[2022.03.04] DONNIE YEN BATTLES A RAPID IN FREEZING TEMPERATURE

Donnie Yen insists on personally performing every dangerous stunt

Donnie Yen puts his life at risk as he shoots in a rapid under a frigid climate 

Donnie Yen is buried in the snow
courtesy of on.cc

Donnie Yen Chi Tan has no limit when risking his life. Last year while shooting in the Changbai mountain he put his life in danger many times. Under 30 degree (Celsius) below zero he went into the water and was buried in snow. In particular while shooting in the rapids, he could have been easily washed away if he was not cautious. The film company bought over 100 million yuan insurance policy for him just in case.

Last year he worked on the Filmko film COME BACK HOME (SAU GAU). Under 30 degrees below zero temperature he shot many challenging scenes while shooting in the Changbai Mountain. In one major scene, he in the extreme cold shot in the rapids. Aside from overcoming the extremely low temperature, the rapids also presented extreme danger. Thus the team spent a lot of time on preparation.

On the day of the shoot, Chi Tan was connected to two large wires. Director Lo Chi Leung inspected it time and again. Due to how strong the rapids were, with the slightest mishap Chi Tan could easily be washed away. Before the shoot, Chi Tan wanted hard liquor to fight the cold. After each shoot he had to extremely quickly change his clothes, because if they froze they would stick to the skin. Then if pulled off forcefully they could take skin and flesh off with them. Thus he had to race with the "freeze".

One of the investing film companies' boss Alex Wong Hoi Fung praised Chi Tan's professionalism. "He stayed in the Changbai Mountain for over 70 days, and performed many thrilling scenes personally. Like this 30 degrees below zero water scene, because it was shot in the rapids it really was very dangerous. The director once suggested using a double, but Chi Tan insisted on performing it himself. He really was very professional. Aside from these scenes, in one scene Chi Tan was buried in snow for real. (Since it was so dangerous, were you able to get him insured?) We bought an over 100 million yuan insurance policy for Chi Tan."

Aside from the high difficult challenges, as the film's producer Chi Tan took great care of his co-stars Cecilia Han Xue, Jia Bing, Tang Xu and others. Han Xue played Chi Tan's wife and had many scenes with him. As a southerner she worked in the extreme cold for the first time. She lamented, "I was already frozen beyond control, I couldn't imagine how cold it was." Later she worked on a crying scene and still lost control after the shoot ended. She was unable to leave the character. Chi Tan immediately embraced her and eased her emotions, in hopes of helping her rid of the heavy emotions as soon as possible.

[2022.03.04] NICHOLAS TSE'S NEW FILM POSTPONES PRODUCTION START FOR 3 WEEKS

After being an action director for a commercial awhile ago, Nicholas Tse would direct the action choreography again for his new film
courtesy of singtao.com

As the fifth wave of pandemic has run rampant in Hong Kong, show business has been infected. Most television series that were in production have decided to halt production to avoid risk. Earlier returning to Hong Kong from Beijing secretly, Nicholas Tse Ting Fung was planning on working on the Herman Yau Lai To new film HOI GUAN JIN SIN (CUSTOMS WAR ZONE, tentative title). The film would have officially begun production yesterday but due to many positive tests in the team, the production start has been postponed for three weeks just to be safe.

Ting Fung earlier secretly returned to Hong Kong from Beijing to prepare for the Yau Lai To directed new film HOI GUAN JIN SIN. Ting Fung would not only be the lead actor but also the action director. The entire story would be about the Customs department. Aside from Ting Fung, the film LIMBO (JI CHI)'s Hong Kong Film Award Best Actress nominee Cya Liu would also take part. Despite the severity of the pandemic, Ting Fung fought for time to meet with the director and the team in preparation for the new film. The action director put in a lot of effort into the action choreography.

The film originally was set to officially start production yesterday, but many members of the team have tested positive so the entire production team changed the schedule again and again. Finally the production start would be postponed for 3 weeks.

