[Sing Pao, Ta Kung Pao, The Sun & Oriental Daily]

Marco Ngai, Michael Tong, Yoyo Mung, Lai Lok Yi, Eddie Kwan and Leila Tong joined several officers from the ICAC in a promotion for TVB's mini-series "ICAC 2004" where they had an exciting climbing competition that was won by Eddie's team.

All the competitors had to wear safety gear and when Michael had his safety line stapped on, cheeky Marco remarked on his 'lunchbox' that was sticking out and rather embarrassed Michael. He laughed: "I can't compare to Michael, so I better not stand to near. No wonder Alex Fong daren't come along, he must be evading Michael!"

Afterwards Michael laughed: "When I joined TVB, my first series was with Marco and we have worked together a lot, often playing around on set, so I will not be mad with him. I was really embarrassed though, so next time I am hosting, I will return the favour. (He said he can't compare to you.) Usually the tall ones are more modest. He says I have frightened Alex off, but I think if he was here, he would be even more frightening."

Also, when Yoyo Mung was asked if the trip was worth it, she laughed: "Don't be like that, it was really hard on Michael, he is too innocent and he was really embarrassed. I used to pick on him all the time, but after today I will be nicer to him. These things will happen when you put safety gear on."

On the May 1st Labour Day holiday. Marco and girlfriend Joyce Tang were both doing shows and making money in the mainland, but not together as Joyce had six shows, whereas Marco only had one. He says he will be complaining to his manager for being unfair.

On her way back from Guangxi, Joyce was met with a seventeen or eighteen year old fan who grabbed her and kissed her. When Marco found out, he was absolutely furious and he said: "I know that these things often happen at shows and I have met with a similar thing with female fans kissing me on the lips. Luckily there was no malice in this fan who wanted a photo with Joyce on his camera and then wanted to give her a kiss on the cheek." He says that after so long with Joyce he has become more and more protective of her, so if he had been there, that fan would have been in trouble.

Marco also reveals that he and Joyce have recently bought a running machine. He says: "Joyce does not do enough exercise, so I hope she will do it more often. (Did you buy it for her?) Of course not, she has more show money than me!"

[Em's note: if you don't understand the joke in the first part of this article, then you are obviously too young or naive, so don't worry about it....]

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-5-7/UL-257877.htm
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a20cnt.html
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040507/20040507003521_0003.html
http://www.singpao.com/20040507/gossip/548348.html
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-5-7/UL-257884.htm



[The Sun]

Ron's Treasures

Among the upcoming stars at TVB, Ron Ng has been a frontrunner. He says he is not afraid of hard work, but is only worried about lack of opportunity, as his idol is Chow Yun Fat. Whenever he feels run down, he will look at the leather coat that his father bought him and he will immediately be recharged with the drive to get on with his work again.

Having started his career as a dancer, Ron not only has a great dance technique, but also a great stamina. Although it was Louis Koo who encouraged him to become an artiste, his idol is actually Chow Yun Fat. He says: "Especially in the film 'An Autumn's Tale', his performance was amazing. I see this disc as a treasure and will watch it when I can to try and learn from him." Ron also understands that success cannot be found in a day and even Chow had to work hard for a long time before he found his fame, so he will make the most of all he has.

On the days when Ron doesn't have to work, he will try to spend as much time as he can with his family. He has the strongest ties with his dad and showed the leather jacket that his father had bought him. "This is like my battle armour and has a history of around twenty years because my father had it made especially all those years ago. Although it is not any designer label, it is still not outdated and it proves that the value grows with time, so I will really care for him." Of course, Ron is also very thankful to his fans as he shows off some of their presents.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040507/20040507002431_0003.html



[The Sun]

Wearing a backless top and a mini skirt, Angela Tong appeared at a beauty promotion yesterday and was very eyecatching. She has been shopping online recently and bought many different designs of mini-skirt as she says: "The skin on my legs is very light, so I want to wear mini skirts to get them a little darker." When asked whether she would sunbathe naked, she laughs: "I daren't, but two years agow I went to a private beach in the Maldives and I did think about it."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040507/20040507003201_0003.html



[Ta Kung Pao & The Sun]

Iva Lo was filming for "Blossoming Hearts" yesterday and when asked about the antics of her ex-boyfriend Lawrence Ng, she laughed saying he was 'unlucky'.

