Happy New Year!

TVB Review wishes all readers
Happy New Year 2009!

May all of you enjoy good health, better wealth
and great joy in the brand new year!

Anita Yuen and Ray Lui share Christmas experiences

Anita Yuen and Ray Lui were busy filming TVB new series The Grand Entrepreneur. Anita revealed that she did not need to work during Christmas Eve. As such, she could spend the day with her family. She has to work on Christmas Day, though. Anita shared, "Although I had to work on Christmas day but we finished shooting early. That is why I went to have dinner with Chilam (Anita's husband). Morton went to Disneyland with his grandma. It's been a long time since we spent a festive occasion with just the 2 of us. It's a rare opportunity." Anita also reveal that Chilam gave her a Christmas present, but she did not give him anything in return. She said, "Nothing, I haven't given him presents for many years".

Ray Lui also shared his Christmas experience, "At Christmas I invited friends to have a party, my son was also included. I gave him a superman figure to encourage him to work hard in studying and go beyond others. He can also be Superman." Ray said that he enjoyed filming series, and that is why he returned. he doesn't nimd filming on Christmas.

The cast and crew celebrated Christmas by having dinner together on Boxing Day but Gallen Lo did not attend. Gallen explained, "That day I had to shoot outdoor scenes therefore I couldn't attend. I spent Christmas alone and it was very quiet, very peaceful. On New Year's Eve I will be rehearsing dancing with Nancy Sit because I need to shoot a scene that consists of her tripping over. I hope there won't be any accidents and perhaps we can use Wires on the day. I am afraid that I won't have the strength to lift her up after shooting the scene for a while."

Source: On.CC with translations by Matchbox @ MediaChamber.net

Meet Bosco at Queensbay Mall, Penang

There will be a meet and greet session with Bosco Wong at Queensbay Mall, Penang. Bosco Wong starred in a number of series in 2008 including War of In-Laws 2, The Seventh Day, Moonlight Resonance and The Gem of Life.

Meet and Greet Details:
Date : 31 December 2008
Time : 5pm - 6pm
Venue: Ground Floor, Central Atrium

Credit: Queensbay Mall

Superwoman Ada Choi saves Kenny Wong

Ada Choi and Kenny Wong were filming new TVB drama Superwoman at TVB City in Tseung Kwan O. The scene revolves around Kenny who is a police officer who was shocked to see something falling from above. Upon seeing Kenny in danger, Ada who is Wonder Woman, leaped to his defense.

Although Ada had stunt double to perform stunts, she still felt that this series is the most demanding she has ever filmed. Ada explained, "I play a flying wonder woman, lots of times I have to do midair stunts and fly around. Although there is a body double to help me, there are many scenes that I have to personally do. I think from now on I have to do wire stunts three, four times a week."

Ada's husband, Max Zhang, shared some pointers with her on how to move around in the air. However, after watching her body double perform a series of stunts, she knows it's not easy. Ada shared that being an actress is comfortable as "all the actions are tried out first by martial arts choreographer and stuntmen to ensure safety." Ada explained that Superwoman is a comedy series and she was drawn to the script. Ada hopes that after The Gem of Life, Superwoman will give viewers some freshness.

Source: On.CC with translations by travelbug @ AsianFanatics.net

Moses Chan and Ada Choi showed off their vocal skills

Ada Choi and Moses Chan attended a Christmas Catwalk Function. They played games with the audience and even selected children to join them on stage. Moses chose a little girl who had western look and prompted the host to comment, "Moses Chan likes part western girls." Ada and Moses also showed off their vocal skills by performing a duet. Ada was rewarded with kisses from the group of children.

Reporters quickly asked Ada if she felt any urge to have children in which she denied. Ada said that having children around during Christmas make the atmosphere very warm and lively. She reiterates that she doesn't plan to have any children for at least two years. Work is still her primary focus, also childbearing will affect her health. As she is currently filming Superwoman, she lacks sleep and this is not the time to think about having children. Once her health improves, she will think about it.

Although Moses showed off his vocal skills, he emphasised that he has no wish of becoming a singer. Moses, who sang the sub theme for The Gem of Life said he is an actor who loves to sing. He has no wish of releasing an album and will stick to singing drama themes.

Source: Mingpao, On.cc, Takungpao with translations by aZnangel @ AsianUniverse.net

Merry Christmas

TVB REVIEW wishes all readers Merry Christmas!

Image Credit: Yahoo! Greetings

Alex Fong and Kate Tsui share a dinner treat

The Hatred of Love which stars Kate Tsui and Alex Fong has recently finished filming. Alex Fong and Kate Tsui as well as several other leads share the cost to treat other cast and crew members to a dinner. Kate explained that Alex is the organiser for the dinner and she prepared a five-figure amount. Kate also shared that it was fun to cooperate with Alex as he is friendly and loves to joke.

