Starhub TVB Awards 2011- 星和无线电视大奖2011 (Marina Sands Bay, Singapore) - 16 July 2011

Were you one of the many star-struck audiences at Marina Sands Bay last Saturday nite ?
After Astro did away with the annual "Wah Lai Toi" awards and had it replaced with "Astro On Demand" awards presentation ceremony in HK instead of Msia, I so missed the razzle and dazzle of TVB awards show. What better way to fill the void than to catch it live in "Lion City", right ? The icing on the cake is definitely Bosco. Bosco had ditched the infamous "Clark Gable moustache" and is now back to his ol' dashing clean-cut self. The atmosphere is not as highly-charged as Malaysia. In terms of the most vocal and enthusiastic fans support - Bosco's legion of fans (Wong Ka Guan) win hands down. Appearing with Myolie , ain't no suprise when the comperes (Astrid Chan and Kam Kong)teased the lovebirds.

"Compere (Astrid Chan) to Myolie : Did you forget to thank someone ? (camera zooming on Bosco, who had 1001 witty expressions on his face the whole night)"

After the accidental exposure incident recently, the two seems to be more at ease/open about their relationship. I was most suprised that TVB brought along a whole bunch of "The Voice 1 and 2" (超级巨声) participants (Auston Lam, Mag Lam, Vivian Chan, Victor Chen, Stephanie Ho and Hubert Wu). Now where on-earth is cutie-pie Alfred Hui ???!!! Not only did they performed the opening number, they did a short musical(Grease) and sang classic TVB theme songs. Hubert's voice is not bad but Mag's nasal voice is a turn-off (reminds me of my ex-boss who has sinus problem. LOL !). I personally think Mag is too over rated.

I guess Wayne must have stopped his "a banana a day keeps the fat away" diet coz his face looks so much rounder. Wished his partner in "Forensic Heroes 3", Maggie Cheung (whom I haven't seen in ages) could make it to the Starhub event. Was kinda disappointed that she was not invited or rather, she didn't win, which is mind- boggling because she occupied the top spot for quite sometime.
Wayne performed "Red Butterfly" (the theme song from "No Regrets"). His voice is pretty monotonous but it's always a joy to see the ever humble Wayne.

I've always been fond of Natalie (but not her choice of man) and this is the first time I see her in-the-flesh. Dunno what's wrong - blame it on her make-up...or hair-do...or lighting...she just does not appear to be as attractive as I had anticipated. The cute factor is also missing. She grabbed the "Most Improved Artiste" award, which she fully deserved.

Looking like someone who had just drank the elixir-of-youth, Chilam could have been mistaken as Myolie younger brother. Man, this guy is just like "Benjamin Button", he seems to be getting younger instead of the other way round.

3 die-hard fans stalked Kate all the way from HK and painstakingly held the huge "Tsui Chi San" neon signboards the whole night ! Their effort didn't go to waste coz Kate kept expressing her gratitude to them during the thank-you speech. I thought Kate was gonna sing "Hit Me" but she sang a slow number (song from "Wax and Wane",if I'm not wrong).

Moses didn't had much chance to leave his seat until towards the end of the show. He walked away with two awards.Both Ah Sheh and him performed a short rap (King Kong playing the human beat box) when they received the "most compatible on-screen couple" award.I chuckled during Moses' acceptance speech coz out of the blue, he suddenly asked the audience "Nee men subscribe ler mei you ?" (have you all subscribed to Starhub?) ! No wonder he is such a sought-after brand ambassador ! Seriously, Moses has to put his foot down (although he may not have the liberty to do so) when it comes to accepting more mindless, over-the-top, exaggerated and annoying goofy roles. The harder he tried to be a "Jim Carrey" wannabe(hillarious), the more difficult it is for the audience to stomach.

Tavia looked very tanned,probably from filming "3 Kingdom" under the scorching sun. As usual, Tavia always gave very heartfelt acceptance speech. SRaymond, who was originally scheduled to attend, had to cancel the trip due to the demise of his grandmother, much to my friend's chagrin. Don't worry,buddy - you can start the countdown now to Ray's concert (barely 2 weeks away).

The show was shorter than Astro's. It lasted for slightly more than 2 hours and will only be broad casted at a later date (no live show here). It was kinda awkward watching the stars speak in Mandarin and most of them were struggling (especially, Natalie) to get the words out from their mouth.


