TVB Entertainment News

Michael Tao (陶大宇), Felix Lok (駱應鈞), Jessica Hsuan (宣萱) will be filming new series, The Hiddens (隱世者們) together. Jessica expressed she will be going on a diet due to filming bed scene with Michael who said she hoped him will hug comfortably: "Every female artiste wants to look pretty and she is fitter now compared to filming in the beginning. Anyway, we have no idea about the extent of filming the bed scene and the television industry has a limit. Perhaps she wants me to hug her comfortably and it gives her a motivation to reduce weight. (Any preparation for yourself?) I have reduced weight but a man does not look nice if too skinny. Hence, I will eat some food. (Bed scene is the centre of attraction?) I have experience in such scene and have no pressure at all. I would like to express my gratitude towards Jessica as it means she has trust in me and it should not be a problem as we are experienced artistes."

Michael Tao (陶大宇) was invited to the opening ceremony of the restaurant invested by his old friend, Bobby Au Yeung (歐陽震華) as the guest at Causeway Bay. Michael said: "Earlier, I did invest but feel that there is not much contribution. Although they did not mind, but I withdrew from the investment as it is better to do everything for the business by yourself. I am happy they open it one after another."

Michael continued to say: "I am not a business person and it is better to do my old trade, acting! In end October, I will be acting in series invested by Japan and Malaysia and the cast members include Jessica Hsuan (宣萱), Lawrence Ng (吳啟華) and some Japanese artistes. Lawrence and I are classmates from acting class but it is our first cooperation. Most location shootings is in Hong Kong and some is in Japan. I will not use Japanese to converse but they should find someone to dubbed my voice"

Six days ago, Michael Tao (陶大宇) was filming a food and drink programme. He accepted the interview and talked about acting in the series, The Greed of Man (大時代) and Yammie Nam (藍潔瑛) had the intention to act again. Michael said: "I support her. People definitely need to work and I feel that you should do it when you can. There is no reason to waste the opportunity and time and she had great potential and many developments. Most importantly everyone cherishes her and helps her."

Starting in 1999, Michael Tao (陶大宇) and Kathy Chow (周海媚) collaborated on 3 series while they were at ATV – in those 3 series, the two of them got the chance to play lovers, mother and son, master and servant. These collaborations left a lasting impression on Michael, who playfully expressed that at one point, Kathy kept ‘popping up’ in many of his scenes and almost made him ‘go crazy’. Michael expressed that back in the day, Kathy had to resign from one of the series due to illness, which resulted in Michael having to do a kiss scene with a stunt double instead of with Kathy herself –he had to ‘hypnotize’ himself to pretend that the stunt double was Kathy. When Kathy found out about Michael’s ‘grievance’, she laughingly told him: “Ok, I owe you a kiss scene then – I’ll pay it back to you later!”

MT = Michael Tao
KC = Kathy Chow

KC: Michael, after we collaborated on the 3 series Flaming Brothers《縱橫四海》, To Where He Belongs《縱橫天下》, and Showbiz Tycoon《影城大亨》[at ATV], we did not get the chance to collaborate any more. Afterwards, I shifted my career to Beijing [Mainland China] and in 2008, I attended your birthday party in Shanghai -- we also bumped into each other 2 more times later on during a commercial event. We may not see each other often, but sitting down to chat with you today, the feeling you give me is that you haven’t changed one bit!

MT: That time when I was filming in Shanghai, you just happened to be in the area – thank you for stopping by and giving me birthday greetings. However, it seems that we still somehow lack a bit of affinity – even though we filmed 3 series together, our ‘relationship’ is a bit confusing…in fact, you actually caused me to ‘go crazy’!

KC: Huh…that serious?

MT: Back when we were filming Flaming Brothers, you had to quit after already filming half the series because you became ill, leaving your stunt double to finish filming our scenes with me. The storyline was about me madly pursuing you and there was a lot of deeply emotional dialogue [involved in those scenes], but your stunt double had no clue what was going on and she also had no acting experience, so for all the ‘romance’ scenes, I essentially had to act with myself! The funniest part was when I had to tell your stunt double ‘I love you’ and she responded with ‘1-2-3-4-5’…hahaha! The worst was that I originally had the opportunity to do kiss scenes with you, but in the end, I had to keep convincing myself in my mind that a stunt double was you – now you understand why I ‘went crazy’?