Alex Fong said he does not mind treating as long as everyone is happy. Alex also reveal the big TVB layoff happened sometime when they were midway filming The Hatred of Love. They cast and crew managed to take a group photo together before that fateful day. Alex thinks that there won't be anymore layoffs as the crew is now understaffed.

Source: On.CC with translations by travelbug @ AsianFanatics.net

Ray Lui showered with kisses at The Grand Entrepreneur blessing ceremony

The blessing ceremony for TVB new drama, The Grand Entrepreneur was held recently at Tseung Kwan O TV City. Most of its main leads, Ray Lui, Gallen Lo, Jamie Chik, Anita Yuen and Kenix Kwok were present.

Coincidentally, it was also Ray Lui's birthday. His female co-stars, Jamie Chik, Anita Yuen and Nancy Sit, showered him with birthday kisses. TVB also prepared some bithday buns for Ray. When asked what his birthday wish was, Ray replied, "My company originally was to be listed (on Hong Kong Stock Exchange) this year but had to be delayed because of the financial tsunami."

Source: On.CC with translations by travelbug @ AsianFanatics.net

Gallen Lo and Anita Yuen kiss in public

Recently there were many sightings of the filming of new TVB production, The Grand Entrepreneur. Gallen Lo and Anita Yuen were spotted filming on location in Central. They were even seen locking lips.

According to unnamed sources, the scene they were filming tells the story of Gallen's character who fell in love with Anita in Sabah (a state in East Malaysia). Gallen somehow damaged Anita's belongings. When they were both back in Hong Kong, the two of them bumped into each other at Statue Square. Anita seized the opportunity to demand for compensation from Gallen. Gallen refused to compensate and Anita framed him for stealing a ring of hers. Policemen then arrived on scene. Gallen had to maneuver his way out of that sticky situation and decided to hold Anita in his arms and gave her a kiss so it looks like they were merely having a lover's quarrel. Anita then retaliated by hitting Gallen on his chest.

After completing the first scene of their meeting, the two very professional actors then proceeded to film another scene whereby their characters are already dating. The both of them strolled hand in hand by the Legislative Council building and shared an intimate kiss.

Gallen was teased that he had the luck to enjoy so many kissing scenes with Anita, but Gallen said that it's all in a day's work. Gallen also praised Anita for being professional and even claimed that her performance is Best Actress material. "Filming in these places is very rushed, we have to get into our roles immediately, I don't think much, this is to fit in with the plot, with so many years of experience I can handle this with ease. I am very happy to work with Anita, she hit me hard but it felt comfortable," explained Gallen.

Echoing Gallen's thoughts, Anita said the kissing scenes are all part of work. She is not worried that her husband Julian Cheung will be jealous. "Kissing in the street is OK, it's worse to feel embarrassed and have to kiss again, I rather audaciously complete it in one shot," Anita said. Filming for The Grand Entrepreneur will continue through the holidays but Anita said she will try to take a few days off to spend some time with her family.

Source:On.CC with translations by travelbug @ AsianFanatics.net

Linda Chung models for Chevignon Jeans

Linda Chung who is now appearing on TV screens as Elise Sung in The Gem of Life is a jeans enthusiast. She owns more than a hundred pairs of jeans. She feels that the ar$e is the most important part of a woman's anatomy! She explained, "Many brands of jeans will make the girl's pat pat (buttock) look smaller, but Chevignon's jeans will not. I think that if girls' pat pat is pushed up, it would look the most beautiful!"

Linda was selected to model for jeans brand, Chevignon's Christmas line - Noir Collection. Linda also revealed that she is most impressed with Jennifer Lopez's buttocks.

Linda shared that she was once a shy girl. She would not attend Christmas dance parties. Linda explained that it's not because her mother forbade her but it's because she felt embarrased.

Source: Oriental Daily with translation by aZnangel @ AsianEU.net

Shirley Yeung sandwiched between Vivien Yeo and Eric Suen

TVB organised a promotional function for its latest drama series, Pages of Treasures. The main cast - Shirley Yeung, Vivien Yeo, Eric Suen and Paul Chun were among those present. The latest news in HK showbiz is about the restructuring of key positions in rival TV station, ATV. Vivien was asked about her opinion regarding the matter in which she replied, "Hope they are gradually good, but I am not sure about this and do not want to talk about it."

