[Ming Pao & Ta Kung Pao 11/12/06]

Prince Steven and Princess Shirley judge Disney Princess Contest

Shirley Yeung and Steven Ma were judges at a Disney Princess Contest held at a shopping mall yesterday. Also in attendance were Michael Wong and his family and Michael's eldest daughter Kayla performed a ballet dance as guest performer.

Michael is currently filming for TVB's new series "The Drive of Life", but he has taken a day off to celebrate Christmas with his family. He says: "I have requested to have a day's vacation on the 26th because that day is Boxing Day and I will be joining the children opening their presents and having a party. On New Years Eve, we will be going to Disneyland for the countdown." Family-orientated Michael hints that every year, he will dress up as Santa Claus to hand out the mystery presents to his children and he smiles that youngest son Kaden is especially good on Christmas Eve.

Shirley was dressed in a pure white dress to match with Steven's suit in a Prince and Princess arrangement and they both praised the children for being so cute and lovable. Shirley appeared as the big sister as she led the young princesses down the catwalk and raising much applause from the audience.

Asked to comment about Yumiko Cheng's embarrassing incident, Shirley says she feels sorry for her, but the most important thing is her safety. Of course she will be unhappy, but people will forget about it very quickly. Shirley says that she only found out how difficult the act was after reading the reports.

Steven injured his eye whilst filming earlier for "A Change of Destiny" (aka 'Predicting Fate') and he says he is still not totally recovered yet as there is still some pus and bruising inside his eye, so he will be seeking help from a herbalist. Fortunately there is no scar, so he can carry on working, otherwise this will affect filming progress.

http://ol.mingpao.com/cfm/star5.cfm?File=20061211/saa01/mbe1.txt
http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/06/12/11/UL-663464.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 11/12/06]

Sharon Chan Plans Christmas Party

TVB sitcom "Welcome to the House" held a special Christmas promotion yesterday, attended by cast members Sharon Chan, Christine Ng and Lawrence Cheng, who created some festive foods and handed out gifts to the public. With Christmas approaching, Sharon will be having a party with the rest of the 'House' crew and will also invite her old schoolfriends out for a celebration. She will be spending a few thousand dollars on Christmas gifts and laughs that the gifts she buys will be very special, including a condensation-proof radio that you can keep in your bathroom. Sharon has been rumoured to be dating a young talent, so has she bought him a gift? Sharon laughs that she hasn't and she will not be inviting him to the schoolfriend gathering either.

Christine has been suffering from gastroenteritis lately, but her husband is not in Hong Kong at the moment, so she has had to go to the doctor's alone and she tells of how terrible she felt. Asked if she has bought a Christmas present for her husband, she says she has not bought anything yet, but on Christmas Eve, she will have time off to spend with him and this is already the biggest present ever.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/06/12/11/UL-663463.htm



[Ming Pao 11/12/06]

Kevin and Niki Acceptably Sexy

Rumoured couple Kevin Cheng and Niki Chow arrived separately at a promotional event yesterday and Kevin complimented Niki, who arrived in a sexy dress, saying that she looked really good and youthful. Kevin said: "I would give 80% or 90%!" Why not full marks? "Because she can be even sexier, I don't mind girls dressing sexily as long as they look healthy. However, I do not like busty women because breasts that are too large is not a good thing."

Niki says she is a little uncomfortable and is often trying to cover up her bust with her hands and in the end, she puts a jacket on. She says: "The brand Miu Miu is outstanding because it makes me seem like I have it when I don't! [referring to her breasts] This is the first event I have been to dressed so sexily."

Talking of the Yumiko Cheng incident, where she revealed her thong during a charity event, Niki said: "It shows how dedicated Yumiko was to her performance, but it is very embarrassing for a girl. If it was me, I would first cover myself up with my hands, but wearing a thong, you would have to cover front and back with each hand."

http://ol.mingpao.com/cfm/star5.cfm?File=20061211/saa01/mcb1.txt



[Ming Pao 11/12/06]

Yumiko Faces Press Bravely after Embarrassing Incident

Em's note: Jayne has already given a full account of what happened over at her site: http://www.jaynestars.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=605 so if you still don't know what happened, go and read up there. I won't repeat the news here.

TVB's Tung Wah Charity Show caused waves throughout the city as Yumiko Cheng accidentally revealed her thong during an acrobatic stunt. Over twenty clips of the incident were immediately posted on the internet and one clip on youtube has logged over 254,795 views at the time of going to press. Yumiko's embarrassing moment has been broadcast all over the world, so it was no wonder that she was crying so badly backstage, turning away all the media.

After her performance, Yumiko evaded hte press for a while so that she could calm down, but she revealed her strong personality as she returned to TVB City for a special interview accompanied by her manager Mani Fok, where she shared her feelings with Hong Kong's viewers and then faced questions from nearly a hundred reporters present, showing her strength and resilience.

Yumiko was sat in between Chin Ka Lok and Nancy Wu and was interviewed by hosts Vinci Wong and Tang Chi Fung. She said: "Thank you to those who have supported me. This was a small accident and the most important thing was that no-one was injured. Please continue to support Tung Wah." Ka Lok had his arm over her shoulder to comfort her and smiles that if Yumiko cannot find a boyfriend, he will look after her, making her feel better.

They then retired backstage to be interviewed by the press and Mani indicated that Yumiko will just share her feelings and will not answer questions. She said with teary eyes: "I have received calls from many friends and coming back to TVB City is because I do not want people to worry about me any more and show support to everyone. This was a small accident, no-one was at fault and there was total trust between the team who all tried their best." Ka Lok brushed her cheek on two occasions to comfort her and show encouragement and Yumiko responded to this by saying: "I can face this!" before leaving.

