During this low public exposure period, chung chung had gone to Thailand to celebrate some TV show anniversary and to promote the series "Cold Blood Warm Heart" which was just showing over there. To chung chung's surprise, she was overwhelmed with a mass of wild and crazy fans over there. Unknowingly, chung chung has become the top HK idol in Thailand.
Also, it was claimed from some reliable inside source, that chung chung was asked to star in a Taiwanese Serial directed by the director of "Joy Luck Club". At the same time, TVB also offered chung chung a series to act in. This will therefore mean that chung chung will have to make some sort of decision as to take which offer, that is, if she doesn't decide to take both:)
Date of Entry: 10th May 1997.
Chung Chung's New TVB Series 大 澳 的 天 空 is in its making process at the moment. This represents her most recent screening in a period of about 6 months since her last Series "Once Upon a time in Shanghai". During this dormant period, chung chung has rejected several offers to star in some new series. The reason being was that she wanted to find herself a good character, as she has been rather selective on this matter recently. Incidently, Chung chung was attracted to the character in this new TVB series produced by Chow Wah Yu and almost immediately agreed to take this leading role. The main character (which will be played by chung chung) and script of this new series, was especially created and written for Chung chung. The character that she will portray in this series, is of the dumb, unladylike and particularly non-pretty type which is a contrast to many of chung chung's previous series. This New 20-episode production will not be one of those long ones again and hence will not incorporate as many leading actors. It is of the lighthearted, warm and cheerful genre. The other actors involved that have been revealed so far include: Ng Kai Wah, Chan Miu Ying, Yuen Wah, Yuen Siu Cheung, Cho Zhong etc. The theme and supporting songs in the series will be sung by Chung chung.
Chung chung has recently devised a plan for herself: in every year, she will hopefully be able to utilise 3 months to film series/movies etc, 3 months to plant flowers (her recent interest), and the remaining 6 months dedicated to her greatest liking of singing. Her next album with Rock Records will possibly be released late this year. And after filming this TVB series, she will head to Taiwan to shoot a Taiwanese series there.
Date of Entry: 10th June 1997.
Recent news has claimed that after making the new TVB series, 大 澳 的 天 空 , Chung chung (CC) 's contract with TVB will end. However it was revealed that CC has chosen in recent times, not to be TVB's permanent actors like she used to be. This means that she is not required to produce a certain number of serials in any given year. Her contracts with TVB nowadays are of the one-off type where she signs to make a serial each time. This allows her more liberty and choice as to what type of series and which type of characters she wants in her productions.
Apparently, TVB has offered CC to star in another series similar to 保 護 證 人 組(about specialised team in protecting witnesses), after the new series CC is currently shooting. However, due to time clashes with the period she has to prepare for the release of her new album, it is likely that she will have to decline the offer.
CC has the special privilege, amongst all other TVB actors, to choose the serial she wants to make, hence no doubtly take a significant status in the big TVB family. This special privilege actually begun after 笑 看 風 雲 , (Instinct), and it wa was when TVB started not to lay concerns about contract matters and everytime CC makes a serial, TVB would automatically raise her pay. It was unveiled that this rise was usually about 50%. Reliable sources have also revealed that major TV stations both locally and in Taiwan have been very interested in getting CC to make their productions, with the most attempt coming from ATV who is willing to offer several million ($HK) for each serial she makes. CC says these matters will be left for her managing agent to take care of but stresses that she has all the freedom to choose. Above all, it seems that CC is on good grounds in her career path.
Date of Entry: 23rd June 1997.
Chung Chung has been recently offered to take the role of hosting one of the major shows regarding the "Big Handover". The show which is to be boradcasted for approximately 96 hours is called 香 港 回 歸 九 十 六 小 時 . Apart from having to introduce the other major shows concerning the big event, Chung chung will take on Hong Kong to show some of the culture. This has already involved 5 days time up to now (excluding the 96 hours). As Chung chung is also in the process of making TVB's new series 大 澳 的 天 空, this will mean that she will have to delay this latter filming process for several days. This event has brought Chung Chung both excitement and anxiety. Excitement owing to the fact that she rarely hosts such major shows, and anxious in the sense that the show will involve her having to speak english since it will be broadcasted live around the world.
