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Tats Lau is a Christian

thewong — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:45:19 +0000

Holy & Dangerous is alive!

Michael Jackson is dead!

Sammi Cheng Baptized

thewong — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 07:02:17 +0000

Around December 10, 2007, superstar HK singer/actress Sammi Cheng was baptized. You can see her written testimony above. [Is that a baptism photo or a mugshot?] Basically, she says she had some worldly success and achievements, but she was still empty; she took a sabbatical to reflect, and found the meaning of life in God and helping others. Or something like that…

By the way, as I noted below, the May 2007 issue of Angel’s Heart Monthly had an interview with Ms. Cheng. I found a translation of it at an online discussion forum devoted to her. The most interesting thing about the interview is her recommendation of Dr. Larry Crabb’s Inside Out, a book that apparently had a profound impact on her.

So Sammi Cheng digs Larry Crabb. Okay…

Sammi Cheng Christian?

thewong — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:33:07 +0000

Last night, I went to Sammi Cheng’s Las Vegas concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Pretty good. Compared to Aaron Kwok and his “Dancing Nation Live” concert at The Orleans Arena in late May, Sammi definitely has a much better voice, but her show wasn’t quite as theatrical as Kwok’s. For the better live concert experience, I’d have to give the edge to Kwok.

Apparently, the modus operandi for every male HK pop star performing live is to act as flamingly gay as possible. At least that was Kwok’s M.O. (Jacky Cheung was also very adept at it when he played Caesars in February.)

The M.O. of female HK pop stars is to emulate a stripper bumping and grinding her heart out or Tina Turner on speed. Perhaps some combination of the two.

Las Vegas is a very tough town for HK pop singers because a significant portion of the audience is filled with Chinese gamblers whose tickets are being comped by the casinos. These gamblers probably don’t readily fall into the target demographic of HK pop singers, i.e., over-caffeinated and over-enthused teens and twentysomethings. Usually, the casinos reserve the best seats for these gamblers long before tickets are released to the general public, so the truly crazy fans, those who shell out their own money to attend, are relegated to the fringes. The result is usually a big dead spot of non-enthusiasm right in front of the stage, where a performer would usually expect his/her most enthusiastic fans to be. I’m sure this Zone of Silence is a big shock the first time they perform in Vegas. Also, the comped gamblers are not shy about getting up and simply walking out in the middle of the concert to head for the casinos if they get bored. If you ever go to a HK pop singer’s concert in Vegas, watch for this. It’s hilarious.

And heaven help you if you try to perform Asian hip-hop. Vanness Wu (Christian) went down in flames as a special guest performer at Kelly Chen’s December 2006 concert at the MGM Grand. You could hear a pin drop during his set. It was a total disaster; absolutely horrific. What made it even worse was that Wu brought his sister, Wendy, as his special guest performer, and she tanked worse than he did. At least 10% of the audience had heard of Vanness Wu – or at least the street in San Francisco for which he was named – so he had that going for him if nothing else (and trust me, there was nothing else). Wendy Wu? Nada. If the concept of zero did not exist, they would have had to invent it after her performance. The Wu siblings were simply performing the wrong genre of music for an audience made up of the wrong generation at the wrong time of year (Christmas).

Anyway, the actual point of this entry isn’t to expound on the HK pop concert-going experience in Las Vegas, but to note that Sammi Cheng may be a Christian. I thought I had heard this before, but cursory research didn’t turn up anything. But then she appeared on the cover of the May 2007 issue of Angel’s Heart Monthly, a publication of The Media Evangelism Limited. There was a blurb on the Angel’s Heart Monthly website that may have been a teaser for a more in-depth feature article about her in the actual magazine (but I really have no idea…). Then I found this quote…

Throughout her childhood, Sammi and her family were devout Christians, a religious denomination she holds dear to her heart. “I love the influence by Christianity… and will often go to Bible study,” Sammi says.

Interesting. Even more interesting is the source: AskMen.com. Frankly, I have no idea how much stock I should put into the fact-checking efforts of this website, but it’s the most concrete thing I have so far. So.

Perhaps I’ll go sic the research department on this issue… Stay tuned.

I Love Australia!

thewong — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:29:18 +0000

Continuing with the Sydney, Australia theme, I’ve added a new link to the blogroll (appropriately under the category of “Random”): Zilver Restaurant, a new-wave Chinese fusion restaurant in Sydney’s Chinatown.

