Is That Your Final Answer?!?

My parents, like apparently millions of other people in the U.S., love the show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?...

Maybe it's the host (Regis), maybe it's the suspense, maybe it's that everyone feels like, "I could do that!"... maybe it's the life-changing amount of the top prize. But people love that show -- I remember when I left for Hong Kong it was on like 3 or 4 nights a week, and we're talking prime time, too.

But I'm not sure how many people know that this program actually originated in Australia, and has been exported all over the globe. The U.K. has a version, of course Australia has a version, and yes, Hong Kong has their own version, too! 

(There's also a HK version of that Weakest Link show, only here it's called Something Something Man Out, where the "something something" is some Chinese that I don't know what it is... they even have this stern-looking spinster-type hostess, just like the U.S. version).

Anyway, the HK version of Millionaire features a guy named Ken Chan as the host, and he's trying to make the most of his exposure from the show. You see, in Hong Kong you don't want to just be a pop singer, you want to be a pop singer AND a movie star. Or you don't just want to be a news anchor, you want to be a news anchor AND a stage actor. Everyone wants to get as much mileage from their media opportunities as possible. And Ken Chan is just such an up-and-coming "multi-media" star. 

Now, FIRST, let me say that he seems like a TRULY intelligent and sincere guy, and I'm not kidding, I think that he is probably pretty cool. Apart from his constantly changing the eye glasses he's wearing (he seems to have more glasses than Elton John in that "I'm Still Standin'" video!) -- but apart from the "now-I'm-a-librarian--now-I'm-late-70's-Elvis--now-I'm-Buddy-Holly" switcheroo that he plays with his glasses, APART from that he seems to be a down-to-earth guy and very likable. 

BUT, basically as soon as he got famous for hosting the show, he put out a CD of songs which he hilariously called -- and I hope the photo below is proof enough for you -- "Final Answer"...

Whatever, I just think it's hysterical -- "Final Answer"!!! Of course, the words of the songs are all Chinese -- but I keep imagining him singing, all melodramatic and Michael Bolton-esque, about, "C'mon, baby, we've still got two more lifelines!!" or "Don't hold out on me, sugar, let's just phone a friend!"... Or maybe a song about a girl who can't choose between 4 guys, "Girl! Take a 50-50, and then choose me! Whoooaaaa!" Actually, he has a duet on the CD with some cute girl that I think was a sort of hit for him here, so obviously HK people must not think it's all that funny that he named his CD "Final Answer" -- but I guess in American culture the phrase, "Is that your final answer?" has become such a little joke that it sounds ridiculous to me...

So, whatever, now you know...

This article was first posted: 30 May 2002

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