programme highlights '07 - issue ii

The second TVB Programme Highlights for 2007 is out! Much thanks to Ron Online for the great, high-quality scans! Now, let's go through the series included in this quarter's installment...

Legend of the Demigods
(Linda Chung, Benny Chan, Sunny Chan, Nancy Wu, etc.)
This is my most anticipated series of 2007. TVB hasn't done a mythical series in so long! I enjoy watching series of this genre. With such a strong producer and a nice cast, I am very confident about Legend. It seems fun and interesting. I'm glad it's 22 episodes and not 20.

Linda's role is fascinating. Her character is very cute and happy-go-lucky, but there's a twist. Aside from the traits of her character, Linda also has a variety of personalities and ages to portray. She acts as a 20, 30, 40, 50, and 70 year old - yes, becoming a hot granny. I've heard that she also acts as flirting twins as well as ugly in some parts. Linda is very positive about this series and feels grateful to have been chosen to act out this challenging role. I love Linda's image for this series - very cute and "Sailormoon" inspired. I hope this is another breakthrough for Linda as this is her first costume drama and her role sounds awesome. She filmed Legend before her breakthrough(s) in Heart of Greed and Best Bet, but after Heavenly In-Laws.

Swear is such an amazingly beautiful song too - I can't wait to hear it as the subsong playing at the end of episodes as the credits roll.

Although I'm dying to watch Legend, I'm praying that TVB doesn't release it until some time in the fall. Linda has had 80 episodes released so far this year (and it's only June). She needs a break from the TVB scene for a few months. Besides, Legend is her last release until 2008's blockbuster The Gem of Life is out, so I want to delay it as long as possible so the waiting time for Gem is less.



The Seventh Day
(Kevin Cheng, Niki Chow, Bosco Wong, Natalie Tong, etc.)
What a gorgeous poster! Well, at least half of it anyways. This is the "sad version" of 2006's hit Under the Canopy of Love - which I loved. I'm very excited about watching this series. I'm all for tragic series. I hope Seventh will be as beautiful, meaningful, and touching as TVB is promoting it to be. I'm glad everyone from the original Canopy cast is back. Although I don't like Kevin, I must say he and Niki are a good couple. Niki is a great actress. She just oozes with charisma and is very natural on-screen. Good for Natalie for having for first true second lead! I've been fond of her since her debut in Hearts of Fencing - such a cute girl! Bosco seriously needs to change his look. How many series has he had this particular haircut for now? The themesong to Seventh is dreadfully boring, but I really hope the series isn't. It would be such a pity if it is. This series has scenes filmed in Japan (which should be very beautiful with all of the snow and sights of Japan) and is also filmed in a special HD lens. Canopy used a soft lens to film, giving the series a very dreamy feel, so I hope Seventh also has a special appearance. I can't wait to watch this series!



The Drive of Life
(Damien Lau, Michael Miu, Raymond Lam, Joe Ma,
Charmaine Sheh, Jessica Hsuan, Myolie Wu, Sheren Tang, etc.)
Wow... poor Jessica. It seems TVB has truly dethroned her from the #1 TVB Sister spot simply because she won't renew her contract with them and replaced the spot with Charmaine. A previous Programme Highlights issue released at the beginning of the year credited Jessica as the female lead, but I guess Charmaine was the true lead all along. I honestly hope that the official poster is better than this. It is way too ugly and crowded. If TVB is willing to spend so much money on Drive, why spend short on the poster? Drive is the most expensive TVB series to date with $60 million HKD being spent on production and $1 million on promotional fees. This series celebrates the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's hand-over back to China. Drive is super-hyped and heavily promoted... I wonder if it will live up to all of the expectations people have of it and its performance. Frankly, I'm not interested in this series, but it seems way too grand to miss.



Tai Chi
(Vincent Zhao, Raymond Lam, Melissa Ng, Myolie Wu, etc.)
TVB decided to shorten the English title and make it succinct like the Chinese title as well as simplify the poster. I think I liked the name The Master of Tai Chi better as well as the fuller poster. Having just Vincent and Raymond (although I know the series will be carried on their shoulders) feels really empty. If TVB adds the other cast members to the poster, I think it would look really good. I am definitely looking forward to watching this series as I expressed earlier. People say that this series may be one of TVB's 2007 Anniversary series... if so, I think it's a good choice. It's a grand production with a nice cast, filmed in the mainland, and also the first TVB series in HDTV. Hopefully the script is good because Tai Chi really has everything else going for it.



