Chapman To performs a '3D Sex and Zen' movie review.

Because good news also comes in 3s, Chapman To delivers the last piece of HK entertainment goodness for today. Also unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that HK recently released the world's first 3D porn, so the producers claim. The latest incarnation of the Sex and Zen series raked in a load of money in its first day, beating the record set by Avatar. Far from being the male moviegoer's wet dream, however, some are complaining that the 3D-ness is improperly focused on flying bullets and swords. Well, one barely legal kid threw some choice words on the interweb about his disappointment, and the ever present Chapman To decided to deliver an interpretive performance. The result is gold, but since I don't know half the slang, it's only bronzish to me. Nevertheless, I did get that the newly crowned 18 year old was not happy that his beloved Vonnie Lui was subjected to dubbing and then blown to bits, among other things.

Ron Ng......mmmmm........

Moving on...now that Raymond Lam has taken a precipitous fall from grace, time to turn our attention to his other half. I mean Ron Ng. Mr. Ng has always hovered high on my radar, but his acting and singing are of questionable quality. Nevertheless, I generally enjoy his performances. They don't make me squirm the way hmm, Kenneth Ma's performances do. I'm actually very much looking forward to seeing Ron in his latest show, Yes, Sir, No, Sir (though I don't think TVB properly punctuated it), on in the 9:30p slot. He plays a cop alongside Moses Chan. Ron = cop, always a good idea.

This time, the story revolves around a school as Moses is sent undercover as a teacher of a Band 3 (underperforming) school. 5 episodes have already aired, and finally Ron appeared last night - in the closing 30 seconds of the show. Blast it! Luckily we've been seeing him in the ending credits. Well, he's very 型, and let's leave it at that. See for yourself.

Apple Action News pixelates Raymond Lam's animated parts.

As you know, if you live in Hong Kong and speak Cantonese, Raymond Lam Fung has been getting almost Edison-level press lately for his underground relationship with Mavis Pan. He of exceptional bone structure and she of exceptional...um, chest structure apparently hit it off after filming an awful movie together. She had a bit role in The Jade and the Pearl, memorable for nothing until her relationship with Lam was exposed. Oh, how the beautiful fall fast. The so-called scandal has been brewing for a month now, and because I have nothing better to do, I'm posting Apple Action News's interpretation of this relationship. (AAN regularly makes it to Huffington Post's comedy section for it's inane computer animations of news stories.)

Less than three Liu Xuan.

What the hell would I write about if I didn't have K-Pop? Ah yes, TVB. And so, here it is. My latest love affair is Liu Xuan. There are some actresses I adore and would quite possibly turn gay for. Tang Wei is high on that list - actually, she is at the top of that list. Liu Xuan is, well, not in an Ang Lee movie opposite Tony Leung, but she still strikes me as crazy sweet. She is also very short for a HK actress and has managed to make Fala Chen look oafish (yes, oafish). This generally makes me feel better about life.

For some unfathomable reason, she decided to sign a contract with TVB and learn Cantonese. This Olympic gymnast is now starring in Grace Under Fire, which is about kung fu and Wong Fei Hong, among other things. It automatically earns negative points because Kenneth Ma is one of the male leads, but Liu Xuan has rescued it from whatever bad acting her co-star is engaged in. I missed the first week and a half so I'm not following the show too closely, but so far so good. 加油!!

Big Bang is Back.......almost.

Travesty. Haven't posted in ages. As a student said on Monday, "Who blogs?! That's so sad." Well, I'm a sad, old woman then.

So what have I been watching (always an appropriate question)? Too many things. Burning Flame III, Last One Standing, Rosy Business, 7 Days in Life, Autumn's Concerto. Currently in my DVD player is Autumn's Concerto (after having, excuse the pun, burned through Burning Flame III several times). My passion for Vanness Wu has been reignited. That show is truly one of my favorites, which reminds me I have to finish a review for it one of these days. However, also on my radar is Big Bang's Korean comeback. It's been 2 years and 3 months since they rocked Korea with an album. Luckily I did not have to wait that long as I had yet to start my steamy affair with K-Pop. In honor of my current eye and ear candy, a picture.

 

"Fingers up if you own a mad six pack."

I LOVE LOVE Wayne Lai Yiu Cheung!!!

It cannot be helped. I love Wayne Lai (黎耀祥). He's been plastered all over Hong Kong since last year's successful run of Rosy Business (巾幗梟雄), selling everything from groceries to cleaner to (gasp) fitness memberships. There is nothing to say except he's a truly awesome actor. And fit as hell. Mmm-mmm.

