Inside Scoop of Charmaine Sheh’s $18.5 Million House and New Mainland Contract
With her TVB management contract expiring this March, Charmaine Sheh Si Man allegedly decided to sign a contract with a new mainland company valued at over $10 million (HKD). Not wanting to severe all ties with TVB, Charmaine decided to sign a per-series contract with TVB for three years.
An inside source revealed, “The new company managed to secure three grand-production television series for Charmaine to star in. After filming the television version of If You Are the One <非誠勿擾>, Charmaine will have the opportunity to film with mainland television Best Actor, Sun Honglei in ancient drama, Cao Cao <曹操>. Her third project will be Famous Model <名模>. Charmaine will receive $150,000 (Yuan) per episode, which was equivalent to the salary of mainland’s top actresses and higher than Ada Choi Siu Fun and Sheren Tang Shui Man’s filming fees. Charmaine was guaranteed to earn $5 million (HKD) per series. In addition, the new company will launch Charmaine’s career in the mainland film industry. With these contract terms, why wouldn’t she be interested?”
In addition to increasing her wealth by filming in China , Charmaine profited $8 million (HKD) from the sale of her old 1,200 square feet fengshui home in North Point. Perhaps Charmaine was more in a rush to buy than sell a home. Earlier in the year, she purchased a $18.5 million (HKD) 1,600 square feet home at Dynasty Heights in Beacon Hill .
Giving Face to TVB
Since many actors and actresses with a wide audience following were leaving TVB, the company was eager to have Charmaine remain. “TVB was very generous towards Charmaine and offered good contract renewal terms. However, the mainland production company made an even better offer. If she let go of this opportunity, Charmaine was concerned that it will not come again. In the end, Charmaine decided not to renew her management contract with TVB,” a source close to Charmaine revealed.
An inside source at TVB described Charmaine’s new per-series contract terms, “Each year, Charmaine will film thirty episodes for TVB. If the episode quota can not be met within a year, then the contract will be automatically extended. TVB wanted to hold on to Charmaine and not let her work for another television studio!”
According to market sources, I-Cable will be awarded a free television license by the Broadcasting Authority. Since I-Cable produces the majority of its own programs, it will present a challenge to TVB, who also produces its own programs. TVB’s former monopolization of the Hong Kong television market may be challenged. Losing many of its leading actors and actresses, TVB was very determined to retain Charmaine.
Charmaine Sheh Purchased $18.5 Million New Home
Turning from TVB Best Actress to mainland leading lady, Charmaine’s wealth increased immensely. At the end of last year, Charmaine sold her fengshui home in North Point for $13.68 million (HKD), profiting $8.86 million (HKD) from the sale! Charmaine bought the house in 2003, during the SARs outbreak at a price of $5 million (HKD).
Despite the quieter real estate market recently, Charmaine was not afraid to purchase property. She bought a new 1,600 square foot apartment at Dynasty Heights for $18.5 million (HKD). At the end of January, Charmaine signed a provisional purchase agreement. Although the surroundings at the new home did not compare with Charmaine’s former North Point location, she preferred privacy of the mountainous surroundings at Dynasty Heights .
Located in Beacon Hill in Kowloon Tong, the Dynasty Heights residential complex included 22 buildings, which were grouped into the Tropicana, Skylodge, and Dynasty Heights Villas residences. The size of the apartments ranged from 816 to 1,564 square feet in size. The Dynasty Heights Villas were located at the rear position on the highest terrain with terraces and some units overlooking sea views. The estate grounds also included a 200,000 square feet clubhouse, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, golf courses, and wine cellars.
Beacon Hill is a luxury residential area in Kowloon Tong area. Dynasty Heights was located closer to the hillside and offered a high degree of privacy, hence welcomed by celebrities. In 2008, Fiona Sit Hiu Kei purchased a connected unit for $11.3 million (HKD).
Excerpt from Next Magazine # 1099
Additional images from www.centadata.com
Jayne: I researched property listings online for more information on Dynasty Heights . It sounds like a beautiful residence! The swimming pool is huge! This is a dream home in Hong Kong!
Next Magazine showed a Dynasty Heights Villa duplex apartment in their photos and I love the layout. From the transaction price of $18.5 million, I don’t think Charmaine bought a villa residence though.
wow she gets richer for leaving TVB. should of done it sooner. her own niceness by staying didn’t pay off. she got stank wages and the executives use her fame to make money and get viewers. good to end this unhealthy relationship with them, filming once in a while is okay. her best role is still ZZR, my favorite, so sweet and pitiful, needing love. thats the image ingrained in my mind.
Actually for TVB standards she is paid very well except for China, the payment is market rate.
her mansion does’nt impress me, donate it to the homeless alike!!
Mainland loves ancient series especially historical series and series set in Qing dynasty.
Charmaine becomes popular overnight in mainland because of the success of War and Beauty in mainland
She isn’t the only one nor is she the first to leave TVB and go to China for more money,fame and opportunities. She did get paid well for TVB standards but of course China made a better offer. This is not the first time that I heard about these kinds of cases. I am glad that she is still signing a per series contract with TVB because if it weren’t for TVB, she would not be where she is now. I am shocked that she is getting more than Ada and Sharen. But then again, I should not be in a way since your rate of pay is not based on how talented you are.
@lamentnomore,
If you like the character of ZZR, then I suggest you watch other actresses that have played ZZR if you haven’t already.I feel that they did better than Charmaine. I personally did not like her portrayal of that character. JY characters don’t seem to be her strength at all.
its not about basic pay is it, more about ad sponsers represent products and servies and all, P/R work/openning events, which is serious money to so called popular entertainers?
I’m kinda glad all these popular actors/actresses are leaving TVB. The quality of their series have been declining in recent years. With I-Cable’s entry into public television, I really hope TVB will smarten up and film more creative and original dramas.
I am glad they’re leaving in a way because then others have a chance. And I am bored at seeing the same faces for every series. As for Mainland China, I am not watching them so for me once the actor leaves I am sorta cut off from them until they return.
I like mainland series more than TVB series. Mainland series mostly have beautiful costumes and made their cast look good.
Some may not like Yu Zheng but if we don’t think about the copying controversy his series are actually nice to watch and enjoyable. Yu Zheng always make the love relationship in his series loveable to watch and root for. Yu Zheng make a remake of Wars of In Laws in mainland version and made Myolie an overnight star in mainland when the series become an overnight hit.
Some of his series are not good and some of his favourite such as Mickey He are so bad and never get recognized but Yu Zheng did contribute to many hit series and the popularity of Sammul, Myolie, Yang Mi and Feng Shao Feng in mainland.
Its sometimes odd the mainland likes to make so many ancient series, or melodramatic modern ones about family ties.
Where’s the action, mystery, thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, political, modern romance stuff? Eek. In terms of entertainment value, I think Korean and Japanese series are far better.
Funn,
I think that you should watch mainland China series. A lot of them are actually very good. I used to watch TVB a lot way back in the 80s and early 90s, but not as much lately. I still watch TVB these days but not as much as China, Taiwanese and other companies. I feel that there are good series in every company/country. I even watch Korean series but most of them aren’t even that good,but some are good too. You should give other series and companies a chance since TVB’s quality has greatly depleted.
@HeTieShou – you’re right. People are prejudiced at mainland China series. I found that many of mainland series are enjoyable and much better than TVB especially their historical ancient series.
@lol,
Glad that you agree and also watch China series. A lot of the wuxia and historical dramas are very good. The actors and actresses act very well too since a lot of them were trained and highly educated to act. While TVB, on the other hand, does not even have any acting classes like they used to anymore from what I heard. Going to mainland is good not just for money, but for more experiences and opportunities.
Back in the days, China only made like a couple of series based on the some of the classics like Journey to the West, San Guo, Hong Lou Meng,etc… I saw those and felt that China already had a lot of potential to make great series and adaptions. My gut feeling was right and now China has grown a lot and is a making sooo many series that you just can’t see them all. They also have a good variety of casts from Hk, Taiwan and even Korea in their series. They also spend a lot of money on everything and pay their artists well as opposed to TVB who treat their artists so badly and are cheap on everything.Therefore, I feel it is more interesting to watch China series over TVB these days.
@HeTieShou – Mainland series are not afraid to put money into their resources while TVB is more calculating about money. That’s why we often find better costumes and promotional posters from mainland side.
Mainland stars mostly come from acting schools or college while in TVB the only active one right now who comes from acting class are Raymond and Tavia. Sometimes we have successful pageant runner ups such as Myolie and Charmaine but most of the time the pageant girls can’t acquire much acting skills.
