Part two of the news links catch-up but first some reader interaction …

In the comments from News Links: July 27th, 2009, Gleen Glenn writes:

What are your thoughts on Kelly Chen babygate?  Did she fake the pregnancy?  It’s someone else’s baby?  Just nasty gossip?

When I first read the rumours about Kelly Chen’s pregnancy being an elaborate cover-up for a pregnancy caused by her brother Victor Chen, my initial reaction was: “What?  Is this the 1950s?  Would someone really bother to concoct such a complex scheme in an age where the term “baby daddy” has become firmly entrenched in the cultural lexicon?  Do families still send their pregnant kids away to “distant relatives”?  Do “rest homes” that cater to unwed single mothers still exist?  Didn’t Richard Li and Isabella Leong just proudly celebrate the birth of an out-of-wedlock child?”

Then, I put aside my Western sensibilities and remembered that we’re talking about the shame-based Chinese culture where “young models” are a source of controversy for the Hong Kong Book Fair so, yeah, maybe someone would go to ridiculous lengths to cover-up a pregnancy.  Like the earlier rumours about Ronald Cheng’s extra-curricular activities involving photos of Charlene Choi, these rumours are so absurd, you can’t possibly have formed them just out of your imagination.  It’s like the Little Vito shower situation in the “Chasing It” episode of THE SOPRANOS, you don’t just dream up scenarios like that without some sort of real-life kernel inspiring it.

So, do I think the rumours are true?  Not really.  Some HK girls are alarmingly thin but otherwise healthy, like my 89-pound cousin Agatha, so it’s not like Kelly Chen’s slight weight gain is out of the norm for HK women.  However, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it turned out, years later, that the rumours were true (see one Bobby Darin).

I can’t believe that I just spent time breaking that down … 

Onto some links …

PRODUCTION NEWS:

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS:

‘Infernal’ Lau joins ‘Bodyguards’

Latest Stills of ‘Bodyguards and Assassins’

After 112 days of shooting, principal photography of BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS wrapped on the weekend.  Among those present was Michelle Reis who has a small part playing a woman who has a “profound effect on Leon Lai’s ‘beggar’ character”.

RELATED LINKS:

• Sina.com article and photos
• Xinhua article

Shaw Bros. returns with trio of films

Sundream joins IHQ and Polybona for Let’s Fall in Love

HK indie filmmakers taking the lead

Production still of Jet Li in THE EXPENDABLES

This film look likes it’ll be dynamite but, with such a star-studded cast, they couldn’t make room for Jean Claude Van Damme?  I can understand not wanting Steven Seagal (since he looks like he weighs 300 pounds and has less mobility than Zhang Fei in DYNASTY WARRIORS 4) but no love for The Muscles From Brussels?

One more comment, a project like this is what Jackie Chan should be doing instead of KUNG FU KID.

Chinese filmmaker Feng Xiaogang begins shooting earthquake movie

COMING SOON:

Message of ‘Overheard’: Don’t Be Greedy

McDull’s Big Success at Box Office

FEATURES:

Lee Byung Hyun (Korean actor who has a role in G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA):  You can’t see his face on the posters

EASON CHAN:

HK singer Eason Chan’s marriage in trouble?

Eason Chen breaks down in tears during his concert

Photo of Constance Chan and Hilary Tsui at the Beyond concert where Eason Chan was a guest performer

AROUND TOWN:

‘Tracing Shadow’ Premieres

More photos courtesy Xinhua (Gotta love that dress on Pace Wu)

Donnie Yen celebrated his 46th birthday on July 27th with a party at a HK nightclub.  Among the attendees were his real-life wife Cissy Wang, his on-screen wife Lynn Xiong, producer Raymond Wong, Andrew Lin Hoi, Vincent Kuk Tak-Chiu, Cheung Tat-Ming and Leon Lai.

RELATED LINKS:

• Photos courtesy Sina.com
• Photos courtesy Xinhua

Jessica Hsuan, Kate Tsui, Amanda Strang and Ivan Ho Sau-San attended a press conference on Monday for their new TVB documentary series 《活着》 (trans. LIVING). For the series, the artistes will visit Ethiopa, Kenya and Sawarak among other locales.

• Photos courtesy Xinhua
• I wish I was the meat in a Jessica Hsuan, Kate Tsui sandwich — that Ivan Ho is one lucky bastard.
• I almost want to join Facebook just so I could be Jessica Hsuan’s friend.

PHOTO GALLERYS:

Li Bingbing on the cover of the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar

Sina.com slideshow featuring Vicki Zhao Wei

Donnie Yen on the cover of L’Officiel Hommes

BRUCE LEE:

Bruce Lee legend remains strong in Hong Kong 36 years after his death

Hollywood Reporter:

• Bruce Lee museum in design phase 
• Bruce Lee’s family OKs biopics

HK Standard: New Bruce Lee flick to focus on his life and loves

Xinhua: Kungfu star Bruce Lee’s new movie to be shot

Associated Press: Bruce Lee’s siblings authorize Chinese biopics

Variety:  Bruce Lee museum, biopic unveiled

Design competition held for Bruce Lee museum

New York Times: Design Competition for Bruce Lee Museum

BEYOND HK:

Ken Zhu hopes to take nude photos of Kelly Lin

Vic Zhou: I won’t conceal my future relationships

Jolin launches own fashion label in America

CULTURAL NEWS:

Alarm sounded as youth ditch reading for idol worship

Book fair seeks model behavior - or else

Drug war and sexy models spice Ani-Com 

* * * * *

Best wishes to Shing Fui-On who, according to reports in HK papers, has suffered a recurrence of the nasopharyngeal cancer that he battled in 2004.  Incidentally, this is the same kind of cancer for which I received treatment.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 at 8:33 pm and is filed under News Links, Reader Interaction, The Life and Opinion of the Webmaster Sanney. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.