Since the reports of Lawrence 'playing around' in Beijing and his subsequent split from Iva, she has not kept in touch with him and when asked whether she had called him after the most recent spate of negative press, Iva says: "For a start, I don't know if he has a new girlfriend, so if I call him I am afraid I will cause trouble, if he has a new girlfriend, the he doesn't need me to comfort him. (Will you be finding out about the truth?) It's nothing to do with me now, if he has a girlfriend, then they have my best wishes."

With so much bad publicity for Lawrence, is Iva worried it will affect his image? She says: "He is his own label and he has a lot of experience, he is my senior and has great acting talent, with so much work in the mainland, I don't think it will affect him much." She also laughs that she does not believe he does not have a girlfriend, adding: "I'll get the flattery in now." With suggestions that Michael Tao's words of support for Lawrence being incorrect, she says: "Incorrect? I'd better not say too much in case I make an error too."

Iva does not have another boyfriend yet as she does not want to waste her energy on dating and she does not want to give anyone the feeling of being on a rebound and not concentrating on her work. She believes that with her quality, finding a date would not be a problem, but she will not consider it until she has some success with her work.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-5-7/UL-257880.htm
http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040507/20040507003343_0003.html



[The Sun]

Recently signed as a spokesperson for a slimming company, Margaret Chung appeared in a low cut dress with Wong Po Yiu at a promotion yesterday. She says: "Since I entered the industry, I have always been very sporty, so I hope to change my image a little. When I was shooting for this ad earlier, I didn't want to smile so that I looked more seductive, but it makes me look like I am very fierce. Luckily everyone is still very pleased. (Has your boyfriend offered his comments?) My friends have made suggestions, but I will not wear a swimsuit."

Also, Margaret will soon be heading to Guangxi and Kenya with the cast of "Wandering Hero Medics" and earlier she went for her vaccinations that left her in a lot of pain. "After the injection, my arm and thigh were very numb and I was very sick, there is another one that had to be postponed. (Was it hard to bear?) It was okay! The biggest breakthrough is I have to play a married couple with an African person. If we have to kiss, then I don't know what to do, but if he is good looking, then it will be okay." As for whether she is afraid of SARS, she says: "We can't wear a mask when we are filming, so we can't be too afraid."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20040507/20040507002247_0003.html



[Ta Kung Pao & Oriental Daily]

Moses Chan was filming yesterday for "Blossoming Hearts" in a scene where he plays matchmaker for Michael Tao and Iva Lo. Moses laughs that in his series, he doesn't mind playing a matchmaker, but he would never do it in real life. He says: "As the saying goes - 'don't be a matchmaker and your three generations will be good'. I don't want to cause trouble, marriage is best left to nature." He says that as he is filming for "Fight for Every Moment" at the same time, he is severely lacking in resting time but he has never taken time off to rest. With the recent reports that any days off need to be supported with a doctor's note, Moses points out that sometimes is inevitable for artistes to need the resting time and he hopes that the company will understand this. However, as it is a big company, it ought to have clear policies and rules should be kept to. In the past, there was a time when he was filming television and movies simultaneously and his record was not sleeping properly for a month. During this time, he learned how to 'recharge' at any time and anywhere - that is to fall asleep.

However, Moses is worried that going without sleep for a long time will affect his liver and plans to go for a check up soon. As he has a 'hot body' [Chinese Herbalist Term], he will often drink many cooling remedies. Also he has not been eating any special foods because he believes that growing old is unavoidable and everything should be left up to nature. Also, men tend to start losing hair with age and whenever he sees this happening, he will be unhappy for a little while, but will be fine soon afterwards once he has accepted the truth.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-5-7/UL-257878.htm
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a16cnt.html



Since becoming a Christian, Kenix Kwok has changed her outlook on life and found a new direction as she aims to 'wipe out her vengeances'.

