now....
After watching this year's show, I realize that in the 10 years that I stopped watching the pageant, I made the right decision....the show was sooo boring...and the winners were a joke (though not surprised, since the MHK contestants have been getting worse and worse the past couple years).
I was reading the MHK thread in Asian Fanatics and someone had posted the below quote that HK viewers have been commenting:
「港姐不再是美貌與智慧並重，而是後臺與背景最重。」
I must say that I absolutely agree with this comment...that's why the past couple years, after almost every Miss HK competition, there are rumors of the pageant being rigged -- versus back in the 80s and 90s, you rarely heard this (I've been following the MHK pageants since the 80s and stopped after 2000, since the quality started going down big time). There are many instances, but the ones that come to mind immediately are: the 2008 winner (the one who basically took "sick leave" for like 2 years after she won the crown and totally did not fulfill any of her MHK responsibilities) was said to have "connections" with one of the judges and this year's winner is rumored to have a relationship with the young master of Hong Thai travel (one of the sponsors of the MHK pageant).
The most obvious instance of the show being rigged is that one year when TVB.COM "accidently" posted the winners of that year's MHK pageant on their website BEFORE the show even took place...of course, they took the post down moments later (and again made one of their workers a scapegoat for the "accident")...
I'm actually not surprised that TVB rigged the pageant -- it's so typical of what they do...plus it can't be a coincidence that many of the winners in the past 10 years (not just the winner of the crown, but the runner ups as well) are relatives of someone who worked for or is somehow associated with TVB....
Anyway, back to this year's show -- No. 5 (Lisa Chong) getting 2nd runner up was totally rigged, as she is not pretty at all -- I watched the actual pageant as well as all the previews leading up to the pageant -- and she looked absolutely horrific....
Overall, nothing exciting about the MHK pageant this year -- in fact, there hasn't been anything exciting about the pageant in years....the guest performances were lackluster, the hosting was so-so....the pageant has definitely lost the "elegance" that it used to have...if any of you have watched the MHK pageants from the 80s and 90s, you'll know exactly what I mean -- the hosts back then (Ivan Ho, Lawrence Cheng, Philip Chan) had so much more class and the performers were all the biggest names in the entertainment industry (for example: the 4 Kings). The pageants nowadays are boring and definitely not an event to look forward to -- I don't see anything "grand" about it.
The ONLY part I liked about this year's pageant was the "tribute" to previous MHK winners It was refreshing to see some familiar faces -- for instance, some of the winners from the 80s and 90s as well as after 2000. I was especially glad to see Noelle Leung -- hadn't seen her in a long time, since she is happily retired now....
Saturday, June 19, 2010
My 'TVB Rant' #3: TVB's Unfair Treatment of Veterans
I was discussing the topic of TVB not treasuring its veterans in one of the AF forums and figured it would be a good idea to blog about the topic here as well, since I have alot to say about it.
Most likely, there will be more to come on this topic as well, since it's very hard to cover everything I have to say about this topic in one post.
The in-depth discussion sort of started when a few of the AF posters mentioned that TVB may not be entirely to blame for promoting younger generation artists over veterans because the reality is that there isn't really a market for the veterans anymore because of their age. Then the issue came up about how TVB focuses on promoting new generation artists who can't to save their lives purely on the fact that they are "good-looking" -- and in some cases, TVB tailors lead roles in series to these artists who don't have the skill or talent to do justice to the roles.
Looking at the newer generation of artists, there are very few who can really "take the baton" from the veterans because they lack the experience and skill that the veterans (primarily late 70s and early 80s/90s generations) had to make them successful.
My response to the above is as follows:
There are 2 main reasons for the above (why TVB treats the veterans unfairly and why there is no one who can 'take the baton':
1) TVB got rid of the Acting Classes that they were so famous for (which MANY great stars graduated from). Those who went through Acting Class got proper training -- they were the ones who had to play "extras" or "bit parts" in series after they graduate, then once they gained enough experience, then they were "promoted" to supporting and lead. Basically, these artists started from the bottom and climbed their way to the top through constant refining of their acting skills, accumulating experience, and pure hard work / dedication / perseverance. This is where majority of the most famous actors and actresses from the 80s and early 90s came from.
