[Sing Pao, Ta Kung Pao & The Sun]

Steven Ma was a guest at the "YWCA Hotline 20th Anniversary Carnival" yesterday and a poll was made as to the words people most like to hear when they are down. Steven chose "No matter what, I will be here by your side supporting you!" because he feels that support is very important.

Steven says that if he meets with difficulties, he will talk to his friends and sometimes they will try too hard to offer advice, but when people talk about their problems they only want to get it out of their system, so we should all learn to just listen. In the past, Steven didn't know how to handle his emotional problems, thinking he was very strong, such as the time five or six years ago when his mother died and his work seemed to have ground to a half. His Chiu Chau chauvinism and pride got the better of him and he rarely spoke to other people about his probems, making him turn to drink to drown his sorrows. Asked if he became an alcoholic, he admits: "Yes. (Did it work?) It blocked out the problem, but it was tough waking up the next morning and didn't resolve the issue. I feel that I didn't address the problem properly so I have not drank any alcohol in recent years." Steven laughs that he prefers to discuss his problems with women: "Women are more sensitive, caring, patient and sympathetic so they are better than 'brothers'." He will also do sport to keep his energy levels up, with a recent interest in fitness, table tennis and badminton.

At the time, Steven did not go out for several months and his friends were very concerned for him, finally he managed to get through the bad times by taking up reading. One of his friends had given him a book that told of how to face life and death. This enlightened him and he feels that death cannot be controlled, so why not face difficulties with a positive and optimistic outlook?

Later, Steven will meet with more difficulties because he will be filming in the mainland for several ancient dramas. Away for six months to a year, Steven is worried about his family. He had earlier been to Beijing for a promotional event and had met with directors and producers who said that his face is very traditional and suited to period dramas, with someone suggesting that he is suited to playing poet Li Bai. When asked if he has been offered this part, Steven says: "We are in discussion, there are still a lot. (What about TVB?) I extended my contract in February, but we have an understanding and I have a great level of freedom. (How are you going to pay back your series debt if you are always in China?) I will do my best to fit in the time, I will film at least one series for them."

Steven appeared at the event on a voluntary basis and he indicates that many artistes take part in voluntary work, but he hopes that more can do it and not worry about receiving a fee. Also, if he has time, he will go to the YWCA to help man the phone lines.

Credits to http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

Steven Ma's new book sales is ideal


MING PAO - Steven Ma's book series is participating in the book festival for the 2nd time in 2 years. His new book "Steven Ma Society Truth Record II" is gaining the attention of both parents and children alike and sales are ideal. The free agent's door is being knocked on by management companies and record labels. One of them in a China-based company who hopes to strike a deal with Steven. When the deal is settled, Steven will make an announcement.

http://www.hkvpradio.com/

oh yeah .. his book is out already .. does anyone know the title??

hey sis! haha yea i know.. i want to buy his book but i dunno where to find it. we don't have good chinese bookstores around here... =\ but yea, even if i bought it, due to my limited chinese i'd only know how to read like half of it. haha.

some translated Steven news.. its old but thought i'd post it anyways. it's so sweet of Steven =)

credit goes to sehseh for the news and Monica for the translation

June 20, 2004 18:15

Steven Ma - watching "Where the Legend Begins" will be touched and cry

Steven Ma was watching his own series "Where the Legend begins", he has watched the series himself more than 5 times and would be touched and would cry.

Steven Ma, Ada Choi, Moses Chan and Sonija Kwok's series "Where the Legend Begins" is receiving good ratings and comments by the viewers being aired on a channel.

Ada Choi playing the role as a beautiful and talented women Yan Fook, Lau Dan playing the role as Cho Cho and oldest son Cho Pei (Moses) and Cho Jiet has a love triangle between the three.

Two days ago, Steven Ma accepted an interview and truthfully speaking "Where the Legend Begins" is one of his favourite pieces of work throughout these 10 years in the entertainment circle.

Is it because he is very pleased of his acting? He continued to speak and smiled: "I can't say my acting is very good, rewatching I still think I have a lot of things to improve." He reveals, watching the series for more than 5 times he would still cry because it is very touching. He said: "The story is very interesting, the first time I was filming this series I would always go and ask the producer what the next chapter will be about."

He thinks: "Cho Jiet is very lonely, his personality is weak or he would've got together with Yan Fook. Meeting up with a loved one is not easy, if it was me I would've tried my best to get together with her."

Would you tell your loved one to give up on her acting job? He said: "See what happens, if she don't work it is not good. I need to think about it, if she give up her career, can I still look after my family, can I take good care of her. I can't tell her the only one to go outside and work, I must look after my family!"

Do you have a girlfriend? He said "This one..This one" He couldn't speak constantly with this question.

He reveals, "if I am already married then there's no point of telling the press unless I got pictures taken by the reporters then there is no other way to solve it." He continued to speak: "I don't think secretly dating is that hard, you can stay home instead and can still date at home instead of going out."

