[Ta Kung Pao 07/01/05]

This year's Miss Hong Kong winners Kate Tsui, Queenie Chu and Fu Sze Sze attended a presentation ceremony at the Hong Kong Jockey Club yesterday. A total of $35 million dollars was collected in donation boxes at all of its branches and together with TVB's own fundraising show and the government's fundraiser at the Hong Kong Stadium, the amount raised is estimated at around $100 million. The proceeds will go to five charitable organisations that are the Hong Kong Red Cross, Hong Kong World Vision, Oxfam, Unicef and the Salvation Army.

Kate indicated that she has already donated and hopes that she can help even more people, but she will not be able to take part in the Crossing Borders fundraising show tomorrow because she has to join the other Miss Chinese International contestants in the training camp. At the moment, she is working hard to keep fit and has even given up her beloved potato crisps [US: chips] and is keeping up her facial regime.

As this year's MCI pageant is themed along China's 5000 years of history, Kate has been busy studying and as she may be wearing an ancient costume, she would most like to wear a Mongolian costume. This year, the contestants will not be filming abroad and Kate says that this is not necessariily a bad thing because there are many places in Hong Kong that she has never been to, such as Nam Sang Village and Kut Hing Village, so she hopes that they can look around whilst they are filming there.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350661.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 07/01/05]

TVB's new series "Master of Kung Fu - Wong Fei Hung" will be airing next Monday after "Kung Fu Soccer" ends and yesterday, a group of cast members including Bosco Wong, Sammul Chan, Rain Li, John Chiang, Winnie Yuen, Akina Hong and Cerina De Graca took part in a promotional event at a martial arts centre in Wong Chuk Hang. As well as taking part in Kung Fu lessons, they also learned how to tackle the Plum Blossom Poles, where Akina was 'stuck to' Bosco throughout. When they had to try the move of standing on the men's thighs, Akina was first to volunteer herself to partner Bosco, leaving female lead Rain with Sammul. Later on, when Akina stepped down, she went to brush the dust off Bosco's thigh, but her hand was quickly pushed away by him. She continued her escapade when the master instructed them to practice their stance and she refused to squat, saying that it was a bad omen.

Bosco has had to shave his head for several shows recently and he laughs that he can't seem to get away from shaven head shows. When asked if he was worried his hair would not grow back after shaving it so much, he laughs he is not afraid but hopes that he can become a fighting star because he is finding this type of show great fun as well as very challenging, so he has plans to go and take martial arts classes. He says: "At first I wanted to learn Thai boxing, but I feel that it is not as useful in my acting, so maybe I will learn Hung Kune or Nam Kune. (Are you not afraid of getting lots of injuries as a fighting star?) Men will not, but of course I don't want any broken legs. Ordinary knocks are okay, it is a small price to pay." Talking of the mediocre ratings of TVB shows lately with all the prime time shows not breaking 30 points, Bosco feels that this is just the trend at the moment, but hopes that his show will do well and reach 30 points.

Sammul is confident with the show's ratings, laughing: "The theme song will be sung by Alan Tam and me, so with a fresh pairing and an upbeat costume drama for the new year, I am not worried about the ratings at all." Sammul also says that as an ambassador for the Red Cross, he will soon be visiting the affected areas of the Tsunami disaster, but he will let the relief workers complete their more urgent work first. He has donated a watch and a camera to the charity auction and he says that we should all do our part and not count too much.

Rain has been in the mainland recently shooting for "The Exile of Lady Wang" and she returned to Hong Kong the night before just to take part in the promotion for "Wong". She will also be filming a skincare ad, and joining another promotional event on Sunday before heading back to China to continue filming. This series should be completed by the beginning of February when she will return to Hong Kong again.

Rain indicates that although she has not been in Hong Kong recently, there have still been some strange occurrences for her, saying that there was a car crash involving a Korean star that shares her English name and when it was reported on the radio, some of her fans thought it was her in the accident and called her and sent her messages asking how she was, leaving her rather amused. As for the skincare ad, it is still the same one as before and she says that she has been the spokesperson for this brand for three or four years now and as they are putting up her fee, it has come as the best New Year present for her.


As "Wong" will be airing straight after "Kung Fu Soccer" that Rain also has a part in, she is very happy that her shows are being aired in succession. She says: "I finished filming this series last year and I really thought it would be left in the stockroom, luckily I don't have to worry about this too much now. (But the ratings weren't so good for 'Kung Fu'?) I have been busy filming in the mainland so I haven't had time to support myself. As long as I have done my best then that is all that matters. (Do you feel that viewers don't like watching television any more?) That is why I will not put any pressure on myself, to have done my best is okay. (Will you film for TVB again?) If there is the chance, then I will, but at the moment I will be concentrating on movies and mainland series."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350655.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350654.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 07/01/05]

Sitcom "Virtues of Harmony" will be airing its last episode on 22nd of this month and on that night, there will be a live broadcast show. As all the filming is now complete for the show, the cast members including Nancy Sit, Kingdom Yeun, Michael Tse, Bondy Chiu, Joyce Chen and Steven Ma had a celebratory dinner earlier, sharing the show's success with the rest of the cast and crew. TVB Production Executive Catherine Tsang was also present and as well as asking her sponsors to donate many gifts for the raffle, Nancy also gave out a $10,000 prize from her own pocket.

