A Tribute to Gigi Lai

Profile
Profession: Actress, Singer, and Model
Birth date: October 1, 1971
Birthplace: Hong Kong
Star sign: Libra
Chinese zodiac: Pig
Status: Married
Active: 1985-2008 (Started at the young age of 14)
Retirement: October 2008 (At the age of 37)

Dramas
The Gem of Life (TVB, 2008)
The Ultimate Crime Fighter (TVB, 2007)
Life Art (TVB, 2007)
The Dance of Passion (TVB, 2006)
The Charm Beneath (TVB, 2005)
Healing Hands III (TVB, 2005)
Shades of Truth (TVB, 2005)
War and Beauty (TVB, 2004)
Riches and Stitches (TVB, 2004)
Fate Twisters (TVB, 2003)
Doomed To Oblivion (TVB, 2002)
The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung (CTS, 2001)
The Master Swordsman Lu Xiao Feng II (TCS, 2001)
The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000 (TVB, 2000)
The Criminal Investigator II (TVB, 1996)
Heartstrings (1994)
Heroes from Shaolin (1993)
The Link (TVB, 1993)
The Change Of Time (1992)
Wong Fei Hung Returns (TVB, 1992)
Eastern Hero (1992)
The Stake (1992)
Drifters (TVB, 1991)
Dramas Watched: 12

The Gem of Life (TVB, 2008): 4****; Her acting wasn't a disappointment but her character wasn't all that great. This role was pretty annoying since her character was too "righteous" to the point of stupidity. I love her hairstyles and clothing in here though.

The Ultimate Crime Fighter (TVB, 2007): 3***; a breakthrough role for Gigi since she acted as a dorky and "ugly" character. I give her props for trying something new but her role was actually more annoying than likable to me.

Life Art (TVB, 2007): I only watched the first 5 episodes but stopped since it seemed so boring. She looks really good with Kevin Cheng though.

The Dance of Passion (TVB, 2006): 2.5**; I like her character better in the beginning because she became too weak near the middle and ending.

The Charm Beneath (TVB, 2005): I gave up watching this drama since I wasn't that interested in this time period. I might give it another try since I heard it was pretty good.

Healing Hands III (TVB, 2005): I like her character but I gave up watching this when Michael Tong's character died.

Shades of Truth (TVB, 2005): 4****; Her hair was so crazy in here! This was a pretty "sexy" role for her.

War and Beauty (TVB, 2004): 5*****; her crying was painful to watch in here but her acting was good everywhere else.

Riches and Stitches (TVB, 2004): I like her better in the first half, when she was a couple with Michael Tong.

Fate Twisters (TVB, 2003): 4****; an evil role but I thought she did a good job.

Doomed To Oblivion (TVB, 2002): 2**; an evil role but her character was too one-dimensional.

The New Adventures of Chor Lau Heung (CTS, 2001): I watched a couple of episodes but Richie Ren was too "unattractive" for my taste. She looks gorgeous in here though.

The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000 (TVB, 2000): My favorite role/character of Gigi; she was perfect and I can't picture anybody else as Zhao Min after watching her in here.

The Criminal Investigator II (TVB, 1996): I don't remember much about this, other than she had a tragic ending.

The Link (TVB, 1993): I only remembered Ada Choi in here since she was extremely evil.

Wong Fei Hung Returns (TVB, 1992): I just know that she liked Dicky Cheung's character.


