China Showbiz 2013/03/01
Most influential powers of Chinese film industry
Bruce Lee Forever
The Academy for International Communication of Chinese Culture released a survey yesterday in Beijing on the Most Influential Powers of the Chinese Film Industry Worldwide for 2012, Beijing Times reports.The survey shows that Chinese comedies are popular with those under age 18. Kung fu and action movies also scored well with all ages. Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li respectively took the first three spots of the most popular Chinese actors and Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Fan Bingbing are the top three actresses. As for directors, Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee and Chen Kaige are the most influential figures.According to Huang Huilin, the director of the institution, the survey received 1,117 answers from respondents of 107 countries. Fifty one percent of the respondents thought the factor that needs to be improved most is the movies' story lines and 50 percent of them thought Chinese movies are "illogical."Except the drawbacks of cultural difference and language barriers, the scripts are apparently the soft spot that slow the progress of Chinese movies going global. And most of those surveyed said the translation of subtitles confuse them a lot when they watch a Chinese movie.
'Cloud Atlas' Passing $27M U.S. Haul at China Box Office
"Cloud Atlas," the pricey and sprawling adventure tale from Lana and Andy Wachowski, is surpassing its North American haul at the Chinese box office.As of Thursday, "Cloud Atlas" had taken in $26.8 million with a few days left in its run in China, nearing its overall North American total of $27.1 million. Since opening on Oct. 26, it has grossed $113 million worldwide, $86 million of that coming from foreign markets.Beating its U.S. box office total in China is both a positive and a negative. While the China figure is pretty good -- and will make that country by far the most lucrative market for the film -- the film was a major disappointment in the U.S., where it opened to less than $10 million.It is, however, the latest evidence of China's increasing importance at the global box office."Over the next couple of years, I'm sure we'll see grosses in China begin to match or exceed North American grosses more frequently," BoxOffice.com vice-president and senior analyst Phil Contrino told TheWrap. "The growth in that market is unbelievable."The independently financed "Cloud Atlas" had a $102 million production budget and was co-directed by the Wachowskis("The Matrix") and German filmmaker Tom Tykwer ("Run Lola Run"). Based on the novel by David Mitchell, it's an ambitious adventure that simultaneously tells multiple stories throughout the past, present and future in order to explore how individuals' actions affect others. It stars Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess, Ben Whishaw and Xun Zhou, among others in multiple (and often unrecognizable) roles."Cloud Atlas" has been generally well-reviewed in China, where its spiritual message seems to have resonated. It might have done even better at the box office there, had it not gone up against "Skyfall" and the domestic blockbuster "Journey to the West." Chinese film officials and censors excised almost 30 minutes" from the film's 172-minute running time -- mostly sex and violence -- prior to the film's debut in Beijing.The China figure -- and the fact that it could add another $15 million to $20 million from France, Japan and a handful of countries where it has yet to open -- moves it closer to profitability. Its biggest markets other than China and the U.S. have been Russia ($17 million), Germany ($12 million) and Brazil and Italy (both $4.7 million).Warner Bros distributed "Cloud Atlas" in the U.S. while the foreign rights were pre-sold piece-meal to finance the film. Chinese distributor Dreams of Dragons Pictures is handling it there.For the record: An earlier version of this story misstated the "Cloud Atlas" box office in China as $28.6 million.Angelababy Has No Time to Celebrate 24th Birthday With Huang Xiaoming
Yesterday was Angelababy’s (楊穎) 24th birthday. This year is not only the year of her Chinese zodiac sign, but also her tenth year within the entertainment industry. What was her birthday wish? Angelababy expressed that she is very satisfied with her life, and there is nothing more to ask for.
Busy shooting for an advertisement in Shenzhen, Angelababy was unable to celebrate her special day. However, she revealed that the celebration had actually started last week, in which she has already cut a total of ten birthday cakes. Many friends wished Angelababy a happy birthday, including Kenny Lin (林更新), her costar in the movie, Detective Di: The Prequel <狄仁傑前傳>. Kenny posted a photo of her in a traditional costume on Weibo, sending his wishes. Angelababy’s manager, Kim, also revealed, “There is a surprise after she finished work.”
