Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Jackie Chan's Father Dies Aged 93

More sad news broke today as the death of Fang Dao-long (房道龍), the father of Jackie Chan (成龍) and grandfather of Jaycee Chan (房祖名), was announced.

Fang celebrated his 93rd birthday in December of last year and both Jackie and Jaycee shared the occasion with him. He had recently been suffering from illness and was admitted into hospital for treatment, but he did not recover and died yesterday.

Jackie was filming in Beijing at the time of his father's death, so he was unable to share the final moments of Fang's life. However, Jackie's wife Joan Lin (林鳳嬌), Jaycee and Jackie's former manager Willie Chan (陳自強) were all by the old man's side when he passed away.

Fang, also known as Charles Chan (陳志平), originated from Shandong province before moving to Hong Kong during the war between the Communists and Nationalist parties. He found work as a cook for the American Consulate in Hong Kong, where his wife worked as a housemaid. The couple gave birth to Jackie, but when their employer relocated to Australia and they could not take their son with them, they had no choice but to leave him as a boarder at opera school when he was just six years old.

Reports indicate that the family plan to take Fang's body back to his home in Australia, where he will be buried with his wife and Jackie will be flying directly to Australia to complete his filial duties.

Jackie's assistant Ken Lo (盧惠光) said that Jackie has completed his filming work in Beijing now, so he will have time to mourn his father and make the funeral arrangements.

Jackie's good friend Simon Yam (任達華) expressed his sadness at the news of Fang's death and said that coupled with the news of Lydia Sum (沈殿霞)'s death last week, everyone is very downhearted, but it is comforting to know that they have gone somewhere very peaceful and he hoped that this will remind everyone to cherish their friends.

Sammo Hung (洪金寶) said that as a child he spent a lot of time with Fang and he believed that the old man was very happy at the duty and care that Jackie and Jaycee has shown him. However, Sammo said that he has not been in touch with Jackie for a long time now so he did not know what to say to him.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Deep Ng 吳浩康


01 熄電話 (Interlude)
02 真人Show
03 若無其事
04 給愛惜的人
05 黑色笑話 (Interlude)
06 前戲
07 百年孤寂
08 望鏡
09 一個人 (Interlude)
10 夜巡者
11 好勝
12 我可以

Alan Tam To Visit Snowstorm Victims

Hong Kong Performing Artistes Guild (香港演藝協會) president Alan Tam (譚詠麟) was joined by Cheung Kwok Keung (張國強) and Jo Koo (谷祖琳) today as they departed from Hong Kong International Airport, bound for the areas of Guangxi province that have been affected by the recent snowstorm disaster.

Alan revealed that the guild has planned a concert on 01 March at the Hong Kong Stadium to raise money for the disaster fund. As TVB and ATV have both already held respective fundraising events of their own, the guild has decided to take a different approach and will be sending members out independently to make films about the current situation and to visit the victims. Other members including Ray Lui (呂良偉), Charlie Yeung (楊采妮), Sandra Ng (吳君如), Gordon Lam (林家棟), Jaycee Chan (房祖名), Ada Choi (蔡少芬) and Monica Chan (陳法蓉) will be making trips out shortly to film and meet the victims to pass on their support and encouragement.

Talking of Edison Chen (陳冠希)'s announcement that he is to leave showbiz, Alan said that the guild has already issued a statement and he just wants things to settle down now. He added that on a personal note, he feels that Edison and the other victims may need some counselling and said that the guild is always on hand to help if required.

Alan also expressed his shock at the death of Lydia Sum (沈殿霞) this week and said that he called the radio station to verify the reports when he heard them because he did not believe it was true. He said that he had spoken to Lydia on the phone a week before she died and she seemed to be very well when he invited her for dinner some time, but unfortunately this was never to happen. Alan was disappointed that he will not be able to attend her memorial service on 02 March because of a prior engagement in Shanghai.

Edison Chen Questioned By Police For 2nd Day

Edison Chen (陳冠希) spent a second day answering police questions yesterday, reported Singtao Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper.

The newspaper reported that Edison left the Four Seasons Hotel in a seven-seater car at around 3PM to go to Wanchai Police Headquarters. His entourage managed to dodge the press who had staked-out around the hotel.

The newspaper reported, citing rumours, that, on the computer equipment surrendered by Edison, the police have discovered almost 1,000 more sex photos that they did not previously know about. They also discovered sex video clips. Three new women, who appear to be celebrities, have been implicated by the new photos and police have contacted them after Edison IDed them.

The seven-seater that Edison was seen arriving in was spotted driving away from Police HQ around 9PM. The press followed the car back to Edison's home on Magazine Gap Road, but discovered on arrival that the car was a decoy and the star was not inside.

Edison instead left Police HQ in a Mercedes-Benz bound for the Four Seasons, where he entered through a trade entrance to spend a third night.

Meanwhile, The Sun, a Hong Kong newspaper, spoke to Edison's sister, Trician Chen (陳見飛), on the telephone.

She confirmed that Edison will leave Hong Kong soon, but did not give a definite date. She said that she will accompany him.

She said that it broke her heart watching on TV her brother at his press conference on Thursday. She said that Edison looked frail and lonely and the sight made her shed tears.

