Monday, November 24, 2014

TVB Star Awards Malaysia 2014 (TVB 馬來西亞星光薈萃頒獎典禮2014) - 23 Nov 2014 at Genting Highlands (Arena of Stars)




































































































I must confess that I had to swallow my words as I had earlier predicted that the  TVB Star Awards Malaysia 2014 (TVB馬來西亞星光薈萃頒獎典禮2014) would be another ho-hum show with predictable results. The first shocker was the sudden rare appearance of  the mysterious special guest presenter a.k.a "Malaysia's son-in-law", Andy Lau. When I saw Benz Hui, Tavia Ng and Sharon Chan instagram pixs with Andy, I dismissed it as a mere coincidence of taking the same flight. The cat was out of the bag when I saw Astro's FB post about a heavy weight guest star.  I was in for another pleasant surprise when Benz Hui beat Him Law to grab the "My Favorite Actor in A Supporting Role." Foon Hei Gor(歡喜哥) is definitely a memorable character - a ruthless triad leader who can be sly, funny, sad, fatherly and finally, met with a tragic ending.  I would have been equally pleased if the other hot contender, Ram Cheung Chi Kwong, had won.

It was a tough neck-to-neck battle for the TV King crown (My Fave Actor). I'm supporting Roger Kwok and LF (Raymond Lam) but I am also aware of  Ruco's huge fan base in Malaysia, too. Man,  I am truly elated when Roger's name was announced as the winner.  That really made my day ! It is Roger's third TV King win in Malaysia. He exposed that he actually ran to the wash room to shed tears of joy when fellow colleagues complimented his performance in this drama.

Sammy bagged his first acting award.  My personal choice is either Sammy or Louis Cheung for the most improved category. Sammy is having non-stop stage shows in China now...a testament of his surging popularity.  Sammy seems to be a man of few words. His acceptance speeches are pretty simple and short. Pssst....this dude can play the piano, too !!

The Fave Actress outcome was expected. There is a lack of competition from  Charmaine Sheh's peers and most importantly, she picked the right come back drama - "Line Walker." Her "Ding Jie" character is almost tailor made for her and she played it with so much zest. Ah Sheh deserved this title and I anticipate on Dec 15, we will see the same result in HK.  Charmaine mentioned that the cast went through many hardship during filming (Sammy was even injured and many fell sick) but they persisted.  She is also thankful that the audience have not forgotten her after a lapse of two years before returning to TVB.  To me, Ah Sheh and LF should have walked away with the Fave On Screen Couple, which eventually went to Ruco and Aimee.

Oh my...hmm...Sharon's win (Fave Actress in a Supporting Role) seemed to have generated some backlash from netizens. Put it this way, I have to agree that Ah Yan is probably not Sharon's best effort but she isn't that bad either. It would have been better if she had been nominated for her role in "The Ultimate Addiction" where she played a more multi-dimensional character.  Sharon thanked her fans numerous times and in a interview later, revealed that 2014 has been a fruitful year for her - marriage, starting her own cookie business and grabbing the awards in Malaysia plus Singapore.

The cast of Line Walker sweeps the most awards and it also turns out to be Malaysian's favorite drama series. The ending theme song 越難越愛 by Jinny Ng also made a huge impact- enjoying massive air play in the local radio stations and views on you-tube. Jinny's live performance is good.  I spotted the CEO of Star Dream entertainment, Herman Ho in the audience, along with wifey, Sandy Yu - TVB Non-Drama Production Director.  Fred Cheng was given the Outstanding Newcomer award, which was not in the on-line voting.

On a personal note, I'm over the moon, absolutely thrilled and bursting with pride about Selena Li's victory that night. Selena may not be an overly ambitious actress (she admitted this in one of her interviews) but she has made great strides over the years, especially with the dual character she played in "Ghost Dragon in Cold Mountain." Seeing her in person for the first time, this screen goddess is jaw dropping sizzling hot ! I wish she would come to Malaysia more often. I dun mind splurging on the pricey Musang King durian (her fave) for Selena.