2) TVB changed direction of their company to promote based on favoritism and looks rather than skill or talent. Much of the promotion of the "newer" artists took place around 2003 when Virginia Lok was promoted to "artists' manager" and basically got to control all of the artists – she loves to promote the supposed "eye-candy" artists solely because they "look good", even though their acting sucks (i.e.: her "god-son" and favorite Kevin Cheng). The "favoritism" aspect is one of the main reasons why we continue to see the same artists over and over again in the series from the past 7-8 years -- "promoting artists" became a political game of whoever can "kiss up" to the most powerful higher-ups can be given more opportunities over others. And with Virginia Lok's "power" in upper management, she has been able to put all her favorites (Kevin Cheng, Moses Chan, Charmaine Sheh, Linda Chung, etc.) in almost every single series being made nowadays.
To support the above reasoning, there are two examples that I would like to bring up:
--- Sunny Chan: his acting skills are absolutely great -- he's good at every role he does and convincing (of course, he's from the HK Acting Academy, so his acting will definitely be good). He was very active in the 90s and was considered one of TVB's "siu sangs" -- but then he left in 2000 for ATV and since he returned several years ago, he has not been given many good, quality roles. Granted, he is still the male lead oftentimes, but many of the roles that he gets are really crappy and second-rate (i.e. Wintermelon Tale, Legend of Demigods, etc.) -- not to mention TVB has warehoused the majority of the series he made since he returned (hence, he is known as "Warehouse King" in the circles).
--- Roger Kwok: we all know about Roger – one of the most famous veterans at TVB, been with them over 20 years, truly talented acting, 2 time TV King, etc etc….he’s definitely one of TVB’s own and contracted too….yet, the management (namely Virginia Lok) “used” him to build Kevin Cheng’s career up after “The Seventh Day” and a few other series failed miserably. Kevin is a far inferior actor (he’s promoted because of his looks), yet because he is favored by management, he gets preferential treatment at the expense of Roger. In fact, Roger was actually quite upset and refused to renew his contract with TVB – Mona Fong (the head of TVB) had to step in to “soothe things over” and he eventually renewed.
Basically, I can understand the idea of “promoting one’s own”, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of other artists (whether contracted or non-contracted). Unfortunately, though, the reality is that this is never going to change because it is a core part of TVB’s politics….
Another argument that was brought up was the fact that TVB is a business and so of course they are going to look out for their own best interests, which is to promote artists who are contracted to them (the younger generation artists mostly) rather than those who are non-contracted (mostly the veterans) -- especially since many of the viewers nowadays are young and want to see "pretty faces" rather than good acting. This led to the discussion of how many of the scripts that TVB writers come up with nowadays suck and how they would give bad scripts to the veteran artists (since they aren't contracted and so TVB doesn't have a vested interest) -- the argument here is why the veterans still choose to accept the role if the script is so bad (and consequently that TVB is not to be blamed for the veterans accepting the script).
My response to the above (veterans accepting bad scripts):
In terms of the veterans being at fault for "agreeing to" bad scripts -- well, to some extent, perhaps so, but one thing to understand is that a lot of times, they may not really have much of a choice. Most of the non-contracted veterans that TVB invites back pretty much have established careers elsewhere and whether they go back to TVB to do a series because they still "owe" them episodes or purely as a "favor", some of these veterans are busy and don't necessarily have time to "wait" forever. So if they are handed 2 scripts -- both of which are crap because TVB does not have very many good writers anymore, they will most likely choose the "better" of the 2 (though it's still a crappy script) so they can get it done and move on...So in a sense, yes, maybe they are at fault for agreeing to go back and do a series for them in the first place...but if they still "owe" TVB episodes or "show" time, then they would have to fulfill their obligation regardless....
Drawing this back to the original discussion, I can certainly understand the argument that a good script is hard to come by and so TVB would want to promote the younger generation artists since they are the "future" of the industry and as artists get older, there may be less of a "market" for them (realistically speaking). But then, knowing that, shouldn't there be even more motivation to develop the up and coming young generation artists so that they CAN take over for the veterans? This is where I don't understand TVB's way of thinking and why I brought up the issue of them 1) getting rid of the acting classes and 2) promoting based on looks rather than talent. To be honest, one of the main reasons why TVB was so successful in the 80s/90s (other than the caliber of the artists themselves and the quality scripts) is that the management at the time truly did have an eye for talent and really focused on developing actors and actresses -- which is why there were so many great artists who came out of those generations and who are still popular even today (for example: Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Sean Lau, Maggie Cheung Man Yuk, etc. etc. -- just to name a few). With the change in management going into the late 90s/early 00s, the direction of the company changed and "promoting people" became a political game of favoritism rather than recognizing true talent and developing acting skills.
