Archive for December, 2009
Its story unfolds on an alien planet in the 22nd century, but director James Cameron says his new film “Avatar” is a metaphor for the way humankind treats Earth today.
Cameron joined stars Sigourney Weaver, Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang for Thursday’s premiere of the science fiction epic in London, ahead of its worldwide release next week.
Set on a distant planet called Pandora, in the heart of a vast tropical forest, it recounts how strife erupts between an indigenous tribe and an Earth-based consortium pillaging for a precious mineral.
“I see it as a broader metaphor, not so intensely politicised as some would make it, but rather that’s how we treat the natural world as well,” the Canadian-born filmmaker said.
“There’s a sense of entitlement – ‘We’re here, we’re big, we’ve got the guns, we’ve got the technology, we’ve got the brains, we therefore are entitled to every damn thing on this planet’,” he said.
“That’s not how it works and we’re going to find out the hard way if we don’t wise up and start seeking a life that’s in balance with the natural cycles of life on earth.”
Cameron conceived “Avatar” 15 years ago. Four years in production and packed with computer-generated imagery and 3D effects, it is his first feature since “Titanic” in 1997 which scooped 11 Academy Awards.
“It’s a great feeling of satisfaction,” he said of finishing the project. “It’s a big relief for me to be done with the film and to know that people are finally going to be seeing it, that it’s out of my hands at this point.”
Confession: I sooo don’t like Rain. And after meeting him face-to-face at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul at the Asian junket for his latest Hollywood film “Ninja Assassin”, I have to say I sooo like the K-boy even less.
Okay, he made the list of Time Magazine’s 100 Of The World’s Most Influential People three times in a row; he’s arguably Korea’s biggest pop superstar, and dubbed “Asia’s Prince of Pop” and “Korea’s Justin Timberlake”.
And if winning numerous acting accolades for his TV performances (”Sang Doo! Let’s Go To School” and “Full House”) isn’t enough, he’s also the CEO of his own entertainment company, J Tune Entertainment and is the face hawking everything from Korean cosmetics to pizza chains to duty-free shopping.
Now, the boy who was born Jeong Ji Hoon looks set to become Hollywood’s newest action star after playing Raizo, one of the world’s deadliest ninjas who plots his revenge against the very clan that trained him to be a killer, in the latest Joel Silver/Wachowski Brothers’ martial arts actioner, “Ninja Assassin”. All with an assiduously-trained lean mean fighting machine of a body, no less.
What’s more, the 27-year-old is as inoffensive as vanilla ice-cream, with no diva attitude whatsoever. Sure, he looked down at his feet one too many times during the interview, but I was told it’s a cultural thing; a sign of respect. And when he does make eye contact with a touch of smile, you can see why teenagers, aunties, grandmas, mothers and even men everywhere go absolutely ga-ga.
So, why do I hate this guy sooo? Here is my torrential list.
He’s the perfect assassin, I’m not even close to perfect.
Hmm, this K-Boy doesn’t mind playing Japanese, admires Hong Kong martial arts stars and now has the perfect vehicle to flex those muscles he trained so hard for. Plus, in the epic martial art sequences, Rain has the sleekest of moves and coolest of weapons to fend off baddies. And apparently the filmmakers gave him carte blanche when it came to his character.
“Both the Wachowski brothers and Joel Silver really wanted to show the real essence of martial arts,” he said in Korean. “People who like martial arts will like this movie. I learned a lot from martial art actors like Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, who I always admired growing up. But also, I had to make sure not to copy completely and be exactly like them. I had to recreate my own action star.” Which relative newcomer can get a sweet deal like that?
He’s tight with the Wachowskis, they don’t even know I exist.
“I believe everyone has three big chances in life. Mine are firstly, my collaboration with music producer Park Jin Young, followed by my Hollywood debut in the Wachowskis’ ‘Speed Racer’ and consequent relationship with them, and now this role in ‘Ninja Assassin’,” he said. “We have a very good chemistry. And now it’s led to more exposure … This is a beginning of a new stage of my life and I cannot afford to be lazy.” Dude, I’ve sent them script upon script and still no call. Our boy wonder meets them and – boom – it’s hello Hollywood! Unfair or not?
He can diet successfully … and I can’t.
And he managed to still maintain it months after filming was over.
