News and trailer of Taiwanese directors Su Chao Pin (Silk, Better Than Sex), and John Woo’s new wuxia film ‘Reign of Assassins’ (Chinese title: Jianyu Jianghu, English translation: Rain of Swords in the Martial Arts World) has been released since a month ago after it sdebut at the Cannes Film Festival. Apparently, Weinstein Company brought the rights for the film to be released internationally. The impressive casting includes Asian superstar and Malaysia’s very own, Michelle Yeoh (James Bond: The World Is Not enough, Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon); acclaimed Korean Actor Jung Woo-sung (The Good ,The Bad & The Ugly), Hongkong and Taiwan pop idols Shawn Yue (Infernal Affair I & II) and Barbie Hsu (Meteor Garden,Future Cops ), respetively, along with award-winning Hongkong actor Wang Xueqi (Forever Enthralled, Bodyguards & Assassins) .

Adding up to spice up the all-star cast is John Woo’s daughter, actress/director Angeles Woo, Taiwan model Pace Wu, teen idol Ethan Ruan, and Michelle Yeoh’s very own artist-protege, acclaimed taiwanese indie actress/model Kelly Lin (of Johnnie To’s ‘Sparrow’ and ‘Mad Detective’), in a very special role. Here’s a detailed synopsis:

In 428AD, Bodhi, a Southern India prince became a Buddhist monk and set off for China, earning a hallowed reputation as a mystical martial artist. Following his death, his remains mysteriously disappeared.

The only question remains who will be the last ones standing to uncover the secret of Bodhi’s remains?

As if the synopsis isnt enough of a spoiler, see the official movie poster and the trailer that has been out and circulating in the net:

Does that look like Michelle Yeoh to you?

Uh-uh. I’m betting my hands that is Kelly Lin. And see on the trailer @ 0:38, the one ‘walking away’:

That’s definitely Kelly Lin. Boy! am I a spoiler, or what?

I am guessing Kelly Lin will be playing “Drizzle”, the ‘pre-surgical’ face of Michelle Yeoh.

This bugs me, really. Was there facial surgeries succesfully done in the 17th century??!!

The answer is a resounding- Yes! Plastic Surgery has been practiced in ancient India as early as 2,000 B.C. , when amputation of the nose was an accepted form of punishment.Surgical procedures are noted in Sanskrit texts, including Sushruta-samhita,which was written inapproximately 600 BCE.It describes the reconstruction of the mutilated nose, using tissue from the cheek.4 However, most of the modern procedures that are used today date back to the 1880s and 1890s. ( http://www.ast.org/publications/Journal%20Archive/2009/11_November_2009/PlasticHistory.pdf )

There were also accounts that it was done in China during the ancient times.

But as to whether it’s as good and as easy as it is done today, I bet not.

See for yourselves:

We’ll have to wait and see whether this film will crush the box office like Red Cliff did, or be trashed by critics, just like they did with ‘Face Off’.

The film is expected to be released in August or September, in time for the Venice International Film Festivals.

Forget about who won the awards. The real ‘clash’ on the awards night is taking place at the red carpet!

Unfortunately, not only is this year’s Hongkong Film Awards less glittery, in terms of star power attendance. But the stars present are also less glamorous than they all used to be. They seem to have gone to the event at the last minute and never really bothered to dress up…well .

Without much further ado, here are some of the stars who stands out among others.

1. Shu Qi

This lady never seem to falter when it comes to ‘conquering’ the red carpet. Yes, she is and will always be the Queen of the Red carpet. Not surprising that Shu manage to be as gracious as ever, since she is into numerous award ceremonies, internationally and locally, so her experience and love for fashion always stands out at the red carpet.

That ‘Elie Saab’ gown may look just like another gown for somebody, but not for Shu Qi. Though she lost abit of that ‘wow effeect’ she used to have on previous awards ceremony, nevertheless, she still rocks on her gown and her cartier jewels works harmoniously with it, and with her romantic do and make up. Definitely the red carpet belonged to her!

2. Denise Ho

It seems like most of the people on the red carpet all wanted to be safe and don the ever reliable black . But apparently,for Dennis Ho, it does really pay to wear black. She looked chic and stylish with her simple black Valentino, and her sleek bob. Plus, the shoes was a real knock out ,too!