Phoenix Rising
(Louisa So, Krystal Tin, Leila Tong, Sunny Chan, etc.)
I am interested in this series. I like the cast and it seems like a potentially intriguing and phenomenal series. Louisa is a superb actress and Krystal is quite good, so these two will carry the series very well. I hope Sunny will have another great role in this series like he did in War and Destiny. He is a very underrated actor.

Repeats from Issue I...


On The First Beat (Ron Ng, Sammul Chan, Joey Yung, Michael Tao, etc.) - I was unsure of this series at first and feared it may tarnish The Academy's great name, but positive reviews for this series thus far has really assuaged my fears. I'm definitely going to be watching this.

The Ultimate Crime Fighter (Yuen Biao, Moses Chan, Gigi Lai, Yoyo Mung, etc.) - There are rumors circulating that TVB wants to air this as one of 2007's Anniversary series... could this be why this series still hasn't released? I am still not interested in watching though.

The Family Link (Sheren Tang, Kiki Sheung, Cecilia Yip, Kenneth Ma, etc.) - This is the highest rated series of 2007 to date with a basis on one of my favorite American shows, Desperate Housewives, and led by the brilliant Sheren, of course I am going to watch this. I heard it's funny and enjoyable, so I look forward to watching it.

Devil's Disciples (Bosco Wong, Kevin Cheng, Bernice Liu, Shirley Yeung, etc.) - TVB must love wasting their ink and reprinting a series that was released at the beginning of the year already over and over again. Or are they trying to push this series again? I honestly hope that TVB doesn't air it come July. What a waste of a time slot that will be! I hope it's true that it's only airing on TVB's pay channel.

What series are you guys looking forward to?

hot grannies

It seems like Linda Chung and Bernice Liu are having more and more things in common every day. Let's name everything that they share in common...

Both are from Canada and attended the same university (UBC)

Both hold Miss Vancouver and Miss Chinese International titles

Both had weak Cantonese at the start of their career, but worked hard to improve

Both bravely went to Hong Kong to pursue their dreams

Both are Virtues of Harmony beauties, gracing the screen & winning audience's hearts

Both have paired with Frankie Lam & Steven Ma (in Virtues & off)

Both have seldom been paired with younger actors (aka their ages)

Both are advertisement and function queens, catching the eyes of many sponsors

Both are beautiful & talented

Now, if those points weren't enough, they now share another thing. Bernice and Linda are both transforming into old ladies for their upcoming series. Yup, they're bidding farewell to their youth and beauty for the sake of successfully acting out their challenging new roles.

Transforming into a "hot granny"

Legend of the Demigods is a mythical series about gods and demons. Naturally, there will be magic, spells, and things of that nature. Linda's character turns into a 70-year-old woman because of an evil spell. It takes at least two hours to complete Linda's "hot granny" look with a whole bunch of glue and make-up added to her face. Even her palms were done to complete the look!

Bernice's new series The Slicing of the Demon is a costume drama that has a lot of fantasy in it. The series deals with curses, spells, murders, and executioners. Everyone in the series has a "unique" look, so leading lady Bernice cannot escape the fate either. For an unknown reason, Bernice's character has a "hot granny" look that also takes quite a long time to complete!

More information about Linda's role

In Legend of the Demigods, Linda's role is very difficult. She has to act out many different ages (20's, 30's, 40's, 50's, and 70's!) in addition to multiple personalities as well. In her "hot granny" episodes, Linda will turn from a young and bright girl into a frail and weak old lady. Aside from having the "look" set, Linda has to hunch her back when she walks and stands as well as transform her voice to make the performance more realistic!

Presenting the "hot grannies"

The future look for a princess & an office lady in their elder years?

Bernice joked that her "hot granny" look helps her to flirt because before, the male actors would ignore her in the make-up room. However, after she became a "hot granny," people such as Ron Ng and Sammul Chan stare at her and compliment her looks! Thus, Bernice calls her "hot granny" look her "flirting look."

Linda was astonished by how convincing her "hot granny" look was. However, she thinks that she looks quite scary and that her skin tone is too gray. She hopes that she won't really look like this when she does age in the future. Nevertheless, she doesn't mind sacrificing her beauty for the role. For the sake of acting, she will do all that she can to give a convincing performance.

