Top 10 TVB Artists of 2011

Every year, Next Magazine holds an awards presentation.  The main component is the list of top 10 TV artists for that year.  The results have recently released, which is why I have decided to put together my own list.  The results are based off on the whole 2011 year, and does not include series that started airing in 2012.  These artists have been picked based on onscreen performance (i.e. notable performances in actual series) as well as offscreen performance (work ethics, personality, improvements, etc).

#10 - Steven Ma
2011 was a year full of ups and downs for the well respected and gentlemanly Steven Ma.   His series "7 Days in Life" was moderately well received, but like most of his series, aired at a bad time slot.  For the first time, his ancient series "The Life and Times of a Sentinel" was able to snag the "golden" time slot as it aired during the summer.  Known as one of TVB's most loyal artists, Steven's career took an unexpected turn when he shocked and saddened many by announcing he would be leaving the TV company after 18 years of hard work with little recognition. In an effort to get him to stay, TVB executives offered to give him the Best Actor award. No longer interested in awards and just wanting to peacefully leave the company and start a new life in China, a tired and worn looking Steven refused and put his effort into filming his final TVB series, "Daddy Good Deeds" and hosting variety show "Book of Words". Steven worked hard this year as well as all the other years he worked for TVB, and deserves a fresh start and success elsewhere.  However, he will definitely be missed.

#9 - Raymond Wong
Raymond may have played second fiddle to Ruco Chan in "The Other Truth", but ended the year with a bang with his captivating portrayal of lead character "Tung Book Sin" in the unexpected big hit "Bottled Passion". His performance was met with critical acclaim and gained him even more fans, securing his status as lead actor. Fans on JayneStars.com even voted him as the Best Actor of 2011 over Kevin Cheng!

#8 - Nancy Wu
Known for her solid and interesting performances in supporting roles, Nancy delivered a breakthrough in the role of the lawyer "Eva Chow" in "Forensic Heroes 3".  Despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, she maximized the screen time she had and left viewers with a deep impression.  Nancy's performance was met with praise and she became the "black horse" candidate for the race for Best Supporting Actress, making it into the top 5.  This year looks like it will be an even brighter one for Nancy.  Will she finally be boosted up to lead actress status?

#7 - Sharon Chan
Viewers only saw Sharon once in the whole year of 2011.  However, with a role like "Ho Lai Ching" in "Ghetto Justice", that was all she needed to make an impact.  Portraying a pitiable and well meaning prostitute, Sharon became one of the most successful breakthroughs of the year.  Her portrayal of "Ho Lai Ching" did not come without hardship, as she broke her collarbone while filming and spent many months recovering.  Instead of giving up, she toughed out the rough filming conditions that came with the character.  Deservingly and not surprisingly, she took home the Best Supporting Actress, after years of unappreciated and overlooked hard work.

#6 - Linda Chung
"Yes Sir, Sorry Sir" may have failed to boost the careers of Moses Chan, Tavia Yeung, and Ron Ng, but unexpectedly generated a huge amount of press coverage for Linda's "Ms. Cool", who was only playing a supporting character.  "Ms. Cool" was so successful and loved that a spin off series for the character was filmed.  In one of the year's biggest shockers of the year, Linda did not take home the "My Favorite Female Character" award despite predictions and buzz.  However, I think having an entire spin off series based off the character is enough to make up for it!

#5 - Kate Tsui
2011 was an extremely busy year for Kate.  She graced television screens in Hong Kong almost all year round, with six of her series aired (including the previously warehoused "A Great Way to Care" and mini series "Dropping By Cloud Nine").  Her partnership with Bosco in "Lives of Omission" was the most talked about on screen couple of the year.  What made 2011 a great year for the actress though, was the improvements made in her acting.  She appeared much more natural and even cute in "Forensic Heroes III", while still retaining the fierceness and power that makes her, well...Kate Tsui.

#4 - Bosco Wong
Bosco seems to have been demoted to second male lead lately, but this didn't stop him from achieving even more popularity and praise.  His performance as gangster "Michael/Bai Co" in "Lives of Omission" was critically acclaimed and generated a lot of buzz.  Despite only being second lead, he emerged as the black horse candidate for Best Actor as well as My Favorite Male Character, competing against co-star Michael Tse, "Laughing Gor" himself.  Some even noted that Bosco out shined Michael.  It seems being demoted to second lead has only made Bosco more likable and popular!