Does not have SLC illness

KC: That time I was not feeling well, but it wasn’t SLC (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) as rumored – from birth, I’ve always had a low blood platelet count in my body, so whenever I bump into anything, I bruise very easily. In fact, I recently hit my head accidentally and the bruise took a long time to heal – luckily I didn’t have to work at the time. Listening to you speak just now, it sounds like I owe you a kiss scene then…haha!

MT: Well, not really. When you were sick back then, all of us were very worried about you. Later on, when we got the chance to collaborate on To Where He Belongs together, I thought we would finally get the chance to pick up where we left off previously – to my surprise though, this time around, you played my mother in the series! When I saw your ‘old lady’ look in the dressing room, I was so scared – I remember I asked you with a shocked expression on my face: ‘What are you doing?’ At the time, I really could not accept it!

KC: Hahahaha! I feel that Wong Jing (王晶) [the series’ scriptwriter] was trying to play a joke on you!

MT: Then when we did Showbiz Tycoon, I was hopeful once again, since I would be playing the boss of a movie production company so it would make sense that I’d have the opportunity to ‘get close’ with the female artists who work for me. But the way my character was written, I played a boss with high standing who only has an attitude of ‘mentoring the next generation’ towards his female artists – it was almost like I was your ‘father’ in a sense, so of course no opportunity for kiss scenes!

Very brave to play ‘mother’ role

KC: My character admired you a lot, but you never had romantic feelings toward me – at most, our relationship was just a little bit ‘ambiguous’. No wonder you said that you felt like going crazy! However, I believe we will have the opportunity to collaborate again in the future. On July 1st, I signed with a new management company [SMI Corporation] and there will be a lot of new developments coming up, so we can talk more at that time – I should definitely have the chance to repay you [the kiss scene]!

MT: I admire you a lot for taking on the ‘mother’ role in To Where He Belongs, as most female artists wouldn’t take such a risk playing that type of role. I remember you telling me at the time that you purposefully took that role because you wanted to challenge yourself – I feel that you’re very brave!

KC: I took the role because I felt the character was very well-written. I was paired with Damien [Lau] (劉松仁) and a lot of the storyline was told via flashback scenes – the script was also very attractive: my character loses her memory and regresses back to having the personality of a little kid. I really wanted to challenge myself with this type of character, so I didn’t mind taking it on. I remember at the time, I would stare at a picture of my mom and constantly think about how to make myself look old.

Dated for 10 years, relationship with boyfriend similar to a ‘married couple’

MT: You really don’t have to worry about looking old, as you’ve taken care of yourself well over the years. I even heard that you’re currently dating someone?

KC: I’ve actually been dating for 10 years already. My boyfriend is 10 years younger than me – he’s an architect whom I met through a friend. In the beginning, my boyfriend was really opposed to me being in the entertainment industry – to be honest, during the first 2 -3 years that we dated, I declined a lot of job offers…true, making money is important, but I can’t let that be the only focus in my life – I don’t want to push myself too hard. In terms of getting married – my boyfriend actually already proposed to me the first few years we started dating, but I’m really not in a hurry, as I don’t want to completely give up my acting career right now. Our relationship is very steady right now and it’s no different than that of a married couple – the only thing missing is the marriage contract. I’m pretty much letting things happen at will – if later on I suddenly feel like getting married, then I’ll do it, but it will definitely be low profile…no need to have a huge ceremony because I’ve filmed way too many wedding scenes in my career and pretty much have already worn every type of wedding dress imaginable.

No problem walking out in the street with no makeup

MT: Since Beijing is already your ‘new home’, what brought you back to Hong Kong this time?

