Holy & Dangerous

Here are some photos that I stole, er, borrowed, er, am using pursuant to the fair use doctrine of the relevant copyright laws of this jurisdiction.

As you can tell from the watermark on these photos, they are courtesy of The Media Evangelism Limited. I’ve also added some commentary below each picture. Enjoy.

Dressing room. I have no idea who the person in the baseball cap on the very left is, but the rest of the people in this shot are the three main cast members for the “youth love triangle” story in Love Is… That’s Tracy Ip in the center, dressed in white; Selena Li is sitting cross-legged on the stool; and Zac Koo is flashing the peace sign in the lower right-hand corner.

You can tell who’s supposed to be the good-girl protagonist and who’s the villainous “other woman” just by looking at what they’re wearing. Tracy Ip is obviously the “other woman” because she’s dressed like a call girl and her skirt is shorter than her last name. Selena Li, on the other hand, is clearly the good-girl character with whom the audience is supposed to sympathize because she’s wearing leggings that cover her knees and is dressed like a beggar. I don’t know what Zac Koo’s role is, whether unredeemable cad or antihero seeking redemption, but I distrust anyone wearing a dress shirt with pockets on the sleeve. Save it for the outback, mate.

Note that Tracy Ip is breaking out her Mona Lisa smile, again. I guess if you’ve got a good thing going, why change, right? This is also a much better picture of Selena Li…if you’re into beggars, that is. Just kidding! With her hair down, Selena Li looks ten thousand times more attractive here than in the group photo from the last entry.

Selena Li, sitting on a Hong Kong sand dune, possibly toxic, contemplating why Zac Koo left her for a whore.

Note the directional marks in the sand–that’s the craft of movie-making in action, folks.

Selena Li stalks sleazeball boyfriend Zac Koo while he’s two-timing her with Tracy Ip. Note Koo’s wardrobe: neon pink shirt with suit. Very Miami Vice. After his date, I think Koo is going to meet up with Tubbs, buy two keys of coke, then go gun down Calderon.

What ridiculous plot point could have possibly led them to film a scene with actors in full wardrobe standing thigh-high in the waters of Hong Kong at night?

I can’t wait to see this movie!

Again, I must ask: what plot point required a hailstorm of feathers? The avian flu pandemic finally emerges? SARS returns? Plane full of chickens explodes? When it comes to Christian HK movies, feathers-in-water equals looming disaster.

Again, I will declare: I can’t wait!

Love Is…, the latest film from The Media Evangelism Ltd., has just finished production and will be released in August. This is the third film in ME’s Life Movies trilogy, which is inspired by real-life calls to a Christian telephone counseling service in Hong Kong. The first film in the series was The Room starring Yoyo Mung and Sharon Chan and it was about depression. The second film was Fearless starring Roger Kwok and Kenix Kwok and it was about childhood trauma and homosexuality.

And now we have Love Is…, the Chinese title of which can roughly be translated as Real Love?

One of the most interesting things about this movie is… Read the rest of this entry »

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

If you happen to be in Sydney, Australia this Saturday (May 5, 2007) and are a fan of the Cantonese language, stand-up comedy, TVB actress Sheren Tang, wacky and ubiquitous Hong Kong radio personality D.J. Sammy, hand bells, and/or Jesus Christ, then check out Yeah Show 2007 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The show starts at 7pm.

Yeah Shows are kind of like a Cantonese comedy version of a Billy Graham Crusade, featuring an evening of musical performances and celebrity testimonials, capped off by a stand-up routine/sermon by the Rev. Enoch Lam of Hong Kong. I believe the shows in Hong Kong took place in March and featured among others Leanne Li (TVB actress/host & Miss Chinese International 2005) and someone who looked an awful lot like Marsha Yuan. Apparently, there was also Chinese rapping involved. I hope there’s a DVD.

Wait, D.J. Sammy is appearing in a Yeah Show??? That dude is a Christian??? How discombobulating. I’m discombobulated: I don’t know whether I should be horrified or ecstatic. Are we sure he’s a Christian and not just appearing because he needs even MORE exposure on top of his radio gig, his co-hosting duties on TVB’s Minutes to Fame (the Hong Kong version of The Gong Show), and the four thousand movies he’s been in since 2002? I need answers.

In the mean time, here’s the poster…

Inspired by the subject of her pastor’s sermon this past Sunday, Ada Choi writes about the Holy Spirit in the April 17th, 2007 entry on her blog. She talks about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, mentions her weaknesses as a Christian contrary to public perception, quotes some Scripture, and then describes the joy she experiences when attending church. She ends the entry with a triple-exclamation-point statement: “Thanks, Holy Ghost!!!”

That’s pretty much the first time I’ve ever seen a celebrity thank the Holy Spirit publicly for, well, anything. And to think it was some random TV actress from Hong Kong doing the thanking. Love that.

