21 Sep 2007, ST
While the Hong Kong actor's scores have been fair, his comments have not been satisfactory, says MediaCorp
By Lee Sze Yong
FOR the past three weeks, Hong Kong actor Alex Man has been booting out contestants of Channel 8's talent hunt Star Search as one of the judges.
Now, he may be getting the sack himself.
MAN, OH, MAN: Man's (above) behaviour offscreen, like his off-colour remarks to show host Quan Yifeng, have also ruffled feathers. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Reports have surfaced that the 50-year-old veteran, who has been in more than 70 movies and even more TV serials, including local production Golden Pillow (1996), may be replaced after displaying questionable behaviour on and off the air.
The show's managing executive producer Tan Puay Keem told Life! yesterday that the production team is holding meetings to 'evaluate his performance'.
She said: 'To be honest, there is a gap between his performance on air and what we had expected of him when we invited him on the panel.'
Man, who sits on the panel with MediaCorp Studios' senior vice-president for Chinese drama Kok Len Shoong and Taiwanese actress Ann Lang Tsu-yun from the first episode aired on Aug 21, has been criticised for giving vague reviews of the contestants' performances.
Tan said that while his scores for each contestant have been fair, his comments have been unsatisfactory.
'Times have changed. Being a judge on a live show is not that easy. His experience as an actor may not help him in this case.'
She added that the decision on whether Man would stay or leave depends largely on TV viewers.
'Ultimately, we are producing a show for the viewers. If it has come to a point when they can't accept him, then we may have to do something drastic.'
Already, some viewers have gone to online forums and the Chinese media to say that his comments for the contestants have been ambiguous and not pointed enough.
Efforts to reach the actor have been unsuccessful.
However, talk that he may be replaced by Hong Kong actor-director Alfred Cheung is untrue.
A Channel 8 spokesman clarified that Cheung would be a fourth judge as the contest goes into the semi-finals next week, and is not a replacement.
Off-screen, Man's actions have led to unhappiness on the set. A disgruntled source on the set has also told on him to Lianhe Zaobao.
Among the complaints:
# At a rehearsal for the pilot episode, Man, Lang and Kok went on stage to be introduced by the hosts and were to go back to their seats on their own.
But Man shouted: 'How come nobody is escorting us down? Do you take me for an extra? I'm a Golden Horse winner.'
When told that he would not be filmed going off-stage, the 1988 winner for Best Actor for mafia film Call Me Brother in the Taiwanese film awards stood his ground until producers assigned someone to escort the judges to their seats.
# At a recording of the second episode, Man took out of his bag a pair of binoculars, a camera, a video camera and other equipment, and started shooting away at the hosts and contestants. Crew members asked him to keep his things, to no avail.
Commenting on the incidents, Tan said that it is not unusual for a celebrity to have 'some attitude'.
'It would be a godsend if celebrities are articulate, witty, experienced and cooperative, all in one,' she remarked with a laugh.
She said that Man 'would ask for feedback after each recording so you know that he is trying' to improve.
However, his off-colour comments to hosts Quan Yifeng and Guo Liang during a filming break had the former fuming.
The actor apparently said to Quan and Guo, who are married to other people: 'All these years, you've never got together? You've never got it on?'
The hosts seemed shocked by his questions but Man went on to suggest that Quan should host an adult show with him in China.
An unhappy Quan fired off a post on her blog on Sept 15 but stopped short of naming Man. She wrote: 'As a woman, as a female artiste, as a wife, as a mother, these words were extremely insulting.'
She added: 'Thanks very much. I'm not so cheap that I have to do an adult show to survive.'
She also wrote: 'I act dumb in the face of weekly sexual harassment not because I'm permissive but because I'm soft-hearted. I don't want to see an old, conceited 'clown' completely lose face in public.'
Later, after a recording on Tuesday, she declined to comment further to reporters except to say: 'What you've seen is a reflection of my feelings.'
When asked if the tension between Quan and Man will affect production, Tan said that Quan has been treating this professionally and has not shown any displeasure on the show.
She added: 'They may not be friends but they can still be colleagues.'