@lol,
Yea, that is why I think China series a lot better than TVB series. TVB calculates every penny and is so petty that it is now catching up to them.
Well, I feel that Myolie and Charmaine’s acting is still not up to par, but they are better than a lot of the pageant winners or contestants. I guess it is because they had a lot of experience over the years.
HeTieShou, I watch some Korean series, decided to ignore Taiwanese series and I do like costume series for China but not those big budget type. I lost patience when I hear dubbed voices which is almost 100% the case with series from China. And the modern series give me a feeling like current ATV series; just too clean for want of better word.
However I watch China movies. Now if Zhang Yimou were to make a China series, I will definitely watch it. For one, no dubbed voices. I absolutely hate dubbed voices which is why I can’t stand the current China series even if the story is good.
Funn,
Yea, I know that the dubbed voices are really annoying in China. I used to always think that they would use the actors/actresses real voices but boy was I wrong… However, over time I got used to the dubbing so it didn’t bother me much anymore. That’s the thing I like about Taiwanese series, they always use their real voices. I actually got interested in some modern series because of Taiwanese series. I used to rarely ever watch modern seris since I like ancient series only.
I don’t like the modern series from China though. When I said that I like China series, I am referring to the ancient series only. But not all of them are good, however, that is how it is with any company.
I don’t watch Chinese movies anymore since I have not found one single Chinese movie that I like at all. I keep on trying to find even one that I like, but don’t like any of them…
Charmaine’s acting is mediocre and not up to par but she’s lucky because after Gigi left she’s the only fadan in her generation and all the promotion and hype fell onto her.
Myolie used to be terrible and OTT in acting but she improved greatly in TRB when she paired with Chilam. I love her cute character and all the funny imaginations she and Chilam had. She should continue doing comedies 😀
I think mainland have fresh faces who can act such as Yang Mi in “Palace”.
tired of seeing Linda Chung and Kate Tsui when they look like they’re acting by the book Acting for Dummies 101. Linda and Kate’s expressions are on surface only and never deep. Fala fares a bit better.
Can’t you just watch china series with subtitles and not dubbed voices. I hate dubs too, they NEVER sound like the actual actor, at least dubs should sound similar…hehehe. But than again never watched china series so I dunno I d they good or not but Taiwanesse are pretty good, besides I read subtitles for those.
@Vivien,
Yea, there are A LOT Of actresses in China that are not just pretty, but act very well. Yang Mi is also one of my favorites and is one of the most popular actresses in China. Besides her, there are many others like Huang Yi, Rebecca Wang, Han Xue, Sun Fei Fei, Eva Huang,etc… Just sooo many.. Which is why I wonder if Charmaine will be able to stand against them… However, I must say that actresses and actors from HK seem to be favored since they have acted in Hk for many years before going to CHina, so they seem to get favored by many companies and directors in China. IN many chinese series that I have watched, the actresses/actor from Hk always gets leading roles or at least 2nd lead. I think it is because they have already been famous in HK so they don’t need to start from scratch like a lot of the new actors/actresses from China.
I’ll always prefer HK series over China series because they are in Cantonese. But, I recently catch a GuangZhou series on TV and it looks pretty entertaining. Plus, it has Kwong Wah, Liu Kai Chi, Amy Chan and Mimi Kung. 🙂
Oh! Oh! Kong wah is acting again? What show? Dubbed? A pity! Kong Wah has great voice and diction!!
@ Funn
The series is called ‘Life In San Yuan Country’ (跟紅頂白大三元). It’s airing in TV2 now, 6pm, Monday to Friday.
The series is not dubbed. Everyone use their own voice.
@HeTieShou
I don’t know most of the artists but Charmaine has a lot of fans in mainland so she must have her own market if not the company won’t promote her like this.
TVB is in deep trouble. With I-Cable being a free TV channel I’m sure TVB will lose power quickly and later I-Cable artistes will be beating TVB artistes. TVB should produce better dramas. I feel sorry for TVB artistes if TVB fell down later.
Charmaine’s projects under this new company sounds great! She’s really up to be mainland’s new fadan.
When did I-Cable became free TV? I always thought I-Cable is a paid TV. Only ATV and TVB are free. Has HK broadcasting Ministry given free TV license to I-Cable?
It says so in the article above us
@Kidd – From what Jayne translated: “According to market sources, I-Cable will be awarded a free television license by the Broadcasting Authority. Since I-Cable produces the majority of its own programs, it will present a challenge to TVB, who also produces its own programs. “
i-Cable kinda already has a ‘free to air’ channel in a way; and for many years since 2004. It depends on where you live that determines whether you’re able to receive the channel; like how you can receive several Chinese channels in HK (e.g. Phoenix, Star- and more now since its going digital). I’m aware most the older public housing estates cannot. Its not a great channel since it only plays random shows from yesteryear which i-Cable has already shown on its pay channels. I think its a way to entice people to get it.
HK Govt only decided issue a new licence cause ATV is basically going down the drain with no end in sight since… its failed to repackage itself for far too long that most HK audiences just won’t watch it no matter what show it puts on. For commercial and political reasons, more the latter I believe, HK govt finally intends to open the market to avoid media monopolization of the old box. Its probably a reflex trend to counter the mainland media control and standardization policies. Very interesting stuff if you’re into this sort political espionage type stuff 🙂
If TVB does not improve, I wonder if it will still remain as the #1 station in Hk?? With all of the competition that TVB is facing these days, I wonder if they will be able to produce any good dramas?? It is not just down the cast, but also the staff members and behind the scenes crew.
While Charmaine seems to be liked and favored under her new company, there will be a lot more pressure for her since there are A LOT of really good and talented stars in China. The good thing is, TVB would always welcome her back with open arms if things do not work out for her in China.
@HeTieShou
Competition? From who? in terms of local free-to-air it will always reign #1. I cannot see different. At most there will be a declining viewership come 2020 when most of the oldies that grew up with TVB have passed on and come the generation that began to appreciate Hollywood, Japanese, Korean productions etc. Then TVB may just decide to change its production strategy. But it would still likely be #1.
Thing with mainland series is they’re all dubbed (all I know of anyway). It kind of makes the acting a little harder to judge sometimes. I’m sure Charmaine will be paid more in a mainland series playing second lead than in TVB being lead.
TVB used to have stiff competition from ATV and their attitude was if you don’t like, you can switch channels. Arrogant. Competition will be good but there is a bit of nostalgia for TVB; those who grew up with TVB will continue to watch TVB as well as others. I don’t see TVB being kicked off no. 1 spot for long period of time. But good that if TVB gets kicked onto the ground once in a while; that will give motivation to improve. BUT from the way I see it, they might just put out more CBML sort of productions; put all famous faces into one production, care nothing for the story or acting.
ATV at their 2nd best still beat TVB at their best, that I can remember. A pity ATV can’t manage themselves. If anything TVB has strong management?
@Funn
You’re right TVB’s shortcut way of doing series now is throwing some promoted artists into a big series and promote the series like crazy and nominate at the awards even though the acting and story are horrible. This is so CBML.
@Funn It’s undeniable that TVB series have been becoming worse in the last few years, but with the incident of Charmaine as well as many previous artistes leaving the company once they’ve achieved fame, we can see that they have a poor management system. The pay is low, but the work hours are very long. They are having trouble retaining their artistes these days and it makes me laugh that high management people like Virginia Lok are treating Steven Ma to dinner, hoping to come to an agreement, possibly to keep in working for TVB.
Perhaps but this is not the first time someone who made it leaving for better pastures elsewhere. Dicky is a good example and Roger Kwok once left but came back. This is nothing new for TVB. Give her 3 years, and she and others will be back with TVB full time.
@SDS,
Sorry, I am not familiar with how TVB works in HK and all. Well, it is still too early to say that TVB will still be #1. TVB may get jinxed so who really knows??
Yea, I know that Mainland productions are usually dubbed since I watch them a lot. I agree that it is harder to judge the acting, however, you can still judge it. After watching Mainland productions for so many years, I have gotten used to all of the dubbing…
I’ve never heard of I-Cable and I don’t live in HK. I do hope this is true as this will challenge TVB to produce better series! Competition is good for TVB with their lack of good scripts these days.
Totaly agree. TVB need competition and if TVB can’t improve also then TVB will fall. The monopoly right now with TVB made TVB don’t care about produce good seires!
i-Cable has a lot of shows that appeal to a younger audience; especially is range of entertainment news and its form of delivery. Of course TVB is trying to catch up with its HD and various pay channels, but it tends to have a more conservative approach to news and serial formats.
