From top: Kayi Cheung, Wong Chung Yin, Cheng Wai Ching & Leung Wing Sze; Ho Ngo Yee; Wong Wai Lam; Chiu Ka Dik; Wong Yin Yan

[Ta Kung Pao & The Sun 26/05/07]

Overseas Contestants Revealed for Miss HK 2007

The 12 finalists for this year's Miss Hong Kong Pageant joined the 4 overseas contestants from the US and Canada to meet the stylists and make-up artists at TVB City yesterday. The overseas contestants are Leung Wing Sze, Cheng Wai Ching, Kayi Cheung and Wong Chung Yin. Although in the past, the girls from abroad have always been favourites to win, the four this year have not proved outstanding as yet, with Kayi and Wing Sze looking decidedly frumpy. Kayi is reported to have received the 'Vivacious Beauty Award' at the 2005 Miss Chinese Vancouver pageant.

At yesterday's event, the girls were all dressed smartly and most brandished designer handbags, with hot favourite Ho Ngo Yee being the most eyecatching in her maroon dress. The girls were all happy to answer when asked for their names and one of the girls Chiu Ka Dik wore a flower around her left wrist. Asked if she had just come from being a bridesmaid in a wedding, she smiled that this was just fashion.

Miss Hong Kong Deputy Organisational Manager Rosa Chan indicated that as well as meeting the stylists yesterday to gain their advice, the girls also selected their numbers, tried on their costumes and shoes and completed the basic formal procedures. Talking of 'Gillian Chung Lookalike' being followed around by the press, will they be teaching the girls how to deal with the paparazzi? Ms Chan says that she will tell the girls to be careful and has taught them how to face the press. She says that for the girls to be dating is unavoidable, but they should not act unacceptably in public.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/26/UL-741946.htm
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070526/20070525232416_0000.html



[Ta Kung Pao 26/05/07]

Aimee Chan and Koni Lui Want Non-Smoking Boyfriends

With 31st May being the "World No Smoking Day", the promotions for this event kicked off yesterday with "Sharing a Smoke-free City", attended by Aimee Chan, Koni Lui, Natalie Tong, Angel Sung and Charles Szeto. Also joining them was Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food Mr York Chow.

Aimee and Natalie were dressed in sexy dresses to welcome the summer and soon became the focus of the press. For Natalie who usually seems quite slim, she seemed especially curvy in her outfit. Koni wore a top with an alluring slit near her chest and nearly revealed herself during the event when she moved around.

Talking of anti-smoking, neither Aimee and Koni are smokers and Aimee says that as she has allergies, then whenever her friends smoke, then she will sneeze. Does she mind if her boyfriend smokes? She smiles that of course she would like for her boyfriend not to smoke, because the smell would mask her perfume and his teeth would be whiter if he didn't smoke.

Koni's father was a smoker and she says that when she was young, she was woken up by her father's smoke and she has asked him to give up. He agreed that if she did well at school, then he would give up, so when Koni came top of her class, he successfully gave up smoking. She says that she does not mind other people smoking, but prefers it if they hide away to do it because she does not want to inhale second-hand smoke. Does her boyfriend smoke? Koni pretended not to know and asked the reporters which boyfriend. She says that she has friends who smoke, but she would not like her boyfriend to smoke.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/26/UL-741932.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 26/05/07]

Sheren Tang Has Lost Money on Investments

Sheren Tang and Monica Chan were guests at the opening of the "Asia International Antiques Expo 2007" and took part in a charity event earlier to raise money for the Pok Oi Hospital. The ladies also worked hard to help sell some ornaments that had been made by some grannies to raise money. Edison Chen and his father Mr Chen were also there with some friends.

Sheren says that she is just an ordinary citizen, so she does not have much money to dabble in antiques, so she was only there to admire the works. Although there is investment value and collectibility in antiques, she finds them far too expensive. Asked if she has invested in property or stocks and shares, she says: "No! In the past I bought an apartment, but it ended up in negative equity and now I just rent my home. I also lost money on shares, so I am afraid now. The most I buy now is food and I keep my money in the bank, but I will be investing in a trust fund soon."

Monica is also an admirer of antiques and once wanted to become an archeologist, but after watching "Raiders of the Lost Ark", she gave up on the idea because she is afraid of insects. As well as antiques, Monica is also interested in diving and she once took part in a relic dive, where they found a Southern Song Dynasty wreck, making her very happy at fulfilling her ambition. She says: "I am happy that I could put my hand out to touch it. The funniest thing was when my friends asked if I had collected any antiquities, but I said that I had nowhere to put it because my diving suit was too tight!" She also found that there were a lot of black objects for sale there and she bought it without knowing what it was. Then her friends cleaned it up and found it to be a silver nugget.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/26/UL-741929.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 26/05/07]

Teresa Mo Turned Down 'Best Selling Secrets' But Does Not Rule out Return to TVB

Teresa Mo was interviewed on a radio show yesterday and she revealed that last year, she had been approached by TVB executive Catherine Tsang to take a part in the sitcom "Best Selling Secrets" to play the role now taken by Esther Kwan. At first when she heard about the solid cast and crew, Teresa was keen to take part and wanted to accept, but after some serious consideration, she was worried that the time would be too long and affect her family, so she turned it down. With the series pulling in some good ratings and Esther's role doing so well, Teresa can't help feeling she has lost out on a great opportunity.