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Quan Yi Fong Blog
While the Hong Kong actor's scores have been fair, his comments have not been satisfactory, says MediaCorp
By Lee Sze Yong
FOR the past three weeks, Hong Kong actor Alex Man has been booting out contestants of Channel 8's talent hunt Star Search as one of the judges.
Now, he may be getting the sack himself.
MAN, OH, MAN: Man's (above) behaviour offscreen, like his off-colour remarks to show host Quan Yifeng, have also ruffled feathers. -- PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Reports have surfaced that the 50-year-old veteran, who has been in more than 70 movies and even more TV serials, including local production Golden Pillow (1996), may be replaced after displaying questionable behaviour on and off the air.
The show's managing executive producer Tan Puay Keem told Life! yesterday that the production team is holding meetings to 'evaluate his performance'.
She said: 'To be honest, there is a gap between his performance on air and what we had expected of him when we invited him on the panel.'
Man, who sits on the panel with MediaCorp Studios' senior vice-president for Chinese drama Kok Len Shoong and Taiwanese actress Ann Lang Tsu-yun from the first episode aired on Aug 21, has been criticised for giving vague reviews of the contestants' performances.
Tan said that while his scores for each contestant have been fair, his comments have been unsatisfactory.
'Times have changed. Being a judge on a live show is not that easy. His experience as an actor may not help him in this case.'
She added that the decision on whether Man would stay or leave depends largely on TV viewers.
'Ultimately, we are producing a show for the viewers. If it has come to a point when they can't accept him, then we may have to do something drastic.'
Already, some viewers have gone to online forums and the Chinese media to say that his comments for the contestants have been ambiguous and not pointed enough.
Efforts to reach the actor have been unsuccessful.
However, talk that he may be replaced by Hong Kong actor-director Alfred Cheung is untrue.
A Channel 8 spokesman clarified that Cheung would be a fourth judge as the contest goes into the semi-finals next week, and is not a replacement.
Off-screen, Man's actions have led to unhappiness on the set. A disgruntled source on the set has also told on him to Lianhe Zaobao.
Among the complaints:
# At a rehearsal for the pilot episode, Man, Lang and Kok went on stage to be introduced by the hosts and were to go back to their seats on their own.
But Man shouted: 'How come nobody is escorting us down? Do you take me for an extra? I'm a Golden Horse winner.'
When told that he would not be filmed going off-stage, the 1988 winner for Best Actor for mafia film Call Me Brother in the Taiwanese film awards stood his ground until producers assigned someone to escort the judges to their seats.
# At a recording of the second episode, Man took out of his bag a pair of binoculars, a camera, a video camera and other equipment, and started shooting away at the hosts and contestants. Crew members asked him to keep his things, to no avail.
Commenting on the incidents, Tan said that it is not unusual for a celebrity to have 'some attitude'.
'It would be a godsend if celebrities are articulate, witty, experienced and cooperative, all in one,' she remarked with a laugh.
She said that Man 'would ask for feedback after each recording so you know that he is trying' to improve.
However, his off-colour comments to hosts Quan Yifeng and Guo Liang during a filming break had the former fuming.
The actor apparently said to Quan and Guo, who are married to other people: 'All these years, you've never got together? You've never got it on?'
The hosts seemed shocked by his questions but Man went on to suggest that Quan should host an adult show with him in China.
An unhappy Quan fired off a post on her blog on Sept 15 but stopped short of naming Man. She wrote: 'As a woman, as a female artiste, as a wife, as a mother, these words were extremely insulting.'
She added: 'Thanks very much. I'm not so cheap that I have to do an adult show to survive.'
She also wrote: 'I act dumb in the face of weekly sexual harassment not because I'm permissive but because I'm soft-hearted. I don't want to see an old, conceited 'clown' completely lose face in public.'
Later, after a recording on Tuesday, she declined to comment further to reporters except to say: 'What you've seen is a reflection of my feelings.'
When asked if the tension between Quan and Man will affect production, Tan said that Quan has been treating this professionally and has not shown any displeasure on the show.
She added: 'They may not be friends but they can still be colleagues.'
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Quan Yi Fong Blog
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