KC: Earlier I did the movie The Yang Female Warriors《楊門女將》and the filming process was extremely exhaustive: we had to film in Inner Mongolia, where the weather was 30 degrees below zero and since there were a lot of fight scenes, we were pulled on wires a lot – I even got hit with a sword accidentally and it caused my leg to be swollen for a long time! I don’t know how I lasted through it, but now that it’s over, I really need to rest – I’ve pretty much been working for more than 2 years straight without much rest, so with the opportunity to take a break right now, I figured I’d come back to HK to visit relatives. The lifestyle in HK versus Beijing is very different – when I’m in HK, I usually go around shopping or running errands very leisurely. Reporters have snapped pictures of me taking the subway, eating ice cream, shopping, etc., but I don’t mind – they can take pictures all they want! Usually when I go out, I don’t like to put on makeup – I don’t see anything wrong with that, as long as I’m not affecting others. Sometimes, I even stand around the street corners eating fish balls from the local street vendors!

MT: I really admire your ‘not bothering with trifles’ personality! No wonder you’ve been able to keep yourself looking so young!

KC: Actually, my face just ‘looks’ cool – those who know me would laugh at me and those who don’t would probably be scared to death! Doing makeup and hair is a clumsy experience for me —the ladies who do my hair at work all dread doing it because each time, there are hair clips and combs all over the place. Sometimes, if we’re filming on location somewhere and I’m asked to touch up on my makeup, I usually tell the crew not to bother, as it looks fine the way it is!

MT: I feel that every artist has a certain temperament about them – your temperament is a result of your self-confidence!

EPILOGUE

Over the course of doing the 4 interviews with his friends, Michael Tao’s biggest concern was making sure that the needs of his guests were taken care of. With Kenix Kwok, he wanted to make sure that the interview didn’t interfere with her daughter’s exams [for getting into school]; with Bobby AuYeung and Felix Lok, he was concerned about whether the accessories he chose for them to wear were equally balanced; with Wayne Lai, he was concerned whether drinking wine during the interview would affect his ability to drive and wanted to make sure he got home safely; and with Kathy Chow, when he found out she still had bruises on her head from accidentally hitting it, he was concerned about her feelings doing a photo shoot for the interview, so he delayed the interview until her injury was healed. With the careful attention that he gives to his friends, no wonder all his buddies have nothing but praise for him and when he invited them for these interviews, they agreed readily!

Michael Tao, Bobby Au-Yeung and Felix Lok (Ah Gung) became good friends after being in five seasons of Files of Justice. The three of them sit down together again after 20 years to chat about the past.

Michael: I thought of a good image for us, the three of us come together and give off a different feel.

Bobby: You act with bow ties, but I can't find my previous hairstyle anymore! My head is getting rounder and rounder each year, later I'll have to sleep upside down, so the skin on my face won't loosen...haha!

Ah Gung: Files of Justice is already 20 years ago! We're sitting here together again, that is truly hard to come, very memorable! In the past when shooting series, mostly it's last minute scripts, but now that I'm with CTI, the company has a regulation of no last minute scripts!

Kisses Flora Chan nonstop

Bobby: In fact audience like to watch us three brothers at-home scenes, but I actually like Michael's kiss scenes more! His kiss scenes with Flora Chan and Jessica Hsuan, wah.. I was still there watching during the midnight snack!

Michael: I didn't ask for it, but often times my co-stars treats me well. That time it was Flora's first on-screen kiss too!

Ah Gung: They all have a western girl personality, takes initiative. That scene you had with Flora was awesome!

Michael: How do you know its awesome? Only I know it's awesome...haha!

Bobby: When it comes to kiss scenes, that time when I encountered Esther Kwan, I really learned something! I'm pretty shy when doing kiss scenes, but that day when Esther and I had that scene, she was talking while we were filming the kiss... she told me not to overlap my face with hers. Behind the scenes, I was even complaining she didn't put enough effort, but she said talking in between the kiss will be more realistic. Indeed, the outcome was pretty good! Don't believe me, Michael you try it!

Michael: No la...at this point in life, I'm afraid to kiss girls on camera. A light kiss in the morning, I can still do, but those passionate kiss scenes, wah..too much!

Bobby: I had a passionate kiss scene with Ada Choi before, very frightening...if I had a curvy chin like Michael, then the kiss would look good, but I got a flat chin and face, once we bump into another, nothing can be seen anymore, the eyes, ears, mouth, nose, none of it. So I thought of an idea to tell Ada: "When we shoot, I'll kiss your face or if not, I'll kiss your forehead and that's it!" She unexpectedly answered me: "Aiya... I think so too!" Dang...

