Eason Re-signs With Cineoply Records

Katie Chan (manager) with Eason Chan

With offers from Cineoply, East Asia and Avex, Eason Chan has officially re-signed with Cineoply Records. Rumors have it, since Cineoply successfully helped Eason win TVB's Favorite Male Singer award for 2006, Eason rejected East Asia's 30 million HKD tempt and re-signed with Cineoply Records for 3 years.

Through an email with Cineoply Records Vice President, Duncan Wong, he admits Cineoply has successfully re-signed Eason. When asked details of the contract, Duncan says, "A good contract which includes sincerity and a little increase in pay, everyone is happy." He was further asked if they were going to push for Eason to win another Favorite Male Singer award, Duncan responds, "We are not considering that at the moment, we are focusing on his upcoming album first. We will be sending the album to England for mixing."

Eason was asked about the rumored 30 million HKD offer from East Asia and responds, "Really? 30 million? How come I didn't hear about that?" Eason further says he left it up to his manager, Katie Chan, to decide on his contract. He then said, "30 million HKD is a lot of money, but there is no such thing as a 'free lunch.' If we accepted that money we would have to 'pay' for it."

Source: sina 9.28.2007

"The Pye-Dog" Wins Top Honor at Japanese Film Festival

Eric Tsang with Eason Chan

After winning the highest honor at the Japan Asian Marine Film Festival, the cast of The Pye-Dog had a celebration party yesterday night. Attendees included Eric Tsang, Eason Chan and K.K. Cheung, the film will premiere in Hong Kong in November.

Eric Tsang revealed filming of The Pye-Dog was completed last year, but they did not immediately organize a premiere date because they were waiting for the opportunity to participate at film festivals. Eric says, "This film is a non-traditional [genre] film, and winning awards at film festivals can capture the attention of people."

Source: mingpao 9.29.2007

7th CASH Golden Sail Music Awards - First Round Nomination List

The 2007 CASH (Composers and Authors Society of Hong Kong) Golden Sail Music Awards will be held in November, but before the award ceremony takes place a list of nominees are needed. There aren't many, if any, Hong Kong music award ceremonies that reveal their nomination process, but CASH is an exception. The following is a preliminary list of nominated works chosen by CASH members, and from this list CASH members will vote again to determine the official nominations (5 per category) for the 7th CASH Golden Sail Music Awards.

Note: The following are a list Eason Chan's preliminary nominated works. In parenthesis are the total number of preliminary nominated works in its respective category.

CASH Best Song (33)
White Rose 白玫瑰
Composer: Kubert Leung
Lyricist: Francis Lee
Performer: Eason Chan

Under Mount Fuji 富士山下
Composer: Christoper Chak
Lyricist: Lin Xi
Performer: Eason Chan

Call For Love 愛情轉移
Composer: Christopher Chak
Lyricist: Lin Xi
Performer: Eason Chan

Don't We All Love Dresses 裙下之臣
Composer: Alex San
Lyricist: Wyman Wong
Performer: Eason Chan

CASH Best Melody (34)
Under Mount Fuji 富士山下
Composer: Christoper Chak

Don't We All Love Dresses 裙下之臣
Composer: Alex San

CASH Best Lyrics (37)
Crying in the Party
Lyricist: Wyman Wong

White Rose 白玫瑰
Lyricist: Francis Lee

Under Mount Fuji 富士山下
Lyricist: Lin Xi

Reaper Will Find You 黑擇明
Lyricist: Lin Xi

Call For Love 愛情轉移
Lyricist: Lin Xi

CASH Best Vocal Performance by a Male Artist (27)
Crying in the Party
Performer: Eason Chan

The Last Hippie 最後的嬉皮士
Performer: Eason Chan

Under Mount Fuji 富士山下
Performer: Eason Chan

Reaper Will Find You 黑擇明
Performer: Eason Chan

Don't We All Love Dresses 裙下之臣
Performer: Eason Chan


Sources:
CASH (official site)
CASH Membership (criteria)
CASH Nomination (process)

Eason to Film in November

During a press conference for her upcoming October 20, 2007 concert in Shanghai, Sammi Cheng revealed after her concert, she will most likely film with Eason Chan in November.

