New local Chinese drama Exclusive on ntv7 is set to roll with thrills, spills and a whiff of romance.

By SETO KIT YAN
skyseto@thestar.com.my

TAKE a peek at the goings-on in the newsroom, through local Chinese drama series Exclusive, which debuts on ntv7 tonight.

The station’s latest drama series looks at the careers, relationships, and daily challenges in the lives of young journalists.

The 20-episode drama series is the second collaboration between ntv7 and production house Double Vision.

The cast of ntv7 Chinese drama Exclusive: (from left) Aenie Wong, Ernest, Roby, Alvin Wong, Berg Lee, Yise Loo, Monday and MayJune.

This light-hearted drama replaces prime-time hit series Age of Glory which concluded yesterday. Exclusive introduces many new faces, including the talents unearthed and cultivated through the station’s own star search reality show Star Idol Malaysia. The cast includes Berg Lee, Yise Loo, Alvin Wong, MayJune, Monday, Roby, Joyce Hon, Aenie Wong, and Ernest.

As the first Mandarin local drama series shot from a news reporting perspective, Exclusive analyses current social issues and presents a cluster of news stories, which are actually a compilation of recent big breaking news in Malaysia.

The storyline of the drama tells of many unsolved cases that have yet to be investigated by a quick-witted young journalist named Wu Hao Ze (portrayed by Berg Lee). The young man begins writing for Chinese magazine Exclusive by FMP Publishing Company.

Known for his achievements in theatre and art-house productions, Lee won the best actor award at the theatre-based ADA Drama Awards for three consecutive years since 2003.

Lee, whose passion for acting leans heavily towards art-house, had twice declined the lead role for the series.

“I wasn’t sure whether I could do it, but when they came asking again, I accepted the role as it was a very interesting one,” said Lee.

A scene in the drama required Lee to dress up like a girl to act as a decoy; all the women had fun dolling him up. They even agreed that he made the prettiest girl they had seen.

Cinema audiences will see him late next month in Woo Ming Jin-helmed art-house film The Elephat and the Sea, which scored him a best actor nomination at the 25th Torino Film Festival in Turin, Italy, last year.

The career of singer-songwriter and television host Yise Loo (who plays the female lead He Zhi Xuan) has been progressing in leaps and bounds since the release of her self-titled debut solo album late last year. Loo, who has featured in 8tv’s horror drama series Goodnight DJ, plays a tomboyish quick-thinking girl who is driven to push Exclusive (the magazine) to greater heights.

“I play an aggressive, outgoing and opinionated character. It’s my first lead role so I do feel the pressure but that also means I’ll put in more effort,” she explained.

Alvin Wong, who plays FMP Publishing Company’s head honcho Uncle Guang, is already a familiar face on Malaysian TV. Uncle Guang is the typical Chinese boss who is on top of everything yet is totally clueless about how his assistant feels towards him.

Elsewhere, winner of Star Idol Malaysia 2007 MayJune (full name Tan Bee Kuan) plays a young insurance sales advisor who aspires to be a veterinarian but does not have the support of her family members. MayJune, who is currently hosting Chinese entertainment programme e7, makes her television drama debut in Exclusive.

Watch out for the love triangle between Berg Lee, Yise Loo and MayJune as they make headlines in this new series.

Exclusive airs on ntv7 at 9.45pm from Monday to Friday starting today.

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