Joe Ma (馬德鐘) already knows his pick for this year’s TV Queen, pledging his support for Tiger Cubs 2 <飛虎II> co-star Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣). Currently on a per-series contract with TVB, Joe revealed his future plans with the company, and is looking forward to a nice, relaxing break after completing the anticipated police drama. On September 11, Joe was seen filming an explosive action scene for Tiger Cubs 2 along with Him Law (羅仲謙), Mandy Wong (黃智雯), and Matthew Ko (高鈞賢). The group defended a SDU (Special Duties Unit) base against a terrorist attack, though not before Matthew’s character sustained injuries and fell onto the ground. Although the production is behind schedule due to bad weather and faces the risk of going over budget, the cast and crew has worked diligently and an end is in sight. Earlier, Joe’s wife Karen Cheung (張筱蘭) vented her frustrations about Joe’s long work hours on Weibo, saying that she has waited and waited but Joe probably will not come home for dinner. Reporters commented that Karen will surely be the happiest when filming finally wraps. Hearing this, Joe said, “It’s okay, [she] knows that filming is tough. The happiest person would probably be me. I will take a small break [afterwards] before returning to mainland to film a new series. I will film for TVB again in the middle of next year at the earliest.” Speaking about his co-star Linda Chung, Joe feels that Linda has a very good chance at winning Best Actress at this year’s TVB Anniversary Awards. He even jokingly vowed to give up his life to protect the future TV Queen, making a witty reference to an upcoming Tiger Cubs 2 scene in which he must rescue Linda. “It’s too soon to be discussing TV Queen. I wish her good luck in advance. I feel like she will definitely win it. She is already favored to win even though Brother’s Keeper <巨輪> has not even aired. Such a strong momentum! I will protect the TV Queen at all costs, even if I have to sacrifice myself!” Creds: Ming Pao
