Avant Gardey live in Malaysia (Zepp Lalaport) - 22 December 2024

It’s truly a busy year for Avant Gardey. Ever since their explosive eye-popping appearances in “America’s Got Talent”, they were touring Asia non-stop. Finally, it’s Malaysia’s turn to bask in 80 minutes of fun time with the eccentric and talented Japanese dance troupe. A novice to dance recital, I wasn’t sure of the duration for performance of this nature. It’s definitely shorter than concerts of International singing acts. Considering the stamina required to dance non-stop and with such vigour, 80 minutes is certainly not easy. It’s also my first time at “Zepp KL” venue, which is the first choice for Japanese performers. I do like the elevated seats, where everyone should have a fairly unobstructed view of the stage.  That said, instructions on the entrance for the different ticket categories could have been better.  I ended-up  going up and down the escalators several times, trying to find my way to the correct gate. A senior citizen approached me and enquired about the time for the group photo session with Avant Gardey (from my past experience, it is usually after the show).  She was shocked and upset when I told her the organizer’s FB post stated that photo shoot is in the morning, which made me questioned whether adequate notice has been conveyed to those eligible for this privilege. I noticed many empty VIP box as opposed to being advertised as sold out in their social media.  I adore Avant Gardey and have much respect for the girls but the organizer could have improve in certain areas.  As for some grouses about the steep ticket price, I have to say the costs are actually pretty reasonable and justified.  You have to take into account that there are 19 members in the dance ensemble, so naturally you don’t expect to pay them peanuts, with the production costs and wages involved.

 Before the concert, Nona, Miyu and Kohana plus 3P were at Fahrenheit mall for a dance challenge, featuring 3P’s latest CNY single, “Yes Sir” (YES蛇).On the big day, they start the ball rolling with the introduction of each member (cheers were extra loud when Nona, Seira and Pani took to the stage).  The first track to greet the audience is Yaosobi’s catchy song, “Idol”.  My favourite part is Cantopop medley, where memorable hit songs from the 90s such as Leon’s “Sugar in the marmalade”, “Sayonara O (我的親愛)”, Jacky’s “Messy Hair” (头发乱了), Louis Koo “Today’s Trend”(今期流行) and Andy Lau’s “I hate myself for loving you” (我恨我癡心). One of the members even impersonated Andy on stage.  Avant Gardey also slotted in a few local songs, namely, “Alamak”, “Rasa Sayang” and “周星翅”.Much to my chagrin, local dance group/influencers 3P was invited to collaborate with Avant Gardey on “Pa Sang Anthem”.  I am no fan of 3P or Steady Gang or any or the youtuber turned singers such as Phei Yong or the Kuan family.  Abba’s “Money Money Money” was also part of their repertoire, along with Creepy Nuts’ “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born”, songs from “One Piece” anime, “Get Wild” and many others.  Aside from dancing, Nona also exhibit her hidden talent - impersonating skills !  She had the audience in stitches with her hilarious facial expression and body gesture when miming to Whitney Housten’s “I will always love you”.  FYI - Nona is also known to look like my HK idol, Elaine You. Before you know it, it’s curtain call time and the show wind up with Aaron Kwok’s “Para Para Sakura”.  Pani (spokesperson for the group) announced that they will be holding a concert in Japan next year and hope to see us in the Land of The Rising Sun. With their limited command of the English language, understandably there was not much interactions with the audience. Nevertheless, they have made an effort to engage with the crowd. There were many supporters and neon signs from Taiwanese, Singapore and HK fans as well.  Their dancing style is definitely drawing the crowds for now but honestly, it tends to get repetitive after some time. Hopefully, Avant Gardey will continue to evolve in their dance journey and surprise us with their latest transformation soon.  

Him Law 罗子溢 (羅仲謙) and Elaine Yiu 姚子羚 at Astro Experience Store( IOI Putrajaya) and Pavilion Bukit Jalil - "Hello KL" promotion - 30th Nov 2024

I am truly in cloud nine when I got to know about Elaine and Him’s “Hello KL” promotional blitz in KL and Ipoh.   It’s been six long years since I last catch her in-the-flesh. My previous close encounter with her was in 2018, during “Wellness On The Go” press junket and live shooting of the program. Although she was briefly in Ipoh during 2019 for a private liquor dinner show, I do not have connections to attend the function then.  Soon thereafter, Covid-19 pandemic hit us bad, exacerbated by (I suspect) Astro/TVB’s budget issues.  Things started picking up last year when I noticed Astro began to organize more activities involving TVB stars again. From being a yearly visitor to Malaysia to suddenly “vanishing” for 6 years, I do missed Elaine heaps.  Elaine has aged very well indeed, still maintaining her good looks (refer to my photos, which are straight from the camera- no filter/touch up).