How accurate are the "hot granny" looks that TVB has created for Bernice and Linda? Will these beauties truly age the way TVB's make-up artists have transformed them? Hopefully not because their "hot granny" looks are not so hot (and frankly, a bit scary)! Still, it's quite interesting and amusing to see these "hot grannies." However, who can believe that fate will have these beauties age the way TVB has designed?

spotlight: "swear" by linda chung

Swear - Linda Chung
(Subsong from TVB series Legend of the Demigods)

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English Translation by Sandy & MetalAZNWarrior
Swear from now on there'll be no childish games
Letting love follow the heart
Rest of my life loving you
Like being deathly afraid of forgetting. With whom to enter the game?

Never been in dreams before
But I could hide my feelings
Still haven't let myself out of this
Ended up having romantically sad feelings
Is it bad, why can't we repeat
Wanting to nurture them, but the flowers won't bloom
Later, when it has more care, but then don't have the strength to love, but still wanting to

Chorus
*Swear from now on there'll be no childish games
What's making me keep this promise is you
Because this relationship will bid farewell to tomorrow's sorrowful pain
And you love me deeply, no one can compare
Letting love follow the heart
Knowing clearly that I love you
Finally can be again with you, who's the one making this beautiful*

Like coffee that's too bland
Bitter, rough, sweet - willing to try the sadness
Actually, you've already prepared
The feeling was once dead
Never wanted to hide. Even both of your arms
Wanted to spread open and fly high
Made the most until you didn't have the energy, but was still unwilling to hide

Repeat Chorus

Swear from now on there'll be no childish games
What's making me keep this promise is you
Because this relationship will bid farewell to tomorrow's sorrowful pain
And you love me deeply, no one can compare
Letting love follow the heart
Rest of my life loving you
Like being deathly afraid of forgetting. With whom to enter the game?

Pinyin
Faat sai chung chi juet mo yi hei
Yeung ngoi luen chui sam sai mei
Yu sang ngoi jeuk nei
Yu sei pak mong gei gung sui yap hei

Chung mei doh fong gwoh mung noi
Bat gwoh sum see ying hoh jong joi
Waan mei ji san je see ngoi
Woon loi maan tin chan aai
Naan do yau hoi hoh yi bat joi
Chuen yi choi fa ying bat hoi
Ta chiu yeung fan joi doh bat gwoh mo lik ngoi ying yit chit joi kei doi

Chorus
*Faat sai chung chi juet mo yi hei
Ling ngoh gin sau ya chuen si nei
Yan je duen ching go bit ming yat tung bei
Yi nei si ching sam yik mo yan bei
Yeung ngoi luen chui sam sai mei
Ming jee ngoi jeuk nei
Naan dak joi gung nei si sui jo mei*

Yu yeuk ka fe taai fat mei
Foo sap gam yuen seong dak chai mei
Kei sat nei jo yi yue bei
Gam gok chang ging sui sei
Chung mei hip bei lin nei seung bei
Chuen yi jeung hoi loi go fei
Jik si jui hau nei ging chaang doh mo lik hei ying yuen yi moot to bei

Repeat Chorus

Faat sai chung chi juet mo yi hei
Ling ngoh gin sau ya chuen si nei
Yan je duen ching go bit ming yat tung bei
Yi nei si ching sam yik mo yan bei
Yeung ngoi luen chui sam sai mei
Yu sang ngoi jeuk nei
Yu sei pak mong gei gung sui yap hei

Opinions
I fell in love with Linda's voice after hearing her sing at the TVB Extravaganza banquet. I just loved how sweet her voice sounded and how much melody she had singing Sandy Lam's Honesty, so I couldn't wait to hear her song on Lady In Red. The first time I heard Swear was from a clip of Linda's live performance at the Lady In Red concert. It was just a snip of the chorus, but just from that preview, I knew I would love the song.

Swear is easily my favorite song on the Lady In Red album. I can listen to it whenever and wherever and it will put me in a nice, calm mood. I just love the harmony of the melody, Linda's voice, and the lyrics. Everything flows so well and Linda's singing doesn't disappoint. She doesn't have a lot of range, but her singing still sounds nice and very refreshing. Swear is a feel-good and super sweet song.

