周德邦 JACKIE CHOW, Hong Kong ACTOR. "Working Hard is FOOD for the SOUL. And yes, TOMORROW can always BE BETTER."

STOP PRESS.

Here's a personal piece on JACKIE CHOW from HONG KONG,

Rookie actor maybe, but I'll vouch for this dude anytime,

For one, he's a jolly nice fella,

In a city known for its continual bustles-and-bustles, notwithstanding the loud and bullish people, JACKIE assails you like a welcome breath of fresh air.

He'll listen to your questions intently, and answers them with zeal and zest.

His tone is genteel, earnest, without pretensions.

The lyrics of the song, "For he's a jolly good fella" couldn't have been more apt to describe him.

And he's firm about his convictions:

"I EMBRACE POSITIVISM,

I TRY TO BE HAPPY WITH MY LIFE,

I WORK HARD,

I STAY HOPEFUL," enthuses JACKIE CHOW, Hong Kong rookie actor.

AND YES, IN ALL THAT I DO, I GIVE MY BEST."

NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED is his doctrine.

"As long as you are alive and in good health, there's always hope - even with the ruts and obstacles along the way.

I aim to stay healthy and positive with my body and mind

by keeping the 'chi' energy in balance - the ying and the yang ....

I only have one body this life time, and if I don't take good care of it, then who would?

GAMES AND HOBBIES?

I dig baseball since I was 10. Baseball shows what teamwork, camaraderie and fighting spirit are all about. From baseball I learn about how to cope with failures, about how not to make excuses in life.

I sing to release my soul (chuckles) and I compose lyrics to express my pent-up feelings.

EXPECTATIONS IN LIFE?

I wanna be free, like an eagle taking flight. I abhor boundaries and restrictions. I seek to be an artist, expressing my views of human nature through music and films ..... I do not see life through rose-tinted glasses. In fact, my formative years as an adolescent had not been easy, being brought up by strict parents. I have always wanted a creative job, something out of the normal 9-5 normal routine. And yes, I have always aspired to perform.

VIEWS ON SEX

Sex is a desire, a motivation to me sometimes (laughs). You can understand a person more through sex, yet sometimes the sexual act can destroy you morally if you are addicted to it. I lost my virginity to my second girl friend during high school. Since then, I have matured greatly ....

YOU ACTED IN A GAY GENRE FILM CALLED 'PERMANENT RESIDENCE'. YOU GET TO KISS THE LEAD OF THE FILM. WHAT WAS YOUR FEELING THEN?

Hey, I am as straight as a rod. But when I accept any challenging role, I give my all. I'll psych myself in any difficult part, to adopt the screen persona. If the script calls for me to "fall in love" with a guy, then I'll go all the way out to make myself fall in love with that REEL person, irrespective of gender or creed. That's the name of the game in acting. That's being professional.

WHAT KIND OF ROLE WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY IN FILMS?

I'd like to be experimental, to play all kinds, good or bad. Dark and comedic characters, a paradox, so to speak.

WOULD YOU APPEAR FULL FRONTAL IN ART HOUSE FILMS?

Why not? What do I stand to lose? But only if the camera flatters me, if the camera makes me look artistically good.

SINGLE OR ATTACHED?

Happily single for now. Falling in love saps up latent energy, makes me do stupid things and I cannot afford this.

Heard of this poem by SRI CHINMOY called THE BREATH OF NEW HOPE?

Day and night I shall swim

In the sweetness – hope – river.

May my mind every morning become

As beautiful as hope – dawn – rays

Peace begins

When expectation ends.

Each sacred hope

Is a blessingful gift

From Heaven’s heart.

Hope abides; therefore I abide.

Countless frustrations have not cowed me.

I am still alive, vibrant with life.

The black cloud will disappear,

The morning sun will appear once again

In all its supernatural glory."

That's summing up Hong Kong actor JACKIE CHOW in a nutshell.