3. Simon Yam & wife Qiqi

The most adorable and fashionable couple ! Simon and wifey Qiqi always light up the red carpet. It doesnt hurt to have an international model for a wife, and a deboniare Best Actor for a husband! Congratulations!

4. Ethan Ruan

The Taiwan idol drama prince looked dashing and debonaire with his black coat tails. He is not only ganing alot of squeaky teen fans, but he is ganing the nods of the fashion critics, too! Thumbs up to this new breed of hunk! A royalty, in disguise.

5. Michelle Ye

A fast rising star,the new ‘Johnnie To- favorite lead actress’, and now, “Best supporting actress. And that is for the film,’Accident’. Michelle likewise won the hearts of the audiences with her stunning look. The gown seem to be tailor-made for her shapely bod, which makes the best supporting actress winner, a head turner.

6. Daniel Wu (right)

The sexiest married asian hunk walked the red carpet along with friend Stephen Fung. Apparently, Daniel and wifey Lisa thought it’s not a good idea to attend the event together, out of respect to the other actors present, since every media and every people present on that ceremony seems to be eager only to see them together, as the newly weds. However, this doesnt made us not include Daniel on the list, he looks every inch a man on that suit. Every inch a sexy man. roarrrrr…..

7. Chang Chen

I dont know whether it’s because he’s with Shu Qi , or does this man really looked dazzling as ever?! Yes he does. The black tie perfectly works with him than a tux.

8. Yuan Li

Would have been, could have been at the top… but the shoes just all ruined it! Too casual for a very greek goddess -like look.

10. Gao Yuanyuan

She’s fabulous, but it’s just that the shoes seemed to have ‘cheapened’ the dress, and her classic beauty. A different shoe color, and style would have been better.

Crashes and Burns!

It seems that this year’s Hongkong awards has more of the ‘misses’ than the red carpet ‘hits’. As I’ve said, the stars never seem to take the red carpet business seriously. But dearies, we really do.

1. Josie Ho

I can’t even find words to describe Josie Ho’s red carpet ‘look’. It seems as though she came from ‘Water World’ to have her locks trimmed by Kevin Costner. And the see-through outfit with chemise inside is just horrendous. period.

2. Nicolas Tse & 3. Li Yuchun

I was actually kinda in dilemma on which among these two would come first. Both stars of the night’s ‘Best Pic’ walk down the red carpet together, and boy! Do they make an ‘odd’ red carpet couple!

The two seemed to have walked out of the ‘Alice in Wonderland-themed party’! I ‘wonder who’s ‘The Mad hatter’ ?

But kidding aside, Nic, your wife must probably be too pregnant to even care about your looks. But you know, you can always hire a ‘stylist’. Ever heard of them? Men on red suit at the red carpet is just a no-no.

Li Yuchun actually sometimes amazes me with her daring and bold fashion styles. But, this one is just so trashy. Was she in a hurry? She seems to have mismatched that suit from her sisters’ ruffled skirt!

4. Aaron Kwok

Tall,dark and handsome…plus very talented, and very young looking for a middle-aged man. But Aaron dear, dont take the ‘young looking middle-aged man’ too seriously. You look like the middle-aged “Peewee Herman”. Yes, PeeWee from the 80′s! Did you just get that suit from PeeWee’s garage sale?

5. Miriam Yeung

I like Miriam alot, but that dress just doesnt work. It looks like some old drapes from a hospital clinic, wrapped with a gray belt. She looked like a disaster. And oh, that shoes! Isnt that Yuan Li’s shoes too??!! Talk about fashion ‘shoe’ disaster.

6. Kelly Lin

Boring & predictable.

Kelly is undoubtedly one of the most gorgeous chinese actresses, but her fashion flare as the years go by seem to have faded, along with her career. I almost dont have to check out what she’s wearing everytime she appears, because I am just a hundred percent sure she will wear BLACK. The corset-type madonna-inspired black Dolce & Gabanna doesnt seem to be in unison with her Harry Winston Jewels. And….she badly needs a comb for that hair!

