[Ta Kung Pao]

Cast members from TVB's "Armed Reaction IV" including Bobby Au-Yeung, Yoyo Mung, Ha Yu, Akina Hong, Raymond Cho and Mok Ka Yiu took part in an outdoor challenge at Sai Kung Pak Tam Chung. Yoyo's team won in the end and Bobby and Raymond both sustained injuries, with Bobby injuring his eye and then his arm, but luckily it was not serious.

Bobby and Yoyo took on the role of team leader and led their teams through many different rope net activities. Raymond wounded his right hand slightly whilst crawling though the nets. Bobby was originally responsible for tackling just the balance beam, but as Akina completed the final obstacle, he ran ahead to egg her on and was accidentally hit by the prop gun in her hand in the eye. As the tears streamed, he washed his eye out before using some eye drops and he was fine afterwards. When asked how he was, he says: "I am fine now. It was Akina's arms flying around as she ran that caused it." When he was mocked about needing someone to hold his back on the balance beams, he argued that the beam was only suited to skilly people.

Talking of the average ratings of just 28 points for AR4 not living up to past performance, Bobby says that the ratings nowadays are up and down. With criticisms that the story is lacking in new development, he say to watch out for the excitement when his character splits from Ada Choi and starts dating Yoyo.

Akina was very apologetic after injuring Bobby and said sorry to him. She will soon be taking part in "Friday Variety Show" and has been practicing her dancing for it.

With a seemingly weak exterior, Yoyo was very courageous at the obstacle course competition yesterday and even the men were no match for her. Afterwards, Yoyo indicated that she has loved doing these outdoor activities since she was very young and once broke her leg and lost two teeth whilst playing on backwards slides. Yoyo says: "If it wasn't for Frankie Lam's wedding banquet, I would try some of the more difficult obstacles and not just do the balance beams." Yoyo continues to tell of her accident that led to her losing her two front teeth, but luckily it was before her permanent teeth had developed. However, her new teeth took a while to grow out and she was called "Toothless Girl" for a while, making her not want to smile very much.

Yoyo not only took part in the team games, she also challenged Bobby to a walk on the rope bridge, which she won again. However she was very against wearing some of the more oddly shaped protective gear and explained: "Mok Ka Yiu wore it before and it was very funny, so I wanted to avoid it."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-12/UL-237998.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-12/UL-237997.htm
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a17cnt.html



[The Sun]

Having signed a record deal with Universal, Sammul Chan is preparing to launch his debut album in May and in line with some of his upbeat songs, he has asked the members of EO2 to help with his dance routines. The first lesson was with Otto, who praised Sammul for having a lot of potential after improving from two left feet to a decent performance in a short time.

Sammul reveals that in 2000, he had a chance to release a record in Taiwan and he had finished recording, but problems with the record company meant that the project was scrapped before anything came of it. As a result he is quite nervous at this second chance and he says: "I have had singing lessons in the past from Kitman Mak and Elisa Chan and I have a little dance grounding, but I am not very good."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040312/20040312011729_0003.html



[Ta Kung Pao & The Sun]

Fiona Yuen filmed a set of ads for a slimming company earlier and became their spokesperson. This year, the company has asked Fiona back to shoot another set of ads together with her elder sister, Catherine. Working with her sister, Fiona laughs: "I sold her into it, but I am helping her become another beautiful girl!" Fiona herself is quite tall, with a height of 1.65 m, but her sister is even taller than her at 1.72m. This is her third sister and Fiona says that their second sister is even taller. Fiona praises her sister, saying she is both beautiful and graceful.

To shoot this advertisement, Fiona has had the luxury of selecting her own photographer and in order to be in the best form, she has already been on a special healthy diet a few days before. She reveals that before slimming, her highest weight was 117 lbs and she is currently at 105 lbs. Fiona says that weight figures are not the most important, the look of the figure is more critical and whether you can get the beautiful curves. When asked for her measurements, she says it is a secret and doesn't matter as long as it looks balanced.

Fiona will soon be filming another series for TVB before lauching her first book in mid-July which will be about the culture of food.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-12/UL-237995.htm
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040312/20040312010833_0003.html



[The Sun]

Frankie and Kenix's wedding celebrations continued into the early hours and they emerged from their hotel room at 1pm the following day. As they left, a Japanese fan who is also fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin approached to congratulate his idol Kenix after flying over especially and went away with a lucky packet printed with Frankie and Kenix's Chinese names.

Kenix says: "We will be going back to my mum's to pick up the presents and my shoes. (Do you need to go home to present tea?) No, we did it all before." The couple will be heading out to Spain and France for their honeymoon. Kenix says that she has not had time to open her presents yet: "So I don't know what we have been given. I am very pleased with the weding, especially when we were talking on the stage and everyone was moved to tears."