Sammi hasn't filmed since Everlasting Regret and speaking of Everlasting Regret Sammi says, "Filming Everlasting Regret was a hurtful period of time, I put 200% into the film and the film's failures felt like a slap in the face. But Everlasting Regret has changed me a lot, I've learned to be grateful for everything I do. Truth is, the success of a person is not measured by the box office sales of their films or the success of their concerts. Success is making sure everything you do makes you happy."

About the upcoming film Sammi says, "It will be a relaxing cop comedy." As for Sammi and her future with artistic films, she says, "Unless necessary, it's best not to."

This film is still in its discussion phase so nothing is final, but if everything goes smoothly Sammi and Eason will star in this upcoming comedy which will begin filming in November.

Article: people.com.cn 9.25.2007
Photo: on.cc

Song Sampling: "Crying in the Party" Part II

Earlier in the week, I posted up the official MV to Crying in the Party.

Here is the TVB version:

Crying in the Party - Eason Chan

Note: If you watched the Eason special 與臣同行 aired by TVB, you will notice the clips in the MV are similar to the ones in the Eason special.

Buy Eason Tickets, Get Miriam Tickets For Free?

The night before, Eason Chan and Shu Qi attended, as guests, the promotional party for Adidas Originals Black & White. Other attendees were Jennifer Tse (Nicholas Tse's sister), Vinci Wong, Deep Ng & his rumored girlfriend Jacqueline Chong, Candy Lo & her boyfriend Eric So, Tiffany Lee and others.

During the promotion, Eason was asked a number of questions regarding the tickets to his upcoming Moving On Stage 1 concerts being sold by "yellow cows" (people who purchase tickets in bulk so fewer fans are able to get a hold of them, and in turn, selling them back to the fans at a higher price) online. One seller put up the offer: buy a pair of 480 HKD Moving On Stage 1 tickets for 2,400 HKD, get a pair of 220 HKD Miriam Yeung All About Love concert tickets for free. Regarding the offer, Eason was asked if Miriam needed him to sell her tickets, laughing he answered, "[It's just that one seller] maybe that seller wants more business, plus the dates of our concerts are so close together. Maybe that seller wants to use the idea of Capital Artists' Two Treasures to sell the tickets at a faster rate. Maybe they want to do a crossover, who knows they might be giving out Michael Lai [who is having a couple of concerts in between Miriam & Eason] tickets next. Maybe they're selling Miriam's most expensive tickets and giving my middle priced tickets out for free."

Regardless, Eason continues to say he doesn't want fans to buy tickets sold by "yellow cows," especially since it is illegal. He states, "I do not support fans buying tickets from "yellow cows" in order to watch my concerts." He was then asked, what are fans, who couldn't get their hands on tickets, to do? He responded, "I know Katie Chan is talking to Hong Kong Coliseum about their schedule. Hopefully we can add additional shows and satisfy all fans." Will you consider adding a day show? "No, it will be difficult for us to do and it will be difficult for fans to watch."

Fans have been complaining the reason they can't get tickets is because 80% of tickets were held up by the sponsors/"insiders." Regarding this, Eason firmly states, "It is not possible. The government requires that a certain percentage of tickets need to be available for sale."

Eason says because his upcoming concerts will be performed on a 3-sided stage, there will be a big gap between the first row and the stage; therefore, he will not be able to shake hands with fans. He says, "You can shake my hand when you see me on the street. I am always taking the MTR."

Source: sina 9.22.2007

Song Sampling: "Crying in the Party"

Here's the first plug off Eason's upcoming dance themed album -- official MV.