#3 - Kevin Cheng
As an actor who was starting to be more known for his good looks than acting, portraying the role of "Law Ba" in "Ghetto Justice" gave Kevin the career push he needed.  Usually appearing uncomfortable onscreen and even somewhat wooden, Kevin successfully emerged himself in the unique role of "Law Ba".  It seems that 2011 was not only the year his career was resurrected, but also the year he learned to be more laid back and not take himself so seriously.  The result?  A much more likable and charming Kevin.

#2 - Myolie Wu
Myolie has always been the young TVB actress with the most versatility and skill, but recent years had her plagued with undeserved criticism for weak roles.  This was the year she finally fought back and won over viewers again.  "The Rippling Blossom", "Curse of the Royal Harem", and the sleeper hit "Ghetto Justice" all did well and gave Myolie much praise.  She won Best Actress for "Curse", making her the first rising "fa dan" to win the coveted title.

#1 - Ruco Chan
Ruco may not have won any anniversary awards, but 2011 truly was his year to shine.  After 17 years of hard work in the entertainment industry, 2011 was his break out year.  He won critical acclaim for his first leading role as "Keith Lau" in "The Other Truth".  As a result, he became the new favorite among producers when casting people for their productions, particularly Amy Wong.  In a mere 3 months, he pocketed $500,000 HKD from promotions and functions.  He became the new hot topic and household name in Hong Kong, dominating the tabloids and tvb.com blogs much longer after "The Other Truth" finished airing.  To finish off the year, he won Jaynestar's Sexiest Man Alive poll, beating out Kevin Cheng and Raymond Lam.  With "Ruse of Engagement" to be aired soon and the upcoming "Chok Crew" and "Seaside Love", there's no doubt that 2012 will be an even brighter year for Ruco.  He has secured his status as leading actor, and there's no kicking him out.

In my opinion, these are the 10 artists in 2011 that stood out in particular.  They all exhibited something outstanding and made great accomplishments.  We are four months into 2012, so it will be interesting to see what they will be able to accomplish with the remainder of the year.

What are your thoughts?  Who do you think stood out this year?  Comment with your own top 10!

"Forensic Heroes 3" Review

Watch with low expectations and an open mind.  By doing so, this reboot of the beloved franchise can actually be very enjoyable and relaxing to watch.  While not extraordinary by any means, "Forensic Heroes 3" is one of the standouts of 2011 for its decent entertainment value and great cast.

Characters and Cast Performances


A reboot of such a loved series with a new cast and characters could've been a disaster.  However, TVB was able to assemble a great cast that worked extremely well together.  Nevertheless, I wish they had just given it a different name.  By carrying the "Forensic Heroes" name, it angered and turned away (close minded) fans of the first two and ended chances of another installment with the original cast.

Wayne Lai - Pro Sir
Good actor, solid performance, but flat character with not much substance.  Pro Sir was likable, but more could've been done with him.  However, I enjoyed the scenes with his family (played by Yuen Wah and talented child actress Moon Chan).

Maggie Cheung - Mandy Chung
Finally, a character and performance from Maggie I can actually consider a good comeback!  Having been the original choice to play Yoyo Mung's character in the first "Forensic Heroes", it was nice to TVB to invite her to replace Charmaine Sheh.  This worked out well, as Maggie did a solid job portraying Mandy's professional as well as off-work side.

Kate Tsui - Ada Ling
Is it unrealistic for a senior inspector to curl her hair every morning?  Yes.  But you have to cut Kate some slack as it is TVB's wardrobe and hair and make up department that dictates artiste's look for the series.  For whatever reason, they always make Kate look most feminine when she's playing a cop.  How contradicting.  I can't deny that she looks very pretty and stylish here.  Loved her hair and clothes!  In the time where the young people are taking over TVB, I was able to overlook how oddly young Kate and Ron were to be senior inspectors.

Appearance and casting decisions aside, Kate was cute and fierce as a tough and smart cop.  Her reactions to Ko Sir's pursuit of her were too hilarious and adorable.  Her acting has become a lot more convincing and gradually becoming more natural.

