Favorite Hong Kong actresses

Fan Bingbing at 13

2012-01-28T11:07:00.000-08:00

Looking straight into the camera with all the confidence in the world is FBB when she was thirteen years old.

Xudong Dong welcomes the new year

2012-01-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

Bombshell actress Xudong Dong and her cheekbones wish all her fans Kung hei fat choi. She posed for a Hong Kong film magazine with appropriate props but with a skirt that was almost the same shade of red as the backdrop. Art directors can have a hard life.

Sina

Li Bingbing attends Paris Dior haute couture show disguised as Ni Ni

2012-01-24T10:06:00.000-08:00

Zimbio is quicker than any other image service for pictures of Chinese actresses appearing at European fashion shows. They occasionally slap random names on images before releasing them to the diva starved masses; in this case tagging Ni Ni as Li Bingbing, the type of error they have made in the past. Here is "not Li BingBing" from Zimbio:

Interesting to note the action just beyond Ni Ni in the pictures above. In the top picture the mustachioed, black-suited grumpy looking guy is directly behind Ni Ni so the scene is dominated by a scrum of jostling humanity, trying to push their way to the next show or (possibly) into the frame of the photo. In the second one he forms a human backdrop for the shot of the star and her outfit.

CRI had her with Sidney Toledano, CEO of Christian Dior Couture and interim head of design Bill Gaytten--managing not to identify him as Marc Jacobs.

CRI

More ladies in red

2012-01-24T09:14:00.000-08:00

An improbably elongated (a combination of unfortunate camera angles and sloppy Photoshop work) Xu Xi-Yan lounges on the stairs.

Sina

Fiona Sit (The Fortune Buddies) was at Tuen Mun Town Plaza in a short cheongsam to pass out red envelopes and hype a new album.

Xinhua

Gillian and Charlene were all smiles as the Twins made headway in a dragon boat.

Xinhua

Backstage at the Beijing Pop Music Awards: contrasting reactions.

2012-01-19T19:10:00.000-08:00

Jane Zhang Liangying won the award for the Mainland's Best Female Vocalist at the Beijing Pop Music Awards. Backstage at the photo-op she looked like a teenager who had just received a Nokia flip-phone for her birthday when she expected an Apple iPhone 4S. This is one very unhappy young lady who seems ready to throw her trophy on the floor and storm out. Every bit of her body language from her hand on her hip to her steely glare to the casual hold she has on the award just bristles with unhappiness.

Yang Mi won a best newcomer award and looked thrilled about it. Backstage she seemed to be in "just happy to be here" mood.

Bibi Chou (Zhou Bichang) with her nerd glasses and multi-zippered black leather took a middle road, looking professional and pulled together, neither so bored she just couldn't stand another minute nor wide-eyed with wonder at it all.

Sina

Zhou Xun at the airport

2012-01-19T17:10:00.000-08:00

Along with half of the country Zhou Xun headed for the airport. Wearing a puffy jacket and a stocking cap she checked her ticket and was compared to Lucky Cat by Xinhua.

Xinhua

Karen Mok welcomes the year of the dragon

2012-01-19T16:53:00.000-08:00

Karen Mok, delightful as always and bit goofy looking like she is having fun with the props. The pattern on her semi-traditional cheongsam is exquisite and quite striking.

Sina

Ladies in Red; Hai-Qing and Yang Mi

2012-01-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

It's time for a new year in China which means it is also time for a flood of pictures featuring many of our favorites wearing red dresses, carrying red accessories or wearing red shoes.

Sina had Hai-Qing

Xinhua ran with Yang Mi

Xinhua; Sina

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

2012-01-18T19:58:00.000-08:00

In “Detective Dee and the Secret of the Phantom Flame” Tsui Hark creates a world based on historical fact—the beginning of the reign of Wu Zetian, the first (and, so far, only female ruler of China) in 690 AD. It has square rigged ships from the 18th century, industrial techniques from the 19th century and a relatively modern view of the role of women in society. It includes trusted advisors to the Empress dying while bursting into flame, a band of assassins armed with deadly dart-like arrows who, like the Spanish Inquisition, are never expected but who always show up and people with the ability to change gender and age by twisting wires implanted in their brains. There are talking deer, exploding beetles and a bird that senses danger. Everyone—the good, the bad and the ambiguous—can jump to and from rooftops, stack up the bodies of enemies like cordwood and always look great while doing it. It is a wuxia historical mystery with sumptuous costumes and flashy, perfectly planned and executed action choreography (Sammo Hung) and astonishing sets whether they were built in a CGI computer, a model shop or on a soundstage. It doesn’t quite hold together and nitpickers will find some loose ends but “Detective Dee” is a terrific movie: exciting, romantic and lots of fun.