Teresa says that she really wanted to accept when she was approached by Catherine, but for sitcoms, the filming schedule is from early in the morning until 10pm at night and after hearing the horror stories from Lawrence Cheng, who had just finished with "Welcome to the House", Teresa was put off by this. After discussing this with her husband, she was worried that this would break up her family, so she sent an SMS to Catherine turning down the offer.

Although she could not take a role in this production, Teresa says that if she meets with a good script, then she does not rule out taking on a 20-episode series.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/26/UL-741928.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 26/05/07]

Stephen Chan Presents Dai Kai with $12,000 Abalone

'Dai Kai' Lee Si Kei was the latest guest on TVB General Manager Stephen Chan's chat show "Be My Guest" yesterday, where he presented her with two pairs of glasses and an abalone worth $12,000. This abalone has been specially treated, so you only need to steam it for 20 minutes before you can eat it. Stephen was very thoughtful and also presented her with a pot and indicated that this is the most expensive gift he has presented on his show.

Stephen feels that 'Dai Kai' has been very popular recently, so he has invited Si Kei to be his guest this time. So has she taken the opportunity to ask for a pay rise? He smiles that this is a commercial secret and that he is bringing 'Dai Kai' back to life for this show. Stephen says he is an avid supporter of "Heart of Greed" and he had expected this show to do well beforehand. He syas that some of his friends from political circles has spoken to him about storylines from the show and even those such as Winnie Yu who do not usually watch the show have asked him for tapes of the previously aired episodes so they could catch up.

When Si Kei found out the price of her South African abalone, she let out a 'wow' and was very happy. Si Kei says that many years ago, she was invited to an abalone meal and she had a very large abalone about the same size as the one that Stephen presented her with. Will she be asking for a pay rise in her meeting with an executive? She says that this is not the right occasion, but she might raise it later.

It turns out that when Si Kei was ill, she was interviewed on the radio by Stephen and this time there is nothing she will not talk about. In the past, many of his guests have been moved to tears, but she laughs that she has never tried this and has never watched the show, but she feels that letting emotions flow is a good thing because we are all only human. In the past she did watch a clip of Gigi Leung crying and she understood that when a girl suffers a lot of stress and pain, then this is often the best way of letting things out.

Si Kei says that her biggest pressure is worrying about her health. Yesterday, she was suffering from a severe headache, maybe caused by a cold. She says that if her health is good, then there are a lot of things she wants to do because when she was young, she had a few jobs and was constantly working, so now she is older, she has more ailments and has to find ways of helping herself. She also adds that thanks to the effect of 'Dai Kai', this year she has had the most interviews ever and she has to take 'well voice tea' before she can do the interviews. So would she like to be a host? She says blankly that she is not interested.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/26/UL-741935.htm

[Ta Kung Pao & The Sun25/05/06]

Ron, Sammul & Tavia "On the First Beat"

New series "On the First Beat" will be airing after the finale of "Heart of Greed" and the cast members held a promotional event at a Ho Man Tin secondary school yesterday. However, some of the more senior members of the cast such as the heavily rumoured Michael Tao and Sonija Kwok and guest star Joey Yung were noticeably absent and it was left to the younger leads Ron Ng, Sammul Chan and Tavia Yeung to hold the fort, together with Yan Ng and Rocky Cheng. However, they were all unafraid of being affected by the earlier reports about Michael's divorce and were full of confident for the show.

With three of the leads missing from the event, producer Wong Wai Sing indicates that Sonija is on vacation until July, so she will not be taking part in any of the promotions and Michael is currently in Japan filming on location for "Harmony Taste & Passion" and will not be back in Hong Kong until 9th June, when he will take part in the later events. Joey is too busy at the moment, but she will be at the promotional event on Tuesday. Asked if he is worried that this will affect the ratings, he says that the audience is only interested in the show and not necessarily in whether the stars appear at events. He is currently producing another show "Cold Encounters of the Third Kind", but female lead Toby Leung was admitted to hospital with fever and vomiting. Wong says that Toby was discharged earlier and will be returning to work today and this has not affected progress because they had skipped ahead to scenes that did not include her.

Ron is not worried that "First" is following on from the hit series "Heart" and says: "I am confident in this series because last time it was about our training as a cadet and this time it tells of how the cadets are out on the job. There are also more scenes of training at the PTU and also rioting scenes, so the content is much more interesting than the first series." Ron will be heading out to Chengdu to film a joint production between a mainland and Taiwanese company, where he plays a wine producer. He plans to be there for two months before heading back to Hong Kong to film for "The Four Great Constables". As he does not want to affect the schedules for "Four", then he will be rushing his filming in China for the next two months and therefore he will not be able to attend any more promotions for "First".

Tavia has been busy promoting both "Heart" and "First" and she smiles that if she had a fee for these promotions she would be rich. With two series being aired back to back, she is pleased that this has brought her more stage performances and made her some extra money and she hopes to reward herself with a new car. Does she feel any pressure with "First" being released so soon after "Heart"? She says:"I am confident in the new series, because there are a lot of new cast members and after the hype of "Heart", then the ratings should continue to be good. (Are you not worried about the negative rumours surrounding Michael and Sonija?) No, rumours are not real and they will actually help bring focus on the series. The viewers want to watch the drama and not the gossip."

