Happily ever afterlife

so that both the deceased can be married off and live happily ever after in the afterlife.

Recently, Hong Kong Cable TV (iCable) came under criticism for planning to organise ghost weddings between their hosts and dead celebrities. The move was reportedly to boost the ratings of its popular paranormal programme, The Unbelievable.

Apparently, the major Chinese dailies reported that the show’s host Spencer Leung divulged plans for an arranged “ghost marriage” for late actress Barbara Yung Meiling or deceased actor-cum-DJ Paul Chung.

Leung said the plan was for him to marry Yung and another host, Shum Po Yee, to wed Chung.

A draw was held and Shum was picked to go through the ceremony first, Leung said. The ghost wedding was planned to be held at the end of this month and the event broadcast in August.

Ostensibly, the initial plan was to involve late superstars Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung, but those involved later backed down for fear of repercussions from fans of these celebrities.

Kent Tong Chun-yip, Yung’s exboyfriend, was said to be fuming over the matter and felt that the TV station had no respect for the dead and their families. He slammed the plan as “a disgrace to the entertainment industry”.

Apparently, permission from Chung’s family would be sought before proceeding with the wedding.

Yung, then 26, died of gas inhalation at the peak of her career in 1985 over her failed romance.

Four years later, Chung, who had huge gambling debts, was said to have jumped to his death from his apartment.

Lee Eng Kew, 47, a Taiping-based newspaper columnist who writes on Chinese culture in a local Chinese