[Sing Pao]

Julian Cheung and Gigi Lai were filming for "Water Margin Infernal Affairs" in Central in a scene where Gigi is threatened to have acid thrown at her, but Julian comes to her rescue and takes her to hospital. There was no kissing in this scene.

With the recent news of Edison Chen being assaulted and the threat of kidnap for Jade Kwan, is Julian worried about the safety of celebrities at the moment? He says: "I will not worry because people aren't that crazy. I hope Edison is okay. It was just an accident and just some schoolkids being naughty, Chow Yun Fat goes around everywhere." Julian says he doesn't go out much and he prefers outdoor and daytime activities so he has little trouble. Does he feel that Edison has met with this incident because of his arrogance? He says: "I don't think it is relevant, it was just a coincidence. I personally find that Edison is quite polite." After this show has finished filming, Julian will be heading off on holiday.

Gigi also indicated that she has received letters from fans who threatened to commit suicide if she didn't reply, saying: "The whereabouts and addresses of people in the public eye are easily discovered and people can get a chance to attack at any time. I have always been very careful and don't like going out at night, not going to very quiet or very rough places. I like going for walks on my own, but after these news reports, I will go to some more refined and tidy places and reduced getting a taxi alone.

Talking of Edison's complaints about no-one helping him when he was attacked, Gigi feels sorry for him and says: "He was very innocent, maybe people thought he was filming. (Do you feel that the young people are not sensible enough?) Maybe it is a matter of education, they should improve themselves or maybe the schoolkids just have too much pressure on them. (If the incident happened to you, would you press charges?) I don't think so, pressing charges may not be the best course of action. We should teach them and help them to develop." She also reveals that after finishing the show, she will be going abroad for a stage show and resting for a month to spend time with her parents or go on holiday. She will return to TVB in June to start filming a new series as she has been filming non-stop since April of last year and she laughs: "I need to rest for a month and let myself return to normal!"

http://www.singpao.com/20040318/gossip/527648.html



[Ta Kung Pao]

City people developing mental disorders is becoming more and more common now and and there have been numerous reports of sufferers in the entertainment circles lately. Having suffered and recovered from depression herself in the past, Meg Lam has formed a the "Heart's Eye Charity Fund" to raise money to help sufferers from depressive disorders. Yesterday, Meg took part in the launch ceremony and spoke in detail about her own experiences. She has also invited Lee Pang Fei, Martin Hong Po Kui and Sir T.M Ho to act as trustees. Also a further ten professionals will form the consultative committee including Meg's husband Tsang Chin Cheung. Many stars appeared at the ceremony to support Meg including Chan Man Na, Chan Mei Kei, Irene Wan, Yiu Wai, Pak Wan Kam, Claire Yiu and Johnny Ngan.

When Meg was asked why recent sufferer Yammie Nam was not there to support her, she indicated she did not know, but she has invited a lot of people. As for how Yammie is at the moment, Meg says she has been keeping in touch but she is not Yammie's spokesperson so she does not want to say anything. Meg has not only been giving her time, but has started the fundraising with a million dollar donation. At the event, Meg revealed that she will soon be joining forces with TVB to hold a fundraising event and she hopes to raise enough money for a website and advice hotline. Meg has left TVB now for a number of years so why has she decided to work with them? Meg explains that TVB has a lot of experience in making charity shows and as she has been resting for two years she is still a free agent and has no contracts with any TV company, so she has no problems working with TVB.

Although she has recovered from her depression, the head injury that Meg sustained whilst working for ATV a year ago is still healing and she finds it hard to concentrate. She seems a little dazed at yesterday's event and Meg forced a smile as she says that this has been a worry for her all along as she believes it will be very difficult to recover from it. She will face it with a positive attitude though and this will not affect her mood.

Claire Yiu and boyfriend Thomas Lam were at the event to support her good friend and she indicated that she used to be colleagues with Meg over at ATV, where Meg was very caring towards her and offered a lot of advice about her relationship with Thomas. She feels that being in showbiz for so many years, there have been very few people she can talk to, but Meg is one of them and gives a lot of warmth and so Claire feels she has to support this charitable venture.