Is William Chan for real?

Holy shit fuck. Thank you, Charlene Choi! Look at William Chan now! Okay, so maybe this wasn't all her doing, but Mr. Choi has undergone quite the transformation. Maybe it all started with the Rexona deodorant ad he shot some month's back. Shit's powerful. Whatever the prime mover, William Chan is now steps away from becoming a K-Pop star. Exhibit A: video. Now this is one of those shitty TVB jobs, i.e. it's not the real video but some cheap Tseung Kwan O substitute b/c TVB won't show the real one. But it's still, shall we say...fierce? Boy wonder's got some moves, and some muscles. Singing voice, not so much, but keep at it, kid. We'll see if this portends a brighter future.

TVB mid-series thoughts for 'No Regrets' and 'Gun Metal Grey'.

A couple things to say.

巾幗梟雄之義海豪情 (No Regrets): I'm up to episode 19. Episode 21 aired tonight, and I believe we're in the home stretch. Yawn. The first few episodes were fitting of an anniversary series; of course Spare Rib Boy's (Ngo Kanin) acting was tops. But the second half of the show has veered into numbing anti-Japanese war propaganda. Things that bother me: Fala Chen - sorry, boys, but I just don't see the appeal; Spare Rib Boy - he doesn't bother me but his lack of screen time does, though he seems to be making a comeback in the final week; crazy Japanese guffawing and other obnoxious caricatures - it's too easy and simplistic. This latter point is my main complaint for the last 2 weeks' episodes. I don't mean that this historical period has been overdone. Rather, the static, black and white portrayal of good Chinese folks under the oppressive, and slightly buffoonish, Japanese needs a paint job. There is a slight makeover in the forms of Lau Sing and Gau Mui; both are interesting characters who have firm loyalties but not always steady ways of showing it. And let's credit actors Wayne Lai and Sheren Tang for another round of brilliant performances. But their effort is too often drowned out by background noise. Nancy Wu and Evergreen Mak are both strong in this series, but Ms. Wu especially needs to turn the decibel level down a notch. Lau Sing's housemates similarly need to cut the histrionics, but then, it wouldn't be a TVB series without. Overall, it's been a fair run and I think the pace is picking up a bit as we near the end, but I feel that finishing up this series has become a chore. I watch it because I must, not because I want to.

刑警 (Gun Metal Grey): Meanwhile, the 9:30p slot is no chore at all. I'm even watching it on the teevee instead of waiting until it's uploaded on TVB.com the next day. Much more exciting than the Bowie police procedural I just finished. The story itself is interesting, but I think what I really enjoy is the acting. I don't think I've ever seen an entire Michael Miu show and I never watched anything with Felix Wong (I know, I need to catch up on my 80s shows). I've only recently become a fan of Nancy Wu after seeing her in the original 巾幗梟雄 (Rosy Business) and her love match in this show is played by Vincent Wong, who I'd never heard of. Alas, all are spectacular, all reign in the overacting. Incidentally, it's Jessica Hsuan, who I usually like, who's a non-factor in this series. Mostly I object to her non-role, which is to be the female catch all. When things need to be explained to the audience or when a stupid character's stupid actions are necessary to move the story forward, they call on Ms. Hsuan. In any case, tonight's episode was Felix Wong's character's turning point. He killed a suspect then lied about it. It's all downhill from here for him. But let's hope the show doesn't go the same way.

Bruce Lee + Aarif Lee = 'Bruce Lee, My Brother'

I kind of shat my pants earlier because I finally made the connection between the new movie about Bruce Lee and one Aarif Lee - the latter plays the former. A few weeks ago I saw parts of Echoes of the Rainbow and while was not left overly impressed by Mr. Lee the Younger, I still thought he did Hong Kong proud. Anyway, according to the font of knowledge, Wikipedia, he graduated with a degree in physics. Um, beat that, anyone else in the HK entertainment industry.

So if you're in Hong Kong lately, you've seen a lot of adverts for a new movie simply titled 李小龍 or Bruce Lee, My Brother. FYI, this coming November 27 is the 70th anniversary of his birth and the city is flipping ecstatic. At least the Hong Kong Film Archive has a whole day marathon - which would be awesome if I didn't have to work. It's screening some of his early work, as in when he 10 years old kind of early. Anyway, I thought they found an actor who at least resembled Mr. Lee the Elder, no easy task, for the movie.The bus adverts have a better profile than the movie poster pictured above. For some reason I thought they had 'scored' a TVB actor. Common sense should have told me this was impossible, for any number of reasons. Poked around a bit and basically was shocked and awed to find out the skinny, sensitive Aarif Lee, who is the type of guy my mom (or I) would want me to bring home if he was 7 years older, will be playing the Bruce Man. Yeah, I admit it, it's the abs. Watch the trailer below, and someone's been working out. And I'm not that, that shallow. MC Jin's in it, an old favorite, and it doesn't look ridiculous.