As an Actress: Gigi is overall a great actress but she doesn't look too pretty when she cries. 4.5****

As an Comedian: Gigi rarely acts in comedies since "Shades of Truth" is the closest one to a comedy. 3***

As an Crier: As noted above, Gigi doesn't look pretty when she cries but for the most part, she's believable. 4****

As an Singer: I think Gigi is a better actress than a singer since her voice is only passable. 3***

As an Model: Gigi looks great in pictures and she is very fashionable, but she is a little bit short when compared to "real" models. 4****

Breakthrough Role: The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000, War and Beauty, The Ultimate Crime Fighter

Best Drama: The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000, War and Beauty

Best Ancient Drama: The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000, War and Beauty

Best Post-Ancient/Pre-Modern Drama: The Dance of Passion

Best Modern Drama: Shades of Truth

Best Look: The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000, The Gem of Life

Best Co-Star: Michael Tong (Riches and Stitches, Healing Hands III)

The Gem of Life

I don't really know what to write about first since TGOL was such a long drama (82 episodes!). In general, TGOL was good but it was too long. I think it would have been better if it was cut down in half (30-40 episodes would suffice) because some of the scenes and sub-plots were extremely boring and draggy. The character developments were great and the plot had its ups and downs, but the acting from this grand cast was terrific. To really enjoy this drama, one has to have patience since it does take awhile for problems and exciting things to build up. I thought the ending was nice and for the most part, TGOL was pretty realistic. TGOL is one of the better TVB grand productions, especially when compared to "The Drive of Life" and "The Dance of Passion".

Louise Lee: It was nice to see Louise taking on a different role. She was really convincing as a person with Alzheimer's; a breakthrough role. 5*****

John Chiang: His character was sweet to his family but was not all that important. 5*****

Maggie Siu: I really like Maggie's character but she became so weak and irrational after she married Kenny Wong. She became slightly "evil" in the second half so her character went through a lot. 5*****

Gigi Lai: I still can't believe that this will be Gigi's last drama! :'( Her acting wasn't a disappointment but her character wasn't all that great. This role was pretty annoying since her character was too "righteous" to the point of stupidity. I love her hairstyles and clothing in here though. 5*****

Ada Choi: The most interesting character and Ada was fantastic! She was able to show many layers to her character. Her crying and "crazy" scenes were excellent. 5*****

Elliot Yue: His character is interesting since "looks" are not always everything. He really scared me in the second half. 5*****

Chan Hung Lit: He was brilliant as a person who suffered through two strokes. 5*****

Moses Chan: Not my favorite character but he did well. 5*****

Bowie Lam: This has to be my favorite role from Bowie. He's such a jerk but you can't hate him. 5*****

Linda Chung: She did the whole spoiled, slutty, evil, wealthy role well but I didn't like how her character suddenly turned "good" all of the sudden. A little unrealistic but these type of roles are perfect for Linda. I like watching her more in semi-evil roles than goody two-shoes roles like in "Moonlight Resonance". 5*****

Kenny Wong: I like him in here. 5*****

Eddie Kwan: His character was so creepy in the beginning but Eddie was great in here since he showed many layers to this role. 5*****

Wong Hei: His character was pretty useless since he was pretty much there just so he could be used by Ada and Linda's characters. His character was sweet so I felt so bad for him, especially his ending. 5*****

Bosco Wong: His character was also pretty useless since he wasn't evil or good enough. His character was a lot more interesting in the first half. 5*****

Florence Kwok: Another useless character that doesn't show how good her acting is. She was just pretty much there to be the third party in Maggie and Bowie's relationship. I felt bad for her character but she was the one who brought it on herself. 5*****

Louise+John: 4****

Maggie+Bowie: My favorite couple in here. 5*****

Maggie+Kenny: I also like them together but too bad Kenny doesn't like Maggie that way. 5*****

Bowie+Florence: 3***

Bowie+Kenny: I like the friendship they shared. 5*****

Maggie+Patrick Dunn: 2**

Kenny+Catherine Chau: 1*

Gigi+Moses: They were cute but their on-and-off relationship was annoying and draggy. 4****

Gigi+Eddie: I like them better as friends. 3***

Moses+Linda: 2**

Gigi+Rocky Cheng: 1*

Ada+Elliot: Initially, I thought I wouldn't like them as a couple due to the huge age gap but they weren't too bad together since their characters matched extremely well together. 4****

Ada+Wong Hei: 3***

Ada+Ram Tseung: 1*

Linda+Bosco: I like them better in "Moonlight Resonance". 3***

Linda+Wong Hei: A weird couple but they didn't look too bad together. 3***

Themesong by Shirley Kwan: At first I didn't like it but it grew on after hearing it a couple of times. 4****