Date of Entry: 26th June 1997.
The "handover" show that will be hosted by CC is due to be broadcasted 29th June and will be shown all over the world also. During the show, CC will constantly be handed little slips regarding what she says during the show which means that there is no preparation beforehand concerning the presentation contents.
CC is also in the process of filming this new movie called 知 解 in which she will play the role of a nurse. The movie is set in the future and the outfit that CC wears in the movie really sure looks cool - looks like a navy soldier with the tie and cap and all. The movie is actually produced by CC's record company - Rock records and CC and many others under the company will gueststar in it along with Alex Dou Duk Wai who is taking the leading role. The movie is scheduled to be shown in HK starting from July 10th, so dont miss out!!!
Date of Entry: 27th June 1997.
The well known composer (song-writer) Gu Ga Fai 顧 家 輝 is holding a concert on the 8th of July to celebrate the Handover. He has invited several singers whom he had in the past written songs for, to sing some of the classical songs he had written. And Chung Chung is one of them!! He has written alot of songs for CC in the past including most of the songs in CC's hit album "the Songbird".
Date of Entry: 10th August 1997.
If you've been keeping up with whats happening with chung chung lately, then no doubt you're probably aware that many major tv stations are fighting for chung chung, TVB, ATV and other cable television stations to name a few. Chung chung has suddenly become a competitive "commodity" on the market with competitors offering extremely high pay such as ATV and TVB showing its contribution in the tug of war by having the tvb boss sticking his nose into the business as well. If you recall, cc attended "Goo Ga Fai"'s concert not so long ago and what really surprised most was that ATV and TVB sent a couple of their high position representatives to supposedly "cheer on" chung chung. But of course as you may have guessed, further discussing their contract matters with cc was the real hidden agenda. ATV sent 2 of their biggest producers as their reps, and one of them was actually TVB's former well known producer, "Siu Sung", who was the one who selected cc to lead in her debut series "songbird". Some think that this may be a persuasive factor in cc's ultimate decision. ATV also promised to have an all-year round music promotion plan to further cc's singing career. They also claimed that they have already organised a new 40-episode series seeking cc to take the leading role and all thats left is for cc to say "yes". Otherwise, they would simply scrap the entire series all together.
However, the final outcome has not been decided yet and cc stresses that this responsibility is left in the hands of her agent, Chan Suk Fan.
Chung chung has finally completed the making of her new TVB series " a place of ones own" and if all goes well is scheduled to be released sometime in October.
Chung chung paid a visit to Singapore from the 27th July and stayed about 6 or so days there. The purpose of the visit is some sort of promotional champaign in conjunction with the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA). The trip being assigned "Hong Kong Ambassadors-- Southeast Asia Roadshow 1997 July-Aug 1997" with cc as the representative of the HK show business, together with the rep of the HK fashion designer - Mr Walter Ma and with other reps of other HK departments. This promotion is aimed at the "Hong Kong - 100 days of wonders" programme through publicity generated with the media in SE Asia region. Apparently, cc stayed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel (7 Raffles Ave), and attending a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Mini Museum, and a press conference appeared to be among the many activities on the agenda.
After leaving singapore, cc flew to Taiwan to attend Emil Chow's concert held on the 2nd Aug. CC will be staying there for a while in order to finish up recordings for her upcoming album (which will be due for release sometime in September) and apparently, the album will be consisting of songs sung in Cantonese, Mandarin and English!
CC also appeared in TVB's game show "chiu cup mo dik jeung moon yan, joi jin gong woo" recently, and has involved herself in alot of promotional type activites.
Date of Entry: 24th August 1997.
Rock has released another compilation CD called 美 麗 新 世 界 - 歲 月 光 榮 , which consists of CC's new song titled 晴 天 .
The fight between the various TV stations has come to an end as all plans were made for cc to take on more work abroad in area such as Taiwan and Singpore. It is revealed that in the latter half of this year, cc would not be accepting any more offers from TVB (or ATV for that matter) on serial productions. Her agent has stressed that cc will focus more on her singing career and recordings of her songs. Some sources have also claimed that cc will be staying in Taiwan for about half a year and have also decided on renting a place to accomodate in.