Crying in the Party - Eason Chan

Composer: Michael Lai Siu Tin
Lyricist: Wyman Wong
Arranger: 褚鎮東
Producers: C.Y. Kong, Davy Chan, Eason

熱播的歌 忽爾靜了
場邊 一聲慘叫
好友都靠近了 你沒有被忘掉
觀眾 預了分擔惡兆

大喝三杯 失控地笑
孩子 終於哭了
空氣的震盪裡 你沒說但心照
某個事情大概不妙了

*因一個人痛哭 哭崩派對舞曲
我也曾像這樣 青春大概相似
總有段情 落入這種困局
或有一天 當你大了

城府 開始深了
年輕的眼淚流光了
便掛念曾經這樣了
讓你哭泣 哭到倦了*

重整 呼吸心跳
哭過吵過鬧過 你為愛做足了
再接下來就要收拾了

Repeat *

是 所有熱情會乾掉
一發現已經成熟了

Sammi Cheng To Make Her Big Screen Comeback Alongside Eason

The last time Sammi Cheng appeared on the big screen was three years ago in the film Everlasting Regret 長恨歌. According to reports, director Alan Mak (Infernal Affairs, Initial D, Confession of Pain, etc.) has invited Sammi to make her big screen comeback by starring in his upcoming film alongside Eason Chan.

Yesterday, reporters emailed Alan Mak about these reports, with his initial response being a shock, "Where are you getting these rumors from?" With additional pressure Alan Mak caved in and stated, "Your reports are correct. The details are not yet final so I cannot further elaborate." He was then asked, how far along are the talks? "We are at about 70-80%, everything is going smoothly, we should be able to announce the plans and get into details about the project in October."

Elsewhere, the Eason and Eric Tsang collaborated film The Pye-Dog 野‧良犬 was showed at the Japan Asian Marine Film Festival and, along with the Taiwanese film 練習曲, received praise from critics. The Pye-Dog's director, Derek Kwok, personally flew to Japan to accept an award.

Source: on.cc 9.18.2007

1˚ of Eason Chan: Lillian Ho 何嘉莉 / 何俐恩

Six degrees of separation is the idea that everyone is no further than 6 "steps" away from each other, or the more commonly used explanation, everyone is connected through six people (a.k.a. six degrees).

Six degrees requires too much thinking; therefore, we're going to keep it simple with one degree.

真正本色 - Eason Chan, Grace Ip, Lillian Ho, Joey Yung

1˚ -- Like Grace Ip, Lillian Ho started her music career with EEG (originally Fitto Entertainment) and Eason would later join EEG under Music Plus, and the two would become company brother-sister.

非份之想 - Lillian Ho
(probably Lillian's most popular song)

Background -- Lillian Ho 何嘉莉, who later changed her Chinese name to 何俐恩, entered the Hong Kong Entertainment industry in 1992 as an actress. It was in 1997 when she appeared in a Nicholas Tse MV where she was "discovered" and signed under Fitto Entertainment.

Lillian made her music career debut in 1998, alongside Grace Ip, and had a successful year. At the end of the year, Lillian won Best Newcomer Gold at both CRHK and RTHK.

In 1999, with the emergence of Joey Yung, EEG neglected Lillian. When she released her second album Unreasonable Thought (非份之想) EEG never seriously promoted it; therefore, sales were not pleasing. Despite the lack of promotion, the song 非份之想 became a popular hit and kept Lillian in the game. She then released her next single I Believe off the same album.

After an on stage incident, Lillian disappeared from the music scene for a while and in 2002, she re-emerged under her new Chinese name 何俐恩, and released another album. Album sales were once again not pleasing and once again she was neglected by EEG, and disappearing from the music scene once again.

In 2004 Lillian re-emerged yet again, this time as a fashion consultant to various artists. Lillian got married in 2006 and is no longer in the HK Entertainment industry.

I Believe - Lillian Ho

My love for diverse Chinese albums comes from Lillian's album Unreasonable Thought. Unreasonable Thought was not the first Chinese album I listened to, but it was the first Chinese album where I listened to every single song from beginning to end and enjoyed each and every song because they were all different.

Lillian has a pretty unique voice for the HK music industry because she doesn't have that high sweet voice. Which is why I don't think EEG ever intended to fully promote her. Grace was definitely, from my POV, given more opportunities.