Shirley added, "Hope that it is a healthy competition between TVB and ATV. With the presence of competition comes about a great effort and determination. I support TVB with all my heart and confidence." Paul Chun also offered his thoughts, "I knew ATV had faced a lot of problems a few years back. These recent years ATV had incurred many expenses plus the production ATV produced had not been fond or liked by the public. This does not relate about all the ratings about TVB. ATV had recently filmed two series too."

Vivien and Pages of Treasures co-star, Eric Suen are rumoured to be dating. During the event, reporters requested for the two of them to be photographed together but somehow there's always someone standing between them and most of the time it's Shirley. Shirley, Vivien and Eric will be involved in a love triangle in the series.

Source: (1) Shirley Stuck In The Middle Of Eric & Vivien, translated by Blue_Angel_12 (2) Shirley Yeung: Hope There Is Healthy Competition Between TVB & ATV, translated by jse @ AsianFanatics.net

Sammul Chan and Koni Lui visit the Philippines

Sammul Chan and Koni Lui were in Manila to film a tourism documentary. They visited places such as Rizal Park, Manila Bay and Manila ocean Park. Sammul was most intrigued by the 400 year old San Agustin Church. "All the items inside are valuable, especially the antique book made of sheep skin, and I could actually touch the book," Sammul explained. Sammul and Koni toured over 10 scenic spots in Manila and filming took about 2 days.

At Manila Ocean Park, Sammul got to see the world's biggest freshwater fish but lamented that he could not take photos as the place was too dark.

This trip to Manila was Sammul's virgin trip to the Philippines. He had initially planned to extend his trip so that he could enjoy sun-tanning at this tropical country. Unfortunately, it is now rainy season and the weather is mostly cloudy. Sammul lament, "I can’t go to Thailand recently, at first I thought that Philippines is a tropical country, thus I can enjoy sun-tanning, but it turned out that it was the rainy season, and the sky was cloudy every day, I was really pissed!"

Source: The Sun / Oriental Daily with translations by Firesheepy @ AsianFanatics.net

Charitable Raymond Lam is busy

Raymond Lam is one busy man. He had two functions to attend on the same day!

First up: Opening Ceremony for a new Gucci Store. Gucci recently launched a collection of handbags and clothes known as "Tattoo". The sales from the Tattoo line will be channeled to UNICEF. Raymond attended the opening of one of Gucci's stores. Raymond took the opportunity to contribute to charity by buying three bags at the event. The three bags (one for himself, the other two for his mom and sister) cost $40,000. Raymond is very charitable and also expressed his interest to sponsor a child.

Next up: Raymond attended the Shanghai World Expo 500 Day Countdown function. Bowie Lam and Liza Wang were also present. Raymond shared that he felt happy because he gets to perform at the same show as his idol, Jacky Cheung. Raymond expressed that he is afraid of embarrassing himself in front of Jacky. Reporters informed Raymond that his duet partner, Vincy, had earlier autographed her own album and gave it to Jacky as a present. Raymond quickly adds that he would do the same as "it is a sign of respect!"

Source: (1) Singtao, Takungpo, Tom (2) On.CC with translations by RaymondLam.org

Pages of Treasures - Episode 2

At the police station, Ming was let off by the police as they could not find Chung's PDA on him. However, Chung was still angry and demanded that Ming compensate her for the clay models that he broke. Man Suk and Ching arrived at the police station and Man Suk offered to pay Chung HKD 100. Chung refused, and leads to more argument with Ming. Ching then offered to settle with Chung, offering her a one-off payment of HKD 2000. Ming said the HKD 2000 is considered "garbage cleaning fee" and this further angered Chung. Chung now demands for full payment and decided to sue Ming for it.

Chung returned to her shop and read an email from England which approves her application to participate in a model exhibition. As her models were already destroyed by Ming, she is unable to meet the dateline for submission. This makes Chung extremely angry with Ming.

Ming overheard his parents talking about his case with Chung. He realises that Man Suk and Yuk are worried for him so he went and look for Chung to discuss. At the shopping mall, Ming saw an ex-employee of Chung begging Chung to rehire her. Ming helped the employee to persuade Chung and this started another arguement between the two. Chung accidentally spilled coffee on Ming's clothes.

Ming took the opportunity to ask for compensation from Chung. However, Chung refused to pay. Ming threaten to sue Chung. Chung tried to chase after Ming but slipped on the spilt coffee and injured her wrist. The model exhibition organisers agreed to extend the dateline for Chung but she is unable to meet the new dateline as her wrist was injured.

Ching brought his parents shopping. Man Suk and Yuk was very happy to have Ching accompany them. Yuk even took the chance to show-off Ching to her friends and neighbours. Ching also bought a new computer for his sister, Mei.