I dont know if her wearing a black has something to do with a role she’s trying to get herself in character with (you know, probably she’s on the run to be the next Morticia Addams, or Elvira-Queen of DArkness). She used to rock on the red carpet, along with Shu Qi, but she’s become so damn predictable. If you dont believe me? See this:

Zzzzzzzzzzzz………….. For that, she just earned the ‘Black Widow’ award.
Go get yourself a new stylist, girl. Or better yet, go get a primary school teacher for some lessons about colors.

7. Zhang Jingchu

Another drape, and she looks as if she was attacked by wolves!

And ….OPPPSS!!! The shoes are hideous! yaiks!!!

8. Wai Ying-hung

Definitely a ‘Morticia Addams’. Need I say more?

9. Lynn Xiong

Fish net…anyone?

10. Sandra Ng

Just trying a little harder. You know, there’s such a thing as, ‘dressing up your age.’

11. Gigi Leung

She looked okay, but would have been better. The gown just didnt quite flatter her figure.

No posting elsewhere without permission. credit to sina.com.haibao.com for the photos.

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After dating for almost 8 years, Hongkong superstar Daniel Wu and Asian VJ Lisa S. tied the knot in a special ceremony held on April 6, 2010 in South Africa. Apparently, the groom cried with happiness (sweet guy :p )

Their wedding is like a fairytale and very unique. It looks so solemn, so spiritual and so magical. It kinda reminds me of ‘Avatar, actually. Anyway,they are ‘The best showbiz couple ever!’ Very honest to each other, and very honest to the public. Daniel is such a talented, smart and very good-looking man, while the bride, Lisa S.-the bubbly, articulate Channel V VJ is a stunning beauty and brainy, too. They are perfect for each other. I have never seen such couple so true , so genuine and so sure of themselves. They genuinely look happy. God Bless them!

Yes, fairy tales do come true. And you dont need to be a royalty to make it come true.

I think I wanna cry…*sobs*…for happiness of course!

So who says celebrities need to lie and keep their marital status for 5 or 24 EFFIN’ years , inorder to maintain the ‘desirable image’ ???!!!

Daniel is handsome, most sought-after leading man of his generation, talented and most of all, smart. Honestly, Daniel will even gain more respect than he ever had after this. And I say, he’s never been hotter than he is now. He defnitely has romantic bones. Tons, actually.

All these years, he was never known to be sneaky about his personal lives, nor is he a publicity whore as well. He was just cool about it, while continuously honing his craft.

If you respect people, people will respect you back. Daniel & Lisa trusts each other, and they trust that people are smart enough to understand their relationship,too. Some celebrities really think that fans would not be able to accept it when they become ‘unavailable’. But, guess what? Fans apparently aren’t as idiot as you think. Andy Lau should learn a thing or two from this guy… of his junior.

And did i say, Dan is ‘THE MAN’ ???!!! You bet he is!!!

Check out their wedding photos,and the juicy details as reported exclusively by the groom, Daniel Wu himself on his blog @ www.alive.com :

http://www.alivenotdead.com/daniel/My-Wedding–profile-963140.html?newcomment_1#comments

Picture Owner: Daniel Wu
Blog Entry: My Wedding!!!
4/06/2010 9:13PM
credit: Daniel Wu Blog @ www.alivenotdead.com
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If Sam Worthington is the busiest and the fastest rising star in Hollywood, 5- year old Xiaoxiao Bin is his counterpart in Taiwan!

This kid wonder has got three taiwanese hit series on his belt in just 9 months! Not only that, he will have his very first appearance in the silverscreen, via the film “Da Xiao Jianghu” (“a world of laughter”), which will start shooting this May.

Little Bin has been first seen widely by the Taiwanese audiences in the 2009 monster hit series, “Autumn Concerto”, which is considered as one of the highest rating TV series in taiwan history. The tv drama managed to catapult F4 member Vanness Wu,to superstar status once again, wherein he used to be arguably the least popular member of the boyband, when it first became popular with the 2001 Asian phenomenal series, “Meteor Garden”. ‘Autumn Concerto also brought back lead actress Ady Ann to the mainstream audiences, where she became well-known in the 2003 hit series , “The Outsiders.” But it was the 4-year old then Xiaoxiao Bin, that stole the audiences’ heart,and made him easily a household name, and became the busiest star in Taiwan.