Sammul has just returned from Thailand and it has been two or three years since he last visited Bangkok, so he joined a few friends on a trip there. One night in a bar, when they were going to the toilet, they passed three girls and one of them turned round and pinched Sammul on the buttock. He was rather shocked, but by the time he had realised this, they had gone into the ladies and he was left helpless. Sammul says that he was not angry: "It's okay for a man to be pinched on the bum, it is only used for sitting on and is not an important area. (So what if they had pinched one of those areas?) Of course I would protect myself then! At the first opportunity!" On this trip, Sammul met with many Hong Kong tourists and was asked to be photographed by many 'aunties'.

Sammul was sporting a bit of stubble and a shaved head at the event and he explains that it is just for fun and for no real reason. Asked if he has any expectations for "First", he smiles: "I feel that this time it will be even better than last time because there are some evacuation and riot scenes in there. Also with new cast members such as Joey and Yan Ng, then I am confident in ratings and hope that we can have a 'cadet's blog'."

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/25/UL-741385.htm
http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/25/UL-741384.htm
http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070525/20070524234929_0000.html



[Ta Kung Pao 25/05/07]

Fala Chen Makes Money From Recent Popularity

Fala Chen and Lisa S were guest models for a shoe company earlier and they walked down the catwalk in the season's latest designs. Fala says that she has many pairs of shoes at home because every time she sees a pair that she likes, then she will buy them. Some she has only worn once or twice and then put them aside, so she then gives then away to her mother or her friends. At the moment she has about 50 pairs of shoes at home and although it is already too many, she still buys one or two pairs a month.

In choosing her footwear, Fala feels that comfort is the most important and she found a pair of 5 inch heels at the event that were extremely comfortable and did not make her feet as tired as other heels. When she was in America, she would often frequent this particular shoe shop, so she was very excited when she found that she could buy them in Hong Kong as well. Talking of the popularity of her series "Heart of Greed" spreading to each of the cast members and bringing them opporutunities to make some extra money, Fala admits that she has benefitted from the extra work of late and she will make the most of it before she has to start filming again for new series "Golden Destiny".

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/25/UL-741386.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 25/05/07]

Yoyo Mung Doesn't Mind being Mistress or Villain

The 'Home and Living Expo Room' at HITEC (Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre) at Kowloon Bay was opened yesterday by Hopewell Managing Director Mr Thomas Wu and a group of celebrity guests including Yoyo Mung, Eunis Chan, Isabella Kau, David Ki and Mr & Mrs Chau Kai Bong.

Yoyo indicated that she loves buying furniture and loves to select some favourite pieces at her leisure. She smiles that it has been four years since she moved into her current home, but has still not found a dinner table to her liking. She says she has found one during her travels abroad, but the import procedure was complicated and she is worried about ordering off the internet, so she would rather buy it directly from the manufacturer. Talking of recent rumours that she was originally cast to play Sheung Joi Sum in "Heart of Greed", but was then cast in the mistress character of Sui Mak Mak after the show started filming, Yoyo denies this saying that she had confirmed to play Sui Mak Mak before the show started filming. Asked if she was worried about being hated by the audience, she says she does not mind at all because she was clear about the moral background to the character when the producer first offered her the part. As an artiste, she feels she should try any role to truly understand the breadth of her talents. When her good friend Lai Lok Yi pointed out to her that she was being hated universally, she did not mind at all and hopes that she can play a villain in her next role. Has Ekin been watching the show? Yoyo says that she has not been in Hong Kong recently, so she does not know whether Ekin has been watching.

Eunis likes to give her old furniture to her sister and then buy new items for herself and she will spend the most money on beds. As she is tall, she has been used to sleeping in large beds since she was young and she had to order a special 7 foot bed that she sleeps in now. She smiles that she has to sleep 8 hours a day, so she feels that selecting a comfortable bed will help keep her beautiful and healthy.

Joey Meng was also at the event yesterday as an opening guest for one of the exhibitors and she idnicates that in the past two years, she has been a full time housewife and she is really enjoying life. When she feels like it, she has been taking on the odd stage show appearance and maybe she will return to film series if she has the opportunity.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/25/UL-741392.htm



[The Sun 25/05/07]

Moses Chan says 'Knitting Bernice' is Cute

Moses Chan, Linda Chung and other cast members from "Jewel's Splendor" were spotted at Hong Kong airport earlier as they prepared to set off to France to film on location. As Moses is currently appearing in the hit series "Heart of Greed", many fans called out his character's nickname 'Dak Dak Dei' and pulled him over for photos. Some female fans even asked for a hug. He says that they will be in France for at least two weeks and hopes to try the local Bordeaux red wine.

As for the recent reports that rumoured girlfriend Bernice Liu will be knitting him a jumper, Moses smiles sweetly and says: "That cover is very sweet! Great promotion!" Asked if he will be building a love nest with Bernice, he says: "The news about my apartment broke ages ago. It is just an investment." Linda says that she will be rushing back for a "Heart" promotion, so she will only be in France for two days and she reveals that she will be taking the crew out to karaoke when she returns together with Raymond Lam.

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070525/20070524234719_0000.html



[The Sun 25/05/07]

Linda Chung had Secret Crush on her Senior for 5 Years

Linda Chung's character Sheung Joi Sum in "Heart of Greed" is actually very similar to her in real life because as well as being very careful with money, Linda is also very faithful with her love and she reveals that also had a secret crush on a senior at school for five years!