"The Dark Side of Hong Kong Disneyland," featuring Eason

During this year's Halloween, Eason Chan will be holding his concert at Hong Kong Coliseum and won't be celebrating friends, but two days ago he attended a photo shoot for The Dark Side of Hong Kong Disneyland (or Hong Kong Disneyland Haunted Halloween) promotion. For the photo shoot, his face was painted white with all black attire; along with Halloween props and computer effects the outcome was definitely "haunted."

Eason, as always, was jumping around making everyone laugh during the photo shoot. The shoot lasted a couple of hours and despite its long hours Eason remained energetic throughout. He displayed his love for talking by acting as the representative (扮代表) of The Dark Side and "informed" the crew members all that he knows, creating much laughter and happiness throughout.

Haunted Halloween will open on September 25, 2007 and will remain open until October 31, 2007.

Hong Kong Disneyland (official site)

Haunted Halloween (official The Dark Side of Hong Kong Disneyland site)

Source: on.cc 9.14.2007

Shows Added for a 4th Time ... Sort of

Katie Chan, who was recently spotted with Faye Wong (one of the other artist under her management), answered questions regarding Faye and her future in music. Faye is being pressured (by friends) to perform in a 20th Anniversary concert in 2009. Katie Chan says, "Faye never said she's retiring from the industry, I am not ruling out a comeback."

Additionally, Katie Chan has been busy talking to Hong Kong Coliseum about adding shows for a 4th time to Eason Chan's upcoming Moving On Stage 1 concerts. She says, "Hong Kong Coliseum has approved of the additional shows, all we need is to sign a contract." She advises fans not to buy auctioned tickets. She will try to fulfill the needs of the fans, and the goal is to add 2 to 3 additional shows.

Source: sina 9.14.2007

Song Sampling: "Mario Party" 瑪利奧派對

Here's a sampler to a song in Eason Chan's upcoming dance themed album.

Title: 瑪利奧派對 (Mirror Party)
Composer: Wong Seung Wai
Lyricist: Joe Lei

Dance genre: Latin

瑪利奧派對 (Live) - Eason Chan

(music only)

Note: Eason performed this piece live during a 903's Love Union segment about 3 weeks ago (I believe on 8.20.2007), where a group of musician-hopefuls get to talk to, and learn from, various artists. Eason was the guest artist that day and he performed a piece of this upcoming song.

Eason Gratified Fans Are Helping Each Other

Continuing on his University Tour for his album Admit It, Eason Chan's last stop is Fuzhou, China. Though Eason is sad the University Tour is over, he got a big surprise when an old friend from England called. The last time they saw each other was when his friend got married, and he already has a 4 year old son.

During this stop Eason met a female fan who, 7 years ago, was accidentally injured in a household fire. At that time, members of Eason's Fuzhou Fan Club lent a helping hand and helped her search for a hospital that performs plastic surgery. Seeing this female fan recuperated in front of him, Eason feels fully gratified and says, "I am so happy this fan club volunteered to do this on their own. I hope fan clubs from other cities/places will follow in their footsteps in helping others."

Source: sina 9.11.2007

More Contradicting Feelings ...

Continued from a previous post

Contradiction #3
with 12 shows already, and fans wanting more, should
(a) Eason add more shows to fulfill his fans' needs, and everyone will be happy, or
(b) Consider Eason's health, especially seeing what happened to Jacky Cheung, and prefer he not add shows. Eason got sick right before last year's concerts (Get a Life) which makes it that much more of an issue

There's Still Hope For Tickets to "Moving On Stage 1"

There's still hope to get tickets to Eason Chan's upcoming Moving On Stage 1 concerts. Katie Chan, Eason's manager, spoke briefly to Apple Daily and said, "I advise fans not to buy auctioned tickets. I am in the process of talking to Hong Kong Coliseum about adding additional shows."

So Eason fans who didn't get tickets, there's still hope!

Source: easyjoint 9.9.2007

Contradicting Feelings ... About Eason's Concerts

I was browsing around Easyjoint yesterday and read some really interesting comments regarding the fast ticket sales to Eason's Moving On Stage 1 concerts.

