To be honest, I'm getting very impatient here. With the TVB Star Awards Malaysia and TVB's own Anniversary Awards coming up just next week (23 Nov 2014) and in December (date not confirmed) respectively, competition has started, not only among the artists themselves but also even fans and supporters debating it out on who fits to be the best pick for the most prestigious award... The PREDICTED best actor/actress award. Makes quite a lot of sense (cents in the case of TVB).
Still, in the midst of disorder in Hong Kong now, I wish everyone to be safe and remain cheerful despite the chaos. :)
Back to the topic:
Since the TVB Star Awards nomination list has already been released (and voting has even closed already), I shall use it as a gauge to compare the artists and dramas.
Predicted Top 3/5 Nominees in actual race for TVB Anniversary Awards
Labels
Predicted Winner (TVB Star Awards)
Predicted Dark Horse (TVB Star Awards)
My Pick(s) (sorry I'm quite indecisive)
THE WINNER
My Favourite TVB Drama Series
Bounty Lady
Outbound Love
Glided Chopsticks
Storm in a Cocoon
Never Dance Alone
Black Heart White Soul
Line Walker
All that is Bitter is Sweet
Tomorrow is Another Day
Tiger Cubs 2
Come On Cousin
Overachievers
Before Comments: Outbound Love was filmed in Malaysia, hence increasing Malaysian fans' excitement, hence making this a popular choice, hence most award winners would have to thank them Outbound Love for a chance to star it in. Judging from how the most hyped-up popular or surprise-breakthrough shows would sweep up most, if not, all of the awards, at least in the public fan-voted TVB Star Awards (see Triumph in the Skies II last year, The Hippocratic Crush in 2012, Ghetto Justice in 2011 and Can't Buy Me Love and No Regrets in 2010), both Outbound Love and other highly-acclaimed action drama Line Walker would get most of the exposure in Malaysia. Furthermore, the hype and buzz for Line Walker is still quite high and active, thus I'm predicting Line Walker to be the Ultimate Winner. So, that explains everything... As for my picks, Black Heart White Soul was a chilling thriller, and with Roger Kwok's brilliant acting, should get a mention. Also, Never Dance Alone had charming and REAL performances by beloved veteran actresses and the friendship meaning behind it is really deep.
After Comments: As predicted, highly-acclaimed action drama Line Walker won the most prestigious award at the ceremony for its intriguing thriller plot, all-star cast (except for some ahem ahem) and real action that a cop drama can present. Still, I feel it isn't the most deserved drama to attain the award with the high number of true contenders for this award.
After Comments: As predicted, highly-acclaimed action drama Line Walker won the most prestigious award at the ceremony for its intriguing thriller plot, all-star cast (except for some ahem ahem) and real action that a cop drama can present. Still, I feel it isn't the most deserved drama to attain the award with the high number of true contenders for this award.
Roger Kwok (Black Heart White Soul)
Ruco Chan (Outbound Love)
Joe Ma (Tiger Cubs II)
Wong Cho-lam (Come On Cousin)
Wayne Lai (Overachievers)
Ron Ng (Black Heart White Soul)
Lawrence Ng (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Bosco Wong (The Ultimate Addiction)
Raymond Lam (Line Walker)
Michael Miu (Line Walker)
Kenneth Ma (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Dayo Wong (Bounty Lady)
Before Comments: As mentioned earlier the Outbound-Love-Line Walker (OLLW) phenomenon should garner Ruco Chan his Best Actor Award yay! (At least in Malaysia) But I really wanted him to get nominated for Ruse of Engagement instead where his villainous eyes and action scenes should do the job. The OLLW phenomenon should also apply to Raymond Lam with his chok face and immerse popularity, while Roger Kwok was so convincing as the scheming lawyer. [breaks out in cold sweat]
After Comments: A rather surprising win for Roger Kwok as he does not have a large and supportive fan base in Malaysia due to his lack of presence in today's TVB dramas (having only about 1-2 not-so-popular roles per year). Still, he indeed deserved this award (and probably TVB Anniversary Award too) with his vivid portrayal of Matt in Black Heart White Soul, revealing the character's deep-rooted selfishness and greed through smirking and performing so well in this role that, even he claimed, "only he can portray realistically well enough".