After Autumn Concerto was released, Xiao xioa Bin is currently seen in two Taiwanese dramas, entitled, “Down With Love” and “P.S. Man”, which is recently clashing for the ratings. Apparently, “P.S. Man”, the Blue Lan starrer, emerged winner in the war of the ratings, but, regardless whether which tv drama hits the jackpot, it sure is Xiaoxiao Bin who has emerged as the winner.

The cast of the film, “Da Xiao Jianghu” (“a world of laughter”)

And it seems that this busiest 5 -year old doesnt get tired at all. He is set to appear in a new big comedy film, “Da Xiao Jianghu” (“a world of laughter”) in Mainland China, which is bannered by many veteran comedian and actors in the chinese entertainment world. He appeared recently (April 12,2010) at the press conference in Beijing surrounded by these big actors such as Xiao Shenyang, Eric Tsang, Jacky Wu, Uncle Zhao Benshan, director Kevin Chu and the only actress on the film, Kelly Lin.

Even on the press junket, the little boy seem to be already at ease with his adult co-stars. He was seen talking and laughing alot with lead star Xiao Shenyang on the sides, and even bribe him with a candy!

Little Bin also gamely participated when all the actors present gave a hug to beauteous actress kelly Lin. He sure never passed the chance to get close to her!

Little Bin will play the young Xiao Shenyang in the film, who grew up to become a shoemaker. It was learned that the cute kid will be receiving NT 200,000 dollars for a single day of shoot. Kelly Lin , who was last seen opposite versatile chinese actor Honglei Sun in “My Fair Gentleman”, plays Xiao Shenyang’s love interest, who also happens to be a princess and a martial arts expert. Reporters nagged the gorgeous actress if her role seem like it is in real life, she replied, she hopes so.

Kelly generously said that even a strong woman needs to be taken care of and to be protected.She thinks she is on the stage of having that someone to share her life with . Kelly, who cant help but gush over her little co-star always emphasize on having a family of her own and wishes to have 3 kids. During the interview, the actress has high praises with Little Bin and says he is very cute and she think s he was very well brought up. She even pose for a photo with the child wonder!

Looks like the sexy gal is contemplating on settling down and wishes to have a cute tot of her own. Having seen Little Xiao Bin, who wouldnt think of having one?

The film, “”Da Xiao Jianghu” (“a world of laughter”) will start shooting in May for at least 4 months and will be released by the end of the year.

The ever boisterous and talkative Xiao Shenyang,seemed a little quiet at the press conference, especially whe he was face to face with his new co-star, Kelly Lin. He shyly embraced his love interest in the new film.

Xiao Shenyang never wasted time to impress her leading lady

So dont lose that chance to see this little cutie on the silverscreen!

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An award ceremony in Beijing was held on the 8th of April to honor China’s 50 most beautiful people. Yes, the red country’s response to US People magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful . The list consists of celebrities who made beautiful impression to the chinese audiences. And this year’s number one place goes to— Bingbing Fan. The rising actress beats China’s hollywood star Ziyi Zhang. Miss Fan has been seen recently in the films, “Wheat”, and in the Jackie Chan-Daniel Wu starrer, “Shinjuku Incident”.

Apparently, Ziyi slipped to number 19, and there’s no doubt her recent strings of scandals, and ‘not-so-great’ relationship with the chinese media has geatly affected her star status.

So here you go folks. Don’t expect Brangelina or Sam “The Man” Worthington to pop up on the list.

