Friday, September 30, 2005

Jacky Cheung: Reluctant Lone Wolf

Original URL: http://www.karazen.com/news/sept05/snowwolf_9_30.php

Karazen -> Entertainment News -> MUSIC
(Credits to Chow Ee-Tan at malaymail)
September 30, 2005

HEAVENLY King Jacky Cheung, currently touring with his acclaimed musical extravaganza Snow Wolf Lake (SWL), says the only regret he has about the show is that it’s ending – and he can’t find a successor to his role, Wolf.

“The only regret perhaps is that the musical can’t continue and I can’t find another person to play Wolf.” He says his criteria for the role is simple – he’s looking for someone who can sing and act well and who need not be a famous face. “A good foundation in singing and acting is important as the person can’t be trained in short term to helm the role,” he said.

While Cheung’s female leads have changed since the debut of SWL in 1997 in Hong Kong – they include Kit Chan, Sandy Lam and now Nadia Chan and Evonne Hsu – Cheung has always been the heart and soul of the musical. After all, it was Cheung who created the musical and has been in charge of both the performing and production sides. In a nutshell, he’s synonymous with SWL. For that, his co-star Evonne Hsu candidly but rightly pointed out that no one dares to fill the shoes of the ‘God of Songs’ – a title that Cheung was bestowed after the first ‘God of Songs’ Sam Hui retired from the music scene. “The pressure would be too great!” she said, and to that, Cheung smiled bashfully before breaking into a hearty laugh.

Cheung, together with his two SWL leading ladies, US-bred Taiwanese singer Evonne Hsu and Hong Kong singer-actress Nadia Chan, were at a Press conference cum launch of SWL tickets in Kuala Lumpur recently.

The Mandarin version of the musical kicked off its world tour in Beijing last Christmas and now, Malaysian fans can catch it on Nov 25 and 26 at Putra Stadium, Bukit Jalil.

In person, Cheung, the ‘Heavenly King’ (another title he shares with Andy Lau, Leon Lai and Aaron Kwok) is unassuming and extremely down-to-earth. He entertains every query from the media with good humor, patience and sincerity. Cheung is every bit the squeaky clean ‘Mr nice guy’ people perceive him to be – the devoted husband to former actress May Lo and father of two daughters – five-year-old Zoe and six-month-old Zia.It’s indeed admirable that Cheung, now 44, has not allowed two decades of success to change his simple and friendly nature.

His two SWL co-stars readily attested to that. Hsu, who was educated in the US, said Cheung gave her tremendous support when she did not feel confident about singing in Mandarin. “I almost broke down at first but then, I got so much encouragement from Jacky and the others. I was given good advice too,” she said. The long-haired Hsu, who plays the leading female role of Snow – who sports a short bob – was relieved that Cheung did not ask her to cut her hair to look the part. “Instead, I wear a wig and sometimes I worry that it might come off,” she laughed. Both Hsu and Chan said it was an amazing experience working on the musical as they learned so much as performers.

Unlike her outgoing roles in TV series, Chan appeared demure and soft-spoken. She echoed Hsu’s sentiments on working with Cheung. “Jacky gave us much encouragement and motivation. When we do something right, he would always smile and gesture with the ‘thumb-up’ sign and that means a lot to us.” Chan, who plays Phoenix, said Cheung was strict only with himself but was lenient with others. “He never raised his voice with us. He only scolds himself,” she said. “Because of that, we don’t want to let him down.”

Cheung, perhaps a little flushed after all the praises from his co-stars, said everyone had done their parts and the audiences’ cheers were what kept them going. “It has been an enriching experience working on Snow Wolf Lake and we have no regrets,” said Cheung.

As the SWL tour comes to an end in January next year with another show in Beijing, what are Cheung’s future plans? “Snow Wolf Lake is just the beginning. I have plans to do two more musicals in the near future,” he said, adding that he is now also working on a new album. Cheung is also on a ‘musical mission’ – he hopes to popularize musicals and make them enjoyable to all. “I hope more people will enjoy musicals, just like how they enjoy pop concerts,” he said.

(Source: mmail.com.my)


Jacky Cheung in Snow Wolf Lake

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Impersonator Contest Portrays HK Superstars

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/09/29/60@22368.htm

2005-09-29 08:44:02 CRIENGLISH.com

Anita Mui, Andy Lau, Leslie Cheung, Nicholas Tse are faces you have seen many times on showbiz pages.

You may think they are unique but you could never imagine how many faces in the world are almost identical to these Hong Kong superstars.   

On Sept. 27, 43 contestants from all over the country attended the final celebrity look-alike show in Shenzhen. The contest was aimed to choose the best impersonator for 10 Hong Kong superstars as acting in the biography TV series called "Anita Mui" (《梅艳芳菲》).   