Someone in know revealed to a Sing Pao Daily reporter, "Originally the production would have started in early March. This would be a big production, many production locations required advanced application. The schedule itself would be very intense. If not necessary no one wanted to postpone, in addition an extension would require even more processing. Unfortunately aside from team members, even the chief production assistant tested positive. The team without other options had to postpone the production. Everyone put safety and health first. For now the production start has been pushed 3 weeks later. During the time Ting Fung would be able to have more time to prepare. He has been very anxious about the movie anyway, as he insisted on personally participating in a lot of the details."

[2022.03.03] TOM LEE MUSIC FOUNDER THOMAS LEE PASSED AWAY AT AGE 101

The funeral was private and only the immediate family attended

The Tom Lee Music social media posted a black and white photo in memory of Thomas Lee

courtesy of mingpao.com

Tom Lee Music founder Thomas Lee Tze Man passed away on February 26th at age 101. His family announced that the funeral would take place on March 4th at the Hong Kong Funeral Home. Due to the severity of the pandemic, family and friends would bid farewell over Zoom. Musician Harris Ho Bing Shun (Denise Ho Wan Si's brother) eulogized him on social media. He mentioned that while in elementary school he went to Tom Lee Music for long flute lessons. After getting into the business he constantly went to rehearse at the Tom Lee engineering department. He wrote, "Mr. Lee, thank you for all your contributions to our Hong Kong music world. I wish that I would run into you again in another same music world."

Lee Tze Man founded Tom Lee Music in 1950. He started from zero, from not knowing anything about instruments to learning about instrument productions and operation management. In 1960s he made piano common place, Tom Lee Music became Hong Kong's largest piano manufacturer. Its piano products were exported overseas to places like the U.S. and Korea. At the time Yamaha still has not risen to fame in Japan, but he still signed on to become its Hong Kong regional agent; at the same time he received from Germany and England manufacturers special permits to assemble pianos in Hong Kong and drastically lower the cost of piano at the time. Tom Lee Music became one of Southeast Asia's largest instrument and sound equipment agent. For years Tom Lee Music was responsible for most of Hong Kong concert engineering, the best in the business.

[2022.03.03] CHUK MAN KWAN PASSED AWAY FROM LUNG CANCER AT AGE 55

courtesy of singtao.com

Samantha Chuk passed away from cancer at age 55

Chuk Man Kwan's final poster on February 28th

Chuk Man Kwan (right) in November last year received the 30 year service gold medal from TVB

Choi Kwok Wai remembers working with Chuk Man Kwan on PEI JI DIN HA

Wong Chak Fung (left) was surprised and saddened to hear about Chuk Man Kwan (right)'s passing 

Chuk Man Kwan guest starred in Stephen Chow's GOD OF COOKERY

When Chuk Man Kwan asked Aaron Kwok when he would give lai see, he said that when he would get married he would give lai see to everyone in Hong Kong
courtesy of mingpao.com

Veteran actor and host of many different programs and series, Samantha Chuk Man Kwan passed away on February 28th from lung cancer at age 55. Reportedly Chuk Man Kwan passed away in her sleep. Her family was by her side, and asked her friends to deliver the bad news. Her friend Mak Tak Law also confirmed the news.

Chuk Man Kwan joined the Shaw's artist training class in the early 80s. A bank employee at the time, she did not directly join show business. After winning an award on an ENJOY YOURSELF TONIGHT singing contest in 1989, she enrolled in the third TVB artist training class. After graduation she worked as a host on programs like K-100 and FOCUS ON FOCUS and became widely known. Even Stephen Chow Sing Chi's classic film GOD OF COOKERY (SIK SUN) invited her to guest star. As for series, Chuk Man Kwan performed many supporting roles. In the recently aired KIDS' LIVES MATTER, A LOVE OF NO WORDS and THE RIGHTEOUS FISTS glimpses of her could be caught. Her final work was in yet to air series PEI JI DIN HA.