Ah Gung fitter than Him Law

Michael: Ah Gung shooting those police scenes is pretty difficult too. Shooting the investigation scenes, got to run all over Hong Kong, but Ah Gung really lives life by the rules. Back then when I went to his house, I saw he had his own private gym in there. He has such a fit body figure now, even better than Him Law's!

Ah Gung: Back then I can shoot 11 or 12 days of investigation scenes, I was young then, but now I still keep up with my physical activity and can still look pretty good on screen!

Michael: Actually we were quite picky on the looks, back then while shooting Files of Justice we had to change into a new outfit for every scene, all of my bow ties were from my own personal wardrobe.

Pants falls off in public, Filipino bystanders shout: "Small!"

Bobby: You (Michael) even wanted all white silk pajamas, like a White Dragon King! There was one time, we were filming outdoors...that day it was Sunday, at the public square in Queens. Me and you were carrying our costumes, initially we were going to change in the tuxedo store, but wanted a faster way, so we just decided to change near the TVB van. Unexpectedly when you unbutton your pants, you forgot your wallet in the back pocket, and resulted in your pants falling off. The pants fell right down to your feet, and the large group of Filipino workers saw the scene and shouted: "oh! Michael...small!" Your eyes grew big! I can just say: "Next time change your pants more diligently!" Hahah....

Michael: So, you were wearing shades in the mall and couldn't see where you were going. You held on the rails as you walked, but still tripped and PK! Haha!

Bobby: You dare to mention that again, that time if it wasn't because you were laughing too loudly, the people in the entire mall wouldn't have known it was me! Everyone looked at me, I was so embarrassed!

Back then, they were three young men, but they didn't compete or back stab each other, instead they were good brothers. Even after work, they got together for coffee and rehearsed the scripts.

Bobby: Although we were very playful, we had great teamwork. Every time we finished shooting a scene, we would go to the nearby coffee shop to discuss the scene. Each one of us had a great attitude, very fit! I asked producer (Gary Tang) why did he cast us 'second line' actors in this series, he said the first line actors may have all the screen time to themselves in one episode, but with all the second line actors, there could be healthy competition!

Ah Gung: I discovered another phenomenon, not just the producer made good results out of us, we never quarrel or compete for screen time, we had a good relationship. And this relationship lasted for all five seasons, didn't change. That is truly rare. In other series, everyone seeing each other for such long periods, many would start arguing!

Bobby: That's why I really look forward to having Files of Justice continue on, do another gathering....

Michael: We're good old time buddies, stepped into another stage in life, up until today, we sit down together again, I believe the producers will have to think of a new refreshing idea to match us!

Michael Tao and Kenix Kwok were the classic on-screen couple of 1997. From 1995-1997, Michael and Kenix started their fate from the 100 episode Detective Investigation Files (DIF I,II&III) franchise. Earlier when "Dai Yung" Michael met "Ko Jit" Kenix again at Timmy Hung's wedding, he posted their photo on Weibo and made a large group of fans reminiscing on this golden pair. This pair of "old lovers", exposed back then, they were just one step away from developing a relationship. Kenix joked Michael wasn't proactive enough.

M: Michael Tao
K: Kenix Kwok

Latest photo together madly circulated online

M: Seeing you again after so many years, you're still so pretty and now there is even an additional maturity piece in you! We met again at Timmy's wedding, very surprising!

K: You haven't changed either, still optimistic with a wide smile! In fact, last time we had pictures together were just requests from the media and with all the fans discussing, it madly circulated! Back then when I was shooting the DIF franchise, I was a newcomer, and this series was also the turning point in my career!

M: A white piece of paper can absorb the most! Your portrayal of "Ko Jit" was very natural!

K: Actually my debut Glittering Moments was with you too. I gave my first time to you! Then, we had three seasons of DIF together. The first one I was the foolish one and the second was the one a lot of audience demanded for a redo because at the time, people were unhappy after watching the ending and sent complaint letters to K-100. At the time, producer Poon Ka Tak especially came up with the ending...he wrote that I lost my memory and had to leave. At the airport, "Ko Jit" turns around and stares at "Dai Yung".....then it ends there. Audience were heartbroken!

