TVB Entertainment News

Due to the royalty dispute between TVB and the big 4 record companies, both sides have participated in “boycott” activities, with the big 4 companies now allowing their artists to accept interviews with ATV and i-Cable in Cantonese.

Yesterday, God of Song Jacky Cheung held a press conference for his new Cantonese album [[ Private Corner]]; not only did ATV send a whole production crew and reporters from their regular news department to attend the press conference, they also arranged for Jacky’s interview with them to air during the regular nightly news hour – demonstrating how important the interview is for ATV. As a result, Jacky became the first artist from the Big 4 record companies to “appear” on ATV since the royalty dispute erupted – it also marked the second time in 19 years that Jacky has appeared on ATV. For today’s artists to be able to appear on other TV stations and not just be limited to TVB, Jacky expressed that this is definitely a healthy sign.

As an artist under the Universal recording label, Jacky once expressed that TVB was being too unreasonably restrictive, indicating that TVB does not provide a lot of support to its contracted singers, yet are quick to “freeze” (suspend) them on any little thing. In addition to over 100 reporters from various media outlets in Hong Kong and Asia attending yesterday’s press conference for Jacky’s new album [[ Private Corner]] being released today, top management from ATV (Yip Jia Bao) and i-Cable (Wu Rong Xing) were also invited to attend. TVB management Virginia Lok was also in attendance, however the station did not send any reporters or crew to the event.

Jacky accepted an interview with both i-Cable and ATV in Cantonese. Since ATV does not have an Entertainment News department, they sent a crew from their regular news department to report on the event and also interview Jacky. In addition, ATV arranged to have Jacky’s interview air during their regular nightly news hour, thereby showing how much they respected the interview. During the interview, Jacky expressed that music should be able to reach all audiences through all media outlets so that the more people who can hear Cantonese music, the better. He said that he doesn’t mind attending a music program put on by other TV stations as long as he has time; he also hoped that there would not be any “monopoly” type situation where artists would be affected. ATV manager Yip Jia Bao also indicated during the interview that he welcomes the “open attitude” of the record companies and that there are plans for ATV to produce a series of music-related variety shows. Jacky expressed that in Taiwan, he did an interview with a regular (non-entertainment) news crew once, but in Hong Kong, this was his very first time, so he was very excited.

Since Jacky has not released a new Cantonese album in 5 years, his record company Universal spent HKD 3 million for the press conference – to repay the generosity, Jacky personally performed 2 songs from his album at the event. Even though earlier in the month, Jacky had reprimanded TVB for their actions, Virginia Lok (from TVB management) did make time to attend, and Mr. Huang Jian Tao from Universal’s top management personally attended to her at the conference.

With regard to each of the major TV stations having top management in attendance at the press conference, Jacky expressed that it is a good thing, as it is better for them to have a cooperative attitude rather than a belligerent one. In terms of TVB not sending any reporting crew to the event, Jacky said: “Yes, that’s true…for them, it has to do with procedural and process stuff, so no need to worry about it.” He revealed that in the future, there are plans to appear on both i-Cable and ATV for interviews and to promote his album. Even though he will not be appearing in any TVB shows any time soon, he will still be participating in the promotional efforts for TVB/Shaw Brother’s film “72 Tenants of Prosperity” because his role as “singer” is completely separate from his role as “actor” and he is very clear when it comes to this.

When asked about Hacken Lee insisting to this day that he will be conducting interviews with i-Cable in Mandarin only, Jacky indicated that it his personal choice. Jacky says that for himself, collaboration with other TV stations is based on whether the timing and style of the project matches his own agenda; also he indicated that not being limited to just appearing on TVB shows is a healthy sign. Asked about whether he is worried his relationship with TVB will deteriorate as a result, Jacky replied: “If they ask me to do a film for them, I will definitely do it. In terms of singing, it will have to wait until after the royalty dispute is over. Of course, I also hope that TVB would be able to air MVs because at the end of the day, music is music.” However, Jacky did express that he is not happy with the way TVB handles awards ceremonies nowadays: “By editing out so many important parts in the awards ceremonies, it’s not very respectful and makes it very hurtful to musicians and recording artists – it’s really not a matter of ‘appearing’ on their station or not, but rather a matter of ‘respect.’” Jacky said that there are plans to air his MVs on ATV and i-Cable in the future.