Chuk Man Kwan's sudden passing caught many friends in the business off guard. Most did not know that she had cancer. Fong Yi Kei saw Chuk Man Kwan last when she accepted her TVB gold service medal last year. At the time she did not mention any illness and Fong did not notice anything different. Lau Shek Yin in his friends group saw Tang Ying Man mentioning the passing of Chuk Man Kwan. He said that he was very surprised because he did not know Chuk Man Kwan was seriously ill at all. He said that in November last year they were hosts at a friend's birthday party. At the time he did not see anything different about her, only that she was much thinner. He asked out of curiously if she was OK, Chuk Man Kwan only answered that she lost weight.

Chuk Man Kwan was a permanent honorary president of the Artist Training Alumni Association. Member Tang Ying Man was saddened to learn about his junior colleague's passing, because he never heard anything about her illness. Wong Chak Fung revealed, "Last year I worked with Chuk Man Kwan on the series THE RINGMASTER, at the time I couldn't see anything different and said that Chuk Man Kwan would definitely attend the Artist Training Alumni Association anniversary party every year. I never thought that she would pass while she was still young." Ben Wong Chi Yin and Chuk Man Kwan have known each other for years. The last time they worked together was on the series TIGER MOM BLUES. He said that he would see her around the company, the news of her passing was truly very sudden. He really did not know what to say.

TVB yesterday issued a statement about Chuk Man Kwan's passing and expressed sorrow. It also sent its condolences to her family and would provide any appropriate assistance. The statement said that Chuk Man Kwan joined the TVB family in September 1990 and worked there for over 30 years. In November last year she received her 30 year long term service award gold medal to honor her professionalism. TVB executive Elaine Lok Yi Ling said, "Man Kwan was very optimistic and worked hard on facing her illness. She did not want others to worry about her. She liked her job and her company colleagues, and she lived happily to the end. She would never complain, she truly was a real life warrior!"

[2022.03.02] FOR THE WEEK STARTING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26 2022

For the week starting Saturday, FEBRUARY 26 2022 (Week 9)

VIUTV CHILL CLUB CHART

  5 THE BODY BEHIND
  Can : Sun Hau Sun
  Endy Chow Kwok Yin

https://youtu.be/1R1DjS3kWLo

  4 LITTLE MISS JANICE
  Janice Vidal (Wai Lan)

https://youtu.be/lUTaab2MX1Q

  3 DEAR MAMA
  Fatboy (Leung Yip)

https://youtu.be/QMrUeF_Emq8

  2 TREE
  Can : Shu
  Serrini

https://youtu.be/Zk3sgptSjZ8

  1 SEE YOU PAINKILLER
  Can : Joi Gein Ji Tung Yeuk
  ToNick

https://youtu.be/duVL5VZ_nak

[2022.03.02] SEAN LAU SHOWS OFF HIS MAD MAN CALLIGRAPHY

Sean Lau once was the ace of the police force, but succumbed to mental illness.  He decided to capture the culprit and prove that he was not insane.
courtesy of singtao.com

The Hong Kong audience has no idea when it will see Sean Lau bringing the Detective to life
courtesy of on.cc

courtesy of mingpao.com

The dream team of Wai Ka Fai and Sean Lau Ching Wan have created classic work from television to film. Earlier they worked together again on the Emperor Motion Pictures new film DETECTIVE VS. SLEUTHS (SUN TAM DAI JIN), which will open soon in the Mainland. Ching Wan in the film played a former detective who has been accused of having mental illness, which would be quite a test for his acting skills!

The dream team Wai Ka Fai and Lau Ching Wan worked together on the Emperor new film DETECTIVE VS SLEUTHS, which yesterday released a series of film photos and poster and announced that the film would be released in the Mainland on April 2nd. This time Ching Wan would play the Wai Ka Fai created crazy "detective". The poster displayed the Kowloon Emperor style mad man calligraphy graffiti, which left the audience with endless room to imagine whether he was crazy or a detective.

