Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sentinel:


Are our lives predestined, like how Dor Bo's is? He had wanted to run away with his 'birth' father but his father was killed. He had wanted to run away with his adoptive parents but they committed suicide for him. He had wanted to run away with Ji Yin, but again fate plays a joke on him, turn out Ji Yin is his half sister. How cruel is that? Are the gods above having fun with their mortal puppets? But Dor Bo escapes their manipulations when he let go his hatred and vendetta against Dowager Empress.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

2011 weibo -sm's saying



2011年8月30日 20:44 2011-8-30 20:44
不要浪費時間去計算周邊、去預測未知。費盡心思去猜去想,倒不如活在當下、珍惜眼前!未知就是未知,何苦枉花心血?一切順其自然,反而樂得消遙。不是說得易,只要願嘗試,自明箇中意。

The Life and Times of a Sentinel complaint of being too bloody.” SPOILER

singpao 2011/8/30
Yesterday, TVB published its last week ratings; starring Steven Ma, Sentinel's finale week  garnered an average rating of 31 points, peaked at 38. And last Friday's two and a half hours finale garnered an average of 33 points and nearing the end for 1 minute at around 10:53 pm the rating peaked at 40 points,

Tsui Yong Yong, Love me love the people I care about: Steven Ma

Columnist: Tsui Yong Yong (Steven Ma’s ex-manager of his publishing co.)

蓉蓉乐道 @ Eastweek #417  
Title: 爱屋及乌 (Love me,love my dog.)

Tsui's credential: Veteran news person, chief editor of a publishing house. Over 30 years of experiences in entertainment news and interviews; have witnessed the rise and fall of a sea of stars. A lover of words who loves to roam in the world of words. Only wish to be a happy and strong person.

爱屋及乌 (similar to English idiom: Love me,love my dog.)
I can't believe a nonentity like myself due to my ten years working with Steven Ma would inexplicably become a person in the news on the day I resigned. Reading other people's reports on me, I was both shocked and pleasantly surprised.  Shocked, that if you work for a celebrity in any capacity, you would somehow also get on the news. Pleasantly surprised, that there are still so many veteran news brothers and sisters who care about me. Though I made no queries or probes (tn: into their motives for such reports), but their heartfelt protectiveness was inordinately strong; therefore, towards my former news colleagues' unanimous staunch protection of me, my heart rejoiced notwithstanding I feel the unfairness towards Steven Ma. Today I had to pick up my pen to recount a past incident so as to enable others to look into the other side of Steven's heart.


Upset Lady unwilling to leave, interferes with shooting of Steven Ma's new series

 Upset Lady unwilling to leave, interferes with shooting of Steven Ma's new series
Sunday August 28, 2011 Hong Kong
Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: aZnangel @ http://asianuniverse.net/forums/

Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image Posted Image


Yesterday Steven Ma and Linda Chung were shooting a car accident scene on location at Shek Kip Mei street for TVB new series Prosperous Father. The scene was so realistic that the passersby were frightened thinking there was a real traffic accident and immediately called the police, "a motorcycle crashed into the pedestrian road, sweeping a few people down." The police and firefighters arrived at the location at once thinking that a catastrophic traffic accident had just occurred. When they got to the scene, the police realized it was all just a misunderstanding. Soon after, a female onlooker suddenly stood next to the motorcycle used for filming and interfered with the shoot. She was urged to leave, but she was unwilling to. The crew was forced to stop the shoot.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

sentinel finale memorable video clips







Another emotional charged scene that had me riveted to my seat. Though I find some of Fuk Chuen's expressions quite cartoonish/caricature and ott but still overall turned in an excellent performance in the finale. Kenneth portrayed a man going insane brilliantly, for who would doubt Fuk Chuen has indeed become mad. In fact, Fuk Chuen has a never-grew-up mentality. It's like the young boy that he was when his father died remains trapped inside a grown man's body all this time festering in anger and sence of impotence. His rightful throne was cheated off him, the woman he loved was taken from him, and now Dor Bo the only person he ever has had affinity with and could call him his friend has turned against him. His mental, already flawed and frail to start with, starts fracturing bit by bit until this moment in time when it completely shatters into piecse, and insanity takes over.

sentinel finale memorable video clips

This series has so many emotional charged scenes that made me all choked up if not teary-eyed, this is just one of them, performed brilliantly by Steven and Ching Hor Wai.