From my knowledge, i-Cable produces its own material in terms of news and variety shows. It doesn’t actually make many serials, if any (I personally cannot name any in recent memory).
If i-Cable intends to be a serious competitor after it gets a licence it must hire some of TVB’s experienced actors or nab current ones. Personally if I was an investor solely concerned with profits, I’d stay away from HK’s free-to-air market. HK audience are far too accustomed to TVB for many reasons. With the booming mainland market, popularity of overseas serials and constrained HK market- really what’s the point setting up in HK? Its so difficult to capture a profitable market share and TVB knows this, hence it hasn’t changed its production strategies since the 90s.
I suspect i-Cable, if it starts free-to-air, its going to produce original content for news and variety, but will totally buy foreign serials and dub them. Its unlikely to produce its own serials to any significant degree given the small pool of talent in HK and that wish to remain in HK.
Of course I could be wrong and i-Cable will shake HK audiences by storm with new serials based on topics not yet touched by TVB (oh so many) minus all the TVB-ness. Doubtful though. i-Cable doesn’t even have a sizeable studio to shoot, and shooting in HK public is a nightmare. Good luck to that thought! So please… no one get their hopes up this is going to make TVB up is ante.
I agree. Although I like the fact that TVB will have some competition from a another free channel and hopefully force it to better treat their artists and produce better quality dramas, I don’t see i-cable as an immediate threat to TVB’s monopoly yet.
Yes, TVB has been going downhill in terms of production quality, but the fact of the matter is that the audience will still watch it because TVB has become a household name. Many citizens of HK and fans overseas grew up with TVB, and it has become a part of their daily life and their shows are a part of their daily conversations at the dinner table. What TVB has is loyalty from the audience, and lots of marketing and exposures for their artists to become well-known to the HK audience. I-cable rarely has any dramas yet, and it will take them a while to recruit artists either from TVB, or use lesser known actors that viewers may not accept in the short term. And for some reason, even when the actors go to another station outside of TVB, it just doesn’t seem the same anymore. ATV’s Men of Justice had a stellar cast and was a great production and most of the main cast came from TVB. The ratings were better for ATV standards, but still no where did it come close to TVB’s ratings even if it was airing a crappy series. ATV is definitely struggling, so I hope for the best for i-cable and hope they produce some quality shows for the audience. But I believe it will be quite some time before they become a threat to TVB.
I suppose I should qualify my message rather than implying TVB has poor quality in every respect. Production-wise its fine (if you’re not comparing it to Hollywood stuff) but script-wise its very formulaic and it needs to stop trying to fit new topics into old frames. Yes, everyone knows what I mean. Every time there’s a new series on some new topic (cooking sushi! etc.) its got the usual family trappings etc. BORING!!! Or there’s a new topic but done with the usual cliche (7 Days of Sep etc.) crap that makes you cringe. BORING!!! I have two feelings: disgust and pity – disgust because I’m seriously beginning to think the HK audiences that watch this stuff and contribute to the ratings are; pity because I know even those who dislike the system its too difficult to change the system… yuck
@Aly
Did you know TVB has entered into a licence contract with TV suppliers so every TV set sold only contains the necessary receptors to receive TVB material? Hence despite all ATV’s efforts with The Men of Justice, it still failed. 😛
SDS, really? Like cable TV?
@SDS,
I didn’t know that! It’s no wonder why TVB really dominates the TVB and really forces the other stations to be pushed aside!
Oops, I meant “no wonder why TVB really dominates in the TV industry!” 🙂
@SDS
Isn’t it illegal if TVB did that? is this true?
I don’t think there’s anti trust law in HK like in US.
@Everyne who followed my message above
I meant the whole ‘Did you know TVB has entered into a licence contract with TV suppliers so every TV set sold only contains the necessary receptors to receive TVB material?’ as a joke. I guess by putting the tongue smiley at the end it wasn’t obvious enough. My fault. Sorry.
I was just trying to play up the fact that many audiences in HK just leave their channel on TVB permanently and basically never switch to ATV. Well there is one exception- they will switch to ATV on Saturday nights when looking for a movie to watch (if they don’t have any other pay-tv channels etc.).
I’m not sure if its illegal if they tried but it wouldn’t be commercially sensible if not technologically implausible for TV developers. So yeah, was a joke 🙂
It is high end residence. The view itself is worth a fortune, more so the size of the unit, which is huge for HK standards.
The view is great. Charmaine shows that she’s really well off now and can afford this high class residence.
Going to mainland will increase charmaine’s wealth.
I never doubt her fee since she does a lot of Ads so these are her main income.
Yeap Charmaine is very popular among advertisers. I think most of her money comes from ads and endorsement.
@Funn,
But I was meaning to talk in general and NOT aim at her ok.. GEEZ!!!! It is her money so she can what she wants… I don’t care…
With all the money she gas right now she could be helping those in Japan instead of showing off money with this house. But I gotta admit that is a nice house for a hong kong house. I mean I live in a not so crowded city and my house is not web that big… She is one rich gal…
My mom always tells me and my siblings to always help people out when you have money instead of wasting it on senseless things and showing off. For a hong kong apartment/condo(not sure if you can call that a house), that is nice due to the limited amount of space and land available. IN the area that I live, this house of hers is considered on the small side.
How do you know she did not donate? Must she go around screaming “I DONATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!”?
And HeTieShou I am not sure where you’re from, but in HK that is considered a big place since land is scarce there. She is not rich enough to own a landed bungalow in prime land and from what i can see this may be her investment. What she does with her money is none of anyone business, more so what is wrong with buying a condo? Not like she spent it on handbags and shoes.
If all those rich people stop buying houses and cars and other goods, and donate all their money to Japan, HK will be the one needing donations from others later because their economy aren’t moving.
Why Charmaine buying a house she likes and can live comfortably in is called showing off? She didn’t invite the media to go visit her house. She just bought it for herself to live in.
And I agree with Funn. How did you know she didn’t donate?
A house is not a senseless thing. A house is an asset.
She is one person lving in a giant condo, does she really need all that, even if it were in investement in the houseing market, she could by different houses, to help the economie. But even if she did donate, it doesn’t matter if the world know, as long as she knows. But living in a hudge space for a person, that’s not really nessisary, ony a simple house could be fine. There are others ways of spending money, besides a fancy condo. If she’s planning to move outside of HK, why bother with such a big house?
It’s an investment. And technically out of HK that is not a big place. In HK it is considered big because normal apartments are miniscule. And how do you know she is one person staying there? And even if she is, so what? What is and what is not necessary for her is not the same for us. Can you shop in cheap discount stores when you earn so much that you can afford a designer label? Or a handbag? Ask yourself that. Same with make up. So how is that different from a house? A car may be extravagant but Kidd is right; a house is an asset. She needs her retirement money and smart of her to invest in assets than everything else. It is her own money, she earned it. She can do whatever she wants with it, even if not donating them. She has no social nor moral obligation to be charitable just because she is rich.
I don’t understand why ppl “should donate donate more than buy A/B/C” all the time these days. Do you put all of your salary every months to the Japanese? Do you sell your house to donate to them? Life isn’t stopped because of the earthquake and tsunami. It’s her own money and she can use it for watever she wants. If she is living on your money then you can tell her to do this and that. If not, please stop the “donate donate” comments.
Earthquake is not her fault. Tsunami is not under her control.
I feel it’s too ok even if she doesn’t donate a penny. The donation must come from heart, not a race or show off. If she comes out and say “I donated blah blah blah and don’t buy a house because of this donation and this time”, I’ll say she is fake.
If everyone stay in small house only, how will the luxury apartments sell? You are kinda ridiculous in a comment like this “But living in a hudge space for a person, that’s not really nessisary, ony a simple house could be fine. There are others ways of spending money, besides a fancy condo. If she’s planning to move outside of HK, why bother with such a big house?”. Her money, she can do watever she wants with it. Even if she throws all out of the window, it’s her right, nobody can’t say a word.
edit: nobody can say a word.
@Yee If Charmaine has the money, I don’t find anything wrong with splurging a little once in a while. I guess it’s simply because she WANTS to and she CAN.
Charmaine says she does not know if she would want to live in China because she isn’t use to the environment there. Since she’s been living in HK for so long, it is understandable that she wants to invest in a condo/house there.