He also reveals, he would not like other movie stars living together because before getting married to give each other some privacy and then after getting married you will be living together anyway so he would rather do it this way.

http://forums.cinple.net/stevenma

[Ta Kung Pao]

As well as breaking the markets in Hong Kong, Steven Ma also has intentions of making a name for himself in the mainland, so he has recently signed with Beijing company Xingze International in a management contract and hopes that this will help with his career in China.

Steven introduces the company, saying that although it was only set up this year, its services are very wide, covering arranging work for artistes, distribution of productions, management of large scale musicals, themed advertisement production and other cultural facilities. There are many well known artistes signed with them, such as "Bronze Teeth"'s Wang Gang, Golden Horse Best Actress Qin Hailu, martial arts action master Yuen Biao and Japanese star Kuriyama Chiaki. Steven was introduced to the company whilst filming in China last year through mainland star Li Yu.

Steven says that the company also has a branch in Japan, so he can also take this opportunity to break into the Japanese markets, but as he has little knowledge of Japanese, he is working at this a the moment. When it was suggested that he should find himself a Japanese girl to help him with his Japanese, Steven did not agree, saying: "We would not be able to communicate and anyhow I have already been to Hokkaido on vacation and the tour guide said that the girls there are very bad-tempered and demanding, so he feels he will not be able to meet their needs and they will not be his girlfriend."

In September, Steven will be heading back to TVB to film a new series. As he has not filmed for over a year and there have been some staff changes recently, he is worried that he will not feel comfortable on his return. When asked if he had met with new boss Lok Yik Ling, Steven says that he met her earlier, but has not heard her mention any new policies. As he made his contract in February with Chan Koon Ming, changing to a per-show contract, then he feels that there will not be any major effects on him.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-8-12/UL-292956.htm

credits to http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

Hhmmm.. he is filming a TVB series in Sept. Wonder what series it is. Anyone have any idea?? The only series I can think of that will be starting soon is the one with Michelle Yip & Liza Wang and they have not decided on the male lead. However, news on this series say that it will begin in November. Maybe Steven is going back to HK in Sept for preparation??

Steven is my favorite HK male actor!!!! He can really act!!! Like, most actors can't cry and he can!!! Anyways, when you say he's gonna film in september, do you mean sept. of 2004 or of 2005?


I think he should film another serie w/Ada cause they look the best together!!!

hi, im new here but some of u guys must have seen me before. Steven said he will atleast film one series for TVB this year. If i remember correctly, on the other website that i saw several weeks ago, Steven is gonna shoot a new series with Louisa So, Alex Fong and Michelle Ye but its unconfirmed.

I hope its gonna be confirmed.

Steven Ma Chun Wai earlier attended a concert in Shenzhen as the Guangdong Radio environmental protection ambassador. This was Ma Jai's first performance in Shenzhen. The driver was not familiar with the director and circled the venue for half a hour before finding the road to backstage. He joked that he has worked all over China but never expected to be lost in Shenzhen.

http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/2038/040825.html

[Ta Kung Pao 31/08/04]

At the request of Nanjing Television, Steven Ma was invited to take part in one of the top rated variety shows alongside other guests such as Bobby Au Yeung and Flora Chan. During the show, Steven had to do a comedy sketch with host Chen Yi, where he played Popeye and had a great time. Steven's series "Where the Legend Begins" and "Perish in the Name of Love" have both aired on mainland television and he has many fans in China. During filming in Nanjing, he received a rather special gift from one of his fans. Steven explains: "One 19-year old female fan has taken a year to write a 100,000 word novel for me using my own experiences as a blueprint for the male lead."

The fan passed the manuscript to Steven backstage and left him very touched and surprised. Her sincerity really shocked Steven and the story tells of Steven's former life being that of a monk, so in this life, he also has a very strong link to Buddha. He agrees with this theory and he hopes to be able to publish her work or pass it to a director to see if it can be made into a film.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-8-31/UL-300277.htm
Credits to Em - http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

here`s some news, isyok9394


Since Bernice Liu and Frankie Lam's relationship was written off the storyline of "Virtues of Harmony", a lot of viewers started to feel a void. To keep the audience watching, Steven Ma was asked to appear on the show and pair up with Linda Chung. Steven immediately took the offer and came back to TVB, although he had plans working on other projects.

It is said that Steven Ma's agent got him some high-profile projects, including a serial titled "Heros Don't Cry" co-starring Alec Su. In the meantime, Steven was supposed to tour the US and Canada, in addition to shooting movies. Now that he promised to push the other projects back and work on "Virtues of Harmony" for a half month, he might lose more than one million HK Dollars.

When asked to confirm it, Steven said, "Ha, I'm not that selfless! It just happens that the TV projects my agents got me have been pushed back, and shooting for 'Virtues of Harmony' doesn't interfere with my other schedules, so here I am!"

Steven and Linda started shooting their scenes yesterday. Although they had never worked before, they looked in sync. Asked to comment on Steven, Linda kept praising him. "He's given me tons of suggestions, and he's such a patient veteran! I'm still a newcomer and I sometimes make mistakes, but he always tells me it's okay and we can start over again, which puts me at ease."

http://hk.tv.yahoo.com/news/ent/0040917012014tl1.html
Credits to Em - http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

[Ta Kung Pao, 2004-09-19]
Steven Ma and Linda Chung were shooting for "Virtues of Harmony" in Sheung Wan yesterday. As the plot went, Linda thought Steven was a lascivious guy, so she gave him a lesson and made him suffer until he got hurt. Later, Linda realized Steven was actually a good man, so she started taking care of him to compensate for her mistake. Little did she know Steven was playing with her and wasn't all that hurt. When Linda finally discovered the truth, she slapped Steven in the face.

