Genre: Modern
Number of episodes: 20 (~45 minutes)
Released year: 2009
Executive producer/company: TVB
Producer: Tsui Yu On
Production planner/manager: Wong Ching
Script editor/supervisor: Lau Chi Wah
Scriptwriters: Lau Siu Kwan, Ho Wing Nin, Shum Lap Keung, and Lau Chi Ling
Directors: Lai Pak Kin, Sin Yin Fong, Yu Chui Wah, and Chu Lai Wo
Production Assistants: Chui Yan, Wong Wai Fan, Lai Nga Lun, Kwok Chun Ho, Liu Chak Lam, and Yeung Wan Chuen
Filmed location: Hong Kong
Theme song: ‘Shameless Love’ sung by Denise Ho
Numbers of times watched: 1
This series is about the dark side in the entertainment world and cooperating with the government to give the message of not abusing drugs.
Characters
Keung Chin Fung, Chin Fung Jei (Christine Ng Wing Mei) – New Star’s (NSTV) top actress
Ko Ching Man, Ko Ching, Ko Ching Jei (Kate Tsui Tsz Shan) – daughter of Cheung Lai Hung, wishes to become a celebrity and enters a beauty pageant
Cally Tong Ho Yee, Cally Jei (Sharon Chan Man Chi) – Rising star in NSTV
Deacon Chong Dik Kan (Lai Lok Yi) – Production assistant at NSTV
Tom Tom Tong Wai Po (Stephen Huynh Cheung Hing) – Actor at NSTV
Cheung Lai Hung, Lai Hung Jei (Kingdom Yuen King Tan) – Retired actress that worked for NSTV
Wan Sze Wai, Yun Siu San (Raymond Cho Wing Lim) – Actor at NSTV
Yuen Kwok Fan, (Wong Cho Lam) – Paparazzi at magazine “Cha”
Kit Ling Kit Yu (Mimi Lo Man Chong) – Ko Ching’s friend
Bowie Kan Po Yee (Jeanette Leung Ching Kok) – Entered the same beauty pageant as Ko Ching
Hung Ka Lam (Anita Chan Wing Yin) – Keung Chin Fung’s rival
Leung Ching On (Ben Wong Chi Yin) – NSTV producer
Lam King Ying (Helen Ma Hoi Lun) – Lai Hung’s cousin, Chin Fung’s assistant
Chiu Kai Hung (Kwok Fung) – Chin Fung’s make up artist
Lee Chuen Hoi (Johnny Ngan Kwok Leung) – Supporting actor
To Tang (Makbau Mak Cheung Ching) – Was an action choreographer, now stunt double
Yao Tak Kwong (Sin Ho Ying) – Kwok Fan’s uncle, works as paparazzi at “Cha”
Ha Bin, Ice Jei (Ma Tai Lo) – Reporter at “Cha”
Yeung Pak Yip (Yeung Ying Wai) – “Cha’s” chief editor and director
Ko Kai Cheung (Felix Lok Ying Kwan) – Ko Ching’s father, Lai Hung’s husband
Chong Chung Tai, CT (Yu Yang) – Lena’s husband, advertising company boss, father of Deacon
Lena Lam Yau Lan (Lam Yi Kei) – CT’s wife, businesswoman, mother of Deacon
SzeTo Lin Mei (Lee Lai Lai)
Suki Lee Suet Kei (Josephine Shum Po Yi)
Kenny Lee Chi Kin (Leo Lee Ho)
Before watching it there weren’t any big news about this series, if you didn’t look for it there would be close to 0. It was featured in the Sales Presentation Booklet and that’s pretty much it. I wasn’t super interested in it but the theme of the entertainment circle was interesting. Only saw little bits of false information on the Internet. The only reason I can think of for why I watched this is because of Christine.
Actors/Actresses performances (mixed with a bit of characters analysis)
Christine Ng – I watched Beauty because of her, I wanted to watch her because she I don’t think I ever finished a series with her in it and she is really funny in interviews or short clips. Chin Fung was an orphan, she does lots of things to climb to the top and pretends to be very friendly in front of audiences, she is smart and hides all the bad things she does. This is different from Christine's real personality so I wanted to see how she would act it. I can’t say Christine is a Best Actress/my favorite actress (although I would want to) but she is the best in here and better than lots of people in TVB. I would blame it on the high expectations I had and the poor script (and a little on the hair). This character is no where like her real person so her performance is really good, one part to show her good acting was during the beginning there was part (somewhere around Christine being nice to Kate and Kingdom was actually the bad one) it actually seemed like Chin Fung is a good person. Once again I think the script screwed it up. BTW the part when her plastic surgeries were failing it (as in the eye) is really real and ugly, good for Christine to show it.
Kate Tsui – Kate has improved a lot but she is still unstable at times. Having a mother who was the top actresses, Ko Ching always wanted to act/enter the entertainment circle. Ko Ching should be somewhat naive (I think) but Kate doesn’t show that (at least not before entering, maybe after entering so it was the other way around). After she enters and knows about the dark side and changes because of Chin Fung, she changes right away. Everything she does is right away with little or no reason/showing (more of a script problem). It is probably too hard for someone that has little experience or acting ability like Kate to handle. Lots of people said they liked Kate when she turned evil, but lots have said she wasn't good too, I'm more towards the dislike side. I think it's her expressions and how she says her lines. This is one of her better performance (not best), there are lots of space for improving.