Reports indicate that the ancient version of the show reached 326 episodes and the modern version amassed 443 episodes, giving a grand total of 769 that is among TVB's records. The Korean Series "Dae Jang Geum" (Jewel In The Palace) will be aired in place of "Virtues". When asked if she would miss the cast, Catherine indicated that she would not because we can still see them in other series. After finishing filming today, Nancy will start work immediately on an advertisement before heading out to Malaysia to receive an award and therefore unable to attend the fundraising show tomorrow. Nancy says that at first when Catherine approached her to do the ancient "Virtues" series, she was afraid of the hard work at one point and wanted to turn it down, but after much persuasion, she stayed on and never imagined that the show would have such a great reception and break such a record. She smiles: "Although sometimes Catherine can be quite stern, she is very accurate when it comes to most things."

Steven filmed his last scene earlier and this was to pay his respects at a temple memorial hall. Also, he was filming at a cemetary on New Year's Day, but he says he is not superstitious. He says: "I remember when I was filming a few years ago for 'Perish in the Name of Love' and the afternoon when I received the news of my grandmother's death was followed by an evening session where I had to wear red wedding clothes to film a marriage scene. I felt really awful about it, but afterwards I thought it through and as an artiste, I should not worry about these things too much and even if I have to lie in a coffin, then I will do it, but I have to ask for a lucky packet." Also Steven went to Guangzhou yesterday to film for an advertisement and so he will not be able to join the fundraising show, but he has already donated $20,000.

Joyce will be taking a holiday soon to Shanghai and Beijing. At first she was planning to go to Japan, but after hearing that there may be earthquakes and tsunamis there too, then she has changed her mind and decided to go to Shanghai to see the development there and maybe find herself a handsome man. Although her manager Yuen has often tried to introduce her to a partner and they are all financially founded, Joyce only wants someone she can connect with. Whether they are rich or not does not matter, so she has still not found the one. She smiles: "I hope that after 'Virtues' ends, people can start to forget the rumours between me and Johnny Tang."

Linda will begin filming for TVB's new series "Always on Standby" soon and as the character of 'Hung Pak Nam' in "Virtues" was too popular, she is planning to cut her hair to give viewers a different perspective of her.

Michael will be marrying his fiancee Tina next Friday and they will be holding a wedding reception at the Hong Kong Country Club for their family and friends. After finishing filming for "Virtues" in the early hours of the morning, he was still handing out invitations. Yesterday, Michael and Tina were invited onto Nancy's Metro Radio show for an interview and were presented with Lotus Seeds, lucky packets and an electric rice cooker.

Michael was full of good words for his fiancee, saying she has a wonderful and straight personality and is full of love. He adds that although he has been dating Tina for eleven years, they still feel like they have just fallen in love and when he holds he hand, he will still sweat and when he sits beside her, he still feels rather emotional. He also remembers there were a few problems when he proposed to his fiancee, because when he was on a skiing holiday with Tina last year in Canada, he had prepared a ring to propose to her on the top of a mountain. In order to surprise her, he seemed rather relaxed along the way there and just kept the ring in their bags, with Tina not noticing. However, on the first day of the holiday, someone broke into their car and stole their bags with the ring inside and it was only when he explained the contents to the police that Tina realised how sincere he was and she was so touched that she was speechless.

Tina says sweetly: "Seeing Michael's expression when he lost the ring, he was both flushed and pale at the same time and I had never seen him so excited. Usually he just sees money and other material items very lightly, but that night, he could not sleep at all." Michael says that when he had to describe the ring and its value to the police, his fiancee was shocked. However, it was all a strong memory and at least he won his lady's heart.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350652.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350646.htm



[The Sun 07/01/05]

Fiona Yuen and Bernice Liu were among the artistes taking part in the TVB "January Birthday Stars" event yesterday and Fiona indicated that she had a Singaporean friend who was killed in the Tsunami disaster, so she will not be celebrating her 29th birthday this year with any grandeur. As well as donating money, she will also be donating some of her handmade jewellery for auction. She says: "After nine years in the industry, I will be getting my 'OAP' award next year, but I still have to work hard to pay for my apartment and my car." Turning 26 yesterday, Bernice brought her new pet dog to the event and showed off the birthday card that her fans had given to her. She says: "Before I had asked them to donate to the disaster appeal and the fans were very supportive, so I am pleased that they have been able to help some people." She adds that she celebrated with her family and friends in the evening, but Moses Chan was not invited!

