News Links - 3/7/07

[dleedlee]

"The Postmodern Life of My Aunt" premieres in Beijing
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 812065.htm

Two Famous Directors Join Up to Make Lesbian Movie
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/07/272@202727.htm

Taiwan gay drama "Summer" heats U.S. theaters
http://www.reuters.com/article/filmNews ... 3420070307


Jay Chou's Costumes Auctioned for Charity
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/07/272@202713.htm

Guitar Hero: Chan Lit-bun's The Six-Fingered Lord of the Lute
http://www.kungfucinema.com/blog/electr ... 306-154623

F4 Arrive in Japan to Promote Taiwan Tourism
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/07/272@202750.htm

Fan Bingbing Poses for Magazine
http://english.cri.cn/3086/2007/03/07/272@202778.htm

Overseas film makers win pirated DVD case
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007 ... 821918.htm


Piglet with two mouths, three eyes
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007- ... 812219.htm

[JohnR]

"Departed" stirs anger over Boston Irish mob boss


By Julie Masis
Tue Mar 6, 3:17 PM ET

BOSTON (Reuters) - While Martin Scorsese is feted by Hollywood for his Oscar-winning film "The Departed," relatives of people killed or tortured by the real-life Boston Irish mobster on which the movie is based are not applauding.

Some say they feel exploited by the film that won best picture and best director in last month's Oscars, or that it stirred up painful memories or glossed over crucial facts.

Others simply refuse to see Hollywood's version of the life of fugitive gangster James "Whitey" Bulger

"The movie gives this hero worship to this creature," said Christopher McIntyre, 47, whose brother was murdered by Bulger's gang in 1984. He said he has not seen the film because it would be "very painful."

"For eight hours, they strapped him in a chair and cut pieces off him. He begged for a bullet in the brain," McIntyre said, adding that he personally still feels threatened by remnants of Bulger's gang and plans to leave Massachusetts.

Indicted for 19 murders, Whitey Bulger has eluded police since December 23. 1994, when the convicted bank robber and government informer with ties to corrupt federal agents vanished and sparked a manhunt with unconfirmed sightings spanning nearly every continent.

He is listed alongside Osama bin Laden as one of America's most-wanted fugitives.

McIntyre's family filed a federal lawsuit in 2001 that alleges FBI agents at the top levels of the Boston office knew of Bulger's crimes but protected him from prosecution because they were informants against the local Italian Mafia.

The FBI has declined to comment on the case, saying its investigation into Bulger is ongoing.

Tim Connors, 32, whose father was gunned down by Bulger's gang in 1975, said he did not like the way Hollywood portrayed Bulger and his notorious Winter Hill gang which generated more than 60 convictions in about 30 cases.

"It glorified things way too much," he said. "Everybody is just trying to cash in on that story."

'NO GOOD GUYS'

Howie Carr, author of the "The Brothers Bulger," said that although the movie was set in the insular Irish-American South Boston enclave where Bulger lived, it missed a few salient points in the Bulger story.

He said in real life there were few if any redeeming characters such as the policeman played by Leonardo DiCaprio who infiltrates the gang and forms a close relationship with the larger-than-life mobster played by Jack Nicholson.

"There were no good guys in this saga," said Carr.

Carr's book explores how much state and city politicians knew about Bulger's gang, and whether they tolerated its years of bookmaking, drug peddling, extortion and murder while Bulger's brother, William Bulger, was a dominating force in state politics as Senate president.

David Wheeler, whose father was shot and killed by a hitman on Bulger's orders in 1981, criticized the film for glossing over the government's involvement in Bulger's gang.

"In my opinion it's a revisionist history that protects the guilty," he said. "I cannot see this movie. It would just be too painful."

In a 21-minute documentary on Bulger included in the DVD version of the film, which was released by Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Pictures, Scorsese puts some distance between the character of Frank Costello played by Nicholson and the real-life Boston gangster.

"In no way do we say that Francis Costello is patterned after Whitey Bulger. But let me put it this way: We felt comfortable in the character and in the situation because we know it to be true," he said.

[MrBooth]

Surely this one's worth inlining!

[dleedlee]

Some not so flattering remarks about Fan Bingbing:


Defintion of “Bada Bing, Bada Boom” from the Urban Dictionary:
mainly used as an expression for a very good looking person.

Example: Tony Soprano sees a drop-dead gorgeous female… this would be his cue to say “Bada Bing, Bada Boom!” … or in this case Fan Bada Bingbing, Bada Boomboom.

So is actress Bada Bing Bing set to replace Zhang Ziyi as the next big thing out of China? That’s yet to be seen and far less interesting at the moment than how she got to where she is.

According to a recent Cityweekend report, Fan’s talents may lie outside of her on-screen roles. As beautiful as she is, her sudden rise to popularity has sparked less than flattering gossip. The rumor mill has been abound with chatter of her past dalliances with strategic partners in the entertainment industry, perhaps a nip/ tuck to enhance her on-screen look, and some behind the scenes diva like political maneuvering.

Fan has had a rumor filled history with tales of her clawing her way up by canoodling with various entertainment tycoons. First it was the head of a TV production company in Guangdong, who successfully landed her a role in a TV drama. Then it was another TV giant in Zhejiang, then a Hong Kong actor/producer and then the Huayi Brothers. The brothers made her the leading lady of many mega budget films of 2006. In just a few years’ time, Fan went from a virtually unknown extra to an A-list actress.

And then there’s her plastic surgery scandal. The 25-year-old intensified the lines on her eyelids (making them look deeper), padded her nose and made her chin even sharper. Some time before that, it was reported she had a violet encounter with a shutterbug ala Cameron Diaz. And just last month a picture of her wearing fur triggered a sea of criticism from animal protection groups.

The gossip mills are reporting that the main reason behind Fan’s recent break with the Huayi Brothers is that she feels her position in the company has been threatened. The Wang brothers once promised her that she would always have first dibs on any Huayi film production. But soon after issuing the promise, the brothers signed Zhou Xun, an actress whose looks match those of Fan, but who just happens to be a more talented actress (she won numerous awards for Perhaps Love). In less than three months, the brothers also signed Taiwanese actress Lin Xinru, who is obviously another threat to Fan’s dominance.

http://www.cityweekend.com.cn/articles/ ... hot-thing/
http://dailydumpling.com/2007/03/08/fan ... what-cost/

[MrBooth]

I take any gossip about successful Chinese women with a bucket of salt - though it's interesting that Zhou Xun seems to have escaped it (I don't especially rate her as an actress or a 'beauty' to be honest - not sure why she's everybody's darling).

[dleedlee]

True enough, but her rise to stardom is still pretty amazing. Maybe it's the Li Bingbing fan in me coming out. After Seventeen Years she's the only Bingbing in my Bada Bing

The old rumors revisited
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/lifestyle/ ... 619115.htm