Linda is well known to be very careful with her money, so in "Heart", she is really playing herself in the role and she admits her personality and outlook on love is very similar to Sheung Joi Sum. Asked who is more careful, Linda says: "I feel that Sheung Joi Sum is more careful. I will spend when I need to and not at all like the reports that suggest I just spend $20 a day. I am not as bad as Sheung Joi Sum."

Linda reveals that she spend four or five years at school harbouring a crush on a boy in an upper year, in the same way that Sheung Joi Sum did on Ching Leung (Raymond Lam's character) in the show. However, although she is faithful, she can also be very carefree with love and will not put her heart and soul into it. If she finds a third party in the relationship, then she will definitely split up with him and will not keep harbouring feelings like her character does in the show.

In the series, she becomes entwined in relationships between Ching Leung and 'Dak Dak Dei' (Moses Chan) and Linda says that in real life, she would probably still choose Ching Leung: "Love is all about instinct and Ching Leung was love at first sight, whereas with Dak Dak Dei, it was a love that grew from sympathy."

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070525/20070525000210_0000.html



[The Sun 25/05/07]

Esther Kwan Back to Pre-Pregnancy Figure

Esther Kwan shot an ad for her slimming company sponsors yesterday and she reveals that her weight is back to 105 lbs, where she was before she became pregnant. "I have not been dieting and sometimes I will use the machines and have facials. At my peak, I was about 120 lbs, then I took slimming pills, but after a week I stopped because the side effects were affecting my heartbeat." She plans to take up yoga and Taichi soon to keep fit.

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070525/20070524234959_0000.html



[The Sun 25/05/07]

Idy Chan Turns Down Charity Tango Act

Idy Chan took part in a charity walk event at the Peak yesterday and asked whether she would be performing a tango for the fundraising show, she shook her head and said: "No! It's too close, I don't want there to be any physical contact." With her recent rise in appearances, she denies that she plans a comeback, explaining that she never retired from the industry in the first place! She says that TVB are negotiating with her to return and film a series, but nothing has been confirmed as yet.

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070525/20070524235020_0000.html



[The Sun 25/05/07]

Halina Tam Holds Back Tears Trying on Wedding Gown

Halina Tam and insurance hero fiance Eric dated for just a year before they announced their plans t marry and the happy couple were discovered trying on their wedding outfits at a studio yesterday. However, as Halina's beloved pet dog has just died, she was holding back the tears and her sadness.

Having revealed her marriage plans earlier, Halina and Eric attended a studio in Tsimshatsui to try on their wedding gowns. Treated as VIP's throughout, the bride-to-be tried on a number of outfits, whilst Eric tried on some tailed jackets. They showed off their loving as Eric often brushed his fiancee's hair and even asked the assistants to play the Miss Hong Kong theme tune when Halina tried on the tiaras.

Halina reveals that their wedding will take place on 11th September at the Intercontinental Hotel, with a 45 table banquet. She also says that they met a year ago at a friend's birthday party. Asked if she minded the nickname 'Miss Hong Kong Killer' that he has been given, Halina said she did not mind at all: "He has told me all about it and it is in the past."

However, Halina was a little upset yesterday because her beloved 'daughter' Lulu died of cancer yesterday morning. She says her pet had had an operation, but the wound did not heal and so she regretted putting her pet through two days of agony instead of letting her go peacefully. Halina feels that maybe Lulu knew she would be busy with her wedding preparations so she chose to depart a little earlier.

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070525/20070524234817_0000.html

[Ta Kung Pao 24/05/07]

Bernice Liu & Michael Miu at 'Pirates 3' Premiere

Bernice Liu appeared at the premiere for "Pirates of the Caribbean 3 : At World's End" held at Disneyland Hong Kong as an opening guest. The film was shown in its high-definition format and Bernice appeared in a period costume, which was rather conservative in design. She explains that the costume was provided by the organisers and as this is a Disney film, then it cannot be too sexy. She says that she thought she would be wearing in outfit similar to the female lead Keira Knightley.

Asked why she has been invited to be the guest at this event, Bernice says that maybe because she was the first to hold a birthday party at Disneyland after it was opened, where she was presented with a giant Mickey Mouse, so this year they presented her with a Minnie Mouse instead. During her introduction to the achievements of the "Pirates" films, Bernice misread some of the words in her lines and asked if she was too busy dressing up and not learning her lines properly, Bernice denies this and says she was just too nervous on the stage. Asked whether her fee was a five or a six figure sum, she smiled that if it is five, she is satisfied, but if it is six, she would be even happier.

With rumoured boyfriend Moses Chan having been linked recently with Linda Chung and Ada Choi in gossip, there have been reports that she has been trying to win him back by knitting him a jumper. Bernice says that she had learned to knit a scarf in the past, but this time she is learning to knit a jumper. So will she be giving her loving creation to Moses? She smiles that she is knitting a unisex design that is only one size. When the reporters suggest that Moses would be very happy to receive this as a gift, Bernice smiles that this is her first one, so of course she will give it to her parents and it depends how it turns out when it is finished.

Also at the premiere was Michael Miu and his family because his son and daughter wanted to watch the film and he wanted to watch Chow Yun Fat's performance. Michael says that if he had the opportunity to act in this film, he would like to have Chow's role and after watching the first two films and knowing that Johnny Depp's character is an immortal being, there is nothing fresh any more.