Mani responded to questions on the phone yesterday about the mass press and internet coverage of the event: "Yumiko has seen the related reports and is a little unhappy. The company has allowed her some time off and she will return to work on Monday to take part in the launch of the Entertainment Channel. (Will you be adding extra safety precautions in the future?) That was already a pair of cycling shorts and you would not wear another pair underneath. In any case, the company had prepared all the safety precautions and they put a lot of focus on this area. No-one wants accidents to happen, but they can be hard to avoid."

The show's producer Chin Kwok Wai remarked: "Chin Ka Lok grabbed her a little far up, because he was afraid of not holding onto her. We know Yumiko is upset. (You have immediately explained to Ms Fok and Mr Yeung?) I am also unhappy, EEG are worried that Yumiko is unhappy." Chin Kwok Wai also says that during rehearsals, her trousers did not get pulled down and she had worn the costume before and there were no problems.

http://ol.mingpao.com/cfm/star5.cfm?File=20061211/saa01/maa1h.txt



[Extracted from Ta Kung Pao 11/12/06]

Tung Wah Charity Show Overshadowed by Yumiko's Incident

TVB's annual charity fundraiser for the Tung Wah Hospitals was held on Saturday evening, but an unfortunate incident during Yumiko Cheng's acrobatic stunt became the talk of the evening. Aside from this, the event raised a total of $82,388,888 and as a small consolation, Yumiko's accident raised the sponsorship for her act by an additional $200,000 to a total of $650,000. The performance that raised the most money was the $780,000 raised by "Beautiful Wives Cooking".

Eric Tsang was criticised for his tactless remarks after Yumiko's accident and many internet comments have been appalled at his disrespectful jokes about her being 'slutty' and asking for another slow motion repeat. Eric explained himself afterwards, saying that it was all very sudden and even he did not know what to say afterwards. He smiled: "Nancy [Sit] was so scared her mole moved out of place."

Eric also indicated that he was just speaking the mind of the audience because normally there is an action replay after the event. Is he not afraid of upsetting Yumiko? Eric says that he did want to go and comfort her, but he decided to let her calm down on her own. Nancy commented that Eric said a little too much on this occasion, but Eric maintained that he has always been like this. As for the phrase about her being 'slutty', he pointed out that he was actually saying 'freely hanging' and not the alleged word as they sound similar. He says that this was purely an accident because the rehearsals all went to plan, but the director did not react quickly enough and change the camera view.

Eric was also accused of grabbing his dancing partner Cha Cha Chan's chest during his routine. He says that this could not have happened and says that his hand was in mid-air but he did accidentally brush against her in rehearsals. He says that nothing should have happened and if it did, he felt nothing.

Nancy commented that she was very shocked by the incident and it was all an accident due to the pants being too long. She says that she was worried for her safety because there were not even any wires, but she praises Yumiko for her professionalism and commitment.

Mandy Chiang said that she was in tears too when she saw what happened and she admired Yumiko for trying again. She says no-one wants accidents to happen and she was afraid that Yumiko had injured herself. Denise Ho was also stunned, but says at least she had her underwear and urged Yumiko not to think about it any more because accidents will happen. Kenny Wong also took part in the act and he just felt very regretful. The other team members Nancy Wu and Amanda S were also unhappy, saying that there was always an element of danger and hoping that the press will not blow things out of proportion.

Charlene Choi said: "I almost fainted from shock when I saw it because it is very embarrassing for a girl and whether you wore a thong or not there is no difference. It if was me, I would be very upset." Gillian Chung commented: "She has given so much for charity and even wanted to do it again. We don't want accidents to happen and I hope that the media will be kind to her." Charlene suggests that they should use a belt in the future and indicates that there was a similar incident during rehearsals but to a much lesser extent, so the risk was a ten star one.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/06/12/11/UL-663467.htm
http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/06/12/11/UL-663466.htm



[The Sun 11/12/06]

Annie Chung Caught up in Rumours

TVB sitcom "Welcome to the House" cast member Annie Chung has been rumoured to have been dating a married man recently. The reports also suggest that TVB executive Catherine Tsang plans to remove her from the popular show, with tomorrow being her last day of filming after being called in by Catherine. The show's producer Lo Wing Yin admits that he has heard the rumours and Catherine has asked him about Annie's performance.

Also, Annie was asked at the last minute not to appear at the latest promotional event for the show. In a telephone interview yesterday, she denies she is dating a married man. As for being called in by Catherine and being kicked off the cast of 'Welcome', she says with surprise: "I have not received notification of this, I have scripts up to Wednesday." Asked if she has been intimate with men recently, she says: "No, that was my birthday and there were a lot of friends there to celebrate over dinner."

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/ent/20061211/20061210233750_0000.html



[The Sun 11/12/06]

Maggie Siu Will not Place Love Curse

Maggie Siu took part in the blessing ceremony to mark the start of filming for her new film "The Curse" and she indicates that she believes in the spiritual world, but she is not worried that strange things will happen during filming because she has the company of the crew and fans and friends have given her good luck charms.

Asked if she believes that there are love curses, she smiles: "I believe it, but I have never tried it before and I would not do this because I don't like to cause so much trouble for no reason. If someone does something wrong, the heavens will punish them and I will just treat it as losing a friend."

http://the-sun.orisun.com/channels/ent/20061211/20061210235058_0000.html