“Salt and sugar were strictly forbidden in order to build my body. I could only eat chicken breast and vegetables,” he said. “Over 90 per cent of the action stunts were performed by me so I had to keep my body really light and reduce my body fat to almost zero. I trained hard.
“First thing I ate right after the last day of filming was hamburger and French fries,” he added. “I really overworked my body for ‘Ninja Assassin’. Now that it’s over, I am more concerned about being healthy mentally and physically. When you’re just focused on body-building, you make a lot of sacrifices and I don’t think that’s very healthy.” Whatever. How come it doesn’t work for us common folk?
He’s a sensitive new age guy – and I’m not.
Do you know what he said when I asked him which director he’d most like to work with? “James Cameron. I really like ‘Titanic’.” Inconceivable!
He knows how to give clever answers.
When asked what made him unique from the rest of the Asian stars breaking into Hollywood, he said: “My big difference is that I’m much younger.” (Read: I have more time to improve and make an impact than those old fogeys.)
When asked why he’d rather speak in Korean even though his English is good enough for interviews, he said: “I have been taking lessons and my English has been improving, but there are so many Korean journalists here today so I felt it better to speak in Korean and make myself be understood by everybody. And by using Korean, I can give more detailed information with different nuances.” Somebody translate, please.
He’s got more fans than I do.
Everyone from my male theatre friends, to my screaming pre-teen niece to the mak cik at my favourite mee rebus stall loves him. Why? “I think I work very hard and people can see that,” was Rain’s explanation. “Most Korean actors are considered sexy because they work very hard to have fit bodies, and I think that I’m one of them.” I’m not even close to sexy yet, but I think the mee rebus mak cik ought to have given me a discount after I told her I had shaken Rain’s hand.
He’s nicer than I am
“Thank you very very much for all your support. I hope you enjoyed my film,” the Korean hunk told me after agreeing to let me take a photo with him. Sigh! How can anybody be so famous and still be so nice? Even Seal refused to let me take a picture with his wife Heidi Klum – and he’s not as hot as Rain.
Like I said before, how I can I sooo not like the guy? Who’s with me? Anyone? Anyone? Phooey.
Ninja Assassins opens in cinemas on Thursday.
It has been three years since homegrown singer Hady Mirza was crowned the second Singapore Idol. He then went on to beat out contestants from across the region to become the first Asian Idol in 2007.
It has also been three years since he released his first self-titled album. In that span of time, fellow Singapore Idol winner Taufik Batisah had released three albums and a movie soundtrack.
But Hady Mirza fans can finally hear some quality music as his second album “Sang Penyanyi” or The Singer, has finally been released. What took him so long?
“At the end of 2007, actually I wrote a lot of songs but it’s just not right. You have to choose the right songs for the album,” he said pensively. “I had to dig deep down inside to write songs that are sincere because that is most important.”
He added that he had to take a break from songwriting to compete in Asian Idol which ate up a lot of his time, and more recently, mentor the contestants of Singapore Idol season three.
Hady is quite the perfectionist when it comes to his music. He said that his new album is for his loyal fans and spared no effort to make sure “Sang Penyanyi” is worth the wait.
“The fans have been waiting for quite a long time so I really wanted the songs in this album to be really, really good,” the strapping 29-year old said. “There were a lot of times that the songs are not right and we had to start from scratch again.”
“Sang Penyanyi” contains a total of ten tracks – eight Malay and two English ones – and reflects Hady’s thoughts and emotions since he embarked on his musical career. It is quite a special album for Hady because he wrote eight of the ten tracks in it. That is a big leap from writing just one song on his maiden album.
The Man and his Music
When the discussion moved to the tracks in his album, Hady’s eyes lit up and he enthusiastically leaned over to point out his favourite tracks in the album’s song list – “Angkasa”, “Doaku”, “Berserah” and “Ku Tetap Kan Menunggu”.
“‘Angkasa’ is the closest to the sound I want to get, the identity I want,” he said. The song is about heartbreak and lost love and was inspired by a friend that had a bad relationship. Hady says he took special care to emote more when he was singing this song so it would resonate with listeners.
“Doaku” marks Hady’s first musical collaboration with his 80-year-old grandfather, a former television star who Hady credits for his talent. Hady’s grandfather Osman Zailani recites an original poem in this song about repentance.
