Korea's top pop stars are hitting the tour circuit this summer. Pop rock band F.T Island kick off their Asia tour on June 27 with a concert showcase in Singapore. The band will perform in Japan, Thailand, China, and Taiwan in July before returning to Korea to release a new album. K-pop icon Seo Tai Ji is also in the midst of his nationwide live tour which began on June 14 in Seoul, and lasts until the end of July.

Super Junior will open their 2nd Asia Tour ~ Super Show 2 the same way as their first tour, with three consecutive shows at the Olympic Fencing Stadium in Seoul from July 17 to 19. The boy band will then go on to hold concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Bangkok, and two other Asian cities. Though he appears in the concert promotion material, Super Junior's elusive 13th member Kim Ki Bum, who was absent from all third album promotion activities, recently confirmed that he will not be participating in the Seoul concerts because of a foot injury.

SS501 are launching their 1st Asia Tour at Seoul's Olympic Gymnastics Stadium on August 1 and 2. The Persona concert tour will also take the boy band to Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Singapore, Malaysia, and Japan where they're set to perform at the Tokyo Budokan on August 13. Dong Bang Shin Ki are heading to the Tokyo Dome for the first time on July 4 and 5 for the final leg of their 4th Live Tour 2009 The Secret Code.

Gearing up for their US debut, the Wonder Girls are touring in North America from June to August as the opening act for American pop sensations Jonas Brothers. The girls will give their first performance in Portland, Oregon on June 27, which is also the release date of their first US digital single, the English version of their K-pop megahit Nobody.

Text / Sanwei

Leon Lai and Richie Jen were spotted on location in Hong Kong yesterday, shooting new film Foh Lung ("Fire Dragon") for director Dante Lam. The 14-hour shoot lasted from morning until evening in Kowloon's Tsimshatsui district, with Lai and Jen working alongside co-stars Michelle Ye (Vengeance), Wilfred Lau (Lady Cop and Papa Crook) and Liu Kai Chi, who recently won a Best Supporting Actor Hong Kong Film Award for his work in Lam's Beast Stalker.

Foh Lung is the latest action-thriller from the very busy Lam, whose Beast Stalker and Sniper were both released theatrically within the last year. If Lam's recent films seem to fit together, that's no coincidence. Besides featuring recurring cast members (aside from Leon Lai, the principal cast for Foh Lung all appeared in Sniper), Lam's new film reunites him with writing partner Jack Ng Wai Lun. This past spring, their script for Beast Stalker earned a nomination for Best Screenplay at the Hong Kong Film Awards.

Featuring Lai and Jen as cops, the film is described by Lam having action on a level "between Beast Stalker and Sniper". The film is being shot entirely in Hong Kong and will likely be released before the end of 2009. This fall, Lam will reunite with Nick Cheung, recent recipient of the Best Actor Hong Kong Film Award, on Beast Stalker 2. Afterwards, Lam will begin production on his highly anticipated remake/reimagining of The Flying Guillotine in collaboration with producer Peter Chan (Protégé).

Text / Koh So

Released on June 17, Imawano Kiyoshiro's posthumous single Oh! Radio has turned into the late Japanese rock singer's biggest solo hit. Imawano, who passed away on May 2 at the age of 58, wrote Oh! Radio as the spring campaign song for Osaka radio station FM802. His solo demo version of the song was originally not scheduled for a CD release, but after the song was played at his funeral, many fans requested that the song be put on CD.

Oh! Radio passed sales of 20,000 copies in its first week, debuting at #5 on the Oricon weekly chart. It is Imawano's first top 10 single since he released Day Dream Believer with his band The Timers in 1989, and the biggest hit of his 13 solo singles. Previously, Imawano's highest-charting solo single was the 1991 release Papa no Uta which reached #12 on the Oricon chart. Counting the singles he released with Sakamoto Ryuichi and his bands RC Succession and The Timers, Oh! Radio is Imawano's fifth top 10 hit overall.