Angelababy’s boyfriend, Huang Xiaoming (黃曉明), has always been the romantic type of man. Although she had been working in New York during Valentine’s Day this year, Huang Xiaoming still sent her a bouquet of roses. Since he is currently in Beijing, did Huang Xiaoming give Angelababy a gift on her birthday? Kim expressed that she does not know. Furthermore, Angelababy will be flying to Paris tonight for a fashion event. It looks like the couple will have no time for a birthday celebration this year.
Source: Apple Daily- "Saving General Yang" Releases Posters, Stills, and New Trailer After releasing an international trailer last year, upcoming war movie Saving General Yang (忠烈杨家将) recently released a grittier new trailer, along with promotional posters and stills. The film, which is based on the legend of the Yang family, in which the seven sons brave death to rescue their father, will air on April 4th, which I find depressingly appropriate.
The real reason everyone wants to see this movie. (But how come we don't get to see any of the other brothers like this?)
As expected, the trailer is full of fighting and killing and yelling and horses. On average, the crew had to use about 500 horses each day when they were filming. Check out the trailer below, as well as more stills behind the cut:
Trailer for Saving General Yang, thanks to luozhelin @YouTube:
Adam Cheng as Yang Linggong (the father)
Ekin Cheng as Yang Dalang (first son)
Yu Bo as Yang Erlang (second son)
(Is it weird that, after Zai Zai, the one I'm looking forward to seeing most in this movie is Yu Bo?)
Vic Chou as Yang Sanlang (third son)
Li Chen as Yang Silang (fourth son)
Raymond Lam as Yang Wulang (fifth son)
Wu Chun as Yang Liulang (sixth son)
Fu Xinbo looking adorably anachronistic as Yang Qilang (seventh son)
And two more pics of shirtless!Wu Chun and Fu Xinbo, because why not.
- LI YUNDI'S BROKEBACK MARRIAGE While classical pianist Li Yundi (李云迪) is supposed to be romancing pop singer Wang Lee-hom (王力宏) — news just in! Yundi was married and divorced his wife in November 2012.
The English-language report, written by Rudolph Tang and published on British music critic Norman Lebrecht's blog, describes Yundi's wife as "politically powerful" but did not mention her name.
The reporter added in a follow up post: "Yundi's marital status is confirmed by one of his former agents who no longer works in the music industry."
Yundi's current manager refused to respond to questions about the pianist's private life. His parents were also not available for comment.
The story has triggered a war of words, with many angry fans criticizing the report's lack of evidence.
Back in 2009, Yundi was spotted in Beijing with a tall lady. The pair was rumored to be married.
Yundi is currently on tour in Europe.
Source: Artsjournal.comChina March 1, 2013 "The Chef, The Actor, The Scoundrel"
Look for Guan Hu's action-comedy "The Chef, The Actor, The Scoundrel" to open March 29. The film stars Huang Bo, Zhang Hanyu, Liu Ye. The supporting cast includes Chie Tanaka and Wang Xun. Set in the Beijing during the Second World War, the film tells the story of three little-known people dragged into a cholera epidemic.CF: New Posters of "The Chef, The Actor, The Scoundrel" Released
Liu Ye - the chef
Zhang Hanyu - the actor
Huang Bo - the scoundrel
Huang Bo
Liu Ye
Zhang Hanyu
Here's an older trailer
"Christmas Rose"
A trailer for Charlie Young's "Christmas Rose" was released at a press conference in Beijing yesterday. The story of the Tsui Hark-produced film has been under tight wraps and the title led many to expect a romantic film. Instead, the film is involves a case of sexual assault by a doctor, played by Chang Chen. It was only a few days ago that Chang Chen was revealed to be in the cast. The cast includes Aaron Kwok, Xia Yu, Qin Hailu, Guei Lun-Mei as well. Aaron Kwok plays the prosecutor, Guei Lun-Mei, the victim; and Xia Yu, Chang Chen's defending lawyer. The film, written and directed by Young, opens in April.
Aaron Kwok, Charlie Young, Xia Yu, Chang ChenPopout(Sina), 2, 3
- Priscilla Wong Strives to Wash Away Bad Image Priscilla Wong's debut TVB series Reality Check has been airing and naturally a newcomer like Priscilla will feel pressure. The pressure comes from whether the audience accepts this TV anchor turned actress. She said: "To me, the 'actress' title is really far and high. I really want this title, but I feel an actress should have some luck. I hope the audience will like this series, my personal goal is to become an actress who actually knows how to act. That is how I can continue to be in acting." When speaking of the series airing during the Lunar New Year period had never really done well, she said: "I don't have any idea on the TV ratings, leave that to Louise Lee and Ruco Chan."