Andy Lau and Li Bing-Bing take care of most of the human element. Carina Lau does a good job with a thankless role, the evil Empress; Tony Leung Ka-Fai rings the changes from cringing to stoic to insane and makes us believe him; Deng Chao has a good time as the extremely pale (and creepy) official who figures things out. Li Bing-Bing smolders and pouts, making no secret of her total dedication to the Empress, willing to die or kill in her service while Andy Lau is stoic, charming where appropriate, ruthless where necessary.

The Empress is not amused.

The ever loyal Shatuo Zhong. He has something up his sleeve--besides his hook.

The movie is pulled along less by its plot—which wanders all over the place—but by the tension generated and resolved within several sets of paired opposites. The most obvious one is Detective Dee and Shangguan Jing'er, the head of the Praetorian guard for the Empress. They begin their relationship by insulting one another, then try to kill each other followed by getting naked and almost making love, only to be thwarted by an attack by the ever present assassins. That their attempted coupling is something other than just having a good time while stuck on a deployment can be seen when Shangguan Jing'er keeps a razor handy during what passes for foreplay between these two.

There are some unstated but obvious Sapphic subtexts involving the Empress. One is with her personal servant and food taster who not only lives to serve Wu Zetain but who wants more than anything else to give her life for her. A backstory is hinted at in a couple of lines of dialog but no more than that. The servant isn’t happy that the rehabilitated Dee is joining the court.

Shangguan Jing'er is even more displeased. She doesn’t want Dee or anyone else coming between her and the Empress and does an impressive sulk when sent on her way so that Dee and the Empress can talk about old times. Li Bing-Bing is a master at keeping very still while allowing the rage burning within her to show through.

The fantastic parts of "Detective Dee" are crazy enough to be enjoyed by aficionados of over the top plot points. There is the chaplain disguised as a talking deer who gives incomprehensible advice in perfect Mandarin (or whatever was spoken by in 685 AD) and the assassins who are so committed to not being taken alive that they jump into a roaring furnace when disarmed.

The first flaming official.

I'll leave any discussion of how this fits into Tsui Hark's body of work to those more attuned to such things and simply recommend "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" as an very entertaining movie.

Huang Yi kills in red, looks great in black with sequins

2012-01-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

Crystal Huang Yi, who was everywhere a couple of months ago promoting "The Woman Knight of Mirror Lake" and "East Meets West 2011" has surfaced in the magazine Mango Illustrated. We were beginning to miss her casually insouciant sexiness.

Sina

Lovely images of Zhang Xin Yi (I hope) in garish magazine

2012-01-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

Zhang Xin Yi has the cover of the magazine "Trading Up: The Magazine for the High Class", a periodical with which I was unfamiliar before I encountered it on the virtual pages of Xinhua. A neo-retro look with ruby red lips set against her so Gaussian-blurred it is plasticized complexion.

More of the same on Xinhua.

Mainland TV actress Dong Xuan with birds

2012-01-15T19:17:00.000-08:00

We try not to miss a chance to post images of an actress with a bird or two. In this case the editors of Xinjua Entertainment Weekly decided that mixing a swan, snow and Dong Xuan would add up to Swan Lake. The Chinese characters 天鹅湖 may mean an altogether different Swan Lake, not the ballet and score that is a major work in the 19th century western Romantic canon and a staple of ballet companies the world over, but something else entirely. However: Dong Xuan holding a swan:

Dong Xuan not holding a swan:

Dong Xuan looking at a chicken.

Brigitte Lin at school

2012-01-15T18:37:00.000-08:00

Brigitte Lin dropped in at a primary school in Taiwan recently and was a big hit with students, parents and staff.

A perfect look for a winter day in Taipei.

Sina

Jiang Xinyu in and out of her bathrobe

2012-01-15T18:12:00.000-08:00

Jiang Xinyu got herself some "tattoos" (most likely of the temporary kind) and Sina has the pictures to prove it. The article says that she is a blend of bad and sexy; sexy is spot on but she doesn't seem like a typical bad girl here unless the tattoos put her in that category automatically.

Sina

Angelababy in restaurant business

2012-01-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

Angelababy opened her first cafe four months ago and it is successful enough that she is opening other branches in Hong Kong--which, if nothing else, is a nice change from everyone you have ever heard of decamping to Beijing. She certainly has the marketing skills and personality to make it a success even if she is just a famous face to serve as a draw.