Ming returned home with coffee-stained shirt and his parents are worried again. They assumed that Ming got himself into trouble again. Ming told his parents that he will settle with Chung and asked them not to worry. Also, Keong had surrendered at the police station, which means Ming is cleared of his "illegal business" charges.

Mei saw Ching vomiting in the toilet. She thought he was vomiting blood and fainted. It turns out that Ching was not vomiting blood, it was only red wine. After vomiting, Ching's nose bleed. This makes Man Suk and Yuk worried about his health. They brought him to a Chinese physician but actually Ching is more into Western medicine.

Man Suk overheard Mei talking to her friend Ying Ying. Ying Ying wants Mei to help her get a watch back from Ying Ying's ex-boyfriend. Man Suk is worried that Ying Ying's ex-boyfriend will rape Mei after reading and hearing many reports about rapes. He rushed to the cafe where they are meeting to save Mei. When he reached, he saw a guy holding Mei while Mei is unconcious. He punched the guy and ended up at the police station.

Previous Recaps:
Episode 1

Cast of The Gem of Life tries Golfing

Cast of blockbuster drama series The Gem of Life went for a round of golf as part of a promotional event. Bowie Lam, Ada Choi, Maggie Siu, Kenny Wong, Queenie Chu, John Chiang and Lee Si Kei were among those who showed off their golfing talents.

Ada, who played the role of Jessica Hong, shared that she used to take golfing lessons. However, she stopped golfing because she did not want to have tanned, muscular arms. Her husband, Max Zhang Jin, has now taken up golfing so Ada offers to be his buggy driver. Ada also expressed her disappointment that the ratings for The Gem of Life was not up to expectations. However, Ada has a silver lining - she receives good feedback from viewers about her character!

Maggie Siu, on the other hand, is not worried about the ratings of the series. She also revealed that she plans to host a Christmas party for her fellow co-stars and hopes that Gigi Lai (who has retired from the entertainment industry) can spare some time to join in the celebrations.

Source: 'Gem Of Life' Cast Try A Spot Of Golf (Batgwa)
Photo Credit: On.CC (via Mediachamber.net)

Pages of Treasures - Episode 01

Man Suk works in a bookstore. He is very familiar with the bookstore and is always the point of reference for his colleagues. His eldest son is returning to Hong Kong for good and he is very excited. His wife is a typical housewives who sometimes spends her time on the stock markets.

Man Suk received a phone call from the furniture shop. The bed he ordered for his son could not be delivered on time to him. Man Suk and his wife went to the furniture shop to beg and negotiate with the owner. Luckily there was a spare bed that Man Suk could get first but he has to assemble the bed on his own. Man Suk thought he could do it but he needs several attempts before he was successful.

They are also your typical Asian parents who cooks up a feast for their children. Man Suk's daughter (also youngest child), Mei, informed her parents that her second brother, Ching, (who resides in US) will also spend a few days in Hong Kong. Ching is on a business trip in Singapore and will stopped by Hong Kong. He knew that his elder brother is returning so he took a few days of leave for some family time.

Man Suk borrowed a van from one of his friends so he could pick both his sons up from the airport. On the way to the airport, Man Suk reprimanded Mei for causing them to leave the house late. As he was not focused while driving, Man Suk took the wrong turning and ended up in Yuen Long. At this point, both his sons, Ming (eldest son) and Ching (second son) have already arrived and met up.

After waiting for sometime, Ching called Man Suk to ask for their whereabouts. Man Suk told Ching that he is lost in Yuen Long. Ching quickly took out his laptop and searched for a map online. With the help of Ching (who referred to the map online), Man Suk successfully navigate his way out of Yuen Long and make his way to the airport.

During dinner, Ching mentioned that as he is on leave, his company will not be paying for his accommodation at a hotel. Instead, he is forking out money from his own pocket to pay. Man Suk and Yuk take the opportunity to convince Ching to stay at home instead of the hotel. Seeing his parents and siblings so happy, Ching agreed.

Ching's US employer offered him 50% increment if he extends his contract with them but Ching is still considering the offer. He will stay in Hong Kong for 2 weeks and his friends offer to show him around Hong Kong. Ming also met up with his friends from school. His friends recommend a few job options to him but Ming is still thinking about what he wants to do.

One of Ming's friend, Keong, runs a business selling second hand goods. Keong invite Ming to be one of his business partners and bring Ming to the store to have a look. Keong has a toilet emergency and left Ming at the store where Min tried to bring in more customers. At the same time, a few police officers arrived and claimed that the store sells fake goods and wants to arrest Ming.