1. Bingbing Fan ( mainland actress- ‘Wheat’, Shinjuku Incident’)

2. Honglei Sun (mainland actor- ‘Mongol’, ‘Forever Entralled’)

3. Yuchun Li (mainland pop singer)

4. Han Han

5. Jun Hu

6. Karen Mok (HK actress/singer/model- ‘So Close’)

7. Bo Huang (mainland actor- ‘Crazy Stone’, ‘The Legend of Chen Zhen’)

8. Xun Zhou (mainland actress- ‘The Banquet’, ‘The Message’)

9. Bingbing Li (mainland actress- ‘The Mesage’, ‘Forbidden Kingdom’)

10. Zhong Guan Xian

11. Vicky Zhao Wei (actress/singer- ‘So Close’, ‘Mulan’)

12. Xiaoming Huang (actor- ‘The Message’, ‘IP Man 2′)

13. Fan Mavis (Taiwanese pop singer)

14. Jun Ning Zhang (mainland TV star- ‘Stage of Youth’, Lost in the Dream’)

15. Nicholas Tse (HK Actor- ‘New Police Story’, ‘The Storm Warriors’)

16. Chen Yao (mainland actress- ‘Two Stupid Eggs’, ‘Big Movie’)

17. Chow Yun-Fat ( HK/Hollywood actor- ‘Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon’, ‘Pirates of the Carribean-At World’s End’)

18. Ni Yan (mainland actress- ‘A simple noodle story’, ‘Inseparable’)

19. Ziyi Zhang (mainland/hollywood actress- ‘Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon’, ‘Memories Of Geisha’)

20. Chen Kun

21. Dan Zhu

22. Kitty Zhang Yu Qi (mainland actress- ‘CJ7′, ‘The Longest Night In Shanghai’)

23. Zhang JIa Hui

24. Zhen Zidan

25. Shu Qi (Taiwanese actress- ‘So Close’, ‘Transporter I’)

26. Jingchu Zhang (Mainland actress- ‘Overheard’, ‘City UnderSiege’)

27. Chang Han yu

28. Guoli Zhang (Mainland actor/director-’ The Founding of the Republic’, ‘The 601st Phone Call’)

29. Quan Yuan (Mainland actress- ‘ Like A Dream’, ‘Once Upon A time in Shanghai’)

30. Xu Qing (Mainland TV actress- ‘Forgive’, ‘Ju Zhong Ju’)

31. Aaron Kwok (HK actor/singer- ‘Father & Son’, ‘The Murderer’)

32. Daniel Wu (HK actor/director)- (‘The New Police Story’, ‘Shinjuku Incident’)

33. Chi-ling Lin (Taiwanese model/actress- ‘Battle of the Red Cliff’)

34. Tao Yin

35. Qi Wang

36. Zheng Xu

37. Yan Jiangyi

38. Eason Chan (HK singer)

39. Alec Su

40. Louis Koo (HK actor- ‘Overheard’, ‘Vengeance’)

41. Leehom Wang (Taiwanese singer/musician/actor- ‘Lust, Caution, ‘small General,Big Soldier)

42. Haiqing

43. Zhang Jia Yi

44. Duan Yi Hang

45. Na Ying

46. Huang Jiao

47. Ariel Lin (Taiwanese TV actress- ‘It Started With A Kiss’, ‘Tokyo Juliet’)

48. Hu Die

49. Zeng Yi Ki

50. Han Zhang

posted April 12, 2010
Please do not repose elsewhere without permission

Trailer:

As threats go, “Release the Kraken!” pretty much trumps everything else out there. “You’ll hear from my lawyer!” and “Don’t make me turn this car around!” wilt in comparison.

The skyscraper-size, mythical monster is released in this weekend’s “Clash of the Titans,” starring Sam Worthington as Perseus, a warrior on a quest to destroy the gods. A bearded, shimmering Liam Neeson, as head god Zeus, gives the order for the releasing, and as you might imagine, nothing good comes from the beast’s liberation. He does not use his strength and size to help his close pals move apartments.

Clash of the Titans
Regardless of how the movie does, “Release the Kraken” has become a cultish catchphrase. The film’s Web site is release-the-kraken.com, and numerous parodies of Neeson bellowing the line have shown up on YouTube, including a heavy-metal remix. There’s also the very funny fan-made video “Liam and his new pet,” in which Zeus (borrowed from trailer footage) keeps phoning a fed-up English guy and pestering him to release the creature.

There’s only one question: What the heck is a Kraken anyway?

The short answer is, a gigantic sea monster originating in Norse mythology and often portrayed as looking like a giant squid. That said, there’s no real definitive description of the monster.