Text / Snoopy

Overheard

Summer 2009's film to beat looks to be Overheard, which evokes the winning formula of Infernal Affairs, assembling an all-star cast brimming with hunk appeal and supported by some of Hong Kong's best filmmaking talents. Produced by Derek Yee (Protege) and helmed by the Infernal Affairs's writer-director team of Alan Mak and Felix Chong, this highly anticipated crime drama stars Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo and Daniel Wu as elite agents of the Hong Kong Police's Criminal Intelligence Bureau. Their latest mission is to infiltrate a listed company suspected of illegal insider trading, and to intercept their communications for further investigation. The wiretapping trio overhears important financial secrets during their surveillance, but when their personal greed gets in the way, they are blinded from the danger that lies ahead. Besides female lead Zhang Jingchu, the testosterone-filled cast includes Alex Fong, Michael Wong, Waise Lee, Dominic Lam, and singer William Chan.

McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong

Swine flu is a real bummer, but "swine fu" could be the surprise of the summer! Hong Kong's favorite homegrown cartoon character returns in McDull Kung Fu Ding Ding Dong, the latest silver-screen adventure of the cutesy, clumsy and dim-witted piglet. Following the seriously funny tradition of My Life as McDull (2001) and McDull, Prince de la Bun (2004), the third chapter of the animated series has McDull learning Tai Chi at Wudang (his mom sent him) in preparation for the worldwide kindergarten martial arts tournament. Voice talents include Anthony Wong, Sandra Ng, alternative singer Wan Kwong, and popular stage artist Jim Chim.

Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg

Jeff Lau (A Chinese Odyssey, A Chinese Tall Story) is an undisputed master of whimsical ideas, which is why his films never fail to excite. This summer, he returns to direct Hu Jun, Sun Li, Alex Fong, Ronald Cheng, and Wu Jing in Metallic Attraction: Kungfu Cyborg, his first film in four years. The sci-fi comedy features expensive Transformers-esque special effects, human-cyborg romance, adrenaline-pumping fight scenes (courtesy of Wu Jing), and of course, the director's trademark offbeat humor. If Jeff Lau's track record is anything to go by, then Kungfu Cyborg will either be a masterpiece or an interesting failure - either way his film is certainly worth looking out for.

Kung Fu Chefs

The cast and crew of 2007 action comedy Kung Fu Fighter are back with another Stephen Chow tribute, Kung Fu Chefs. Playing a cocky cook savvy in the martial arts, Taiwan pop idol Vaness Wu reunites with Fan Siu Wong, Lam Chi Chung, and veteran kung fu star Leung Siu Lung. The cast gets strong reinforcement from action legend Sammo Hung, Cherie Ying, and Japanese singer Kago Ai (formerly of Morning Musume), who signed up for a role in the movie to kick-start her showbiz comeback.

Happily Ever After

No summer holiday is complete without a sappy teen pic starring the hottest young pop idols. Fitting the bill is Happily Ever After, a romantic drama with EEG stars-in-the-making Ken Hung (Love is Elsewhere), Michelle Wai, and Carlos Chan playing high school students yearning for love. With producer Ivy Kong (Love Undercover, Diva Ah Hey, Super Fans) making her directorial debut alongside film editor Azrael Chung (Look for a Star, Happy Funeral, Moments of Love), the film looks to be in safe hands.

Text / dian

Murderer

Aaron Kwok headlines the psychological thriller Murderer by Ang Lee's apprentice Roy Chow, who serves up a stylish dish of suspense and mystery in his directorial debut. Advance word on the film has been very positive, particularly for the smart script from in-demand screenwriter To Chi Long (Secret, Jiang Hu), and the tour-de-force performance from Kwok. Two-time winner of the prestigious Golden Horse Best Actor Award, Kwok stars as Ling, a Police Chief Inspector whose perfect life takes an abrupt turn when he wakes up from a crime scene with his memory fading away, and his best friend gruesomely murdered. In his heated pursuit of the elusive killer, Ling realizes that he himself is the prime suspect. Kwok's onscreen accomplices include Eddie Cheung, Janine Chang, Wong Yau Nam, Josie Ho, and veteran action star Chen Kuan Tai.

