Pop star Nicholas Tse Ting-fung relaunched his career at the Grand Hyatt Hotel yesterday in a chaotic media event lit up by fireworks and fiery hype which one Middle East journalist compared to 'a war zone'.
More than 80 reporters from around the world showed up at the 22-year-old star's first public event since he was convicted in October of switching drivers following a crash in his Ferrari. Tse was convicted of attempting to pervert the course of justice and spent two weeks in jail before being sentenced to community service.
Camera crews, reporters and photographers pushed to get into the Grand Ballroom for The Brand New Nicholas Tse Press Conference - causing one security guard to knock over a row of flower displays.
'I have taken pictures in a war zone but it was not as bad as this. This is so chaotic and dangerous,' said an Israeli photographer from Associated Press.
'Why is everyone so excited about such a little thing?'
The journalists were watched by security officers to ensure nobody stepped into the dining area where guests such as director Wong Pak-ming, comic book giant Wong Yuk-long and media management from RTHK, Commercial Radio and TVB sat.