Ron Ng - Wind
"Wind" is Ron's worst role in years.  The character was boring, undeveloped, and had very little screen time.  Even Edwin had more to do than him!  Ron has improved so much as an actor, but hasn't been able to show it for a while.

Edwin Siu - Ken Ho
I know Edwin's acting has vastly improved since his return to TVB, but his performance as "Ken" justifies it.  He is cute, lively, and extremely likable.  However, it was his acting in the finale that blew me away.  His emotional and crying scenes were superb and he definitely should've been nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Most Improved.  Happy to see TVB is promoting him and am looking forward to seeing him in more major roles.

Aimee Chan - Angel Chiang
Her accent is still strong but it was funny how everybody poked fun at her for being an "ABC".

Ruco Chan - Jim Fong
A huge step down from "Keith" as "Jim" lacked substance, but he was still likable and charming as always.

Nancy Wu - Eva Chow
What a refreshing and different role for Nancy!  She was superb as the driven and capable lawyer.  Although she had a strong desire to win cases at all costs, she was proven to still be human.

Character Dynamics


Wayne and Maggie's relationship was subtle and sweet.  It was too obvious how compatible they were from the beginning.

Despite the age differences and appearance incompatibility, Wayne&Nancy and Maggie&Ruco's relationship as well as Maggie and Kate's friendship were all convincing and enjoyable to watch.  Wayne, Nancy, and their family were fun to watch.   The family's subsequent struggle was sad.

Maggie and Ruco's short lived relationship was sweet.  It was refreshing to see that both consistently acted like the mature and logical adults they were, right down to their break up.  This made it very easy to watch them.

Kate and Maggie were a great representation of modern career women who are best friends.  They look so incompatible appearance wise, but Maggie's professionalism and Kate's ability to get along with her co-stars makes it work well.

Kate and Ron's "brothers to lovers" love story was disappointing. They were cute together and Ron's confession to her on the rooftop was sweet.  Due to Wind's flat characterization, the two's relationship was mostly unfulfilled potential.

Finding the Balance


In the first half of the series, case after case is thrown at you.  There was barely any focus on the characters themselves.  The dominance of the cases in the storyline made me worry it'd go down the road of wasted character potential.  Luckily, it started to slow down and balance cases and relationships in the second half.

The Cases


Decent yet forgettable, and most of them predictable.  As I'm writing this, I've already forgotten most of them.  The first one was extremely predictable, most likely to throw us off that the rest would be as equally predictable.  The cases could've been better, but could've been a lot worse.  The forensics here were less impressive and not as focused on as in the original.

Conclusion


"Forensic Heroes 3" isn't outstanding, but addictive, entertaining, and enjoyable.  Unlike the first two, it branches beyond the field of forensics and has a more diverse cast.  With low expectations, I was able to enjoy FH3 more than almost any other series this year.

Rating: 4 stars

The Next Top Fa Dan

Since TVB's loss of Charmaine Sheh, the TV station has lost their top actress and biggest cash cow.  As a result, they are grooming their current young actresses to take over the spot.  Although they are no longer too interested in one big star, they still want more strong first line actresses.  This post isn't trying to predict who can replace Charmaine Sheh, but rather, analyzing and evaluating who has what it takes to be the most successful actress in TVB overall.

My Top Choice
#1 - Myolie Wu
Favorite character/performance(s): The witty and professional lawyer Wong Sze Fu/Kris in "Ghetto Justice", Ling Ling in "Survivor's Law"

Favorite pairing(s): Myo&Sammul in "When Rules Turn Loose", Myo&Kevin in "Ghetto Justice"
Strength(s): Arguably the most versatile of all the young female actresses currently in TVB, consistently delivers solid performances despite receiving some mediocre roles
Weakness(es): Has been criticized by netizens for her performances in the past

In my opinion, Myolie Wu has what it takes to be the most successful actress in TVB and is the most versatile of today's generation.  In the blink of an eye, she has been in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, and her experience shows.  She was stuck playing weak and mediocre roles for a while, but has since overcome that rut.  Recently, she has been seen portraying a variety of roles that have garnered her praise and won over netizens again such as her roles in "A Chip Off the Old Block", "The Rippling Blossom, and "Ghetto Justice".  She does equally well in both comedy and drama.  Due to having the most consistent success this year, Myolie also has a very high chance of finally taking home the coveted "Best Actress" award.  I haven't started "Curse of the Royal Harem" and think she should've been nominated for "Ghetto Justice", but I still support her.  She has worked so hard and overcome so many obstacles as an actress, it is time for her to shine!