Meanwhile, fellow Christian TVB actress Maggie Cheung - on hiatus fighting disease - blogs about Proverbs on her own web page.

TVBspace reports that the ratings for the four episodes of “On the Road” (aka “Going to the World”) that featured Ada Choi’s visit to Israel dipped slightly below the average for the travel documentary series.

Sad.

The immediately preceding episodes featured Eric Tsang visiting Brunei, a country which is known for its oil wealth, in order to attend the birthday gala of its Sultan, one of the richest men in the world.

Hmm, Hong Kongers more interested in riches than in holiness? Stunning.

Or maybe Hong Kongers are just burned out on Ada Choi and her incessant chatter about her Christian faith and testimony, which were interwoven into the Holy Land episodes.

Well, maybe in Hong Kong…but not here, baby!

In fact, since I’ve managed to watch the relevant episodes, I’m seriously considering generating an episode-by-episode recap, including in-depth analysis of every single moment that Choi broke out into tears. Maybe it will happen, but probably not.

Until then, one observation: in packing for this trip, Ada Choi made some seriously bold fashion choices. Especially for the Holy Land, a region of the world where a significant portion of the population dresses so conservatively that they make the Amish look trendy. Since it was winter in Israel, Choi packed a lot of scarves and neckware, as well as a huge hairy turtleneck that must have been jacked up on steroids. The material that went into the neck alone must have denuded an entire flock of sheep. Also, it’s kind of incongruous to see a tall Chinese woman click-clacking around the cobblestone streets of Jerusalem’s Old City in stiletto boots. If I ever get around to a recap, it should be interesting. Stay tuned.

(BTW, remind me to write about Leanne Li’s performance at the evangelistic Yeah Show 2007, and to compare/contrast her with Fala Chen, who was the runner-up to Li at the 2005 Miss Chinese International Pageant. Remind me also to write something about Marsha Yuan and Men Suddenly in Black 2, a movie whose casting director appears to have simply run down the Home of Artiste’s roster when filling cameo roles. Ugh, too much to do…)

Shalom!

In December, Ada Choi and a TVB camera crew went off to Israel for ten days of filming for On The Road, TVB’s celebrity travel program. Previous installments have featured notables such as Karena “The Canadian” Lam visiting a children’s acrobatics academy in Mainland China and Helena “The Catholic” Law visiting Vatican City.

Ada Choi’s Israel installment had long been planned, but often delayed for a variety of reasons, including the outbreak of a mini-war between Israel and Hezbollah during summer 2006. However, in December 2006, Choi’s dream of visiting the Holy Land was finally fulfilled. It can’t be overstated that going to Israel was a raging passion of Choi’s. In a newspaper interview given just prior to her departure, she said something to the effect of, As long as I make it to Israel, you can kill me before I even get off the plane!

Whoa, eeeeeeasy, Ada. Let’s not go crazy now.

For whatever reason, I, myself, have never had the burning desire to go to Israel for a visit. I don’t think it has anything to do with being incinerated by a suicide bomber with visions of 70 virgins dancing in his head or the threatened outbreak of another mini-war or whatever. There are just other places that are a higher priority for me. Like Hong Kong…Australia…Edmonton…the Greek Isles.

During Christmastime, I purchased a bundle of Rick Steves’ PBS travel shows on DVD, and was much more intrigued by his show on the Greek Isles than on Israel. In fact, I was mesmerized by Greece. White stucco villages nestled into cliffs that overlook the azure Mediterranean! Absolutely lovely.

Anyway, speaking of Chinese people going to Jerusalem, apparently there’s a movement underway by Christian elements in China called “Back to Jerusalem.” If I’m not mistaken, the movement is not specifically targeting Jerusalem for evangelism, but more broadly focusing on sending Chinese missionaries to various countries and nations along the Silk Road, from China to the Mediterranean Sea, within the 10/40 window. Which is cool. Chinese Christians are evangelizing countries along the Silk Road. Americans are evangelizing China. And the Koreans are sending missionaries to America. (Does anyone want to evangelize their homeland?) As for Europe, Australia, Siberia, and every place outside the 10/40 window, they can just burn. Burn, baby, burn!

(A joke!)

Uh, let’s move on to some of Ms. Choi’s travel pictures…

Courtesy of Ada Choi / ACFC

“Can I offer you a pita?” Yes, nothing says “kosher” like the pork-loving Chinese. After I saw this picture, I immediately ordered take-out Israeli food from one of my favorite local restaurants. Mmmm, turkey shawarma… And pork…

Courtesy of Ada Choi / ACFC

Here, you have Ms. Choi holding a frightened Israeli child, who’s dressed up like a Swiss Guardsman. (The Pope! Who’s protecting The Pope!?!)