Notice the change in Dor Bo's emotions from aggressiveness to suppressed emotion to releasing emotions and anger, all done superbly, and brilliantly played against Hao Chong's shock, incredulity, sadness, acceptance and rage against 2nd prince.  And I felt their emotions through my computer screen.

Notice the change in Dor Bo's facial expression from fierce to hard to defiant to teary eyed as the emotional dam inside him broke. 

How many identities must he discard before he finds his real self, what's real, what's sham? Most important, who is he?   It is in time of adversity that the true mettle of man is tested. And obviously, Dor Bo rises above the adversity but at what cost? But for now in this moment in time scene, whatever emotional burdens struggling in side him, Dor Bo is now letting them all out.

But some ineffable emotional baggage just can't be put down or expressed in words, they can only be absorbed inside either to be buried forever or to be digested slowly in the future.  Because too much unrestrained outpouring of emotions all at once can make Dor Bo insane like they did Fuk Chuen.  

Notice the change in his voice from loud and harsh to a quiet, low accusative tone.
Notice the change in his eye expression from hard glare, defiant, teary and accusative.

Steven's brilliant performance was well matched by Ching Hor Wai's volleying performance. And the background music did brilliantly to intensify their scene. 

first sentinel mv

tudou link
source: 清盈噫笑 weibo

The first mv of Sentinel, anticipating more to come.




hits on tvb.com mytv

As of 8/28 10:52 pm Sentinel still has the most hits at 2,133,387
Truly the word of mouth is amazing effective publicity tool.

27 Aug 11, 05:33 PM
lizzy: hey tamaya, I checked older news, in TVB history, there isn't any series in the past that ever reached 4 million hits in 24 hours on MyTV!! It broke all records!This year only Yes Sir, Sorry Sir reached 3 million, while record holder was last year's No Regrets with 3.7 million... hmm, although Sentinel didn't have high TV ratings, but MyTV views shows us that the finale did have a great impact!

Tamaya: Wow! I did not even know that those hits were from tvb.com mytv.  I thought Steven and fans got them from a mainland website.   Since I'm overseas I can't watch the mytv videos, that's why I don't visit that page.  Thanks, lizzy, for the news. Sweet! 

I like Steven-Selena pairing but I wish they had more screen time as a couple.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

weibo 8/27

8/ 27  23:50 Whether it's 4th Brother or 4th Prince, aren't they all me?  Haha! I am grateful to you all for always being there for me, accompanying me all the way. To shoot a series, how much heart and effort had been put into it by the cast and crew?  Sometimes really difficult to put into words. That kind of exhaustion, that kind of pressure, often times can only let out a sigh to unwind!  In my eighteen years in TVB I have made many good friends, we have had happiness and sadness, have had blood and tears, and together we put in our all to finish a series, lots of hardships but felt the sweetness in the heart! My friends, I will treasure them all. 

四哥好,四阿哥也好,不就是我嗎?哈哈!感激你們一直陪我伴我。拍攝一部戲,台前幕後費了多少心血心力?有時真的難以言喻。那種累、那種壓力,往往只能以 嘆一口氣來舒發!在TVB十八年來認識了很多好朋友,大家有喜有悲,有血有淚,能一起拚命完成一部戲,苦雖多,卻甜在心!朋友們,我會好好珍惜的。

weibo sentinel hits


At 14:18 over 2 millions hits


8/27 18:24  Saw the hits on this website,  not unmoved but even more so, very grateful! Good, at least I can depart with mission accomplished, thank you everybody for your support!  

**************************************************
Revised: Image below. At 18:19
Around 11 pm, this new hits count of over 4 millions was posted on Steven-ma.org.  Not sure of its actual scan time.  












Friday, August 26, 2011

sentinel finale

lots of finale screencaps on baidu


I love this last shot.  Steven slightly resembles Chen Dao Ming in this garb.

To me, Dor Bo is a most pitiful character.
He once lived a pampered life thoroughly by parents and friends
He lost that life because he insisted on being a sentinel, and he will carry that cross forever.

He will be forever guilt ridden by:
His parents' death.
His 'birth' father's death
His best friends' death
Fred losing his arm.
He lost his love and his sister at the same time.
What man can stand such misfortune and still retain his mind and not go crazy with grief?