Steven laughingly said this was his fourth time being slapped by Linda. He had also been hit in the chest, and would continue to be hit all over in the future. "Fortunately, Linda is a pretty woman, so it's all worthwhile." Steven also said bickering and fighting scenes were usually very difficult, but Linda did them unbelievably well.

In real life, Steven has never been hit by a girl. He has two fatal spots--being slapped and being cussed out. If either scenario happens, he'll lose his temper. Steven considers himself well-mannered, and he believes he will not be hit for wrongdoing. He also says he will never date foul-mouthed girls.

Since Linda did the hitting scenes really well, was she worried she might be mistaken as a sassy girl off the camera? Linda laughed, "No, I'm not this type. People will not think I'm like the character I portray."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-9-19/UL-307529.htm
Credits to Em - http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

I wish Steven will be in another movie with Nadia. It would be great if they would sing a song together as well. Both of them are terrific singers.

what movie was he in with nnadia?

cause i think i missed it

I don't know of any movies with Nadia, but for TVB series - It's The Realm of Success - they were so cute in that! I think it was that series that made me fall for him so badly!

What do people think of him in VOH? looks really funny, havent seen it myself yet

does steven have any new series out? hes' a great actor and singer too!!!

"virtues with harmony" sound so familiar.....what is it about?

"Virtues of Harmony" is a long running sitcom, it stars Nancy Sit, Bondy Chiu, Michael Tse, Frankie Lam, Bernice Liu, Cutie Mui among others. for more info maybe you could go to this site:

http://voh2.freehomepage.com

Here's some screencaps from VOH II... it's a scene where Steven acts as a beggar and gets thrown out onto the streets



Credit to MetalAZNWarrior!

that's it, now i really gotta start watching virtues of harmony 2

do you know what episode steven starts to appear?

I never heard Steven's songs before. Is he a good singer? I really enjoy his movies. Is any movie of his coming out lately besides VOH.

Francis Yip (Lai Yee) and Steven Ma will have two performances at Niagara Falls (Toronto, Canada) on Nov. 17 and 18. They will have two more performances in Dallas and Houston (Texas, USA) on Nov. 20 and 22 respectively. The shows in Toronto will feature a 21-member symphony orchestra, and it will look like a concert.

Since this kind of performance hasn't been done in Canada or the US in recent years, Yip and Ma both take it very seriously. They have met up for a few times, gone through the list of the songs to be performed, and discussed the details of the shows carefully. According to Francis, this is her second time working with Steven. She got to know Steven in 1998 when he performed on her "Truth, Benevolence and Beauty" concert as a special guest. Steven left a deep impression on Francis, as he was not only a nice guy, but also a filial son. Steven's mother was very sick at that time, and he always visited her in the hospital as long as he had a few minutes to spare. Francis was also impressed with Steven's beautiful voice. She said he could handle the stage very well, and she had confidence in him.

Steven looks up to Francis as an elder sister, and admires her singing skills. Since the four shows in Canada and the US will all be live performances with live bands, Steven is very happy and excited, as he believes this will be a challenging experience.

http://www.wenweipo.com/news.phtml?news_id...10006&cat=011EN

Credits To http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

Hello,

I would like to attend Steven's concert either in Dallas or Houston. Do you know how do I get the tickets and more information about the show? Thank you

[Ta Kung Pao 09/10/04]

Steven Ma, Julian Cheung and Gigi Lai were filming a clip for next year's sales presentation. The new series "Juet Sai Mo Seung" (Ultimate Unequalled) is adapted from a computer game, so there will be a lot of special effects and wire scenes. Steven feels that this is quite a fresh idea, so he hopes that this show will be filmed for real and he can be part of it.

Steven will soon be heading into the mainland to film several series, so he will not be taking part in the TVB anniversary celebrations this year. This will be the first time he has missed the show since joining TVB. He is currently filming for "Virtues of Harmony" and he says he is having a good time because there is no gossip in this series and all the cast members are very friendly. Although he has just joined, they are all looking after him and buy him breakfast nearly every day, so he often pays for food too.

Gigi plays a Tang Princess for this clip and she says that as her exterior is quite tough, she often plays concubines and princess roles, so the producer has suggested that she tries some other characters. She has been busy filming recently as well as taking part in promotions, so she would most like to take a long holiday in the near future to recharge her batteries before launching back into her work after the new year.