M: The producer is very clever, with that kind of ending, then they can make a third installment! On the third season, we went to Beijing to shoot. I remember it was miserable for you...vomiting and diarrhea! At the time, the temperatures were some 10 degrees below zero. You had to do two roles too, every scene had you in it! I felt bad for you, but I couldn't do anything to help.

K: You helped me stop the vomitting and diarrhea! I remember one morning, you had to go for outdoor shooting, but I was still having diarrhea, you knocked on my door and asked me if I'm still feeling unwell...but, I still made it through.

M: All that difficulty is worth it. Ten years later, when you're back working in Mainland, many people still remember "Dai Yung" and "Ko Jit", the classic couple!

Classic on-screen couple, rare they match so well

K: We are definitely a classic couple, you're my classic partner! Our type of 'match', it's not just beautiful people, actually there are a lot of beautiful people in this industry, but there aren't many that match really well. You and I pairing up was really well-received! My first impression on you, I already had that feel, that big brother feel because you were really patient to teach me. That is what's called a big star!

M: Big star? Are you serious? I think I was more like stupid back then!

K: How could that be? You have already been in the industry for some time and you are the most memorable male co-star I had. You simply grew up with me!

M: I've been through the "white paper" times too, but Kenix, you are very smart, digested fast and have strong ability for competition. You are a person without a temper! One time, you cried in front of me and I know you're not a person that can easily cry. This just proves you trust me!

K: Yes! I'm very stubborn! I remember back then when I was accused of tardiness, actually I would admit if I'm wrong. But that time, it is when our relationship deepened.

M: Many people asked, we see each other day and night, will there be 'sparks'?

K: Technically, yes! Haha.... I still remember we had rumors too, since we were an on-screen couple, and that time neither of us were married, but after all we didn't spark. I think because, at the time, I was too focused on work and busy studying the script. I didn't even have the time to fix my makeup, so I wasn't aware of this great man besides me, and missed out! But, I guess you did daydream about me right?

After Movie Date, No Development

M: When you were still 'crispy', how can I not daydream about you! Perhaps we were both too busy, and didn't get to take it a step further. Maybe we were just missing that one step!

K: We just missed that one little bit....but, in my memory we met up for the movies! When we were shooting Glittering Moments, we watched Jurassic Park! That time, I asked you out...why did you agree to go?

M: If nothing special, I usually agree! Going to the movies doesn't mean much, we just watch the movie and say Bye Bye, that's it! But I remember when we were shooting Shine on You, there was one kitchen scene, I asked you, back then (referring to the DIF period), if I courted you, what do you think would have happened?

K: I remember too.... when shooting DIF, you asked me that same question, but at the time I was dating Frankie Lam and we weren't public yet, I remember you still asked me, if Frankie didn't appear, would you have had a chance?

M: How did you reply then?

K: I said: "I don't know?" But in the end, you didn't pursue me, that means you didn't fight for the chance! You know what my personality is like, we are both the same. If we were together, it would be like Mars hitting Earth (not get along). If we really did get together, I believe we wouldn't end happily!

M: Today we have this harmonious relationship, proves that my decision back then was corrrect. Otherwise, we may be on bad terms now! Nowadays when we meet again, we can think of our past struggles together, our 'best partnership' award together, these are beautiful memories!

Known as the 'housewife killer' TVB artist Michael Tao becomes a fugitive! On Chinese New Year, he was driving his private car and because he was speeding he was caught on the speed camera. At the road block, the police stopped him. When they gave him a ticket, it was discovered that last year he did not pay a fine and was arrested. Michael was detained before being released on bail for HK$1100. The court hearing will be held next Tuesday. Yesterday Michael confirmed the issue and sighed: "I couldn't believe that something that small, led me to sit in a police car!"

At the middle of the night of Tuesday, Michael appeared at the hospital, turns out that he was just released on bail from the police station and because he had a sore throat he went to see he doctor. Yesterday Michael accepted an interview and frankly said that on Monday at 4pm, he was driving his car and when he passed the overhead walkway, he was driving at 70km, exceeding the speed limit. The traffic police was taking speeding photos and stopped him to give him a ticket. When the officer checked his ID, he suddenly said tensely: "Mr. Tao, there is a little problem, you can't leave yet!"

