Steven's 1st Villain Role

Reminiscing Steven's first villain role in 神算:不可思议星期二

credit  baidu steven ma

A rare video find & treat: Steven and Kevin Cheng co-starred in a 1993 不可思意星期二 (Twilight Tubes) episode: 神算 (Amazing Foretelling) A 21-minute episode with a twist similar to Twilight Zone. They were both so young then, and super cute.

--more -- screencaps credit: sm baidu

Review in Chinese - Where the Legend Begins

《乱世中，断肠梦》216期电视剧，作者端着茶
A review by a SM baidu ex-webmistress 端着茶跑 printed on a mainland tv series magazine.
She sent in her review to the magazine and to her delight it got printed.
Review in Chinese.

--- more-- in original review in Chinese

Where the Legend Begins

The review below is by : teeveebee @ spcnet

"In war times, peach blossoms are pushed along by the waves of the river…"

This metaphor-filled phrase aptly described the life of the main character of "Where the Legend Begins" ("Legend"). Yen Fok was the perfect woman. Radiantly beautiful, intelligent, learned, sensitive and kind-hearted, she was the embodiment of both internal and external beauty. It was this legendary beauty that cast her into a life she had little control of.


The story took place in the last days of the once glorious Han dynasty and the beginning of a period in Chinese history known as the era of the Three Kingdoms. The story began with the sacking of the city of Nip by Cao Cao’s army. Yen Fok and her family were "captured" in the battle and were brought back to Cao’s household as special guests. She instantly became the focus of the Cao males. Her admirers included Cao Cao himself, his elder son, Cao Pei and his youngest son, Cao Ji. A love quadrangle ensued. She deftly sidestepped the senior Cao’s romantic advances by declaring that her feelings for him were admiration and not love. The rest of the story was about the power struggle between Cao Pei and Cao Ji, with both vying not only for the position of the crown prince but also for the hand of the beautiful Yen Fok. Deep down, Yen Fok had long fallen for the care-free, kindhearted and poetically talented Cao Ji and they were in fact deeply in love. The rout of Cao Cao’s million strong forces in the Battle of the Red Wall sealed the fate of Cao Ji and set the love tragedy into motion. With the failure at Red Wall, Cao Cao saw his final opportunity of personally overthrowing the Han dynasty evaporate. He reckoned correctly that even though his youngest son would make an excellent emperor, he would have been too loyal to the Han dynasty to overthrow it. Wanting desperately for the Cao family to establish a new dynasty, he pinned his final hopes on the ruthless but much more practical Cao Pei by naming him the heir. He also declared that the future emperor would win the hand of the immensely popular Yen Fok because she could help him build rapport with the ordinary people. With that one decree, Cao Ji lost everything: the empire, his true love and his comradeship with his brother. Soon after Cao Cao’s death, Cao Pei, with the help of Sima Yi, forced the abdication of the Han Emperor and declared himself the new Emperor of the Wei Dynasty. His dead father’s dream was finally realized. Still regarding his brother Cao Ji as a threat, Cao Pei placed him in virtual exile far from the capital. Even though Yen Fok was now his wife and she even bore him a son, the flame of jealousy continued to burn strongly in the heart of Cao Pei. When he heard the malicious but false rumour that his son was in fact that of his brother’s, he was momentarily blinded by a jealous rage and ordered the death of Yen Fok. With the death of Yen Fok, Cao Ji became a broken man. The story finally came to its tragic conclusion.

The discussion of the story line of "Legend" would not be complete without at least a brief mention of the legend aspect of the show. The legend was in fact a supernatural one. According to the story, Yen Fok was the mortal embodiment of the Goddess of the River Luo ("Lok Sun" in Cantonese) who was punished to descend to Earth for causing a clash between her husband and another God in the Heavens. The idea was for her to live through the same experience in the mortal world and "learn" from her suffering. This is the Zen concept of achieving higher karma by reliving and learning from past errors. At the end of the show, it was suggested that Yen Fok would reunite with Cao Ji after their deaths and finally able to realize their unfulfilled love in immortal eternity. 

Assorted Images

I find Steven very sexy in the above picture.