Funn,
I did not say that she didn’t. I was once again, just talking in general and wasn’t aiming at her or anyone. Of course she or anyone who donates does not need to go around and announce that they did. However, being in the spotlight like most celebs are, if you did then the public would usually know. I guess the point that me and others are making is that it is nice to help others out if you have the money, that’s all. Of course it is HER money that she earned so she can do what she likes with it…
I am from the US(from California) and of course I know that land in HK and other smaller countries are scarce, so of course her house is considered big. My sister in law is from HK and goes there a lot, therefore, I know a lot about life in HK even though I have not been there yet.
HeTieShou, the comments did not put it in the way you said it. The words are plain and simple; she should have used the money to give to others instead of wasting on buying things for herself. Your comment aimed at that meaning as well, and not generally. Say what you mean and mean what you say.
I hope all this “sudden” wealth will not get into Charmaine’s head and I’m quite sure she will furhter improve her acting as she is given so much scope to do so.However, it does bother me to think that the consequences of having so much money will make it harder for her to secure a boy friend. Which actor or any man for that matter will be able to match up to her in earnings?
Businessman or rich heir might have a lot more earnings than her.
@P.Tan
She’s by far not rich. Anyway why are you so concerned about Charmaine’s wellbeing? Not that I’m being nasty or anythin, but seriously…
Maybe she/he is such a big fan of hers that she worries that much about her? I have seen many overly obsessed fans that would do anything for their idols…(not aiming at P. Tan but just talking in general).
Sorry but many other really popular actors/singers make A LOT more than her. What she makes may seem a lot by her standards but it isn’t much compared to other really popular stars. Also, many businessmen in China are really really rich so what she makes is not much compared to them. Therefore, she does not need to worry about that at all. She also doesn’t sing and isn’t a singer and believe me singers make a lot. IN fact, if they are popular enough, they can make a lot more than actors/actresses. Just like with Faye Wong, she made a lot and is a singing diva but she still had 2 husbands.
A movie star
Does this mean she won’t really be in HK much anymore ?
Since Charmaine is signing a per series contract with TVB, she will still spend some time in HK to film. I heard she will film 30 episodes for TVB. Because TVB has been so kind to her and she acknowledges them as her “mother” and “home”, she wants to maintain a good connection with them.
However, for the next 3 years, her focus is on the mainland market and she already has some grand production series lined up for her.
I really like Charmaine’s handbag. Can anyone spot what brand it is? I’m glad that she’s got a better opportunity to go to. I liked her in a lot of series. She’ll probably find a husband in the motherland as well. Just like Ada and Sonija. A lot of Mainland modern dramas are really good too. They play them a lot in CCTV-4. I remembered one series that was really good and they have so many beautiful actors and actresses in it. their clothes, cars and even houses are really nice. well, can’t wait to see how she performs in mainland dramas and films.
oh yeah, in Boston Massachusetts (USA) there is a neighborhood call Beacon Hill. It is up on a hill right in the heart of the city. it’s where rich people live as well. i know that the vice president of AOL lives there and that the elevator takes you right up to the penthouse but needs access to get in obviously.
Rich guys won’t consider her, since they can find younger and more attractive girls. Never liked her acting anyway so really don’t care about her leaving TVB. TVB produce crappy series nowadays there are maybe just 1-2 series a year that are worth watching.
I think that is true since Charmaine is getting up there in terms of age and she isn’t that great looking nor is she that talented. However, it seems like HK actresses have a lot of luck(in a number of cases) in finding well off guys that are decent looking. One case is Kiki Sheung. She is even older and not so attractive but still managed to marry a decent looking man(not sure if he was married before or not, but maybe he was)that is pretty rich/well off. I guess it is also fate as well. But yea, I think guys that are rich, young and have never been married before may not even consider her.
ALso want to add that another good example is Catherine Hung. She already has a son and was 11 years older than her current husband. I can’t believe that he fell for her and married her. He is just an actor so isn’t really really rich or anything.. I guess his parents are easy going and less traditional because really traditional parents would not accept that at all.
Many TVB series these days are not worth watching at all. There are only a few of them that are ok, but most of them are so senseless and draggy…
@Samche,
If you like modern series from China, you would definately like the ancient ones. They are really nice… I honestly am not looking forward to Charmaine in China series. I am guessing her mandarin isn’t even that good if she knows any at all, therefore, she will be dubbed…
@HeTieShou – Knowing mainland series they will dub Charmaine’s voice. I’m not a Charmaine fan so I won’t chase her series but I will watch series if I found the story look interesting.
TVB series keep using the same formula and most are indeed draggy. Most of the series look cheap and produced with no cost.
@lol One of the reasons I don’t like watching mainland series is that I can’t comprehend Mandarin fully without reading the subtitles (if they have any). I believe Charmaine speaks Mandarin, but maybe not fluent enough to speak while acting. I’ve never seen a mainland drama of hers. Can someone confirm that she speaks Mandarin on the set and that they don’t dub her voice?
LOL now the topic is about mainland dramas 😛
Can someone confirm that she speaks Mandarin on the set and that they don’t dub her voice?
I don’t know about Charmaine’s dramas but I knew that Bosco and Myolie speaks Mandarin throughout during filming their recent drama – and will be dubbed later. It’s same with Liu Xuan speaking Cantonese in Female Fist but still being dubbed.
@lol,
Honestly, even if she did speak Mandarin she would still be dubbed. Many Taiwanese artists and mainland artists all get dubbed too IF the production crew claims that their real voice does not fit the character. When I first started watching mainland series many years ago, I used to think that everyone’s real voice was used. Then I was so disappointed that that was not the case. However, I got used to it over the years…
I never watch series for the cast only anyways since the story is the most important thing to me. I really hate it when people just go for the cast and then complain about how bad the series is due to the story. I was never a fan of Charmaine’s but I only watch the series that she is in because the story sounds interesting. Of course having your favorite stars in there is a big plus too. However, that should not be the only thing that you go for.
@Chriselle,
Like I have said, even if Charmaine did speak mandarin, she will still be dubbed. Even artists from the Mainland and Taiwan get dubbed since they want everyone speaking in the same accent. ALso, they claim that they want a voice that suits the character so they always dubb. However, they luckily also let some of the mainland artists dubb their own voices so in some cases you do get to hear their real voices.
Of course dubbed because they don’t speak good mandarin
Charmaine, is in no way, a gold-digger. From all the interviews I’ve seen of her, she emphasizes the importance of personality and emotional connection. Since she makes enough money herself and is widely known amongst the audience, she doesn’t need the financial support. Money is important and it’s definitely nice to have lots, but as long as we have enough to lead a happy and comfortable life, that is enough.
You know I have heard sooo many actresses say that, but in the end who do they end up marrying?? Either they marry someone really really rich or someone from the circle. Whoever said that money was too much. There are many actresses that make way more than Charmaine but still ended up marrying a millionaire. While Charmaine does make quite a bit for her standards, it never hurts to have even more…
@HeTieShou Of course, no one would say they have too much money. It’s just that at Charmaine’s stage, she doesn’t need the extra money or financial support in order to be happy. To her, having someone compatible in terms of personality is important. However, even if she does end up marrying someone whose wealthy, who says she likes his money and not his personality? Knowing Charmaine and her personality, I just don’t associate her as those women who would marry just for the sake of money.
Speaking of this, I was very surprised with Sonija and fiance. With Sonija’s numerous love rumors in the past, I thought she was either a flirt or a drama queen. I thought she would either marry into a wealthy family or at least someone popular in the entertainment circle. While her husband-to-be is a professional chereographer, he’s not anyone insanely famous.
And what’s wrong with marrying someone from the entertainment circle? I feel that it’s better, especially if they’re paired up in a series/movie before. They would understand each other more for they are in the same industry, knowing that working long hours is a common thing and having rumors is inevitable. After all, it’s understandable that both women and men would want to marry someone with similar or higher status than their own. It’s humanity as there is no problem for wanting what’s best for ourselves and not settling for less than what we deserve.
@Chriselle,
Oh no, of course there is nothing wrong with marrying anyone from the circle at all. But yea, since we don’t know her personally, who really knows?? She can marry who she likes and as long as she is happy then who can complain???
Don’t we all want to marry a rich guy? To secure our future, even if we ourselves are rich, we won’t mind RICHER husbands. For Charmaine, she might marry someone from her circle or someone in the social circle. That someone can be rich or well connected or both or just plain ordinary. I don’t know nor do I care actually. Because right now she is the epitome of a woman working hard to support herself. That I applaud her even if I do think very little of her acting abilities.
