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What began as a strange nomination list became one of fair winners, and that’s a very generous saying given TVB’s history of playing favoritism. I assumed that a few of the awards would be distributed to those who required reassurance at the company or had connections with executive members, but I was delightfully surprised to be proven wrong.

Most Improved Actor Award
Having only seen Wong Cho Lam in a few episodes of Best Selling Secrets and Super Trio Supreme, I can’t say that he didn’t improve. Judging by the sample of his accomplishments shown, he seemed to be the right choice for the award. [The thought of Derek Kwok standing on stage holding a "Most Improved" trophy still makes me cringe. He was joking about being an awfully old winner, but I could sense the bitterness in his voice.]

Most Improved Actress Award
With several memorable performances and five series released in one year, I was nearly certain that Selena Li would bring home the prize, but seeing the less-promoted Nancy Wu take her place was just as gratifying. Nancy stepped into the entertainment industry in 2002, but only recently was she able to take her career to new heights starring in The Silver Chamber of Sorrows and the competition Strictly Come Dancing. She is a promising actress I look forward to seeing more of in upcoming series.

Most Favorite Female Character Award
This was a complimentary award for last year’s television queen Louise Lee. Many viewers cherished the wise, forgiving, and preachy Hor Ma in Moonlight Resonance, but she is unique to the imaginations of TVB writers; I doubt an unrealistically altruistic character quite like her exists elsewhere. While I do understand the importance of having sincerity in a world where sufferings and atrocities occur on a daily basis, surely we can protect ourselves without doing harm to others and succumbing to the dark side of human nature.

Most Favorite Male Character Award
Of all the young actors working for TVB, Raymond Lam is the most versatile and talented. Sadly, there is little variety in the roles given to him. Goon Ga Jai in Moonlight Resonance is family-oriented, sensitive, supportive, and sweet - the definition of a “good” guy. And that’s exactly the problem. How many of his other characters could be described as so? I welcomed the breath of fresh air when he portrayed the arrogant Lai Yeuk Yee in Face to Fate, but to truly expand his range, I believe Raymond must take on a villainous role.

Best Supporting Actor Award
Congratulations to Wayne Lai! The standing ovations demonstrated his popularity amongst fellow actors and the audience. Appearing in very minor roles during the late 80’s and working his way up to moderate ones in Journey to the West (loved his version of Zhu Bajie!) and Safe Guards the next 18 years, he has long been a leading actor playing secondary characters. However, as a supporting actor, this restriction has not prevented him from stealing the show on multiple occasions. Dai Tsung Man in The Gentle Crackdown II is my favorite male character this year, and I’m simply thrilled that TVB is allowing Wayne to lead his first series with Sheren Tang.

Best Supporting Actress Award
Good for Tavia Yeung! It’s about time she lives outside the shadows of weaker actresses. Her strong portrayal of the adopted Ah Yuet in Moonlight Resonance provided a much-needed boost to her career, and she deserves every bit of the attention denied in past years. Though quite a few of her fans were upset that her performance was recognized as supporting material, the drop resulted in a more favorable outcome; she would have walked away empty-handed competing against fiercer opponents in the “Best Actress” category.

Best Series Award
Once again, Lau Kar Ho’s grand production squashed its competition, and once again I was left with the feeling of being cheated. Neither Heart of Greed nor Moonlight Resonance had a well-written script or decent plot to claim the “Best Series” title. After the cleverly scripted Phoenix Rising was defeated in 2007, the impressive Last One Standing suffered the same fate a year later. I’m just relieved another successor is not in the making. Has the milk finally evaporated?

Best Actress Award
The ever-youthful Michelle Yim is an exquisite actress. As a villainess, her piercing stares and devious smiles have the ability to send chills down my back. While Yan Hung in Moonlight Resonance may be easily compared to Sung Gam-Chi in The Brink of Law, as both were mothers who supposedly schemed for the well-being of their children, she approached this character differently to bring out her conniving qualities - all with cakey foundation and horrendous hair! I’m glad that Michelle’s career is peaking again, and may she continue to be successful.

Best Actor Award
Realistically, the only competitors were Ha Yu and Raymond Lam, but of the top five nominees, the performance of the latter was arguably the second weakest. Unfortunately, the brilliant deliveries of Damian Lau in Catch Me Now and Roger Kwok in Last One Standing (rather than D.I.E.) were overshadowed by those of the Moonlight Resonance cast members. I am, however, satisfied with Yu’s win because he truly deserves the award. Acting for nearly 40 years in a number of series, one of which earned him the “Chicken Man” nickname, he was never given the opportunity to shine brightly until Heart of Greed came his way.

On a side note, Louise Lee’s words before the presentation of the award were a bit unsettling. Yes, Kevin Cheng and Roger Kwok were out of the running, but to completely ignore their existence or hard work this year was bordering on insensitivity. Even in jest, respect should have been given to each nominee regardless of his/her odds.

Lifetime Achievement Award
Paul Chun has had a distinguished career in both television and film, and the collection of this honorable award marked another milestone. How fitting they displayed the clip of Lee Heung Kam presenting the “Best Actor” award to him in 1986. I still remember first watching him as the gambler with the coolest voice synthesizer in 1990’s classic Hong Kong film All for the Winner. Hopefully, he keeps his promise and continues to act for decades more.

Good luck to all winners in the future!

“Storm” (風暴) - Raymond Lam, Ron Ng, Kenneth Ma, & Sammul Chan
The Four 《少年四大名捕》 Opening Theme

To view all high-quality screen captures of the music video, click HERE or visit the Photo Gallery.

Feel free to download the song below, but do not direct-link or post the file onto other sites, forums, etc. As an alternative, kindly post this link crediting the site.

Download: the_four_mv.zip
Version: Official Music Video
Length: 04:05 min
Size: 3.75 MB
Bit Rate: 128 kbit/s