Tony Leung Announces Marriage with Carina Lau
Date : 29 April 2008
The long-anticipated marriage of Hong Kong actors Carina Lau and Tony Leung will take place later this year.
Lau, 43, revealed the news on Saturday during a commercial appearance in the northeast Chinese city of Shenyang. The Taiwan media reported the pair would officially announce the wedding date during the red carpet show of the 61st Cannes Film Festival next month.
It’s said that Lau started planning the marriage with Leung, 46, when her father passed away two years ago. She hopes tying the knot with her boyfriend of 19 years will provide some comfort to her mother.
Source: CRI
Jay Chou does an Olympics gymnastic routine with 80,000 fans (at Beijing)
Date : 3 May 2008
周 董 在 北 京 與 8 萬 觀 眾 一 同 跳 「 奧 運 加 油 操 」 。
President Chou dances an ‘Olympics encouragement routine’ with 80, 000 audience members in Beijing.
周杰倫前晚於北京工人體育場舉行巡迴演唱會，容納8萬人的場館全場爆滿。周董先以《黃金甲》一曲打頭陣，然 後再唱出《牛仔很忙》、《千里之外》及《黑色幽默》等名曲。周董同樣有表演彈鋼琴及古箏等。
Jay Chou held his concert at the Beijing Workers Stadium last night, with a full house of 80,000 people. Pres Chou started off with an opening number of ‘Golden Armour’, followed by ‘Cowboy is busy’, ‘Faraway’ and ‘Black Humour’ and other well-known hits. He also gave performances on the piano and the ancient chinese instrument ‘Gu Jeng’.
為迎接北京奧運，周董現場教大家跳「奧運加油操」，歌迷亦齊齊響應，8萬人一起做體操，十分震 撼！
To celebrate the upcoming Beijing Olympics*, Pres Chou also taught everybody the ‘Olympics encouragement routine’. All the fans responded, with all 80,000 fans performing this gymnastic routine, rocking the whole atmosphere!
他表示，這次演唱會令他很感動，亦很緊張，怕自己表現不好，希望明年能再到北京舉行演唱會。
Jay expressed that, this concert made him feel very emotional, but also very anxious because he was afraid he would perform badly, and hoped that he’d be able to return to Beijing to hold another concert next year.
Source : Singtao
Translated by : ftlouiea (www.jay-chou.net)
Elva Hsiao Smitten by Jang Hyuk in Her New MV
Date : 6 May 2008
Taiwan pop star, Elva Hsiao, who joined record company EMI last month, appeared smitten by Korean actor, Jang Hyuk when they filmed her latest MV in Taiwan yesterday. She reportedly fell into the arms of Jang Hyuk after filming a scene.
The MV was shot in a cafe. Elva Hsiao and Jang Hyuk act as a couple on the verge of breaking up in the MV. Elva was in a sexy dress chasing after Jang Hyuk out of the cafe when their eyes met.
Immediately after this scene, Elva seemed to be in a high and was giggling uncontrollably before falling into the arms of Jang Hyuk.
Credits : Merlioncafetalk
Morning Musume and L’Arc en Ciel to Perform in Korea
Date : 4 May 2008
Morning Musume and L`Arc en Ciel, two of Japan`s hottest pop groups, will soon be in Seoul to perform.
L`Arc en Ciel, one of the most-loved Japanese rock bands in the world, will play at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastic Stadium in southeastern Seoul on May 17. Formed in 1991, the quartet of Tetsu (bass guitar), Hyde (vocal), Ken (guitar) and Yukihiro (drum) has been at the heart of J-pop`s popularity overseas from the beginning, selling more than 25 million albums worldwide.
The group, whose name means rainbow in French, made its breakthrough in 1996 when they sold a million copies of their fourth album “True.” Their popularity in Asia grew when they simultaneously released two albums, “Ark” and “Ray,” in seven Asian countries in 1999.