 Topping Elaine’s must eat list is definitely her favourite durian. Although November ain’t durian season, Elaine still managed to satisfy her cravings for the king of fruit.  Since the timing also coincides with TVB’s annual awards show (to be held on 19^th Jan 2025), Elaine took the chance to promote “No Room For Crime” drama and hope to garner more votes for “Favourite actress” (latest updates is Elaine has made it into the top 10 finalists). My take is she stands a good chance at having a shot in Malaysia’s favourite leading actress category.  Afterall, from the crowd reaction and turnout, Elaine still commands a massive following in our country. Elaine acknowledged the stiff competition this year, especially from Tavia Yeung and buddy, Nancy Wu. Likewise, Him looks forward to achieving stellar results through “Happily Every After ?”, which he co-stars with Yoyo Chen. Him revealed that wife (Tavia) told him that she would be happier if Him had won the Favourite actor award than her win.  Him said it would be nice if they could create history by becoming the first real couple to snag the TV  King and Queen titles.  Elaine shows off her great vocal skills and performed a beautiful rendition of Mavis Fan’s 雪人 and Shino Lin 她的眼泪.  Him sang William So’s 不想独自快乐.  Both stars also participated in a few radio interviews.  Probably having jetlag, I noticed Elaine isn’t as chatty as she used to be, during the radio interviews.  Elaine mentioned she will start shooting her new drama in December. Having a good memory, she also recalls Ipoh’s famous delicacies such as beansprout chicken rice and their popular white coffee (she loves Chek Hup instant white coffee).  I laughed out loud when Him posed the million dollar question to the radio deejay, a question that I bet many Malaysians are also eager to know – “When will KLIA’s aerotrain resumes operation ?”.  Him shared that the aerotrain is not in service since he shot “Modern Dynasty 2” in Malaysia back in August 2023 and he is surprised that it hasn’t been fixed yet although it’s already November 2024 ! All the best to both for the upcoming Anniversary awards and hope to see Elaine again next year.

The Last Dance 破·地獄 - promotion in Malaysia with Michelle 衛詩雅 and director Anselm Chan 陳茂賢 - 30 November 2024

The most talked about HK movie currently has got to be “The Last Dance” ( 破·地獄).As of now, it has breached RM10 million (and still counting)mark in the local box office collection.  It is also on the way to become the highest grossing movie in Hong Kong.  To date, it has surpassed HKD110 million in ticket sales, merely 3 weeks since its release. It has beaten “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” (released early this year) and going to topple “A Guilty Conscience” soon. Dayo’s midas touch is still on a roll, judging from the success of  “Table for Six”, “A Guilty Conscience” and now, “The Last Dance”.  Prior to watching the movie, two major elements already piqued my curiosity.  Firstly, having two iconic comedians (Dayo and Michael Hui) in a solemn flick and the fresh theme about funeral business and Taoist funeral customs in HK.  Dayo mentioned in an interview at Dodo Cheng’s you tube channel that he accepted the role because of two main reasons – one is the opportunity to reunite on the silver screen with his idol, Michael Hui and secondly, the bold attempt to take on an unpopular genre, the funeral industry.  Director Anselm Chan thanked Emperor Motion Pictures Group for willing to take the huge risk of investing in a movie of this genre. The gamble has certainly paid off.

The plot revolves around Dayo Wong (a former wedding planner) who is struggling to make ends meet during the Covid pandemic. He has to make the hard choice of switching career to an unfamiliar territory, the funeral trade in HK.  Dayo’s partner is uptight and cranky Taoist priest, Michael Hui.  Michelle Wai plays Michael’s daughter, a paramedic who grapples with a stressful job and desperately craves the affection of her somber dad.  Michelle’s acting is nothing short of brilliant. She draws you into her character.  You feel her pent-up emotions from her facial expressions, especially her sad soulful eyes.  Chu Pak Hong’s role as Michelle elder brother, who is reluctant to inherit his dad’s craft also deserves thumbs up. All in all, despite the dark theme and some unsettling scenes of decaying corpses, the movie conveys a strong message of family bonding before it’s too late, overcoming grief, be compassionate and have conscious when doing business and touched on the traditional rituals of “breaking hell” - 破·地獄. I learnt something new as I have no inkling of “breaking hell” procedures before watching this movie. FYI – ‘breaking hell” or in Cantonese 破·地獄 is a Taoist funeral ritual to open the gate of hell and free the deceased trapped within. In addition, it is a strictly male only profession. Michelle and director Anselm have put in a lot of effort and done much homework during pre-production. Coincidently, Michelle clinched the best leading actress award at last week’s 61^st Asia Pacific Film festival in KL and Anselm bagged the best director accolade, too. Bravo ! I’m genuinely happy for Michelle who has dabbled in the acting field for 16 long years but has not gain much recognition until now. Both were also in-town to meet the media and audience, as part of the movie promotion and to participate in the audience appreciation sessions in several cinemas. My personal take is the movie is a gem, with competent cast and riveting storyline (although a little slow burn for some) but it is not so suitable for young kids to watch due to some sensitive/disturbing scenes.  Great sharing from Michelle and Anselm about the movie and their thoughts about shooting “The Last Dance”. Watch the clips for more details.