IT was a dramatic start to the week with news that singer George Lam had pleaded guilty to shoplifting charges in Hawaii in July and now has a criminal record. Lam, however, quickly held a press conference to explain the incident had been a misunderstanding. He had picked up a pair of US$75 (HK$585) sunglasses in a duty-free store, intending to pay for them, but suddenly remembered a previous appointment and rushed out. He was stopped and, although he explained his case and offered to pay, the store stuck to its policy of filing charges. Since fighting the charges would have meant staying on in Hawaii and worrying wife, Sally, and his two children, Lam decided to plead guilty - a decision he regrets in hindsight. However, his record will be erased if he commits no other crime in the next six months.
Pair besieged over romance rumours IT was quite a sight in Sai Kung last Monday when more than 30 reporters congregated at the doorstep of Ekin Cheng, in the hopes of getting pictures of the actor-singer with Gigi Leung Wing-kei - rumoured to be his new love interest. One newspaper even likened the spectacle to the scene in Notting Hill where Hugh Grant opens his front door to flashing lights. Like the Notting Hill paparazzi, the local ones were not disappointed: Leung emerged from the front door to be besieged by hacks wanting to know if rumours of the romance were true. Both Leung and Cheng denied they were dating, saying they were good friends, but the fact that Cheng's girlfriend, Maggie Siu Mei-kei, was not there is fuelling speculation that Cheng has reacquired his footloose status.
Quest for a millennium baby IT seems like everyone is rushing off to get married and have a millennium baby these days. The latest on the list is singer William So Wing-hong who secretly tied the knot with his two-year love, Jane, on a recent trip abroad. The popular crooner told the media that they wanted to have children as soon as possible since they were already in their 30s. So said he did not want to be like his father, who only had him when he was in his 40s. In the meantime, So's new album - scheduled to be released this month - has been delayed for three days because he wanted to add a new song. The song, My Woman, was originally meant for his next album but So said it so resembled his love story that he wanted to commemorate this time of his life with it. How sweet.
Guild sets up permanent charity fund HONG KONG'S Performing Artists Guild has decided to set up a permanent charity fund after last Sunday's successful fund-raiser for Taiwan's earthquake victims. Industry big brother Jackie Chan declared after the show that the guild will hold a charity concert every year and put the money in a fund so that immediate aid is available for a tragedy. In this case, Taiwanese quake victims had to wait for almost two weeks for financial help. Having an official fund also means copyright to the shows would belong to the fund and money made from distribution sales could also be channelled back into the fund. The charity concert on Sunday, attended by more than 250 artists from Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, raised more than $10 million.