Including the most recent “Jojoushi,” 16 of their singles have topped the Japanese Oricon chart.
The group made their U.S. concert debut when they performed during the Otakon anime convention in Baltimore, Maryland in 2004. Since then, they have accumulated a following in the States, especially among anime fans, as their music has been used as theme songs for Japanese animation films.
The band members have also worked on solo projects. Hyde has released several solo albums, starred in films, and gave a concert in San Francisco in 2006, while Tetsu recorded with a band called Creature. Ken released a solo album called “Speed” in 2006.
Morning Musume, the bestselling girl group in J-pop history, will celebrate their 10th anniversary with a concert at the Olympic Hall in the Seoul Olympic Park, southeastern Seoul, on June 1.
Also referred to as “Momusu,” the group started in 1997 and is well-known for its ever-changing line-up, with “graduations” and auditions occurring nearly every year. Currently, the group consists of nine girls, of which none is an original member.
Starting off with five members, the group made its first appearance on a talent-search TV program called “Asayan” in 1997. Since their first official single, “Morning Coffee,” hit No. 6 on the Oricon charts, the group has taken the J-pop world by storm, with almost anything associated with them becoming an instant hit, including television commercials, TV shows, films and musical dramas.
Earlier this month, their 36th single, “Resonant Blue,” was released. The album contains a DVD collection of their videos, as well as two new songs which will be performed during the upcoming Seoul concert. “I still remember the excitement and thrill when I first met Korean fans. I`m so glad to come back to Korea with other members,” Ai Takahashi, the current leader of the group who visited Seoul to promote their best-of album, “All Singles Complete,” told Mnet Media, the main promoter of the concert.
Source: Naver
Interview with Jun Matsumoto (Arashi)
Date : 6 May 2008
Of all of talent agency Johnny’s Jimusho’s everlasting army of boy bands, Arashi has the guys who seem set on doing the dirty work. Kazunari Ninomiya appeared in Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima as a convincing army grunt, was the voice of the packrat-like Kuro in 2006′s Tekkon Kinkreet, and last year played the piss-poor Taro in the TV drama series Yamada Taro Monogatari. Masaki Aiba doesn’t appear in nearly as much, but he handles wild animals and their precious bodily fluids every week on Shimura Doubutsuen (Shimura’s Zoo). And now Jun Matsumoto — aka Matsujun — is joining the fracas, having been just cast as one of two filthy peasants in Shinji Higuchi’s remake of the Akira Kurosawa classic, Hidden Fortress. Is Arashi signaling the end of the squeaky-clean romantic roles Johnny’s boys normally traffic in?
Matsumoto has had an extensive career in Johnny’s, joining in 1996 without having to audition and debuting just three years later with the now hugely popular pop group Arashi. While the group began its climb as the forefront of a new Johnny’s generation of pop idols, Matsumoto himself began honing his career as an actor, starring in the TV drama Kindaichi Shonen no Jikenbo as boy detective Hajime Kindaichi, which would lead to his award-winning co-starring roles in the hit TV series’ Gokusen and Hana Yori Dango. His most recent television triumph was winning the award for Best Actor at the 53rd Japanese Television Drama Academy Awards for last year’s cooking drama Bambino!, where Matsumoto played a confident young cook from Kyushu who learns the hard knocks of the professional culinary world after working as a training chef in Roppongi.
This is a full plate for any young actor, but just remember that in the Japanese entertainment industry, you sleep two hours a day, at most, and it’s usually in a chair. In addition to his film and TV acting duties, Matsumoto handles weekly commercial and music video shoots, modeling gigs, daily variety show appearances, preparations for concerts, and the occasional theatrical stage role such as 2006′s Yukio Ninagawa’s adaptation of Byakuya no Valkyrie. Such is the ceaseless life of a top Johnny’s talent.
