2011 was a year full of ups and downs for the well respected and gentlemanly Steven Ma. His series "7 Days in Life" was moderately well received, but like most of his series, aired at a bad time slot. For the first time, his ancient series "The Life and Times of a Sentinel" was able to snag the "golden" time slot as it aired during the summer. Known as one of TVB's most loyal artists, Steven's career took an unexpected turn when he shocked and saddened many by announcing he would be leaving the TV company after 18 years of hard work with little recognition. In an effort to get him to stay, TVB executives offered to give him the Best Actor award. No longer interested in awards and just wanting to peacefully leave the company and start a new life in China, a tired and worn looking Steven refused and put his effort into filming his final TVB series, "Daddy Good Deeds" and hosting variety show "Book of Words". Steven worked hard this year as well as all the other years he worked for TVB, and deserves a fresh start and success elsewhere. However, he will definitely be missed.
#9 - Raymond Wong
Raymond may have played second fiddle to Ruco Chan in "The Other Truth", but ended the year with a bang with his captivating portrayal of lead character "Tung Book Sin" in the unexpected big hit "Bottled Passion". His performance was met with critical acclaim and gained him even more fans, securing his status as lead actor. Fans on JayneStars.com even voted him as the Best Actor of 2011 over Kevin Cheng!
#8 - Nancy Wu
Known for her solid and interesting performances in supporting roles, Nancy delivered a breakthrough in the role of the lawyer "Eva Chow" in "Forensic Heroes 3". Despite only appearing in a handful of episodes, she maximized the screen time she had and left viewers with a deep impression. Nancy's performance was met with praise and she became the "black horse" candidate for the race for Best Supporting Actress, making it into the top 5. This year looks like it will be an even brighter one for Nancy. Will she finally be boosted up to lead actress status?
#7 - Sharon Chan
Viewers only saw Sharon once in the whole year of 2011. However, with a role like "Ho Lai Ching" in "Ghetto Justice", that was all she needed to make an impact. Portraying a pitiable and well meaning prostitute, Sharon became one of the most successful breakthroughs of the year. Her portrayal of "Ho Lai Ching" did not come without hardship, as she broke her collarbone while filming and spent many months recovering. Instead of giving up, she toughed out the rough filming conditions that came with the character. Deservingly and not surprisingly, she took home the Best Supporting Actress, after years of unappreciated and overlooked hard work.
#6 - Linda Chung
"Yes Sir, Sorry Sir" may have failed to boost the careers of Moses Chan, Tavia Yeung, and Ron Ng, but unexpectedly generated a huge amount of press coverage for Linda's "Ms. Cool", who was only playing a supporting character. "Ms. Cool" was so successful and loved that a spin off series for the character was filmed. In one of the year's biggest shockers of the year, Linda did not take home the "My Favorite Female Character" award despite predictions and buzz. However, I think having an entire spin off series based off the character is enough to make up for it!
#5 - Kate Tsui
2011 was an extremely busy year for Kate. She graced television screens in Hong Kong almost all year round, with six of her series aired (including the previously warehoused "A Great Way to Care" and mini series "Dropping By Cloud Nine"). Her partnership with Bosco in "Lives of Omission" was the most talked about on screen couple of the year. What made 2011 a great year for the actress though, was the improvements made in her acting. She appeared much more natural and even cute in "Forensic Heroes III", while still retaining the fierceness and power that makes her, well...Kate Tsui.
#4 - Bosco Wong
Bosco seems to have been demoted to second male lead lately, but this didn't stop him from achieving even more popularity and praise. His performance as gangster "Michael/Bai Co" in "Lives of Omission" was critically acclaimed and generated a lot of buzz. Despite only being second lead, he emerged as the black horse candidate for Best Actor as well as My Favorite Male Character, competing against co-star Michael Tse, "Laughing Gor" himself. Some even noted that Bosco out shined Michael. It seems being demoted to second lead has only made Bosco more likable and popular!
#3 - Kevin Cheng
As an actor who was starting to be more known for his good looks than acting, portraying the role of "Law Ba" in "Ghetto Justice" gave Kevin the career push he needed. Usually appearing uncomfortable onscreen and even somewhat wooden, Kevin successfully emerged himself in the unique role of "Law Ba". It seems that 2011 was not only the year his career was resurrected, but also the year he learned to be more laid back and not take himself so seriously. The result? A much more likable and charming Kevin.
#2 - Myolie Wu
Myolie has always been the young TVB actress with the most versatility and skill, but recent years had her plagued with undeserved criticism for weak roles. This was the year she finally fought back and won over viewers again. "The Rippling Blossom", "Curse of the Royal Harem", and the sleeper hit "Ghetto Justice" all did well and gave Myolie much praise. She won Best Actress for "Curse", making her the first rising "fa dan" to win the coveted title.
#1 - Ruco Chan
Ruco may not have won any anniversary awards, but 2011 truly was his year to shine. After 17 years of hard work in the entertainment industry, 2011 was his break out year. He won critical acclaim for his first leading role as "Keith Lau" in "The Other Truth". As a result, he became the new favorite among producers when casting people for their productions, particularly Amy Wong. In a mere 3 months, he pocketed $500,000 HKD from promotions and functions. He became the new hot topic and household name in Hong Kong, dominating the tabloids and tvb.com blogs much longer after "The Other Truth" finished airing. To finish off the year, he won Jaynestar's Sexiest Man Alive poll, beating out Kevin Cheng and Raymond Lam. With "Ruse of Engagement" to be aired soon and the upcoming "Chok Crew" and "Seaside Love", there's no doubt that 2012 will be an even brighter year for Ruco. He has secured his status as leading actor, and there's no kicking him out.
In my opinion, these are the 10 artists in 2011 that stood out in particular. They all exhibited something outstanding and made great accomplishments. We are four months into 2012, so it will be interesting to see what they will be able to accomplish with the remainder of the year.
What are your thoughts? Who do you think stood out this year? Comment with your own top 10!
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