So after a couple of years posting irregularly, I've decided to hang up the towel and take an honorable bow from the world of Blogger. If this were a romantic relationship, it was definitely an on-and-off one where I sometimes couldn't find the time for you and when I could, sometimes I couldn't be bothered coming back. And when I was in the mood, I would sit with you for hours just working on you with projects and neglecting all my homework and household chores. You made me forget about the stress back then. Those were the days.
Well, I'm not going to purge this blog and I'll be around to comment on all the other blogs I follow, so you'll see me around. I just won't be here anymore to do my irregular rants and such. I won't be updating this blog anymore. It will end with just a few of my sentimental words and a classic goodbye.
Can it be?
Image credit: i1.ytimg.com
Yes. So, goodbye my lover and my fellow readers (yeah, I know, there are only a couple of you actually following me). Thank you to everyone who ever visited, watched the videos I posted, read what I had to say and left me comments. Well, except for you damned spammers and bots that decided to take a dump in my CBox. You're one of the reasons why there's a data shortage on the Internet. But anyway, it's been a generally enjoyable ride.
I bid you farewell. Adieu!
With love,
TAQ
...
PSCYCHE! I'M TOTALLY JUST KIDDING! I wasn't joking about the last post here, because this will be my last post here, on Blogger. I'm actually just migrating over to Tumblr, since I think their platform may be more applicable to me. In the sense that I can more easily reblog things and also not have to worry about posting videos. I'm looking for a cleaner interface. I guess I'll talk more about it once I've moved all my things there. So, just bear in mind while I'm tidying things up and in the process of moving over to my new place. See you there!
So welcome back to you and me, sometimes real life not in the blogosphere really does take its toll on you. But this time, I've brought you the final video playlist for the tribute series - the last part in the trilogy. I've decided to focus on the late stars Teresa Teng and Roman Tam. It is, of course a well-known fact that songbird Teresea was not originally from Hong Kong but, I believe she had a lot of affinity with the Pearl of the East. It wouldn't be too much if HK claimed her as one of their own precious pearls, since her music had such a great influence on this small island. Born in Taiwan, and gifted with a clear and sweet voice, she managed to conquer much of the world where Chinese people resided. She did this by learning to sing and speak in several other languages, such as Japanese, Indonesian, Cantonese and English, in addition to her mother tongue, Mandarin. Her voice has inspired many, including 'Heavenly Queen', Faye Wong with her clarity and high, pure-sounding tones. She was definitely one of a handful of artists that possessed great vocal technique, an extremely clear voice and the ability to interpret lyrics in her own way.
Image credit: wikipedia.org
As for Roman, he was known for paying careful attention to the pronunciation and enunciation of lyrics to produce a clear song. He believed it was important to get the underlying message of the song across. I've gotta agree with the man. Although I do tend to node my head with the other people who say that Roman sung his lyrics, a little too clearly. But you know, sometimes more is actually more, and better than less, especially for Cantonese. Get the tone wrong and the meaning changes. Sure, Mandarin has tones too but the number in Cantonese absolutely outweighs what Mandarin has. Along with the variety of combinations of extra sounds, well you can see where this is going. Singing badly in Cantonese is at least ten times worse than hearing someone with a fobby Engrish accent singing in English. It's worse than someone with a gweilo accent singing in Mandarin, in my opinion. Alright, rant over and back into tribute mode.
Roman actually achieved and contributed a lot in the making of TVB history - his classic duets with 70's-80's diva Jenny Tseng for the LOTCH trilogy and theme songs for several other classic series like 'The Romantic Swordsman'. Sometimes listening with the ears is not enough, in these cases - his songs fueled the emotions you felt when you watched the series. But for this playlist, I've featured songs that were from none of these TV dramas. Surprise? Not exactly. I wanted to draw attention to his dazzling character, which can only be evidenced by live stage performances and feature music videos.
Well again, it's been a long time coming with this mini-tribute series, so I do hope you take the time to enjoy. And let us not forget the great works of these super artists, since they were surely superstars. I'll leave you with a quote from the song, "Superstar: to wrap up:
"When you see the sparkling stars in the sky,
I pray that you keep a place for me in your heart. "
Playlist here(sorry, some users had disabled the embed feature for their videos, so you'll just have to watch it by clicking the link on Youtube. Boo-hoo. Opens in a new window! And for you people who like to play singles - down below...)
