Thursday, February 17, 2011

Behind the Banner: History

So you may have been wondering for some time now - who are the pretty women and dashingly handsome men that make up your banner?

Well, that's for me to know and for you to find out. Nah, I'm just kidding.

I'd be happy to tell you - these were all snapshots that I took from videos featuring these artists so let's get the cat out of the bag and on with the show!

No. 1 - Anita Mui
If you haven't already realized (or perhaps you're just new) I've mentioned the woman dubbed as the "Madonna of the East" many quite a few times, already. But this part of the welcoming banner was taken from her amazing performance of Paula Tsui's "The Windy Season" during the first ever New Talent Singing Awards in 1982. Okay, okay, I've actually posted the whole video for the 1982 NTSA contest but if you didn't see that, then at least choose to see this. It's pretty much the take-home message of the whole contest.


No. 2 - Elvina Kong
Okay, another lady like Anita Mui. I'm talking about Elvina's uncanny talent for being able to imitate Anita's voice and mannerisms perfectly. Well, this isn't of that but it is another NTSA clip - 1985. Yes! She was a contestant. She didn't win that year (Alex Delfino did) but I think just about everybody knows her as Diana from TVB's Best Selling Secrets and maybe you know of her Anita Mui impersonation skills from watching Fun with Liza and Gods or from those 2 old TVB series' (From Act to Act and Show Time Blues) starring Wayne Lai imitating Roman Tam and Cutie Mui singing like Sammi Cheng.

P.S. Hehe. I like how Tony Leung jokes about wanting Elvina to meet up with him when she's older before she takes the stage. Anyway, I present to you an 18-year-old Elvina Kong singing Danny Chan's duet with Sandy Lamb "Goodbye Puppy Love" (they were watching too!). I like how her contestant number matches her age.

No. 3 - Deric Wan
Yes, it's Gallen Lo's younger brother from Golden Faith! I actually really liked him in that role - he played the part perfectly. All the right dashes of humor here and there - all so convincing. Ah, I really wished that they made more TVB series like those back in the days. But actually this next clip is a trailer for the drama Conscience that aired during the 1994 TVB Sales Presentation. This drama also starred Maggie Siu and Amy Kwok as female leads.


No. 4 - Aaron Kwok
I must say though I'm not really a fan of Aaron, I must say that he looks quite cool in this shot. Why? This was probably because they used to put much more effort into their performances instead of just wearing a shower cap and flailing around on stage. Yep, he was actually competing not only for the title of Dancing King but for the judges and audience's approval at the 1994 TVB Anniversary for best performance act that night. Obviously he didn't take that prize, not because his performance was bad (it was actually very nostalgic of the late Michael Jackson) but Liza Wang's "Enchanting Pink Lady x Hot Coffee" performance was what topped the charts that night.


Note: You used to be able to find this video here but not anymore since…you'll find out if you go there. Issues with TVB. If people are watching your old things more than your new stuff, you've seriously gotta change your strategy. Oh and as a side note, please give credit to taqfiles.blogspot.com if you choose to repost the videos that are uploaded onto here (not the ones from Youtube, Youku or Tudou) since I do spend a reasonable amount of time editing the videos.  

So there you have it, the Big 4. Hope you enjoyed that roll of videos - more to come onto your plate.
Video credits: lovemui (youtube.com), 菊残犹有傲霜枝 (youku.com), taqfiles.blogspot.com

8 comments:

  1. This is sort of a coincidence...Didn't you used to have a Youtube channel with some Anniversary clips? I bookmarked them a few months ago and when I went back they were gone. Did the almighty TVB get you?

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  2. Hey there retrotvb :)

    Yes, yes I did (you read my note after the Aaron Kwok clip?)! Yeah. This was exactly what happened. TVB, the big monopoly TV station in HK got to my channel. And like you, I came back one day and all the clips were disabled - but not my account, which I find really strange. Not complaining though, of course.

    I don't think TVB realize just how much effort it took to record, convert and edit those videos into nice little segments and upload them with descriptions. I know the artists featured put so much effort into all their performances then and I just wanted to showcase how they did it. Actually, I probably just proved to TVB that there were a considerable amount of people who would go for their old stuff.

    And I suppose the clips may have been quite popular which probably caused their downfall, as it was closer to the anniversary that was in 2010 that I discovered the missing clips. I'm all for protecting intellectual rights but the thing is TVB should probably be exploiting the use of their old footage to make more money. If it sold then, why not now?

    Anyway, ranty-mode off, I'm slowly working on rebuilding the things that TVB took down by using this blog, while adding my two cents to everything. So stay tuned for more content :)

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  3. Love this post -- thanks for "the Big 4" (hahaha).