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050107/20050107003607_0003.html



[The Sun 07/01/05]

Sharon Chan has been working hard at her career in recent years and she is thankful to her senior Sheren Tang for helping her loosen the knots in her heart. Sheren often encourages her juniors to join the Christian faith, even if she does not know them and it was this sincerity that touched Sharon so much that she finally opened her heart and accepted the faith.

As Sharon grows more and more mature, experiencing the pain of losing her love and the death of her father, she has grown up now and sees the 'Most Extraordinary Female Artiste' Sheren's achievements has her own goals. When she was down in the past, Sharon would turn to the counsel of this veteran and it was this support that pulled her through: "Last year I did not know Sheren too well and my mother was actually friendlier with her . when she found out that I was unhappy, she called me and I was rather surprised, but she is my idol and being able to share my troubles with someone I admire so much, then of course I accepted her help."

That night, Sheren listened patiently to Sharon's innermost troubles and gave her a lot of advice and eventually the two became great friends. Sharon says: "I knwo that Sheren often calls up other artistes, whether she knows them or not and she will encourage them to join her at church. What I admire about her is not just her acting talent, but also her heart." Sharon's mother has tried to encourage her for many years to join the church, but it was only after Sheren's appearnce that Sharon was willing to accept the faith.

Since her split with Matt Yeung, Sharon has not had another romance. Even the earlier rumours linking her with Timmy Hung were just a joke as far as she was concerned. She said most definitely: "At the moment the sunshine is only just starting to appear in my career, so in the next couple of years at least, I will not be thinking about dating because I am someone who will put my all into a relationship and if I start to date, then I am afraid that I will not be able to concentrate on my work."

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050107/20050107001559_0003.html



[The Sun 07/01/05]

Kenix Kwok and Frankie Lam have become spokespersons for a slimming product and the response has not been bad, so the sponsors have asked them to represent the brand in Singapore too. The couple headed out to Singapore earlier for a promotional event and on the day of the press conference, they were arranged to enter in a yacht, really making a scene as Kenix felt like it was having her wedding day all over again.

Kenix's series have always been very popular over there, wearning her the title of "Queen of TV Series", so whenever she takes part in any promotions, there will be a large group of viewers surrounding her and asking her for her autograph. Kenix says happily: "The fee for this ad is not bad and I am so happy taht they all treat me so well."

In two months time, they will be celebrating their first anniversary and although they both have work to do and it is hard to have time together alone, Kenix is still planning a surprise for her husband. Just like when Frankie was filming earlier in Guangxi for "The Herbalist's Manual" during his birthday, Kenix was also filming in Hong Kong for "Revolving Doors of Vengeance", but she still sent him a romantic text message and prepared a birthday present for him, making him very happy.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050107/20050107001447_0003.html



[The Sun 07/01/05]

Michelle Ye and Patrick Tang were gusts at a tennis tournament, but because the competition went on for a long time, they were unable to meet with Wimbledon champion Sharipova and they were both rather disappointed. Wearing her tennis whites, Michelle says that she has the look but not the skills, causing laughs that this was because she is only interested in watching the sport of her rumoured boyfriend Xiong Ni - diving.

Since finishing filming in Guangxi, Michelle has been travelling with Shanghai, where they went to see a fortune teller, who indicated that she will make a lot of money year, suggesting that she should wear more red clothes and accessories. After taking part in CCTV's Mid-Autumn show last year, the response to Michelle has not been bad and some friends have suggested that she gets an MC's licence for the mainland so that she can take part in official events. Michelle says she is considering this.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050107/20050107003154_0003.html



[The Sun 07/01/05]

Christine Ng, Alex Fong (Lik Sun), Cookies, Sammul Chan and Chan Shan Chung were the guests on the latest episode of "The Super Trio Show Continues" and in the word guessing game, Alex had to describe "T-back" (g-string pants) and he revealed that both Theresa and Stephy usually wore this particular item of underwear. Chin Ka Lok took the chance to joke with Alex, laughing: "So you do have an affair - you are so amazing! Two at a time!", leaving Alex rather red-faced - can it be that Ka Lok has stumbled on the truth? However, Theresa had a strong comeback, biting back at Alex, saying: "Alex is the one who likes to wear T-backs!" and making Ka Lok label Alex as 'King of T-backs'.

Afterwards, Alex explained that he had never seen Stephy or Theresa wearing T-backs and he was just guessing. Alex got himself into more trouble when he threw an umbrella over to Christine and hit her in the sensitive area. Luckily Christine is a good sport, otherwise he would have been mocked again.

http://the-sun.com.hk/channels/ent/20050107/20050107002710_0003.html