"Working hard is food for the soul. And yes, tomorrow can always be better."

PHOTOGRAPHY by NORM YIP from HONG KONG for this special interview.

Thanks, NORM for the jolly nice pictures!

BOSCO WONG, from Hong Kong, with Love. GLOSSY Outside. GRITTY Inside.

He's HOT and CHARMING, no doubt.

He knows it darn well.

And he's also COOL.

With a name like BOSCO to start off with, you simply can't go wrong.

"I like it because it's different, la" he purrs.

Don't you think BOSCO reeks more like a pet's name?

All my friends laughingly think so.

BOSCO WONG is a pure case of SUBSTANCE, and FORM.

Affectionately known as WONG CHUNG CHAK in Cantonese, he is Hong Kong television's hottest, most impressive up-and-coming star to date and most consistent crowd-pleaser.

Industry insiders say that he could be a contender for the "next TONY LEUNG" of Hong Kong Cinema.

Time will tell.

Unpredictable, effervescent and charismatic are adjectives that best describe him.

BOSCO is always armed with a beaming smile and a friendly pat if he's near you, which earns him the reputation of being an approachable artiste.

He has a sunny disposition to life.

Despite the highs and lows of every day's living, he staunchly believes that there is indeed one road, but there are so many ways to travel it.

Smile and the whole world smile with you!

In 1998, BOSCO was spotted in the street by a talent scout who recruited him for a television commercial playing opposite the infamous CECILIA CHEUNG of the EDISON CHEN scandal.

Thereafter, HK TVB, after witnessing the potential in him, auditioned and groomed him for an acting career.

From then on, the rest is history.

All this for this dude whose childhood dream was to to be an international CHEF specializing in Chinese cuisine.

He is a gifted actor, often touted for his outstanding performances in television family dramas, following the trend of his famous predecessor CHOW YUN FAT, also formerly from TVB.

"I am worth it," he grins, "I give my "all" in each role that I play."

He has no qualms about roughing up to lend credibility to whatever role he is playing, and hopefully bag an award or two.

He has an engaging chemistry with his on-screen girl friend MYOLIE WU, but off-screen he denies an attachment.

"MYOLIE and myself are pure colleagues," he quips.

His secret wish?

"To have LISA WONG (TVB veteran actress) as my godmother."

He's not joking.

At 29, he has a long way to go to horn his craft, and BOSCO is in no hurry.

His fans would often say, Golly, BOSCO is really cute.

In reality, BOSCO is not devilishly handsome, but he has a jovial boy-next-door look with a playful grin.

Moving on up?

Yes, that is BOSCO's ambition in this competitive world of acting.

His career is on the fast track and he is far from being an eye candy.

What would happen if Hollywood beckons in future?

"Right now, I am not saying anything. I am not even contemplating this idea as I would want to see Asian actors in roles that are NOT stereotyped."

Eating humble pie?

If so, then this is one pretty boy's spirit!

Roll on, BOSCO.

You are GLOSSY outside, and GRITTY inside.

" WE ARE ALL ALONE." LESLIE Cheung the LEGEND. What Price LIFE? " LIFE isn't measured in MINUTES. It's the MOMENTS that really COUNT."

LESLIE CHEUNG might have nosedived to his death from the 24th Floor of the MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL in HONG KONG on April 1, 2003.

Yet until today, he had left behind many unanswered questions.

Despite relentless coverage by the paparazzi, his private persona had always been shrouded in mystery the way he wanted it.

And right to the present, the world is still gaping in consternation and clueless at his choice of abrupt departure on April Fool's Day 6 years ago.

1. Did he intend his hasty retreat from mankind to be a cruel case of life imitating art?

2. Was he suffering from an incurable disease as some cruel speculations say?

3. Was he suffering from manic DEPRESSION?

4. Was it an impending break-up with his boy friend of many years that drove him to this mindless act?

For this ACTOR-cum-SINGER extraordinaire, the secret was buried with him.

