Mommy's Boys
Mama mia! There's a mom who has lost her marbles and is let loose at Raffles Town Club, ranting off incessantly and cracking up the media present at the press conference for Channel 8's latest dramedy, To Mom with Love.
That loony mother is none other than Malaysian-born and Hongkong-based actress Zhu Mimi, who stars as Du Caixia, a wacky and fun-loving mother who came back to earth as a ghost to care for her 4 children and avenge her death. She quips on her unfamiliar character in Mandarin, "It is a difficult role because I have never been a ghost!"
Huang Jiaqiang (who is also starring as a father in another show Family Combo plays Zhu's husband who died even before she did, leaving the widow to support the children on her school bus driver wages. "We have a husband and wife face because we have the same dimples," exclaims Zhu.
Her 4 children include Brandon Wong as Lin Zhengye, Qi Yuwu as Lin Zhengzhi and recent Star Awards winner Michelle Saram as Lin Zhengting. Christopher Lee is Yang Yijie, who is in love with Michelle's character.
Newcomer Joanne Peh stars as Jiang Yuheng, Zhengzhi's crush. Joanne talks in English of her chemistry with Qi, "It is a little hard to talk to Yuwu initially because he is very quiet so it takes a while to know him better." When asked if the Fann Wong look-alike has interacted with Fann's rumoured lover Christopher, Joanne replies in a rather disappointed tone, "No, because I never had a scene with Christopher!"
Zhu is clearly the affectionate mother, judging from her comments of the cast. For example, when Qi, who had spent 2 days being suspended by wires in mid-air for a slapstick scene said he has suffered some pain, Zhu jests, "He really was in pain because I checked out the marks on his butt!"
Similarly, when Christopher talks about his kissing scenes with Michelle, Zhu interrupts and asks for "kissing scenes with Christopher". Well, it seems this mother really has a lot of love to give.
To Mom with Love airs Mon - Fri, 7 pm on Channel 8.