Priscilla joined TVB not long ago and her opportunities have come rather quickly. Due to this, she easily attracted rumors that there are TVB executives supporting her, she said: "I think its because nobody knows who Priscilla Wong is, so this extra title is given to me. I hope I can count on my own hard work to wash the title away."
In the series, Priscilla has a "Chaozhou Angry Father", when the father-daughter meet, they often get into arguments. She said in reality, her father is from Chaozhou too, therefore she was able to easily grasp and get into character. Priscilla said: "My father is from Chaozhou too, he wanted a son, so that's why he had the 5 of us sisters. The difference is, he loves the 5 us, but he had always believed girls aren't as good as boys. Therefore, my sisters and I have the same thoughts and really work hard together. We worked really hard in our studies and wanted to show that we can succeed." - Kenneth Ma Blurts Out Natalie Tong & Amigo Chui's Relationship Lately it has been rumored because Kenneth Ma got in between Natalie Tong and Amigo Chui's relationship, which angered Amigo and madly scolded Kenneth. Last night, Kenneth and Natalie were recording for a TVB show. Natalie expressed she asked Amigo about it: "He said he didn't yell at anybody. What really happened was his pimples came bursting out, but he he didn't burst at anyone. (He has enough trust in you, that your heart won't change?) I'm not in a relationship nor can I feel anyone pursuing me." Kenneth also denied the rumor: "Amigo and I are friends. I don't believe he yelled at me. Also, I don't go pursuing my friend's other half, that's awkward." It appears Kenneth just blurted out that Amigo and Natalie are a couple!
- Raymond Lam & Karena Ng's 3 Vacations in 1 Month, Guarantees No Baby Made Since Raymond Lam started dating 19 year old Karena Ng, the couple had been on three vacations within a month! Following their Tokyo and Okinawa trips, last night the couple were spotted at the airport coming back from their 3rd vacation in Milano. Raymond was first to appear pushing out his luggage, when asked where he just got back from? The impatient Raymond said: "I'm on vacation now, so I don't have to explain. (Where is your girlfriend?) I don't have to give you the schedule right? (3 vacations in 1 month?) Good morning! (Girlfriend will come out after you?) I don't have to tell you. (Came back to HK early because your girlfriend has work?) Thanks!"
Ten minutes later, Karena BB came out with a pleasant smile on her face. There was a group of male fans waiting for her at the airport. Walking with just her two hands in her pockets, it appears her boyfriend had already taken care of her luggage for her. It also seems like she and Raymond prepared their responses to the media. When asked why they're leaving the airport separately? She just said "Thank you" as a response. When asked if she turned down several jobs because of this relationship? Is her company upset? She defended herself: "I was shooting a Mainland drama for 3 months. (Why are your hands in your pockets?) I'm on vacation, I don't want to talk too much about my personal life." But when Karena took one of her hands out of her pockets to open the taxi door, she 'carelessly' revealed a ring on her left index finger. It looks like the 'wedding ring' has been exposed!
Last night, Karena attended the celebration dinner for the film Hotel Deluxe with Ronald Cheng, Fiona Sit and Lynn Hung. She smiled sweetly and admitted she went on vacation with Raymond: "This time, we went to Milano and Florence. We went for several days mainly to look at the architecture there. Raymond had studied there before." A few weeks ago when the couple came back from Tokyo, Karena stuttered and denied staying in the same hotel room as Raymond, but the p! ublic criticized the response is too fake. This time when Karena was asked whether they stayed in the same hotel room, she chose not to respond. "That is too personal, I am not responding. (Secretly married?) Nope. I will tell you all of the happy events. (You're wearing a ring?) I bought it myself, he didn't give it to me. I will only accept it at a different stage in the relationship. (Plan to get married over there?) Haven't thought of that far into the future. (Are you afraid of getting pregnant?) That definitely won't happen. Take it step by step. Marriage comes first, that is one of the biggest events in life and very important to a girl. It is necessary to have a full and complete plan."