Sharon Chan – Although having the same problem with the script it is better since other than taking drugs there isn’t a big change so there isn’t a weird change all of a sudden. Cally is someone who came back from overseas, maybe they should have found someone who really lived overseas/with a bit of an accent. Overall Sharon had a good performance especially with the drugs part.
Lai Lok Yi – His first ‘lead’ and he certainly has to improve on speaking dialogue clearer. Other than saying cut and the relationships with Kate and Sharon there wasn’t much use of him in the series so couldn’t see too much of his acting.
Stephen Huynh – His first ‘lead’ too. Other than a little bit of accent Stephen did really well in saying his lines, I didn’t think he would be able to speak this fluently. Other than this I don’t know what to say… oh ya… his enter made him seem really girly, what was it for, contrast? This is his best performance up to date.
Kingdom Yuen – Does the glasses she wear seem like sun glasses, with the pinkish purple on the top or was it make-up on her eyes and the wig... The script at some point (middle/near the start) made it seem like she was the bad one and Fung was the good one and she lost her memory or something. Even before knowing why/who made her cripple she seemed to dislike Fung, which was somewhat weird (wish there was a bit more on the cripple part or it was written another way/more of Christine VS Kingdom). She seemed to know everything that was happening and could deal with it (Bad scriptwriters). Kingdom as always is great to watch, wish she had more screen time.
Raymond Cho – The guy who kept on being frozen because of the affairs he had. Seemed a bit useless other than the scene when he called the police to catch the people who did drugs and at the beginning when he kept on pursuing Cally which ended very fast.
Wong Cho Lam – He is the exaggerated type so if you like him you will, if you don’t you won’t. I am somewhat neutral (but towards dislike :P) and that’s pretty much all I can say to sum it all up. The script problem here was he started with disliking Ko Ching because she would disrupt his work of taking pictures and all of a sudden he likes her, when Ko Ching rejects him he goes crazy and emo (and annoying because of overact). Glad his relationship with Mimi wasn’t like that and most of this should be in the relationship section.
Mimi Lo – Would like to see more of Mimi and comedy, not enough here.
Jeanette Leung – She has really improved since Best Selling Secrets. I enjoyed her performance here. Did her part after Ko Ching giving her money get cut or what was it about, she disappeared after that.
Ben Wong – I wished he had a bigger role because some random person could have been his role.
Helen Ma – She seems more naive than anyone, she wants to help Chin Fung no matter what. Does Chin Fung hide everything from her because she is Lai Hung’s cousin? Wished the scriptwriters wrote more for her and the reason why Lai Hung and her couldn’t get along or even showing up at the last scene, how to treat the drugs she found in Chin Fung’s closet or even Chin Fung and her.
Kwok Fung – He seemed like Chin Fung’s assistant more than a make-up artist/Helen. He knew and did everything for her. He didn’t even care about Bowie (Jeanette) after all that happened. Maybe more could have been written for him too.
Makbau – Script problem was what was he thinking about Chin Fung, knowing all the things she did, when his wife overheard Chin Fung and him talk. His storyline could be cut or turned into something better.
Felix Lok – Another somewhat useless role that wasn’t big enough.
Yu Yang – His role was to have affairs and … have more affairs.
Relationships
Ko Ching and Deacon (Kate and Lok Yi) – Somewhat out of nowhere, Ko Ching likes Deacon and did Deacon even like Ko Ching. I didn’t feel either of them really loving one another. As Cally says to Deacon, KC is only using him to have revenge on her.
Cally and Deacon (Sharon and Lok Yi) – Similar to Ko Ching, Cally and Deacon don’t seem to have that feel to it, although a little bit better, possibly because they were together first and the kiss on the check.
Cally and Tom Tom (Sharon and Stephen) – Tom Tom always seemed to show something for Cally, it seemed Cally was finding something to save/help her (like drugs) more than real love when she wanted to accept Tom Tom but was rejected. They never really got together (other than the bit because of the drugs) but they seemed to have the best relationships out of all but was still bad chemistry.
Overall the script has screwed up a series that has lots of potential. This theme is interesting, but there is the lack of actors and script, especially on the male side. Even if they wanted to focus on the female side and make it a modern War and Beauty, the actresses weren’t strong enough. In a way there were too many storylines and characters. This could be made longer than 20 episodes than maybe I would like it more. I enjoyed it of course but it was something that could have been dropped because lots of the actors weren’t ones I liked but the script wasn’t repetitive and was interesting, but that it wasn’t written too well.
One thing is they should actually get a few more/better people to join in their award ceremony and actually dress up and the final episode(s) should be aired on Saturday or Sunday instead of 2 on Thursday and Friday so Watchdog doesn’t need to stop and continue to mess with their schedule.
Last but not least, the theme song. Denise sang it really well, couldn't stop replaying the song when I first heard it. Hope she sings more theme songs for TVB.
My Rating: 6/10, won’t re-watch
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