Priscilla Wong (Swipe Tap Love)
Selena Li (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Louisa So (Rear Mirror)
Linda Chung (All that is Bitter is Sweet)
Joey Meng (Come On Cousin)
Aimee Chan (Outbound Love)
Nancy Wu (The Ultimate Addiction)
Kristin Tin (Black Heart White Soul)
Charmaine Sheh (Line Walker)
Kate Tsui (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Tavia Yeung (Storm in a Cocoon)
Carman Lee (Never Dance Alone)
Before Comments: This year's Best Actress contenders are either not so popular (I cry for Carman Lee and Tavia Yeung whose show was shown so early in the year) or not so competent (Linda Chung cries for herself or maybe her dead mayor husband). So, Charmaine Sheh fits the bill as a popular and sufficiently-competent actress in a highly-acclaimed drama (OLLW phenomenon). I did enjoy her performance and she knew how to act at the right times: comedy in comedic or really serious moments (I don't know why) and crying in heartbreaking moments. Linda Chung might still have a chance given her popularity in Malaysia since she earned the Best Actress Award last year there for a role that would not deserve the award while Kate Tsui might have a slight chance there. But the real award-winner would have to be Carman Lee who stole the audience's heart in her dance-cry movement after her husband's death in Never Dance Alone.
After Comments: With her solid performance and apt acting in the undercover thriller, Charmaine Sheh indeed deserves this win with her role of Ting Siu-ka in Line Walker. The action and crying scenes in there, coupled with her onscreen chemistry with fellow costars Raymond Lam and Michael Miu, allowed her to show off her decent acting chops, which truly represented her as a strong leading fadan of TVB. Now, having earned both the Best Leading Actress awards in Singapore and Malaysia, would she complete her streak at the TVB Annivesary Awards?
Louis Cheung (Black Heart White Soul)
Pierre Ngo (All that is Bitter is Sweet)
Ben Wong (Glided Chopsticks)
Raymond Wong (Overachievers)
Him Law (Tiger Cubs II)
Raymond Cho (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Oscar Leung (Line Walker)
Vincent Wong (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Edwin Siu (Overachievers)
Ram Chiang (Come On Cousin)
Lawrence Cheng (Never Dance Alone)
Benz Hui (Line Walker)
Before Comments: Benz Hui was rather popular with his devious role in Line Walker, coupled with the OLLW phenomenon, he should get the award. The dark horse would either be Him Law or Louis Cheung but I'm putting Him Law for the simple fact that he won last year's and previous year's Best Supporting Actor award and if he wins this, it will be his third consecutive one. The irony is that he has not won any TVB Anniversary award, yet. My other picks may be Raymond Wong as the main villain in Overachievers but it is still too early in the drama to confirm his talent, but will be Ben Wong in his serious emperor role in the comedy Glided Chopsticks, where he was almost perfect as the benevolent, but strict king, but I would rather he gets nominated in the Best Actor award category since he had quite a bit of screentime in the show (previous case study: Kristin Tin in Brother's Keeper).
After Comments: Veteran Benz Hui has shown the audience that he is not only typecasted into happy-go-lucky father or good-friend or personal assistant roles, he is capable of performing complicated roles like his role in Bounty Lady from which he got the Best Supporting Actor award at the TVB Anniversary Awards, and the role Foon-hei Gor in Line Walker.
My Favourite TVB Actress in a Supporting Role
Eliza Sam (Coffee Cat Mama)
Gloria Yip (Never Dance Alone)
Sharon Chan (Line Walker)
Natalie Tong (All that is Bitter is Sweet)
Mandy Wong (Tiger Cubs II)
Maggie Siu (Overachievers)
Elaine Yiu (Swipe Tap Love)
Leanne Li (Black Heart White Soul)
Elena Kong (Line Walker)
Josie Ho (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Ivana Wong (Come On Cousin)
Lin Xia Wei (Outbound Love)
Before Comments:There are rather few breakout performances this year, with the exception of perhaps Leanne Li who was not that popular after all. So, governed by the OLLW phenomenon, the most probable award winner would be Lin Xia Wei who was fairly good in her role in Outbound Love. I am also assuming despite bad reviews on her acting in the role, Sharon Chan might get the award for her idk-what-cop role in Line Walker. My picks for a better and actual "supporting role" would be Eliza Sam drinking coffee in Coffee Cat Mama who wasn't after all that "supporting" and Leanne Li dressed up in an evil role in Black Heart White Soul.
