CRIEnglish.com reported:

Taiwan singer-actress Annie Yi Nengjing has denied what she calls untrue reports about her personal life and urged the media to stop spreading false news about her and to respect her privacy and reputation.

The actress and her lawyers issued a written statement on the Chinese website portal Sina.com on Friday, refuting what Annie Yi called groundless media reports about her personal life, which have caused her and her family a great deal of stress. She also said she would take legal action against media outlets that published an unauthorized photo of her son, Harry.

Media rumors have been circulated for a long time about Annie’s troubled marriage to Taiwan pop singer Harlem Yu Chengqing after the paparazzi photographed her strolling hand-in-hand with Taiwan actor Victor Huang Weide on the streets of Beijing. Afterwards, she became the target of public criticism and was called a “failure as a wife and as a mother.” It had been reported previously that Annie’s public standing had been so greatly jeopardized that her commercial value fell significantly.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

“We have enough evidence to show that the book, ‘Life of Zhang Yimou’ is a serious infringement of rights. Zhang Yimou has instructed a lawyer to prepare a case against the book’s author and publisher,” said Ping Xue, a public relations manager at Mr. Zhang’s employer, Beijing New Picture Film Company, on November 24. It is the first lawsuit the director has initiated in his 20-year career.

Zhang’s lawyer, Tong Jie, confirmed the information. She said Zhang was deeply irritated after reading the book. The book contains groundless gossip about Zhang’s family and about a love affair, and seriously violates Zhang’s privacy. The lawyer said that her month-long investigation demonstrated that the book’s sources were the public media and the Internet, not any figures that the book relates to. Even Zhang’s autograph on the book’s cover is counterfeit, she points out. The lawyer said that after collecting evidence on the behalf of Zhang Yimou, she would probably initiate the lawsuit in middle or late December.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

Cape No.7 continued its Taiwan fervor to Hong Kong by topping last week’s box office chart in its first week in the key region of Chinese-language film scene.

Taken on by 23 local theaters, fewer than the latest James Bond film “Quantum of Solace” in number of projectors, the Taiwan production still outran the Hollywood blockbuster by taking in over 2 million Hong Kong dollars with a successful debut.

Directed by budding film director Wei Te-Sheng earlier this year, Cape No. 7 has till now earned over 400 million New Taiwan Dollars (Taiwan’s local currency) since its premiere in August, becoming the best-selling Chinese-language film ever in Taiwan’s box office history. And it has registered to run for the best foreign language picture of this year’s Academy Awards.

more

Image courtesy of Sankei Sports

CRIEnglish.com reported:

The 2nd Public Satisfaction Selection on China’s celebrities wrapped up a survey recently, with Jacky Chan ranking first. Actress Gong Li, who recently became a Singaporean citizen, came in last.

Jacky Chan won out with leading scores in the last round of the survey, the most critical section among professionals, after director Zhang Yimou and pop king Jay Chou were picked as first in random street surveys and an online poll, respectively.

Gong Li suffered a fall, as she was switching her citizenship during the assessment process. She finished dead last, after mainland pop singer Zang Tianshuo, who was arrested for suspected mobbing this November, and Hong Kong entertainer Edison Chen, who was involved in a nude photo scandal.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

wo songs which respectively remind people of the strong earthquake in China and the Beijing Olympics were named Best Hits at the Ninth CCTV-MTV Music Awards, held Sunday in Beijing.

“Sheng Si Bu Li” (”Together Forever”), which was written shortly after the May 12 earthquake, expressed the unity of Chinese people, while the Olympic song “Welcome to Beijing” showcased Chinese people’s hospitality to the world, the awards committee said.

The video of “Welcome to Beijing,” featuring around 100 Asian celebrities, was named Best Music Video.

Jackie Chan, who lent voice to both songs, shared a special contribution award with “Welcome to Beijing” composer Xiao Ke. Chan sent a video message to thank the committee and fans.

In the individual categories, Karen Mok and Eason Chan were adjudged Most Popular Hong Kong Female and Male Singer respectively. Jolin Tsai and Show Luo won the same titles in the Taiwan category. Taiwan pop-rock band Sodagreen was the Best Group of Hong Kong and Taiwan.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung will star in Quentin Tarantino’s World War II film “Inglourious Basterds,” the actress has said.

Cheung, 44, who has settled down in Beijing with her German architect boyfriend Ole Scheeren, went back to Hong Kong over the weekend to promote a brand she endorses, Star Daily reported.

more

image courtesy of TUNGSTAR

CRIEnglish.com reported:

The second installment of “Red Cliff”, reportedly Asia’s most expensive film, will premier in cinemas on Jan. 15, ten days ahead of China’s annual Spring Festival holiday.

The trailer for Taiwan and Hong Kong was available on-line on Friday, while the trailer for the mainland is to be released in December, according to the Beijing-based Legal Evening News on Friday.

Taiwan supermodel Lin Chi-ling, who said only a few words in the first part, will take the spotlight in the second episode, the paper said.

The first installment of the two-part epic, adapted from the Chinese classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms, debuted in Asia on July 10.

On its first day, the movie took 17 million New Taiwan dollars and 2 million Hong Kong dollars.

Directed by Hollywood-based Hong Kong director John Woo, the cast features leading Asian stars, including award-winning Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, Taiwanese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro and mainland actor Zhang Fengyi.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

Lip-synching in commercial performances might face punishment in China, if a plan by the country’s Ministry of Culture goes ahead.

Lip-synching is when in a live concert, a singer doesn’t really sing but instead matches his or her lip movements with a recording. This is widely regarded as controversial.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

Taiwan singer Chang Hui-Mei, nicknamed A-Mei, will hold a solo concert at the ‘Asian World Expo’ in Hong Kong next month, seven years after her last concert was held there.

At a press conference in Hong Kong on Tuesday, A-Mei said there will probably be no guests appearing on this upcoming Hong Kong concert tour because of her tight on stage schedule.

more

CRIEnglish.com reported:

The ancestral hometown of Bruce Lee in southern China has finished building the world’s largest memorial museum for the action legend, China News Service reported Tuesday.

The museum, located in Shunde, Guangdong Province, was inaugurated Sunday by Bruce’s sister Phoebe Lee, who traveled from San Francisco for the occasion.

More than 1,000 items related to or used by Bruce Lee are on display, including costumes and photographs. Some letters and poems written by the martial artist are being exhibited for the first time, the report says.

more