“The Kraken was a bit easier to design than the Hulk, because there was really only one reference known, and that was the original [1981] movie,” says “Titans” character designer Aaron Sims, who also worked on director Louis Leterrier’s “The Incredible Hulk.”

The Kraken in the first movie was created by effects legend Ray Harryhausen, and Sims says he and his team wanted to update the creature’s look, while preserving traits from the original in order to please die-hard fans of the earlier “Clash.” (Sims assures us they exist.)

“The Kraken went through several hundred designs,” he says.

It began as something similar to the 1981 movie, a green, reptilian monster with four arms. Then it went through a squid phase, in which it was just a mass of tentacles without a head. Then it went through a stage where it was a Frankenstein-esque collection of animal parts.

Finally, it became what ultimately wound up on-screen: a tentacled beast with a turtle-like head and a mouth full of pointy teeth.

“The Kraken is summoned from the sea, so you want it to feel like a sea creature,” Sims says. “I wanted to have tentacles because they could be used as weapons, but there was also some crustacean reference put into the design.”

The sharp choppers were meant to recall the ocean’s most fearsome creature: Greenpeace.

Or possibly sharks.

source: http://www.nypost.com

In the space of year or so Sam Worthington has become one of the most sought after male leads in Hollywood for, well, pretty much every male role going.

He trudged his way from relative obscurity to this position with only two films. The first was Terminator: Salvation, a reboot of the Cameron created Terminator franchise. Then, working with Cameron himself, he took on a role which has shot him into film history as Jake Sully in the record breaking Avatar.

You can’t argue with Hollywood on this one as it’s not hard to see why he is in demand. A rough, tough guy, but not without a heart or a softer side (plus he isn’t pumped on steroids as with action heroes of old). He’s also a fairly stylish guy, while being a big blue alien isn’t a look you can buy, the beaten long military jackets and boots of Terminator: Salvation have crept into general high street fashion.

His latest role however is as Perseus in the remake of Clash of the Titans. In terms of being the main male presence in Hollywood, this role will no doubt cement him in that position. But the story line seems a little familiar doesn’t it? He plays a man born of the Gods but raised with the humans, when Hades threatens to defeat Zeus and unleash Hell on earth he is forced unto the breach where he must embrace his destiny as the saviour.

Similarly, in his Terminator stint he was a robot lost among men, until he found his destiny in changing the fate of mankind by fighting alongside them, falling in love with an originally hostile female and becoming the saviour. Again, with Avatar, he is sent to destroy the natives. Instead he joins them, falls in love with Zoe Saldana’s hostile female character, fulfils his destiny as a saviour and changes the course of history.

It’s this which should raise eyebrows and concerns for him. His ability and appeal is not in question, but his acceptance of three roles on the trot with pretty much the same story is. They’re all just slightly tweaked versions of the same man…pitted against slightly tweaked opponents. It’s either a very clever, easy route into fame and fortune or a blind, misguided mistake, inadvertently leading him to glory.

Whichever way you choose to look at it, someone needs to take him to one side have a quiet, friendly word with him (and his agent for that matter) about not saturating this market and avoiding giving people a chance to become bored of him. The acting chops are there, he’s often the solid and reliable part of these films, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to demand other roles.

If Mr Worthington wishes to continue in his rich vein of form then perhaps he should lend his talents to a more low profile feature. Maybe an independent film or perhaps a short break. The pitfall of this move would be for him to go too far and end up in a rom-com beside Jennifer Aniston.

Nevertheless, he will no doubt be linked to big comic book roles throughout 2010, for Hollywood; she is a predictable creature. Let’s just hope he takes some time to ponder his next move wisely and avoids being swallowed up by the Kraken.

source:

http://www.t5m.com/uprising/sam-worthington-man-of-the-hour.html?fmt=news

HONG KONG – With the market inundated with kung fu and historical epics, Andy Lau hopes his new sci-fi movie will break new ground for Chinese-language cinema.

The 48-year-old actor-singer attended the premiere for “Future X-Cops” in his native Hong Kong late Wednesday, describing his role as a police officer in 2085 who travels to 2015 to protect a teenager destined to become a prominent scientist.