After Comments: Okay... But aren't there better choices? I have to admit Sharon Chan is a capable actress with great chemistry with her costars... But... Seriously, please don't repeat this at the TVB Anniversary Awards... It is just not her year.
Tony Hung (Outbound Love/Swipe Tap Love/Rear Mirror)
Matt Yeung (Outbound Love/Storm in a Cocoon/Black Heart White Soul)
Louis Cheung (Glided Chopsticks/Black Heart White Soul/Come On Cousin)
Hugo Wong (The Ultimate Addiction)
Sammy Sum (Bounty Lady/Line Walker/All that is Bitter is Sweet)
Before Comments: This is a very hard choice to make with at least four of the nominees deserving it. Firstly, I almost did not recognise Hugo Wong who is some random person until the skies opened up and I saw the plane in Triumph in the Skies II. Matt Yeung is a worthy nominee as he is one of the most experienced nominee and I feel that he has improved by leaps and bounds since the start of his acting career many many years ago, especially this year with his variety of roles. Sammy Sum is second-deserving in terms of experience but somehow or rather, I never really liked his acting with mostly gangster roles, but I would say he has improved too. Louis Cheung is a really great actor despite his recent acting debut with his villainous and comedic roles and I feel he is really like Ruco Chan who can excel in most roles, but that isn't the definition of "most improved" when he is already quite up there. Tony Hung is also rather similar though not as excellent as Louis Cheung, but still rather convincing in Rear Mirror. And seriously, with just one drama on hand, you cannot call Hugo Wong "most improved".
After Comments: I would say this was a hard decision to make but Sammy Sum is indeed deserving with his three diverse roles across the year. Congrats to all "MOST IMPROVED" nominees!
Tracy Chu (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Lin Xia Wei (Outbound Love/Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Vivien Yeo (Outbound Love/Ruse of Engagement/Black Heart White Soul)
Skye Chan (Line Walker)
Samantha Ko (Outbound Love/Line Walker/All that is Bitter is Sweet)
Before Comments: As compared to the males, the female nominees pale in comparison. Similar to Hugo Wong, I will just ignore Tracy Chu and Skye Chan with just one drama on hand, so not counted as "most improved". Vivien Yeo was quite an unknown actress to me for a while, but I could recognise her in at least Ruse of Engagement and Black Heart White Soul, but her roles were still not that prominent. Lin Xia Wei did a pretty good job in both her dramas, so with the OLLW phenomenon, she can get her hands on the award. I must also say Samantha Ko has also did relatively well in her dramas too.
After Comments: Samantha Ko, since her debut, has always impressed me, but just not this year, where she seems to appear in tired, less prominent roles. Or perhaps she wasn't that suited for them. Still, with not that many hot contenders for this award this year, I guess it must be hers then.
Dayo Wong & Kate Tsui (Bounty Lady)
Bosco Wong & Eliza Sam (Coffee Cat Mama)
Ruco Chan & Aimee Chan (Outbound Love)
Raymond Wong & Priscilla Wong (Swipe Tap Love)
Lawrence Cheng & Carman Lee (Never Dance Alone)
Roger Kwok & Kristin Tin (Black Heart White Soul)
Raymond Lam & Charmaine Sheh (Line Walker)
Sammy Sum & Sharon Chan (Line Walker)
Joe Ma & Linda Chung (Tiger Cubs II)
Roger Kwok & Joey Meng (Come On Cousin)
Before Comments: OLLW phenomenon will rule this since this is a fan-based award. The Malaysian romance in Outbound Love between Ruco Chan and Aimee Chan and the highly-publicized chemistry between highly-acclaimed actors Raymond Lam and Charmaine Sheh. But don't ask me why but my personal favourites are not only the undercover lovebirds but also the sweet coffee-making lovebirds in Coffee Cat Mama.
After Comments: As predicted, the Ruco Chan-Aimee Chan pairing in the romantic comedy with Malaysia as the backdrop would attract fans. Okay, it's Ruco Chan and his gentlemanly ways (and perhaps a little of Aimee Chan?).