Though Jacky was affected by the economic meltdown and Lehman Brothers situation last year, he still personally took on the production costs of his new Cantonese album. Jacky expressed that the cost was in the “7 figures” but it was necessary because of his high standards when it comes to the quality of his album. In terms of music quality, Jacky says that this is his best album to date, however it is also the most expensive (production-wise) compared to his previous albums: “Maintaining high quality when it comes to music is important – I believe money can always be earned back. Even though the album may not make as much money as it used to, I don’t believe that it will be a loss.” One of the features of the album is a special song dedicated to the late Lydia Shum (famous host and Jacky’s “god-mother”). Another feature is a special limited edition glass cover on the album, however due to the huge expense, this edition will only be available on the internet and will cost approximately HKD 15000 a piece.

Back in 1991, Jacky was once “frozen” by TVB for appearing on a charity show organized by ATV to benefit flood victims in China. However, due to his status as one of the most popular and beloved singers in Hong Kong at that time, TVB quickly “unfroze” him and allowed him to appear on their shows again afterward.

The Flying Fish In Winter Season - Hokkaido Filming
The cast from The Flying Fish In Winter Season, Julian Cheung, Myolie Wu, Damien Lau, Tavia Yeung, Michael Tse and Eileen Yeow, headed to different parts of Hokkaido and Tokyo for outdoor filming. In the drama, Chilam put aside his handsome looks and acted as a fisherman. He personally experienced the feeling of going out to sea to catch fish. As for Myolie Wu, she enjoyed herself while working too. She went to a local famous fish market to have a look at the local culture of eating.

 

Supporting Fully
In the Japan outdoor scenes for this drama, many props are in fact real, including the fish (which are imported) and antiques (borrowed from the antique shop). It's thanks to many people's support that this drama is able to film smoothly and successfully.
Captions (left to right):
1) Taking A Photo For Memory - The man, second from left, is the Japanese partner of Ricky, the sponsor for this drama. The team went to his shop for filming. Myolie Wu, Damien Lau and Julian Cheung took the chance to take a photo with him for memory sake.
2) Grabbing The Chance - In order to film a bidding scene for the tuna fish, the team specially bidded for the tuna fish in a fish market in Tokyo. Myolie Wu grabbed the chance to take a photo with the fish.

Salty, sour, bitter, spicy and finally sweet are the best expression to describe the "Five flavors of life" in TVB upcoming series "The Season of Fate". In this series, Esther plays against Michelle Yim and Roger Kwok. Since Esther gave birth to her daughter Brittany in 2006, she put aside her career development to a halt to stay at home as much as she can to be with her daughter. She even stopped working on "Best Selling Secret" half way through the series, so that she could spend more time with Brittany. Last year producer Cheung Kin Man once again invited her to return on screen to do "The Season of Fate". Esther liked that role so much and the timing was right too, so she agreed. Cheung said "Esther likes the role very much, when she read the script, she accepted that role straight away. Everybody knows she is very particular about caring for her daughter, it happened that Nick Cheung (her husband) had some spare time in between his work, the main carer's role has landed on Nick's shoulder. Esther can now relax and concentrate working on this series."

In "The Season of Fate", Esther plays a miserable Lin Sheung Chun who was forced to married into the Kwan's family as a concubine. Unfortunately, her husband died suddenly and his first wife, (played by Michelle Yim) had mental illnesses, having the mentality of a 16 year old girl. Chun took over the restaurant business as well as looking after the family and the first wife.

Roger Kwok, Esther Kwan, Michelle Yim, Ng Wai Kwok, Derek Kwok, Oscar Leung, Vivien Yeo, Ha Ping, Regen Cheung, Elena Kong, Felix Lok, Lam Yi Kei, Mimi Lo, Pierre Ngo, Irene Wong

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