J!-ENT
Asian Entertainment News and Pop Culture

Mainichi Daily News reported, “Lucy Liu had some trouble learning her lines for the hit summer animated film “Kung Fu Panda.” But that wasn’t her fault — a lot of the time, she said, there weren’t any lines to learn.”

“Working without knowing what you are doing from start to finish is very difficult,” Liu said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It was really improvisation. It was exciting. It keeps you on your toes.”

“Liu was in Japan on Tuesday with comedian Jack Black and other members of the film’s cast and crew for Kung Fu Panda’s Japan premiere.”

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In a recent column for the Nichi Bei Times, Ben Hashimoto wrote, “In the last decade or so, there are a handful of things that most Americans have come to associate with contemporary Japan. Aside from raw fish, high-tech electronics and action-packed animation, wacky game shows, for some reason, are pretty high up the list. They have been spoofed on “The Simpsons,” excerpted on the “Colbert Report,” and even dubbed into English as Spike TV’s popular “Most Extreme Challenge.”"

“It seemed only a matter of time before the networks would take notice and try and cash in on the interest.”

“ABC is debuting not one, but two Japanese-inspired game shows: “I Survived a Japanese Game Show” and “Wipeout.” The latter is a pretty straightforward transplant of Japanese ideas into an American format. However, the one for Asian Americans to keep their eyes on will likely be “I Survived,” which involves a group of Americans jetted out to Tokyo to compete in a game show.”

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The Associated Press reported, “A grown man wearing a diaper is spun around until he can barely stand, then is made to try an obstacle course carrying pitchers of milk without spilling any. Another man, dressed like an insect, flings himself onto a giant-sized “windshield” with a giant-sized “splat.”

“Is American television going crazy? No — American television is going Japanese.”

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CRIEnglish.com reported, “Chinese martial-arts star Jet Li is among 105 film personalities who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it was announced on Monday.”

“Li’s membership will entitle him the right to help decide Oscar winners. He also joins the ranks of Chinese stars such as Jackie Chan, Joan Chen and Vivian Wu who have previously been invited to join the academy, Chinese news portal Sohu.com says.”

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CRIEnglish.com reported, “British heart-throb Hugh Grant and “Memoirs of a Geisha” star Zhang Ziyi are to star in a romantic comedy set in the world of moviemaking, entertainment industry press reported Tuesday.”

“Grant, 47, will play an actor who is approached for a part in a film being directed by Zhang, who plays a Chinese film-maker, Variety reported.”

“In the film — “Lost for Words” — Grant’s character falls for his translator before eventually realizing he is in love with the director.”

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Mainichi Daily News reported, “Hollywood giants George Lucas and Harrison Ford hinted in Tokyo on Wednesday that screen legend Indiana Jones could one day turn up in Japan.”

“Visiting Japan to promote the June 21 nationwide release of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” Lucas and Ford said that if a fifth movie in the box-office smash series were ever made, it’s possible it could be set in Japan.”

“Well, we’ll see,” Lucas said when a reporter suggested the movie archeologist could be made to search for hidden treasure the Tokugawa shoguns supposedly buried at the end of the feudal era in the mid-19th century, but which has never been found. “Sometimes it takes quite a while to come up with the idea about the object he goes after, which is where it all starts. Right now we don’t have any plans to go on with another (movie) until we find out how successful this one turns out to be. If we can come up with a new idea, it’ll always be great to come to Japan and make a movie. So we’ll see.”

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About Scion:
Scion, from Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., was developed with a new generation of
youthful buyers in mind.  Scion’s mission is to provide distinctive products, the opportunity to
personalize, and an innovative, consumer-driven process at the retail level. The Scion brand
features three ground-breaking models. The xD is an urban subcompact five-door, featuring a
muscular stance and accentuated wheel flares.  The xB, an urban utility vehicle, combines
remarkable interior space with iconic styling.  And the tC sports coupe surprises the buyer with
the convenience of a hatchback and the luxury of a standard all-glass panorama moonroof,
complementing the usual wide array of features on all Scions. For more information, visit
www.scion.com.

Arnel Pineda has been getting a lot of publicity. The Filipino vocalist discovered from YouTube was selected by Journey to be the new vocalist of the band is currently featured in this month’s GQ magazine and was featured several days ago on the American talk show “ELLEN” hosted by Ellen Degeneres.

In a recent article on ABS-CBN.com, Ramil Digal Gulle wrote, “It’s hard to believe that only a year ago, Pineda was singing with his Manila band The Zoo at different venues, doing covers of various high-pitched pop and rock crowd pleasers. On YouTube, you can watch Arnel’s covers of stuff like Survivor’s “Ever Since the World Began” or even Air Supply’s “Makin’ Love out of Nothing at All”. And of course, his cover versions of hits by Journey.”

“Journey’s lead guitarist and founding member Neal Schon (he’s also a former member of Santana) found clips of Pineda on YouTube in 2007. He told GQ magazine that during his search, he deliberately tried to avoid a Steve Perry clone.”

“I didn’t think they had anything new to offer,” Schon says, “other than making us a nostalgia act, and I wasn’t interested in that,” he told GQ, explaining the he wanted a singer who could not only sing the hits made popular by Perry, but also help take the band in a new direction.

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[Disclaimer: Youtube videos are courtesy of youtube.com and are not on J!-ENT servers]

The Associated Press reported, “Danica Patrick never doubted a woman could win a race. It finally happened Sunday.”

“Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history on Sunday, winning the Indy Japan 300 in her 50th career start.”

“I’m glad it finally happened,” said Patrick. “But I would be lying if I told you I didn’t think it would be me.”

“Win No. 1 was a long time coming for 26-year-old Patrick, who finished a career-best seventh in the season standings last year when her best finish was second in the race at Detroit’s Belle Isle.”

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JapanToday.com reported, “Warner Bros Japan will hold the Japan premiere for “Speed Racer”, using the world’s largest screen, at Tokyo Dome on June 29. Warner Bros said the massive screen will be 7.45 meters tall and 37 meters wide.”

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