LESLIE CHEUNG's entertainment career started in 1977 when he wowed the judges at the ASIAN MUSIC CONTEST organized by RTV (currently know as ATV).

He was Hong Kong's prettiest boy hunk, a self-declared bisexual and his life mirrored a thousand facades.

He is an ASIAN cinematic legend taken after JAMES DEAN for both the good looks and chameleon moods.

We will always remember the charisma and the angst that he portrayed often in his songs and films.

LESLIE CHEUNG is one powerful, daring and seductive performer who will take your breath away.

An actor's lot is beseiged with pain and angst, within and without - reel and real.

He also taught us that when you are in this world, everyone is living a role.

No one is what he seems to be.

Not even the closest one next to you.

And that in life, ever individual has a game to play.

There's always a way out of anything.

Except the past.

That was his vision.

And when you finally realizes the truth, it may change your opinion forever.

WHAT PRICE LIFE?

LIFE isn't measured in minutes.

It's the MOMENTS that count.

Count your blessings.

Because whatever you may have today, it may not be around tomorrow.

SO ENJOY THE MOMENTS WHILE YOU MAY.

This 16-year-old girl named RACHEL WILSON, she penned a sad peom to herself. I was all at once stunned by the clarity and realism of her words:

You said you'be there for me,

But when I really opened up to you,

You just don't wanna see,

But when I have these thoughts and breakdowns I ring

and you're never there.

I can't sleep at night, can't sleep anymore,

My constant pains, my constant heart sores

all the thoughts of death I have, and suicide,

I tell you about them,

Why do you expect me to hide?

I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE ONE I COULD TURN TO

WHEN IT GOTTEN TOO MUCH,

Well, you could fool me,

My feelings you don't wanna touch,

I WILL JUST STAY AWAY,

I GET IT - CRYSTAL CLEAR,

But one day suicide will take over,

Then maybe you will realize my FEAR.

Yah, there's a stark difference between DEPRESSION and SADNESS.

When you are depressed, you do not feel like being with anybody.

You either sleep more than usual,

Or you can hardly sleep at all.

Your appetite is either non-existent or increases dramatically,

Your energy level goes way down

And you've a hopelessness about LIFE ...

As difficult as it is,

It is also important that you get out of the house and seek help.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

My mentor, an Executive Film Maker befriended LESLIE in 1978 in Hong Kong when he was just starting out as a a rookie.

He remembered visiting LESLIE on set at the RTV's when he was filming his first cantonese drama series called DESTINY.

LESLIE was then under the tutelage of K.K. TAM (who was simultaneously managing DANNY CHAN, another Hong Kong singer).

But it was under the ace leadership of FLORENCE CHAN some good years later, that LESLIE's career really soared.

The rest is history.

I have downloaded LESLIE CHEUNG's rendition of Rita Coolidge's WE ARE ALL ALONE from YOU TUBE for your listening pleasure here.

Not many of his fans know that LESLIE's first record was an album of ENGLISH covers.

And there is a rare gem here, a radio recording of LESLIE CHEUNG being interviewed in ENGLISH.

TIME HAS REALLY FLOWN.

AND MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THESE.

LYRICS of " WE ARE ALL ALONE ":

Outside the rain begins,

And it may never end,

So cry no more, on the shore a dream,

Will take us out to sea,

Forever more, forever more,

Close your eyes and dream

And you can be with me,

'Neath the waves through the caves of hours,

Long forgotten now,

We're all alone,

WE'RE ALL ALONE,

Close the window, calm the light,

And it will be all right,

No need to bother now,

Let it out, let it all begin,

Learn how to pretend.

Once a story's told,

It can't be but grows old,

Roses do, lovers do,

So cast your seasons to the wind,

And hold me dear, oh hold me dear,

Close the window, calm the light,

And it'll be all right,

No need to bother now,

Let it out, let it all begin,

All's forgotten now,

We're all alone,

Oh, WE ARE ALL ALONE.