The Wai Ka Fai produced, written and directed DETECTIVE VS SLEUTHS started production as early as in 2018 and successfully wrapped up production at the end of the same year. Now finally a release date has been announced, April 2nd in the Mainland. The Hong Kong audience of course looked forward to watching the new collaboration of the dream team of Lau Ching Wan and Wai Ka Fai after so many years. However Hong Kong cinemas currently are closed due to the pandemic. Thus its Hong Kong release date would remain unknown.

This time Wai Ka Fai immediately invited his dream team partner Lau Ching Wan to star. Other actors would include Charlene Choi Cheuk Yin, Raymond Lam Fung, Carlos Chan Ka Lok, Kathy Yuen (Tong Yee), Jeana Ho Pui Yu and even Carman Lee Yeuk Tung's return to the silver screen with a special performance. Ching Wan in the film played an mental patient who was once the police force ace nicknamed the "Detective". On the poster Ching Wan was in the midst of Kowloon Emperor style mad man calligraphy and neon light signs, both were full of authentic Hong Kong flavor.

In the story a series of extremely cruel murders appeared. All the victims were suspects who were beyond reach of the law. The murderer claimed to be the "Detective", taking the law into his own hands and challenging the police. The police immediately brought in ll of the "detectives" in its force to form a special case committee. The Ching Wan played mental patient Lee Chun before his illness was an ace in the police force. Back then his nickname was the "Detective". Now he has become street "trash". In order to prove that he was not crazy but the "Detective", he joined the team, jumped into the mad man's plot and raced against time to solve cases old and new and bring in the wanted murdered "Detective".

[2022.03.01] FATHER AND SON PATRICK AND NICHOLAS TSE COMPETE FOR BEST FilM CHARACTER

courtesy of singtao.com

Nicholas Tse is nominated with RAGING FIRE's Yau Kong Ngo

Patrick Tse and Lam Yiu Sing play Tin Lap Chau at different ages in TIME 

Gordon Lam with HAND ROLLED CIGARETTE has a character nomination and with TIME a screenplay nomination

Louise Wong thanks everyone for liking her portrayal of Anita Mui in ANITA

Chan Chun (right) received praises as the childhood Anita Mui

Choi Tin Lok, Fung Ho Yung and Leung Chung Hang in ZERO TO HERO play So Wa Wai at different ages
courtesy of mingpao.com

The Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild 22nd "Recommended Screenplay Awards of the Year" would announce the results in April. Yesterday the 2021 Best film Character of the Year award nominations were announced first, with all members of the screenwriters' guild voting for the five nominations. Due to the same vote counts, in the end 8 characters were nominated. The nominated characters included LIMBO (JI CHI)'s Cya Liu, TIME (SAT CHOOK GOR WONG FUN)'s Patrick Tse Yin and Lam Yiu Sing, RAGING FIRE (NO FOR)'s Nicholas Tse Ting Fung, DRIFTING (JOOK SHUI PIU LAU)'s Francis Ng Chun Yu, CAUGHT IN TIME (CHUI BO)'s Daniel Wu (Ng Yin Cho), ANITA's Louise Wong Dan Nei and Chan Chun, HAND ROLLED CIGARETTE (SAU GUEN YIN)'s Gordon Lam Ka Tung, and ZERO TO HERO (MAMA DIK SUN KEI SIU JI)'s Leung Chung Hang, Fung Ho Yeung and Choi Tin Lok.

Tse Ting Fung's manager Mani Fok man Hei expressed thanks on his behalf. "RAGING FIRE is a Hong Kong action drama that has been rare in recent years. Thank you everyone for like this character Yau Kong Ngo."

Nominee Wong Dan Nei thanked the Hong Kong Screenwriters' Guild. She said, "I am already very happy and lucky to be nominated, for a new actor it really is an enormous encouragement. I have to maintain my original intention and humble attitude, learn and experience, work hard and head toward how to become a good actor. I would march forward step by step." Fung Ho Yeung also thanked the Hong Kong Film Screenwriters Association. He thanked everyone for liking the role of the young So Wa Wai and said, "I will keep working hard on playing each and every character, thank you everyone."