@Chriselle, I agree, Charmaine seems to value the importance of establishing her own financial independence, rather than preferring to carve her success in marrying a rich man.
I wasn’t that surprised in Sonija’s choice in marriage partner. She came across as a very strong romantic, dating Deric Wan and being so open about it in her early career was an indication. She seemed to place love as first priority over her career.
I think one of Sonija’s greatest weaknesses is that she is not very eloquent and thus was always misunderstood. She always gave off that “third party” image to the press. In Michael Tao’s divorce, which was rumored that he separated from his ex-wife because of Sonija, I wondered if she gave him the wrong signals that she was interested in him. After his divorce, Michael and Sonija had some war of words and it appears they never got over the incident amicably.
Wayne Lai once described Sonija as very “dumb” (chuen) because she lacked a degree of unawareness in her own actions and how they would be interpreted by other people. He recounted an incident how he and Sonija were having lunch at the TVB cafeteria at their own table and Sonija whispered that other people seem to be talking about them and didn’t know why. Wayne said that other people were staring because they were having lunch by themselves, thus people were forming ideas in their head. Sonija seemed unaware of how her own actions would project to the outside world.
For those artists without fancy PR teams, they are on their own in managing their public images. Making friends in the press may not guarantee more positive coverage, but in case of scandal, at least there would be a platform to issue clear their names.
I am still shocked at how poorly Bernice Liu seems to have managed her public image since she was spotted dating Alastair Lam. I thought she had many friends in the media and at least one publication would allow her to tell her version of the story to nullify the gold digger label.
I agree with Jayne. I also have the same impression of Sonija. She gives me the impression that she’s someone looking for love.
I feel very sorry for her that she’s always rumoured as the 3rd party, so much so that she dare not be so close to Michael Miu while they were filming together. She’s afraid of yet another rumour and she’s also afraid that it will affect Michael Miu. It’s Michael Miu who convinced her that she shouldn’t avoid him like that because they are playing an old married couple in the series. How can they develope chemistry with her avoiding him like that? I’m also happy that Jaimie Chik too spoke up for Sonija.
@Jayne Before actually paying attention to HK celebrities news, my assumption that Sonija was a flirt simply came from what I’ve heard about her from my family. Because the media portrayed her as the third party, my family believed them and rumors just spread further.
But from what I’ve read and seen, I do agree that she puts more importance on love than in her career. That’s very transparent as she’s been given so many opportunities and meaty lead roles at the onset of her career, but she never tried to polish her acting like Charmaine did. Since they are best of friends and on the Be My Guest show, Charmaine mentioned that Sonija is a friend in the circle that she can tell anything to, I thought their goals and views of life would more similar. It’s very obvious that Sonija prioritizes love over career while Charmaine would always want to achieve higher, attain personal development and career advancement.
However, I’m really surprised to learn that Sonija does not know how to explain herself to the media and Wayne even called her “dumb”. Was he merely joking? Because I’ve always seen Sonija as someone whose smart, elegant, feminine, and eloquent during her MHK interviews, it didn’t cross me that she didn’t even realize what she was doing. And after all these love crisis and rumors that she’s gone through, she did not even attempt to understand why it was happening to her? While it’s understandable that artistes don’t know how to deal with the pressure of the media initially, I would assume they learn from their mistakes. That is exactly what happened to Charmaine as she could not understand why the media would bash her. Through time and ups and downs, she learned her lesson: do not read the tabloids if you don’t want to hear any bashing or negative rumors. Ultimately, she learned how to dealt with it and had inner peace.
@Chriselle, Wayne is an outspoken individual but he normally would not say bad word about co-stars. I am not sure if Wayne’s words were twisted in the final publication. The article credited him as saying Sonija was choon, but suffice it to interpet his conception of Sonija as unaware of the image her words and actions have on others.
Does anyone remember the incident when Sonija’s arm was bitten by her maid, who was suffering emotional problems. Sonija went to the hospital for the incident and Ms. Lok appeareed at press conference with Sonija. It was almost as if they were afraid the media would misunderstand the situation and use it to spread bad rumors about her. Ms. Lok was there to make sure no misunderstandings would happen, which led me to believe that Ms. Lok and Sonija herself had no faith that Sonija would deliver her version of the story successfully.
The contrast between Charmaine and Sonija’s PR skills are clear. When Charmaine was the “third party,” in Kevin Cheng and Niki Chow’s relationship, that was perfect opportunity for media to slander Charmaine. In some cases, tabloids did call her” poisonous snake” (duk sheh), but it didn’t go on for too long. Even Niki telling Ming Pao how much she was hurt, and Kathy saying sarcastic remarks to media didn’t do much damage. I believe Charmaine had good relationships with tabloids and after they wrote their news, they let the incident go and no real harm done.
@Kidd, don’t think the rumors with Michael Miu were that damaging, since he always came across as happily married to Jamie, although Michael may be naturally flirtatious man like Bosco. In a telling Ming Pao interview (the one about her saying how comfortable it was to love her fiance Zhu Xiaojie), I believe she had Michael call Xiaojie to clarify the rumors? That was the part I was surprised about because Sonija doesn’t have confidence in herself (or the actual ability) toexplain things to Xiaojie.
@Chriselle, I do think that the media’s poor past portrayl of Sonija was due to her own inability to explain herself. She seems to be a” simple” person not very artful in playing mental games.
In the Mingpao interview, Sonija said that loving her fiance was very comfortable because their was no need for her to play mental games (dau chi chau lik) with him.
@ Jayne
From my understanding of what Michael said in his clarification, Sonija already avoiding him before any rumour starts. Maybe she was wary of her past rumours, so, before it starts, she already took precaution.
So happy for her that she can find someone she’s comfortable with.
Agree with what you guys have mentioned about Sonija. I used to wonder why she is always rumored with every other male costar she pairs up with. The media seems to love putting her in a bad light when portraying her as a third party in a relationship, and it does come with how an artist maintains their relationship with the media.
Sonija comes across as an eloquent and smart girl, and she was very “dai fong” during her MHK days. But her weakness is not being able to handle the pressure well from the media. From what I’ve observed throughout the years, she does fine in normal interviews when it pertains to talking about her job or her series in general, but she’s not very tactful when faced with challenging questions or rumors. A lot of times when reporters ask if she would feel a certain way or avoid so and so to not have rumors with them, she would respond back with answers like “why would I feel embarrassed?!” or “why should I avoid them?!” Yeah, she could be a direct person, but I think she could have just answered “no, I wouldn’t” and be right to the point without needing to sound defensive or annoyed and making her look bad in front of the media. Charmaine, on the other hand, comes across as very calm and level-headed even when dealing with these types of pressure and questions.
I do hope that now Sonija has found her true love, that the media will leave her alone and she will be happy.
TVB is in major need for competition, like ATV ain’t really competition. The dramas aren’t so original or interesting anymore, everyone is turning to other countries for dramas and so are it’s artistes. With a lager competition they could create a need for better plot character and maybe some depth in there dramas. Eventhough TVB dramas aren’t thT good I’ll admit I’m still a judge fan and will always support TVB. lol. But it seriously need some better producers and writers.
As for Charmaine it’s good for her to improve her career, she deserves it. She hasn’t been making many TVB dramas lately so it’s all good if she leaves. I’ve never been a fan nor a hater so I’m not all that sad to see her leave, it’s not like she can’t come back…big deal. I don’t know why there is all this talk about her leaving TVB, it’s not like she’s leaving television and acting, you’ll still see her…best of luck to her.
Charmaine is always hyped. If its just about talent Sheren Tang and Ada Choi are much much better.
She’s still filming 30 episodes per year with TVB so she’s still around.
Totally agree! Sharen and Ada are definately more talented. We all know that it is not about talent. I think Charmaine is partially lucky too.
Sheren was an awful actress who were given the right roles. I never thought Ada as any particularly good actress to begin with. Yes Charmaine is partially lucky but to give her credit she worked very very hard, kept her head down, ignored gossips and just went about her way. And however lucky she may be, without the support of viewers and TVB she would not have gone anywhere.
@Funn How is Sheren an awful actress when given the right roles? While I admit that Sheren was not spectacular in her early days and I especially despised her character in Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre in 1986, I still think she’s better than the average newcomers today. But through time, experience, and the ups and downs in her life, she incorporated all these feelings and emotions into her characters and acting. Therefore, I never thought Sheren was awful even in her early days; her acting just wasn’t as seasoned as it is now.