Ching went to the police station and bailed Ming out. Man Suk met up with them outside the police station. Ming explained to the police that he just returned from Maldives the day before so he could not have been part of the illegal business. Man Suk is worried but Ming assured him that the police will investigate thoroughly.

Ming decided to sign up for a few courses before looking for a job. He also wants to apply for a taxi license. Ming plans to sign up for a mandarin course which is at a shopping mall. At the mall he saw Keong and decided to chase him. But while running, Keong crashed into a stall which sells miniature clay models. The stall owner, Chung, demands that Ming pays for the damages. She also discovered that her PDA is missing. Ming refuses to pay and insist that he did not steal her PDA. As both could not reach a solution, Chung make a police report and once again, Ming ends up at the police station.

More about Pages of Treasure:
Series Info
Opening Theme

Raymond Lam wins Best Actor at Asian Television Awards

Raymond Lam picked up the Best performance by an Actor Award at the 2008 Asian Television Awards for his performance in The Master of Tai Chi. TVB hosted a party to celebrate Raymond's success and fellow co-stars, Myolie Wu and Selena Li were in attendance. TVB executives Virginia Lok and Tommy Leung were also present.

Raymond said that this award isn't a consolation for him after losing out on the Best Actor award to Ha Yu at this year's TVB Anniversary Awards. Raymond explained that The Master of Tai Chi was aired very much earlier in the year, thus it wasn't fresh in the minds of Hong Kong viewers, unlike his other series, Moonlight Resonance and The Four. Raymond expressed his gratitude to TVB for submitting The Master of Tai Chi as an entry as the series features Chinese culture and historical background. It is also worth noting that Raymond is the first Hong Kong artiste to ever win an Asian television Award.

Raymond felt that the local viewers find it harder to absorb the deep storyline of The Master of Tai Chi thus resulting in poor ratings but is glad that the series does well in the overseas market.

Source: Raymond Lam Takes Asian TV Award - Batgwa

Linda Chung wishes to be a bride by 30

Linda Chung attended a promo function for Reductil, of which she is the spokesperson. Accompanying her were two newly wed couples. Reporters took the opportunity to ask Linda if she wishes to be a bride as well. Linda then shared that she wants to get married by the time she turns 30. "I love to be married in Hokkaido and have my wedding picture taken wearing my wedding dress surrounded by snow. It would be so romantic. I don't want a lavish wedding banquet, just a simple wedding will do," she explained further. Linda also brushed off rumours that she is dating Raymond Lam. She hopes that her Mr Right will make an appearance soon and will leave it all to fate.

Source: MingPao with translations by dragon888 @ AsianVN.com

Raymond and Charmaine are winners at Yahoo! Buzz Awards

Raymond Lam and Charmaine Sheh are Yahoo!'s most searched TV artist. Raymond picked up the award for the Male category while Charmaine won for the Female category. Other TVB artistes who attended the Yahoo! Buzz Awards Ceremony 2008 include Linda Chung, Fala Chen and Bosco Wong.

Of late, many TVB artistes are branching out and venturing into the music industry. However, for Charmaine, she prefers to focus on her acting career. She will start to film Palace scheme (Lau Sam Ho) next February with Moses Chan, Michelle Yim, Susanna Kwan and rumoured boyfriend, Kevin Cheng. Charmaine explained that in the series, Moses' character likes her but her heart belongs to Kevin. Reporters then asked Charmaine who does she prefer in real life. Charmaine jokingly said, "I want both!" On a more serious note, Charmaine explained that she enjoys collaborating with Moses as he's a funny person and likes to joke on set, while any collaboration with Kevin will undoubtedly start rumours.

Linda Chung who picked up the award for Most Increase in Searches for a TV Artist, shared that she has many fashion brand sponsors after venturing into the music industry. The sponsorship allows her to have many different styles. Linda revealed that she would like to have a mobile phone sponsor. Reporters suggest to have her good friend Raymond Lam as her sponsor. Linda replied, "You guys ask him! I don't need one that is too expensive, unless its my birthday or Christmas!"

Source: Mingpao with translations by aZnangel @ AsianUniverse.net

Pages of Treasures: Theme Video and Screen Captures

I know most TVB fans are glued to The Gem of Life, but Pages of Treasures offers an alternative to those who prefers light-hearted drama with tinges of romance and comedy.

Here's the theme song from Pages of Treasures sung by Eric Suen, titled, My Most Beloved (我的最愛). It's quite catchy except that I don't quite fancy the end where they lyricsist throw in the two English phrases. Have a listen:

And here are 41 screen captures from the theme song. Please do not hotlink the images if you re-use them. Thanks!