TVB Olympic Team

The Tokyo Summer Olympics are finally upon us! If TVB had its own Olympic team, who would be on it?

Swimming 

Alex Fong: Alex famously represented Hong Kong in swimming at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He once held nine Hong Kong swimming records and his 200 m backstroke and 400 m individual medley records were only recently broken. In 2019, he set a new swimming record for fastest swim around Hong Kong Island (45 km).

Dickson Yu: Dickson was a member of the Hong Kong swimming team in high school and represented Hong Kong abroad in youth competitions, including at the 2004 Queensland Open & Age State Championship and 2005 Australian Youth Olympic Festival. He retired in 2013 after not qualifying for the Asian Games. Dickson specialized in the butterfly style. 

Susan Tse: Susan was a formidable swimmer back in the day and excelled in the backstroke. She was already swimming in competitions by the time she was 3 years old. At age 6, she was the youngest swimmer at the Hong Kong cross harbour swim. By age 12, she already had an instructor license. Susan achieved her best finish (5th) in the 1968 cross harbour swim.

Tennis

Cindy Lee: Cindy was a professional tennis player. At the highest level, she played at the Federation Cup (now Billie Jean King Cup), one of the top international tournaments for women’s tennis. Cindy is also an accomplished golfer, claiming multiple awards in charity tournaments. Athletics is in her DNA, as her mother and cousin were on the Hong Kong bowling team, her father and sister were avid tennis players, and another cousin was an Asian Games bronze medalist in swimming.

Golf

Stephanie Ho: Stephanie started golfing when she was 6 and by age 10, she was part of the Hong Kong national golf team. In 2010, she represented Hong Kong at the Asian Games. She retired from competition to focus on her music career, but in 2018, she dusted off her clubs to rejoin the national team. Stephanie said she hopes to make it to the Asian Games again. 

Table Tennis

Ruco Chan: Ruco was recruited into a sports institute at the age of 13 and made it onto the Hong Kong youth table tennis team at age 15. At that time, he was the youngest table tennis player to represent Hong Kong in competition. He competed at the 1994 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships. He quit after his coach left the team. 

Triathlon

Tony Chui: Tony, who plays “Andy” in Come Home Love: Lo and Behold, is a former triathlete. He represented Hong Kong in three World Triathlon Championships and in five consecutive Asian Triathlon Championships from 1992 to 1996. His best result was a silver medal in the team event and 7th overall finish individually. Tony was an all-round athlete, participating in soccer, track and field and swimming competitions as well. In 2019, Tony proved he still had in it him by representing Hong Kong at masters (age 35+) track and field competitions in Singapore and Asia.  

Rhythmic Gymnastics

Tania Chan: Tania was a member of Hong Kong rhythmic gymnastics team. Tania started learning rhythmic gymnastics at age 7 and fell in love with the sport because of its elegant movements. She represented Hong Kong in many competitions and specialized in using a ball in her performances. Tania was a 2018 Miss Hong Kong contestant and won an audience favourite award for her rhythmic gymnastics talent performance.

Sharlene Wong: Sharlene was also a member of the Hong Kong rhythmic gymnastics team and a national level athlete. She was awarded that recognition in 2009 when she placed first in the ribbon competition and fourth overall in the National Youth Competition. She retired in 2012 when she realized her body was not flexible enough anymore. Sharlene appeared on TVB even before joining the industry. She performed as a rhythmic gymnast at the TVB Anniversary Gala in 2014 alongside actresses from Never Dance Alone. She is now a host of Kids, Think Big.

Track and Field

Tiffany Tang Yi Ching: Tiffany is a rising star in high jump. She has won in intercollegiate and Hong Kong wide competitions and represented Hong Kong at the 2015 China National Youth Games. She recently recorded a personal best of 1.77 m. Tiffany had a short stint as a host of Young and Restless, but left TVB last year to focus on training for the Asian Athletics Championships. 

Fencing

Last but not least, one of TVB's very own will be competing at the Tokyo Olympics!

Lawrence Ng Lok Wang: Lawrence is a former TVB child actor who has appeared in over 30 dramas. As a kid, Lawrence became interested in fencing because he thought the uniforms looked cool. Using the foil as his weapon, he is a five-time medalist in the Asian Fencing Championships and finished in fifth place at the 2016 Junior World Fencing Championships. He served as the fencing director for the fencing scenes in OMG, Your Honour before leaving TVB to become a full-time athlete. Last year, Lawrence and the Hong Kong team won bronze at the Fencing World Cup tournament in Cairo to secure a spot at the Tokyo Olympics. Look for Lawrence in the men's team foil competition at the Olympics. 

Mean Talk Gossip

I love juicy gossip about the entertainment circle and Mean Talk has plenty of it! 