Ada has many fans and is loved by the audience, but I agree that her acting never grew on me emotionally. However, I did notice how realistic and pretty her tears were in The Gem of Life. But something is just missing even though she cries so prettily…
It’s funny and weird how Charmaine grew from one of my least favorite actresses to one of my all-time favorites. I respect her not only for her acting, but even more for her professionalism, strong work ethic, and EQ. She claims that she doesn’t like to be unhappy and would choose not to read about the rumors and gossips that the tabloids write about her.
Charmaine may be lucky in her career, especially after Gigi left, but if she seize the opportunity to advance her career and worked harder than her female colleagues, I doubt she would be where she is today.
Being able to seize the opportunity is very important in this industry (as in any other) and speaking of this, it reminds me of Ron and Bosco. Both are tall, handsome, and has their unique sense of style, but I felt that they’re not as hardworking when it comes to polishing their acting. However, we can’t always blame them since a lack of good scripts is also a problem.
In fact, when it comes to having an unique sense of style and personality, Ron and Bosco both exceeds Raymond Lam. The image Raymond and his company has set for him is too safe and it’s an unrealistic portrayal of who he really is and what reality really offers. I’ve always thought Raymond was too feminine-looking and he’s rather quiet.
Sorry, in my above comment, I meant “if Charmaine DIDN’T seize…”
Ahh, we need an edit button!
@Funn – “Sheren was an awful actress who were given the right roles.” I don’t think so. Sheren has shown the strength from her start.
I agree with others that Charmaine is partially lucky. She was a newbie when TVB’s scripts are still stronger and fresh with Country Spirit and Return of The Cuckoo and when she becomes a real fadan her competitor left TVB ie; Sheren, Gigi and Myolie, Tavia are still rising.
What I mean above was Sheren and Gigi are not contracted with TVB. Meanwhile Tavia and Myolie are still growing as a fadan
In fact, when it comes to having an unique sense of style and personality, Ron and Bosco both exceeds Raymond Lam.”
I don’t recall anyone in TVB now share the same clean gong xi image with LF at this moment. He has his own rich smell. It’s also unique. I think Ron/Bosco/LF, all of them have their own established images that can’t be mix with each other.
I think Sheren is quite ok in her debuts. Sabre wasn’t her very first series. I rmb there are some more older. I recall of a series with Tony Leung where Tony acts 2 roles at one. It’s where Sheren’s acting is quite raw but okayish.
I hate Charmaine a lot in Fox Mountain. The role itself is annoying. I also hate her in DIF IV where I can’t stand her acting and her role. BTW, she isn’t the only one I hate in this series, haha. But I can see her improvement in the next series. Partly of her successful is luck but not all. Can’t deny her improvement. I rmb my first wow-ed at her acting is DOL where she provided very good performance.
Myolie is always in the list of good acting actresses to me. She portrayed her role in GF very well. I can see her potential from this one. Many ppl dun like her exaggeration in recent series but I think it works quite well in some series like Chips.
I think Sheren was good as a newbie compared to current newbies such as Linda, Kate, Elaine Yiu in their first few series. Elaine improved a lot though now but the other two not so much.
Myolie’s best acting in her career was in GF. After that she went OTT all the way but I find her improving from her OTTness in TRB where she’s likeable and excellent.
@ Fox
‘Heaven Sword Dragonn Sabre’ came before ‘Hap Hak Hang’. Sheren acted in HSDS first. HHH is the series with 2 Tonys.
Wikipedia said Sheren’s first series is ‘The Legend of the General Who Never Was’. But, I remember her saying her first role was already a lead role opposite Adam Cheng. Don’t know. Maybe she film this series first, but, he was aired later.
Which actresses don’t work hard, ignore gossips and mind their own business?? You have to if you even want to survive in the circle or in any field. I think besides beauty, I also think that talent is in the eye of the beholder. I am also not a fan of Ada but her acting is decent and she has gotten better over the years. There are many actors and actresses that I think act well, but I am not a fan of theirs. I have been a fan of Sheren’s since the 80s and felt that her acting has really reached a great level. Of course, a big part of it is all of the years of experience that she has.
Which actress/actor doesn’t get popular due to certain roles?? Some good examples are Idy Chan(who got famous and popular due to Xiao Long Nu), Barbara Yung(who got famous and popular due to her role as Wong Yung), Vicki(who got popular due to Xiao Yan Zi),etc.. THe list can go on and on and on…. Therefore, it is not just aiming at any actor/actress, but for most of them it is because of luck and opportunity. And of course, if it weren’t for the support of the audience and fans, none of the artists would be where they are now….
Even though Sheren was not the greatest actress back then, I must say that she was a lot better than many of the newbies now such as Linda or Kate. I thought “the Legend of the General who never was” was her first series, but it may have been another one.
I actually enjoyed Sharen’s acting back then a lot. She was really cute in Hap Hak Hang(Xia Ke Xing, which is a JY novel but they really changed the story in that version) and was pretty good for a newcomer in HSDS. I thought that her acting was better than many of the newer actresses of day.
@HeTieShou There are plenty of celebrities who are in the industry for the fame and money and does not have a passion to act. Of course, no artiste will outright claim that they won’t work hard, but it’s pretty clear that some work harder than others and are smart when it comes to seizing their opportunities than others. Most actresses today tend to take the easy route and use sex appeal to win the audience over. Overall, everyone can say they take their work seriously, but Charmaine can actually tell everyone with RESULTS.
Oh so Hap Ka Hang is before. This series released in my country before Saber so I mistaken.
@Fox,
HSDS was released in 1986 while Hap Hak Hang was released in 1989. It was Tony Leung’s last series with TVB.
@HTS: In my country, not the actual release date.
ATV isn’t their competition because they lack both of the financial resources and actors. But I head they have better pay for their artistes, but less promotion. TVB is quite the opposite and through connections with TVB, the artistes get more opportunities outside of the company such as being a spokesperson for a company or filming an endorsement ad.
Did you watch The Men of Justice last year? The filming style was very different from TVB’s and even the content that they offered largely differed. Personally, I thought it was too realistic and depressing to watch for my taste, but TVB series today doesn’t depict reality as it is and is only offers an escape to reality. ATV and TVB seems like at two ends of the spectrum and they are playing at the extremes. I wish both TV station would offer more variety.
@ Chriselle
The Men of Justice (ATV) was a nice entry for the legal genre into HK TV. It tries to follow the US way of dealing with legal dramas while giving it a HK spin (triads and undercover cops). But it failed to capture HK audiences for many reasons, the most obvious one is that it was broadcast on ATV and also because the script wasn’t climatic. I mean, you can be realistic and climatic, but it was quite flat, and the sutff approaching the ending got quite ludicrous. In terms of portraying the legal profession in their daily activities, it comes much closer than any TVB serial ever.
Men of Justice? I think this series has problem with its script.
I didn’t watch but I heard great praises about Men of Justice and how the filming is different from TVB and more like a movie
@SDS It may also be that this series is different from what HK audiences are use to seeing and I can completely understand that. The series offers a realistic portrayal of the everyday lives of lawyers without having to sugarcoat anything, but that is also very depressing to watch how some criminals can get away with murder. It certainly expresses that there is a gray area in life, not just black and white. I agree that the ending was very lame and boring and it moved at about the same pace as the entire series, making it forgettable (not to mention I was a bit confused about it too).
HK audiences, on the other hand, are use to TVB making every single one of their series happy and family-oriented. Their endings are always happy. However, it’s probably because their series are light-hearted dramas, it offers HK people an escape from reality and from their hardworking and stressful lives.
Overall, it’s understandable that families would sit together with each other during/after dinner and enjoy an episode of a TVB series, but honestly, who would want to watch something as unentertaining (meaning it doesn’t make people laugh) and depressing as MOJ?
Reality isn’t like it’s portrayed in TVB series, but I also hope it’s never as depressing as portrayed in MOJ.
@Chriselle
Yea I know what you mean about the whole escapism thing. Although I’d say its more of a cultural thing, hence US series like to delve into deeper, darker subject matter (not necessarily more realistic).
Hmmm I guess at the end of the day MOJ had a weak closure. That killed it for me. I don’t mind that criminals get away. That’s what happens in life. However they should’ve wrote in how the characters deal with it etc. for dramatic value. And they shouldn’t always show us behind the scenes material of what actually happened at the crime scene. I’d like them to just let us keep guessing. That’s what happens in many real life criminal trials anyway.