Contradiction #1
after waiting on line and not getting tickets, should you:
(a) be happy that the tickets sold out, or
(b) be upset because you waited forever and couldn't get tickets

Contradiction #2
"yellow cows" buy 200 tickets (an exaggeration) purposely because they know fans are willing to buy it from them at a higher price, should you:
(a) buy it from them because you want to watch the concert, and feel bad for doing so because you're encouraging the "yellow cows" and it is something Eason discourages, or
(b) don't buy it from them even though you really want to, and feel worse because you'll miss the concert

I got a kick out of the following:
A couple of fans were having a discussion about how the older concert-goers will decrease the liveliness of the audience. One fan says, the older concert-goers probably don't even like Eason's music, which is why I say, anyone who wants to purchase tickets should be required to take a test, you are then allowed to purchase tickets after you've proven you're a fan.

Can you imagine having to take a test just to purchase tickets?

ORBIS' Sight Ambassador

This year's World Sight Day falls on Thursday, October 11th, and will be marked by the 4th annual ORBIS Pin Day! By wearing an ORBIS pin, you will play a vital role in helping us raise awareness of eye care issues.

“Let's hold the magic wand and spread the light far and wide!” said ORBIS Sight Ambassador Eason Chan.

For more info, visit the links below.

ORBIS (official site, in English)

ORBIS (site for Eason, as ambassador, in Chinese)

Source: orbis

Shows Added for the 4th Time?

First of all, I need to apologize because I've misspelled the "Johnnie" in "Johnnie Walker" with a "y" instead of "ie". But that's all fixed.

Back to the question, will shows to the upcoming Johnnie Walker Keep Walking Eason Chan Moving On Stage 1 be added for a 4th time since tickets to all 12 shows have been sold out?

There are 2 threads regarding this at Easyjoint and here they are:
(1) No additional shows will be added because radio ads for ticket sales have stopped, which means no more tickets are available for sale.

The topic starter argues that if shows were to be added, the radio ads would continue and they would announce the additional shows.

(2) According to "insider" information, 2 more shows will be add (November 6th and 7th), which will be announced next week.

The last time Easyjoint had "insider" information, it was semi-accurate. A show was indeed added on the 5th and tickets to that concert was not available for pre-sale.

Source: easyjoint

If you ask me, I say there probably won't be shows added. When 2 shows were added for the third time one of them ended up being October 25th, a day before the original start date. Which probably meant they couldn't add a show on November 6th. If they do end up adding 2 shows, Hong Kong Coliseum must be making a lot of (re)arrangements.

Eason Advises Fans Not to Auction Tickets

Eason Chan, for the second year, is ORBIS' Sight Ambassador. This year Eason will travel to Sichuan, China (四川) for 5 days to visit those with sight disabilities.

With Eason's 12 Moving on Stage 1 concerts sold out, ticket holders have auctioned off tickets online, with 300 HKD tickets auctioned for 1,000 HKD. Eason advises fans not to auction tickets, he then asks reporters if auctioning tickets is considered "Yellow Cow" (黃牛), and says, "Yellow Cow is illegal." He then jokes, "300 HKD tickets sold for 1,000 HKD? Tell them, ask me to sell them tickets."

Source: sina 9.8.2007

"Moving On Stage 1" Tickets Sold Out in 3 Hours

Fans line up for tickets to Moving On Stage 1

Tickets to Eason Chan's 12 upcoming Moving On Stage 1 concerts officially went on sale September 6th, and sold out in 3 hours. According to reports, fans started lining up for tickets two days ago, with lines at every ticket center.

Disappointed fans who were not able to purchase tickets emailed the sponsor and requested shows to be added. In response to the fans' request for additional shows, the sponsor says, "We want to please all the fans, we've also received many phone calls requesting additional shows. But we have to take a look at the Coliseum's schedule before we can decide whether to add additional shows."

