April 19th, 2007 by dd
The Festival de Cannes will be ringing in its 60th birthday by opening with Wong Kar Wai’s “My Blueberry Nights” finally putting to bed speculation that the director’s first English-language title wouldn’t be finished in time for a Cannes slot. The film stars Norah Jones in her acting debut.
This year’s lineup is a heady mix of fest vets and fresh faces after last year’s lineup introduced a lot of newcomers. Of the 21 films In Competition, 13 are from directors who have never before vied for the Palme d’Or.
Asian films are a noticeable minority In Competition this year, with only Lee Chang-dong’s “Secret Sunshine” and Naomi Kawase’s “Mogari no Mori” making the cut.
The Festival de Cannes runs May 16-27.
Congratulations, Wong Kar Wai! Check out which other Asian films made the cut at Cannes after the jump!
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Posted in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Asian American, China, Thailand, Singapore, Film, Wong Kar Wai, Wang Zhizhi, Norah Jones | 
1 Comment »
April 13th, 2007 by dd
Sources indicate that Zhang Ziyi is in early talks to play “White Haired Demoness” in The Forbidden Kingdom. Two female roles are available, one called “Golden Sparrow” (too young for Ms. Ziyi) and another called, yep, “White Haired Demoness.”
Michael Angarano is also on board the project, and he’ll be playing a young hero who joins up with Lu Yan (Chan) and Silent Monk (Li) to try and rescue the Monkey King (Li again).
Lastly we learn that Bai Ling may be lining up for a role, as are actresses Li Bingbing, Ruby Lin, Liu Yifei and Fann Wong. [RottenTomatoes]
Posted in Hong Kong, China, Singapore, Film, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi, Li Bingbing, Fann Wong, Ruby Lin, Liu Yifei | 2 Comments »
April 10th, 2007 by dd
There’s no arguing with success — and few artistes in Singapore have enjoyed more of it than Stefanie Sun.Already unrivalled as the nation’s most popular musical export, Stefanie reinforced her claim to superstardom last week by selling a record 500,000 copies of her latest album in China in just seven days.
Against the Light, which has reached gold status (6,000 copies) in Singapore on pre-orders alone, is album No 10 for Stefanie since the singer launched her career in 2000, but fans can rest assured that their idol has no plans to slow down anytime soon.
“Music is a vast and infinite thing,” Stefanie said “There are still many kinds of music I would like to experiment with.”
While her commercial success is especially impressive at a time when the industry is under siege by pirates and sound-alike artists, Stefanie made clear she isn’t one to measure success by quantity alone.
Want to learn more about Stefanie Sun… head on over the jump!
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Posted in Singapore, Stefanie Sun | 1 Comment »
March 21st, 2007 by dd
South Korean horror film “The Host” picked up four awards, including best picture, at Hong Kong’s inaugural Asian film awards on Tuesday night in a glitzy ceremony aimed at recognizing the region’s nascent film talent.
Stars from across Asia, including Iran, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and China arrived by limo to tread the red carpet in tuxedos and dazzling gowns for a ceremony, partly inspired by Hollywood, at Hong Kong’s harbour-side convention centre.
French director Luc Besson, actress Michelle Yeoh, Hong Kong stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau, South Korean star Rain and director Park Chan-wook were among those who attended.
“The Host”, a dark, thriller-cum-horror movie about a mutant squid-like monster and suffused with an undercurrent of anti-Americanism picked up awards for best picture, best actor, best cinematographer and best visual effects.
“(The film is) not only about anti-Americanism but about problems in Korea, for example asking for help from the police who don’t return any help,” said executive producer Choi Yong-bae, who received the white marble and twisted metal statuette for best film.
The film’s Song Kang-ho picked up the best actor prize.
Check to see who the other winners were at tonight’s AFA Awards show after the jump!
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Posted in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Film, India, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Rain, Park Chan-wook, Michelle Yeoh, Indonesia, Song Kang-he, Jian Zhangke, Miki Nakatani, Josephine Siao | No Comments »
March 21st, 2007 by dd
If you enjoyed the fuzzy trailer of Pirates of the Caribbean 3 in Russian that DD suggested yesterday, imagine how much better it will be in its full digital glory… and in English this time! This flic promises to be another fun ride with the continuing misadventures of Captain Jack Sparrow and the swashbuckling duo of impossibly high cheek-boned good looking misfits played by Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom.
And let’s not forget the introduction of Chow Yun-fat who does his best impression of a welcoming Singapore Airlines Girl in the middle of the trailer.
CLICK HERE to pick which format you want to see this great trailer… Enjoy!