After a 4 hour badminton game, had lunch at a Malaysian restaurant. 

uploaded by @米琇昇 sina weibo

Steven as a female imposter in Changes Of Destiny.  Reportedly, Steven applied his own make-up on himself.

Book of Words 2nd season

2011 02/27 20:55 
source: on.cc
 即时新闻; singpao

Steven Ma opened the new season of Book of Words using the friendship card by inviting good friends as guests.  Among them are Evergreen Mak, and Maggie Cheung and Pamela Peck Wan-kam (白韻琹). * When asked if as a host he will give some tips to his guests, Steven says he will not do that privately but during the actual hosting he will give out some hints.  Having discarded school bag for some years, this hosting had him empathized the pressure students feel during exam’s time. He says: “Prior to the recording, I would spend 2 days going through the dictionary and the internet to research for information as homework.  I was never this diligent before.” (as student)  

Today Fala Chen and Kenneth Ma are Steven Ma’s guests for Book of Words blessing ceremony and the first episode. However,  Fala does not have much confidence in herself, that they would have to depend on luck to do well as both she and Kenneth studied overseas; as such, their Chinese language proficiency is limited.  They would have to depend on her brother, Steven, for tips.

Other future guests may include Linda Chung, Tavia Yeung, 

n / u i<&( 
 Steven jibes that both Kenneth Ma and Fala Chen's level of Chinese Language proficiency is too low.

,O$Z,J4VL 
Book of Words blessing ceremony. Steven with his guests.

TN: Steven and Evergreen showed their traditional Chinese men's mentality with wearing some red to bring in good luck and prosperity to an enterprise.   Evergreen shows his goodwill to his good friend, Steve, with his red Chinese jacket.  Not sure if Fala donned the red blouse for the very same reason.

 

 pic credit: koni lui's weibo

*The news report omitted Koni Lui too as Evergreen's partner.
The program will air once every Monday starting Mar 14 at 10:30pm

weibo 2/27

 2/27 33 mins ago Steven weibo:  A well done and very romantic Christy & Calvin MV, Very meaningful! Thank you!

Steven has uploaded a fanmade mv of Calvin and Christie onto his weibo. I've also earlier uploaded the same video here RE: Christie and Calvin mv  earlier posting  Needless to say, the mv creator is in cloud nine to unexpectedly find her mv taking a special spot on Steven's weibo. Good for her, she did excellent job of picking the right song and meaningful cut scenes. My uploaded video here and on youtube are somewhat blurry, if like goto steven ma weibo or tudou to view a better quality video. And at the same time, drop by Steven weibo to say hi to him.

weibo 2/24- 2/27

 2/27 00:52
Actually doing "Book of Words" is quite tiring too, the fatigue does not come from the hosting portion, rather it is the need to do 'homework' .  Haha! It's like going back to school days, moreover, it's the exams time to boot... haha!  It's fine, whether as a look-back or to experience for oneself e pressure  faced by students; all are good experiences! P.S. But in actuality the behind the scene research staff is even more tired than I am! much thanks, let's add oil together!

原來做「正識第一」也挺累的，累不在主持部份，而是要做＂功課＂，哈哈，就像回到讀書時代，還要是考試時期呢......哈哈！好，當作回味一下也好，體驗一下同學們的壓力也好，都是很不錯的經驗！p.s.其實幕後做資料搜集的同事比我更累呢！辛苦哂，一起加油！


2/26  11:59

When I saw this photo, I laughed for a long time.  This little is just too precious!  Wishing everybody a happy Saturday, and also wishing Tsui Jie, my younger sister, and two younger brothers, all a very Happy Birthday, good health and happiness!  Best wishes!  看了這照片，我笑了很久很久，這小狗實太可愛了！祝大家有個愉快的星期六，也祝今天生日的徐姐、我妹妹、兩個細佬，全部生日快樂，健康幸福！恭喜恭喜！

2/25 17:50



The world is not as small as you think, the problem is not as big as you think!  Add oil, gather up your courage, go seek the road you want!  世界沒你想像中的小，困難沒你想像中的大！加油，鼓起勇氣，找你想、你要的路吧！

2/25 14:33
 
The Internet information is truly incredible. I myself don't even remember that clearly...haha!  So who is your favorite charactor? 網上資訊果然厲害，我自己都記不清了......哈哈！那你們最喜歡那一個角色呢？

7 days - good word of mouth feedback

haha! Accidentally came across a Benny Chan 陈浩民 fan weiboing Benny Chan's praises on 7 DIL for being a a good series.