In response to the fast ticket sales, Eason is extremely happy for the support from his fans. He feels the added pressure because of the massive support, but he will use the pressure as motivation and will do the best he can to bring good shows [to the supporters].

With many fans wanting tickets but not able to purchase them, ticket holders have taken the opportunity to sell their tickets at a higher price. A pair of 480 HKD tickets sold on the net for 1,400 HKD.

Source: sina 9.7.2007

Daughter Injured Eason's Eye, Shows Added for a Third Time

A press conference was held yesterday for Eason Chan's Moving On Stage 1 concerts. Eason was presented with 6 gifts during this press conference. The most expensive gift is none other than a 16 ounce, worth over 230,000 HKD, pure gold, dragon statue (蟠龍匯瑞). When he was presented with a camera from the sponsor, he accidentally dropped it on the floor; creating an awkward moment. Eason's manager, Katie Chan, also presented him with a gift. She announced shows were added, for a third time, to his upcoming concerts. He will now hold 12 concerts between October 25th to November 5th. With 12 shows, he breaks his own personal record for most shows held at Hong Kong Coliseum.

During the press conference Eason never took off the sunglasses he had on. When asked why he had sunglasses on, he took them off and revealed a red and bruised right eye before putting them back on. He says, "I am being hit at home!" Two days ago, his daughter was listening to music, when suddenly, she flung her headphones at Eason's eye. The doctor said no damage was done to his cornea and his eye will be back to normal in a week's time. Eason jokes, "It's the second time she's done it, I wonder if she's doing it on purpose. I warn father's to be careful of their daughters, actually all boys should be careful!"

Adding shows for the third time Eason reveals that he is happy but also nervous. When asked if he is physically and vocally ready, he jokes, "I want to lip-sync every night (laughs). Actually, I've been swimming and running, strengthening my body, avoiding unnecessary events, drinking my wife's soup, protecting my throat with throat drops and talking less; I believe I can perform through all 12 shows." As for having a three sided stage this time, Eason says, "I don't want the audience to have to turn their heads to watch the show. In terms of the number of audience members, each show will hold around 9,000 people. Having 12 shows is like have 9 shows [in the traditional 4 sided stage]."

Source: mingpao 9.6.2007

Hilary Tsui Left With Eason's "Debt"

As mentioned in earlier news, Eason Chan "fled" Hong Kong to avoid his "debts." Actually, he had to film for a couple of days in China and used filming as an excuse to avoid his "debts." As for his "debts," they're actually the hefty amount of phone calls he's been receiving from people wanting tickets to his upcoming Moving On Stage 1 concerts.

With Eason in China, wife Hilary Tsui was left with his "debts," causing her to to say, "it's such a headache!"

Thursday night, Hilary attended the YSL Fall Collection fashion show where she was asked regarding the many phone calls Eason has been receiving for tickets to his upcoming Moving On Stage 1 concerts. She says, "Eason has been away from Hong Kong for 7 days and I've been on the receiving end of those phone calls. Friends I haven't seen in 10 years have been calling for tickets."

With so many people wanting tickets, Hilary has prioritized and "created" a waiting list. Her mother-in-law, her own mother and Lai Goo have priority. Reserving the most tickets is Lai Goo (Deborah Lai, Nicholas Tse's mom), Hilary says, "Lai Goo wants one row per concert, and for the last show she wants 4 rows. I don't know what to do."

Aside from relatives and close family friends; parents, teachers and even the principal from their daughter's school have asked for tickets. She jokes that for the sake of their daughter's education, the principal gets priority.

Source: sina 9.1.2007

1˚ of Eason Chan: Grace Ip 葉佩雯

Six degrees of separation is the idea that everyone is no further than 6 "steps" away from each other, or the more commonly used explanation, everyone is connected through six people (a.k.a. six degrees).

Six degrees requires too much thinking; therefore, we're going to keep it simple with one degree.

Real Ability - Eason Chan, Grace Ip, Lillian Ho, Joey Yung

1˚ -- Grace Ip (or Yip) started her music career in EEG. Eason would later join EEG under Music Plus and they two would become company brother-sister.