One hopes for a review of her enterprise from either YTSL who sometimes blogs about food and restaurants at Webs of Significance--check out the pictures of some yummy treats from her post today--or Glenn at his blog. Glenn is newly relocated to Hong Kong and covers restaurants as he finds them.
Xinhua

Mabel Ye Xiqi picks up an award

2012-01-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

Mabel Ye Xiqi (Bloodstained Shoes) was at the Hong Kong Top Ten Chinese Gold Songs Awards to get an award wearing a low cut, extremely flashy dress that looked impractical for anything other than standing or walking. I imagine that she and those around her figured out how she could sit in a theater seat while waiting to go on stage. Even being driven to and from the event must have been a challenge with those rows of fabric flowers sticking out from her petticoat.

Cute award--it is anachronistic but a CD is a lot easier than trying to show what a streaming musical number might look like.

Sina

Zhang Xinyi in black leather

2012-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

Looks as if Zhang Xinyi (Flowers of War) landed herself a watch and jewelry contract. To celebrate she broke out the black leather and thigh-highs, grabbed a blonde wig, loaded up her arms with watches and bracelets and posed for Sina.

Love the beret! It goes well with the pistol.

Sina

Zhang Ziyi in "Marie Claire"

2012-01-13T16:21:00.000-08:00

"Marie Claire" features Zhang Ziyi on the cover and inside of the February issue for a puff piece that might embarrass the most ardent celebrity press agent. She looks great in various poses, inside and outside, and at different time of day--the article seems to be a "24 hours in the life of Zhang Ziyi". According to "Marie Claire" she cooked fried rice for the crew of a film, endured 20 hours of shooting in an atmosphere think with formaldehyde and, during House of Flying Daggers, endured broken ribs without complaint and without missing a day or even a minute of work. Quite the superwoman.

Xinhua

Andy Lau, Zhang Jingchu, Lin Chi-ling and the gang in Dubai

2012-01-12T18:14:00.000-08:00

"Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", slated to be shot in Dubai, Hangzhou, Fuyang, Taipei, Tokyo and Milan is a big deal; it is the first major Chinese film to be predominantly produced outside China. The cast and crew were in Dubai to assure the powers that be in the capital of the United Arab Emirates that their city wouldn't get the "Mission Impossible 4" treatment: no camels in the streets, no sandstorms, just "the real fantasy world that Dubai is" according to director Sun Jianjun.

It's good to be Andy Lau. He is flanked here by Lin Chi-ling and Zhang Jingchu.

Zhang Jingchu with a couple of officials from the Dubai Film Commission. The guy on the left looks very smug about something.

Lin Chi-ling left her voice in Taiwan or lost it on the way to the Emirates so she was limited to looking lovely while not saying anything.

Xinhua; Gulf News; Film Business Asia

Vivian Hsu checks out the merchandise at MontBlanc

2012-01-12T17:29:00.000-08:00

Looks like it is OK to invite Vivian Hsu and Cherie Chung to the same store opening. She dropped in at the new MontBlanc Beijing store dressed for the red carpet and wearing the same watch at Cherie.

Yahoo China

Cherie Chung for MontBlanc

2012-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

Wow. Cherie Chung dropped by a new MontBlanc store in Beijing wearing her superhero cape. She was striking in all black with a splash of scarlet at her waist that could have been part of an elaborate buckle, accessorized with (one assumes) a MontBlanc watch.

Xinhua

Li Bingbing and friends promote "I Do"

2012-01-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

Li Bingbing looked almost impossibly leggy draping herself over co-star Sun Hong-Lei, adorably goofy in close-ups and like an urban woman about town while doing publicity for her upcoming "I Do", a romantic comedy directed by Sun Zhou that will be released this spring.

With Sun Hong-Lei

------------
With Xue Jianing

and Zhang Yi

Xinhua; Sina

Li Bingbing gives master class in air kisses

2012-01-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

Yet another awards show with people from the entertainment business gathering to present trophies and tell each other how wonderful they all are. This one was Sina's Wiebo awards which have something to do with the very popular Sina microblogging platform. Li Bingbing and Chen Kun were named the most influential film actress and actor. This combination of stage lighting with the efforts of the hair and makeup people didn't do Li Bingbing any favors although she still looked lovely.

In a quick sequence with Sina CEO Charles Chao, LBB demonstrates the air kiss and the non-contact embrace.

A bit later the female interviewer was unhappy with something that someone said.

Sina

Li Na preps for Australian Open with kangaroo

2012-01-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

French Open champion and last year's runner-up in Australia Li Na took some time out from the Hopman Cup in Perth for a photoshoot with a cute baby animal.

She posed with some fans, sans marsupial.

People's Daily

Michelle Reis for Swarovski

2012-01-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

This just in: Michelle Reis preps for role of Agent 99 in yet to be announced second remake of "Get Smart". Barbara Feldon with the shoe-phone.

Michelle Reis practices using an updated shoe phone--using a Stuart Weitzman pump covered with Swarovski crystals.

She has a line of mobile phone cases using crystals.

Egad!

Sina; Xinhua