So welcome
back and sorry for being on an unintentional hiatus! This post, I’m bringing
you Part 2 of the Tribute Playlists series (trilogy?), with late
singer-songwriters, Danny Chan and Wong Ka-Kui, of the band, Beyond. Just as
Max and llwy12 have commented before, 1993 and 2003 were very sad and
unfortunate years for the HK music industry. 1993 was the year that both Danny
and Ka-Kui lost their lives – Danny never awoke from his coma and Ka-Kui was
pronounced dead. These two men were particularly special in the world of
Chinese music, since they were a rare breed of talented composers with
one-of-a-kind voices.
Wong Ka-Kui
was also more than a rockstar in the traditional sense. His compositions and
lyrics often reflected on the political views of many citizens, as well as
social issues. Now I haven’t included too many of those more politically charged
anthems in this playlist and that’s because a) I didn’t want to bloat the
playlist and b) I didn't feel like getting all political for a tribute. The only one that I've really put in is "The Glorious Years" and yes, it really was just a coincidence that it happened to be the song that served as a salutation to Nelson Mandela. I now don't know if I have really good timing, dumb luck or really bad timing.
As for Danny,
who was also an occasional TV host and actor, his compositions were as well
known for as he was handsome and charming. I’m sure he created a generation of
fangirls and inspired many boys to become singers, such as Anita Mui’s disciple,
Edmond Leung.
With the
passing of these two superstars (as well as Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung), I
really can’t help but feel that the HK music industry or Cantopop has lost it’s
gleam. I think about how artists like Danny would carry themselves – with grace,
elegance, sophistication and an overall sincere kind of modesty, even when
having achieved a great amount of praise. Now, I look at artists like
Raymond Lam and find it hard to believe how someone could come of as so
depraved and arrogant, yet releases try-hard songs that are inappropriate for a
30-year-old man. Facepalm.
But that’s not to say that the superstars died in vain. At
least we got a chance to sample their music and enjoy their charming
personalities when they were around. Superstars only come around once in a
lifetime but sometimes we take them for granted. The least we could do now is
to find a way for their legend to live on. So what I’m really trying to say is,
please enjoy! :D
One of the
few mainstream type of soft love songs from Beyond. But with bandleader
Ka-Kui’s unique, gritty sounding rock vocals, this track really stands out. The
lyrics, I admit, are kinda mushy BUT the melody line for the chorus is
especially catchy. Ka-Kui’s voice really saves the song from being your
average, run-of-the-mill love song.
A classic
song that was considered a breakthrough for the band. According to this snippet
from the RTHK 25th Anniversary Retrospective, prior to this song, people
had the idea that Beyond were just a bunch of rebellious youth. But after the
debut of this song, we had mothers sating that they were good kids. What a
great song can do for your image. And it’s one of the few songs I know where
each member gets a solo – a real treat. Here’s a song for you, Ma.
Composed by
the late lead singer, Wong Ka-Kui, along with his penmanship, the result is
great. Although his lyrics are not as fancy as seasoned songwriters such as
Albert Leung, they stand well with Beyond’s overall style. The composition
itself is definitely catchy, since Chinese people from the Mainland who don’t
even speak Cantonese can sing this. And did I forget to mention it was actually a tribute to Nelson Mandela who fought against apartheid? You can hear it in the lyrics. Now, that really says something that is
something glorious indeed. I've included a translated version from Youtuber Huey Ly, who has done an excellent job with the lyrics translation and subtitles.
This track
featured in last year’s drama <When Heaven Burns> because it was a kind of
tribute to Beyond and Wong Ka-Kui. It’s one of those more rockier songs
befitting of Beyond and you can here the American pop-rock influence in the
guitar wails and in Ka-Kui’s voice. Strangely enough, it sounds somehow
Oriental at the same time to me, and I’m not talking about the lyrics.
Another
song that die-hard folks from Mainland China and elsewhere know by heart. Heck,
I’m not even a die-hard fan and I know it. The beauty of the song lies in the
almost a capella backdrop and the nervous sense of anticipation. Of course, the
wait isn’t all for nothing. Ka-Kui brings it all out in the chorus and really
gives it his all. And I must say, rock wail. Epic.
Danny was
one of those super-talented artists that were gifted with a naturally great
voice, musical skills as an instrumentalist, and composer. The only thing he
was reliant on really, were lyrics to go with his pieces. Danny was a heartthrob
for many during the 80’s and early 90’s. With this piece, “Only Love You”, you
can really hear Danny’s soothing and pleasant sounding voice blend well with
the music. It’s a very relaxing song to listen to and actually reminds me of a
flowing stream. Oh, why do I love you?