Chan's reply to Sonija's repost of Steven's weibo entry:
Truly enjoyable to watch, that little kidnapped boy especially moved me. Truly (the series) has heart, hopefully all tvb series are of this standard, that'll be good.  真的很好看尤其是演被綁架的小朋友最感動我好真好有heart希望tvb部部都係咁嘅水準就好了

source: benny chan hao ming weibo

MV 7 Days: From start to finish

credit: steven ma baidu
youtube

A short 7 days' event but forever imprinted in Christie's memory.
作词:李焯雄
作曲:吴熙俊
歌手：张信哲 Jeff Chang
song: 从开始到现在

From Beginning to Now

If this is the best ending

How come I still cannot forget you?

Time has changed us, sent off innocence

If reunited but still can’t continue

What’s lost is the true eternity

Punishing my own seriousness, I had truly being too naive.

Refrain: 
So, is this how I’ll live the rest of my life?

That my kisses are destined not for kissing the person I love most.

My waiting for you from the beginning to my expectations for the present 

all likewise ended up impossible.

So, love is transferable to another person?

But fate has predestined (I)can’t keep the person I love.

I can’t. How can I admit you are someone I shouldn’t have loved?

If to meet again just so to part again?

The loss is the true eternity

One new memory, why regenerate another?

Refrain 

What can be used as evidence?
Have never thought of loving someone
Does it have to be this cruel just to prove love is deep?

Refrain

7 Days: Calvin, a different type of kidnapper and extortionist.

Calvin, an atypical kidnapper from the usual belligerent kidnappers, talks in an almost hypnotizing tone; his voice low and controlled, even and smooth, soothing and cultured.  He could have  been a night DJ counseling his listeners through his mike about confession of mistakes and repentance of sins instead of being a kidnapper mercilessly extorting his victim.  Calvin is sincere when he says that he is playing Father Confessor to Mr. Chui so that he can repent his sins.  Unlike himself who will not get a deathbed confession of sins. 

Actually God did not give me a choice

7 Days: Calvin, best actor?

Calvin is a proud man who covers his vulnerabilities with flippancy.
I love Steven's nuanced and subtle expressions.
Calvin is a very contradictory person.

Outwardly:
an amoral philanderer, yet faithful to Christie.
unscrupulous, yet made/extorted Mr. Chui's public repentance.
ruthless yet shows random kindness to elderly couple (strangers)
self-absorbed yet takes time and effort to reconcile a young couple. (strangers)
exploitative yet caring to Judy as he gently kisses her on her temple and bequeaths her HKD10 millions.
brutal yet loves Christie wholeheartedly.
strong yet vulnerable.

Most contradictory of all: his smiles conceal while his eyes expose.

The below screencaps are just one of many scenes whereby his eyes belied his smiles, his facial expressions betrayed his outward behaviors, and his reflex actions (heart) overrules his put on actions (head). Steven did a brilliant job bringing life to Calvin.

  so burden and isolated, he suddenly feels an inexplicable urge to share his inner feelings

But at seeing Judy's fear, he quickly covers up his vulnerability with signature lopsided smile

 unfair to burden an innocent woman with his problems, he  turns on his flippancy switch

 hahaa! I was just kidding!

vote for Steven in NEXT Magazine

 2/25 19:59
Steven: Thank you! Even though awards and I are not fated, but thanks anyway!
多謝！雖然獎項從來與我無綠，但還是要多謝

@紫色Mandy：Once again it is the time for NEXT TV Grand Awards voting.  Ma Zai fans start voting now.  The dateline is 2011 March 6th.  Everybody, please support Ma Zai.