I love this song so much that I listen to it on a daily basis and have it set as my ringtone! Linda's music video for the song is the best MV out of all the ones included in the bonus Lady In Red DVD that came with the CD. She looks very sweet and beautiful in it and I love the clips from her upcoming series in which the song serves as the subsong.

Linda did a great job in making Swear her own and I look forward to hearing her sing some more in the future.

tvb's goddess of love and justice?

Everyone recognizes the girl with two odangos (aka "meatballs") in her head and long, flowing pigtails as the guardian of love and justice - Sailormoon. From manga to anime, Sailormoon's image is easily recognizable and memorable. It seems that TVB is borrowing this image for the look of Linda Chung's character in Legend of the Demigods. With two odango-like bunches sitting atop the sides of her head with hair following out of them and dangling down on the sides of her body, Linda looks almost like a life-like replica of Sailormoon!

Is TVB's costume department running out of ideas for ancient hairstyles? Or is this imitation intentional? It seems fitting that Linda's image was based on Sailormoon because both have magical powers (Linda's character is/aspiring to be a goddess in the series). I also wonder if TVB is hoping that this role will be Linda's breakthrough into extreme popularity and success because Sailormoon is one of the most popular characters in anime history.

When pictures were released from the costume fitting, I was stunned by how "ugly" Linda's costume was. The clothes weren't nice and Linda's hair looked like a mess. I just hated her look and wondered why and how TVB could have created such a look for their leading lady - especially since this was Linda's first costume drama. However, after seeing her in "action," I was pleasantly surprised. Linda looked absolutely adorable! My opinion on her image changed completely.

When she started doing some Sailormoon-like movements with her arms and hands in the clip - that was when it hit me. It was at that moment that I realized that Linda's image was so similar to Sailormoon! I then understood why I thought she looked so cute and why her image looked kind of familiar.

The more I look at Linda in her costume, the more I like her image. TVB copies a lot of things these days, so copying a character's look isn't surprising. However, at least, the copying made for a cute look for Linda to debut in for her first ancient series. I have high expectations for this series, especially since the producer has had such excellent productions lately with Safe Guards and The Conqueror's Story. I also like the cast and TVB has not done a mythical series for a long time. Also, Linda has said the role has been very challenging for her (she has to act out many different personalities) and that she feels very blessed to have been picked to act in the series. Besides, this is Linda's first true leading role and she sings the subsong (which sounds so beautifully awesome) - it doesn't get better than this.

"lady in red" cd download

Note: Just right click & "Save Target As" to download the songs! Due to bandwidth stealing, I had to password protect the downloads. However, you will not have to e-mail me for the username or password. The username/password is below. Just enter the information in and you're free to access and download! Enjoy and feel free to e-mail or shout a message if you have problems. This log-in is a one-time thing, so after you log in once, you're free to download the other songs without worry/delay. This is only to stop people from streaming and/or downloading the songs on/from other sites as my bandwidth is not unlimited and is not free! Thanks.

User: Swear
Password: zy308it


Track 01. Miriam Yeung - Woman With A Past
(Subsong from TVB series La Femme Desperado)
:: download - 2.95 MBs - 3:13

Track 02. Bernice Liu - Break Up
(Subsong from TVB series The Brink of Law)
:: download - 3.02 MBs - 3:18

Track 03. Charmaine Sheh - Lover on Golden Sand
(Subsong from TVB series The Dance of Passion)
:: download - 4.21 MBs - 4:36

Track 04. Myolie Wu - Fortunately
(Themesong from TVB series War and Destiny)
:: download - 3.55 MBs - 3:53

Track 05. Stephy Tang - Let It Flow
(Themesong from TVB series Love Guaranteed)
:: download - 3.61 MBs - 3:56

Track 06. Linda Chung - Swear
(Subsong from TVB series Legend of the Demigods)
:: download - 2.99 MBs - 3:16

Track 07. Sharon Chan - Repeat Bar by Bar
(Subsong from TVB series At Home With Love)
:: download - 3.23 MBs - 3:32

Track 08. Kary Ng & Stephy Tang - Biased Love
:: download - 3.18 MBs - 3:28

Track 09. Vivien Yeo - Don't Blame Him
:: download - 3.29 MBs - 3:36

Track 10. Bernice Liu - Truth
(Themesong from TVB series Into Thin Air)
:: download - 2.74 MBs - 2:59