A
self-composed Danny track that is obviously very sad, just from the look of the
title. The lyrics by Mr Cheng Kwok-Gwong go hand-in-hand with the
broken-hearted emotion of Danny’s composition. This is one ultimate break-up
song, speaking for the tortured soul crying their eyes out. I recall watching a
program that highlighted these late artists and remember someone saying
something like Danny was the type of artist to lock himself in his room and
compose based on his mood. You can really hear the genuine sadness in this one.
Yes, I
know. I know. Originally a Japanese track but with a catchy, mid-tempo beat,
very suitable for Danny. As an accomplished organist, he could easily play this
song. But he also had the help of his fellow schoolmate, Andrew Lam. In an old
interview that featured the two, Danny revealed that Mr Lam’s mother was his
Chinese teacher. So that’s where his lyrical ability comes from – all those
words.
The theme
song to TVB’s <Looking Back In Anger> starring Felix Wong and Carina Lau.
I think this was originally a song composed by a Taiwanese composer but Danny
liked the tune so much he had to use it after hearing it playing in a friend’s
car, or something like that. Anyway, the tune is indeed very pleasant to the
ears. And with Danny’s warm-sounding vocals, the music accommodates very well –
this isn’t exactly your average song. It isn’t highly orchestrated, loud or
even dramatic. But it is definitely one of the most memorable theme songs from
TVB’s history.
Now I was
really having a hard time picking just five tracks for Danny but I decided to
go with this one. Why? Because I had temporarily forgotten about it until I
recently rediscovered it again. That and it’s no secret that I have a penchant
for Sally, just like Danny did. He actually singled her out as one of the Top 5
Women on his list from Hong Kong and Taiwanduring a radio talkshow, describing her as “sexy”. This
time, he said it, not me, adding that it was a word that was rarely used to
describe her. I concur, brother. This little gem was the theme song featured in
the 80’s movie <Merry Christmas>, starring the late Leslie Cheung, Paula Tsui and a
bunch of other people. I actually prefer this duet version because of the
contrasting vocals. Sally’s voice is very diva-esque, powerful and full of
lyrical sense, while Danny’s is soft, gentle and speaks straight to the heart.
As you all probably know, it’s been 10 years since the HK entertainment industry lost one
of its icons, Leslie Cheung. Of course, many of his fans gathered to
commemorate him by folding over 190,000 paper cranes in honor of his memory,
which really shows that his impact was more far-reaching than HK alone (you can check out this clip where you can read some of his fans heartfelt letters - they really are quite touching). Even
actor Gregory Charles Rivers (the guy that played/plays just about every foreign
European in every TVB drama) has his Chinese name based on Leslie’s (Ho
Kwok-Wing).
No one,
currently in the industry possessed so much charm, charisma, good looks, sound and
talent like Leslie did. Gor gor, in my opinion had one of the BEST voices that
I have every heard, not just of HK artists but overall. Leslie’s voice is not
overly rich, yet masculine and clear. None of that whiny squealing or monotone
stuff that a lot of other artists do these days. And zounds! Watching short
clips of those who had met Leslie in person, just average Joes, no celebs, they
all gave the same response. That he was handsome (no doubt) and very nice. It
sounds like Leslie was quite a joy to be around, by the looks of things.
Now I’ve
made a little playlist as a small tribute (and no, I didn’t get to watch the
tribute concert because there was no broadcast for me – I might see if I can
watch/find a link online and share) Just found the tribute here. As usual, I’m late on the ball but as
always my intentions are good (heheh!). As the years have gone by, we’ve lost not
only stars like Leslie, but treasures like Anita Mui, Teresa Teng, Danny Chan,
Wong Ka-Kui and Roman Tam. And quite recently, we have also lost some of
screen’s finest actors, like Jacqueline Law (who had cancer).
Anyway I’d
like to not only draw attention to Leslie alone, so I’ve pulled a playlist out
of my sleeve to pay a mini-tribute to these stars, I hope I’ve at least done a
better job than the show <“Our Chinese Heart”> in making a playlist that’s more
representative of the songs that most people heard and fell in love with. This
playlist, I think, is a little more special not only because I’ve really taken
more care in hand-picking the tracks, but because these songs were sung with
the voices of superstars. In my opinion, they weren’t only the pioneers of
Cantopop (and in Teresa’s case, Mandopop), they were the essence of it, as well
as the “entertainment” part of the industry. Still, this playlist is not
supposed to be all about tears of the bygone but of celebration and
commemoration.
