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… On this day, I see clearly, everything has come to life.
Note: This blog expresses only the opinions of the blog owner,
and does not represent the opinion of any organization or blog
that is associated with 聚言莊﹕The House Where Words Gather.
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April 19th, 2009
Previously:
Let’s finish previewing the remaining major categories beginning with the nominees for Best Supporting Actor. They are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Zhang Fengyi (RED CLIFF)
I would have voted for Zhang Fengyi solely because he was able to do those “I’m waging war because I’m in love with Xiao Qiao” scenes without rolling his eyes at the nonsense he was being forced to portray. 
In all seriousness, I’m picking Zhang because, with the possible exception of Stephen Chow’s character in CJ7, his character figured most prominently in the story of the respective films. Without the smug and arrogant presence of Cao Cao, the audience isn’t rooting as hard for that “loser Liu Bei” and that “young, inexperienced twerp” Sun Quan. They’d be like: “oh well, survival of the fittest, the strong conquers the weak”.
I think that this category is a three horse race between Zhang, Stephen Chow and Liu Kai-Chi. I’d be surprised if Gordon Lam won and I’d be very, very surprised if Louis Fan took home the statue. Nothing against Fan, I enjoyed his performances in TVB dramas of the 1990s, but his character in IP MAN is about as one-dimensional as you can get.
* * * * *
The nominees for Best Supporting Actress are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Chan Lai-Wun (THE WAY WE ARE)
Like the Best Actress category, my head and my heart had a mighty struggle over who I should throw my vote behind. I really, really wanted to pick Race Wong here but, like her castmate Prudence Lau, there are times during her performance where she’s a bit off and she loses control of her character. Sometimes she overacts and sometimes her Mainland accent slips. It’s a laudable effort but it’s no match for the performance that Chan Lai-Wun turned in for THE WAY WE ARE.
Similar to the way Cao Cao was integral to RED CLIFF, Chan’s Granny character is a key part of THE WAY WE ARE. Her stirring portrait of a lonely senior powers the low-key emotion and drama of the film. Without it, THE WAY WE ARE truly would be a boring film that isn’t about anything.
I agree with Kozo that the award is going to go to Chan or Nora Miao from RUN PAPA RUN. I hope Chan wins because any number of actresses could have played Miao’s part in RUN PAPA RUN. Susan Shaw, last year’s winner, probably could have done just as good a job as Miao. I don’t think, however, that Miao or Shaw could have pulled off the bit in THE WAY WE ARE where Chan’s character cooks herself a meal. The sequence was simple, she was just cooking dinner for herself but it was filled with so much pathos, I believe Bruce Lee rose from his grave, applauded, and said: “That, my friends, is emotional content.”
* * * * *
The nominees for Best New Artist are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Kitty Zhang Yuqi (ALL ABOUT WOMEN)
Contrary to previous years where acting giants like Baby Matthew Medvedev (26th HKFA) and Edison Chen (20th HKFA) were nominated, there’s no filler in the category this year as I could make legitimate cases for all five of the nominees to win. Ultimately, I settled on Kitty Zhang because she shows the most potential. She oozes screen charisma in her dynamite performance as a female “Master of the Universe”. The depth and confidence she displays in ALL ABOUT WOMEN is in marked contrast to her “flower vase” debut in CJ7 and her “just look cute and adorable” role in SHAOLIN GIRL. Maybe she set the bar low with those earlier performances but I was somewhat surprised by how mature and polished she seemed in the mess of a film by Tsui Hark. If a bookie would take action on it, I’d bet that she ends up with the longest and most accomplished movie career out of all of this year’s new artist nominees.
* * * * *
The nominees for Best Screenplay are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Lui Yau-Wah (THE WAY WE ARE)
This pick comes with a caveat as I haven’t seen CLAUSTROPHOBIA yet (the release date for the DVD is April 30th). However, if Kozo’s review is any indication, I think it’s safe to say that it would not have affected my decision to go with Lui Yau-Wah’s screenplay. I’m picking it to win for the same reason I picked THE WAY WE ARE for Best Film: it’s an exceptional Hong Kong film that’s about Hong Kong people and Hong Kong concerns.
Besides, all the other nominated screenplays have issues. The “one stone, many ripples” theme of THE BEAST STALKER comes off as very contrived. The writers of PAINTED SKIN got a huge assist from Pu Songling and it would be blasphemous to the notion of art to reward the RUN PAPA RUN screenplay for that silly ending.