Julian has never liked filming ancient period dramas where he has to wear a wig, but he does not mind shooting this presentation clip. When asked if he has discussed any new series with TVB, he says that he has been in constant negotiations and if there is a suitable role, then he will definitely accept it.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-10-9/UL-315322.htm

credit to Em @ http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

[Ta Kung Pao 11/10/04]

Maggie Cheung, Steven Ma and Kenneth Chan were in Guangzhou yesterday taking part in the opening ceremony of Manning's Guangzhou branch. At the event, they all took part in an activity where they took on the roles of beauty consultant, pharmacist and nutritionist within the store. Having played a doctor before in "Healing Hands", Steven seemed to be very comfortable and experienced in the part of the pharmacist, Maggie had previously discussed beauty techniques with her own beauty consultant, so she was convincing as the beautician and Kenneth laughed that if he did not want to host "Millionaire", then being a nutritionist was not a bad choice.

With the gain in popularity thanks to "War and Beauty", Maggie attracted quite a crowd on this visit to Guangzhou and there were often cries of "on Sin" coming from the public and she could only leave with the protection of security and her assistants. After the opening ceremony, the three stars were interviewed by the press and Maggie was the most pursued person of the three.

The popularity of "War and Beauty" has brought with it a fair share of gossip and there have been rumours of conflict between the leading females on and off the screen, with Maggie being accused of not getting on with the other ladies. In response, she says: "Every time I get down to work hard, then there will be rumours. At least it proves that I am working hard though." Maggie also indicates that she will just get on with her job and ignore what other people say.

The success of "War and Beauty" has led to suggestions that TVB will be filming a sequel, but Maggie says that she has only heard this from the media and not received any formal notification of this. She says that if there is a follow up, then she does not know whether to play On Sin's mother or a young On Sin, but if the script is a good one, then she hopes to be a part of it. As for when she was asked about the homosexuality rumours by the press, Maggie says that she does not want to talk about this topic any more because there has already been too much coverage.

Maggie will formally begin filming for "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" in mid-October and she indicates happoly that she will not be in Hong Kong for the remainder of the year as she will be filming in the mainland. It appears that she is happy to be away from the land of rumours - Hong Kong. There were reports earlier that Cheung Suk Ping was unhappy with Maggie's attitude and refused to design costumes for her, but Maggie says: "The costumes for this show have not yet been confirmed yet and are still being studied. I hope that we can look at the first few scenes that are filmed before we decide on the final look."

Taking part in "Virtues of Harmony" recently, Steven plays a rich boy who has had his fortune swindled out of him by his relatives. There have been reviews that he plays this rich man in trouble role very well, but Steven says that his own upbringing was very different from the rich guy and he only had the attitude but not the material wealth of a rich boy.

Earlier there were rumours that in the finale of "Virtues", Steven's character will fall in love with Nancy Sit's 'Chi Goo'. When asked about this suggestion by the press, Steven laughs out loud and says: "Fall in love with Chi Goo? Someone actually believes that? Why don't you say I fall in love with Kingdom Yuen? In fact, my character has a romance with Michelle (Hung Pak Lam) and I think that the ending for them is that they will get married, but they are still considering it. Maybe they will arrange for me to get my riches back in the end."

Kenneth is currently filming for "My Date with a Vampire 3", but as this is yet to air and the hype surrounding "Millionaire" has died down, he became the last choice for any interviews and was left with just a few reporters asking him random questions. When the reporters surrounded Maggie and Steven, Kenneth sneaked away quietly and was not seen off by any members of the press. Compared to his popularity during the days of "Millionaire" when Kenneth was flooded on his promotions in Guangzhou, then you can only sigh at the harsh reality of showbiz.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-10-11/UL-315879.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-10-11/UL-315873.htm
Credits to Em - http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

Steven is in episode 365 onwards. I'm not sure how many he's in the show for. But I'm sure he's gonna be great especially alongside Linda Chung.

i love steven, so much! hey does anyone know when VOH 2 will come out? i wanna see stven

are we allowed to post pix here?

[Ta Kung Pao 16/10/04]

Steven Ma and Linda Chung were filming yesterday in Yuen Long's Tai Tong Lychee Garden for "Virtues of Harmony" in a riding scene where they ride together on a horse in a rather touching scene. As Linda is a Miss Chinese International winner, then to be able to ride with her is the wish of many a young man, but in the show, it tells of Linda mistaking Steven for a pervert and she kicks him off the horse. Having to play this 'falling' scene left Steven bearing many hardships.

Steven was asked how he felt about sitting on a saddle with a beautiful lady, speaking a lot of lines and getting 'up close' with her and he says forcing a smile: "What would you feel with a pair of thick leather gloves on? This time it really got in the way." When asked what had 'got in the way', he says looking rather embarrassed: "'Little Ma' got in the way, I had to make room for Linda, so I had to make him a little uncomfortable."

Steven has been with the cast of "Virtues" for a month now and since his appearance, the ratings have averaged at 31 points, making him very happy, but he does not understand why his character is always accused of being perverted and is often beaten up.

