[Ta Kung Pao 01/12/04]

TVB held a special ceremony to mark the presentation of long service and honours on Monday, where Tang Ying Man received a "30 years of service" award, whilst "10 year service" awards were presented to Lau Dan, Bondy Chiu, Carlo Ng, Joyce Chen, Ander Jen, King Kong Lam, Vinci Wong and Louisa So. Producers Chik Kei Yi and Ho Siu Wai were also presented with ten year awards. Also eligible for the award was Bowie Lam, Louis Koo, Bobby Au Yeung and Maggie Cheung, but they were not able to be present at the event.

In response to the rumours that TVB will be making more people redundant, Executive Chairman Sir Run Run Shaw made no comment, but TVB Director and Enterprise General Manager Ho Ding Kwan indicated: "Why would we sack so many people? There will not be 200 job cuts, the company just hopes to control its operating costs."

As for suggestions that among those targeted are Variety and Sports Department Manager Wong Ka Leung and Non-drama productor Lam Ka Wing, the Chief Director of the non-drama section Ho Lai Chuen said: "There is no such thing, Wong Ka Leung is still at work and the rumours are too exaggerated, there seems to be this kind of news every single month."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-12-1/UL-336337.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 01/12/04]

Steven Ma has been on tour in USA and Canada with veteran singer Francis Yip and when he returned to Hong Kong earlier, he learned the news of James Wong's death, that left him rather upset.

Steven says that the tour went well and he was very happy, but this bad news has pushed his emotions rock bottom. He says: "I have been in the industry for ten years and Uncle Jim watched me mature. On this tour, we sung Uncle Jim's favourite song 'Two Forgotten in the Misty Waters' and his sudden departure makes me very sad." He also says that the first TV show that he hosted, "Motherland Fun Quiz" was with Uncle Jim and when he published his first book, the preface was written by Uncle Jim, showing how much he cared for Steven. Because of Uncle Jim's death, Steven is very unhappy, but he will respect Uncle's wish for people to send him on his way with a smile and lock away the memories in his heart, turning the feelings of sadness into the drive to do well.

Also, Steven says that Frances was like a big sister to him, often giving him advice and with the performances going so well, he is very grateful to her.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-12-1/UL-336332.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 01/12/04]

Sonija Kwok, Pauline Yam and Celia Sze were guests at a fashion event yesterday wearing the brand label and Sonija modelled next year's spring design that was worth over $4000. She says that this brand has just started to sponsor her and ther is no upper limit on the value, so she can choose what she likes.

Yesterday's magazines reported that Sonija has stopped her romance, bringing up rumours once again that she has split with boyfriend Deric wan. When asked about this, she would not respond directly, saying that at this moment in time, all her efforts are on her career and Deric Wan has been reduced to her good friend. When asked whether they are no longer dating, she said: "You can't say we aren't dating, we are still keeping in touch. (Do you have a mutual agreement?) Yes. (How would you describe your relationship with Deric?) We are good friends that understand each other and he is very supportive of my focus on my career. (Will you be putting back the date of the wedding then?) I have not thought about this yet."

Sonija will soon be heading over to Singapore for some promotional activities and then be heading out to the mainland to film a series for CCTV in Szechuan and Beijing. As this trip will last around four months and the weather there is quite cold now, she will be buying some winter clothing and DVD's to pass the time. She laughs: "I am very afraid of the cold and when it is chilly, I will eat more, so I am worried about putting on weight."

Pauline headed out to France with a female friend for four days earlier and arrived back in Hong Kong yesterday. As this was the first time her friend had visited France and she is a devout Christian, they had to go and visit the sights and all the churches and so did not spend too much money. Also as the Euro is very high against the dollar at the moment, the prices were more expensive than in Hong Kong!

When asked if they had any romantic encounters, Pauline says that one night when they were dining, there was a man and a woman sat near them. Then the man explained to them that the woman was not his girlfriend and as she had to go home, but he wanted to stay out for some drinks, he asked them to join him. Seeing that he was very polite and well mannered, they decided to accept, but because of their jetlag, they were very tired, so after a drink, they returned to the hotel and did not do anything else. When it was mentioned that it is dangerous to drink with strangers, Pauline laughs: "Of course I know this, so we bought our own drinks and did not rely on him. The man was very reasonable though."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-12-1/UL-336334.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-12-1/UL-336333.htm



[The Sun 01/12/04]

Bobo Chan, Miriam Yeung and Stephanie Che were among the guests on the latest episode of "Super Trio Show Returns" and everyone kept joking about her relationship with Edison Chan. When Bobo was introduced, Jerry Lamb spoke English imitating Edison, making her laugh out loud and Eric Tsang remarked: "Even the fake one makes you so happy, what would the real one do?" To which Bobo responded: "Don't be stupid!"

Apart from Bobo, Stephanie was also the target of many jokes from Eric including: "Say hello to your family... oh, no need, just say hello to the audience!" (Stephanie's mother is in prison at the moment.) Eric also moved onto the topic of the recent drugs-related incidents to hit showbiz as when Sammy Leung was demonstrating 'constipation' (Cantonese : 'having a hard poo'), then Eric asked: "Do you have any 'soft things' (drugs) on you? It doesn't matter, every case is dealt with separately."

Also, Miriam had just dyed her hair red, so to avoid getting red dye all over her in the 'shower game' she had to wear a shower cap and became targetted with jokes too.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20041201/20041201000742_0003.html



[The Sun 01/12/04]

This year's Miss Hong Kong winners, Kate Tsui and Fu Sze Sze took part in the Yan Chai Charity Draw event yesterday and Kate revealed that she will soon be heading out to Beijing for a four day goodwill tour. She will be visiting the mountainous regions to see some poverty stricken children and when asked if she is worried about being moved to tears and whether the children will make her cry, she says: "I am a little worried, but I hope that I can bring some happiness to them, so I will be buying some presents for them in Beijing."

Kate indicates that earlier she has been on vacation to Beijing with her family: "I went in December then too and it was very cold, but the trip to the Great Wall was well worth it." With Christmas approaching, Kate remembers the time when she went carol singing: "When I was studying in America, we often went to the old folks' home to sing carols and spread the gospel, but I cannot sing, so I hope that with everyone else singing, they could not hear me."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20041201/20041201001019_0003.html
http://orientaldaily.com.hk/ent/ent_a28cnt.html



[Oriental Daily 01/12/04]

With the death of her father, "Pleasure and Leisure" presenter Ursula Wong has taken some time off and the producer Chiu Lai Ping has allowed her as much time off as she needs to deal with her father's affairs. As a result, Cherrie Kong has been brought in as a stand-in until Ursula returns.

Cherrie says she is totally willing to help Ursula out and says: "We are good friends and I don't mind how long I have to do it for. The best thing for me is to work with 'the King' (Ander Jen) because he can keep an eye on me and teach me lots of things." Ander Jen praises Cherrie, saying: "She is a music show host, so she is already sorted. She is also very intelligent and can handle it without any problems." Shaking her hand, he welcomed her to the team.

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