“Hi, I’m Christian Hong Kong television actress Ada Choi, and this is one of my souvenirs from my recent trip to Israel…an Israeli child! Duty free! Haha! He (she?) may not look very happy, but trust me, this is his ‘ecstatic face.’ You’d lose the ability to appear genuinely joyful, too, if you had to face the daily threat of violence and suicide bombings…or imminent adoption by Angelina Jolie.”

Courtesy of Ada Choi / ACFC

I’m guessing that this is on the way to the Dead Sea.

Courtesy of Ada Choi / ACFC

Here’s Ms. Choi with the Temple Mount and Jerusalem’s Old City in the background. The gold thing is the Dome of the Rock, a.k.a. Mohammed’s Launch Pad, the third holiest site in Islam. Beyond that is the Western Wall, a.k.a. The Wailing Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.

Recently, I read a New York Times article about Americans and foreigners buying vacation homes in Israel, a recent trend that has fueled the high-end real estate market there. One of the major amenities that ratchets up the price of any house/condo/apartment in Jerusalem is a view like the one above of the Old City and the Dome of the Rock (minus the Hong Kong actress). Other pluses include designer reinforced-concrete bomb bunkers and machine gun-wielding security guards with shadowy special forces backgrounds.

Anyway, the Israel footage TVB shot in December has now been edited down into four episodes of On the Road and Ms. Choi has recorded the voice-over narration. The episodes are scheduled to be broadcast in Hong Kong in late March, most likely to coincide with Easter.

Okay, that’s all for now. Until next time (if there is a next time), be well!

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?

So it’s been over six months since I posted anything on this site and nobody noticed. Sad.

In any case, we’re back for the moment, so let’s get caught up on those missing six months with a cursory look at some of the more notable events that took place in Hong Kong Entertainment Christendom since my last post.

First, in September 2006, Ada Choi & Company came to evangelize North America…and I was there! I went to see their show in Pasadena and even dragged my parents along. Ada Choi talked about her gambling-addicted mother. TVB actress Esther Wen talked about beating cancer. Singer Angela Pang talked about getting knocked on the head, losing consciousness, and then ending up in the hospital for six months. TVB character actor Wong Cho-Lam talked about being a short, unattractive teenager who couldn’t get chicks (until he started doing impressions…and found Jesus…and started doing impressions of Jesus). And veteran actress Tomi Wong pretended to be even older than she already is by performing as a geriatric grandmother in some skit with Wong. Interestingly, one or more members of my immediate family could directly relate to the experiences of four out of the five entertainers who spoke. Afterwards, we went to Monterey Park and ate dinner at a Chiu Chou restaurant.

In October, news emerged that TVB actress Maggie Cheung Ho-Yee had converted to Christianity while taking an extended break from acting to recuperate from Graves disease. If you can read Chinese or are adept at snatching coherency from the snapping jaws of obtuse translation software, then check out her blog here.

As most observers of Hong Kong pop culture know, this is the “other” Maggie Cheung, not the more internationally renowned film actress who was severely miscast as a recovering wannabe punk singer/addict opposite a raggedy-looking Nick Nolte in Oliver Assayas’s Clean. Perhaps Nolte and Cheung should have switched roles. Ironically, both Maggies spent their formative years in England, both participated in the Miss Hong Kong Pageant, and both were/are actresses for TVB.

December was a huge month for news and happenings. First, after numerous rumors and tabloid allegations, Sammul Chan pulled a Mike Piazza and announced that he is NOT gay. Well, then.

Second, former TVB actress Fiona Leung was injured in a car accident while in Australia to film a program for The Media Evangelism, Ltd. Reports indicated that Ms. Leung suffered broken ribs, as well as a broken face. Thankfully, the most recent reports indicate that she is more or less on the road to recovery.

Third, a December news article revealed that former TVB actor Kong Wah and his wife had become Christians within the last year…although their kids did not, which is interesting.

Fourth, actress May Kwong got married. Christian artistes in attendance included Angela Pang (she of the bopped head and six-month hospital stint), Gary Chan, Noel Leung, and Leanne Li.

Finally, after several aborted attempts over the last year or so, Ada Choi managed to make it all the way to Israel to film a travel program about the Holy Land for TVB. More on this in another post.

The new year has also brought news of babies, babies, babies. The following Christian actresses are either pregnant or have already pushed out a kid: Noel Leung; Cecilia Cheung; Eugenia Lau; and Pauline Yeung. (Wait, is Cecilia Cheung still Christian? Or was that just a phase? Uh, will have to get back to you on that one.) Also, Boston-bred Catholic Flora Chan got married for the second time, to her manager.

Alright, now we’re pretty much caught up with what’s gone on in Hong Kong Entertainment Christendom during the last six months or so.

Next time: “Ada Choi in the Holy Land…” Or, “Who Took My Pita?” Or, “That Sea May Be Dead, But I’m Alive in Christ!” Or, “Kiss Me, I’m Israeli!”

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.