The film collaboration between four of the 'Tigers' entitled "Brothers" will be filming on location in Thailand at the end of the month. In the film, Eason Chan will be playing Michael's younger brother, Felix Wong and Ken Tong will be members of a triad family and Andy Lau will play a cop, whilst mainland actress Huang Yi will be the female lead. With Tony Leung being the missing tiger in this film, Michael explains that when Andy opened filming for this movie, he had not planned a role for Tony because of the clash of characters and also because of Tony's expensive fee and lack of schedule time. Michael says that he hopes for the five tigers to be reunited once again, but he does not know whether Tony wants this. However, there will be chance to work together again in the future and it is not like the reports in the press where they are enemies.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/24/UL-740867.htm
http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/24/UL-740864.htm

[The Sun 23/05/07]

Filming Delayed as Toby Leung is Admitted to Hospital

Currently busy filming for "Cold Encounters of the Third Kind", Toby Leung was suffering from a fever and sickness as well as aches and pains on Monday and was admitted to hospital for treatment. The doctors felt her symptoms were different from normal colds or gastroenteritis, so she was admitted to administer antibiotics as well as to undergo x-rays and blood tests. She is currently awaiting the results and staying in hospital for observation.

Toby's mother Barbara visited her in hospital yesterday and she revealed that Toby's fever had not yet receded and she felt terrible when she saw her daughter being sick in the toilets all the time. As for the ulcer by her lips, Barbara explained that this was just a spot and not down to poisoning. Although her daughter is busy filming all the time, Barbara indicates that she has had plenty of time to rest and she does not think the illness is down to working too hard, but probably food poisoning instead.

The show's producer Wong Wai Sing indicates that Toby's admission into hospital has left the filming schedules in chaos, so he has has to rearrange the scedhules and is currently working on changing people's rundowns. As Toby's report is not yet out, he does not know when she will be back at wokr, so he will let her recover and there is no need to change the role just yet.

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070523/20070522231233_0000.html


(File Photo)

[The Sun 23/05/07]

Erica Yuen Posts Apology to Stephy in English

Erica Yuen posted an entry in her personal blog recently, in which she commented that Stephy Tang is intellectually lacking. This caused an outcry from Stephy's fans and a temporary closure of the comments section on the blog. In order to avoid being the target of any further attacks, Erica posted an apology to Stephy on her blog on Monday.

Earlier, Erica had commented that for Stephy to claim that she could tell by reading just a few pages whether a book was good or not was an indication of her lacking education and questioned how she could be given the title of 'literary talent'. This caused outrage from Stephy's fans who in turn questioned Erica's authority to criticise others, posting piercing remarks in forums and in her blog comments. The debate fired up as fans and anti-fans discussed who was right and wrong. In order to keep the peace, Erica has decided to post an apology to Stephy and also an explanation for the reasons she wrote her original post.

[The article goes on to explain in Chinese what the post entailed as it is written in English. You can see the post in its original form on Erica's blog: http://ericayuen.blogspot.com/]

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070523/20070522231523_0000.html

[Ta Kung Pao 23/05/07]

Sheren Tang: There are Different Types of Housewife

Sheren Tang was interviewed on a radio show yesterday to promote new show "The Family Link". Sheren says that it was very relaxed filming this series because she did not need to hold back her appetite and was instructed to eat and drink at will. Fortunately she did have a slimming contract, so after the series, she quickly slimmed back down. With the ratings doing quite well in the opening week, even better than "Heart of Greed", Sheren says: "I don't know! Ratings are nothing to do with me, maybe the viewers have been looking forward to this show and we have a lot of housewife fans."

Talking of some reports yesterday that have revealed the entire storyline for the show already, Sheren seemed rather shocked and said she did not know about this. When the reporters asked her to verify the reports, she said: "There are some mistakes, but I can't say where!" Although the story has been revealed, Sheren is not worried about this affecting the viewers enjoyment because the viewers are not tuning in just for the story, but also the portrayal by the artistes.

There have been criticisms from netizens that Sheren is less housewife-like compared to Kiki Sheung and she says: "There are many different types of housewife and you should not limit yourself. What is a housewife? There are plenty who are like Cecilia and like to pretty themselves up." As for the suggestions of copying American show "Desperate Housewives", Sheren says that she has watched that show and the director told her to watch it to start with in the hope it would give her a concept. However, when she saw the script for "Family", she found it to be on a completely different level and she does not feel that there is much similarity.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/23/UL-740348.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 23/05/07]

"Heart of Greed" Sketch in Aid of Community Chest

Susanna Kwan, Hacken Lee, Bosco Wong, Carol Cheng, Nat Chan, Fala Chen, Vincy Chan and Vinci Wong took part in the press conference for the forthcoming Community Chest Fundraising Show. To tie in with the recent hype around series "Heart of Greed", Susanna, Fala and Bosco will be acting in a comedic sketch for the show, where instead of fighting over inheritance [Cantonese: 'chaan'], they will be fighting over an orange [Cantonese: 'chaang'] instead. To promote this, the three appeared with a giant orange at yesterday's event. Bosco laughs that as Sai Kai is always talking about 'whipping the corpse' [Cantonese phrase meaning 'not letting the dead rest'], they why not let the directors try it for charity and charge them $50,000 for each lash. Susanna laughs that if it is for charity, she doesn't mind.