Mean Talk is a talk show hosted by Elena Kong and Bob Lam where they make guests share their juiciest, “meanest” stories from the industry. Let’s see if we can guess who the guests are talking about!

Actress who leaked to paparazzi:

In episode 2, Dickson Yu revealed that an actress he worked with secretly invited the paparazzi to their filming location and purposely acted intimately with him. Here were the clues he gave:

• This was a few years ago. Both of them were relatively new.
• A short article was published about them and included photos of the girl’s arm in his arm.
• The girl is still in the industry. Her fame is similar to Dickson. He said people would recognize her, but she is not super famous. 

Could he be talking about Kamen Kong? This article was published in 2018 when Dickson and Kamen were filming The Ghetto-Fabulous Lady. At that time, both of them were relative newcomers (the article even mentioned Kamen had just joined the industry for three years). The article says that they received “reliable intel” (from the source directly?) that Dickson and Kamen had been secretly dating for three months. It also describes how Dickson would drive Kamen home every night. (Dickson said that the girl asked him for a ride, but he refused because he knew what was up.)  The only clue that doesn’t match is the photos with the girl’s arm in his arm, but the article does include photos of Kamen hitting him playfully and massaging his leg. 

Actor who asked Lee Ka Ding for "more acting":

In episode 3, Stephanie Ho revealed that an actor once asked veteran actor Lee Ka Ding to give him "more acting." She said they were filming a wedding scene where actor had to shake hands with Lee Ka Ding. The actor was also slapped in the face in the same scene. 

Netizens quickly identified the actor was Hinson Chou. Here he is in Raising the Bar with Lee Ka Ding and Stephanie:

Tiger Cubs actor who tried to pursue M Club actress

In episode 3, Winki Lai revealed that while they were filming Never Dance Alone, an actor from the neighboring Tiger Cubs set would often come to their dressing room to talk to one of the actresses.  Winki said:

• The actress had an ugly wig that looked like William So. 
• The actor's last name is Ho. 
• He has left TVB already.

Quick-working netizens discovered the Tiger Cubs actor was Quinn Ho, who left TVB in 2018 and now runs a business in Mongolia. The M Club actress is believed to be Cheronna Ng, who was the only one of the young actresses who had to wear a short wig. 

Mr. W who favored females over Vincent Wong

In the Have a Big Laugh edition of Mean Talk, Vincent Wong revealed that while filming Murder Diary, a male colleague was always more friendly while talking to female colleagues than males. Vincent said the male colleague's English name started with "W".  

Looking at the cast list, Willie Wai is a possibility. However, Vincent did not say if the male colleague was an actor or other crew member. Do you have any guesses?

Come With Me Theme Song

The theme song for Come With Me is "Speak" (講), by Stephanie Ho, Louis Yuen, Sharon Chan, Ronald Law, Grace Wong and Hoffman Cheng.

Legal Mavericks Theme Song

The theme song for Legal Mavericks is "Heart Eye" (心眼), by Vincent Wong.




The ending theme song is "Love is Right in Front of the Eyes" (愛近在眼前), by Stephanie Ho.

My Unfair Lady Theme Song

The theme song for My Unfair Lady is "I Don't Know How to Flirt" (我不會撒嬌) by Stephanie Ho.



The ending theme song is "Sand in Hand" (手中沙), by Hana Kuk.

Married But Available Theme Song

The theme song for Married But Available is "Sincere" (真心真意), a duet by Fred Cheng and Stephanie Ho.

Overview - Recipes to Live By

Born with a golden tongue and able to distinguish between good and bad dishes from one bite, Tony Hung is upset that his adoptive father Ram Chiang has forbidden him from being a chef. When he hears about a cooking contest in Yangzhou, he asks Sisley Choi to disguise as a man and substitute for him in the competition. As a result, he wins the admiration of famous chef Hugo Wong. Tony and Hugo work together to create new dishes, which helps Hugo win the Golden Lotus Flower, culinary's highest honour, many times in a row. As they become famous, they meet new friends who are also interested in food, like the daughter of a wealthy family (Stephanie Ho) and a famous female chef (Rebecca Zhu). Stephanie has a crush on Tony, while Tony admires Sisley, but Sisley likes Hugo, causing Tony to decide to break with Hugo and work on his own. But things turn out differently from what he planned. Tony is framed by Sisley and loses his golden tongue abilities. Later, he is revealed to be the descendant of a formerly famous chef. Tony vows to clear his father's name, even if he has to pay the price of being deserted by everyone.

Dead Wrong Theme Song

The theme song for Dead Wrong is "Cannot Divulge" (不可告人), by Vincent Wong



The sub-theme song is "Love Requires Courage" (愛需要勇氣), by Stephanie Ho.

Blue Veins Theme Song

The theme song for Blue Veins is sung by Kay Tse, called "All Gods Confusion" (諸神混亂).


The ending theme song is "Unallowable by Heaven and Earth" (天地不容).