* * * * *
The nominees for Best Director are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Ann Hui On-Wah (THE WAY WE ARE)
Take this pick with a grain of salt because I understand the technical aspects of film directing about as well as I understand the techincal aspects of a Formula 1 car. That said, the choice for me was between Johnnie To and Ann Hui. I don’t believe John Woo, Wilson Yip or Benny Chan added to their repertoire or did anything extraordinary with their films. Johnnie To, on the other hand, explored new territory by successfully making a skillful tribute to French cinema. I would have voted for his work in SPARROW had it not been for Ann Hui’s remarkable work in THE WAY WE ARE.
Regular readers of this blog will recall that I had my issues last year with Hui’s THE POSTMODERN LIFE OF MY AUNT. Rather than being an award-worthy film, I felt that the movie highlighted Hui’s tendency to sometimes lay things on a bit too thick. The piling on of tragedy after tragedy on Ye Rutang was so depressing, any message Hui was trying to convey was lost.
In sharp contrast, Hui shows great discipline in THE WAY WE ARE. There aren’t any false notes. There are no goofy shots of the Moon. Everything is finely-tuned from the acting to the choice of music to the pace of the narrative. With great skill, Ann Hui shows the audience the way most Hong Kong people are and, for that, she should win this year’s Best Director HKFA.
Image credits: Lion Rock Productions (Zhang Fengyi), Class Limited (Chan Lai-Wun), Film Workshop (Kitty Zhang), Beijing Poly-bona Film Publishing Co. Ltd. (Still from THE POSTMODERN LIFE OF MY AUNT)
Posted in Ann Hui On-Wah, Hong Kong Film Awards | 2 Comments »
April 17th, 2009
Previously:
A little reader interaction before we dive into the topic of the day …
From the comments on the last post:
laicheukpan writes: Sanney you didn’t actually contact Kozo right?
I actually did contact Kozo. Those are his actual thoughts on Karena Lam and the Best Actress category. Living here in the Great White North, I won’t be able to see CLAUSTROPHOBIA for another two, three weeks so I needed to get in touch with him to round out the post.
While I’m answering questions from laicheukpan, here’s another from the comments on Happy Year of The Ox!
laicheukpan writes: Hey Sanney! Happy New Year! I got a question for you. Are you fluent in Cantonese?
Yes, I speak a civilized tongue and not just this barbaric language. I kid, I kid. Back in elementary school, I had a Chinese friend who had a grandfather who was old-school, hardcore Chinese. When I was over at his house, I’d hear his grandfather ranting in the other  room about Chinese people being “civilized” and non-Chinese people being “barbarians”. Good times! The guy was a bit scary to a little kid like me: hunched over, wispy moustache, Emperor Hirohito-type glasses and a creepy, loud and raspy smoker’s voice.
Anyway, yes I’m fluent in Cantonese. I don’t have a Stephen Chow mo lei tau (無厘頭) command of the language but I can hold my own in a conversation. A little Cantonese voice in the back of my head keeps telling me that I should learn how to speak Mandarin — just in case I run into Fan Bingbing or Li Bingbing someday — but I’m a lazy, lazy man.
By the way, Kozo really is actually marrying his secret girlfriend of 20 years later this month. He’s going to be telling everyone that’s he’s going to “Italy” for a “film festival” but he’s really going to Malaysia for his wedding.
On to today’s business …
* * * * *
The nominees for Best Film are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: THE WAY WE ARE
To me, THE WAY WE ARE is the clear winner in this category. CJ7 is enjoyably pleasant but it’s a clear step down for Stephen Chow. It’s not as uproariously funny as SHAOLIN SOCCER nor is it as captivating as KUNG FU HUSTLE. Honestly, I think CJ7 got nominated because back room folks at the Hong Kong Film Awards Association had the following conversation:
HKFAA Executive #1: You know, ratings for our awards show would really get a boost if we could get Stephen Chow to show up.
HKFAA Executive #2: Well, Tiffany says the guy is “inhumane” and that he once threatened to sue Cecilia Cheung if she didn’t shave her head for a movie. He’s not going to come if we just ask him. The only way he’ll show up is if we nominate him for something.
HKFAA Executive #1: What if we play the loyalty card and ask him to come for the good of the industry that’s provided him his millions?