So let’s put
the records on play and take some time to remember and appreciate some of the
classics these stars really made their own. I’ll be covering the artists in
pairs and updating the playlist as I go. And, as with all my playlists, please
enjoy!
I know, I
know, this was the first song from my playlist but I swear this is the only
‘repeat’ from all my playlists. And I just couldn’t resist – it felt strange
not to include this track. It is one of my favourite songs from Gor Gor and
definitely one of his signature tracks. I really do love everything about this
song – from Joseph Koo’s melodic composition, Wong Jim’s brilliant lyrics, down
to Leslie’s voice. Can’t fault this classic or the movie from which it came
from.
Okay, so
this was originally released as a Japanese single, as probably everyone knows.
But it’s one of Leslie’s first upbeat pop tracks that caught the public’s
attention. I’ve put in his live performance at the 1984 JSG Song Awards. You
can hear all the fangirls screaming in the background whenever he sung out
“Monica” and you can certainly see why! Leslie was very, very handsome and he
looked really adorable with his sweet smile on stage. He really lit up the
stage back then.
Again, a
Momoe Yamaguchi single that got used for Leslie. I know there has been a lot of
criticism regarding originality for Cantopop taking Japanese tunes and pasting
lyrics over the compositions. I don’t actually have a problem with this as long
as the consequences are good. In other words, as long as the composition is
good in the first place, the lyrics are suitable and the singer is able to
imprint their own style onto it and make it sound good at the same time. I
would say that with Leslie’s voice, this was not a hard feat for him. This live
performance clip from his concert is where he gets caught up with the emotion
and, even with tears in his eyes, he still managed to give a rendition that was
worthy of an ovation. And may his songs keep blowing on.
This was
actually a little song which Leslie himself composed but had the help of
legendary ‘God of Songs’ Sam Hui to pen the encouraging lyrics for him, just as
he was going through a rough patch in his life. This was a collaborative
effort, so I’ve chosen to put in a clip from Sam Hui’s retirement concert where
Leslie and Sam sing this song together. Well, less talking from me and more
listening. After all, silence is golden!
Not
strictly a Leslie song since it’s been covered by quite a number of artists.
You can really tell why James Wong was responsible for this and Leslie was one
of those artists who could cover pretty much every track and put his own spin
on it. He also had a better live singing voice than on recording, which is
something quite remarkable. Listening to all this Autotune and unnecessary
technology involved in recordings always makes me miss those kinds of artists
even more. Veteran singer-actress Deanie Ip also pulls off a fantastic cover of
this very same song, for instance. Leslie was truly ‘the pride and glory of a
nation’ (a translation of his name Kwok-Wing). Whenever we look at the stars,
we will remember Gor Gor along with the other brilliant stars that graced the
stage.
Yes, a
Japanese ‘remake’, like several of Leslie and Anita songs but definitely a
classic. This song and awed many people at the 1989 JSG Song Awards because of
its beautiful melody and its heart-wrenching lyrics and, still lives on today.
Speaking of the song’s beautiful melody, Priscilla Chan used this as the
backing to her ‘farewell song’, “Thousands of Songs”, in te very same year. I
like to think of these songs as flipsides to a mixtape or vinyl record. Same
melody, different voices, but both beautiful songs. GroggyBot wrote about these
two songs here, and I’m answering just three years late, but for me, Anita’s version is the
one that wins hands down, as much as I’m a sucker for Priscilla’s pretty voice
and felt it was a shame that she ‘left’ the industry at her peak. Or maybe I'm just biased or slightly masochistic. The main
reason would have to be Anita’s ability to interpret lyrics and carve a very
moving tale out of them. With this skill, she also had a powerful voice and
control like no other.
Continuing
the theme of sad but beautiful songs, this one always makes me watery-eyed just
because of how melancholy it is. I suppose Anita’s tragic life, including her
unhappy childhood and upbringing contributed to this sense of emotion and
wanting to be loved. The song’s lyrics reflect this and Japanese composer
Kitaro’s music carries the song through with strings sounding like falling
raindrops or tears. This was one of the songs that I have translated personally
but I shall leave you with a translation (that I found at this particular Cantodict thread) by a fellow Youtuber, cheunggal88, who I think not only appreciates but captures the heart-breaking beauty of it
all.