又係壹電視大奬2011投票選舉啦鍾意馬仔嘅粉絲快d去投票啦 nexttvawards.next.hk 截止日期2011年3月6日大家去支持馬仔啦@馬浚偉


NEXT link http://nexttvawards.next.hk/voting.html

for those who'd like to vote for Steven in NEXT magazine, don't let not having a HK ID#, stop you.
Make up HK ID =  one uppercase alphabet + 8 digits.  e.g. D21563575 (8) 

The 1^st category is the top 10 artistes.

Max 3 votes are allowed.

Steven is #83

When done click 下一頁 (next) button to continue

The 2nd category is the top 10 series.

Max 3 votes are allowed.

Steven related: 40) 7DIL  42) GW  43)LTT

When done click  下一頁 to continue.

Next are several non-Steven related categories

But the boxes must be ticked to proceed.

When done click the right button (confirm) to finish voting and proceed to personal info

NEXT has added a new feature this year, fans can create a special award for their idol.
請為下一屆「壹電視大獎」設計一個特別獎項，和寫出你心目中的得獎藝人。

The 1st box is the award title .. e.g --  The most underrated actor.
 In the 2nd box, cut and paste : 馬浚偉

特別獎項名：special title
你心目中的得獎藝人：actor

qq weibo

eta: Steven qq weibo's followers continue to increase rapidly, now have 403328.  

In less than a month, Steven's followers in qq weibo has increased to  302,685 strong compared to his sina of only 295,542.   Guess qq weibo has more Steven Ma fans?   The entries are usually same for both sina and qq weibos. But fans prefer posting on his sina weibo.  Most Chinese athletes patronized qq weibo.  And Steven has been written twice in the qq entertainment news about him using qq weibo. 



 Steven's first entry

2月9日 17:12  
New hand's here.  This is my first opening this weibo. (qq),  please advice!

source: http://t.qq.com/Bumblebeebee 
or click blue date to link

weibo 2/24

2/24 20:51 15 years ago I was actually already wearing Yik Jo On's pair of glasses, and had stolen a tv set to boot?  Haha! It's the joint that got hurt, not too serious, should get well pretty soon, thanks for your concern!




TN: What a cutiepie Steven was then. 15 years ago should make him about 25 years old then. But in the photo he looks like a student carrying his school bag to school.


2/24 15:28 That's why I always must do things in moderation!  This is what is called 'serve you right', who ask you to play so frenziedly for 6 straight hours? Serve you right!   活該！



2/23 15:03  A pair of legs that have been playing badminton from 9 am until now.... tired! But.. the feeling is so great!  So exhilarating !

7 Days: 19-20 episodes screencaps

check out screencaps from other episodes @

baidu steven screencap narration 

episode 19 & 20 

episode 19 only 

and lots lots more @ steven ma baidu

7 Days: a look behind the scenes per Steven weibo

A collection of behind the scenes documented in Steven Weibo.  Steven keeping his readers abreast of 7DIL shooting with candid snapshots and anecdotes. For brevity, weibo entries are abbreviated in captions.  @ 2010-4-3 15:01   Steven opened his weibo with these words:  Finally opened a weibo account. Hi, everybody! 

 

2010-4-3 18:34

7DIL has just started shooting the day before.Sharing a photo  of Mr. Burglar and Ms. Burglar. 

2010-4-4 11:11

Still shooting 7DIL

7 Days: ratings

Btw, the avg rating for 7DIL finale was 30 points peaked at 35 points.  Rippling Blossom' average rating was also 30 points peaked at 32 (some said 33) but "the cast held a celebratory dinner last night to celebrate it good rating".  (re: AF headline section) Wonder if their celebratory was given by TVB or not, when I read the "Rippling" news I thought for sure 7DIL's rating must be really bad since nothing was mentioned about it, not even by the cast on their weibo.  I'm disappointed with 7DIL's ratings, thought it might be higher. Its first week had a peak of 36 pts while the final week only peaked at 35 points, but at least it broke the 30 points mark.