HKFAA Executive #2: Danny says that Chow is the type of guy who drinks water but doesn’t think about where it comes from. He should know because he helped Chow start up his movie career. The loyalty card won’t work. We have to nominate him.
HKFAA Executive #1: OK, let’s throw some nominations to CJ7 and hope he shows up.
I think that’s a big part of why CJ7 is nominated in this category and not THE BEAST STALKER which is just as technically proficient as CJ7 or TRUE WOMAN FOR SALE which has just as much, if not more, grit and heart as CJ7.
IP MAN and PAINTED SKIN are both well-made and thoroughly enjoyable. They are, however, popcorn movies. They’re like most of the summer blockbusters that Hollywood churns out annually, a whole lot of fun, but when it comes time for Oscar season, you don’t consider them serious contenders.
With John Woo at the helm, a stellar cast, grand production values and a ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS pedigree, RED CLIFF has an epic feel that makes it more than your usual summer blockbuster. If it weren’t for THE WAY WE ARE, RED CLIFF would win running away. However, three things — two minor and one very significant — make THE WAY WE ARE more worthy of the title. First, RED CLIFF is plagued at times by languid pacing. It feels like it could have been paced with tighter efficiency. Second, there’s more cheese in some of the scenes than a 12″ Big Philly Cheesesteak from Subway. Stuff like the Sun Shangxiang nerve tweak or Takeshi Kaneshiro’s Zhuge Liang comic relief face are fine as entertaining bits in a summer blockbuster but they don’t belong if your aspiration is to make an all-time epic.
Third, and most important, RED CLIFF does not carry as much cultural significance as THE WAY WE ARE. Now some of you are probably thinking: “Did Sanney get into Jill Vidal’s stash or something? Along with JOURNEY TO THE WEST (西遊記), WATER MARGIN (水滸傳) and DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER (紅樓夢), ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS is one of the four great Chinese classics. How can RED CLIFF not have as much cultural significance as THE WAY WE ARE?”
Well, my counterargument is that we are talking about the HONG KONG film awards and THE WAY WE ARE is more culturally significant to HONG KONG than RED CLIFF. Like it or not, movies tend to reinforce stereotypes and common misconceptions. For example, I’m sure all those Richard Curtis romantic comedies have left many people thinking that most British guys are charming, self-effacing Hugh Grant/Colin Firth types. Similarly, I’m sure Hong Kong movies have left many people thinking that HK is filled with kung fu masters, invincible cops and goo wak jai (古惑仔). Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. The people that populate THE WAY WE ARE — the produce lady at Wellcome, the lonely senior citizen, the dopey ambition-less kid and the successful businessman who received an education overseas — are the same people who populate Hong Kong. They outnumber, by a vast margin, kung fu practitioners, supercops and evil gangsters. THE WAY WE ARE is an almost perfect reflection of normal life in Hong Kong and it deserves to be rewarded with this year HKFA for Best Film.
The big knock against THE WAY WE ARE is that it’s boring and that nothing really happens. People who feel that way are, I believe, missing the point of the movie. THE WAY WE ARE is saying that Hong Kong is defined not by those whose lives end with tragic murder-suicides but by people whose lives continue everyday in mundane ways like the hard-working Mrs. Cheung and her lonely neighbour. It’s saying that most people in Hong Kong react to adversity by quietly sucking it up and moving on with their lives the best that they can. Only in exceptional cases do they resort to violence. To reinforce that message, the low-key rhythm is necessary. Moments of high drama or neat resolutions would defeat the purpose of the film.
Reading the tea leaves, I think THE WAY WE ARE, RED CLIFF and IP MAN are the three serious contenders for the awards. Though RED CLIFF and IP MAN are bigger and flashier, it would be a shame if the exceptional, note-perfect, little local film that’s about local people and local issues fails to win the prize.
Image credits: Universal Pictures (Li Bingbing), Lion Rock Productions (Takeshi Kaneshiro), Class Limited (Still from THE WAY WE ARE)
Posted in Reader Interaction, Hong Kong Film Awards, The Life and Opinion of the Webmaster Sanney | 4 Comments »
April 14th, 2009
The signs are all here. The sweet showers of April have pierced the drought of March. The Ram has run half its course through the Zodiac and Zephirus, with his sweet breath, has breathed life into the tender crops. It’s mid-April and time to preview the Hong Kong Film Awards.