He lost his identity, who is he? Dor Bo? or 4th prince?
Where can he go to get away from his past? To escape his memories, to erase the guilt from inside?
Can he find peace ever again.
Will he ever be happy again?
Dor Bo is on pitiful character.
Be a monk seeking the spiritual meaning of life seems to be the only way for him to find a modicum of inner peace.
enlarged pix link





I find Dor Bo and Hao Chong's scene very touching. HC is regretful while DB is filled with inexpressible emotions facing his imperial grandmother. She is his grandmother yet she is also the most hated person to him. How to reconcile these conflicting feelings? Twisting and whirling in turmoil is the fact that had he listened to Weird Monk's advice he would/might have prevented the deaths of his parents and friends? All it takes is just one false step to topple down a set of dominoes of events..

Or are all these happening predestined from above? Are we all puppets of Destiny? Are we like Job of the bible?

weibo 8/26 most favorite character


Having portrayed so many characters, which is my most favorite?  I love Siu Yuan Zi's worry, also love Yik Jo On's pensiveness.  I love Fuk Tao's silliness, and also love Cho Ji's genuineness!   Dor Bo is trustworthy, Ji Yuan is dependable! Married to Gong Jai is not bad, having thanks Wong Shueng will have no worry! But in the end, it's Sing Yat On ba! He, is someone I didn't spend much thoughts in portraying. Because I am like Sing Yat On, Sing Yat On is like me, because he and I are alike, incredibly ordinary....if fated will portray that again.

演过那么多角色,我最愛那个?我愛小玄子的忧、也愛易早安的愁。我愛福头的傻,也愛曹植的真!多宝信得过,致远靠更甚!嫁给恭仔不为过,谢过皇上永无优! 說到底,成日安吧!他,是一个我没花半点心思去演的角色。因為,我就像成日安,成日安就像我;因為,我和他一样,普通得不得了...有緣再演。

weibo 8/26 sentinel finale

 
8/26  17:30 In this extremely chaotic secular world rampant with evil, is it feasible or possible to uphold one's own belief, and adhere to the right path?  This insignificant series, is it a reflection of the entirety of the big world outside?  Or is it the big picture miniaturized? Treat it as entertainment or treat it as the reality, doesn't matter. Anyway, I still believe that evil will not triumph over the good! Tonight at 8:30 pm, 2 and 1/2 hours in all, see you all at Sentinel finale.  Nip Dor Bo. 

Steven Ma's series comes to an end, feeling down (tn:title edited)

Steven Ma's series comes to an end, feeling down (tn: title edited)
Thursday August 25, 2011 Hong Kong
Source: Oriental Daily
Translated by: aZnangel @ http://asianuniverse.net/forums/

Posted Image Posted Image

The finale to TVB costume drama The Life and Times of a Sentinel starring Steven Ma and Kenneth Ma airs tonight. As this difficult to shoot production finally comes to an end, Steven said frankly he's having mixed feelings. He really wants the finale to broadcast quickly, so audience can see the results of all the hard work the crew put into this production. However, he is also worried that he'll feel reluctant and lost when the series ends.

Steven expressed that The Life and Times of a Sentinel holds a vital spot in the course of his acting, he said: "I have never portrayed a character with so much hatred like Nip Dor Po. In the finale week, he had a great psychological change. For revenge, he turned into a sinister and in the last few episodes, his relations with Kenneth Ma's role Fuk Chuen will rupture. Two men will have a very tragic ending. One of them will get frightening when an enormous secret uncovers. I look forward to see how audience will react to this ending."

Steven said he had a pleasant collaboration with Kenneth Ma, he said: "The shooting period this time was shor. The series is also set in the large palace court, so it was quite difficult, but the entire crew really put their hearts into it. My co-star Kenneth Ma is an actor that is willing to give and take. Plus our surnames are both Ma, we had a comfortable collaboration and are such good friends like two brothers."

As for the TV ratings, Steven frankly said it's only a general satisfaction: "The past few weeks remained 26-27 points, but the earlier series with the same 8:30pm time slots had lower ratings too. I anticipate for good ratings in the finale."

2008 tvb fees for outside jobs

http://www.ihktv.com/next-1120-foxy.html

2008 TVB fees for outside jobs.
I can't believe Steven was so low at 16 though he had just signed the mgmt contract in 2005.






Thursday, August 25, 2011

Eastweek ed 417 Heaven and Earth have Righteousness: Steven Ma

Steven says on weibo that he is so touched by this writer's article. I haven't read it yet, but I'll find time to translate it.
8/ 24 /18:00  Thank you! See you tonight at ep 23!

