Rumors of Raymond Lam (林峯) leaving TVB have pushed TVB senior executives into action by offering strong support for his upcoming January concert and granting him the JSG Most Popular Male Singer award. If Raymond has been annoyed with the media reports of his alleged intention to leave TVB, he should not be anymore. Regardless if the reports were true, Raymond has only benefited from the rumors thus far. First, his fans have pledged their loyalty to him. And now, TVB senior executives seem to be paying him extra attention. Executives Giving Their Moral Support Several days ago, Raymond was in the dance studio rehearsing for his January concert when TVB top executives paid him a surprise visit. TVB executives, Peter Au (區偉林) and Virginia Lok (樂易玲), together with EEG executive, Ng Yu (吳雨) visited Raymond after their meeting . When asked if they have come to appease Raymond, Peter Au joked, “Of course not! In actual fact, we have come to scare Raymond!” And then he added more seriously, “Actually we care for every one of our artists. I think Raymond’s dancing is good. If I have the time, I will definitely go to his concert.” Raymond said, “I know the company cares for me and we have a tacit understanding. Anyway, as I said before – where Ms. Lok goes, I will go.” Denies Filming “Luk Siu Fung” With Raymond winning the JSG Most Popular Male Singer Award, his music career is off to a roaring start in 2013. To boost his acting career in mainland China further, TVB had reportedly helped Raymond clinch the leading role in a 30-episode remake of Luk Siu Fung <陆小凤>. Tabloids reported that Raymond secured 500,000 RMB per episode, which made him TVB’s highest paid actor to-date, beating 2012 winner, Kevin Cheng (鄭嘉穎) who only took home 350,000 RMB for each episode of Ip Man <葉問>. Though there were reports that claimed Kevin is in the midst of talks to increase his pay to 500,000 RMB for each episode of Ip Man 2, the deal is not yet finalized. When asked to confirm if he was indeed earning 500,000 RMB per episode in China, Raymond replied, “The fee of each artist is a commercial secret. There were many errors in the tabloid reports that surfaced.” He also declined to compare himself with Kevin Cheng’s commercial value. Raymond further clarified that although he was aware that a remake of Luk Siu Fung is in the works, he has not been contacted by anyone regarding the wuxia television drama. He was surprised himself when news reports linked him to the project. Creds: Oriental Daily
