News Links - 12/23/06

[dleedlee]

CURSED ‘FLOWER’
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/cp/entertainment/movies/

The Bombastic and the Beautiful: An Interview with Director Zhang Yimou
http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=59977
An Accent on Acting: An Interview with Gong Li
http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/061222/art ... ntid=59579

Carpet laced in gold - Red carpet premiere
http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/061222/art ... ntID=59577

Chinese Actress Gong Li Star Shines into Her 40s
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2006/12/23/60@176952.htm
http://english.people.com.cn/200612/22/ ... 35178.html

Japan's Avex to Invest in China's Priciest Film - John Woo's Battle of Red Cliffs
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2006/12/23/60@176972.htm

Almost attacked by hungry extras on film set
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/show/story ... 32,00.html

Tan Dun's 'First Emperor' big on style, short on substance
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/ente ... 303244.htm
First Emperor Striking, But Not Quite Successful
http://english.cri.cn/3166/2006/12/23/60@176964.htm
The Familiar Kingdom Of 'The First Emperor'
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 01505.html

[dleedlee]

Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh - The Children of Huangshi

[ewaffle]

Two reviews, both by critical heavyweights. Manuela Haltertoff has quite a following among opera fans as does Tomassini who, as critic for the New York Times, also has lots of clout among those who generally don't go to the opera. Registration may be need for the Times article.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&refer=&sid=aMUoKTzN4YuU

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/23/arts/music/23empe.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


"The First Emperor" is one of the Saturday matinees that the Met will broadcast to some cinemas. We have our tickets for January 13.


http://www.fathomevents.com/subpage/index.asp?EventID=613

[Gaijin84]

I tried to get tickets but they sold out immediately... hopefully they'll run it for another season.

[ewaffle]

I tried to get tickets but they sold out immediately... hopefully they'll run it for another season.

One would think that having spent millions on sets, costumes, scores and everything else that goes into doing a world premiere--in other words everything that doesn't involve paying singers, chorus, orchestra, backstage of front of house people, most of whom would be there anyway--the Met would try to recoup their investment by putting "The First Emperor" into the rep.

The economics of opera is so insane that it might not happen. For example, the Met premiered "The Ghosts of Versailles" in 1991, revived in 1994 and is thinking of doing it again but probably not before 2010.

If you are able to stand for a long time, standing room at the Met goes on sale each morning for that evening performance. There are also rush tickets for side orchestra seats that are available for each performance. This article explains how both standing room and rush seating works. It also describes how Masayo Yamada, a woman on extended leave from her human resources job in Japan, has seen every production of the Met this year--each of them on rush tickets

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/arts/ ... 2chea.html