These aren’t my predictions for the awards, rather they reflect what my votes would have been if, by some fortuitous machination of the Universe, I ended up getting a ballot.
Let’s start with the Best Actor and Best Actress categories …
* * * * *
The nominees for Best Actor are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Nick Cheung Ka-Fai (THE BEAST STALKER)
Of the five nominated performances, the one by Nick Cheung shows the most range and the most depth. Moreover, of the five, his job is the most difficult. On one hand, he has to create enough tension as a villain to move the story forward. On the other — for the “one stone, many ripples” theme of the movie to work — he has to generate enough sympathy from the audience so that they care about the story behind his relentless Terminator-like menace. Cheung pulls off both tasks with great aplomb. If he does not win the award on Sunday night, it will be a major injustice.
Why? My cousin Tony, Simon Yam and Louis Koo all turn in fine performances but their roles were not challenging as they’ve all given similar performances before. In HERO, Tony Leung portrayed a man of strategy and action in a historical epic. Over his long career, Simon Yam has played so many suave and sophisticated criminals, he could probably do it in his sleep. As for Louis Koo, Kozo summed it up best in his review of RUN PAPA RUN:
… Koo has yet to become a truly accomplished actor, but he has cornered the market on certain character types. Among them are the weak macho hero, the hen-pecked playboy, and other variations on the comically emasculated drop-dead gorgeous male. What makes Koo so special at the above roles is he can play them while retaining audience identification and sympathy, making him a likable lout that’s less than a caricature and more than a simpering loser. Basically, if you need an actor to play a character like Lee Tin-Yun, Louis Koo is your go-to guy, as he can wring comedy and even some affecting emotions from potentially weak, easily-assailed men.
Last but not least, Donnie Yen is a different kettle of fish. He successfully reins in his natural “preening schmoe” tendencies but his portrayal of Ip Man is more like Jean Claude Van Damme playing Frank Dux in BLOODSPORT than it is Philip Seymour Hoffman winning an Oscar for his portrayal of Truman Capote in CAPOTE. I can’t say this with 100% certainty but I’m 99% sure that Yen’s portrayal of Ip Man bears very little resemblance to the real-life Ip Man. As I said when I shared my thoughts on the film, Yen wasn’t playing Ip Man, he was playing a Chinese superhero fighting against the evil Japanese.
* * * * *
The nominees for Best Actress are:
MY VOTE GOES TO: Barbie Hsu (CONNECTED)
This category presents a real head-versus-heart dilemma for me. My head says that Bau Hei-Jing, daughter of all-time great Bau Fong,  gave the best performance but, in my heart of hearts, I think I would toss my vote to Barbie Hsu. Objectively, CONNECTED is merely a well-made popcorn movie and Barbie Hsu’s performance isn’t overwhelmingly superior to that of Bau or the other nominees. However, it stuck with me. About a month after I watched CONNECTED, I sat down to watch THE BEAST STALKER. Whenever Zhang Jingchu popped up on the screen as the “mother with a child in peril”, I couldn’t help thinking: “Zhang Jingchu is really doing a nice job here but she isn’t even coming close to matching Barbie Hsu in CONNECTED.” It’s a purely idiosyncratic reason to vote for Hsu but hers is the performance I liked the most in this category.
Another reason my heart beats out my head is that something about Bau Hei-Jing’s performance in THE WAY WE ARE bothers me. After the film, Bau’s Mrs. Cheung remains opaque. The audience doesn’t learn much about her beyond the fact that she’s a hard-working, magnaminous, straight-arrow. We don’t know why she avoids visiting her mother in the hospital and, apart from one brief snippet, she doesn’t show any emotion. Granted, many people don’t show much emotion in real life but you’d think there would be a shade here or a shade there to give the audience some insight into what makes Mrs. Cheung tick. The screenplay may be more at fault here than Bau Hei-Jing but the nagging inscrutability of the Mrs. Cheung character helps tip my vote over to Big S Barbie Hsu.
As for the rest of the field, Prudence Lau delivers a striking performance as a drug-addicted prostitute in TRUE WOMAN FOR SALE. However, at various points throughout the film, she lays it on a bit too thick so that puts her performance in the “good, really good, but not great” category. Zhou Xun shows some allure while playing a heart-eating demon in PAINTED SKIN but it’s a role that doesn’t have award-winning gravitas. I suppose you could say that the same thing applies to Barbie Hsu and, you know what, I wouldn’t argue with you but what can I say besides Hsu’s performance really connected with me. In any case, the prevailing winds seem to be blowing towards Bau Hei-Jing for the win.