On His Majesty's Secret Service

Possibly inspired by the success of All's Well Ends Well 2009, veteran filmmaker Wong Jing has mustered his laugh-making best in On His Majesty's Secret Service, his unofficial sequel to Stephen Chow's 1996 blockbuster Forbidden City Cop, on which he served as the producer. Without Chow, Wong Jing brings together an ensemble of popular Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China actors. Taking center stage in the royal court is Louis Koo, who flexes his comedic muscles alongside his Connected co-star Barbie Hsu, and actress Sandra Ng. Koo plays Dog, a crazy scientist and one of the 12 secret agents protecting the Emperor, who must thwart the evil plans of the treacherous eunuch played by action star Fan Siu Wong.

Herman Yau's "Laughing Gor" Project

Plans are underway for the Shaw Brothers to begin making movies again after lying dormant for over 20 years. The legendary studio has greenlighted several new film projects, and the first to come is the big-screen prequel to E.U., the TVB cop drama that became the talk of Hong Kong when it aired in February/March 2009. Herman Yau is onboard to direct the film, and Michael Tse reprises his star-making role of the titular hero "Laughing Gor", an underworld leader who is actually an undercover cop. The film reveals Laughing's backstory not depicted in the TV series, as the talented but inexperienced police cadet is assigned to infiltrate a triad gang. Adding luster to the film is the involvement of big-name actors like Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Felix Wong, and recent TVB phenomenon Wayne Lai.

Tracing Shadow

In Tracing Shadow, Francis Ng pays homage to the classics of Chinese martial arts movies - by turning their conventions on their heads! Allegedly akin to Kung Fu Hustle in style, the costume action comedy marks Ng's second collaboration with co-director Marco Mak after Dancing Lion. Taiwan model/actress Pace Wu and Hong Kong singer/actor Jaycee Chan join Ng in this tongue-in-cheek tale surrounding the martial world's fight for a national treasure during the end of Ming Dynasty.

Written By

Wai Ka Fai goes without Johnnie To to direct the supernatural drama Written By, penned by himself and Au Kin Yee, the Best Screenplay Award-winning team behind Mad Detective. Like that groundbreaking psychodrama, Written By blurs the boundary between reality and the imaginary, with Lau Ching Wan playing a lawyer who is killed in a traffic accident, but gets a second chance at life in the novel written by his wife (Kelly Lin) and daughter (Yan Qing). The formidable creative force from Milkyway Image inspires confidence, as does the film's selection as the opening film of the 10th New York Asian Film Festival.

Text / dian

Several new live-action manga adaptations were announced in June. After NANA and Detroit Metal City, another popular rock music manga, Harold Sakuishi's BECK, is getting a live-action big-screen makeover from hit-making 20th Century Boys director Tsutsumi Yukihiko, who is of course no stranger to manga adaptations. BECK, which was previously adapted into an anime series in 2004, revolves around the making and rise of the eponymous rock band formed by some of Japan's hottest young actors. Heartthrob Mizushima Hiro from Drop stars as slick bandleader and guitarist Ray, and Sato Takeru from baseball mega hit Rookies plays young budding vocalist Koyuki. The rest of BECK is filled out by Kiritani Kenta as rapper Chiba, Nakamura Aoi as drummer Yuji, and Mukai Osamu as bassist Taira. Mizushima, Sato, and Mukai earlier co-starred together in the hit 2009 winter drama Mei-chan no Shitsuji. Shooting for BECK begins in July, with a target release in fall 2010.