Frankie says that there were 100 bottles of red wine at the banquet and only two were left at the end. "I drank quite a lot and I was a little high, but not drunk. Alex Fong and Ekin drank the most." Frankie also reveals that being surrounded by the press and fans at the registry office, they nearly didn't make it on time: "The parking passed the time and we had to pay an extra $105."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040312/20040312011200_0003.html



[Ta Kung Pao, The Sun & Oriental Daily]

Having mutated from TVB's classic "Enjoy Yourself Tonight" show, "Friday Variety Show" will begin airing next Friday and each episode will have a different theme, but it doesn't depart from the usual EYT acts such as comedy sketches and dressing up. Rumoured to be too expensive, former EYT hosts such as Liza Wang and Lydia Shum have been promoted to the status of special guest.

TVB held a press conference for the show yesterday and many artistes arrived in different costumes such as Celine Ma and Cheung Kit Lin's "Golden Chicken", Carlo Ng and Timmy Hung as "Boyz", Griselda Yeung and Amy Ng as "Twins" and Lo Mong as Master Ng Kong. Others included Mimi Chu as "Fung Ching Ching", Sam Chan and Yeung Ying Wai as "Infernal Affairs", Chan Shan Chung and Jack Wu's "Triumph in the Skies" and "Charlies Angels" Wong Yuek Tung, Natalie Wong and chung Hei Man.

Producer Lam Ka Wing reveals that there will be 41 episodes taking the show to the end of the year and the first show will be themed "Girls vs Guys" where the artistes will be split into male and female teams in a mini-anniversary type show. If the sponsors' themes tie in, then he does not rule out the possibility of calling in the assistance of Liza and Lydia, but when asked if their fees are too expensive to become long term hosts, Lam says: "You can't say it like that."

As one of the hosts, Cutie Mui indicated that she was very honoured to be part of the show. As she has been away from variety for three years, she will be appearing with a new fresh image and calling in her three good friends to help her out. Elvina Kong will be helping with her fashion choice, Margie Tsang offering beauty and hair consultation and Florence Kwok offering elocution coaching. She is very grateful to them. When asked if she will be taking the position of Liza in EYT history, she says: "I will carry her work attidude and appear looking beautiful in each show. Take today's appearance for example, just dying my hair took eight hours."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-12/UL-238002.htm
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a09cnt.html
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040312/20040312011329_0003.html



[Ta Kung Pao]

The "2003 TV show popularity survey" results were revealed yesterday and indicated the top twenty most popular TV shows for last year. Among them, factual programmes and documentaries were in the majority, but TV series included "Square Pegs" and "Triumph in the Skies". An awards ceremony will be held on 19th March.

Nnadia Chan's "Dr and You" programme is among the award winners and she says that to have been able to host this show has left her with a lot of extra knowledge. When she was hosting, it coincided with the SARS epidemic in Hong Kong and this helped to raise the popularity of the show. Nnadia laughs that with so many of the winning shows being factual, then being a female host is better than being a female lead.

Talking of TVB cutbacks resulting in less appearances for some artistes, Nnadia feles that she has a 'per show' contract with TVB so even if she has a cut in work then it will not affect her, so she is quite fortunate. She says that show-cutting is the trend now and she has called Helena Law and Woo Fung who have had work reductions to amek sure they are okay. The two seniors are fine with the situation and actually feel happier because they can choose the shows that they want to do. As for suggestions that even Liza Wang is having her workload cut, Nnadia feels that Liza is the jewel in TVB's crown and should not need to worry. She indicates that that situation in TVB is reflective of the economy in general and shows that if you do not have the skills then you will not survive and as a result she will be standing firm to keep her position. Is she trying to make a statement against Leung Si Ho? Upon hearing this, Nnadia immediately says defensively that this is just her opinion as everyone has their own situation and their own path as long as they do not let go of themselves.

Nnadia's third edition of her beauty book has had a good response and there are now only 40 copies left. She says she has received over $100,000 in bonuses and she is currently designing a new book that focuses on encouragement.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-3-12/UL-238006.htm



[The Sun]

Rabee'a Yeung and Selena Li were guests at a charity draw event yesterday and tourism ambassador Rabee'a had just returned from Zhongshan where she had been on a food-tasting trip. She says: "The show I have filmed is introducing gourmet food and as well as three meals a day, we also tried a lot of dishes. I should slim down now I am back in Hong Kong." Rabee'a savours the local Wine-soaked crab and Durian fried beef.

Also, Selena is currently filming her first drama in "Wandering Hero Medics" and she admires her co-star Nick Cheung, saying: "He has no arrogance and is always helping me, but Bosco keeps laughing at my nurse costume."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040312/20040312010459_0003.html