When he’s not doing one of these things, he’s flying out to Los Angeles to promote films like the remake of Hidden Fortress. APA caught up with Matsujun for his first ever interview for an English-language publication to ask him about his role in the film, what powers him on as an entertainer, and what his fans and the entertainment world at large can expect from him in the future as both an actor and as a member of Arashi.
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Interview
APA: Usually you have a very popular image as a Japanese idol. What made you decide to take a role that, to use director Shinji Higuchi’s words, “Would take your former image and dirty it to the furthest point possible?”
JM: The first reason is, simply put, the original book is very interesting. But when we were discussing early on if I should play this role or not, I had no idea that I would be wearing such dirty attire. But once I knew later, I thought that would be an interesting challenge as well, not just regarding the script but also for the opportunity to play my first jidaigeki (“period piece”) role.
APA: Are you nervous about the reception of this film? Since it is a remake of an Akira Kurosawa film, there will be probably high expectations.
JM: I’m not nervous about it at all now. Before the shoot, I was actually very nervous because we were remaking a Kurosawa movie, and I felt a lot of pressure to live up to expectations. But when shooting started, I also realized that Kurosawa himself wasn’t going to be directing this movie, and we were borrowing his movie to make a new piece of entertainment using better filmmaking techniques that weren’t available in Japan 50 years ago. I thought we would make something that would showcase Japan’s evolved filmmaking style that is reflected with the influx of Hollywood material, our traditional style of filmmaking, and many other different kinds of movies. I hoped we could draw upon this mix of moviemaking styles and make something that Kurosawa couldn’t make 50 years ago, rather than try to recreate what Kurosawa did 50 years ago.
APA: How much did you look at Star Wars for this film?
JM: I didn’t watch much of Star Wars again for the creation of Takezo, but, and I was told this by the director too, Takezo has a little bit of Luke Skywalker in him, and a little bit of Spiderman, and a little bit of Jack Sparrow. I tried to draw the essence from all of these Hollywood entertainment heroes to create a new hero in Takezo.
APA: Which scenes in the film would you like the audience to pay special attention to?
JM: There’s a scene in the film with a himatsuri (“fire festival”) which I think conveys very well the nature of a Japanese festival, and what the spirit of a jidaigeki is. It’s also gorgeous to look at.
APA: Were there any scenes in the film that you had particular trouble with?
JM: That himatsuri scene and the scenes of the latter half of the movie with the studio-set fortress were also the most difficult. I’ve never seen or been on as large or beautiful a set like that before, but those scenes were especially difficult to do.
APA: You had to master horsemanship and swordfighting for the role. How hard was it to learn both of these skills?
JM: It was my first time on a horse, so I started doing it for about three months before the shoot, but even if I say three months, it was really only about thirty 90-minute sessions, so I don’t think it really involved lot of training.
APA: Often, actors find it difficult to separate their acting roles from real life, and in the Japanese entertainment industry this must be especially problematic considering many performers must juggle so many roles simultaneously. Since you’re involved in so many other projects, was it a problem either getting fully into the Takezo role, or was it a problem switching out of it for a variety show? Can you elaborate on your own approach to acting, especially with “HF?”
JM: I really thought for this role, as a jidaigeki piece, it was much more different than any previous dramatic roles I’ve done in the past. I’d only done contemporary dramas and films at this point in my career, and so when I looked around on the set I saw nothing really different from my real life, but for a jidaigeki film, you have to go back in time to the period itself. There are no lights or chairs or anything modernized, and this setting helped pull me into the role, just as the wig, makeup, and total costume does as well. Normally, for other media appearances as Jun Matsumoto I only have to get prepped with a third of the time it takes for makeup or whatever. But when I’m being transformed into the Takezo character and getting gradually dirtier and less of who I normally look like, it’s much easier to gradually fall into that role as well.
I have a question: do people in Hollywood only do variety shows and not appear in other roles?
APA: We don’t really have variety shows. But TV actors will occasionally go on to film roles.
JM: And does the opposite happen as well?