The show's producer Ho Siu Wai indicates that they have invited Idy Chan back for this event to help raise money and she will be partnering Nat Chan to maybe re-enact their Tango performance to raise money. When Nat found out that he will be working with Idy, he laughed: "Did she not work with Andy Lau and Chow Yun Fat? If it is just dancing I don't mind, we worked together in EYT a long time ago and I played her elder brother."

Fala Chen will be performing a flexibility act and she says that this act is not easy at all and there are a lot of tricks, but she has only succeeded once after many attempts. In her recent series "The Family Link", she plays a masseuse, so asked why does not perform massage, she smiles: "I would rather do the flexibility act." Her costume for the show is not finished yet so she does not know if it will be sexy, but it should be within limits. Talking about her character developing an STD in the show, is she worried that this will make housewives chase after her? She feels that as an artiste, she should try many different roles and she will do her best for each one.

With the recent rumours of ATV eager to poach TVB's artistes, making TVB step up actions to keep their people, Carol indicates that even though her contract is not up until the end of the year, the company has already extended their contract with her and for quite a long period. As for Vinci, he plans to leave showbiz in order to help his father run their expanding family business, but he insists that he is not going to ATV.

Carol has taken on a few big shows to do recently and says: "I am fulfilling my old contract now. The new contract has been signed and it is quite long. In the past, I would sign a year at a time, but this time it is for a few years which has been rare in recent years. (Is it because of the poaching threat?) I don't know because I am unclear, but I have not thought about leaving. I like my work to have more freedom and TVB do not put much pressure on me. Moreover, after so many years, I know everyone here and it is like a second home. I don't like moving house. (Have they put your pay up with the new contract?) A little!" With the recent return of veteran actors such as Lee Si Kei, is Carol tempted to go back into acting in series? She says she is rather lazy, so would prefer to enjoy life and just choose the work that she likes to do.

Vinci has been in the industry now for 13 years and as his father is expanding his business, then he would like to try his luck in commerce. He says that he is not young any more and it is the right time to change direction. Also with the earlier reports that he was spotted acting intimately with another man, he says he is already numbed to these reports and the misunderstandings arose because he had been drinking. Asked if he is worried about being mistaken for being gay, he indicates that people who know him will know what he is like and he is not afraid of people suspecting anything and he does not need to swear by anything.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/23/UL-740352.htm
http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/23/UL-740351.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 23/05/07]

Sai Kai Susanna Kwan Blames Downloads For Bringing Down Ratings

Sai Kai Susanna Kwan has been busy promoting series "Heart of Greed" recently and was interviewed on a radio show yesterday. She says that she has been too busy recently and has not even had time to watch the series herself, so she does not know the ratings for new show "The Family Link" either.

As for the reaction to "Heart" being great, but not being reflected in the ratings, Susanna says she does not know why but maybe it is because the episodes can be downloaded ahead from the internet, so this is affecting the ratings. However, she feels that ratings are just numbers and as an artiste, she is more concerned about reviews and the audience reactions. Only the company and sponsors will look at ratings. With the strong reactions and criticisms from netizens, is she worried that Sai Kai will affect her image? She says: "I think it will a little. People in the street call me 'Sai Kai', but I hope in my next series, I will not be a villain."

As for the reports published that revealed the storyline for "The Family Link", Susanna feels that with the story being revealed so early, this may affect the attraction of the series, however she believes that this is a quality production and should not be affected too much.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/23/UL-740349.htm

[Ta Kung Pao 21/05/07]

Bosco Will Give Holiday Package to Dad for Father's Day

Bosco Wong sported a fake moustache yesterday for a Father's Day event with Lisa S. As she tried on different types of moustache on him, Lisa laughed that he looks like a hundred year old man, whereas Bosco felt he looked more like a rabbit.

Bosco's parents divorced a long time ago and he lives with his mother, rarely seeing his father, however he still loves both his parents and although his father has re-married, he will still go for dinner with his father sometimes. Bosco says: "I am currently learning to dance in Hong Kong Island and that is where my dad lives, so after my class, I will meet him for dinner." Asked if he will be celebrating Father's Day with his dad, he says that he will be filming for "War of In-Laws" then, so he will be quite busy. He will also be flying out to film in Thailand at the end of May, so he plans to celebrate with his dad after he returns. As well as taking his dad out for dinner, Bosco often buys gifts for his father and this year, he plans to buy him a holiday package for Father's Day, even paying for his dad's other half to go with him. Bosco says: "I had planned to pay for my dad to go to Malaysia or Thailand last year, but it was cancelled because my grandfather died. (Is it hard work looking after two families?) Not really, I have made the money, so it is no problem giving it to them. (Has rumoured girlfriend Myolie Wu met your dad?) No, why would he want to meet my friends. My mum comes to visit me on set, so she has met her."

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/21/UL-739321.htm



[Ta Kung Pao 21/05/07]

Aimee Chan Admits to being a Good Kisser

The annual Mr Hong Kong Contest has started the application process and many men have been attracted to apply. TVB held a promotional event yesterday, supported by Mr Hong Kong winner Francois Huynh, former contestants Larry Chan and Rocky Cheng and Miss Hong Kong winners Aimee Chan, Janet Chow and Koni Lui.

