Asian Entertainment News & Celebrity Gossip

It’s that time of week, boys and girls… actually more for the boys than the girls but I digress.

DaDump is featuring another hometown beauty with a first name and a last initial, much like Maggie Q, Cara G, Ana R, Amanda S (wonder if my moniker should change to Daily D). This week’s lucky contestant is Ankie B or Ankie Beilke. She is a Hong Kong based model and aspiring actress who recently had a small role in Andrew Lau’s Confession of Pain.

Yeah, that’s about it on the research side. Didn’t really focus on the bio but lucky for you, Daily D did get a few pics for your viewing pleasure. BTW Daily D hates/ loves labels but thinking of deeming Ankie the Jessica Alba of Asia. Thoughts? Enjoy!

Check out some more photos of AB after the jump…

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Newly minted Oscar winner William Monahan is reteaming with The Departed players Leonardo DiCaprio and Vertigo Entertainment for another Hong Kong remake, a thriller titled Confessions of Pain for Warner Bros. Pictures, which acquired the rights to the film.

Pain follows two close friends, one a police detective and the other a private detective, who team to investigate the murder of the cop’s father-in-law. As the investigation proceeds, they uncover evidence that shows that nothing is as it appears.

The original, released last year, was created by Alan Mak, Andrew Lau and Felix Chong, the team behind Infernal Affairs, the Hong Kong film on which Oscar winner Departed was based.

Pain is being developed as a starring vehicle for DiCaprio. Monahan, who won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for writing Departed, will adapt. Dan Lin will oversee for Warners. Departed won three other Oscars on Sunday, for best picture, best editing and best director (Martin Scorsese). [HollywoodReporter]

26 year-old Edison Chen Koon Hei recently invested HKD$10m to open his own multi-media company, Clot Media Division which will produce movies, commercials, and music albums. Edison will be the CEO of the company and his partners include DJ Tommy, Chen Huanjen, and Lin Chienyueh. A press conference announcing the formation of this new venture was held at the Hong Kong Four Seasons yesterday.

Leaving behind his normal hip-hop look, Edison wore a dark business suit. Edison’s godfather, Anthony Wong Chau Sung and director Andrew Lau Wai Keung of “Infernal Affairs” were also present at the press conference.

“I didn’t want to sign with another music company after EEG. I put in a lot of effort and time in a music album, however I only reap X percentage in royalties!” Edison indicated that when he signs new artists, the company’s profit-share cut will be less extreme than most music companies.

Hmmm, wonder if that’s a not so subtle jab at EEG, CEO Edison! (Source: JayneStars )

A HUGE shoutout to Martin Scorsese who won best director for the “Infernal Affairs” remake, “The Departed,” at the Golden Globes Monday, especially after he acknowledged the original director, Andrew Lau, during his acceptance speech. Even more importantly, he thanked my boy, Dan Lin, who is the VP of  Production at Warner Brother Films – HOLLA!

And did you notice how Cameron Diaz, clearly unable to think straight since getting kicked to the curb by ex-beau, Justin Timberlake, misread the title as “Internal Affairs”; instead of Infernal. Way to kill those dumb blonde stereotypes, babe.

American film companies are negotiating the rights to remake “Confession of Pain” by Hong Kong directing duo Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, after the success of the US version of “Infernal Affairs”. 　　

Andrew Lau revealed that several American companies have offered to buy the rights for a remake and invited him to direct their version. 　　

The director said the offer is still under negotiation, but he won’t accept a bid under US$1.75 million, the price he charged for the “Infernal Affairs” remake. 　　

American director Martin Scorsese received critical acclaim for his remake of “Infernal Affairs”, which was called “The Departed”. But Lau was not entirely satisfied with the script for the American adaptation, saying “It loses the spirit of my original movie.”

Lau also revealed he will direct a Hollywood action flick with an English language script and American cast in June. 　　　

Watch out, Lucy Liu. Asian imports are continuing to flood Hollywood.

Pang Brothers

All eyes will be on twin brothers Oxide and Danny when their two Hollywood movies debut next year. The Hong Kong horror meisters of The Eye fame remade their 1999 thriller Bangkok Dangerous with Nicolas Cage and Charlie Yeung in the lead roles. There is also The Messengers, a horror film set on a North Dakota farm starring Graham Bell, John Corbett and Dylan McDermott, which is due out next year.

Andrew Lau

The Infernal Affairs director has completed filming The Flock, an action thriller about a federal agent on the hunt for a killer. It stars Richard Gere and Claire Danes and will open next year.

Hiroyuki Sanada

His last film, The Promise, may have flopped, but Sanada (The Last Samurai) is hoping to deliver with his next three English-language movies – Danny Boyle’s sci-fi thriller Sunshine, Brett Ratner’s Rush Hour 3 and James Ivory’s The City of Your Final Destination, where he will team up with Anthony Hopkins.

Ken Watanabe
The dashing Japanese actor from The Last Samurai will be seen in Clint Eastwood’s war epic, Letters from Iwo Jima, opening in March. He is also up for epic romance in Bruce Beresford’s A Dream of Red Mansions with Kate Hudson, based on a true story of an American photojournalist who falls in love in war-torn China in 1949. There are also rumors that he will play the Silver Samurai in Wolverine, the X-Men prequel with Hugh Jackman in the title role.

Zhang Ziyi
China’s hottest export to Hollywood, the prolific Zhang will be seen in The Horseman next with Dennis Quaid. The mystery drama follows a recently widowed detective’s shocking discovery that he is linked to several murder suspects connected to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Zhang Jingchu

This rising Chinese actress has been handpicked by Jackie Chan to be the next Zhang Ziyi – she will star alongside the action maestro in Rush Hour 3. Unlike her more famous counterpart from China, Zhang, who was seen in Tsui Hark’s Seven Swords, speaks English fluently.

Maggie Q

With her success in Mission: Impossible III, this Polish-Irish-Vietnamese sizzler is in hot demand in Tinseltown. She is down for three movies next year: ping-pong comedy Balls of Fury with Christopher Walken, thriller The Tourist with Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman, and Live Free or Die Hard, the latest instalment in the Die Hard franchise by Underworld director Len Wiseman and starring Bruce Willis. [TheStar]

The story: When his wealthy father-in-law is brutally murdered, veteran cop Hei (Tony Leung) calls upon his old pal, private detective Bong (Takeshi Kaneshiro), to help investigate the case.

Shockingly, all leads point to Hei’s wife (Xu Jinglei).

But when another murder takes place, Bong suspects that the killer is not who she or he seems to be.

The juice: Since the film was announced in July, the HK$80 million ($16m) Confession Of Pain has commanded media attention for its oh-so-gorgeous A-list cast, especially the elusive Takeshi.

Initially, talk was rife that Takeshi was given preferential treatment and paid more, which was rumoured to have upset Tony.

But all has turned out well.

The two leading men play protagonists who are scarred by painful memories - which explains the title.

Takeshi’s alcoholic character is a departure from his usual suave hero roles.

He drinks himself silly to forget the day he found his pregnant girlfriend lying dead in a pool of blood from her slashed wrists.

Tony’s character’s pain, however, is bottled up and he hides it well.

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