[Sing Pao, Oriental Daily & The Sun]

With Miss Chinese International 2004 complete, the overseas recruitment begins for the 2004 Miss Hong Kong pageant today as the beauty contests follow on one after another. This year's contest will take place on the same day as the opening of the Athens Olympic Games on August 13th and will consist of just one final show. Although the semi-finals have been scrapped this year, in the run up to the contest there will be six or seven special Olympic-themed showcases of around an hour where the contestants will appear and do different activities with points all counting towards the finals.

This year's five Miss Hong Kong winners took part in the press conference today and when Mandy Cho saw clips of her winning, she became very emotional saying she could not believe she has experienced so much in six months. She says: "I will look out for pretty girls around me and tell them to apply. (Will your sister be entering?) She is only seventeen and studying in Australia, maybe in a few years time, but I will definitely support her if she does."

The three newly crowned Miss Chinese International winners received their awards from Squina boss Chan Sai Kit yesterday and winner Linda Chung took part in the screen tests yesterday together with nine of the other contestants at TVB. The girls seemed very interested in performing and didn't even mind wearing bikinis and being a prop to Mandy Cho. They will be taking part in a music special for Aaron Kwok that stars Mandy and the other girls will be guest starring as models. In response to being a support to Mandy, Jessica Xu said that she didn't mind and was happy to meet Aaron: "I think that Aaron is like a prince from a cartoon on a white horse and I will ask him for an autograph and a picture together."

The obedience of these girls has raised interest in TVB's Deputy Chairman Fong Yat Wah, who has openly said she will offer them artiste contracts. Winner Linda Chung says of Miss Fong: "I am very thankful to her. I am interested in showbiz, but I need to return to Vancouver first." She indicates that she will decide whether she will return to enter TVB afterwards.

Although the MCI girls were all very talented, they did little to attract the viewers as Saturday's show only attracted 19 points, falling on last year's 21 points.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040120/20040120011704_0003.html
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040120/20040120011500_0003.html
http://www.singpao.com/20040120/gossip/505026.html
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a24cnt.html



[Oriental Daily]

Jade Leung and Chiu Chung Yu too part in the presentation ceremony for MCI sponsors yesterday as guests and with model figure, Yu reveals that she never wanted to take part in a beauty contest in the past: "Since I was young, I never thought about beauty contests because I felt that my appearance was not pretty and I was afraid of falling over in high heels, so there was no way I could do it. Moreover it is getting more and more difficult nowadays." Also with three months to run on her spokesperson contract, she reveals that she is currently negotiating a renewal on her contract.

As for the ever independent Jade, she reveals that in the new year she hopes to make more movies and more money. She says: "Do I want to find a family? I never think about this because ever since I matured, career has always been in my first place, then my family is second, friendship is third and love only comes fourth. My new year wish will be for my work, men will come all the time!"

Jade also laughs that she in interested in a new contraption that helps gain height. She says: "My mum is also interested in gaining height, I think you are suspended from your neck and legs. I am afraid that I might end up hanging myself and it all becoming a big joke!"

http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a23cnt.html