"Who is controlling
my destiny: This daily struggle, in a sea of humanity? My heart is saddened;
Years had passed like flowing water; Yesterday just would not stay! … What
remain are only memories; One after another, forever intertwined. In the vast
mystic waves, My memories drift back to those yester-years. Their faces have
changed, Their status too, But the passion forever remains!"
Now I know
the last two songs were sad ballads, but I haven’t forgotten that Anita was a
very versatile performer. This track was chosen as a performance for the 1988
Seoul Olympics and you can tell why. It’s an upbeat, catchy and daringly sexy
(yes I said it, but that is what the song is about) song with lyrics by Poon
Wai-Yuen and a very 80’s electropop sound from composer and friend, Anthony
Lun.
A little
revision of a not so well-known 80’s Europop song, featuring Grasshopper. Now
Mui Jeh took on a lot of disciples during her lifetime but, none probably got
as popular as Grasshopper after she got them to be her backup dancers/singers. Though, of course, the music video originally featured her other disciple, Andy Hui. As for the song itself, it is a really ‘cool’ kind of style with stiff kind of
dance moves and an icy stare. Synthesizer beats too.
A remake of
Momoe Yamaguchi’s “Rock & Roll Widow” and rightly so. Okay, so I cheated on
this one – this is a performance featuring Leslie. An Easter egg surprise! I
know they also had the duet “Fate” but that song doesn’t showcase their dance
skills and chemistry as much as this one. The pair really could work up the
stage in-sync, like a special bond or contract they shared.
Only two weeks late for the New Year! But still just in the nick of time before we call things off for the celebration. Anyway, here’s a little review I did of some New Year programming that I happened to catch, performances headed under the country or city that they were held in. In the past, variety shows and special New Year programming was something to look forward to. I guess that is kind of changing though. You can watch the whole 4 hour event here. Relatively few highlights this year but there was at least one good performance from TVB’s side (ahem, ahem, George Lam). I hope you enjoy something from this! :D
HK
Opening performance with Joey Yung and 80’s – 90’s group, Grasshopper. Though I do like Grasshopper, I’ve never liked that new song sung by Joey Yung. And I never did care for her dancing either.
The magic act with the current Miss HKs and Wayne Lai was really quite boring.
Fast forward to this performance.
George Lam was THE MAN. Being able to pull off a performance with his moustache at his age was definitely no easy feat. I doubt that many singers could have the vocal chops and stamina to get through even the first half. This is what the New Year should be all about – absolutely no sad, slow songs and 100% fun, upbeat songs. Of course they could always just turn those slow catchy songs into upbeat arrangements and jam them into an epic medley. After all, there are so many songs to choose from. Haha, I like how George gets Alan into singing his own song and how he wants to continue singing. Looks like the Principal’s still got the skills. George was also what I consider to be one of the early or first pioneers of rap. Yes, rap. Cantonese rhyming and fast talking to a beat. Dude’s still got it, yo. It always makes me happy to listen to these 10 minutes and want to get up and dance, while singing along.
Taiwan
I switched channels a couple of times to watch another New Year's programme "2013 Super Star Red White Artist Awards" (here and here to watch) and there were a couple of performances that caught my attention. Of course, they had way too much talking involved, like in a lot of Taiwanese-hosted programs.
Here's something I found after the whole family affair videos. I wasn't really digging Sally's vocal gymnastics (I thought she was going to sprain something) and the slow-downed version of <"A Dashing Life">. But somehow it's forgivable with Sally being a terribly charismatic Queen and all.
Father & Son
Ah Lam and son. Big Lam and Little Lam. Father and son. Alex, is pretty much like a younger, more handsome version of his father. Little Lam’s also got the moustache thing going down. Heheh.His voice is good, but not as strong as his father's. The English lyrics are somewhat suiting (LOL - pay the bet? Who did the subtitle?), but they just don't have the impact of Cantonese lyrics; which are colloquial, silly, sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. And why did Canon in D start randomly playing in the background? It doesn't quite fit, in my opinion. But good performance.
Husband & Wife
And naturally, you can't not bring your wife to the event. Because that would be awkward. Especially if your wife is someone who likes to sing and can do it as well as you can or even better. And it's this song "Choice", that they sung. Of course they have aged and their singing voices now won't be anything like they used to be back then but they both sounded great. And looked great too. I almost forgot how alluring Sally could be when she took the stage. It was really nice seeing and hearing them as a couple again. And it was sweet too.