So what does this Australian restaurant have to do with Christianity & Hong Kong Entertainment? Not a whole lot except that the managing director of the Zilver Group is Chillie Poon, the runner-up at the 1996 Miss Hong Kong Pageant, a former HK actress, and now the wife of CEO Henry Tang. Ms. Poon also happens to be a Christian, who participated in Rev. Enoch Lam’s “Stand Up Sydney” evangelistic comedy show in October 2004.

See? It all comes back to Rev. Lam. And stand-up comedy.

Speaking of which, I believe it was Sanney Leung, the preeminent translator of Hong Kong Entertainment gossip throughout the late-1990s and early-2000s, who referred to Chillie and Henry’s wedding reception as the “Poon-Tang” Party.

OH SNAP!

Anyway, if you’re ever in Sydney’s Chinatown, check Zilver out and feel free to let me know how it is…

Zilver

Level 1, 477 Pitt Street, Haymarket, Sydney, Australia
(Sydney Central building, corner Hay Street)
Tel: +61 (02) 9211 2232

Lunch Mon – Fri 10am – 3.30pm, Sat – Sun 9am – 3.30pm
Dinner 7 days 5.30pm – 11pm

Why “Holy & Dangerous”?

thewong — Sun, 18 Mar 2007 03:39:55 +0000

In case you were wondering why I named this blog “Holy & Dangerous,” this post is for you.

Aficionados of Hong Kong film will recall the movie that sparked a spate of films in the mid- to late-1990s that focused on the lives, loves, and occasional bloody beatings of young triad gang members climbing their way to the top of Hong Kong crime syndicates: Young & Dangerous.

So popular was the film that it launched a franchise that included at least five sequels and a prequel, as well as numerous knock-offs, including one focused on females called Sexy & Dangerous.

Frankly, I wouldn’t have been surprised if in this slew of copycats there was a title for every aspect of triad life or for various iterations of triad personnel:Crazy & Dangerous. Geriatric & Dangerous. Dangerous & Even More Dangerous. Incontinent & Dangerous. Paranoid & Dangerous. Constipated & Not So Dangerous. Gassy & Dangerous. Racist & Dangerous. Gassy & Racist. You get the picture.

Hence, Holy & Dangerous.

Why not, right? What’s life if it ain’t a thugz life, yo?

Yoyo Mung Christian

thewong — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 05:38:18 +0000

Jaynestars.com has translated a recent East Week Magazine article about film and television actress Yoyo Mung (that’s right, “Yoyo”). In it, she mentions that she became a Christian in March 2005.

This was not the first indication of Ms. Mung’s conversion. In December 2005, The Sun published an article in which she expressed admiration for actress Ada Choi: “Not only is Ada pretty and a firm Christian, she also treats people with warmth and sincerity.” Thereafter, the article mentioned that Ms. Mung was a Christian like Ms. Choi.

In May 2006, Ms. Mung appeared in The Room, a production of The Media Evangelism Ltd. – an amazing feat if only because the gap between her conversion and her appearance in an ME project was only fourteen months. It took Ada Choi, perhaps the paragon of a devout Christian Hong Kong entertainer, eight whole years to turn an ME project around.

Ms. Mung’s career is interesting because in some ways it tracks the more recent ups and downs of the Hong Kong film industry. In the late 1990s, she had an auspicious debut appearing in a number of high-profile Johnnie To films. She followed those up with the very good Sealed With a Kiss (1999), co-starring Louis Koo as an island mute.

Thereafter, however, her career began a slow transition out of films and into largely mediocre TVB television serials, where she currently functions as a modestly high-profile leading actress. There was hope for an uptick in both her professional trajectory and the fortunes of the HK Film industry in 2004 when she appeared as part of the hyped-up ensemble of name actors in Wong Jing’s supposedly surefire comedy Sex and the Beauties. However, those hopes proved largely illusory when – how do I put this? – that movie sucked so badly that on its best day it could only hope to sniff mediocrity’s left butt cheek.

Ms. Mung’s last film was 2005′s Where is Mama’s Boy, which marked the HK film debut of William Hung. Enough said.

(Incidentally, William Hung is purportedly a Christian, too. Perhaps ME should cast him in something, like Where is God the Father’s Boy? It could be a parody of a parody. Which is what this world needs – more evangelistic parodies. I don’t know why Media Evangelism isn’t just cranking those things out like Kit Kats. They’re a severely undervalued outreach tool, if you ask me.)

Anyway, there were other interesting tidbids about Ms. Mung in the East Week article. For instance, she had a strained relationship with her parents because they apparently abandoned her into the care of her grandmother when she was growing up and she also wasn’t particularly close with her siblings. Apparently, these relationships have improved in recent years.