Rookies star Hayato Ichihara plays a silver-haired teen lock-picking prodigy in the upcoming NTV mini-series Saru Lock based on Naoki Serizawa's manga. Set to begin airing in July, Saru Lock is about a locksmith's son and unremarkable high school student who uses his lock-picking skills to help crack cases with his police officer friend played by Rookies teammate Takaoka Sousuke. Other than the TV drama, NTV is also planning on releasing a Saru Lock film in spring 2009.

The live-action movie adaptation of Sakuragi Yukiya's comedic pet manga Inubaka: Crazy for Dogs, which doesn't star any member of Rookies (yet), is coming to theaters this fall. Well known from the variety program Quiz! Hexagon II, Suzanne of Pabo makes her leading lady debut as a small-town girl with an uncanny talent for dealing with dogs. She moves to the big city with her trusty canine, and ends up working at a pet shop.

Text / Sanwei

Director Kwak Kyung Taek's highly anticipated television remake of his classic gangster blockbuster Friend will begin airing on MBC on June 27. Friend, which broke Korean box office records when it was released in 2001, starred Jang Dong Gun and Yoo Oh Sung in a rough-and-tumble tale about four childhood friends coming of age in the tough streets of Busan in the 1970s and 80s. Kwak Kyung Taek expands and retells his semi-autobiographical story in the new 20-episode drama Friend, Our Legend, produced by the same production company that made the film. Friend, Our Legend is one of the few Korean dramas in which shooting for the entire series was completed before the first episode's broadcast.

Hyun Bin of My Lovely Sam-Soon fame takes the Jang Dong Gun role of Dong Soo while Tazza's Kim Min Joon, who hails from Busan, plays Yoo Oh Sung's role Jun Seok. The two actors last collaborated in the 2004 mini-series Ireland. Friend, Our Legend also co-stars Seo Do Young (Spring Waltz) and Min Ji Hye (How To Meet a Perfect Neighbor). The film's original lead Jang Dong Gun makes a cameo appearance in the drama, as do Ju Jin Mo and Park Si Yeon who starred in Kwak Kyung Taek's A Love and Cha Seung Won from An Eye for an Eye.

Text / Sanwei

One of Mainland China's top actors and filmmakers, Jiang Wen, known for his internationally acclaimed arthouse works like The Sun Also Rises and In the Heat of the Sun, has announced plans to make his fourth film as a director and his first "commercial" film. Titled Let the Bullets Fly, the film is said to be a "comic western legend", with lots of gunfights, horseback action, and black humor.

Jiang Wen himself plays a bandit in this highly anticipated genre project unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival, and it was just confirmed that one of the most bankable actors in China, Ge You (If You Are the One, The Banquet), has agreed to star opposite Jiang in the role of a con artist. The two big shots previously collaborated on the historical epic The Emperor's Shadow in 1995. This time they will be joined by some as-yet-unnamed A-list co-stars, with rumors of Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun Fat as another main lead already floating in the media.

Based on Ma Shitu's short stories collection Ye Tan Shi Ji, Let the Bullets Fly is set in the vast deserts of western Sichuan Province during the Beiyang warlord era (around 1920s). Production will begin in July/August in Guangdong, Beijing, and Tianjin, with an eye to launch during the lucrative New Year's frame in late 2010.

Text / dian

Veteran Hong Kong actor Shek Kin passed away on June 3, 2009 at the age of 96. The legendary martial arts actor was well known locally for his iconic antagonist role in the long-running series of Wong Fei Hung films during the 1950s and 60s. To Western audiences, Shek is probably best known for playing the villain Han in the Bruce Lee classic Enter the Dragon.

Entering the film industry in 1940 with a bit role in Flower in a Sea of Blood, Shek Kin went on to appear in over 300 films in a career that spanned half a century. Usually playing villainous characters, Shek was one of the most famous bad guys of Hong Kong Cinema, so much so that his name became synonymous with villain. In 1976, Shek joined TVB and participated in numerous television productions including classics like The New Heaven Sword & The Dragon Sabre and The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. Shek retired in 1993 after appearing in his final film, Hong Kong Adam's Family.