    Ah, bummer..the almighty TVB got to you too with their "cease and desist" letters, huh? Damn them! But I think I sort of know why they don't want us watching the old stuff -- because 1) the management was different back then and the Virginia Loks and Stephen Chans of today don't want people like us to keeping telling them what bad managers they are compared to the previous ones, and 2) hey, if we all continued to watch their "old" stuff, then who is going to watch their "new" stuff starring their favorite idol sons/daughters whom they are constantly trying to ram down our throats? (NOT ME...CAN'T STAND ANY OF THEM!!!!).

    Well, TVB's actions now make me glad that I started following HK entertainment back in the 80s and started collecting stuff from back then because nowadays, all of that old stuff is VERY hard to find (whether it's music, TV series, variety shows, movies, books, magazines, etc.)...and TVB isn't helping any either with their stupid monopoly!

    Sorry for the rant...but I'm sure you know how I feel about TVB....

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  4. @llwy12 Well, I should say thanks for reading/watching it! :) And yes, the Big 4. Though I wish the real Big 4 and TVB would come to an agreement already.

    Yup, unfortunately so, the once lively channel of The Archival Queen is pretty much no more. Yes, damn that Steven Chan for all that embezzlement and darn that lady that hired him back. This is probably why they don't even have money in their budget anymore to publish TVB calendars. Management was certainly much better at pushing real talent to the forefront, as opposed to now.

    Yes, the whole Cecilia Cheung pushing her son Lucas (undoubtedly cute, but still) in front of me whenever I turn on the TV is really just making me think about why I pay so much money for satellite TV. Okay, so Cecilia's not actually part of TVB, but you get the idea. A lot of current and recent Mr and Miss HK contestants were nothing but sons and daughters (or distant relatives) of people in the entertainment industry. Example: Shermon Tang being Wing-Mun Tang's (鄧英敏) daughter.

    That, and the fact that many actors being sent through TVB's Acting Classes these days can't even act to save their lives. Like Janice Ting, who played Felix Wong's daughter in the drama "Gun Metal Gray", last year. I mean they spend all that time in acting school and they haven't even learnt how to act. Ada Choi entered the entertainment industry through Miss HK, went through no formal acting classes and acted like a pro. This is why I was extremely disappointed when they cast her in "Fly With Me". Such wasted talent for such a gifted actress. So I'm wondering why they even have a graduating class for TVB each year when they're just flooding the market with new 'actors' that don't even bother to do their jobs properly.

    Me too. I'm glad I have old footage, music and in general, memorabilia to go back to those times and not risk losing my sanity. That's just it. TVB has no one to compete with anymore so they think they can just do whatever they like. They're losing their audience and their proper (who can actually act) actors and actresses. If now-China-owned-ATV were to take TVB on as a serious competitor, placing their filmed-for-HK-audiences shows head-to-head with TVB in the same time slots then maybe TVB would have to reconsider their strategy. I mean ATV used to make some really great dramas before they got bought over by wealthy Mainland Chinese investors. Great theme songs too.

    Hey, no problem. I feel the same way! But at least blogging about it allows me to let off some steam.

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  5. I feel angry on your behalf. I don't understand their logic. No wait, I do understand and I think it's STUPID. And it's exactly why I don't want to sign up for a YT account and post a bunch of clips only to have them taken down.

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  6. @retrotvb. Yeah. It's a crushing feeling when those clips that you worked so hard on getting published are ripped down *sigh*. And yes, it's their big, fat arrogance getting in the way, like llwy12, they just don't wanna admit they've screwed up. But on the other hand, now I get to have fun with this blog and work on putting back the old school empire on showcase.

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  7. @The Archival Queen: Regarding the Acting classes nowadays -- omg, tell me about it...absolutely nothing like what they were in the past. One of the things that made the previous classes successful (in addition to the length -- the previous ones were 1 year versus the 6 months starting in the 90s) were the talented instructors who taught those classes in the 70s and 80s...even now, whenever a former TVB acting class graduate (from the 70s/80s) wins an award, one of the people they thank is King Sir, Lau Fong Gong, etc. -- the people who were TRULY responsible for teaching them the skills they were able to use.

    Oh, and I hate how some of the younger generation nowadays try to "justify" their idols' acting skills just because they 'dabbled' in acting classes in the late 90s or after 2000 -- they are apparently oblivious to the fact that the classes have changed and are no longer the 'prestigious' classes they once were!

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  8. @llwy12 - Just realized I made a mistake on this character '英'. I meant to type 'Ying' but I don't know what came over me. Must be the daylight saving effect you talked about.

    Oh yeah, I remember reading something on your blog about the acting classes - mainly stuff about King Sir and the other old school teachers. Now they really knew how to act.

    Yeah, those people are just deluded. It's pretty much like a fake degree or diploma that their idols are holding. They have no value whatsoever since they mass produce these so-called 'idols' (definitely not my idols) without really hand-picking just a few talented prospects and giving them the backing they need. Yeah, this acting school is so not what it used to be.

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