With the focus on promoting based on looks rather than talent, it's no surprise that TVB is starting to feel the effects of it now, since it's pretty much common sense that if you rely solely on looks, success is only going to be short term -- yes, the person may "look good" and so have a lot of opportunities because of that, but what happens once the person reaches their 40s, 50s, 60s when their looks will no longer cut it for them? If they had no talent to begin with and the company they work for doesn't even bother to help them develop the acting skills, then their careers are pretty much going to be over.
Just to take one of my all time favorite actors for example -- Chow Yun Fat. He is certainly good-looking and that's probably how he got "noticed" and entered the industry. However, he did not just rely on his looks to get him where he is today -- if he hadn't gone through TVB's acting classes and learned valuable skills, then gained valuable experience by starting off at the bottom playing bit parts and eventually becoming lead, today he would be just another "pretty boy" with no career. But look at how long his career has lasted -- over 30 years (and still going) -- and he is one of the greatest actors HK has ever had. And yes, TVB is certainly credited with having a hand in his development (which they are quite proud of even though this generation's management pretty much didn't have anything to do with it) and rightly so because the truth is that they did do a good job of that in the 70s/80s and early 90s.
Same with Tony Leung -- one of the greatest actors of the 80s generation (since Chow Yun Fat was technically the 70s). He is another good-looking guy who started in TVB's Acting Class and worked his way up. I remember watching the very first series he was in back in the early 80s (not as a lead, but as part of the cast) and even the "test videos" that he did before graduating from Acting class -- the huge differences in his acting skills then and now are quite obvious. Again, if he hadn't gained the skills and experience he needed going through the acting class, he would not have the success he has today (and yes, TVB still "boasts" about being part of his development as well).
The sad thing is that this is a thing of the past -- since TVB's priorities have changed, which is definitely a shame since now, there is no one who can take over -- so basically in another 20-30 years when the "veterans" retire, the HK industry will really be in big trouble....
Most likely, there will be more to come on this topic as well, since it's very hard to cover everything I have to say about this topic in one post.
The in-depth discussion sort of started when a few of the AF posters mentioned that TVB may not be entirely to blame for promoting younger generation artists over veterans because the reality is that there isn't really a market for the veterans anymore because of their age. Then the issue came up about how TVB focuses on promoting new generation artists who can't to save their lives purely on the fact that they are "good-looking" -- and in some cases, TVB tailors lead roles in series to these artists who don't have the skill or talent to do justice to the roles.
Looking at the newer generation of artists, there are very few who can really "take the baton" from the veterans because they lack the experience and skill that the veterans (primarily late 70s and early 80s/90s generations) had to make them successful.
My response to the above is as follows:
There are 2 main reasons for the above (why TVB treats the veterans unfairly and why there is no one who can 'take the baton':
1) TVB got rid of the Acting Classes that they were so famous for (which MANY great stars graduated from). Those who went through Acting Class got proper training -- they were the ones who had to play "extras" or "bit parts" in series after they graduate, then once they gained enough experience, then they were "promoted" to supporting and lead. Basically, these artists started from the bottom and climbed their way to the top through constant refining of their acting skills, accumulating experience, and pure hard work / dedication / perseverance. This is where majority of the most famous actors and actresses from the 80s and early 90s came from.
2) TVB changed direction of their company to promote based on favoritism and looks rather than skill or talent. Much of the promotion of the "newer" artists took place around 2003 when Virginia Lok was promoted to "artists' manager" and basically got to control all of the artists – she loves to promote the supposed "eye-candy" artists solely because they "look good", even though their acting sucks (i.e.: her "god-son" and favorite Kevin Cheng). The "favoritism" aspect is one of the main reasons why we continue to see the same artists over and over again in the series from the past 7-8 years -- "promoting artists" became a political game of whoever can "kiss up" to the most powerful higher-ups can be given more opportunities over others. And with Virginia Lok's "power" in upper management, she has been able to put all her favorites (Kevin Cheng, Moses Chan, Charmaine Sheh, Linda Chung, etc.) in almost every single series being made nowadays.