Although the weather was not very good yesterday, the men still braved it to perform their talent acts, including magic, singing and kung fu as they encouraged men to apply. Last year's winner Francois had planned to sing an Eason Chan song, but he brought the wrong music and ended up opting for a French song instead, inviting Aimee and Janet to be his backing singers. Francois indicates he has asked many friends to apply, but they are all worried about parading in swimwear. He thinks back to how awkward he felt, but he says he overcame it gradually and so he hopes to share his experiences with the contestants.

Aimee studied in Canada, so she knows how to speak French and she says that when she was at school, she had a French boyfriend. Talking of Frenchmen, she says they are very refined and gracious, like the men in Hong Kong. They are also famous for French kisses, so has she tried this? Aimee laughed innocently and said: "I don't know what one is, why don't you demonstrate? Kissing is all about how deep your feelings are for the other person. A friend of mine uses their tong to tie a cherry stalk into a knot as a way of training for kissing. It took me 30 seconds to do. (So you are an expert?) Haha, I am okay and have been complimented before." Asked if she has invited anyone to take part in Mr Hong Kong, she says that she had planned to ask her dad to take part because he is handsome and mature, but she thinks he will decline.

http://www.takungpao.com.hk/news/07/05/21/UL-739324.htm



[The Sun 21/05/07]

Fiona Yuen Basks in New Love

At a charity show earlier, Fiona Yuen was quizzed about the news that her ex-boyfriend Thomas Wu has found a new love with Sabrina Chao. She says that she knows Sabrina and is happy for the couple: "They are both the sporty type, so they are well matched! I wish them happiness, even though we cannot be together."

Asked if she has felt jealous of the new romance, Fiona denies this and says: "I am feeling very sweet at the moment." Fiona reveals that although she is apart in different countries with her current boyfriend, she will keep her computer at hand so she can chat with him on the internet. Asked if she is confident that hte relationship will blossom, she says: "Yes, I am."

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070521/20070520234913_0000.html



[The Sun 21/05/07]

'Gigi Lookalike' Ho Ngo Yee Out Shopping with Sister

The Miss Hong Kong Pageant will be taking place in July and early hot favourite Ho Ngo Yee has successfully entered the final 12. At around 4pm on Saturday, she was spotted with sister Gigi, who works as an official commentator for the Jockey Club, out shopping in Tsimshatsui's Miramar Shopping Centre. As there was a yellow rainstorm warning out, they headed to the taxi rank after shopping, but as the heavens opened while they waited, they had to share an umbrella as they walked to another shopping centre. Wearing a light coloured t-shirt and quite heavy make-up, Ngo Yee got a little wet on the way and partially revealed her underwear through her shirt.

The sisters wandered around for a while and visited a costume jewellery shop before going to Harbour City to buy some make-up before having a meal at a Japanese restaurant. When the reporters appraoched her and asked whether she was dieting to prepare for the contest, she said in a friendly manner: "I have not intentionally gone on a diet, but I will eat a little earlier." The two girls then headed out for their taxi.

Gigi attended a horse racing event yesterday and awas introduced by the MC as the prettiest racing commentator. Asked about how her sister is doing, Gigi says: "My sister is at home revising ready for her exams because TVB have urged her to be low profile and it is not right for me to comment before the contest."

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070521/20070520233629_0000.html



[The Sun 21/05/07]

Raymond Lam is Afraid of Girls Offering Themselves

Raymond Lam took part in an Ultraman event yesterday and talking of his three party relationship in the series "Heart of Greed", he says: "I never imagined that the revelation scene would have such high ratings. (Have you been scolded at in the street?) No, actually someone has mentioned that 'Sheung Joi Sum' is a pain. (Have you met any very forthcoming girls like 'Sui Mak Mak'?) Yes, but I will avoid them because I am afraid of girls taking the lead. (In the industry?) Outside. All the girls in the industry are tomboys."

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070521/20070520233342_0000.html



[The Sun 21/05/07]

Angela Tong Too Busy Filming for Sleep

Angela Tong took part in a promotional event yesterday, encouraging children to eat more fruit and she revealed that when she was young, her father had already told her to eat more fruit. She smiles: "He is still like that now and always chops up lots of fruit for me to take to work with me to share with my colleagues, so I am the fruit lady now." Currently busy filming for "Cold Encounters of the Third Kind", Angela has not had much sleep and as her character has a lot of emotional and mood swings, it is very tiring for her.

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070521/20070520233423_0000.html



[The Sun 21/05/07]

Fala Chen Says No to Bosco

Wearing a tube top and a short skirt, Fala Chen sported a catwoman look for a gaming promotion in a mall yesterday and demonstrated the game, but indicated that she does not want a boyfriend who is too absorbed in gaming: "I used to have a boyfriend who loved playing games, but he did not take it too far. If my future boyfriend is too addicted to gaming, then it will not last. (Would you split up over a game?) It depends if we argue over it." She insists that she is currently single, but she has many pursuits and she reveals her criteria for a boyfriend is the right feling and good looks. Asked if rumoured boyfriend Bosco Wong falls into this criteria, she immediately closed the door and said: "No, there is no need. (Are you telling him not to waste his time?) Absolutely no way!"