Also, Linda was asked if she felt embarrassed about getting so close to Steven. She says that she will not because they were just sitting on the horse together and it was not a kissing or cuddling scene. Also she is not afraid of riding and felt that the horse behaved very well. For TVB's anniversary celebrations this year, there will be a section that requires twelve newcomers to take part, who will go on to become the next group to be promoted. With rumours that Linda will be among the twelve, she says that if she has the chance to take part, then she will do her best to take part in all the anniversary events.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2004-10-16/UL-317947.htm
Credits to Em - http://www.tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

right now i'm watching better halves...i live in canada...yeah so..hes so funny in there, i love him. btw i heard he's going to be on VOH...were we talking bout the 1 or 2? if it's 2..can anyone tell me what day its gonna be showing on tv in canada on farchild tv?thx

Love Steven!
Will he be in any other serie soon except VOH?

ekek.. hes so cute .. luved him in PITNOL and lotsa other series.. ekek cute manz.. =] his acting is sooo gud and i lub his singing his voice is soo gud!!! =]

He's ADORABLE.. His smile makes me smile. He's not exactly the best or close to being the best looking guy .. but he's someone that I would want as a bf. lol

i love steven ma. he looks so handsome, and clean. he's da type of guy that i want to marry. hehe. i love him in Better Halves. so cheeky and cute!

Steven's in VOH II, the modern version. it's not going to show in Canada for a while because they haven't gotten that far in airing it yet.

some news



[Ta Kung Pao 03/11/04]

TVB's special anniversary programme "Stepping Up in Hong Kong - Conquering the Giant Buddha" was filmed at Lantau Island's Giant Buddha statue yesterday, hosted by Cheng Dan Shui and Sonija Kwok and artistes taking part including Jessica Hsuan, Steven Ma, Myolie Wu, Cally Kwong, Anne Heung, Shirley Yeung, Gregory Lee, Linda Chung, Joyce Tang, Sunny Chan, Yumiko Cheng and Deep Ng. As well as the stars taking part in the team race, there were over a hundred other runners up the steps to the Buddha, with the winner doing a lap of honour with Jessica.

Steven Ma was filming for "Virtues of Harmony" until the early hours the previous night and then had to head to Lantau Island for this event yesterday, so he was feeling very tired, especially in the eyes. He says that he did not want to take part in this event at first, but as the company had invited him in good faith so many times, he agreed in the end and luckily he has been doing a lot of exercise lately, so he was still able to complete it despite not having enough sleep. Steven says that many people have pointed out that he has lost weight, but he has just reduced some of his body fat, but has actually put on weight. He says that he would like to have a six-pack so that he can shoot some rather masculine photographs showinga naked upper body, but nothing pornographic!

Em - http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

i like steven ma~ hes so cool....
only in most of the series... i kinda don't like him in perish in the name of love series.... doesnt seem to be "him"
hahaha... sometimes he hgas funny roles.... only like him as if he is like a kid in a way... he has the face to do it... ~~ but overall his acting is pretty goood~

I think he's cool but i think it's gonna take him a while before he gets really really popular. He's just a banana waiting to get ripe

I used to hate Steven a lot because he didnt know how to act...
but eversince i watched the lastest series of him
i actually fell in love with him
great actor and can both serious and funny
support him =D

Hmm, i don't know if you are referring to the wrong show or you don't even know who Steven Ma is, cause the one in return of the cuckoo with charmaine was Julian not Steven.
He's not really good-looking but he can be quite cute. He look cute with charmaine but they don't really have much chemistry.

i totally agree!! he's a good actor+he's cute!! he makes a good couple w/everyone he acts w/except maggie cheung. not that i don't lyk her, they just don't make a good couple.

haha.. wow.. steven lookx so different now.. he seemz kinda older..haha.. buh he still lookx good..hahaha.. nd yesh ofcourse hez a good singer.. i itnk if u saw his series b4 den i tink most of dem hez da one dat sings da themesongs.

[Ta Kung Pao 01/12/04]

Steven Ma has been on tour in USA and Canada with veteran singer Francis Yip and when he returned to Hong Kong earlier, he learned the news of James Wong's death, that left him rather upset.

Steven says that the tour went well and he was very happy, but this bad news has pushed his emotions rock bottom. He says: "I have been in the industry for ten years and Uncle Jim watched me mature. On this tour, we sung Uncle Jim's favourite song 'Two Forgotten in the Misty Waters' and his sudden departure makes me very sad." He also says that the first TV show that he hosted, "Motherland Fun Quiz" was with Uncle Jim and when he published his first book, the preface was written by Uncle Jim, showing how much he cared for Steven. Because of Uncle Jim's death, Steven is very unhappy, but he will respect Uncle's wish for people to send him on his way with a smile and lock away the memories in his heart, turning the feelings of sadness into the drive to do well.

Also, Steven says that Frances was like a big sister to him, often giving him advice and with the performances going so well, he is very grateful to her.

Credit to Em at http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

Strange things are happening at TVB City again! "Virtues of Harmony" was filming a scene earlier when a ghostly image of Anita Mui's 'Yu Fa' from the film "Rouge" seemed to appear on the screen.

Since "Virtues" began filming, everything has run extremely smoothly, but two nights ago, but readers have reported that when the show was aired earlier, an image of a lady wearing forties clothing and resembling Yu Fa could clearly be seen in a scene featuring Steven Ma and Linda Chung that was rather scary!