APA: Sometimes, but it’s not usually considered a good thing.
JM: I wonder if that’s because the culture of film here in America has greater value than it does in Japan. I feel it’s considered more a separate and higher form of entertainment here.
APA: Speaking of various entertainments, who were your influences growing up?
JM: First of all would be the founder of Johnny’s Jimusho, Johnny Kitagawa. For me, he’s a genius. I’ve never met anyone who I thought was such an incredible person as him. I don’t know how I’ll change in the future, but he’s influenced me the most in my life so far.
APA: And as an actor now?
JM: As an actor, I really like Johnny Depp. He’s so popular now, but before that, I really liked his work in movies like Edward Scissorhands and Dead Man. Kevin Spacey is also good. I also liked the young Dicaprio and Brad Pitt when he was doing movies like Snatch. Japanese actors, I like kabuki, and much of my inspiration comes from watching kabuki actors.
APA: Your Arashi colleague Kazunari Ninomiya has worked with Clint Eastwood on Letters from Iwo Jima. Are you interested in working in Hollywood as well?
JM: If I can. [laughter] I’m really honored to be here today and have the opportunity to see how people react to the film. There’s nothing decided right now, but it’d be great to have more chances like today where the film can be screened for new audiences like here in America.
APA: What other sorts of roles are you interested in?
JM: I don’t have a role that I’m particularly targeting. The most important thing for me is not the role itself but the script and the people around it. Even if there was a role I thought would be interesting, if there isn’t an interesting script around it, there would be no point.
APA: You’re one of the “elites” in Johnny’s and Associates – skipping an audition and you immediately joined the company. Apparently, Johnny did see a lot of star quality in you – and that’s shown through your success with Arashi, television and film roles. Did you anticipate this at a young age?
JM: Wow, I’m thought of as an “elite?” [laughter] I didn’t know we could be classified as such. To tell you the truth, I had no reason to believe this, but I had a strong intuition that I’d be part of and debut as a group like Arashi. I don’t know why I believed this, but it luckily come true.
APA: Arashi is approaching their 10th Anniversary as a group – do you guys have big plans? Will Arashi be doing any international concerts anytime soon — like say, America?
JM: Well, I haven’t had much time to think about a 10th anniversary as 10 years have passed really quickly for us, but I know that’s because of the fans and staff around us who’ve supported us. I don’t know how we five will celebrate the occasion, but I want to express our gratitude to as many people as possible. Regarding acting, like I said before, I’d like to continue to do movies that interest me and talk to more interesting people above all else. For that, I know I’ll have to try to improve my abilities – whether that be singing, dancing, acting, speaking – I know I have to continuously try to improve myself. I’m doing so many things right now I tell you, I don’t have much time.
APA: You’ve recently shot two movies back to back, and have been busy with new television shows, including the continuing Arashi no Shukudai-kun, and an upcoming dome concert with your other members of Arashi. When do you find time to rest?
JM: I was talking to some people from a Japanese TV station here in Hollywood, and I was really surprised. In Hollywood, you make movies that you assume will be shown around the world. I don’t have much experience with that feeling. I had assumed I was making Japanese entertainment in Japan for Japanese people, but with the Internet, it’s now being seen everywhere, much like movies. The fact that we can see Japanese variety shows here in the U.S. made me realize just how large the world had become. When I receive email or letters from people here in America, like this last time when I was in Las Vegas and got a letter saying, “When are you guys gonna have an American concert?,” it made me realize that there is an audience for us here too, and makes me hope that one day we can hold a concert here in America or appear in international films. If Hidden Fortress can screen here in the future, I hope many people can see it.
APA: Is there anything you’d like to say to your fans in America?
JM: Thank you for supporting us despite our being on a tiny island country across the ocean. It truly makes me feel happy.