Calls Lover By Real Name "Ah Man"
Karena BB later exposed Raymond has not changed his weakness of being late all the time. "Usually he has this problem, I have to rush him. (Why did he want you to take the taxi?) I suggested it, I want to keep a low-profile. We knew there would be reporters. (He's a big man?) No! (He's romantic?) Usually, I can guess everything he does. (How do you two refer one another? Honey?) I don't call him that, I call him by his real name Ah Man." (Raymond's real name is Lam Wui Man)
Raymond's manager responded on his behalf during a telephone interview: "Raymond's vacation is over today (2/28). He'll be attending an autograph session on March 3rd. (Raymond and Karena's secret trip to Milano?) I knew he was on vacation. (Karena has a ring on her, rumored they're secretly married?) I haven't heard about that, personal matters, have to ask them." It was understood, Raymond and Karena's 3 vacations within a month cost them about HK$500,000. - Tavia Yeung's Love Won't Shift to 'Best Deal' Kenneth Ma TVB new series The Hippocratic Crush II (On Call 2) held its blessing ceremony at TVB City yesterday. The cast including Lawrence Ng, Kenneth Ma, Tavia Yeung, Him Law, Tracy Chu, Louisa So, Jerry Koo, Benjamin Yuen, Mandy Wong and etc. attended. Tavia continues her fate with the recent hottest 'suen poon' (best deal), Kenneth Ma, in the sequel as a married couple.
Although Kenneth has been surrounded by rumors lately, it will probably be hard to get any rumors with Tavia since she already has her actual boyfriend Him Law 'supervising' on the set. Since Him is in the same series, will there not be any rumors with Kenneth? Tavia said: "Huh? Who? Then I'll have less opportunity for promotions? Kenneth is a suen poon, that's nothing strange, he's basically a rich single man. In the series, Kenneth and I are married, not even a strong storm can split us up. (Who is better, Him or Kenneth?) Doesn't matter, they are both handsome guys, they both have a lot in common. (Is Him afraid you'll have rumors with Kenneth?) I don't know, you all go ask Him Law. (You don't have enough concentration?) I've been in this industry for a long time, I am very stabled and concentrated. (Him has several female companions in the series?) Well I'm not sure, I didn't read up on how his romantic storyline develops."
Lawrence and Tracy are a couple in this series, but there are no kiss scenes yet. Lawrence praised Tracy's performance: "She performs well, better than when I was a newcomer. She's not nervous and prepares herself well." It's been 8 years since Lawrence been in a TVB series, he said the feeling is positive and for now, he's only shooting 1 or 2 scenes per day. It's very comfortable and he believes he'll shoot one series a year. - Louise Lee believes family is work Award-winning Hong Kong actress Louise Lee revealed that family is not strictly dependent on blood ties, but is shaped through hard work such as interactions and communications between people.
According to Jayne Stars, Louise is currently starring in "Reality Check", where she plays the biological mother of Owen Cheung and the adopted mother of Ruco Chan. However, her relationship with her adopted son is better than her relationship with her biological son, which prompted reporters to ask her the question.
An example of the point that Louise made is her close relationship with her sister. Even though the two live far apart, they made efforts to go on vacations together. Louise is also happy that her daughter Leslie Yip is independent, never relying on her mother's celebrity connections and only needing her when she [Leslie] was divorced.
Louise elaborated, "For many years, I never had to worry about her. The only time she needed me by her side was when she was divorced. Now that she has remarried and the couple is happily working together at A1 Chinese Radio, I don't have to worry. She never asked me for a single cent."
Louise is also a mother to two non-human children, which are her adopted dogs, Milk Tea and Man Man. The two came to be when she was recuperating from cervical cancer a decade ago, to keep her company at home when her family was not there. - Kelly Chen has a new album Kelly Chen had a press conference last month to hype "Reflections", an album that was released earlier this month. She also brought out a couple of music videos. All of that activity somehow slipped through our fine-meshed seine that usually nets everything concerning female artists connected to the Hong Kong and PRC movie biz, however tangentially.
Here is some of what we missed...
Anyone that is a movie or recording star (or both), no matter how talented she is and how hard she works, still must present a manufactured image to the public since we identify with performers through their roles and what they produce. When Kelly Chen works a carefully staged publicity event, acting interested in what the press are asking and sincere in her respect for them and does so with a huge image of herself looming over her it makes this even more clear; an image appearing in front of an image.
