Last year’s controversial TVB series, When Heaven Burns <天與地>, was not featured as an Anniversary series as it was purposely aired after the year-end awards. The series received poor ratings amongst the viewers, but critical acclaim. The controversial subject sparked many lively discussions among netizens. Many of them expressed how brilliant the series was and even labeled it as a miraculous series. Due to Bowie Lam (林保怡) and Charmaine Sheh’s (佘詩曼) excellent acting in When Heaven Burns, they had great potential to win acting awards. However, producer Jonathan Chik (戚其義) and Chow Yuk Ming (周旭明) are said to be leaving TVB; their departure will likely decrease the chances of winning the Best Drama. Rumor has it that the show will not even be nominated by TVB. The same likelihood goes for Bowie and Charmaine — despite their great performance, they will not even be considered in the awards race. In addition, the two are no longer under TVB contracts, so the company is not inclined to promote them. A few days ago, the producer of the TVB awards show, Sandy Yu (余詠珊) denied the rumor. Sandy responded to the media, “When Heaven Burns is one of the finalists and it definitely will stay as a finalist. TVB is extremely fair, and the actors will get nominated based on one series they starred in. We do not want to dilute the votes.” Sandy said the nominees will be internally selected by the producers and executives. The final list will have 10 actors, 10 actresses, and 24 series for the viewers to choose from. The final nominations will be announced on November 19 after the Anniversary Gala celebration. The winner of the TV King and Queen awards and the Best TV series Award will be determined by the viewers. There will be a fierce competition between the viewers who will vote based on the actor’s performance and the loyal fans who will vote for their idols such as Kate Tsui (徐子珊), Raymond Lam (林峯) and others. It will be very interesting to see who will Hong Kong’s most widely . As for the rumor of leaving TVB, Jonathan Chik said he has not made any decisions yet, and he’s still negotiating with TVB. Since he is still under a TVB contract, he will not reveal any more details. On the rumor that When Heaven Burns may not receive any nomination due to his rumored departure, Jonathan said, “Everyone knows our company is using the one person one vote selection process, so it’s all up to the viewers now. I don’t know whether it will have any effects. I only know how to produce series so I don’t know how to answer these questions. I don’t produce series just for winning awards.” When asked whether he will be disappointed if Bowie and Charmaine do not receive any nominations, Jonathan said that their amazing performances have touched many viewers. Creds: Apple Daily