1st episode average rating was 32 points peaked at 35 points.
1st week 28 points peaked 36
2nd week 24 points
3rd week 27 points peaked 30
4th week 30 points peaked 35

7 Days: 19 episode escape act 2

on youtube

7 Days: Images - how much does Mr. Yik love his red wine?

see the whole narrating screencaps with Chinese captions @ steven ma baidu  

7 Days: 19 episode escape

An encore presentation, first act, of Mr. Yik’s All in a day’s work as an elusive and invincible super thief. Discarding his suave and charming Mr. Yik’s facade, Calvin activates his disappearing act. But first, kudos to the background music and sound effects for building up an evocative atmosphere of anticipation.


1…Confident, calm, even smug, as he quickly and agilely scales the inside of an elevator. Nothing to it all, just a pro at work.

2…Straight back, quick steps, sharp darting eyes, alert; energized and in full control of situation as he strides confidently across the rooftop to his pre-planned escape route.

3…Unflappable when cornered, resourceful, nimble, audacious

4...signature lopsided smile, signature insouciance.

inward smile in appreciation of Christie's quick thinking, surely nobody knows him better than his very own dearest, beloved Christie whom he personally trained. Well done, student of mine, you did well."

weibo 2/20

Argh! Sonija's weibo message to Steven make me teary eyed. To think after all these years of misunderstanding, they could successfully brought to life their onscreen couple, Calvin and Christy, never mind becoming good friends again in real life. :waaa: Nothing is more touching or precious than genuine friendship between two people.

Sonija 2/20 00:12  Ma Gong Zi, I want to say this to you with the utmost sincerity, your acting skill is already extremely matured. Truly is a Robert De Niro. Acting is interactive. My thanks to you for inspiring me to make Christie, this character, come alive.


Steven: 2/20 23:17 Though 7 DIL has ended but at reading everybody's messages...truly very moved! So, for the very last time, upload a Yik Ji On's photo, hope everybody will like it! Thank you! Hasta la vista! Calvin

eta: steven ma weibo
sonija kwok weibo

马浚伟 @郭羡妮 sonija,今次和你拍七日情，你的进步也是叫观众眼前一大亮！就如剧中对白，你何尝不是梅丽史翠普？哈哈！老友，christy也好，喜饼也好，都那 麼得到观众认同，你要、也绝对值得高兴！有机会，calvin和christy再次合作，再创另一好故事！ok?加油，更祝幸福！马仔(今天 00:26)  

7 Days: What a wonderful world recording

singers: group 1 Steven Ma, Sonija Kwok, Mimi Lo
group 2: Bosco Wong, Patrick Tang, Joyce Cheng
source: steven ma baidu

weibo 2/19/2011

weibo 2/19/2011 13:14 Thank you everybody for your support to 7 DIL.  Am thankful for each and every one of your messages to me.  I will work hard, work hard in shooting well every series, and even more so, to bring to you the freshness of Yik Jo On!  Today is the first day of "Book of Words" recording, which will air in March!  As for the next series, that will depend on when Nip Do Bo can report back to the capital. (Forbidden City, Beijing) Once again, thank you to all the mates and little piggies for your support and encouragement! 

weibo 2/19/2011

You may have more to offer, but I have so much more to give.



 weibo 2/19 00:31 Love and possession, they do not carry equal denotation! To me, the greatest and the most selfless love in the world is what Mr. Tang Jun Yi has defined as "Respectful love" (含敬的愛). I believe when truly love a person, everything is done with the loved one in mind!  Even if can't possess? Even if that person does not know?  So long the loved one lives a good life, lives happily, then oneself will live well and happily too!

7 Days: dance rehearsal

7 Days: group dance rehearsal for What's a wonderful world reunion.
Nearing the ending, Steven came into the room to check out the dance. 

weibo 2/18 hasta la vista Yik Jo On

True love will not be constrained by anything! Even if we are in different dimensions, so long that love still exists, the person you loved will be by your side....hasta la vista 7 Days in life! 