Posted in Hong Kong, Singapore, Film, Chow Yun Fat | 1 Comment »
March 14th, 2007 by dd
Freckles is worth a lookie
Finally! After years of patiently waiting, raspy-voiced singer/songwriter Rachael Yamagata has finished recording the follow-up to her 2004 full-length debut, Happenstance.
“I just finished it, thank God,” Yamagata tells Billboard.com. “I just turned it into the label, so it’s all kind of coming together.” She expects the as-yet untitled album to be released in late April/early May.
Whereas Happenstance was much more piano-based, the forthcoming release finds Yamagata exploring new ground. “It’s definitely an evolution from where I was before. Half of it is some sort of Pulp Fiction/Led Zeppelin rock creation. It’s more in-your-face.”
“The record is darker and grittier, and it’s a bit more like my live show. It’s gutsier than the last one. There are still the ballads and that kind of stuff,” New York-based Yamagata reassures. “There are still beautiful songs, of course, but I think the sound is something new.”
For now, the only concert she has scheduled is a performance at Singapore’s Mosaic Music Festival on March 17 (Thanks for the heads up, CPC!). A proper tour is expected to begin in April. (Source: AZCentral)
Check out her MySpace site for a sampling of her music.
Posted in Asian American, Singapore, Music, Rachael Yamagata | No Comments »
March 13th, 2007 by dd
Cara G, the Eurasian model extraordinaire is currently heating up the latest issue of Hong Kong’s MAXIM magazine just as temperatures have dropped. So if you packed up your heater, just run out and buy a copy of Cara’s latest layout.
Then as your heart starts to beat a bit faster, observe the photos, sear it into your head and put it away for future reference. Cara will not only occupy your dreams, but she’ll also be your biggest stalker around town as her gazing eyes spy you at every newsstand, billboard, and TV screen around town.
Relax. It’s just her image peeking back from her numerous campaigns. This Australian beauty is a sweetheart who wants nothing more than to have a good time and, if you have one available, a mochi ice cream to munch on.
To see more of her, head on over after the jump!
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Posted in Hong Kong, Singapore, Models, Fashion, Cara G | No Comments »
March 9th, 2007 by dd
The world’s richest are getting younger and richer with more Russians and Indians cropping up among the 946 people on Forbes magazine’s 2007 billionaires list unveiled Thursday.
The number of billionaires is 19 percent higher than last year when there were 793, and their total net worth grew 35 percent to $3.5 trillion, the magazine said.
In China, Yan Cheung, chairwoman of Nine Dragons Paper , made history as China’s richest person and was one of three self-made women born in the communist country to debut this year. She is worth $2.4 billion and is 390th on the list.
In Asia, India had the highest number of billionaires, overtaking Japan, which for two decades had held the region’s top spot.
India had 36 billionaires worth a total $191 billion while Japan’s 24 billionaires were worth $64 billion, the magazine said. [Forbes]
To see a complete list of the Asia Billionaire’s Club by nation, click after the jump!
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Posted in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Singapore, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Asia, Indonesia | 1 Comment »
March 2nd, 2007 by dd
Pop singer Stefanie Sun did not face guns or armed robbers in Egypt, as some stories had reported. But she and a film crew - there to shoot two music videos - did lose more than US$10,000 to a mystery man in Cairo.
It was her first visit to Egypt. Money had been paid to a ’stranger who claimed he had government connections’ and had reportedly turned up uninvited with the local guide. The man reportedly said that he had weapons at his disposal. What he did have: A portable credit-card machine. The man then allegedly demanded ‘payment’ every few hours as the crew moved from location to location for filming.
Even Stefanie, 29, ended up charging US$3,500 to her card. The man had reportedly ‘turned nasty’ after the crew decided to continue filming in Cairo instead of going to Alexandria - a six-hour drive from Cairo - as planned. The change in plan was because Stefanie had fallen ill. The shoot was cancelled after that.
‘She told me those guys (guide and companion) were not polite and acted badly,’ a confidante said. ‘But she’s very thankful to the Singapore Embassy for its help.’ (Source)
Posted in Singapore, Music, Stefanie Sun | No Comments »
February 23rd, 2007 by dd
British classical and pop musician Vanessa-Mae has ruled out marriage to her longterm boyfriend over fears it’ll end messily in divorce.
The acclaimed violinist is still scarred by the breakdown of her parents’ relationship and has no desire to see the same happen with her French ski instructor partner Lionel Catalan.
The 28-year-old says, “We’ve been going out for eight years but I don’t want to get married. You don’t need a ring to say, ‘I love you.’ “My parents were divorced several times so that’s had a bearing on my thinking.” [PR Inside]
Posted in Singapore, Music, Vanessa Mae | No Comments »