He then went on to explain how the song “Berserah” had evolved from the original version Taufik wrote for him. Hady sang “Berserah” during the Asian Idol competition and went on to take the title.
He said the song is about overcoming challenges and felt it should be “more warm and personal” so he performed the song by himself with his guitar, highlighting that it is different from Taufik’s usual dramatic style.
“From what people have heard [on Asian Idol], the arrangement is quite big, a lot of strings, very dramatic… but I felt that with so many instruments, it’s too many things.”
“Ku Tetap Kan Menunggu” is about finding the ideal partner. If all the songs reflect his emotions and thoughts, does this one mean he is actively seeking love? Is this a musical personal ad?
“Maybe?” Hady said sheepishly.
“I am still waiting for that special someone, that’s why I wrote this song,” Hady continued, bursting into laughter.
Hady may have finally released his second album but his work is far from done. A quick check with his publicist revealed that the singer-songwriter has a fully packed schedule in the coming months to meet the fans, perform and promote the album, but Hady does not mind it at all.
“The thing about this [album] is it is for the fans. I am happy just to see them happy,” he said.
“Sang Penyanyi” is available at all CD Rama stores.
Former Hong Kong actress Cherie Chung is set to marry a Singaporean businessman next year, according to Hong Kong media reports.
Chung, 49, lost her husband of 16 years, Hong Kong advertising guru Mike Chu in 2007 to stomach cancer.
When she was in Singapore earlier this year to complete legal procedures regarding the late Chu’s properties and possessions, a wealthy Singaporean businessman reportedly began courting her. They had a whirlwind romance and intend to tie the knot in Singapore some time next year.
Chung made her film debut in 1980 and left an impression on audiences with her charm and beauty. She retired after marrying Chu in 1991 and became a lady of leisure.
When her husband passed away, she was grief-stricken and became a recluse, seldom leaving her house. Her friends urged her to return to acting and take her mind off her late husband but she insisted she “was not prepared”.
Recently, things had changed. She was seen heading to the market for groceries on occasion and smiled much more often. She was also spotted purchasing a lotus lantern, traditionally lit by people seeking a smooth love life or marriage.
Hong Kong media reports said she was rejuvenated by love but preferred to keep mum and downplay her love life, though she did tell her close friends her view on having a companion.
“Single life is great, but having someone to share your joy and sorrow with is a very blissful thing,” Chung said.
A word of caution to all you hopeful girls out there dying to fill the currently empty position: Being Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou’s girlfriend is pretty difficult.
“If you were my girlfriend, it’s very hard,” the 30-year-old pop star said recently at an interview in the Raffles Convention Centre.
In town last week to promote his latest action-adventure flick “The Treasure Hunter”, Chou amiably talked about how many starlets are afraid to be photographed with – and thus inevitably linked to – him.
“If we get shot by the paparazzi, people will at once assume that she (the girl he’s with) is my girlfriend. It is unfair for the girls,” he shared thoughtfully. Awww, how sweet.
So with the welfare and image of the ladies seemingly first and foremost for this man, one starts to wonder how similar he is to his character in his latest flick, Qiao Fei, an aloof smouldering Asian wandering cowboy with quick-fire abilities, some martial arts skills and a hidden romantic chivalrous side.
“Oh, Qiao Fei is more definitely ‘man’ in the film. I am not as romantic as the director might make me out to be,” he answered with a smile. “I guess I do come across more romantic in music and through my songs, but it’s not always sweetness and love.”
He confessed: “I do like danger. I was quite crazy when I was younger during my student days, doing crazy stunts and letting off steam. But not anymore. You cannot do such things in Singapore right?”
“Anyway I think filming is quite a dangerous thing already!” he quipped.
But filming seems to be the way forward for the 2005 Golden Horse Awardee for “Initial D”. He has, after all, landed the coveted role of Kato in Hollywood’s “The Green Hornet” alongside Seth Rogen and Cameron Diaz.
“I had to do it. It’s a role that Bruce Lee once played, plus it’s a positive Asian role which is rare in Hollywood,” he said, alluding to how most Chinese actors play baddies in Hollywood.
