The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor premieres in Shanghai
August 29, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
CRIEnglish.com reported, “The Hollywood blockbuster “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor” premiered in Shanghai on Thursday night.”
“Both Chinese leading cast members, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, showed up at the event to see the movie directed by Rob Cohen and written by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.”
[USA] Jet Li invited to join Oscar Voters
June 24, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
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.”
[CHINA] Jet Li’s One Foundation to set up an office in Quake-hit Sichuan Province
May 25, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
CRIEnglish.com reported, “Jet Li’s disaster-relief One Foundation set up an office in quake-hit Sichuan Province Wednesday, shifting its focus from emergency relief to reconstruction.”
“Our work here is going to be long-term,” Jet Li explained at a press conference in the provincial capital of Chengdu, where the office is based. The action film star flew there from Shanghai shortly after the May 12 earthquake, and has been an active volunteer since.”
“Foreseeing that rebuilding the quake-hit areas will take several years, Jet Li thinks a local office is needed to help his staff work more effectively. The focus of the foundation, he says, will be rebuilding schools and providing special care for those left orphaned or disabled.”
[CHINA] A “Forbidden Kingdom” sequel in the works?
May 7, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
CRIEnglish.com reported, “The overwhelming box-office success of the action-adventure flick “The Forbidden Kingdom” has prompted its producers to shoot a sequel.”
“Sources from the film’s Chinese investor and distributor, Huayi Brothers, said Tuesday they will once again collaborate with Hollywood for part two of the Jackie Chan-Jet Li film, the Beijing Times reported.”
“The two action heroes will appear in the follow-up film, together with actress Li Bingbing, who made her major Hollywood debut with “Forbidden Kingdom.”
“The sequel is likely to feature a romance between Jet Li and Li Bingbing’s characters, the Beijing Times report says.”
[USA] Jackie Chan/Jet Li film “Forbidden Kingdom” tops box office
April 20, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
The Associated Press reported, “Martial arts adventure “The Forbidden Kingdom” ruled over the box office in North America this weekend as the movie featuring Chinese superstars Jackie Chan and Jet Li together for the first time debuted about 20.9 million dollars over the three-day period, preliminary figures released Sunday showed.”
“The film, jointly released by Lionsgate and the Weinstein Co., tells the story of a modern American teenage hurtled back in time to ancient China, where he is charged with a task to free the fabled warrior the Monkey King with the help from kung fu masters played by Jackie Chan and Jet Li. ”
[HK] Jet Li wins best actor award for “The Warlords” at Hong Kong Film Awards
April 14, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
The Associated Press reported, “Jet Li has won a rare acting prize.”
“Better known for his kung fu prowess, the 44-year-old Chinese action star was named best actor at the 27th Hong Kong Film Awards on Sunday for his performance in the Chinese epic “The Warlords.”
“Li played a 19th century mercenary who’s emotionally torn about betraying one of his blood brothers and falling in love with his wife.”
“The Warlords” was also a big winner, clinching eight out of 18 possible awards, including best film and best director for Hong Kong’s Peter Chan. It also won awards for best cinematography, best art direction and best costume and makeup design.
[HK] Jackie Chan and Jet Li promote “The Forbidden Kingdom”
CRIEnglish.com reported, “Two of China’s best-known action film stars, Jackie Chan and Jet Li, appeared together on Tuesday in Hong Kong to kick off promotions for their first collaboration, “The Forbidden Kingdom.”
“Director Rob Minkoff and female leads Liu Yifei and Li Bingbing also attended the press conference, the film’s first in Asia.”
“‘The Forbidden Kingdom’ is being heavily promoted as the first film starring both Jackie Chan and Jet Li, an opportunity Li said both he and longtime friend Chan had waited 15 years for. He said working together made them even closer, like brothers.”
[CHINA] Yao Ming Tops Forbes Chinese Celebrity lists
March 11, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
CRIEnglish.com reported, “Forbes, which has been producing annual Chinese mainland celebrity rankings since 2004, released its latest list on Tuesday amid stars’ skepticism and the public’s anticipation.”"Like in the previous year, NBA star Yao Ming topped the new list of 100 celebrities with the most frequent media exposure and a pre-tax yearly income of 387 million yuan (US$54.5 million), also the highest among all.”
“Olympic champion hurdler Liu Xiang followed Yao Ming closely like last year. Rising basketball player Yi Jianlian, ranked No. 4, is the only other sports star on the top 10.”
“Martial-arts superstar Jet Li, who failed to enter the top 100 last year, soared to No. 3 with the reason given by Forbes that the kung-fu king has had three new films since the last ranking (”The Warlords,” “The Forbidden Kingdom,” and “The Mummy 3″), and his heartfelt devotion to charity work (Jet Li runs the disaster-relief One Foundation) also added to his score.”
[HK] Jet Li and Jackie Chan change script of movie to suit Western Audience
March 6, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
According to the Associated Press, “Jet Li said he has changed the script of his upcoming movie with fellow action star Jackie Chan to better suit Western tastes, an online news site reported Thursday.”"Li said “The Forbidden Kingdom” was conceived as a film about Chinese mythology’s monkey king and he thought the idea of a kung fu fighting monkey was too far-fetched for Western viewers, according to an interview transcript posted on the Chinese news Web site Sina.com.”
“Li said he altered the script, inspired by the classic Chinese novel “Journey to the West,” to turn the story into a child’s dream about Chinese mythology. He said this would make characters with special powers like the monkey king more believable to a Western audience.”
“The West can’t accept a traditional interpretation of ‘Journey to the West.’ Westerners can understand Superman, Batman, but not this — a monkey that’s so dominating,” the actor was quoted as saying.
[CHINA] Jet Li’s charity fund helps victims of snowstorm
January 31, 2008 by KNDY · Leave a Comment
CRIEnglish.com reported, “Jet Li’s disaster-relief foundation is doing its part in helping people who have been hit by the current snowstorm havoc.”
“The One Foundation, co-founded by Jet Li and the Red Cross Society of China, has set aside 950,000 yuan (US$132,039) to purchase food via the Red Cross, the Beijing Times reported Thursday.”