Rating: A little long but worth watching. 4****

Gigi Lai's Retirement

As you may have heard recently, Gigi Lai is retiring from the entertainment world which means she won't film anymore TV dramas, movies, and advertisements in the future in order to care for her brother, who was in a serious car accident, and to manage her brother's business. This is shocking and extremely sad news since Gigi is one of my favorite actresses; she's only second to Jessica Hsuan. I always knew she was taking a break after filming "The Gem of Life" to care for her brother but to claim retirement is another thing. I just wish that this is just going to be a short retirement of maybe 10-20 years since Gigi will surely be a missed actress to watch. TVB claimed that Gigi still has a few years left on her contract so whenever she feels like doing dramas again, TVB will unfreeze her contract so hopefully, one day that will arrive. I truly respect Gigi's wishes and hope her brother will recover soon and Gigi's business to flourish.

Because of news of retirement from one of my most beloved actresses, I will do a tribute to Gigi after watching "The Gem of Life" since that will be Gigi's last drama. However, because "The Gem of Life" is long and I have to wait for the Vietnamese-dubbed version to be released, which is usually a couple of months after the airing in Hong Kong, this tribute will not be completed/released until (hopefully) the beginning of the year 2009.

Fate Twisters

I believe this is an underrated drama since nobody ever talks about it but I thought it was a very good and heartwarming drama. A simplistic plot but it was enjoyable to watch.

Ada Choi: I love her character in here! 5*****

Lawrence Ng: He portrays gentle characters well. 5*****

Gigi Lai: Another evil role but I thought she did a good job. 5*****

Eddie Kwan: His comeback drama with TVB and I thought his acting got a little bit rusty. 4****

Ada+Lawrence: 4****

Lawrence+Gigi: 4****

Gigi+Eddie: 3***

Themesong by William So: 5*****

Rating: 4****

Doomed to Oblivion

The first half of DTO was a lot better than the second half since it got draggy and unrealistic.

Wong Hei: I usually like Wong Hei's dramas but he was such a jerk to Nadia Chan in here. 4****

Nadia Chan: I felt so bad for her in here since she was forced to marry a man who didn't love her and when he finally did love her back, she died. I thought it was unnecessary to make Nadia's character died since it felt like TVB just wanted to promote Myolie Wu so in order to that, they had to kill Nadia off. 4***

Gigi Lai: An evil role for Gigi but her character was too one-dimensional. 3***

Myolie Wu: 2**

Wong Hei+Nadia: 4****

Wong Hei+Gigi: 4****

Wong Hei+Myolie: 1*

Themesong by Wong Hei: 3***

Rating: 2**

War and Beauty

WAB is a brilliant drama about the internal conflicts between the imperial concubines. I adore this drama since it has fantastic acting by the cast and a refreshing and addicting plot.

Sheren Tang: 5*****

Maggie Cheung: 5*****

Gigi Lai: Her crying was painful to watch in here so although her acting was good everywhere else, I thought Sheren should have won the Best Actress award since I thought she did a better job. 4****

Charmaine Sheh: 4****

Moses Chan: 5*****

Bowie Lam: 5*****

Sheren+Moses: 3***

Maggie+Moses: 4****

Gigi+Bowie: 3***

Charmaine+Bowie: 2**

Themesong by Bowie Lam: 4****

Rating: 5*****

Shades of Truth

A clever and funny modern-day adaptation of a Chinese tale mixed with the movie Infernal Affairs (starring Andy Lau and Tong Leung).

Julian Cheung: 5*****

Wong Hei: 5*****

Gigi Lai: Her hair was so crazy in here! This was a pretty "sexy" role for her. 5*****

Tavia Yeung: 4****

Julian+Gigi: 4****

Wong Hei+Tavia: 3***

Wong Hei+Gigi: 3***

Julian+Tavia: 2**

Themesong by Wong Hei: 3***

Rating: 4****

The Dance of Passion

I love War and Beauty so I had to watch this because it has a similar cast and the same producer but I was uttering disappointed with this drama. It was so boring most of the time; however, the characters were interesting and the ending was really good. Thus, this drama is only worth watching for the characters and the ending.