Now, you’ll notice that I haven’t mentioned Karena Lam or her work in CLAUSTROPHOBIA. Well, that’s because it doesn’t come out on DVD until April 30th so I won’t be able to see it until well after Sunday’s ceremony. To get some insight on how Lam fits into this puzzle, let’s call our old pal Kozo on the Neway Karaoke LoveHKFilm.com hotline:
Phone ringing … and ringing … and ringing … and ringing …
KOZO: Hello.
SANNEY: Hi. Sorry to bother you on a busy work day but I’m putting together my annual HKFA preview posts and I’ve run into a bit of trouble because I won’t be able to see CLAUSTROPHOBIA until after the awards ceremony. I was wondering if you’d give everyone a little insight into how Karena Lam stacks up against the rest of the field in the Best Actress category. But first, I was wondering if you’d like to talk about those pictures of you that got floated out on the Internet …
KOZO: That’s in the past, I want to talk about the future. I’m marrying my secret girlfriend of 20 years later this month …
Speaking of my secret girlfriend, I really enjoyed Karena Lam’s performance in CLAUSTROPHOBIA. The film can be frustrating thanks to Ivy Ho’s opaque storytelling, which requires the viewer to “read between the lines” far more than most films starring popstars do. Lam’s performance is subtle yet compelling, and Lam pulls it off without big speeches or regular outbursts of emotion. CLAUSTROPHOBIA asks its actors to create characters far beyond what’s on the scripted page, and Lam does that for both her character AND Ekin Cheng’s. If acting assists were an actual statistic, then Lam would get one here.
As for her chances come Sunday, Karena Lam’s are small. I doubt she’ll pull out a win for CLAUSTROPHOBIA as it’s a movie that people respect rather than really like. I think the award is Bau Hei-Jing’s to lose, with Prudence Lau being the only one who can upset her. In a related prediction, either Nora Miao or Chan Lai-Wun will win for Best Supporting Actress. Call it the “Susan Shaw factor”.
Image credits: Emperor Motion Pictures (Nick Cheung, Barbie Hsu), TVB (Bau Fong), Class Limited (Bau Hei-Jing)
Posted in Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Nick Cheung Ka-Fai, Karena Lam Ka-Yan, Donnie Yen Chi-Tan, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Hong Kong Film Awards | 6 Comments »
April 12th, 2009
Happy Easter everybody!
LINK OF THE DAY:
Many splendoured films
Feature from The Australian about famous Hong Kong film locations
IN PRODUCTION:
 Making her first acting appearance since the television series MOON FAIRY (奔月) in 2003, Carrie Ng Ka-Lai started work recently on the French-HK co-production LES NUITS ROUGES DU BOURREAU DE JADE (trans. RED NIGHTS OF THE JADE TORTURER). Written by the team of Julien Carbon and Laurent Courtiaud, the film is a CAT-III thriller set in the world of Chinese Opera. Co-starring with Ng are Law Kar-Ying, Maria Chan Chai-Ping and TVB star Stephen Wong Cheung-Hing (Wong blogged about the movie on his official TVB blog).
Speaking to reporters at a press event for the film, Ng — who hasn’t appeared in a Hong Kong film since GLASS TEARS in 2001 — was asked what it was like to comeback to the entertainment circle. Ng: “I’ve been focusing on the Mainland market these past few years so you can’t really call this a comeback. I’m doing this because it’s a very intriguing role. I play a beautiful, refined rich woman who’s addicted to drugs and has a pathological need to kill people. It’s a CAT-III film but there aren’t any love scenes. If I keep getting good roles and good scripts, I’ll keep acting in Hong Kong.”
When reporters remarked that Ng looked great, she replied: “Really? I let myself balloon up to 140 pounds but it was bad for my health so I cut out carbs and got myself back down to 110 pounds.”
Noting that the production was more French than Chinese, Ng was asked if she was being paid in euros. Ng: “I wish but the script is good and the role is a challenge so I really don’t care how I’m paid.”
Carbon and Courtiaud were the writers behind RUNNING OUT OF TIME and RUNNING OUT OF TIME 2. On the other hand, they also helped serve up THE TOUCH and BLACK MASK 2: CITY OF MASKS.