Lam Fung + Miriam = 'Perfect Wedding' themesong.

林峰，我永遠愛你！！

Despite a lot of TVB misses lately, I can't help but falling in love with Lam Fung every damn time I see his perfect face. He was my first TVB crush (味美情緣 or Taste of Love) back in 2002. I've stayed faithful!

Ngo Kanin, Round 2.

Not less than 3 hours ago, I declared my support for Ngo Kanin for Best Supporting Actor. Looks like I'm not the only one. Apple Daily interviewed him and revealed that netizens are in love with Spare Rib Boy's snot. (Explanation: His character - Spare Rib Boy - was falsely accused of murdering a gangster's son, so he nearly got a bullet in the brain. Spare Rib Boy freaked out, started crying, and probably pissed his pants.)

台慶最佳男配角大熱敖嘉年捱出頭
無綫劇集《巾幗梟雄之義海豪情》自播出後，飾演細膽排骨仔的敖嘉年連日慘被欺凌，每晚哭哭啼啼好不凄凉，其出色演繹淚滲觀眾心，隨即掀起網上排骨熱之餘，更令他人氣暴升，火速成為年底台慶頒獎禮的最佳男配角大熱，惡鬥至強勁敵林嘉華。(continued)

Translated article here.

Ron Ng + Red Butterfly

Yes, back in my TVB form. This is my spiritual television home. The Beeb is probably where I exist in reality, and the combined US networks are my careless flings. But ahh, TVB......so here is the song I've listened to most lately. Ron Ng sings the themesong for 巾幗梟雄 (Rosy Business) called 紅蝴蝶 (Red Butterfly).

Ngo Kanin for Best Supporting Actor, please!

I'm burning my eyeballs on a TVB binge. Currently watching 讀心神探 (Every Move You Make) only because it's slightly more interesting than most of the other offerings of late. I'm not particularly a Bowie fan, but he has a respectable record when it comes to appearing in shows that do not suck, quite an accomplishment these days.

What I really want to talk about, however, is the anniversary series. The sequel to last year's hit 巾幗梟雄 (Rosy Business) - 巾幗梟雄之義海豪情 (No Regrets) - started last Monday. In the buildup, I decided to watch the original since it was all over the place in early 2009. Meanwhile, I was still one hot mess back then and missed the whole affair. But I do remember that much of the city was arrested by this show. I was walking home when the last episode aired and saw quite a few folks gathered around a sushi restaurant's outdoor tv screen. Naturally, I played along like I knew what was going on and caught some of the show. In any case, I now have 25 glorious episodes waiting for me, and in about a week, I've gotten through 20. Not bad considering all the work I've been bringing home plus catching up on 讀心神探 and rushing through 3-4 BBC shows.

So far I've only seen 2 full episodes of 巾幗梟雄之義海豪情 but that was enough to convince me to blog about one 敖嘉年 (Ngo Kanin). And let's go ahead and establish that I've crushed on him since 隨時候命 (Always Ready) when he played Charmain's moody brother. 巾幗梟雄 propelled him to substantial fame in Hong Kong though, and he was rewarded Most Improved Actor for his role as a total bastard in that show. Kanin definitely made a bitch of a villain, but I absolutely love his overly polite, good boy characters; his Yau Bong in 胭脂水粉 (The Charm Beneath) was syrupy sweet. I'm happy to say that he returns to form in 巾幗梟雄之義海豪情. Kanin plays 唐吉 (Tong Kat), or 排骨仔 (Pai Gwut Zai/Spare Ribs Boy), a country bumpkin who loves his granny and goes to the big city to become a police officer. The kid is so, so innocent and thus gets picked on by everyone. The real treasure though is Kanin, who captures scrawny little Pai Gwut perfectly. And this post is mainly to say that he better win the Best Supporting Actor Award this year. He is a-mazing.