“I think we’ve taken the first step in making sci-fi movies. I hope more people will try to shoot these kinds of films. I hope our skill and ability will improve and pull us closer to Western sci-fi movies,” Lau told reporters.

Lau said he wore a green jumpsuit during shooting so a computer-generated armor could be applied onto his body.

“We wanted to present something new to audiences. People have seen many action movies. They’ve seen many comedies,” director Wong Jing said.

But “Future X-Cops,” which co-stars actresses Fan Binging and Barbie Hsu, faces a tough challenge coming shortly after the massive success of “Avatar,” the James Cameron 3-D epic that went on to become the global box office champion of all-time. It was also a huge hit in mainland China.

“Future X-Cops” is also Lau’s first release since he was exposed for lying about his marriage, which was seen by some as a ploy to maintain his appeal by projecting the image of a bachelor. The veteran entertainer denied that he was married in a TV interview last February, but Hong Kong journalists tracked down marriage records that showed he wed his Malaysian girlfriend Carol Chu in the U.S. in June 2008. Lau was forced to make a public apology.

But Lau’s popularity appear unaffected at the Hong Kong premiere on Wednesday. He was cheered on by about 200 squealing fans after he emerged on an outdoor stage near a popular mall in the Causeway Bay shopping district.

source: yahoo news

Taiwanese actor-singer Vanness Wu admits to his new romance after he was photographed shopping with his new beau in Hong Kong.

Last seen in the hit drama series, Autumn Concerto, Taiwanese-American artiste Vanness Wu was recently spotted in the company of an unknown long-haired female while shopping in Hong Kong. He admitted to having a new girlfriend and explained that “we are still trying to work things out.”

Due to delays in the filming schedule for his new movie, The Killer Never Kills, directed by Philip Ng, the 31-year-old was able to enjoy some free time in early April. A few days ago, he was spotted in the company of a fashionable and sweet-looking long-haired beauty at Hong Kong’s Zhonghuan street.

Decked out in a black couple outfit, the blissful pair was seen exchanging intimate gestures. When they were on the escalator, Vanness dotingly arranged the hair of his female companion, and waited patiently for her while she did her shopping.

The couple hurriedly left the area when they spotted the presence of reporters. When the press questioned his female partner’s identity, Vanness tried diverting the attention to others around him and asked, “You wanted to take a photograph with me?”

Despite his initial denial, the fervent Christian confirmed rumours of a blossoming romance through his manager, Katie, and said, “Since photographs have already been taken, I’ll just have to admit it. Yes, that’s right, she is my new girlfriend and we started dating not too long ago.

“We have the same faith and background. We get along pretty well and we are still in the stage of trying to work things out,” Vanness admitted.

Katie refused to divulge further details of his said girlfriend and only shared that “she is over 25 years old and is 160cm tall.” She pointedly expressed for reporters to refer her as “Miss A” as she does not belong to the industry.

“She [Vanness's girlfriend] has already gotten a shock from all the stalking and following. It is not convenient for me to explain too much,” Katie said.

Sources believe that Miss A does not belong to the entertainment industry and has been longtime friends with Vanness. She is an American-born Chinese and they were brought together by their common religious beliefs.

source:
http://entertainment.xin.msn.com/en/celebrity/buzz/asia/article.aspx?cp-documentid=4017739

www.idtechex.com/flex
By Ed Power

Friday April 02 2010

There’s more to playing Jesus than cutting a divine dash in beard and sandals. You have to project heavenly grace, heroic stoicism and limitless patience, even when Judas is selling you out to the Romans or you’re humping through Jerusalem on the back of an ass.

Perhaps that’s why on-screen depictions of the Son of God so often ring hollow.

Getting under the skin of the most famous 33-year-old in history requires a special kind of actor, one blessed with a rare blend of steeliness and charisma (plus a dash of the otherworldly).

With Good Friday upon us, here is our countdown of the best movie and TV renderings of the big ‘J’.

The best

Robert Powell — Jesus of Nazareth (1977)

Surely the finest Hollywood Jesus of all — and certainly the one who has resonated most with audiences.

Though born to a community of Jews in the Middle East, most of us imagine Jesus as looking like a California hippy circa 1965, with long curly hair, a neatly trimmed beard and piercing blue eyes.