“Over there, I’m a newbie. There is a lot of waiting around before my scenes and I cannot speak too loudly. I have to be well-behaved. But overall, it was fun, and a good but different experience. Anyway, I went to Hollywood not just to make it big and develop my film career. I went there to also introduce my music to the Americans. So that they will notice me.”
“The Treasure Hunter” opens in Singapore cinemas on December 31.
Singapore is home, because that’s where Faith Yang’s heart – and music – are.
Once one-half of Chinese pop duo 2Gals, she had garnered quite a fan following with best pal Justine in Taiwan, until the latter married and moved overseas, effectively splitting the pair up.
Instead of staying in Taiwan to fly solo, Faith decided to leave her fans and moved back to Singapore to make music her way.
“A lot of times with commercial albums, you hear the same arrangers repeating the same style for different artistes. When I listen to the radio, I can’t help but feel that I can’t really differentiate the last singer from the next,” Faith said.
She declined a contract with local music label Ocean Butterflies, made contacts with local musicians, and churned out songs she can say are truly made-in-Singapore.
“I chose creative freedom (over commercial ease),” Faith said in an email interview with Channelnewsasia.com. “I wanted to make a statement with my first solo release. That is: We do have talents in Singapore! And that our contents meet standards not only regionally but to a wider audience. So I decided to start from home – where my heart is.”
The songbird took care to source for local collaborators, even if they had to fly back from overseas. Photos, graphics, musical collaborations, and even music videos were done by Singaporean artists and composers.
Her first album Simple Living, which, gathering from the interview, was more of a Faith-Yang-and-friends brainchild than a solo effort, was launched in June earlier in the year to excellent response – sold out in HMV in mere two weeks. The album recently also made its way into stores in Hong Kong and Macau.
The album is in line with her website, Rebirth (www.rebirth.sg), which reflects her ‘rebirth’ into independent music after commercial success and a short hiatus to ponder her future following the split of 2Gals.
Faith’s sophomore solo album is in the works, and is slated to be released in the first half of next year.
As part of the driving force in the local music scene, the 33-year-old has big dreams for the little island nation.
“I’m excited about the local music scene gaining more ground. However, our industry is still relatively small compared to other countries. We need to bring talents out of our island and push them to much bigger playgrounds so that they have more opportunities to be recognised and valued, and make us proud of them as artistes who represent us, Singapore.
“In time, we may produce a Singapore style of music that can truely represent our island and its people, and make us proud of our own pop culture, in something that we can call our own. Hurray, Singapore!”
The identity of news anchor-turned-host Patty Hou’s fiance has finally come to light.
Hou, 31, is reportedly engaged to Ken Huang, 34, a high ranking sales manager working in a division of Citibank.
Huang, who is said to look like Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse, has maintained a low profile all along. He was very perturbed when the media found out about his relationship with Hou and got wind of his identity on December 29.
Huang has very little experience with the media. According to his colleagues, when Huang was told a swarm of paparazzi had gathered at the ground floor of the office building where he worked, he got very curious, stood up and looked out the window while waving at equally curious colleagues.
The moment Huang’s identity was uncovered, the Taiwan media swung into action digging up information on him. Some claimed that Huang had courted Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin previously.
Lin denied they ever went out and explained they knew each other because their parents were very close friends.
Former MTV VJ Stacy Hsu said her husband knows Huang quite well and they meet often. Huang had even helped out at their wedding.
“[Huang] is good-natured and an upright gentleman that treats women with respect. He likes to keep a low profile,” said Hsu.
She also dismissed rumours that Huang had assets worth billions. “It is probably not that much but he is a capable young man,” she said.
When asked if Huang has mentioned anything about marriage, Hsu said: “When he meets the right person, he will probably think about that matter.”
After his ex-girlfriend was being pressurized by the media, Jay Chou doesn’t dare to fall in love again and even jokingly mentioned that his rumoured girlfriend Jiang Yu Chen is really unlucky!
Jay Chou and Lin Chi-ling, together with director Kevin Chu, arrived in Singapore two days ago to promote their latest movie The Treasure Hunter.
At the press conference, Jay was in a really good mood. During the interview, apart from answering to the questions posted, he even brought up his rumoured girlfriend, Jiang Yu Chen.
He mentioned that his character is similar to his role in The Treasure Hunter. When he is fond of someone, he will not make it clear to the person, instead, he will observe if the other party feels the same way as well.