Asian Entertainment News of the Day for 5.23.10

• Chinese knock off alert: Mr. and Mrs. Smith + The Incredibles = Mr. and Mrs. Incredible. The new film directed by Vincent Kok and produced by Peter Chan was unveiled at Cannes and immediately bought by international distributors.
• Chinese knock off alert 2: Chinese artists cop Lady Gaga's style.
• Debating TVB's position in the new world - 1) does it have the right stuff, 2) will competition improve its output?

'Mysteries of Love' invading TVB's 9:30p slot next week.

A couple weeks ago, Sisters of Pearl premiered and slightly boosted the sagging 8:30p TVB power hour. Okay, not really, though I think the show is still more interesting than In the Eye of the Beholder and Suspects in Love, combined. I've been half keeping up but lost interest these last few episodes. Everyone has a malicious plan stretching decades back, generally striking a wooden stake through the heart of believability. Don't be surprised if the pet dog is holding a grudge. Meanwhile in the 9:30p slot, Ada Choi and company are rocking steady with Fly with Me, which I haven't seen. The show is ending this week though which means TVB gets to try again for that elusive 2010 super hit. The latest contender is The Mysteries of Love (談情說案) starring Raymond Lam Fung, a man I don't mind spending every weeknight with. The story's a little suspect, starting with the fact that Lam Fung is supposed to be a genius physics professor at City U. Um, clearly the writers and casting department have never attended a college physics class. Unbelievable character development aside, there will be love, forensics, explosions, and Kenneth Ma Gok Ming. Also not the biggest Kenneth Ma fan, but he won't quit our TV screens these days so I think it's just best to accept his presence (and focus on his costars).

Go go 'Gallants'!

Get ready for......Gallants! This new movie has an old school feel with some old school actors, but since I'm not well versed on the Hong Kong glory days of yore, I really don't know what the hell this film's about. Perhaps the real locals will have a better idea. In the meantime, here's a trailer, and yes, MC Jin continues his assault on Hong Kong. He's invaded the interviewer's couch with Big Boys Club, the Jade Solid Gold mike, every ridiculous TVB game and variety show, and of course, you can't drink a box of lemon tea without humming his hit track ABC. Go Gallants! Go Jin!

William Chan's 6 pack smells fresh.

Who would've thought li'l William Chan, EEG's latest boy wonder and occasional co-host of Big Boys Club, was hiding a 6 pack (look closely)? At least he's trying. The bigger question is why are he and Sherman Chung spraying their chest and nether regions? Answer - they smell. That's right, this is the way Hong Kong pushes deodorant, and Rexona have enlisted the two to blast their bodies with freshness. Mmmm, smells like teen spirit!

Will TVB finally win our 8:30pm hearts and minds with 'Sister of Pearl'?

I've been neglecting my Hong Kong entertainment for awhile, just like TVB has been neglecting to put a show worth watching in the 8:30p slot for some months now. The latest offering gives some hope though. 掌上明珠 (Sister of Pearl) seems to have the right blend of star power, family drama, and jewelry (it's Hong Kong after all) to induce the masses every night. The show is fronted by actual actors with proven records, which is always a bonus when it comes to TVB. Jessica Hsuan and Kiki Sheung go head to head as sisters who let love and their father's pearl business get in the way, while Bowie Lam and Michael Tao provide all the other dastardly, scheming plot lines that make for your daily hour of family fun. The 1950-60s costumes and set are added polish. Time will tell if this show sucks, but I really hope it doesn't.

Asian Entertainment News for 4.22.10.

• Vanness makes hamburgers, talks about his girlfriend - and not having sex, or French kissing. Whatever works for them, but I really don't think God objects to two lovers swapping spit.
• Another Chinese quake, another HK benefit, another chance for all manners of stars to wear oversized white tees, black rimmed glasses, and unusually solemn faces.
• G-Dragon's a beast! For those of us who didn't pack the stadium at his Shine a Light concert, here is the MV for She's Gone, featuring a slightly disturbed GD.
• A blogger lists the Top 10 Asian American Rappers of All Time. Kind of heavy, considering 'all time' spans roughly a decade. But it's still a good who's who and includes some of my favorites like Dumbfoundead and Far East Movement. Topping the list is, of course, Big Boy MC Jin.

Another one bites the dust: Daniel Wu and Lisa S get hitched.

Well, it was bound to happen. After 8 years, Daniel Wu and Lisa S finally get married in South Africa. I understand that Lisa S has some roots there, but really, their wedding photos look like publicity shots for a bad TVB show. (The Last Breakthrough anyone? Though I actually enjoyed that one.) The good news is that Ronald Cheng is newly available, if that is indeed good news to anyone.