The sub-theme song is an English song entitled "The Only One" by Stephanie Ho.

Over Run Over Theme Song

The theme song for Over Run Over is "Most Sincere Pair" (最真心一對), by Stephanie Ho.

Love as a Predatory Affair Theme Song

The theme song for Love as a Predatory Affair is "Love Food Chain" (愛情食物鏈) by Stephanie Ho.



Theme Song MV:

Raising the Bar Review

Producer: Joe Chan
Genre: Legal
Cast: Ben Wong, Grace Chan, Jeannie Chan, Stephanie Ho, Moon Lau, Louis Cheung, Elaine Yiu, Timothy Cheng, Natalie Tong

Review:
Raising The Bar takes a fresh angle on the oft-seen TVB legal drama. Instead of the typical case-by-case structure, this series focuses on the daily routines of a lawyer. The depiction of a lawyer's job is fairly realistic and shows the less glamorous side of the profession. There are also little tidbits, like the call to the bar or scheduling hearings, that are rarely seen in other legal dramas. The cases cover a variety of matters before the court and do not shy away from sensitive topics. For once, legal procedures and reasoning are mostly followed. It is also shocking to know that there is actually more than one judge in Hong Kong.

I was worried about the overwhelming number of characters at the beginning, but the series quickly deals with that by regulating some characters to the background. That is not to say, however, that the focus went to the best stories. The second half of the series put an overemphasis on romantic lines that no one cared about (ie. Elaine's affair). Further, it throws logic out the door with the sexual harassment case, which any competent lawyer should have gotten rid of a long time ago.

The four girls were surprisingly capable of carrying the series. They clearly had a lot of fun filming together, which shows in their on-screen interactions. Grace Chan shows why she is perhaps deserving of her rapid climb to lead status as she looked comfortable and natural in her role. Jeannie Chan suited the role of the snobby rich girl and smoothly managed her character's transition into a more humble person. Stephanie Ho is cute and provided comedic relief. Moon Lau fared well for her first series; though she was not particularly impressive, she was certainly not bad either.

Ben Wong hits the nail with his professionalism as an experienced barrister, especially with those reading glasses. Elaine Yiu needs to stop being given these discontent wife roles. Natalie Tong has been doing a great job with her subtle performances. Louis Cheung is a really versatile actor, but his character's odd obsession with aliens was something that I don't get. Timothy Cheng is funny in his interactions with Stephanie and Natalie. King Lam does a good job with his clueless lawyer, while Hugo Wong is great eye candy despite limited screen-time.

So does Raising the Bar actually raise the bar for TVB productions? Maybe slightly, but it is not without its faults. What does the jury think?

Rating: 4/5


Raising the Bar Alternative Ending

Raising the Bar Alternate Ending

This is Casual TVB's 400th post!

Netizens have discovered that there was actually an alternate ending to Raising the Bar, shown in the overseas version. In the alternate version, the characters participate in a silent protest in defence of Hong Kong's judicial independence.



The alternate ending is in reference to the protest staged by Hong Kong's legal professionals in June 2014. Around 1800 lawyers, legal scholars and law students dressed in black and marched from the High Court to the Court of Final Appeal. They then stood in silence for three minutes in front of the Court of Final Appeal. It was a protest against a "white paper" issued by the Chinese government which regarded the judiciary as part of the government and stated that "loving the country" is a requirement for judges. In a statement by the Hong Kong Bar Association, they felt that having these political requirements for judges would threaten the idea of judiciary independence.

Raising the Bar Theme Song

The theme song for Raising the Bar is "Me and You" (我和你), by Stephanie Ho.


Theme Song MV


The sub-theme song is called "Person in Front" (面前人), by Louis Cheung and Grace Chan.

Overview - Raising the Bar

A group of barristers and trainee lawyers vow to pursue justice and ideals, but the process is fraught with difficulties. Regarded as the "Condor Heroes" of the legal world, barrister Ben Wong and his wife Elaine Yiu have taught many students. Among them, Grace Chan, Jeannie Chan and Louis Cheung are Ben's favourites. Grace's classmate, Moon Lau, is a trainee solicitor at Elaine's law firm, while Stephanie Ho trains under barrister Timothy Cheng. Jeannie's half-sister, Natalie Tong, has an affair with the married Timothy and later switches over to work for Ben. With each of them using their own methods, how do these rookies become qualified legal practitioners, in a journey that is full of struggle, doubt and tough choices about their future? Theory turns into practice as they handle tricky cases and experience success and failures, while also dealing with love, family and friendship problems every day. Their biggest test arrives when legal standards challenge their personal orientations...


Raising the Bar Promo Clips

Raising the Bar Promo Clips

Overview - Raising the Bar

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Astro Promo

New Faces of TVB (2)

Which one of these new faces will make it to become the next top fadan at TVB?