With a career of supporting roles so far, Fala has taken a step upwards in new forthcoming series "Golden Destiny" where she will take a main lead, playing a very ambitious woman who wants to marry into a rich family, working with Steven Ma, Linda Chung and Raymond Cho. Kent Cheng will also be returning to TVB for this series.

Linda took part in the latest episode of "Starry Kitchen" earlier and she cooked 'Lotus Root Scented Beef'. She says that she is quite traditional and feels women should be able to do well in the kitchen and smiles: "I am prepared to go into the kitchen, why don't you consider me?"

http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070521/20070520232658_0000.html

[Extracts from Apple Daily 20/03/07 - Posted on Bowaikit Fan Blog entry]
(Summary & Translation by Em@TVBspace)

Bo Wai Kit - Dedicated to TV, Following in the Footsteps of Ho Kwok Wing

When you think of a non-Chinese actor who can speak fluent Cantonese, then apart from Ho Kwok Wing (Gregory Rivers) and Kiu Bo Bo (Gill Mohindepaul Singh), then recently there is a new face on the scene and that is Bo Wai Kit (Brian Burrell), who plays the husband of Angela Tong in new TVB sitcom "Best Selling Secrets". He is a true enthusiast of Chinese Culture and seven years ago, he gave up a highly paid job to become a full time actor and realise his dream of becoming an artiste. In this interview, Brian imitated the actions of SAR Chief Executive Donald Tsang during his re-election campaign and wrote down on a piece of paper in Chinese the words: "I will do this job well", pledging to bring enjoyment to the viewers. Although he could not remember some of the words and had to ask for help from the reporter, his writing was very neat and worthy of praise.

In the show, Brian plays a creative director for an advertising company, who is married to Angela Tong's character. Able to speak fluently in Cantonese, he arrived in Hong Kong in 1995 to teach English and after just a year and a half, he had grown affectionate towards this place. Afterwards, he returned to America to study a degree in Chinese Literature and Putonghua before deciding in 1999 to cross the waters and put his Chinese language abilities to good use.

Giving up $70,000 Salary

Currently aged 34, Brian indicates that in 1995, he watched the performance of Ho Kwok Wing on the television and was deeply inspired by him, raising his great interest in the performing arts: "At the time, I said to myself that in the future, I will be a second Ho Kwok Wing." In order to reach this goal, Brian worked hard to perfect his Cantonese whilst working in a highly paid IT job and took on a number of roles as an extra. He says: "I know that I am a 'gwailo' (Caucasian) and my appearance limits me to certain roles and there will not be a chance for me to be a lead, but I am not entering the industry to become a star, I just like acting a lot and I hope to bring enjoyment to the audience."

In order to put his focus into his performance, in 2000, he gave up his IT job, which was earning him $60,000-$70,000 a month and decided to become a full time extra: "Working as an extra meant that your income was very unstable and in one month, I only earned $5000, so after paying my rent, I only had $2000 to spend for the month. My life was quite hard then and I could only eat cup noodles and bread, but it did not shake my determination. Fortunately, I had a lot of good friends by my side to support me and when I did not have any money or work, they would help me and buy me dinner."

Being Led by Ho Kwok Wing

Having been affected and inspired by Ho Kwok Wing, then he shows his gratitude after receiving this opportunity to appear in "Best Selling Secrets" from Ho Kwok Wing. He explains: "I have heard that when TVB were originally casting this show, their first choice for the role was Ho Kwok Wing, but at the time, he was busy with his musical production, so he suggested me to the company. He said that he did not want TVB to just have one Caucasian actor, so the company gave me this opportunity. The happiest thing for me was that they even signed me on as a contracted artiste."

Brian is paired up with Angela in the show and he says: "After only a few episodes were aired, when I went out people would be calling me by my character's name 'Wai Yat'. Although they may not know my real name, for them to remember my character has already given me a great satisfaction and it proves they have an impression of me."

For his performance in the show, Brian gives himself 60-70% and explains: "I have watched the tapes and I feel I am still quite stiff. I will continue to improve and do my very best." Brian plans to perfect his acting and then move into direction. He says: "I think after I have gained 10 years of acting experience, then I will have the chance to move behind the scenes and experience a taste of being a director."

Thanks to Efforts of Girlfriend

For Brian's Cantonese to improve so rapidly, much of this is thanks to the efforts of his girlfriend. He says: "All my girlfriends have been from Hong Kong and they have all lost out to me because their English has not improved, but I have had more opportunities to speak Cantonese. Now I don't like speaking in English so much and I feel that I can convey my feelings more truly in Cantonese."

Mini Profile:
English Name: Brian Thomas Burrell
Birthday: 23rd March
Hometown: Salt Lake City, USA
Height: 6 ft 2
Interests: Acting, Guitar, Karaoke
Education: Major - Chinese Literature/Asian Studies (Graduated 1999)

http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/news/bowaikit/3/1284531133/20070419232801/#centerFlag
Photo from TVB.com

Em's Note: After watching Brian's performance in 'Best Selling Secrets', I find him to have a lot of potential as an actor and in many ways a lot easier and more comfortable to watch than Ho Kwok Wing. I think he has done very well to break into the difficult world of TVB and I look forward to seeing him in more productions in the future.

If you're interested in finding out more about him, visit his thread at the Official TVB Best Selling Secrets Forum - http://forum.tvb.com/drama/best_selling_secrets/26/1.htm where he sometimes goes on to chat with fans (and in English too).