Contrary to his onscreen image, Shek was known as kind-hearted person in his personal life and was greatly respected and admired in the entertainment industry. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1993 Golden Bauhinia Awards, and the Professional Achievement Award at the 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards. In 2004, Shek was honored with a handprint plaque at Hong Kong's Avenue of Stars.

Renowned Shaw Brothers director Ho Meng Hua passed away on May 19 in Hong Kong. He was 80 years old.

Born in Shanghai, Ho began his cinematic career in 1955 as director Yen Chuan's assistant. Making his directorial debut with An Appointment After Dark in 1958, Ho then joined Shaw Brothers and made close to 50 films for the studio.

Over the course of his career, Ho established himself as a versatile director, helming such varied works as the SFX extravaganza The Mighty Peking Man (1977), fantasy epic The Monkey Goes West, true crime film The Criminals (1976), horror movie Black Magic (1975), Huangmei opera The Adulteress (1963), swordplay film Swift Sword (1980), and the kung fu classic Shaolin Abbot (1979). His 1967 romance drama Susanna was awarded Best Film at the 14th Asia Film Festival as well as a special prize by the Monbusho of the Japanese government.

The prolific director entered semi-retirement in the 1980s following a cutback in production by Shaw Brothers. After making his last film Evil Black Magic in 1992, Ho moved to the United States with his family, but returned to Hong Kong a few years ago.

In recent years, filmmakers have begun to mine the Shaw Brothers catalog for remake ideas, with Warlords director Peter Chan looking to produce an updated version of Ho's 1975 costume actioner The Flying Guillotine, to be directed by Dante Lam (The Beast Stalker).

Text / dian

Best-selling J-pop group EXILE won the top prize again at the MTV Video Music Awards 2009 Japan which were held on May 30 at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo. For the second year in a row, EXILE took home VMA Japan's Video of the Year honors with their hit Ti Amo (Chapter 2) which also won Best Group Video. The group capped off their victorious night with a third award for Best Choreography.

Hip-hop artist KREVA beat out Kanye West, Ne-Yo, Usher, and Hata Motohiro to win Best Male Video for Akasatanahamayarawawon, while diva Amuro Namie scored a double win with her NEW LOOK taking Best Female Video and Sexy Girl taking Best R&B Video. Most of the other genre awards also stayed at home with Maximum the Hormone's Tsume Tsume Tsume winning Best Rock Video, TERIYAKI BOYZ's ZOCK ON! winning Best Hip Hop Video, HAN-KUN's HOTTER THAN HOT winning Best Reggae Video, Towa Tei's Mind Wall winning Best Dance Video, and Remioromen's Pandemic theme Yume no Tsubomi winning Best Video from a Film. Duo Kimaguren's LIFE picked up both Best New Artist Video and Best Karaoke Song, and Mr. Children's SUPERMARKET FANTASY was named Best Album of the Year. American artists also received some love as Best Collaboration Video went to Nelly and Fergie's Party People, and Best Pop Video to Katy Perry's I Kissed A Girl.

The award ceremony was hosted by actor and comedian Hitori Gekidan. Guest performers for the night included EXILE, Green Day, Katy Perry, Black Eyed Peas, Ciara, 9mm Parabellum Bullet, Remioromen, and BoA who sang her English single I Did It for Love with Sean Garrett. Korean hip-pop boy band Big Bang, who are making their major debut in Japan this month, also attended the show as presenters.

