VERONICA Yip Yuk-hing has proved she can ''diversify as an entertainer'' with her radio and Canto-pop performances, but continues to use heavy portions of her customary sauce in her new TVB Jade chat show, Tonight With Veronica. Every Tuesday night, long after the children have been put to bed, Yip can be seen sashaying out in a sexy outfit to the applause of an expectant studio audience. She interviews and plays games with guests, hosts debates with the audience, counsels lovelorn men and women, and sends out extravagant gifts . Isn't that enough to prove she is the hostess with the mostest? Not quite. The show barely lives up to the risque reputation gained before it began when a couple of moral crusaders in Tuen Mun complained that it might be rather saucy. The residents suggested more teenagers might become sex maniacs after watching the programme. But after seeing last week's show, the first in the series, their fears must have been allayed. Tonight With Veronica is Enjoy Yourself Tonight with more frocks. If eyebrows were raised, it was after seeing Yip's riveting red V-shaped, half mini-skirt, half cheongsam number. The programme began with two guests, Lawrence Cheng and Richard Ng, being tested to see if they were thoughtful lovers. Titillation came in the form of models clad in swimsuits acting as their girlfriends. Next up was a segment in which Yip interviewed a lovelorn man. With feminine intuition, the star had helped him woo back his angry girlfriend, a scene filmed outside a Kowloon Bay factory. It was a typical tale of an insensitive boyfriend turning down a date with a lie in order to play mahjong with his friends. Yip was able to resolve the dispute effortlessly with - you guessed it - a bunch of flowers. The cuddly couple then turned up at the studio to receive a prize and complete the ingenious programming concept. It is doubtful whether these love tussles can be repeated on a weekly basis, since the basic requirement is to speak up bravely before a television camera. BUT the highlight of last week's show was an interview with former secretary for home affairs Mr Peter Tsao, 60, and his third wife, who is 30. Almost immediately, Yip was firing probing personal questions at Mr Tsao: ''Are there any problems in terms of your different 'energy' levels?''; ''Is the new Mrs Tsao happy with your 'performance' at the age of 60?''. The 40-minute show ended with dating tips and a debate involving the audience on whether or not a ''third person'' should be tolerated in a relationship. Yip cannot be blamed for the show not living up to expectations, as she has little control over the content. Indeed, she has complained about the lack of enthusiasm for the programme and may be regretting accepting the offer to do it. However, it is unlikely to be a setback for her. People are hungry to read all they can about her in gossip magazines and her picture on a cover ensures good sales. Category III actresses generally come and go. Yip is planning to stay for a while. But whether Tonight With Veronica will last remains to be seen. Tonight With Veronica airs at 10.20 pm on Tuesdays on TVB Jade.