Currrently filming in Hengdian, Steven was asked about this and he was a little sceptical, saying: "I don't think so! Don't scare me! That episode was shot in around November and there was nothing there when we filmed it. Actually we were very happy then, maybe it was a shadow from the lighting." Linda Chung's manager responded: "Linda has returned to Vancouver now, there was nothing special when she filmed it."

The reader took the footage to see a soothsayer yesterday and when he saw it, he was rather shocked too saying it really did look like her. He said: "It is really like a lady wearing forties clothing, in a chipao and with wavy hair." When asked if this was the spirit of Anita, Mr Yu said: "It is hard to tell, but it is definitely a woman. If it is Anita, then maybe she has an unfulfilled wish, so she still stays in the human world, especially in places that she liked, so it is not unusual at all."

Also, Rabee'a Yeung was out filming for a travel programme earlier and at the press conference, she said that when she was visiting Huangshan, she thinks she met a ghost in the hotel. She said: "One night I was asleep when I heard that there was a loud snoring noise beside me, but there was just me in the room, so I switched on the light! There was no-one there and I was pretty scared."

Credit to Em at http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

i like steven so much in voh2. He's so cute and young looking!

Yay!!! I'm soo glad to see that Steven will be on VOH 2!! My family and I are hooked on VOH 2. It has a lot of guest stars and I was wondering when Steven was going to be on it! Finally! I'm excited and can't wait to see it as I am a HUGE Steven's fan!!! I hope he has a lot of screen time!! Is he going to be on anymore of TVB series? I hope so, he's soo great!! Too bad he's not on the TVB 2005 calendar
Nevertheless, I ADORE STEVEN!!!

screencaps from a concert Steven did in Toronto, Canada.. credit to SilverStar!

[Ta Kung Pao 01/01/05]

Steven Ma was in Hengdian earlier to guest star in a "Universal" mainland production of "The Exile of Lady Wang". Steven is making a guest performance in the character of 'Wang Mang', working opposite veteran Mainland actors including Tang Guo Qiang and Sun Chun, making him very excited to be able to share acting experiences with them. The production company treated their artistes well and whilst in Hengdian, Steven was accommodated in a top class hotel and also worked with an extremely professional cast and crew, leaving him very relaxed and able to improve his acting abilities.

This series stars Gallen Lo and Rain Li and in the show, Steven will have a romantic lead with Rain's 'Lady Wang' character and be working closely with her, but will not have any scenes with Gallen. He says: "It is very strange, Gallen has worked at TVB for over twenty years and I have been with them for eleven but we have never worked together before and now we are in the same series but still do not get to fulfil our wish to co-operate." Steven hopes that there will be a day when they can get together and make a good show.

Universal have put a lot of emphasis on this production and during filming, held a special press conference where Gallen, Rain and Steven had a chance to meet the public. Steven has a lot of fans in the area and they not only arrived early brandishing Steven's books and photographs, when Steven handed out bookmarks to them, they fought crazily to get them. As Steven was in his ancient costume, one tug from a fan at his clothes nearly brought him to the ground, but luckily he was caught by a member of the security team and escaped danger. Steven's fans also called out: "Steven, you are so good looking!" making him extremely happy.

Hengdian has become China's largest film and TV production city and whilst he was there, Steven bumped into old friends Daniel Chan and Ewong Yung. "I never thought I would meet so many friends here. Although this is my first time here, it does not feel strange at all and I have a very good impression of the place."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-1/UL-348564.htm
Credits to Em - http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

[Ta Kung Pao 04/01/05]

TVB sitcom "Virtues of Harmony" will be ending its run at the end of this month and yesterday marked the last studio shoot for the series so a special party was held to mark the occasion with cast members including Nancy Sit, Joyce Chen, Bondy Chiu, Michael Tse, Louis Yuen, Johnny Tang, Kingdom Yuen, Lind Chung and Steven Ma taking part.

During the event, they cut and shared a cake and also drew lots of faces on prop eggs before sticking them onto a map, signifying that they will continue to bring laughs to many different places. Linda and Rain Lau were rather sentimental as they cried about the show coming to an end. Joker Louis then went on to laugh at Nancy, saying: "There are a few of us here who are 37, but you don't choose us and go outside, that's not fair!" He then went on to put tape on his lips and wear a cap, imitating Nancy's boyfriend before pretending to kiss her, making her laugh hard. After that he then imitated William Hung as he fed Nancy some cake and everyone was in fits of laughter.

Afterwards, Nancy laughed: "I did not know that Michael, Louis, Frankie [Lam] and Johnny were all 37 years old. However, I do not have a generation gap with them at all." Since Nancy revealed her relationship, her colleagues have often joked with her, but she does not mind because she knows they are all just happy for her. As for her boyfriend, he was a little wary at first, but now he is fine. However, she is still not prepared to bring her boyfriend out to meet the other artistes yet because she is worried he cannot handle it. As for the show drawing to a close, Nancy says: "After filming for four years, I will miss it because we have all shared so much together, such as suffering sunstroke, but there will always be a time when we have to say goodbye. Also I am very thankful for TVB for paying my children's school fees for so long, now even if they want to study masters, then this is not a problem." It is estimated that through filming "A Kindred Spirit" and "Virtues", Nancy has made an eight figure sum.