The 10 Hong Kong stars imitated were Anita Mui, Andy Lau, Jacky Cheung (张学友), Nicholas Tse, Leslie Cheung, Allan Tam (谭咏麟), Andy Hui (许志安), Jackie Chan (成龙), Anita's ex-boyfriend Zhao Wenzhuo and Anita's elder sister Ann Mui (梅爱芳). Most of the stars copied were Anita's best friends, like Leslie and Jackie Chan, while Andy Lau was said to have had an indistinct affair with her.   

Beginning July 17, more than 2,000 applicants sang and acted in five regionals, including Beijing, Jinan, Chongqing, Changsha and Shenzhen. Most of the applicants were amateurs, from managers to hair-stylists.   

After five semi-finals held last week, Jiao Xuan who impersonated Anita Mui, Andy Lau impersonators He Gang and Zhao Jiawei, and six other contestants won the championship. It was a shame that no Allan Tam, Jacky Chan and Zhao Wenzhuo impersonators made it through. Perhaps they looked too unique.   

Among the 10 Hong Kong stars, Anita Mui and Andy Lau had the most impersonators. Jiao Xuan, a 24-year-old actress from Shandong Province earned the most respect from audiences and judges as an Anita Mui impersonator. She was not good at singing Anita's songs but successfully imitated Anita's performance in her masterpiece movie "Rouge" (《胭脂扣》).   

The results of the contest were decided by the judges, while audiences could still choose the most popular imitator by sending text messages. He Gang, 24, from Shanxi Province, was an advertising model, who was said to be like Lau from head to toe and some audiences even said he was more handsome than Lau. He was easily chosen best Lau impersonator and won the Most Popular Impersonator award.   

Another candidate for the best Lau look alike award, Chen Liming, failed to win the championship. He was nicknamed the Lau "jukebox" because he said he could sing every one of Andy's songs.   

The TV series, authorized by Mui's mother, will be shot soon.   

According to the sponsors, the production was focused on Anita's life in the bright lights of Hong Kong show business and her rumored love affairs with 10 men would definitely not be avoided. Since the actors for Tam, Chan and Zha could not be found, the sponsors said they would probably invite the stars to act themselves.  

Source: shenzhendaily 

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Review by Kenneth Lyen

Snow Wolf Lake
Reviewed by Kenneth Lyen

Music: Dick Lee, Wong Sheung-wai
Director: Lee Ming Sum
Cast: Jacky Cheung, Evonne Hsu, Nnadia Chan
Date: 16-18 September 2005
Venue: Kallang Indoor Stadium, Singapore
Rating: *** (out of 5 stars)

Snow Wolf Lake is an example of a musical which succeeds in large part because of its star performer, Jacky Cheung. An immensely popular singer in Asia, Jacky is dubbed one of the four Heavenly Kings. Fans flock from far and wide to hear him sing, giving him standing ovations.

The story of Snow Wolf Lake is relegated to second place. Thus, while it is a highly successful musical commercially, it suffers from some serious flaws.
The problem is that the plot is rather convoluted. I had difficulty following it. Here’s what I made of it. It may not be accurate, and I apologize for any errors, and I welcome any corrections.

[Beware: spoilers below]

Wolf is very poor, and is employed as a gardener by a rich family. He is a loner, and excessively protective of the flowers he nurtures with loving care. Living in the large mansion are two beautiful daughters, Snow (Evonne Hsu), who plays the violin, Phoenix (Nnadia Chan), and their parents. One night, during a party, a rich guest, Liang Zhi, is about to pluck a rose from the garden to give to Snow. Wolf tries to stop him but is beaten up by this wealthy guest. Snow witnesses this and takes pity on Wolf. At the end of the party, Wolf’s hand is cut by Snow’s mother. Snow notices the cut, and gives him a piece of her red cloth to bind the wound.

Wolf keeps a pet monkey called Yiyi, and one day, Yiyi takes Snow’s violin. Snow follows the monkey but when she attempts to retrieve her violin it bites her hand. Wolf sees this, and takes off the red cloth wrapped around his wrist and gives it to Snow. But she tears it in half, and they each dress one another’s respective wounds with half the cloth. Wolf invites her back to his lodgings, and says that he wants to plant a flower of love to be named "Snow".

From then on, they see each other frequently, and their love blossoms. Unfortunately, when her mother discovers their liaison, she objects to her daughter going out with a poor gardener. She arranges for Snow to go to Vienna to continue her violin studies. It is while boating on the lake that Snow informs Wolf that she will soon be leaving for Vienna. Wolf asks Snow to describe the place, and she tells him that Vienna is a city full of white flowers. The pair decide on the spur of the moment to name the lake they are boating on, after themselves, "Snow Wolf Lake". Suddenly there is a thunder storm, and they hug each other until the storm subsides.

