Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:14 pm
Chinese pop-ballad sensation Chyi Yu is all set to take the stage for her final solo concerts, five years after she last appeared in Beijing.
Often dubbed "China's Enya," the 51-year-old singer met with the media dressed in her signature Bohemian style.
While most expected to learn the details of her upcoming concerts, Chyi shocked reporters with the announcement that her November performances would be her last solo concerts ever. Then she burst into tears.
"The reason is simple: singers hold solo concerts because they have the ambition to propel their career to a higher level. I'm living a peaceful life now, devoting my time to Buddhism. I think this concert will draw a perfect conclusion to my career," Chyi explained.
Billed as The Voice – No Boundaries, her concert will focus solely on her music, without dancing or visual e. ects. Artistic director Jin Zhaojun said that many concerts these days tend to be over-enhanced by technology, with the music itself marginalized.
"Because of my religion and my major in anthropology, I dislike boundaries," Chyi added. "There are no boundaries in music, from Chinese songs to English, from classical to pop and from past to present. Therefore the title No Boundaries perfectly summarizes the content of this show."
The music diva will present 20 timeless classics in both English and Chinese, including Amazing Grace and Vincent, the Broadway hit Memory, as well as her smash hit The Olive Tree and Swan Lake, a reprise of her collaboration with Russian National Orchestra.
According to Lao Zai, the concert's music producer, most of the songs will be rearranged into orchestral or folk compositions.
As a young singer, Chyi rose to stardom after winning two university folk competitions in Taiwan in the 1970s.
By her own admission, she has never been a prolific performer. The past three decades of her career only saw seven Chinese albums and seven English releases, with a number of chart-topping singles, including The Highheel of September and The Bird and The Fish. "God gave me a goodvoice, but I'm not active enough. I am not a planner and I sing as I like. Singing has always been my hobby, not a means of living," Chyi explained.
She added that the decline of China's pop music industry, the prevalence of piracy and the change in listening trends also impacted her music.
In 2002, Chyi converted to Buddhism. She then released four albums featuring Buddhist chants.
"I got a chance to know Buddhism on a trip to Tibet and I discovered the religious music can benefi t common people as well," Chyi said. "If pop music can sooth people's moods, then spiritual music can comfort our souls."
Nowadays, Chyi lives in Beijing with her rock-star turned pop-singer younger brother Chyi Chin.
"Quitting solo performing doesn't mean my farewell to the stage. I will continue to perform as a guest singer in my friend's concerts or for charity events."
Chyi Yu's farewell solo concert is scheduled for November 28 and 29 at the Beijing Exhibition Theatre
Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:14 pm
South Korean model Daul Kim was found hanged in her Paris apartment on Nov. 19, 2009, a spokeswoman for the city prosecutor's office said. Police were investigating the cause of the 20-year-old's death and said it was most likely that she committed suicide, the prosecutor's spokeswoman told Reuters on Friday.
Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:13 pm
As a much-hyped and long-awaited sequel to the "Twilight" saga, the vampire romance "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" becomes a heavy blockbuster with a projected 140.7 million dollars in ticket sales over the weekend, setting many firsts on its way to the top of North America box office, authorities said on Sunday.
On Friday when it debuted in theaters in Canada and the United States, "New Moon" harvested a total of 72.7 million dollars. This is in contrast to the first installment "Twilight" which only garnered 35.98 million dollars on the first day of showing last November.
As a result, the female-orientated flick not only defeated "The Dark Knight" for top notch of North America one-day box office, but also broke the midnight showing record previously held by "Harry Porter and Half Blood Prince" with 26.3 million dollars.
Box office specialists previously predicted that the movie will bring in 100 million dollars in receipt, and it turned out this prediction is too conservative.
A Summit Entertainment production and based on a series of four novels by author Stephenie Meyer, "New Moon" is directed by Chris Weitz instead of Catherine Hardwicke in the first installment. However, the movie is exceptionally faithful to the 2008 beginnings.
The romance between mortal and vampire soars to a new level as Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) delves deeper into the mysteries of the supernatural world she yearns to become part of, only to find herself in greater peril than ever before.
The cast remained basically the same. The success of the movie also originated from the big-effort promotion by Summit Entertainment that saw major actors and actresses of the film making a pitch in 15 major cities across North America.
A drama sports film about an American football player and featuring Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side" opened with a solid 34.5 million dollars in estimated sales, making it the No. 2 on the chart. Before this year, Bullock had never had a 20-million-dollaropener in her life.
The feature film is produced by Alcon Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros.. It has received positive reviews from the critics. "Rotten Tomatoes" reported that 70 percent of critics gave positive reviews, based on 84 reviews.