To support the above reasoning, there are two examples that I would like to bring up:
--- Sunny Chan: his acting skills are absolutely great -- he's good at every role he does and convincing (of course, he's from the HK Acting Academy, so his acting will definitely be good). He was very active in the 90s and was considered one of TVB's "siu sangs" -- but then he left in 2000 for ATV and since he returned several years ago, he has not been given many good, quality roles. Granted, he is still the male lead oftentimes, but many of the roles that he gets are really crappy and second-rate (i.e. Wintermelon Tale, Legend of Demigods, etc.) -- not to mention TVB has warehoused the majority of the series he made since he returned (hence, he is known as "Warehouse King" in the circles).
--- Roger Kwok: we all know about Roger – one of the most famous veterans at TVB, been with them over 20 years, truly talented acting, 2 time TV King, etc etc….he’s definitely one of TVB’s own and contracted too….yet, the management (namely Virginia Lok) “used” him to build Kevin Cheng’s career up after “The Seventh Day” and a few other series failed miserably. Kevin is a far inferior actor (he’s promoted because of his looks), yet because he is favored by management, he gets preferential treatment at the expense of Roger. In fact, Roger was actually quite upset and refused to renew his contract with TVB – Mona Fong (the head of TVB) had to step in to “soothe things over” and he eventually renewed.
Basically, I can understand the idea of “promoting one’s own”, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of other artists (whether contracted or non-contracted). Unfortunately, though, the reality is that this is never going to change because it is a core part of TVB’s politics….
Another argument that was brought up was the fact that TVB is a business and so of course they are going to look out for their own best interests, which is to promote artists who are contracted to them (the younger generation artists mostly) rather than those who are non-contracted (mostly the veterans) -- especially since many of the viewers nowadays are young and want to see "pretty faces" rather than good acting. This led to the discussion of how many of the scripts that TVB writers come up with nowadays suck and how they would give bad scripts to the veteran artists (since they aren't contracted and so TVB doesn't have a vested interest) -- the argument here is why the veterans still choose to accept the role if the script is so bad (and consequently that TVB is not to be blamed for the veterans accepting the script).
My response to the above (veterans accepting bad scripts):
In terms of the veterans being at fault for "agreeing to" bad scripts -- well, to some extent, perhaps so, but one thing to understand is that a lot of times, they may not really have much of a choice. Most of the non-contracted veterans that TVB invites back pretty much have established careers elsewhere and whether they go back to TVB to do a series because they still "owe" them episodes or purely as a "favor", some of these veterans are busy and don't necessarily have time to "wait" forever. So if they are handed 2 scripts -- both of which are crap because TVB does not have very many good writers anymore, they will most likely choose the "better" of the 2 (though it's still a crappy script) so they can get it done and move on...So in a sense, yes, maybe they are at fault for agreeing to go back and do a series for them in the first place...but if they still "owe" TVB episodes or "show" time, then they would have to fulfill their obligation regardless....
Drawing this back to the original discussion, I can certainly understand the argument that a good script is hard to come by and so TVB would want to promote the younger generation artists since they are the "future" of the industry and as artists get older, there may be less of a "market" for them (realistically speaking). But then, knowing that, shouldn't there be even more motivation to develop the up and coming young generation artists so that they CAN take over for the veterans? This is where I don't understand TVB's way of thinking and why I brought up the issue of them 1) getting rid of the acting classes and 2) promoting based on looks rather than talent. To be honest, one of the main reasons why TVB was so successful in the 80s/90s (other than the caliber of the artists themselves and the quality scripts) is that the management at the time truly did have an eye for talent and really focused on developing actors and actresses -- which is why there were so many great artists who came out of those generations and who are still popular even today (for example: Chow Yun Fat, Tony Leung, Sean Lau, Maggie Cheung Man Yuk, etc. etc. -- just to name a few). With the change in management going into the late 90s/early 00s, the direction of the company changed and "promoting people" became a political game of favoritism rather than recognizing true talent and developing acting skills.