Every time Snow goes out on a date with Wolf, she brings home a flower. Her sister Phoenix sees the flower, and reveals that she harbors a secret love for Wolf, of which he is unaware. In the meantime, mother engineers a scheme for a rich suitor, who turns out to be the conniving Liang Zhi, to date Snow. When Liang Zhi visits Snow, he proposes to her and despite her protests, he kisses her passionately. Wolf is up on the roof and sees the suitor kissing Snow, and expresses his sadness through a song. Snow, on seeing Wolf, echoes her regrets, and together they sing a duet.

Wolf and Snow go to a bar where they spend the night dancing. Liang Zhi bribes everyone to leave the bar, and persuades Snow to go as well. Then he convinces Wolf to demonstrate his love for Snow by throwing a bomb into a building, so that he will get himself into jail. By the time he is released from prison, Snow would have finished her studies in Vienna. [The story becomes a bit confusing here.]

Inside prison, the guards mistreat the prisoners, and Wolf leads an uprising. Initially they seem to have gained the upper hand, but when more guards arrive, the rebellion is squashed, and Wolf is badly beaten up. The guards inform Wolf that Snow has married Liang Zhi, making him thoroughly depressed. But a mysterious old man appears, giving Wolf advice that if he holds true to his love, he can achieve the impossible.

Eventually Wolf is released from prison and immediately goes to Snow’s family mansion. There he sees a woman looking after Yiyi, and tending to the plants. He does not recognize Phoenix at first, but she recognizes him. As she has been secretly in love all this time, she takes the opportunity to work with Wolf, making a living growing and selling flowers. On one occasion Wolf even buys a red scarf for her, but ultimately her love for him is unrequited..

One day they accidentally bump into Phoenix and Snow’s mother. He learns that Liang Zhi had lied to the parents, informing them that Wolf had been beaten to death in prison. The parents allowed Snow’s marriage to him to go through, but he turned out to be a con man, cheating the entire family out of all their fortune, and causing them to be bankrupt. [This point is also unclear.]

Throughout this period, they had only received one letter from Snow. In the letter, she said that the only friend she had was her violin.

On learning of this, Wolf decides to travel to Vienna in search of Snow. He sees her playing the violin on a platform. But when he calls out to her, she runs away. He is unable to locate her until one day a newspaper boy informs Wolf that a famous lady violinist called Snow has been killed by her husband. He becomes utterly disconsolate.

At this point, the mysterious old man reappears, and helps Wolf go back in time, so that he can rescue her from death. We are taken back in time, to the very moment when Snow was still alive, shortly before she is killed by her husband, Liang Zhi. The latter is deranged. He realizes that Snow is still in love with Wolf, and informs her that if he himself cannot have her, then Wolf could not have her either. Just at that moment Wolf arrives on the scene, and he fights with Liang Zhi. The latter takes out his gun and shoots Snow. Liang Zhi then realizes that he has killed the only person he loved, and he runs out of the house.

Wolf holds Snow in his arms, devastated. They look into one another’s eyes with love. As she dies, she utters her last words, "Let me remember this second, forever."

The music is this musical’s greatest strength. The songs are composed by six composers, with most of them written by Dick Lee. The melodies are strong, and they are well arranged by Iskandar Ismail. The sets and costumes are period pieces and lavish. The singing, acting and dancing are of a high standard, and to some extent, this compensates for deficiencies in the story.

The direction could be improved. It was disconcerting to witness Wolf being brutally beaten up one moment, and within seconds, he’s up singing at full voice and dancing all over the stage. I enjoyed it, and although I feel it needs more work, I can recommend it.

In conclusion, Snow Wolf Lake is a vehicle for Jacky Cheung, who delivers. The musical is a tremendous commercial success. It also has the potential of becoming a successful film musical.

28 September 2005

Friday, September 16, 2005

HK Disneyland Park Opening Performance

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/725/2005/09/16/60@20056.htm

2005-09-16 18:30:29 CRIENGLISH.com

A grand performance was staged in Hong Kong's Disneyland Park on Sunday night, the eve of its official opening.

U.S. singer-actress Lea Salonga, from right, Mickey Mouse and Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung perform in Hong Kong's Disneyland Park Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005, one day before its official opening.
Hong Kong singer Joey Yung, from right, Emil Chau, U.S. singer-actress Lea Salonga, Mickey Mouse, Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, Coco Lee, Andy Hui, U.S. singer-actress Paige O'Hara, an unidentify pianist and Hong Kong singer Eason Chan celebrate after performance in Hong Kong's Disneyland Park Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005, one day before its official opening.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

HK Disneyland Magic Journey Album

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/09/14/60@19440.htm

2005-09-14 17:12:52 CRIENGLISH.com

Hong Kong Disneyland released an album of Magic Music Journey on 29th Auguest, marking the opening of Disneyland in Hong Kong. Click and have a listen!