Source: Asiaarts
Jackie Chan Welcomes Olympic Flame To China
Date : 4 May 2008
[Photo] Jackie Chan (成龍) and a local government politician welcome the Olympic flame to China, 4 May 2008, Sanya, Hainan province. The torch is scheduled to visit every province in China before arriving in Beijing 6 August, a few days before the Olympics begin.
The Olympic torch today started its tour of mainland China, in Sanya, the southernmost city of Hainan province.
Jackie Chan (成龍), Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) and other celebrities, athletes and sponsors were among those who carried the touch in relay.
The flame was returning to China – after leaving Beijing 31 March and experiencing a controversial world tour that saw vocal, and sometimes violent, protests, over China’s human rights record and rule of Tibet, in many cities including Athens, London and San Francisco.
However, today, clad in red and bearing determined expressions, the pro-China groups vastly outnumbered the handful of protesters, reported BBC News.
The torch is scheduled to visit every province in China before arriving in Beijing 6 August, a few days before the Olympics begin. The torch will next travel to Guangdong province in south-east China.
Source : Batgwa
Nicholas Tse: My Wife Believes In Me
Date : 4 May 2008
[Photo] Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒) performs at an event to mark the upcoming Olympic Games, 4 May 2008, Hong Kong Stadium. Nicholas was asked for his thoughts on recent rumours that Edison Chen (陳冠希) has been feeling remorse about the sex photos scandal, which implicated Nicholas’ wife.
Nicholas Tse (謝霆鋒), Andy Lau (劉德華) and Hacken Lee (李克勤) were today among performers at an event at Hong Kong Stadium to mark the upcoming Olympic Games.
Nicholas was asked for his thoughts on recent rumours that Edison Chen (陳冠希) has been praying to God and has been feeling remorse about the sex photos scandal, which implicated Nicholas’ wife Cecilia Cheung (張柏芝).
Nicholas replied: “I have no need to answer these questions. Today is such a special occasion in Hong Kong with over 20,000 people gathered. Why should I talk about old news that is irrelevant to promoting Hong Kong? What has it got to do with me?”
Nicholas, who worships the Four Face Buddha, was asked what Cecilia believes in.
He answered: “She believes in me.”
Source : Batgwa
Sister: Edison Chen Has Been Praying
Date : 4 May 2008
Edison Chen (陳冠希)’s big sister Trician Chen (陳見飛) today attended a promotional event to mark Mother’s Day at a shopping centre in Tai Po. Reporters bombarded Trician with questions about Edison and she answered candidly.
Trician, who had just returned to Hong Kong from Canada, revealed that she and Edison had been in Vancouver comforting their mum, who had been left shaken by the sex photos scandal.
Trician confirmed that recent newspaper rumours that Edison is a Christian are true. However, she denied that he only became a Christian because of the scandal.
She said: “Since the incident, he’s been praying every day.
“Because of the incident, Edison was very unhappy. He lost so much weight he looked 10 years older. But recently, when mummy and I saw him, he was very healthy. He has started eating and jogging again. He’s back to normal. Actually, he’s very positive.”
She revealed: “Our whole family are Christian. Edison became Christian first, and then the whole family followed. Ever since he was young, he went to a Christian school. He was baptized when he was at school.”
Asked whether or not Edison feels remorse about the scandal, Trician replied: “I do not know what Edison prays about.”
Trician also confirmed rumours that Edison is trying to break into Hollywood.
She said: “Edison is very busy in the United States with meetings, casting and has signed with the William Morris Agency.”
Trician added that Edison’s relationship with Vincy Yeung (楊永晴) is going strong and that the whole family fully supports the romance. She confirmed that Edison would return to Hong Kong if he was summoned to appear in court over the scandal. She said that she did not know anything about recent rumours that Edison is going to Africa as a PR stunt.
Source : batgwa
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My Point Of View
Pray? as if that’s going to help. I can’t believe how he strayed from his Christian beliefs (If he’s really a true Christian). I am not bashing him, but I sincerely hope he repents.