HK (Again)
Eric Tsang and his gang from the <”I Love HK 2013”> movie, with returning actress Veronica Yip, Alan Tam etc. As I was watching this, I couldn’t help but notice how this little skit put on was reminiscent of these boring skits that no one gets or enjoys at those Mainland Chinese spring festivals.
As for Virginia Lok’s star boy pupil singer-songwriter Jonathan Wong, a talented violinist and musician but, unfortunately a pretty bad singer. And not bad as in good, just bad. Another perfect example of this is, of course, Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter, Wang Lee-Hom. Good-looking in a boyish way, able to compose and play multiple instruments such as the violin and piano well but the singing leaves a lot to be desired. Or maybe a better example would be Jay Chou – just minus the good looks and more polished compositions and ditto as a musician. But again, horrible singing voice – it’s like he’s a baby eating mushy peas with no teeth with all that slurring he’s doing. So really just because you’re s talented musician doesn’t mean you’ll be a gifted singer. They don’t always translate over.
Bouncing back and forth between different locations, everything kind of turned into a blur with the climax already reached because of moustache man George Lam’s performance. I know they had some performances from Fiona Sit and GEM, but to be honest, I don’t really remember that much. What I do remember is commenting on Fiona’s rather long neck and relatively large head size. And GEM’s unusual half shaved head.
The legendary “jade girl” – Vivian Chow came back in a suitably white dress singing a song about togetherness and “Most Beloved”, of course. She’s still remarkably likeable, even though she’s been married for some time now and first debuted as an artist like over 20 years ago. It’s not surprising that she still has many loyal fans. As for her vocals, pretty much the same as she sounded about 15 or so years ago.
Singapore and Malaysia
Back to Singapore and Malaysia, Olivia Ong – a songbird, yes, but her music will only appeal to a certain group of people, since it’s acoustic based and is kind of like background music. As for Gin Lee, who is from Malaysia and has just recently broken into the HK music market and appeared as an overseas guest competitor on <The Voice>. Now this gal’s got a pretty smooth, singing voice – controlled with a sweet tone. That and she sing a Cantonese song, which is a refreshing change to Malaysian/Singaporean singers choosing to sing in Mandarin only. Ron Ng and Kenneth Ma got an easy song with Aaron Kwok’s <”Excitement”>.
Bosco’s rendition of the late Anita Mui’s <“Break The Iceberg”>, I found to be really…well, try-hard. Obviously I’m going to find anything he sings try-hard, even though the arrangement was supposed to be a darker, grizzly, gravely rock one. Too bad it didn’t work. Nancy Wu and Edwin Siu did okay. Not great, but not bad either.
Seoul, Korea
Ah, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. You could really see the difference between the hosting abilities of Kevin (of ZE:A) and his HK co-host Astrid Chan. But to be fair, Kevin isn't a professional MC, he's a performer. Still, he sounded much too over-rehearsed and over-scripted, looking at his cue cards everytime he had to speak (but can't blame him about being able to pick up a cue - seeing that he doesn't understand Cantonese). I referred to this as a 'Saturday morning' voice - better for announcing, since his script made him lose the sincerity and natural quality that comes with impromptu hosting. Now I know that Alex of Korean boyband U-Kiss is fluent in Cantonese. It would have maybe, possibly, probably been more appropriate for him to co-host or even send a greeting.
For the K-Poppers out there, you can watch the performances here. Though to be honest, I only watched SISTAR’s performance of their song <”Alone”>. Two words: booty dance. And f(x) fans – over to this side.
I don't really know on what basis of talent you would send candidates like Raymond Lam, Linda Chung, Myolie Wu and Kevin Cheng to Korea to represent HK. Actually, the same goes for Bosco Wong being sent to Malaysia (okay, I get that they didn't want to send Myolie and Bosco to the same place because that would just be awkward but you know).
Myolie Wu’s rendition of <“I Have A Dream”>. My goodness. After watching Susan Boyle and Anne Hathaway…I suppose this may have been meant for a particular ex-boyfriend, rather than a performance for the audience. Ditto for Linda Chung’s performance. Raymond Lam’s <”Nice”> performance was not very nice at all.
Kevin Cheng’s voice to me is kind of like Hacken Lee’s voice. In saying that, I mean it lacks a lot of color and emotional texture. Choosing a song like Sandy Lam’s <”At Least I Still Have You”> was bound to be aural genocide a aural suicide very boring choice. Even good looks won’t make up for that, Kevin.