With the focus on promoting based on looks rather than talent, it's no surprise that TVB is starting to feel the effects of it now, since it's pretty much common sense that if you rely solely on looks, success is only going to be short term -- yes, the person may "look good" and so have a lot of opportunities because of that, but what happens once the person reaches their 40s, 50s, 60s when their looks will no longer cut it for them? If they had no talent to begin with and the company they work for doesn't even bother to help them develop the acting skills, then their careers are pretty much going to be over.
Just to take one of my all time favorite actors for example -- Chow Yun Fat. He is certainly good-looking and that's probably how he got "noticed" and entered the industry. However, he did not just rely on his looks to get him where he is today -- if he hadn't gone through TVB's acting classes and learned valuable skills, then gained valuable experience by starting off at the bottom playing bit parts and eventually becoming lead, today he would be just another "pretty boy" with no career. But look at how long his career has lasted -- over 30 years (and still going) -- and he is one of the greatest actors HK has ever had. And yes, TVB is certainly credited with having a hand in his development (which they are quite proud of even though this generation's management pretty much didn't have anything to do with it) and rightly so because the truth is that they did do a good job of that in the 70s/80s and early 90s.
Same with Tony Leung -- one of the greatest actors of the 80s generation (since Chow Yun Fat was technically the 70s). He is another good-looking guy who started in TVB's Acting Class and worked his way up. I remember watching the very first series he was in back in the early 80s (not as a lead, but as part of the cast) and even the "test videos" that he did before graduating from Acting class -- the huge differences in his acting skills then and now are quite obvious. Again, if he hadn't gained the skills and experience he needed going through the acting class, he would not have the success he has today (and yes, TVB still "boasts" about being part of his development as well).
The sad thing is that this is a thing of the past -- since TVB's priorities have changed, which is definitely a shame since now, there is no one who can take over -- so basically in another 20-30 years when the "veterans" retire, the HK industry will really be in big trouble....
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Teresa Carpio temporarily leaves The Voice 2 - AsianFanatics Forum
Teresa Carpio temporarily leaves The Voice 2 - AsianFanatics Forum
Below are some additional comments that I posted in AF's news thread today:
I've been following some of the comments on the TVB.com forum since the beginning of the 2nd season and seeing the mindset of these people is truly disappointing as well as disturbing. If this is what is being taught to the younger generation (which it obviously is, since they had to have gotten the mentality from somewhere), then it will truly be a sad case 10, 20 years from now when the middle / older generation will no longer be in the picture and the younger generation will "rule". If the HK entertainment industry has been going downhill the past 10 years (which it definitely has, maybe for even longer depending on who you ask), it will be much worse years from now, to the point where the industry may even become extinct (sad sight indeed).
The direction of the show this year has definitely gotten off track in that it is no longer a singing competition, but rather a talent show. How else would you explain why TVB would even let some of the contestants (like Hardy and Emily) get into the semi-final round in the first place? I mean, if you have let's say 100 people audition and you had to pick 20 to be on the show, I am sure they would be able to find 2-3 people from that batch who sing better than Hardy and Emily -- so why did TVB let them advance this far? I definitely blame TVB for this as well because I also feel that part of this is being done for show.
For example, with Emily -- it was so obvious from the beginning that she was going to be eliminated -- I mean, she CAN'T EVEN SPEAK CHINESE!!!!! And she is trying to compete singing Chinese songs when she can't even pronounce majority of the words and people can't understand a single word she sings? Is it any surprise that she wasn't going to make it? And then to bash Teresa for being "harsh" or "blunt" in her comments toward Emily, causing her to get eliminated? Ridiculous!
Same with Hardy...his performance from the beginning was already bad -- he actually was supposed to be eliminated on the first episode, but the judges gave him a chance (so as far as I'm concerned, they were already 'lenient' toward him) -- and so when his performance continues to suck because he is just not ready to be in such an aggressive competition (and it's obvious to everyone, not just the judges), now Teresa is being made the 'scapegoat'? Why don't they question TVB on why they let him and Emily advance to this round in the first place when it was obvious that they weren't going to make it? Was it just so there would be some "controversy" so that they could get higher ratings?
