TVB's Cost Cutting New Year Card Turns Artistes into Pigs

[Ta Kung Pao 07/02/07]

With Chinese New Year fast approaching, TVB sent out its New Year cards yesterday, showing head pictures of eighteen contracted artistes pasted onto pictures of pigs and with the greetings of riches and prosperity. However, a closer look reveals that the photographs have been taken from previous calendar shoots and as a result the smiles on Myolie Wu, Bernice Liu, Kevin Cheng and Charmaine Sheh are less than radiant and Bosco Wong and Ron Ng look a little cross-eyed. Compared to previous years, it certainly lacks an air of celebration and gives the impression of cost and labour cutting. Those who are beaming in the photos include Sonija Kwok, Linda Chung and Moses Chan.

When Roger Kwok saw the card, he was complimentary, saying: "It's quite cute! However, the photos are the ones from the calendars. (Is that a bit cheap?) It's quite auspicious with the gold and silver and the greeting has the word 'wong' (rich) in it, so it suits me fine! I am pleased with it, it is the thought that counts and the greeting. (Did you not have time for another photoshoot?) It was arranged by the company and we cannot get involved in the production side. (Some of the artistes are not smiling widely enough for the new year atmosphere?) Moses and me are smiling! Maybe for some people their personality is a little cooler and if everyone was smiling you cannot distinguish one from another! The cartoon additions and the little piggy caps are a nice gesture and I find it quite colourful." As for Charmaine being portrayed as a fatty housewife piggy, Roger smiles: "It is just a picture! The plump pig is quite cute and if she did become like that, it would be worth a lot of money. (Even Sonija has a little waist?) Pretty good! The most important thing is that the year of the pig is prosperous and everyone makes lots of money."

News translation credit to Em.

Sehseh: ... ... TVB really disappoints, big time. I mean, sure the piggy idea is cute but the result above looks like an amateur photoshop paste and copy. Oops, it is paste and copy. They just cropped the 2007 calender pic and pasted on those ugly pig cartoons! And they're not nicely animated at all!

Go ahead and fire the graphic artist. But before that, fire the executive who approved the project. Grr...