My Last Two Cents
I know they were aiming for a spectacular event but putting on a 4-hour event isn’t exactly a smart thing to do. I know y’all want to push the artists to get exposure but having them perform at 10pm at night til about midnight is a little harsh. I’m all for entertainment, not enslavement. Many of the so-called performances could be done without (ahem, ahem, the magic act).
Yeah, it was a spectacle alright, but just not the type I was hoping for.
First things first - HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! And happy year of the snake! Okay, okay. You probably saw this coming but here's the rest of the performance clips from the rest of the '94 TVB Anniversary Gala! I thought I should start the Chinese New Year with something light-hearted and give y'all a short break from my ranting. And if you're interested in the refreshing your memories about the '94 Anniversary, you can watch them here, here and here. And this didn't count as an entry for the show because it was towards the end of the show and was used as a tribute-cum-wrapper-up. Anyway, enjoy! :D
Jacqueline actually has a decent singing voice here. It also helped that she was a native speaker of Mandarin, so her pronunciation was clear and pleasant sounding to the ears (as opposed to slurred and sloppy). But other than that, we get the usual green screen stuff with 90's special effects and wires here and there. Chilam and Max just get supporting roles here. BUT. Hahaha. I like how there was a crazy loud guy with no sense of timing (or maybe he just had a really good sense?) that shouted the line everyone was saying a little too late and too long.
This one's all in good fun. And strangely enough, Leon doesn't sound half bad here (probably because this isn't actual singing). And yeah, so everyone's just trying to get some rest and relaxation, but no luck. And when that happens, you just gotta turn your complaints into a song. HAHAHAHA. Law Ka-Ying's crazy scream at the end of his part. I love that because it just kills me. Every time.
Unlike the other clips from this blog post, this one isn't a musical and features no singing content (thank goodness - no Leon! No singing!). This little acting sequence shows us just how quickly they put together a set and get the artists changed! So they got a few extra special scenes from some of the most beloved dramas of TVB history and somehow the couple turn it into a little parody scene. LOL at Leon's 'crying' scene and the "Did you brush your teeth today?!" question from Teresa in the Dodo/Chow Yun-Fat act. Teresa was actually pretty cute in this act. And the Stephen Chow/Cutie Mui scene was actually quite close to the original. LOLOL. You can even see Alex Man and Tanny Tien (from the original series 1989's The Justice Of Life) laughing.
This was the winning entry from Liza Wang and her 28 boys. In fact, they were introduced as something like 28 dashing men. Of course, the 28 was of significance because '94 was the 28th Anniversary and all. But still...introducing William So as a 'dashing' man?! LOL. Sure, he may be a talented singer but LOL. Anyway, she does a little rendition of Pink Lady which is all very catchy along with the OH-A-YEAH hook taken from that Jacky and Faye duet "Extraordinary Summer"/"Love Once Is Not Enough". Strangely, I was actually quite satisfied with her singing (yes, I know lip-syncing was and is still kind of acceptable during a fast number), unlike now because it's just kind of shrill and annoyingly high-pitched. That being said, it's probably due to old age and it's that dress and the tea coffee cup! And of course this song and performance is filled full of sexual innuendo. And LOLOL at Law Ka-Ying coming to cover up Liza at the end. Guess he doesn't want to share. LOL. So guys and girls, what do you think? Do you really think that "Hot Coffee" was the best performance of the night? I personally really liked how all the artists put in a huge amount of effort to actually make it an enjoyable show for the audience. That, and they also looked like they were all having fun! Now that's what I call an entertaining anniversary gala.
First off - HAPPY NEW YEAR! And of course, I'm a week late, but it's still a new year, right? Anyway, this is like a very late second playlist to the first part, over here. Again, thanks to llwy12 for the suggestions and the translations for the song titles and retrotvb for pushing me to do something. Well, less with the chit chat and on with the listening and watching. Enjoy! :D
This is actually my favorite (and probably most well-known) track off this playlist. It's actually a very mushy kind of lovey-dovey love song, but because the two leads sing it so well, that is forgivable. It's actually because these two lines stick out for me, with their rough English translations:
Jacky: "I will give you red roses..."
Samantha: "...You know that I just really love to cry..."
Which is actually really sweet, but also kind of mushy. Samantha's actually talking about crying with tears of joy, of course; about being so touched and moved by a lover that would make her eyes all watery whenever he gave her a red rose. It's understandable why this is the default duet song when it comes to a male and female singing in a contest or a karaoke bar.