More comments:
Exactly!!! And that's what the judges were trying to tell him! To be honest, none of the judges said that he sucked -- they basically told him that he is not ready yet, that he should concentrate on his studies and come back in a couple years to try again -- it's the truth, so what is wrong with that? Just because the comments were directed at a little boy who was too young to take any type of criticism -- and frankly, it doesn't matter whether the judges say something positive or negative because the boy was going to cry anyway (which was another thing that annoyed me -- he cried before his performance, after his performance, it seemed like all the time....that in itself already shows that he is not ready to be out in the "real world" competing like this)...
And Teresa's comments may be more blunt, but as you say, she definitely knows what she is talking about....plus the other thing that some people failed to realize is that Teresa didn't just criticize the boy -- she's very fair and defends when necessary. That's why Sammy (the host) got yelled at by her -- because he was laughing at the boy (sort of in a mocking way, though not purposefully) and she told him not to laugh and that it wasn't funny (basically reprimanding him for indirectly "making fun" of the boy) -- and she did praise the boy when she asked him why he wore that particular outfit (the one he wore when performing Jacky's song) and he gave a good answer. Unfortunately, those who keep saying that she was "too harsh" and "unfair" towards him are not looking at the whole picture....
Below are some additional comments that I posted in AF's news thread today:
I've been following some of the comments on the TVB.com forum since the beginning of the 2nd season and seeing the mindset of these people is truly disappointing as well as disturbing. If this is what is being taught to the younger generation (which it obviously is, since they had to have gotten the mentality from somewhere), then it will truly be a sad case 10, 20 years from now when the middle / older generation will no longer be in the picture and the younger generation will "rule". If the HK entertainment industry has been going downhill the past 10 years (which it definitely has, maybe for even longer depending on who you ask), it will be much worse years from now, to the point where the industry may even become extinct (sad sight indeed).
The direction of the show this year has definitely gotten off track in that it is no longer a singing competition, but rather a talent show. How else would you explain why TVB would even let some of the contestants (like Hardy and Emily) get into the semi-final round in the first place? I mean, if you have let's say 100 people audition and you had to pick 20 to be on the show, I am sure they would be able to find 2-3 people from that batch who sing better than Hardy and Emily -- so why did TVB let them advance this far? I definitely blame TVB for this as well because I also feel that part of this is being done for show.
For example, with Emily -- it was so obvious from the beginning that she was going to be eliminated -- I mean, she CAN'T EVEN SPEAK CHINESE!!!!! And she is trying to compete singing Chinese songs when she can't even pronounce majority of the words and people can't understand a single word she sings? Is it any surprise that she wasn't going to make it? And then to bash Teresa for being "harsh" or "blunt" in her comments toward Emily, causing her to get eliminated? Ridiculous!
Same with Hardy...his performance from the beginning was already bad -- he actually was supposed to be eliminated on the first episode, but the judges gave him a chance (so as far as I'm concerned, they were already 'lenient' toward him) -- and so when his performance continues to suck because he is just not ready to be in such an aggressive competition (and it's obvious to everyone, not just the judges), now Teresa is being made the 'scapegoat'? Why don't they question TVB on why they let him and Emily advance to this round in the first place when it was obvious that they weren't going to make it? Was it just so there would be some "controversy" so that they could get higher ratings?
More comments:
Exactly!!! And that's what the judges were trying to tell him! To be honest, none of the judges said that he sucked -- they basically told him that he is not ready yet, that he should concentrate on his studies and come back in a couple years to try again -- it's the truth, so what is wrong with that? Just because the comments were directed at a little boy who was too young to take any type of criticism -- and frankly, it doesn't matter whether the judges say something positive or negative because the boy was going to cry anyway (which was another thing that annoyed me -- he cried before his performance, after his performance, it seemed like all the time....that in itself already shows that he is not ready to be out in the "real world" competing like this)...
And Teresa's comments may be more blunt, but as you say, she definitely knows what she is talking about....plus the other thing that some people failed to realize is that Teresa didn't just criticize the boy -- she's very fair and defends when necessary. That's why Sammy (the host) got yelled at by her -- because he was laughing at the boy (sort of in a mocking way, though not purposefully) and she told him not to laugh and that it wasn't funny (basically reprimanding him for indirectly "making fun" of the boy) -- and she did praise the boy when she asked him why he wore that particular outfit (the one he wore when performing Jacky's song) and he gave a good answer. Unfortunately, those who keep saying that she was "too harsh" and "unfair" towards him are not looking at the whole picture....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)