天地有正氣 馬浚偉




Let me cut to the chase, from entertainment news standpoint, Steven Ma is actually quite boring: he has no special dragon & phoenix access to a prominent family, has negligible entanglements with hot women, also has no bizarre leak of bedroom photos; and appearance wise: ten years elapsed like a day, nose did not become higher or longer, eyes still single lidded; awards competition: often seemingly outside the fray; as for romantic rumors:  in all those years they are a  flash in the pan, and hardly scintillating enough as juicy gossips for the neighborhood housewives.    
  
But the funny thing is, you would not oppose to watching his Nip Dor Bo in The Life and Times of a Sentinel, nor would you switch channel because he was demonstrating how to cook fried rice in Apprentice Chef.  

I am not sure whether this could be called  “audience affinity”,  just that whenever I see Steven on screen, my mind will automatically pop out these four words, “silently cultivating the field”, more vulgarly or bluntly put: a draft ox or a work horse keeping his nose to the grindstone unceasingly slogging away.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

I'm truly happy

《三周刊》619期 留星语: 我真的快乐鸟 马浚伟



TN: Not going to translate this article because its writer cut and paste verbatim from past articles and rehashed some old news interspersed with own write-up to come up with an uninspired piece of news article. 

weibo 8/24



8/ 24日 14:08   Read the interview article on this week Eastweek, suddenly felt choked up with tears! Although that was my first  contact with its writer, she was able to so accurately and clearly depict the process of my mental development.  I'm truly touched! Thank you, Chris! 

看了今期在東周刊的專訪,突然有種想哭的感覺!雖然筆者是我第一次接觸,但卻把我的心路歷程描寫得如此清晰無誤,實在教我異常感動!多謝chris!

weibo august 23 2011


8/23 23:17
Fatt Dat Gor becomes scavenger gor! Haha! 
8/ 23  13:16  Last night Sentinel's avg rating was 30 point, peaked at 32 points! This week's finale, the winds and clouds will change color, nobody can stop it! See you tonight at episode 22!




8/23  11:14 Thank you for your support ya! // @思浚堂sm.org weibo:    4th Brother, your book, (cookbook)  is in the Guangdong Nam Kwok Book Fair Mainland fans who have missed the HK Book Fair, don't miss this one too.//@韩流粤风KRCASteven Ma's and Karen Mok's books are a hit with the fans.     

Re-runs

Wah, lately, so many of Steven's series are currently showing on China satellite tv channels. But then, Steven's series have always been popular with China local and satellite tv stations.  

So far, currently and will be broadcasting:  1) DOMD 1998, Ultra Protection, 2) Ultra Protection, 3) Sweetness in the Salt (btw had just finished airing in another China satellite tv channel)  4) In the Realm of Success 5) Cupid Stupid


Wish they would air Safeguards and 7 Days in Life.  These series were a great hit with Mainland netizens.


8/24  23:35 Wah! Ji Yuen ya!  //@steven-ma. org 思浚堂: Truly so many re-runs oh //  @张小姐Natalie : August 19 Dongguan TV station will air SITS at 9 pm.

8/22 22:09 Ultra Protection, In the Realm of Success! Suddenly so many re-runs?//@sm baidu: // @程颖曦  Chu Hao Yin at sep 6th at 9pm will appear on TVB Xin He tv channel... // @程颖曦Xin He tv station  August 22 at 10 pm can see Gei Yin Jo. 



8/22 11:28  Haha! Truly once a Xiao Xuan Zi, a whole lifetime Xiao Xuan Zi! 

@steven-ma.org 思浚堂 8/22/11:20:【good news】Anhui TV is currently airing Duke of Mt. Deer 1998   Do you still remember Xiao Xuan Zi of ten years or more ago? Xiao Xuan Zi decrees us to go watch!

weibo 8/22/2011


8/ 22  22:37  Today is Prosperous Father's first day shoot inside the studio!  Waiting for my call -in ..........

Still Fatt Dat Gor but looks different from the pix below.

8/22  14:37   Today shot outdoor scene in Shatin.  Intermittent of heavy rain. Luckily the badminton court is indoor. p.s. Tonight see you tonight at finale week epi 21.


Steven looks like a handsome Ah Gong's twin.



8/22 09:54   Good morning! Prosperous Father starts work again, Fatt Dat Go will play badminton today!

8/22 11:14  Most certainly will not let Siu Ching jie down! //@MSC: Fatt Dat Gor plays badminton! Great! Will watch the video clips tomorrow, see how great you were, great, great great!