Ticking each of those boxes was Robert Powell, star of the 1977 mini-series Jesus of Nazareth.

Indeed, for anyone growing up in the ’70s and ’80s, Powell essentially WAS Jesus (repeated ad infinitum on RTE, the JoN movie became Easter’s answer to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory).

Some movie messiahs come off as pompous and self-righteous, fatally weighed down with a, er, messiah complex.

Powell got the blend of humility and otherworldliness exactly right (director Franco Zeffirelli reportedly told him not to blink, the better to convey an air of eerie holiness).

Ironically, Powell was initially considered for the part of Judas, with Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino lined up to play JC.

The best of the rest.

Claude Heater — Ben-Hur

(1959)

Although Jesus is on screen for only a few seconds and we see him only from the back, this remains one of the most iconic — and strangely powerful — renderings of the messiah on the big screen.

In cinema, as in so much else, less is often more.

Enrique Irazoqui — The Gospel According to St Matthew

(1964)

Every film buff/snob’s favourite Jesus, Irazoqui portrayed Christ as a proto-Che Guevara revolutionary more interested in overturning the social order than changing water to wine.

Director Pier Paolo Pasolini had apparently wanted to cast either Jack Kerouac or Allen Ginsberg. Instead, he opted for an unknown Spanish student.

A triumph of cinema vérité, The Gospel According To St Matthew presented Christ as a secular firebrand and set the spiritualism to one side.

A triumph of Italian neorealism, don’t you know.

Max von Sydow — The Greatest Story Ever Told

(1965)

Remembered today for John Wayne’s cameo as a Roman legionnaire straight off the wagon trail (Aw, truly this was the son of God … “) George Steven’s 1965 gospel retelling was firmly in the tradition of the swords and sandals epics of the era, in so far that it was very long and very dull.

By the end, you didn’t really care whether or not Jesus came back from the dead — you just wanted the final credits to roll.

Amid so much virtuous tedium, however, von Sydow delivered one of the more convincing on-screen Christs, imagining the son of God as a modest carpenter with a very important message to share with the world.

Ted Neeley — Jesus Christ Superstar

(1973)

The karaoke lover’s Jesus of choice. Looked at through a filter of 21st century cynicism, Norman Jewison’s adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical feels horribly cheesy.

Nonetheless, it conveyed the feel-good, let’s all be nice to one another, essence of the gospels. Furthermore, Neeley must be credited for being able to sing and dance whilst still projecting ‘walk on water’ gravitas.

Willem Dafoe — The Last Temptation of Christ

(1988)

While hardline Irish Catholics — remember those? — protested at Martin Scorsese’s ‘heretical’ suggestion that perhaps Jesus might have had a sex life, the rest of the world was cracking up at Dafoe’s American accent.

Still, The Last Temptation was that rarest of Christ biopics: one that actually posed deep theological questions and asked the viewer to take their brain out of neutral.

As Jesus, Dafoe was the blonde Aryan direct from Granny’s mass booklet.

It was probably just as well that, the mid-Atlantic twang aside, he managed to be so convincing — Harvey Keitel won a Razzie for his portrayal of Judas as a blue-collar New Yorker.

Lothaire Bluteau — Jesus of Montreal

(1989)

This art-house classic concerns a group of French-Canadian actors putting on a radical re-interpretation of the gospels (getting up the nose of the local church in the process).

Along the way, Bluteau starts to identify more and more with Jesus — so that in a sense he becomes Christ, albeit in a strictly secular sense.

Jim Caviezel — The Passion of the Christ

(2004)

Not surprisingly, Bible movies tend to underplay the goriness of the crucifixion.

With the spatter-tastic Braveheart and The Patriot under his belt, Mel Gibson was no stranger to on-screen violence, however, and for his controversial retelling of Jesus’ final hours he ratcheted up the ‘eeugh’ factor to frankly quite silly levels.

His commitment to realism extended to Aramaic dialogue, though it’s the scenes in which the unflinching Caviezel has his skin flayed off so that you can see his rib-cage that linger longest.

If the directors of Saw were let loose on the gospels, here’s what the results would look like.