Nancy was originally flying out to Malaysia on the 8th to take part in an awards ceremony because she has been voted as one of the top ten most popular TV characters, but after the Tsunami disaster, all entertainment activities have been suspended, so the trip may be postponed. If that is the case, then she will take part in the Hong Kong fundraising activities on Friday.

Linda and Steven's characters in "Virtues" have a happy ending as the couple finally tie the knot and yesterday they wore their wedding outfits for the party, where Linda shed a few tears because she did not want the show to end. She says that as this is her first job since winning the Miss International Pageant last year and staying in Hong Kong, she has been here alone, so with the crew always laughing and joking, she has been very happy and they are all nice and treat her like family, so she does not want to leave them. Even if they play tricks on her sometimes, she does not mind at all.

Although the studio scenes have finished now for "Virtues", Linda still has some location shoots left and will not have completely finished until tomorrow. Afterwards, she will begin preparing for her new series "Always on Standby". As she will be playing the only woman in the Government Flying Services team, she will soon be following them in their work so that her portrayal will be convincing.

Steven has worn a wedding suit for filming on many occasion, so he does not feel anything special about it, but he is pleased that he still matches Linda, who is just 20 years old, 12 years younger than him. As for Linda crying, Steven says: "I guess I have only been filming with them for three to four months and not three to four years like some of the others, so if I had to pretend to be emotional, I would not even convince myself." He also says that the artistes in the show have a very strong bond and it is difficult to tell when they are acting and when they are for real. For example, when he said hello earlier to Bondy Chiu, she replied coldly: "I don't know you very well." making Steven think he had upset her, later he found out that this was just how they spoke to each other on set.

After finishing "Virtues", Steven will be heading out to Beijing for some promotional work and then filming an advertisment in Guangzhou. After the Chinese New Year, he will be heading back to the mainland to film another series. He laughs: "The pay for mainland productions is much higher, but the only thing I am not used to is that they like to pay in cash when the job is completed and in $100 notes, so my manager has to get his hands dirty counting all the money."

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-4/UL-349401.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-4/UL-349402.htm
Credits to Em - http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

[Ta Kung Pao 07/01/05]

Sitcom "Virtues of Harmony" will be airing its last episode on 22nd of this month and on that night, there will be a live broadcast show. As all the filming is now complete for the show, the cast members including Nancy Sit, Kingdom Yeun, Michael Tse, Bondy Chiu, Joyce Chen and Steven Ma had a celebratory dinner earlier, sharing the show's success with the rest of the cast and crew. TVB Production Executive Catherine Tsang was also present and as well as asking her sponsors to donate many gifts for the raffle, Nancy also gave out a $10,000 prize from her own pocket.

Reports indicate that the ancient version of the show reached 326 episodes and the modern version amassed 443 episodes, giving a grand total of 769 that is among TVB's records. The Korean Series "Dae Jang Geum" (Jewel In The Palace) will be aired in place of "Virtues". When asked if she would miss the cast, Catherine indicated that she would not because we can still see them in other series. After finishing filming today, Nancy will start work immediately on an advertisement before heading out to Malaysia to receive an award and therefore unable to attend the fundraising show tomorrow. Nancy says that at first when Catherine approached her to do the ancient "Virtues" series, she was afraid of the hard work at one point and wanted to turn it down, but after much persuasion, she stayed on and never imagined that the show would have such a great reception and break such a record. She smiles: "Although sometimes Catherine can be quite stern, she is very accurate when it comes to most things."

Steven filmed his last scene earlier and this was to pay his respects at a temple memorial hall. Also, he was filming at a cemetary on New Year's Day, but he says he is not superstitious. He says: "I remember when I was filming a few years ago for 'Perish in the Name of Love' and the afternoon when I received the news of my grandmother's death was followed by an evening session where I had to wear red wedding clothes to film a marriage scene. I felt really awful about it, but afterwards I thought it through and as an artiste, I should not worry about these things too much and even if I have to lie in a coffin, then I will do it, but I have to ask for a lucky packet." Also Steven went to Guangzhou yesterday to film for an advertisement and so he will not be able to join the fundraising show, but he has already donated $20,000.

Joyce will be taking a holiday soon to Shanghai and Beijing. At first she was planning to go to Japan, but after hearing that there may be earthquakes and tsunamis there too, then she has changed her mind and decided to go to Shanghai to see the development there and maybe find herself a handsome man. Although her manager Yuen has often tried to introduce her to a partner and they are all financially founded, Joyce only wants someone she can connect with. Whether they are rich or not does not matter, so she has still not found the one. She smiles: "I hope that after 'Virtues' ends, people can start to forget the rumours between me and Johnny Tang."

Linda will begin filming for TVB's new series "Always on Standby" soon and as the character of 'Hung Pak Nam' in "Virtues" was too popular, she is planning to cut her hair to give viewers a different perspective of her.

Michael will be marrying his fiancee Tina next Friday and they will be holding a wedding reception at the Hong Kong Country Club for their family and friends. After finishing filming for "Virtues" in the early hours of the morning, he was still handing out invitations. Yesterday, Michael and Tina were invited onto Nancy's Metro Radio show for an interview and were presented with Lotus Seeds, lucky packets and an electric rice cooker.