Not long after, the officer said that because last year he didn't pay a traffic fine, he cannot drive away and was arrested on the spot. Michael followed the officer's instructions and called a friend to drive his car away for him. Then Michael got into the police car and was taken back to the police station for investigation. Last year, Michael did not pay two traffic ticket fines, one for illegal parking and another for speeding. However, he forgot when and where it happened. The officer also could not clearly explain to him of the situation, so he didn't get an understanding.

Michael said that day at the police station, he stayed for 30 minutes and was allowed to be release on bail for HK$1100. Next Tuesday, he will go to court for the hearing. He said: "The officer said that initially the fine was only HK$320, but because I didn't pay it, it turned into HK$640, and then to HK$1080. When I go to court, there will be more fines... the whole situation is very upsetting to me!" With 20+ years of driving experience, Michael frankly said that he paid the traffic fines several times in the past, usually by the next day, rarely is there a mistake.

He explained that the issue started because the check was lost in the mail, he sighed: "The government does not care what the reason is, if the fine isn't paid, then it isn't paid. In reality, the government didn't send me a receipt to confirm that they received the money. I really can't believe that such a small issue caused me to sit in a police car! I will plead guilty in court, but it's such a pity!"

Although he's involved with legal issues during Chinese New Year, Michael smiled that nothing is taboo: "If it wasn't for the speeding photos, I wouldn't have guessed that there is something I haven't settled yet. It is an experience this time!" He frankly said that he already learned a lesson, and to avoid repeating history, the next day he immediately went to the ATM to get money for the fine. He sighed: "I am really afraid of this, I was thinking that paying the fine online isn't safe enough, so next time I'm going to the ATM to pay for it and get a receipt too. Make sure there's evidence."

Michael Tao and Sonjia Kwok’s rumors are a thing of the past, however yesterday, a magazine reported that Michael is rumored to be dating a ‘young Sonjia Kwok look-alike’ name Volina and even printed several pictures of them posing for the camera in a snooker parlor with their faces close together. The magazine even went so far as to say that Michael’s ‘girlfriends’ are getting younger and younger.

Yesterday, Michael responded to the rumors, saying: “When I saw the magazine reports, I was a bit upset and felt a little helpless. First of all, I am 100% sure that I do not know that young girl. Those pictures may have been taken during a fan get-together event – asking me to remember exactly where and when those pictures were taken is very difficult because I take pictures with fans all the time. Afterwards, the fans may decide to upload the pictures to their own personal web pages and the reporters may have ‘discovered’ the pictures there.”

Asked if the ‘rumors’ will affect his attempts at reuniting with his ex-wife, Michael responded: “From the beginning, I never said I was reuniting with my ex-wife – you guys [the media] have been the ones saying it all along. It is hard to say with these types of matters --we’re adults, so of course we will handle it in a mature manner.” Michael emphasized that he only plays snooker with his male friends and very rarely plays with women. He also indicated that as long as the circumstances allow for it, he is open to taking pictures with anyone who requests it.

As for the magazine trying to ‘link’ him to Sonjia again, Michael said: “Since the report was not very positive, of course I’m a little bit unhappy, however after being in the industry for so long I understand how the ‘game’ is played. As public figures and ‘artists’, it is important that we have a certain amount of self-discipline, respect ourselves, as well as respect others. For someone like me who is already close to 50 years old – to say that I am dating a 20 year old girl – I should be happy, but actually I find it funny.” Speaking about his ‘love life’, Michael indicated that even though he is single right now, he is very happy and satisfied with the way things are. Currently, in addition to focusing on his work, he is setting aside more time to be with his mom. He says: “My mom is over 80 years old already – recently she’s had some problems with her eyes, but luckily, her health overall is very good.”

The old saying goes, "marriage is the tomb of love". Jessica and Ruan are approaching the 'tomb' whilst Michael Tao is 'reviving' from his 'death'. He also teased Jessica not to marry.