When asked if she has met with unhappiness, Claire says: "Of course, in these last few years with my career going through ups and downs and the revelation of my relationship causing pressure from my manager, then I have been unhappy." Claire admits that at the time, the company had told her not to start dating, but she felt that she was happy with her boyfriend and he was very caring towards her and did not let go. Thinking back, she feels that her decision was right and having a good boyfriend is a great gain.

Having suffered from phobias as a result of depression, Johnny Ngan appeared at the event to support Meg and he indicated that his condition is now under control after treatment and he is progressing well with recovery. However he is still afraid to drive into tunnels because his eyesight is a little blurry and he feels like he is spinning. For safety's sake, he is trying not to drive at all. Johnny also says that the doctors have told him to stay on medication for two more months in the hope that he will improve more. Having been through the pain of the condition, Johnny has learned to be more caring to the people around him and feels that any action is better than none, hoping that the problems will be positively addressed. He indicates that this condition is very common abroad, but Hong Kong people are unaware and mistake it for a more serious condition.

Also, Johnny reveals that Albert Lo has undergone an operation to unblock his arteries and is doing well, laughing that he was asking for his wife's cooking as soon as he awoke.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-18/UL-240032.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-18/UL-240030.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-18/UL-240025.htm
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a04cnt.html



[Ta Kung Pao]

A group of cast members from "Blade Heart" including Liza Wang, Shirley Yeung, Raymond Lam, Gregory Lee and Mimi Lo held a promotional event at the Lifai Martial Arts Centre yesterday and underwent some instruction by Li Fai herself in Taijiquan and Taiji Sword. However, Shirley and Mimi's stance was rather flimsy and caused a few laughs for everyone.

Shirley and boyfriend Gregory arrived at the event early and as the activity had not yet started, Shirley picked up a sword and did a few moves with the help of Gregory and put on a very loving scene. Afterwards, Shirley was asked if she felt her boyfriend was very caring and she immediately changed the subject saying: "Don't keep talking about this, why don't you ask about my work? I want to be a heroine!" Although she says she does not want to mention her romance, she then went on to say that Gregory has learned swordplay from Li Fai when he was young so he will teach her a few moves. When asked if she has martial arts potential, she smiles: "Martial arts requires hard work and persistance."

Raymond Lam is not disappointed with the ratings of "Blade Heart" only reaching an average of 27 points and laughs: "This show needs to be savoured slowly, plus you will see more of me later on in the show." He admits that the show is rather deep and serious and a little tragic, but he feels that as it is a martial arts classic, then people will like it.

Having just returned from a meeting in Beijing, Liza immediately threw herself into promoting the show and in response to the ratings results, she says honestly that she is not satisfied, but she does not hope for a particular rating. When asked if she feels pressure from the ratings, she says: "No pressure, because we have all done our best. (Some critics have said that the series is too depressing with so much killing and fighting?) Martial arts shows are never far off from seeking vengeance." She then asked in return about the reviews and indicated this is the most important thing.

Earlier when Liza was in Beijing, there were reports that she had openly commented that TVB had cut her shows to one a year. Yesterday, she clarified there was no such incident and that it was a misunderstanding by the reporter. In truth, when she signed her contract, it was clearly indicated how many shows she would do and she has not had this reduced. Other reports suggest that Liza will not be filming any more series because it is too hard work, but still drawing a high salary and making TVB feel she is hard to please. To this, Liza says a little agitatedly: "As an artiste, working hard is to be expected and is right, so I will not talk about this to anyone else. (Are you angry at the report?) No, but I hope they will report the truth because this will affect my image. Just look at the hard work that went into 'Blade Heart' and you will see if I found it difficult." As for how many shows Liza has signed for a year, she says it is a secret and insists that for her external work, she will take leave from TVB and extend her contract accordingly and so it is nothing like the reports.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-18/UL-240021.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-18/UL-240022.htm
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040318/20040318011925_0003.html