Honorable Mentions

#2 - Kate Tsui

Favorite character/performance(s): The tough yet adorable cop Ling Sin-Yee/Ada in "Forensic Heroes III"
Favorite pairing(s): Kate&Kenneth (in several series), Kate&Roger in "Wax and Wane"
Strength(s): Has determination that has consistently kept her working hard and improving her acting; works well with almost every co-star
Weakness(es): Has trouble portraying good and feminine characters due to her natural air of fierceness, still has many haters who refuse to accept her as an actress

Kate initially received a lot of criticism for being a bad actress, many people going as far as saying she should quit the entertainment industry.  However, she didn't let that criticism get to her and instead made it constructive by becoming determined to continue working hard to improve her acting.  This is why personality-wise, she has what it takes to be a successful actress.  Her narrow eyes give off this glare that can make her look evil, which used to be always present in her past performances.  This year has been a breakthrough for her acting-wise because she has successfully shed that "evil glare", but is still able to use that to her advantage when the time calls for it.  She possesses a natural air of fierceness that no other artiste has, which makes portraying tough and intelligent characters her specialty.  Her one major flaw is her inability to play good and gentle characters like Man Ka Fu/Peace in "Wax and Wane", where she seems tired, most likely from trying so hard to shed that natura air.  However, over time, I believe Kate can become a well-rounded actress.  Until then, she is still one of my favorite TVB artistes due to her determined personality, fighter girl spirit, fierce aura, and improvements in acting!

#3 - Fala Chen


Favorite character/performance(s): Szeto Ngan Ping in "Can't Buy Me Love"
Favorite pairing(s): Fala&Timmy in "The Stew of Life"
Strength(s): Has the widest variety of characters
Weaknesses(es): Fails to create sparks with co-stars on an emotional level

Compared to actresses like Kate, Linda, and Selena, Fala has the widest variety in the characters she plays.  Her acting has improved and she has shown us that she has comedic talent as well.  Fala was my top choice to be the next Charmaine Sheh a couple months ago, but that opinion has changed.  Her emotional scenes themselves are decent, but she has a lot of trouble creating sparks with co-stars on an emotional level.  By that, I mean she appears emotionally detached in romantic scenes.  She portrays lighthearted and sweet chemistry (i.e. she had chemistry with Timmy and Kenneth in the comedies "The Stew of Life" and "Can't Buy Me Love") just fine, yet struggles in going deeper.  Fala does not seem to like working with her on-screen love interests and particularly hates kiss and love scenes.  She avoids them at all costs and usually opts for camera angle tricks whenever possible.  Meanwhile, Kate manages to have chemistry with almost every on-screen love interest and can appear to be both lighthearted and passionate.  I've come to the sad realization that Fala acts well herself, but has not emotionally connected to any of her co-stars in a more dramatic series.

Also, in terms of character specialty, she is the opposite of Kate.  Feminine characters are her strength while tough characters are her weakness.  Of what I saw of "Lives of Omission", Fala was not believable as the tough and strong Madam Jo. This weakness may actually limit her more than Kate's.  In the end, both of these problems will hold her back as a serious actress.

#4 - Tavia Yeung


Favorite character/performance: Suen Ho Yuet in "Moonlight Resonance"
Favorite pairing(s): Tavia&Ruco in "The Other Truth"
Strength(s): Emotional/crying scenes
Weaknesses(s): Lack of variety in roles, has not done comedy

Despite possessing a natural elegance as well as major talent in drama series and emotional scenes, Tavia has been extremely limited in her roles lately.  Does she have the capability to be a lead actress?  Definitely!  But ever since she was promoted to lead actress, she has been restricted to weak and quite frankly, irritating characters that require her to cry way too much.  She has yet to show whether or not she has talent in comedy.  In general, her acting is much better than that of Kate and Fala's, but I question if her exquisite acting stretches beyond drama.  Tavia used to be my favorite TVB actress, but the repetitiveness and unlikability of her recent characters has caused me to no longer be excited to see her onscreen.  She could easily be much higher on this list if she had the opportunity to be more daring in the characters she portrayed.

