Meet Lee Kwang Soo Live In Malaysia - Pavillion Centre Court on 29th April 2017

Ji Chang Wook, Lee Kwang Soo Red Velvet, Running Man casts, Kim Bohyung, Hyumin-A, Block B Bastarz, Jessica Jung – OMG ! April is such a freaking “durian runtuh”(windfall) month for k-pop fanatics !

Looking at the massive never ending k-pop invasion in Malaysia every month, the dwindling Hong Kong e-circle influence and market share here is indeed alarming. During the good ol’ days, we used to have multiple HK artistes heading to Malaysia but now, it’s few and far between.

A week after the “Running Man” concert tour in KL, Prince of Asia, Lee Kwang Soo is back on our shores for the seventh time ! Lee Kwang Soo has been appointed as the ambassador for Guerisson brand for the past 3 years and he was invited to grace the launch of Guerisson  Red Ginseng series at Pavilion.  Prior to the event, 100 fortunate fans were selected for an autograph session with the ever charming Lee Kwang Soo. I have to give the organizer a pat on the back for a flawless execution of the whole event, right from the selection of the venue(Pavilion centre court), to the way the whole event was organized. Hats off to the security team, too. They acted professionally but was obliging when the situation warrants.  Can’t say the same when Bonia invited Mrs Rain (Kim Tae Hee) for the launch of their flagship store. Fans only caught a few seconds of Kim after crowding outside the store for hours.  The organiser is more interested in pleasing their current elite clienteles of Datins and local celebs/guests instead of promoting and expanding the brand presence. 

My first encounter with Kwang Soo and I have absolutely nothing but praises for him. Lee Kwang Soo provides number 1 fan service !! He’s not only humble but most importantly, treats his fans like gold (I assure you, no exaggeration !). How can anyone not love this guy ?? Kwang Soo tries hard to please every single fan, painstakingly writing fan’s name on the autograph board, taking wefie and attending to fans’ queries with his limited English.  Due to the many requests, the autograph session drags to about 1 hour.  For other artistes, it would have taken less than ½ hour to sign 100 autographs. I have to add, although I’m delighted that Kwang Soo never shies away from fans’ demands, I am taken aback when the final fan in the queue planted a surprise kiss on the cheek of a stunned Kwang Soo. I find that disrespectful eventhough Kwang Soo smiled and covered his face in embarrassment. It’s fine to request for a hug but to pull a stunt like this is totally unacceptable!

Kwang Soo shared that he has a fairer and better complexion after using Guerisson’s skincare products. Before the function concluded, Kwang Soo has the passionate fans roaring in approval when he declares his love for Malaysia and hopes that the fans’ continued support would bring him to this country more often.

At the time of writing, Malaysia is still not in the list of G Dragon's 3rd solo concert (Mother's  Womb). Praying hard that a stopover in Malaysia is included in his tour. 

Vampire Cleanup Department (救僵清道夫) movie premiere (BabyJohn 蔡瀚億、林明禎 Lin Min Chen, 導演 趙善恆、甄栢榮)- 21st March 2017

Long before our tv screens were invaded by Rick and gang of “The Walking Dead”, horror fans were getting their kicks from Hong Kong style vampire flicks made popular by veteran stars, Chin Siu Ho, Ricky Hui and Lam Ching Ying in the 80s. With the success of “Rigor Mortis” (a homage to Mr Vampire saga) in 2013, two newbie  directors, Yan Pak-wing and Chiu Sin-hang (produced by actor, Har Yu), attempted to revive the vampire craze again with “ Vampire Cleanup Department “ .  While “Rigor Mortis” has a darker theme and splendid CGI visuals, “Vampire Cleanup Department” tries to connect with the audience via predictable plot laden with gags, plus other familiar geung si elements thrown-in, such as hopping vampires, pasting talisman on the vampire’s forehead, Taoist wooden sword and holding one’s breath to evade the vampires.  Babyjohn Choi hon-yick  and Lin Minchen (a singer-actress from Malaysia, Penang) heads the cast, supported by Chin Siu Ho, Richard Ng Yiu Hon, Bondy  Chiu, Susan Shaw and Lo Mong.  For the record, Minchen has totally no dialogue in this movie. I am actually quite impressed that budding star, Minchen’s (now based in Taiwan) career is so smooth sailing. From an instagram sensation,  she turned into a singer, then landed an Oppo commercial with A-list hunky oppa, Li Min Ho and now, making her debut in a Hong Kong movie. Minchen shared that she hurt herself and had to be hospitalized for two weeks during a shoot on a hoverboard.  production.  Director Chiu Sin-hang also composed and performed the theme song for the movie.  The movie has also been selected to compete in the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and the Fantasia International Film Festival.

Movie synopsis (credit to GSC cinemas) :-

Vampire is always here. You and I have not met them as there is a secret department in this city – VDC, the Vampire Cleanup Department. The remoted trash collection point is their secret base. The big green rubbish bins there contain the defeated Vampire. The street sweepers work at there are the Vampire Hunter!

Tim Cheung is a typical local Hong Kong teenager. He lives with his grandma and plays his iphone all day long. Coincidently, he is invited to be the new member of the VCD. He is trained to be a Vampire Hunter - fighting vampires with his broom.

In an operation, he meets the Vampire Emperor and a lady vampire called Summer. She was buried alive for sacrifice hundred years ago, but, at the moment she attacks Tim, a drop of tear come out from her eyes…… Their fates are then twisted together.

Mission or Love? Can Tim finally become a member of the Vampire Cleanup Department? What is the secret behind the VCD?

"Revolving Heart" drama promotion (《心门》造势活动 ) - Sunway Velocity Mall (25th February 2017)

“Revolving Heart” is a Mandarin drama produced by local TV station, NTV7. The only reason I am covering the promotional event is due to Raymond Wong Ho Yin.  Raymond has been pretty active in Malaysia last year, shooting the above mentioned tv series as well as “Show Me Your Love” (a movie co-starring Nina Paw and Ivana Wong). In fact, I was looking forward to Raymond’s participation in the movie premiere but there was none in Malaysia, which is kinda odd. Anyway, a big thank you to NTV7 for inviting Raymond to take part in the promotional blitz in KL and East Malaysia. Joining Raymond are local celebs such as Jeffrey Cheng, Debbie Goh, Frederick Lim and a very annoying NTV7 artiste known as Aaron, whom I absolute hate to the bones…each time trying his best to steal the limelight with his stupid ass antics. Raymond initially spoke in Mandarin but asked if he could converse in Cantonese instead (bystanders roared in approval, of course). I have to say, Raymond’s Mandarin is not bad at all. Better than I had anticipated. Raymond revealed that he has a wonderful time working with the local filming crew and it is a challenge to act in the Mandarin dialect.  He wished he could extend his stay here.  Unfortunately, he is on a tight schedule as he is currently in the midst of shooting a TVB drama.  During the game session with members of the audience, Raymond picked a little girl as his partner. However, Raymond was harassed by an overzealous dude during the game session. The guy asked for not one but at least, 7-8 wefie ! Finally, it caught the staff’s attention and he was told to quit bugging Raymond. It was definitely a  well- coordinated event.  The media and official photographers squatted when taking pictures, so as not to block the spectators’ view.  To me, it speaks volume of their professionalism and a gesture that is greatly appreciated. In addition, this is also a very long session, from 8.30 pm till 10.15 pm ! The shops in the mall were already closed for business by then! The only downside is having to endure a torturous 1.45 hour of stinking body odour. It got so bad that my friend had to leave after less than ½ hour. She told me she is going to pass out and puke from the pungent rotting carcass smell !