Text / Sanwei

Some of Korea's biggest stars are participating in a joint Korea-Japan Telecinema project consisting of at least seven feature-length mini-dramas that will be released theatrically and on television in both countries. Top Korean directors and Japanese screenwriters are collaborating on these telefilms produced by Samhwa Networks. Some of the big names lined up include Ahn Jae Wook, Cha In Pyo, Ji Jin Hee, Kim Ha Neul, Kang Ji Hwan, Kang Hye Jung, Ye Ji Won, and Shin Sung Woo. The two projects that have received the most attention thus far are the ones starring pop idols T.O.P and Seung Ri of Big Bang and Dong Bang Shin Ki's Hero Jae Joong.

Jae Joong makes his acting debut opposite Iljimae's Han Hyo Ju in the drama Heaven's Postman. Directed by Lee Hyung Min (I'm Sorry, I Love You) and written by Kitagawa Eriko (Long Vacation), Heaven's Postman revolves around a young businessman who falls into a coma after an accident, and becomes a postman delivering letters between the worlds of the living and the dead. The drama finished shooting last year, and is currently in post-production. Directed by Jang Yong Woo and written by Inoue Yumiko (White Tower), T.O.P and Seung Ri's 19 is about a trio of 19-year-old murder suspects locked in a cat-and-mouse game with the police. The two Big Bang members, who finished filming in mid-May, are also singing 19's theme song.

Other telefilms in the project include A Stone's Dream which stars Cha In Pyo and Kim Hyo Jin as a conman and a club dancer trying to help a young boy find his mother. Ahn Jae Wook, Lee Soo Kyung, and Kang Hye Jung, meanwhile, form a romance and suspense Triangle for a thriller directed by Ji Young Soo (Oh! Pil Seung, Bong Soon Young) and written by Ozaki Masaya (Love Generation). Starring Shin Sung Woo, Ye Ji Woon, and Ko Ah Sung, After the Wedding from My Lovely Sam-Soon director Kim Yoon Chul and Gokusen writer Yokota Rie is about a group of old college friends who find some surprises awaiting when they meet again at a wedding. Kang Ji Hwan is also faced with a big surprise as a shallow architect who gets beautiful and ugly women mixed up after a sight-impairing injury in My Love, Ugly Duckling directed by Lee Jang Soo (Stairway to Heaven) and written by Oishi Shizuka (First Love). Also directed by Lee Jang Soo and written by Okada Yoshikazu (Bambino!), Paradise stars Kim Ha Neul and Ji Jin Hee as two people who meet on an island called Paradise.

The Telecinema productions will begin hitting movie theaters as early as summer, and then be broadcast on Korea's SBS and Japan's TV Asahi as two-part dramas.

Text / Sanwei

The 62nd Cannes Film Festival wrapped on Sunday, May 24. The top Palme d'Or prize went to Austrian auteur Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon, and the Grand Prix was given to French film A Prophet.

Haneke, who won the Grand Prix with The Piano Teacher in 2001 and Best Director with Hidden in 2005, received the Palme d'Or trophy from jury president Isabelle Huppert, the French star of The Piano Teacher. A black-and-white film set in a pre-WWI German village, The White Ribbon bumped the critics favorite, prison drama A Prophet by French director Jacques Audiard, to the second place. The high-profile American representative, Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino, emerged winner of Best Actor for German actor Christoph Waltz, who played the major villain in the Nazi actioner. Best Actress went to French thespian Charlotte Gainsbourg for her hysterical performance in the controversial Antichrist by Lars von Trier. Still productive at 86, French master Alain Resnais had a new film Wild Grass in competition, which earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award and a standing ovation.

Despite the strong showing of European films this year, the Asian contingent managed to take home some important prizes, too. Filipino director Brillante Mendoza surprisingly snatched up Best Director for Kinatay. Chinese maverick director Lou Ye's Spring Fever, written by Mei Feng, got recognized for Best Screenplay. Finally, Korean maestro Park Chan Wook's highly anticipated Thirst shared the Jury Special Prize with English filmmaker Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank.

