TVB Artists Attend Farewell Dinner for Producers Mui Siu Ching and Lau Kar Ho

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TVB held a farewell dinner for Producers Mui Siu Ching (梅小青) and Lau Kar Ho (劉家豪) last night, wishing them luck as the wife-and-husband team ventured towards new career opportunities at another Hong Kong television station, Now TV. Both producers have worked at TVB for over two decades, creating dramas that won juggernaut ratings and the masses’ favor. The departure of Lau Kar Ho and Mui Siu Ching marked the passing of a golden era in TVB dramas.

Lau Kar Ho entered TVB in 1986, while Mui Siu Ching started working at the company in 1987. Kar Ho Gor’s trademark was dramatic family sagas, featuring the bitter rivalry between family members fighting over the family’s immense wealth. In the 1990s, Kar Ho Gor often partnered with veteran actor, Alex Man (萬梓良), in classics such as Big Family <大家族> and The Key Man <巨人>. Kar Ho Gor’s more recent hit dramas were Heart of Greed <溏心風暴> and Moonlight Resonance <溏心風暴之家好月圓>.

In a field dominated by male producers, Mui Siu Ching was known for her hard work ethics and knack for spotting new talent. Siu Ching Jeh was one of the first producers to cast Leon Lai (黎明), Moses Chan (陳豪), and Wayne Lai (黎耀祥) in lead roles. Putting in extremely long work hours, Siu Ching Jeh was a perfectionist who had extremely high expectations for the quality of her productions. Confessing that the work pressure was often so immense, Siu Ching Jeh ended up bursting into tears while working on Can’t Buy Me Love <公主嫁到> and Forensic Heroes 3 <法證先鋒III>. Her hard work paid off enormously, as both dramas reigned in the number one spot in ratings for 2010 and 2011 respectively.

TVB Executive Chairman, Norman Leung (梁乃鵬), and executive manager, Virginia Lok (樂易玲), organized the farewell dinner last night. Norman Leung stated, “If the outside environment were not too good, TVB’s big doors will always be open for them (Lau Kar Ho and Mui Siu Ching) to return!” Mr. Leung did not obliterate the possibility that TVB and Now TV may have a joint collaboration together. Numerous artists such as Tavia Yeung (楊怡), Linda Chung (鍾嘉欣), Fala Chen (陳法拉), Kate Tsui (徐子珊), Michelle Yim ( 米雪), Susanna Kwan (關菊英), Ha Yu (夏雨), and Lee Heung Kam (李香琴) were present.

Lau Kar Ho will serve as the President and Mui Siu Ching as the Vice President when they start working at Now TV in April, allegedly earning much higher salaries than what they had received at TVB. With the impending retirement of Lee Tim Shing (李添勝) later this year, TVB will face a dire shortage of superstar producers capable of bringing in reliable ratings. Young and inexperienced production staff were reportedly unable to rise to the heavy responsibilities. It will be interesting to weigh how this will impact the quality of TVB series in 2012.




Creds: Sina/Jstars