Someday, I’ll talk about how early childhood difficulties are a common thread among talented actors and actresses, as well as Christians, active in HK entertainment. It’s interesting because you kind of have to hit a sweet spot of difficulty – if they suffer freakish pain, then they might just flip out and become a serial killer or whatever instead of a good actor. Too little pain and they become like you or me – the average mal-adjusted human being in need of grace.

On a lighter note, here’s an amusing quote from Ms. Mung about what she was like as a youth:

I was unattractive and unpopular when I was a child, due to my overly heavy eyebrows (double my current thickness!) and I wore thick glasses. I had a ‘moustache’ on my upper lip and sported a mushroom haircut. My childhood dream was not to become an actress, but to become a lawyer due to my rebellious personality. I broke the school’s record by not handing in my homework assignments due to my lazy nature. Haha! I was always early for class, since I needed to copy the other students’ homeworks each morning!

Plus her favorite subject was math.

Hmm. Heavy brows, a moustache, a mushroom haircut, and math. What a babe.

Anyway, I’d definitely be interested in learning more about why she decided to become a Christian. I also want to get my hands on a copy of The Room and check it out.

Hong Kong Christian Entertainers’ USA Evangelism Tour

thewong — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 06:48:14 +0000

Courtesy of www.ccmusa.org

In the post before last, I had mentioned that Christian Hong Kong television actress Ada Choi would be appearing live in San Francisco in early September as part of a “Musical Religious Concert and Sermon.” As it turns out, that’s just one stop on a more extensive evangelistic tour of California, Washington, and Texas being sponsored by the Chinese Christian Mission USA.

Other peformers on the tour include singer Angela Pang, TVB character actor Wong Cho Lam (BFA ’03, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts), some woman I can’t identify at the moment, and veteran actress Tomi Wong (The Source of Love). There also seems to be a pastor accompanying them, as well.

Here are the relevant dates, times, and general locales where they’ll be performing/speaking…

Friday, September 8, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in San Diego (Joan B. Kroc Theatre).
Saturday, September 9, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in Los Angeles (Sexson Auditorium, Pasadena City College).
Sunday, September 10, 2006 at 7:00 p.m. in Los Angeles (Sexson Auditorium, Pasadena City College).
Saturday, September 16, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in San Francisco (Nob Hill Masonic Center).
Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 4:00 & 7:30 p.m. in Seattle (Asa Mercer Middle School).
Friday, September 22, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in Dallas (Irving Bible Church).
Saturday, September 23, 2006 at 7:30 p.m. in Houston (Fort Bend Community Church).
Sunday, September 24, 2006 at 5:00 p.m. in Houston (Southwest Chinese Baptist Church).

More specific addresses, contact info, and ticket outlets here.

I find it interesting that all the venues in California are theaters, auditoriums, and performing arts centers; all the venues in Texas are churches; and the venue in Washington is a public junior high school (the First Amendment at work baby!).

Incidentally, prior to this tour, Ada Choi will be travelling through Canada for an evangelistic endeavor of a different sort: promoting Hong Kong television station TVB and its serials. Other participating artists: Fiona Yuen, a German national of Chinese descent; Roger Kwok; and Halina Tam. Relevant dates and locales: Toronto (Sunday, September 3, 2006); Calgary (Monday, September 4, 2006); and Vancouver (Wednesday, September 6, 2006). More info here.

Roger Kwok & Kenix Kwok Filming “Fearless” for The Media Evangelism Limited . . . I Think

thewong — Tue, 08 Aug 2006 03:26:07 +0000

Courtesy of www.media.org.hk

Although I’m not 100% certain, I believe that TVB actors Roger Kwok and Kenix Kwok have begun filming Fearless for The Media Evangelism, Ltd.

This Fearless has nothing to do with the recent Jet Li movie of the same name. From what I can gather, this Fearless is about a musician, homosexuality, fear, and love, while Jet Li’s Fearless was only about three of those things. I’ll let you figure out which three.

In any case, the Christian Fearless sounds controversial and appears to be a rebuttal to 2005′s Brokeback Mountain. It’ll be interesting to see if ME can pull this off and also produce a quality film. Personally, I like ME films, but not all of them are cinematic masterpieces.

The two leads, however, are quite strong. Kwok and Kwok (no relation) are definitely A-List television actors. In fact, Roger Kwok is a two-time winner of TVB’s Best Actor Award. He recently married longtime girlfriend Cindy Au at Hong Kong’s Disneyland. And as far as I know, he’s not a Christian.