Se7en talks new album at LA preview party
Date : 5 May 2008
Top : Presstime: Se7en talks to the media before his live performance
Oh well, I posted this news two days ago. But this is another version of it. (More details).
Se7en, who went into hiding to prepare for his debut English album, had a preview party in Los Angeles on May 2.
The Korean singer, who is trying to crossover to the US, sang three tracks during the preview namely Girls, Money Can’t Buy Love and You Got Me Now.
[Photo] Confident: Se7en speaks to the press in English without the help of a translator. Somehow,coverage of the event were only found at Korean sites.
But before taking to the stage, the 24-year-old talked in English to the press sans translator about working on the album, mastering a foreign tongue and his hopes for the album.
Se7en is nervous but optimistic
The young man is feeling the pressure as all of Kpopland watches his upcoming debut in the US. He said: “It’s rare for an Asian singer to debut in the US and the load is heavy on my shoulder. The nervousness is actually bigger than the burden. I’m feeling like 5 years ago before my debut.
“There’s prejudice towards Asian singers but my music will change that. Famous producers (such as Mark Shimmel & Rodney “Darkchild” Jenkins) worked on my album, which includes R&B, pop and hip hop music that will be able to remove the prejudice on an Asian singer. If it’s played on radio, it will feel as if it’s sung by a current singer because it is made to current trends of music,” he added.
[Photo] Se7en entertains the masses with his latest tracks
Wrestling with a foreign tongue
Like that other Korean star who is trying to crossover to the United States (read: Rain), grasping the English language remains one of Se7en’s biggest challenges.
But having stayed in the US for 6 months, Se7en already has a steady hold on English, judging by his confidence in conducting the latest PC without a translator.
He said: “I had to study pronunciations and the meaning of the lyrics. I studied English for 4-5 months, 3-4 hours a day.
“It’ll be great if my English is perfect. But as a singer, the music should be the one to do the talking. If my thoughts can be transmitted through music, then my English will follow through. This year, next year, I’ll continue to show my growth.”
Se7en’s US debut album is tentatively set to drop on 7/7 (of course) this year.
Geez, why do I have to go the roundabout way in getting this story? Silly isn’t it when Se7en actually spoke in English during the PC and I only found coverage of the event at a Korean site, and then had to scour for the translation at the Soompi forum.
If that’s the case, Se7en should have just continued using Korean during his recent PC since no English publication/ media covered it.
Source : Yonhap & cecilia @ soompi & http://z12.invisionfree.com/Se7enth_Heaven/
Review posted by :Liz @ Kpopped (Malaysian Bloggers)
Pics Credits : Newsen & Hankooki
9th Jeonju International Film Festival Kicks Off
Date : 6 May 2008
The 9th annual Jeongju International Film Festival kicked off its nine-day run with an opening ceremony on May 1. Once again this year, the film festival has invited independent films from all around the world.
Actors Ahn Sung-ki and Choi Jung-won hosted the opening ceremony, which was attended by 2,000 guests and visitors. Song Ha-jin, the chairman of the organizing committee, declared the opening of this year’s film festival and Min Byeong-rok, the chief of the organization, delivered a congratulatory speech.
Ahead of the opening ceremony, Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon, head of the United Democratic Party Son Hak-kyu, U.S. Ambassador to Korea Alexander Vershbow, film directors Lim Kwon-taek and Lee Myung-se, actors Jeon Do-yeong and Park Hae-il and other celebrities and dignitaries greeted the local and foreign press members as well as their fans on the red carpet.
This year’s film festival will screen 1,204 films, the largest number in the history of the film festival. The name of the “Indivision” category has been changed to “International Competition” to emphasize the “competitive” element, while a brand new category entitled “Work in Progess” has also been introduced to draw attention to independent films around the world.
Throughout the festival, a photo exhibition will feature some 84 photographs of internationally-renowned “Magnum” photographers.
Source : KBS Global