My Favourite TVB Drama Theme Song
Never Dance Alone Theme Song: Star Cluster (Shirley Kwan & Mag Lam)
The Ultimate Addiction Theme Song: Challenge (Fred Cheng)
Line Walker Sub-theme Song: More Difficult, More Love (Jinny Ng)
Tomorrow is Another Day Theme Song: Tomorrow is Another Day (Alfred Hui)
Outbound Love Theme Song: Really Want to Dislike You (Lin Xia Wei)
Before Comments: "Really want to dislike you" being a Mandarin Chinese song is the most appealing to the majority of Malaysian viewers - explains everything. But my personal favourite song would be Star Cluster for its nice melody and meaning. Nothing much in this category.
After Comments: Did not really listen to Jinny Ng's song so no comment...
My Favourite Top 15 TVB Drama Characters
(too lazy to take a picture :P)
(arranged in drama sequence)
(predicted ones are bolded)
(to be honest, they are mostly copied from last year's winners)
(after all, this award is not for the drama character but for a fan-based gift for actors)
Dayo Wong (Bounty Lady)
Eliza Sam (Coffee Cat Mama)
Michelle Yim (Coffee Cat Mama)
Ruco Chan (Outbound Love)
Aimee Chan (Outbound Love)
Tony Hung (Outbound Love)
Steven Ma (Storm in a Cocoon)
Tavia Yeung (Storm in a Cocoon)
Priscilla Wong (Swipe Tap Love)
Carman Lee (Never Dance Alone)
Loletta Lee (Never Dance Alone)
Gloria Yip (Never Dance Alone)
Lawrence Cheng (Never Dance Alone)
Bosco Wong (The Ultimate Addiction)
Nancy Wu (The Ultimate Addiction)
Kenneth Ma (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Selena Li (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Raymond Cho (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Power Chan (Ghost Dragon of Cold Mountain)
Roger Kwok (Black Heart White Soul)
Ron Ng (Black Heart White Soul)
Kristal Tin (Black Heart White Soul)
Louis Cheung (Black Heart White Soul)
Waise Lee (Black Heart White Soul)
Louisa So (Rear Mirror)
Michael Miu (Line Walker)
Raymond Lam (Line Walker)
Charmaine Sheh (Line Walker)
Sharon Chan (Line Walker)
Sammy Sum (Line Walker)
Oscar Leung (Line Walker)
Benz Hui (Line Walker)
Linda Chung (All That Bitter is Sweet)
Raymond Wong (All that is Bitter is Sweet)
Pierre Ngo (All That Bitter is Sweet)
Natalie Tong (All That Bitter is Sweet)
Lawrence Ng (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Kate Tsui (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Vincent Wong (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Josie Ho (Tomorrow is Another Day)
Joe Ma (Tiger Cubs II)
Him Law (Tiger Cubs II)
Mandy Wong (Tiger Cubs II)
Benjamin Yuen (Tiger Cubs II)
Wong Cho Lam (Come on Cousin)
Joey Meng (Come on Cousin)
Ivana Wong (Come on Cousin)
Wayne Lai (Overachievers)
Edwin Siu (Overachievers)
Maggie Siu (Overachievers)
A Time of Love
Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk
Nowhere Girls
Street Sorcerers 2
Queen's Feast
Comments: One episode of A Time of Love was filmed in Malaysia? Okay, explains everything. (See Singapore Starhub TVB Awards)
Guardians of Life
Easy Living
Odd Jobs
Wellness on the Go 2
Big Big World
Comments: I don't watch HK variety shows so no opinion or comment for this category.
Lawrence Ng (Guardians of Life)
Maria Cordero, Luk Ho-Ming (Good Cheap Eats 2)
Priscilla Wong, Tony Hung (Pilgrimage To Football Meccas)
Nancy Sit, Wong Cho-lam (Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk)
Liza Wang, Amigo Choi (Queen's Feast)
Prediction Results: 16/25
(All awards are counted as 1 mark if predicted winner and 0.5 mark if predicted dark horse. My Favourtie TVB Enrichment Programme and My Favourite TVB Host in Variety Programme awards were not included.)
Yup, so these are basically my predictions, which may be right or wrong. Time will tell eventually. Still, if you agree or disagree with them, please comment your opinions. Thanks for reading my first actual post! :D