RELATED LINKS: Xinhua article, Sina.com article
In other production news …
Jackie Chan goes big on ‘Soldier’
Stars line up for ‘Bodyguards’
Van Ness Wu featured in “Singapore ghost stories”
Film on Tibet starring Charlie Yeung to start shooting
‘Three Kingdoms’ Rebuilt for television
HONG KONG FILM AWARDS:
Nick Cheung: “Red River” Actor Votes for Himself in Film Awards Race
HKFA Promo Photos: Xinhua Gallery, CRIEnglish Gallery 1, CRIEnglish Gallery 2
FEATURES:
Dante Lam: Taking aim at Edison
SEXY PHOTOS GATE:
HK Standard: Edison pics seen year before
Asia One: Computer technician behind Edison Chen sex photo leak
Articles on the trial: BBC, Reuters UK, New York Times
Actor Chen relieved movie out after sex scandal
Edison Chen flies into Beijing under the radar
MOVIE REVIEWS:
Hollywood Reporter reviews:
SHINJUKU INCIDENT
NIGHT AND FOG
PAINTED SKIN
IF YOU ARE THE ONE (Feng Xiaogang’s latest starring Shu Qi)
GENERAL NEWS:
Jill Vidal to face trial in Japan after drugs arrest
Twins’ Charlene Choi releases solo album
Charlene Choi’s album cover tampered with
Jay Chou breaks Asian celebrity endorsement fee record
Cecilia Cheung and Nicholas Tse move into new multi-million dollar home
I am, by no means, a fashion expert but those are an atrocious looking pair of sunglasses on Cecilia Cheung.
Cecilia Cheung endorses bedding
Star power: Ah Niu’s Ice Kacang Puppy Love brings together a string of successful Taiwan-based Malaysian stars.
Taipei Times Pop Stop
Nothing really entertainment circle related this week, just items on boobs and JAV star Maria Ozawa.
PHOTO GALLERYS:
Charlene Choi shoots ad for a brand of noodles
Gillian Chung shoots clothing ad in Guangzhou
Gigi Leung attends event for Piaget
Karen Mok performs in Shanghai with John Legend
Bernice Liu Bik-Yi attends Easter event
Liza Wang rehearses for her upcoming concerts
Liza Wang was busy on April 9th rehearsing for her upcoming April 17th Hong Kong concert. Kenny Bee, who will be a guest performer at the show, was also at the rehearsal. Kenny Bee’s 14 year-old daughter dropped by to take in the proceedings.
Linda Chung Ka-Yan models at a fashion show
Classic Pictures Crystal Liu Yifei
Fan Bingbing featured in Hong Kong edition of Harper’s Bazaar: Sina.com, CRIEngish
Leo Koo shoots the video for his latest single
Image credits: Xinhua (Carrie Ng)
Posted in News Links, Carrie Ng Ka-Lai | 1 Comment »
April 8th, 2009
Before we begin, a little reader interaction. I’m going to try to respond to past comments and questions in a future post but I want to get at this one today while it’s fresh in my mind …
From the comments on News Links: Ching Ming Festival 2009
Glenn writes: I saw those Rainie shots the other day and thought they were pretty offensive; who dresses up like an American Indian anymore like that? I’m old enough to remember how dumb it was when Cher did it for her “Half Breed” song.
Again, it’s probably because I’ve watched way too much LAW & ORDER over the years but I find it hard to get worked up about the photos because there is no mens rea (guilty mind) behind it. They are more stupid than they are offensive. It’s more a reflection of ignorance than it is a reflection of racism. The people behind those photos just aren’t aware enough of the cultural significance of an  image of that sort. It’s probably just someone’s misguided idea of something that looks “cool”. It’s happened before — Vicki Zhao modeling that Rising Sun dress and Shawn Yue posing in Nazi-themed clothing — and it’ll happen again.
Plain and simple, some people are just ignorant. It’s a worldwide phenomenon that isn’t just limited to the East. People in the West have had their boneheaded moments too. Take, for instance, the recent “Asian eyes” controversies involving the Spanish Olympic basketball team and Miley Cyrus. Ignorance and stupidity are just as much a part of the human condition as racism. So, in all of the above cases, I pity the stupidity rather than abhor the prejudice.