@SDS Yeah, I love looking into the past crime scenes and the criminal admitting to their flaws and why they committed the crime. TVB did a spectacular job in that case with their Detective Investigation Files I-IV series. They had us at the edge of our seats and the criminal was usually someone unexpected. But as a series about law, I guess this point is less important. The producer was probably trying to promote the idea that life is not only black and white, right and wrong, and that criminals do get away with certain crimes, depending on how their lawyers help them. Kenneth Chan’s character, Ben, sums it up well with, “Whoever can pay a good price will get the best professional advice from lawyers.” Again, the notion that the wealthy is better off is true. They have more money to hire more than one lawyer to help them if needed. This is definitely a disadvantage to the poor despite the fact that they claim that everyone is fair before the law.
All in all, it was less important to showcase whether or not the criminals actually committed the crime, but more important that people do get away with it.
@Chriselle TVB’s Detective Investigation Files series copied their cases from Japanese mystery novels. I recognized several cases were adapted from Jiro Akagawa’s novels, which are available in Chinese translation and are quite popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. That was the reason why these cases were more” intricate” than most TVB crime series.
Oh and nice house she got there
Speaking of iCable and stealing former TVB staff, is Ho Lai Chuen recent resignation related to iCable?
Now that iCable is available to the mass, they need a strategy to not become ATV.
I think it’s been a smart move to not engage in tv series. There are so many competitors out there right now, especially with mainland produce series.
Despite the complaints with TVB, I still find them as one of the better produced works. Each year, they have at least one variety show that is super good. Not all their series are excellent but there’s at least one or two that people love.
With current interest more into mainland, Korea and Japanese series instead of TVB iCable might benefit more by buying overseas series instead of competing with TVB in local series.
Wait wasn’t it iCable that make a famous tuition series with Michelle Ye and some women?
The iCable would not win. Because they should promote locally produced series instead of buying elsewhere and broadcast those. It may benefit iCable but in the end it will not benefit HK film industry.
Maybe not in the short run but maybe in the long run when they can produce local dramas they can challenge TVB’s position? With the quality of current TVB series it’s not that hard to top TVB series
Am I the only one content with TVB’s current productions?
All other series are way too slow-paced for me!
Not easy. TVB’s strong point is their contract artistes. iCable will need to build a production house, a set, home grown actors. If not they need to pay established actors and they aren’t cheap. Look at what is happening to ATV. TVB can solve their problems by hiring good writers.
Pandamao, probably not. Between TVB and others, I still go back to TVB but sometimes you gotta admit, they suck
@Pandamao, is I-Cable more well known for its variety programs and news programs with an international flavor rather than its entertainment programs? TVB seems to be more well known for its entertainment rather than variety and news programs. Also, I-Cable seems to have programming that caters to more well educated masses, spanning wide geographical coverage.
For I-Cable to present a real challenge to TVB and start producing its series, with TVB’s former big stars, sounds like a very expensive strategy.
Hmm…I prefer TVB out of habit and like their brand of humor. Even some OTT dramas have some humorous aspects to them. In some sitcoms, the cast and style of acting is almost like they are on steroids, but the hyper activity quickly gets your minds off things.
It depends on what mood I am in; I also enjoy watching some Japanese series and Korean series. Since these dramas feature a smaller cast than TVB series and focus more on character development, you really have to like the main lead in order to watch the show. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to follow them because they will dominate a lot of screen time.
Mainland dramas are still a mixed bag IMO. The pace is slower and not really interested in the wuxia remakes because the stories are so well known. Mainland series tend to also be quite long and feature large cast, unlike the concentrated focus of Japanese themes.
TVB moves faster, shorter even at say 80 episodes, still shorter than standard China series. Again it’s the dubbing. China series with the dubbing gives me this uneasy echo.
I prefer the Japanese among Asian dramas. Albeit some actings are a ‘miss'(some Japanese youngsters overact the cuteness and the coolness) the Jdoramas often have a concentrated storyline – most often only 10-13 episodes and diverse themes – not just love love love love lovvvvvee…
However recently I discovered a quite watchable Korean drama although the theme is set in a ‘school’. The acting from the cast are raw and have plentiful room of improvement(They are idol singers!) but the characters grew on me what enticed me are the flow and the songs and how they played around the cliched-ness of other Korean dramas.
Talking about Japanese series, I absolutely enjoy them for a few reasons;
1. they have distinctive style and storytelling
2. short, sweet but complete; 12 episodes + 1 special + 2 movies. Great isn’t it?
3. they know how to make actors into idols
4. stories are quirky but acceptable
5. they rarely dwell into melodramatics
Korean series, a mixed bag but generally enjoyable because
1. they have stories and characters we somehow love/hate
2. very melodramatic and yet never overdose on them
3. the most impossible stories made into most probable situations!
4. they gave us Jewel In The Palace (for some of you, Winter Sonata) and that is a great thing
5. they make idols from their actors, all of them or at least 90% of them droll worthy
6. girls is a problem; all look alike but all pretty and their heroines are either feisty or damsel in distress whilst men are always heroes
Taiwanese dramas is a weird thing. Let;s not talk about costume series, but modern idol drama series;
1. they make idols from their actors and some are droll worthy
2. they play to the young girl fantasies; falling for the hard to get guy whose cold heart melted by the girl’s enthusiasm and say very little, but do a whole lot more
3. I hate the way they speak. Gone are the Qiong Yau days isn’t it? Either dubbed or they speak the laziest Taiwanese accent ever
4. Series are of acceptable lengths
5. too many silly characters surrounding even sillier characters and at one time there are scenes without spoken dialogues but rather narrations
Mainland China modern drama series is
1. too damn long
2. mostly dubbed, can’t stand the girls’ voices
3. too studio-feel
4. no cinematography; colour tone seems too usual, nothing special
5. actors aren’t good looking but girls are very pretty but generic looking like Koreans
6. story wise, not interesting
However costume series are a different breed, if you can stand the slow pace and most of the time, I can’t. I can understand why they dub though; can hardly understand much if speak in original voice
TVB series;
1. ok length but those long lengths not justified with the story content. For me if you plan to make a 80 episode series, make sure it is Romance Of Three Kingdoms sort of story
2. same faces for same producers. There exists gangs and this hurts productions when certain faces not suitable for certain characters
3. got cinematography but depends on who produces it
4. stories-same. I now kinda miss those big dai-hap mou lam series. Can’t they write their own without making it some crime solving series? Time to make a jin yong sort of series. Oh, Jin Yong banned TVB didn;t he? Try Gu Lung then. Anybody!
5. knows how to promote their actors to be greater than they’re and neglect those who are better than they are promoted
TVB isn’t TVB without being TVB you know? I won’t worry for them at all.
My taste:
Japanese series: They have fresh stories, different to anything you can find in any other Asian series. However, their series lacks the romantic feeling.
Korea series: I ignore all. I don’t like Korean and their artists. It’s my own bias :P. However sometimes my mother watches and force me to watch wit her. The problem of Korean series is the unrealistic of the scripts. And the acting is kinda exaggerate. Jewel In The Palace, Winter Sonata, I have never liked these one, especially Jewel in the palace. It’s draggy, boring and nonsense, to me.
China series: I quite enjoy them. The series are always slow, but it has the depth. I just can’t watch Yu Zheng and the Jin Yong’s. Not my cup of tea.
Tbb: The recent scripts have problem. Because of the Korean smell in Tbb? Tbb now is trying to put some so-called Korean smell in their series and it makes me sick.
Overall, Japanese series rock :P.
Heya some people love Jdramas here too. Yeah the Jdramas are fresh and concise. I don’t like overly melodramatic dwellings either so the Jdramas are good to my taste. I can deal the with the sometimes overdoes of cutesy and coolness from some cast since the fresh overall feel makes up to these.
Yeah, TVB(and Korean) series are also sometimes too dramatic and led to exaggerating dramatic or emotional performance from the cast. Not my cup of tea but I know many TVB viewers love this type of dramas and performance so I’ll just respect their taste and keep my own preference 😛
Mainland are good in making costume series and better than TVB.
Yu Zheng might be hated by some for copying other work but the outlook of his series are always pretty and he have quite a few big hits in the mainland although not all his series are good.
Many people here agree on the superior quality of Japanese dramas: well-knit scripts, originality, and overall higher standards of production. I also think that for tv dramas, they have better directors, extracting better performances from the cast. Sometimes, a highly skilled director can literally direct in the cast in a “more appropriate” way so that there is less OTT and wooden performances.