In my opinion, this song lacks that special little charm that comes with Jacky and Priscilla duets in Cantonese. But it is a beautiful composition and Priscilla and Jacky do manage to squeeze the emotion out of the lyrics, with the electric guitar solo going on in the background. This song does really grow on you though, and the more you listen to it, I think the more you may begin to like it ("I love you more and more each day!" LOL). And just my two cents here, but Jacky and Priscilla do make a pretty cute couple on camera.
"Stranger" – Jacky & Andy Hui & Ronald Cheng This song's literal translation is actually something like "1,2,3,4" or "A, B, C, D", but the true meaning behind the song is "Stranger" or "Passer-by". Yes, that's right. Love can appear out of anywhere and cause strangers to become acquaintances and eventually get along. "Love, Once is Not Enough" – Jacky & Faye Wong The catchy OH-A-E-YEAH hooks and the Mandarin flipside to "Extraordinary Summer", because obviously one song was not enough. I still always LOLFAYE when it comes to her dancing, but she's actually okay in this. The thing about this video though, is not so much about the dancing that gets me. It's the water. Yep. The whole needing to cool down with a fresh water bomb balloon over my head thing . But it's definitely a fun, kind of summer track, which reminds me of a nice cold, refreshing can of Coca-Cola.
A-mei is known as one of the vocal powerhouses in Taiwan, and she's got a little R&B groove going down in her voice. This was a live performance and it's really a kind of chilled, laid-back kind of tune, not the usual love song or ballad that we're so used to getting; which was actually a boring Jackie Chan duet. The two really breathed life into this song and really made it fresh and actually somewhat pleasant to the ears.
"Déjà vu" – Jacky & He Ru-Hui The original 1990 MV for the song, with He Ru-Hui as his duet partner. The song and video brings back a nostalgic feel, which is fitting with the title of the song "Déjà vu". The gist of the song is love being like a dream, and it's got a very melancholy feel to it. At the end of the video is actually a guy asking Jacky something like "What is a good friend?" in Mandarin and Jacky saying "What you say?" in Cantonese a couple of times before telling the guy he can speak in Mandarin. Haha. He goes on to say "A friend is someone that will comfort you when you are hurt. When they are happy, they will share it with you. When you need something, they will help you." I don't think it had anything to do with this song - must be part of a collection.
"Difficult from Both Sides" – Jacky & Ronald Cheng Now this is actually a remake of a song in English, though I'm not entirely sure which one, to be honest. But anyway this song is about two guys having feelings for the same girl (is that Liz Kong in the video? Elvina Kong's younger sister?). Don't get me wrong though. It's not the kind of song where they fight over the girl. It's more like they both have an internal conflict with themselves and letting your pal have the girl because you don't want to ruin your friendship. Hence the trouble coming from the left and right. In the end though, no one gets the girl, but they've still got each other.
"Light Up My Heart" – Jacky & Faye Wong This version I've included has actually got a handful of other artists, other than Jacky and Faye. Yet their voices stand out the most in this track, not only because they were given more lines to sing as lead vocalists but Faye's renown crystal clear voice. I remember reading a comment for this video saying the other female vocalists were given like one line each as their solo part. I reiterate. That is not a coincidence. Nice track. "Love You More Than You Do" – Jacky & Jackie Chan Yeah, that's Sally Yeh at the start, singing with the action star who likes to sing, Jackie Chan, "Understand My Heart". And then Jackie invites the other Jacky (who he refers to as a younger brother) to sing his song, "Love You More Than You Do", with Jackie singing the Mandarin lyrics from his Taiwanese record and Jacky singing the Cantonese version. Okay, so it wasn't completely in Mandarin, but to make up a nice round number for this playlist. "In Love with You" – Jacky & Regina Velasquez Alright, alright. I know what everyone is thinking. This isn't in Mandarin! And you're right. It isn't. But I like that the playlist rounds off on an even number like 10. So here it is - an Easter egg surprise (though it's not really Easter), it's actually more like one of those strange chocolates that you get from those advent calendars for Christmas. Just like Forrest Gump said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you get." You might not have been expecting this, but it is a really good song. For someone who isn't a native speaker, Jacky's English is alright (still accented yes, but nothing too bad). Regina's clear voice blends in well with Jacky's rich tones. The feeling is all there, along with the vocal technique that only talented, veteran singers can pull off.