"2012", last weekend's No. 1 from Sony/Columbia, fetched 26.5 million dollars this weekend and slipped two steps to No. 3, with a combined two-week sales of 108.2 million dollars. The disaster sage tells what a doomsday world will look like and costs more than 200 million dollars to make.
Rounding out the top five of the weekend are "Planet 51 (Animated)" by Sony, opening with 12.6 million dollars this weekend, and "Disney's A Christmas Carol" by Disney, with 12.2 million dollars this weekend and 79.8 million over three weeks.
Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:13 pm
The Walt Disney Company announced Sunday the start of production of the Chinese version of the classic High School Musical, working with local partners Shanghai Media Group (SMG) and Huayi Brothers Media Corporation.
High School Musical, Emmy Award winner in 2006, has reached about 300 million views since its debut in 2006. It has formed a product chain including the music albums, drama, clothing and souvenirs.
Created uniquely for the Chinese audience, the Chinese version tells a story of a new student who meets a gifted young man with whom she shares a secret passion for singing. With the help of their friends they overcome the odds to win an inter-school singing competition and discover their true calling in the process.
The movie is planned for cinematic release in summer 2010.
"Disney's ongoing commitment to local content development underpins our strategy to connect with new audiences around the world," said Jason Reed, executive vice president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production.
"The choice of the right stories and best local partners is key to success of our localization strategy," he added.
Chinese film market needs a variety of homemade movies like High School Musical, said Wang Zhonglei, president of Huayi Brothers Media Corporation, one of China's leading film and TV producers.
The cooperation with Disney and Huayi was "magic" and the return might be out of expectation, said Yang Wenhong, head of SMG's Film and TV Drama Center.
Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:13 pm
Established Chinese director Gu Changwei, a cinematographer in Chen Kaige's "Farewell My Concubine" in 1993, started to shoot a documentary on reducing people's discrimination toward HIV/AIDS Sunday.
The film, tentatively called "Mo Shu Xing Dong," or "Magic Move", depicts how people infected with HIV/AIDS are leading their lives in society. A person infected with the disease offers to work for Gu's film "Mo Shu Shi Dai" or "Magic Age" and the change takes place.
A survey conducted by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in July showed almost half of ordinary people and 25 percent of medical workers still discriminate against HIV/AIDS sufferers in China.
"I hope more organizations and companies will take part in the activities aimed to stem the spread of HIV/AIDS and eliminate the discrimination", said Gu.
He said, love and sincerity would bridge the gap between the public and people infected with HIV/AIDS.
Yin Li, vice minister of health, said the documentary was expected to increase people's knowledge about HIV/AIDS.
The documentary is part of China's efforts to disseminate the knowledge of HIV/AIDS as the World AIDS Day is coming. It falls on Dec. 1 and the theme for this year is "Universal Access and Human Rights."
China had reported more than 290,000 HIV/AIDS cases by May this year, including 90,000 AIDS patients.
Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:12 pm
For a whopping 420,000 U.S. dollars, Michael Jackson's rhinestone-encrusted glove is coming to a hotel in the glitzy Asian gambling haven of Macao.
Hoffman Ma, deputy chief executive of the Ponte 16 gaming resort, made the winning bid of 350,000 U.S. dollars at an auction in New York on the hotel's behalf. With commission included, the glove cost 420,000 U.S. dollars in total, hotel spokeswoman Jennie Yeung said.
Jackson wore the sparkling glove when he performed his first "moonwalk" dance in 1983. The auction on Saturday featured more than 70 items from the late pop icon's career.
Legendary gambling tycoon Stanley Ho's Sociedade de Jogos de Macau owns half of the five-star hotel, which will open a gallery early next year to showcase the glove and nine other Jackson items from the auction, Yeung said.
Among the items were a pair of sequin-encrusted socks, portraits of Charlie Chaplin drawn by Jackson as a child, and a shirt he wore in his iconic Thriller video.
Macao is the only city on Chinese soil to allow casino gambling.
The decision to buy Jackson memorabilia had been discussed by Ponte 16's senior executives for several months, Yeung said.
"Michael Jackson is a legendary entertainer and so it was very important to buy some of his collectables," she said.
In a statement, Ma said: "We aim to create a 'Rendezvous' to reminisce this great performer of the 20th century."
Ma, a 36-year-old Jackson fan, looked happy after winning the bid on Saturday.
"It was a fairly good discount," he said.
During the auction, the price of the glove was increasing rapidly with fans roaring and squealing - similar to the kind of frenzy that accompanied the late pop star when he toured the world.
The glove was the top item in a collection of Jackson memorabilia on the block at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. Its pre-auction estimate was 40,000 to 60,000 U.S. dollars.
But with Jackson mania surging five months after his death, frenzied bidders from around the world and in New York sent the price rocketing.