Moses Chan: I didn’t care too much for his character since he was kind of boring but he did a good job. 5*****

Bowie Lam: His character was really interesting since he’s such a ruthless leader and husband. 5*****

Ada Choi: She did such a great job in here! Her character was the best out of the rest since she has many layers to her characters. Ada never failed to disappoint. 5*****

Gigi Lai: I like her character better in the beginning because she became too weak near the middle and ending. However, her role is still better than Charmaine Sheh’s role. 5*****

Charmaine Sheh: I didn’t really care for her role either since she’s boring like Moses’ role. 5*****

Moses+Charmaine: They were okay…I don’t really like this couple though. 2**

Bowie+Gigi: I never liked this couple, but they were okay in War and Beauty. 2**

Bowie+Ada: I don’t like this couple either. 2**

Themesong by Bowie Lam: I don’t really like Bowie as a singer so this was just okay. 3***

Rating: 2.5** This could have been shorter and more interesting to watch.

The Ultimate Crime Fighter

TUCF was better than I thought, but it dragged a little bit too much in the middle. Some of the cases were predictable and unbelievable; nevertheless, it's still a watchable drama. The ending was inspirational and very Buddhist-like, one of the better endings these days.

Moses Chan: He was excellent in this drama. From a Thai pimp, to a nice police, to a man filled with hatred and revenge, Moses showed a wide range of layers to his character. Plus, I'm beginning so see why everybody loves him. 5*****

Gigi Lai: A breakthrough role for Gigi since she acted as a dorky and "ugly" character. I give her props for trying something new but her role was actually more annoying than likable to me. 4****

Kevin Cheng: Another breakthrough role; I think he should have won best actor for this role rather than the one in Under the Canopy of Love (although I liked him in there). He actually made me scared when I found out his true self and his eyes were so intense! 5*****

Moses+Gigi: They were cute but had too many problems/misunderstandings. 4****

Gigi+Kevin: I think they fitted together more in terms of looks and chemistry, but I don't think Kevin ever truly loved Gigi and vice versa. 4****

Moses+Yoyo Mung: They matched in personalities better but the relationship was too sudden; I felt bad for Yoyo. 4****

Subsong by Moses Chan: I like it since it's very soothing. 4****

Rating: 3*** I would watch again but not until a lot of years has passed by so that I don't remembered what happened.

Actresses Part I

Favorites:

1. Jessica Hsuan - this is sad but I don't even remember when I started to like Jessica since I watched so many of her dramas but I guess I starting to like her in the year 1999 with dramas like Detective Investigative Files IV, Game of Deceit, and Witness to Persecution.
   
2. Gigi Lai - I love Gigi in The Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber 2000.
   
3. Charmaine Sheh - Although I like Charmaine because of The Flying Fox of the Snowy Mountain 1999, I won't watch this drama again.
   
4. Leila Tong - I initially didn't like Leila because of her role in Square Pegs; however, she became one of my favorites after I watched The Legend of Love.
   
5. Michelle Yip - I love Michelle in Eternal Happiness and Lofty Water Verdant Bow but that's pretty much it. Although I hate to admit this, her later dramas are not as great except for Hero/World's Finest. I feel like she doesn't have the "spark" that she had in EH and LWVB. Maybe I just need to watch her newer works since I last seen Michelle in Central Affairs II and I wasn't too impressed.
   
6. Mimi Lo - I know Mimi is not really famous but she won me ever since I saw her in The Battle Against Evil. Although she's not as promoted as the other actresses, I always enjoy watching her on screen. Plus, she's really nice in real life.
   
7. Annie Man - I'm sad that Annie is not in dramas anymore since she's a really good actress, especially in Coincidentally.