Kenix Kwok, on the other hand, is (allegedly). She’s also as popular as she is skinny, which is to say very. I’m looking forward to seeing her in this Christian production. In the past, I’ve had some trouble tracing the contours of her faith, but it seems that she pretty much considers herself a Christian now. Perhaps I’ll devote a future blog entry to her.

Interestingly, both Kwoks’ families purportedly originated from Zhongshan, Guangdong Province – just like mine. (Woo-hoo! Center Mountain baby! Overthrowing corrupt imperialistic dynasties since 1866!)

Fearless is scheduled to drop in. . . September??? Yikes.

Film, Kwoks! Film! Film like the wind!

Kary Ng Christian?

thewong — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 03:12:41 +0000

Ada Choi checks out Kary’s Cross. Rain fears Ada’s wrath.

Former Cookies member Kary Ng appeared as a contestant on the eleventh episode of the TVB game show Beautiful Cooking along with Ada Choi and Rain Li. As you can see in the photo above, Ng sported a crucifix around her neck (as did Ada Choi).

What does that mean? I have no idea. . .

By the way, Beautiful Cooking is a brilliant, if slightly chauvinistic show. It’s kind of like Iron Chef except with actresses, female pop singers, and fashion models as the competitors instead of professional chefs. Usually, there are three segments: an unscored test of some random cooking skill (e.g. pizza dough twirling) and then two scored rounds of cooking.

In the first round, the contestants try to replicate a dish prepared by a professional chef. In the second round, the contestants are given an ingredient that they can freestyle with, usually something that has slime, tenticles, and/or scales, which they also have to kill. Play-by-play commentary and scores are provided by a tasting panel comprised of the hosts (three male pop singers), two celebrity guests (also male), and one professional chef. During the tasting/judging phase, each panel member has quick access to nearby trash cans should they need to spit out food.

Apparently, the top scorers over the course of the first twelve episodes will compete against each other for the title of Goddess of the Kitchen. . . or something like that. So far, Christian artistes have put up two of the top three scores, including a perfect 120 achieved by actress Louisa So. On the other hand, the two worst scores, -19 and -32 (that’s right, negative scores), have also been thrown up by Christian entertainers: Fiona Sit and Kary Ng, respectively (assuming that Ng is a Christian). In fact, Kary Ng apparently set her kitchen on fire, and may have inadvertently killed one of the judges through food poisoning.

Praise God.

An absolutely delightful show. What Celebrity Cooking Showdown should have been.

Fiona Sit Christian

thewong — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 01:37:32 +0000

According to this 7/30/06 article in The Sun, singer-actress Fiona Sit is a Christian. Here’s a translation of the article by Em of TVBSpace News Roundup:

Fiona Sit, Sammul Chan and Francois Huynh were filming for “Cadets on the Beat” yesterday at the pedestrian subway where a real serving police officer was murdered earlier. Having refused to have her character die there previously, Fiona seemed very scared as she filmed, causing [] a string of over ten outtakes. She says: “It was not because of that, I am a Christian and have calmed myself by praying. (Have you brought anything to protect you?) No, it is all just in my heart.” Fiona did not dare to venture anywhere near the staircase where the incident happened, whereas Sammul was very calm about it: “I believe that if I have done no harm to others, then I have nothing to worry about. This is the first time I have been to this subway.”

Although Sit is a Christian, apparently she’s very superstitious about death scenes, at least according to this article from the previous day’s edition of that very same newspaper. The relevant excerpts from TVBSpace News Roundup:

Fiona Sit, Sammul Chan and Michael Tao were filming earlier at Tseung Kwan O for TVB’s new series “Cadets on the Beat” in a cameo scene where Fiona reprises her role to show her character being killed off in action. The scene tells of her character fighting with a criminal in a scene and in order to save Sammul, she takes a bullet and dies. Before the camera, Fiona played out the death scene vigorously, but behind the camera, the superstitious Fiona was quick to ask the crew for a lucky packet.

Having also brought along her own lucky packet, Fiona says that she is very superstitious about these things: “My dad is very superstitious too and he has given me a lucky packet already, just in case TVB don’t give me one so I can just ask them to put some money in it. Originally they had arranged for my character to die where a real police officer had died, but it was too scary and I would not do it there. Take Granville Road, where there was a murder earlier, when I go around the area, I daren’t look around too much.”

In October 2004, there was a article in which Sit mentions that she brings her Bible along with her when she travels because she is afraid of ghosts.

Incidentally, Sammul Chan is also a Christian. Michael Tao, while not a Christian, has appeared in a film called Prison on Fire – Preacher. Francois Huynh is the winner of the 2006 Mr. Hong Kong contest.