The pop icon, who died June 25 at 50, had given the glove to Walter "Clyde" Orange, of the singing group the Commodores.
A jacket that Jackson wore on his 1989 Bad tour fetched 225,000 U.S. dollars - 20 times its estimate of 8,000 dollars.
The sale, held by Los Angeles-based Julien's Auctions, also included a fedora Jackson wore for the moonwalk. It sold for 22,000 U.S. dollars against a 2,000 dollars high estimate.
New Yorker Linda Derogene said she was willing to spend up to 5,000 U.S. dollars for a material link to the performer she's idolized all her life, but never got a chance to see in concert.
Friday 27 November 2009 at 6:10 pm
Country starlet Taylor Swift won two early prizes at the American Music Awards on Sunday, and accepted her honors live via satellite from backstage at London's Wembley Arena.
Swift, 19, who leads the contenders with six nominations, was named favorite female artist in the pop/rock category and favorite adult-contemporary artist -- tributes to her wide crossover appeal.
Swift was the biggest selling artist in the United States last year and her album "Fearless" is this year's No. 1 album.
Swift, who was rehearsing for a show at the London venue on Monday, thanked her fans. "I will never be able to say how much I love you," she said.
Other prominent nominees include Michael Jackson, with five nominations, and rapper Eminem with four. Jackson died of an overdose nearly five months ago.
"There's never a wrong way to do something that's so right and righteous. He paved the way," said former "American Idol" judge Paul Abdul, who once worked as Jackson's choreographer.
"There's no one that's ever been able to wow audiences quite like Michael, and I don't think there will ever be someone as magical.
Both Swift and Jackson will compete for artist of the year, the event's final award, along with pop star Lady Gaga, Eminem and rock band Kings of Leon.
Eminem is making a rare awards-show appearance.
Other early winners included hip-hop act Black Eyed Peas as favorite group in both the pop/rock and soul/R&B categories.
Rascal Flatts was named best country group for the fourth year in a row. Punk rock trio Green Day was named favorite alternative artist
Nominees are determined by radio airplay and retail sales, while members of the public determine the winners through online voting. That's why Jackson got so many nominations, even though he did not release any new material.
Fans have scooped up his hit albums since his death.
Performers included Jackson's kid sister, Janet Jackson, who performed a medley of her hits; rock band Daughtry; Colombian pop diva Shakira; and pop star Kelly Clarkson.
Friday 27 November 2009 at 5:54 pm
Adam Lambert kisses one of the dancers as he performs during the closing act of the 37th Annual American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Lambert wasn't the only former "American Idol" contestant to get risqué. Earlier in the night, Carrie Underwood strutted in a pants-less outfit, but the country star was still a long way removed from Lambert's sexually suggestive performance. With a crotch rub and a make-out session with a band member, Lambert sent tongues wagging and the Twittisphere erupting in controversy, bolting to the top of the site's trending topics.
"The energy felt good. Adrenaline is a crazy thing to feel," Lambert said to Pop & Hiss after the show. "That's what I love about performing. I'm hoping people were entertained. For those who weren't, maybe I'm not their cup of tea."
When asked if he thought the most extreme moments would be edited out of the West Coast broadcast, Lambert wasn't shy about how he would react to such a move.
"If it’s gonna be edited, then in a way that's discrimination. I don't mean to get political, but Madonna, Britney and Christina weren't edited," Lambert said. "It’s a shame. Female entertainers have been risquéfor years. Honestly, there's a huge double standard."
Lambert said his goal wasn't to upset anyone with his performance: "I'm just trying to have a good time onstage. It’s a sexy song. It’s 2009, it’s time to take more risks. It’s about entertainment. People want to be surprised. It’s too bad that people are so scared."
Saturday 14 November 2009 at 12:40 pm
Nov. 12 --In Beijing, the list of year end concerts is usually dominated by big-name pop stars. But this year, niche singers are edging their way from the fringe onto center stage and achieving impressive box-office results.
In the world of mando-pop, niche singers are those whose devotion to a particular style limits their appeal to the widest possible audience.
Taiwan singer and songwriter Chen Yizhen is an example of the emerging popularity of these performers. This year marked a turning point for her. Instead of the usual three-thousand seat theatre, Chen performed at the much larger Capital Gymnasium, seating more than 20 thousand. The box-office result astonished the whole market.
Niche singers usually appeal to college students and white-collar workers. They become devoted fans willing to spend money to hear their favorites. But there's a scarcity of concerts by niche singers and this is being seen as one reason for their increasing popularity.
There are also more concert organizers who now see the market potential of niche singers and are prepared to put more money into promoting their shows.
(Source: CCTV.com)