It has also been put forward that cc will be visiting Malaysia to perform in Genting on the days just prior to Christmas this year.
Date of Entry: 30th September 1997.
Sorry for not having updated on CC news earlier, but here is a rundown of the more significant events that have been taking place lately regarding CC:
* Just a while ago, cc took the role of "愛 心 滿 東 華 之 星 " in taking part in a campaign organised by the tv/radio stations. CC and 陳 曉 東 were chosen for these two positions mainly because of their healthy and cordial image.
* A topical issue concerning cc has been in the gossip regarding Jacky Cheung's musical which is to be performed overseas, including Singapore. Rumours had it that CC was chosen to take the female leading role (after Sandy Lam resigned the role due to scheduling conflicts). More rumours began to flood this issue with claims that cc was chosen because her earnings for the musical isn't too demanding, and that Jacky was not satisfied with this decision since cc did not conform with his already preformed ideal which he got from Sandy Lam's performance!! In response to these controversial claims, Jacky and CC's agent (also the organiser of Jacky's musical) stood forward to stress that these claims and rumours were misleading and spurious, and that jacky did not make any comments regarding the performace of anyone since he had not personally seen the taped rehearsals yet to make judgements. They also said that the level of return had nothing to do with their decision as to choose which female was to take the role, since if this was really the ultimate influence to their decision, then they would have chosen a new person , but they want someone with a certain level of public recognition. They also emphasised that the final decision has not been made yet ie no one has been confirmed of taking the role hitherto.
* CC represented her managing company 天 星 (one of the 3 companies organising Emil Chow's '97 concert which is scheduled to perform in HK on Oct 16-18) to attend the reporter's campaign (held to promote the concert). The reporters were surprised when they witnessed the long-conservative cc not only presenting Emil with a bouquet of flowers but also kissed him! Following this event, CC fans frantically bought tickets to the concert despite not being certain whether cc is actually going to gueststar in the concert or not, since in the past concerts Emil had elsewhere (USA, Taiwan etc) cc did appear.
* Most recently, cc has been chosen to represent HK to attend the National Day of China performance show. CC was the sole representative of HK's entertainment industry, and this performance (to be aired on Oct 1st) requires cc to perform her all time hitsong of 92, 我 愛 上 了 英 雄 because of its popularity, and to sing one of her songbird sings 月 圓 花 好 since it matched the occassion.
Date of Entry: 8th October 1997.
Since sandy lam resigned from the musical "snow wolf lake" earlier, the overseas performance of the play sees the situation of a missing female lead.
The play (SWL) is scheduled to perform in Singapore between Nov 21 to Nov 27 and due for 7 shows. After several months of intense selection, the female leading role is confirmed to be played by ChungChung. From Appledaily reporters' interview of the musical's organiser Florence Chan Sook Fun, she remarked 'CC taking the this ro le has been in the agreement and likings of many people'.
CC had to endure numerous stages of selection to have finally gotten this result. Although, Florence Chan is CC's managing agent also, this had nothing to do with cc's success in winning the role. Besides having to "pass" Florence Chan's criteria, cc also had to pass Jacky, the director, the imaging producer, and the dance choreographer's agreement. After the consideration by these five people, they all came came up with the general consensus that CC was their best pick. Hence CC has prosperously triumphed over the other "competitors".
When asked whether having Sandy Lam as the former lead, cc would be compelled to feel a little pressured, CC responded by stating that she views prssure as a means of inspiration. CC regards this as a rare and worthwhile opportunity and she feels happier than she is nervous.
Before the confirmation of the role to CC, she apparently was not required to attend any auditions and the like, and when considering that the other "competitors" were required to do so, this represents a degree of being treated well by the selecting panel. CC says that she is very well acquainted with the backstage people of the musical which meant that they need only listen to her albums a nd watch her serials to have a good appreciation of her level of talent, thus overrides the need for an audition. Soon later, CC would be having to start her rehearsals and although there is only one month to do so, CC is very confident in her singing and acting. What about the dancing part? Well, CC has the background skills of ballet dancing which should be of some advantage.