Here’s hoping that with increasing globalization, more and more people become enlightened about racial and cultural issues. It might take a while to get there because it seems to me that, running opposite of increasing globalization, there is an increase in niche communities where people who have similar interests form insular communities. More and more, it’s possible to live your life in a bubble and not be aware of anything outside of your little niche. I am not talking just of nerds on the Internet, I’m also talking about CEOs who take private jets to Washington to ask for bailout money.
OK, I’ll shut up now, you’ve come here for HK entertainment circle news not a discussion of modern society from a Tocquevillean perspective.
Just one more thing, back to the Rainie Yang photos, I honestly believe there’s no malice behind it because parts of the Chinese community (the parts that have limited contact outside of the Chinese community) have yet to evolve to the point where they are aware that these issues even exist. The notion that they may be offending some people probably hasn’t even crossed their minds. Walk into the health care section of a Chinese grocery store and you’ll probably find bottles of Hak Gwai Yau (Black Man Oil) for sale on the shelf. The pain relief/massage oil has been around for decades and the reason behind the name is likely due to the fact that some Chinese people associate black men with physical prowess. They simply aren’t aware of issues like slavery or the civil rights struggle. To them, it’s “if black guys use this to relieve muscle aches and pains, then it must be good”. Again, here’s hoping time and increasing global awareness will rid society of these ills.
Speaking of stupidity …
EDISON CHEN LINKS:
SNIPER reviews: Hollywood Reporter, bc Magazine
Electric New Paper report of Edison Chen’s SNIPER press conference
Edison Chen: “If I made a mistake …”
Edison Chen: Stayin’ alive
Yahoo! Singapore reports: Edison Chen raises voice at reporter, Edison’s PR: Hand over that tape!, Asia’s “most secured” entertainment event?, Richie Ren prepared to be neglected
Straits Times: Drill and grill for Edison
Sina.com photo gallery of press event
Edison Chen braves death threat to promote movie in Singapore
SEXY PHOTOS GATE:
Edison driver tells of 3-hour laptop lapse
Court hears of Edison Chen sex photos
HK Techie Denies He Stole Edison Chen’s Pics
Call me “Naïve Gil”!
Charlene Choi releases solo album
On Monday, EEG held a press event celebrating the release of Charlene Choi Cheuk-Yin’s solo album 二缺一 (Two Missing One). Fellow EEG labelmates Kenny Kwan Chi-Ban and William Chan Wai-Ting were at the event to support Ah Sa. Gillian Chung Yan-Tung was not present because she did not want to draw attention away from her Twins bandmate. She did, however, make a phone call to show her support.
Talking about her new album, Choi said that the title “Two Missing One” represents her feelings as it felt strange to perform and shoot music videos without Ah Gil. Asked if the solo release means Twins has now disbanded, Choi answered: “Twins hasn’t disbanded. Twins is the brand I share with Ah Sa. There will come a day when we perform together again.”
IN PRODUCTION:
Jackie Chan Goes Big on ‘Soldier’
GENERAL NEWS:
Happy Birthday, Jackie Chan!
Andy Lau wedding rumours: No signs of wedding at Carol Chu’s
Gigi Leung: Charity Is like a Present
Karen Mok: Mok run for soul singer in Shanghai
Coco Lee: What an April Fools’ joke!
TVB revives dead cop
Jill Vidal: Pop idol had heroin in her belongings
Taiwan Singer A Sun Dies of Breast Cancer
MOVIE REVIEWS:
bc Magazine reviews SHINJUKU INCIDENT
FEATURES:
SNIPER director Dante Lam: Sniping at The Snipers
SHINJUKU INCIDENT cast: Survival Tactics
Daniel Wu, the outsider
bc Magazine reveals its annual Golden Durian awards
PHOTO GALLERYS:
Jet Li, Zhou Xun, Li Bingbing: Acting Stars Honored
To the delight of shoe fetishists everywhere, Lin Chi-Ling shoots ads for a shoe company
“Shinjuku Incident” Fan Bingbing Covers HK Magazine
Happy Vivian Chow on ‘Cosmopolitan’
Leehom Wang, Jolin Tsai Play Snooker in TV Ad
Fan Bingbing attends ForeverMark event
OTHER NEWS:
Film critic fired for reviewing illegally downloaded movie
Image credits: China Post (Rainie Yang), Koong Yick Medical Factory (Hak Kwai oil)
Posted in News Links, Reader Interaction, Charlene Choi Cheuk-Yin, The Life and Opinion of the Webmaster Sanney | 3 Comments »
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