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!
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Asian American, China, Thailand, Singapore, Film, Wong Kar Wai, Wang Zhizhi, Norah Jones | 
1 Comment »
March 22nd, 2007 by dd
Yi Jianlian’s got hops!
If you thought 7′6″ Yao Ming was an NBA fluke then get ready for lightning to strike twice.
The next big thing from China is Yi Jianlian, the 7-footer from Shenzhen, China, who is trying to help his Guangdong Tigers win a fourth straight national championship. With Yi projected as a top 10 pick in the upcoming NBA draft, if not the top pick, scouts from around the NBA are lining up to catch a glimpse of this basketball phenom.
“[Yi] is very close to a player like Amare Stoudemire [of the Phoenix Suns],” Yao suggested when asked for a comparison. “He’s taller, almost 7 feet. He has very nice touch. He’s very athletic. I think he has good . . . balance for a great player.”
Yao was the No. 1 overall pick by the Rockets in 2002, the first international player to be taken No. 1. “He’s a good player, and from what I see, athletic,” said journalist Wang Mang, of Titan Sports, who has been following Yao, sending reports back to China. “From that aspect, he is quicker [than Yao]. His explosive strength is much better than Yao. Yao has a much better [shooting] touch, but Yi can move quicker. [Philly]
Remember the days when kids were picked on at the playground until Bruce Lee films started hitting the theaters. Well, the same thing is going to happen on basketball courts and all sorts of playing fields around the country as more superstar Asian talents start hitting American shores. Yeah yeah yeah, boyeeee!
China Men in the NBA: Yi Jianlian (soon to be), Yao Ming, Wang ZhiZhi
Posted in China, Sports, Yao Ming, Bruce Lee, Yi Jianlian, Wang Zhizhi | No Comments »