Other Choices

#5 - Nancy Wu
Favorite character/performance: Hui Man Sze in "Gun Metal Grey", Eva in "Forensic Heroes III"
Favorite pairing(s): Nancy&Vincent in "Gun Metal Grey"
Strength(s): Overall a capable actress; consistently delivers in supporting roles
Weakness(es): Voice is not too pleasant and slightly irritating when she yells/screams

If an actress is truly talented and capable, they will leave a good impression on you no matter what the character they're playing.  This statement applies to Nancy, because while she has played irritating characters in the past ("Bing Bing" in "A Fistful of Stances"), she rarely fails to give a solid performance.  Her one and probably only major drawback in her acting is that her voice is not too pleasant on the ears when she yells and screams.  Maybe it's for this reason that I can not imagine Nancy as a lead actress, even though I absolutely love her.  However, I am pleased to see that she is a second lead in the boxing series with Kevin, Raymond Wong, and Selena Li.  Her character is a deaf and mute professional boxer.  I see another breakthrough for Nancy on the horizon.

#6 - Selena Li
Favorite character/performance(s): Cat Li in "Forensic Heroes II"
Favorite pairing(s): Selena&Kenneth
Strength(s): Does well in ancient series and emotional scenes
Weakness(es): Has a naturally sweet and innocent aura that could hinder her ability to portray evil

Selena is pretty as well as adorable.  Coupled with her solid acting, she is endearing to watch onscreen.  She has also proved she can play spoiled and somewhat conceited characters like in "To Grow With Love" and "The Four" without being too irritating.  She looks beautiful in ancient series and does well in her emotional scenes.  She can make improvements, but has a lot of potential and I hope to see her in more series in bigger roles!

#7 - Linda Chung
Favorite character/performance(s): N/A
Favorite pairing(s): Linda&Steven
Strength(s): Cries well
Weakness(es): Also has a naturally sweet and innocent aura that could hinder her ability to portray evil

Compared to the other potential fa dans, I think Linda has the least chances of becoming a top actress and I've yet to completely warm up to her.  Although she is a decent actress, she also has a naturally sweet and innocent aura like Selena.  However, I think this limits Linda more than Selena as she comes off as even more innocent to me.  This will keep her from portraying a wide variety of characters, especially villains.  However, she does do a very good job with her emotional scenes.

This is my evaluation and personal choices for who has what it takes to be the most successful actress in TVB.  What are your choices and thoughts?

Overworking Artistes?

It's always good to be hardworking and put your best effort into everything you do. Even a little stress can be good at times, as it can make you determined. Overworking yourself is another thing. It can lead to poor health and exhaustion. It can affect your mentality and happiness . Here's a short list of the recent TVB artistes who have overworked or been overworking...

Linda Chung

At the beginning of her entertainment career, Linda was often depressed and would often cry. Who could blame her with all that was suddenly being thrown at her? She was all alone in Hong Kong, with no friends or family beside her. Eventually she grew more popular, leading her to work more and more. During the filming of A Journey Called Life, she broke down. She was stressed and tired from filming two series and a movie. All of her energy was all gone, and her mentality was not in very good shape either. Recently, those days have started to returned. By then, she had started to get insomnia, and lost much sleep. Due to lack of sleep, she was unable to perform her best as well, and Linda deeply regrets that.

Linda's problem lied more with herself and the stress she was getting than from overworking. She was getting too much thrown at her at once and it overwhelmed her. I'm sad to hear that she had gone through such a dark period in her life and that the dark period is coming back. This proves that the entertainment industry isn't just fame and fortune. It is also definitely not the 'easy life.' I'm glad that Linda has gotten a lot of rest this year though, and I'm looking forward to seeing her in A Watchdog's Tale.