Oh yeah..."Wellness On The Go 2" won an award, too. The best part is Astro and TVB will embark on season 3 next year ! This means that Elaine Yiu will be back in Malaysia next year. Yippee !!! Worth a mention is May Chan Ka Kai (Siu Po) who would have made Joey Yung proud with her rendition of "隆重登場", showing such vigour during the dance routine and shaking her booty. See video clip. Cheeky May managed to plant a kiss on Ruco when she presented him with the "Fave On Screen Couple" award !

Having Andy Lau present the star achievement awards to Helena Law Lan and Lau Kong was most fitting. Lau Kong played Andy's dad in "The Emissary" (many only recalled Deannie Yip's role as Andy's mom). The 80-year-old Helena said she feels more jubilant getting this recognition than winning the best actress at HK Film Awards back in 2000. In her words, she was smiling the whole night until she could not close her mouth.

TVB invited many guest performers as well, from Joyce Cheng (seriously needs to get back to her diet routine) to Mag Lam, Jonathan Wong, Ronald Law Kwan Moon, Owen Cheung, Bob Lam, Hoffman Cheng, Fred Cheng, Mak Ka Kam and Jinny Ng. All in all, a spectacular performance from this team of professional and amateur singers. They sang better than Linda, in fact. This year, I have no complains about their attires. Even the usually flamboyant Bosco remains conservative (good boy !). Ruco was practically a fashion disaster in the past few grand functions but made amends with his dashing white suit this time.  Him has lost some weight, which is a good sign coz he looks better with a slimmer face. Selena and Tavia were stunning in their gowns and even Nancy carries the shocking orange dress perfectly.

The winners were selected via 70% on-line voting and 30% were based upon the recommendation of a panel of judges.

《TVB马来西亚星光荟颁奖典礼2014》艺人出席名单:

主持人:黎芷珊、林盛斌、周奕玮、黃晓明

表演嘉宾:林欣彤、郑欣宜、郑俊弘、王梓轩、郑世豪、罗钧满、钟嘉欣、吴若希、陈嘉佳、张振朗、莫家淦

出席演员:陈展鹏、黄宗泽、马国明、郭晋安、许绍雄、罗仲谦、沈震轩、刘江、杨怡、胡定欣、李诗韵、佘诗曼、徐子珊、陈敏之、高海宁、罗兰


My Favorite Drama Series
Line Walker
My Favorite Actor in a Leading Role
Roger Kwok for Black Heart White Soul
My Favorite Actress in a Leading Role
Charmaine Sheh for Line Walker
My Favorite Actor in a Supporting Role
Benz Hui for Line Walker
My Favorite Actress in a Supporting Role
Sharon Chan for Line Walker
My Favorite On Screen Couple
Ruco Chan and Aimee Chan in Outbound Love
My Favorite Most Improved Actor
Sammy Sum for Line Walker
My Favorite Most Improved Actress
Samantha Ko for Line Walker
My Favorite Informational TV Program
Wellness On The Go 2
My Favorite TV Variety Program
Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
My Favorite TV Variety Hosts
Nancy Sit and Wong Cho Lam for Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
My Favorite TV Theme Song
“Love is Not Easy” <越難越愛>, Ending Theme for Line Walker by Jinny Ng
TVB Malaysia Outstanding Newcomer 
Fred Cheng
TVB Star Achievement Awards
Lau Kong and Helena Law
Top 15 My Favorite Characters
1. Bosco Wong in The Ultimate Addiction
2. Nancy Wu in The Ultimate Addiction
3. Kate Tsui in Tomorrow is a Better Day
4. Roger Kwok in Black Heart White Soul
5. Charmaine Sheh in Line Walker
6. Sharon Chan in Line Walker
7. Benz Hui in Line Walker
8. Him Law in Tiger Cubs 2
9. Ruco Chan in Outbound Love
10. Tavia Yeung in Storm in a Cocoon
11. Michael Miu in Line Walker
12. Raymond Lam in Line Walker
13. Linda Chung as in All That is Bitter is Sweet
14. Kenneth Ma in Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain
15. Selena Li in Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain