Cheung to Stage "Snow Wolf Lake" Finale

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/12/30/44@40011.htm

2005-12-30 12:41:03 CRIENGLISH.com

Hong Kong's "King of Pop" Jacky Cheung is staging his final performance of the musical "Snow Wolf Lake" next Saturday in Beijing.

In a promotional trip to Beijing, Jacky Cheung told about a previous incident when he lost his voice while singing the musical in Taiwan. He said he had a serious cold at the time, and he was so upset about losing his voice that he couldn't help crying on stage.

44 year-old Cheung says the Beijing performance is going to be his last appearance in the musical. This also means the show will stop running for quite a while, as it will be very hard to find another lead singer with both the great singing skill and popularity to draw audiences.

Stars who hogged headlines

Original URL: http://www.hkvpradio.com/news/article.php?article=3179

Hong Kong Entertainment News @ HKVP Radio
December 28, 2005

Stars who hogged headlines

MALAYSIA MAIL - CHINA'S Zhang Ziyi has been in the limelight more than any other Chinese artiste this year. THIS year, Andy Lau has been making his presence felt everywhere –from movies to albums and concerts. WHILE Andy Lau may be the biggest star in Hong Kong, it was comedy king Stephen Chow's movie, Kung Fu Hustle (KFH) that topped the box office this year. TAIWAN'S most celebrated super model – who was voted the 'sexiest woman' in several polls – made the news mainly for the wrong reasons. TAIWAN'S top singer-songwriter Jay Chou clinched the Best Newcomer award in the Golden Horse Awards last month for his acting debut in Initial D. IT'S no doubt a year of musicals for Jacky Cheung. He has taken his Mandarin version of Snow Wolf Lake on a world tour and received rave reviews. He also acted and sang in Perhaps Love – the first Chinese musical film in 35 years. WHILE he raised eyebrows by appearing half-naked with red tattoo all over his body, Aaron Kwok was truly thrust into the limelight when he was named Best Actor for his role in Divergence at the 42nd Golden Horse Awards last month in Taiwan. HONG KONG diva Sammi Cheng has been plagued by ill- health which is said to be linked to her break-up with Andy Hui last year. THE tragic suicide of rising Korean actress Lee Eun-ju on Feb 22 shocked many. The 25-year-old actress was found dead, having hung herself in the dressing room of her apartment in Seoul.

(Source: HKVP Radio)

Snow Wolf Lake stages its 100th show

Original URL: http://global.yesasia.com/musicNews/index.asp?t=2.2&section=music&code=c&lang=en

Entertainment News


Jacky Cheung's musical Snow Wolf Lake staged its 100th show in Taipei on December 12. Snow Wolf Lake was first launched in Hong Kong in 1997, and its popularity has lasted for more than 7 years with Jacky Cheung and his crew touring around the world to stage the musical. The first show in Taipei had to be postponed from December 2 to December 8, 2005 because Jacky Cheung had lost his voice. But the delay has not hurt fans' enthusiasm in the slightest and all the shows in Taipei saw a full house.

Snow Wolf Lake ended its run in Taipei on December 13, and will move to Beijing for its last run in January. The show on January 7 will reportedly be the final performance, and Jacky Cheung has announced that he will not take up the male lead in Snow Wolf Lake again. He also refused to comment on the rumors that Eason Chan will take over his role in future.

Text / Garden
Translation / Siu Heng

Jacky Does Filming for Xmas to Share An Amazing Journey with All

Original URL: http://ent.sina.com.cn/v/h/p/2005-12-23/0947938498.html

http://ent.sina.com.cn 23rd December 2005 09:47 SINA Entertainment

Santa Claus & Jacky Give Presents

Santa Claus & Jacky

Jacky & Visitors to Disneyland Hong Kong

Jacky

Jacky went to Disneyland Hong Kong for the filming of December's "Disneyland Amazing World". He made use of his free time in the afternoon to enjoy the christmas choir's performance at Disneyland Hotel & even took photos with Santa Claus. He also bought many gifts, which was specially released for Christmas, for his family & friends. Many of the other hotel guests, who were fans of Jacky, of course didn't miss the chance to take photos with him. There were 2 kids from a family who were very excited. Their daddy, William, said: "Only this amazing place, Disneyland Hong Kong, can give us such unforgettable memories. We will forever remember our first Christmas here!" During casual chat, some kids asked Jacky about his childhood fantasies. Jacky said: "When I was little, I always fantasized about a deity who would cast magic on me, just like in Cinderella, to make me able to fly or travel around the world & taste all the delicacies of the world. Speaking of Cinderella, there are so much fantasies & magic that even a boy like myself would be so fascinated by the pumpkin carriage, the glass slippers etc!"

If you wish to spend a romantic & fantasy Christmas Eve with Jacky & our Disney friends, don't miss "Disneland Amazing World" on TVB Jade Channel at 8.30pm on 24th December (Saturday). The movie of choice is "Cinderella", a warm romantic animation shown for the first time since the year 1950. Besides the popularity during that time, the story is also very familiar to all. Its main theme song "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes", which was nominated for "Best Accompanying Music" in the Oscars, is a song representative of the pursuit for peace. The beautiful Cinderella is always bullied her step-mother & step-sisters, but it never wavers her kind-heartedness. The Prince holds a ball to choose a Princess, but poor Cinderella is left behind at home by her family. Fortunately, her kind-heartedness touches the Fairy Godmother, who uses amazing magic to help her rush to the ball, but wants her to return home by midnight. The pumpkin carriage, the mice, the glass slippers etc, are all presented in front of the audience!

TUNGSTAR/Pictures

Perhaps Love Overwhelming Mix Genres

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/12/22/44@38154.htm

2005-12-22 11:09:32 AP

Peter Chan's "Perhaps Love" features a South Korean heartthrob singing Mandarin pop songs and a Chinese actress performing Broadway-style dance numbers designed by a Bollywood choreographer.


It's an ambitious mix of genres, cultures and stories -- too ambitious. Hong Kong director Chan tries to do too much and ultimately bogs down the audience with visual and plot overkill.

The premise is simple enough. A separated couple of aspiring entertainers, Sun Na (Zhou Xun) and Lin Jiandong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) reunite for a movie when they become stars -- only the actress (Zhou) is now dating the director, Nie Wen (Jacky Cheung).

But Chan complicates matters by placing the trio in a love triangle set in a circus troupe.

Chan doesn't make things better with emotionally overwrought moments like Lin's penchant for swimming fully clothed and typing messages repeatedly into his computer. One underwater scene shows one of Lin's eyes slowing releasing a tear drop.

But from a purely artistic point of view, "Perhaps Love" is a bold and unique movie.

It's a Chinese-language, but Broadway-style musical set in old Shanghai choreographed by Bollywood dancer Farah Khan. Chan also casts South Korean actor Ji Jin-hee in a variety of secondary roles. Ji even sings in Chinese.

The set production is outstanding, mixing the neon signs of old Shanghai and rundown industrial areas. Dancers show off sexy tight dresses with long slits and gold-sequined costumes.

Chan is known for his skill at telling nuanced, heartwarming love stories like "Comrades, Almost a Love Story" and "Alan & Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye" He shows flashes of his tender touch in "Perhaps Love."

Chan brilliantly cultivates romance in scenes such as Sun and Lin sitting alone at the end of a bus and the couple enjoying hot pot in a dark but cozy basement apartment.

Peter Kam and Leon Ko's soundtrack is melancholy but not memorable. Chan is helped by Cheung, one of the Chinese-speaking world's biggest pop stars and a pioneer in Chinese musicals with his successful "Snow Wolf Lake."

Zhou surprises with a simple, innocent rendition of the folksy "Outside."

If director Chan suffered from any handicaps, it certainly wasn't manpower. Few movies start out with as much firepower as "Perhaps Love." Perhaps one of Chan's problems was finding a way to weave together an immense array of talent.

Apart from Khan, Ji, and Cheung, the movie was shot by cinematographer Peter Pau, who won an Oscar for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." One of the producers is Andre Morgan, who also produced Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon" and Sammo Hung's U.S. TV series "Martial Law."

Jacky performs 100th show

Original URL: http://www.hkvpradio.com/news/article.php?article=3168

Hong Kong Entertainment News @ HKVP Radio
December 17, 2005

MING PAO - Jacky Cheung performed his 100th performance of "Snow wolf Lake" in Taiwan. Excited, Jacky screamed wildly after the show. "Snow" continues next year on January 7 in Beijing. Read (Chinese)

(Source: HKVP Radio)

Harlem Goes Back To Taiwan To Support Jacky, Old Pals Encourage Each Other

Original URL: http://ent.sina.com.cn/h/2005-12-16/2203931549.html

Harlem & Jacky are long-time good friends. It is just nice that both are casting in musicals now, one in "Songs of Movies" & the other in "Snow.Wolf.Lake". When Harlem was in Beijing, he heard of Jacky's flu that caused him to stop his show halfway. He immediately called Jacky to ask about his condition & even recommended doctors & remedies to him. He is also very impressed by his good friend's spirit. Harlem: "He is a perfectionist & would rather make a huge loss than let the audience watch a poor & flawed performance. I made use of the few days break in between performances to return to Taiwan to see & support him."

Harlem: "How are you?"
Jacky: "Not bad, what about you?"
Harlem: "No problem."

These 2 old friends' short exchange of words were emotional. This is the thing about friends, you don't need many words to express it, all feelings are felt in the heart.

Jacky has been flying around to different cities for his movie promotion, thus suffering from flu due to the different climates & causing the delay in performance.

2006 film festival lineup

2006 film festival lineup

Bruce Fessier
The Desert Sun
December 15, 2005

The 17th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will launch Jan. 5 with “The New World,” starring Colin Farrell, Q’orianka Kilcher, Christian Bale and Christopher Plummer.

The complete lineup includes 232 films from more than 70 countries:

Opening Night Gala
The New World
Terrence Malick, USA

This sweeping adventure, focusing on the first encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown, Virginia settlement in 1607, brings to life the classic tale of Indian princess Pocahontas and her relationship with adventurer John Smith, a story which forms the basis for one of the most enduring American legends of the last 400 years.

Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer, August Schellenberg, Wes Studi, David Thewlis, Yorick van Wageningen, Raoul Trujillo, Michael Greyeyes, Kalani Queypo, Ben Mendelsohn, Noah Taylor, Ben Chaplin, John Savage, Irene Bedard, Eddie Marsan, Myrton Running Wolf


International Gala
Don't Tell
US Premiere
Cristina Comencini
Italy

Sabina is a young woman who discovers some dark secrets from her childhood buried deep inside her mind. Her pregnancy opens a door on this hidden past that she cannot close again. Best Actress, Venice Film Festival.

Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Alessio Boni, Stefania Rocca, Angela Finocchiaro, Luigi Lo Cascio


International Gala
Palais Royal!
North American Premiere
Valérie Lemercier, France

A speech therapist is married to the heir of an imaginary kingdom. When the old king dies, she becomes queen although she's definitely not ready to be one! This brilliant parody of Lady Diana's setbacks with power and the media is brought to life by a group of great French actors in unexpectedly funny roles.

Valérie Lemercier, Catherine Deneuve, Lambert Wilson, Mathilde Seigner, Gilbert Melki


International Gala
Two Sons of Francisco
North American Premiere
Breno SilveiraBrazil

This blockbuster debut feature revolves around the family of poor sharecropper Francisco, who dreamed of turning two of his nine children into a famous country music duo. The moving story of Zezé Di Camargo and Luciano (who have sold more than 22 million records) is both particularly Brazilian and totally universal.Ângelo Antônio, Dira Paes, Márcio Kieling, Thiago MendonçaInternational Gay-laAdam & SteveCraig Chester, USASuck at relationships? Recovering addict? Gay former-goth? In this over-the-top raunchy romantic comedy, Adam, a 30-something gay man, becomes reacquainted with one of his most unsuccessful one-night stands -- without either of them realizing they've met before. Scene-stealers Parker Posey and ex-"Saturday Night Live" dervish Chris Kattan add to this good-time farce.

Craig Chester, Malcolm Gets, Parker Posey, Chris Kattan, Melinda Dillon, Julie Hagerty


Special Presentations
Fuego
Armando Bo, Argentina

John Waters' latest project is a new series for television called "John Waters presents Films That Will Corrupt You." In Fuego he's struck gold! Argentinian auteur Armando Bo has crafted a film so sublimely outrageous it rivals anything in Waters' oeuvre! John Waters will be on hand to introduce!

Isabel Sarli, Roberto Airaldi, Armando Bo, Mónica Grey, Alba Mújica


Special Presentations
King Leopold's Ghost
World Premiere
Pippa Scott, Oree
Rees, USA

This riveting exploration of the roots of colonial exploitation shows the ways in which King Leopold II of Belgium plundered the Congo in the 1800s, putting in place a system of slavery and tyranny that shaped even recent history. One of the best documentaries of the year.

Narrated by Don Cheadle.
Narrated by:, Don Cheadle, Voices by:, Alfre Woodard & James Cromwell


Special Presentations
My Bollywood Bride
World Premiere
Rajeev Manoj Virani, India

Alex, a former wind surfing pro turned novelist, meets and romances Bollywood star Reena while she is on a vacation in California. Torn by her feelings for Alex vs. her Indian family values, Reena returns home without saying goodbye. Alex decides to follow her to Mumbai… Screenwriter/producer Brad Listerman (on whose real-life story it is based) hails from Palm Springs.

Jason Lewis, Kashmira Shah, Gulshan Grover, Sanjay Suri, Neha Dubey


Special Presentations
Off Screen
US Premiere
Pieter Kuijpers
Netherlands, Belgium

This haunting, intelligent thriller brings together two of Benelux's best actors and offers a parable about living in a time of anxiety. On March 11, 2002, a disturbed 59-year-old bus driver took hostages in Amsterdam's Rembrandt Tower. What inspired his actions? Best Film and Best Actor, Montreal World Film Festival.

Jeroen Krabbé, Jan Decleir, Astrid Joosten, Theu Boermans, Marjon Brandsma


Archival Presentations
The Circus
Charlie Chaplin, USA

A rarely seen masterpiece featuring two of the greatest comic sequences ever filmed. The lovable Tramp finds work as a circus janitor, only to be drafted in to replace the wayward headliners. With a score composed by Chaplin at age 79, this is one of the must-see events of the festival.Charlie Chaplin, Al Ernest Garcia, Merna Kennedy, Harry Crocker, George DavisArchival Presentations Distant JourneyAlfred Radok, CzechoslovakiaOver the years, the stature of this unaccountably neglected masterpiece has grown. It is one of the few films that succeed in making the horror and inexplicable reality of the concentration camp universe come alive by blending documentary with intentionally intensified, non-realist film techniques derived from expressionist and surrealist traditions.

Blanka Waleská, Otomar Krejca, Viktor Ocásek, Zdenka Baldová, Jirí Spirit, Eduard Kohout


Archival Presentations
Moonrise
Frank Borzage, USA

An angst-ridden Southern boy kills his lifelong persecutor and buries the body. A persistent sheriff and his own tortured conscience hound him. Director Borzage brings a poetic visual style to this rural noir drama, one of the most brilliant -- and under-appreciated -- films of the 1940s. Noir author Eddie Muller hosts this rare archival presentation.

Dane Clark, Gail Russell, Ethel Barrymore, Rex Ingram, Harry Morgan


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Shyamol Chhaya
North American Premiere
Humayun Ahmed
Bangladesh

Here's the story of a fateful boat journey during Bangladesh's 1971 war of liberation. As the Pakistani military attacked, a group of helpless people moved towards the liberated zone. They were terribly frightened, but they had dreams of Shyamol Chhaya -- the land of peace. Will they be able to reach Shyamol Chhaya?

Humayun Faridi , Reaz, Shawan Ahmed , Tania


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
L'Enfant
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Belgium, France

Bruno is 20 and a thief. His girlfriend Sonia is 18, and has just given birth to Jimmy, their child. Ill equipped to handle this new responsibility, Bruno undertakes a horrific act, which itself begets other drastic, life-changing crises. Winner Palme d'Or (Best Film), Cannes Film Festival.

Jérémie Rénier, Deborah François, Jérémie Segard


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Totally Personal
Nedzad Begovic
Bosnia-Herzegovina

Totally Personal creates a historical document both droll and touching out of the memories, meditations, and observations of the filmmaker and his family. The history begins in the communist era, continues through the war that ravaged the former Yugoslavia and into today's post-war period.

Nedzad Begovic, Amina Begovic, Sabrina Begovic, Naida Begovic, Hasiba Begovic


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Stolen Eyes
US Premiere
Radoslav Spassov
Bulgaria

Stolen Eyes deals with a dark chapter in Bulgarian history, when, in 1985, the government of Todor Zhivkov decided to "Bulgarianize" its Turkish minority by outlawing Turkish names, customs, language and dress, and follows an unlikely love story that develops against this traumatic backdrop. Best Bulgarian Feature, Sofia Film Festival.

Vessela Kazakova, Valeri Yordanov, Nejat Isler, Izhak Finzi, Maria Kavardjikova, Stoyan Alexiev


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
C.R.A.Z.Y.
Jean-Marc Vallée
Canada

This beautifully observed gay coming-of-age story, set in suburban Catholic Quebec, follows the travails of young Zac and his family over a 30-year period, from the 1960s to the 1980s. A crowd-pleaser of the highest order. Audience Award, AFI Festival; Best Canadian Feature, Toronto Film Festival.

Michel Côté, Pierre-Luc Brillant, Marc-André Grondin, Danielle Proulx, Émile Vallée


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Play
Alicia Scherson
Chile, Argentina, France

In a contemporary city, which could be anywhere, a couple search for love but never quite seem to meet. The film's pop visual style is unique, and it succeeds in helping us search for clues in a world that denies they exist. Best New Director, Tribeca Film Festival.

Viviana Herrera, Andrés Ulloa, Aline Kuppenhein, Coca Guazzini, Jorge Alis, Francisco Copello


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
The Master of the Crimson Armor
Chen Kaige
China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea

Chen Kaige, one of China's most acclaimed filmmakers, tries his hand at the kind of digitally-enhanced fantasy established by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000). A valiant slave falls in love with a beautiful princess and epic chaos ensues.

Hong Chen, Cecilia Cheung, Chen Hong, Jang Dong-Kun


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
The Wandering Shadows Ciro Guerra
Columbia

Contemplative, sober, sometimes hopeful look at today's Colombia through the strange relationship of two physically and spiritually crippled men. Through poetry and metaphor, this black and white feature debut expresses conflict without bullets and redemption without religion. In the journey, a new director with a unique vision emerges from Latin America.

Lowin Allende, César Badillo, Julián Díaz, Andrés Gaitán, Diego Manzano, Ignacio Prieto


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Caribe
Esteban Ramirez
Costa Rica

This debut feature depicts environmental strife in the paradise-like Caribbean tropical coast of Costa Rica through the story of an altruistic ecologist who compromises his ideals.

Jorge Perugorría, Cuca Escribano, Maya Zapata, Roberto McLean, Gabriel Retes, Vinicio Rojas


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
A Wonderful Night in Split
Arsen Anton Ostojic
Croatia

In this stylish black and white thriller, three stories unfold on the dark and narrow Croatian streets of the ancient port city of Split during the wild hours of New Year's Eve. Three couples, three drug-related tragedies, and one ironically titled film. Featuring the European acting debut of American rapper Coolio.

Coolio, Marija Skaricic, Dino Dvornik, Mladen Vulic, Vicko Bilandzic, Nives Ivankovic


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Something Like Happiness
Bohdan Sláma
Czech Republic

When Dasha is hospitalized for psychiatric treatment, her neighbors Monika and Tonik offer to take care of her two small boys until she recovers. Against a backdrop of crumbling buildings and dire poverty, a fragile hope blossoms in this extraordinarily tender film from the director of Wild Bees. Best Film, San Sebastian Film Festival.

Pavel Liska, Tatiana Vilhelmová, Anna Geislerová, Marek Daniel, Bolek Polívka, Simona Stasová

Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Shop of Dreams
US Premiere
Peeter Urbla
Estonia, Finland

Costume designer Alice, seamstress Ada and make-up artist Yana start a new company in Tallinn, designed to provide people with everything they need to make their dreams come true. A humorous, poignant and ultimately life-affirming film about women, love and life.

Maarja Jakobson, Anne Reemann, Evelin Pang


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
The Land Has Eyes
Vilsoni Hereniko
Fiji

The first indigenous film from Fiji, this visually lush story features a young girl who taps into the island myth of the Warrior Woman in order to redeem her family name. Brimming with ethnographic detail, it's a vibrant and uplifting tale.

Sapeta Taito, James Davenport, John Fatiaki, Voi Fesaitu


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Mother of Mine
US Premiere
Klaus Härö
Finland, Sweden

A momentous event in Finnish history is recounted in this heart-wrenching film. During World War II, ten-year-old Eero is one of eighty thousand children sent to Sweden for their protection. Alienated from his foster family and unfamiliar with the language, he feels abandoned and unsure of where he belongs.

Michael Nyqvist, Maria Lundqvist, Topi Majaniemi, Marjaana Maijala, Esko Salminen


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)
Christian Carion
France, Belgium, Germany, UnitedKingdom, Romania

Based on the true story of how, on Christmas Eve during World War I, German, Scottish and French soldiers declared a truce for one day and shared sentiments about the meaning of the season, this life-affirming tale is both profoundly moving and, at its core, a scorching condemnation of the idiocy of war.

Guillame Canet, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Thomas Kretschmann


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Tbilisi-Tbilisi
Levan Zakareishvili
Georgia

A selection from Cannes' prestigious Directors Fortnight, writer/director/ film professor Levan Zakareishvili's second film is a powerful, personal work, which turns an unforgiving narrative eye on the harsh realities of life on the streets in his native Tbilisi where poverty, corruption and a class divide still reign.

George Maskharashvili, Eka Nijaradze, Baadur Tsuladze, Rusiko Kobiashvili


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Sophie Scholl - the Final Days
Marc Rothemund
Germany

Winner of the German audience award for best film of 2005, Marc Rothemund's beautifully acted drama tells the true story of Sophie Scholl, the young student who became the most famous martyr of the anti-Nazi White Rose resistance movement in 1943 Munich. Julia Jentsch's brilliant lead performance anchors a film of claustrophobic intensity and emotional punch.

Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf, André Hennicke


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Perhaps Love
North American Premiere
Peter Ho-sun Chan
Hong Kong, China

Featuring top Asian actors such as Hong Kong's Heavenly King Jacky Cheung, South Korean Ji Jin-hee, Taiwanese-Japanese Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chinese Zhou Xun, the musical Perhaps Love offers a love triangle set in Shanghai's film world, bursting with musical styles, exquisite set design and rich cinematography.

Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun, Jacky Cheung, Ji Jin Hee


Awards Buzz, Best Foreign Language Feature
Fateless
Lajos Koltai
Hungary, United Kingdom, Germany

Adapted by Nobel laureate Imré Kertesz from his 1975 autobiographical novel, Fateless dares to aestheticize the concentration camp experience in a more provocative manner than -- in many critics' opinions -- Schindler's List. Cinematographer Lajos Koltai's directorial debut follows young Gyorgy's descent from relative affluence to hell on Earth.

Marcell Nagy, Béla Dóra

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/537/2005/12/14/164@36554.htm

Song of the Day: RealTime Beijing

If I Don't Love You

2005-12-14

(Jacky Cheung)

Jacky Cheung is incontestably the most famous and successful recording artist in Cantonese pop's short history - and he's still going strong.

With his rich, robust voice and captivating melodies, his popularity has swept through all the Chinese-speaking territories like a vivacious tornado.

Unwilling to become yet another singer trapped in Cantopop's fast-paced industry, Jacky took on different opportunities and directions. And his most recent move is his starring role in the year-end musical movie "Perhaps Love".

Here he showcases his acting talents as well as his singing. Today we'll listen to "If I Don't Love You"(如果不爱你) from singing king Jacky Cheung!

Click here for the link to listen to "If I Don't Love You"(如果不爱你).

Jacky Loses His Temper When Paparazzi Follow Him To Zoe's School

Original URLs: http://ent.sina.com.cn/s/h/2005-12-13/0647926404.html / http://ent.sina.com.cn/h/2005-12-13/0122926299.html

According to reports from Hong Kong, the usually good-tempered Jacky lost his temper last week, when he was being followed by paparazzi, while waiting outside Zoe's school to fetch her home in the afternoon. In the past, Jacky did not get angry when he was being followed. He had even talked about how proud he was about Zoe's fluency in the German language. The media's guess about his reaction this time, was because he was feeling too stressed or feeling unwell. When he discovered that he was being followed that day, he scolded them in front of the other parents, not even bothered by his hoarse voice, which is still not fully recovered. The driver quickly came up to stop it. Jacky said to him："I'm just an ordinary father coming to getch my daughter from school. Why do you have to keep following me?" Then he turned to the reporter & said: "I will hit you if you continue taking photographs. Look for my manager if you want anything!"

After marriage, Jacky put a lot of focus on his family. He will usually go to school to fetch his daughter home personally, letting her sit on his shoulders & causing his old neck problems to relapse. His daughters have always been his worry, so much that he always has to struggle when he needs to go away for work. Jacky's biggest concern is his daughter being followed & secretly photographed during her journey to school. There was 1 time that the school principal called May & asked her: "Why are there so many reporters outside the school?" May was so worried that she dared not bring Zoe to school. Poor Zoe asked Jacky: "Daddy, why can't I go to school?" This upset Jacky. He once scolded the paparazzi: "Even a criminal's family don't get blamed for the crimes committed. It's no wonder why no-one in the entertainment circle is willing to have kids. My daughter can't go to school & I can't even do anything about it! It makes me so embarassed as a father!"

The reporter contacted Jacky's junior, Huang Min Hao, for comments. He said he knew about this & felt that it was understandable for Jacky to get angry. "Jacky's someone who's very concerned about his family. He will immediately go home to accompany his wife & 2 daughters after every Snow.Wolf.Lake rehearsal & seldom joins in for the other gatherings. Furthermore, he has always been very protective of his privacy, so it's understandable that he got angry about being followed this time. The last time, paparazzi took photographs of Sandy Lam's daughter playing around with her friends after school & they reported that she slapped her classmate. Such untrue reports are hurting to the children."

Jacky's manager, Florence Chan, confirmed that Jacky was really very angry, but it was not as exaggerating as reported. The main reason was that the paparazzi had already been following him for about 1 week & it was so bad that the other parents were complaining. This was why Jacky lost his temper & not because he was feeling too stressed or feeling unwell.

Regarding Snow.Wolf.Lake, Florence said that everything had been planned 1 year ago, after the last performance on 7th January 2006, Jacky will officially back out from the cast & focus entirely on his new album.

Jacky waiting for Zoe outside her school. Jacky has always taken care not to allow his family to get exposed to public.

Absolute Love

Original URL: http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501051219-1139863,00.html

Time Asia Magazine -> Arts

China's first movie musical in years is a gorgeous cinematic treat
BY BRYAN WALSH

Sunday, Dec. 11, 2005
When the producer André Morgan proposed making a movie musical in 2003, indie filmmaker Peter Chan was less than receptive. "I thought there was a reason no one had made a musical for 35 years," says Chan. "Audiences wouldn't go to them." But the lure of shooting in mainland China for the first time was enticing, and Chan saw an opportunity to make a modern musical without compromising dramatic complexity. With Morgan, the producer behind Oscar-winning Million Dollar Baby, and a $10 million budget, Chan assembled a starry cast: Taiwanese-Japanese icon Takeshi Kaneshiro, rising mainland actress Zhou Xun and Jacky Cheung, the one Heavenly King of Canto-pop who can really sing. But would audiences accept a big-budget Asian film without a flying kick or aerial swordfight? And was Chan—a Hong Konger best known for delicate, tightly-observed dramas such as Comrades, Almost a Love Story—the man to bring this improbable project off?

Let there be no doubt: Perhaps Love is absolutely wonderful. Chan's film brims with pop energy, without sacrificing emotional punch. He creates real characters we care about, then lets them sing, dance and break each other's hearts. Yet he lavishes as much attention on stillness as on sound. And while Perhaps Love has an Asian feel, its production values match those of any international film. The result is dazzling proof that Chinese cinema will no longer be confined to the twin ghettos of martial arts and art house.

Modern audiences are bound to be suspicious of any film in which actors break out in song, but Chan avoids cheesiness by embedding the musical scenes in a movie being shot inside his movie. Arty director Nie Wen (Cheung) is making a blockbuster musical in Shanghai, starring his longtime lover Sun Na (Zhou) and a hot Hong Kong idol, Lin Jian-dong (Kaneshiro). Nie's musical is set in a Chinese circus, which allows Chan to use acrobats, contortionists, fire-breathers, trapeze artists, clowns and dwarves to liven up the dance numbers. But the musical inside the movie is just a shadow play for the complex drama behind the scenes. Sun and Lin were lovers 10 years before. Lin has grown obsessed with her over the years; Sun, who left him to find a career as an actress, wants the past demolished. But as filming sputters, Lin keeps pulling her back—until Nie notices he's losing his lead actress and his love.

Chan deftly switches between the pulsing musical scenes, the growing tension among the cast in Shanghai and lengthy flashbacks to Sun and Lin's love affair in Beijing. The songs have a sense of the subcontinent, courtesy of top Indian choreographer Farah Khan, who taught the Chinese cast how to use their hips and added a few Bollywood dancers to round out the action. Two of Asia's best cinematographers—Peter Pau and Christopher Doyle—split time behind the camera, and each creates distinct visuals. Pau shoots the baroque hotels and classic Bund streets of Shanghai with a warm and romantic eye, all burnished greens, blues and browns. Doyle, Wong Kar-wai's longtime collaborator, gives Sun and Lin's flashbacks a gray, wintry look, as if we're peering through a window on which memory has accumulated like ice. The melodies in the musical may range from fair to forgettable and neither Zhou nor Kaneshiro have Broadway-class voices—though Cheung compensates—but you could hang Perhaps Love in an art gallery.

Musicals usually swim in the shallow end of the genre pool, but Chan's film borders on the subversive—there are no fairy-tale endings, and no character escapes unscathed. That may challenge audiences in Asia and beyond, but Perhaps Love deserves as wide a following as it can find, not least because it's a harbinger of a time when the global movie industry will be increasingly driven by Chinese tastes and Chinese stories. But that's for tomorrow's film execs to contemplate. Today, Chan's images rattle in the mind: a distraught Lin wading through his midnight-green hotel pool; Nie and Sun in a darkened theater, silhouetted against a screen that has gone as blank as their relationship; Sun and Lin on a frozen lake, wrapped in a decade of love and hate. And crimson stage blood staining stage snow, as bright as the future of film in China.

From the Dec. 19, 2005 issue of TIME Asia Magazine

Triumph of song and dance

Source: South China Morning Post

Sunday December 11 2005

Lau Kit wai

Romance drama king Peter Chan Ho-san has created a sensual feast in Perhaps Love, an all-singing, all-dancing romantic musical featuring a galaxy of Asian stars such as Takeshi Kaneshiro, Zhou Xun and Jacky Cheung Hok-yau.

Zhou plays Sun Na, an actress who becomes a star with the help of her boyfriend director Nie Wen (Cheung). She rekindles a romance with her teenage sweetheart, actor Lin Jian Dong (Kaneshiro) during the shooting of a musical in which they play reunited lovers while Nie portrays a jealous boyfriend. The three become entangled in a love triangle as the production progresses, blurring the lines between art and reality.

One of the major challenges of making a modern musical is to incorporate engaging song and dance sequences that fit in naturally with the story. Perhaps Love solves the problem with a film-within-a-film plot.

The songs - pop pieces by composers Peter Kam Pui-tat and Leon Ko - serve as catchy breaks from the narrative while being an essential part of the story.

Zhou's performance is amazing and her portrayal of Sun is both breathtaking and heartbreaking. It is a pleasure to watch this wonderful performer - who can sing, act and dance well - on the big screen.

Kaneshiro also delights with a well-rounded performance. He is not only a heart-throb, but also a natural, seasoned performer. Cheung's acting is slightly over-the-top, but the Canto-pop king's vocals remain unrivalled.

The film's real star is the director. Chan has seamlessly combined good acting, catchy music, stunning visuals, sumptuous sets and entertaining dance sequences to create a film that is romantic in sentiment and operatic in scale. It's a cinematic triumph.

We have five Perhaps Love gift sets, which include movie ticket coupons and limited edition bookmarks, to give away. To win, e-mail kitwai.lau@scmp.com. First come, first served.

VERDICT: WE LOVE IT

Review: Eternal Quest For Love

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/12/11/60@35802.htm

2005-12-11 18:07:58 CRIENGLISH.com

After telling nuanced, heartwarming love stories like "Comrades, Almost a Love Story" and "Alan & Eric: Between Hello and Goodbye", Hong Kong director Peter Chan continues his quest for love in "Perhaps Love" —a Chinese-language, Broadway style musical film.

Director Peter Chan plots the film with a mix of Mandarin pop songs, Broadway dances numbers, and a love triangle. 　

About the Film 　　

The story itself is simple. With its backdrop in present-day Shanghai, a female film star Sun Na (Zhou Xun) runs into her ex-lover, Lin Jiandong (Takeshi Kaneshiro), also a famous actor on a movie set in a circus troupe. But, the actress is now together with the director Nie Wen (Jacky Cheung). Lin Jiandong harbors mixed love and hatred for Sun Na, and plots to take revenge to her for ten years of waiting after she left him to chase her dream of being a star. 　　

The three characters struggling in the circus troupe movie happened to suffer the same triangle in real life. 　

The Moments 　　

The easy-touching scenes are romance pieces which happen between Sun Na and Lin Jiandong in Beijing, when Sun was a girl with no money, making a living by performing erotic dancing in the Sanlitun bar street area, and Lin was a poor student in film academy. 　　

Especially under the lens of photographer Christopher Doyle, scenes are tender and sensitive, such as the hug on the ice along the moat, the young couples enjoying a hot pot in her dark but cozy basement apartment, and the street restaurant with mist-covered window. 　　

Other scenes like Lin Jiandong sinking himself in a swimming pool and his teardrop falling under the water also generate lots of tears for women audiences. 　　

Dance and Music 　　

Director Peter Chan invites celebrated Bollywood choreographer and dancer Farah Khan to design the Broadway-style dance numbers set in Old Shanghai in the movie. And, the result turns out to be quite good. 　　

Dancers including the star - wanna-be Sun Na - show off sexy thighs wrapped by tight dresses with long slits and cheap gold-sequined costumes, singing sarcastic and relentless stage songs at Shizi Crossroad, a kind of red-light district. 　　

More impressive parts of the musical take placed in the carnival-like circus troupe performance. 　　
Perhaps it cannot compete with Moulin Rouge or Singing in The Rain; but still, it is good enough to boast as one of the most dazzling and extravagant musical movies in Chinese film history. 　　

Jacky Cheung's voice also deserves much credit. He is the only professional and veteran singer in the music industry for years to have four leading screen roles and his own stage musical "Snow Wolf Lake" proved to be a great success. 　　

This time, Cheung impresses his audiences with musical songs in Broadway-style. The other three lead roles also give all their best and do not disappoint audiences at all. 　　

ALL About Love—The One Besides You Is the Best One 　　

After seeing the film, audiences are likely to have questions like just what the film’s name Perhaps Love exactly means and which one the lead actress actually choose at the end. 　　

That's what Peter Chan wants to express to you or make you think about. 　　

How much Love weighs in your heart? What is true love? Whether it is good or not to be indulged much in relationships? You are supposed to find out answers in the film itself. 　　

Peter Chan expressed that the relationship between director Nie Wen and Sun Na is not broken or has any problem. Their relationship, based on benefit, and showed the worst side to each other and they lived together for so many years. The one besides you is the best one. 　　

While, for the role of Lin Jiandong, Chan said that he was a young adult who over-indulged memory, which did not exist now. 　　

For the ending, Chan said that he does not have any preference. There are many possibilities to happen between the three roles, which leaves audience more space to wonder. What really matters is that after they experienced this, they are released from the trio relationship.

Zhou Xun (Sun Na) 　　

Almost all critics gives this actress's performance positive or even high appraisal. 　　

Her excellent delivery of the role almost overwhelms the other two male stars. 　　

She depicts a girl who met a Hong Kong boy and used to be in love with him, but left him to chase her dream of being a star. She has to erase her memory to be saved or escaped from self-blame. 　　

This is a role that deserves no forgiveness. With Zhou Xun's performance, audiences just can't hate her but instead, feel more sympathy for the role. 　　

Many people think that it is because that Zhou Xun has has a similar real-life experience in her career with the role of Sun Na in the movie. However, Zhou Xun denied, saying that she is totally different with the role of Sun Na. Sun is a kind of person who are willing to give up love for career, but she says she is just the opposite. 　　

She acknowledged that it is the most difficult film among all her films, yet she really enjoyed it. 　　

Also, Zhou surprises with a simple, innocent rendition of the folksy "Outside." 　

Takeshi Kaneshiro (Lin Jiandong) 　　

Chinese-Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro's low key self-promotion and his good delivery of alienated, introverted roles has gained him mysterious charm. 　　

He depicts a man who is over indulged in memory, who has a craze for her ex-girlfriend which leads to hatred and revenge, and who also has a penchant for swimming fully clothed and releasing a teardrop under the water. His character repels himself to fall asleep at night and types messages repeatedly into his computer as well as recording his words to tapes for ten year, wishing his girl to come back. 　　

His voice perhaps is a far cry from Jacky Cheung, but his sincerity and characteristics shine through nonetheless. 　

CRI Exclusive by Chen Ying　　

Perhaps a musical?

Source: South China Morning Post

Saturday December 10 2005

A musical was the last thing on Peter Chan Ho-sun's mind when he set out to make Perhaps Love, touted as the first Chinese musical in more than three decades. 'I'm not a big fan of musicals and it was exactly what I was running away from when I started this project,' says the director.

Perhaps Love - which is Hong Kong's official entry for the best foreign film category at the Oscars and the Golden Globe - started off as a remake of Casablanca. 'We were even going to call it Casablanca in Chinese,' Chan says. After 16 drafts of the script, however, he found he had a musical on his hands.

'Now, looking back at it, the film wouldn't work if I took the music out of it, but it isn't a musical in the traditional sense. For me, the people had to have a legitimate reason to be singing,' said Chan, who sat through '50 or 60' musicals before he started production on Perhaps Love. It tells the story of a painful love triangle between actress Sun Na (Zhou Xun), her ex-lover actor Lin Jiandong (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and her director boyfriend Nie Wen (Jacky Cheung Hok-yau). All the singing and dancing take place in the film that they are supposedly making within the movie.

Despite the fact that it is a genre he's unfamiliar with, Chan says the film is 'more [him]' than his other films. 'Most of them, like Comrades, Almost a Love Story, offered sugar-coated views of love. [Perhaps Love] is my outlook,' he said.

Chan's next film is likely to be a remake of Chang Cheh's The Blood Brothers, a story of love and betrayal among three brothers set against a wartorn China during the Qing dynasty. It will be his first attempt at a period piece.

Friends send their love to Jacky

Original URL: http://www.hkvpradio.com/news/article.php?article=3155

Hong Kong Entertainment News @ HKVP Radio
December 9, 2005


SING TAO - Jacky Cheung had to temporarily close the curtains for his "Snow Wolf Lake" tour because of a bad cold and even cried onstage from frustration. He's a lot more relaxed now that he's back in Hong Kong. "During rehearsals I already knew I couldn't open my voice, so when we opened the first [Taiwan] date I told the audience, so that in case we had to cut the show short they wouldn't think it was strange. A lot of out-of-towners came to see the second show so that's why I asked to try to perform, but then I asked the promoter to change the date." Everyone is concerned about Jacky, who emphasized, "I am much better now, don't worry." Just why did Jacky cry during the first performance in Taiwan? "Because we did a huge part of it already and there was only a little bit left to go. I was disappointed that we couldn't go on because of just me, and I felt bad for the audience." The star feels the media is blowing the matter out of proportion and asks everyone not to worry. Jacky is letting his manager Florence Chan handle the cancellation matters, who says, "We won't be calculating our losses right now because there is so much to do. But we do thank the promoter for letting us reschedule." Jacky's been playing tennis in Hong Kong to work up a sweat to heal his cold. And friends have also been sending him their love. "A lot of buddies have been text messaging me. So many of them did, I can't even remember who sent them!" Read (Chinese)

(Source: HKVP Radio)

"Perhaps Love" pockets 18m yuan at box office

Original URL: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-12/06/content_500996.htm

China Daily -> News Center -> Life

(CRI)Updated: 2005-12-06 16:27

The first Chinese musical in four decades, "Perhaps Love" has received 18 million Yuan in box office earnings since it opened in cinemas across China on the 1st of December.

The number makes a new record for domestic cinema of the romance genre in recent years.
Shanghai cinemas top the box office, boasting 2.7 million in ticket sales during the first weekend.

The film has drawn all ages of audiences and enjoyed wide recognition both from audiences and film critics.

The love triangle's international cast stars Hong Kong singer Jacky Cheung, South Korean actor Ji Jin-hee, Taiwanese-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chinese actress Zhou Xun.

Jacky cries after losing voice on stage

Original URL: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-12/06/content_3882962.htm

www.chinaview.cn 2005-12-06 11:22:31

BEIJING, Dec. 6 -- Pop king Jacky Cheung lost his voice while performing the musical "Snow Wolf Lake" in Taiwan on Friday night. The concert had to be canceled at the request of the tearful singer.

Appearing despite a bad cold, leading actor Cheung apologized for his illness at the beginning of the show. But two-thirds of the way through, the singer succumbed to throat pain and stopped the show.

Cheung apologized to the audience, saying: "I can't sing any more. Thank you for your encouragement, but I'm sorry to say that I have to cancel the performance because of my poor condition."

The audience responded with emotional applause, causing Cheung to burst into tears.

But the singer was back on stage a day later.

However, the following three performances in Taiwan have been postponed because of Cheung's health.

It is estimated that the canceled concert will cost the organizer 20 million new Taiwan dollars (US$596,500) for reimbursement.

This is not the first time Cheung has canceled a show on stage. On April 21, 1997, Cheung appeared on stage with a bad cold and stopped singing after five minutes. He told the audience he would rather cancel than give an imperfect performance.

As the leading actor, director, and one of the major investors of "Snow Wolf Lake," Hong Kong's first home-grown "Broad-way musical," Cheung has performed the musical 95 times since its Hong Kong debut in 1997. He has reportedly decided to stop performing "Snow Wolf Lake" after the 103rd performance in Beijing on Jan. 7.

(Source: Shenzhen Daily)

Jacky reschedules "Snow Wolf Lake" Taiwan tour to recover lost voice

Original URL: http://www.hkvpradio.com/news/article.php?article=3142

Hong Kong Entertainment News @ HKVP Radio
December 5, 2005


MING PAO - Jacky Cheung's "Snow Wolf Lake" musical tour to Taiwan came to a halt when the singer lost his voice due to a cold. The remaining three dates in Taiwan must be rescheduled. Yesterday under the accompaniment of manager and promoter Florence Chan Suk Fan, Jacky returned to Hong Kong to rest at home. The singer says, "I don't want my family to worry about me so I rather go home to Hong Kong to rest. I hope I can go back to Taiwan on December 10th and it will be the most perfect performance." Even though he's ill, Jacky insisted on playing tennis and said he never expected the cold to affect his tour. He had already seen the doctor twice but didn't get better. If he forced the second performance, Jacky thought it would only produce a negative effect and decided to reschedule. "I need to thank everyone for their understanding. I'm not sure how much it would cost for damages though." Why did Jacky cry about losing his voice? "It's because I had so much hope for these performances. I thought I could work through it. I didn't want my fans or the audience to be disappointed. But my performance that night was really the best I could do." Read (Chinese)

(Source: HKVP Radio)

Jacky cuts "Snow Wolf Lake" show short; Audience leaves in tears

Original URL: http://www.hkvpradio.com/news/article.php?article=3143

Hong Kong Entertainment News @ HKVP Radio
December 5, 2005


SING TAO - The "God of Song" Jacky Cheung cut his "Snow Wolf Lake" performance in Taiwan short because he couldn't bear to continue. Suffering from a bad cold, the singer couldn't reach his high notes and told the audience in honesty that "tonight is an undesirable night. There's a problem with my health and if unfortunately the performance has to be cut short tonight, I would be very disappointed", arousing audience applause. The show went on, but by 10pm, there was no way Jacky could continue and announced that the show was over. The audience left in tears. According to the promoter, tickets were refunded and the show will be rescheduled. Damages that night cost NT 20 million (approximately HK $4.6 million). Read (Chinese)

(Source: HKVP Radio)

Singing Duet Excerpt Live on Taiwan News Programme

Original URL: http://www.tpa.com.tw/program.php?program=3

"Perhaps Love" Draws Crowds

Original URL: http://en.chinabroadcast.cn/349/2005/12/05/60@34390.htm

2005-12-05 09:07:29 Shenzhen Daily

NO doubt about it. "Perhaps Love," said to be China's first musical film in 30 years, is definitely a crowd pleaser.

The musical romance, directed by Peter Chan, brought in 300,000 yuan (US$37,000) in box-office receipts during its first weekend at Shenzhen's Golden Harvest cinema. 　　

The love triangle's international cast stars Hong Kong "song god" Jacky Cheung, South Korean actor Ji Jin-hee, Taiwanese-Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro and Chinese actress Zhou Xun. 　　

The US$10-million film's handsome photography and lavish costuming for 1930s Shanghai create the atmosphere for the love triangle played by Cheung, Kaneshiro and Zhou. 　　

While the characters break into song and dance at dramatic moments, moviegoers leary of musicals needn't worry. One fortysomething moviegoer said: "The film gave me a bit of Broadway-style musical, but it has a clear structure and well-narrated story."
　　
Although all the stars are successful pop singers, Chan said in an earlier interview that the cast was selected for their resemblance to the characters rather than their singing abilities. Chan told Hong Kong newspapers that the film is "all about a love story," not just a plotless musical. 　

In September, "Perhaps Love" edged out Jackie Chan's "The Myth" and Stanley Kwan's "Everlasting Love" as Hong Kong's Academy Award entry for best foreign film Oscar. Earlier this year, "Perhaps Love" was the closing film at the Venice Film Festival. 　　

Jacky Cheung to defer performance

Original URL: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/i_latestdetail.asp?id=33207

2005/12/5
The China Post staff

Hong Kong star Jacky Cheung, who sang and danced with a sore throat Saturday, canceled appearance in his popular musical "Snow Wolf Lake" in Taipei yesterday.

He said he would have to rest for two more days to fully recover from the flu he had caught two days before arrival from the former British crown colony.

There will be no performances at the Taipei Arena today and tomorrow, Cheung's promoters said.

The canceled performances will be given on next Sunday, Monday and Tuesday or December 11 through 13.

Cheung, who plays Wolf in the musical, has a frog in the throat due to the flu and wanted to cut short his appearance after the intermission Saturday night.

His voice turned hoarse before the intermission.

Later, however, Cheung decided to play to the end and left the stage amidst a standing ovation of a packed audience at the Arena.

"I was very warmly received by the fans," Cheung was quoted as saying. "But as one who sings on the stage," he added, "I didn't hope I am in no position to know, before the next time I sing, whether I have to swallow hard so that I can sing."

That's why Cheung has to defer the three performances.

Those who have tickets for last night, Monday and Tuesday may use them for next week's performances. They may have a refund, if they can't attend.

Tickets were priced from NT$800 to NT$6,000.

Many fans have been kept out from the long-running musical about the love between Snow and Wolf, who in the end will have to get lost in an icy lake.

The musical, a box office hit in Hong Kong and China for years, is being presented in Taipei for the first time. The local premiere has attracted too many fans for the Taipei Arena to accommodate.

Musical adventure

Original URL: http://www.thestandard.com.hk/weekend_news_detail.asp?pp_cat=35&art_id=6992&sid=5690155&con_type=3&d_str=20051203

Standard Weekend -> Lifestyle

Perhaps Love, with its multinational cast and production team, has a real across- all-borders flavor, writes Stuart Wolfendale
Saturday, December 03, 2005

Early last month, it happened again. A leading newspaper here told us the Hong Kong movie industry is in decline. This time, it is losing out to South Korea's, which is on the rise.

This may be right, at least in some ways, but this view sees the movie business like a big regional football league, with territories scrapping it out - South Korea 60 openings, Hong Kong 40.

This is beside the point. It's true they don't make them in the sheer numbers they used to in old Hong Kong but for that we can give artistic thanks. Instead, a new film is a compelling indication of the potential of regional cinema.

Drawing on actors from the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, money from here and there, and even the skills of an Indian dance master, a new musical, shot in Shanghai with a Hong Kong director, shows what a complex idea can do.

Under a humid sky that looked like an unwashed bed sheet, on an eerie mock-up of the city's downtown, set on a faraway Shanghai Film Studios back lot, snow was being blown. It was deep winter on the set of Perhaps Love.

High up a building, in front of a stopped clock, singer Jacky Cheung mimed a song track which echoed along the empty faux streets. Below, production people at battalion strength looked warily into their video screens. Cheung doesn't like heights and despite being firmly secured by a wire, he was not amused. A trouper, nonetheless, he moved to the edge of the gantry on a high note and stretched out a hand as though to catch a trapeze bar and fly - a detail to be coped with another time by somebody else.

Swiftly and mercifully, the director shouted "Cut!"

Shot in Beijing and Shanghai in Putonghua and set for release this week, Perhaps Love is attracting attention for a number of reasons. What has raised the most eyebrows is that this is a musical, a celluloid creature thought to be extinct in the mainland since at least 1949.

After the communist victory, any musical features made were of the heroic, fists-in-the-air variety, shot under the leaden artistic supervision of Madam Mao. There was no ideological space for color, dervish dancing or romance.

But musicals are back in a big way everywhere else. Andrew Lloyd- Webber made it to the House of Lords on them. Disney animates them. Bollywood is built on them. It is time for song and dance in Chinese film, think the makers of Perhaps Love.

Investors are singing along to the tune of US$10 million (HK$78 million), an awful lot of money for a movie in these parts where budgets rarely exceed US$4 million.

Yet how local is this movie? It is seeking the nomination for the 2006 foreign film Oscar as Hong Kong's entry, but how much does Perhaps Love belong to just one territory?

The US$10 million comes from Astral-Shaw TVB and Stellar Megamedia which, translated into geography, means Malaysia, Hong Kong and the mainland.

The cast and production team are from Hong Kong, the mainland, Taiwan, South Korea, India, Australia and the United States. Post-production on the movie was done in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

This multinational spread of artists and operators gives the film a real across-all-borders flavor.
Peter Chan is a critically acclaimed Hong Kong director with a rising international profile and Perhaps Love is shaping up to be his breakthrough film.

The producer is from Hollywood - Andre Morgan of Ruddy-Morgan Productions, which last year brought us Million Dollar Baby. A movieland Sinophile who cut his teeth at Shaw Brothers,

Morgan has a long-term vision of a Sino-US movie fusion. He introduced Bruce Lee to America.
Among the Perhaps Love performers, Hong Kong's Cheung is huge in Asia. At the time of filming, his image was strung up from every lamp-post in Shanghai as he finished a sell-out one- man show there. A modest superstar with a penchant for hot cocoa and early nights, he was keen to go home to his wife and new baby.

Young screen idol Takeshi Kaneshiro, has a continent of girls and some boys in permanent palpitations over his Taiwanese-Japanese good looks and a shyness which makes him a more reluctant interviewee than Greta Garbo.

Also in the cast is Zhou Xun, a powerful young actress who is still little known outside China. She is a tough, petite performer with an Edith Piaf wiriness. Between takes one day, , she shivered convincingly in the bogus snow. For my money she is set to be the next Gong Li.

Ji Jin-hee, another young star shooting out of the bright Korea film firmament, came to regional fame as the male heartthrob in The Great Changkum, a soapy history drama about cooks in the Korean royal kitchens, which had the streets empty in Asian capitals every night it screened.

Peter Chau, one of the film's cinematographers, along with the legendary Australian Christopher Doyle, won an Oscar for his work on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Chau, who apparently does not suffer fools gladly when looking through the lens, has been described as "brilliant."

There has been a whiff of risk around the making of Perhaps Love, which cannot be dispelled until it opens.

Putting musical scenes into a film is tricky. "On paper some of these scenes don't look like slam-dunk successes. It's the music that makes them so," said Chan.

He and Morgan, utterly in love with musicals, were nervous about a Chinese audience accepting the genre. They have come up with a device.

The movie is about people in the present making a musical set in the past and around a circus. The song and dance is confined to the circus subplot.
C
heung plays a famous director who is experiencing a crisis with his creativity and in his relationship with his actress-lover, played by Zhou. He tests himself by making a musical in which he has little confidence. He casts a male lead, played by Kaneshiro, unaware that he was his girlfriend's lover 10 years before.

The director then takes over one of the lead parts and transfers the "real- time" love triangle of the major plot into the musical subplot.

The circus subplot is about an amnesiac female circus performer, shacked up with the circus director, who is rediscovered by her forgotten lover of years back, a duplicate of the main plot.

Chan says he has taken some tricky musical scenes which "had their ups and downs" and transferred them into the musical subplot to make them the ups and downs of Cheung's character.

"I am transferring the risks in making a musical into a plot about a man risking the making of a musical," he said. Chan and Morgan believe they have also solved a credibility problem with Asian audiences.

"Take Jacky's song on the gantry in front of the clock," said Chan.
"You could not possibly present that as contemporary reality. They'd scoff at it. "
"But if you package it in a period subplot, the music can carry the scene. It is a synthesis of song and dance with narrative, which a Chinese audience will accept."

These also have a soft spot for Bollywood or, at least the way it moves. The production used Farrah Kahn, Indian film's leading choreographer, to create dance routines the likes of which haven't come out of a Chinese studio in living memory.

"The dancing is the most exciting I have seen in Chinese cinema in 25 years," said Gordon Cheung, vice- president of Celestial Pictures, the film's distributor.

Promotional clips indicate an unusual, interestingly dark treat in that department.

Producer Morgan cautions, though, that this is Chinese cinema and cannot be structured the Bollywood way. "You cannot suddenly stop as they do and say, `Okay. Let's sing and dance for a bit.' Eyes would roll in the audience. You must keep the narrative moving."

On set in Shanghai, there was excitement and a sense of fingers crossed behind backs at the experiment under way. "We are recreating a forgotten genre," Morgan said.

"It will be a new wave out of China."

If Perhaps Loveis nominated in the foreign language category of the 2006 Oscars, it's a genre that could sweep screens everywhere.

Perhaps Love will open in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong on Thursday and Korea and Taiwan December 30.

Japan will see it in May.

Given its backers, creators and performers, the real genre at work here is the Greater China movie, or even grander, an all-Asian production. Factor in Morgan from Wilshire Boulevard and it goes pan-Pacific.

For Hong Kong, Perhaps Love could represent a big shift in its importance. The territory could maybe become the incubator and exporter of movie-making intellectual skills beyond martial arts and canto-pop. As with the Perhaps Love adventure, we'll see.

Baume & Mercier makes a grand entrance into China

Original URL: http://www.baume-et-mercier.com/e/news/newevents_e.aspx?t=37&n=48

To nobly celebrate the brand’s entry into China, Baume & Mercier organized an evening event in Shanghai on 4th November last, in the company of more than 1000 guests.

For the occasion, an immense tent was mounted on the terrace of the Shangri-La hotel overlooking the Huangpu River. An acrobat suspended from an impressive hydrogen-filled balloon was at the entrance to welcome guests in spectacular style. Michel Nieto, Baume & Mercier CEO, the local brand ambassador, singer Jacky Cheung as well as a large number of celebrities such as top models Natalia Vodianova and Astrid Munoz attended the evening. An imaginative and extremely varied presentation of creative talent included a harp concert, a cigar making workshop, fire-eaters, a fashion show and to bring the evening to a dazzling close, a superb fireworks display over the river!

Indeed, an entry in grand pomp and style !

Chinese singer Jacky Cheung, local brand ambassador and Michel Nieto, CEO of Baume & Mercier

Perhaps Love Premieres in Beijing

Original URL: http://english.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20051201/102117.shtml

cctv.com English -> Culture Express
12-01-2005 17:12

After a nine-year break from the movie world, Hong Kong director Peter Chan is back with a musical, "Perhaps Love". The picture closed out the Venice Film Festival, and is now debuting at Chinese theatres.

Screams and flashes greeted several stars before the lead cast of "Perhaps Love" strolled down the red carpet. Famous directors, entertainers and models from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan were invited to China's first movie musical in 40 years.

The ten-million US dollar production has been drawing a lot of attention from the public.
After a screening at the Venice Film Festival in September, it was branded as the Chinese version of "Moulin Rouge". It has been chosen to compete for Best Foreign film at the upcoming Oscars. But Chan says he's more concerned about how it does at the box office.

Director Peter Chan said: "For me, film is a way of communication to more viewers. There're only seven hundred or so judges in Oscar. But the box office means millions of theatre-goers will see my film."

Shot in Beijing and Shanghai, "Perhaps Love" is filled with spectacular sets, circus performances, Broadway-style musical numbers and lots of love songs.

"Perhaps Love" is a film within a film. The story follows a love triangle between a director and his two lead actors. Jacky Cheung plays the director who is romantically involved with the lead actress he helped make a star, played by Zhou Xun.

Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro plays the lead actor who used to date the lead actress. But he becomes frustrated when she doesn't remember him.

Leading actress Zhou Xun said: "First of all to work with this director was very important. He is very open minded. He was open to our ideas and our opinions. And to work with a lot of actors from all over Asia was so funny because every day I was listening to a lot of different languages and mixing them all together and that was very nice for me."

"Perhaps Love" is one of the first movies out of the gate to kick off the country's new year movie season.

"Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" from Zhang Yimou, "The Promise" from Chan Kaige and "Night Banquet" from Feng Xiaogang are also due out soon.

Editor:Wang Ping
Source:CCTV.com