Singapore Starhub TVB Awards 2011 (Winners List):-

My Favorite TVB Actor: Moses Chan
My Favorite TVB Actress: Charmaine Sheh

My Favorite TVB Male TV Character:
Wayne Lai
Chilam Cheung
Raymond Lam
Bosco Wong
Kevin Cheng

My Favorite TVB Female TV Character:
Sheren Tang
Tavia Yeung
Fala Chen
Myolie Wu
Kate Tsui

Most Improved TVB Actor: King Kong (No Regrets)
Most Improved TVB Actress: Natalie Tong (A Watchdog's Tale, A Fistful of Stances, The Comeback Clan)
Most Professional Spirit Award: Louise Lee See Kei

My Favorite TVB Theme Song: Raymond Lam - 'We Are Well' (Growing Through Life Sub Theme)
My Favorite TVB On-Screen Couple: Charmaine Sheh, Moses Chan (Can't Buy Me Love)
The Partners with Most Sparks Award: Chilam Cheung, Myolie Wu

My Favorite TVB Drama: No Regrets
My Favorite TVB Mega Variety Specials: TVB Anniversary Awards 2010
My Favorite TVB Variety Show: Fun With Liza and Gods

Best Vitality Award: Kate Tsui
Best Smile Award: Fala Chen

Raymond Lam - Nugeno Men Cool event in Malaysia - 25 June 2011

If you are still wondering whether Ray has lost his mojo after Mavis Pan's brouhaha recently, you will be pleased (if you are supporters, that is) to know that it has not put a dent in his popularity. This observation came about after witnessing the huge turnout and warm response to Ray's Nugeno functions in Malaysia and believe me, the hassle fans have to go through to get his concert tickets is akin to scrambling for new iphone/ipad during launch.
Considering Ray's air-tight schedule, I was somewhat suprised that he could still squeeze-in some time to hop over Msia for Nugeno's road show.

Sporting his brand new slick-back hairstyle, I couldn't help noticing the striking resemblance to 哥 哥 (Leslie Cheung) from certain angles. Worth a mention is the oh-so-cool outfit and matching shoes he donned today. As in all Bioessence/Nugeno functions, sharing beauty/grooming regime is always part of the conversation. Fans with Fung's Nugeno posters (available either through purchase of Nugeno/Bio Essence products or won during the Q & A session) had the opportunity of getting his autographs. Fans are barred from taking pictures with Fung...although, it's a different scenario at Cheras. Heard from my source, it's a free-for-all when it comes to having your pixs taken with Ray. From the look of things, Ray should be back in Msia soon to promote his Canto album (which brings to mind why Msia was not part of the stop-over for his Mando album promotional activities) after wrapping up his lights inspired concerts in HK. Meanwhile, fans in this region can look forward to the Star Hub event in Singapore. I have a hunch that Ray will be making an appearance. Pretty sure he'll get at least one award.

Joyce Cheng - Malaysia Promo Tour (郑欣宜《有故事的人》大马宣传行程) - June 2011

Fei Jeh's (Lydia Shum)little girl,Yan Yee (Joyce Cheng) is all grown-up now and I believe many suspected since the day Joyce made her first public debut on tv that she is destined for showbiz.Her childhood has been pretty rocky, battling weight problem (which she has finally triumphed over) and brickbats thrown her way for..frankly,unknown reasons (to me, at least). People merely bashed her for having a famous mumsy and just for the heck of it.

Anyway, coming back to her virgin effort - "有故事的人", watching her performed live and having listened to her album, I'd rate her an "8.5" on a scale of "10" for a newcomer. I fully agree with Denise Ho's comment recently that HK music scene is in deplorable stage right now. With the no-solution-in-sight squabbles between tvb and the recording companies plus a society obsessed with looks/packaged image rather than talent, HK truly needs more new blood to jump start the industry. There is no doubt that Joyce possessed an awesome voice and singing live is a piece of cake to this young bubbly lady, which is a good start. Having mentors such as veteran Liu Chia Chang, Joyce has definitely gained a solid footing in vocals. I reckoned the biggest task of her recording/management company now is how they market Joyce to the mass public, to make her stand-out from the rest. For haters, please put aside your prejudices and listen to her songs with a neutral mindset. You will be pleasantly suprised, I assure you. Infact,I was suddenly overcome by a wave of goosebumps while watching Joyce on stage and this thought flashed across my mind - "your mom would have been proud of you, Yan Yee." You go, girl !!

Joey Yung - June 5, 2011

Oh, my... I was grinning like a cheshire cat on Sunday. The person responsible for putting a broad fixed smile on my face is none other than my all time fave powerhouse diva - Joey Yung. Since she first broke into the music scene, I was instantly drawn to this newcomer with the "hypnotizing" golden vocal. I've never missed watching her performances on dvds and when I had the chance to catch her live ("Show-Up" concert in Genting), I was hopelessly hooked ! To date, I've attended all her 3 full-fledged concerts (Show-Up, Reflection of Joey's life and Starlight) in Malaysia and every single time without fail, it has left me in complete awe ! Over the years, I've seen her transformed from a plain Jane singer to an accomplished superstar with irresistible charisma. Those who have made crude remarks about her looks in the past can go take a hike. Cho B is hella attractive...infact, she looks like an oriental Angelina Jolie from certain angle.
Joey spent 3 days in KL, pre-occupied with commercial shoot and contract signing ceremony for a collagen beverage. My "punch my fist in the air" moment came when Joey mentioned she will be holding N6 tour in Malaysia. Woohoo ! Coincidently, June 5 happens to be her lunar birthday, too.