She seems to enjoy being in front of a crowd, whether a bunch of journos and flacks in a ballroom in Hong Kong or thousands of screaming fans in Taipei or Kuala Lumpur:
Make-up for one of the music videos promoting a single that may be called "Skin Trauma". It probably made a lot more sense before going through the automatic translation word chopper.
And the result:
An image from the music video for "So Hot":
And the video itself--it goes without saying--although I will say it--that she can really move; an excellent dancer in the context of a music video.
- Jay Chou's 'Rooftop' trailer reveals martial arts musical
Five years after the movie Secret, Jay Chou's directorial debut, the golden boy of Mandopop is back with his sophomore effort, Rooftop.
In a new trailer released for the movie, a martial arts and musical fest full of retro elements, the 34-year-old Taiwanese star a pompadour and showcases his action chops—as well as his fit, muscle-toned body—in a song-and-dance routine.
The trailer also gives a tantalising preview of the movie's original score, teasing a soundtrack that meshes a plethora of musical genres including R&B, hip hop, rap and classical music.
Meanwhile, the plot has been revealed to take place "in a fictional city in a fictional era" according to the director. Rooftop, which co-stars Jay's close friend Alan Ko and Hong Kong comic Eric Tsang, will open in theatres in June.
Source: ETtoday
Published: 1st March 2013
MORE JAY CHOU:
Jay Chou 'compares' but won't wed much younger GF
Bittersweet feelings over Ang Lee’s Oscar win
Taiwan-born American director Ang Lee’s win of his second directing Oscar has sparked bittersweet feelings among Chinese audiences, who expressed their pride due to the director’s Chinese roots, but couldn’t help but reflect on why the Chinese mainland has failed to deliver more outstanding films to the world arena.
Lee, 58, on Sunday accepted the Academy Award for best director for Life of Pi, a 3D adventure-drama film.
Lee had won the top directing award in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain and the best foreign language film Oscar in 2001 for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
Posts of congratulations poured in on China’s social networking sites, immediately after the announcement of Lee’s success.
Lee came to Hollywood’s attention after directing three Chinese-language films in the early 1990s, with an emphasis on the interactions between modernity and Chinese traditions.
Some Web users called Lee “a source of pride for Chinese people,” and commended him for bearing the torch of Chinese culture.
However, a large number of audience members and critics from the mainland expressed their frustrations over domestic movies.
Mainland filmmakers have made numerous ambitious tries for the prestigious award but never won.
Industry professionals have always blamed the strict censorship system imposed by the country’s film watchdog for the unsatisfactory state of domestic movies.
Hao Jie, a young director whose 2010 film Single Man won the Special Jury Prize in the Tokyo Filmex Festival and numerous plaudits from critics but was never screened in the mainland for its depiction of complex sex lives in a village, sounded off on his frustrations.
“Due to the censorship, we are restrained from the beginning of our production, which forbids our works from mirroring genuine realities,” Hao told the Global Times.
While acknowledging the system’s role in undermining excellent works, Su Mu, a professor with Beijing Film Academy and well-known film critic, told the Global Times that the atmosphere in the mainland’s film circle is also to blame.
Su argued that the film examination system in Iran, which is equally strict, did not stop Iranian filmmakers from producing good works.
“Lee produces his works with his heart, but most mainland directors now only have money in mind,” commented Su, adding that the bad atmosphere is consistent with the overall situation of the society.
The mainland has already become the world’s second-largest movie market, with moviegoers spending 17 billion yuan ($2.7 billion) on tickets last year.
Li An, a manager at a joint-venture cinema in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, told the Global Times an audience won’t care about the ticket price if it finds a film interesting.
However, for young directors like Hao, it is still difficult for them to have their works shown to the public.
Though having obtained approval for his second film from the film authority, Hao said cinemas have kept delaying the screening of his work.
“This is another factor that prevents us from progressing. Cinemas won’t risk showing our film, which features no stars and is deemed non-mainstream,” complained Hao.
Acknowledging that his cinema lacks confidence in such works, Li said the only motivation for cinemas is to make money from the box office, noting the current environment is not mature for the mainland to introduce cinemas that only focus on art films and independent productions.
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