Tracy Chu (朱千雪)


Tracy was a huge fan favourite when she competed in the Miss Hong Kong pageant. Although she ended up finishing third, she was immediately given an opportunity to star alongside veteran Lawrence Ng in The Hippocratic Crush II.

Look for her in: Battle Again Tomorrow, The Misadventure of Zoo



May Chan (陳嘉佳)


May met Wong Cho Lam while filming the movie Short of Love, who introduced her into TVB. The heavy-weight actress has captured the hearts of the audience with her adorable characters in Inbound Troubles and Bounty Lady. She managed to secure a Best Supporting Actress nomination in just her first full year at TVB.

Look for her in: Inbound Troubles II



Harriet Yeung (楊詩敏)


Harriet is an accomplished stage actor that has signed with TVB. She shocked audiences in her first drama, Bounty Lady, due to her outlandish character and striking imitation of Kate Tsui. She showed off with her remarkable imitation skills once again in the variety show Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk.

Look for her in: Officer Geomancer, Battle Again Tomorrow, The Misadventure of Zoo



Stephanie Ho (何雁詩)


Stephanie entered the industry through The Voice. Because of her small size, she was chosen to star next to Wong Cho Lam in Gilded Chopsticks, which helped to raise her profile. The multi-talented Stephanie is also a professional golfer who has represented Hong Kong in international tournaments.

Look for her in: Quid Pro Quo



Candy Chang (張慧雯)


Candy is a pageant winner from Toronto. Her role as "Jing Jing" in The Hippocratic Crush was well-received by the audience. She was unfortunately caught up in a drug scandal, but has since fully resumed her career with a prominent role in Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain.



Kelly Fu (傅嘉莉)


Kelly got noticed as the coffee girl in Triumph in the Skies II after rumours surfaced between her and co-star Ron Ng. She added to her recognition by taking on a challenging role as a Mainland girl in Swipe Tap Love.

Look for her in: Cheung Po Tsai



Whitney Hui (許亦妮)


Whitney turned heads when she made her debut as the sexy model “Monica D” in Inbound Troubles. She has proven to be a versatile actress, succeeding with different types of roles as well, such as a mute maid in Return of the Silver Tongue.

Look for her in: Street Sorcerers 2, Overachievers



Jacqueline Wong (黃心穎)


Jacqueline was the runner-up in the 2012 Miss Hong Kong pageant. So far, she has mainly hosted variety shows, with only guest star appearances in dramas. She most recently appeared as Bosco Wong’s first wife in The Ultimate Addiction.

Look for her in: Madam Cutie on Duty, Battle Again Tomorrow, Limelight Years



Grace Chan (陳凱琳) & Sisley Choi (蔡思貝)


The reigning Miss Hong Kong winners are receiving a heavy push from TVB. Both will have supporting roles in the highly anticipated Overachievers. Each of them will also have the opportunity to lead their own series.

Look for them in: Overachievers, Quid Pro Quo (Grace), Officer Geomancer (Sisley), Cross the Finish Line (Sisley), Cheung Po Tsai (Grace)



M Club Girls


The seven young actresses in Never Dance Alone all had memorable performances in the series. The girls have leveraged their increased popularity to gain job opportunities in various areas, including television, movies and stage performances.

Look for them in: Street Sorcerers 2 (Anjaylia Chan), Quid Pro Quo (Jeannie Chan), Lord of Shanghai (Winki Lai)


Check out the list of new male faces!

Gilded Chopsticks Theme Song

The theme song for Gilded Chopsticks is "Loyal Subject" (忠臣) by Wong Cho Lam and Stephanie Ho.




The sub-theme song is called "Tears of Departure" (離人淚), bu Louis Cheung.




Overview - Gilded Chopsticks
Gilded Chopsticks Promo Clips

Overview - Gilded Chopsticks

Wong Cho Lam has tasted many delicacies since he was young. He can easily distinguish between good and bad dishes. Unfortunately, his family’s financial woes have left him and his servant Jack Wu homeless. They resort to selling buns for a living. Consequently, they meet a street performer (Joey Meng), the city’s most beautiful lady (Nancy Wu) and a young chef (Stephanie Ho). By chance, Cho Lam also comes across the 4th Imperial Prince (Ben Wong), whom he instantly gets along with.

Cho Lam is invited to be a chef in the palace, where he encounters his greatest rival (Bob Lam). He is unexpectedly brought into the royal succession battle started by the 8th Imperial Prince (Louis Cheung). Cho Lam turns out to be Ben's lucky star, helping Ben defeat Louis time and time again. However, an accidental marriage contract quickly changes his circumstances...


Gilded Chopsticks Promo Clips

Comment: Excited to do more Historical Context posts!

Gilded Chopsticks Promo Clips

Overview - Gilded Chopsticks, Theme Song

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Extended Trailer