Text / dian

Maverick director Miike Takashi just can't seem to stop making movies. The prolific auteur recently revealed two upcoming projects, starting with a remake of the 1963 Kudo Eiichi samurai classic Thirteen Assassins. The film revolves around thirteen samurai and their suicide mission to kill a cruel feudal lord whose procession vastly outnumbers them. The Thirteen Assassins remake is spearheaded by Oscar-winning producers Jeremy Thomas (The Last Emperor) and Nakazawa Toshiaki (Departures), who produced many of Miike's films including Sukiyaki Western Django and The Bird People in China. The film starts shooting in July, and will be released in Japan by Toho.

Miike, whose recent Crows Zero adaptations were both box office hits, has also been tapped to direct a big-budget big-screen adaptation of the digital manga Takeru by Cobra and Midnight Eye Goku creator Terasawa Buichi. Set in an alternate-world Japan, Takeru is a fantasy adventure about a ninja who battles evil to protect the woman he loves. Produced by Nagasawa Yoshiya, Takeru is expected to feature a pan-Asian cast, and will start filming in 2010 for a 2011 release.

Text / Sanwei

Morning Musume's latest single Syou ga Nai Yume Oibito released on May 13 has crossed weekly sales of 48,000 copies, rewarding them with a new Oricon #1 single. It's their first #1 single since Aruiteru released in November 2006. It's also the first #1 for eighth-generation Morning Musume members Mitsui Aika and Chinese members Jun Jun and Lin Lin.

The runner-up is Rain is fallin'/Hybrid by the Japanese-Korean collaboration of trio w-inds and Korean hip-hop group Big Bang's leader G-Dragon, while two you by the special unit Yuzuguren (formed by duos Yuzu and Kimaguren) ranks third. Finally, duo VAMPS consisting of L'Arc-en-Ciel vocalist Hyde and Oblivion Dust's guitarist K.A.Z hold a #4 hit with Evanescent. Top R&B singers Kato Miliyah and Shimizu Shota share the 5th place with the song Love Forever.

Text / Snoopy

Well-known novels by two of Japan's greatest modern writers, Murakami Haruki and Dazai Osamu, are set for movie adaptations. Murakami Haruki's popular 1987 novel Norwegian Wood is traveling to the silver screen in the hands of acclaimed French-Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung, with Detroit Metal City's Matsuyama Kenichi in the leading role.

Backdropped by the student movements of the late 1960s, Norwegian Wood revolves around college student's Watanabe Toru's emotional struggle over the suicide of his best friend, and his relationships with two very different women - one energetic and outgoing, the other fragile and troubled - played by newcomer Mizuhara Kiko and Oscar-nominated actress Kikuchi Rinko from Babel. The film's supporting cast includes Snakes and Earrings' Kora Kengo, Giniro no Season's Tamayama Tetsuji, and A Stranger of Mine's Kirishima Reika. Norwegian Wood begins shooting on June 1, and is scheduled for release in autumn 2010.

Late Showa-era writer Dazai Osamu's semi-autobiographical 1948 masterpiece Ningen Shikaku (a.k.a. No Longer Human), one of the most representatives works of modern Japanese literature, is also getting its first screen adaptation. Ningen Shikaku details the life of a troubled college student who feels alienated from the world, but chooses to hide his pain behind a jolly facade. The adaptation is being helmed by Zigeunerweisen producer and Akame 48 Waterfalls director Arato Genji, and Johnny's idol and television star Ikuta Toma will make his film debut as the protagonist Oba Yozo. Filming begins in July with a target release for spring 2010.

As 2009 marks the 100th anniversary of Dazai's birth, many adaptations of the writer's works are actually hitting theaters this year including Shayo directed by Akihara Masatoshi (I Carry the Ticket of Eternity), Pandora's Box directed by Tominaga Masanori (The Pavillion Salamandre) and starring Kubozuka Yosuke, as well as Villon's Wife directed by Negishi Kichitaro (Dog in a Sidecar) and starring Asano Tadanobu and Matsu Takako.