Michael was full of good words for his fiancee, saying she has a wonderful and straight personality and is full of love. He adds that although he has been dating Tina for eleven years, they still feel like they have just fallen in love and when he holds he hand, he will still sweat and when he sits beside her, he still feels rather emotional. He also remembers there were a few problems when he proposed to his fiancee, because when he was on a skiing holiday with Tina last year in Canada, he had prepared a ring to propose to her on the top of a mountain. In order to surprise her, he seemed rather relaxed along the way there and just kept the ring in their bags, with Tina not noticing. However, on the first day of the holiday, someone broke into their car and stole their bags with the ring inside and it was only when he explained the contents to the police that Tina realised how sincere he was and she was so touched that she was speechless.

Tina says sweetly: "Seeing Michael's expression when he lost the ring, he was both flushed and pale at the same time and I had never seen him so excited. Usually he just sees money and other material items very lightly, but that night, he could not sleep at all." Michael says that when he had to describe the ring and its value to the police, his fiancee was shocked. However, it was all a strong memory and at least he won his lady's heart.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350652.htm
http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-7/UL-350646.htm
Credits to Em - http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

[Ta Kung Pao 11/01/05]
Steven Ma and Linda Chung were filming a final scene for "Virtues of Harmony" earlier in a scene where Linda's character thinks she has a terminal disease and hides away in a nunnery, not letting Steven find her. In order to tempt her into revealing herself, Steven wears a monk's outfit and pretends to become a monk.

During filming, when Steven arrived in costume, he found that wardrobe had prepared a monk's outfit for him, but with it was a 'Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain' hat. He thought that this was a bit strange and amusing and as he is always quite careful with his appearance, he was doubtful, but ever the professional, he put it on anyway.

When Linda saw his strange appearance, she did not find him ugly nor did she laugh at him and even helped him to fix his costume. When the crew saw this, they found them both very funny indeed. Finally, Steven picked up his broom and played out a modern version of the classic opera scene in the monastery full of comedy as well as romance.

http://www.takungpao.com/news/2005-1-11/UL-352106.htm
Credits to Em - http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

[Ta Kung Pao, The Sun & Oriental Daily 22/01/05]

After a four year run, the TVB situation comedy blockbuster "Virtues of Harmony" is finally drawing to a close as the final episode is aired this evening. As well as the originally planned ending, there will also be a half hour special for the show's cast to share some of the interesting moments over the years.

In the show, Steven Ma will be explaining the earlier news about the ghostly apparition of a figure resembling Anita Mui in an earlier episode. He says: "When I was shooting the scene, there was a canvas bookcase behind us and on the shelf was a magazine. The image could have been from the magazine, but afterwards, the crew could not find any trace of the magazine." He also says that when the episode was aired, he was in Hengdian filming and only saw it when a friend emailed it to him. Apart from this scene, another spooky time was when three heads appeared on the kitchen counter whilst Linda Chung was in a scene cooking breakfast. Steven says: "I think that those must have been computer generated. (Are you afraid?) I have never been afraid of ghostly incidents because I have not done anything wrong."

As most of the cast members will be away doing stage appearances over the Chinese New Year, the cast and crew had an early New Year dinner and cast members present included Nancy Sit, Steven Ma, Linda Chung, Louis Yuen, Joyce Chen, Michael Tse and Bondy Chiu. The deputy director of drama department Catherine Tsang also took part an shared some funny moments with everyone as well as giving Nancy a big hug on the stage. During the event, many records set by "Virtues" were announced such as the 772 episodes each of 30 minutes resulting in 23,160 minutes of airtime; racking up 6,948,000 characters in the scripts that if stacked together would be over ten feet thick. Also the show used 33,196 metres of film that is almost as long as the Airport Express railway line.

Nancy, Louis, Michael and Cutie will be heading out to America on 26th for some stage shows and Nancy will also be seeking out a suitable university for her son on this trip. When asked if her boyfriend would be accompanying her, Nancy said hesitantly: "He is very busy, but I will be returning to Hong Kong on the fourth day of the new year because the fifth is Valentines day." Last year, as Nancy was busy filming for "Virtues", then even her stage performances were very rushed, always flying out at night and returning in the morning. However, now that the show has finished, she can breathe a sigh of relief and enjoy her trips. After the new year, she will be heading out to Australia and New Zealand to do stage shows. Originally, the promoters agreed to let her head back to Hong Kong early, but she insisted on staying a little longer to take in the sights.

Nancy led the rest of the cast members in a singalong at the event, but she was so excited that she fluffed the words and went out of tune, whilst Steven and Yu Yeung were rolling around causing great amusement. With happiness, there comes a moment of sadness and Nancy said weepily: "After filming, there will be a lot of people jobless again, but I know that Catherine will make arrangements. Although there were some 'meetings with the management' during filming, it was all for our own good."

Credit to Em at http://tvbspacenews.blogspot.com/

i love STEVEN MA hes cute and a good actorr...i like every series with him
STEVEN MA AND CHARMAINE SHEH LOOKS GREAT TOGETHER