Comedian Zhao Benshan joins the club
Comedian Zhao Benshan (赵本山) is following in the footsteps of a bunch of celebrities, like retired TV anchor Zhao Zhongxiang… (赵忠祥), and opening a club in downtown Beijing at the end of August. It’s in a prime location and has a floorspace of about 10,000
Zhou Dongyu negotiates “hidden rules”
So, is pretty Zhou Dongyu (周冬雨) about to get into Beijing Film Academy because of her connections, or exam scores? In a way, director Zhang Yimou’s (张艺谋) latest muse is in the unfortunate position of...
Hollywood stars chase renminbi
Increasing numbers of Hollywood stars are following the renminbi (money) and pitching for Chinese companies...
Zhang Yimou in praise of self and Oscar winner Christian Bale
Director Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) is so proud of roping in Christian Bale for his new film that he forked out 170,000 yuan (US$25,870) publishing ads to congratulate the Hollywood star’s Oscar victory...
Christian Bale back to work in Nanjing
Days after winning an Oscar for best supporting actor last week, Christian Bale flew to Beijing with his family for a sightseeing trip before heading to Nanjing to shoot Zhang Yimou’s (张艺谋) new film. The Hollywood star...
Christian Bale set for China stardom
Hollywood star Christian Bale has joined the cast of Zhang Yimou…’s (张艺谋) latest film, Heroes of Nanking (金陵十三釵), depicting Nanjing under Japanese occupation. Bale is in the city and will be on set for about 15 days. He has signed an eight-week contract that
BFA beckons for “Octopus Lips”
Zhou Dongyu (周冬雨) is already a star, having appeared in the Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) film Under the Hawthorn Tree (山楂树之恋), but nevertheless she is still applying for admission to Beijing Film Academy...
Is Jiang Wen firing blanks?
A Hollywood remake of Jiang Wen’s (姜文) Let the Bullets Fly (让子弹飞) is unlikely as it does not conform to industry conventions, said Zhang Weiping (张伟平), producer of Zhang Yimou…’s (张艺谋) Heroes of Nanking (金陵十三钗). Weiping, who said he has rich experience of
Geeks pick top girl (in their dreams)
A Japanese magazine and a social networking website recently held a poll to select the year’s top 10 “Nerdy Guy Goddesses” (宅男女神), which sort of represents Japanese young men’s preferences for the opposite sex. Not surprisingly, beauties Lin Chi-ling (林志玲), Vivian Hsu (徐若瑄), Crystal Liu…
Zhang Yimou rates his chances
An Oscar isn’t the world’s highest award but it’s nothing to sneeze at and exerts a strong influence on the public, director Zhang Yimou… (张艺谋) commented at the premiere of his latest film Romance Under the Hawthorne Tree (山楂树之恋), in Beijing, on Sunday. When asked
Zhang Yimou directs legacy
Looks like world-renowned director Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) is prepping his daughter Zhang Mo (张末) to follow in his giant footsteps. Zhang Mo participated in editing her father’s A Simple Noodle Story (三枪拍案惊奇), which stars Sun Honglei (孙红雷) and Xiao Shenyang… (小沈阳). For his latest work,
“Good girls” hard to find in China
China has 1.3 billion people (almost half of them women) but a pure, simple-hearted girl is hard to find. To cast an innocent young actress to play Jing Qiu (静秋) in Romance Under the Hawthorne Tree (山楂树之恋), Zhang Yimou's (张艺谋) team videotaped thousands of candidates...
Zhang Yimou’s latest muse “Octopus Lips”
The director Zhang Yimou’s (张艺谋) latest star has been revealed as a 17-year-old dance student from Shijiahuang in Hebei province. Zhou Dongyu (周冬雨) is said to have been spotted by one of Yimou’s able lieutenants in Beijing...
Man alert! Gong Li available!
Chinese actress Gong Li (巩俐) is on the singles market again. The 44-year-old reportedly divorced her Singaporean hubby, Ooi Hoe Seong… (黃和祥), a year ago. “Friends” of the actress said they seldom spent time together so decided to make the separation permanent. The two were
Director Feng Xiaogang’s own goal
Feng Xiaogang (冯小刚) has once again sparked controversy by lashing out against the country’s film industry and calling Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein a cheat. "Directors talk about `that cheat', when talking about Weinstein,” Feng said at the “New Front for Industry...
Zhang Yimou and damage limitation
Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) has been on the defensive since a TV report before the Spring Festival claimed he was unfilial – which is like one of the worst things you can call a man in Chinese society. While entertainers in the West (think Eminem) can get away with slagging...
“Donations Gate” still open
Zhang Ziyi (章子怡) has been criticized for appearing in a video to wish the Berlin Film Festival a happy 60th birthday, on the eve of the festival... It opened on Thursday with the world premiere of Chinese film Tuan Yuan, by Wang Quan’an (王全安).
Xiao Shenyang thanks lucky stars
Comedian Xiao Shenyang (小沈阳) has the global economic crisis to thank for his latest slice of good luck. According to various Chinese-language reports, the country's premier director Zhang Yimou (张艺谋) thinks a comedy thriller will bring some light relief...
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