Text / Sanwei

The nominations for the 20th Golden Melody Awards were announced on May 15. A total of 101 works are up for 23 awards. Jay Chou has again wowed the music world garnering eight nominations for his album Capricorn, including Best Mandarin Album, Best Mandarin Male Singer, Best Album Producer, plus Best Song of the Year, Best Lyricist, Best Composer for his hit song Rice Fragrance, and Best MV Director for Mr. Magic.

Highly acclaimed newcomer Crowd Lu has proved to be the revelation of the year. His debut album 100 Ways For Living is the black horse fighting on five fronts: Best Newcomer, Best Song of the Year, Best Mandarin Album, Best Composer, and Best Arrangement. Singer-songwriter Khalil Fong's Orange Moon got four nominations, as did Taiwanese diva Jody Chiang's Holding You Tight.

Jay Chou faces fierce competition from Leehom Wang (Heart Beat), Xiao Huang Chi (I'm Xiao Huang Chi), Hong Kong singer Eason Chan (Don't Want to Let Go), and Khalil Fong for Best Mandarin Male Singer. Their Female counterparts are five-time nominee Fish Leong (Valentine's Today), the twice-crowned Tanya Chua (MY SPACE), Tsai Chin (Without Regrets), Sandee Chen (If There is One Thing That is Important), and A-Lin Huang (Diva). Mayday, The Chairman, 13 Band, The Hohak Band, and Natural Q vie for Best Band, while Best Group Vocal sees Da Mouth, Y2J, NyLas, and HoneyVoices in tight contention.

For Best Newcomer, singer-songwriters Crowd Lu, Joanna Wang (Start From Here), and Hsiao Hung Jen (Hsiao Hung Jen) are up against One Million Star graduates James Lin (Mystery), Jam Hsiao (Jam Hsiao), and Rachel Liang (Love Poem), but the fan-favorite OMS idol Aska Yang was surprisingly omitted.

Nominations for Best Mandarin Album go to the aforementioned Capricorn, 100 Ways For Living, plus Stanley Huang's We All Lay Down In The End, Sandee Chen's If There is One Thing That is Important, and Eason Chan's Don't Want to Let Go.

The Golden Melody Awards ceremony will be held June 27 at the Taipei Arena. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the biggest annual music award in Taiwan, there will be an online poll for the public to vote for the 20 most memorable songs of the last two decades.

Text / dian

Some long-absent Korean artists are making their comebacks in May. Away for almost three years, R&B and ballad singer Kim Tae Woo of g.o.d, who completed his army service in February, is leaving tracks around the globe this month for his comeback. He performed at the Korea Drama Song Festival in Tokyo on May 8, and then at the Hollywood Bowl Korea Times Festival in Los Angeles on May 9. The Hollywood Bowl turned into a mini g.o.d reunion as Park Joon Hyung and Son Ho Young were at the event as well, fueling more rumors of a possible g.o.d. comeback in 2009, the group's tenth anniversary year. Kim Tae Woo will be releasing his new solo digital single on May 19 and holding comeback concerts from May 26 to 31.

Korean-American hip-hop guru DJ Shine, who has been out of the public eye since leaving Drunken Tiger four years ago, finally returns with the single album Right Round. Released on May 14, the song is a Korean cover of Flo Rida's same-titled hit, and features Noh Si Hyun of Gavy N.J.

Perhaps the most unexpected comeback though is that of popular 90s group The Blue which disbanded 14 years ago. Better known as actors, Kim Min Jong and Son Ji Chang were big as pop duo The Blue in the early and mid-90s during Korea's early wave of idol actor-singers. Their new album The Blue, The First Memories includes collaborations with Tiffany and Soo Young of Girls' Generation and a rearranged self-cover of "With You", the theme song of their classic 1994 youth drama Feelings.

Text / Sanwei