After 15 years of collaboration in Files of Justice, Jessica and Michael partnered again in Sisters of Pearls. Their new partnership of a bickering couple ended up in a relationship between the cousins.

Both Jessica and Michael have a common understanding i.e. Michael's trademark laughter is heard even before the interview. Michael laughed at Jessica for having changed her appetite from 'Chinese cuisine' to 'Western food' (love life).

Jessica replied "This western food really suits me. I didn't notice this previously and almost thought of giving up. We talked about almost everything, and some of these topics may be shunned by Chinese." Regarding wedding, Jessica mentioned that she has been dating for 8 months but have yet to think about it.

Michael then send his regards to Jessica and mentioned that everybody has different needs when it comes to marriage i.e. family. He mentioned, "You will have to be quick if you plan to have kids. In contrast, some people prefer to be single." For the later statement, Michael may be trying to describe his current situation of 'revival'.

Michael mentioned that his divorce 4 years ago is a turning point for him. Once, he lost confidence and gradually recovered with the help of his friends. Michael revealed that he is very happy with his current stage in life. "The unhappy days are over and I will not be hurt by the negative incidents. There's a chance that I will be queried regarding my rumours (Sojnia Kwok) or returning to my ex-wife, which was media's concoction. My ex-wife is very well currently, me too, and we are still friends after the divorce. Reporters are people too and they know. Its a pity that some media officers drafted reports in the way they intended."

Jessica replied, "We understand Michael's situation during then but I did not bother him. We are good partners and friends. There are many things in life that require you as an individual to solve and it takes time. Nah! You see that Michael is so happy now."

Due to his old friend, Michael enjoyed "dating" Jessica in the filming process. Jessica also admitted that she liked Michael when she was filming Files of Justice back then. "I will need to like the actor to be able to be in the role."

In fact, both are their top choices when it comes to lovers in reel life. Jessica mentioned that she took up the role in Sisters of Pearls due to Michael. An example of their common understanding will be their constant bickering.

Jessica commented, "I will look at the cast and script when I am considering if I should take up a role in a film. For example, when I heard that Michael is in Sisters of Pearls, I accepted it immediately! I need to be able to communicate in order to act well."

Michael recalled, "15 years ago, we filmed Files of Justice. 15 years later, we filmed Sisters of Pearls together. Jessica did changed, for the better. Previously, she is obviously an ABC (american borned chinese) and now she is more local after immersing herself in the Hong Kong culture for such a long time. She have also matured from her 'princessy' temper. " Hearing this, Jessica added, "However, Michael didn't change much. He is still so evil with his words."

In the interview, Jessica mentioned that she hoped to be able to work with Michael again. However, Michael will no longer be on contract with TVB after Sisters of Pearls. He told Jessica that she will have to 'venture further' if she were to work with him again.

In explaining the reason he did not extend the contract with TVB, Michael replied that he was free for a year even before his contract ended. When questioned on TVB providing more opportunities to artistes under their brand, Michael replied that TVB will obviously promote the artistes carry their brand. He also coined himself as a 'poor good', hence was not promoted. However, he is satisfied with TVB as it paid its compensation well.

Last year, when Jessica Hsuan and Kiki Sheung Tin Gnor were filming Sisters of Pearl, rumors circulated that they got into disagreements. Although both actresses have denied this, Jessica and Kiki [did not have much to say] in front of other people.

Aside from not getting along with Jessica, Kiki may also have gotten into a cold war with Sisters of Pearl co-star, Michael Tao Dai Yu. Kiki and Michael were classmates in a TVB Acting Class twenty-seven years ago. Allegedly, during the filming of Sisters of Pearl, Kiki and Michael fought over the issue of out-takes. Allegedly, Kiki may even have criticized Michael’s acting skills regressing and that he did not know how to act.

There was obvious tension between Kiki and Michael, as evidenced at a Sisters of Pearl promotional event this week. The pair had zero interaction with each other onstage. Kiki and Michael’s twenty-seven friendship may well be over!

Michael Tao and Deric Wan shot a 30 episode TV series for a Overseas Production Company a few years ago. It is said that the Production company is still owing the pair 6 figure earnings. The Company is currently being sued, therefore the pair have difficulty in retrieving their earnings.