Lots of tearful farewells and lamentation from netizens on 7DIL baidu and sina weibo.

watch tvb live

to watch 7 DIL live, click on this  mytv/tvb link need to download an application software

7 Days: Series content

Even in real life, lots of stuff, some life changing, can happen within a week. Anyway, I thought the scriptwriters did a brilliant job illustrating and unfolding just such drama when strangers are trapped inside a confined space against their will -- telling the story of how a group of strangers affect and be affected by each others' actions. How each action has a consequence(s) and yes, how their actions and reactions to each other can change their lives. But what most impressed me about this series is of course how very entertaining and delightful it was to watch. Somehow,7DIL reminds me of this wise saying: People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. What of the friendships made during the 7 days of quarantine?

Watching the guests saying their goodbyes as their photos flashed through my computer screen, I felt inexplicably blue at seeing them leave heralding the imminent end of the series, and the death of Calvin. I'm so going to miss the whole cast. I was first drawn in to the series because of Steven Ma, but in the process of watching, I came to love all the whole cast, some more than the others: - Calvin, Christie, Ah Lung, Jin Jing, Bellboy, Gaga, Judy, Ho Chan, Manager, professor and his wife, the Chuis, the foreign guests, the hotel employees, Mr. Fong and of course, Little Bee. I have gotten to know them, and enjoyed their unfolding dramas. Goodbye! I'm so gonna miss them.

7 Days: Images

Steven Ma weibo: Many little piggies (Steven fans pet name) said they liked Calvin and Christie's fire scene, so here's sending you all a screencap, credit steven ma baidu 

tn: Steven looks so ridiculously young.
 source: a random weiboan

weibo 2/17/2011 - Desire different roles

2011-2-17 23:58  Yik Jo On? Some scolded, but at the same time, many encouraged. Actually, I do not choose to portray only the righteous protagonists, sometimes, tired of it too! More to the point, the righteous protagonists are actually more difficult to portray! After all these years, I’m still not tired? Fibbing you la! But anyway, I’m willing to experiment. You all like? Then I’m willing! Thank you, Uncle Choi, thank you those who believe in me! I don’t have gold heaps and jade stacks! (gold/jade awards(?)我沒有金堆玉砌) Perhaps ordinary, but in my ordinariness you get to see how I act, how I portray my character, how I perform in a series, what else could I ask for? 演易早安？有人罵，同時得到很多鼓勵。其實，我也不是只想演正派好人，有時，也覺累！再 真點，好人正派才難演呢！這麼多年了，我不累？騙你啦！不管如何， 我願嘗試。你們喜歡？那我願了！謝材叔，謝信我的你們！我沒有金堆玉砌！也許平凡，但平凡至你們會看我怎樣演，演一個角色，演一部戲，還求什麼？

weibo 2/16 Familial love

2/16 01:23



'Affection' comes in varieties! And this kind of affection is absolutely  unconditional!  At least.that's what I believe.  而這種情,絕對是無條件的!至少......我相信！

weibo 2/14 Valentine's Day

2月14日 18:30

Tonight's Valentine's Day is truly quite cold! Actually, if can't (or doesn't have one )spend this Valentine's Day with your lover, can still choose to spend it with family, friends, colleagues or at work, still can be very romantic and happy... 這個情人節的晚上，真的挺冷！其實，情人節倘若不能和（或沒有）情人一起過,那可以選擇和家人、朋友、同事或在工作中渡過，也可以很浪漫、很快樂的......
>  

2月14日 13:01

Today will go to Dai Pu Lam Village as a guest performer.  Will sing two songs.  Normally, I'm not intimidated even if I had to sing 20 or more songs at a go, but today there is some pressure because there there is still this slight itch in my bronchial tube.   Regardless, I will do my best to sing well.  It's Valentine's Day, here's wishing everybody will love affectionately and be loved in return, and find happiness!  Of course, don't forget tonight is 7 DIL's episode 15.  This week, truly love in turmoil... 今晚將會到大埔林村為許願節做表演嘉賓，還要唱兩首歌！平時要我唱廿首都不怕，但今天倒有點壓力，因氣管還是癢癢的...無論如何，我會盡力唱好的！情人節，祝大家今天都能暖暖的去愛和被愛，找到幸福！當然也別忘記今晚是七日情的第十五集，這星期，真是愛恨交纏.....

**************************

fan picture of the event
credit: steven ma warm house weibo

2.14香港林村许愿广场 感谢HK FANS 提供