Due to the weekly broadcast schedule of Japanese dramas, each episode has to be well written, with good climaxes in each episode to retain viewership. The cast is tight-knit, otherwise the audience will start channel surfing due to the weekly schedule. Lines are more memorable because the audience’s time is considered more valuable.
Each Japanese series airs about 3 months, a longer time than TVB series, which is about 1 month. The broadcasting format of TVB episodes really warrants for a lot of filler material, as audiences are not expected to watch an entire series Monday through Friday everynight. Perhaps that’s why the plot is not written too intricately, since missing a few episodes in between is expected.
The population figures in Japan and Korea, along with the competitive environment of the broadcasting stations, warrant for quality check as opposed to Hong Kong, which only has population of 7 million figure (very close to New York City’s population size). Can you imagine New York City having its own full-fledged multi-interest broadcasting channel? Obviously, it wouldn’t be economical to produce shows that cater to a specialized demographic interests, such as teen dramas. They would try to cover as broad a demographic as possible, making family series appropriate for kids age 8 to 80. With that audience in mind, how much creativity can be exercised? How far can they push the limits before broadcasting complaints are filed?
TVB is very good in producing family entertainment distraction. What worked for us when we were 8 may not work for us anymore. Or maybe it still does. Sometimes we grow older and expect greater depth and acting. But in a way, it is also unfair and unrealistic to ever expect it to reach the level of quality of Japanese series. There are larger demographic, which means more lucrative market, in Japan than in Hong Kong. More money for the broadcasters to chase.
In this sense, the mainland market may see leaps and bounds in improvement in the next decade, as audience’s taste become more demanding and discriminating. The huge population in China also promises great reward for those successful broadcasting stations. Btw, mainland series also seem to be independently produced by production companies which then sell to regional broadcasting stations? Artists do not sign with regional stations and film exclusively for them (unlike TVB)? This model alone fosters competition, free exchange of talented cast to move about as they wish.
Where there is money, talent will follow. This is the pattern we observe for talented TVB stars, who are filming in China and leaving the company. Talented Hong Kong filmakers now make movies with the mainland market in mind. The next surge in creativity film/ tv will occur in mainland and not in Hong Kong. Perhaps the glory days of Hong Kong and TVB are indeed over, due to market and economic reasons alone.
JITP is actually a very good series right up until she became exiled and came back as a nurse. It is what BTROC wished it is but couldn’t be.
My lovely Sam Soon is also a good one. All About Eve… awe factor. Many more but rather not list them out. Yes their stories may be out of this world but they work.
Japanese series are sometimes hits, sometimes miss. Seen some terrible ones, but overall rather good ones.
Korean talk~
I like My Name is Kim Sam Soon especially the lead actress. She has loads of charisma and carried the series beautifully despite not considered “attractive” in the Korean terms. Haha that’s why she’s fitting as Sam Soon.
JITP is a fine production but a bit too long.
I like the actress Moon Guen Yung since she was a kid, but she can be a ‘miss’ sometimes depends on how her character is written.
One Korean melodrama that I liked was Thank You starring Jang Hyuk. Melodramatic but plastered with some comedy. I like that 😀
Moon is the only one actress I like, except her role in Mary stayed all nights where she and her partners dragged the series.
I always think the J-drama rushes its ending too much. I often miss the last eps because I dun think it will come to the last eps that soon (after few draggy eps before this).
That’s because then there’s a SP then there’s 2 movies coming your way to explain the ending adequately.
Most of the time any movie or specials that followed up after a Japanese series tend to be worse than the original.
Hahaha… Charmaine looks so happy in the photo above. You can clearly see her success and happiness in her eyes and smile. Hope she will become even more well-known due to her investment in the mainland market.
It’s good to see “TVB-made” actors/actresses finding their own success after leaving their ‘nest’. Charmaine definitely has potential and the mainland market is so big, so good for her.
On the other hand, TVB really needs to step up their game because all the first line actors/actresses are slowly leaving and all they have left are inexperienced contracted artistes that aren’t ready to handle the leading role.
@Lily I agree! Tavia and Myolie who started their career in 1999 are good actresses despite the some criticisms that each receive; Tavia, that all her roles requires her tears, and Myolie, who can’t act. That’s subjective.
Between 2004-2005, we have Linda, Fala, Kate entering the scene and they are faring pretty well. Fala has definitely improved the most, especially with her Cantonese. Linda has become more natural onscreen between her first work in Virtues of Harmony II and Heart of Greed. However, after that, her acting became inconsistent and she was horrible and annoying in Twilight Investigation. I feel like she still needs lots of polishing in her comedy skills. Kate, on the other hand, does not have too many emotions and her acting comes across as simply formulic and she acts with a method. Her emotions don’t come across as natural and it can be difficult to watch. Also, compared to Linda and Fala, I feel that Kate doesn’t have a role she is known by for all the series in which she leads, the scripts are never memorable. I am looking forward to her new role in Relic of an Emissary and somehow her personality is a perfect fit for the role. Also, not to mention she seems to have pretty costumes as well.
Sadly, after this batch of fadans, I cannot imagine that TVB has anymore talented artistes with potential. Natalie has potential, but it’s difficult to see her leading a series right now. Is it because she’s too thin and petite? Her figure doesn’t stand out to me more than playing the little sister. Aimee is 30 years old, but her acting has barely been improving. I feel like she entered the industry a tad too late compared to peers like Linda. Unless she improves massively within the next 1-2 years, I’m not looking forward to anymore of her performances.
Nancy is one of my favorites, but I can’t see her as anymore than a supporting actress. Her emotional scenes are still raw, but have improved since the Twin of Brothers days. Also, Selena seems funny in her comedy roles, but TVB doesn’t seem to value her much. They’ll rather give the Most Improved Actress award to Natalie and Aimee, but not her. But I love Selena more as first supporting actress than as lead actress. I don’t feel like she is ready to lead her own series yet unless the script is especially tailored for her.
I think Linda has moved beyond is she or is she not a future fa -dan. So the new crop is Nancy, Selena and Natalie.
Nancy is likeable off screen, but she doesn’t have a memorable face on screen. So for her to be a leading actress, she needs a few others to support her instead of her being the main lead. She will be like Moses.
Selena is pretty but her acting is same unless she is given a breakthrough role. I just find her nothing new, nothing old, same old same old sort of performances. She needs a villainous role, not just someone who is innately good.
Natalie is pretty but her acting is too dramatic. I know she is serious in her craft but somehow I find her too serious.
Another worth mentioning is Aimee. If she can fix her cantonese, make it even more fluid, she has a chance. This girl can act, but she is hampered by her speech.
Again the keyword is a breakthrough role. None of these have that role yet. With probably Nancy as an exception. I find her breakthrough role was in Rosy Business. But for a leading role… we shall have to wait and see. So far none of them would entice me to switch on the TV for them.
Linda, Myolie, they have made it.
Kate… I don’t see her as leading material at all. In fact I find her acting very disturbing.
Kate has a movie face. I think it’s her sharp facial features and her natural lack of emotion. She wasn’t bad at all in her movies and can move well for action scenes.
I guess my taste is different because I find Linda in Twilight Investigation is adorable and nice. Even she has zero chemistry with Wong He, her acting is kinda natural there.
I just don’t see anyone running to the cinema to watch her. Movie face or TV face, her acting is her biggest problem right now.
Haha..I wouldn’t call her a box office face or a great actress at this stage but with her appearance and type of acting she might have better shot at the movie industry.
Out of the four girls Lok mentioned I would rate Myolie>Fala>Linda>Kate in the order of who’s most suitable to be fa dan for now.
I agree with Funn I don’t see Kate as a leading material too. Kate still haven’t shown that she can capture the audience’s hearts. She may have better luck elsewhere as what some posters here said.
For the upcoming fadan I would rate
Nancy>Selena>Natalie>Aimee
“Kate… I don’t see her as leading material at all. In fact I find her acting very disturbing.”
Agree with you. Her acting is weird and can’t act let alone to lead a series. She’s just one of the lucky MHKs that get to lead a series shortly after their win.
@ Vivien: No you are wrong. Kate didn’t have leading role shortly after winning MHK. She did supporting roles for 2 years.
It is actually a 2 storey apartment. Wow.
Man, just couldn’t believe the hundred or so comments that Charmaine attracted simply because the article was on her home. It’s funny to read some of the comments and how they have nothing to do with the topic to start with. She really can catch some serious attention!
Hahahaha… that’s true as with lots of other posts here. It’s good that one topic can propel so many different discussions. 😀