ATV was cooperating with the Production company however financial matters occured. The series "My Depraved Brothers" completed filming 2 years ago but has not been scheduled to broadcast on aTV. Instead the series has been airing in Mainland and edited to a 34 episode series. The actors were not paid for the 4 extra episodes.

The reporter contacted Michael. He acknowledged that during the time his manager Kam Sek Gai was responsible for recovering his wages. The executive Mr Chen of the Mainland Production company stated that he would follow up the case, however there was no further news. Soon after Mr Chen resigned from the company. Michael wasn't able to recover his 6 digit earnings. In addition, Michael and his Manager no longer cooperate. He now freelances.

Michael said "The earnings they owe me are just for a few episodes". (6 digit figure?) "Almost, I thought since the people involved are no longer working there, then I should just leave it". (You lost a lot of money?) "It depends if we (Manager) will work together again. Then I maybe able to recalculate the costs". Deric Wan is currently shooting series in Shanxi. He also signed a 30 episode contract. His management would be responsible for recovering his wages for the 4 extra episodes.

After Stephen Chan was arrested on alleged corruption charges last week, his ‘power’ at TVB has disintegrated. Recently, it has been rumored that TVB’s Assistant Manager Au Wai Lam has already taken over some of Stephen’s GM responsibilities and may eventually take his place. According to reports, Au Wai Lam is not only a low key manager who does not belong to any ‘cliques’, he is also highly favored by TVB Vice-Chairman Mona Fong. If this is true, it has been said that those artists who don’t belong to ‘cliques’ and previously fell out of favor with TVB’s management because of this – artists such as Michael Tao, Lawrence Ng, Ada Choi – may finally get a chance to ‘resurrect’ their careers!

With regard to rumors about possible ‘changes’ at TVB due to new management, Michael Tao – who ended his contract with TVB last year – expressed that he did not know whether the rumors are true or not, but took the opportunity to ‘reprimand’ TVB for not knowing how to properly utilize their resources [their people]: “TVB really needs to be more pragmatic; in the past, those artists who worked hard were not given opportunities, yet those who were ‘lazy’ and ‘don’t know what they are doing’ were given a lot of opportunities! When it’s questioned, there is no response given! I hope that TVB gets back on the proper path – a TV station is a place for ‘production’ not a place for ‘cliques’!” He also pointed out that the reason he decided to leave TVB last year was because he did not agree with the way they operate: “It’s too biased toward one side – since they use mostly their own ‘sons and daughters’, artists like me had to ‘sit on the bench’!” (Since you’ve been at TVB over 20 years, have you seen these so-called ‘cliques’ in existence?) “Of course there is favoritism – and it is unfair! They need to find a better balance and not let it get so disorderly.” (How about giving gifts to upper management?) “Well, since I’m not ‘heavily utilized’, I don’t have money to buy gifts for them!”

Former TVB actor Lawrence Ng indicated that if TVB really does make ‘changes’, it will definitely be a good thing, as having ‘cliques’ will not produce any good results. Being at TVB over 20 years, he indicated that he has never given any gifts to management and has never participated in any ‘cliques’ or ‘parties’: “I’ve worked with both Catherine Tsang and Tommy Leung in the past and both of them have been very good to me – they give me a lot of series to film and we collaborate very happily together. However, I have never given them any gifts.”

Since she just returned from Beijing, TVB veteran actress Liza Wang indicated that she is not aware of any new management taking over and will await the decision of the company. Also, she pointed out that she is not too familiar with ‘cliques’ and has not heard of artists giving gifts in exchange for ‘opportunities’: “I just returned to Hong Kong from the mainland, so there are a lot of things I still don’t know. Most of what I have heard has come from the media. I actually do want to know who will be taking over as GM, however I feel that whoever it is, the effect won’t be that huge, since this is a big company after all. I’m not worried, since I usually do what I’m supposed to do anyway.”

As for Jessica Hsuan, she indicated that she is not very close with Stephen Chan, however if he says he didn’t do it, then he should have nothing to be afraid of. In terms of who the new GM will be, she says that it should not matter – plus the ‘rumored’ names that have come up so far are all ‘TVB people’.