Kate Tsui

Kate has recently been going down the 'fighter girl' path. After neglecting her health for 3 months though, she finally collapsed in early August. Kate at the time was working hard on a Mainland movie that was to be filmed in a 3 month period as well. When going to work everyday to film the movie, Kate would have to fight everyday. She would fly up into the air numerous times to do difficult fighting scenes, resulting in numerous bruises. After the movie's filming wrapped up and Kate returned to HK, she felt dizzy and had a fever. Kate's album release and filming of her MV 'Hit Me' was postponed for her to get some rest.

Perhaps the news of Kate working so hard to the point she collapsed was what subdued my dislike for her. While I think she's not a good actress, and mediocre at best, I can't deny her 'fighter girl' attitude. No, I'm not referring to her latest movie. I'm referring more towards how she's battled all the criticism and rumors she's gotten from people and how she just keeps going with what she's doing. Besides, what other pageant winner would've agreed to cut their hair and play a tomboy like Kate did in On the First Beat? The news about Kate collapsing from working made me think about Kate in a new light. I hope she learns to work at a reasonable amount and leave time for her to relax.

Natalie Tong

Natalie is the most recent TVB artiste that I've read about overworking, with the article about it releasing just two weeks ago. Her family is in a lot of debt, and to pay it off, Natalie has been working herself extra hard and accepting as many job opportunities as possible. She has most recently accepted a fighting movie . To earn the money, she has to film many kung fu scenes, leaving Natalie all bruised up with minor injuries.

Natalie is one of my favorite TVB artistes, and I was saddened when reading this. She's suddenly become the breadwinner of her family! This sounds like another family of someone from the entertainment industry spending lots of money because they believe that their family member is 'rich.' In that case, Natalie's family first used her hard earned money, and now Natalie has to earn it back? Poor Natalie, as if she wasn't skinny enough? What's overworking and a kung fu movie going to do to her health and figure?

Ella Koon

Ella has recently received a boost in popularity after an amazing performance of Endless Love. This has led to a chance for her to record an English song with Japanese rapper NYCCA called 'Dare to Be.' As a result, this is leading her to a new high point in her career as a singer, which hasn't been so bright despite having a wonderful voice. However, not long after reaching her career high, Ella has lost her voice. After a hard day of recording in the studio for 12 hours, Ella strained her voice. Her doctor has told her to go easy and rest her voice for 3 months, or else she'll damage her vocal cord. Ella has become worried about her health, and has rejected a couple jobs so that she can heal quickly and continue to sing.

I'm so happy that Ella has been getting more positive exposure and that her singing career has brightened. I was sad to hear that Ella had so quickly started to do more than she could handle. I'm glad that Ella is concerned about her health and is willing to take a rest so that she can be back and better than ever when she recovers!

Now we know that there are artistes that actually take their work seriously, or at least have a heart and conscience. Unfortunately, this has led to quite a scare. Like Bosco said in Burning Flame 3: "No one dies from starvation in Hong Kong. They die from overworking." While that quote was said in a light tone, it is somewhat true. I don't believe that these artistes have overworked themselves to the point their life is in danger, but it still has given everyone quite a scare. This is definitely not the way to work. Above all, health has to be most important. If you aren't healthy, then you can't do anything.

New Feature: TVB In Court

TVB Interaction introduces its second feature, and first satire feature: TVB in Court. Why such a random name? It's because TVB is going to court. Ok, fine, not really. However, what if they did? What kinds of lawsuits would they face? TVB Interaction takes a sarcastic and amusing look at what could possibly happen...

10/24/09
Case #1
Lawsuit- A TVB viewer, Kristen Lee, complains that TVB gives newbies who can't act no proper training and hands them main and first supporting roles.