In terms of the pay that cc gets for the performance, there should be no attempt to compare it with Sandy Lam's and the fact that previous rumours about cc having been chosen was due to her comparitively lower pay is misleading and not true. CC says that the details of the actual return have yet to be discussed but she is relying on her managing agent, Florence, to take this responsibility. CC agrees however to Jacky's previous words that the most important thing is to find a person that is suitable for the role since if the main factor was the price involved, then they might as well have chosen a new person!
Date of Entry: 11th October 1997.
Owing to CC now taking the female leading role in Jacky Cheung's musical "Snow, Wolf, Lake", Rock Records's planned release of cc's new album will have to be postponed for a short period of time. It was scheduled to be recorded and compiled during this month (oct) and released sometime in Dec but now since cc has to rehearse for the musical performance, it may take a little longer to hit the market. CC reveals that the coming new album is going to be a Mandarin one.
Date of Entry: 5th November 1997.
CC's newest album originally due for release this month, has been delayed until December owing to cc's involvement in the musical "Snow, Wolf, Lake".
Cc is beginning to rehearse for the musical these couple of days. Recently, during the rehearsal with the play's coactor "zhe tin wah", jacky showed up and not only had a chance to see the two rehearsing, but also took this chance to practice with cc as well. Apparently, this was some sort of coincidence, cos in the actualy play itself, towards the end, cc's role and the other dude were supposed to have this massive argument and then the other guy shoots her to death...this is the scene where jacky's role appears, and coincidently, this was exactly when jacky turned up during the rehearsal.
They claimed that cc was very enthusiastic and filled with positive energy on that day as she put on the lovely red dress, and the rehearsal with the "zhe tin wah" dude was really romantic and that cc was really getting into the character! cc apparently has lost 8 pounds due to her intensive exercise training lately. CC also states that jacky has been very supportive and helpful in rehearsing with her. CC remarks that the other time when they were taking pix for the play, as soon as cc put on the red dress, she had this feeling of being "possessed" by the character in the play!
The play's director has complimented on cc's outstanding effort and diligence, and that cc's intrinsic pure and innocent nature is very consistent with that of the actual character itself. he also admits that cc is more appropriate for the role compared to Sandy lam previously cos sandy is of the more "mature" type, and that cc has this more "energetic" energy that suits the role.
Date of Entry: 9th December 1997.
After having been through so much, both effort and pressure, CC has finally successfully completed her performance in the "Snow, Wolf, Lake" musical. Immediately following her return to HK, CC flew to Taiwan to start intensive work on her coming new Rock records album (mandarin) , which should be released sometime in early January '98. The images and graphics designing etc for the album is to be carried out by the director of the "snow wolf lake" musical and CC seems to have confidence in him.
Date of Entry: 23rd December 1997.
Adapted from MingPao Weekly #1519.......
Even though cc has gone thru so much during the snow.wolf.lake musical, cc still thinks she has gained more than she has sacrificed when the shows have concluded. She says that having the opportunity to take part in such a large scale performance, has given her the excitement that cannot be easily described. Jacky Cheung has even complimented publicly on cc's performance after the entire performance claiming that cc was definitely better than Sandy Lam. He says that cc has a very rapid adaptation to her role, probably owing to her rich acting experience, and that previously when he acted with sandy, he was the only one getting emotional during the show; however cc has showed the talent of getting into the role well and cried more than he did and even facilitated him to get into his character as well. This remark by jacky was seemingly not the typical sort of passing-by statement nor was it a make up for his wrong words in the past, but was something that he truly believed in. At the end of the first performance of SWL in singapore when the curtains were drawn down and the cast were ready to go, jacky suddenly put an arm on cc's shoulder and after cc responded by staring at him for 4-5 seconds, jacky said : you did very very well!. And after that, the two embraced each other lost in words.
And onto cc's new album: cc has already completed her recordings for her virgin mandarin album by rock records. this time cc ha a duet with the guy who got popular with his hit song : sum tai yuen ( ie. heart too soft). The management of Rock records has already listened to cc's whole album and their preliminary estimation of the selling should exceed 100 000. For this reason, they have increased the expenses for promotion and even preparing to shoot 5-6 MTV's to promote the songs in the album.
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