Let Magic Flies(Catonese)--Jacky Cheung
The World Is So Small--- Twins, Boy'z, Hanjin
Whole New World----Eason Chan
When You Wish You Are A Star---Karen Mok
Micky Marches--Twins
Heart of the Sea---Jolin Tsai
He Takes Me to Disneyland--Kelly Chan
The Color of Wind--Coco Lee
Immortal Love---Joey Yung
Me in the Shadow---Kelly Chan
You Are My Only Love--Harleum Yu
Let Magic Flies---Jacky Cheung

Monday, September 12, 2005

Hong Kong Disneyland Opens

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/09/12/44@18798.htm

2005-09-12 12:08:02 CRIENGLISH.com

CRI Exclusive by Shen Min - The long-anticipated Hong Kong Disneyland Park, the 11th Disneyland in the world and the first in China, successfully opened to the public on Monday after 6 years' preparation.

Chinese Vice President, Zeng Qinghong, who is currently on a three-day inspection tour of Hong Kong, hosted the opening ceremony and delivered his greetings.

Chinese A-list actresses, Zhang Ziyi and Gong Li, were also among the celebrities on hand at the grand opening.

The theme park held a dazzling evening party on Sunday night, the eve of its official opening, featuring pop stars including Coco Lee, Joey Yung and Jacky Cheung, and climaxing with a fireworks show.

About 1,000 reporters from around the world flew in to cover the opening of the park on Hong Kong's outlying island of Lantau, which is Hong Kong's largest island and about a 30-minute subway ride from central Hong Kong. The train features windows in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head and the subway cars sport velvet theater seats and statues of Disney characters.

Hong Kong Disneyland is smaller than the other Disneyland parks at just 121 hectares, but the ticket price for each tourist is the lowest in the world at 350 HK dollars, or just over 45 US dollars.

The US$3.5 billion theme park is a joint venture between Disney and the Hong Kong government. It employs 5,000 workers - or "cast members" as Disney likes to call them.

The park estimates that it will attract 5.6 million visitors in its opening year and is expected to draw up to 7.4 million annually after 15 years.

Disney confirmed they'd been talking to the government in Shanghai about opening a park there, though that park would not open until at least 2010.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Jacky Cheung, Coco Lee, Lea Salonga to Headline Disneyland Opening

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/786/2005/09/11/44@18617.htm

2005-09-11 20:33:09 Associated Press

Pop stars Jacky Cheung, Coco Lee and Broadway singers Lea Salonga and Paige O'Hara will be part of Hong Kong Disneyland's opening festivities.

Other performers are Hong Kong pop stars Joey Yung, Eason Chan, Andy Hui and Taiwan's Emil Chau, according to a statement issued by Hong Kong Disneyland.

Chinese actresses Gong Li and Zhang Ziyi are also scheduled to appear, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Thursday. Jackie Chan, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh and Julie Andrews are also reportedly among the guests, but Disney hasn't confirmed them yet.

The park is officially opening on Monday, but the pre-opening festivities begin Saturday with a celebrity red-carpet reception.

Cheung, Lee, Salonga and O'Hara are to perform at "The Voices of Disney" concert Sunday.

Chinese pop star Cheung is a Hong Kong Disneyland celebrity spokesman. Salonga, best known for her performance in the Broadway show "Miss Saigon," is the singing voice behind Disney animated characters Mulan and Princess Jasmine in "Aladdin."

O'Hara portrayed Belle in "Beauty and the Beast."

Disney Chief Executive Michael Eisner and his successor, Robert Iger, have already arrived.

Along with Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong, Eisner, Iger and Hong Kong leader Donald Tsang are to preside at opening ceremonies Monday.

Dazzling Stars Walked Red Carpet for HK Disneyland Opening

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/09/11/44@18590.htm

2005-09-11 11:27:22 CRIENGLISH.com


Hong Kong star Jacky Cheung

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Stars Team up to Remake HK Classic Drama "Under the Lion Rock"

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/09/03/44@16653.htm

2005-09-03 20:44:05 CRIENGLISH.com

CRI Exclusive by Shen Min - A dream cast of some of China's most popular stars Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Eason Chan, Joey Yung and Kelly Chen have been confirmed to star in the remake of Hong Kong 1970s classic TV drama "Under the Lion Rock"(狮子山下).

Famed director Derek Yee and Benny Chan were invited to lead this epic drama and shooting will begin before the end of this year.

To honor the late singer Roman Tam, the new TV series will continue to use his song "Lion Rock" as its theme song, which will be reedited by adding Joey Yung's voice and some new elements.

"Under the Lion Rock" tells the story of the people who built Hong Kong.

The spirit of a community supported the individual efforts of those seeking freedom and prosperity.

Lion Rock resonates with the Hong Kong people and symbolizes the strength of the people, hope for freedom, individual courage and aspiration to build a prosperous future.