Filming for "Blossoming Hearts" yesterday, in a scene where she is mocking Akina Hong, Kenix says that in real life she is not very good at this. However, if someone did it to her in the past, she will have a big reaction of vengeance. Since joining the Christian faith, her church friends have taught her to let go of her grievances and just walk away. She goes on to add that as this is part of her personality, it is not something that she can change straight away, but she is working on it. She believes that she has to improve herself to take her to a higher level and learn to more graceful than other people. She says: "The direction is right, but whether I can do it is another thing. It is always easier said than done and my EQ [Emotional Quotient] is not very high." She also laughs that the day she changes her character is the day she can repay her husband Frankie Lam for all the love and care he has shown her over the years as he deserves it.

Kenix earlier visited Nanjing to take part in a game show and appear in a comedy sketch. The happiest thing for her was seeing the welcome of a group of fans as soon as she arrived at the airport, some coming from different towns and even Japan. The biggest surprise for her was a fan who had bought her a bear that was as tall as she was. Getting the bear home was quite an ordeal as she had to arrange for the bear to be taken on board and be stowed with the captain in the cockpit. To thank her fans, Kenix took time out of her tight schedule in Nanjing to meet them and immediately went online after returning to communicate with them.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-5-7/UL-257881.htm



[Oriental Daily]

Gregory Lee and his twin brother Wing Hon will be celebrating their birthday on the 18th, but as they will both be heading up to Wuxi to film for "Proud Heroes of Chu and Han", they will be celebrating their birthday there. Elder brother Wing Hon also joked about his little brother and his girlfriend Shirley Yeung: "Shirley has been keeping him in and making him bored, so I will be taking him out for some fun!"

When reporters asked him where he will be taking his brother, Wing Hon laughed: "There isn't really many places to go, the nearest would be to Shanghai." He also jokes: "My birthday wish is for my brother to hurry up and have kids so I can play with them!" Gregory did not reply to the question about whether his girlfriend would be celebrating his birthday early with him, saying instead: "I will be having dinner with my mum."

http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a18cnt.html


(Picture showing Christine at last year's TVB anniversary show)

[Oriental Daily]

Maggie Cheung has always seemed to be a magnet for gossip since she started in showbiz and recently there have been reports of her former assistant Christine talking of what a terrible boss she was, leaving Maggie with more problems to face.

Maggie will be heading out to Wuxi next week to film for "Proud Heroes of Chu and Han" with the shoot lasting one and a half months. After returning to Hong Kong, she will be heading up to Shanghai for five months of filming, so she will be away from Hong Kong for the next half a year. Recently, her working relationship with her assistant Christine was terminated and as Christine looks for a new job, she has been talking to everyone about the hardships she has suffered.

Christine alleges that Maggie was miserly and did not require her assistance in Shanghai as she would rather employ a local assistant. She also says that Maggie indicated she would not be needed until she comes back. As an assistant in China will only cost a few thousand dollars, it is estimated that Maggie will make a saving of several tens of thousands of dollars.

When asked about Christine's allegations, Maggie pleads innocence, saying: "Christine and I have just stopped working together, but this was her decision and I did not say I didn't need her. She did not want to go to China for so long because there was no-one to look after her dog or her home and she couldn't help me." As for the suggestions of cost savings, Maggie cannot accept this at all: "Those who know me will know I am not like that. When I was filming for 'War and Beauty' in Beijing, then as well as Christine, I also hired another assistant. As long as they can help me, then I will not mind about these things because it is difficult to find a good assistant."

When Maggie goes to Wuxi and Shanghai to work, she admits that she will be hiring a local assistant as she explains: "This is not to save money, it is just because I need a local person to look after me. I had discussed this with Christine and originally I had asked her to go with me, but she couldn't let go of what she has in Hong Kong, so she didn't want to come with me. Now she is saying these things about me, maybe it is because she is looking for work."

Maggie reveals that her arrangements with assistants is for the timespan of a series and if she takes on another series, then they will discuss another agreement. It is not a permanent contract and it is all down to trust. However, she feels that this incident will affect her reputation, so she will be calling Christine to ask about it. Up to time of print, Christine herself was unavailable for comment.

http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a04cnt.html