However, at the same time, he too feels that love is about cherishing and when one meets the right person, they should grab the opportunity.
When probed if he had found the right girl, Jay replied, “(I’m) still searching. I’m afraid of rumours, thus I don’t dare to make female friends. Although I have quite a number of female friends, whenever we are out together, the media will take photos of us. Even when we are out in a big group, the media will say that we are dating!”
“My previous girlfriend was pressured by the media too much. Actually, it’s tough to be my girlfriend. Thus, I don’t have any intention of having a girlfriend for now, and being single is better. However, even when I’m single, the media still make up a lot of stories. I guess only after I’m married then will rumours stop!”
When asked if he was referring to Jiang Yu Chen, due to the recent “hotel photos” saga, he said, “Yu Chen is really unlucky I’ve known her for very long already, but because during this period, I haven’t made new female friends, so rumours about us have continued.”
He laughingly said, “She used to have a lot of suitors! But luckily she’s now partnering Yuri (Chan) [in the shooting of Pandaman], so the media can switch to write about them!”
When asked if he will develop feelings for Chi-Ling, he said, “She is the type of girls that many guys will like. We have been friends for so long! Actually, she has a guard against people, especially guys, but because I’m acting with her in this movie, she feels more at ease.”
The Treasure Hunter will be screening in local cinemas starting from 31st December 2009.
Art imitating life-or the other way round-pretty much sums up Joanne Peh’s newest role in the forthcoming Ch 8 telemovie.
Slated to air in Jan 2010, the local starlet plays a bodyguard whose love interest is an American.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you would know by now that the actress is dating fellow actor Bobby Tonelli, who is based here and hails from Las Vegas.
The two were co-stars in the blockbuster drama Little Nyonya back in 2008, but their respective characters barely crossed paths in the plot. Incidentally, Bobby played the love interest of Jeanette Aw’s Yueniang, whom she later married towards the end of the hit serial.
Both parties initially dodged rumours of them dating, and it was only after being photographed together with a group of friends (see pic, Bobby is on the extreme right) at a club performance at Zirca in September this year that confirmed the tabloid talk.
Though Bobby finally opened up about their blossoming relationship in a local paper a month ago the news broke out, Joanne seemed more evasive and guarded when interviewed. She simply laughed when quizzed if she asked Bobby for tips on pumping iron for her role.
If you want to know whether she was eager or hesitant on taking on the role since it undeniably paralleled her dating a Caucasian in real life, her plain reply was that “the script was written before the news [that we were dating] became public.”
She noncommittally added that she did not rush to divulge her beau of her role in the telemovie’s script since it’s “work, and it’s more professional as well.”
Taiwanese artiste Godfrey Gao appeared bemused when he cleared the air on his alleged May-December relationship with Jolin Tsai and said that the rumours were “rather hilarious”. The 26-year-old artiste was recently in town to participate in a Channel 8 variety programme, 3 Plus 1 and appeared to be troubled by his alleged relationship with Jolin.
“I am not really familiar with her! We were introduced by friends .We were out with a group of friends that day, we were not dating! There is no relationship!”
He further clarified his stance and said, “Nobody shot [photographs of] the both of us being alone too.”
Apart from his refutations, the 1.94m-tall actor praised Jolin for being a very professional singer with a serious working attitude and gave her the nickname, “Taiwan’s Diva”. When the reporter asked if he was a fan of Jolin, he obligingly replied, “She can be counted as my idol. She is really very charming.”
Godfrey shared that it was Taiwanese artist, Lee Wei, and his co-artist from the same company, Peach, who introduced him to the pop princess, who is four years his senior.
“That is a misunderstanding. It was a group of people who went, nobody took photographs of the both of them being together alone,” said Peach, who was also present at the filming of 3 Plus 1.
She further explained, “Godfrey and I belong to the same management company and Lee Wei knows Jolin. As it was a gathering between a group of friends, we did not have the intention of introducing them to each other.”
Perplexed at the ongoing speculations, Godfrey said in resignation, “These are all rumours. I feel that they are a little silly.”
Despite the rumours, the good-looking one does not plan to stop his partying ways. Strongly influenced by the western culture due to his upbringing in Canada, he said, “I love the feel of going to parties. You can go there to socialize and get to know many people. It might even help you in your career, and may clinch you a good job.”