In Your Arms - Grace Ip
(Grace's debut single)

Background -- In November of 1997, Grace officially became the disciple of Japanese music producer Tetsuya Komuro, becoming the first and only Chinese disciple of the Tetsuya Komuro family.

Grace made her music industry debut alongside EEG sister Lillian Ho in 1998. Grace won TVB JSG'sBest Newcomer Award - Gold that same year.

When Joey Yung entered the industry one year later people labeled the 3 (Grace, Lillian, Joey) as EEG's 3 Little Flowers. Though, I believe Nicholas Tse, who entered the industry a year earlier, along with Grace and Lillian formed EEG's Three Treasures in response to Capital Artists' Three Treasures (Edmond Leung, Eason Chan, Miriam Yeung.)

Grace was then frozen by EEG when they found out she was dating Swing member/songwriter/EEG artist Eric Kwok and refused to break up with him. Signed to EEG for 7 years, she was not allowed to terminate her contract and voiced her displeasement when EEG allowed the duo Swing to terminate their contract.

In 2006, Grace signed to the record label Silly Thing. Her first album under Silly Thing is the rock based EP On My Own.

我不相信 - Grace Ip

Grace was highly promoted by EEG, as evident when she appeared on a number of JSG Weekly segments in a span of under 2 years. I believe she holds the record for most appearances in the span of those 2 years, although there isn't any evidence.

Grace was a singer who had much potential, especially with her diverse selection of music. One can only imagine Grace's success had EEG not frozen her or had she been allowed to terminate her contract.

Interview with lyricist Heung Suet Wai

The 7th Global Chinese Music Awards will be given out on June 30, 2007, former lyricist Heung Suet Wai (向雪懷) attended a function for the award ceremony and was later interviewed regarding the Hong Kong Music and Film Industry.

Heung Suet Wai, originally Chan Gim Woh 陳劍和, has been in the music industry for over 20 years. From 1998 to 2000, Heung Suet Wai was General Manager of BMG Records Hong Kong. From 1985 to 1997 Heung Suet Wai was with 寶麗金 records, starting off as a record producer and later became in charge of the promotion and signing of new artists. As record producer, Heung Suet Wai worked with artists such as Alan Tam, Paula Tsui, Teresa Teng, Sam Hui, Jacky Cheung, Hacken Lee, Sammi Cheng, Christopher Wong, Leon Lai, Vivian Lai, Karen Tong, Grasshopper, etc. Worldwide sales of the records he produced have exceeded 10 million copies.

Lyricist Heung Suet Wai's works include:

一人有一個夢想 - Vivian Lai

愛你多過愛他 - Vivian Chow

對不起我愛你 - Leon Lai

如夢初醒 - Cass Phang

朋友 - Alan Tam

一生中最愛 - Alan Tam

毋忘我的愛 - Yeung Choi Nei

愛一次便夠 - Grasshopper/Vivian Lai

你愛我什麼 - Vivian Lai

哪有一天不想你 - Leon Lai

一生最愛就是你 - Leon Lai

我和秋天有個約會 - Karen Tong

愛你這樣傻 - Vivian Lai

一生不變 - Hacken Lee

最傷心是誰 - Jeff Chang

Q (Interviewer): Why are there fewer and fewer good songs? Why are there fewer and fewer people willing to sing?

A (Heung Suet Wai): I don't think so. It's just the industry [as opposed to whole market] that has fewer good songs and fewer people who are willing to sing. Recently there has been a song that I really like, Miriam Yeung's 大城小事, I really liked it when Miriam performed it, but after Jacky Cheung performed it, I liked it even more, enough to not like Miriam's version anymore. Is it because Miriam did not perform it well? No, only because Jacky performed it better, better that it seems perfect. It is the first song after Jacky's 李香蘭 that gave me a really really comforting feeling. Which is why when a song meets its perfect singer it will have a liveliness; no matter how good a song is, if you don't perform it well then there's no use.