She said that she currently speaks to Edison several times a day on the phone. She added that a silver lining of the scandal is the Chen family have become much closer.

Trician revealed that she is currently managing a large fashion project on behalf of Edison at his company Clot Inc. She also revealed that she is looking for suitable charity work for Edison to do when he steps away from showbiz.

She confirmed that her friend Candice Chan (陳思慧), one of the women implicated by the sex photos scandal, has cancelled her wedding which had been planned for April. She added, however, that Candice had dealt very well with the scandal, and revealed that she had received an email of support from Candice.

The newspaper also estimated that the bill for Edison's bodyguards, who he hired to protect him in the aftermath of the scandal, is around HK$50,000 a day. The bodyguards are from Signal 8 Security, a company that has offices in Hong Kong and Los Angeles and whose past clients include Bill Clinton, Mariah Carey, Prince, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Manchester United.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Eric Tsang: Good For Edison To Explain

The 32nd Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) will be taking place from 17 March to 06 April 2008.

A press conference was held today at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsimshatsui and details of this year's festival programme were revealed.

Guests in attendance included HKIFF committee chairman Wilfred Wong JP (王英偉太平紳士), film directors Ann Hui (許鞍華) and Vincent Chui, Eric Tsang (曾志偉), Yumiko Cheng (鄭希怡), Sherman Chung (鍾舒漫), Ken Hung (洪卓立), Pakho Chau (周柏豪) and Chelsea Tong (唐素琪).

During his speech, Eric revealed that he has been in the film industry for 35 years. Asked if he would like a TV station to make a special programme to showcase his career like TVB did to mark the 40th year in showbiz for Lydia Sum (沈殿霞), he said that he has been approached about this on numerous occasions, but does not want to make this programme and would prefer to celebrate with a group of friends instead. He added that Lydia was indeed very popular though because so many people took part in making that show for her.

Talking about his hugely emotional reaction during the tribute show for Lydia on Tuesday evening following the news of her death in the morning, Eric revealed that he cried for two days afterwards because he was so sad. Asked if he will be attending her funeral in Vancouver, he said he will not, but will do his best to help prepare for the memorial service that will be held in Hong Kong on 02 March.

Commenting on Joyce Cheng (鄭欣宜)'s maturity in dealing with her mother's death, Eric said that she needs some time and everyone can see that. He also hoped that she will receive the same support that her mother did.

Asked about his thoughts about Edison Chen (陳冠希) finally talking to the press about the recent sex photos scandal, Eric said that it was good for Edison to finally face up to the situation and bring it to an end. He said that he felt the incident will start to die down now. Asked to comment on rumours that Edison will be rebuilding his reputation by concentrating on western films, Eric said it is up to Edison's discretion. Eric reiterated that the most important thing was that Edison had faced up to the what had happened.

Edison Chen: I Took Photos, I'm Sorry, I Quit Showbiz

Edison Chen (陳冠希), the male star at the centre of the sex photos scandal that has rocked Hong Kong, held a long-awaited press conference today. He confirmed that the photos are authentic, apologized for the fallout, and promised to suspend his showbiz career.

It was the first time the actor-singer had returned to Hong Kong and faced the media since he left the city after sex photos of him and women – purportedly celebrities including Gillian Chung (鍾欣桐), Bobo Chan (陳文媛) and Cecilia Cheung (張栢芝) – started surfacing on the internet almost four weeks ago.

He arrived in Hong Kong around 10 AM from the US, but managed to avoid the staked-out media because his management company had arranged with the airport to sneak him out of a back door. He addressed the press at the Hong Kong International Trade & Exhibition Centre in Kowloon Bay around 3 PM. His entire statement was in English.

He confirmed that the sex photos belong to him and had been stolen from his computer.

"I admit that most of the photos being circulated on the internet were taken by me," the 27-year-old said.

He added: "But these photos were very private and have not been shown to people and were never intended to be shown to anyone.

"These photos were stolen from me illegally and distributed without my consent."

Although he did not reveal the identity of the women in the photos, he apologized to them.

"I would like to apologize to all the ladies and to all their families for any harm or hurt that they have been feeling. I'm sorry," he said.

He apologized for the public fallout the scandal had caused.

"Most importantly, I would like to say sorry to all the people in Hong Kong. I give my apologies sincerely to you all, unreservedly and with my heart," he said.

He added: "I know young people in Hong Kong look up to many figures in our society. And, in this regard, I failed as a role model."

He revealed that he will be quitting show business.

"During my time away, I've made an important decision. I will wholeheartedly fulfil all commitments that I have to date. But, after that, I’ve decided to step away from the Hong Kong entertainment industry. I've decided to do this to give myself an opportunity to heal myself and to search my soul," he said.

"I will be away from Hong Kong entertainment indefinitely."

He said that he is cooperating with the police, who have been investigating the leak and spread of the photos.

"I have been assisting the police since the first day the photos were published, and I will continue to assist them. After this press con, I have obligations to help them with their investigation."

He finished: "I hope you all will accept my apology and give me a chance."

Although hundreds of reporters, photographers and cameramen had gathered, Edison did not take any questions.

When Edison was driven away, over a hundred police officers cleared the road, with some joining hands to form a human ring around the star's Mercedes-Benz.

Three outnumbered and brave fans turned up to support their idol.