News Links - 4/19/08

[dleedlee]

'Up the Yangtze' scores big
http://www.variety.com/article/VR111798 ... 1&nid=2562

Cannes selection headed for slim Asian presence
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/5936/1/

'Isabella Leong Countersues EEG'
http://www.batgwa.com/story.php?id=799

Jet's Daughter Star Of 'Kingdom' Premiere
http://www.batgwa.com/story.php?id=798
The kick of 'Kingdom' is in its stars
the film's bad girl wipes her [Liu Yifei] off the screen: Li Bingbing as a sexy, trash-talking, white-haired witch hired by the Jade Warlord to stop the good guys. With her tresses whipping out like surly tentacles, she's Asia's Next Top Medusa.
http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/article ... its_stars/

Epic "Summer Palace" blends sex and politics
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbc ... 1011/SCENE
'Summer Palace' (Tiananmen Square and its aftermath doused in soapy love story)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertain ... 6238.story

Forbes Releases 2008 Chinese Celebrity Top 100 List
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/04/19/176@347927.htm

Lee Byung-hun makes triumphant return to TV
http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/content/view/5939/1/

Anita Mui asked for secrecy to spare mum's pain
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_deta ... 80418&fc=8
Andy Hui Saddened By Anita Mui News
http://www.batgwa.com/story.php?id=802

Vivian Chow Releases New Pictures

http://english.cri.cn/3086/2008/04/19/176@347951.htm

Eric Tsang and Wang Baoqiang in "Country Bumpkin"


http://ent.sina.com.cn/m/c/2008-04-18/10441992916.shtml

Kim Ah Joong declines 200 Pounds Beauty Sequel Offer
http://coolsmurf.wordpress.com/2008/04/ ... uel-offer/

Hidden dragon
Hollywood has encountered pitfalls in its rush to film in China
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 03,00.html

Subway Sued by Toho Over Unauthorized Godzilla Advertisements
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... efer=japan

Pirates Raise Curtain on `88 Minutes' Before Theaters
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... refer=home

First Korean astronaut returns to Earth
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hEG ... TnpvLL-Pkw

300 restaurants face closure as costs rise 10 pct
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_deta ... 80418&fc=8

Bisexual `Prince of Oil' admits fondling cabbie
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_deta ... r=20080410
Cabbie says Gan offered money for gay sex
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_deta ... r=20080409
Businessman 'groped' taxi drivers (Thanks, Fan)
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News ... 13,00.html

Protesters not welcome here, say vast majority of Hongkongers
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_deta ... con_type=1

[ewaffle]

Pirates Raise Curtain on `88 Minutes' Before Theaters
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aMUkXLjdEcfI&refer=home

The studios are battling piracy as much through marketing as the legal system.

Unlike the RIAA, the recording industry trade group, who responded to filesharing by suing as many of its former and potential customers as it could.

Clearly the current (now increasingly outmoded) distribution channels for digital media are being replaced. Will be very interesting to see how this shakes out.

[Brian Thibodeau]

I think the pirates had a good head start with 88 MINUTES, though, since it's been on DVD in other regions for a while now. I remember seeing it mixed in with several then-current theatrical releases laid out on a blanket on the sidewalk in downtown Chinatown late last fall, and wondering if it was some dodgy retitling of a Pacino flick since the title didn't ring a bell! Little did I know . . . Of course, the 51,000 people the article says have seen in on that website so far, might actually top the number who go to see it first-run in theatres this weekend!

The existence of these kinds of streaming sites (and they number higher than the article suggests) do prove one thing: quality presentations aren't paramount to a lot of people. Viewing a movie in a YouTube or Google-Video-sized window seems to be the way of the future . . . unfortunately.

Mind you, while I still like my big TV and my big comfy couch, but there are some lesser titles that I could handle watching once on my computer, just to say I saw 'em but not have to go through the hassle of ordering online and, sometimes, on spec (especially if the movie ultimately isn't a "keeper"). If the studios don't figure out a way to harness that audience, at least in part—maybe better quality streams with a small charge, a la ITunes, or better yet, EXPAND the ITunes movie service to include Canada, Europe, Asia and everywhere else, and let the world cinemas truly mingle— instead of thinking newer, bigger and more expensive home theatre toys are the way to go, it should be interesting to see how much they've lost in another five years or so.