Q: A good song finding its perfect singer is hard? Why is it hard? Was this problem present during the "Four Heavenly Kings" era?

A: This problem was present in the past, but it is quite different in the past. There was only one scenario in production when an artist was popular: one album with ten songs will have eight good songs, and the more you listen to them the better they will become. Why was this scenario present? Because the creator will know about an artists' previous album and will know to choose good songs for the artist. And why was this scenario present? Because the previous creator took their time to create the album, in the present, they're creating too quickly. In the past an artist will have a 10 to 15 year career. Now? Three to five years and you never hear of them again, look at Cookies, how many of them are left? There is no way for creators to fully get to know the singers, so how can good music be made?

Q: Will Cantonese music ever have another "Golden Era"? In the present Hong Kong music industry, are there any male or female singers that you particularly like?

A: I don't dare speak about another "Golden Era" but there will always be good songs. At the moment, I particularly like Eason Chan he really is a hard working singer. He has battled for the past 6 to 7 years.

Q: But Eason is considered a veteran. Compared to the newer singers, he is considered old.

A: He is still considered young outside of Hong Kong. Right now he has two songs that are known outside of Hong Kong, 十年 and 富士山下. Eason is a representative of Hong Kong [outside of Hong Kong]. Hacken Lee's music selection is rather narrow and he has poor Mandarin, he can improve on that, but maybe not as fast as Eason. Leo Ku's voice is rather tender, if he sings tender songs, he will not out-sing Jeff Chang.

Q: Female singer?

A: Can't think of any at the moment.

Q: What about Joey Yung?

A: No. To be popular outside of Hong Kong you have to hold your own. If one day, you sing on the same stage with Liu Huan 劉歡, Han Hong 韓紅, Natasha Na (Na Ying) 那英, etc. and you don't sing as well as as they do, it's the end for you. Eason Chan and Jacky Cheung are the only ones that won't be out-done by them on the same stage.

Q: Are there any more young people that are willing to become singers?

A: Young people think becoming a singer is easy. Take movies for example, which of the younger generation actors are actually good actors? There's only one, Daniel Wu. If Daniel Wu is acting in a movie, it will interest me to consider watching. As for other actors, I will wonder whether it will work. Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Andy Lau film's I will watch, Jacky Cheung films I will watch. For the younger generation of actors, only Daniel Wu, Nicholas Tse movies I won't watch. It is hard to find a successor. The Hong Kong music industry, like the Hong Kong movie industry, is hard to find a successor.

Source: tianya.cn 6.15.2007

Cap for Charity Up for Auction

Hong Kong singer Eason Chan poses with a baseball cap, featuring his autograph, in this recent photo. Eason Chan is among one hundred Chinese entertainers who have left their personal drawings on some baseball caps, which are to be auctioned online at hitoradio.com until September 5. Most of the proceeds will be donated to the Taipei-based Chinese Children's Home and Shelter Association.

Link: china.org.cn 8.29.2007

少年 or 迷果? Eason in a New Film

Chinese film director Zhang Yibai, with award-winning work, The Longest Night in Shanghai, is back to his hometown of Chongqing in southwestern China, shooting a star-studded new film.

The film, titled Shao Nian (少年) or The Boy, announced its cast members on Wednesday.

The leading role in the film was bestowed to a new comer, Tan Jianci, while other performers are top actors from Hong Kong, including Eason Chan, Eric Tsang and Karen Mok. Mainland actress Jiang Wenli is also in the team.

The story is yet to be unveiled at a later press conference, according to Nanfang Daily.

Zhang Yibai's romantic feature The Longest Night in Shanghai, starring Chinese actress Zhao Wei and Japanese actor Masahiro Motoki, won the Press Prize at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival.

Link: english.eastday.com 8.31.2007

The cast members to the film 迷果, as noted in an earlier post, is the exact cast (minus Eric Tsang) as the above mentioned film 少年. I believe they are the same film, but why are there 2 titles? One logical explanation can be the official Chinese title is 少年 in China, but when it is passes through everything and lands in Hong Kong it is named 迷果. Not very logical, though.