Kristen Lee - Plaintiff
Producer - Defendant

Judge: Please state your case Ms. Lee.
Kristen: There's something wrong with TVB! They give these pretty-faced pageant winners with no acting experience main and first supporting roles! And they don't even get proper training! Ever heard of acting school? You know, where Tavia Yeung came from?
Judge: Interesting. Defendant, what do you have to say to that?
Producer: It's called on job training, miss.
Kristen: [yells] On job training?!
Judge: No yelling in the court please.
Producer: *smirks* Yes. After all, the best way of learning to do something is putting yourself out there, and doing it. Don't you think, Ms. Lee? [smug expression]
Kristen: *grumbles* Tell that to all the Kate Tsui haters.
Producer: *starts to get annoyed* Every actor or actress is bound to have 'haters.' Not everyone likes Tavia Yeung.
Kristen: At least her haters don't hate her because her acting sucks! You know why? She's a trained actress!
Producer: It's not our fault! Practically none of our artistes have gone to college! You think they'll want to go to an acting school?
Judge: *thinking* They're so loud. Argh, the only reason I decided to become a judge for entertainment related cases was because I thought it'd be easier on me. You don't need half a brain for it. Who would've thought I'd find myself with a headache instead?
Kristen: Then why won't you give more opportunities to those who are trained?
Producer: Like who?! Tavia Yeung?
Kristen: Yeah! And not ten years after they've joined TVB! You didn't even give a second glance at the girl before then!
Producer: Well, she doesn't stand out.
Kristen: Why not? Because she doesn't have a bunch of rumors around her? She doesn't reveal her skin? Doesn't have rumors about dating co-stars?
Producer: Enough about Tavia!
Judge: *clears throat* Again, please no yelling in court.
Kristen: Fine! Then what about the ones that have actually gone to university? Like Mandy Cho? She joined TVB after participating in the pageant and received main roles then left a while after to get a college degree. When she came back a couples years later after graduating, she's only received small supporting roles!
Producer: I believe you're getting off topic.
Kristen: How so?
Producer: You filed a complaint against us because we're supposedly giving main and first supporting roles to pageant winners without giving them proper training. Mandy Cho has taken part in a pageant. Isn't that right, your honor? [smug]
Judge: *moves uncomfortably in seat* Um, yes. That's right.
Kristen: Well while I'm being 'off topic' I'd like to point out that the pageant winners are getting worse and worse each year. What's so special about Leanne Li? She's pretty, but Fala is beautiful! And Tracey Ip? Come on! All these ladies are pretty, but not Miss Hong Kong or Miss Chinese International material.
Producer: *nervously and unsure of what to say* It's what's on the inside that counts?
Judge: *thinking* That's the stupidest excuse I've ever heard.
Kristen: What's on the inside that counts?! What more phonier reason could you give? If it's what's on the inside that counts, then why would you hold pageants every year and judge ladies based on their appearance?
Judge: *thinking* She took the words out of my mouth.
Producer: Well...*stutters*
Judge: *thinking* This guy's an idiot. If I wasn't a judge and have to maintain my attitude, I'd give him a piece of my mind. Or make HIM go to college. But he wouldn't make it in.
Kristen: Speechless, eh?
Judge: *rubs temples* Owie.
Producer: *bursts and starts yelling* Well, what do you expect?! It's more expensive to pay the veterans! It's cheaper to hire the newbies!
Kristen: So you're cheap?
Producer: Course I'm not! TVB's not cheap either! But you gotta do what you gotta do! Everyone's suffering from the poor economy and so are we!
Judge: *thinking* If it were up to me I'd just lay off you.
Kristen: Not necessarily, everyone. If I was suffering from the poor economy as well, how would I have enough money to battle you in this court? [smug face]
Judge: *glances at watch* Speaking of which, your time is almost up. [lying]
Kristen: There's a time limit?
Judge: Um, yeah. New regulation...we haven't added it to the paperwork yet.
Kristen: Well...ok. Do you have a verdict, your honor?
Judge: Uh...yeah.
Producer: *plays with hands silently*
Judge: There is no verdict. This case is ridiculous. *leaves court room without letting Kristen or the producer a chance to reply*

****10 minutes later***
Judge: Boss?
Boss: Yes?
Judge: I quit.

Ok, not the best. Not very funny either. It didn't turn out the way I had hoped. I'm working on trying out different writing styles though. I'll let you guys decide on whether this is good or not. :)

New Feature: "In Their Face" #1

TVB Interaction presents it's first feature: "In Their Face.

Every person has their own personality, as well as their own attitude and more. Now, did you know that you can sometimes tell these things by just looking at them? Of course, you shouldn't simply judge a book by its cover. However, examining specific factors such as their facial features, appearance, and style, we can get a general impression of that person, or the impression they give off.

Please comment and give feedback! I will continue this feature if the response is good. :)



Tavia Yeung

With 10 years of experience with TVB under her belt, she has matured into a fine actress. Her facial features themselves make her appear more mature than her colleagues, despite being around the same age. A certain serenity is seen in her and her eyes. She has elegance, something other twenty something fa dans are usually missing.



Selena Li


One of the prettiest/cutest of the pageant participate bunch, Selena is a wholesome beauty. She is rarely seen revealing large amounts of skin. The sweet smile she loves to wear shows the youth and inner child in her. Her eyes give off a friendly and gentle feeling, which is like her personality in real life.

Kate Tsui

Her narrow shaped eyes give off a "mean" look, which is probably why she's been given villain roles recently. She is aggressive as opposed to Selena's gentleness. Her style and look tells that she is bold and daring in terms of sexuality and life. Kate has defined herself from other 'good girl' fa dans with her personality, attracting more criticism than praise.

Warehoused Series: A Great Way To Care

Cast: Alex Fong, Kate Tsui, Raymond Wong, Elliot Yue, Timmy Hung, Pierre Ngo


Synopsis:

KO LAP YAN (Fong Chung Sun), Senior Psychiatrist of Yan Wo Hospital, is a competent and kind-hearted doctor who specializes in severe schizophrenia and even minor mental illness. YAN cures his patients by not only medication but also by psychological analysis. He diagnoses the cause with reference to the symptoms. The plot is interesting, intricate and extraordinary. The Psychiatrist LIN CHI SUM (Cheung Chi Kwong) and the nurse LI YING CHUN (Wong Ho Yin) are both good friends of YAN. SUM is keen on helping people. He has cured a patient suffering from binge eating disorder SUEN KA PIK (Yeo Vivien). They have overcome a lot of difficulties and become a couple. YAN is a divorced single father with a daughter. After the failed marriage, he did not long for love affairs until he chanced upon an Inspector of Serious Crime Unit MOK MAN YEE (Tsui Tsz Shan, Kate). They have gradually developed their relationship through business contact. However, in order to avoid recurrence of genetic mental disease, YEE detaches her feeling from YAN.

*This series is warehoused because TVB has decided to air previously warehoused series Sweetness in the Salt due to the success of Rosy Business.*

This series does not appeal to me much and I do not plan on watching it, but may anyway just to past the time as my mom intends to watch it soon. The supporting cast is pretty solid and likable, but it is the two main leads that throw me off.

The following below is only MY own opinion, and I do not intend on hurting any 'hypersensitive' fans about my following views of the cast and series.

Unlikable Lead #1:

Alex Fong

I have watched The Building Blocks of Life, and although I do not think of it as a great series, it wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. However, many of the characters annoyed me, and I couldn't 'connect' with any of them. Alex Fong was among the few that annoyed me. I have not seen Alex before, so I will not judge his acting too strongly. However, his performance was frequently dull and boring. Overrall, I do not enjoy watching him on screen.

Unlikable Lead #2:

Kate Tsui

First thing that you learn about me on this blog, is that I do not like Kate. I don't hate her as a person, I do not know about her to do so, but I'm just not fond of her acting. I find that when she is playing a 'good' role, she tries to hard to be cute, and uses a baby voice that annoys me. On the other hand, when she is playing a 'bad' role, she just drives me crazy with how evil her role is. Kate is showing improvements, and I think she'll become a better actress along the way, but I think TVB should not be giving her lead roles so soon. Her first lead role in Speech of Silence had been outshined by the improvements of supporting actress Elaine Yiu. As far as I know, this year, Kate will be main female lead in this series, and overrall main lead in the upcomming The Beauty of the Game. I'm also not sure if she will be able to handle a character that suffers from genetic mental disorder.

TVB is definitely trying to cover every topic and profession in their productions, first immigration, and now mental disorders. This concept can be interesting, depending on how TVB chose to handle it. I hope that the mental disorder concept will not be handled ridiculously, not realistic enough, or overexaggerated. (If it's even possible to 'overexaggerate' being mental...)

I may give this series a chance to see how the story and mental patient plots turn out.